What Would Missionary Work Be Like If IT Were Always Easy?

This week was rough, but what would missionary work be like if it were always easy? We would never grow from our challenges. I'm really trying hard to be grateful for the growing opportunities that the Lord gives me...but I am definitely human and it can be hard.

On the up-side, Antonia came to church and told everyone that she wants to be baptized! She has come to church twice so she can pretty much pick any date that she wants. We are really excited, but a little wary because we're not sure if she is all of the way there sometimes. She is 76...or 73...she wasn't exactly sure about that the other day :)

We met a lady named Isabelle this week and she had been taught by missionaries hace muchos anos. We did a short, powerful Restoration lesson with her and she was very interested in the fact that we have a profeta hoy en dia. We scheduled a return. A ver que pasa...

We also met a lady named Maria. She is super nice and was super willing to read the Book of Mormon! We had a return set up ans Sister Potter came with us. Unfortunately, Maria was asleep and she had taken a sleeping pill so we couldn't wake her up. I know when I took Melatonin a couple of weeks ago I was down for the count! Pobrecita.

Surprisingly, it was Sister Potter's birthday this week. It was actually on Friday night. Brother Potter is in the young men's and it was the Father-Son outing. Although their son is not here, he was going to take some of the young men up who's parents weren't members or weren't active. He was going to miss the night of his wife's birthday. At first, I was like, "Bro, you're ditching your wife on the night of her birthday and leaving her alone in the house? Ain't NO way!" But then, the more I thought of it, I realized how awesome Sister Potter is because she wasn't upset at all-or at least she didn't show it. I was amazed at how much she supported him in his calling and how she was helping him to magnify his calling with the young men. SUPER impressed! I hope that I can be like that one day.

Love always, Hermana Freestone

CPR Saves Lives

 This week had been really great! We had our zone conference on Tuesday and it was really good. Usually I come out of them feeling super chastised and drained. However, we came out of this one ready to work and get down to business-which is exactly what we did. We went to teach Alondra again and we really focused on short, powerful lessons in zone conference so we just went for it. We taught her a super solid restoration and she was loving it! We invited her to be baptized and she said that she wants to, but she wants her husband to do it with her and he is still in Mexico because he doesn't  have papers. They haven't been together for almost 7 months :( I thought that was adorable and we offered to send missionaries to his house in Mexico. She said she would talk with him first. We were super excited! We went over to teach her again yesterday because she missed our appointment. We decided to go for the Plan of Salvation because she has two little kids. She liked it but she liked the ideas that we could be together forever a lot. We gave her a picture of the temple and then bore testimony about eternal families and you could tell that she was feeling the Spirit and she had this "familiar" look in her eye. She proceeded to tell us that she really liked the plan and that it is different than her beliefs (yes...we knew that). She mentioned something about being reincarnated 106 times and then going to a final resting place...a little interesting so we will see how it goes. I'm not sure she fully understands the Book of Mormon so we're working on that as well.

     We also had exchanges this week and Hermana Cardullo came down to spend the day with me while Hermana Dando spent the day in Lodi with the one and only Hermana Hanson. We both had a really great time and learned some new things that we have been trying to put into practice lately. I have a hard time talking to everyone so Hermana Cardullo really helped me with that. We talked to SO many people! I'm usually snobby because I teach in Spanish-therefore I only want to talk to Hispanic people, but I learned that even the white people can help you out and they need God too :) We were tracting in an apartment complex that is loaded with Hispanics and we ran into a lady that Hermana Cardullo taught a year ago when she served in Stockton named Margarita. She is married and has 2 boys: Juan and Imar. They are from El Salvador. Juan is a senior and he doesn't speak hardly any English. Imar is a sophomore and he can understand it, but isn't so hot at speaking (I feel ya...). They are the most adorable family ever! We have an appointment with them tonight and I am really excited about that!

     We visited Antonia and she is doing well. She is older and is a little crazy. We were over there on Saturday and we were going to drop her and then we just started talking about baptism and church and she said that when she came to church that she felt a very special feeling and she knows that we have something different. She said that she wanted to be baptized! um...OKAY! She was going to come to church on Sunday but, as luck would have it, she twisted her ankle after we left and couldn't even stand up. She's a little gordita so there was no way she could have made it. We went over this morning and she is still really excited about us teaching her. A ver...

