Evergreen Avenue : Week 24: How the Book of Mormon Applies to the Past, Present, and Future

There's always that one person not looking.....

Fam-bam!

Ok I’ve been meaning to ask… How is my dog?! I’m getting worried I don’t get any photos.. and how’s Rucifer the evil cat? It never liked me but I thought I’d be nice and ask… But anyways the more important question..how’s Jersey. And you guys too. ;)

I am so excited to hear from you today and hear all about Conference! Ah I loved every single talk! I feel like I learned so much and received so many answers and guidance.. Left the church building after the last session and was walking with the other missionaries and I said, “Well, let’s go baptize all of Peru!!” Then God humbled me and a pigeon had a real rough day on the power line. I think he took a laxative that morning and I’m pretty sure it took effect right whne I was under him… I got pooped on by a pigeon. I think it was God saying, “Calm down don’t get too ahead of yourself.” … But then in Conference I just learned about loving your enemies (the pigeon) and having joy even through trials, so we said, “Ok uh well, let’s still go baptize all of Peru!”

Ok first things first, did you see beautiful Camry on the TV screen singing with all of the missionaries?! I just about drowned all of the other missionaries with the tears flowin.. happy tears though. J We were watching the choir as they began singing and I said to one of the Hermanas, “One of my best friends is in the MTC! How much do you want to bet she’s…. THAT’S HER!! That’s Camry! Ahhhh! LOOK!!!” Though nobody else knew her I told them all abot her and then every time we would see her again the Peru missionaries would say, “Sister Hatch!!” Nobody else will really understand this, but for me it was one of the most incredible moment seeing her up there as a missionary. Since surviving Geometry together Freshman year we have stayed best friends.. Even though SINCE Freshman year we have had that sort of long distance friendship always bring far away separated because she moved a lot and then I moved to Utah. We kind of just looked after each other and made sure we were on the right path… Well it was more like SHE always helped ME stay on the right path. These past years we have talked on the phone and have talked about how grateful we are that we are where we are and did not choose to go with the crowd or something crazy…haha. She has always been planning on a mission and I would always think she was crazy.. Haha just kidding. It’s just the coolest thing ever to see where we are now! Literally seeing her on TV singing at general conference with her nametag on headed to Canada and me sitting (in a very not-comfortable chair) in Peru wearing a nametag too with the name Jesus Christ next to our names serving as His missionaries. I am really grateful to have a friend like Camry Hatch (Sister Hatch!!) Holy cow she is going to be an incredible missionary! She already is!

I honestly can’t decide which talk from conference I want to talk more about with you guys because they were all awesome! I’m pretty sure we could all agree that Heavenly Father wants to help us learn more about faith, hope, and charity, how to apply the Atonement in our lives.. That’s the pattern I noticed. Really I think they covered everything though! I also absolutely loved the talk given by Gary E. Stevenson about the Book of Mormon. I just finished the Book of Mormon from starting in the mission and it just blows my mind how we learn something completely new or notice something for the first time every time we read it. By 3 Nephi I realized that I was marking a lot of things and getting distracted deciding which color to mark verse 2 with, etc. that I decided to just put the markers down and READ.. I circled verses that I wanted to go back and mark (because marking IS important to remember) and I just read the story instead. I liked not stressing about stopping every second but instead soaking it all in as though I were one of our investigators reading it for the first time.

I love teaching our investigators about El Libro de Mormon.. I love explaining it by saying first (after they always ask, “You are replacing the Bible?! Why are there 2?!” We explain, “Well, think about it this way.. Let’s say your daughter Maria lives in Utah.. and your son Fabio lives in Argentina.. Which one are you going to write? They always say, dramatically, “BOTH of course! I’m their mom/dad!” Then we explain, “Exactly! Well our Heavenly Father is the same!” We’ve only had one awkward lesson where a lady said, “Well OBVIOUSLY my daughter because my son is too young to move to Spain and he drives me insane..” We told her to just pretend and then it all worked out haha..

