Make your own Countdown Clocks

Sunday, January 31, 2010

January 31, 2010

Dear Mom,
Hey you were sick it is way okay. I got really sick like a couple weeks ago or last week. i probably told you about it. Anyway, I cant believe that is already set up**.
Crud this stuff is going fast. I really only have like 2 weeks left. I am freaking out. Like don't get me wrong I am way excited to come home but I am really scared at the same time. I just thought this whole thing would last longer. Sometimes I wish it would.
So those two baptisms are still set up for tomorrow. I am way excited too. Man on my birthday. What better present can you ask for. I am just so excited right now. And we have an investigator from this area coming too to see it. Hopefully he will be baptized too soon.
Man I really cant believe this is all coming to a close. I cant believe it. I am scared to get on with a new life. This one has been so great. Freaking hard at times yes, but just so great. But, I have learned a lot. About myself and about the gospel and what I really need to do to help others and make sure I am doing what I need to do. I love this work.
I love you mom, and cant wait to see you again. I miss you. Talk to you later.
Love,
Elder Lane Ashmore

**about his mission release with the Stake President after he comes home!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

January 24, 2010

Dear Dad,
What?! It is only 24 days left. Man I can`t believe that. I thought it was still like 30. Time is just moving so fast. I really can`t believe it. I am really excited to be home soon. And I cant wait to go camping. I have missed that so much. **So I get to talk then huh. That is way sweet. I hope I will be able to remember English when I talk. It may be a little problem. I have only given talks in Japanese for the past two years so it is a little weird to talk in English. I think. ***Hey personally I think you shouldn't practice at all, because like I haven't been able to practice for the last two years. I mean that would just make things a little bit fairer.
****Oh man they got sick that is way weird. The other day I thought I just caught a little cold. Like in the morning my nose was stuffed and stuff, but then like an hour later I was laying in bed with a big fever and just shaking so much. I thought I was going to die, but my companion gave me a blessing and it was gone that day, so I am doing good now. Hopefully everyone back home will get better soon.
So news way cool news. So in my old area there are a couple of people that are going to be baptized right. One is a lady about the same age as mom, she is way cool and she told me she wanted me to baptize her. Then like a couple of days ago the other lady called me and she was like, "hey I have some news I want to be baptized and I want you to do it" I was so excited and I asked her what day she was going to be baptized and she said FEBRUARY 2ND. Crazy huh, they are actually both going to be baptized that day. So I get to baptize two people that day. On my birthday. Man what better present can you get on your birthday. I am way excited. I was the first missionary for both of them. My comp and I started teaching them both in that area. Way cool story on how we met them. Tell you when I get home, it is a little long. I am just way excited for that.
Man time is moving fast but we are seeing so much great things happen here. I am way excited to be here sometimes way sad thinking I have to leave soon, but I have seen great things happen here. I am excited to go home don't get me wrong but it will be hard. I am trying hard to focus. Make sure I am doing what I need to. Well, that is all for this week. I cant wait to see you too dad. soon. really soon. Love you. Talk to you later.
Elder Lane Ashmore

**on learning he has to speak the first sunday he is back...three days later!!
***His dad challenging him to bowling on the Wii
****his mom and sister getting so sick they couldn't write that week!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

January 10, 2010

Be grateful you are in an American primary. Trust me the ones here are like 10 times worse. I mean these kids are wild as can be. I am way surprised sometimes the things that they do. It scares me sometimes thinking, what if I am a primary teacher someday. Freaky thought. Anyway, things here are doing good. I am back in my bean area and loving it. Got in touch with some old friends that were investigating before and stopped, but now are again. They are really promising, and way excited to see me. I was the first missionary to start teaching them. It was way cool. And their kids love me. She said I was the only one that the kids really were not shy with and remembered the most. That is pretty cool. I really love this family. I really hope they will be baptized while I am here. Man I am so excited to be back here. To see a lot of things happen. It is just crazy that this is my last transfer. I got a thing in the mail listing all my companions and my areas and it said "dear returning missionary" I was like AAAHHH!!! I can't believe this is it. Time has just moved too fast. I am suppose to get my itinerary, I have no idea how to spell that, anyway that thing that tells me my flight plans and when I am suppose to be there and stuff. It is going to be really hard when I get those. But, I will do my best to focus and work hard to the end. Well, I love you mom and I will try to get some pictures to you. I just need to chose some. I have taken a few since I last sent some which was like a year ago so I have taken a ton since then so I will try to get some to you soon. I love you and miss you. Talk to you later.
Elder Lane Ashmore

Sunday, October 4, 2009

September 2009

Kyoto Zone Conference
Check out the guy that looks like he's got a beard!!!

