Ho ho ho

Hey friends!

It's been a really cool week! We had Christmas Conference with my fellow homie missionaries, we partied hard on Christmas, we got to talk to our families, and we found 6 new investigators this week! THE LORD AND HIS INFINITE MERCY! Good grief, Charlie Brown. Man, life is just so good. And then Sister Hafen is just a rock star and she is coming out of her little greenie shell and inviting everyone and their mom to be baptized! (Literally she invited a 15 year old girl and her mom to be baptized... this isn't a joke)

But no really, it was WICKED sweet. On Monday we picked up a woman named Lucy and the member we brought with us happened to know her! Hahaha. I love that. It's a small little Hispanic world after all. Tuesday and Wednesday night we went caroling with the relief society sisters and it was so much fun! I love singing Christmas carols off-tune and in Spanish! No, this is real. Thursday we had the Christmas Conference and we got to go to Belmont, Mass for that. I received many a package there and I just want to give a shout out to all my homies who sent me stuff. Y'all are great! I think we have enough chocolate to feed Liberia. And maybe our mouse that lives in our apartment and eats all of our peanut butter... Don't worry, we have hid all the Reese's peanut butter cups in the freezer. Sorry, Remy. 

Friday I got to talk with some of you lovely people and it was a blast. I am so excited for the new baby children that get to be born into the best family on earth! And the best part is that I will get to hold them! After we did the G+ hangout we had a Guatemalan brunch with Bishop Flores and his family and they gave us presents. I was just all awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Like what even? Afterwards we went and spread all sorts of peace on earth and good will towards men in chocolate form! We visited investigators, recent converts, and less actives and brought a little bit of the joy of Christmas with us. The English sisters came with us because apparently white people don't like to be disturbed on their holiday... So to all you white people out there: be nice to the missionaries, ok? But yeah, it was a super feliz navidad.

Saturday was a little bit crazy because we had no set appointments, but we managed to make it a really great day and we picked up 2 more investigators. The mother and daughter that Sister Hafen invited to be baptized. FYI they didn't set a date, but they didn't say no. Sunday we had a great time at church and we picked up 3 more investigators! 3 dudes that came to our ward Christmas party! So yeah, it was all sorts of success building upon success. 

I don't really know why all this is happening right now, but I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to be a missionary at this time. There are so many of God's children out there that are looking for Him. So many people are hurting and are looking for more peace and are looking to feel God's presence in their lives. Something I realized this past week is that I have been so incredibly blessed all my life to know that I am a daughter of God and that I have had experiences that undeniably testify that God knows me personally. The gospel is true and gives us peace and leads us through this crazy, adventurous life. 

I love you all and I hope that your christmas was merry and bright!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

Greenie Christmas

Hey guys! 

So I have a greenie and it hasn't snowed yet, so it'll be a green Christmas after all! New England isn't coming in clutch for the whole white factor... but hey, it's cool. 

So, how is everything going? It's going smashingly! My new companion is AWESOME! Her name is Hermana Hafen from St George, UT! Our district was pretty proud last transfer to have nobody from Utah, but alas. Here we are again :) Actually, fun fact, Hermana Barney and Hermana Hafen attended high school together and were on the same track team! It's a small world after all... Like what are the odds? Both times I train they come from the same place! Looks like I'm gonna have to take some road trips down to Saint Geezy. But anyways, more about Hna Hafen, her spanish is reeeally good and she got a TON of packages for Christmas! HAhaha, like no joke, when I picked her up from the mission home there were 10 packages waiting for her. So she is well taken care of this Christmas! We are working hard together and trying, for the life of us, to find some new investigators. Because, sweet mercy, all of our investigators are suuuuuuuuuuuper flojo. But it's cool! We just need to faith harder, and I need to train Hna Hafen to be a spanish missionary before I take flight. She's already a great missionary, just a little emphasis on the spanish part :)

Other than that, we have had a blast! We are almost our of miles and we still have 10 days left in the month so we have been walking and getting rides from members a lot. We just have the best members ever! We announced yesterday in church that we would be walking and we needed their help and everyone offered to help us! So AWESOME! Also, I love walking because I feel more at one with the area and the people. Also, I am a lot more grateful for our car. We only walk during daylight hours, so at night we really enjoy our nice warm car. 

We had a cool experience on Friday! We had 2 appointments in a row cancel on us and we didn't have time to do the training program or language study that morning so we went to the local library to fit those things in. Hna Hafen prayed that we would be able to find somebody while we were there. So we got into the library and we sat down at a study table and we started reading out of PMG about finding people to teach. After about 20 minutes a guy comes up to us and says, "Are you guys the Mormons?" And I was all, "You betcha!" 

and I kid you not, the man was crazy.

Midway through the conversation with him I just remember thinking, "Hna Hafen, you did this to us! You prayed him here... hahaha" So we were able to slide out of that sticky situation after we gave him a Book of Mormon and Bible, and we began exiting the library. Since we had just read about finding through our own efforts I struck up a conversation with the library security guard. And she was awesome! I believe that she was the one we prayed for. Sadly she lived out of our area, but we sent her info to the sisters serving over there. But man, it was so cool to see our simple prayer be answered. 

This morning I just finished the Book of Mormon again and I was able to write my testimony in the back. I love that book and I know that it is true! It testifies hard core of our Savior Jesus Christ and I know that He is the reason for the season. He is God's gift to us. What are we going to give to Him this Christmas season and new year? 

I love you all and I hope you have a blessed and wonderful Christmas! I am so happy that I get to spend this time of year testifying of Christ and sharing the gift of His life with everyone who will listen to me. There is no place that I would rather be. 

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

What child IS this?

Well, my friends. Here we go again! 

This week was AWESOME! Life is crazy, you know? Sometimes you think you've got it all figured out, and then nope. So we started off pretty normal, and we had a really nice exchange with the Scituate (pronounced sitch-oo-it... you go, New England) Sisters and it was a grand ol' time! Sister Asay and I stayed in Providence and it was just like old times! Sister Asay was my STL in Worcester and we went on exchanges there too, haha. You'd think by now she would have learned Spanish... But yeah, she goes home this next week so we had a nice chat about ending your mission. Gross. But she's handling death fairly well.

Also, Friday we had zone meeting and all that rosy good stuff! In all humility it was a great meeting! Also, midway through we received a rather peculiar text message from the mission. "Sister Frei you have received a leadership call. Please check your email." Wut? I'm already a leader...

OH

THAT kind of leader... 

I checked my email, and what do you know? I'm training again! My last little baby transfer will be spent training a little baby missionary. I AM SO EXCITED! Literally I wasn't even expecting that. I just thought that I would live out my days quietly being an STL in Providence, but God has bigger and better things in store. Literally, I am so stoked! I LOVE training, and I LOVE everything right now. So, yeah. #training #withchild #whatchildISthis??

Also, more exciting news! I learned how to play the organ! Well, kind of. It was more like a baptism by fire. So the mission puts on a missionary musical fireside every year, and yesterday and today are the performances. I wasn't planning on being in it, but then we got a text late Saturday night by our good friends asking if I could play the organ. Lol. Well, organs don't scare me, and I sat through many an organ lesson with Stephanie back in the day, so I said I would give it a whirl. MAN those things are POWERFUL. I just followed the example of our good friend Brother Loynd and blew out the rafters with Oh Come All ye Faithful. 

It was AWESOME.

New favorite instrument? I mean, maybe. I'm just a rookie, but it was fun! Look at me, Mom! I'm just developing my talents and stuff!

Also, yesterday's sacrament meeting was AWESOME. I wasn't really paying a whole lot of attention to the discursos but I learned a lot. Come, take a walk with me to the scriptures. So I was reading before church in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi 18 about the sacrament, and during the ordinance of the sacrament at church I flipped open to that chapter again. I LOVE verse 7! Just eating a piece of bread doesn't qualify you for the spirit, but remembering Him throughout the week is what will qualify you. Eating the bread is witnessing to God that you have remembered Him, and that you will continually remember Him. I love that! so it made me think: 

How can I remember Him more everyday? 

I invite you all to ponder that question as well. If you need any ideas, D Todd Christofferson gave a beautiful article in this month's Ensign called "Be at Peace". During this Christmas season I hope that you can all focus more on our Savior Jesus Christ and be at peace. I feel so loved and happy and emocionada for what is to come during this Christmas season and the rest of my mission. God is good! He knows us perfectly, and He knows exactly what each and every one of us needs. I'm excited to get out of my comfort zone again and train a fiery new missionary! Power to the people!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei 

Time flies no man can its flight is too irregular

Sweet Mercy! Happy Tuesday! 

So yesterday we had a big ol' zone conference with Allen F Packer of the seventy, so p-day is today! Hooray! My friends, my heart is just filled with so much joy and love. Did y'all get a chance to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional? I did, and it was SOOOO BEAUTIFUL. Truly, this is the most wonderful time of the year. I love it so much. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. He is the reason for the season. 

I love Christmas lights and evergreen boughs and big ol' bows.

Anyways, these past few days have been crazy, and the next week and a half is gonna go by in a blur. Ugh. But such is life! Sunday night we had MLC with Elder Packer and his wife. They literally touched down to Boston, the Millers went and picked them up, and they came to MLC to counsel and teach us. It was SO AWESOME! Then we got to watch the aforementioned devotional with all of our homies! The Spirit just back-handed me in the face. Then Monday morning we got up bright and early to go to Zone Conference, and wow. And then afterwards, talk about spiritual exhaustion!

King Lamoni, I feel ya, man.

But it's amazing how much 8 hours of sleep can do for a person, because I feel so energized right now! The missionary schedule is so inspired. #early2bedearly2rise I don't really know what to say, except that this week is going to be crazy because meetings. planning. MORE planning. Eternal salvation. You know, the works :) 

HAhahaha, I apologize for the vagueness of this email. I wish I could just tell you about everything I have learned and experienced, and what is whizzing through my mind right now, but it's going at light speed, so yikes. But just know that I am happy, loved, energized, excited, overwhelmed, and amazed. I know that God loves me. I know that I am a successful missionary. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a pattern for our lives to lead us safely home. I know that the Spirit is the real teacher. I love life. I love my mission. I am excited for Christmas. I love my family, at home and here in the MBM. 

ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

Filled to the brim

Well my friends,

This week was AWESOME! Did you expect any less? Something cool that I've always wanted to do on my mission is get rid of people's Word of Wisdom problems. We're talking pouring alcohol down the drain, throwing out coffee, cigarettes; you know, the works. and I finally got to do it on Monday night! We went on exchanges with the Central Falls English Sisters and I went there with my good friend, Sister Watts, and we helped their investigator get clean! Also, the lady lived in Bremerton once upon a time! Hahaha. What a small little world! We flushed her cigarettes down the toilet and we took a trip to her friends house to give them her coffee stuff. It was so fun! #BucketList #Check

Also, Thanksgiving was awesome! We ate, and we ate, and we ate! Good times! So my first thanksgiving on the mission was the only day when I was really "homesick" but luckily this year wasn't a repeat :) We weekly planned in the morning, then we dropped off some thank you notes, and then the feasting began! We had a Honduran thanksgiving, then a Dominican/American thanksgiving, and then a Bolivian thanksgiving. And we were literally filled to the brim. Wow! And also just filled to the brim with thanks and joy and charity. I love these people! And they just so freely spend a part of their holiday/family time with us missionaries! It was the best. 

This week was so fun because we had a bunch of members out with us! Even when we didn't have an appointment set we exercised our faith, got a member out with us, and things just started to happen. We picked up a new investigator named Adriano, and he's just an elderly Dominican dude. We had a member out with us, and as soon as Adriano opened the door, Hermano knew that they guy was alcoholic. All he did was observe him for like 10 seconds! It was crazy! The lesson was a little slow, and it's obvious that this dude has some problems, but our member has been working with alcoholics and addicts for many years, so he is committed to help us help this man to change his life. We will see where our good friend Adriano goes! Maybe we will get to do more Word of Wisdom clean up? Eh? eh? :)

I love the simplicity of the gospel! This morning I was reading in Alma 37 and Alma was talking to his son Helaman about the Liahona and how it is a type of Christ (see verse 45). By following the course of the words of Christ we will be led to the promised land. And you know what I love? He is referring to the promised land of the celestial kingdom, but also we can arrive at the promised land here on earth as well. And the way to do that is to follow Christ's teachings and example as laid out in the scriptures and words of the living prophets. 

I don't know about you, but I'm tryna get to that land of milk and honey. But can I make that almond milk, please? 

Love you all!

Have a great week!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

#thankfulweek

All I want for thanksgiving is to make #thankfulweek a trend. You can take the girl off of social media but you can't take the social media out of the girl. Am I right? Maybe I need to be more focused and consecrated? Probably. 

BUT GUYS!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

And there is so much to be thankful for! Namely that we found 3 AWESOME new investigators again this week. I am thankful for Gerardo, Maria, and Omar. They are some really cool children of God. Also, I am thankful that I got to try and "Awful Awful" this week! What is an Awful Awful you might ask? Think frosty bust like 20 more flavors. And it's a RI unique creation. I love that. I had the ChocONutter flavor and Mm Mmm Mm! So good! Also, I am grateful that our member who usually serves us mountains of rice let us serve ourselves last night. It's the little things, my friends. My goal before I leave this area is to let that lady know that missionaries don't want or need that much rice. This is a crusade. This is real. 

More grateful moments: Felipe received the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday! Woot woot! Also, we set up our Christmas tree this morning! Weeeeeeee! Guys, I just love the holidays. I love decorations and the happy holiday spirit. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon and miracles and the restored gospel. I am grateful for socks and boots, and sewing new buttons on clothing. I'm grateful for tostones (double fried plantains), member-present lessons, and happy missionaries. I am grateful fro good health, the missionary schedule that allows me to get 8 hours of sleep every night, and running in the morning. I am grateful to be serving in the Massachusetts Boston Mission in Providence, RI. I am grateful for my family and friends that write me and make me feel loved and appreciated. I am grateful for all the faith-building experiences I've had this week. I'm grateful for sticky notes and pass along cards. I'm grateful for the knowledge that God is my loving Heavenly Father and that He knows and loves me. I am grateful for my companion, twinkling lights, and cinnamon. I'm grateful for life.

