Im going to be a senior campanion...that poor girl

So...transfers this week...this whole week Hna Hanson and I have been saying that we are going to just stay together because, yeah, it would have been epic. However, she had to go and be all righteous...or super apostate...(quien sabe?) and she's going to be a Sister Training Leader with Hermana White in North Sac. SO CRAZY! Hermana Arntsen is going to Argentina, so you guessed it! I am staying here in my beloved South Sac! Hermana Gigger is going to come up here from Tracy. She just finished training so I am going to be senior companion...that poor girl :) Naw. It's going to be fun! I met her at Zone Conference last week and she is super chill. And, according to Hermana Arntsen, she already knows Spanish. That's half of the battle :)

     So, Temple Conference was uh-mazing! It was so nice to go back and just feel the peace that is there. I love the temple so much! If anyone reading this is going on a mission listen up: go as much as you can before because you don't get to go very much during! We wanted to go today for P-day but President told the mission that we weren't going to go because everyone was just there...bummer. Funny story: we did a nativity as a zone and I got to be an angel (first time in my life). So that's how I met Hermana Gigger because she was an angel too! :)

     We are still teaching Carlos. He is progressing slowly, but steadily. We are really hoping to try and get his wife to come and listen with us because I know that her would be more receptive if another member of his family was with him. I can't even imagine being the only member of my family. I am so blessed to have this gospel in my life!

     We are also still working with Brianna and Natalie. More so Brianna because she is just soaking it all up like a sponge. We are doing a Nativity activity with her and her siblings tonight so we are hoping to talk to her mom. I say that all of the time, but we really need to do it. It's hard because she always makes a bee-line for the door when we walk in. So, pray for us! She is so cute! I absolutely love them!

     We finally were able to teach Marta and Arturo again. This time, their three boys Arturo Jr, Ezekiel, and Isaac came in with us because we watched "La Restauracion" and they loved it! I think that Marta and Jr. have a lot of promise. We just need to get them to church. That seems to be the problem with a lot of people...they want the blessings without the work. But we are going to help them see the blessings of going to church!

     We had an amazing activity here in this area. Every year they have a display of nativities at the church in Elk Grove and it is HUGE! Like, the church is shut down for the weekend. Church services have to be moved. It is the best thing in the world. There were about 519 nativities. People come from all over the place. We did a turn in one of the rooms talking to people for a few hours on Saturday night. They also have a display of Salt Lake Temple Square so we took pictures in Temple Square :)

     We, seriously, had so much fun this week but I don't have the time or space in an e-mail to write it all. Plus, people might think that we never work. Pretty sure Elder Nelson said it was missionary fun not missionary work :) I love my comps so stinking much and, I won't lie, I cried when I found out that Hna Hanson and I were going to be separated...however, I know that the Lord has good things in store for both of us. I am also really going to miss Hna Arntsen! Maybe she and Hna Syphus will be comps...that be funny! Because Hna White and Hna Toro were comps and now Hna Hanson and Hna White are going to be comps. All of my old comps are comps! Ha! 

     Well, I love you all and I am beyond words excited to see you all next week! Sister Lesley is going to let us use her computers :) Well, Stay classy and know that I love you with all of my bum! I would say heart...but my bum is bigger :)

Love, Hermana Freestone

There's Nowhere Else I Would Rather Be Right Now

FAMILIA!!!

     So, I hope this e-mail is finding you all well and healthy...unlike things on this end of the line. Hna Hanson and I both nos quedamos enferma el Sabado...no bueno. We are just coming out of it, but it's no fun. I feel like such an apostate sleeping in, but there's no way I would have the juice to get out of bad at 6:30. Thankfully, today was P-Day so I didn't feel near as bad. I am slightly drugged, so if anything I say doesn't make sense...well...just go with it. 

     This week has been full of fun and many good things! We had an amazing zone training on Thursday where my companions and I taught a "lesson" and the spirit was so stinking strong! En Serio! Our ZL was in tears. We talked about it after and worked out a plan of how to make all of our lessons that way. It's good. We are really starting to get a hang of this trio...and transfers are next week. GAH! I secretly hope that nothing changes here. I love my comps! However, fun news for the day: After 6 1/2 months of waiting Hermana Arntsen finally got her visa! She is leaving for Buenos Aires on the 18th! She and Hermana Syphus are going to be in the same mission! So cool! Up to this point on my mission, half of my companions have gone to Argentina :)

     So, we taught this amazing woman named Laura on Saturday. I know the lesson was amazing because I felt the spirit. However, I was so sick I couldn't even tell you what was said. Props to my companions for bringing the Spirit :) Ha! But I am really excited to teach her!

     We've been doing a lot of practicing for the Christmas temple conference this week. Our district is going to sing and I am really excited. However, I'm even more excited that I get to go to the temple! It's been a few months. That is one thing I miss a lot, but I guess I am doing something else that is just as worth it. :) We are going to see a few of the other Hermanas too!

     Last night we went to a member's house for dinner and before we left she gave us some adorable beanie hats that she made for us! We were all 3 loving our lives last night. I absolutely love being a missionary! There is nothing better. And, there is nowhere else I'd rather be right now :)

     Sorry there's not a lot to write about this week. I love you all SO SO SO SO much and hope you have a fantastic week! 

