HOPE YOO GOT DA FLEGS OUOOT!!!

 Happy Memorial Day!!

Ashton, Sister Green and two other sisters from the district toured the bio domes (Hunger Games was probably filmed in Milwaukee!)

HULLO FREENDS END FYAMILY! HYAAPPY MYEMORIAL DAY! HOPE YOO GOT DA FLEGS OUOOT!!! haha.....just thought I would show you how well the mission language is coming along!!! hahaha....

But in ALL SERIOUSNESS! It has been a GREAT week! I am so blessed to be a missionary!!!!! Sister Green and I go run in the mornings and have come to realize WHAT A BEAUTIFUL part of the country we live in!!!!!! We are so blessed!!!!! anyway! Super great week!!!!! We have 2 investigators on date to be baptized!!!!!!I am so EXCITED for them!!!!!!! Barbara and Tate! They are AWESOME! and so ready!!!!!

OH! we have two baptisms now! Barbara on the 13th of June and tate on the 29th of june (Tate is part of a part member family and is nine...his mom is totally against it but whatevs...) 

 So last Monday my district and I went to the domes in Milwaukee...theyre like bio horticultural something somethings....Theyre big domes with controlled climates!!! Super cool!!! pretty sure they filmed the hunger games in there! Makes sense....haha anyway! That was fun!!! and then that same night sister green and I went to President and Sister Cutlers for dinner! It was so fun!!!! a little intimidating sharing a message and extending commitments to your mission opresident!!!! But we all can do better and all stand in need of the changing and healing power of the atonement!!!! It was awesome!!!!!

WOW! okay not much time!!!!!! but I love being a missionary!!!!! I love knocking on doors and talking about my Savior and sharing His message! Milwaukee has SO many religious people!!!! It is nice to just tell people "Hey as members of the LDS Church...WE BELIEVE IN JESUS TO BE THE SON OF GOD!!!!!" People are so shocked when we tell them that!!!! haha

but cool story! Saturday night! Sister green and I were going to an appointment with our investigator...and we went and she wasn't there....left her a note, called her...and she didn't answer so we were super bummed.....so we went tracting! That was pretty successful! Taught a few lessons! But had to stop to go have an appointment with a less active man.......aannddd  he didn't show up..so we were SO BUMMED!!!! and then I just had a thought of "Hey lets go see bishop! We are in his neighborhood!" and I was wanting to share with him my idea of "Bring a friend to church sunday" Like what we did in the Caldwell stake...so sister green said okay and we went over....and we were talking to him and he said "Hey...why don't yhou come inside? My daughers boyfriend is here! and he is not a member....but its good that you showed up because hes been starting to ask a lot of questions..." AND SO WE TAUGHT THE RESTORATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He had so many questions!!!! He came to church the next day!!!!! WWHHHAAAA??? It was AWEOME!!!!!!! Two doors close and THE LORD OPENS UP ONE HUGE ONE!!!!! SO blessed we are!!!!!! Speaking of blessed! Milwaukee drivers are TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!! haha the Lord definitely protects us in the car as well!!!!!!!!!

Well its been a great week!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't have a ton of time!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT THIS WORK IS TRUE!!!!!! I have found that whoever we are....we tend to be MUCH happier when we are thinking of others!!!!!!!!! I know that Jesus Christ is very much alive!!!!!!!! I know that He stands at the head of this Church and the head of this work!!!!! I feel Him teaching lessons with me! I feel Him praying for investigators with me! And I see  Him in the people we come into contact with every day!!!!!! I love Him! That is why I am out on a mission!!!!! Its not a sacrifice to be out here! What is a sacrifice, is the life that Christ gave on the cross!!! He not only dies for us but He lives for us today!!!!!!! I was reading a talk by elder Holland and he was talking about a young missionary coming up to Him and saying "Would you die for the gospel???" and Elder Holland said "That would be so easy!!!!! The hard part is living every day for it!!!!" I hope we can all follow that example and live for the gospel everyday!!!!! Christ lives to share it! why shouldn't we!!??!? THIS WORK IS INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! The gospel brings happiness and families are forever when established on the foundations of the gospel! I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Because I Have Been Given Much I Too Must Give!"

-Sister Ashton Wise

p.s. (Mallory will like this!!!...SIster Green and I were in the car listening to her Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD and their version of OKLAHOMA came on!!!!!! And so i started doing the edance that mal taught me and sister green was SSSOOO CONFUSED!....but she is used to the weirdness now...haha )

p.s.s. totally took a tilt Tuesday picture before bed!!!!!!! For all my dance friends out there!

p.s.s.s. everyone around here LOVES AMERICA! Myself included....SO I TOTALLY went all out for memorial day!

