sUrPrIsEd

Monday we had the opportunity to hear from a member family that has taken a liking to Elder Ashcroft. He was at there home at the time and she sent a few pictures of him. The top picture is of her daughter and  the bottom one must be of her son. It wouldn't be Andy if he didn't try betting up some innocent kid. To our understanding the family's Grandfather grew up in Hurricane.

 

 Alex Woodbury

wrestling around



4/14/14

Happy 4/14/14 everybody!!! 

This week we had a pretty cool experience with the priesthood. Brother Pinto asked us for a blessing about a boil that was causing him discomfort. He told us later, he was able to sleep through the night and that next morning the boil was gone. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to preform a blessing and then to hear what came from that blessing. I am so grateful to be a priesthood holder and cant wait until I can bless the members of my family! 

 

On Monday, we were able to teach a 10 year old boy, Kaleb. He told his mom one night that he is ready to get baptized. She got ahold of us so that he can start taking the lessons. The plan is that him and his sister Claira can get baptized together. She is going to be turning 8 on the 26th.

 

On Tuesday, we had a lesson with Gary about the Word of Wisdom. We invited him to live it but he told us he already had been working on that. When we gave him a pamphlet to read it talked about that. He went and got medication right away to help with his problem. He is willing to change anything to follow our savior Jesus Christ, which is so awesome to be able to see the change that is happening in his life. I can't wait to be able to see him go through the temple when he gets married to his wife for eternity.

 

On Thursday, we had a lesson with Rebecca and Dustin about CPR (church, prayer and scripture reading) and how it will feed our Spirits. I promised them that if they would just do these 3 things they would be able to see special blessings the lord has in store for them. 

 

On Friday, we had ZTM in Minot. That took up pretty much our entire day, 5 hours of driving!!!....Yeah we are pretty much tired of sittin' on our hinnies.

At church this Sunday, we were able to get 5 Less Actives to come to church, 2 Investigators and 2 soon to be Investigators.

 It was really great to see that some of our hard work paid off! 

 Elder Wilkinson

Williston District Transfer 1

4/7/2014

Monday

We helped an investigator of ours move out of his apartment. It kinda stinks that he is moving. He is a really great guy that could really use the gospel in his life right now.

Wednesday

Gary taught "US" The Gospel of Jesus Christ. He did a really great job! He even used scriptures that we use as missionaries to teach. It was really awesome!

Friday

We taught Tithing and Fast Offerings to Gary. He is growing so much and absorbing everything that we teach him like a sponge. We are running out of information to through at him. 

Side Note:

One day I was thinking about how we could get the members to be better "Member Missionaries." I received revelation that we need to make a flyer and ask them what "they" would be willing to do to help, rather than us inviting them to do things. We have already started to see success. The members have handed out copies of the Book of Mormon. They have even invited Less Active/Non Members to church and other activities. The work is starting to take off, which is really good, and really needed here in the branch.

3/31/14

Wednesday we had our first lesson with Gary Hoffman. He accepted the baptismal challenge with a goal to be baptized on May 3rd. He was truly prepared and guided by the hand of the Lord.

Thursday we taught the Howells Family about the Restoration. They are members but are still pretty new to the gospel so they requested the lessons again. Their son Christopher has a hard time learning so we had to break it down really simply for him to understand.

Friday we had our second lesson with Gary. This lesson was on the Plan of Salvation. We asked him if he had done the commitments we had given him and he said he had. Then we asked if had prayed to know if he should be baptized and he said he did...and Then we asked was your prayer answered, and he said, "I believe it was." At lunch on Sunday he said that he loves the feeling he has been getting from the church even for the four weeks that he has been coming. 

 

 

Sunday on the way to church Elder Walker and I were talking about how when Gary will be going through the temple we will be off our missions and be able to go through with him. I am really excited for that day to come! Rebecca made it to church today even though she was super sick. She decided that she was going to follow through with her word and come to church even if she was sick so she could receive the blessings.

 

Overall a pretty good week. Thanks to everyone for all the support.

 

Love Elder Ashcroft

3/24/14

This week we had transfers I got my new companion, Elder Walker. He speaks spanish and came out with me but was in another district so I didn't have the chance to get to know him. This week has been very stressful trying to find a place to live sense we only have till Apr.1. 

We had a very small budget but now thanks to the mission president

 raising our budget opens are a little more widened.

Yesterday, at church, Gary Hoffman came up to me and said he was really excited to get a call from us because he had a lot of questions for us. It was great to hear the excitement so we knew where his interest level is. Gary could probably be baptized in a month!

He has a girlfriend up in Canada and felt that for there relationship to be stronger he would need to learn about the church. He was literally placed in our hands! 

Watford is really amazing. Here the people recognize what is wrong in their life. They give us a call and ask for help in getting their lives back on track. It is has been really amazing and I'm glad that I am able to serve in this area for that reason. 

3/17/2014

Transfer calls were this week my new companion will be Elder Walker. He came out with me but was in a different district. This week we had either all the rest of our investigators move or drop us.

On Sunday, Bro. Homer called me over to meet a guy that he'd been talking to. His name is Gary Hoffman and has made it to church twice now. I had thought that he was a member, but to my surprise he was not. He has been interested in investigating the church. I gave him a Book of Mormon and got his phone number so we could start teaching him. Gary likes a girl that lives in Canada. She is a member, which is the biggest reason he decided to learn about the church. This is another WITNESS that this is the Lords work. Right when almost all of the investigators we were teaching fell off Gary was placed right into our hands without tracting, a referral, or anything.

 

On Thursday, we had a lesson with Rebecca's son Dayvon. He had been having a hard time and hasn't really been desiring to learn about the church. Due to events that occurred in his life this week we was willing to listen. We each told him about our plans for after our missions and what we were planning on doing. The spirit was soo strong I KNOW that he felt it. As I mentioned last week it was another one of those "knife cutting" spirit filled moment.

3/10/14

This week has been full of UPS and downs with missionary work. We had a investigating family move, and had an investigator dropped us because she got a hold of false doctrine. On the other hand we got a Less Active girl with a non member husband and a referral for a lady and her daughter today. Yesterday, after church we had a lesson with Fritz. We reinvited him to be baptized and explained how he would come to know what we have taught him is true. The work is going rough but hopefully with our challenge to the branch the work will pick up.

While in companionship study we were thinking how we can increase from a teaching pond to a teaching pool. The scripture in Mosiah 28:3 came to mind.

 

It reads: Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.

 

After reading this the thought came to mind that we need to have the branch invite those who they come in contact with to come to church. it is a very simple invitation that all members can do. We know that this is what the Lord wants to have happen at this time in the branch.