MAN THESE MILWAUKEE PEOPLE ARE TOUGH TO READ!!

OKAY YOU DONT KNOW THE STRUGGLE TILL YOU RIDE THIS BAD BOY ON A WINDY DAY IN A SKIRT WITH A FLAT TIRE!!! hahaha it was awesome!! truly am grateful for these bikes!!!!



hahahahahaa okay! so let me explain the title of this email!!!! there is an older woman in the ward in an assisted living home that we go and read the ensign and Book of Mormon to every week!! and as we were leaving her apartment, there was a man outside and so of course we talk to him 

and i asked him if we could share a scripture with him or talk to him or give him a Book of Mormon and every he said NO! haha so then i said "well can we give you a picture of Christ????
 and he said no...and so i asked " do you like Christ?" and he said no...so then i realized that this man probably wasnt all with it up there in the brain so i just said "okay well if there isn't anything else we can do for you we are just going to leave" 

and so i am walking to the car and he just has his walker and is coming towards me saying "NO! i LOVE you!" and this man was goin fast! MY WORD! Again....LIKE A DEACON CHASING A BEEHIVE AT A STAKE DANCE! hahaha it was creepy and slightly impressive and so we hurry and got in the car and drove away! Kinda scary! hahahaha but not! He was sweet! He needs the gospel! haha DONT WE ALL!

ANYWAY!!!!!!!! This week has been SOMETHING ELSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAN! It was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!! I just love this work!!!!! I have never  been so happy!!!!!!!!!! WOW! I am just really really really really really really really really really really happyy!!!!!!

 

So this week we have just been hittin the pavement!!!! Going going going!!! its been great!!!!! we have seen many mini successes!!!!! It was cool!!! We found 3  new investigators this week!!!! BUT none of them lived in our area!!! but we referred them to other missionaries!!! THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!

We had the ward picnic this week!!!!! AND HOLY TALEDO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO MANY MEMBERS BROUGHT THEIR FRIENDS!!!!!!! #MISSIONARYHEAVEN i was just talking to EEVVERRRRYYOOONNNEEEE!!!!!!!!!! sister palmer was talking to people and i was talking to people and just loving all of them!! I love big gatherings like that!!!! Anyway! And i may or may not have won the gunnie sack race...no big deal! THOSE PRIMARY KIDS DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT HIT EM! hahaha oh and we got second place for "Funniest Cake" award at the ward picnic! we didn't have time to make a cake and especially decorate it (because it was supposed to be Book of Mormon themed) and so i thought about the scripture "And it was tight like unto a dish" and so we got a bowl/dish put it on a cake plate and called it good! ( i will send a pic of it!)

ANYWAY! THIS EMAIL IS SO LONG! SORRY FOLKS! but everyone should know that we have a zumba class every thursday morning at the stake center! And the rule is that you cant go unless you have an investigator with! SO OUR INVESTIGATOR MARIE CAME TO ZUMBA! So i totally got to dance!!!!!! It was a little tender mercy! I LOVE dancing! Kinda miss it! But no matters! Not important!

I have a FIRM testimony of the Book of Mormon! I don't just believe it's true! But i know that as we apply it to our lives it CAN bless us and help us IF we let it! I have a testimony that i know that  Jesus is the Christ! HE AND HIS FATHER ARE TWO SEPARATE BEINGS, although they are indeed ONE in purpose! I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's kingdom established on the earth preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah! I know that true peace can only come from the Prince of Peace! I know that we can change and become better EVERYDAY! I try to do that! I have seen a significant change within me because of it! I invite all who read this to do the same! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because I have been given much i too must give!

-Sister WIse

2nd Place Award for the "Funniest Cake". Well done Ashton!

ps. below are pictures of the ether themed "Cake" and then sis palmer and i got in our football gear to take a picture to wish her little bro luck at his first football game this week!!

