Current Address:
Hermana Ashtin Wilcoxen
Mision Guatemala Este
Apartado Postal 951-A
Guatemala, Guatemala C.A.

Well so first things first. Yesterday I woke up sick, but I was like okay, just suck it up we have work to do today (because we had made super good plans to meet our goals this week). Well it just got worse from there, so unfortunately I had to stay home all of yesterday. So thanks to me our dats for the week were pretty much shot but what can you do? I dont know what I am going to do when I get home though because I slept for like an hour and was like I NEED TO DO SOMETHING! I dont know if I will be able to sit still when I get back haha. But no worries, the bishop gave me a blessing during church (it was pretty noticeable that I wasnt feeling well) and well...the priesthood power is real and today I feel fine. A little weak, but its Pday so I have some time to get back to normal. PLUS tomorrow I will be in the capital having a conference with the whole mission and then Wednesday Elder Quentin L Cook is coming!!!! WOOHHHHH!!! I am so pumped!!

 

So I would just like you to all know how flipping awkward street contacting is haha. I seriously have lost all shame. Like the other day we were ordering food from this woman and her son was there and was wearing a Michigan sweatshirt and I talked to him for a little bit about Michigan because he had been there and then was like so I know this is weird but can I take a picture with you? Because one of my best friends lives there haha. Yeah...I dont know if I will have embarassment of anything when I get back...which could be bad or good, still havent decided.

So tomorrow I complete 5 months in the mission. WHAT?! Where has the time gone?? I still feel like I just got here. 

The miracle of the week is that we found THIRTY TWO news. And yesterday in church we had 4 guy investigators at church. Our ward has seriously all women in it, so we have been praying to find priesthood holders. But yeah, that was a miracle for us this week, and we couldnt even work one of those days. I dont know how it happens, but God works in mysterious ways.

Love you all, have great weeks!

So first things first. I HAD MY FIRST BAPTISM THIS WEEK!!! ahhh! It was so awesome! So to prepare her we had to visit her every single day during the week. Thursday to Sunday. More than a week straight haha, but thats okay because she still likes us fortunately. After her interview for the baptism, she wanted to leave with us to visit people. Thats the third time. She totally wants to go on a mission. I cant wait to see that haha. But the baptism was so awesome. A bunch of people showed up, and afterwards she was crying and she just hugged us and said gracias. Ahhh! It was so incredible. Moments like those make everything worth it. Every hard day doesnt matter.

This week started out slowish. My comp and I were both super stressed out because we felt like we were trying but werent meeting a lot of our goals. We would set plans that just wouldnt work out, but we just kept working hard and we ended up seeing how much the Lord helped us out. At the end of the week, our dats (numbers for everything) ended up being way better than we thought they would be and we had had some really good lessons with a couple of new investigators. Two of which have baptismal dates for February :) Gosh I hope I dont have changes from this area!! But really it just helped me grow in my testimony of that even during the super hard times He is always there helping us and guiding us and we look back and cant remember why it was hard for all of the blessings that there were. 

We found out yesterday that we are getting a new bishop...our bishop is moving. This is pretty shocking because there are about 6 men in our ward who have the priesthood and no one knows who is going to be the new bishop, but we will see. The bishops wife is super happy because she doesnt like how hot it is here haha. 

I hope that everything is going well at home :) Love you alL! Have great weeks!

A few pics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/8/2014

Hello All

So the reason I am writing today is because we went to a CASTLE on Monday and it was like 3 hours away. Then we get into town and the buses are on strike so we had to walk forever to get home, so we didnt have time and then yesterday it wasnt working. So yes. That is why.

This week was super great! The Lord seriously is helping us so much. For example. A husband of one of our members we have become friends with recently. Well he has told us that he is okay with his wife going to church but he doesnt like when she is gone so much because they have a business and he wants her to help with that and what not. Well he told us also that the next dream is to get a car so that the business will take place. Apparently he made a deal with God that if he could get a car he will start going to church. Well lo and behold guess what happened? He got a car. When he walked into church Hermana Munoz and I were just like....WHAT?! and couldnt stop smiling. Nothing could make that day bad. Plus we had 5 other investigators in church. 

Something that I have really grown in is my testimony of the sacrament. It is so important in our lives. Its the chance that we literally have to be forgiven of our sins every week. To feel the cleansing power of the Atonement once again. Its a joy I cant describe and I hope that when you guys have partaken of it, that you can understand its importance too!

This week has gone between hot and cold. Like dying and sweating to today where I legitimately might want to use a jacket haha. The weather here...just as crazy as back home! 

Indiras baptism is this Saturday :):):) I am so excited for her!!! We have been visiting her every day...haha...good thing her family likes us because we are visting her today and every day until Sunday too. But theyre great. I have really grown to love some of the people here like family. I havent seen the relief society president in like a week and I saw her and was like HERMANA RINA I MISS YOU!!! haha. luckily she is moving to Chicago so maybe I can see her again. 

Elder Cook is coming to the mission on the 21st...thats right. A General Authority. I am so pumped. More details when it actually happens. Love you all an have great weeks!!

12/30/13

So INDIRA (the investigator that we found the one night just knocking on doors) IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON THE 11th OF JANUARY! We have planned to invite her to accept a fecha like 6 times but every time something happened and we couldnt. I got nervous when I realized that we finally had our chance and was just ging to let my comp do it, but she refused to talk haha. So I got to invite her to accept the date and she said yes! I cant describe the happiness that I felt in that moment. Seriously, it was so amazing. Later my comp was like yeah, I figured you should be the one to do it because youve known her for longer and you found her. I am so grateful that she made me do it.

This change is going so amazingly! I love Hermana Munoz and we work really well together. We both have the desire to work really hard. We are trying to work hard enough that we come home exhausted. The last three days have been like that. I am so tired haha, but it is totally worth it! I can see the Lord blessing us in the work as we make goals and plans to work harder than we have been. 

We found two ladies on Friday and yesterday we went back to visit them and the lady we gave a Book of Mormon had read it and they  asked about coming to church all on their own and they asked about baptism too. We asked them at the end of the lesson if they would like to be baptized if they come to the knowledge that these things are true and they both said yes :) The Spirit guides our work so much and I love it! 

It was so great to be able to talk to you guys this week :) It was sad to hang up the skype call but honestly, that acall just strengthened my resolve to be better here. I love you all so much, but I know that the sacrifice is worth it! I want to just put my all in here so that I can come home in 14 months and just enjoy the rest of my life with my amazing family and friends :) LOVE YOU ALL!