Pday is on Wed beacuse we leave on Monday. I cant believe it is Feb 1! I entered the CCM Dec 27th. I am going to miss all of my teachers and the amazing people I met however I cant wait to get to Chile. We recieved travel instructions last night. There are 11 missionaries going to the Chile missions. I was called out of bed last night around 1015 (missionaries go to bed at 930 now woot woot!) and told me to report to the main office with my companion. So we got dressed and went. I was sure I was getting reassigned or something was wrong but all it was is that I am they wanted me to know they assignmed me to be the travel leader for the missionaries flying to Chile and they gave me a packet with instructions haha. I dont really know how this whole Chile thing is going to work because we dont even have a visa yet. We are entering as tourists and will get one after living in Chile for a couple of months so there is a list of specific phrases we need to say in customs.... it will be great though! 

I have probably one of the worst (is that even a word) coughs I have ever had. It started last week. We are all sick! Literally everyone in the CCM has had one sickness while here. We all live on ibruprophen. Well kind of. Haha

Well this week has been really cool because it is Espanol todo el tiempo! (Spanish all the time!)

We have been learning so much! Mostly about the principle We invite, they commit, we follow up. 

It is so great! I have be learning about the importance of the investigator being the one to commit. It is through those commitments they can repent and actually come unto Christ.

Repentance is incredible and I dont think I have started to understand it until this week. Repentance is a miracle! It is literally reconciling ourselves with God through the merciful Atonement of Jesus Christ. Those used to just sound like words but it is real. God loves us so much. So much. Enough that He gives us Justice and Mercy. We need justice but we could not ever live with God with out mercy. Well as investigators commit to attending church, keeping the law of chastity, word of wisdom, baptism and others then actually live them, it changes their lives. They are literally getting on the correct path to be able to live with God. 

We need to commit as well. We can commit to the commandments and to our covenants every week through the sacrament. 

This Sunday Hermana Bartona and I taught Relief Society the topic was Sabbath Day observance. 

Okay so this is a pretty stressed topic right now. General authorities have been ephasizing the need for keeping the sabbath day holy and preparing for the sacrament. I think this is like the Proclamation to the family. When It came out people thought it was a nice document about family life however 16 years later major things have started to press on families making the importance of a strong family even more important. 

I have a testimony that we have a prophet on the earth today that leads this church with revelation he recieves directly from our Father in Heaven. He knows what trials we face and WILL face in the future. As we heed to his counsel we will be protected and better prepared for the future. 

This week we taught in TRC to members here in Mexico. Hermana Barton and I prepared a message about the Book of Mormon. We decided we would share the last 2 paragraphs of the introduction to the Book of Mormon and then Alma 5- Can ye feel so now. 

However we prayed before hand that we would be open to feeling the promptings of the spirit and promised we would act on what the spirit directed us todo . We taught a couple different people and it was amazing to see how as we allowed the spirit to guide the lesson we prepared was able to fit personally for the individual we taught. Usually TRC is so scary because they only speak spanish and a tiny bit of English but I know that I recieved help in speaking with people in spanish. 

I made a goal these past couple of weeks to Open my mouth. Seems obvious but sometimes I get nervouse to speak because what if I make mistakes or dont know the word?  I pray for help with the language every day but well the Lord cant help me with my spanish if I dont open my mouth. As I have done this I have seen a difference. I make mistakes ALL the time but that is okay because its getting a little better every day. 

I am going to write my testimony in Spanish.. Ryan and other spanish speakers haha dont judge ahah. Also I dont know how to add accents 

Yo quiero que pueda compartir mi testimonio con ustedes. Yo se que con todo mi corazon que el Evangelio is restaurado en la tierra hoy. Yo se que Jesucristo murio por nuesto pecados y mediante el Expiacion de Jesucristo pudemos volver con Dios. Yo se que tenemos un profeta Thomas S Monson. Yo se que El Libro de Mormon es la palabra de Dios y pudemos saber la verdad cuando leimos y oramas con un corazon sincero. Yo digo estas cosas en el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen

I love you all! Thank you for your examples in the way you live your lives. Dont be afraid to open your mouth and share the message of the gospel. It can change your lives just like it will others. 

Have an amazing week! Next time I write I will be at the bottom of the world!

Love Hermana Ashlyn Egbert