DECISIONS DETERMINE DESTINY

Dear Family and Friends,

IT RAINED!? That is a miracle! Miracles are EVERYWHERE! I know that is true, Heavenly Father's hand is in our lives everywhere! I have seen that out here in the field, and I have seen that back home too, and it is interesting that He will bless us in normal and natural ways, almost to the point that if we don't look for it specifically, we will never see it. It takes some effort to see His love and blessings, and I think that is for a reason, because those who love Him, will look for all He does for them and try to give back by service! Our choices we make really do show our love for God and our love for others :) Decisions determine destiny. 

That is a neat topic for the lesson! I have used that out here in the mission too, especially teaching people that we will be safe as we follow the prophets. That is such a comforting feeling. Safety comes from following the prophet and other Church leaders :) I know that is true, I have seen it in my life.

This week, Brother and Sister R were interviewed for baptism! They are going to move their baptism back a little bit, but their kids are being baptized on the 15th of this month! K T is being baptized on the 15th also and her interview is tonight. We are working hard to help the other people we are teaching stay committed to the dates they are planned for. They are doing great. D S is getting a little hesitant this last few times, and so we are going to set up an appointment with her soon and talk about it. Brother B quit his job, and now he is coming to Church! It was great to get to sit with him this sunday in Elders Quorum. He has been having a rough time with Church attendance, but now, is able to come. They are trying to be sealed together in the temple and will keep working toward that goal! Brother and Sister R and getting married this friday at 6:00! 

Many miracles are happening in this part of The Lord's vineyard and I know they will continue to happen as we put our faith into practice! We are going to go to the temple this wednesday and thank you for sending those names!!! I am so excited about the ones you sent me! I get to see them start from the beginning and go through to the end! 

We get down on ourselves a lot in life. That is something satan uses against us. He uses our greatest virtues to become our greatest vices, and in the process he makes us turn away from the things we love. Why do we as human being get down on ourselves? Sometimes it is because of unrealistic expectations. Sometimes it is because we need a coping method and don't want to face truth, and sometimes it is because we are distressed. I am so grateful for The Savior, Who makes Salvation possible! Elder Nelson says perfection will not be attained in this life. 

I am going to try to get permission from the Zone Leaders to teach J! We met an investigator named J this week! SHE IS PREPARED!  She committed to be baptized, and she also in a kneeling prayer at the end of the lesson said she felt like she had been missing something in her life and this might be it :) I know it is what EVERYONE is looking for! Everyone who seeks after Jesus Christ will find Him, His teachings, and His love here in this Church, because it is The Church of Jesus Christ. He loves us and I love you too! Hope you all have a great week! 

Love,

Elder Abner Apsley :)

WE ARE HIS HANDS... INVITATION PROCEEDS ACTION :)

Hi Mom and Dad and all other family!

This week has been great! Sister T is done smoking and is getting interviewed for baptism this week! Her baptism along with M and A's is next week on the 15th!

D S is getting baptized on the 22nd and even more people in March as well! :)

Sister M, one of the recent converts in the ward, has a son who is being taught. His name is D. He is overcoming his addiction to tobacco, and has committed to 'try' to live the Word of Wisdom by Feb. 25th. He has a baptismal date for March 8th :) Will you keep him in your prayers? 

Things that made me laugh this week... TANNER'S E-MAIL!!!! Haha! That was amazing! And if you read the Ensign this month, Elder Scott gave a talk and talked about coat hangers, that was pretty funny too :)

So yes, we have had lots to do this week and are hoping to have more and more to do next week! We were able to sit in correlation meeting this week again and talk about the plan to do the work in this ward! We have had success in teaching with members and especially in helping members invite friends! Mom, I love what you said about it is the members who can find best and then the missionaries are there to teach! 

