Welp heres my weekly letter! First off Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Birthday dad! Im so greatful to have a dad with such a great testimony and who loves me so much. I hope that you have a wonderful birthday this week! Well last week I skyped with my fam and that was bascially the best, I miss them and love them, but hey...only 9 months left! On Friday I will complete 9 months in the mission which is super crazy because I remember being in the good old CCM like it was yesterday. Its weird to say that I go home this year, but I cant wait to see what adventures lie ahead of me. On Monday we had a super pday with the whole mission, we ate, played games, talked about Christmas, had a talent show, and wathced a presentation of all of photos of all of the missionaries when they were younger. For Christmas we went carloring and shared a short message about the savior, ate at MacDonalds with the zone, and watched the bazillion fireworks that went off at midnight, oh and painted a house. Oh we also acted out the Nativity because well its a tradition in Hermana Pattersons family to do that so we acted it out, she was Mary, Hermana Smith was the shepherd, Hermana Pena was the angel, and I was the wiseman. It was goofy, but we had a great time acting it out. This week I got to go on splits with Hermana Gutierez(my granddaughter) and her and I had a good time. We have an hermana who is really progressing and she brought her granddaughter to church which was great so were hoping that all will go well and that she and her granddaughter can be baptized this month. Well were closing one year and heading into another. Who knows what 2014 will bring, but I cant wait to see. I hope that you all enjoy your 2014 and remember that with every blessing, trial, and experience that you have this upcoming year, the Lord will always be there to support and help you. Have a great week, yeah 2014!

Love,

Hermana Ontiveros

• AshLee Ontiveros:
  Dear family and friends,
  Well a lot of crazy things have happened this past week.First off we had changes this week and our zone leader told us that he was pretty sure that Hna Patterson was leaving but he wasnt totally sure so we needed to wait for the changes phonecall on Monday night. So we waited...and waited..and waited, but still we didnt get a call. At 11 that night we recieved a text message that president was still receiving revelation so wed have to wait until Tuesday night. So on Tuesday we went and visited people so that Hermana Patterson could say goodbye which was good and then we go home and she began to pack some of her stuff, just in case. Well that night we waited for the phone call...and waited...and waited...and while waiting everyone else in the zone kept calling us to tell us thier changes which made us even more antsy to know changes because everyone else in the world knew but us! Finally at 10:30 that night we received a phone call from our zone leader and the first thing he said was that he hopes were sitting down because he has some big news. He then began to tell us that for sure Hna Patterson was leaving and...that I would be leaving too! Theyre going to bring two other missionaries into Ayutuxtepeque and Hna Patterson and I will be leaving to a new area. So at 10:30 we were running around like crazy trying to pack, clean, organize the carpeta de area, make sure that the new sisters had numbers for investigadors/members/less actives, and just freaking out basically. We were up till 2:30 and we slept till about 5 because we had to get up to go the the changes meeting. Basically we didnt sleep at all! Well we went to changes and at changes President told me that he needed to meet with me and five other sisters. So we met with President and he said that we were called to be hermana leaders of the areas that we are assigned to. He looked at me and said Hermana Ontiveros youre going to be the Hermana Leader, youre going to train and...youre going to open a new area! Um can we just say...what the?! But yes it is true I am doing all three of those things. At the changes meeting it was sad to say goodbye to my zone that Id been with for so long, and my trainer Hermana Boteo (she was one of my favorite comps and she finished her mission..shout out to Hermana Boteo who was such a great missionary and example to me!) but all is well. I have been assigned to open an area in Santa Tecla and my new companion is Hermana Pena. She is from Guatemala and she is 21 years old. So it was funny because at changes Hermana Patterson and I were saying goodbye to go to our new areas and then her companion told us that we all will be living in the same house! So yes the Lord did answer our prayers, not in the way wed thought but he did keep us together which Im so greatful for because shes awesome! Funny enough, I actually have my awesome CCM companion Hermana Chant in my zone too which has been great because I love her! So openining a new area, being a training, and an hermana leader is definitely stressful, but I know that the Lord is on my side and I know I will never lose when Im on His team. One scripture that I read the other which I really liked is in D&C58:4...read it! Its been crazy having to learn a whole new area and having to find all new investigators and what not, but its also been a good adventure. Theres some really great members that actually feed us here which is fantastic, we have a cocinera, the weather is great, and well I think that this area has a lot of potential so we shall see how this goes. Wish me luck! Thanks to everyone who has supported me in my mission and I hope that you all are recieving blessings. Remember to enjoy the holiday season, but also to remember the importance of the Savior this season. Have a wonderful week, thank you for all of the prayers and love!
  Love,
  Hermana Ontiveros

