The Work

Coming Home

There is a song that is on a CD that happened to be left behind in my first apartment that I absolutely Love. The lyrics follow the story of someone preparing to serve, on and finishing a mission. Since I discovered it, I have dropped my bag on my bed and put on this song at a rather loud volume to sing it at the top of my lungs manys the time. Although I would have thought the experiences to be had in the service of the Lord would be quite impossible to really acurately describe, this song happens to do it quite well.

I have experienced all the things he talks about. I have wanted to reach out and help every soul that I see. I have walked on roads in the country so far. I have seen and talked to a broken man who said he wasn't sure if he knew how to pray and listened as he said what was in his heart. Now the last thing is that I will follow the birds and go back Home.

My flight gets in on Thursday evening.

I have no idea how to handle this-I know that my mission will end and I always have. But to stand here is so very strange to me.

It happened so fast.

In my prayers at night lately, the first thing my heart is dying to say to my Father in Heaven is an expression of my Gratitude. My life has been so abundantly blessed throughout the entirety of it. I am in awe...

Such an interesting sensation is coursing through me these days as I process the greatest change in my life so far. Soooo many emotions all balled up into one muddle. I am managing to go through pretty Happy, so I can't at all complain.

After all...even though this has been the best thing in my life up to the point, I do have the whole rest of my life to look forward to.

That is going to be SO much Fun!

posted by Ashley @ 4:43 AM

Serendipity

"Serendipity" is one of my Favorite words in the English language. It means simply, "an unexpected surprise". Seredipities have always dotted my life and are some of the most convincing evidence to me of a truth I teach perfect strangers on a daily basis, and that is that God is our Loving Heavenly Father. They can also be understood as something the scriptures and Elder Bednar describe as a "tender mercy of the Lord".

When I was unexpectedly transfered into Debrecen for my last transfer, my one bit of sorrow or disappointment about the situation is that I would not be able to attend General Conference in Budapest. This is where approximately half, perhaps more of the members and missionaries in the country gather to be instructed by the prophet, apostles and other general authorities twice a year on the first weekend in April and October. I was hoping I would be able to see so many people I know and Love, including all of my Elders and the people who have been baptized throughout the course of my mission. Quite a grand hurrah for a soon-to-be Return Sister Missionary.

However, Debrecen is blessed enough to be a strong enough branch to have a real Branch House with satellite capabilities to receive the broadcast right here. This is a very great blessing, but it meant I would not be traveling to the grand gathering at the familiar Stake Center.

Being so spiritually uplifted by Conference helped to forget entirely about the situation and the fact that I had been sad at all...

This Sunday, my companion and I were scurrying to church so we wouldn't be late to services. We made it at 9 o'clock on the dot, but with enough time to have Elder Low open the door for us and give us a friendly hassle about needing to buy an alarm clock. I smiled at hurried into the building, where I saw a very familiar figure sitting in a chair near the back of the chapel.

A few months ago, I mentioned a miracle of my mission whose name is Levente. When we didn't meet at General Conference, he took a train on Easter Sunday that left at 3 o'clock in the morning just to come say "Goodbye". I was completely blown away-it was definitely one of the greatest Serendipities I have experienced.

What added to the joy of the occassion is what happened during services. It was Fast and Testimony meeting, when an opportunity is given to the members to bear their testimonies of the Truth. After a leader from the branch opened that part of the meeting by sharing his testimony, Levente went to the stand. When we started meeting with Levente, he told us that not only did he not believe in God, he didn't think it was even possible for God to exist. I heard the same voice who told us those words bear a simple, but powerful testimony of the truthfulness of a living God, that Jesus is the Christ, that the church is true and many other plain and precious truths.

My heart was touched by the Spirit just from the testimony, but my eyes welled with tears to hear it from Levente. It was absolutely one of the greatest gifts I have recieved from God on my mission.

I hope that every missionary has such experiences and opportunities...

I think He Loves us that much that every one does.

posted by Ashley @ 2:56 AM

Conferences

I have just realized this is the first time I have gotten around to updating my Blog this transfer! Things are going really well in Debrecen. I am having an awesome time in the Conveted City. There is an awesome teaching pool here and we are having a Baptism this Saturday. I am so excited for this young woman...she is going to be an amazing member of the church.


Departing Testimonies
We had a busy week this week. On Friday we took a trip to Miskolc for Zone Conference. At the end of every Zone Conference, time is given at the end to the missionaries who will be leaving at the end of the transfer to bear their testimony. This was the occassion I have been dreading for 15 months, when my name was called as one of the missionaries to come to the stand and give their departing testimony.

I have seen many such missionaries give many such testimonies. I feel very strongly about what I feel a "testimony" is-and what it is not. Some of them take it as their free forum to say whatever they want, when what I feel it really should be is an opportunity to stand before one's peers and fulfill our sacred calling to stand as a witness of Christ.

For the first time dragging my feet to the podium, I stood before friends, commrades and respected fellow-laborers. With tears streaming down my face and a voice quavering with the emotion stirring within me, I did my best to do what I decided a long time ago I wanted to do: just bear pure testimony. No tangents about how fast the time has gone, no advise for the generation still coming up from behind, no stories, no frills-just pure testimony.

I told them that I know God is our Loving Heavenly Father. I told them many other simple truths that I have spent the past 18 months studying, reviewing and making my own that I might teach them to this people I have come to love so very much. I told them I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I told them that I have been called of God just as surely as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Alma, Nephi, Moroni, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and Gordon B. Hinckley. I told them it's true-all of it. Everthing we have learned and in turn taught is all true. But what is most amazing to me is the last thing I wanted to make sure I told them. That as I bore that testimony I stood before them, not merely as a witness of those truths, but as evidence of them.

I have known no privledge in my life to this point than to be associated with every level of people I have been with on my mission. My companions, the ward and branches where I have served, those I have taught, my fellow missionaries, the amazing mission presidents and their families, the mission as a whole, serving here in Europe, being a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and representing Christ Himself-it is such an honor.

As I approach the final couple of weeks I look back and take a self-evaluation...I am SO grateful that I came here. I don't think I will ever understand the reprecussions for good that came and are continuing to come because of it.


Spiritual Recharging of Batteries
As if Zone Conference weren't enough, we also were able to participate in General Conference this weekend. Twice a year the prophet and apostles and other leaders in the church address the entire membership of the church throughout the world via a conference held in Salt Lake City and broadcast to the far corners of the earth. It was the third occassion I have gathered in a small back room with a group of missionaries to feast upon the teaching and counsel in this country.

It is this time of year it really dawns on me that the church really is true. It is just as true here in Debrecen, Hungary as it is in Salt Lake City, Utah. As I scribbled down notes from the talks of the living prophet in the Relief Society room I was filled with awe to know that so many people I Love were doing exactly what I was doing somewhere else.

Only God Himself could organize something like that.


In short...
I am not sure how many posts there will be yet on The Work. Things are definitley coming to a close as a plane landing at 5:55pm Central Standard Time will bring me Home on April 19th.

It is rapidly approaching.

But until then, I am Loving you all and hope this finds all of my Dear Ones Happy, Safe and Well.

posted by Ashley @ 7:23 AM