Called to Serve

Called to Serve

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

WALSH RANCH ROCKS - Oct 24, 2016

Hello everyone! I hope your week was absolutely fantastic, and you
felt the spirit in abundance!

Wow, we have had such an incredible week here in Walsh Ranch, I
absolutely LOVE this area. I am so thankful for the chance I have to
serve here with Sister Rueda, we have already seen so many blessings.
We were doubled into this area last Tuesday, AND WE ARE ON FULL BIKE!
It's seriously the best thing ever, I LOVE being in a biking area!

This week I've been studying a lot from the Christlike Attributes in
Preach My Gospel, and the more I read and study, the more I recognize
there are things I need to work on. I'm really focusing on the
attribute "Patience", it's something I really need  to work harder at.
Our Savior is the perfect example of having perfect patience with
everyone, and it's an attribute I'm fervently praying to have help
developing. I'm so thankful to have Jesus Christ as a perfect example,
I'm striving as hard as I can each day to become more like Him.

Walsh Ranch is absolutely FANTASTIC, I love this area so much! (I hope
I get to stay here for a long time😉) The members are so incredibly
involved with missionary work, I can't even believe it. They have also
shown us an incredible amount of kindness since we've been here; I can
just tell it's such a great area! We are definitely doing a lot of
finding right now, when we got into the area last week, we only had
about two potential investigators. We are for sure trying to work with
them, but we're also trying trying to find more people to teach. I'm
continuing to learn to trust and rely in the Lord's promises; I know
that we will be led to the prepared people of this area as we are
obedient and faithful!

My companion Sister Rueda is so sweet. Wow, she is one of the kindest
most patient people I have ever met! I learn so much from the love she
shows to the people we come in contact with; she truly cares so much
about everyone! We are still learning how to teach together in unison,
but we are working together really well. I'm so thankful for her and
for her testimony.

I'm extra excited for this upcoming week, because we have a General
Authority coming to our mission on Thursday to talk with us! His name
is Elder Benjamin De Hoyos. He has given a few General Conference
talks in the early 2000's, they are incredible; I'd definitely
recommend looking them up! But I'm so excited to hear the words of one
of the Lord's servants, I know I will be so spiritually fed.

I'd like to close with my testimony in Spanish again today:

Yo sé que esta iglesia es verdadera. Sé que Jesucristo vive. Sé que Él
es nuestro ejemplo perfecto. Sé que Él sufrió para cada de nosotros.
Yo testifico que El Libro de Mormón es la palabra de Dios y también
que José Smith fue una profeta muy fiel de Dios. Estoy muy agradecida
por este Evangelio, estamos tan bendecido. Yo sé Dios nos ama
muchísimo. Él es nuestro Padre Celestial. En el nombre de nuestro
Salvador Jesucristo, Amén.

I hope you all have the best week ever! I pray that you can feel the
love of the Savior in your life more abundantly. He's there, and He
loves and knows you! Remember that His timing of things in our lives
is perfect, He has the Eternal Perspective. I love you all!


Con todo amor en el Mundo,
Hermana Freeman

PICS:
-Hermana Rueda and I on our bikes!!!
-Our roommates, the Palm Valley Sisters, we love them!


GREAT WEEK, TRANSFERS, ALMOST 7 MONTHS OUT, WOW - OCT 17, 2016

Hello Everyone! I hope your week was absolutely incredible, and you
saw the hand of the Lord in your life!

I don't even know how this is possible, but transfers have arrived yet
again! I am indeed leaving Riverside. I will be headed up to the top
of the mission in Round Rock. My area is called "Walsh Ranch", and my
new companion will be Sister Rueda. WE ARE BEING DOUBLED INTO THE
AREA! Wow, I'm so nervous, but it will be so great! I don't know too
much about my new area, but I'll have more details next week! Hermana
Gonzalez will be staying here in Riverside.

Wow what a great week we were able to have in Riverside. The Spirit of
the Lord is incredible in the lessons, I absolutely love teaching with
the Spirit. I've thought about teaching with the spirit a lot this
week. And I know in order for this to be possible, we must be living
our lives in such a manner that the Spirit feels comfortable to dwell
with us constantly. I've strived very hard to do this by being as
obedient as I possibly can! I know and testify that a heart with the
intent of exact obedience can bring miracles! The Lord is so
incredible, and is so involved in this wonderful work!

Riverside is doing well! The area is most definitely in a huge finding
time right now, there aren't too many progressing investigators. But
we are trusting in the promises of the Lord and striving to work as
hard as we possibly can! The members here are absolutely great- they
are very kind and loving. We are still trying to find out how we can
get them more involved with the work though. The ideas and prayers
will continue on!

Hermana Gonzalez is doing well. I think she's very excited that she
will be in Riverside for another transfer, she loves it here! She's
been here for almost 9 months! WOW. I am in awe about her passion for
this Gospel, she has the most rock solid testimony! Her love for the
gospel really is a beacon for others, especially during lessons; she's
a great example for me and for the people that we teach.

This week we were able to go and do something called "The Mobile Food
Pantry" for the FoodBank. It's where we go out to a certain location,
and help hand out food to those who need it. WOW, it was the most
incredible experience! I absolutely love serving the wonderful people
of Texas, they are all just so kind!!

I am very excited to be headed up to the Round Rock area to serve with
Hermana Rueda. I know I will be able to learn many incredible things
from that sweet sister. I'm a bit nervous to double in to an area, but
I know that with the help of the Lord, everything will be okay!

Se que la iglesia es verdadera. Sé que fue restaurado por medio de
José Smith. Sé que El Libro de Mormón contiene la plenitud del
Evangelio de Jesucristo. Sé que por medio de las ordenanzas en el
templo y el sacerdocio de Dios, podemos ser juntos con nuestras
familias y nuestro Padre Celestial para siempre. ¡Este evangelio me da
gozo! Estoy muy agradecida por la obra de misional. Sé que Jesucristo
vive. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amén.

I hope you have an incredible week! Remember your Heavenly Father
loves you. Remember to read The Book of Mormon!

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Freeman

Pics:
-3 from The Mobile Food Pantry (I'm wearing the Polka Dot Dress), the
one with Elders and Sisters is of our District! We had such a great
district!

-Last Pday a member took us to Buffalo Wild Wings, and Hermana
Gonzalez got the VERY SPICIEST ones on the menu! Our waitress was
like, "Darlin' are you sure you want that one? You might not be able
to eat it." But she did! She's a Champ.

-B&W; Finding on Sunday





KEVIN'S BAPTISM-NEXT WEEK'S TRANSFERS - Oct 10, 2016

Hello Everyone!!

I hope y'all were able to have an incredible week! I have really felt
the Spirit in abundance this week, and I am so grateful! As I've gone
back and reflected on the things I learned in General Conference, I've
come to realize that I have a lot of things I could be better at. I
have learned to LOVE being humbled and called to repentance by the
Lord. It just shows us our incredible divine potential; the way He
sees us with Eternal Eyes. Our loving Heavenly Father has so much in
store for each of his beloved children.