September 2009

Elder Ashmore and Sister McIntyre during interviews!!!

Monday, August 17, 2009

The gateway to sightseeing on Lake Biwa, this fountain (having a length of 440 meters) is one of the longest fountains in the world. At night its shape and color changes regularly as it is controlled by a computer. White, orange, and green lights show the splay of the water beautifully.

Otsu Citizens Oath


As Otsu citizens;
We will love our native land and cherish the beauty of Lake Biwa.
We will treasure our abundant cultural properties.
We will develop suitable customs for the times.
We will lead healthy and happy lives.
We will welcome travelers with warm hearts.

Aug 25, 2008

Dear Mom,
Well, first thing first I did transfer. I am in an area called Otsu. It is right by the biggest lake in Japan. And when I say big I mean huge. Well, I am in japan anything big looks huge. I am here with elder Shinozaki. Another Japanese companion. Oh and he speaks English too. But, I am trying to get the Japanese practice in as well. We are doing awesome. He is way cool. He is actually really new. This is only his 2nd transfer. But things are going awesome. The second day here we found two new investigators. That was way cool. Both are way cool guys. The ward here is way sweet, they just have, what we call dendo fire, which means they really want to work hard with the missionaries. I am really excited to work here right now. I feel like things are going to be really awesome here. Right now I am doing the District leader thing. It has been really fun, but I feel so old. The district is a bunch of young guys. I feel so old. Man this is really weird how time is just moving so fast. It is a scary thought sometimes.What I really like about chapter 6 (preach my gospel), and if I am correct, sorry I am not carrying my PMG with me, but if I am correct that is the Christlike Attributes section. And what I like about it is at the end there is that test you can take to kind of rate yourself and see areas that you need to improve and then you can focus on those areas. Really study those things you need work on. It has really helped me a lot. I am really grateful I have been raised in the church too. Yet, I am not perfect. I have made some mistakes, some really stupid mistakes. Like I...we strive to become perfect, but what Elder Stevenson said when he was here, "you are not perfect." We will make mistakes throughout our lives, but from those mistakes we learn, and become better. I have had "I wish I had..." moments, but that is in the past. What we should do is look learn and look to the future. Make things better for our future, cause the past is already done. I am truly grateful for this gospel. For the things it teaches me, and how from all I learn in the scriptures from living prophet`s words today, I can learn how to be a better person. That through Christ i can be clean from my sins, from my mistakes. This is really a truly amazing gospel. And I get to share it with the Japanese people. In Japanese. I still think that is weird sometimes, that I am speaking Japanese. So things are going great right now and will get even greater. I love you mom, and miss you so much. Talk to you later. Love Your son,
Elder Lane Ashmore

Monday, June 15, 2009

A Letter We Received From Elder Stevenson

Click on it to make it larger...unless you have really good eyes!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

June 14, 2008

Dear Mom,
Man the weeks are just moving by so fast. I really cant believe that this week is already gone. I am still in Takatsuki with my comp. We are working hard each day trying to find those that are ready to hear this amazing message. Man it seems that everyone from Washington wants to move down to Arizona. That is crazy. Well, what can I tell you about this week. Not much has changed since the past week. We have been working hard and we have found some really awesome people to talk to. A couple of them came to church yesterday, it was way cool. We had a lesson and at the end of the lesson one of them prayed. It was way sweet. This work is hard sometimes. There are the days that I feel like I am working so hard and nothing is going on at all, and I just think, "Am I doing something wrong", I know it is at those times that I think about my weaknesses, I pray that I may become strong. Then the next thing you know we meet a really cool guy. Everyday I pray to become stronger. And a better person. I am trying to serve. We do the little things like pick things up for people and pick up fallen over bikes, those little things I think are really good. It is actually really difficult because the culture is that they really don't believe in receiving help, they think if they cant do it on their own they are good for nothing. but, we still try and help any way we can. I really have grown to love these people.Well, I really don't know what else to write about. OH WAIT!! You wont believe what happened, I made no bake cookies the other day, and I got it. I finally got it right. and they were good. That is all about that. So that is really what is going on right now. I love you and miss you so much. I will talk to you later and see you much later. LOVE YOU!!!

Love,
Elder Lane Ashmore