Ashley Ltr: 2012-07-30

Date: July 30, 2012 9:35:46 AM MDT

Subject: Hey Y'all!

Helloooooo family!

So good hearing from you! I look forward to Monday every week to hear how things are going at home.

To answer your questions...

1. A typical day in the life of Sister Bedke is wake up at 6:27 and work out (Sister Walker is very much a morning person and as you all know I am not so mornings are still an adjustment), work out, shower, eat breakfast, then at 8 we do personal study, 9 companionship study, and 10 training, since I'm still a "golden" we get an extra hour in the morning for mission training. Then after that we either have lunch or an appt it just depends on the day, this last week was really slow teaching wise :( So we got in several tracting hours in the 100 degree weather! Oh my heck, I was so sweaty I seriously don't think I've ever sweat that much in my life I was literally soaked! Then we do phone calls, meet members, dinner appts. it just kinda depends on the day. Then we're usually back in our apt by 9 and go over to visit our neighbor John, who is a recent convert to the church he got baptized almost a year ago. I'm starting to think of him as kind of a third grandpa :) He keeps us updated on what's going on especially in the Olympics which is fun and then we read from the Book of Mormon with him. It's always a great way to end the day. Then around 9:30 we plan for the next day and write in our numbers for the day. Talk to our district leader, ward mission leader, and Roy every night, then I get ready for bed, write in my journal (I haven't missed a day since I left! I love writing each night I've found its very relaxing and helps get things off my chest. It's like I have to do it or I can't sleep haha you never thought you'd hear me of all people say that huh?) Then 10:30 it's lights out.

(2.) My apartment is very small. I've never been one to get claustrophobic but if I'm in there to long I start to really bad. But yah it's nice enough, it's right off the highway and if you weren't looking for it you'd drive right past. But I feel safe there and our neighbors are all nice. 

(3.) Laundry is actually going pretty well! I haven't dyed anything a different color yet! Thanks for the tip my poor clothes are so pit stained it sucks. BUT I learned from someone here that if you use a white bar of soap and scrub them out it should work! I tried it on one garment top but it took forever so I haven't done it since but its something you could maybe try.

(4.) John is explained above. He lives just 3 doors down. 

(5.) We do our e-mailing at the library about a mile or so from our apt, we only get about an hour on the computers.

(6.) Yah we eat with members pretty often, its great! We ate last night with the Youell's and the Mckenny's both older couples in the ward and they are awesome! And they sent us home with sooooo much food haha, Bro Youell was like you're to skinny! We need to fatten you up so you can be a real southern woman hahaha! I get that a lot from people in the ward. The southern cooking is pretty great but I have yet to eat some that's better than grandma Bedke's.

(7.) Yes we do have a car. Its a brand new grey 2012 Toyota Corolla. But... Right now it's in the shop because I think I've mentioned before Sister Walker is not a good driver, seriously I turn into Mom when I'm in the car with her I grab the side door handle bar and try very hard not to suck all the air out of the car, because a lot of the time she doesn't watch what she's doing! Anyway so yesterday when we went to go pick up the Elders for church we were backing out and she was not backing straight and just as I was telling her to watch the side she hits the car next to us. Denting the front of our car and leaving white paint marks... Luckily the other car wasn't damaged at all (definitely a tender mercy!). She just said, “Well I guess I'm going to lose my driving privileges now”, and that was it. So needless to say I'm now the designated driver haha which makes me feel a lot safer. But now we are without a car for at least 3 days. Which sucks because everything is so spread out here, I don't know what we're going to do. We already had to walk a couple miles back from the mechanics... The joys of being a missionary haha.

(8.) The only service we've gotten to do so far is we are now the official bingo callers at the nursing home! It was so much fun! I loved every minute of it and it reminded me of playing with grandpa :). So every Wednesday we go hang out with the old folks. Oh and we also helped this lady in the ward clean her house oh. my heck. it was the most disgusting house in the world. I wanted to throw up. Just thinking about it grosses me out.

(9.) We haven't had to go to Knoxville yet but when we do I think members usually drive us up.

This week has been better homesickness wise yesterday I was fine all day, which I was so incredibly grateful for. Heavenly Father is watching out for me and knew I really couldn't handle another Sunday like the last one. Last night we had a baptism! Her name is Gloria and the Elders taught her but it was so cool to be able to go and experience that, I think that was my first convert baptism I've ever been to. I'm so excited for when our investigators get baptized, it'll make everything so worth it! 

