While on my mission I can be contacted at ashley.lynch@myldsmail.net

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

A WonDEERful Life

This week has been full of such amazing miracles!!!!
First of all, We found a wonDEERful new investigator ;)
 
 
We went on exchanges and I got to serve another day with Sister Herrera! That is three times now! And whenever we serve together it feels like I am being reunited with an old companion :) The Athens Sisters have been running a little low on miles so we would be biking a whole lot on exchanges, which is fine with me because I love biking! Well, one of their investigators named Don asked us to come see him and it was an eight mile bike ride one way to come see him. But of course we went. He lives up this long, windy, very hilly and steep dirt road which made for a very fun adventure haha. We ended up walking up a lot of really big hills, got chased by dogs down a good stretch of the road and I managed to get stuck in the mud. And we ended up having a wonderful visit with Don. We taught some, got to do service and even ate dinner with him. He absolutely could not believe we even attempted biking to his house, and he was kind enough to arrange a ride for us back home :) It was a fantastic day!
 
 
Another amazing thing! A little while ago we were knocking on someone's door who had told us he would like to talk to us later that day, but he ended up not being home. BUT there was a woman sitting on the porch next door and we were able to talk to her! It was actually her mom's house and she isn't usually there (not a coincidence) and she was interested in learning more and said we could come back! Our first lesson with her was amazing! She talked about how she has felt something missing in her life lately, and wants God to be a bigger part of her family's life and basically that what we were sharing with her was an answer to a prayer. She was excited to receive a copy of the Book of Mormon and when she said the closing prayer for our lesson she asked to know if it was true as well as the things we had taught her, without any prompting from us! How awesome is that?! The other night we were in the area and we felt prompted to go see her and we were able to do some service for her as well as meet the rest of her family :) They are so sweet and it never ceases to amaze me how involved God is in the details of our lives. He always leads us exactly where we are needed, to the people who are truly seeking for His gospel. I am so grateful to be a part of this great work! I am grateful I get to meet such special people and help them come closer to Jesus Christ!

The other night added to my list of favorite experiences from my mission :) We had a lesson scheduled with our little friend Aries who is getting baptized soon!!!! When we got there, we were surprised to see so many people in their home. There was about 7 kids in the house haha so we taught them! Aries's little friends were so excited to be able to participate and read from the scriptures. It was a sweet experience, and by the end they were asking if they could come to church too. It was especially neat to see how excited Aries was to tell her friends what she knew and to show them what she was learning. She is so good at inviting :) It really shows how much she does value her testimony and that this is something that means a lot to her :)
 
 
I would like to leave you with a thought about our Savior :) He who gives us strength, whose spirit comforts us and teaches us truth, and who is the founder of peace and the source of all the sweet experiences we have in life. In preparation for Easter, I have been studying about Christ's Atonement, and these words from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland have really stuck with me.
"As we approach this holy week—Passover Thursday with its Paschal Lamb, atoning Friday with its cross, Resurrection Sunday with its empty tomb—may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,” for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone."
Christ's sacrifice is infinite and perfect. He stands by our side, unwavering. The least we could offer in return is to try our very best to be committed to Him, and when we start to waver to call upon Him. I testify that each time we do He will come to our aide. It may seem like a daunting task to commit to being that faithful, always and forever, but the blessings we receive will undeniably outweigh any sacrifice. As we live our lives to stand for Him, as He has laid down His for our sake, we will be able to stand a little taller, be a little better, and live a whole lot happier.

I love you all, just keep smiling!
 
Still Raining!!