Love, Hermana Freestone

Feliz Dia de Gracias

     FELIZ DIA DE GRACIAS!!! I hope you all had just as fantastic of a day as I did here in Sac-town! We started off right today with a Turkey Bowl! Holla! WE played football for a good hour and then ended with some touch-rugby (they were scared I would hurt them ;) ha). We did some shopping around town and enjoyed our all-day P-day! Woot! After our shopping we went over to an English member's house for dinner. They were the sweetest things ever! They are actually the members that the English Elders live with so we played some pranks on them and had a great time! We also sang for them (mom and dad should have got the video of it) in Spanish because they both have Spanish heritage, they just prefer English. It was so nice! Thanksgiving away from home really makes me think of the things that I am grateful for. However, I love my mission so much and I wouldn't trade where I am for the world :)

     We have had a very interesting past 10 days...that's for sure! We almost burned down the apartment...for realz. We have been putting candles on the burners on the stove (on low, of course) so we can have a holiday scent in the house. Well, Hna Hanson accidentally put the burner on high and walked away. Well, the wax caught on fire. Note to self and all others: don't pour water on burning wax. The flame has a tenancy to shoot up about 3 feet and THEN the fire goes out...I must have been asleep during that Chemistry lesson or something? Anywho, we got the fire alarm to stop sounding and put the other candle outside. I got a pretty sweet video of it :) God protects His missionaries...that's for sure! JA!

     Last Tuesday I went on an exchange with Hna White. It was so much fun because we got to talk about our time together and reminisce a little. I am slightly jealous that Hna Hanson and Hna Arntsen got to stay in Sac with Hna Toro because this is her last transfer :( However, I did still get to see her a little bit, so that was nice. I really enjoyed the moment when we were switching back because all of my companions (sans Hna Carlson) were in the apartment with me. I can say that I love every single one of them so much and wouldn't trade my time with them for anything. They are just like family to me :)

     Last Thursday we had zone conference and Elder David Baxter of the Seventy came and gave us a marvelous training! He was a little intense, but the Work of Salvation is no joking matter. He talked a lot about our relationships with the members and how important it is. I wish that the members of our branch could have heard it as well. It got me really pumped to do missionary work! I was sitting right in front of him while he was teaching and there was a point in his lesson about how no one "jumps into success." He asked if anyone was an athlete so I raised my hand. He asked me which sports I played and I told him, "Soccer, softball, basketball, and rugby." He did a semi-double take and was like, "I'm tired just hearing that." He then went on to ask me if I was good overnight at those sports or if I had to work hard. Obviously, I said I had to work at it. He went on to describe how missionary work is the same. We have to practice the basics over and over again and keep going in order to be a successful missionary. I really liked that part :)

     So, we met this new guy named Carlos. Apparently, he was going to church hace algunos anos atras and he went for like 6 months. I guess he dejo de ir porque su esposa no le gusto la iglesia mucho...we are trying to teach her too. He is more than happy to let us teach him. He wants to learn and I know he can feel the spirit because he never wants us to leave. His wife really warmed up to us last time we went because we were helping her with her English and she wanted us to help her with some vocab for her citizenship test (which is a complete joke, by the way. I'd be willing to bet that 80% of Americans couldn't even pass it). She really liked that. We will see how it goes. We extended him a date as a goal, but Hispanics are REALLY antsy about picking dates. They don't want to fall bad with anyone so if they don't think that they are ready then they won't commit...but he did agree to pray about Dic 21 so we will see. I've got a god feeling about this one!

     We were going to drop Daniel, but while we were doing it his friend came over and they both got-all of a sudden-interested in the Word of Wisdom...so we took that as a sign (yup, I'm becoming Hispanic) that we shouldn't do drop him just yet. Jose, the one that had to go to San Fransisco to work has been reading in the Book of Mormon and he even went to church there! YAY! I hope that I am still here when he gets back so that I can teach him again! We haven't been able to see Briana and Natalie for a while. I guess Natalie, who just turned 8, asked her mom if she could be baptized and she said no and that she was crazy! So, we are going to fast this Sunday for her mom's heart to be softened...por lo menos for Briana to be baptized. 

     Oh! We also had a miracle! We went over to see this family that we haven't been able to see for a while: la Familia Camacho. Well, the daughter just barely got her papers after 10 years and was so excited! But, she also wasted no time in telling us how unfair people are treated. She seriously went off for like 1 1/2. Then her mom was telling us her story of how she got to this country for another 45 min. It was rough to listen to, but none of us felt like we should interrupt them to leave so we just stayed and listened. After 2+ hours the daughter was telling us that we were something special to sit and listen to her and still be contect. She took it as a sign from God that we had something that she needed to hear. Long, amazing story short, we get to go back and read the Book of Mormon with her and her mom next week! I am so glad that we stayed. And Hna Hanson said it best, "Jesus wouldn't look at the sun and say, 'Oh I have an appointment. I'll catch you all later.'" She's right: He would listen. Obviously, we won't have 3 hour lessons every day, but this one happened to work in our favor :)

     We went over Blanca's house to decorate their tree with Nuno and Danielle. It was so much fun! I absolutely love them! I am totally going to come and visit them after the mission. Blanca asked me again for President Lewis' number so that she could ask him to keep me here for Christmas...we'll see :)

 I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving and ate some pecan pie for me. Ja! I love you all and look forward to your e-mails on Monday! LOVES!

Love, Hermana Freestone