My Testimony ~ You all are my family

Someone bought us smoothies :)

The weeks have been flying by. This past week I realized that Sept 7 would be my last fast Sunday on my mission, and i felt super impressed the day before church to share my testimony. We had a miracle of having C with her baby come to church, another investigators J H, M R, and a FAMILY A and Y and their kids and a grand kid. It was so fun sitting with the family.  The other day as we talked about the power of hope through Jesus Christ we invited them to church and they all came :]

As I walked up and sat in the chairs at the pulpit waiting to talk, my eyes glanced at all the familiar faces I knew and I started to get emotional. I've really grown to love the members of H 1. the people of the Hispanic culture have such a tender spot in my heart. As I bore my testimony I was filled with the spirit. I explained, "For those of you who do not know a lot about missionaries, we leave our families for 18 months to 2 years to peach the gospel of Jesus Christ. But every Sunday as I come to church I feel as though you are all my family. And we are, because we are all children of God and we are all apart of the same family". 

Its hard to think I only have 2 more Sundays here in Texas as a missionary. Through all the extremely hard trials I have gone through on my mission I would not change a thing. My whole mission, the good and the bad, have all brought me closer to my Savior. all that I went through the past 19 months have been for Him because I love him. I have grown to know him more and feel a LITTLE glimpse of what he suffer through for me, and for those here that i have been blessed to serve with. He has taught me the power of forgiveness. And though I have been rejected for preaching this gospel and hated for being a light I will never let down my standards, I will never stop letting my light shine. I am and will always be a disciple of Jesus Christ. I am a daughter of god, I know that will never change. He loves me and I love him. I know he knows whats best for me which is why I trust in him, and why I am not quick to get mad at him when a trial passes through my life. I know my Father has my best interest in mind. How excited I am to return home with honor to my beautiful family. I believe when I see you all it will be the same feeling I will have one day when I am reunited with my Father, and his son Christ and with all those whos lives I have been able to touch because I am an instrument in the Lords hands. He works through me, this is his work, and his church.

-Hermana Jaeger

The other side of Houston TX!  Maybe cousin A can read this for us when she returnes from S Korea ... 3 days after me!

 I spy.... ~  Comp thought the shirt was a skunk!

Finally P-Day! Elder Russel M Nelson, my sis, temple

I cannot explain how much I needed this P-Day hahaha. So We had stake conference this weekend and Elder Russel M Nelson from the 12 came here and spoke to us!!! Oh my gosh it was the coolest experience ever! Sunday morning he was the last speaker and at one point he asked all the little primary kids to stand up and wave their arms to him! Our little investigator K came and she counts her self as a primary kid :] our mission presidents little 8 year old daughter sat by us and we had to help interprate the talks into English for her. Anyway, as the primary kids stood up he asked them to sing Soy Un Hijo De Dios. Their little voices were so soft and sweet, just like the spirit. I cried. At the end Elder Nelson, who is 89, took both his hands, kissed them, and waved them to all the children :] He stood at the door for like 2 hours afterward to shake everyones hand :]

Me and my sister!

oh no I only have 8 minutes left cause ive been emailing mom and kels HAHAHA ill send a written letter home but know im doing a lot better. it was hard to hear about kels going home but I am relieved to know she is honorably released from her mission and is safe at home :] I went to the temple today and prayed so much for my sister. Kels and mom I also put your names in the temple.

Houston Texas Temple trip

Kels I know God loves you. My mission presidents wife receved some revelation for you that I want to share :] God doesnt go by measurments. Like in school we see how we are doing by our grades which tell us how we are doing and where we need to improve. But God doesn't measure like that. He loves you because your his precious daughter. He is EXTREMELY happy to see that you served with all your heart :] He knows your heart and he knows your sacrifices. He is so proud of you for serving more than other teenagers would! God wants to teach us what we are ready to learn. He realizes your sacrifice and is so grateful for the missionary you were and the person you have become.. I am so proud of you my sweet sister Kelsey. I cannot put into words what an inspiration you are to me. You are my best friend and I will do everything and anything to protect you and to make you happy. As I entered the temple today my mind flooded back with a moment when we served together in the temple :] I got emotional. I didn't want to take of the temple clothes because I felt like I was at home. So after the session, in the locker room I sat in my white dress and said a prayer that I will have the strength once I put my street clothes back on to do the lords will and that I can feel okay for the next 7 months. And you know what, I feel okay :] I know God will help me. I know he will watch over you Kels and I am just so happy you are back safe in loving arms. :] Take care, my heart is always with you all. P.S. Kels every time I put on my nametag I still think of you, my other Hermana jaeger (my sister)

We get bashed & just SMILE back :)

Doing what we love to do on Pday's!!!