One way we are helping members is by this 365 day calendar! It helps them to see opportunities to invite their friends to Church and especially TO MEET THE MISSIONARIES, and thereby learn of Jesus Christ :)

Now one thing that is so important in this work is to talk with everyone! It is so neat to see how that helps us BECOME missionaries! Also, Ch.11 in Preach My Gospel has become one of my favorites! It is there to help us learn how to best invite others to come unto Christ! Invitations are so important... otherwise people usually won't act. Along with promising them specific blessings and then bearing testimony :) 

That's so neat Chandler's friend got baptized!!! :) She was really smart when I got to meet her the few times I did! And what a blessing in her life to find it with a friend :) 

I did get the towels! I love the Koll family. They have a very special place in my heart. :)

I will keep those girls in my prayers! I also will keep Chandler's friend in my prayers. For some reason, the more you pray about someone, the more you will know what to do for them! WE ARE THE LORD'S HANDS! It is another testament of His love, to allow us imperfect people to do His perfect work, for as we do His work, we are sanctified by His Spirit :)

Thank you to everyone who reads these e-mails for your support and encouragement. I wish I could call each of you individually and talk to you but I know that prayer keeps us close as well. I love you all, and pray each of you have a great week! I know that Jesus is The Christ, and I know that as you read The Book of Mormon, you will come to know Him more and more. I know that baptism and the covenants and ordinances of The Gospel are here to bless the lives of everyone who partakes in them, and eventually allow us to have Eternal Life with Heavenly Father :)

Love,

Elder Abner Apsley :)

WORK PROCEEDS MIRACLES!!!

Greetings Family and friends!! :)

Another week another dollar... and more WORK WORK WORK! 

We have been seeing many miracles this week! The members are inviting their friends to hear the message of The Gospel of Jesus Christ! It is one of the best ways if not the best way to share the Gospel! :)

I love you family! Hope disneyland was fun and brought you closer together! :) I miss being with all of you, but the work is wonderful! It is all consuming and stretches you more than you have ever been stretched before! 

How is G R doing? Have you seen him recently? And T? Is he still coming to Church? D H? The M’s? W? Has she been baptized yet? How is Bishop W doing? 

Dad, thank you for everything I love you. I can't tell you how much I have needed your letters and love.

Mom, how is the temple trip each week going? I love the temple. I hope you feel how much good you are doing, and how much more work there is to go!! :) 

M and A are getting married soon and baptized on the 15th!! 

D S is doing great, still moving along and gaining a testimony. She will be baptized on the 22nd!

K T needs your prayers. She is going through many rough times. She is giving up smoking and coming to Church every week ,and reading The Book of Mormon! :) She is doing great and will be baptized on the 15th!!

The Lord loves me so much. I can't believe that He has given me this many opportunities to grow and become someone better. A mission is the hardest thing I have ever done. I am learning every single day!

The Articles of Faith are a huge resource in sharing the Gospel! Every one of them teaches pure and simple doctrine, and will be such a source to answer questions that come up. They are such a good thing to memorize! Then INVITE with boldness and love. Thank you mom, I will always remember the quote you taught me... you can only be as bold as you love. The Gospel is all about love, it is the driving force of The Doctrine of Jesus Christ... Faith, Repentance, Baptism, The Gift of The Holy Ghost, Endure to the end :)

D and J! Are they on facebook? Would it be a good idea to message them and help them get in contact with the missionaries? I may already be friends with them, but will you send me a message on facebook with their contact information? 

I sent a friend request to the B family! How should I encourage them to meet with the missionaries? 

Elder B! He is a fireball missionary! He has taught me many many things. One of which is getting tasks that you start, done. Then move on. :) I think I need that help :)

He is from North Carolina and has had some trials in his life, especially before the mission, however, he is so strong. He has a powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon. He is a great example to me and is very patient with my scatter brain ;) 

Will you send me some more towels for the kitchen to dry off dishes with? Thank you for all the love and encouragement :)

Love you all, hope this week is full of opportunities to draw nearer to Heavenly Father, and I know it will be. Pray for missionary opportunities, and He will bless you with your very own personal opportunities. Create a family teaching pool! Have a vision for each person, then set goals for how you will invite and help them, then make plans how you will achieve the goals, then set tasks for how you will accomplish your plans, always holding yourself accountable to Heavenly Father. He wants to involve you in the work... and you already are!!! :) Thank you for everything, I know this Gospel is true. I know that Jesus is The Christ, and I know we can all become like Him someday :)

Love,

Elder Abner Apsley :)

HEARTS ARE OPEN...

