BAILEY WAS BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well! What a week what a week!!!! FIRST OF ALL! Congratulations to my little sister Mallory for graduating! Love you mal! and then 2nd! BAILEY was baptized! by richard in the ward! We have only known bailey for 5 weeks now! BUT SHE IS SOLID AS A ROCK! and ready to be active in the church and to bring her family with her! I love her and felt so happy watching the ordinance of baptism be performed by the right authority in the right place! nothing like it!!!

     Well! Life has been interesting this week! My first day with sister Mansfield in the Milwaukee 1st ward was interesting! The elders needed our car so we had to give it to them...so new area....new companion...no car and a lot of work to do! hahaha the elders gave us map and said "have fun" and WE DID! hahaha I knew of a few bus lines that i was familiar with from the YSA ward...but other than that i didn't know much! but we managed to get from where we were to where we needed to be in a timely manner! IT WAS A MIRACLE I KNOW!!!!!!

    so we were around milwaukee just talkin to people (because no one in wisconsin has AC so when you get hot....sit outside...which we use to our advantage) and I was looking in bag for more restoration pamphlets and i didn't have any left! and neither did sister mansfield!...and all i had was ...yep...a word of wisdom pamphlet! and so i thought "okay yep...not giving THAT to anyone!" haha but then we see this girl on her porch and start talking to her and what do you know??? we found one of the ONLY people in milwaukee that doesn't drink or do drugs it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! and so i said "Well you know! we believe the same as you that those things are bad for us and take our agency away!" and then we gave her the pamphlet! and we are meeting with her again this week!!!!!!!!! so pumped!!!!

All is well here in milwaukee though! President and sister cutler are going home in 4 weeksand so we are all just working our best and hardest to let them leave on a good note!! they will be so missed!!!!!!

     Everytime i read in the book of mormon i am reminded of its truthfulness! And its not just in my head that i believe its true! But it literally makes sense! I know that it is a true book! I know that those prophets who wrote it REALLY existed! And i know that it was translated by a prophet of God! even Joseph Smith! Can't wait for that day where "Millions shall know brother joseph again!!"

LOVE you all family and friends! Praying for you all!!!!

PICS:

bailey before her baptism!!!

sister mansfield and i

me and bulah! She is 102!!!!!! WHAT?!?!??!

said goodbye to the YSA and Brookfield wards!!!

me cutting potatoes because they said "Gurl! You from idaher! you know how to cut these"...and so ...i did...hahahaha

HOLY COW WHAT A WEEK!

Well! all is well in Zion friends and family! May i just start out by saying how much i love the MILWAUKEE YSA WARD and the BROOKFIELD WARD! I am sad to say that i have been transferred to serve in the Milwaukee 1st ward! haha...this came as a bit of a shock...because...well...I started my mission in the southside of milwaukee....and then was trasferred to the inner city/central milwaukee...and now..north milwaukee (otherwise known as the ghetto) so i am SUPER pumped! hahaha because i will know the greater milwaukee area  better than i know that the Greenbay Packers are the chosen team...amazing! God needs me here i suppose! haha but i have been called to serve with sister April Mansfield! from Canada! ACTUALLY funny story! she served her first 3 months in ontario canada due to visa problems and then she came here..but her trainer in canada was of course my good friend Emily Chelson from St. Anthony Idaho! WHAT ARE THE ODDS!!!!!! so we are serving with the same sister in different missions (mini shout out to sister chelson) :)

    Anyway! I would say that the MOST EXCITING PART OF THE WEEK was definitely teaching sweet sweet sweet BAILEY!!! She has agreed to live all of the laws and principles of CHRISTS GOSPEL!!!!!!!! she is stellar! She knows it will be hard! but she has been so willing to submit to HIS will and not her own! She is incredible and i am pumped that i will be at her baptism next week!!!! love that girl!!! in the lesson she was referring to various things she read in the book of mormon that day or the night before and she applied it to her own life! She knows it is true! Bailey is a miracle! We have only known her now for 5 weeks! but she is ready to be baptized! Her interview is tonight!!! :D sister Kirchhoefer and i are finalizing baptism plans before i get transferred! SO EXCITED!

Anyway! shorter email this week! but here are some pics of my last days in this area!!!

I know that this is the one and only true church on the earth! I was once embarrassed to say so! but now?? NO CHANCE! :) i love this gospel! i love you all!!!!

"because i have been given much i too must give"

-Sister Wise

PIC #1: the lake....ocean?.....the la-ocean

PIC #2: a recent convert i met while on exchanges in port washington! (Kaye)

PIC #3: sister hall and I street contacting on the Beach! BEAUTIFUL Day!!!

me chen and athena at the temple! THE CUTEST ASIANS EVER!

Me and Elder Palacios! (We think its cool that we are both named ashton!)

late happy mothers day!

A woman doing a man's work...

Hello friends! Hello Family!!!

     I don't have a TON to say this week! life is good! I just feel on cloud 9! I LOVE this gospel!!! I LOVE the fact that God has blessings awaiting us in Holy temples! I have had the opportunity this week to really stand up for what i believe in and had the opportunity to i guess "tell people how it is" and just be bold! many times! I am grateful for those opportunities! 