     We received a referral from some elders in Lodi for a woman that was already a member named Lupe. We went to visit her and it turns out that she and her husband (gringo) just moved back from Arkansas and she was the Relief Society President there. Funny, because they moved here in December and we've never met her...whatevs...no judgement. She is the best thing ever! We went over to eat with her and her husband and her daughter who lives in Lodi and is inactive. They are the CUTEST! I love her so much! She is still deciding if she wants to go to the Spanish ward or the English ward because she really wants her husband to join the church but he doesn't understand a drop of Spanish. But, bless his heart, he still comes with her once in a while.

     Erik has been a little pain this week, but we still love him a ton! We have really been pushing church attendance, prayer, and reading the scriptures with him (CPR saves lives). He couldn't come to church yesterday because it was his brother's girldfriend's baby shower and he had to go to the park and "save their spot." Yeah...lame. We were begging his mom to let him come but she said no. Yeah...we were not happy campers about that. Mother does not, in fact, always know best.

Love always, Hermana Freestone

1. mother's day with my misison mom and Hermana

2. north stockton zone REPRESENT

3. Elder Villalva's first s'more

Feliz Dia de la Madre

This won't be long because I talked to you all yesterday and that was EPIC! I love you all so much! Just think...next time we talk it will be in SLC international...crazy! But we don't think of that right now. I just want to re-iterate how proud I am of my siblings! For those that actually read these e-mails my brother is graduating next week and is going through the Manti temple on the 31st! Mollie is the studette of Morgan High and I'm super pumped to watch her rock the soccer field in October :)

Missions are the best! Some people might think that serving a mission is a waste of 2 years or 18 months. That's not true-and I'm sorry that you feel that way. I can guarantee that there is no happier time in my life than this moment-and I've done some pretty cool things. I wouldn't trade this for any career opportunity, sports, or anything else. I can't even describe how excited I am to serve with my little brother. No greater honor :)

Hope all of my mothers had a great Mother's Day. It was great to talk to my unica MAMA yesterday :) Also, happy 24 years married mom and dad! I love you so much!

Well, hope you all have a great week!

Love, Hermana Freestone

The Lord Wants to Forgive

So, we met a lady this week named Antonia. She is a really old lady and her daughter is a member in the El Dorado English ward here. I guess that the elders used to visit her a lot but that was a long time ago because this has been a sister's area for several years with one quick 6-week exception last year. So, we went to visit her the first night and we were both struggling to stay focused. She had the tv on-volume off-but with subtitles (yeah...it's still a huge distraction), she was talking in circles, and it was really warm, and we had just eaten a nice Mexican dinner :) However, we were able to share the message of the Restoration at the end and she really liked it. She lives with her son who is super Catholic and says that going to another church would make her two-faced. Grrrrr...I love family :) It turned out to be really powerful! Yay! Then, on Saturday night we were able to visit her again. And this time we brought her daughter. Unfortunately, her daughter was running on Hispanic time and showed up 45 minutes late and we had to leave. So, we shared a super quick, but powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon and committed her to read it-well, the first chapter :) She said that she was going to read it. Then, much to our wonderful surprise, she came to church yesterday for sacrament meeting! We were floored because she said that she wasn't going to be able to  come this week but she wanted to come next week. We never had a chance to talk to her after because she took off like a bandit on the run. But we are going over tonight so we'll see!

     We are still working with Erik, of course. He is a champ. We are working with him to get the Priesthood. We have a ways to go, but he really wants to change so we are starting step-by-step. He keeps telling us that he is going to quit coming to church when we leave, but we are really working to involve the leaders. I knew before my mission that leaders were important (I can think of a few YW leaders/teachers/coaches that saved me growing up) but I really like seeing how they affect a person from the outside looking in. Brother Potter has really taken him under his wing and it's been a huge help. We are working on getting the bishop more involved as well. Last week Erik and I were just friends, and now I have graduated to best friend :) Hermana Dando is his best-best friend, but I will graduate again once she leaves. Ha! He is like the rock in his family right now. His mom had to work yesterday, but his dad and his younger brother and sister came to church as well. AND, his little brother got up and bore his testimony. Erik was so cute, he went up and helped him. :) Porfa! Keep the Acosta Family in your prayers! I love them so much! Hermana is super sassy and likes to tease me so I tease her right back. She told me the other day that she is going to miss arguing with me when I leave...good thing I'm here until July! Ha! 

