Mission Experience Talk

So I gave a talk about my mission at church today. It brought back many different memories. You can click here to read it if you would like.

I want to go back!

So, I have been quite emotional these past couple of days and I have finally figured out why. It's because I miss my mission! I miss it so SO MUCH!!! I WANT TO GO BACK! I really didn't think I would miss it this much! I wish I wouldn't have come home. I wish I would have just stayed out there and dealt with the headaches! I Really miss it! There is not a moment I am not thinking about my mission. I even dream about it.

10th email

Well, I can't believe I have already been in the mission field for TWO TRANSFERS!!! Time flies by here! Well, Here is the news you are all waiting for. You are probably anxious to know what is going on with me.Drum roll please ../././././././././././././. I am being transfered to WATERTOWN!!!!! I will be in a tri-panionship. It will be me, Sister Purdy (Tyler Purdy from Macey's sister), and Sister Ream. President Bulloch said it is an unusual transfer. He said usually the one who has been here the longest gets transferred but he felt like he needed to send me to Watertown and keep Sister Despain here. I am sad to leave so soon, but excited to see what is in store for me in Watertown. One exciting thing is that we get to do service at the Zoo! That will definitely be fun! I am excited to experience something different. They also have a ward instead of a branch. That will be refreshing I think. It will be nice to have the support of the members! I think that is the only exciting news from up here in the Northcountry! Nothing else new I guess. How is the weather in Utah. It is getting cold here. I have been wearing sweaters and jackets for a couple of weeks now. But you know me, I'm always cold!

9th email

I am doing good this week. There are so many ups and downs in missionary work. It really is like a roller-coaster! Someone told me a mission is a microcosm of life squeezed into 18 months. So just like life is a roller-coaster, so is a mission and I am seeing that. Sister Johnson said that being on a mission you see your highest highs and also your lowest lows. I have definitely seen some of my lowest lows already, now we are going up to my highest highs...hopefully! I just wish everyone could know what I know (Which isn't much but is enough) and Feel how I feel. This Gospel can bless the lives of everyone! But very few are willing to accept it. It is really sad to be rejected when you know that what you bring to them can change their lives and bring incomprehensible blessings. I know that there are people out there... somewhere... that have been prepared to hear and accept the Gospel. We just need to find them. We are searching!

Well, the other day we were going to visit one of our investigators who we hadn't seen for 3 weeks because she kept on cancelling on us. We decided that if she cancelled again or if she didn't seem to motivated that we were going to drop her. Well, she didn't cancel. But during our visiting about random stuff before we even started the lesson she said, "I want to get baptized!" It blew us both away. I am sure we had very shocking looks on our faces. So, we didn't drop her :c) She has to get married to her "other half" first though which is going to be a struggle for them I think money wise. And she is going to have to give up her "Precious Coffee" We assured her she can do it though! She is a little overwhelmed but She still wants to get baptized after us telling her all the requirements.

It is freezing cold here!!! Okay, maybe not freezing, but it has been in the 50's and we have been getting wind from the hurricane on the east coast which makes it feel colder. We turned our heat on today :c) and I have been snuggling with blankets. I even studied this morning with my coat on :c) I CAN"T WAIT FOR WINTER!!!! (do you hear the sarcasm? )

I can't wait for fall! The colors are starting to change and I know it is going to be beautiful out here with all the trees everywhere. The forests and the long country roads that we tract! It is going to be AMAZING!!!!

Am I doing anything Labor Day you ask? Hmmm... Laboring? We have been going crazy with de-junking our apartment so we can move in a couple of weeks. We found an Ensign from 1986!!!! It is older than me!!! CRAZY! When did Brother Rutherford serve in this area? Did he serve up in Ogdensburg area at all. Maybe some of the Ensign's he read from :c) JK. All the junk from when Elders lived here is insane. We don't even know what they used it for. Like nerf guns, noodles (floaties), Golf clubs, bouncy balls, bubbles, tons of clothes that have been left by other Sisters and Elders. We have 5 big boxes of junk and clothes that we are going to either throw away or donate to some thrift store. We also have 3 big garbage bags of church magazines. It's been crazy! I guess we are doing something fun today besides laboring. Today is one of our Recent converts anniversary. We are having a party for them tonight.We are sacrificing an hour of our P-day just for them!!! They owe us big time! jk... It should be fun!

Transfers are next week so yes, you won't hear from me until Tuesday. Well, I miss you and love you all!

8th email

Hello Everyone!

Well, there isn't much to report on. A lot of our investigators that were really progressing are all dropping us like flies! It is really sad! It is sad to see this when you know they have felt the spirit testify to them of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. But we can't take anyones agency away from them.

