Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy- That Includes Going To Church

     So...here I was just rolling along this week and then in church yesterday Sister Potter came up to me and said something about having a movie for me. I may or may not have had a mini-freak out in the chapel. I was bouncing up and down in the chapel and the Elders were all laughing at me and telling me to calm down. Yeah...fwams didn't understand. I was pretty much beside myself all throughout church and for the three hours after church that I had to wait to go to the Potter's house. Obviously, I was so excited for Bubba! Minnesota! You are going to freeze to death bud...you better put on some fat...or get a good coat :) July 9th, eh? Wow...I miss you by 3 months exactly...it's a good thing that they invented Skype for Christmas and Mother's Day :)

     So, we were sitting in Relief Society yesterday and they were talking about keeping the Sabbath Day holy and all that jazz. One lady mentioned something along the lines of it isn't that bad if we miss church because sometimes we have to travel because we are visiting our kids from out of town and we have to come home on Sundays and we can't make it to church...then I got to thinking...um, it is in the 10 commandments:keep the Sabbath Day holy-that includes going to church. Then I thought back to exactly a year ago when I wanted to stay in St. George for the night but mom wanted to come home for stake conference the next day. I was super grouchy, but we drove home. I was driving until 2:00 in the morning, but we were sitting in church the next day. That was a really good example for me :)

     Oh! We met this super sweet lady this week named Theresa. She was a referral from the ASL sisters. Actually the referral went like this: "We met this lady that didn't understand a word of English. We sort of made gestures and asked if you could come over (ironic that the ASL sisters had to use gestures) and she said yes and walked away." So, we went over to check it out. We made an appointment with her and we went back planning to teach her the Restoration. However, the Spirit told us otherwise and we taught her the Plan of Salvation. It was actually a really good lesson for us in terms of comp unity. We came out and discussed what we were thinking and we both started apologizing to eachother for changing the lesson-realizing that we both felt like we had to do the same thing. Also, Theresa said to us after the lesson that she really liked us and that she feels really good when she talks to us! YAY! We weren't able to get her to commit to come to church, but we are going back tomorrow. BOO-YAH!

     We also met a lady named Miriam. She is an old investigator that Hermana Dando taught, but she was strung out on meth so they dropped her. Well, I guess that she went to this retreat thing a couple of weeks ago and she has been clean for a while. We are going to try and teach her and see how it goes because she had a baptismal date at one point. A ver...she has a lot of energy and she is really loud. It's kind of hard to get a word in and feel the spirit, but everyone has their timing and it may be her turn :)

Love, Hermana Freestone

P.S. we totally hit a cat in the car this week...you'll enjoy that video that we made :)

1. puppy! ps: I dyed my hair :)

2.elder reid...he's gone :(

3. us at the temple

THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE!!!

     So, it is was transfer Tuesday this week and we went to the temple this morning. It was so great! It was exactly what I needed to refuel and keep on keeping on :) 

     This week has been fun/interesting/crazy/(adjectives).....We visited the Gonzalez family last week and we talked a lot about eternal families. Hna Gonzalez really wants to go. However, she is pretty much the one that asked her husband to marry her so she says it's his turn to ask and she isn't going to push him. Well, we are talking about eternal families here so Hermana Dando and I decided to give them a little empujo. :) We'll see how it goes. I am so happy that my family is eternal. It is such a great blessing to me!

     On Tuesday I was having a rough day and there wan't much sign of an "up" so i finally broke down and asked for my first blessing since the MTC. I miss getting father's belssings, but I asked Brother Potter (a seminary teacher here that is serving in the Spanish branch even though he doesn't know Spanish-he's from St. George) and he has been like a mission father for me in this area. I love him and his wife so much and they are always willing to help us at the drop of a hat. He gave me blessing that night and it was such a powerful blessing! I had Hermana Dando write it down for me and it was something I will NEVER forget! The Lord truly does know us personally because he mentioned things that he had no idea were going on in my life.I'm so grateful for that. Hermana Dando also got a blessing this week for her ankle-she's bionic :) Elder Lee gave her a blessing of healing (so it was legal) and it was-again-one of the most powerful things that I have heard. We are both just so lucky and are really gaining such a powerful testimony of the Priesthood this week. It's been a topic of discussion a lot for us.