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

AshLee's Letter:
Hola!
Sorry about missing my email last week, but no worries I will catch you up on what has happened in the last two weeks. Well the week of Thanksgiving we actually had a pretty fun week. Presidente Hintze and his wife came to our chapel to do a Noche de Hogar and they talked about the importance of remembering the Savior and also about different Christmas tradicions and we played a fun matching game. For thanksgiving we went to the chapel near the temple and we talked about the importance of serving others and then of course we had our Thanksgiving feast! We actually ate real food for once which was so delicious! We ate turkey, salad, mashed potatos, rolls, and of course my favorite...pumpkin pie! It was fun to see all of the other missionaries and after we ate, we played the game family fued and as always my competetive side came out...CUSCAFUEGO (the name of my zone is Custcatlan and were always on fire)! haha That week we also had our ward family night activity and for that the young women showed off thier value projects that they completed during the year which was interesting to see. Oh and at that activity, good old Herbert brought us mittens so our hands dont get cold! He also gave us arroz con leche during sacrament meeting because it was cold outside. Yep thats my convert! ha Oh last week they finished the Walmart by my house (huzah!) so I think thats basically significant that I shall live by a Walmart for forever.This week weve been working really hard to find new investigators and to really try and find those people who are truely ready to get baptized and receive the gospel. This week I received a telephone from my zone leader and he told me that once again I am training. Im going to be a mom again! ha Ive been training ever since I finished my training so now whenever we have cambios all of the missionaries always go "Well we already know that Hermana Ontiveros is going to train...AGAIN!" haha Im really sad that Im not going to be the companion of Hermana Patterson anymore because shes been one of my favorite companions. Weve had some great times together and Im never going to forget these last six weeks. So on Wednesday we shall find out who is going to be my new companion...wish me luck! This week we have really felt the spirit so strong in everything that weve done, which is a witness to me that the Lord really is here to help us and that we may not always see the results of our work, but we can know that whoever we are teaching has felt the spirit and that we have planted that seed to help them progress in the gospel. We actually had one of our really great progressing investigators move this week which was sade because she had a baptism date and everything, but at least I know that my companion and I helped her to come to know the truth. I know that this is the Lords work and that He lives. Estoy muy agradecida a servir El Senor y aprender cada dia como puedo mejorarme. He visto milagros en mi mision y se que este es el evangelio de Jesucrist y esto es Su iglesia. Espero que sean fieles miembros de la igleasia y que reciban un testimonio de ello. Disfrute este estaccion navidena y tengan una buena semana!
Con amor,
Hermana Ontiveros

ADVENTURAS DE AYUTUXTEPEQUE:
1. During the week of Thanksgiving we were on our way to the ward activity when we see this truck racing down the street and we could see this smoke just spewing out the back. All of a sudden that truck whizzed by us and we were covered in a cloud a wierd white smoke! My comp and I couldnt see eachother so we were terrified, but the situation was so funny that we were laughing our guts out and couldnt breath because all of the smoke.
2. Well my comp and I found this really great positive investigator this week and when we went to go visit him we could really feel the spirit. As we go to leave he shakes my companions hand, and then as I go to shake his hand he pulls me and luckily I turned my head quick enough because he was pulling me in to kiss me and he ended up slobbering on my ear. Needless to say Hermana Patterson was laughing herself sick and I made sure that I washed my ear really well that night! #creepymeninelsalvador
3. We played musical chairs for our zone meeting and I ate some really weird foods this week.#nograciasporlacomida

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AshLee's Letter:
Thanksgiving was actually really fun. We got together with a few other zones in the chapel next to the temple and we had a little lesson about the importance of giving thanks and then we ate. We had the works, turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, rolls, and of course pumpkin pie! It was so nice to have real food for once, loved it! After we ate we played family fued as zones and of course we were all super competetive, but it was a lot of fun. And then after that it was back to work, but the majority of my day was spent with President and his wife and the othe missionaries which was fun because I got to see people from the MTC and my old companions. Looks like and sounds like you guys a had a great Thanksgiving. Oh please buy those because yes I would love to see them when I get home, and Monsters Inc. 2 because I havent seen that yet either. So bascially I have lots of pictures to send you, but them computer Im at right now doesnt have an adaptor thing to send pictures so I will have to send them to you next week sorry. Also I dont have a lot of time this week because were actually going to the beach today to play soccer. ha I did however take a pic with the Springville boys that are here, so Im excited to send you that. Elder Boyer says hi by the way. Well my area is actually one of the toughest sister areas, of course I would get that area, so Im not going to lie its been tough trying to find new people and find people that are progressing. We have a couple of investigators that are doing great..they just need to go to church! I just dont understand how hard it is to give up at least one hour every sunday in the morning...gah! Oh well, appreatnly I need to learn patience and love. I do appreaciate that you guys are praying for them though. We have transfers on the 11th so well see what happens with that, but Im hoping that I stay with my compnion and finish her triaing because if I do that then in January I will finally leave my area. There are people here in my area who I love and who I dont want to leave, but Im ready to leave my area and met new people because well Ive been here for 5 months...I think its time to leave. Funny enough Hna and President HIntze came to our area on Wednesday to do a family night with the ward and our investigators and we got talking and Hna Hintze asked me how long Ive had in this area and I told her 5 months and that I like it but Im ready for a change. Like hint hint, please switch me areas. ha And then my lovely comp goes, Hna Ontiveros is great, she works really hard in this area and shes a great trainer! I gave her the death glare, I was like lady! haha She doesnt want to be stuck here either. ha But oh well, for who knows what reason, we are here for someone. I believe shes getting better at the whole not being homesick thing but who knows. Oh Im am so greatful that I will be home next year for the holiday season, I love being able to say, by this time next year I will be in my house! I love the mission, but I definitely miss you guys. Um. I didnt knowshe was in the field because for native speakers the MTC is only two weeks. Yeah well I know how they feel becvause thats how I was when I was in school too especially because right now in college people are preparing for finals and thats like the worst time of the year. All I wanted to do was nothing and enjoy Christmas but I had to study. ha Please send me pictures, I like looking at what you guys do. It does make me miss home, but I mean thats normal, its not like I can really help that especially this time of year. Well I hope that you guys have a great week, good luck with your kidders. Thanks for all of the support and love youve given me. Love you tons!
Love,
Ash 

