Hello all you Ashleigh fans !!

I apologize that I've been too busy to post her latest ramblings ... err ... letters home into her blog! She did send a great letter last Monday (see below), just before she left for Phoenix. AND ... she got to call home from the SLC airport while she was waiting to catch her fight. :) We had a wonderful conversation ... it was so good to hear her voice! It sounds like she is doing great and was really looking forward to her mission work in Phoenix. Ashleigh also talked to her dad, and I know that really made his day!! In typical Lewis fashion, he was so excited for the chance to talk to her, that he barely slept the night before !! LOL ... I was really glad that they had a chance to talk - I know it meant the world to Ashleigh AND Lewis !

After Ashleigh arrived in Phoenix, I got a call from the Phoenix mission president saying she arrived safely. I learned that the "temporary" address Ashleigh provided before will actually be her "permanent" address the whole time she is in Phoenix. Sounds like they move them around between apartments/different areas some ... and it's a hassle with the post office to deliver/forward mail.

Ashleigh's personal day will be on Mondays still, so that is the day I can expect to get an email from her. Between now and then however, I will have to wait for an email from her on account I don't have her new email address yet. I will be in ORLANDO with Chad next week, so won't be updating her blog. Of course I will have my trusty Blackberry with me, so I will get her email, but won't be pasting all the details into the blog until I return.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas !! I know I will ... sitting poolside in Orlando waiting for Ashleigh to call. :) God is good. :)

As promised, here is Ashleigh's latest ...


After 60 days here at the MTC I am happy to report:

Hundreds of Spanish words have been learned.

Hundreds have also been mis-used ... Just the other week I said "When we keep the apples God blesses us". Manzana is apple and mandamiento is commandment ... after the 1st 3 letters I just went for it. Oops!! I heard a Portugese Elder said "We should all be striving to become women". Apparently the word better and the word woman are VERY similar!! One of my favorite Spanish finds is the word "wife" is "esposa" and the word "handcuffs" is "esposas". I thought that was oddly fitting. :)

3/12 of the apostles came and spoke to us! (Including Elder Holland who is my FAVORITE)
No weight has been gained or lost after approximatley 180 cafeteria meals (no bake cookies and chili on SCONES (which is like HEAVENLY toast) were among my rare favorites! Approximately 360 hours of "formal instruction" were spent in class. Approximately 50 letters were sent. Approximately 35 letters were received. Approximately 12 care packages were also received.
2 Birthdays and 1 holiday (My companion Hermana Barker and Hermana Smith turned 22 on Thanksgiving!) My companion and I spent approximately 1500 hours together. Me and any one of the other 7 members of the district spent approximately 1000 hours together. No one killed anyone!! There were no injuries to report (although I almost fell out of the window once hopping down off my bunkbed onto the chair below with stuff in my hand and a window (it was closed) behind me. We still laugh about that one!

There was also a fire alarm this week at approximately 12:30 am and the girls "dorm" was evacuated. 400 sisters in their pj's were scuffled into the gym. It was somewhat traumatic because a lot of the girls don't speak English or come from America where it's an everyday thing ... so there was weeping and wailing and scared confusion!! LOL even Hermana Brodhead (a sister from my district and my roommate) was a little confused when I was putting on my coat and shoes to evacuate and she was trying to turn off her alarm!! It was only after she unplugged it that she realized it was the fire alarm. For no reason whatsoever Hermana Barker put on her name tag and Hermana Smith put her alarm clock and a flashlight in her pocket!! Of course there was NO fire but it was a funny false alarm!! Another key moment was when Elder Brown (the red head who is the funniest person I know) did a shotgun caulking action and said "GO BACK TO BED ASHLEIGH" in his Lewis impersonation voice. (We were all telling stories about childhood Christmases and I mentioned Dad would always joke that he was going to shoot and eat Ruldolf. It was HYSTERICAL ... we've been laughing for a week!! Everyone loves the moose jerky and thinks it's a riot !!

Of course I'm very excited to head out to the mission field tomorrow. I feel completely overwhelmed but excited regardless ... I dont' know what I'm going to do if I get a native Spanish speaking companion ... but I'm excited to "test out my stuff". :)

It's been just fabulous at the MTC !! More than anything else I think I've learned planning, love, and personalizing (and might I add patience:) I am shocked to report I've had a wonderful time at the MTC. I've meet people from all over and going all over literally!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !!