The Power of Pure Testimony

We've all heard the phrase "every member a missionary", right? We've all heard that and perhaps felt a small pang of guilt for maybe not sharing it as much as you could...I think we all go through that. I still remember the moment on my mission when I read Mosiah 18:8-9 and realized that it's...well, let's read it and see what it says. The prophet's words are way better than mine. So in this chapter, Alma is preaching to his brave followers. They had to listen in secret in a place called Mormon, a small grove of trees with a fountain of water. In this part, Alma is teaching of them of the pre-requisites  and requirements to be baptized-

 8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

 9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

Through the beautiful restoration of the gospel, we are put under these same requirements through our baptism. So let's think about that for a sec; when we are baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we promised to BE WITNESSES OF GOD, even unto death. I mean, that's kind of intense! I didn't know that when I was baptized at age 8. Or ya know, maybe that's not the best way to put it. This is one thing that I love about the church...we are all taught at the pace we need when we need it. Perhaps at age eight, I heard stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death more like play nice with the other kids or if the Savior stood beside you, would you do the things you do?

Sorry, I went off on a tangent.

Let's think a little more about that...witnesses of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places. That means standing up for what's right and for what you believe in, even when you stand alone. President Monson has said "May we have the COURAGE to stand for what we believe." I like that extra word in there...courage. In spanish, the word for courage is valentia. When I look at that, I think of the word valiant. Valentia also means bold, which you all know, is MY word.

So let's look at it...we promised to be bold :) we promised to be bold and to share the gospel and to stand up for what we know is right and true and good. I know that God is our Heavenly Father and has sent his spirit to every one of us at one point or another, because He WANTS us to feel loved. He WANTS us to feel His existence and His presence. One of my favorite things to teach as a missionary was the role of the Holy Ghost in our own personal conversion. What we found was that many times, people have felt this beautiful, testifying spirit, but they simply didn't recognize what- or who- it was. Let's go to Galatians for just a sec.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Have you ever felt love? Love for someone as you listen to them tell you of their cares and their worries? Joy? Joy at seeing your good deed put a smile on someone's face? Peace? Peace in knowing that you stood up for what's right, even if they jeered with scorn? We have big, memorable moments of feeling the spirit, of course. When we get baptized,  maybe at EFY or some other church youth program, maybe even in the midst of a trial and we get a pang of love from our Heavenly Father...we all have those unforgettable spiritual moments. But sometimes we look over without acknowledging the small moments of simple, love, joy, peace and so on. And those are the moments that sustain us in the fulfillment of our baptismal covenants! Because those are the moments that strengthen our testimonies and drive us to share it with others.

Alma 4:19-20:

 19 And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them.

 20 And thus in the commencement of the ninth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, Alma delivered up the judgment-seat to Nephihah, and confined himself wholly to the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to the testimony of the word, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy.

In this scripture, Alma the younger is preaching to a wayward people. A people that he loves very much. It says that he was trying to "stir them up in remembrance of their duty" by "bearing pure testimony." I know that our pure testimonies, when born with a Christ-like love, have power to "stir" people up in remembrance: remembrance of the love of God for them, to stir them up in the remembrance of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

All we have to do is open our mouths! All we have to do is express our love for others and for the gospel, and God will do the rest. He will send His spirit. I just know it. I love this gospel and I love seeing how it changes people. It is a beautiful transformation. And we have the responsibility and blessing to share our testimonies of it's beautiful, transforming power.

