LAST Letter April 18, 2016 "Minnesota Forever in my heart!!"

Sister Ashlee Young has her final transfer
 April 20 to Sandy Utah!!

Area: Shingle Creek Minnesota

Companion: Sister Natasha Neville

Hometown: Bakersfield California

Minnesota Minneapolis Mission

5931 West 96th Street

Bloomington, MN  55438-1715

April 18, 2016

                                “Minnesota Forever in my heart!” 

Hey guys,

     I just want to share with you how grateful I am for all of the support you have given me through, prayers, emails, letters, packages and love for the past 18 months. I can't thank you enough. Without each one of you I couldn't have done this. My mission has been the hardest; yet most rewarding thing I could have ever done on this Earth!  It has been worth every second. I do not regret my decision to serve the Lord for 18 months. In reality He served me. The people here taught me more than I could ever teach them. I have come to know my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ on a personal level. I have made many friends that I will hold dear to my heart forever. I know that this is the Lord's true church here on the earth today.  This gospel is perfect. The Lord re-established His church through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know he truly saw God the Father and His Son. I know that President Thomas Spencer Monson is the living prophet today. He can help us come closer to our Heavenly Father and return to our heavenly home. I am so grateful for eternal families, so that I will be with my brother and my other family members forever. I know that God hears our prayers and answers them. We must open our hearts and let Him in. My testimony is simple, but, I now know it without a shadow of a doubt that it is TRUE. I say all these things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Signing off for the last time....

I Love you to the Moonisota and Back!

Sister Young

“Remember, you are a child of God and you are LOVED!”

Twins game!!

Twins Game April 14, 2016

"Last Dinner with Christy!!"

April 11, 2016 “Hello, my name is Sister Young. I am running around Minnesota like a chicken with its head cut off!”

Area: Shingle Creek Minnesota

"Pizza night, Bittner, Moore, Young, Neville"

Companion: Sister Natasha Neville

Hometown: Bakersfield California

Hey'a folks! 

     Sorry for the hefty title of this week’s letter, but you will soon see that it fits perfectly. So, this is instead of doing a play by play for each day. Let's be honest, aint’ nobody got time for that!

Earlier this week the weather was absolutely fabulous, I had the windows down in the car and it was great to be outside walking “outside”!  Later on guess what happened.... “You betcha' “it was pounding snow! “ What in the world, Minnesota?” The next night, we got a call from the Hermanas saying their car wasn't working and they needed us to come rescue them. We had to empty the entire thing out in the freezing cold wind. If you have ever been up North you will know what kind of wind I am speaking about! We were home when they called so I was in basketball shorts and a sweatshirt.  We ran out the door to go save them. When we got there,  we were trying to jam all their stuff in our car.  Meanwhile, I looked like a frozen goob!

In the morning, President told us to go try to get the car started and see if we could drive it to the

"BROOKLYN Blvd. Love ya fishy!!"

dealership that was only a couple miles away. After a few test runs down the block we decided it was safe to drive there. So we went and dropped it off. After, we all drove to Bloomington to get them another car that they could borrow. While we were there we picked my bike up which was good! We loaded it onto the car. We were also so happy to be able to see Sister Steadman and Dumas. It was really good to see them! I have missed those two! We really were like the 3 Musketeers!

When we left it was like 1pm and we were starving! Sister Neville has never had Chick-Fil-A!!  Since we were near one I made an executive decision to expose her to the wonderfully addicting chicken there.   

I changed her life!!  She is in love with Chick-fil-a sauce. I told her she couldn't eat it plain because that is just too messy and frankly I would gag if she did that in front of me, lol! On our way to Champlain to drop my bike off, it looked like we were driving into a flipping tornado! Next thing I know, it started  to hail really hard sideways! I thought my bike was going to fly off! Luckily it didn't. When we got out of the car my dang skirt decided to go all Marilyn Monroe on me so that was interesting.  Luckily I was wearing leggings!  To add to the craziness of the week Hermana Brittner broke her foot playing soccer.... ya,  keep her in your prayers. Oh, and the car that they were

"Pretty Sunset"

borrowing ; it had electrical issues!