     We have been teaching a lady named Mari and she had accepted a date for March 29th! We went over with one of out members last week and watched The Restoration DVD with her. She really liked it. We talked about church and we answered a few questions that she had about prophets. She came to church on Sunday (let me tell you how not exciting daylight savings was here-but we're alive and well)and it was CRAZY! Sunday school was interesting and a little much. We talked about the organization of the Priesthood and the teacher got a little deeper into the subject than we would have liked, but it was a great lesson! Relief Society was interesting. It was a little hectic, but the lesson was great. We never got a chance to talk to Mari about what she thought about church because she left with her two daughters a little bit early from RS because she had to get home to make dinner for her husband. I have come to realize that if Hispanic women die, their husbands will probably starve to death! Maybe that's just men in general... :)

     Our most interesting day was definitely Saturday. We taught a whole slew of people and did some things that only missionaries could get away with. We were tracting and saw this very well-kept lawn and Hna Dando and I decided that whoever lived there deserved to be complimented on their yard, and to be taught the gospel. Well, long story short, it turned into an hour and a half long circular borderline-argument about whether or not Adam and Eve could have children before they ate the fruit and if they really had agency before they did that and then why there was so much pain and suffering on the earth. And THEN, the guy tried to tell me that I don't have a testimony of the Book of Mormon...that would be the closest I have ever come to losing my cool on a doorstep. If there is only one thing that I know in the world it is this: THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE!!! That is a FACT! And if it is true, then Joseph Smith really DID see God the Father and Jesus Christ and he really WAS called as a prophet of God and that the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day Saints really IS the Lord's kingdom on earth again and that I AM called as a representative of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So DON"T GO THERE! Yeah...we miraculously got out and we just sat in the car and screamed a little bit. And then we got ice cream with ASL and life was better :)

     We also met a man named Matthew. Funny story: we were driving around after dark on one of the most ghetto roads in upper Stockton-or so we are told...we've never actually seen anything-and we see this guy pushing his truck so we jump out and offer to help him. We end up going to the gas station and getting a gallon of gas for him to put in his truck and then he was like, "I know God is real. Where else do you find two young white women in a predominately black neighborhood after dark willing to jump out and help a big black man push his ghetto truck on the streets?" We were able to teach him and give him as a referral to the elders. We just laughed and then got in the car, realizing what we had just done and said a quick prayer that everything turned out alright. God really does protect his missionaries :)

     The Elders had some fun with us on transfer calls. For outside reasons that don't need to be explained we had a pretty great assurance that we were staying together. Then the ZL's call and tell me that I am getting transferred to Manteca and I seriously started to cry. We both did a little. I actually got the whole thing on camera so when I send my next SD card home you can all watch the hilarity of my face :)

     We read this talk in the Ensign this week as an apartment and we were all floored by how bold it was so I am going to attach it in case you don't want to be not lazy and open the Ensign. Here it is :)

Well, I love you all tons! MWAH!

Love, Hermana Freestone

No One Challenge A Testimony

 This week has been really great! Yesterday at church was fantastic! There was a guy that got up and said something that I really liked. He said that the distance between man and God is the same distance between your knees and the floor. BOOM! So cool! Then, this kid named Johny got up. I saw him a couple of weeks ago with Hna Cardullo and we asked him about serving a mission. He mentioned how he wanted to go to school and he wasn't really sure about whether or not he wanted to go. Naturally, we both freaked out and made him promise that he would pray about what he was supposed to do because God knows everything and only He can give us every answer. So, Johny gets up and talks about how he was thinking about a mission and he started to read the scriptures and prayed about it and he got his answer that he is supposed to go. He then talked about how he has started his papers! I practically started to cry I was so excited for him! It was so touching and a testimony-builder for me about missions. Then, to follow that up, Elder Reid got up. He is going home next week and talked about how his mission changed his life. He also started to cry a little. The flood gates opened I was pretty much bawling. My mission has changed my life so much and I love to see how serving the Lord and losing yourself in the work makes such a difference in our lives. That is why I am so excited for Bubba because I know what a blessing it is going to be-and the fact that we are going to be doing it together...I can't even describe it!!!!!

     We had another lesson with Danny this week but we decided to hand him off to the YSA elders because we think that he would be better there. We tried to move the appointment to the church, but it didn't work out so hot. So there was me, Hermana Dando, Elders Parrish and Gilray, and their member. We totally rolled up to their little apartment like a gang...it was awkward. Then we get into his house and says, "My brother wanted me to call when you got here." Then, his brother rolls up with his Bible and some notes prepared...this was not looking well for us. Long story short, they came at us with every Bible bash topic-I really hate that-and the whole "seventh-day worship" thing. Elder Parrish laid down some scriptures and then bore a super powerful testimony and then Elder Gilray double-testified and bore one of the most powerful Book of Mormon testimonies I have ever heard in my entire life. Hermana Dando and I added our testimonies of the prophet and of the Book of Mormon and then their member (recent convert) bore a stellar testimony as well. They would argue with us scripture after scripture, but they couldn't argue a thing about our testimony. That is one thing that I was amazed at. I knew that no one can challenge a testimony that you have received by the Holy Ghost, but that was using testimony at it's finest. This gospel is so amazing! I LOVE IT!!!

