A Week to Remember!

It was my birthday this week and the elders gave me a pineapple with a candle on it since i can't eat cake! hahaha :)

So I was having one of those "What was i doing a year ago" thoughts earlier in the week! And i realized that a year ago God was preparing me for a mission! even though i knew it not! haha If i recall correctly it was around this time a year ago that my sister kennedy called me and said "Hey! Listen...i think you should go on a mission!" and me being scared out of my mind but for the FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF MY LIFE! I prayed and waited and listened and was sincerely wanting to know the will of God and act on it!!!! I prayed and received an answer when sitting in sacrament meeting in my YSA ward! I have NO CLUE what was said! no idea!.....but i do know that God spoke to me SO clearly that day!!!!! He needed me to go! I love what President Eiyring has said about callings "The Lord knows you and the calling you have, for it was He who found a way so that He could issue your call" IT IS SO TRUE! I felt that He cleared the way! And thats how  it is with ALL callings and not just missionary calls!

    I am very grateful to be a full-time missionary at this time! The missionary program is not just something that turns punk teenage into decent adults...but it is a program that fulfills the prophecies given in the Book of Mormon and the Bible! The prophesy that the truthful message of the Restoration will be brought to ALL NATIONS KINDRED AND TONGUES! i feel that!

    Back in November President Cutler gave a training about "watering down" the message of the restoration! he was asking us to evaluate if we apologetically say "uuhh...yeah....you have to be baptized.....because this is the true church!...sorry!" or "yeah.....you can't live with them.....we believe in chastity......my bad!" or even "Okay we believe in something called the word of wisdom....but if you don't feel like thats something you can do...then thats okay! no worries!" he was saying essentially..."ELDERS AND SISTERS STOP DOING THAT!!!!!" hahaha he proceeded to take Spreckers Root Beer (A wisconsin favorite brewery) and he poured a little in a cup...the spreckers represented the goodness of the restored gospel...and then he filled the rest of the cup with water! GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and then he continued to say "NO ONE wants that!" its too good to water down! And i now know that! now i feel so good when i say to some random person on the bus! "Hey! A lot of people wonder if there is one true church! And there is!" THEY GET SO EXCITED! hahaha :) its great!

      I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!! CONGRATS AND SHOUT OUT TO elder Ty Smith in the MTC you are going to ROCK!!!!!!!!!! and SHOUT OUT to Elder Luke Wonnacott!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

"Because I have been given much i too must give!"

-Sister Wise

JESSICA AND I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! she came to institute!!!!!!!! IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! reunited with family basically!!!!!!!!

pictures: Me and Cristal! UWM student in the ward! shes cool and is in the ROTC program at UWM! (even though shes in a marquette shirt)

me and sister tenney at dinner with JESSICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the air...it hurts my face. why do i live in a place where the air hurts my face?

picture 2: i like her  

January 18, 2016

negative 20's people! hahahahaha what the! ITS GREAT THOUGH! the work is really pumping....even though my bloods not....hahahhaah ITS SO COLD! hahaha nothin a little electric blanket and hand warmers cant handle! 

     Well its been an EXCITING WEEK! This was transfers week and sister tenney and i are staying together as the STL's in this zone for atleast another month and a half! YAHHOOOO! we are excited to work hard! SO! FIRST THINGS FIRST! The Milwaukee Bus System is basically the BEST THING IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!! Merry Christmas to me! hahaha we find so many people on the bus! They can't slam the door in my face...because guess what??? NO DOORS! Hoooorraahhhh for warm, door-less buses! :) but we were sitting on the bus and there's a guy sitting across from us in a cool north-face hat....so i tell him! "Hey sweet north-face hat!" and he said thanks and then we proceeded to talk about my coolio North-face coat (shout out to my aunt jolene) and then i said "yeah it really keeps me warm because i'm not from here! Not used to this" and he said "Where are you from??" "Idaho!" "Why are you here???" " I thought you would NEVER ask sir!" hahaha and then theyre hooked! No door-slammin! hahaha :) so his names dave, and we gave him a book of mormon and then went over last night and taught him about it more! He thinks its awesome! Really cool and genuine!