I love you all!

Love,

Hermana Frei

Moving mountains

Well folks, to start out, I want to share with you a scripture:

"But behold, I, [Becca], will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith..." 1 Nephi 1:20

This week has truly been so amazing! Many of you have asked, and no, we didn't have to go eat mountains of rice yesterday! THE LORD IN HIS INFINITE MERCY!! :) Hahaha.

But really though, we were just running around like crazy all week. Wednesday we had MLC and Stake reporting for the Providence Stake, then Thursday we had to plan zone meeting, then Friday we had said zone meeting... And it was all SO AWESOME! I learned so much and I just feel so grateful to be here, in Providence, in this sacred place in this sacred time. THE FIELD IS WHITE! 

So after training the zone all about faith and getting them pumped, we needed to exercise a little faith of our own because 0 new investigators for that week. So we worked our little hearts out the rest of Friday and Saturday and nothin. The field wasn't looking very white... Let's just leave it at that. And Sunday we had a ton of important appointments with investigators and recent converts, and a baptism! So it's not like we had time to go knock doors or whatever. So we prayed for the Lord to put the 3 people in our path. And He did! Of course He did. Not only that, but in EVERY appointment we had we met a new potential. And then other missionaries were calling and texting us off the hook to give us referrals! It was crazy. I know that when God gives you a commandment He ALWAYS prepares a way for you to fulfill it. "He didn't send us here to fail, but to succeed gloriously." -Richard G. Scott

High-five, Elder Scott!

Also, as aforementioned, we had a baptism yesterday! Our good friend Felipe was looking soooo good in a white jumpsuit! And his fiance was just so giddy with joy. I love that. They will be married in 2 weeks :) Hna Grecia is so awesome. She wouldn't set a firm date to be married until he was baptized, and now they are all set. 

Anyways, I love being a missionary. I don't know how often I say that, but probably not often enough. This is the best occupation in the world. Ok, maybe motherhood beats it... But it's pretty great! I love just being happy and smiling at people and making them happy. I love just being a little glowing light, just running around scattering sunshine! There are way too many people in this world who have so many burdens on their shoulders. If I can do something, no matter how small, to lift that burden then my day has been a success. Keep on keeping on! I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week. 

IS THIS REAL LIFE??

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

Mountains of rice

Wow. Guys, Providence is rad. This past week has been a blast! So I started my mission in a well-established Spanish Ward, and now I'm finishing my mission in a well-established Spanish Ward. So cool! It's weird going from our little Rama in Worcester where I knew EVERYBODY and everyone needed our help, to come here where I know nobody and a lot of people are all set. But it's good. I love it here. And pretty soon I will know everybody, so it's cool :) 

The reason for the title of this email is because of the dinner we had yesterday. Apparently Providence is known for being the most fattening Spanish area in the mission -__-  And I learned why yesterday! There is this sweet, wonderful Dominican lady who feeds the missionaries every Sunday. The Elders and Sister Lira tried to warn me about it, but I've eaten a lot of food before. No big deal, right? WRONG. When we got there there was a HUGE plate of rice sitting on the table, with chicken, fried plantains (shudder), and a huge salad. I was all, "Holy moly cow." But we sat down and I was all, "Hey, I can do this." But then-- plot twist, the woman pulls out ANOTHER giant plate of rice and sets it in front of me. Like what? 

THERE WAS A PLATE FOR EACH OF US

Immediately I started looking for escape routes. And God, in His infinite mercy, allowed the woman to go shower while we ate, and I used the Ziploc bag that held my plan of salvation cutouts to dump 4/5 of the rice into it and stored it in my purse. It almost didn't all fit... Ai ai ai! But wow, dodged that bullet... Next Sunday could be interesting... Stay tuned, lol. 

Also, yesterday was just a crazy day. Sweet mercy! We got a call from the Elders during our appointment when we were planning the baptismal service of our investigator... And the greenie elder got into a bike crash and split his upper lip in two, and lost a tooth. So after our appointment we rushed over to the hospital to see how he was doing... poor kid! Just 18 years old and is on his 2nd transfer in the mission. I think he'll be fine though. He just needs a lot of dental work and stitches. Please keep our good friend, Elder Ruben, in your prayers!

Also, the saga of 3 new gators per week continues! It's rough to come to an area mid-week and not know ANYTHING or anyone and find 3 newbies, but we did it! Again, the Lord in His infinite mercy provided a way! And we didn't just find 3, we found 4! A whole cute little Dominican family! We were already teaching the dad, and we invited the whole family in and taught the Plan of Salvation. It was one of the best Plan of Salvation lessons I have ever taught in my mission. Plus, Sister Lira is great! I have so much to learn from her!

Guys, life is so great. It's weird to come to this area and telling everyone how long I've been on the mission... Yes, I know. It's been a while... But I'm not done! The work is not finished and I will continue running. I am so ready to get to know everyone here and just love them. I'm excited to find new people to teach every week and jump-start this area. The field is white! By faith we can move mountains and do other incredible things. I love this gospel and my Savior Jesus Christ. Something cool this weekend was Stake Conference here... We took the sacrament as a stake! It was wicked awesome! I'm grateful for that sacred ordinance. 

I love you all! Keep the faith!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

P-p-p-p-providence!

Hola hola!

So transfer texts came, and to no one's surprise, I am getting transferred! My reign has ended here in Worcester. It has been a good, solid 7 months, and I only cried like 5 times yesterday saying goodbye to everyone... It's cool. But yeah, I'm going to Providence! As a sister training leader! I'm so excited! And I get to stay in the Spanish program. Awww yeah! My new companion is from Nicaragua, so it's gonna be rad. I'm gonna miss Sister Barney though. We've had too much fun, and have seen soooooo many miracles. But change is good.

In other news! Halloween was cool! We had a baptism!! Woot woot. Our good friend Jimmy Galdamez entered the aguas and it was beautiful. Most of the branch came to support him and his family. Also, I've never eaten better food in my life. That's what happens when Salvadorians throw a party. Love those guys.

Also, President Miller challenged all of us to read the Book of Mormon in the next 2 transfers... Little did he know that I had already started a challenge of my own... So I decided to read the Book of Mormon twice in the next 2 transfers! I'm so stoked. I love me some good Libros de Mormones. :) 

Anyways, life is good. The gospel is true! I love being a little, baby missionary. We just share the gospel everyday, you know? And sometimes you just love people so much. Actually, all the time you just love people so much. Life is a struggle, but a glorious struggle.

Anyways, I'm gonna stop being sappy. 

Love you all!

