Remember Lot's Wife

     So, this week was actually really good! We did a ton a tracting this week-not a fan-and it was pretty productive. We found a TON of new people and taught a ton of lessons. We added quite a few new investigators. Actually, they added a few people while I was on exchanges so I don't know a lot of them. We are going to meet them this week. I'm really excited!

    We went over to see Kenia again and she was really excited to see us. We have been thinking about going back and seeing her. We have also been seeing her in our English classes and in church. We had an amazing lesson about recognizing the Spirit. Also, her aunt came in a bore testimony and it was so great. Seriously, I think that she is ready becasue she came to us this time.

     So, there has been a movie that we have been sharing with a lot of people and I really like it. It is called The Hope of God's Light. Here's the link. You should all watch it. It has been so powerful in our lessons. I'm not sure if I've attached it before?

     Also, this week I received my official trunky papers and I have had to be thinking a lot about what I want to do with my life. HIJOLE! However, it's been a really great experience for me and, oddly, it's helped me to realize my purpose even more. I was telling Hermana Webb the other day that I have no idea how people raise families without the gospel in their lives. I think that it would be virtually impossible.

     Another fun thing that I found this week to give me some animo was the talk by Elder Holland called Remember Lot's Wife.

     Well, I love you all a ton and I miss you more. Keep on keeping on!

Love always, 

Hermana Freestone

P.S. JJ finally got the Priesthood and passed the sacrament yesterday with his dad. Tears!

1. Cool. I held a corn snake

2. Kenia and Hermana Renderos

Forever Strong KIA KAHA!

  This week has been great! We are teaching a couple named Miguel and Raquel and they are so great! I have really come to appreciate the value of working with members. If it weren't for the testimonies of the members I don't think that we would have had as much progress with them. They promised to come to church yesterday, but no luck. However, I think it is the fact that our church starts at 9. If you think that waking up 7 for church as a member is hard, imagine doing it if you are an investigator. It's super rough. It takes a lot of faith as well. I just want them to be able to come and see how the Spirit is. I know that it can help them so much! We have an appointment with them tonight and we are bringing the ward mission leader with us. I'm super stoked!

     We've also been trying to work with the members a lot more lately. Whether they are in our ward or in the English ward. We went to the house of the Carreno's this week and taught them about fasting. We shared experiences and bore testimony and them Hermano-who is in the obispado-and he told us some of the most touching experiences about fasting and it really was able to help them both share their testimony and we committed them to share it with other people.

     We also met the Fernandez family in the English ward. Hermano Fernandez served in New Mexico just a few years before Dad did. Cool huh? They are some of the most amazing people that I have ever met. We shared a message with them about recognizing the Spirit and it was super powerful! Seriously, I loved it :) I have really been underestimating the power of using members more...we are making an effort to get to know more of them.

     Well, I love you all tons and I am doing the best that I know how to do. I don't want it to be a "surge" for the end. I just want to keep working as hard as I have my whole mission. As a friend recently put it, Forever Strong Kia Kaha! LOVE YOU!

Love, Hermana Freestone

1. tag 

2. jj and juan

3. Fernandez family

I Love My Mission So Much!

So, this week has been interesting. I have gained a new appreciation for missionaries that bike. I have to bike the last 4 days in a row because we ran out of miles on our car and let me tell you...I had a serious astronomical problem...if you're picking up what I'm putting down...so yeah. Bubba, you are my hero now even more than you used to be.

     Sad story, we found this really great guy this week named Leo and we were so excited to meet him. Well, we went over last night with this really cute couple and were going to teach him the Plan of Salvation but it turned out to be a drop lesson because he didn't want to pray or go to church. He just flat out said that he didn't think that it was important to do those things...sad day. Hermana Webb was super sad about it. However, God always gives us tender mercies and we found Miguel. He is an older man and he mentioned to us that he is waiting for God to give him an answer to which church is right. We are so excited to teach him!

     I'm sorry these e-mails keep getting shorter and shorter. No tengo ganas de escribir mucho. But, I still love you all so much and want you to know that I love my mission so much! It is all so surreal to me. Keep praying and keep the faith. Love you all!

Love always, Hermana Freestone

1. we LOVE biking

2. like my fake glasses?

God Alwys Answers Prayers

     Holy frijoles! This week has been a crazy week. The highlight of my week, by far, was going back to Stockton to see JP get baptized! He was so cute! I got there a little early to help our with things and Hermana Cardullo was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. The baptism was set to start at 6:30. I showed up at 5:45 and she didn't have keys to the font. For those of you who are familiar with a baptismal font, it usually requires about 1 hour and a half to fill up. We were calling people and Sister Robinson-bless her heart-was thinking of ways to pick the lock. The Stockton ZL's finally showed up with the keys and we booked it from there. The font started to fill up and that was one less stress. That was at 6:15 JP showed up about6:30 (remember, this is a Spanish baptism) and we got him changed. I turned to Hermana Cardullo and Hermana Sellers and said, "We need to say a prayer." I offered the prayer, expressing gratitude and asking for help with the baptism that all would go smoothly. I want you to know that God always answers prayers. That font was full by 6:45. Yeah. Testimony of prayer right there! Poor JP...the water was freezing, but he was so excited! Johnny baptized him and it was the cutest thing ever! So, you all have to hear the story. Hermana Cardullo was telling me that JP walked up to them the day that Ricardo got the Holy Ghost and he said, "Hermanas, I just see how happy Ricardo is and I want that too. I don't know why I'm not baptized yet, but I know that I want to do it." WOW! People can tell that we are different and how much happier the gospel makes people. :)