This week was good in Riverside. We were able to have many great
lessons! I have really come to realize just how much I LEARN while I'm
TEACHING. The Gospel is so incredible and it encompasses SO much; we
will never stop learning and receiving witnesses from the Spirit. As a
mission, we've been asked to study "Revelation Through The Book of
Mormon" this month, and I have already learned so much! I testify that
The Book of Mormon really is the Keystone of our Religion. Our
investigators MUST read from The Book of Mormon, ponder on its
teachings, and ask in fervent prayer if the book is true. I truly know
and testify that any person who does this with a sincere heart, will
receive a personal witness from the Holy Ghost of the truthfulness of
The Book of Mormon. I have also come to learn through my studies, just
how important it is that we are using The Book of Mormon throughout
our teaching! I can most definitely be much better with that.

Kevin's baptism on Saturday was incredible! I cried a lot. He is just
so incredible and so ready for the gospel! He was REALLY nervous at
first, but after he was baptized he said he felt "warm and fuzzy". AH!
He was feeling the Spirit so strong! I am so happy for him. His
confirmation on Sunday was also incredible! Baptism and the Gift of
the Holy Ghost are such an incredible gift from our loving Heavenly
Father. AH, I just love the work!

Hermana Gonzalez and I are trying to work hard here in Riverside! I
learn from her example of dedicated and devoted service to the Lord
each day. I can clearly see how much she LOVES the gospel and the
work!

I'll close again with my testimony-

La Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de Los Últimos Días es
verdadera. Sé que El Libro de Mormón is verdadero y es muy poderoso en
la conversión. Sé que el Espíritu Santo testifica de la verdad. Sé que
Dios es nuestro AMOROSO Padre Celestial. Sé que Jesucristo vive, y él
es nuestro Salvador. ¡Amo este Evangelio y la obra de misional! En el
nombre de Jesucristo, Amén.

I I hope you all have another wonderful week! Watch for the hand of
the Lord in your life. And read The Book of Mormon daily. Your. Life.
Will. Be. Changed.

I love you all!

Con amor,
Hermana Freeman

P.S. I don't even know how this is possible, but next week is
transfers! The time is FLOWN by. But next week I'll let you know if
I'll be staying or going!


-PICS FROM KEVIN'S BAPTISM!!!
-Hermana Gonzalez wanted a pre baptism selfie
-We went to P.Terry's after to celebrate






General Conference!! - Oct 3, 2016

Hello everyone!!

Wow, what an incredible General Conference we were able to have
yesterday and Saturday. I know many people who watch Conference say
things like "Wow I feel like the talks were specifically for me!" And
I have to say, I feel this way too! Many of the talks were addressing
things I personally, needed to hear! The reason that millions of
people watching General Conference can say, "Wow, that talk was really
just for me!", is because the Holy Ghost carries the words of the
talks into the each person's heart, the exact way that individual
needs to hear the message. We were not only taught by Prophets, Seers,
and Revelators yesterday-but we were taught by the third member of the
Godhead, the Holy Ghost. How blessed we are to have a loving Heavenly
Father who has given us modern day prophets to lead and guide us in
today's world and challenges! I am in absolute awe from the things I
was able to learn Saturday and Sunday from the mouths of God's
servants, and of course the Holy Ghost.

The topics I felt were really addressed this weekend are:
-The Plan of Happiness (or Salvation) that our Heavenly Father has for us
-REPENTANCE
-The Atonement of Jesus Christ
-How to get more out of our Sunday church attendance

I would invite each and everyone of you to go and read and reread over
and over the talks we heard this Conference. IT WAS SO INCREDIBLE.

This week in Riverside has been pretty good! We've been able to have
some great lessons with investigators and less actives. On Friday, we
finished teaching all the lessons to our investigator Kevin! We are so
excited for him, his baptism is this upcoming Saturday at 7 PM! I know
without a shadow of a doubt that he has been prepared for the Restored
Gospel by our Heavenly Father. I am amazed to see how he takes and
understands the principles we teach him with such grace and happiness,
the Holy Ghost is really working with him. Kevin has turned absolutely
everything over to the Lord, he has such a love for the Gospel and its
teachings. Kevin's testimony ALWAYS strengthens mine. The Gospel of
Jesus Christ really does bring such joy into the lives of God's
children. I just have such a burning desire to share it with everyone!

My companion Hermana Gonzalez is doing good. Her testimony in the
gospel is so incredible, it's such an example for me and my testimony!
She willingly submits to the will of God always, and absolutely LOVES
missionary work. She is an example to me about not giving up- there
has been many times where we were talking to someone, and I personally
thought that they just didn't seem to be that interested. I would
think, we should just move on to someone new. But not Hermana
Gonzalez! She truly wants every soul to hear the message of this
incredible gospel, and she tries so hard to share at the truth with
everyone! It's so incredible for me to watch her love for all of our
Heavenly Father's children. We are working very hard to have a unified
companionship.

Before I close, I'd like to share a few of my thoughts and notes about
President Russell M. Nelson's talk from yesterday. President Nelson
talked about having joy in our lives! We learn from 2 Nephi 2:25 that
"...Men are that they might have joy." We are meant to have joy in
this life! President Nelson said a quote that I wrote down, and will
remember forever and ever. He said, "Joy has nothing to do with the
purpose of our lives, but the focus of our lives. When we focus on His
plan for us, we will have joy!" He tells us that "We can feel joy
every day of our lives, even when we are having a bad day." I know
that we all have trials and hard things in our lives, and things can
get hard! But as we are focusing on our Heavenly Father's perfect plan
for us, and the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ, we can feel joy
each day! He also said, "Anything that opposes the Doctrine of Christ,
will block joy." We have the secret to feeling joy right here! I pray
that we can keep our focuses in the right direction, especially when
we are going through something hard. Our LOVING Heavenly Father is
there, please turn to Him! Lay your burdens at the feet of your Savior
Jesus Christ- He already suffered them for YOU. He knows EXACTLY how
to help YOU. He loves YOU. Wow, joy is such a powerful word. The
gospel is just so great!