Y'all are awesome!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

Goin' Quick

Well folks,

Life is passing by way too quickly. I got an email from the mission office with my official return date: January 29th, 2016. So mark your calendars folks! It's 3 months away!! So yeah, anyways... Also, this week FLEW by! Wicked crazy. We had a zone conference on Tuesday and we got Black Boxes: little devices that monitor your speed and driving patterns. The whole mission has 'em now and the vehicle coordinator knows when you're speeding and stuff. Ai ai ai! Haha, jk. It's not a big deal for me because I've never been much of a speed demon, but for other missionaries it has been a major adjustment. But yeah, there's nothing like driving home at night after a job well done and you're just chatting it up, and then our good friend "tiwi" says: CHECK YOUR SPEED. hahaha. Good times. Don't get any ideas, Dad. 

Wednesday we had exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders and I got to go to Weston with Sister Thompson! My best friend!! It was so fun! We had a blast, contacted a TON of people, and laughed a lot. Also, those leaves though. Everyday they just get more and more stunning. Then this weekend we had Stake Conference! Elder Paul Sinclair, an area 70, came to the conference and he is a hoot and a half. He's just a big ol' teddy bear dude, and I learned so much from him. He talked about doing hard things and using our talents to serve others. He shared a story about when he was a newly called stake president and the previous stake pres always visited a young family in the stake whose father was dying of cancer. This stake pres would go over there with his wife and they would sing hymns and serenade the entire family to try and boost their spirits. And so when newly-called President Sinclair heard about that he wondered, "What can I do for them? I'm not musically talented!!" So he was talking with his family about the situation and his young daughter said: 

"Well, you could cry with them." 

I LOVE THAT

It reminded me of President Uchtdorf's talk from conference about simplifying our discipleship. We don't have to do anything complicated to show people that we love them. 

Also, Sabbath Day observance was talked about a TON. Keep that day holy, ok? You know what I'm saying? But most of all, I just felt an outpouring of the spirit over the entire congregation during the adult and general sessions of the conference. Truly there is great power in a gathering of faithful saints! 

MIRACLE STORY: A few days ago I read the talk, "O Remember, Remember" by Henry B Eyring that reminds us to write in our journals every night and think of how you saw the hand of God in your life that day. So I've been trying to take that counsel to heart. So the other day I lost my flash drive and I had no idea where it was. It had our music, fotos, important files, the works. You know, kinda a big deal. So finally we were taking a lunch break at the church and I decided that I needed to find this thing. THIS IS SERIOUS. And I decided to pray. Immediately afterwards I jumped up and began to search. I looked inside the building for a bit, but to no avail. So I took things outside. Nothing. Then I went to the car. Still nothing. I went around to the back to open the trunk and as I looked down to open it, right there, on the pavement was my flash drive. Just a little beacon of red joy on the black-top. It was beautiful. It was an answer to prayer. It had been chilling out there overnight. Just waiting. No biggy. And you best believe that I wrote that experience in my journal :)

I know that God hears and answers our prayers. I know that faith is a principle of action and power. Lately, I've been learning a lot about faith and prayer and how they go together. It has led me to have some amazing experiences. God is concerned about the simple things in our lives, and He is concerned about our well-being. If you have a prompting to pray- PRAY! If you have a prompting to serve someone- SERVE! It is as simple as that. I love you all! Thanks for your emails and words of encouragement and love. 

You are the best in the whole world!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

It snowed.

Lets just all appreciate the subject line of this week... Yes. It has gotten pretty chilly quite rapidly. Like last week we went to Boston for pday and it was high 70s and I didn't even need a sweater. Now look where we are. Good grief, Charley Brown. But it's so great! Fall is upon us! After our run a few days ago, Sister Barney and I stopped to gather some leaves off the ground and they are BEAUTIFUL. Holy smokes. New England is the best place in the world. 

Also, more news: we got 3 New Investigators! The power of asking for referrals and visiting part member families! 

GUYS. THE FIELD IS WHITE.

Do you realize that? 

I realized that I haven't mentioned one of my favorite books in a while... The Power of Everyday Missionaries! Our good friend Clay lets us know that God's promise that the field is white and ready to harvest doesn't have an expiration date. And I know that is true. These past few weeks have been such an eye opener for me. 

Update on our people:

• Jimmy is on date for October 31st! Happy Halloween, you know what I'm saying? :) He's a super good dude, just trying to be a better husband and father. The entire family is super excited to one day be sealed in the temple. 
• Juan is sooo stoked for December 5th! On Friday we went over to his house and his cute lil' mom taught us how to make tamales... We made like 80 tamales to feed the 5000 at the International Night that we had on Saturday! It was AWESOME. Have you ever wondered how cheese gets in the middle pupusas and frijoles get in the middle of tamales? Yeah, me too. But my eyes have been opened! 
• We met with Ennobel, our miracle dude who showed up at church and he's great. Taught him the restoration, he loved it. There are so many people in his apartment just waiting to hear the gospel. I can feel it. Also, the less-active man that brought him to church is SO COOL. We had dinner with him and his family and it was a blast! They are the coolest little family and they just love each other. Literally the only thing that could make their lives better is the gospel. Like, really. 

So many great things are happening and life is beautiful. I know that God lives, He is real and He loves us. His plan is perfect, His promises are sure. Hold to the Iron Rod!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

Well,

Howdy!

It has been a wild week full of miracles and wow. Guys, what is even happening?? 

Yesterday was so wild. We had only picked up 1 new investigator for the week and we had no idea where the other 2 were going to come from... but we had faith! and more faith! #FaithHarder. So we attended all 3 units in our building and I partook of the sacrament 3 times!! Because we had investigators at each ward. #letsgooooo and in the last meeting one of the brethren from that ward pulled us out of Sunday school and he said, "Sisters, will you stop praying so hard?" And we were all, "Why, what happened?" Apparently a Dominican kid just showed up at the church wanting to be taught the lessons! We met him, taught him a few points of the restoration and set a return appointment. Holy moly cow. I started to cry. 

Guys.

God is so good. He cares about us, He loves us, and He wants us to succeed.

Then! We had a flop lesson with some new investigators... Lets just say we won't be going back there any time soon... And it was 8:35pm. We had less than an hour on the clock and we needed to find someone fast. So normally we don't walk the streets of Worcester that late at night, but we had our good friend German, ex-cuban CIA member, converted Mormon with us. So we were doing good. We tried to visit a few formers, but nothin. But on the same street as one of our formers we saw a man sitting on his porch, smoking away. We approached him and he looked up and looked at German and was all, "Cuba?" 

THEY KNEW EACH OTHER.

STOP IT.

HAS THE DAY OF MIRACLES CEASED???

We promptly introduced ourselves, taught him a lil' bit, gave him a restoration pamphlet because he asked us, "do you have anything for me to read before you come visit me?" And that was that. And we got home at 9:15. With 15 minutes to spare my friends!! I would say, "that's how it's done, folks." But really it wasn't us. God is guiding us every step of the way. And He has blessed us with members to be our bodyguards and great missionaries. 