We had an awesome lesson with Fefe and Isha this week. That was so good! John and Martha moved out of the ward. That was sad . We have a “pass off lesson” with the new sisters on Tuesday. Sunday was so awesome! It made me want to be a missionary forever! So after church we went to have a lesson with Jayson and Jamilla but their Aunt wasn't home so we couldn't teach them inside.  Luckily, the crazy weather was sunny and just a little windy.  We decided to bear through it and do the lesson on the grass at the park. Sadly, Jayson talked to his parents this week (who are still in Africa) and they told him that he is no longer allowed to talk to us or go to any church activities. That was really sad. I pray that he will grow his testimony, strengthen it, and when he is 18 he can find the church again. We still had a lesson with Jamilla about Nephi building a ship! She had a hard time focusing but all in all it went well. Afterwards,  we had like 45 minutes until our dinner appointment so we decided we would go finding. I am the designated driver and I decided we would just drive around and get lost and when we found a street that we felt good about we would stop. When we were driving I saw this house, and the Spirit was like go there.  I kept driving because it looked as though no one was home. The thought came again; you should really go to that house! So I turned the car around and told Sister Neville what I was feeling.  When we parked the car,  we prayed, and just as we were getting out...a car pulled up into the driveway! My jaw dropped! I was like, oh my heck! This is so crazy! We then went up to the driveway where 2 little girls and a mom hop out of the car. I struck up a conversation with them and found out the mothers name was Dow. ( I have no idea how to spell it, she is Hmong) She shared with us that she had grown up with a Christian background but that her

husband was very traditional in their Hmong culture. We talked to her about how we have Elders that speak Hmong in our mission and we shared the Book of Mormon with her. She said she would pray about it and she seemed really excited to learn more about the gospel! I pray that her husband will let her meet with us!

"the delicious grill thing!"

After that we were able to drive and I had another prompting where I turned the car around and went to knock on another house. No one answered the door but we decided to walk across the street to a cul-de-sac where almost everyone opened the door! Best of all,  those that did open the door were NICE! We met a man named Brett.  He has met with Elders before! It was so cool to see the church recognized in a positive way! We then went to dinner at the Kirkham's home! They are so cute! Sister Kirkham is from Germany and we had this delicious meal where you cook on what is called a "Rachlette" I will send a pic of it anyways; it was my favorite dinner on my mission. I need to buy one of those things when I get home! After that, Brother Kirkham followed us to the Barbly's home. They are a less active part member family. When we got there the kids answered the door and the dad let us in! It was so cool because the Lord truly blessed us. We have been trying really hard to get into their home since the dad is not a member. Brother Kirkham shared an awesome testimony with Brother Barbly.  I really feel like he wants to come closer to Christ! I am so grateful for the blessings that the Lord gives us when we show him just a little bit of faith. I know that if we face our fears and if we do what he has asked us to, he will bless us. He will bless us so much that we won't be able to receive all of them. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord at this time. It has blessed me more than I could have ever imagined. 

Follow your promptings, it is worth it.

Love you all to the Moonisota and Back!

Sister Young

P.S. Did I mention that we had a bird build a nest in our bathroom vent? Yup, that was interesting!

"My Desk!"

Have a good week! Oh and shout out to my Brother BRYAN FOR HIS BIRTHDAY TOMORROW! HAPPY BIRTHDAY YA OLD FART!  I LOVE YA!

April 4, 2016 “Conference….18 months down & still going strong! “

Area: Shingle Creek Minnesota
Companion: Sister Natasha Neville

Hometown: Bakersfield California
Snail Mail: Minnesota Minneapolis Mission
5931 West 96th Street
Bloomington, MN 55438-1715

     “Conference….18 months down & still going strong! “

April 4, 2016

Happy Conference Week peeps!

      I left my journal at our apartment....so today's email is going to be pretty short. This weekend we were able to watch Conference at our Ward Mission Leaders home with John, Martha & baby Tremayne! My heart and spirit are so overwhelmed with gratitude to my Heavenly Father for the love He has for ALL His children. He has blessed us with a loving Prophet, President Thomas Spencer Monson. President Monson has put every ounce of his being into serving the Lord. In his biography video called "On the Lord's Errand" which can be found on the LDS Gospel Library app, he says at the end something that is so simple.  It may not seem significant to others, but when I hear our dear servant of the Lord say this, it brings tears to my eyes. He says he wants the Lord to know if he ever needs someone to run an errand for him Tom Monson will run that errand for him. It is obvious to anyone who has tried to follow God that it is not always easy.  We came here to earth knowing it wouldn't be easy to choose the right.  As President Monson said in conference; "We must choose the harder right". He also said "If we Choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice". Following the prophets’ counsel is always the correct choice because His counsel is the Lord's counsel.

I know Thomas S. Monson is the prophet on this earth today. I know he has been called of God to help direct us back to him. I promise as a representative of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that if we follow what the prophets and apostles have directed us to do we will become closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  Our lives will be happier and more blessed then they are now or that you could even imagine.  I know that this is Christ's true church here on the Earth today. I know God loves each and every one of us and speaks to us through his servants. Study their words and you will find answers that you have been longing to know. I say these things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

             Have a happy week I love you all!

             Sister Young.

March 28, 2016 "Throwin it back..."

Area: Shingle Creek Minnesota

Companion: Sister Natasha Neville

Hometown: Bakersfield California

Snail Mail: Minnesota Minneapolis Mission

5931 West 96th Street

Bloomington, MN  55438-1715

Happy Easter!