OH! and my dad sent me this picture a few weeks back! Its of me before my baptism!! I show it to investigators and their hearts are so softened!!!! ITS GREAT! THANKS DAD!

Sister Wise! I talked to God...We're going to Olive Garden!!

hahaha okay! So the title of this email is a quote from Charlene!! A woman who is being baptized on September 19th! We are so excited! It'll be here before we know it!!!! :) YAY! anyway! Charlene had told us that her daughter who is a member wants to take all of us out to dinner after the baptism! So i said "Okay well there is the Forum on 108th or there is Red Robin on 76th, or olive garden" and she said "uuuummmmmmm i don't know....let me talk to God!" and so we get a text later that night and it just said "Sister Wise! I talked to God! We're goin to Olive Garden!" haha it was so sweet because i really do know that she talked to God and that she values WHATEVER he has to say on whatever the subject! It is sweet! May we all talk to God in the friendly manner and as often as Charlene talks to God! :) it's inspiring! and makes me smile!

     OKAY! So!!!!! one of the goals that sister palmer and i set as a companionship, was to TALK TO EVERYONE! if they wanted to talk to us or not we were going to introduce the restored Gospel to them! Because that is our calling! to invite others to come to Christ! We can't invite if we don't open our mouths!! :) SO! We just talked and talked and talked!...which wasn't really hard because i like to talk! Ha kidding! It is awkward to talk to people sometimes, but this never was about me after all so who cares right? haha 

      ANYWAY! we were going into the mission office to pick up a few things and as we were about to walk in we see a man walking so I eye him like how a deacon eyes a beehive before the last song at the stake dance!!!! It was THAT intense! hahaha turns out this man's name is earl! And we set an appointment to come teach earl and he came to church with us and he is on date to be baptized in september! WHAT????? Miracle? Anyone? haha

       Another story is about talking to everyone AND being EXACTLY obedient! So we got back to the apartment at like 8:53ish and so one part of me says "Nah it's okay ashton! you worked hard today! you can go in 7 minutes early...no biggie!" and then the other part said "be exactly obedient and God will surely cause a miracle to occur" and so i said "no no sister! We are going to just stay out here and walk around and teach some people (either getting out of their cars or walking dogs, etc)" so we stay outside, we are walkin around and i am just praying: "please just put someone in our path!" and then we see a woman getting a bunch of boxes out of her car and we said "Can we help??" and she said "nah you don't want to! Its okay! and i dropped my bag and said "NAH OF COURSE WE DO! we're gunna help you!" haha and she laughed and accepted our offer! 

     so it turns out she just moved from Alabama! she works for the FDA and she was moving in on saturday! and she said "yeah so 6 movers are coming and moving my stuff" and i said "woah woah you are paying for 6 guys to come??" and she said "well yeah...no one would do it for free!" and i said "SURE THEY WILL! We know 6 guys that would love to come and help you!" So sure enough! Satuday morning at 830 we had us and 6 elders out there helping her move all of her stuff! It was awesome!!! She was so grateful for the help and GUESS WHAT! SHE CAME TO CHURCH WITH US! yeah it was "tight like unto a dish" for sure! we went over and taught the Plan of Salvation! and shes getting bapt...hahaha kidding not getting baptized! But we did teach her! IT was awesome! SUCH A MIRACLE!

      ANYWAY! This email is long!!!!! My bad! haa but incase you didn't know! I love this work! I love His work! i am grateful for the Matchless love which the Savior provides for me!!!!! "For Jesus died on calvary that all through Him, might ransomed be! Then sing hosanna to His name! Let Heaven and Earth His love proclaim!" I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!! i have a testimony of this work and especially of the prophet Joseph Smith! What an inspired man! I love you all!!!!!

WISCONSIN LOVE!

"Because I have been Given Much i too must Give!"