Dear Family, 

I love you :) Thank you for all of the love and support! I have had a great week this week training and 'being trained' :)

My new companion is Elder B, some info with him... READY TO WORK! Very funny, and very dedicated. He has lots of prior knowledge, especially about the scriptures! He loves talking and loves to get to know people. Played soccer, and finds the positive in everything! He is an influence to me and I am trying to help him, but feel very inadequate all the time. :) But that's life. I love him, and will you keep him in your prayers? 

So Mom, thank you for sending those letters to me! :) It is so helpful to hear from them! And if you want to send them this back, I would really appreciate it too... 

"ROLE PLAY, ROLE PLAY, ROLE PLAY with real concerns of people in real life.

Use the 12 week program with the 8 fundamentals, they are so important."

Thank you! 

That is so great for P and K! They will be great members! Encourage them just like you were doing to meet the missionaries and that is perfect that you talked to them about those things! They sound like they are being touched by The Spirit. Are they thinking about moving so they can be in a specific ward? If that helps them to become members that is great, and let them know the ward will probably be changing in the future too. :) I will see what we can do about skype and about how I can encourage them! I will friend them on facebook and set something up! :)

Training is HARD! I feel like it is this huge open field that is here for me to decide what, how, and when we do things. I really am learning to MAKE DECISIONS. and not dwell on the past. There are lots of things that leaders are in charge of and I'm learning that very quickly. 

The work is going great! Brother F is still on top of things! He is stellar! I love him! :) He is like a dad to me while I've been out here, and boy that makes me feel good :) Reminds me of home, and helps me feel loved.Bishop W is wonderful, 365 day calendar is going great! 2 Members at least out with us tomorrow. People are having their hearts open to the truth left and right! Pray that satan will be crushed and conquered here... he even goes as far to put people in our paths that we think are ready to be taught... and then they aren't, and it takes away from time we could be spending teaching others! Discernment is the key there! 

Laughs: 

I'll keep some funny experiences this week and tell you next week... sorry I will be better about laughing! :@ ha ha

Preparation Day:

Got to go shopping and e-mailing! And also got to play basketball :) 

Piano, yes I get to play, not as often as at home, but I get called on at meeting to play :)

No tennis still, but it will get warmer in the mornings soon! :)

I love you all and you are always in my prayers :) Keep M, D, D, B, A, and K in your prayers. K needs help to stop smoking, and D needs help gaining a testimony of The Book of Mormon :)

Love, 

Elder Apsley :) 

***MISSION IS TO CONVERT THE MISSIONARY***

Hi there family! :)

This week has been great! I have been called to serve as a trainer :) I'm really nervous, but I'm also excited to keep learning. We will be meeting our new companions on Wednesday. 

M and A are getting married on the 14th of February! And then baptized on the 15th of February!! :) We are so excited for them, and know it is going to be such a wonderful time in their lives! Keep them in your prayers please, they will need it this coming few weeks :)

Yes, I'm staying in this area, but I will have a new companion, and I'm nervous to lead... you know how much of a space case I am normally, but it has been getting much better out here especially with the reminders we can set for ourselves through our "Hastening Devices".

Thank you so much for doing all the temple work! I know The Lord will bless you and the family for doing such a great work and for being worthy of it. He loves you so much! Keep up all you do for everyone on this and the other side of the veil. 

So the conference with Elder Holland was wonderful! Elder Holland couldn't make it because of an emergency assignment from The First Presidency, so Elder Wright of the Seventy spoke to us. He taught us that the mission is to convert US. That is why the missionary department wrote Preach My Gospel, it is a conversion tool for the missionary! :) Also to follow the counsel of The mission president and he will lead us to what is correct.

