SURPRISE!!!

 So...I cannot even describe how this week has been. En serio! For starters, mom, that it the most beautiful black eye that I have ever seen. Nice work Asian Aimee :) Ha! The Snake sounds fun. Party next summer what what! :)

     Ok, so we know that JJ and Juan were planning on getting baptized this past Saturday. It was a struggle and a half trying to get everything put together, but we pulled it out in the end. Hermana Webb and I were running around like chickens with our heads cut off all week long trying to put the program together. No worries, we finally got it to go. JJ was grinning from ear to ear and so was his dad. We were worried that Juan wouldn't be able to baptize his son due to some back issues, but he said that the day of the baptism that he was feeling fine and that he was ready to do it. JJ invited a bunch of his friends and he was just so cute! He had to be baptized twice because the prayer wasn't said right, but it turned out. After the baptism we asked him how he was feeling and he just said that he was so happy but that he didn't know how to even explain it. I just wanted to cry I was so happy for him! He'll be a great little missionary some day! Also, he bore his testimony and said how happy he was that he felt the Spirit and how grateful he was for the hermanas believing in him. TENDER!

     Juan was also so excited! His daughter kept on trying to make a huge deal out of the event-which is totally understandable because she is the only member in her family and her dad was getting baptized. He was just content to finally be getting baptized. He kept on thanking us and shaking our hands. He is one of the most distinguished and intellectual people that I have ever met. I asked him how he was feeling and he said that he was just so happy that he was finally able to be baptized :) He really just kept on shaking our hands all night and telling us how great we all are for the work that we do as missionaries. I wanted to cry!

     Ok, and for the other great part this week: on Tuesday I get a text saying...wait for it...RICARDO IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY THE 2ND! SURPRISE!!! What in the world!? Yeah, so on Saturday before JJ and Juan were baptized I was able to go back to Stockton to see Ricardo get baptized. He asked me to give the talk on the baptism. Hermana Cardullo gave the one on the Holy Ghost. Funny side note: I walk in and Hermana Cardullo is freaking out and she looks at me and asks, "Look at me. How do I look? Am I a hot mess, or just hot?" I was laughing so hard! Ricardo looked SO adorable in his white jumpsuit! Hermano Zavala Baptized him. Guys, you don't even know how much I love that family! We are going to be best friends for life! I asked JP when he was going to get baptized and he said that he was working on it :) I promised him that I would come back though. Rosa is also still working on picking a date :) 

     Here in Tracy we are still working with Miriam and Alex. They didn't come to church this Sunday, but they still have one more week. We are going to talk with them tonight :) It has been almost impossible to get ahold of Kenia. We are going to just try and catch her at home like we did the first time. It has been ridiculously hot this week and I feel like I am melting. However, we are working through the heat. I think there was a storm last night so it cooled down to 75. I had to wear a jacket :)

     Well, I love you all so much! I am doing fantastic! Really, this is great! Hermana Webb is fantastic! We had interviews with President Jardine and Sister Jardine this week. Their daughter is moving to Mountain Green :) I told them that I don't even feel like I have to train her. They assured me that I have one of the most sacred callings as a missionary to be a trainer. It made me feel really good :)

     I love you and hope you all have a fantastic week. MWAH!

Love, Hermana Freestone

1. Ricardo's baptism

2. JJ! LOVE!

3. Juan!

4. Jj's dad :)

There Are Always Blessings To Be Found

     So how is life in good old Utah (or wherever else you are reading this e-mail)? Things are going pretty swell here. There has been so much stuff happening that I can't possibly tell you everything! So I'll go with the most important.

     We are going to have 2 baptisms this Saturday. One is JJ and he is a stud! He's 13 and he knows more than most of the members. I can't express in words how blessed I feel to be able to teach him. He always asks the best questions and he is so spiritual and he is so excited to pass the sacrament with his dad. We are really hoping that his dad (who was baptized about a year ago) will be able to baptize him. He has some health problems that may possibly prevent him, but we are going to do all that we can!

     The other person that is being baptized is Juan. He is the dad of one of our members. He came here to live with her a while ago and he started coming to church and he really likes it. He has read the Book of Mormon once and is going strong on his second time. Yeah. He's legit. He has such a strong testimony and he is SO ready! I can't even describe how great these people are!

     We are also teaching Miriam and Alex. Miriam is 13 and Alex is 12. They are brother and sister. Their dad is a long-lost member and their mom is also listening to our lessons. The problem is that they have to work on Sundays in the flea market so they can't come to church. Funny story: I have a bag with me that I bought in the flea market last year with Hermana Toro. Their dad saw my bag and was like, "Where did you get that? I sell those bags." I told him that I bought it in Galt and it turns out that I bought the bag from their mom and her brother! WHAT!? He was like, "Yeah...I remember my brother-in-law was telling me about two girls who bought bags. One spoke Spanish super well and the other one not so much." I was like, "I was the one who couldn't speak Spanish!" He was like, "Oh wow! Well, you speak it almost perfectly now." Proud tear. But yeah. The kids are so cute! They both came to church last week, but only Miriam came yesterday. She LOVED it! She's super shy, but she made friends with JJ and a couple of the young women. Alex used to be an atheist, but told us last week, "Hermanas, I don't know that Jesus is real, but I have faith that he is." MELTING! That was so cute! So yeah, they have a date forAugust 16th. They may have to push it back just a little, but they still want to do it.

     We had another miracle this last week. We went to visit a member and her niece Kenia is not a member. We knocked and Kenia opened the door. She let us in and we started talking. Apparently, she has been to church a ton! We asked her if she wanted to learn more about it and she said yes. We taught her the restoration and the spirit was super strong! I told Hermana Webb to invite her to be baptized. She did it in broken Spanish and Kenia agreed. I clarified the invite (just to make sure she understood what she just agreed to) and she was like, "Yeah, I want to do it. I have noticed that there is something special about the church." Holy cow! I immediately thought of August 30th(without even knowing what day it was) and invited her to a date. She thought it was a little soon, but agreed to pray about it! So please pray for her that she can know if she is supposed to be baptized on that day!

     Training is interesting. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. My companion-Hermana Kirsten Webb from Hurricane, UT-is WAY more bold than I am and she has no fear of speaking. Bless her! She testifies like no other and she is here to get it done. I LOVE working with her! Shotgunning is a little hard, but there are always blessings to be found as long as we are diligent.

     I got an e-mail from the President Skinner saying how happy he was to see me and that he was looking forward to releasing me. Um.....thanks? I'm trying not to be trunky. We live with the Robinsons and they are great! For now we are living with the other Tracy Hermanas and that is a party and a half! Except they keep asking me what I'm looking forward to about going home...whyyyyyy???? Anywho, Bubbacito is in the mission field. His trainer looks great! And by great I really mean tall. HA! It will be fun to train while he is being trained!

     Well, I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week! And pray for Juan and JJ because this week will be hard for them. Keep me updated! MWAH!

Love, Hermana Freestone