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The weeks are all merging into one at the moment haha, but I'm happy and healthy so I can't complain. I moved to Katowice this week, well, last week and it's been a really good week. My apartment is amazing I love it. It's a pretty place and the views are amazing. We even have a balcony haha, so we've been soaking up the sun haha. It's been really good weather as well in Poland, like 22 degrees celsius! I think I burned a little which is embarrassing but it's been nice to sit outside in the sun, keeps me sane. The work is exclusively facebook work, but it's actually really effective and kind of fun, but at the same time it's kind of exhausting. 6 hours talking to people on Facebook in another language actually saps the life out of you lol.

It was Easter this past weekend, surprise. But yeah it was the best time. I loved the extra focus I was able to have on the Atonement and Resurrection during my personal studies. As I was reading in Matthew I came across the well known words, "He is not here, for he is risen," and the words just seemed to jump off the page as I read them and I was filled with gratitude, for I know that death isn't the end. There aren't many other things that bring more consolation to a broken soul than that of the knowledge that Christ broke the bands of death. The grave has no victory and death has lost its sting. Christ's love for us all took Him to Gethsemane and then all the way to the summit of Calvary. He pressed on to the very end, finishing the bitter cup that was placed before Him. I'll never be able to fully express my love and my gratitude for my Saviour, but I hope that my small offering that I make to Him each day of my heart, all that I am and all that I have, is enough.

I love and miss you all. Also, a little shout out to Elder Jake Preston who is an inspiration to me every day.

I hope you all have a blessed week.

Starszy Ashworth x

Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!

So it's been a strange week. It's different at the moment. I knew I'd face trials on my mission but I didn't expect it to come in this way. We're pretty much confined to our apartment now, and sharing this gospel is bizarre because it can only been done online. Knowing that friends are returning home is hard to see because I've found a lot of strength in knowing that I'm sharing the same experiences with them. My heart goes out to them.

These are trying and uncertain times, but I've been reminded again and again of my Saviour Jesus Christ and how He knows exactly how I feel. I don't know exactly how He does that, I don't know how He has felt the anguish, the fear, the pain and the tears of all of those affected by the coronavirus, but I know that He has, and I am so grateful for it. There is peace to be found in Him when we turn to Him, when we understand His atoning sacrifice for us and the love that He has for us. There's always one who knows and understands how we feel, and it's our Beloved Saviour Jesus Christ. 

I haven't much else to say, this week has just been a lot of Polish practise, scripture study and prayer. I hope everyone at home is safe and happy and well.

"Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and ye shall have peace in me."

Speak to you all soon,

Starszy Ashworth x 

Poland is very cool.

This week has been really good, probably one of my best since I've been here. I've had a couple of tough weeks but this week I've really focused on being happy and trying to find joy no matter what my circumstance is. My mum sent me a really good quote from President Hinckley about happiness, about looking deeply and searching for the good in life, and that's what I've done, and it's helped me to realise that happiness is a mindset. Of course we're not going to be happy and bouncy and smiling every day, but we can always be grateful for something, and we can see all the good in life that God has blessed us with. It takes time too, but all things that are worth it require work and time and effort. If we want happiness we have to seek it, we cannot wait for it to show up, it has to be something that we look for.

 I've been making a lot of friends here in Łódź. I'm really growing a love for the people here. There are 2 people in my ward who I adore, they're both a bit older but I just love them so much! It's a funny thing really, but when Heavenly Father let's you catch a glimpse of what He sees it just changes everything, these people are children of God, we all are, and when we see people that way our love for them grows and grows. Łódź is my home now, it's a funny place, sometimes scary, sometimes I feel like I'm back in the 60s or whatever but I love it! 

We're still going to the handicapped school as well, I love going there and seeing the smiles on people's faces, they're usually quite happy to see us but I think I love it more than they do. We had zone conference this week too, it was really good and I'm glad I got to see all my mission friends, especially my boy Starszy Jensen. It was also tłusty czwartek which is fat Thursday and the whole nation just eats donuts haha. I only managed 5 but as a mission we ate a total 655 donuts. These things aren't small either.

 My Polish is alright as well, but all thanks goes to Heavenly Father. I've been having good conversations with people, and I can understand maybe about 50-60% of what people say lol. Still scares me but it's actually quite fun being new to something. 

To finish off, I wanted to share something from the scriptures that really touched my heart, and grew my love and adoration for the Saviour. It's in the book of St. John in the New Testament. It's after Christ's resurrection and He appears to Mary as a resurrected being. The account says,
"And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master."