I'd like to close with my testimony-

Sé que La Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de Los Últimos Días es
verdadero. Sé que tenemos profetas de Dios en la tierra hoy, porque
Dios nos ama. Y Él nos quiere dar dirección por nuestras vidas. Sé que
las profetas reciben revelaciones de Dios para nosotros con esa
dirección. Sé que cuando escuchamos y seguimos las profetas, estamos
haciendo las cosas Dios nos quiere hacer. Estoy muy agradecida por la
oportunidad yo tuve escuchar a las profetas en Sábado y Domingo.
Necesitamos recordar las cosas aprendimos mediante el Espíritu Santo
durante La Conferencia General. Este es revelación personal de su
Padre Celestial a usted. ¡Dios nos ama! El Libro de Mormón es
verdadero. Podemos saber el libro es verdad, si leemos, meditamos, y
oramos a nuestro Padre Celestial. Yo testifico necesitamos leer El
Libro de Mormón cada día. José Smith es La Profeta de La Restauración.
Él fue un hombre muy fiel de Dios. Sé que él vio todos las cosas el
nos digo él vio. Sé que El Sacerdocio de Dios es real y muy poderoso.
Estoy muy agradecida tener El Evangelio Restaurado en la tierra hoy.
¡Somos tan bendecidos! Tenemos un Salvador, Jesucristo. Él sufrió para
mí, y para usted. Él nos ama muchísimo. Yo sé todas de estas cosas
porque el Espíritu Santa ha testificaba a mí la verdad. En el nombre
de nuestro amoroso Salvador, Jesucristo, Amén.

I hope you all have an incredible week filled with joy! Remember to
watch for the hand of the Lord in your life daily! He loves you.


Con mucho amor,
Hermana Freeman


P.S. Sorry for the lack of pictures, we didn't do so well this week
with remembering to take pictures... Next week will be better
hopefully 😉


Hello from Austin!!! - Sep 12, 2016

Hello everyone! How are y'all doing? I hope you were able to have an
incredible week!

Wow what a week it has been here in Austin. I'm excited to serve in
the Riverside Ward, and improve with my Spanish! It's funny how much
each area has a special place in your heart- I really love and miss
Palo Alto and all the people I served with there! But I also love it
here in Riverside, and I can already tell that the members are so
incredibly kind here. I am sure learning that the Lord really knows us
and what we need WAY more than we do. I'm learning to trust in Him and
His eternal perspective.

So I thought my Spanish was pretty good- until I came to Riverside.😉
I'd be absolutely lying if I said I wasn't SO CONFUSED about what was
going on this week. But it's okay! I'm learning more and more each
day. Between my companion and the members, I'm surrounded with the
language constantly! The Ward is doing really good, we had a lot of
people attend church yesterday. I'm still trying to learn who everyone
is, and how things run here. The members are so incredibly kind, but
sadly we don't get a lot of help with the missionary work. I'm trying
to come up with ways to encourage members to come out with us more to
lessons, we really need their help! Missionary work is SO strong when
the full-time missionaries and members work together to build up the
kingdom. I've been praying and thinking a lot about what I can do to
uplift them while also asking for their help.

My companion Hermana Gonzalez is from Mexico, and she doesn't know
English :') I'm trying to help her learn it though! She is a very
powerful teacher in lessons! I can tell she really knows the doctrine,
and loves to teach it. We are definitely trying to learn how to work
together- I know that a huge part of the difficulty is my lack of
Spanish- I know it must be hard for her to have a companion who can't
talk more in lessons, and I feel really bad. But I'm doing all I can
to learn the language and help out! I know that each day I'll learn
more and more Spanish. The Gift of Tongues is real!
I am turning to my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ a lot.

We have an investigator named Kevin, and he is working towards a
baptismal date! He's so incredible, I've been able to teach 2 of his
lessons. He absolutely loves the gospel, and has a testimony that's on
fire!

Being in a Spanish area is definitely different, EVERY singly lady in
the Ward that I go to give a hug to, kisses my cheek.. I'm still not
really used to that, it's a little weird to me..😉 But we already have
a Fiesta de Barrio on Friday, and I'm so excited for that! This area
is also incredibly beautiful. Also I'm the companion who drives this
transfer- okay. Can I just tell you. DRIVING IN AUSTIN IS SO SCARY!
Ah, pray for us. 😉

I hope you have an absolutely incredible week!

I'd like to close again with my testimony.

Tengo un testimonio que este Iglesia es verdadero. Sé que José Smith
fue un profeta increíble de Dios. Sé que tenemos un Salvador-
Jesucristo. Él nos ama muchísimo. El Libro de Mormón es verdadero. Y
cuando leemos este libro, podemos sentir muy cerca a Dios y podemos
sentir su amor también. Estoy muy agradecida por las enseñanzas de la
iglesia, me dan mucho paz y consuelo. Tengo tan mucho gozo puedo vivir
con mi familia para siempre en la Reino Celestial. Este Evangelio es
perfecto! En el nombre de nuestro Salvador, Jesucristo, Amén.

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Freeman

Pics:
2 of me with Hermana Gonzalez
1 we taught a lesson to a member who has been sick, but is doing much better




Transferring to Riverside Austin - Sep 5, 2016

Guess what?! I don't have much time to write today.....

I'M BEING TRANSFERRED!!!!
AND GUESS WHAT ELSE?!

I'M GOING TO A SPANISH AREA- AND MY NEW COMPANION DOESN'T KNOW LIKE
ANY ENGLISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😂😂😂😂 I'm literally so excited.

Can you believe it?!? I'm actually going up to Austin, and the Area/Ward is
called "Riverside". I AM LITERALLY SO THRILLED!!!!! I also literally
weeped tears of joy when I found out this morning. I am SOOO thankful
to the Lord!

I texted the Riverside sisters and asked for the apartment address so
I can send it to you, but they haven't texted back yet. When they do,
I can send you a quick email with just the address.



P.S. I am writing a very quick mass today, I'll send it to you in a second!
Also other P.S. Look at my very sad legs from ALL THE MOSQUITO
BITES!!! I'm dying here in Texas ;)

Also here's some pics from the Alamo a few Pday's ago :)





His Work, His Mission - Aug 29, 2016

Hello everyone! I hope your week was absolutely incredible and you
were able to see the hand of the Lord in your life. He's always there!

What another great week in the Mighty TSAM! The Lord blessed us with
many many wonderful lessons. I am becoming more and more grateful for
the incredible tools and resources we are given to further the work.
One of these tools that I've really come to rely heavily on, is Preach
My Gospel. This morning I was studying from  PMG in ch. 4 (Recognize
the Spirit), and I felt as though the words were speaking directly to
me. On the bottom of pg. 97 there's a section titled "Relying on the
Spirit". I'd like to share with you a piece of what I read and learned
so much from-

"As the Lord’s servant, you are to do His work in His way and by His
power. Some missionaries feel confident that they know how to be
successful. Others lack such confidence. Remember, however, that your
confidence and faith should be in Christ, not in yourself. Rely on the
Spirit rather than your own talents and abilities. Trust the Spirit to
guide you in every aspect of your work."

WOW.  The words spoke directly to me. Sometimes I have felt as though
I don't have enough confidence in my amount of knowledge of the
gospel, or how to be a "successful" missionary. Sometimes I have felt
that I know "exactly how to be a successful missionary". But I was
looking at the confidence in the wrong person! My confidence
absolutely must be in Christ. I also love how it says we "are to do
His work in His way and by His power". During my personal studies this
morning I was able to receive an incredible amount of light- this
REALLY is His work. This is not my mission, so things are going to
happen in my way and my timing. It's all Him. I love the words of
great wisdom that President Gordon B. Hinkley's father shared with
him- "Forget yourself and get to work!" The Lord most definitely
needed to show me that I have some humbling to do. I will strive
throughout the rest of my mission to remember that this is truly His
work, and His mission.