End of my Adventure...and the Start of a New One

Well everyone...although it seems unbelievable...I AM HOME! One of the very first things that my parents told me that I must do once I get home and settled in is that I must post on the blog, because there are a few people that want to know how it all went. So here we go! I am going to talk about my return home and what has been going on this first week of being home.
I will start with what happened the evening before I left my Chile; we do something very special for the missionaries going home in my mission; we have the opportunity to invite our Chilean family, all those that we have met and come into contact with during our time serving, and they all come to the chapel where the mission office is and we have a little testimony meeting and we have just the whole evening to visit with one another, to share memories and experiences and to really bask in all of the love that comes with serving a mission. Truly Wonderful.
The next day, we had the changes conference with the whole mission where we shared our testimonies and were able to say good bye to all the missionaries. That afternoon at 5:30, we were at the airport checking in our bags.
Now I will be honest...during the good byes, with my Chilean family and my other missionary friends, I didn't cry. And I thought to myself..."Goodness, what's wrong with me? Shouldn't I be crying? Shouldn't I be a little emotional, at least a little?" I have never been much of a crier... but I was expecting at least something. I mean, I just gave 18 months of my life to this beautiful country, to these amazing people, all to serve the Lord and help others feel loved and know that God has a plan... how is it that I am not crying? I dunno, it honestly made me feel a little BAD. Like, I SHOULD be crying right now! What's my problem?!
And then we started taking pictures with our mission president and his wife, Presidente and Hermana Barreros. And when Hna. B hugged me...that is when I lost it.  Even through saying good bye, my final testimonies, through all that, the thing that got me was her hug in the airport. That was when it all came crashing down that it was ENDING. The final hug from my mission president's wife. She just hugged me, told me that they were proud of me (just like a mom would say), and that is when the tears came. Here I am at the airport, at the end of my mission, and I will never step foot in Chile again as a missionary. It was heavy on my shoulders.
The flights were pretty calm; I started getting less sad and more bubbly when I saw my Utah mountains- I AM HOME! My heart started pumping pumping pumping, and it just got crazier as the plane landed, we took down our carry ons, wove our way through the airport maze, and suddenly...there is the escalator. I was with the other two sister missionaries that were returning to Utah from my mission, and we could see banners and balloons and LOTS of people waiting at the bottom. We did rock paper scissors to see who would go down first, and as we started to descend...oh, how the crowd went wild!
Hugged my mom...and we cried. She is my best friend.
Hugged my dad...and we cried. It is thanks to him that I served a mission.
Hugged my brother...he picked me up, swung me around and cried as well.  with how our missions overlapped and his service in the National Guard, we haven't seen each other in about 3 years. He is a hero.
High fived my Grandma. She is a convert and one of the coolest Grandmas ever.
Shook my boyfriend's hand. He got home a month earlier from Texas.
More hugs. More tears. More happiness. I am completely convinced that there are few feelings more joyful than returning from your mission and embracing your family and your loved ones and knowing that YOU DID IT! D and C 130:2.
And you know what, this first week was great. Today marks one week, 7 days of being home. And it has been wonderful. Let us be frank...there are many that say that returning home from the mission is hard. I heard all sorts of crazy stuff...that I wouldn't want to leave my room for two weeks. That I would be awkward and unable to communicate. That I would fall into a depression. That all that I would want to do is go back and leave my house to go out and teach and that I would just cry a lot...I feel that I had heard it all. And it made me a little nervous.
I want to set it all straight...returned missionaries, we can be happy coming home from our missions! It does not have to be miserable! Do not let it all get to your head! I just KNOW that finishing the mission is tough, but it can also be joyful. You can spend it being all bummed out, and I know that we all handle things differently...but don't let the expectation of sadness get to your head. I miss my Chile. I miss my Chilean family. But I am joyful to be home. And I am joyful to continue on with this next part of my life.
And remember...be bold, stay rad, do what you do...and let your light so shine :)

Ashlynne Rose Harkins

Well Here We Are

I can hardly even believe it...but here I am, my last pday sitting here in this little Internet cafe here in la Plaza de Maipu. Today we as the go homer group had lunch with President Barreiros at his house. Spent a few hours in the subway and the bus system to come back. Did some small purchases for the week. It all just seemed so natural...like this is my life. This is my home. This is what I do. I use the bus system and talk to people about the Restoration of the Gospel while going from one end of Santiago to the next. I hear Spanish rap in the streets and sing a hymn in my head. I buy Chilean treats like Mote con Huesillo and come to this little Internet cafe because that is what I do on Mondays.

Because I am a missionary and today is pday, a week just like any other.

