On the move...

Hello everyone, really quick one today,

I'm being transferred. It's exciting news, also kind of sad because I really came to love Katowice but also nice to experience something new. 

I'm moving to a place called Szczecin (shche-cheen) and its alllllllllll the way on the opposite side of the country to Katowice. It's right in the North West of Poland, next to the German border. I've been all over the place on my mission. I started in Łódź which is slap bang in the middle of Poland, then I went to Kato which is South East, then to Rzeszów which is even further south east, I served for a week in Zgorzelec which is the most south-westerly city for missionaries in Poland. I've also been up to Białystok for 3 days which is right up on the North East of Poland and now I'll be serving in the North West. Crazy!  All exciting stuff though.   I'll be training as well which is nice.   I get to look after a missionary and help him be better than I am.

Anyway, I hope you're all doing good?  Remember, Christ loves you for who you are. He's proud of all of your efforts. Do all that you can do and He'll do all that you cannot do. We may not be celestial kingdom material right now but Christ can make us celestial kingdom material. That is the wonderful promise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Love you all, speak soon.

Starszy Ashworth x

Because I have been given much I too must give....

Hello everyone,

This week was a crazy fast week, I don't really remember much of what happened, because we spend so much time on Facebook its kind of hard to think of anything that's crazy interesting. But we've been working hard, finding new people to teach and it's been goinng really well. Sometimes it drives me insane being sat inside staring at a phone screen which is ironic because that's exactly what I'd be doing about 18 months ago haha. But its all good, safe to say I won't be on my phone as often when I get home.

We had exchanges with the APs this week which was good, we taught some really good lessons and it was a busy day which usually means it goes by in the blink of an eye. There was this one really cool girl we taught who'll be getting baptised next month. We were teaching about repentance and at the end I was bearing my testimony of repentance and she stopped me mid way through and said 'this just reminded me of an experience I had last week while I was reading the Book of Mormon' and she went on to say how she'd had this experience while reading the Book of Mormon and that she was having the same feelings while I was sharing my testimony. I can't tell you how much that meant to me. To know that someone was feeling the spirit as I bore my testimony is such an amazing thing to hear. That's what missionary work is all about. It's about those moments where someone can hear the still small voice, and feel that change in their hearts. That's why we do what we do. Yeah we see cool things, yeah we have stories to tell, but at the end of the day it's about seeing lives change through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Its special.

There's also a hymn i really like, the one where it says 'because I have been given much i too must give...' This hymn has taken on a new meaning for me now that I'm a missionary. I always though of it as like giving away the things we have like food and clothing and money etc. But it's more than that, it's about giving of our love

our time, our effort and our tears. It reminded me of the scripture in Acts where Peter looks down at the lame man and says, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee". He took the man by the hand and raised him up, giving him strength to move and to jump and to laugh and to sing. I'm not sure what talents I have, maybe I'm yet to discover them haha, but I know that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ, that He lives and that He loves us with a perfect love. I know that 'when other helpers fail and comforts flee' that Christ never leaves us because He's our faithful friend. I'm grateful that I get to share that with others.

Love and miss you all.

Starszy Ashworth x

Grateful for the Gospel and the comfort it brings.

Hello everyone!

The last week has been really good and miracle filled! So this week we've been in Zgorzelec, its a city on the other side of Poland, takes about 6 hours on the train to get there from Katowice. My companion and I are covering both cities which is cool, kinda crazy that we're doing it but it's a good experience nonetheless. We were busy this week, teaching and filming Facebook ads and whatnot. We also found 4 people which is like crazy for me, as I've not really found many people at all on my mission, so to have 4 in one week was a big blessing. And to make it even better we have got a  baptismal date set. It was really special and I love seeing how much the gospel can touch another's life. Sharing the message of the gospel is a huge privilege and the more I share it with others the stronger my testimony becomes. I'm grateful for the gospel and the comfort it brings us, especially in moments of sorrow, fear and uncertainty. I know that there's a God who loves us, He's our Father and we are His children. He loves us so much that He gave His Only Begotten Son. I'll never quite fully grasp it, but I know it's real and that's enough for me.

I'd just like to share a quote that I read today actually that I really really liked. It was by President Joseph F Smith and he said,

"I rejoice that I am born to live, to die, and to live again."

Its a simple quote, but it spoke peace to my soul. I'm grateful for the perspective the gospel gives. Christ lives, and because He lives we all shall live again. That's a promise made to each and every one of us. We were made for a purpose much greater than we can comprehend.

Miss you all, speak soon.

Starszy Ashworth x