I loved this account because of the way that the Saviour reaches out to Mary. He appears to her as a resurrected being after doing what no man had ever done before, or ever could do, and rather than introducing Himself as the Risen Lord, proclaiming Himself and His glory, He simply calls Mary by name. This is when the realisation hits, and she recognises that it's her Saviour that stands before her. She recognised the love in His voice, the care, the kindness, the compassion and His gentleness. He reached out in the most Christ-like way possible, by ministering to the one. The Saviour teaches us a lesson here on how we should reach out to others and how we should minister. We need to do it in the same loving, caring and individual way. Let people know that they matter, let them know that you love them, and know them and care for them.

In short, try to be more like your Saviour because He's the best.

Love you all and speak to you all soon.

Starszy Ashworth x 

I bought some T90's!

So for those of you don't know what T90s are, they are some of the most legendary football boots ever and I found a brand new pair for about 20 quid haha. So when I actually get the chance to play football I'm gonna be like Rooney, Henry and Bergkamp mixed into 1 player. That also probably made no sense to most who will read this hahaha, but basically I'm just really excited that I found my favourite football boots ever. Oh, they were also the only pair left and they were in my size. Happy days.

For the week, I've been busy, it's been the usual contacting and meeting with people and all that good missionary stuff. 

On Thursday, a Babcia from the ward came and made us some Polish food at the chapel for FHE and it was amazing. It was basically a cornish pasty (if you don't know what that is then look it up) and then she made some barszcz for us which is beetroot soup and I actually loved it which I never thought I'd say haha.

Also, last week for the first time in forever I did leg day and I have been regretting it now for 4 days and counting haha. I've literally been struggling to stand up and walk about haha and I can hear my dad saying, 'get on with it you wuss,' hahah. That makes my dad sound really mean but he's not, he's the best and coolest dad ever.

So for personal study this week I've been mixing it up with Plan of Salvation study, the Restoration study and then reading all of the scriptures from the topical guide about the Saviour and it's been really good, and so many times this week I've been reminded of the mercy of our Heavenly Father in providing for us a Saviour who came to Earth to rescue us, to literally save our souls and allow us to one day enter into the rest of our God. There's a quote from Elder Jeffrey R Holland that I just love and it says,

"That first Easter sequence of Atonement and Resurrection constitutes the most consequential moment, the most generous gift, the most excruciating pain, and the most majestic manifestation of pure love ever to be demonstrated in the history of the world. Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, suffered, died, and rose from death in order that He could, like lightning in a summer storm, grasp us as we fall, hold us with His might, and through our obedience to His commandments, lift us to eternal life." 

It's so powerful and so true! 

I'd love to hear from you all! I hope you all have lovely weeks.

Starszy Ashworth x 

The city of murals.

So Łódź is the city of murals and it's actually living up to that reputation. The murals are awesome and there are always people doing wall art, and it's not just kids doing graffiti, they get the scaffolding out and everything and they go to work. I'll add some pictures for you because I saw a few cool ones this week. 

Łódź is starting to feel like home now, it's a funny thing really, but I'm starting to love the place and the people. I've realised it doesn't all happen in a day, and I can feel my love growing for them each day. I've also realised that it all starts with a love of God though. If we love God it only makes sense that we'll love His children also, and as we Love God and develop our relationship with Him, we'll start to see His children through His eyes and through the eyes of our Saviour.

This week has been a blur, which is kind of becoming a common theme haha, all I remember is having an interview with the mission president, and also this one day where we did like 4-5 hours of contacting on the streets. We walked forever and I spoke to a loooootttttt of people and about only 2 stopped to speak to us, but I had so much fun, because I'm on the Lord's errand, and I know without a doubt that His angels are round about me lifting me and strengthening me and supporting me. 

Also my Polish is getting better which is always fun to see. I did my first street contact on my own, teaching the person about the restoration of the church and the prophet Joseph Smith. The guy kindly declined the message but I felt so good, and I made sure that I gave all the thanks to my Heavenly Father because you know, we have to stay humble. In all honesty though, we're promised in Doctrine and covenants as we open our mouths that we'll know what to say and the spirit will guide us, and I have felt that promise being fulfilled, it's the coolest thing ever. 