All ready for bed with her kitty PJs and all.. (They have glasses..)

Or we have used an example where we draw a dot in the middle of a paper and ask if they can draw a straight line through the middle. They draw a line and then I draw a line a different way, my comp a different way, the dog draws it a different way, whoever. You can see that it just has this spiderweb effect.. everyone’s lines go a different way.. AND could go on for infinity not reaching a point. Everyone reads the Bible differently and there are thousands of different ways people understand. Then we draw another point, the Book of Mormon. We ask them to draw a straight line from the Bible to the B.O.M. Pretty easy right? Because we have another point! It’s easy to draw a STRAIGHT line because there is now a guide. 2 sticks in one hand. They work together as a team, complimenting each other as ONE. Anyways, moving on now.

The Book of Mormon truly is the KEYSTONE to our religion. Without it we would not have religion. Because of the power of the Book of Mormon, we have been blessed to be born in the Church, fam! This book was placed in the hands of a Methodist minister whose wife was Brigham Young’s sister. Which lead to his conversion and other fture leaders, and was instrumental in converting thousands of people all the way to even how we are converted because HE read the Book of Mormon! He was one of the first members in our family tree because he decided to read it.

I loved Gary E. Stephenson’s talk that helps us better understand how as we look to the Book of Mormon, we look to the Lord.. It can be the keystone to your own testimony and when we read we can strengthen our faith and receive answers to our prayers.. That’s the coolest thing about it.. How it applies to the past, present, and future! Our Heavenly parents got it all taken care of making sure they can always communicate and give guidance in this Plan! It’s pretty cool. I am starting it over again but want to make a challenge with you guys involved too. If you want to start from the beginning with me that would be fun! I want to read it and EVERY TIME it says Jesus Christ or word that describes Him or is a different name. And ONLY mark these things, nothing else! In a new Book of Mormon! I don’t know you can just tell me if you are going to with me or not!

Well, on a different subject, I am experiencing what they call or what Russell M. Nelson would call miserable joy... We got transfer calls and I am leaving my little ocean town tomorrow. I am excited, sad, a little confused as to how to feel! I don’t think I am going to tell any of the members of people I am leaving.. I think it’s just better to not make it a big deal.. and maybe it also has to do a lot with that I am not good at goodbyes.. Either I avoid them all together or it’s rough and takes me a while to really let go! I will just say bye a billion times.. Then stall.. Then say bye again.. etc. And goodbyes are just awkward in general. Probably a trial in the mission has been learning how to be the sister missionary who has to greet or say bye to everyone because that’s what missionaries do! And Peruvians are very lovey dovey people who hug and kiss. SO, gotta put off the natural man (Ashley move) of just saying, “Let’s hurry and go before everyone starts hugging goodbye for an extra half hour."

Haha I remember in high school I would do that all the time and 3 hours later when someone noticed (haha) I’d get a text saying, “You didn’t say goodby?! I be moving to Ohio! Who do you think you are?!” Haha. So... off subject. I’m just going to go! I am devastated that I don’t get to see our investigators baptized.. Trying not to think about it too much.. I know this is going to happen a lot in the mish! But I really love Buenos Aires and I love my family here! People wouldn’t think it’s much.. But it’s everything to me.

I love you so so much! Send a picture of Jersey stat.. Sarah keep those funny cat diaries, pictures coming the missionaries and I about died reading those last week!

Stay happy, be safe, serve others!

Love Flash Bang

Our Quotes of the Week..haha!

· The Gospel is Trujillo and we’re gonna Peruve it to you!!

· So much fasting… So much hunger…

· Is “unique” a word in English?

· Man, if I was that skinny, I’d eat donuts ALL day!

· I see you are enjoying your blessings from tithing!

· Alfred.. HELP ME – Batman voice

· When we got here we were like a box of kittens…now we’re like semi-functional mature cats…