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!