Monday, May 18, 2015

We are a team!!

I need to apologize again because I am sending another short email. I have been spending a lot of time emailing President Van Cott. He is so awesome! He is really helping me. I can do this!

On Saturday we went on exchanges. Sister Peterson and Sister Rivera are my STL's. I know for a fact that being an STL last transfer was completely inspired. I already kind of knew Sister Rivera because she was Sis Mags companion before me and I met her a few times, but going to MLC I got to see how the STL's are trained. I got to know these two sisters so I knew I could trust them. I personally prayed to know how I could help the Sisters I was over. I know how exchanges work from the other end so I knew exchanges was going to be a GOOD THING and that it was really going to help me.

Side note, I met Sister Peterson before the mission! Her cousin lived down the hall at Snow from me and she came and visited so I met her! Cool right? Both of these sisters are awesome. We are doing exchanges again so I will have to get a picture to you all.

Anyway, I went with Sister Peterson and Sister Rivera came here with Sister Hamblin. They saw two people that we are working with. Sister Rivera said that they were both upset when they saw her because they thought I left. People here love me! Yay! I'm doing something right!

I have learned a lot about agency this transfer. It's our choice to feel sad or happy. I just decided to lean on the Lord when I start to feel down. I am choosing to be happy.  

I have also realized that I am not alone. I have a great team. I have a ton of missionaries here that I can talk to and rely on. And I have a rockin team back home! Thank you all so much for all of your support and love! You are helping these people here too because you are helping me!

President Richie's letters are awesome. I read one a day. I am trying really hard to be a ZION missionary. And I am really proud of you guys. Reading your scriptures is SO IMPORTANT. Keep doing it everyday! It just makes you feel so much better :)

I love all of you! So much!

Love, 
Ashlee


Sister Stalder is in my zone now and we wore the same skirt to zone meeting. I just really love her :)



This week for service we built this little girl's doll house. Don't worry this picture was just taken at a really awkward angle and I'm like bending over so I look super fat. It's fine.
Here's a picture of a really REALLY nice park in Fontana. Palm trees and Cali flag included ;)
This is my desk this transfer. Don't worry dad, I always remember every morning to tell them Hot Rod sent me

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Well. This. Is. Weird....

Alright before I begin I just want all of you to know that I have no idea where I am going with this and this is probably going to be a really short email because I don't have very much time left. 

Also. Yesterday was just weird. I absolutely LOVED seeing all of you, but it was weird. I feel really bad because I had a whole bunch of stuff that I wanted to talk to you about, but I just ended up crying and yeah. 

Above anything else I want you all to know that I am okay. Actually. I am more than okay. I'M SO GREAT! Being a missionary in Fontana is such an awesome adventure! I am really growing to love the members here. There are some really REALLY awesome people that I am working with. 

Juan is still awesome. Actually did I write this in my last email? Probably not. But guess what?! I invited Juan to be baptized! And he accepted! YAY! It was the greatest feeling EVER! He is going to be baptized on May 30th. But he doesn't live in this area...

Another problem with this area is that the members are great and they want to share the gospel, but all the people they want to share it with don't live here... All of the converts in this ward since December don't even live in the ward boundaries. 

Right now we are working with one of the neighbors of this AWESOME family, the McEwans. Wow they are just so great. We met her when we were walking to go see the McEwans and talked to her for a long time about the importance of family and motherhood. For mother's day we made caramel corn (mom it's so good you have to make it. 2 bags of sea salt popcorn. Heat up 1 cup karo syrup, 1 stick of butter, and 1 cup of brown sugar on the stove then mix it with the pop corn. YUM). We have been working really closely with the RS President who is also awesome. She gave us a whole list of people to try. Anyway. We added their neighbor to the mother's day list and she LOVED seeing us! She was going on and on about how nice we are and how glad she was that we were friends. I just have this feeling that I need to teach her the gospel. It's probably because I am a missionary.

Well there is still so much to say. But time is up. I took pictures of my journal entries the past week so I will send them to you so you have a better idea of what's going on.
I love all of you so much! Never forget that we have trials for a reason and Heavenly Father never gives us more than we can handle!

Love, 
Sister Shlee


This is the very top of our area. It was really cloudy this day, but it still looked pretty cool!

It took a couple of trys to get a selfie....

Here I am with Sister Stoddard's tortoise 



Here I am with Sister Stoddard and her tortoise

Here are Sister Stoddard's really cool pinball machines. I like Sister Stoddard!