Like I said this week has been pretty slow... We had several appts bonk us which is always discouraging and frustrating. I just wish people would tell us up front they aren't interested or just call us and let us know instead of us driving clear out there. But Christy and Joshua both are progressing steadily, it's exciting to watch.

Yesterday Pres Irion came down and spoke to the ward and he mentioned that Dad served here 30 years ago, several people came up to me afterward asking about you dad. It was so cool! Do you remember the Satterfields, Beasley's, Turners, or Denmans? Bro Beasley wanted your number so I gave it to him so if you here from him let me know. Sister Cox from the ward (her maiden name is Satterfield) but her family were some of the first members in Dalton and church was held in their home. So she was talking to me and wants you to send a picture of you when you were on your mission as well as any pictures you may have taken while out here. She's putting together a book and so she'll have your picture and mine in the history of the Dalton ward book right next to each other! How awesome is that!? So anything you remember please let me know.

Well I better wrap up here. Thank you so much again for the letters I love them! And tell Amber her reply is coming soon. Oh one more thing can I get Emily's mission address please as well as Grandma Bedke's and grandma and grandpa Kinghorns addresses I'd really appreciate it. I love and miss you all! xoxoxo

Love,

Sister Bedke

Ashley Ltr: 2012-07-23

July 23, 2012  8:43 AM

Helloooooo family!

Thank you so much for the letters mom and dad, they seriously mean so much to me. Dad, yah, you can try the video e-mail at least once and we'll see how I do or if it'll even work here, the internet is very slow but I'd like to try it out.

This week I'm finally starting to kinda get into the swing of things, getting to know more members, we visited a lot of them this week which was fun! The members here seriously are so strong and most of them have missionary work engrained in their hearts which is great and help us out so much. We're still working with Roy, right now he's looking for a place to live and not having much success but he keeps telling us that he knows God is watching out for him and it'll work itself out.

Christy has a baptism date, Aug 11!! Her husband Jimmy hasn't been around again since we were there last but she is loving it. We brought an older couple, the Mckinney's from the ward with us, when I say older I mean like in their 90's, but they are both still going strong and driving. They have served 3 full time missions and Bro. Mckinney bore a beautiful testimony about the Plan of Salvation, when we invited her to be baptized she accepted immediately, seriously there was no hesitation at all, it was great. Now if we could just get her family to listen so she'll have a support system...

We have another baptism date for a guy named Joshua for Aug 4. He just loves the gospel and has accepted everything so far whole heartedly, and talk about humble living wow... He lives clear out in the boonies in a trailer that really isn't very fit to live in.

Being out here has made me realize how incredibly blessed I am, I've never had to worry about where my next meal will come from, not having clothes to where, and having such an amazing support system behind me, I know I couldn't do this without you all praying for me at home.

We've run into a lot of interesting people this week, one lady was absolutely convinced that Joseph Smith is a con artist and there is no God at all. It took all I had not to be like "Are you kidding me? Look around you for heavens sake!" She basically called us liars and that there was something wrong with the way we think and believe. At first that hurt but after I got to thinking about it, it just reaffirmed my testimony that I know that what I'm telling these people is true and really nothing she could have said to me would have changed my mind.

Most everyone here is Baptist and very much set in their ways, for the most part they are nice to us and just tell us they're not interested but some people get offended that we'd have the nerve to share the gospel with them. I still struggle with tracting.  I get so nervous at every single door and still haven't found a good way to do the door approach. I'm usually fine when we're teaching, but it's the whole door approach that makes me so nervous! Any suggestions? Dad how did you do door approaches?

Last pday we went and played frisbee golf as a district which was fun, but it was so stinkin hot this week some days have been in the 100's and I feel like I haven't gotten a deep breath of air outside since I left Utah. Most people have said you don't get used to it either haha oh well I guess.

Exchanges in Chattanooga were cool! I think I told you about one of our Sister missionaries, Sister Preston, who’s stake president I met on the plane flying out here who is from Rexburg. Her dad teaches at Sugar. Well she was my companion! She's great and it was fun having a change of pace. They are a lot busier than we are out here because they are in the city, I wish we were busier sometimes it feels like time just drags. And while there I experienced my first southern thunder storm! It was insane. The thunder literally shook the apt and the lightening lit the entire room it was kinda scary but cool.