Hola mi muy bonita familia!

Wow that's crazy Kelsey's video of us opening our calls is on the Deseret News page! That's super awesome I hope it helps motivate youth to go on missions, especially the young women! Being a missionary is the best decision I have ever made in my life :] It's not easy but oh is it worth it. Not only does the mission change the lives of others but it also is changing my life. Its helping me prepare to be a strong member of the church, funny enough teaching me good mom skills and wife skills hahaha. I love reading the scriptures and just gaining more knowledge about the church. Its amazing I thought I knew a lot about the church and in the scriptures but being out on the mission I've come to find out theres always room to learn more about the church haha.

Oh thank you SOOOOOO SOOOOO much for the package! One morning I was walking out of the bathroom and my companion yells, "Its christmas!!!' Haha someone dropped of the package to our apartment and I was so ecxcited! I love evrything that you put in there thank you so much you really didnt have to do that but i really appreciate it and am so grateful!  I cant explain how happy that made me.

This week we had the chance to teach a few new people. We are teaching a members husband named L.G.  who is awesome! We watched the Restoration video and he loved it, hes been trying to figure out which church is the right one. He was really interested in learning more and we are so excited to go back and teach him the Plan of Salvation with his amazign wife.

Took off our shoes to go help wash cars :)

R. B. is amazing and progressing so much! When we stopped by her house she was outside washing her car. so we took of our tracting shoes and helped her wash her truck, she was so grateful and the whole time we washed her car she was asking us about hwat she had read in the scritpures!!! In just a few days she had already read the first 6 chapters on Nefi!!! As we were finishing up her truck, her husband pulled up to the house and was so impressed that we were helping wash the car in skirts! He was kind and offered us water and started helping us clean the car. After we finished we hurried and ran over to C. truck and started washing his! It was fun and it reallly showed them how much we care for them. They were nice and afterwards helped wash our car. Then we taught them about church and showed the pictrues of the church building (great idea from Elder Lewis) and they loved it. 

Though we have few members in the branch that can help us they are wonderful. We have received a lot of help from L R. We taught the restoration to a family and it was really powerful!!! The spirit was so strong! My companion and I did really well with explaining the restoration in a good amount of time. 

This week Hermana K and I are having an inner/outer beauty night with the young women for mutual. We are so excited and we hand made 25 invitations for the young women and for them to invite their friends. We hope as we meet new nonmember girls we can teach them at the members home.

We have helped reactivate some less actives.  They feel so happy being back to church. I think what sparked the interest again was having them have the chance to talk about their baptism and how it was such a special day. Its awesome to see the reaction of them coming back to church and feeling that happiness and peace again from attending church. 

MO City District

Spanish is coming along pretty well! everyone is so nice and keeps complimenting me on how my spanish is improving. I'm working really hard on it and practice something in the spanish textbooks everyday. I love serving a mission and just want to help everyone I come incontact with!!! Funny, a few times this week we've had to knock doors and I'm sure it surprises peoplethey are bashing and I'm just smiling back at them becuase I seriously have no idea what they are saying to me. But I've realized even if I dont understand spanish and the people that speak it I have such a great love for them because I see them the way God sees them. Precious.

Thanks for all the love and support and prayers!

Love-Hermana Ashley Jaeger

fav quote: Heaven is a continuation of the ideal home :]

Week 4 MTC

Okay so this week in the MTC has been cool. My district is now the oldest district in the zone for the next 2 weeks. So weird. Yesterday my companion and I had to teach 4 people!!! Usually you just teach one person but it was the best day I've ever had while out on the mission. I love to teach people but again, it's way hard to do in another language.

OH! I have an embarressing story. So thanks mom for typing all my letters onto the blog....maybe I should clarify ahead of time what I do and don't want on there HAHA. I'm not mad I just can't believe this happened.