AshLee's weekly letter:
Hello family and friends!
Well this week the work was a little slow, but were always doing our best to continue in faith and find those people who are searching for the truth. This week we had a meeting for those who are in training and it went really well as always. A great experience that we had yesterday was we went to contact a family and from the second that they opened the door we could tell that they were going to be great. When they answered the door they welcomed us in and they called the whole family together to listen to us. We started to teach them the first lesson, the restoration, and then really were interested in the things we had to say and they are excited to learn more about the gospel. When we left the appointment we definitely had smiles on our faces. I hope that everything goes well with this family and that they will progress. Sorry that the letter this week is so short, but HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Love,...See More

AshLee's Letter:
Hola familia y amigos!
Well this week was definitely a busy one, but it was a good one too. On Monday we had pday and we played soccer, which Im not that big of a fan of soccer, but it was fun. Tuesday we had an Hermana Meeting which is always awesome, and at this meeting my comp and I were actually asked to give a presentation about how we can get more investigators to church. We made a web that talked about all of the different things we could do, like working with the ward mission leader, reminding the investigators each time you visit them, talking about the blessings of going to church, etc. After that we played a game, where we put the hermanas in three teams and each team had an investigator that they had to help get to church. We drew a giant chapel and stepping stones to the church, and each team had to pick a piece of paper and if the paper said something good that thier investigator did then they advanced, but if not t...Continue Reading

Family and friends,

This week was actually a really good week and as always Im learning something new each day. This week my companion and I worked hard and we definitely saw the blessings of our work. Last Monday we had an interesting experience because the week before we met someone who spoke English and wanted to be taught in English so we brought our English materials and we went to teach her, but she wasnt home. We went to do contacting and we ended up finding a dad, named Rafiel, and his son, Jaun, and we began to teach them. As we started teaching them, Jaun said that he had lived basically all of his life in New York and didnt speak that much English so luckily we had all of our English materials and my comp. taught him in English while I taught his dad in Spanish. Its crazy how the Lord works. Also this week we went to do service for Hector and his family and we were able to talk to him about the gospel. We helped him to set goals for his life, and he and his daughter ended up going to church yesterday. They are doing well, and he is progresing again, so hopefully all will go well and he will be able to be baptized with his daughter this month. We were actually very fortunate this week to have six investigators who came to church which was definitely a blessing. This week as Ive watched our investigators progress, my faith has really grown. Ive learned that as a missionary I can only do so much, but if I really put my faith in the Lord I will see the "fruits of my labors." Lauren Bangater Wilde said "We set goals to show our faith. We follow up on goals to count our blessings...As you raise your expectations, your effectiveness will increase, your desire will grow, and you will be able to follow the Spirit better.Heavenly Father always answers prayers of faith--even when the answers come in ways we don’t anticipate." Im greatful for the experiences that Ive had in my mission so far and I cant wait to see what more the Lord has in store for me. 

Love,

Hermana Ontiveros :)

The Adventures of Ayutuxtepeque: 

1. So this week we went to visit our recent convert, Hermana Alicia, and while we were teaching her about the love of Christ, she gets a phone and all of a sudden she starts packing. She hangs up and says to us "This guy says that I owe him $500 and if I dont pay him he is going to come and kill me!" So my comp. and I look at eachother and we ask her if we should leave and she says that we dont need to and everything is fine, meanwhile shes packing everything she owns and is shutting all of the blinds. My companion and I couldnt help but laugh at how crazy the situation was, but at the same time we definitely were scared. Yes we did leave eventually...and so did Hermana Alicia. She ended up moving and we actually dont know where in the world she lives now. Yep...thats the kind of people I baptize! ha 

2.Oh another funny story, we were walking in the streets and we start talking to this lady about the gospel and she tells us about how shes catholic, but appreciates the work were doing, and she then slaps my comp. on the arm as she says to her "sabiduria, tenga esta sabiduria!" Oh the adventures of Ayutuxtepeque. 