I have a little funny story today as well, at least it's funny for me anyway, also pretty scary though haha. So in like my second week, I was strolling down this street and I saw this really scary guy and he made eye contact with me but it felt like he was literally staring right into my soul, it gave me the chills. Then I turned around to get another look at the guy, and when I turned around he was walking backwards while still staring at me and it was terrifying. I turned around about another 5 times and everytime I did he was still staring at me. Fast forward to this week, I'm walking down the same street and at the same point on the street I look up and he's walking past me and staring right at me and it freaked me out, it gave me the shivers hahah. Honestly it hasn't left my mind, but at the same time it makes me laugh.

For the Come Follow Me study this week of Lehi's vision, I watched a video with good insights on the scriptures and it really opened my eyes to things that I hadn't noticed before. In the vision, the tree of life is a representation of the love of God, and how is the love of God made manifest? it's made manifest in His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and from and Elder Bednar talk we learn that the fruit is a symbol for the blessings of the atonement. That's why the fruit is so sweet and 'desirable above all other fruit.' And in the vision there are 2 groups of people who partake of the fruit. 1 group partake of the fruit and eventually fall away from the tree, and another group 'fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.' Now remember how the Love of God is made manifest in His son Jesus Christ. These people aren't just falling down at a metaphorical tree, they are falling down at the feet of their Saviour in gratitude, awe and love. This brought whole new meaning to these verses for me. I know that God loves us, I know that He cares for us and wants for us to return to Him and enjoy all the many blessings He has in store for us. Just trust in Him, and love Him and all things will work out for your good.

Enjoy your weeks everyone!

Starszy Ashworth x

Testimony

So this week has gone so fast. It's been so so busy and I can't believe it's P-day already. We had zone conference this week, which was really really nice. It was on the meaning of  Christmas and what we want our Christmas to look like while we're here in Poland. It's different here, I'm not with my family, I don't have the christmas tree and the christmas songs or even Home Alone. This Christmas has been a great time to really think about the true meaning of Christmas, why we celebrate it and why the season is filled with so much joy and so much hope. It's the season of giving, of sharing and of loving. The reason why we have Christmas is because 'God so loved the world that He sent his Only Begotten Son.' God sent His Son Jesus Christ, who was born in a stable in Bethlehem. The God of the Old Testament, the Lamb of God, the Saviour and Redeemer of mankind had such humble beginnings, and the story of His birth sparks within us joy, and love and care for others as we are reminded of what is really important during the Christmas season. I've had moments of peace and moments to be still, as I have thought about the Christ child, His mother Mary and the humble Joseph. I've been filled with gratitude towards God, for the gift that he gave us, the gift of His Divine Son. 

The rest of the week was really good, we finally taught a lesson haha, and not just one lesson but two! It was so nice, I couldn't help but smile as we taught because I was sharing with them something that is so important to me and they were both such lovely people searching for the truth. We shared with them the message of the Restoration, taught them about the Book of Mormon and gave them each their own copy. I'm so grateful that I get to share with people Salvation. It's moments like these that make it all worth it, just look for the good in your life because I promise it will always outweigh the bad. 

Another good thing is that my Polish is improving a lot which is always a good sign. It's been a huge blessing and I've just been able to embrace it without fear and I find myself having conversations and talking and listening like woah I'm really doing this hahaha. It's quite funny to be honest but it's so cool. We had the ward Christmas party on saturday as well and it was a 12 course meal without any meat which was bizarre but I enjoyed it for the most part hahah.

At the zone conference, President Chandler gave me the opportunity to share my testimony of my Saviour and I was grateful for this. I'm always grateful for the opportunity to share my testimony of the Saviour because it means so much to me. I cherish my testimony of my Saviour, because he is everything to me. I am so grateful for Him,I'm grateful for His example, His love, His teachings and His atoning sacrifice. I feel his love each day, it helps me to continue on, when I feel like no one understands me I always remind myself that there is always one who knows, there is always one who understands, because Jesus Christ knows and understands perfectly.

Speak to you all soon!

Starszy Ashworth

Łódź - The Manchester of Poland.

So, it's been my first week in Poland, and in all honesty it's been pretty hard. I was super excited to be here, and I still am, but it's taking me some time to adjust. What's giving me comfort is knowing that the Lord is with me, he's mindful of me and he knows how I feel and this brings me comfort. Also, the Lord won't ask me to do anything that I can't do, so I know that as I continue to work hard and have faith that I'll do alright.

 As far as Łódź goes, (pronounced woodge) it's a really pretty place, there's a huge street that runs for like 4.3 km, it's huge, and I've spent most of my time there lol. Also the name of the city means boat, but there's no water near it whatsoever which is confusing. 

