I Am So Blessed!

Kingsbridge Zone, Bronx NY, New York, NewYork North Mission 

Hello from THE BRONX!! I am still in the BX!! I am so blessed! 

I have a new companion, Sister Dunn! Who is from my hometown!! Springville!! 

Sister Barlow has gone to the English program and is serving in Stamford, Conn. She we be awesome there! 

We had transfers today and they are always stressful. We have spent the last few days saying goodbye to members and packing. 

Today I got to go on a split with Sister Barker who is serving in my old area of Inwood! It was so fun. I love the mission because of it's awesome perks of new friends! 

Our whole district has changed! We have 4 companionships in our district and one from every companionship has gone! 2 are training! It is going to be fun to get new ideas on how we can help the ward and work together in unity. I AM EXCITED!! 

This is going to be an awesome cycle. I will also be hitting my year mark this cycle! Crazy!!! I can hardly believe that I have been here for a year. It is really mind blowing. I love it so so so much. 

Remember to read the scriptures and pray everyday!!! It is so important! I love the analogy that Elder Gamble gave us. He told us about how when he played basketball as a freshman, he didn't get much playing time but when the coach did put him in, he showed him how much he had improved and had worked hard to be better! Now is our time to prepare and get better so that when the Lord needs us to "get in the game" we are ready. 

I love you all so so much!! Thank you for all your prayers and love. :) 

Love, Hermana Lancaster

Lots of random pics!

Ashley and a past companion, Hermana Skinner

Elder Bartlett and Ashley

Maybe when Ashley comes home she will tell me what this is??

Goin to the Zoo!!

Everyday sights in the Bronx

This has something to do with Ashley's birthday (August 4th) but it will remain a mystery to us until she explains it.

Time Warner building off Central Park

Central Park

Beautiful view in Central Park

In Central Park

A challenge to you!

Hola family and friends,

I am first going to apologize because there have been no pictures in the last 6 weeks. Yes, that is true, and yes I am at the library and it is counting down from 45 minutes to 0 and it is stressful! hahaha I am really sorry though. I have been taking a lot so I will make sure and get them to you! 

We have a new investigator! Her name is Ivonne Pena. She actually doesn't live in our area or our ward. A little bit of drama is going down while we figure out what will be best for her. She can only attend church at 9:30 (our ward) because of work. but she lives in the boundaries of the 1:30pm church. This is the drama that we go through here on the mish. :) 

This past Monday I broke down in district meeting because I realized that I only have about 6 months left in my mission. CRAZY! To all you pre-missionaries reading this, treasure every single day of your mission! and write it down in your journal. :) 

We had an awesome lesson with a young woman this week. Her brother past away about 2 weeks ago, and she had just come back from the funeral in Kansas City. She asked us to bring the elders so she could get a blessing. We talked to Elder Jensen and Elder Wilkins and they said they could. When we got to her apartment it was Elder Wilkins and Elder Price. They had gone on a split! And it was un milagro! (miracle) As she started talking about how she felt having lost her brother, my mind went right to elder Price who lost his mother to breast cancer 2 years ago. He was able to give her the comfort that she needed and it was truly so amazing to feel the spirit in that room. We are having a youth temple trip on the 24th and she is really excited to go and feel the spirit of the temple! 

Elder Price

Last night we met with Sulenny! She is just really awesome. She is 17 and was baptized a year ago. We have been working a lot on my companions Spanish, and so Sulenny made her teach the plan of Salvation to her in Spanish! It was so much fun. Just to talk about life and spanish and the gospel. 

I love my mission! I am so so so blessed for everyday I get to spend here. I love the BX. The Bronx is so much fun! I never ever in my dreams could have pictured me walking around the streets here but i do it every day. :) 

We are having transfers next week! I honestly don't know what will happen. I am just going to be happy. :) 

Oh yeah!! I want to challenge all of you to something amazing!!! We have the evidence of the restoration in our hands! The Book of Mormon! I challenge all of you to have read the Book of Mormon by January. I KNOW it will bless your lives. All aspects of life. I have seen in the lives of the people here, and so it can't be any different in Utah or where ever else you are. READ THE BOOK OF MORMON AS A FAMILY! And read it by yourself for your own personal revelation. 

http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages#book-of-mormon-an-introduction

I love you all!! Have an amazing week! 