You know, I usually write in my planner a small list of bullet points of wonderful things that happened during the week so that I can paint pictures with my words to give you all an idea of what my Chile is like. I love it. I love painting pictures every Monday because I love my mission. I love teaching and preaching and talking to people in the street and on the bus and while we wait in line. I love helping people recognize their beliefs, because even though many believe in God, they just don't know how to put it into words. And I love even more when we can apply the doctrine of the Restoration to what they believe, because it all just makes so much sense, right? A restoration just makes SENSE if we truly believe that God lives and loves and wants the best for us. I even enjoy when people reject us, because it is at least one person that has heard the message. An individual usually interacts with missionaries 7 times before accepting them in their home. Literally EVERYTHING we do is helping the stone continue rolling forward.

I would love to talk about all that I have learned...all that I have come to know about the gospel and about myself and about who I am and who we are and how we can be in the future. I could go on and on about what the scriptures say, recount the first vision with as much vigor as I possibly can muster, I could talk for hours of the testimonies that I have obtained of prayer, study, obedience...faith, repentance and of course baptism. The gift of the holy ghost, one of my personal favorites. How we can endure to the end to receive eternal life.

But for now, I will just leave y'all with a cliffhanger :) I'll share it all with you soon, I promise :) For now, I will simply testify that I know that this church is true. I know that God is our Heavenly Father and He loves us so much. He loves us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son to be our Savior. They truly spoke to Joseph Smith and through him, the church was restored. I have purpose in my life through this gospel. It is beautifully life changing, and I have seen that in these last 18 months. I have no doubt that this gospel is the plan that God has for us to have JOY in this life and HOPE for the life to come.

I love you all. And I will see you all next Tuesday :) Be Bold, Stay Rad, Do what you Do and Let your light so shine because your light is JUST GLORIOUS.

Hermana Harkins

Me with my mission president and his wife today at their house for lunch

Me sitting at his desk :)

Shortest Email Ever!

I'm sorry, this is the shortest email ever, we had an all day meeting today about how to get a job when we get home. I'm pumped. But it took up all of pday, so this message is to let you know that I am alive and well. I am printing off all the emails I got to read later, thank you everyone who wrote me :) I love you all and can't wait to see you! God lives and He loves us :) Be bold, Stay rad, do what you do and let your light so shine :)

Hermana Harkins

P.S.  Next monday is my last pday, so write me something wonderful!

I dont know what to put as the title of this email

So I just wanted to let the world know...STEVE EVANS IS HOME FROM HIS MISSION! And I got more than 20 pictures of his triumphant return and I am still grinning. It is surreal to think that in just three short weeks, that will be me. I know what you all are thinking..."wow, just three weeks. That is so short!" But what I am thinking..."wow, three weeks. That is enough time to find a miracle and baptize a family."

So, I am going to let you all in on a little secret. I wasn't planning on sharing it until I got home, but I must share all that has happened and how it has strengthened my testimony. I truly know that God lives, He loves us, and He knows how to help us to do His will in this life. All that we must do is search for His help and He will always ALWAYS help us.

To start out, 4 weeks ago, I got a call from the mission assistants. The group of missionaries with whom I was going to finish the mission was very big, so much so that my mission President gave us all the decision to return in the beginning of February (aka TODAY) or at the end as planned. When I got the call, I felt a little shocked, and the elder I was speaking with told me to ponder and pray over it, and to call him two days later with the answer. I know that the answer perhaps seems obvious...STAY! But I found myself thinking "well, maybe I am receiving this option for a reason. Maybe there is something I need to do at home." I honestly didn't know, but I knew that the Lord knew. So I began praying...and fasting...and reading in the Book of Mormon. All of this teaching and testifying that I have been doing, and I got to put it into practice to make this big decision.

In the end, I got a resounding STAY. Alma 29:6. Alma 49:30. So I stayed. Continued working hard. And I quickly found that finishing the mission is tough. It is not just a waiting game of carefully measured patience. It is HARD. It is sadness in leaving my Chilean home, anxiety of trying to work hard right up until the end, striving to take advantage of every opportunity to share the gospel...even frustration at feeling that it is all just much too short. But I stayed strong, knowing that my Heavenly Father TOLD me that I am to stay. There were a few moments where I thought to myself..."Maybe it would have just been better if I had decided to leave early." It was hard, but with the help of my Savior, my Heavenly Father, my companion, and my Mission President, I just kept on chugging along. I kept on going.