Anyways, tune in next week for more crazy stories and miracles! But really though. I know the church is true! I love the simplicity of the gospel and I love being a missionary! Ponderizing for this week is: Mosiah 16:7-9

I love you all! Have a fantastic week and keep working hard! Stay sweet!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Frei

"Hasta La Vista, Baby!"

Hahaahahaha. This week was so great. Sometimes I just can't. So many precious mems. Like yesterday when we were watching conference, Sister Ferrin, a lady from the English ward, brought a HUGE basket full of candy. The good stuff. Like Reese's peanut butter cups. So we were all chowin' down the last session and we got a lil' bit of a sugar rush. Sister Barney was out of control and I couldn't stop laughing. And Conference was SO. GOOD. Brace yourselves for "Insights on Conference" in T minus 5, 4, 3, 2...

• PONDERIZE! It's the next big thing, people. Bueno, it rocked my little world. As many of you know, I HATE memorizing things. How I have learned Spanish I have no idea... Good grief. But I can definitely ponderize some scriptures. This week's scripture: D&C 20:37 
• SIMPLIFY! Haha, I loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk on making the gospel work for you. Discipleship isn't complicated. It is so simple. Go back to the basics, look to the Savior as the ultimate example, and be happy. Love it.
• EXALTATION is the goal. If I had a dollar for every time someone said that phrase then I would have at least $4 I think. The point is they said it a lot. And just like in the scriptures, if something is repeated in general conference several times then you know it's important. Something I've learned since I've been on my mission is that we have a very unique perspective on salvation as Latter-day Saints. Think about it: we believe that very few people will go to hell, and most people will receive salvation. However, we strive to live the higher law so that we can attain EXALTATION.
• IT WILL ALL WORK OUT! It really will. Neill F Marriott is the sweetest lady and super fun to listen to. I loved her talk, and I know that not everything will work out right now or in 5 years. But it will eventually work out if we trust in and follow God's perfect plan for us. 

Well, I could say more, but I felt like I was writing a google review for General Conference. I guess in summary, all I have to say is: 5 stars. 

Some exciting missionary work news: on Tuesday the Assistants to the President threw down the gauntlet and extended a challenge to the entire mission. They challenged us to find 3 new investigators this week and every week that follows. At first I was like, whoa. Daggum. And then Sister Barney and I took the challenge to heart and we just started doing work. We talked to EVERYONE. People in the elevator (that has been our sweet spot lately), people at service, random people on their porches. Anyone and everyone! And Friday night was kinda rough. After all of our efforts nothing was shaping up. And then we realized we had some appointments set up on Saturday and Sunday with a guy we met last weekend and a family of formers. We confirmed with those people, found some members to come out with us, and WHAM! Miracles happened and we ended up picking up 4 new investigators! It was AWESOME. I have a testimony that when God gives a commandment he makes it possible for us to accomplish it. I have truly had my faith strengthened. 

Brief update on Juan: he's a rockstar! That kid is so awesome! We had an fantastic lesson last Tuesday about tithing and personal revelation and he is sooooo excited for his baptism. It was great. What a champ.

Anyways, the church is true! It helps us to receive essential ordinances, to serve others, and to become greater disciples of Jesus Christ. I love our beloved prophet and apostles. They are so wise and so close to God, and they show us what it means to live consecrated lives of discipleship. I love you all!

Have a great week!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Frei

I, Becca, having been born of goodly parents...

Mi hermosa familia,

What is up?!? Life is great, the sun is shining, and the trees are beginning to change color!! Sister Barney and I are soooo incredibly stoked. Holy moly cow. In other news, how about that lunar eclipse last night? Eh? We took some chairs outside on our little 5'x3' patio and did nightly planning and watched it all unfold. So. Rad. WICKED rad, for lack of better words. 

I LOVE NATURE

Whenever I am able to take a few minutes to appreciate nature, it helps me remember the enormity of the universe, the grandeur of God, my insignificance and yet exceeding import in His eyes. It's wild. Also, more exciting news! I've started the Book of Mormon again from page numero uno! I just LOVE that book. In honor of 4 months left of full-time missionary work, I've decided to read the entire Book of Mormon with the focus on God's plan specifically for me. It has been a great read so far. I love the first few words. They are so familiar and precious to me. And it makes me realize and appreciate my own goodly parents. Shout out to Lynn and Tammy! You guys rock! 

More exciting things from this past week: We set a baptismal date with our good friend Juan! He's 12 years old and super awesome. He does origami as a hobby and I've never seen so much hardcore origami in my life. He made a 3 headed dragon. We were blown away. Also, we were blown away when he accepted baptism! In the past he always said that he wasn't ready yet, and then this week when we were asking him how he was doing he was all, "I think I'm ready to be baptized." Just all calm and stuff. We were all, "whaaaaaaat?" So yeah, super stoked. 

Also, last p-day we got together with the zone and had the most awesome ultimate frisbee game I've ever played. Dude. And I've played a lot of ultimate frisbee in my time. So I had Elder Perkes and Elder Asay on my team who are my homies from Washington and those guys are like 6'5". It literally doesn't matter what you throw at them... They just catch it. And then I got to play basketball for the first time on the mish, because I finally found another sister that plays! So fun! 

Anyways, life is good. This week has been so joyful and so fun! I have stretched and learned so much. Sister Barney is the best companion in the whole world. I love being able to serve with my homies. I am so grateful for the power of prayer! I know that He is listening. It truly is a form of work, but it is the best kind of work! I loved the General Women's Conference when they called us all to repentance- to return to the basics of prayer and scripture study. (Also, Elder Uchtdorf literally just told a story, bore his testimony, and then dropped the mic and walked away... He is the coolest) I love this gospel! I love God! I love you all! You're pretty cool people.

Con amor,

Hermana Libre

Well folks, here we are again! At this point you're probably wondering, "Why is she still writing?" Sorry if my letters are redundant sometimes. BUT! This week was super great! Let me tell you about the adventures of Barney&Frei:

We got so many members involved in the work! The reason for the title of my email this week is that we had a musical fireside that we as missionaries affectionately nick-named (fun fact: nick-name in spanish is "sobre nombre" rhyme-o!) "Jammin' 4 Jesus". Unfortunately it didn't fly with the local leadership, but we do what we want (kind of). The fireside was a hit! I was able to get one of my digi gators from Venezuela to skype in and he LOVED it. We talked to him afterwards and he told us he was jammin out on his guitar with Bro. Ferrin and he learned some new songs. Rad stuff. We had him skype in on the Bishop's phone who served in Venezuela! (The Bishop not the iPhone...) So they had a nice chat and it was cool. It's not every day that you have an international musical fireside, you know what I'm saying? 