     Then we set a baptismal day with maria! SHES SO GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! for february 14th! She and peggy will be baptized on the same day! they liked the idea! hahaha

HILARIOUS STORY! So sister Tenney and I have a door that we lock from the inside and then close and then go out and work! Well one night we were leaving the apartment after getting changed in pants to help a lady move...and right when sister tenney closes the door she just closes her eyes and says "oohh my......................................" and i'm standing here saying "Yeah i know! Its cold! lets go get in the car!!!!!!!!!!" but she says "no.....the keys are inside.............................." THE CAR KEYS AND THE APARTMENT KEYS! what the heck.......hahhahaha so i said "okay...uh....don't panic! I did this 4 times in a month back at home! hahaha" she didn't think that was funny......hahahaha so we tried calling people...but no one answered and we wondered why!.....and the reason was....the PACKERS were playing! hahahaha and so we called the police and they were closed because of the game too! hahahah kidding! but we really did call the police! because I basically thought we were going to die because it was dark outside and there was no source of heat! aahhhhhh! haha so i started jogging! we were tight with the officer by the end of the night though! cool guy!

     hahaha HEAVENS! good times! but I'm not out here for the goodtimes! I am here because i have been called! Its hit me hard this week that God made it so He could issue my call!!!! Everything in my life has lead up to THIS! and i am so grateful for that! I am seeing people taste the fruit that tastes SO GOOD to me!!!!!!! They are understanding that it is Good fruit as well!!!!!!!!!! I am grateful for the people of Milwaukee! I love serving here!!!!!!!! This part of the world is very special to me! I love my Redeemer and am forever grateful for the potential i have through Him! I love Him! I love you all!

"Because i have been given much i too must give!"

picture 1: we played in the snow for 2 seconds

picture 3: i painted this with a less active family! SO FUN!.....i stink but its still fun1 hahahahah

"Many are cold! But FEW are FROZEN!"

us and the assistants/other YSA missionaries (larsen and marsh) after Zone training meeting

well.....there is frost on the inside of our apartment windows!!!! HOW??? I have no idea !hahahaha Its really really really really really really cold! Negatives!!!! Negatives!!!! WHAT THE!!!!! hahaha thats okay! the field...truly truly is white here in Wisconsin! hahaa

    Well its been quite the week!!!!! Sister Tenney and I locked our keys in the apartment! That was a fun little adventure! 

     Something that was SO great was I brought Sister Decker (Layton,UT) here on exchanges and we did service at a home for memory loss/dimentia patients! We helped them play bingo! they just can't for themselves! IT WAS SO FUN! hahahaha I kept putting chips down and they would take them off and hide them from me! They were so sweet! Grandma kisses and laughs! It was the best day! 

      We found a man on the bus! Started talkin to him about his son who is training to become a nurse! and i told him that i am a certified EMT (which really means nothing,,,,,but it sounds kinda cool...... hahaha) and so he wanted to talk to him...come to find out this guy has cancer and cant drive and tahts why he takes the bus! and his faith is struggling!!!!! I showed him the book of mormon and told him "you know...it sounds crazy that a book could help you...BUT IT CAN!" So we got his number and told him to read it! we will see how it goes!

      Its just evidence to me! OBVIOUSLY there is a spirit about the book of mormon.....people want to take it when we explain it! do they always read it? no way! but the interest is there and thats because as humans we are NATURALLY interested in truth and finding it! the book of mormon contains nothing but truth! So happy i have several copies in my bag! :) WHAT A PRIVLEGE to carry such a precious gift from God!

      well sister Tenney and I are just happy as canned tuna! don't ask me what that means.........we love working together and love working with these wards!