Buenas! Well I have once again been called to be a trainer for a new missionary. On Wednesday we had cambios and I recieved a new companion. My companion is Hermana Patterson, she is 19, and she is from Las Vegas, Nevada. Things have been starting to pick up here in my area so I believe that Hermana Patterson will be "hechando fuego" in this area which is fantastic because we need to help Ayutuxtepeque come alive again. Well on Saturday we had a temple activity where we invited members and less actives to take a tour of the outside of the temple, President Hintze spoke about the Plan of Salvation, and we had little workshops for them to do. The investigators that we brought really liked it and the activity really exited one of them, Ana, to be baptized so hopefully everything will go well and she will be baptized by the end of this month. This week I had a really interesting experience with learning about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. One of our investigators, Hector, has been really progressing and was working towards baptism with his two girls as well. Things were going great and then at the beginning of last week he began drinking. He hasnt drank in two years and for who knows what reason he started drinking and he didnt stop. When I found that out my heart sank and I became so frustrated. He finally was sober on Friday and my companion and I got the chance to sit down and talk with him. We read him the scripture Moroni 6:1-2 which talks about how its important for us to be worthy to be baptized by changing our hearts and sincerely repenting. He began crying and told us how he feels embarrassed, how he feels like we are one of his daughters and how he really wants to change. As I started talking to him I could feel the spirit so strong and I started crying because I know of his potential and one little temptation has changed the course of his life. It made me think about how the Lord must feel when we make mistakes. He has given us everything to teach us about the good decisions that we need to make and how we can make those righteous decisions and when we choose to take the other path, it makes him sad because he knows of our worth and he knows we are better than that. He loves us and he wants to help us make righteous choices, but we all have our agency to choose for ourselves. I am so greatful for the Atonement because it gives us the chance to make a change in our lives for the better and it gives us the chance to really learn how to become a better person and how to "acercarnos a Dios." Agradezco por la Expiacion de Jesucristo y estoy muy agradecida por la oportunidad que El me daba a cambiar mi vida por el mejor. Estoy agaradecida que puedo testificar de Su divinidad a muchos personas en El Salvador, y puedo ayudarles a aprender sobre nuestro misericordioso Dios. Se que sin ninguna duda que esta es la iglesia de Jesucristo. He visto muchos milagros en mision y se que El Salvador nos ama y quiere que sepamos eso. Me gustaria decir que les amo, y se que si pongamos nuestra fe in Dios, el vaya ayudarnos y apoyarnos in cualquier cosa que vayamos hacer. Testifico de Su amor para nosotros, y por medio de Su expiacion, podems ser perdonados por nuestros pecados. Les amo, y estoy muy agradecida por todo de su ayuda y apoyo. Se cuidan! Con amor, Hermana Ontiveros

Hello there!
Well first off I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me and has been praying for me because I really do appreciate your prayers and I am greatful for the love that you have all shown me. Well I have been called again to be a trainer for a new missionary so I will meet my new companion on Wednesday this week. My streak of not having a companion for more than six weeks continues! ha Well this week went by fast but were still struggling a little to find new people to teach, so hopefully my new companion will bring something to my area that will help to liven up the area. Weve been working hard with those menos activos this week and we are starting to see more of them come to church which is good. Our recent converts are doing well too, and they are just so happy to have found the gospel in thier lives. On Tuesday we had an activity with my zone where we talked to the youth who are going on m...See More

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Buenas dias!

Well this week was one of our more challenging weeks because weve been having a hard time finding people but one good thing that happened this week was that we were able to work with a lot of the less active members. This week we also had a multizone conference and as always I learned a lot and it went really well. President talked about the importance of moving forward with faith and being obedient. Also our recent convert Herbert received the Priesthood yesterday and this next Sunday he will receive a calling so that will be great for him. He is such a devoted member and I love seeing how willing he is to do what is right. One funny story that I have for you guys this is last Tuesday we went to visit one of our less actives whose husband isnt a member and we had our zone leaders with us. In the middle of the lesson the less active gave a loud gasp and her eyes got super big and then she looked at my zone leader and said "Ive had a vision...you are going to be the next president of the church!"My comp and I were laughing so hard and we tried to keep our laughter in because we didnt want to be disrespectful, but it was definitely one of the most funny things that Ive had happen in a while. My companion and I are working hard to find more people to teach and to help those less active members. Thanks for the examples that you have all been in my life and for helping me in everthing. Have a fantastic week.

Love,

Hermana Ontiveros

Buenas dias!

Well this week was one of our more challenging weeks because weve been having a hard time finding people but one good thing that happened this week was that we were able to work with a lot of the less active members. This week we also had a multizone conference and as always I learned a lot and it went really well. President talked about the importance of moving forward with faith and being obedient. Also our recent convert Herbert received the Priesthood yesterday and this next Sunday he will receive a calling so that will be great for him. He is such a devoted member and I love seeing how willing he is to do what is right. One funny story that I have for you guys this is last Tuesday we went to visit one of our less actives whose husband isnt a member and we had our zone leaders with us. In the middle of the lesson the less active gave a loud gasp and her eyes got super big and then she looked at my zone leader and said "Ive had a vision...you are going to be the next president of the church!"My comp and I were laughing so hard and we tried to keep our laughter in because we didnt want to be disrespectful, but it was definitely one of the most funny things that Ive had happen in a while. My companion and I are working hard to find more people to teach and to help those less active members. Thanks for the examples that you have all been in my life and for helping me in everthing. Have a fantastic week.