I sent a package home, and it has a blue SD card with a couple pictures of the apartment, and us missionaries. The left is Elder W (Missionary Training Center companion), then Elder H our District Leader, then Elder R (my companion until wednesday) then me :)

There was going to be some pretzels in there but they wouldn't fit in the small box ... so we ate them sorry :(  

Maybe mom can use the third tie ;)

So we have been having some great experiences with the new 365 day program. It is wonderful to have a member of the ward with us so often! Now we are working hard to try to help them invite their friends to hear the missionary discussions. That is how the most success is found :)

Uncle John!!!! I am so happy for him. Heavenly Father is so merciful and I know He loves good old Uncle John :) Thank’s for sharing that with me :) 

Two things that made me laugh huh? 

Elder Wright got mistaken for Elder Cook at the airport and there were people following him and they said 'look there's Elder Cook!' and he didn't want to break it to them so he just smiled and waved Haha! :) 

President Toone walked into a store to get his computer fixed, and he was wearing his name tag. He asked an employee about it and then they said they would get someone else. He went to the back to find someone else and said to an LDS employee... the president of your Church is here!! (President Toone). So she came out thinking President Monson was there to get his computer fixed haha! :) 

Love you all hope all is going well and that you have a great week!

I know this work is true and I know as we come unto Christ, He will perfect us bit by bit, until we see Him, as He is for we will be like Him :)

Love you,

Elder Apsley :)

COMING UNTO CHRIST, TAKE THE JOURNEY!!!

There is so much to say! Okay, so first... D.. S... has a baptismal date for the 25th of January! She said she had been putting it off, coming unto Christ, but now she is taking the journey! :)

Will you keep her in your prayers? :)

M... and A.. can get married!!!!! A lteast I think, we'll let you know next week :)

We are going to try to teach D...'s mom who lives in Guam over skype!! :)

I was asked to play the piano at a conference with 2 other missions where Elder Holland is speaking!

I get to accompany a singer, and play prelude music!! :)

We are working hard to get member involvement. The starting point is the Bishop. He holds the keys to missionary work in this area, and we are here to help him! It was an idea and plan the Bishop brought forth. And it is going well. We have had much more of a variety of member involvement and also of people who know the members being involved in teaching situations.

That is an amazing missionary experience Mom! She is ready... Pray, listen, then act. Counsel with others on how to best extend invitations. And get the missionaries involved as soon as possible! :) I love hearing about those experiences! :)

Do not fear inviting them to listen to the missionaries! God is with you :)

Elder Ballard's conference talk this year was amazing about member missionary work! He talked about a family that prayed together, and they had their own TEACHING POOL! I want to have that as a family when I'm older! :) That will be amazing! :)

I love the work out here, and I know The Lord loves us! Keep our investigators in your prayers!

I want to send some fun stuff haha...

Brother L... is so funny! I love his personality and he speaks spanish! He makes me laugh a ton! I love laughter and not worrying about things, but the mission is so hard to find that balance! But it's a work in progress :) Another funny thing hmm... ???

The Atonement is real. Jesus is The Christ. We can return to live with Him again. He loves us so much :)

Revelation is truly letting us know who The Father is, that is our quest for Eternal Life :)

Transfers are soon, I might be leading the area... :0 

Nervous, yes. Excited, yes. 

Hope you all have a great week, let me know what I can do for you other than pray :)

Love,

Elder Apsley :)

Oh and this is a list of suggestions for the mission prep teachers back home. If you wouldn't mind giving it to someone who goes to mission prep to give to them?

-have the missionaries learn to memorize the 10 how to begin teaching bullet points.

-have them learn to write up Lesson Plans and Role Play them

-use the pmamphlets produced by The Church for the first three lessons in Preach My Gospel

Just some things that have helped me :)