     Also, really cool thing: with Erik we caught a snag this week so we decided to try a new tactic. We made him sit down and write down ten things that he wants to do with his life. Among other things he wrote down serving a mission, get married, and become an architect. WE then went over what he has to do do get all of those things. It opened his eyes a little bit. We also shared a Mormon Message with him. It's called The Lord Wants To Forgive. You should check it out because it's super legit. It really hit him.

     We had to drop Teresa...I was so sad! She was so gold! However, some people just need their space. The Lord has plans for everyone. Maybe we were just supposed to be the missionaries that planted the seed and then the other Hermanas in the future will be able to reap the harvest?

     I have had lots of ups and downs on my mission, but I wouldn't trade theses experiences for the world. I have learned a lot and I can't even imagine my life without having served a mission! 

Love, Hermana Freestone

In preparation for Cinco de Mayo...it's gunna be big!

Erik with a "K" :)

 This week has been really great! So, you remember Erik from last week? Erik with a "K". I've been chastised for messing that up...Well, he came to church again yesterday and he also went on a Scout campout and went to a Seminary devotional last night. Then, he texted us and asked us when early morning seminary started. Let'sbehonest, I didn't even have the ambition to do early morning Seminary. Tried it for a whopping 3 weeks and packed it in. I have so much respect for the youth here! And this kid wants to try it! He also asked us for a hard cover copy of the Book of Mormon to start reading. He has threatened that when we leave he will stop going to church and being involved, but then last night he told us that he is hoping that he will get involved enough that he will want to stay on his own. I sure hope so! He asked us last night when he could start passing the Priesthood and we told him that he would have to ask the bishop about that so he is going to go in on Sunday! Holy cow! I am a huge fan of underdogs and I really think that this kid will beat the odds. He's got a lot working against him right now so just pray for him that he will be able to overcome his situation. He is such a great kid. He's punk, but we love him so much!

     We also had a fantastic lesson with Teresa this week. We asked her why she didn't come with us to church. Well, last time we went over to teach her she had her aunt in town with her. Her aunt-along with the rest of her family (and every other Hispanic for that matter) is dyed-in-the-wool Catholic. Teresa is Catholic, but doesn't ever go. Well, her aunt did not like the fact that we were there teaching her and she really didn't like the fact that we had invited her to church and she said that she would go. So, said aunt was supposed to leave on Saturday, but decided to prolong her stay until Sunday-making it impossible for Teresa to come to church. BLAH! These people...

     We are also teaching a lady named Ester. She has been taught for a while now, but will never come to church and won't commit to being baptized. We have been going over and reading the Book of Mormon with her and she really enjoys it. She says it's a lot more clear than the Bible. She's really starting to develop a testimony. We invited her to be baptized and she said yes! She's never said yes to any other missionary before! We are making progress there :) We extended a date to her, but she didn't like the idea of doing it really soon so we are going to try and give her a date a little bit farther out. The problem is that her son plays soccer on Sundays and she is the chauffeur. :( However, we are going to see if we can get her to come to Sacrament meeting at least :)

    That is pretty much how things are going here. Cinco de mayo is coming up and we are super excited because it is on a P-day. God bless Mondays! Some of you may have seen just how excited we are for this holiday :) Well, I love you all and hope that everything is going well with you. God bless you all and I love you tons!

Love always,

Hermana Freestone

Cinco de mayo

#GraciasaEl

Hoppy Easter! Did you all love Easter? Because I sure did! I hope you all got a chance to watch the church's video that they put out for Easter. If not, watch it and then you can hashtag it #BecauseofHim or if you are really cool you can do it in Spanish #GraciasaEl. We have been sharing it with people all week long. It was fun because we don't have i-pads so we were asking random strangers to share a video and then we would have to ask them to pull out their mobile device or i-pad. It was great! I absolutely LOVED IT!