Bio dome with beautiful plants!

 Ashton and Sis. Green outside the bio dome in Milwaukee

Sis. Green hit her year mark! Ashton actually cooked for her :) 

 This is Connie, a recent convert!!

 This is Sis. Miller, she is unable to attend church because she is confined to her nursing home, she has cancer!

 We are glad Ashton is herself!

All Is Well in Wiscon[zion]!!! haha...that was cheezy... 5/18/2015

Ashton is teaching people and one of their investigators has a baptismal date set for June 13!! Ashton will be playing the piano at the baptism!  She also got to use her non-existent Spanish speaking skills to talk with a wonderful woman. 

 Ashton said they did a service project for a Presbyterian church, maybe this is the church? Or maybe it is just a beautiful building that she took a picture of!

They do some biking and some driving, I like their classy bikes and cute helmets!

Well HELLOOOO! Everybody! Its a moo-tiful day here in Wiscansin! hahaha seriously there are lots of cows here!...not so much in my area because I cover some parts of the city of Milwaukee...but the cows are out there somewhere! haha

   ANYWAY! Its been a SUPER awesome and busy week!!! the work really is progressing!!!

We are teaching a lady named Ali, and holy cow..Ali is PREPARED to receive the fullness of this gospel!!! She needs it in her life! Shes looking for something more and is figuring out what it is! We have another appointment with her this week and it's gunna be awesome!!! As we talked about the first vision with her she got excited and we met her daughters and one of them said she wants to be a nurse! So I told her I am a certified EMT (hardly...ha I just passed the test) but now shes more open to us because she sees we are like...oh I don't know...actual people! ha its great!

     One of our investigators named Barbara agreed to come on a church tour with us and we asked her to be baptized and she said YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!! Shes getting baptized June 13th!!!!!!! AAAHHHHHH!!!!! I think i'm playing the piano for it!!! WWOOOO!!!! This is EXACTLY what her Heavenly Father wants her to do!!!! I am so excited for her!!!!!!!!!

     The Lord totally works in mysterious ways!!! Oh my word!!! ha So earlier in the week sister green and I were tracting (door to door knocking) and everyone was saying no and rejecting us.....and WOW I was discouraged!! but then we kinda both had the feeling to go see this woman who didn't show up for an appointment we set up with her like 2 weeks ago...so we were driving there and I was just thinking "Why are we doing this?? She obviously doesn't want to know what we have to say...." But we went to her house and she was right there sitting in her front yard...and so we started talking to her and she said "I really think you are both sent from God..." and I just thought "oh my gosh...because of my attitude we almost MISSED this opportunity to share the gospel with Jeanette!!! Anyway! we taught the restoration...gave her a Book of Mormon and she wants to know more!!!! WOW!!!!!

      So kind of a funny thing is we went to see this less active woman in the west allis ward and sister green said "Okay...just..brace yourself..." and I was thinkin "What the heck are you talking about?" hhahahaha and so we walk in and OH MY!!!! hahahaha so this woman who is so sweet and awesome...just yells.....like when she talks....she thinks shes just talking....but she is yelling! hahahahaha but it was awesome!!! She came to church!!!!! After not coming for a long time and we knew she was there because everytime we all said "Amen" we heard this sister in the back say "AMEN!!!!!!!!" and just yell it!!! hahahaha SO awesome! She is a faithful kingdom builder in the Lord's church!!!!

      Okay one last story...haha sister green and I got a referral from Salt lake just saying that there was a woman in Milwaukee and she really wanted to be baptized! So of course we rush over there and we open the door and this woman doesn't speak a lick of English...haha so I searched deep deep down in my soul for the memories of the few instances I paid attention in Spanish class (sorry senor Tristan) hahaha and I told her who we were IN SPANISH!!!! and then she said "AAAWWWWW CCHHIIICCCAASSS!!!!!" hahaha and then she takes like a dive for my face and hugs me and rubbed my head and kissed me on the cheek! hahahaha SHE WAS AWESOME!!! AND now she is being taught!!!!! WAHHOOOO!!!!!!!!

I love this work!!!! I love Jesus Christ! He is the reason I am out here!!!! I have felt the redeeming powers of the atonement of Jesus Christ! I have felt the chains of regret and remorse and sorrow and have felt those chains be broken through Jesus Christ! It's real!!! and I realize that more and more everyday!!! The way to access that atonement is back on the earth! and it is called the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It is real! And I know it!