Our area, Palo Alto YSA is doing great! We were able to have so many
lessons with less actives this week; the Lord is blessing us so much!
I have had the blessed privilege to see many of the lost sheep return
to the flock; and it is so beautiful. I absolutely love the members of
the branch so much, I can just see the desire they have to do
missionary work. We are shown so much kindness and love from them, it
really makes me tear up sometimes. I am beyond grateful.

My companion Sister Stenquist, is such a leader! I am in awe when I
watch her teach the restored gospel truths. I can tell her testimony
is on fire. Her faith in the Lord and his promised blessings is rock
solid. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to learn and grow from
her. I look up to her very very highly. We get along incredibly well
too, and have lots of fun together.

Every Tuesday and Friday we go to the San Antonio FoodBank, and do
service. I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THE FOODBANK. I absolutely love to do
service there, it is so fun! Well this last Tuesday, I had an
experience that wasn't exactly 100% fun, but more of a terrifying one.
😉 We were putting labels on cans of Spinach, and I knelt down to get
the ones on the bottom rack. All of a sudden, I felt what I thought
was just an tickle on my shoulder. When I went to scratch my shoulder,
I felt a huge bump under my shirt. Very quickly realizing that bump in
my shirt was causing the tickling sensation, I jumped in the air, let
out a horrid high-pitched scream, and grabbed my shirt and squeezed
the heck out of the bump to trap whatever it was in my hand. I HEARD
THE MOST DISGUSTING AND LOUDEST CRUNCH SOUND THAT HAS EVER OCCURRED ON
THE EARTH. I looked over to my companion and screamed, "There's a bug
in my shirt, HELP!"😂😂 (Looking back now, we laugh because I was an
utter fool!) But she yelped, grabbed my sleeve and turned it inside
out. Out fell a huge, nasty, scary, black beetle and crunched up and
dead from my death squeeze! Wow, I thought I was going to die. Daliah
(the lady who works at the FoodBank), had to come over and calm me
down because I was freaking out just a "tiny" bit.. ;) I guess the
beetle had fallen from the ceiling into the back of the collar of my
shirt as I was kneeling on the floor. It was an absolute terrifying
experience, and I told Daliah that I had just pretty much lived the
movie, "The Mummy"- she laughed really hard. Anyways, I am all better
now, and I am still alive ;) After it happened though, everyone at the
FoodBank kept coming up behind me and using pencils and little feather
to swipe my back so I'd think there was another bug! It was horrible,
I jumped so many times! But there was so much laughter that day 😉

We have a few new investigators! Mark, Diego and his family, and
Linda. All of them are absolutely great, I will keep you updated on
their progress! Right now Linda is working towards baptism, and we
will be setting her with a goal date this week- we're so excited!

Our Mission President and his wife, President and Sister Polley, came
to our Sacrament Meeting yesterday. It was so wonderful to have them
there, they bring such and incredible spirit everywhere they go. I
absolutely love and adore them so much!

I'll close again today with my testimony in Spanish.
La iglesia es verdadero. José Smith fue un profeta fiel de Dios.
Quiero seguir el ejemplo de su fe. Mi misión es el misión del Señor.
Todo ocurrirá en su manera y su tiempo. Estoy muy agradecido por las
escrituras. Yo sé que cuando leemos las escrituras, podemos sentir más
cerca con nuestro amoroso Padre Celestial y su hijo, Jesucristo. En el
nombre de Jesucristo, amén.

I love you all so much! Thank you for your love, support, and prayers.
I pray for each of you and your happiness. Remember the Lord is
all-knowing, and blessings will come in His way and His timing. Watch
for His hand in every aspect of your lives this week, He's there.
Have an incredible week!

Con MUCHISMO Amor,

Hermana Freeman

Here's a cute picture of our little branch :')



A Rainy Week Filled with Miracles - Aug 22, 2016

Hello everyone!  Today I don't have a lot of time to email, because we
are going to the Alamo and Mercado again! I am so excited ☺️ But I
would like to share some thoughts and impressions from the spirit
about this past week.

I hope you've been able to see the Lord's hand in your life throughout
the week; I sure have! Sister Stenquist and I have had some pretty
great adventures here in Texas while preaching the gospel! This week
has been very rainy, and we are very grateful for the HOT HUMID break.
But we've seen so many incredible miracles occur!

This week has been another great week in the mighty TSAM. The Lord is
still teaching us patience in Palo Alto, but I'm learning so much from
it. Our members are still incredible and wanting to help out as best
as they can with missionary work. We are working with a lot of less
active members-a lot of whom are really progressing and starting to
come back to church! I absolutely love to see the light of Christ
enter back into the heart of a member who has strayed into the dark.
Heavenly Father loves each and every one of His children, and will
provide a way in His timing for them to come unto Him. We also have a
new investigator named Roger; he's so incredible! We met Roger by
knocking on his door a few houses down from a lesson that we were
early to. Roger answered the door and was very kind and receptive
right away! He met with us outside in the rain, and we were able to
teach the entire message of The Restoration. We gave Roger a copy of
The Book of Mormon, and he told us he was "so excited to read and
highlight and just mark it all up with thoughts and impressions". He
expressed that he would love for us to come back and teach him more-
and the best part is.... *Drumroll please* He's YSA age! 😉 We are so
excited to see what the Lord has in store for Roger; I know there will
continue to be miracles.

I absolutely love my sweet companion, Sister Stenquist- she's such an
incredible missionary to learn from! I am so amazed by the faith and
trust that she has in the promises of the Lord. We are learning to
work really well together, and we are teaching in unison. The Lord is
really blessing us- and I feel truly blessed to have such outstanding
companions.

I'd like to continue to end by sharing my testimony with y'all in
Spanish. I absolutely love to share the gospel in my new favorite
language ;) But again, please keep in mind I'm still a beginner!

Jesucristo es mi Salvador. Yo sé que mediante Él, podemos tratar ser
mejor cada día. ¡Tenemos un Padre Celestial, y Él nos ama muchísimo!
El Libro de Mormón es verdadero y tenemos este libro porque José Smith
fue un increíble profeta de Dios. Él tenía tanto mucho fe. Estoy muy
agradecida por esta oportunidad tengo servir en el TSAM. Este misión
ha cambiado mi vida para siempre. Estoy feliz que yo puedo vivir con
mi familia para siempre- quiero compartir esta mensaje sobre familias
eternas con todos. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amén.

Thank you for everything, I love you all so much! I hope your week is
absolutely wonderful, and good luck to all y'all who start school this
week! ALSO P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOUTOUT TO MY BEST FRIEND HARLEY
TODAY!