     This week was fantastic! Honestly, there's nothing too crazy to report, but being on a mission is the best so why wouldn't it be a fantastic week? Something really cool though: we have a less-active family in our ward (who am I kidding? they're completely inactive). They used to be super gung-ho, but then the mom had to take a job where she worked on Sunday and then the family stopped going because the dad works nights and it is too much of a hassle to get all 7 of their kids to church. I have a huge testimony of the gospel because I see their kids' lives and it makes me sad. They have so much potential! One of their sons is 15. We got talking to him and found out that he has an addiction to Marijuana. We were floored. That isn't uncommon here, but it makes me SO SAD! We tried to talk to him about his future and what he wants for his life. He tried to argue with us, but both Hermana Dando and I have been teenagers at one point and we tried to use all of those same arguments not too many years ago. I felt like my parents-and she did too. We had to giggle about it. However, we finally got him to commit to come to church with us. He was freaking out that we were pulling him away from his friends for 4/20, but he agreed in the end (4/20 is like the national smoke pot day...the things you learn on a mission). We went over to his house yesterday morning with Sister Potter and he was all ready, looking very nice, and sober. We were so proud of him! We sat by him in church and I know he was feeling the Spirit. The Potters spoke and they were super powerful! The boy wouldn't sing with us, but he kept looking very intently at the hymns and he was thinking about it. He met a lot of the boys in YM and Brother Potter-the YM president-took him home. Brother Potter told us later that the boy said that he wanted to come to the activities and maybe to church again. Also, they are having a Boy Scout hike this weekend that he wants to go on. Good leaders are so key in these kids' lives. This isn't Morgan where you can spit and hit 10 Mormon families. This is Stockton where you are lucky if your kid can make it through high school without trying 3 or 4 kinds of drugs. We are really working hard with him! Keep him in your prayers!

     We also had another less-active boy in our ward come to an activity. His family was baptized in Utah, moved our here and went completely inactive. They have 4 boys: 18, 17, 15 and 12. We went over for dinner at their house and the 12 year-old asked us about activities for the youth. He wanted to come and check it out. As it turns out, they were having a combined activity and were having a cook-off. We were able to get Gustavo there and he absolutely loved it! Hermana Dando and I were the taste-testers. We really sacrificed on that one...;) Gustavo said that he really had fun and that he wanted to go to church on Sunday. Sadly, we weren't able to get ahold of him. However, he really wants to go on the camp out. He made lots of friends and already knew a couple of them. We think that he can be the one that will help his family come back.

     Our investigator Teresa is doing well. We just need to get her to church. That is the common problem here...we're still working on combating that.

     Easter was fabulous! Church was great and then the Potters invited us to come over for dinner. They invited an investigator family-who in turn invited some friends. It was so great! A lot of the people there only spoke Spanish so I had to translate all dinner, but it was such a privilege. The Potters are an amazing family. We were able to share the Easter video and bear our testimonies to them about the Savior and his Atonement. It was very touching. I love being able to share the gospel. It is such a great blessing. I can't think of anything else that would make me more happy right now! After our message the kids broke eggs filled with confetti all over our heads...it was EVERYWHERE! 

     We also had a bit of fun at dinner because it was Sister Abbott's birthday. Sister Potter made a cake and we all sang to her. Also this: we broke into their apartment and stole Sister Abbott's dad's e-mail address and he was able to write her a very cute Happy Birthday note. She started to cry a little bit :) After we cleaned up dinner the Potters insisted that we stick around to sing Easter hymns. It was so nice to be able to spend Easter in their home. I am so blessed!

    I'm sure you are all just dying to know what happened with transfers...well....WE'RE STAYING TOGETHER AGAIN!!! BOO-YAH! I can't wait! 

Love always, 

Hermana Freestone

1. egg mess!

2. Cinco de Mayo preview :)

3. happy year mark to me