LOVE YOU AL! MUCH WISCONSIN LOVE!!!!!!!!!

because I have been given much I too must give!

-Sister Wise

ps. OH I FORGOT!!!!! on Saturday a Presbyterian church asked a bunch of missionaries to come do service for them!!!!! SO AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so me and sister green and all the elders and the ysa sisters went and helped out! They were just beyond grateful for our help!!!! THEY WERE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh and P.S. one of these P-Days we are going on a tour with our district to the Brewers stadium because its in MY AREA!!! Woop!!!

 Matching sock via Amazon? I did notice they have their name tags in between their feet... clever!

That is our favorite Idahoan girl!!!

Week 1: Street Contacting and Stiff Arms!

Ashton is LOVING life as a missionary and her emails are funny as ever!

 MTC District with MTC teacher

Well Hello friends and family!!!!!

       I haven't been able to write for awhile!!! Well heres the deal (Ben Nelson Reference anybody?)

1) Was in the MTC making final preparations for leaving to Wisconsin

2) woke up at 1:30 AM to go to the airport on May 5th!!!! Couldn't think of a better way to spend the beloved holiday of Cinco de Mayo....hahaha!! Nah it was great though! Met so me WICKED COOL people in the airport!!!!!

3) got to Wisconsin and met President and Sister Cutler (They're INCREDIBLE!) and then we go.........STREET CONTACTING!

4) went street contacting (Talking to people on the street about the Book of Mormon) and its really helpful because the Book Of Mormon musical is coming to Milwaukee next month and so its a good way to just tell people "Hey! We don't endorse that! They're kind of making fun of us! But we would love to explain to you what the Book of Mormon really is!" it was great!

5) went to bed BUT FIRST celebrated ELDER LOTTS BIRTHDAY! (Hes like my brother!!!)

6) woke up and met SISTER GREEN MY TRAINER! Shes from Seattle and has been out one year next week! and I basically think shes the greatest thing since sliced bread! (Or cheese in honor of my people here in Wisconsin!) and turns out I would be staying here in the same area that the Cutlers (My mission president and his wife) live...and where the mission office is...and where all the senior couples live! So its great!

7) So its a little daunting to be in the same ward as your mission president.............BUT he is great!!!!! Such awesome kind kind kind KIND people and we have a dinner appointment with them next week and we will be teaching them....what to teach we knoweth not! But the lesson will be "Tight like unto a dish!"

8) okay fuuuuunnnnnyyyyyy story! Sister Green and I went to one of the city libraries last Friday to meet up with the West Allis Ward Elders to get a better feel for some of the members of the ward...and we were just sitting in the library talking and a man comes behind me and I say "HELLO hows it goin?" And he just freaks out and says "You have Jesus on your nametag!!!" and so He just goes ON AND ON AND ON about how hes been saved and I should be too! and so Elder Standifird gives me a look and we TAUGHT THIS GUY! and sister green slid a Book of Mormon on my lap and we taught him about it! and THE FUNNY PART IS THIS!!!!!!!! Right in the middle I just said "Hold on! We never asked your name!!!" and he said "James!" and I said (With my hand out for a handshake) "Well James my name is Sister Wise!" and he stands up and says "OH IN MY CHURCH WE HUG!!!!!" (for those of you who don't know one of the mission rules is no hugging anyone of the opposite gender....haha) and so James is about to hug me and so I just kind of stiff-armed him (I learned from Chandler! She taught me well!) and I said "woah woah woah in my church we don't!!" and then Elder Standifird said "Heck! Get over here james!" and gives him a huge hug.....and this story was probably 100 words too long....sorry...haha but it was funny!!!!!

9) anyway!!! cool story! Between some appointments sister green and I just went knocking on doors trying to spread the word right?? and people were just rejecting us right and left...which was fine because its their choice! BUT I was just getting really discouraged!!! and I had a Book of Mormon in my hand and just thought "is this all worth it? For a book?? and if so...am I even good enough to teach about it???" and I opened up to Alma 42 verses 29-31 woah! its basically talking about how I should "let these things trouble [me] no more" and how its my duty to teach and to share this gospel and cry repentance unto people who want to hear it, but just don't know where to find it! Amazing! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!

10) LAST ONE! Last Thursday we had an AMAZING LESSSON!!!!!! WOWZERS! with a lady names Ali! And Ali has been through a lot of TERRIBLE things!!!!!!! and she is one who is prepared and desperate need of the knowledge of the restored Gospel of Christ!!!!!