So I have 2 teachers Hermano W and Hermana R. The other day Hermana R came across my youtube video of me opening my call. She sent that video to all the teachers that knew me. Then I think my blog link is somewhere on the youtube account. So my teacher Hemana R clicked on it and started reading my blog. She laughed when she say me talking about my first P-Day and I had said something like, "The language is hard but the view is nice, but don't worry the teacher is married". I almost died haha I told her not to tell Hermano W until AFTER I left but who knows he may have already read it haha. All the girls in my district joke about it. Yesterday Hermano W told us to give him our parents emails so he can email you guys. Then he said if we wanted to give him our emails or blogs to see how we are doing. ALL the sisters looked at me and started laughing so hard, it was way embarressing. When he asked what we were laughing about I told him nothing.

It's so hard being here in the MTC for 6 weeks it feels so long! And weird to think I've already passed a month since I reported to the MTC.

I came across a scripture that I LOVE! It's Helaman 5. It talks about how Nephi and Lehi (NOT the Nephi and Lehi at the beginning of the Book of Mormon these are 2 completely different people. they are brothers) Nephi and Lehi were remembering the words their father Helaman spoke to them.
in vs 6 it says, "Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. behold i have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of jerusalem; and this I have doine that when you remember your names ye may remember them, and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said and also written that they were good"

I like to take this verse and read it as if my Heavenly Father was speaking to me as a missionary about receiving/wearing the name of Christ. "Behold my missionary I desire that ye should remember to keep my commandments. and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. behold i have given unto you the name of your Savior, Jesus christ from Bethlehem. And this I have done that when you remember and read his name upon your nametag ye may remember him. and when ye remember him ye may remember his works. and when you remember his works ye ye may know how that it is said and also written that they were good"

I love you so much! I'm sorry this letter is random. I will go on later today and write more :]

Oh could you please tell Sister V F that I say hi, i love her, and thank her for sending me joel and brandon's letters! Tell her I see Joel every once in awhile and he is so happy! the other day he sent me canadian candy haha he's so sweet. Everytime I see him i wish i could hug him because he's such a good friend of mine! i'de send you a pic but i lost my card...

Oh also say hi and thank you to sister B for the letter :] and Emily S tell her I love her and appreciate her letters to me about if i need anything.

Take care! Love you so much!!!

Love-Hermana Ashley Jaeger

Week 3 MTC ~ "...and down ascended two CARROTS!" & Elder Holland visited

Buenos Dias!  email 1 today!!

I hope you all are doing well :] Well my Spanish is SLOWLY starting to improve. Yesterday we were teaching an investigator/teacher and he had expressed that his wife had a miscarriage. I'm surprised I even understood what he said. I got a little emotional and explained that my mom had a miscarriage but that this gospel makes me happy because I know I will live with him again. So "hijo" is son and "hermano" is brother. After our lesson the investigator/teacher pulled me out of class. I had told him that I had a miscarriage because I said "hijo" not "hermano" haha I was so embarrassed because my teacher thought it was probably an issue if I had a miscarriage and was out in the field. So embarrassing. Needless to say my Spanish still needs A LOT of work. It's okay though one Elder in our district said that Jesus was a women and the other Elder said Joseph Smith saw a pillar of light and down ascended two carrots hahaha! Aww learning a new language is awesome.

Our teacher was asking us questions and he asked my companion and I if we followed satan. We were so focused on what he was saying that we just expected he asked "do you two follow the example of jesus christ" instead he said "do you two follow the example of satan". We said yes and everyone started busting up laughing. it was so embarressing haha

Oh here's an even more embarressing story. Our zone loves to play volleyball during gym. I was standing out of the court waiting for the ball. All of a sudden the ball starts coming to me and I just hit it back in the court. A new Elder in our District was running towards the ball. It was super awkward when he ran into me and accidently put his hands on my waist. haha we were embarrassed because you're not suppost to hug/touch/do anything with someone of the opposite gender. Obviously our whole zone jokes about it now. He asked me the other day if I could take a picture with him to send home to his mom so she could see which girl is the cause of him getting sent home. hahaha he's not getting sent home, we just joke because if an elder and sister hugged or did anything like that they would most likely get sent home.