Monday, March 21, 2016:

              Today we went with the Hermanas to the Lake Nokomis building to email, play soccer, and eat tamales!!!! It was a little bit weird being back in that building and not having it be my area. After that we went shopping forever! I just can't shop like I used to!  The four of us ended up “hangry!”  It is okay though, because we got a snack, then we were better:)

We had dinner at the Helgeson's home today which was really fun and crazy.  They have seven kids under 13 years old! It was fun and really crazy!! haha! We had a member ask us to stop by to visit a family after dinner that hasn't come to church in over a month.  It was too late at night to knock and also  have a lesson because they have little kids. We decided we should still “heart attack” them.   We parked and cut out the hearts, wrote on them and went back. When we pulled up to the house I had a feeling Sister Neville should go put them on the door by herself. I told her to leave her car door open. I would stay in the car and be ready to go.  When she was putting the hearts on the door, their dog started barking like crazy!  She hurried, ran to the car and we escaped just in time for them to not see us! It was really fun!  It felt like we were spies or something, lol! We then drove over

and picked up our laundry from Sister Abrahamson's house where she showed us a book about a dolphin haha she is adorable! When we got home, Hermana Brittner decided she was sick of her clothes and decided to raid my closet haha so we had a little fashion show:)

Tuesday, March 22, 2016:

              So this morning we went back to Sister Abrahamson's home with the Hermanas so that the Elders could give Terry a priesthood blessing. The Spirit was really strong!  Our cute Sister Abrahamson was able to share her testimony with Terry.  That was a really neat experience. We had an appointment afterwards with our investigator Rachel.  When we got there she didn't answer the door! I really feel bad when people flake out on us. We went back to the house for lunch where I discovered the greatest condiment ever made.  It is called Valentina Hot Sauce. It is heaven in your mouth. I am basically addicted now.  I could eat it on corn flakes! Sister Neville had to apply to school today, so that was weird. She was calling BYU H what felt like forever but hopefully we got it squared away.  We went to Nikki & Christie's for a lesson about the Spirit and how it can affect our lives. I really want them to progress and to come to church. I know if they do so, that they can feel more love from our Savior.

I have to go now and run some errands. I will finish if we get back before our P-day is over. If we don’t make it, have a great week. I will write more next week. Love you to the Moonisota and Back!

Sister Young

March 21, 2016 “Eternal Perspective……Bill an Example Who Emulated the Savior”

Area: Shingle Creek Minnesota

Companion: Sister Natasha Neville

Hometown: Bakersfield California

Snail Mail: Minnesota Minneapolis Mission

5931 West 96th Street

Bloomington, MN  55438-1715

Email: ashlee.young@myldsmail.net

 Hi Everyone,

          When we got up this morning it was super drizzly and gray outside, so it was a bit dreary. We dropped our laundry off at Sister Abrahamsons' and she had made me a book mark with Proverbs 3:5-6 on it! So that was absolutely adorbs! When we got to the library, sure enough I opened my email and sitting right there at the top is my "death packet" aka my papers to get me ready to go home! That was a very surreal moment for me. I never thought that I would get to the end of my mission. Honestly, I still feel as if I will be here in Minnesota forever. That is actually a good thing, because it helps the "trunky-ness" stay down. I have been pleasantly surprised to find out how I am not trunky. At least not yet!  That is good, right? It may not be good though because if I have the attitude that I am never coming home, home could be a hard adjustment for me…..don’t cha know? I have got to find the balance there. The Hermanas finally came home! After being gone for a couple days, it felt really nice to have them back! I put a welcome home note with some stuff on their beds. They looked really cute, so that was fun! Afterwards, we ate some lunch together and watched “The Testaments.” Later on Sister Hawes made delicious enchiladas. Unfortunately, something didn't sit well in my stomach. Let’s just say that we had to cancel our appointment.... So, not to waste any time, we did phone call lessons.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016:

           I felt a little bit better this morning. I wasn't too sure, so I kept it safe at breakfast by just having a

piece of dry toast.  We went to our service at CEAP where I became super nauseous and a bit queasy from the smells of the moldy food we were sorting through. Luckily the other volunteers showed up early, so we were able to leave earlier! We went to see Nikki and Christie. We were able to talk to them about life. They just really needed to talk to someone who they could trust. Christie said that she saw that Sister Hunt had posted a really nice testimony on her Facebook page about the Hallelujah video. Sure enough, she read it to us so we were able to have a piece of her sweet Spirit there with us. It was super cool! It is amazing how those initiatives can reach out to so many people! Because of Sister Hunt, we were able to share our testimonies on the Savior and His resurrection! While we were talking and laughing, my companion laughed hard and accidently pushed her chair out bumping into Nikki's Great-Grandma's curio cabinet. That knocked a vase off the top and it shattered on the floor. It was really awkward in there, I’m not gonna lie!  But, she apologized over and over. It was just an accident, so it was okay. Thank goodness for the atonement right?!?