OKAY FOR REALS! If you read my emails I hope you read this!!!!! THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST IS FOR EVERYBODY!!!!! weird concept huh?? It is for EVERYBODY!!! It's not just for the righteous, it's not just for the wicked it's not just for those who are poor and it's not just for those who are rich AND ITS NOT JUST FOR THOSE WHO AREN'T CONTENT WITH THEIR RELIGION or HAVE NO RELIGION! It is for EVERYONE!!!!!!!! The worst thing to my ears when I am teaching someone is ; "Oh that    sounds niceBut it isn't for me!" ACTUALLY IT IS!!!!! and I know that, because you're here in front of me! And you being in front of me now is evidence that a long time ago before anyone came to this earth, you chose the gospel of Jesus Christ and dang it you should choose it again! hahaha SORRY IM PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS!!!!!! THE WORK IS TRUE LADIES AND GENTS!!!!!!!!!! COME UNTO CHRIST AND DENY YOURSELVES ALL UNGODLINESS!!!!!! His arms are ALWAYS extended towards us...may we reach back and be His! I LOVE YOU ALLL!!!!!!!!!!!!.....and......by the way........I really like letters.....and Junior Mints....i like those too!

"Because I Have Been Given Much, I Too Must Give"

-Sister Ashton Louise Wise

 Ashton and Sis. Green pointing to Pres. & Sis. Cutler

 Classy MTC pics :) 

 Ashton actually had to sew something and wanted proof to show mom that she sews :) 

 They slept on the floor the last night in the MTC 

 Day 1 in Wisconsin, Ashton and Sis. Green

Apparently the elders cut a picture out and put i on the lid of the toilet... must be one of those jokes where you have to be there!!

Landed in Wisconsin!

Ashton got to call mom when she was at the airport, they talked for 10 minutes or so and then Ashton had to board the plane and head to Wisconsin. She arrived safe and sound, we received an email from her mission president with pictures and a photo of a handwritten letter from Ashton :)  She is convinced that Wisconsin is like the land of promise!




Dear Brother and Sister Wise, 
I was delighted to meet your daughter,  Sister Wise, when she arrived in Wisconsin. We had an interview, training, dinner and a testimony meeting.    The next day she met her trainer, Sister Green, and was assigned to labor in Muskego Lakes.  
The first few weeks of a mission are particularly challenging as your daughter adjusts to the rigors of missionary service.  Your weekly e-mail or letter will be a blessing as you build faith and give encouragement. Please write in a way which will strengthen and spiritually uplift, giving her courage to go forward in this great work. You should receive an e-mail from your daughter every Monday, which is preparation day.
Missionaries are allowed to call home and speak with family members on Mother's Day and Christmas. Visits from family members, friends, and acquaintances are against Church policy. From time to time, you may enjoy looking at a blog that Sister Cutler maintains. The link to it ishttp://wisconsinmilwaukeemission.blogspot.com/. 

Letters and packages should be sent directly to your daughter.  Her current address is 7741 S. Scepter Dr. #25, Franklin, Wisconsin  53132. She will keep you informed as to when transfer dates will be, and when she will be getting a new address. Letters should be sent USPS First Class Mail, and packages should be sent USPS Priority Mail.  First Class and Priority Mail may be forwarded at no additional cost, should the need arise.  (Standard B, Standard Post, Parcel Post, Parcel Select and Media Mail cannot be forwarded).

Packages or letters sent FED EX or UPS cannot be forwarded.

It will be the responsibility of the missionary to let you know of upcoming transfer dates, so mail will not be sent to an inaccurate address.

Please call the mission office (414-421-7506) if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for all you have done to prepare your daughter for the wonderful service she is giving.
Ministering to God's children brings great joy. While this missionary service will likely be the hardest thing your daughter has ever done, it will be the most rewarding as she loses herself in the Master's work and feels the power of the Atonement. Thank you for your faith and prayers.

Sincerely,

Raymond A. Cutler, President
Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission

 Sis. Wise and Sis. Green have been assigned to Muskego Lakes

 We love Ashton! She looks great!

Sis. Wise, Sis. Cutler, and President Cuter (don't they just look like great mission presidents!)

Here is Ashton's letter:

First week in the MTC!

Ashton seems to be thriving in the MTC, she is a great leader and a source of strength to her district. She has really enjoyed her companion Sis. Hess

That's my Ashton!

We are glad Ashton is her normal self!

Here is her email to everyone  29 April 2015


Hey mom go ahead and send this to everyone! :)

Hey Everyone!!!! I am here in the MTC! It has been WAY fun!!!!! but i have learned so much about myself, missionary work, but most importantly i have come to know the Savior in a way i never have!!! 