-Sister Ashton WIse

P.s. oh  by the way we had zone conference last week and we sang! That was cool! BUT WHAT WAS COOLER is that Tina ( a woman i taught in the West Allis ward) SPOKE AT CONFERENCE! She spoke on her conversion story! I balled! She is such a rockin lady!!! :)

On Wisconsin!

HELLO FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!!!!!

     Thank you each for your support and prayers! I feel the power that it gives me to press on and keep having fun!

     THIS WEEK HAS BEEN GREAT! Something SUPER cool that happened is that we took an 18 year boy in the ward, Emersson, and took him to a lesson with our investigator Ben! Emersson is about to get  his mission call so he always comes out with us and the elders! ANYWAY! so Emersson did a fabulous job! After the lesson we were talking to him and he said "GOSH! I think you sisters should take Maddie out too! on like a mini mission!" (Maddie is the bishops daughter!) and we said okay! And so on Saturday we took maddie out to work with us and to show her the life of a missionary! It was SO FUN! And we worked HARD! haha we went and taught investigators! Saw less active members of the ward and we talked to EVERYONE we saw walking on the street and we took her TRACTING! (for those of you who are unfamiliar with "missionary Lingo" haha tracting is when we go and knock on doors! Trying to share the Gospel with people and the Book of Mormon!) and so we knocked on lots of doors! Talked to lots of people and Maddie did SO GREAT! We were excited to have her and her mom said that she went home and napped for a few hours because she was so exhausted! haha It was great though!!!!! GOOD TIMES!

      Something else that happened this week that was WAY exciting is that TATE! (our 9 year old investigator) SET A DATE TO BE BAPTIZED ON SEPTEMBER 12TH!) YYYYAAAYYYY! we are so excited for him! He wants to be a member so bad! His mom isn't wild about the idea of him being baptized but I am pretty sure it will happen!!!!!!! Tate is great! (#poetdidntevenknowit) haha

      OH! and there is a first experience for everything right??? well........since I am the senior companion now I get to drive.................hahahah and MILWAUKEE DRIVERS ARE NUTS! hahahaha holy cow! Wisconsin has some aawful roads! hahahaha anyway! and so I was driving the other day and I totally CUT OFF THIS GUY! didn't mean to! Didn't mean to!!! hahaha and then he drives next to us....did some weird sign language thing to me (perhaps a middle finger....meanie....) hahaha and then I just screamed! I WAS SO SAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahahahahahahaha that has never happened to me before! So I just thought "THATS IT! WE ARE BIKING FROM NOW ON!" hahahahhaa anyway!!!!!!!!!!

It has been a GREAT WEEK! and I have never been happier than I am RIGHT NOW! I LOVE BEING A M ISSIONARY! It is such  a gift! I LOVE YOU ALL!

I KNOW that this is the work of God! We got to teach the restoration to a woman that we met and we say down and talked to her! And I just bore my testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith and assured April that this was true and that "I didn't come out here for 18 months to lie to people!" I know that this message is true! I know that the Book of Mormon is true!!!!! It teaches us how to gain peace in this life and the life to come! I love you all! I love my family! I am so glad that I am sealed to them! like president Cutler says "ETERNAL LIFE! IS FAMILY LIFE!" I know it!!! I am so glad to have the blessings of the temple with me wherever I go! I LOVE this gospel! HAVE I MENTIONED THAT!!!!???? Goodness!!!! I would yell it from the top of Brewers Stadium!!!!!!! I know it is true! I am so excited to share it with all I meet!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!

P.S. Surprise mom! I am singing in Zone Conference tomorrow! Wish me luck! hahaha

Because I have been given much I too must give!

-Sister Wise

I kinda played a joke on sister palmer saying that we work out in our skirts...she thought I was serious, haha but I totally had basketball shorts on underneath hahaha

a sister in our ward who is a BEAUTIFUL HARPIST (is that what it is called???) hahahaha

HUGE THANKS TO MY MOM AND DAD FOR THE GPS! NOW I WILL FIND ALL WHO NEED THE GOSPEL! hahahha

There was a Tornado in Wisconsin!

now that I got your attention!!!!! haha HEY FAMILY AND FRIENDS! It has been a fabulous week here in the state of the cows!!!!! hahaha there was a tornado warning, but just a lot of wind and rain and lightning! ANYWAY!