    NOW trying to sound negative but its a cool story: I was having a hard time this week...Satan was causing me to have thoughts in my head like: "Oh..you don't have the priesthood. It is not required of you to serve a mission...therefore you are a woman doing a man's work. you are not a powerful missionary." and i just kept having this reoccurring thought this transfer over and over and over again! and sadly i gave into his lies and agreed with these pessimistic thoughts. but i was in church yesterday and I had another thought but it had a different feel! I thought in my little noggin: "Ashton! you ARE a woman doing a man's work..." and as i thought on THIS idea (which i KNOW was the Spirit)...i realized that it means this: I am working for Jesus Christ! I am doing His work! Jacob chapter 5 talks ALL ABOUT THAT! i just DONT know why i was being blinded! but ALAS! i am blinded no more! THAT is something i love about the Book of Mormon! It removes scales of doubt, deceit, and fear from my eyes one by one! As long as i continue to read and HEED its teachings! I love that Book of Mormon! and I know it's true!

      ANYWAY!!!!!! long tangent that i didn't really need to go into! but...here we are haha....LIFE has been so so so so so good though! The Lord is BLESSING THIS AREA!! it has been wonderful to see for the past 6 months i have been in this ward! Bailey came to church yesterday!!!! Kealey is in New York and went to church in the Manhattan temple!! Tien came to church! Sofia and Scott came as well!!! Many investigators are coming to know their Savior by taking His sacrament !Its so awesome to watch!!!

        Bailey is getting baptized on the 29th! I feel like i probably will be trasfered by then! we shall see!!! :( but regardless! we are helping her prepare for baptism as best we can!!!! She is going to invite all of her family and her boyfriend! CANT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

       Funny Story: I was with sister Mansfield (from canada) on exchanges in milwaukee and while we were walking to an appointment we were crossing a street and saw like this bird that got run over...and then we looked at it closer and it was totally a WEAVE! OONNNLLYYYYY in milwaukee would that occur! Hahahaha it was the funniest thing!...doesn't sound funny....but...i assure you it was! haha

I love you family! I will figure out my camera situation and send pictures! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!

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

-Sister Wise

jk here are some from sister kirchhoefer! Love you all!

THE TEMPLE!!!

oh my! i had the opportunity to go down to chicago to attend the TEMPLE! I am so grateful for temple worship and know that it is indeed the HOUSE OF THE LORD! i love the feeling in there! we went with the Huangs and with Chen and Athena (Recent Converts) and we did baptisms!!!! Sister Kirchhoefer and i really enjoyed the spirit there! We also slipped away in our wet hair and got to be in the celestial room!!!!!!!!! It was wonderful! I felt so much peace! Its a different feeling in there! (i will send pictures next week!)

we had MLC this week and president talked about the 6 levels of motivation! the bottom being force and the top being charity and love...we then gave a training on that on tuesday at zone training meeting and the response from the zone was very positive! It was great! I love this zone and the elders and sisters which we serve!

LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!!!!!! LIFE IS GOD! :)

sorry its short! I will send temple pictures next week! I LOVE YOU AALL!!!

PIC #1: Sister Blas and I at MLC! (Came out together)

PIC #2: Sister Blas, me, Quist and elder Reina (all at MLC together and all came out together)

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

-sister Wise

temple!

hello friends and family! Sister Kirchhofer and I are going to be in Chicago on Friday to attend the temple! So friday will be our PDAY! We received permission to email you today and let you know that! love you all! Talk to you Friday!

Love Sister Wise!

Hi...yes...are you Karen????

hahahahha i will admit...this was not one of my brightest ideas...but we were desperate just to have someone let us in their door while tracting! we were in the neighborhood of a potential investigator named, Karen..and the house where she lived was empty...and so we knocked on the doors around it...and when someone answered the door we would say; "Hi are you karen?" ( knowing well that it indeed was not karen) and they would say no and then we would say..."oh okay cool....well we are missionaries...etc." hahaha....it.....did not work....but hey! trial and error....trial and error....haha

     but something REALLY cool happened!!!!!! sister kirchhoefer and i were coming home for lunch one day and when we were walking in this lady was carrying a box into our apartment complex and sister kirchhoefer, being the nicest human EVER, said "hey can we help???"! turns out that this lady was moving here from south carolina (Shout out to my home slice sister Reinhart! :)) and she was 60ish and really needed help!....so heres me....with a bad attitude cloud..thinking: "okay...its rainy, cold, muddy.....it better just be a few lamps and boxes we carry in..." and we go out and lift up the storage unit...and theres a couch and some dressers and a cedar chest...anything heavy...it was in there.....hahaha so we lift up this cedar chest and it felt like there were 5 sumo wrestlers in there! It was sooooooo heavy! And as we were carrying it in and rain was pouring in my face i thought "okay Heavenly Father....did not ask for this one! i want to do missionary work! not move things...." and later i realized that the night prior to meeting these ladies from south carolina...i had prayed and asked God to bless me with an opportunity to serve! in some way! just to provide me with that chance to help one of His sons or daughters!....after that experience i realized how REAL God is! He is there and He listens! He is no idle God! he is actively involved in the fine details of our lives! I know that to be true! i am grateful He is willing to work through such a weak instrument like myself!
      

       P.s. Bailey is totally getting baptized!!!!!!!! YAY!!!! May 22nd! so stoked! she came to church ALL 3 HOURS!!!!!!!!! she is wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Because I have been given Much I too must Give"

-Sister Wise

PIC 1: on our morning run! I love her! we are fans that the weather is warming up FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

PIC 2: in front of the skyline (kinda.....) downtown!

PIC 3:with the waukesha sisters on a blitz...and what better way to end the night...than with a coconut...? hahaha