I saw Joel F yesterday! He tried to give me a hug twice!! haha he's well and is really happy to being the MTC!

Let everyone know I love them and thank them for theri letters and prayers.  Someone told me that under the Prophet the missionaries probably recieve the most prayers!  I am grateful for this because I need those prayers. A quote by Elder Bednar really toughted me, escpeciall as I am trying to learn Spanish.  "IT IS MORE IMPORTANT WHO YOU ARE, THEN WHAT YOU WILL EVERY SAY."  

(pic above this was the volleyball 'toucher" Elder C in the middle!!!)

Sister W from home ~  (going to Japan) 

How grateful I am to have felt the prompting to go on a mossion, prayed sincerely about it then by faith (fe') acted upon it!  That's how our faith grows.  I love everyone and miss you all so much.  I hope all is well and I know this church is true.

Love, Hermana Ashely Jaeger

Email 2 today!!!

I love Hermana N!

*I also learned that we need to be willing to walk like Lehi, not knowing where you are going but by faith you keep walking.

*"Mother's are magical"-elder holland (i so agree)

*The Book of Mormon was a record kept not for those who wrote the record but it was written for us!!!

*We don't worship the prophet, we HONOR the prophet.

*"you may be missing your dad and aching for your mom" -elder holland

"Don't take for grantid to have been born in the last dispentation. The gospel has not been on the earth for a long time amoung many people. Almost nobody had the gospel! Everytime the gospel started there came an Apostacy. I believe someday, probably not until heaven, when we see the panarama of the history of the earth that we will understand what it was we were given and to what time we were born. A mission is not just a break from 'the real world'. And don't think that after your mission you are going back into the real woRLD, THIS IS THE REAL WORLD! You will never be closer to God then on your mission. Everything God does is devoted to the saving of His children. We are favoredpeople of God to bring about the latter day glory and kingdom of God. think of the prophets of old, they knew the gospel wouldn't last long in their time but they still diligently worked. Love the scriptures and master preach my gospel because you are the generation that is going to make it!Prophets of old stuck it out because they knew that we were destined to win. This is the day and you are the troops. Others on the other side are cheering you on knowing that you can do this!!!How many temples did we have before Joseph Smith? One. And that temple was stadnign for only a few decades. Today we have about 139 temples! That example alone is amazing. Do this work for the Savior. Dont let him walk alone. My mission meant everything because it was a break through of finding these truths" -Elder Holland

Week 2 MTC done! "Walk By Faith" - & Elder Faust visited

Protection while cleaning our room

So I just finished my week 2 at the MTC! It's been such a growing experience. To anyone who wants to serve a mission at a young age or as a senior companion mission may I offer some advice, prepare now. Read the scriptrues daily, pray daily and always, and know that the mission will be a humbling but rewarding experience. I know the gospel of Jesus christ is true and I will live the rest of my life sharing its truth to others. Remember when you receive your missionary tag that you are a representative of your family, the church, and most importantly jesus christ.

 

(My District Hermanas ~ My Companion Hermana R and I)

Yesterday we had to teach a lesson to a member of the church but in spanish. So our first member to teach was guy who went on his mission 6 years ago. He was speaking spanglish so i could kind of understand him. Going into this lesson I did not feel prepared. As we were trying to teach he kept telling me to relax because i looked so tense and stiff haha. I tried so hard not to get nervous but it was hard to try and understand what he was saying. Then as we were teaching our lesson I guess my eyes started to water and right in the middle of my companion speaking he looks at me and asks whats wrong. I started crying because I was so sad I couldn't express how i felt in spanish! He was so kind and shared with me a scripture Exodus 4:10 :] read it, ponder it, love it.  Basically the scripture was about a prophet who asked God why he was poor in speaking and God said it was for his own good, that faith in him would give him the power he needed to speak. That's exactly what i needed to hear. After we teach the members they write about what we taught them. Our teacher said that because of us it made him want to go and serve another mission:]

(Pday/Temple Trip ~ NO Touching ~ Hermana M ~ Elder C from home/Zone Leader)

Oh and I can honestly say I have never prayed so much in my life!!! I pray atleast 6 times a day. I know the Lord listens to our prayers and answers them. But usually after we ask a question we receive INSTRUCTIONS first from the Lord before receiving an answer. Here's a story to back up that thought. When Lehi and his sons were in the wilderness and all the bows and arrows broke they started to murmur. Lehi went to the lord and asked him where they should go to find food. The Lord instructed him to look upon the Liahonna to find an answer. The Liahonna only worked when Lehi and his family had faith. Pretty interesting story.

