Yet thou art there.

That's been my favourite little line this week. It's been a nice reminder that the Saviour is always there, regardless of how we feel. Not much has changed since last week, we're still doing the same work, still on Facebook, still wondering when it'll all go back to normal. It's a funny old time to be in, kind of just taking it all a day at a time because that's all you can do really. I've found a lot of peace in prayer and scripture study. Those basics that we're always reminded to do, but they're so powerful. That's one lesson I've learned from all of this, just how much Heavenly Father wants us to talk to Him and tell Him everything that's going on. 

Prayer really is what connects us with Heaven and there's a quote I love from President Hinckley,

"when life gets too hard to stand, kneel."

It's so true and I have felt the power of prayer in my life. So too with scripture study, I'm grateful for what I'm learning and the peace that it brings. I'll say that word a lot.

Peace. 

But that's what this gospel offers. Peace, hope, joy, renewal, happiness, purpose and so much more. One of my favourite things as well is that we can access all of this through scripture study and prayer. 

I've been reading the gospels recently in the Bible, and it's been a really profound experience. My testimony and gratitude and love for my Saviour have continued to grow and I just love the New Testament you should all read it. There's too much to talk about but I've loved comparing all of the final events of Christ's life in the gospels. 

There's one part that stood out this time as I read them all, and it's when the Saviour goes back to Peter, James and John after coming out of the Garden of Gethsemane and He says,

"sleep on now, take your rest." In the Bible it emphasises the word 'your'. The Saviour had compassion on His disciples, and told them to take their rest, while He knew there would be no rest for Him. He would be betrayed by one of His own, face illegal trials and then move on to crucifixion. I'm just amazed again and again and again by the love of my Saviour and His example. What a time to be a missionary and bear His name. 

Speak to you all soon! 

Starszy Ashworth. 

Warsaaawwwwww

So this week was such a good week, its flown by, I can't believe how quick time goes, and it's because I'm having so much fun. The mission is such a huge blessing. It stretches you and pushes you to the point where you feel that you can't carry on, and then comes the sweet relief from the Saviour, who finished His course for me, who never gave up and pressed on to the end in faith. I know I can do whatever my Heavenly Father asks of me, because the enabling and strengthening power of the Atonement is real, and I really have felt it carry me.

This past week I turned 19 which is crazy! I'm like nearly 30 lol. But seriously it's wild that I've been alive for 19 years, whatttt happened hahaha. It was such a blessing though, I went to see my family in Warsaw and it was the best birthday ever. My Polish family have such a special place in my heart, and I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father, and for the tender mercy of being given the opportunity to labour for His people here in Poland. Speaking to my family in Polish was such an amazing experience and quite surreal, I remember like 4/5 years ago when Josef got his mission call to Poland and we'd talk about me one day serving there also, speaking to each other in Polish etc. and now here I am! It's such a blessing.

I spent Saturday in Warsaw with my family and got to see old town, it's so beautiful, and I'm looking forward to going back some day. The rest of the week was just the usual missionary work, I'll save you from the details haha.

Sorry for not replying to everyone's emails but I read them all and I'm grateful for those who write to me. It puts a smile on my face.

Speak soon everyone!

Starszy Ashworth x

Family

Cousins

Birthday Cake

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 

Cicha Noc

This week was Christmas week and it was another good week overall. We got to see the members quite a lot which was nice as it gave me the opportunity to get to know them a bit better so that was good. We finally had some dinner appointments haha, and just like the teaching appointments I mentioned in a previous email, they both came on one day haha. But it's all good, it was good food and it was filling. 

At one of the dinner appointments we met with a member named Juan from Venezuela. I really wanted to go and see him as he's out here alone without his family and doesn't speak Polish so he cooked us a meal and we shared with him a spiritual thought. I shared with him how he can use the little time he has to read from the scriptures and have spiritual experiences each day, and also the importance of keeping a study journal where you can record the thoughts and impressions you receive. I shared an experience I had, where I looked back through my old study journal and saw something I'd written about why I was serving a mission and who I wanted to be in 2 years time. I simply wrote that I want to be a better version of myself and that I want to make the Lord proud. It gave me some much needed strength at that time, and being able to share this experience with Juan was so special and the spirit was so strong. I'm glad I get to share these experiences with others and hopefully make a difference in at least one persons life. 

On Christmas Day we hosted a Christmas party and we planned so much stuff and made cookies and no one showed up haha, apart from one member who came and so we stayed and sang carols with him and played games haha.

On Boxing day we went caroling, and there was one experience that stood out to me and has been in my mind quite a bit since. We saw a man on a bench and we sang Silent Night to him, not thinking much of it. I sat next to him on the bench and shared with him the lyrics so he could sing along with us. Once we finished he started to cry, and he began to thank us for what we were doing. I don't understand much Polish but he said that he had lost his wife and kids, and didn't think that Christmas existed anymore, and so he was grateful for us simply singing a carol with him. It shows just how far a simple act of kindness can go, and the importance of love and care toward others. 