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

May the Fourth Be With You

So much has happened! I'm so glad that I get 
to call home on Sunday and tell you about it 
because I only have 15 minutes and I don't 
think I will be able to get it all in! 

Okay so Tuesday was my last day in Banning. 
Something that was really cool was the last 
people I visited were the Belcher's. It was 
really weird because they were also the first 
people that we visited when I got to Banning.




The Dream Team.
I miss her. So. Much.


Of course I got a little teary eyed when I said 
goodbye to Sister Magleby at the transfer 
meeting. She is staying in Banning this 
transfer with Sister Bullen. After this transfer 
she will have been in Banning for 6 months! 


Do you remember my MTC companion Sister 

Stalder? Well I was her STL last transfer. Oh 
yeah I forgot to mention that I am not a STL 
this transfer. Anyway. Sister Stalder is also in 
Fontana. She is in my zone. I drove Sister 
Stalder and her companion Sister Landgren to their apartment. Poor Sister Stalder just can't get rid of me!


So we don't actually live in our area. We live 
in Rialto which is about 10 miles away from 
our area. We live with two hermanas- 
Jimenez and Wright. Hermana Jimenez is 
training Hermana Wright. Hermana Wright 
is going home the same time I am! They are both so cute! I love being their roomie :)


Okay I am pretty much out of time, but before I go I want to tell you about two miracles that happened this week. First, we got a new investigator the second day I got here. His name is Juan. The former Stake President (President Sears) is in our ward and he called us right after I got here and told us that his friend Juan wants to take the lessons. Juan is 32 years old AND HE IS AWESOME! He seriously has the most real intent and sincere desire out of anyone I have ever seen! We meet with him every other day. Last night he told me that he knew I was sent to Fontana to teach him. In his closing prayer he said that he was so grateful Sister Hamblin and I took time to meet with him and that it meant everything to him. WHY IS HEAVENLY FATHER JUST BLESSING ME SO MUCH I DON'T EVEN GET IT! I'm just this teen-aged girl trying to figure out who I am and what Heavenly Father wants me to do! And he's just like well Sister Olsen here is Juan! And Juan is golden!  I seriously just feel so humbled. Heavenly Father could totally come down and teach Juan. He doesn't even need me. But for some reason he is trusting me. Please just pray that I don't mess up.  I'm really worried that I will screw up the lessons. And really just all the lessons with everyone. I study and pray really hard everyday. Even though I'm killer nervous, I still have faith that Heavenly Father is going to help me and tell me what I need to say and do. All is well :)


Second miracle. We had met all of the 

neighbors of the kid in our ward that was 

getting baptized and invited all of them and 

had his mom invite all of them to hisbaptism. 

So basically all morning I was just praying 

that one of them would show up so we 

wouldn't have to awkwardly leave if they 

weren't there. And like 5 of their neighbors 

came. We got to sit with them and it was 

really cool.


We spend a lot of time walking.  I actually really like walking. We have had some awesome conversations with people on the street. And we have TWO TARGETS now! YAY!!!!! What a blessing!


Well it's time to sign off. I don't want you to 

worry about me. The first couple of days here 

were hard, but I have had a positive attitude. I have just tried really hard to love everyone and be really happy and talkative to everyone around me. My new companion Sister Hamblin is helping me a lot. I know I have TONS to learn from her. Even though I'm crazy stressed and did my fair share of crying last week when I left Banning, somehow I'm still happy. Heavenly Father is seriously blessing me so much with this incredible peaceful feeling. I know that I am here for a reason. This is where He needs me. You can bet your bottom dollar that I am going to do EVERYTHING in my power to get this ward PUMPED and get this area moving! I am SO EXCITED!

I love all of you! I'm SO EXCITED TO TALK 

TO YOU ON SUNDAY! I don't really know 

how that's happening...so stay by your 

phones :)

TALK TO YOU SOON!



Love, Ashlee

This is the dinosaur from Peewee's big adventure. He couldn't quite grasp the Book of Mormon...

Saying goodbye to Monique and her family.

Saying goodbye to Sister Lee. I just love this woman with all my heart!!

Here is our wall of quotes. You probably won't get any of them because they are mostly inside jokes...
And here are the Miller's.  I just love this family so much. You really do grow to love people when you serve with them.

This is my new companion Sister Hamblin. We have like 5 7-11's in our area so that's a blessing. I'm probably going to get slurpees like every other day.

And the moment you have all been waiting for! North Fontana.




Also. There is an entrance to I-15 in our area. So I'm pretty sure if I took this road I could get to gma's in like 10 hours.