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Freeman

Pictures:
-B&W one is right after Sister Stenquist and I got caught in the rain
umbrellaless. We were soaked!
-Sister Stenquist, a member named Tiffany, and I tracting out in the
pouring rain! (I know I know, it's pretty apparent that I went
makeupless that day, don't judge.)
-Sister Stenquist and I had some SERIOUS umbrella malfunctions! (JUST
FOR YOU SIS. MARTIN!😉)
-Stephani, AJ, Sister Stenquist and I tracting right after a rainstorm
(wow, so many rain pics)
-SIster Stenquist and I with the ADORABLE Zendejo family!
-The Lake Vista Apartment sisters back at it again! (Everyone but my
sweet compa wore floral 😉)








Bedrock-Consistent-Unshakeable Faith - Aug 15, 2016

Hello Everyone!! Happy Monday!

Today I have to start off by saying congratulations to my best friend
Harley who opened her mission call yesterday- She has been Called to
Serve in the Argentina Mendoza mission! I am SOO excited for her, the
mission is life-changing!

I hope you all had an incredible week and pondered on many things!
Something I've been thinking a lot about this week is faith.
Bedrock-Consistent-Unshakable Faith. Faith in the Lord and His
promises even when- no, ESPECIALLY when things are hard. The Lord has
sent each of us here to grow and gain faith in Him. Sometimes I feel
like I show the "best faith" when things are going smooth and great
for me! But I've come to realize that I need to work on my consistent
faith, my faith when things are feeling pretty hard. I feel as though
the Lord is molding and shaping me into a better servant for Him, by
giving me some difficult challenges to overcome on my mission. But as
I have faith and trust in His promises, and turn to Him, I can
overcome the trials!

Our area, Palo Alto YSA is most definitely a "finding by faith" area
right now. We are still trying to find investigators who will accept
and act on the beautiful message of The Restoration. Some of our less
active members are not wanting to be taught the gospel or come to
church. However, we are trying our best. I'm on this journey of
accepting and understanding that that's all the Lord expects of us,
our best. I'll sometimes get caught up in the false ideas of what
"success" is. Success by numbers. I am on the path to realizing that
missionary work is not just all about baptisms and numbers. As I've
taken a step back and looked at how many less active members we've
helped to reactivate and teach, and how many lives we've touched by
planting seeds of the gospel into the hearts of many, I am so thankful
for the love of the Lord.  He loves us so much. Our active members are
really great to us as well, they are incredible member missionaries.
This Area has stretched and tested me, but most importantly it has
changed me. I have faith that the Lord put me here to develop
consistent faith in Him. And I am beyond grateful.

My companion SIster Stenquist is absolutely incredible! I am ALWAYS in
awe as I watch how bold she is- how much she wants to share the Gospel
with everyone! I'm still a little shy and trying to get out of my
shell, but she will just go up to literally anyone in any situation
and start sharing the gospel! She is such an amazing missionary; I'm
so blessed to be her companion and learn so much from her. The Lord
has really blessed me with companions that I feel were exactly right
for me, and I am so grateful.

I want to close with my testimony in Spanish today. I am still trying
diligently to learn the beautiful language, so keep that in mind as
you are reading and come across a mistake or two!! 😉  But here it
goes.
Yo sé que La Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de Los Últimos Días
es verdadero. Tenemos un Salvador y Él nos ama muchísimo. Yo sé El
Libro de Mormón es verdadero. Y cuando yo leo eso, yo siento Él
Espíritu Santo muy fuerte. José Smith fue una profeta de Dios, y
mediante El, tenemos El Libro de Mormón.  El evangelio me da gozo.
Amo a mi familia. ¡Y estoy muy feliz porque yo puedo ser juntos con
ellos para siempre! En el nombre de nuestro Salvador, Jesucristo,
Amén.

I love y'all so much! I pray for you. As you go throughout your week
this week, please remember that the Lord is there. He loves you. And
when things are going hard in life, we must fervently try to show our
bedrock, consistent, unshakeable faith in Him!

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Freeman


Picture: Sorry it's a little dark... Last night we had (left to right
in the back) Reyna, Jeril, & Mirka come out with us to lessons! It
rained SOO much.


Trust in the Promises of the Lord! - Aug 8, 2016

My dear family & friends,

This week has been a week of faith-testing & faith-building! Even
though a lot of our appointments are falling through, we still
continue to love our YSA ;) Our baptism has to be postponed because
Richard says he needs a little more time. This week I've had to
continue to keep going with the faith that things will get better. I
know this is the Lord's work, and things will happen in His time. I
trust in His promises!  When things are starting to feel overwhelming
for me, I try to remember: "wherefore, dispute not because ye see not,
for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." I know
that as we continue to be obedient and put our all of our heart into
the work, miracles will occur here.

Palo Alto is slowly growing as we are working with members.  We are
working with A LOT of less-actives right now. I've been able to have
the privilege of even teaching and helping some of them come back to
church! The members are truly incredible!  We are hoping as we
continue to be obedient and give our absolute all into this area, that
we will find more and more and more people to teach.

My companion Sister Stenquist is absolutely incredible. We are
learning to work very well together. She is an incredible example of a
leader to me; I look up to her very highly. I can tell she has such a
rock solid testimony! We also have so much fun together; I've been
blessed to have such incredible companions thus far.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church on
the earth today. I know the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ is
infinite. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. Joseph Smith was a
prophet, and he translated this book by the Priesthood Power of God.
Heavenly Father's plan is perfect, and I love Him. I know that He
loves each of us beyond comprehension. He knows you, and loves you.
Never forget your identity as a child of God. We are so blessed!

Have the best week ever! Thank you for all your love and prayers. I
love and pray for you all as well.

Con mucho amor,
-Hermana Freeman


Transfers, New Companion, Baptismal Date! - Aug 1, 2016

Hello friends and family!

We have been very blessed this week, it has been incredible. I love to
watch the many blessings and new things that can be learned from
Transfers! I know the Lord loves us, knows us, and helps us in every
moment.

Our area, Palo Alto is doing much better. We were blessed to have two
investigators and a couple less actives attend church yesterday. There
is such an incredible spirit that can be felt at church, and it just
drew them all in. Our branch is becoming more unified, and we are
getting a lot of missionary help from the incredible members! We are
so excited to continue to work more and more with each of them. Sister
Stenquist and I are also very blessed to share with y'all that we have
a baptism coming up!! Our investigator Richard will be baptized on
August 13, and we couldn't be more excited for him! He was a referral
from the Highland Hills Elders, and is so incredibly prepared. He told
us that after the elders taught him about the Word of Wisdom, he threw
away his tea and coffee the next day. He also told us that he fasted
the day after he learned about fasting, and said, "The blessings that
come from fasting are incredible, y'all should try it sometime!" We
laughed a little of course, because he didn't know that we do fast at
least once a month. But I've loved the opportunity I've had to watch
Richard grow in the gospel and love its teachings! He has been to
church several times, and is just so ready for baptism! During my time
in Palo Alto, I've also been able to see many less-active members come
back to church! I feel so blessed that Heavenly Father has given me
the opportunity to teach these incredible people! Missionary work is
truly Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's love for us. And I'm not just
talking about the people that are taught, but I also mean for the
missionaries. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me so much, that
they are allowing me to do their work. This mission brings me such
joy!