Love,

Hermana Ontiveros

Hey there another successful week in the mission has passed us by. This week we have been blessed to find new people to teach and we had the baptism of Herbert on Saturday. His baptism went really well and the ward really accepted him as part of the ward. Thanks to conference the ward is really starting to help us out and I think that we shall start seeing some great things in this area. Ive definitely seen the hand of the Lord this week and I am so greatful for his help and for all of your prayers and support.

Love,

Hermana Ontiveros

Well hello there, weve had another successful week in the mission field and so far all is well. First off conference was fantastic and Im so happy that they talked a lot about helping out the missionaries and Im so greatful for all of the prayers  that were given for the missionaries. I am so greatful for President Monson and his apostles and all of the work that they are doing for the church. This week we actually had three of our investigators come to conference and they really enjoyed the messages that were shared. My comp and I didnt actually watch conference with our investigators because well we wanted to watch it in English and about 95% of my zone is gringos so we had a big gringo party and watched conference which was actually pretty fun. ha Well Hermana Alicia, who was baptized on my bday, is doing well and she told us that she has really felt a change in her life and that she doesnt fall asleep in church any more because now its actually interesting. haha This week we found visited Hermano Hector and his family and they said that they are excited to learn about the gospel and that they hope to be baptized someday so hopefully we can prepare them for that day and the whole family can be baptized. Hermano Gerbert is progressing really well, he went to conference, hes obeying all of the commandments, and yesterday he told us he would like to be baptized this weekend so now we are preparing for his baptism this week. Im really excited for his baptism because I know that he is ready and he is just a really great person. My comp and I are working hard like usual and weve definitely seen the blessings of all of the prayers everyone has said for the missionaries. I know that the Lords work is being hastened and that through faith in Jesus Christ we can all help to find his children and bring them unto him. Se que sin ninguna duda que este evangelio es el evangelio de Jesucristo y que con fe todo es posible. Estoy muy agradecida por la oportunidad servir mi mision aqui en El Salvador, y estoy agradecida por los personas les he conocido. Espero que sepan que este is la iglesia verdadera y es importante a recordar El Senor cada dia. Oren, y lean las escritures porque cuando hacen esto, sus vidas van a cambiar por lo bien. 

Con Amor,

Hermana Ontiveros

-

Hola!

Well I finally had my first baptism and it was on my birthday which was actually pretty awesome! This week was actually a pretty busy week for my companion and I but it was also a really great one. On Tuesday we had the sisters conference which was really great because we got to see all of the sisters and Presidente always talks about how much he loves and appreciates the sisters. On Thursday we were supposed to have our baptism but she was super nervous with all of the people that were there and she was having family problems so we actually didnt end up having her baptism that day. On Friday we had a ward talent show night and Presidente Hintze and his wife came and my zone and I sang the EFY Meledy. All of the talents were adorable and it was a lot of fun. On Satuday my zone and I went to pizzahut to celebrate my birthday and then later that night we had our baptism for Hermana Alicia. The service was really simple, but it was really nice too. She felt so good afterwards and when she was confirmed on Saturday she was so happy. On Sunday we had a conference with Presidente and our investigators and we watched On the Lords Errand, the movie about Thomas S. Monson because its important for our investigators to learn about the prophet. Basically this week went really well and I cant wait to see what more is about to come. I love you all, thank you for all of the prayers!

Love,

Hermana Ontiveros

Well hello there!

I received a new companion this week and her name is Hermana Wood. Shes actually my first gringo companion that Ive ever had in the mission field, so its definitely a new experience being the one that knows the most Spanish. ha This week was really great, weve been working really hard with our investigators and one of our newest investigators, Hermano Gerbet, went to church and stayed for all three hours which was great. This Thursday we have a baptism scheduled for Hermana Alicia and I am super excited for that. I hope all goes well and that its a day that she will always remember. This week we had the opportunity to go to a multistake family activity with our zone and with our investigators. The activity was a talent show and each stake did something. Most of the stakes did dances that are native to El Salvador, but there were also some people who sang or read a drama. It was actually a lot of fun and our investigators really liked it. Also the activity was at the chapel next to the temple so we got to take pictures at the temple and explain the temple to our investigators. Im loving the people here in my mission and Im so greatful for the opportunity that Ive had to share the gospel in Spanish in El Salvador. I know that I have definitely had the help of the Lord in everything that I have done, and my testimony has really grown on my mission. Im so greatful for the church in my life and for all of your love and support. 

Love,

Hermana Ontiveros

Hola como estan? Well this week we have changes and well I have been called to train another newbie crazy enough. I dont wont know who my new companion is until Wednesday but Im going to be a mom again and I have to put my other daughter up for adoption...pobresito..haha This week Hermana Alicia went to church for the third time which is fantastic and she is really progressing so Im thinking that she might be my first baptism on my birthday of all things! ha One of the greatest moments I had this week is when we went to vist a mom and her four year old daughter and we taught the Plan of Salvation. After we finished explaining it she told us that her brother had died recently and that she had been wondering what happened to him when he died and that this was an answer to her question. We could really feel the spirit so strong during this lesson and it made me really greateful to be a missionary. Hopefully we can work with her family to bring them into the church and help them to learn more about Christ and his love for us. My area right now is pretty challenging but I know that Im here for a reason and that someone is waiting for my companion and I. I hope all is well at home,thanks for all of the prayers.