Last night we went around and met all of our neighbors at our apt complex which was fun, our next door neighbor is very eccentric haha it was an interesting conversation but we talked to her for awhile. And we still meet with John every night, I kinda feel like he's a grandpa to me and I love ending our nights talking to him.

Sister Walker and I get along just fine, she is very gospel oriented which is good for me because I tend to just want to get to know people and she's able to direct it back to the gospel which is why we're here. Today we're going to go hike Fort Mountain (Sister Walker loves to hike... and you know me and hiking!) but we're doing it.

I got really homesick again last night, I don't know what it is about after church, but so far every Sunday has been really hard for me.  I really wanted to call you just to hear your voices and seriously considered doing it, but I stayed strong and turned to my Heavenly Father, he is definitely watching out for me and helped me remember why I'm here, sometimes it just feels like I'll never be home... But then I remembered the saying from Brielle, "A missionary is someone who leaves their families for a short time so others can be with theirs for eternity." That helped me put things back into perspective and I was able to make it through the night.

Keep the prayers coming I need them, but most of the time I do just fine and I'm able to stay focused. Sorry this e-mail is kinda all over the place. But I gotta get going. Thanks again for the letters and prayers. Tell everyone hi for me. I still haven't figured out pictures because the computers here don't have memory card readers and I don't have a plug in cord. I'll have to print some off soon. I love and miss you all so much!! xoxoxo

Love,

Sister Bedke :)

p.s. Remember to send CD's please! We only have a couple and they are getting really old... :)

p.s.s. I still haven't heard from Madi!! :(

p.s.s.s. I can't believe Bekah is married... Crazy!  Molly was actually my Relief Society president last semester but that's awesome!! If you wanted to forward that to me that would be great. And congrats to Val!!! I'm so happy for her! (I'd like one for her to.)

Photos: Airport/Mission Home & Office Arrival

Knoxville Airport Arrival

Luggage Gathered

At Mission Office

Dinner Time

Devotional Time

Trainer Sister Mary Walker from Santaquin UT

President & Sister Irion with Ashley

Orientation & Assignment Day

Ashley Assigned to Chatsworth GA (same area as her Dad's 1st Mission Area)

Ashley Ltr: 2012-07-16

July 16, 2012 12:30 PM

Hey family!!

Oh man it was so good getting your letter, I've been a little homesick okay a lot a bit homesick these past couple of days and that letter really helped me out. So thank you thank you and please keep them coming! Don't forget about hand written letters too! It sounds like everything is going great at home! I'm praying for you Dad as you are spending a lot of time at the bishop’s office... Dad I have so much more love and respect for you being the bishop, I never really realized how much a bishop does for the ward and how much responsibility you carry. Bishop's are seriously amazing and truly do receive revelation for the ward.

I can totally relate with the heat holy smokes you don't know heat until you have 90's and humidity on top of it, I sweat like a big fat man! But dad I'm in the Dalton ward!! Chatsworth is just like 14 miles outside of Dalton. So who all do you remember? Where did you live? Tell me everything! What did your mission president say to you again as you were leaving?

Chatsworth is great! I'm literally in the middle of nowhere though, our apartment is right off the highway like you'd never see it if you weren't looking for it. And man oh man am I in the boonies haha we're talking everything you've seen in those e-mails about fat, sweaty, shirtless, smoking, trailer living people that's where I'm at. Sooooo different from Utah, well the west period. There are no sidewalks, there are homes right next to businesses, it's like there's no town really everything is just all mixed in together. No two houses look the same, if you can even call some of them houses, a lot of people live in trailers, and are very poor. And the streets here are crazy! They are so windy, if we didn't have a gps we'd be lost forever... seriously. And the bugs!! There is one bug here I don't know what it's called yet but it is really loud, it's like a creepy loud chirping noise. Anyway it'll just take some getting used too.

My companions name is Sister Mary Walker, she's from Santaquin, UT and heads home in November I think. She's a cute girl, really quiet, kinda shy, but she's not afraid to let people know what she believes which has been good for me to watch.

