Email on 02/06/12 - Julie Ashworth's Song

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I Know That My Redeemer Lives- Julie Ashworth

Play video This past summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend the Governors School for the Arts. This changed my life in many ways. I was with 99 other musicians/artists my age: 16. It was amazing. I… 00:04:38 Added on 11/29/11 370 views

This is a girl in our ward! she is singing I Know That My Redeemer Lives!

The best part about this is that she wrote her testimony underneath it and

That is the best part about it. There are few mormons out here...but the youth

just make me so happy with their testimonies and pride to stand up for what

they believe!!! what examples they are to us and families and the community.

I seriously feel no greater spirit then when a youth bares their testimony of

Christ and especially here...wow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx7UGIEI3Xo

Journal Entry from 01/24/12 - Kim

January 24, 2012
I prayed this morning about finding the elect in Nitro. And I looked over the map and was like ok do any stand out to me? and 29th street did...I wasnt sure if it was just me. I felt like i was just making stuff up because I have little faith. While we were in Nitro I drove down the street but didnt say anything to Gunnell. I still didnt know. So we stopped at someones house to visit and then we didnt know what to do. Gunnell said why dont we just go tract those one apartments. I really didnt wanna do that. i mean tracting really isnt that fun...especially here. I dunno if it is different in other places. but ugh, i can be a little negative sometimes. so i just said i dont wanna be there. and then we prayed. and then I just drove us back to 29th street and I said how bout this and I said i think this one. and we drove down the dead end part of the street turned around and parked. We knocked on every door. and i was getting so discouraged. There were people home and even one person with their door open and i saw them right there and they didnt answer the door... ugh and gunnell was like dont be sad we arent done yet. and i said i know. and then in the dead end loop *Kim opened the door. and I told her we were missionaries sharing messages about Christ and asked if she had a faith in Him. then I asked her how that helps her family in the crazy world today. she just said it does. and i said umm...well, like i said we are missionaries and we love to share messages how Christs gospel has blessed our lives (and I think our families) and said we believe in the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible. Because it testifies of Christ and as we follow His example it is a strength in our lives. and I asked her if we could stop by and teach her more and she said yes, and when we gave her the BOM she said she would read it and pray. then she said that we came at the perfect time and told us a little about her family, and then I just got to bear testimony. I almost cried it was unreal!
God really does answer our prayers! But like it says in the bible dictionary under prayer that prayer accompanies sacrifice. which means if we dont search for the answers we ask in our prayers...they cant be answered

 

Journal Entry from 01/27/12 - Elizabeth

January 27, 2012 (straw glasses)
Yesterday we went over to give *Elizabeth some pictures of Christ so she could make her sister a birthday present. And she invited us in. She was pretty happy. and she told us she had been reading and then told us how she needed new glasses. all she had was the frame. and so i asked her if she had any bendy straws, super glue, or tape. and she had all those things! she thought i was crazy but i put it all together and sized it to her face and we got them to work! she was laughin so hard she couldnt believe it. then we got some black nail polish and painted the straws black so you couldnt tell they were straws! it was the funnest thing ever! 
We also talked about why God would want us to set goals and she gave a perfect answer so we asked her about when she was gonna get baptized and she told us February 18. I hope she pulls through this time! my prayers are with her as she does this. 
She read through the baptismal questions and told us that she participated in an abortion a long time ago. and wondered why some of these questions were on there. That was the only one she said she would say yes to and that she had a misdeamenor or something. but i asked her why God would want us to repent for having participated in an abortion. She said that she already asked Him for forgiveness but said that it was like murder and said she also looked back on her circumstances and how she was an alcoholic and doin drugs and all this crazy stuff that would make it bad for the kid. That is not an excuse for participating in an abortion but, she did say she asked for forgiveness. But I hope all works out for her. she seems to be trying. But we are leaving it in God's hands. and guiding her and giving her hope. I hope she finally does it because she KNOWS!

Journal Entry from 01/16/12 to 01/22/12 - Goals

January 16-22, 2012 It makes sense!
So, in our district meeting we decided to have a goal to have 20 lessons a week, which in turn we are promised one baptism a month. We have averaged 7 lessons a week. They also wanted us to have shorter more frequent lessons with investigators. So, in weekly planning, Gunnell and I said we are doin it! We have faith that it can be done. EVERY SINGLE appointment fell through on Tuesday, including a dinner appointment....Well what the heck? We also had Friday filled up with meetings and a baptism so we wouldn't teach anyone that day either. It was really stressful. A good lesson that we were preparing for also didn't happen. Every planned thing fell through because of various reasons. What the heck are we supposed to do now? We had our Friday meeting with Elder Peiper and instructed that we needed to be finding and teaching the elect. Well, in the back of our minds we knew our investigators haven't truly been progressing. It makes sense to me now because during that meeting we both thought we had to drop most all of our investigators and go back to finding.
Finding really is not one of the funnest things in the world. And it certainly tested my faith. Sad to say I felt like that father in the New Testament who asks Christ, "Help Thou mine unbelief." I know what I know, and to doubt that we could be successful in tracting is the opposite of faith. Then I read how Christ reminds the apostles about how 5 loaves and fishes fed thousands of people and asked why they were hardening their hearts to other miracles. I guess that's what we all do sometimes and none of us have perfect faith. Saturday by far has been the hardest because I did not want to be faithless but believing. Sunday, I felt a renewed strength and I know that it comes through the faith and prayers of my loved ones. But these next 6 weeks are going to be some faith building experiences. I am just ready to teach someone. I know I have things that I need to learn, but I want to be helping someone else and not just myself. All in the Lord's time.

Journal Entry from 01/22/12 - Elizabeth

*Elizabeth came to church today! It shocked both me and Gunnell. (Supposedly the allegations were false against her and she is not going to jail after all) Elizabeth was very active in our gospel principles class which was good. She stayed for all three meetings. I guess that was a little miracle in and of itself! She also, set up an appointment with us. The Relief Society President told us that Elizabeth had mentioned that we had brought some hope into her life. I hope that we can continue to kindle that fire. We have decided we will be her to guide Elizabeth, but only upon request and her own actions. She knows what she needs to do. We will leave it up to God and her because of all the problems that she has been having. So far, I can see His hand. I pray that this fire continues to drive her to action.

Handwritten Letter on 01/10/12

..."Frog Griggin":  Go out in the middle of the night with a little pitchfork and listen for frogs.  When you hear it, stab it with your pitchfork and straight up eat that sucker!  SICK HUH?  West Virginia lingo I guess....

..."My new favorite quote: 'When we make it, it won't be because we have a testimony (because even Satan knows it is real).  It will be because we have become like Him!'"...

*Elizabeth is going to jail for a long time, so we won't be teaching her anymore.

Journal Entry from 01/16/12 - Betty

January 16, 2012 (Golden Investigator)
Betty is the golden investigator. We tracted into her last week and she let us in on a cold day. We left her a Book of Mormon and left with a prayer. She is married with 3 kids. She talked about coming to church before we even invited her to come. But after we taught her about the restoration, we asked her what this would mean to her if these things were true. She said well that would be a really big deal and it is something that would need to be a part of my life for sure.  It is amazing how she is able to recognize the importance.