Sister Missionaries from my Zone!

I love my time here in the MTC and even though it's not the easiest thing in the world I am grateful for the preperation it is giving me before I head out into the field. Today we are going to the temple today and I am so excited! I love the temple.

Sis Kelsey and I spotted each other far away during Choir.

 I love this gospel. How grateful I am for Joseph Smith and for him to have faith to pray to God to know what he should do. His example caused me to pray to my Heavenly Father to know if I needed to go on a mission or not. ALWAYS be intuned with the Holy Ghost! He witnessed to me that I needed to go on a mission. I like how James E Faust explained the spirit, "The spirits voice is ever present but is calm...listen to and follow the spirit. This is an ancient and eternal solution...This solutions requires pateince in a world that requires instant gratification. The voice is quiet, peaceful, and sudden. This solution requires you to walk by faith in a world governed by sight. Learn to ponder the things of the spirit and respond to its promptings...As you become atuned to the spirit thin ears shall hear a word behind thee syagin 'this is the way, walk ye in it'".

Me, Friend from home and sis Kelsey in MTC

I know if we follow all the commandments of God and be EXACT obedience we will be able to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. Pray specifically to heavenly father, let him know EXACTLY what you need. The book of mormon is so true, that is one of the ways the Lord answers our prayers is through the scriptures, prophets, personal revelation.

I love you all so much and pray for you everyday. Thank you for the sweet letters and the packages! I am so blessed!

Love-Hermana Ashley Jaeger

Week 1 MTC! "Obedience brings blessing, but exact obedience brings miracles"

Hola!!!!

I've had to wait 8 days to finally receive my P-Day haha so I'm happy it's finally here. I miss you guys so much and hope all is well. Thank you for all the letters and everyone else. I get at least 3 everyday and it makes the other missionaries jealous haha not that I want them to feel like that but it makes me feel loved to receive letters:] Oh side note, Kels is doing great and she loves you.

Okay so here's how the MTC has been for me. First 2 days were awesome and so spiritual! Ive never experienced anything like the MTC. My companion is Hermana R from Utah she is so funny. We have grown a lot together. Shes just as sarcastic as me, as tall as me, and likes to laugh like me. The first thing she said to me when I met her, "Oh my gosh I watched your video on youtube of you opening your call! I cant believe your my companion!" Her mom said that I am famous in their house hold hahaha!

I am slowly getting use to the language. after 4 or 5 days in the MTC (its called CCM in spanish) we had to teach our first lesson in spanish to an investigator which is actually a teacher. The lesson went horrible because the investigator did not understand A WORD we were saying in spanish! After the lesson we went out and cried and prayed so hard! I have never prayed so much in my life. But as the days go on and I pray more and more and read the scriptures my knowledge grows and I'm starting to get the hang of things. I know we can be blessed with the gift of tongues aslong as we a diligent in learning the lanuage.

I've seen a couple FRIENDS here like Elder F, Sister W, Sister L, and a few others!! Oh FYI we arent singing at Conference haha someone said that and it spreadlike crazy, it was a false statement.

Elder Finnie (friend from home & Hermana Ashley Jaeger)

I have so little time and I am trying to think what to say!! Just know that I KNOW this church is true! I believe it with all my heart. We must always strive to be obedient to be able to hear the voice of the Holy Ghost. "Obedience brings blessing, but exact obedience brings miracles".

I see my sis Kelsey every night! I love it. I feel I must always protect her because I'm her older sister.

How blessed I am to follow the spirits promptings and go on a mission. Its hard no doubt but it's helping me grow and become what God wants me to be. I want to live my life always in his service. I know his words are true and he lives. How excited I am to teach others the love of this gospel!

I love you guys so much. I pray for you all the time. Sorry this letter is all over the place. I'll try and explain more in writing :]

Until we meet again,

Hermana Ashley Jaeger