Tracting out here in the South is hard. Everything is so spread out and once we get there most everyone says that they are baptist and are happy where they're at. It gets really discouraging going door after door with no success. But then I see all the new members in the ward and have to remind myself that it is possible they are out there, we just have to look really hard for them. The members here though are great to help out though and they love to come teaching and tracting with us which I love! I've gotten to know so many amazing people, the ward is awesome and so loving and inviting, I was hugged so much yesterday at church. :)

Being out here has really gotten the whole every member a missionary concept in my head, seriously without the members the work would come to a standstill. So don't forget that! Even in Utah there are people who need to hear the gospel and need to be fellowshipped. Go on splits with the missionaries, invite them over for FHE and for dinner, it seriously means so much.

Right now we're teaching a guy named Roy who has already had most of the lessons and wants to be baptized but he is on probation until 2016 so he can't be until then and he is having a hard time quitting smoking. But he is a really good guy who is honestly trying to do the right thing, he calls us every night just to check up on us and read us something he's learned in the Book of Mormon.

We're also teaching a couple named Kristy and Jimmy, they are great too. Kristy wants to come to church really bad but won't come without Jimmy and he still isn't sure on everything. But when we taught him on Saturday I guess that was the first time he's actually sat in on a lesson, which is good! And he was really listening, I really hope they start coming to church and let us keep coming. Keep them in your prayers please.

We go on splits a lot with a recent convert named Keyaundra, she is amazing! She's a 28 year old black lady who was baptized almost a year ago, she absolutely loves going out with the missionaries and is preparing to go on a mission herself as soon as she loses a few pounds, but she is great and has the light of Christ shining in her eyes so strong.

Today is pday so in a little bit we're going to head down to Dalton to hang out with the Elders, then we have dinner and FHE with the Black family in the ward. Tomorrow around 4 Sister Walker has to go to a leadership conference so I get to head up to Chatanooga for the next couple of days and teach there, which will be fun!

I'll try and figure out how to send pictures soon but I'm running out of time today. Like I said keep the letters coming, pictures too if you can! Thanks for all the prayers they help me out a lot. I love and miss you all!! xoxoxo

Love,

Sister Bedke

p.s. If ya'll wanted to send me some burned cd's with church music on them, it would be greatly appreciated! Piano music, mo tab anything!

p.s.s. I just realized I didn't say anything about Pres and Sis Irion! Holy cow they are amazing!! I love them so much already. When we got off the plane she was there waving and shouting "You're here! You're finally here!" at first none of us knew who she was because she has gray hair now instead of blonde so we're all like uhh.. who is this lady. haha! But then we saw the tag, she came and gave me a HUGE hug and made me feel so welcomed and loved. And Pres Irion is the same way, they are such a great couple and I hope I get to work with them more. That night at the mission home was really hard for me I got so homesick and just cried and cried. So Sis Holsclaw and I went up to ask for blessings. It was so nice to be able to ask for one even thought I'd just met them a few hours before. It was a great blessing of peace and comfort and made me feel so much better. Don't worry about me. I still get homesick from time to time but I'm doing okay. :)

Ashley Ltr: 2012-07-10

July 10, 2012

Hey Family!

I made it to Knoxville safe and sound! My mission president and his sweet wife are the best! When we were getting off the plane, she was running toward us waving and smiling then gave me a huge hug. It made me feel so good and loved, which is just what I needed right then. And Pres. Irion was so warm and loving as well. You pronounce it Erion like Lake Erie. Anyway, they are amazing and I’m excited to get the opportunity to work with them.

Holy cow Tennessee is beautiful! So green and humid – oh my heck, my hair is like a big frizball – haha! Our mission office is like an old log cabin here in Farragut – it’s so cute! And the mission home is big and beautiful, and it really is a home – haha! I guess I didn’t really know what I was expecting, nothing like this though. It’s right in a neighborhood, not set out somewhere by itself. Tomorrow we get to meet our trainers and learn where we’ll be serving. I guess there are about 100 of us in Knoxville, about 20 of those being sisters. It’ll be interesting to see what tomorrow brings. Please keep me and my future companion in your prayers that we’ll be able to get along and work hard together.

My new p-day will be on Monday so I’ll be able to write more then about what’s going on. I’m excited to finally be here and I’m anxious to get to work. We have a mission goal of each companionship having one baptism each month. I’m going to take that challenge to heart and work hard to achieve it.