More exciting stories from the week: the other day we were teaching a lesson with our good Puerto Rican friend and he has had a lot of doubts about Joseph Smith and he was just going off on us. Finally I just couldn't stand it anymore. The Spirit wasn't present and I was ready to walk out of his apartment. I demanded his respect and said, basically, "HEY! Listen!" I got in his face, and I told him about how precious our time is and told him to look at my nametag. I told him that I have 4 months left to be a full-time representative of Jesus Christ and if he didn't want to hear it then I wasn't going to waste mine or the Lord's time. Tears were streaming down my face as I bore witness of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and asked him if he would allow us to speak and share the message we have been called to share. It really humbled him and he apologized up and down and we will continue to teach him. We challenged him to read the Book of Mormon and find out for himself, and he said that if he receives a witness then he will be willing to be baptized. So that was cool :) Idk, I guess it has really hit me these past few weeks that my days are numbered as a full-time missionary. Everyday is a precious gift. 

Yesterday we went with our good friend, German to go teach a lady that he ran into at Dunkin Doughnuts. The result of that visit was 2 more potential investigators, a LOT of Bachata music, a few selfies, and all sorts of good times. German is hilarious. We were taking the selfie and he was all, "Wait! Let me make my face beautiful!" Just so you are all aware, I sent the selfie with his "beautiful" face. You're welcome. 

Haha, anyways, I can't stress to you all enough how important members are! This week I had an epiphany! It is SO important that I learn how to help members to share the gospel, because the more I learn how to teach them, the easier it will be for me to share the gospel for the rest of my life. I love being a full-time missionary, but also I'm excited to be a member missionary! Right now is just the training grounds. If you want to learn how to share the gospel.... ASK THE MISSIONARIES!

Lol.

I love you all! I love my savior, and I am grateful for his sacrifice. Keep the faith! 

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

Querida familia!

Yo, what's up? This week has been a blast. I am pleased to report that the Redsox won last Monday. Boston is still the most beautiful city in the world, and I didn't get sunburned! It was blazing hot, our tickets were VERY cheep, so naturally we were sitting in direct sunlight. But we found pieces of cardboard to shade ourselves, and I am not a prized New England lobster. Sweet mercy! There were a lot of VERY drunk people at the game, and one kind sir approached Sister Barney and I and said some very unpleasant things to us... lol. It's cool. Coming out of that experience I just want you all to know that I have a very strong testimony of the Word of Wisdom. Drunk people really aren't that bright, btw. 

This week we had some AWESOME lessons! We had a little "uncovering the iceberg" session with our good friend Juan, and we found out what has been holding him back from baptism all these years. The kid has been scarred by the example of his parents! They've been in and out of activity and in and out of churches and he knows it's all true but he doesn't want to be like them. He realizes the gravity and seriousness of the covenant, but doesn't completely understand the atonement of Christ. We all make mistakes, we all have our doubts. And hopefully it doesn't seem like I'm condemning his parents- his mom is the sweetest lady and one of our strongest members now. What I'm trying to get at I guess, and what we need to help Juan understand is that baptism isn't an end point. The atonement of Jesus Christ is very much real. Dad referred me to a really cool talk by Dallin H. Oaks that also talks about this subject. He states: 

"Every follower of Jesus Christ knows that the most powerful ideas of the Christian faith are the resurrection and the atonement of Jesus Christ. Because of him we can be forgiven of our sins and we will live again. Those powerful ideas have been explained in countless sermons from this pulpit and a million others. They are well known but not well applied in the lives of most of us." 

I'm thankful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and the role it has played in my life, and the role it will continue to play. I don't claim to understand this powerful idea fully yet, but I plan on studying it and learning about it for the rest of my life. Also, I plan on helping others begin their own journey unto Christ. Please pray for our good friend Juan as he is trying to sort things out in his mind and striving to become a dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ. He's an amazing kid and a really deep thinker. He will make a wonderful missionary one day! 

I love this gospel and the hope and happiness that it brings into our lives each and every day. I love you all and have a great and blessed week! 

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

Happy Labor Day

Hey folks, just a quick update this morning that yes, I am indeed still alive, and that we are gonna go hard this labor day! Can anyone say REDSOX GAME??? I can. I'm super excited. It's been on my mission bucket list since the beginning. Also we get to go to the temple this morning, so there is even more cause to rejoice! Haha! 

Everything is peachy here in New England and it's beginning to cool down a lil' bit. As in it's not 90 degrees every day. So it's great. What's even more great is that God is hastening His work! I LOVE being a missionary and striving to share what I know and love with others. I love handing people a Book of Mormon for the first time-- It just gets my blood pumping. I LOVE that book. And whenever I get to hand it to someone I feel like I just gave them my heart and soul. I want to implore them to be careful with it, to treat it like their most prized possession. Because truly that is what it is to me. 

Serving a mission is hard. But at the same time it isn't. I feel like I've been preparing to serve ever since I began running. The comparison is mad real. Every obstacle is more or less a mind battle. And all you really need to do is keep running through the pain, keep moving forward, keep progressing. Stopping to walk just slows you down and you would never turn around and run back to the start... So that's why I keep running, that's why I keep serving. The end goal is so achievable, and the journey is glorious and beautiful. 

Something that I learned from one of our digi mish gators is that "you choose who you want to be and you choose to believe." Those words are so wise. If you aren't sure who you are then CHOOSE who you want to become. If you aren't sure what you believe in or if you believe at all, CHOOSE to believe. The rest will follow. 

Highlights of this week: 

• We found Yonis on the digi mish. He just popped out of nowhere! Like daisies! And he is soooooo prepared
• We gave Reymand a Book of Mormon even after he said he wouldn't read anything but the Bible... haha lol
• We knocked a few doors and a group of nice college kids let us in and listened to our message and invited us to come back this upcoming week
• We worked at a soup kitchen and Sister Barney gave out all of the salad.... Wooooooow :)
• God answered our prayers on numerous occasions. 

I love you all! Keep the faith! Remember: It's all true. All of it.

Con amor, 

Hermana Frei

"I will be on your right hand and on your left... mine angels round about you, to bear you up"

Aloha!

I just love D&C 84:88, thus it is my subject line. I just feel so blessed. Shout out to my hermana, Stephanie, for giving birth to a strapping baby child on Wednesday! #FreiDomination #letsgooooooo 

Steph's all, "#AnythingForTheKingdom" am I right? 

Welcome to the world little Romy! Always remember: Frei's are fighters... not food. 

Anyways, this past week has been a BLAST! However, almost half of it was spent in meetings and moving. That's right, folks! We have a new apartment! It's pretty rad. But it was weird not actively proselyting for a full day because we were just hauling boxes and cleaning house. But! We had some great lessons this week!

Here are a few of the highlights:

Say hello again to Emy! We were finally able to reconnect with her and dive into the Book of Mormon together again. Also, welcome aboard to our good friend Reymand! We met him at the Puerto Rican festival and we had a nice chat with him. He is a recovered drug addict, and he was pretty deep into the whole Grand Theft Auto scene back in the day. When he described his past life to us I could just imagine him as a character in GTA5. It really warmed my heart when he said the closing prayer and prayed for the safety of our car. Lol. 

Thanks for being so awesome. All of you. Thanks for your love and support. I couldn't do this without you. You are the angels who are round about me, bearing me up.

Well, have a great day! Share the gospel! Go... read some books!

Con amor, 

Hermana Frei

"The Only Unconditional Surrender Which is Also a Total Victory"

Howdy folks! 