      So i walked into the MTC and they gave me my nametag! WOAH! I represent Jesus Christ! Its written on my chest!! WOW! It was an unreal moment!!!! So we had orientation and then were separated into companionships (My companion is Sister Kourtney Hess)....(MOM THATS THE ONE IM FRIENDS WITH ON FB) anyways! It was so cool to meet her! and then we were split into DISTRICTS! HOLY TALEDO I LOVE MY DISTRICT!!!!!!!!! We have Me and sister  Hess (Wyoming) and Elder Reed (San Diego) and Elder Lott (Poocatello) (MOM THATS THE ONE WE MET WHILE TAKING PICTURES BEFORE ENTERING THE MTC) and they are both going to Wisconsin with me and sister Hess!!! and then we have Sister Wayment (BURLEY) (MOM! SHE IS COREY WAYMENTS SISTER! WE ARE RELATED!) and then Sister Ro (Meridian)...IDAHO REPRESENT! and they are in the same room as me!!!! and then we have Elder Pollson (N Dakota and the dude is hilarious and looks like napolean dynamite) and then Elder Richins (Colorado and he used to play soccer for Utah State and he is AWESOME) So Basically Im blessed with the best district ever! We always play volleyball and today we played sand volleyball outside and went on a run and saw ALLAN PARRY!! WOAH! haha small world!!!

      So it definitely has been the HARDEST week of my life! Partially because I hate getting up in the mornings...haha but Heavenly Father has seriously blessed me...I don't get irritated in the mornings (My sisters will NOT believe that hahaha) and i can just do the work and study and get ready and not get mad! Its a blessing....one that i needed! hahaha It has been really different having a companion with me 24-7 but i see the blessings from it for sure!!!!! Okay so I'm going to make this email as easy to read as possible! So since i have a hard time with reading HUGE paragraphs because my attention span is the size of a gnat...i decided to use BULLET POINTS! hahaha

never mind this computer wont let me...

    So we are teaching an investigator right now and her name is Julia (Its really our teacher acting as Julia) and we were trying to teach her about the doctrine of Christ!!!! But she was just looking down the whole time and not looking at us and we were getting SUPER frustrated and then my teacher came back and said "Okay stop time out! Why are you teaching me like this??? You could give this same lesson to a wall! Stop teaching lessons and teach me! Im a daughter of God! Julia is a daughter of GOD! and then sister Hess kinda lost it! BUT! we went back into it with fresh eyes and taught JULIA not the Doctrine of Christ! We taught JULIA! It was so cool!!!! and as we sincerely and genuinely cared for her...the doctrine of Christ ended up being taught! It was INCREDIBLE! AWESOME AWESOME lesson!!!!! Journal worthy it was!

     Next cool story is we are teaching another investigator named Sammy and we went into this lesson really prepared..it was like our third one..and Sammy basically said "So if God is our loving Heavenly Father, why do i go to other countries and see kids starving on the street...etc" and I was at a loss of words and so was sister Hess...but as i just prayed for my mouth to be filled with the words of God I said something that really touched sammy! AND I CANT EVEN TELL YOU WHAT IT WAS! Sister Hess and I got out of the lesson and i said "Okay what did i just say in there????" and she said "I HAVE NO IDEA! BUT ITS WHAT HE NEEDED TO HEAR! SO AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

     Other cool story....I got a package of brownies! (Thanks brent and laurie!) I was the envy of the MTC! hahaha SPEAKING OF FOOD! DONT EAT THE MTC FOOD! Hahahahaha kidding its good!...Those Samoan elders just eat it ALL!! hahahaha 

Well I don't have much time (we are going to the TEMPLE with my district!!!!!!!! WAHOO!!!!!!!!)

I have a testimony to Christ! If I could say anything in these emails it would be that i LOVE THE LORD! He loves us! We wouldn't be here if He didn't! There wouldn't be purpose if we didn't have a way to recieve eternal life and eternal happiness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE  YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!1 It has been the best week of my life! The next 18 will be fabulous! CANT WAIT TO SERVE THOSE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN! oh p.s. my district loves my impersonation of wisconsin people!!!!! HAHAHAHA

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!1

"Because I Have Been Given Much I Too Must Give!"

MUCH WISCONSIN LOVE!,

-Sister Wise

OH P.S. My district is singing next week in church and I gave an on-the-spot talk last sunday!!!!! IT TURNED OUT GREAT! LOVE YOU!!!!! BYE! NEXT TIME I EMAIL YOU I WILL BE IN THE EXOTIC LAND OF WISCONSIN!