Wednesday, March 16, 2016:

                I woke up this morning with a scratchy throat, migraine, stuffy nose, and a slight fever. Getting
 sick is no bueno. We had district meeting over the phone because people didn't want to get contaminated and let’s be honest; I was not feeling well enough to go. We did have to run to the store though to get some medicine.  While we were there I got an email from Mom. That made me feel a lot better :)  Thanks Chickie!

Thursday, March 17, 2016:

                Happy St. Patrick's Day! Great start to the day when you feel worse then you did the day before...not!  "Luckily" I felt mischievous enough to sneak out of bed when the Hermanas’ and Sister Neville weren't paying attention long enough to turn the milk green in our fridge ha-ha! The STL's insisted that we go to lunch with them to a local taco truck. It was definitely worth it! The habanero pepper sauce cleared my nose up really quick! We had dinner with Christy at Olive Garden which tasted absolutely fabulous. I haven't been there since I was home! She is so great! Hermana Brittner "babysat" me while Sister Neville y Hermana Moore went to an appointment with a new baby.  We didn't think it would be smart for me to go and get him sick. When they got home, Hermana Moore told me that she feels like we have been friends forever! She made my heart feel all warm and fuzzy inside :)

Friday, March 18, 2016:

            So, once again I am sick.... Hermana Moore stayed with me this morning while the other 2 went to an appointment where there was another little baby. We crocheted like a bunch of Grandma's so that was good clean fun! When Sister Neville came back we had a couple lessons over the phone with people. To our delight, they went really well! The Hermanas’ went on exchanges. I had a great surprise and treat. Sister Steadman came here! It was so nice to see her! 

Saturday, March 19, 2016:

                This morning we had coordination meeting with our ward mission leader. The Elders had a baptism for one of their investigators named Blessing! She is amazing. Elder Peterson was able to baptize her. In our mission, Elders don't really get to baptize their converts unless it is a special case. It was so neat to get to see that. Afterwards, there was this Choco flan cake that Sister Edgington made that was seriously the best thing ever! I had to just say that. We had dinner at the Woods home where we had shepherd’s pie in honor of St. Patty's day. For dessert we had vanilla ice cream with bananas, chocolate sauce, and rice crispies on top! It was so good!! You will have to try it! We then went to Ifeoma's house and taught her a lesson based from the Easter video.  Then we watched the talk from President Uchtdorf "A Summer with Great Aunt Rose." The Spirit was so strong. We were able to all testify to her. Ifeoma is looking for the truth and just really needs confirmation from Heavenly Father at this time. 

Sunday, March 20, 2016:

              I have to be quick with this because we are out of time.  I am so grateful we were able to go to church and that I felt well enough to go! We had dinner at the Brueshaber's. After, we went to Presidents Fireside with Jamilla and Sister Passal who drove us. It was so cool because I was able to see Theresa B. from Lake Nokomis! Guess what? She is getting baptized on Saturday! I am so happy! It all started with saying hi in the mail room, now she is getting baptized!!!! I will write more of this miracle next week when I am at the baptism!!!! I am so grateful for those small promptings just to say hello. Today is also Summer’s one year anniversary from her baptism!!

On a bittersweet note,  I received an email from my parents notifying me of Papa Bill's passing on

Saturday. I was truly saddened to hear that this wonderful Christ like man had left this earthly state. One thing I am so grateful for is the clarity I have learned to be able to see of an eternal perspective. I feel as though it is heightened as a missionary. I am grateful for that. Papa Bill has impacted my life more than anyone will know. He was truly a selfless, genuine man who made everyone feel loved. I truly believe that he saw people as they really are; sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. The wonderful thing is he treated everyone as that. Whenever I was around him he made me feel welcomed and loved and a part of the family. That was a huge blessing to me. He was an amazing Papa to my 4 kiddos and I know he was a truly exceptional Father to my sister Sarah.  I know that many of her wonderful qualities that she has and that the kids have come from Bill. I also couldn't have asked for a better Father in law for my big brother Bryan. I know that Bryan loved Bill and that Bill looked at Bryan as one of his own. Bill and Jackie have been so amazing to all of my family and I am so thankful. I also have to say Bill was THE BEST cook in the entire world. I believe it is because everything he made, he made with love for the people who would be eating it. This week as I go forth sharing the gospel that Bill emulated of our Savior, I want to let people know that families are forever. Our trials and afflictions in this life are but a small moment in eternity. Bill and the legacy he lived will forever be in my heart. God be with you till we meet again!

Love you all Lots to the moonisota & back,

Sister Ashlee Young