Love,

Hermana Ontiveros

Hola!

Well this week has gone by really fast, but it has been a good one. Weve been working hard to find new people to teach and weve been praying that when we find those people they will be ready to be baptized because for some reason when we mention the word baptism they all seem to scatter. ha Well Hna Alicia is really progressing and we are really praying that she will be able to be baptized on the 28th. This week the had stake conference which was really great. A membe rof the 70 came and spoke, the temple president and his wife spoke, our stake president spoke, and President Hintze and his wife spoke as well. They talked a lot about temples and the importance of helping the missionaries find new people to teach which was definitely nice. This week we also had an interview with President and his wife. They are so great, Im so greatful to have them in my life. Well thats my week, sorry its so short!

Love,

Hermana Ontiveros

Hola!

Well this week had its ups and downs but it was good. Last Monday we had a family night with our investigators in a less active members home. We watched the video "La Restauracion" and we shared our testimonies about Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and how the church has helped our lives. It was a really great experience and one of our investigatores told us that she understands the gospel and the book of mormon more clearly now because of the movie. Well the baptism we were supposed to have on Saturday we didnt end up having because he told us that hes just not ready. It was sad to hear him say that, but hes coming to church and what not so hopefully he will come to the knowledge that he is ready and that he will get baptized. We are working with a lady right now who has a baptism date for my birthday and she is progressing really well. She loves the gospel, likes reading the book of mormon, and others have said that theyve seen a positive change in here so thats good. Were still working hard to find people who are ready to recieve the gospel and were doing our best to visit, more often, the investigators that we do have. One unfortunate thing that we found out this week is one of the families that we are teaching will be moving, so hopefully we have prepared them enough for those other missionaries to recieve them and help them to be baptized. This week we had a meeting for the trainees and trainers with Presidente Hintzie and it went really well, I learned a lot about how I can better my teaching skills and how to rely on the members and the Lord more. During my mission Ive definitely learned the importance of faith and pacience. Well thats all for this week. Thanks for all of the support!

Love,

Hermana Ontiveros

Well this week has definitely been a week of ups and downs but its been a good week none the less. We have been working hard with contacting people and we have been working with members to help us find new people and to share their testimonies con our investigators. This week we had the opportunity to hear Elder Duncan of the 70 speak in our multizone conference and it was really great. I learned about the importance of planning really well and how to keep moving forward with faith. We had two investigators with baptism dates for September but this week we found out that they dont want anything to do with the church and that the baptism we have scheduled for the 30th of August is unsure if he wants to be baptized. Hermana Sanchez and I were definitely discouraged but we fasted and prayed for help from the Lord and on Sunday we recieved taht help. One of the investigators who had a baptism scheduled for September that fell through actaully came to church with a less active family. So hopefully we can work with him and this less active family more and he can complete his baptism date. Oh a fun thing that I did this week was I learned how to make pupusas. A less active family invited us over for dinner and we helped them make pupusas which was really fun, and hey I never say no to a free meal so ya know. ha    Well Hermana Sanchez and I are good and always were working hard. As always thanks for the love and support I really appreciate it. Remember that the Lord is on your side and that through faith we can do all things.The Lord shows men thier  weakness to help them learn and become stronger. Im so greatful for the help fo the Lord in my life. I know that this church is true, and I am so greatful for the opportunity I have to be a representative of Jesus Crist.

Love,

Hermana AshLee Ontiveros

Hola todos! Trabajabamos duro esta semana y pusimos fechas bautismales, entonces esperamos que ninguna van a cayer! ha Tenemos un investigador se llama Kevin, y el tiene un fecha bautismal por 31 de Agosto, esperamos que todo va a estar bien y que el puede bautizarse en este dia. Por favor, oren por Kevin porque sabemos que el esta listo pero cuando el tiempo es cerca Santanas le gusta a impedir planes por bautismos. Esta semana hicimos muchos cosas incluye trabajando con los lideres de zona, trabajando con miembros y mi companera y yo hemos apredido mucho sobre cada otro a cual es bien. Ayer fue una buena dia porque nuestra asistencia en la iglesia fue 120 y tuvimos 4 investigadores en la capilla! Gracias por todos de sus oracciones porque yo se que hemos recibido mucho bendiciones de esos. Esperamos que esta semana va a estar bien como la semana pasado. Pues eso fue mi semana, y en Martes vamos a tener un reunion de multizona con un miembro del 70, Elder Duncun. Estoy emocionado por eso. Gracias por todo to su apoyo y amor! Tengan un buena semana!

Love,

Hermana Ontiveros

P.S. Escrituras quiero dejarles: Eter 12:27, DyC 24:8

 

She can not believe that another week has gone by. She is working with an investigator who has the name of Kevin. He is scheduled for baptism on August 31st. She is very excited. She had four investigators come to church. My companion and I are doing good. She had a multi-zone conference. She said she heard a talk by Elder Duncun. Thank you for the love and support. Have a good week.