Shout out to my girl Tara for giving birth to a bouncing baby girl! I love you guys and I have been praying for your welfare. I'm super excited to one day get to meet little Josie :) Also, I was just gonna write a paragraph about how tired I am, but I didn't give birth or anything, so I have NO ROOM to complain... haha. Perspective. Gotta love that.

This week has been so rewarding! We picked up some new investigators, and I feel like my perspective on life has seriously broadened. Right now on the digital mission we are skyping with a guy in Venezuela and he is hardcore Catholic! It has caused me to really think deeply about the basic doctrines that I teach, know, and love. How grateful I am for the restored truths of the gospel and the guidance from prophets called of God! Also, Sister Barney and I are on a quest for consecration and that has changed my perspective on a lot of things. It's a fun quest! Let me tell ya :) You're all invited!

It's been cooling down lately around here, which is much appreciated, and it's been misty like everyday. #there'snoplacelikehome Thus, there's been all sorts of cool sunsets with the clouds, and lots of frizzy hair. Let me tell ya, folks. It's the lucha getting ready in the morning. Like should I try to look like a beautiful, beaming representative of Jesus Christ, or should I just leave my hair wet and get on with my life? Usually I do the latter, but yeah. Good stuff. That's probably why God wanted me to train, so that I could get a little greenie fire going when I get ready in the mornings...

Haha, anyways, that's just a sneak-peak into my life. In other news... I love you all! I love this gospel! I'm gonna leave you with an excerpt from one of my favorite talks: "In conclusion, the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give! Consecration thus constitutes the only unconditional surrender which is also a total victory! May we deeply desire that victory, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." (Maxwell "Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father)

Once again, I love you all! Have a great week!

Con amor,

Erminuh Frei

Sup

Hey, 

So I don't really have a lot of time to clown around considering we are gonna go play KICKBALL with the zone, but it has been a crazy week! We've laughed, we cried, I've gone from a Mexican comp to my good friend Sister Barney and she is awesome! She's from St. George UT and we are very similar. One of my favorite things about her is that she's a runner as well!!! Haha! FINALLY. My lanta. So we go running and explore Worcester together in the mornings. It's pretty rad. Her Spanish is like mine was in the beginning: not fabulous. But it's not bad either! So I've had to do most of the talking which isn't my favorite thing in the whole wide world. But hey, I'm growing like crazy. 

Yesterday was insane and Alicia dropped her baptismal date, so please pray for her. We're kinda back to square one with no progressing investigators right now, so pray for us as well :) The good news is our members still love us, and yesterday at lunch with the Sanchez family we had a huge brainstorming session about who they knew who would be prepared to hear the gospel. And we got a pretty lengthy list. So we're excited. I love that. 

Anyways, Sister Barney is awesome and I love her with all my little baby heart. The church is super true! Like SUPER true. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that we are led by a true prophet of God RIGHT NOW. 

Love you all!

Hermana Frei

Tis the season

Well, in honor of my 2 sisters who will be giving birth in the next month, I have a little announcement of my own... I'M TRAINING!!! Not quite as drastic and painful as giving birth, but hey! It's still pretty exciting. I have the opportunity to pass on my year's worth of wisdom and experience to a new little baby missionary... How tender :) I'm super stoked! 

So, as you have all probably gathered, this means that my good friend, Sister Martinez, is leaving me... How do I feel about that? Ugh. But we both knew it was coming. We've been together for about 4.5 months. That's a healthy amount of time, my friends. Good heavens! But yeah, this week has been crazy! We've been saying goodbye to everyone and their mom and we've taken a million pictures and my chin is breaking out... Mom?? 

On Friday we had interviews with our good friend and priesthood leader, President Miller. Man, that guy is great. We had a good little chat about everyday repentance, meaningful prayers, the sacrament, and the digital mission! If you want more details just ask :) Also, we went on exchanges and guess who came to Worcester with me??? My good friend Sister Thompsie! Man, we did WORK. So we had like 0 appointments set and I was a little nervous about it, but God delivered. We went tracting and LITERALLY everyone let us in. Haha, it was crazy! Also, I love Worcester because there are certain neighborhoods that are entirely Hispanic. Good stuff. 

Anyways, tender mercies my friends. I love being a missionary, and in all seriousness I am super excited to train a new missionary! Stay tuned! The gospel is true!

Love,

Hermana Frei

Come 2 Zion

Well, folks, it's been a crazy week.

So crazy that I'm just struck speechless. And thoughtless. What happened this week? Good heavens to Betsy. 

We had a really great branch barbecue on Saturday. Fun New England Trivia: New Englanders call barbecue's "cookouts" and they refer to a barbecue as a "grill". For some reason the word "barbecue" doesn't exist in their vocabulary. Like they know what you're talking about when you refer to barbecue madness, but they look at you like you're totally from the West... Which I am. And proud of it!

Also on Saturday we brought Oscar out teaching with us! It was great. He teaches the Plan of Salvation better than any missionary I know. We're grooming him to be our branch mission leader. No big deal. He's so great! Sorry guys, but I'll probably be raving about how awesome he is until I leave this area... sooooooooooo... yeah. Also, more on Oscar, we printed out his dad's name to take to the temple on Saturday. He's so tickled. It's great. lol. 

Well, it's been fly folks. I know the gospel is true! God loves us! You know what's super important? The sacrament. Don't let that sacred time pass you by. If you let it, it can be the most spiritual experience of your week. Just a thought: Ezekiel 20:20. How are you making the Sabbath Day a sign to God? What kind of a sign do you want to send to Him?

Anyways, besitos!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

It's Like I Don't Even Have to Shower Anymore!

Guys. Holy Humidity.

It's like I step outside and moisture. Sweet moisture. 

But anyways! We set a date yesterday with our good friend Alicia! She's the lady that we left sticky notes and our card at her door and she called us back and came to church the next Sunday! She's super rad, super humble, and super Mexican. Sister Martinez and I are super stoked. More updates: Oscar was ordained a priest on Sunday as well. I don't think anyone has been so excited about the priesthood since Joseph Smith, probably. He was so tickled. 

So Sister Martinez and I are WICKED tight with our members. That's what happens when you stay in an area together for 3 transfers I guess. The other day we had a member lesson with the Irula family and we were talking about the millennium and Sister Irula told us about when her and her husband were studying together about the millennium she was reading a scripture out loud and took a few creative liberties... She "read" that in the millennium women would turn into men, and men would turn into women hahah. And the best part is that Brother Irula believed her! So we had a good laugh about that. Mostly we were just excited that we were able to help them 

escudriñar their escrituras, you know what I'm saying? 

Yesterday we didn't have an appointment so we went less-active hunting! So we were looking for 9 Enid Street aaaaaand we got to Enid Street and we found number 7 AND THEN IT SKIPPED TO NUMBER 11. Good heavens to Betsy. So the running joke is this: Why was 6 afraid of 7? BECAUSE 7 ATE 9! 

Or 7, 8, 9.

O sea 7 Enid Street ate 9 Enid Street...

Rude.