     We gave a training to several missionaries at our Zone training meeting! It was great! it was on "Teaching Repentance and baptizing converts!" we talked about the "Woman at the well" and how she was weighed down by sin! and Christ offered her relief! if you think about it! THAT WOMAN WAS SO WEIGHED DOWN! She had to carry the water pitcher back and forth and back and forth day after day after day! So for someone to offer her living water, that she would thirst no more was a big deal! Thats what repentance does! offers us relief! Quenches our spiritual "thirst!"

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

Sister Decker and I on exchanges! (and matching scarves)

 saw this license plate! you said it wisconsin! Not me! hahaha

frosted window PAINS hahaha

Face dancing

"DON'T HURT US WE JUST HAVE A BIBLE!"

so...we received a referral from Salt Lake telling us that there was a woman in milwaukee who wanted a bible! So we went to go deliver it to her!...milwaukee is a great city!...but this part...not so much! Its not a sister area because its too dangerous...yet there we were! hahaha so we knocked on that door and this woman just SCARED THE HEAVENS OUT OF ME! haha She was just yellin from inside her house and said "YEAH YEAH WHO IS IT????" and we told her "Hey we are missionaries...." "YEAH WHAT DO YOU WANT???" "BaH! okay we just have a bible!!!!!!" hahahaha she said that the person we were looking for wasn't there....it was just kind of super hilariously terrifying!.....

      BUT! BRIGHTER NOTE! This week was so good friends and family! We went to MLC (Missionary Leadership Council) and we set goals for the mission! It was great to see the progress we have made as a mission! we are a super young mission! So its great to see the excitement working within a lot of missionaries!

       Okay! Something so great is Sister Tenney and I were having a tough day! Not a lot of success! and the next day I just prayed and asked if God would send us people and promised that we would just open our mouths!!! And so we hop on the bus! AND SURE ENOUGH! We just talked to SO MANY PEOPLE!  we met a girl named Estaucia and by the time we got to her stop she said "I really feel like God put you two in my path for a reason!" We promised her that that was the case! and then we get off the bus, and a guy taps us on the shoulder and said "Hey i over heard what you two were saying! Can i get your number? I have so questions!!!!" WELL SURE SIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahaha and there were several other instances!!!!!!!! WHAT A BLESSING!!!!!!!!!!!!! it was incredible! Sister Tenney and I both talked about how its experiences like that, that let us know that there surely is a God and that He loves us and doesn't want to punish, but wants to forgive us and improve our lives!

       As i was taking the sacrament yesterday, i thought of all of the blessings from the week and read these words from hymn #185: 

 Bid thine heart all strife to cease;

With thy brethren be at peace.

Oh, forgive as thou wouldst be

E'en forgiven now by me.

In the solemn faith of prayer

Cast upon me all thy care,

And my Spirit's grace shall be

Like a fountain unto thee.

I LOVE THAT! The Savior wants to forgive! He wants to help us. He is by no means "mean" nor is he an angry God! He condemns righteously and loves eternally! I am so grateful for Him!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND SHOUT OUT TO MY COUSIN HERMANA CARR!!!!!!!!! So glad you are home! Thank you for your service! I LOVE YOU!

 Working downtown

 our ward mission leader, Adam, just left for BYU Idaho! GOING TO MISS HIM

sister kunz who is about to go home

classic "tilt tuesday pic" with a Book of Mormon

no explanation....i just really like her!

the hard effects of a blizzard........

"MERRY CHRISTMAS BOYS!!!!!"