My only funny story from this week was that while contacting in the streets, I went up to someone to just say hi, but I panicked and said thank you instead and they just laughed at me and walked off, quite awkward but ah well.

 I've heard some really uplifting things this week and have had many moments that have given me strength and reminded me of where I am and who it is that I am serving. My favourite though was that God doesn't care about how many people I baptise, He doesn't care about numbers, He just cares that I give my will. The one thing I can give to my Heavenly Father that is truly mine is my will, and so long as I submit my will to my Heavenly Father then I'll be okay, and my Heavenly Father can't ask for anything more. As well, when I serve and I go forth, Christ has promised us that He is with us, He is on our right hand and on our left and His angels are round about us to bear us up. This brings me great strength and I am so grateful for this knowledge.

Another thing this week that I've realised how important the Book of Mormon really is. Of course I knew this before but I know it even more now. It really does provide us safety for the soul, it is the word of God and gives us the guidance and direction we need, and it also teaches us of Christ and his Love, and reminds us that we are Children of God. I've found comfort and peace in it's pages, and I know that it will bring peace to your lives too as you read it. I promise you.

Lastly, I want to just testify of the power of prayer. This week I've really had to rely on my Saviour and His atonement, and I've had to turn to my Heavenly Father in prayer. We should always have a prayer in our hearts, always keep our minds on the things that bring us peace and joy. As we always have a prayer in our hearts, we keep our feet on the ground, but we have our minds in Heaven. 

I hope to hear from you all soon, do widzenia!

Starszy Ashworth x

POLAND

So I leave for Poland in 3 days, I'm so so so excited, it feels like I've been in the MTC forever and now I'll finally be able to preach the gospel to the Lord's people in Poland. It's been a rollercoaster of a week. I went to the doctor with some knee pain, and he said I'd torn my meniscus. He sent me to a specialist in Utah and I had an x-ray done, he also told me that I'd torn my meniscus and then I saw another doctor who also told me it was torn, so it looked like I'd be going home. I had an MRI scheduled and after the MRI I was going to find out whether I'd be going home or not, so I went and asked a district president in the MTC for a blessing. The moment he finished the blessing, I stood up and the pain was gone, and the MRI came back with no damage to my meniscus at all, such a miracle. 

Yesterday was thanksgiving and Elder Neil L Andersen came for the devotional and it was amazing. He told us to be grateful for all that we have and he bore such a powerful testimony of the Saviour, it was really moving and the words of this primary hymn came to my mind,

'love one another as Jesus loves you, try to show kindness in all that you do, be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, for these are the things Jesus taught.'

One of the best ways to follow the Saviour is to love those around us, and as we approach the Christmas season it is the perfect time to be kind to others. Think of someone you can serve, think of something you can do to help someone smile, and think of something you can do to lighten someone else's load. I promise you that you will find joy as you are in the service of others. 

Also, please please please all go and watch the new light the world video. It's called the Christ Child and it is amazing. Just type in LDS Light The World into your search bar and I'm sure you'll find it, and it'll help show the true meaning of christmas. 

Next time I email you all I'll be in Poland and I can't wait!

Speak soon,

Starszy Ashworth x

Me with Brother Eggert the MTC choir director. 

I love that I'm a representative of Jesus Christ

Another week down and I'm pretty much half way through my time here at the MTC. It's safe to say that I can't wait to get out to Poland, I'm literally so excited to get there, just 4 and a half weeks to go now! To say I've already been here for a month is pretty crazy, but I really am loving every minute of it. I love that I'm a representative of Jesus Christ, in everything that I do and say I stand as a witness of Him, it really gives me confidence to know that he is with me until the end. 

This week has been filled with so many good experiences, but in particular I've just been filled with gratitude for the prophet Joseph Smith, I have felt again and again that he truly did restore the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth, and he really did see god the father and his son Jesus Christ. My favourite thought from this week was shared in a devotional on Tuesday. The first words that were spoken by heavenly father in the grove of trees were "Joseph, this is my Beloved Son, hear him!" Despite all that was to follow, we see that first and foremost this was an answer to a humble and sincere prayer from God. It was the beginning of a great and marvellous time, but it shows us that Heavenly father knows us by name, he cares for us and he answers our prayers, he knows our hearts and our desires, he knows our sorrows and our pains. This truth applies to all people, heavenly father knows you and he loves you. 

On another note, my Polish is improving. It's a slow progress but its progress nonetheless so I can't complain. I can testify of my Saviour and the restoration and the plan of salvation so I should be okay. I miss you all and I'll speak soon. 

Starszy Ashworth x