And then today, I realized why I had to stay.

We had a special meeting to say goodbye to the 15 or so missionaries that decided to go home early. Because so many left, there were a few changes that had to be made with companionships and mission leadership. And I got called to be a Sister Training Leader, which is an assistant to the mission president, but the sister missionary version.

Talk about Hermana Harkins IN SHOCK! I only have three weeks left in the mission, and you are making me a sister training leader?! It came out of nowhere, and I am sure that my face showed every bit of my surprise. After the meeting, the sister that I am replacing came and talked to me, explained to me the sisters that I am over, which are the ones that need a little more help and attention, what it is that I have to do to go on divisions with them...My President came up and told me that we have a leadership meeting on Thursday...and I am still thinking to myself...WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

But I get it now :) God knew that this was going to happen, and He needed me to STAY. He needed me to stay in my sector, stay with my companion, and to help these sisters that I have the privilege to work with. God moves in mysterious ways, but all we have to do is TRUST Him and His mysterious ways. I know that if we search for His will, He will reveal it to us. Even if trials come, even if it gets tough, eventually we will ALWAYS be able to see exactly what it is that He has planned for us. I know that He lives and loves us. He has a plan for ME. And for YOU. And for US. So be bold, stay rad, do what you do, and let your light so shine!

Hermana Harkins

p.s. 22 days

We made a new tab in our Area Book titled "On Vacation"

Due to the fact that TWELVE of our investigators left for vacation this last week, it was necessary. I think it's just a Chile thing, in January, everyone just leaves. And they don't come back till, like, March. What is that all about?! It is WAY more important to listen to the missionaries and get baptized. Obviously. But hey, what can ya do?

KEEP PRESSING FORWARD! #2nephi3120

Due to lack of time, I will get right to the point and share an amazing experience that we had this last week with a couple that we found knocking doors- Dionel and Edilia. Our plans fell through, so we just started knocking in the street where we were, and there they were, just sitting on their front patio. So we started talking to them and found out that Edilia was baptized about 30 years ago with her daughter. She has many fond memories of the church, but when they moved here, they stopped going and quickly became inactive. Dionel was never baptized, but always supported his wife and daughter in their decision.

Upon talking with them a little bit more, we learned that Dionel had just left the hospital after months of tests and procedures. They had just gotten home about 20 minutes earlier,and were sitting on their porch because, after so much time in the hospital, they had missed the simple pleasure of just being at home. Edilia told us that it was a miracle that he had been released...the doctors were convinced that he would have to be in a home for the rest of his life due to the severity of his illness.

One thing led to another, and the next day, we returned to their home with the elders to give Dionel a priesthood blessing. It was one of those experiences that is hard to describe and impossible to forget, simply because the spirit was so strong. I have found over the course of my mission that it is very difficult to describe the spirit, because there just aren't words. There aren't words enough to describe the joy that our loving Heavenly Father knows Dionel. He knows his needs. And that he loves his children enough to give them what they need in the moment that they need it. Edilia expressed over and over that she knows that God sent us, that the timing was just too perfect to be a thing of luck or chance.

That is another thing that I have learned in my mission. Luck just doesn't exist. Because God lives and He loves us and He has a beautiful plan for us, and luck just doesn't do it. I know that Our Heavenly Father knows us all individually.

Sorry it was short, pero no se preocupe, I'll be home soon :) I'll make up for it :)

Hermana Harkins

Baptisms and Rain Sticks

Ashlynne wanted everyone to know that her update this week will be short. 

As a missionary who will be completing her service soon, the mission allows those missionaries to invite their whole "Chilean family" to say goodbye to them the Sunday before they return home.  Ashlynne describes it as "one big happy testimony meeting."  Her internet time this week is being spent sending invitations to all the wonderful people she has met over the past 18 months.

Please keep Ashlynne in your prayers.  Your faith and prayers have made a tremendous difference and are continuing to bless Ashlynne as she serves the people of Chile.

We helped a little chiquilla get baptized this week, she's cute, huh?

Chilean rain stick, true story