Dec 28, 2015

hahaha okay so sister tenney and i had NO IDEA what to do in our free time on Christmas eve afternoon! so we had the idea to put the "#asaviorisborn" card on a candy cane and give them to anyone who would listen! so off we went! DOWNTOWN! haha we walked around and just found different homeless people or just people walkin around! But then there was a group of rather large men...and we were walking towards them....they kinda scared me! I mean these fellas looked like a group of Goliath's long lost COUSINS! THEY WERE BIG! hahaha....so we are walking toward them and i thought "Oh come on Ashton! You've gotta say at least SOMETHIN TO THEM!! and so while we are walking through them i just yell "Yeah MERRY CHRISTMAS BOYS" and they just looked at me like i was NUTSO! hahaha it was HILARIOUS! Sister Tenney said "WHAT THE HECK SISTER WISE!" and i said "Merry christmas! I have pepper spray!" hahaha it was just funny.............

       Wow though! Christmas was quite the experience! We had the opportunity to go downtown and go to the Ronald McDonald house and cook for the families of children who are patients at the Wisconsin Children's Hospital! :) I remember going there in Boise when i was younger, but haven't been back since! It was so fun! We got to cook and just be there with other volunteers and missionaries! IT was great to see that so many from the community would come early on Christmas day and help these people in need! I was so grateful to serve on such a special day!

     I LOVE being a missionary at this time! It is so hard but so worth it! I am grateful for Jesus Christ! Sister Tenney, for Christmas, received the Life of Christ Bible videos! and WHAT A BLESSING those have been! hahaha oh my word! We have both just had discussions about Him while eating lunch! While we run in the mornings, while we are in the car, while we study! As He has consumed my thoughts and time, He has consumed me! That is the power of Jesus Christ!

     Actually I spoke on that yesterday in the YSA ward! I am so grateful to serve here! And to serve now! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! MAY CHRIST CONSUME OUR TIME AND THOUGHTS as we consume His! I LOVE YOU! :) He loves you!

Because I have been given much i too must give!

-Sister Wise

Wishing you a MERRY MILWAUKEE CHRISTMAS!

Dec 21, 2015

Wow!!!! Its already Christmas time!!!!!! Wow!!!!!!!!!!! So first! Kind of a funny story! So sister Tenney and i went to the milwaukee public library to do some planning for our next week! and we are just minding our own business and this rather large african american man comes and pulls up a chair right next to us and we just stare at each other for like 5 minutes! haha and then i said "Whats up???" and he said "can you help me with a resume?" and i said "SURE!" and sister tenney was like "oh no sister wise what have you done??????" hahaha and so he sat back down and i said "alright...whats your name???" and he said "James!" and I said "Well listen up James! We will help you! but we are teachers in our church! So you have to let us teach you okay??? and he said "Yeah sure!" ...................................................and.......down the loo that went! haha he was CRAZY! he was laughing really hard at everything i said....i wasn't even SAYING anything funny! And then he started crying and then he covered sister tenneys face and turned to me and said "Do you think im handsome!?" and i said "Oh james! All people are beautiful!" and then he laughed and then sister tenney said "JAMES do you even want a resume???" and he said no....and then walked away.....that was IT! ....so odd! hahahahaha
      

     anyway! on a more serious note! I just wanted to say how much i love the Savior! There have been so many times that i have thought "Wow....no one gets it!" and aways i am assured that He tells me "I do!" and i know that is true! Milwaukee is a sin sick city! and i have seen the Savior lift those who i thought were done for! I have seen him help the helpless! i have seen Him be a home to the homeless! I know that He lives! Because of Him i exist! I know that!!!!!! HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?!? That i know HIm! I believe that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God! I know that he saw Jesus Christ! I know that i am called of God just like he was!.....i'm no prophet of course!....but still! Iknow that the Savor is central to "all human history"! I KNOW that! even though people look at me like i'm a crazy because i'm in a skirt and its freezing outside, and even though people reject my message, none can take away Christ's role as the Redeemer of the world! I know He lives! I know that He loves me! I know that if I had been the only sinner in the entire world, an atonement would have still be made, with just as much dedication! I know He lives and is very much apart of directing the affairs of His church! MERRY CHRISTMAS! and a happy new year! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because I have been given much i too must give!