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