....for all you missionaries out there....

ASHLEY YOU HAVE YOUR MISSION CALLLLLLLL OMG!!! THAT IS SO AWESOME!!! my family told me where youre going... i cant remember (arkansa or kentucky or something) spanish speaking thats so awesome! i am so happy for you and kaity too!!!! you guys go in the same day and you could be in the same district how awesome and crazy!

okay... so advice i have for you now that you have your call....

first off use the i will not be still song. its amazing! its totally how i feel out here! and i cry and think of you when i hear it.

second... get a pmg in spanish and borrow (dont buy cause you will get them in the mtc) scriptures or just a bom in spanish and start reading and studying them along with the english... side by side... it will be hard and boring and you will not like it at first but it will help. also, start learning the conjugations in spanish!!!!!!! and every day choose a few spanish words to learn. listen to stuff in spanish and try and understand it. just use as much spanish as you can! haha... depending on how much time you have... but most importantly, study the doctrine and the gospel... gain a stronger testimony and learn to recognize the spirit!! the spiritual stuff is so much more important and the spanish will come i promise. dont get frustrated with in in the mtc just breathe and have fun. you can do it!

also, start preparing your ipod now... talks, conference, church music in english and spanish... the works!!! make different play lists haha.

ash i am so proud of you!! you are such an example to everyone! you will be an AMAZING missionary i am so jealous that i wont get to be there to help you prepare and also there to watch you in action out in the field! always remember to trust in the Lord... in EVERYTHING. thats one of the hardest things for me... to have complete trust in him with everything... and the fact that no matter hard i try to do things on my own, i will fall short. all of us will... but thats one reason that the atonement is so incredible! Jesus will make up for where we lack... He will help us up when we cant continue on... already on my mission I have felt Him pick me up and carry me until I have the strength to continue on... The mission is hard... it will be difficult, very difficult but it is SO worth it. when you get to see how the gospel is changing the lives of your investigators and the joy that they are finding through the gospel... it is amazing! all of the problems you had, or all of the worries that you had about things are gone... the feeling that you get when you see how you have been an instrument in the hands of the Lord is something that i dont even know how to explain. its just... AMAZING!

stay close to the Lord in these next few months... they will be hard... mine were... satan will be working on you. but stay strong! and also, go to the temple as much as you can! the temple is.... wow... another thing that I cant describe... its just amazing.

i love you!

com amor (with love)
irmã graf