We had one investigator named Deborah DeLuca. She was a golden investigator! She was truly searching for truth and for answers. 5 years ago she had cancer and was told she was going to die. Well, she lived! She is now free of cancer! She kept all of her commitments except for one. She wouldn't pray about the Book of Mormon. I think she was afraid of the answer she would get. I think she knew she would get answered that the Book of Mormon is a true book and she knew that if the Book of Mormon is true she would have to act upon that answer and join the one and only true church on the earth. Well, when we got to church on Sunday, there was a bag with our names on it. In the bag was all the stuff we gave her (The Book of Mormon, pamphlets, a DVD etc.). She left a note with it saying that no further visits would be necessary. So that was a sad day. She was Golden, but wasn't ready to make that commitment.

We have one investigator with a baptismal date, but it keeps getting moved back. Her name is Nikki. She is trying to quit smoking which is slowing things down. Her Baptismal date is now October 2, 2010. She also needs to start coming to church. She is doing everything else she needs to do. It is just the Word of Wisdom, and Church attendance that is holding her back!

We are working really hard at trying to find those that have been prepared. We are still searching. I know they are out there somewhere, the question is where? There really isn't more to update on. It is all just the same. Colors are changing more up here and I can't wait for fall! Fall is my favorite season and I am surrounded by trees which will soon be magnificent colors!

We are getting kicked out of our apartment and are going to have to move by September 25th. That will be fun! (do you sense the sarcasm?) Hopefullly we can find a place to live!

The dumb blonde moment,(What do you get with two blondes driving in a car on a long country road to a village you have never driven to before?) : So, we were driving to a little village the other day going the back way. We had never gone this way before so we were using a map. We turned on to a street that we thought would take us to this village. Well, 20 miles down the road, we realized we were on the wrong road! I still need to learn to read a map. But now I am a pro at U-Turns :c)

Well, I love you all!

Sister Ashleigh Simmons

p.s. I want updates on everyone else please! So please write me :c) thanks!

7th email

Why hello everyone!!!!

Sorry I have been a slacker with writing about my experiences! I have no good excuses! :c) well, Weather up here in the North Country is crazy! I am actually cold right now with a jacket on. It has been raining for the past 3 days and it is a cold rain. The colors are starting to change and I can't wait to see what fall brings!

We have one investigator with a Baptismal date for September 18th! Her name is Nikki. She is wonderful! We are excited about that. We also have one lady named Valerie who we extended the baptismal commitment to and she said she would have to think about it. Her only concern is her commitment she has made in her church. She is Presbyterian and called as a Deacon. I guess she is assigned to certain people. She doesn't want to let those people down. But she knows the Book of Mormon is True, she knows Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, and she says she has been waiting all her life to be apart of Gods true church! She is Golden! I know the Lord will continue to prepare her for baptism. That is pretty much all the exciting news here up in Ogdensburg. We are working hard and hopefully planting a lot of seeds.

Here is your randomness of Ashleigh part of the weekly e-mail. You will all probably freak out from this next sentence.... Are you ready for this... Since being here in New York, I have eaten 2 Hamburgers!!! Bleh! Now most of you know that I cannot stand hamburger! But I have been able to eat them and keep them down. They still are not my favorite thing and still gross me out, but this shows how I have been blessed out here in the mission field :c) I know it sounds crazy, but it is true!

That is pretty much all the exciting news for this week. I wish I had more to share, but things are moving really slow up here. Hopefully I'll have something to share next week.

Love you all!

Sister Ashleigh Simmons

p.s. Write me whenever Ya'll want. I won't get offended :c) jk

A short note

You want to hear about my branch experiences? well, the branch is teeny tiny. Our branch president just moved away and now Elder Johnson, the senior missionaries, is the Branch President until they go home at the beginning of October. The branch has about 12 or so active members (Including kids) and all of them are converts. Let's just say the branch is run a little bit differently than the wards in Utah. I'm still trying to get used to it all. We sometimes worry when investigators come because we don't know if it is going to run smoothly. There is no Young Men or Young Womens program, there is one kid in nursery and 2 in primary. The branch has about 100 members in it, but the majority are inactive. We are working on strengthening and building the branch up.

Well, we have an investigator with a baptismal date, and 3 or so that are deeply thinking about baptism. All of our investigators have Word Of Wisdom problems so they have to fix that first. But our one investigators baptismal date is for September 18!!! She has to quit smoking and give up coffee first though. But she is AWESOME! we love her! We are just praying really REALLY hard for her since it is a while away.