     SO earlier this week I was told that I would be training a new missionary!!! so on Wednesday I met my new companion! Her name is Sister Palmer! She is from Alpine, Utah! She went to BYU and studied business and played Rugby for BYU......yeah........She could beat me up if she wanted.. SHE IS BUFF!!We got her stuff and drove to the apartment and planned and I talked about all of those people we were teaching and all those she needed to know about! it was kind of cool to see that I know A LOT more about the area and people than I thought I knew!

     so on Friday! all of the missionaries serving in the stake were asked to come to a youth conference that was centered on missionary work! So we went and took the youth and taught them about  missionary work, and what the typical day is! and then...get this...WE TOOK THEM TRACTING! hahahahhaahahahah what????? They were scared out of their minds! Hahahhaa it was awesome though! THEY LOVED IT!

     Then on Saturday we went to lake Michigan with some other missionaries to go street contact............bbbuuuuuuut it was raining and no one wanted to talk to us...but hey we tried hard! hahahaha but we still got to talk to people! and then I just thought "MAN! THE FIELD IS SO WHITE I CAN FEEL IT!!!!!!!!!!!!" and so we went tracting and taught tons of people and found two people who were way prepared and invited us back!!!!!!!! one was named Ken and the other Ben, so on Sunday right before church! We took Brother Du Charme (our ward mission leader) and brother Palick (ward missionary) with us to teach ben! And it was SO INCREDIBLE! We taugh the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and then I just really felt like we needed to talk about the atonement and so we talked about it and  ben had like...NO IDEA that there is someone who died for our sins! By the way when we found ben he was smoking outside and he told us he  has a copy of the book of Mormon and is curious!!!!!!!! MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     OOOHHHH OH OH OH OH! And then the Rees family were having a neighborhood BBQ at their house and they told us to come because they thought the neioghbprs would like us and they did! WE TALKED ABOUT THE GPOSPEL AT THE BBQ! They were asking ME questions! Hahahaha it was awesome! ANd one of the families invited us to dinner later this week! SO COOL!!!!!!Q ANYWAY! We have been working working working! IT IS THE MOST INCREDIBLE WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I Love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I KNOW that this is the only completely true church on the earth!!!!!!!!!!! I know it!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Sister WIse

Oh and explanations of the pictures! So this is my  new companion who I am training, Sister Palmer from Alpine Utah! and then the other is Shannon, who is a less active woman who I LOVE!

and then this is a doll, that apparently travels from apartment to apartment in the mission field! we had some sisters stay at our apartment and they left this gem in our spice cabinet hahahhahaa

and then this is MY TRAINER PACKING AND LEAVING ME TO GO TO KENOSHA! :( and then here are the elders taking youth from the stake out tracting! So cool!

STORY: GUUURL WHERE IS YOUR BONNET:      hahahahhahahhahaha okay I thought this was the BEST THING EVER!!!!!!!!!! So we were trying to visit our investigator, Marie, but she wasn't home and so we got in the car and then I saw this girl  outside the car and I felt like I should go talk to her......and so I get out of the car and sister green was figuring stuff out on the GPS and I talk to this lady and say "hey hows it goin??? I like your bag" and she looks me up and down and says "Who are you?????" and I said "well i'm a m issionary......Who are YOU?" and then she said " WHAT? OH GURRLL you one of dem Mormons???" "Yeah yeah I am!!! Ever heard of them??" "yeah!!! BUT GIRL where your bonnet???" haha and then I said "I don't have one....." and then she said "OH you got a car??? where your horse and buggy???" hahahha funniest thing EVER!