My new companion, Sister Stenquist, is incredible! Sister Stenquist
and I arrived to the TSAM on the same day, so we both just barley
finished training. We were a little worried at first that we'd have a
difficult time planning, teaching, working in the area, etc. since we
were both so new, but the Lord has blessed us so much. He has truly
guided us and helped us to know what He would have us do. We feel SO
blessed! I love serving with Sister Stenquist; she has such an
incredible testimony. She teaches the gospel in such a clear and
simple yet very bold manner, she really helps people to learn and
understand it so well! I am already learning so much from her, and I
know that I will continue to learn more and more throughout this
transfer. I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store.

I know that my Redeemer lives. Jesus Christ made the ultimate
sacrifice so that we can try each day to be better. So that we can
live with our families and our Father in Heaven forever. I love my
Savior. I know that I can never repay Him for what He did, but I can
try to live my life in gratitude. I can turn everything over to Him. I
know that we have a LOVING Heavenly Father who created the perfect
plan so that we can succeed. He loves us far more than we could ever
comprehend. I love the Gospel, and I know that it is perfect. The Book
of Mormon is the Word of God. As we study from it and abide by its
precepts, we will remain on the straight and narrow path! We are so
blessed.

I hope that you all have an incredible week, and continue to look for
the Lord's hand in your lives. He is there. He knows you. He loves
you. My cousin Jeffrey told me a quote before I left on my mission,
and it has stuck with me ever since. He said: "Just be yourself, and
the Lord will make you your best self!" I know it's true! All we are
asked to do is to be ourselves and try our hardest. May we always
remember that, and when things get hard, turn to Him. He's there.

I love y'all so much! I pray for you. Thank you for your prayers in return.

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Freeman

Pictures:
-My new companion Sister Stenquist and I❤️
-The Lake Vista Apartment Sisters biding Sister Martin farewell!



Tuesday, July 19, 2016

He Know Each of Us INDIVIDUALLY - July 18, 2016

 Hello everyone! I hope y'all had a fantastic week and saw the hand of
the Lord in their lives!

    I felt so blessed this week; I know the Lord truly loves me. This
week we were able to have our first Personal Interviews with the new
Mission President, President Polley. I've been thinking a lot about
the things that were talked about in my interview, and I'm really
starting to see just how much Heavenly Father knows me. The area that
I'm currently serving in is a test of faith, there is A LOT of
finding! But the Lord knew that I needed an area like that right now.
Before my mission I was all about very instant-gratification. I wanted
what I wanted, and I wanted it without delay! My Heavenly Father knows
me well enough to put me in an area that instant-gratification maybe
isn't the "type of missionary work". I most definitely had some
patience, faith, and humbling to learn! ;) And now that I've been
learning and practicing my faith and patience, missionary work is SO
precious to me. When I do have my first baptism, I will treasure it so
dear to my heart instead of just having it be a normal expectation.
Heavenly Father knows us better than we even know ourselves! We are so
blessed to have President Polley as our Mission President, he is truly
incredible!

    My area, Palo Alto YSA, is still coming along! As far as
investigators and baptisms go, we are still trying our hardest to find
every day. We are doing a lot of work in the branch right now, there
are a lot of members who need shepherding to come back to church.
Right now we are trying to work on making our branch more unified; we
will be having a devotional this upcoming Sunday evening, and we are
so excited. Our main focus will be on unifying the branch through
reverence and feeling the love of our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus
Christ. I really feel like as the branch gets more and more unified,
we will start to find investigators to teach and help prepare for
baptism! There's just a lot of inner work that has to be built up
within the branch itself first. I know that as we continue to have
faith and trust in the promises of the Lord, we will continue to see
miracles!

    My sweet companion, Sister Martin, is still doing great too! Being a
trainer and a Sister Training Leader has really helped push her to her
full potential. Sister Martin is such an excellent example of
consistent faith to me. All throughout this big finding time we are in
right now, her faith is unwavering; I love learning from her amazing
example. And she is HILARIOUS!

    Let us always remember that everything happens in the time of the
Lord. Sometimes we want very blessings and miracles to happen, and we
want them now! But we often forget that our Heavenly Father and our
Savior Jesus Christ are all-knowing. They know what we need, and when
we need it. As we show our faith and love consistently, they will
bless us with even greater things than we could have imagined. Never
give up hope, your Heavenly Father knows you, and has a plan for you.
We must always watch for the hand of the Lord in our lives, because He
is always there!

    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true
church on the earth. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and had
unimaginable faith. He translated The Book of Mormon through the
Priesthood Power of God, and restored the true church upon the earth
by that same power. The Book of Mormon is true, and as I read it, I
feel the spirit so strongly. I know that I have a Savior, Jesus
Christ. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the great Plan of
Happiness can be fulfilled. We have a loving Heavenly Father who knows
us and loves us. I am forever grateful because I am so blessed.

    I hope y'all have another fantastic week! The time is flying here, we
have transfers already coming up AGAIN next week! I cannot even
believe it. So y'all will know in my email next Monday if I'm staying
in Palo Alto, or getting transferred to a new area! I'm so excited to
see what the Lord has in store!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Freeman

Pictures:
-Zone Conference with President & Sister Polley
-Sister Martin & I in the car, waiting to be picked up by a member
-We had a few chances this week to eat dinner with families (which
usually never happens since we work with YSA, we rarely see families
and children!), and one of the little girls drew us this cute picture.
She was adorable!




Heavenly Father Love YOU. - July 11, 2016

 Hello everyone! I hope your week was incredible, and your 4th of July
was fun & safe!  This week I learned how blessed I am to be here. We
attended a Zone Conference where we learned how much we are loved by
our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. Our Mission
President, President Polley, taught me something so profound. I'll
share with y'all some of my thoughts on the things he said. The Lord
is perfect, He can do ANYTHING. He could do the mission work of every
missionary in the blink of an eye. So why does He have us serve
missions? Why does He have us do His work? Why doesn't He just snap
His fingers and have everyone be baptized right now? It's because He
loves us. He loves me so much, that He's giving me this opportunity to
learn, grow, and serve Him. He prepares people in our area to receive
our message, but He leaves the work up to us. (Of course guided by the
Spirit.) Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us beyond measure to
our human minds. It is so incredible, it brings tears to my eyes. Just
felt like I should share that this week.
I am beyond grateful for this opportunity I have to serve in the TSAM.
Choosing go on a mission was the best decision I could have made for
my life right now. I NEEDED to come here to learn and grow, and to
GIVE EVERYTHING TO THE LORD.