     We also met a lady this week named Maria. We taught her the restoration and she really like it, but the second lesson was where it was at. We taught the Plan of Salvation and she was loving the fact that families can be eternal. Then she brought up something about the holy spirit and we decided to just go into the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She LOVED the idea of receiving the Holy Ghost so we invited her to be baptized and she was so excited! We will be working w lot with her this week so I can't wait!

Love, Hermana Freestone

P.S. Please send some prayer in the direction of Elder Parrish here and Elder Parrish (idk where he's serving) and Sister Parrish-an ASL sister in Oregon. Their mother, father, and two siblings were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning. Sister and Elder Parrish went home for the funerals and things, but that's all I know. Elder Parrish in this mission is related to them as well. It has been very difficult for them so pray for them please.

1. we love panda!

Developing Casi Non-Existent Talents

    Heya all! We had a really great week here! Silvia left for Mexico on Monday night so I was pretty sad about that. We got her all set up to go to church in Durango and she is really excited! We are hoping that the missionaries there will be able to help her and also teach her husband. I absolutely LOVE that family! It's crazy how much you can come to love complete strangers on your mission!

     We had exchanges this week and I was able to be with Hermana Cardullo. This is the first exchange that I have done on my mission where the STL wasn't my companion at the time or my former companion so I didn't really know what to do. I liked it, but it was a little awkward. She is the sweetest person ever! She just has so much love for the people here and for everyone around her. I don't know how she does it. She was able to help me with a few personal things that were bugging me. We also talked to EVERYONE while we were together. We even talked to the people working outside our apartment. They spoke Spanish and they were super surprised that two Gringas spoke Spanish. Later this week one of them came to the door to ask us to move the car and I started talking to him in Spanish. I wish I had a camera on me to capture the look on their faces :)

     We met a lady named Maris that day and she is super great! She had three little boys and her husband died about 3 years ago. We decided to teach her and her boys the PLan of Salvation. When we told them that they would be able to live with their dad again their eyes lit up and I thought that she was going to start to cry. I am so grateful to know that my family is eternal and that we will be together forever! the gospel is a fantastic thing!

     We also met a lady who's son just got baptized and they have been around missionaries for a long time. They used to live with her in Mexico so we are working with them. We brought a member with us and...well...it wasn't exactly helpful, but I don't think it completely ruined it.

     OH! So we went to this interfaith tea thingy and that was interesting! There was a bunch of people there from like 8 other churches and it was a really good opportunity for us to interact with people from different religions. I really enjoyed it :)

     Also, our investigator Danny...we are most-likely going to pass him off to the YSA elders because he is 21 and he prefers English. It's probably for the best though because his brother and his father totally Bible-bashed us. Can I just say, I am very grateful for the Book of Mormon. They just kept going and going and going at us so we just bore testimony, wrapped it up, and just got out of dodge. We held our cool though. The fact that people have to sit there and prove to me that their church is right and mine is wrong just builds my testimony. Because I have that witness from the Holy Ghost and that is nothing that they can take away! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!

     Oh, I am also attempting to improve my casi non-existent musical talents by taking up the uke. I'm pretty excited. Sister Abbott is teaching me :) She wanted to leave ya'll a message :)

Love always, Hermana Freestone

Hey! This is Sister Abbott. I have the incredible privilege to live with Sister Freestone. She's kinda the best thing since Mint Oreo Blizzards. And that's saying something. Basically, I'm such a huge fan of her. She's such a hard worker, and is legitimately the best thing this mission has ever seen. If I was a Spanish missionary, I'd request to be her companion. Because she's the best. And she knows what's up. She'll convert the nations. And it's amazing to see her buckle down and work like a boss. I love serving with her! Thank you for sharing her with the Sacramento mission, and with me. :)

1. silvia before she left

2. learning how to put on make-up

Baptism Hangover

  I'm not really sure what to write this week. Kindof on a baptism hangover right now...aka the work is a little slow. We mostly just do contacting all day long. However, we have our own ways of making it fun! Working certain words into a door approach and things like that. We've had some good moments!

     We had a zone conference this week in Manteca so we got out of Stockton for a quick minute. It was really good. President is really trying to get us to focus on the work and get us on track. We had three little "workshops" and the one we did with the AP's was a lesson on commitments. Usually, we pair off as missionaries to teach each other. However, we are the only sisters in our zone and we can't be paired off with the elders so Hermana Dando and I had to teach President Lewis. Yes-to answer your question-we were both terrified. However, we were able to put our game faces on, really think about what our "investigator" needed and it turned out to be one of the most uplifting moments of the conference for me. Also, as a zone we had to sing in front of the other two zones. I'm not sure why but, as sisters, you have a sign on your head that says, "Yes, we would love to sing a solo. Please ask about our 18-month investment." Yeah...Hermana Dando and I had to start out the whole zone in "Come Thou Font." If you've ever sang that song, you know it's high. If you've ever heard Hermana Freestone sing, you know she can't sing high...it must have been the Spirit covering for me because we managed to hit the notes. Chalk one up for the Hermanas! :)