     We also had zone conference this week. LOVE! President Jardine is AMAZING! We're going to be BFF's. I just know it. Sister Jardine as well. Their daughter just moved to Mountain Green. Sister Jardine is going to send me over :) Anywho, zone conference. It was probably the best one of my entire mission. The lessons were so inspired for me personally and I definitely received answers to some questions there. I also had to give my testimony because it is my last zone conference. I felt really old having to do that. It was crazy because I remember seeing people do that at my first zone conference. I was able to give it with Sister Abbott and Hermana Cardullo. Lucky for me :) The Spirit was so strong and I definitely cried a little bit.

     Well, I love you all so much! I wish I could describe all of the fun/crazy/insane adventures that we have had this week in the pool house-but there's just not enough time. I seriously love my mission more than anything-no matter how crazy hard it is! Keep smiling and stay classy family/friends :) LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Con amor, Hermana Freestone

1. JP...so distinguished

2. me and JP

3. the crew!

4. you didn't know I was famous, did you? :)

Grateful In Any Circumstances

     Ok, this week has been NUTS! We're talking, Mollie finding out she has an allergic reaction to nuts, Nuts. So, not so punny, but it was worth a shot. I should tell you that the Family History Center smells like a butcher shop because we all just got back from taking a tour of the Costco meat plant here in Tracy. Yeah, it was pretty cool :) It took me back to the days when mom and I used to clean the meat factory there in Morgan. Good times :) Let me just say, meatballs and polish dogs never tasted so good :)

     So, we moved this week. Yeah, I was SUPS sad about it! I love the Robinsons so much and I am sad that our time with them got cut short. Her daughter had to move in with them and she is married with two little boys so that wasn't going to work. We are now living with a family se llama los Williams. They seem really cool. We don't actually live in their house. We are living in their pool house...and the other Hermanas are with us for another week at most. It's really crowded. It's been rough on everyone. I am just trying to stay positive through all of everything. I was on exchanges with Hermana Moffett this week and she is the BEST! She's so adorable! Hermana Cardullo trained her so it was fun to see a little bit of her personality in there. She had to write a talk for church this week and it was from general conference. It's called Grateful In Any Circumstances by President Uchtdorf. I suggest you check it out. It's been helping me :)

     Kenia texted us this week and dropped us. She told us that she really isn't interested in getting baptized or learning more right now. I was pretty bummed. She came to church with her aunt like she always does. It was kinds awkward, but it all worked out. Miriam and Alex were planning to be baptized this Saturday but it's not going to happen. We asked how they felt about it and neither one of them feel very ready. Also, Alex hasn't been to church for 3 weeks in a row. The thing is that their parents work in San Jose every Saturday and Sunday and the only reason that they have been bringing the kids back on the weekends is so they can come to church, but they don't want to leave them alone for the weekend. Can you blame them? Nope...We are trying to push it to September, but Alex was like, can we do it in December? WAHHHHHH????? No worries, all in the timing of the Lord. I'm not sure it's a good idea to baptized them if they can't even come to church consistently. 

     We are really trying hard to find more people to teach. Hermana Moffett and I found a couple of good potential people. Elder Freestone, I know how you feel when people say that they are going to come to church and them never do. It's rough, but just keep on praying for them.

     The highlight of the week, I got another text from the Stockton sisters saying that JP IS GETTING BAPTIZED THIS WEDNESDAY! Oh my goodness!  I am so excited for him it's ridiculous! There is nothing better than watching someone that you love enter the waters of baptism!

     So, my mission has been put greatly into perspective for me this week. There is an Elder in my district named Elder Osorio. Before his mission he joined the Marines. Apparently there is a lot of stuff going on in Israel (remember, I don't get to watch the news) right now and the US wants to send some waves of Marines over seas. He is currently active. He received a call from his recruiter this week saying that he will most-likely get a call and have to report to duty. He told us and I just sat there and cried. I don't think I can fully impress upon any of you how much I love my mission and how much it really means to me to be here: and I don't have to be here. For someone who is serving and holds the Priesthood of God I can only imagine how much more it means to them. The fact that one small e-mail/phonecall could send him home in a moment is nothing short of a tragedy. Also, things aren't pretty over there. Please keep him in your prayers.

Love always, Hermana Freestone

1. Cali SWAG!

2. Grandma Olsen would be proud if me! I learned how to knit!

3. pictures are worth a thousand words...which words to choose....

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