Here are your scriptures for the week. Ester: 12:27 and D & C 24:8

Well hello there, its been a busy week for me, but its been a good one. We had changes on Wednesday and well...its a girl! ha I recieved my first hija on the mission. Her name is Hermana Sanchez, shes 21 years old, she is a recent convert to the church and she is from Peru. So basically I have learned how to speak Spanish from an Ecuadorean, Salvadoreneans, Guatemalan and now someone from Peru... confusing..yeah just a little but no worries one day Ill get this Spanish thing down. Its definitely different being a trainer, but Ive learned a few things from it for example Ive learned a lot about the importance of faith, trusting in myself, and Ive learned how to really teach with the Spirit. This week we made the usual visit, and we did a lot of contacting which is good because were always looking for new people to teach. Weve actually started teaching a couple of new people so hopefully they will progress and one day be baptized. Sorry for the short letter, but that was basically my week. Again, thanks for the love and prayers! Love, Hermana Ontiveros

Well hello there family! This week my companion and I have been working hard as usual and I believe that we are making great progress. This week I learned the importance of really listening to the influence of the Holy Ghost to know the needs of our investigators. Right now we are teaching an 18 year old, Kevin and he knows that what we are teaching is true but he really wants to know for sure so we taught him about the power of the Holy Ghost and I think teaching about that really helped my testimony of the Holy Ghost to grow. We have been teaching a mother named Rubi and her kids and this week we finally got to meet her husband and teach them about the Family Proclomation. Oh something really great that happened this week was that we have been teaching a 15 year old named Joselyn and she has a great testimony of the Book of Mormon because she read the whole thing in one month. Crazy I know, but its true. The problem is her mother wont let her go to church because she belongs to another church. This week we had the opportunity to sit down with her mom and teach her about the restauration of the gospel. The spirit was so strong during the lesson and we actually found out that she took lessons from the missionaries when she was younger and she has read the book of mormon as well. We asked her to be baptized and she accepted so hopefully we can work hard with her to make that happen. We are working with other investigators as well and were hoping to make more progress with them this week. Well guess what..Presidente Hintze called my companion and I Friday night to let us know that we are going to be trainers. We went to a meeting for all of the trainers on Saturday and he told me good luck hermana, I know you will do great. When I first started the "12 Semanas" program they said that sometimes once you finish your twelve week you will have to opportunity to train another person so prepare, but that rarely happens. Well I dont have much time in the mission, but apparently the Lord believes that I can train a new missionary and that I wont mess her up to bad. ha I dont know what area I will be training in or who I will be training until Wednesday when we have cambios, but pray for my new companion that she can have patience with me and that I can teaching something good. Well thats my week for you, thanks for everything! Love, Hermana Ontiveros

Hey familiy! Guess what? Im going to have 4 months on Saturday, and this week I will complete my 12 week training, wahoo! ha This week was actually a really good week. On Tuesday we had a conference with all of the hermanas in the mission at President Hintzes house. We learned the importance of hermanas in the mission and about the importance of working with menos activos. On Wednesday we had a multizone conference where we learned how we can improve the work here and how to invite other to come unto Crist through baptism. Right now Hermana Boteo and I are working with a few different investigadors, most of them are women, but we have a few that are young adults. On Friday our ward had a family night activity and we were able to bring two of our investigators to this activity. The activity was really fun and our investigators really enjoyed it. As always were focusing on what we can do for our investigators but this week we put a little more emphasis on working with menos activos and with the members of the ward. With the members we shared the importance of helping us in the mission field to find the "1 lost sheep". Theyve been really helpful to give us references and to go with us on visits to investigators houses. Unfortunately we didnt have any investigatos come to church with us this week, but a mom of a menos activo family came and she hasnt been to church in over six months so that definitely was a blessing. Well this week I have an assignment for you guys, I hope that you can find the time to read "Come Unto Me" by President Eyring in the April 2013 Ensign. The message talks about the importance of the Saviours resurrection and about the importance of serving him. Another assignment is to read Eter 12, I read that this week and this chapter is so powerful. It talks a lot about the importance of faith and hope. Well that was my week, I hope you all have a wonderful week and remember that the Lord is always with you! Love, Hermana Ontiveros P.S. "Al prestarle servicio devoto El se acerca a los de nuestro familia a quieres amamos."-Eyring

Hola familia y amigos! Espero todo esta bien y gracias por sus oraciones y apoyo! This week was a slow one for me but nevertheless it was good. We are currently teaching a boy named Kevin and he is actually an old investigator. Hermana Boteo and her other companions left him because he wasnt progressing but now he is reading the Book of Mormon, he went to church with us, and he is really receptive of our lessons. We hope to put a baptism date this week for him. We also had another investigator come to church with us this week, her name is Alicia. She was a reference of a member and she definitely has her share of problems but we have worked with her this week and are hoping for the best for her. We are also teaching a boy named Eric and hes really interested in the church. We also have some other investigators that we are working with and hoping to put baptism dates for them this week but its up to the guidence of the spirit. This week we had the opportunity to give service again with our stake which went well. Well thats basically my week for you, sorry this letter is so short, but I do have a message for you from Presidente Utchdorf. "Procuren la felicidad que Su Padre Celestial ha preparado para ustedes en cada paso del trajecto. La felicidad es el destino final pero el tambien el camino." Have a great week! Love, Hermana Ontiveros