Love, Hermana Lancaster

Radiating Sunshine or Something

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY WISHES! I love you all so so much! Thank you always for your prayers and thoughts. :) 

Friday: We talked to an investigator we haven't seen in a while and she told us she was moving, so we volunteered to help. Hermana Barlow and I thought there would be a lot to move, so we called up Elders Gleason and Durham to help. She was moving just barely out of our area, and into theirs. They enlisted Elders Encarnacion and Ordaz to help too, so we were set. When we got over there, she told us there wasn't anything else left to do! The elders put her air conditioner in the window, and had to leave for another visit. Hermana Barlow and I stayed and asked her how things were going. She has a Gospel Principles book from church, and showed us what she had read. She made it to the page that showed "la Expiacion" and told us she didn't understand this chapter. THIS IS MY FAVORITE CHAPTER! For those of you who do not speak Spanish, la Expiacion is the Atonement. She has a catholic background and unfortunately for many catholics, they don't understand the amazing power of the Atonement!! I told her the Parable of the Bicycle and she was amazed. She said she never understood it that way. THEN SHE TOLD ME I SPOKE LIKE A PROPHET! And that I was full of the Holy Ghost and calling her to repentance. She told us that she was living with her boyfriend, and wanted to be married immediately. That was a pretty legit lesson. 

Saturday: We went to our investigator Luis's house to have his baptismal interview. Elder Critchfield, our district leader came with us. After the interview, Luis told us he was still drinking coffee and beer, and that we wanted to be done with it before his baptism. We are going to be setting a new date this Friday. Prayers would be awesome! After that we went to look up a less active. We buzzed his door and a woman came on and told us that she knew no one by that name. We sat down and looked at what else we could do. The thought to "knock it" (knock on all the doors in the building) came into my mind but I really don't think knocking is an effective contacting method...thoughts go to my mother whenever someone would come to the door we didn't know...we said a prayer and Hermana Barlow said, If someone comes to the door in the next 2 minutes, let's go in. So within 1 minute someone was at the door and in we went. We knocked all 6 floors and didn't have one door open. hahahaha I love when that happens. It really just makes me laugh. :) We left cards in all but one door (because she said she didn't want it.) Then I asked where Hermana Barlow wanted to go. I am pretty sure she is taking over the area...She told me Jarome. I was like, uhhh Jarome is ummmm good. But in my head I'm thinking that it is probably the scariest street in our area. We walked to the bus stop and looked at the schedule. After 2 minutes of waiting, I told her "we can just walk, what street do you want to go to?" She said "Kingsbridge." Kingsbridge is about 4 train stops up, not within walking distance. Then my thoughts went to the diner that is on Kingsbridge and Jarome. "OHHH" I said, "Let's go up there." We walked in and there were the Elders. THEY THREW ME A SURPRISE PARTY! hahahhaahaha!! I love these guys so much. They are like my best friends! This is something that I love so much about missionary work that I had no idea about before. Other missionaries become your best friends! 

I got a bacon grilled cheese. Yes I know. It was my birthday dinner so yes I can get whatever I want! :) They each gave me 2 dollars and a card. For those of you who have been missionaries, giving any money for a birthday is kind of out of the budget. I LOVE THEM! :) best birthday. :) 

Sunday: MY BIRTHDAY! We had ward council at 8 am so I took a shower the night before so I could have dry hair and curl my hair. :) I did my make up, and put on some nice clothes. Everyone at church told me I looked so nice! hahaha it was so nice. 

Sister McNairy, a senior missionary, returned a pan to us and loaded it with my favorites! hahaha dill pickles, black olives, and crasins. :) wrapped up in target bag strips because that is our favorite place to go! :) I love her so much and I am so thankful for all she does for us!

We came home from church and Hermana Barlow made my favorite brownies, with the chunks, and we took a nap. (don't tell anyone.) Then we went out and visited Sulenny who just got back from the DR. It was a chill day which was good because we got a break from the crazy missionary schedule for a little while. :) And in other words, I am now old in the missionary world. I AM 22! 

Monday: We went on a split with the Sister Training Leaders! I stayed in the area with Sister Keanini! She is a cycle older than me and I met her in the MTC! We had so much fun. and 4 lessons! 2 member withs! that's what's up! It was nice to talk and let her know what I am feeling about the work in our area. 

Ashley and the famous Hermana Blosil from NY, NY South mission

Tuesday: Yesterday we went to visit a sister who is headed to Honduras soon. We had an awesome lesson about sacrifice and how blessed we are to live here. And also how to take the bus to the temple from the Bronx. :) 

Wednesday: We got to go to the city!! I used my birthday as excuse to come down to 59th street H&M and J.Crew. I bought a new side bag (backpacks are no longer allowed) and that is it so far. I almost died when I saw the prices of things at J.Crew and Zara! But I think that's because I only have been shopping at the sale racks of gap and forever 21. :) I am trying to find something good!! It's my only birthday in the City!! 

Times Square

Everyone, okay every guy lately has gone out of his way to tell me how beautiful I am. one even held my hand! Yeah I must be radiating sunshine or something. I just know when I go home, my self confidence is going to plummet because I wont have people telling me I am beautiful anymore! hahahaha 

I love you all so much! Thank you for all that you do! You are so awesome! 

I hope you all have a great week!! 

Love, Hermana Lancaster