    Our area Palo Alto YSA, is doing really good. Sister Martin and I are
in a really big finding time right now. But we are also working very
hard to strengthen and unify the current members of our branch. I am
really coming to learn that missionary work is not just about the
investigators, but it's all people! Members, less-actives,
non-members, everyone! We all need the light of Christ in our life, no
matter who we are. We have a new investigator named Samantha, who
really wants to get baptized! We taught her the Restoration on Tuesday
evening, and she LOVED it. She said that she has always felt the bible
was true, but there was just something missing. And that something is
The Book of Mormon! We were amazed at just how prepared and elect she
is! I am learning that we must always trust in the promises of the
Lord, faith is essential in the work! My faith has grown SO much while
I've been out here serving my mission. I am truly grateful to say,
this mission has changed my life forever.

    My companion, Sister Martin, is doing really good! She's such an
incredible leader and example. The sisters that she's over for her
Sister Training Leader calling, look up to her so much; I am one of
those sisters. She never ever gives up; her faith is absolutely
unshakeable. She KNOWS and TRUSTS in the promises of the Lord, and it
really helps me to do the same. She is the best example/trainer I
could have learned from.

    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church.
It was restored by a faithful prophet, Joseph Smith through the
Priesthood Power of God. The Book of Mormon is true, and is evidence
of this perfect gospel. Jesus Christ is my Savior, and through Him I
can try my best each day to be better. Through Him, I can live with my
family forever in the presence of my Heavenly Father. We are so
blessed. Heavenly Father loves us beyond measure, and I will never be
able to do enough to show my gratitude and love. But I can do my
absolute best in this life to turn everything to Him. I know that here
in the TSAM, that's what being "All In" is about. Turning everything
we have, to our Savior! I am so filled with pure joy. The Gospel of
Jesus Christ IS pure joy. And I feel so privileged to share that with
the people of Texas.

    I love and miss you all so much! Thank you for all of your examples
of love and faith. Always remember who you are, a child of God. Your
Heavenly Father knows YOU. Your Heavenly Father loves YOU. Never let
anything distract you from this knowledge of who you are. Know who you
are, and act accordingly!

Con MUCHO amor,

Hermana Freeman


We had a little too much fun with the Glow Sticks our members gave us
on the 4th of July😉






Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Happy 4th of July Everyone! 🇺🇸❤️💙 - July 4, 2016

Hello everyone! I hope you've had the greatest week ever!

Oh how great is the Work of the Lord! We were able to have an
incredible week this week. I am really starting to learn faith in
finding; our area is in a big finding time right now.

The area (Palo Alto YSA) is slowly starting to progress. We are
starting to see the members help more and more each day with the
mission work. We have been trying to find ways to make the branch more
unified; after many prayers and discussions, we've decided to have a
fireside/devotional on Sunday July, 24. My companion, Sister Martin,
and I will be speaking- along with another returned missionary in the
branch. We know that as we get everyone feeling the spirit together,
that our branch can become stronger! We are still working with a lot
of less-actives. I love to see the light of Christ enter back into the
lives of these people, it's incredible! For example, one of my first
days in San Antonio, we taught a less-active named Nick. I thought
Nick would NEVER progress! He was taking the lesson so lightly and was
trying to draw away the spirit. He said he liked his lifestyle and
didn't want to change! Well this past week we met with Nick (and many
many other times prior) and extended the commitment to meet with the
Branch President for a limited-use Temple Recommend to do baptisms for
the dead! I just felt so privileged to see the Lord and the Holy Ghost
work with this young man's heart. The work is truly incredible! We
will still continue to look for investigators to teach, but we have a
LOT of work to do within the branch to build up the unity!

I am so excited that today is the 4th of July! Last Pday, my companion
and I went shopping for Red, White, & Blue outfits to wear today. I've
attached a picture below of the us Lake Vista Apartment Sisters in our
4th of July attire! Sadly I forgot my Red scarf at home, so for right
now- my outfit is just White & Blue. Of course we will be going back
for the Red later!

Today on this spectacular 4th of July I want to talk a little bit
about how this glorious holiday that we celebrate has to do with the
gospel. We are so blessed to live in a country where we have such
religious freedom! Our forefathers were truly inspired to fight for
all the freedoms we have today. This religious freedom that we so
greatly fought for, opened the doors to the Restoration of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. It's so incredible to see how in control of
EVERYTHING, our Father in Heaven is. In Preach My Gospel on page 35,
under The Great Apostasy, it reads: "This Reformation resulted in an
increased emphasis on religious freedom, which opened the way for the
final Restoration." Heavenly Father prepared this land, the promised
land, for Joseph Smith to Restore the true church, The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints on the earth. This holiday is a lot more
than just fireworks and hotdogs; we celebrate the freedom of this
incredible country given to us by our Heavenly Father.  And all of the
incredible freedoms we have, including religious freedom! We are so
blessed, how glorious it is to live in America! ❤️💙❤️💙

I'd like to leave you all with my testimony.  I know the church is
true. I have a burning Testimony of this Gospel.  I know with all my
heart, that we have a Savior- Jesus Christ.  I know that we have a
Heavenly Father who loves us beyond measure and He wants us to
progress and succeed.  I know that this mission I'm serving is not
mine, but it is His.  And I am learning over time that because this is
His work, things will happen in His time.  I know that the Book of
Mormon is true.  And that we can become closer to God by reading it,
and acting upon the things we are prompted to do when we read it.  I
know that Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God, to restore this
gospel we have on the earth today!  The most important thing in my
life is my sweet family back at home in Santaquin, Utah.  And the
knowledge that I have, that I get to spend eternity with them- bring
me joy beyond words.  I love them so much.  I am thankful for the
opportunity that I have to share the knowledge of Eternal Families to
the people here in Texas!  I am growing so much as a person, and as a
missionary.  I am truly blessed. I say these things, in the name of
Jesus Christ, Amen.

I hope you all have an incredible week, and a fabulous 4th of July! Be
safe! I love you all, and want to thank you for all of your thoughts
and prayers. I pray for you as well.

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Freeman





Monday, June 27, 2016

Incredible Week, New Mission President! June 27, 2016

   Hello everyone! I hope your week has been so amazing. Today for the
very first time I wrote to our new Mission President, President
Polley!  President Polley has asked us to think about some ways that
our previous Mission President and his wife, President and Sister
Slaughter, have impacted and inspired our missions and our lives. I've
deceived to share my thought about this with you all in my mass email
this week!

    I have known President and Sister Slaughter for about two months now,
and they have changed my mission and my life forever. I absolutely
love them with all of my heart. The Slaughters are so inspiring
because they have been the greatest example to me of being 110%
consecrated in the work; knowing that this time, is the Lord's time.
This is something I know the Lord knew that I needed to learn from
them.