Over the Christmas period something I thought a lot about is the Saviour's birth and his truly humble beginnings. In the Christ Child video, the very last image is the manger in which He was born, and this was really powerful to me. I thought a lot about it, I thought about His condescension and His humility and His love for his Father in Heaven. There was one scripture that came to mind as I thought about this and it's found in Matthew 8:20, and it says,

"And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." 

It just really struck me and reaffirmed to me the knowledge that the Saviour knows us individually and perfectly. He was born in a stable, He was a poor man and He was homeless. He can empathise with the poor and the needy because He too was poor as to the things of the world. He can empathise with the downtrodden because He too was "a man of sorrows ...acquainted with grief." He can empathise with those who are spat upon, and cast out and rejected, because He too was spat upon, and cast out and rejected. In Luke we learn that He was sent "to heal the broken hearted." He was sent to bind up our wounds, to offer refuge for the captive soul, and to help us on our way home. I know I speak about this a lot, but to me it's the most important thing I could talk about, so I hope I don't sound like a broken record haha. I just love my Saviour, and I really do stand all amazed at the love that He has for me.

Speak to you all soon, and have a lovely New Year!

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. 

18 Words of the Saviour

This week has been another good week, I've laughed a lot and I've had so many things to be grateful for, so many reasons to smile and so many reasons to give thanks to god. I am so blessed to be a missionary, so blessed to have the Lord on my side and so blessed to have a knowledge of this gospel. The language has been coming along so good this week, I have a newfound desire to continue learning and expanding my ability to speak. It also helps having a brother who can speak Polish, it's such a cool opportunity to go to the places he went, and to walk where he walked and share those same experiences.

 I've been studying a lot recently about the restoration, reading about the importance of the Book of Mormon and how it can change lives. I have a testimony of that book and of its divinity, I know that there is power contained within its pages and I know that if anyone wants to draw nearer to God, then they can by reading the Book of Mormon and turning to God in prayer.

 The devotional this tuesday was amazing, it was given by Bishop Waddell of the presiding bishopric of the church. He spoke a lot about the Book of Mormon and its role in missionary work, and he also gave a really powerful message about the Saviour and his 18 words. The first 5 words were, "Here am I, send me." From the very beginning, the Saviour was prepared to be our Saviour and redeemer, to rescue mankind and to give us hope, to heal the broken hearted and help us on our way back home. Much like the Saviour I have accepted my call to serve, I have said 'here am I, send me' and the Lord is relying on me to do his work.

The next 7 words were, "not my will, but thine be done." In the greatest display of love ever shown, the Saviour submitted to will of the Father and partook of the bitter cup. He took upon himself the sins and the sufferings of all those who had lived, those who were living and those who would live, that they would never have to bare lifes burdens alone. He completed the atonement which is infinite and individual, and helps us to overcome all of lifes challenges and sorrows.

The next 3 words were, "It is finished." The Saviour finished His work on earth, He claimed victory over the grave and completed the atonement on the cross. I'm doing this for him, he never gave up on me, so I can't give up on him. He finished his course for me, so I'll finish mine for him.

The last 3 words were, "He is Risen." Christ lives, and I share with you my testimony that I know this is true. I know that my redeemer lives, he lives and he loves us. He loved us to the end, and he loves us still. He is our advocate with the father, he pleads for our cause, and he will never let us walk alone. I love Him and will stand as a witness of Him in everything that I do, because I am not ashamed to be His disciple, I am not afraid to stand for what is right.

Have a great week everyone.

Speak soon.

Starszy Ashworth x 

"the night is dark and I am far from home"

Hello everyone!

Another week down and its absolutely flown by. The Polish has been coming along so much better, I can put together my own sentences which is really fun, and then last night we taught 2 20 minute lessons alllll in Polish which was really nerve wracking at first but I actually ended up really enjoying it and it made me realise how much Polish we've actually learned. 

The class time is getting a bit more fun, we're really starting to get into the grammar and things like that so it's getting interesting. We got to go to the temple last week and we get to go again today which I'm really looking forward to, it's fun to take the walk to the temple and get away from the MTC haha. I helped out yesterday with new missionaries.  It was a really nice experience.  I prayed for service opportunities and I feel like that was one.  

Quentin L Cook and his wife came and spoke as well on Tuesday which was the best, it was so good and I feel as though so many prayers were answered, he spoke about the importance of having a testimony of the Saviour and how this is the most important thing we can share with the people we meet. There were other things of course but this is what stood out to me the most. I also joined the MTC choir lol but it's actually really fun, and I got to sing for Quentin L Cook which was a good experience. We sang Lead Kindly Light which has become one of my favourite hymns, there's a line "the night is dark and I am far from home" and this is quite similar to how you feel as a missionary, but I know that the Lord is always with me. 

So yeah I'm doing alright, I'm having fun, I'm making loads of friends and I'm learning about my Saviour every day so I can't complain haha.

Elder Ashworth x 

Lead Kindly Light

https://youtu.be/PnIYLEXHeFk