     We did have a very ironic moment where we were teaching a less active and we had our ward mission leader and a recent convert with us. We were teaching the Word of Wisdom. Well, he pulls our some tea for us. There was pomegranate with black tea so we avoided it like the plague! There was also lemon and peach. Well, we were going along and drinking our tea when I looked down and realized that the one that my companion and our recent convert were drinking had black tea in them as well. So, they were breaking the word of wisdom and teaching about it at the same time. The irony was fantastic! :)

Love, Hermana Freestone

Life is like a Jar of Jalapenos....

Ok, the quote of the week comes from Sister Abbott: "Life is like a jar of jalapenos...what you do today might burn your butt tomorrow!!" yeah...I about fell off of the bed laughing! Ok, SO many things have happened this week! I don't even know where to begin so sorry if this is really scattered.

     So, on Friday morning at 10 we got a call from Silvia's daughter Janett saying that her husband had to work on Saturday so we had to move the baptism to 6:00-which was the same time as Victor's baptism. The hardest thing you may have to do as a missionary is choose a baptism of two people that you love so much. I'm not a mother, but I would imagine that it would be like choosing a favorite child (I won't tell anyone it's me). Anywho, we called everyone to tell them that it was moved. I finally resolved to go to Victor's baptism. Then, some Elders told us that the ward was going to have a Valentine's Party that night at 6 so there would be loud music. We called Janett to tell her and she was like, "Oh, let me call my esposo!" So she called him and then called us back and told us that because of all of the rain he doesn't have to work so we can move it back to 4. We decided to move it to 4:30 because another ward was having a baptism at 3. So...I got to go to both :) It was a very tender day for me to see two people that I have come to love so much enter into a covenant with their Heavenly Father!

     Ok, it has been raining cats and dogs here. This is what happens when the Mormons fast: God delivers :) Haha! it has been raining for 5ish days straight and the people here are loving it! We have been enjoying life. I feel bad for the poor biking Elders though.

     I finally got a name sign from the ASL sisters. Hermana Abbott said that she was confused at how much soul I had in my little body until she realized that my name is Monique...my name sign is then signing "black soul" with an "F". Yeah...I was laughing so hard!

     We have been working with a lot of less-actives lately because there are a lot here. Not as much as in Sac, but bastante. We have been having some powerful experiences here with them. I wish I had time to share them all with you! This week has been just so busy. Sorry i'm so scatterbrained!

     CONGRATULATIONS TO TYSON AND JENNIE!!!! I am so happy for you! Send me lots and lots of pictures! :)

     The mission is seriously the best. I don't even know what I would be doing without it! It has pushed me to do things that I didn't even thing it was possible to do.

Well, sorry this is so short and scattered, but I love you all so so much! Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, Hermana Freestone

1. silvia's baptism

2. victor's baptism

3. RAIN!!!

Hola From Stockton!!

  Ok, I don't even know what to say about my life as a missionary except that I love it! Stockton is where it is at. Yes, I am in the hood, but let's be honest...I've wanted to serve here for ages. The Lord answers prayers! So, I am here with Hermana Dando and I absolutely LOVE her! We're getting along pretty swell! Also, I am with the ASL sisters, Sis Repman and Sis Abbott. We are quite the crew...to put it lightly. I seriously love them all to death :) 

     So, Victor's baptism was postponed a week because the person that was going to baptize him wasn't available...go figure. So he will be baptized this Saturday. Also, the sisters here have been teaching the mother of a member that came here to visit. Apparently, the daughter (Hna Gonzalez) told the Hermanas that her mother was coming to visit and she wanted her to be baptized. They started to teach her and she accapeted baptism almost immediately. She was going to get baptized last week but she was really sick. We have been teaching her and she is going to be solid! I believe her husband was going to be baptized in Mexico as well. This gospel blesses families for sure. Isn't it great!?

     We have been doing a lot of finding this week. Tracting is interesting here. I got a door literally slammed in my face. We were talking to the daughter and all of a sudden the mom came to the door, told us that they were not interested, and KA-BOOM!!!! I think my heart jumped a beat or two...the area we work in is really patchy in terms of Hispanics. One street can be a gold mine and the next is like these super richy-rich people that live in gated communities. But, we're really trying to talk to as many people as we can. 

     There really isn't a lot to report this week. You should just all know that I am loving my life and am SO excited to be in Stockton! I love you and hope you all have an amazing week! MWAH!

Love, Hermana Freestone

1. me and hna dando in our South Stockton hats!

2. hna dando, reppy, abbott, and yo

3. i went to the capitol!