    Before my mission, I did not understand the value of time. In fact to
be honest, I wasted so much time! I spent most of my time watching
hours and hours of Netflix, or surfing Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram,
etc. on my phone. Putting my the time into a priority category was
something I utterly failed at.  On my mission I have grown and changed
SO MUCH. The Slaughters have taught me that this time is the Lord's
time; and it should be spent accordingly! In all reality, the time we
have here is so short- so we need to spend every second of it as
consecrated servants of Jesus Christ. I've come to learn that all
things I do on my mission relate to how I spend my time. I know that
being exactly obedient means that I need to be doing exactly what the
Lord has asked of me, and not wasting my time by doing other things
that would delay the work. I know that as I spend my time working as
hard as I absolutely can, and being as obedient as I possibly can- the
Lord will bless the mission work even more. Now that I know that this
time is not mine, but it is the Lord's- and I will spend it
accordingly.  Just like the Slaughters.

    This principle of "The Lord's Time" that I've learned from the
Slaughters will not only affect the rest of my mission, but the rest
of my life. When I return home, 18 months later, I will forever
consider my time as the Lord's time. There are so many things we can
do to further the work of the Lord even when we are not set apart
missionaries. We are given this time on earth from our Heavenly Father
as a probationary state.  I love my Heavenly Father so much and want
to please Him to the best of my fallen, human ability. I will always
spend my time according to the knowledge that it's actually not mine,
but it's His.

    Of course this is not the only thing that the Slaughters have taught
me on my mission, but it is one that sticks out very much to me
because it's something I personally needed to learn. The Slaughters
were always so inspiring and in tune with the spirit; they always said
things that I felt were answers to my prayers and my questions. I am
so grateful for them, and for all of their 110% consecrated and
devoted time and service to the Texas San Antonio Mission. They've
truly taught me the importance of being "All In"!

    I've been so blessed to have President Slaughter as my Mission
President thus far.  I know that I am also so blessed to serve with my
new Mission President, President Polley! The Lord qualifies who He
calls, and He calls people to a certain calling for a reason. I am so
excited to see the miracles that will come from this change in the
mission!!

    I love you all! Please remember how much of a gift time is. Choose
how you spend your time wisely, because is it really YOUR time? The
Lord loves us so much! He wants us to succeed, and HE WILL help us!
Have the best week ever!! I pray for you all each and every day.

    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. I love my
Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ so much. I owe them
everything, for they have given me everything. In the name of Jesus
Christ, Amen.


Thursday, June 23, 2016

Transfer 2, Pday 7 in Texas! - June 20, 2016

Hello everyone!

    Literally dying because I can't believe I'm already on my 2nd
transfer and 7th Pday. And that's only in Texas! If you count my time
in the CCM this is my 3rd transfer and 13th Pday! The time is flying!
I can't believe I've been out for almost 3 months. I love this work so
much! Deciding to serve a mission is the best decision I've made for
my life thus far. My testimony has grown immensely, and I've learned
so much!
    
    This week has been great! We had the opportunity to teach a lot of
lessons. Some were with potential investigators, and some were with
less actives! I love watching the Light of Christ change the lives of
these incredible people! We have this new potential investigator named
Tiara! She's absolutely fantastic, and super prepared! A few transfers
ago, my companion and her old companion found her at her apartment
complex. At the time, she didn't seem to be too interested, but gave
them her apartment number anyway. Well last week we were proselyting
in this particular apartment complex, and my companion had a feeling
that we should knock on Tiara's door. As soon as Tiara opened the
door, she invited us in! She was having a little party with some
friends, and she literally said to them, "Can you guys go wait in the
other room? I really need to hear what these ladies have to say." How
cool is that?! She put her life on hold to listen to our message,
she's so elect! We taught her The Restoration, and she LOVED IT. She
asked when she could start reading The Book of Mormon, and we said
now! We gave her one, and invited her to start as soon as she could.
We asked her to attend church, and she literally said, "Of course I'll
come to y'alls church! Can I bring a friend?" All you returned
missionaries out there know the beauty of getting a referral and not
even having to ask for it ;) We love Tiara! Unfortunately her and her
friend weren't able to make it to church yesterday, but we have a
lesson scheduled tonight with them. So we will find out what's going
on, we know Tiara works A LOT. We are so excited for her though! We
are hoping to set a baptismal date very soon.
    
    My companion/trainer Sister Martin and I get along great! She is
hilarious, I just love her. She absolutely just LOVES the work, and I
admire it so much. She's a very good example of exact obedience- all
in all, I am so lucky to have the opportunity to be trained by her!
    
    This week I finally tried "Whataburger". I guess it's this burger
place in Texas that everyone raves over, and the members would like
die when I said I hadn't been yet. It turned out to be pretty good!
Another Texas thing is HEB. It's a store that's like Walmart, but
better! We shop there every Pday. I found a drink called Vernors, (and
for those of you Michiganders reading this email, this one's for you!)
and I was so excited! It reminded me of my incredible Michigan family,
so I just had to buy it! I love all the unique Texas places here, it's
so great! I am already excited for the trip my family and I have
planned to come back to Texas! I am starting to have some serious
Texas pride ;)
    
    I just wanted to take a second and say Happy Father's Day yesterday
to all the Dads out there! And to my dad in particular, Happy Father's
Day, I love you! My dad has been such an incredible example to me-
he's one of the big influences in my decision to serve a mission. And
he is this influence merely by example! My dad is incredible, he is so
selfless. I want to thank him for being a worthy priesthood holder,
and for always being so great in all his callings. My dad has a love
for everyone that is true and sincere. I truly strive to be the kind
of missionary and person, that he was and IS! So thank you for
everything dad, I love you.
    
    Our mission president, President Slaughter and his sweet wife and
family leave a week from today!! It is so crazy! I'm a little sad,
because I have grown to love them SOOOO much! But I know that I will
love our new mission president and his wife, President and Sister
Polley just as much. I am excited to meet them next week! Next Tuesday
we have a mission-wide conference where all the missionaries in the
TSAM get together, and we will meet President and Sister Polley. I am
so excited for that, I know it will be incredible!

    I'd like to close with leaving you my testimony. I know without even
a sliver of a doubt that this church is true. I know that we have a
Prophet on the earth today- President Thomas S. Monson. I follow him,
and I sustain him and all of the other Brethren. I have such a rock
solid testimony of Joseph Smith; I know that he really did see God The
Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I know that Joseph Smith was
unimaginably faithful, and because of him we have The Book of Mormon
today. I love reading The Book of Mormon because when I do, I feel the
spirit so strongly. I know that it is true. I testify my witness that
The Book of Mormon is indeed the word of God. And I want to help
others on my mission understand the importance of reading it. I know
that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that because of Him- I can live
again with my Heavenly Father. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect.
I know that I am no where near perfect, but I know that by living the
gospel I can strive to be more like my Savior Jesus Christ.  I am so
blessed, and I am so grateful!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Freeman

P.S. Lol to describe that last Froyo pic... Every Tuesday night my
companion takes us to Menchie's because it's 5 dollar Froyo. And she
wanted to take a pic of our Froyos with our name tags;)