Well, I’m going to close and get to bed – I’m exhausted. It was so good talking to you! I love and miss you all! Xoxo

Love, Sister Bedke

Ashley Ltr: 2012-07-09

Hey family!!

How's it going?! We had a little free time this morning so I decided to send you a quick e-mail. Today will be the last time I get DearElder's so don't send them here anymore because they don't forward them to us after we leave. Can you believe I leave tomorrow?! I can't wait to talk to you all!! I'm wondering what that conference call e-mail is from dad though? I don't get it... Will you be conferencing in from work? Anyway, so much has happened these past few days and I'm excited to tell you all about it, and trust me it'll be better over the phone so I won't write much. All of our district except for Sister Holsclaw and I left this morning so it's just the two of us... :( That was hard saying goodbye last night, I bawled like a baby. We had an awesome testimony meeting and took lots of pictures and we also sang hymns last night in the quad it started out with our district and then a whole bunch of other missionaries joined in, it was really cool, those will be memories I'll treasure forever. Those Elders and Sisters were really like my family these past few weeks and they are some of the best people I know. We have to leave really early tomorrow morning, 4:00 a.m from the MTC so I'll probably call around 6:00 or so. Won't that be the best wake up call!? :) I love you all and can't wait to talk to you in less than 24 hours WOOHOOOO!!!! xoxoxo

Love,

Sister Bedke

Ashley Ltr: 2012-07-05

July 5, 2012


Hey family!!

Thank you again for all the letters! They seriously are the highlight of my week and it's a great way to break up the day from studying non stop. Holy cow I can't believe how generous people have been! I'm so incredibly blessed to have such AMAZING friends and family! Thanks for giving me addresses. So what's going on at home? Did you get my letter for grandma and that has my flight info? I've heard from everyone except for Brooke and Madi... What's up with that?! Life here at the MTC is fantastic! Seriously I'm learning and growing SO much. This is the hardest, scariest, most intimidating thing I've ever done but I know that it's going to change my life for the better. We've learned a lot about different ways to teach and how important it is to be bold when teaching, that's been kinda hard for me at first but I'm getting better and commiting people to things isn't as scary as it used to be. But everyone learns and understands thing so differently and its so important that we teach with the spirit so we know how best to teach them. How teaching works here is our teachers role play someone that they taught on their missions and we teach them, each other, and we also teach volunteers, most of which I think are members but I think some of them aren't. Sister Holsclaw and I have had some neat experiences teaching and some not so great, everyday is so different and when I think I'm finally getting the hang of teaching, I start to think I can do it I forget to teach with the spirit and things just go down hill. But I'm getting better at relying on the spirit, its exhausting though, I honestly don't know how the apostles and prophet recieve revelation all the time! By the time the day is over I'm so exhausted physically, emotionally, and spiritually, it's a good kind of exhausted though. :)

I can't believe I leave in 5 days! It's gone by so fast, but I'm excited to get out to Tennessee. I'm going to miss my district though, they are seriously some of the best people I've ever met and I probably won't see any of them ever again, which sucks. We have so much fun and have all grown to be really good friends. This morning we had to move floors so the new sisters could have ours, they are making our building an all sisters building when it was Elders and sisters before (there are going to be 2900 missionaries here this summer! Normally there is only like 2200 and there's going to be over 500 Sisters!). Anyway so we're moving up to the fourth floor, where the Elders just moved out of, and thank heaven this wasn't in our room but the room next door the sisters found snot smeared all over the walls!! Like bloody, slimy, nasty globs of snot!! WHO THE HECK DOES THAT?!?! Oh my gosh... boys are gross. Yesterday for the 4th we had a fireside about America and our religious freedoms, but it was kinda cool cuz they tied it in with other countries too. Afterwards they gave us ice cream and we got to watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks, well kinda... It was hard to see cuz that side of campus is covered in trees. One Elder described being here as like being in spirit prison (in a good way!) but I thought that was totally true. Aaannnddd we got to stay up past our bedtime haha! It was weird to think that this time last year I was in Provo for the Stadium of Fire and a year later I'd be here again but for a completely different reason. Who knew? What's the news with the fires? I heard there was one in Ogden canyon? Is uncle Matt's family back in their home now? Well I gotta sign off my time is about up. Keep the letters coming! I don't know exactly how Dear Elder works in the field or if it does at all... I love and miss you all!! xoxoxo

Love,

Sister Bedke :)