Hola familia y amigos! This week was really great because the members of our ward have really stepped up to help us during visits and Ive learned a lot from our members. Although my ward only has about 80, the people are really great and the youth of the ward are always willing to go out on visits with us. This week Hermana Boteo and I had a lot of success with contacting and we finally had one of our investigatores show up to church. She said that it was definitely a different experience but that she really liked it. This week we had the opportunity to do two different service projects. The first was for a family of one of the Elders in my district and the other was for the young men and women. For the family we help to trim thier "yard" with of all things machetties! ha It was hard work but I had fun. It was youth conference for the young men and young women this week and on Saturday they did a service project where they went around to neighborhoods giving out small bags of protectant to protect the pilas from denge. We went with our zone and we helped pass out the bags and flyers for the church. Earlier this week we had interview with Presidente Hintzie and his wife and they went really well. I have a feeling that a lot of great things are going to come about in this mission because of them. This week weve done a lot of teaching and a lot of contacting. We have two noche de hogars tonight with investigator families so wish us luck. Have a fantastic week! Love, Hermana Ontiveros

Well another week has gone by in the mission and as always Im working hard and learning new things. Last Tuesday we had the opportunity to meet with Presidente Hintze and his family during a meeting with all of the people in the new mission. Him and his family are from Utah and they have 5 kids if I remember correctly. One of their daughters just got off her mission from Hong Kong, and get this she served with Bubba and Freddy Woods! ha Small world we live in. Its a little wierd being with a new Presidente but he and his family seem really great and I have a feeling lots of great things are going to come about out of this new mission. This week weve met with a lot of new investigadores who are teenagers. Its different when youre trying to teach teenagers because they get distracted easily, but weve found that if we use the pamphlets and we review what weve taught that they understand more easily. Right now we are teaching the Familia Fuentes and they are really great, were trying to work with them to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon because right now theyre unsure of the reason we have the BofM. Were also working with another family, Miriam, her baby Nicole, her father, and her cousin Oscar. They like the lessons and they had a baptism date but that fell through because they havent attended church. Our biggest problem that we face here is that our investigadores dont attened church. We go to thier houses in the morning to pick them up, we do service for them the night before so that they can be ready to go in the morning, but always they seem to have some excuse for not going. So right now for our investigadores were trying to figure out the best way to get them to church and how to help them gain a testimony of the BofM. Unfortunatley none of our investigadores came to church but all of our menos activos that weve been working with came so thats definitely a good thing. This up coming week we have members to take with us when we visit our investigadores which I think will really help because when investigadores have the opportunity to hear from a member they seem to be more responsive. Well I hope that you are all well and once again thanks for all of the support and prayers! Love, Hermana Ontiveros P.S. I have a new mailing address: Hermana AshLee Ontiveros Mision San Salvador Oeste/Belize Apartado Postal 81 Correos Multiplaza San Salvador, El Salvador CA

Bienvinedos Belize

--- ashlee.ontiveros@myldsmail.net wrote: To: ontiveros Subject: Guess what.... Date: Mon, 1 Jul 2013 11:50:13 -0600 Hola familia buen dia! Well guess what, we had cambios last week and the night before I recieved a call from my lider de distrito saying that I had cambios in the morning. It definitely was a surprise for me because Im still in training so I thought I would be with my companera for the full 12 weeks, pero el senor tiene un otro plan para mi. Tengo un nuevo companera y un nueva area. Estoy in Cuscatlan y mi companera es Hermana Boteo. Ella tiene 24 anos, habla no Ingles, y es un recien converso de la iglesia(solo tres anos). Mi nuevo area y barillo son super chicito compared to mi antiguo area, pero eso esta bien porque puedo conocer los miembros/hacer mas contactados aqui. No se la razon que necesitaba cambiar mi area, pero asi es. Pienso voy a tener mucho cambios en mi futura (mision/vida real) porque he tenido mucho cambios en mis primeros meses aqui. Oh un otro anuncio que tengo es soy en el nuevo mision con Presidente Hintzie: El Salvador San Salvador Oeste/ Beliz Mision. Estoy emocionado por este oportunidad pero fue duro a dejar Presidente Glazier y su esposa. Tuve mi ultimo reunion con ellos Jueves anterior y voy a miss ellos pero estoy emocionado a conocer Presidente Hintzie y su esposo. Lets see what else has happened in this past week..oh on Friday our ward had an activity for the primary and they did a skit about the plan of salvation and it was so cute, I love little kids! Right now we are teaching various differente investigadores y espero que progressaran durante mi teimpo aqui. Pero eso fue mi semana. Cuidales! Con Amor, Hermana AshLee Ontiveros NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message. --089e015370025bb28804e076dcc2--