Haha, so anyways, this week has been a week full of laughter and joy! Like my boy Nephi put it, I'm living after the manner of happiness. (2 Nephi 5:27) I hope you all have a great week! Remember to scatter sunshine everywhere you go! Seek for ways to make everyday count! 

Love you all!

Erminuh Frei

Questioning Life

Felicidades to our good friend Oscar!!

That's right, my friends! He got baptized! The drought in Worcester has passed! Haha! He was beautifully confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Sacrament yesterday, so it's official! It has been a pleasure to work with him and guide him to the truth. Sometimes people are just prepared to hear and accept the gospel, and Oscar was one of those people. First Peruvian prophet? eh? :) But really though, guys, he is that amazing. 

Also! Update on my girl Janise: she gave up coffee! We hadn't had an appointment with her for like a week and a half and her baptism is in less than a month and I was worried that the Word of Wisdom would trip her up. But during our appointment we followed up with her about how the coffee thing has been going and she asked, "What coffee? I gave that up a few weeks ago after you guys told me I needed to." And we were just like WHAAAAAAAAAT? 

BRILLIANT!

We were so shocked and excited for her! This is going to happen folks! She is experiencing repentance and the atonement of Christ working firsthand in her life. It is amazing to see the change in her. 

And now, for the part of the show where I question life:

So the other day we were taking a few pictures and we left Sister Martinez' camera case on top of the car. Note: her temple recommend was inside the camera case. We drive off, go to a few appointments, and then it hits Sister Martinez: "MY TEMPLE REC!!!" We freak out. Lol, ok so we drive off calmly to where we were taking pictures. We re-trace our steps! Nada! Ok, so at this point it is approximately 9 pm and gettin close to curfew. It's pretty dark. So we start driving home, a little sad, but hey, it's not the end of the world. I was pretty sure Sister Martinez could still pass a temple rec interview, so all wasn't lost. BUT THEN!! All of the sudden the police car equivalent of the Spanish Armada goes racing by so we have to pull over. Who knows what kind of shady business was going on up in here...

And right ahead of us like 15 feet away is a small little black object in the middle of the road. 

I turn to Sister Martinez and say, half jokingly, "Hey! Mira! Your camera case!" hahahaha. haha. ha. Then not so jokingly I inch the car forward, put her in park, swiped up the little black thing from off the road, and what do you know? IT WAS HER CAMERA CASE. 

Holy Moley Cow. 

Has the day of miracles ceased? 

God is good my friends and He is ever concerned about us, His precious children. I know without a doubt in my mind that God exists. Many of you might say, hey. That's a cute story, Sister Frei. What a coincidence. But as a representative of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I give my testimony and witness that that was no coincidence. If you need more evidence, look to the scriptures! In the Book of Mormon there are 20 passages that can help you begin to understand the atonement of Jesus Christ and God's love for us. Here is the list:

Twenty Teachings in the Book of Mormon on the Atonement of Jesus Christ

1. Nephi’s record of the “God of Nature” suffering and the first of Isaiah’s testimonies of the Messiah (1 Nephi 19, 21)

2. Lehi’s patriarchal blessing and discourse (2 Nephi 2)

3. Jacob’s two-day sermon (2 Nephi 6-9)

4. Nephi’s final testimony on the doctrine of Christ (2 Nephi 31-33)

5. Jacob’s “few words” (Jacob 4)

6. King Benjamin’s sermon (Mosiah 2-5)

7. Abinadi’s declaration before King Noah, including Isaiah’s prophetic testimony (Mosiah 14-16)

8. Alma’s testimony to the Church in Gideon (Alma 7)

9. Alma’s and Amulek’s teaching to Zeezrom (Alma 11-12)

10. Amulek’s discourse to the Zoramites (Alma 34)

11. Alma’s counsel to his son Corianton (Alma 39-42)

12. Samuel the Lamanite’s prophecy (Helaman 14)

13. Jesus’s introductory discourse to the Nephites (3 Nephi 11)

14. Jesus’s definition of “My Gospel” (3 Nephi 27)

15. Moroni’s call to believe in Christ (Mormon 9)

16. Jesus’s own pre-mortal testimony (Ether 3-4)

17. Moroni’s message to the world on faith, hope and charity (Ether 12)

18. Moroni’s summary of his father’s teachings on faith, hope and charity (Moroni 7)

19. Mormon’s epistle to Moroni regarding little children (Moroni 8)

20. Moroni’s invitation to come unto Christ (Moroni 10)

I apologize for the novel! Have a great week!

Con amor,

Hna Frei

I'd Like to Bear my Testimony That I Know Sticky Notes Are True

Dawgs, 

This week has been another week chalk full of excitement and miracles! Sometimes I think I use miracle's name in vain because there are so many crazy miracles happening all up in here! Explanation: so like Thursday or whenever we took a YW from the english ward out with us to teach Emy, Oscar's daughter... buuuuuuut she cancelled so we took the YW out with us anyways and we tried to stop by some random people. We tried contacting a Puerto Rican family that just wasn't having it and we tried to stop by a less-active family in the projects. Nada. So as we were walking down the stairs to return to our car there was a door that caught our attention. There was vinyl lettering on the door that said something to the affect of: "Welcome! All who enter leave as friends." So we thought, HEY! That sounds great! So we knocked the door.... AAAAAAAND nothing. But we left sticky notes there complimenting their decor and got outta there. 

Flash forward to Saturday:

We get a call from a random woman! She found our card and sticky notes on her door and she wants to come to church! We set up a ride and BAM. Alisia and her son came to church yesterday and they LOVED it! 

Can I get a "HAS THE DAY OF MIRACLES CEASED???" 

Dat right. 

I say unto you nay.

Also, they're Mexican. Sister Martinez and I are already all over that.

Daggum, so many things happened this week. Like we got a new mission president! That's pretty wicked cool. We met him on Wednesday when we picked up Sister Alexander's greenie and he's pretty rad. Everyone says that we have the same personality. And we do. It's gonna be a good rest of the mission. President Miller and I are gonna be besties. No big deal.

On Friday we had welcome conferences and I had to play prelude while President Miller shook everybody's hands and it took like an hour and a half. So there I was playing the entire hymn book and falling asleep. I never thought I would see the day when I would be able to play the piano while asleep, but it has happened. Yes. Call me Mozart. 

Something that President Miller talked about with us that really caught my attention was being full-purposed missionaries. We don't just help people develop faith, repent, get baptized, and receive the Holy Ghost. We teach people how to endure to the end. We gotta perseverar, you know what I'm saying? It doesn't end at baptism and confirmation. That is only the beginning. 

Food for thought.

Thanks for all the support and love on my birthday! I love you all! I am much bigger and wiser now that I'm 20, just so you all know. It's actually kinda freaky. What is 20? Me. Me is 20. What? Weird. 

Anyways! Love you all! The church is true and God loves His children!

Con amor,

Erminuh Frei 

Las Tres Mosqueteras

Welcome, Welcome (Sabbath morning...)!

Ok, you're right. It's not the Sabbath. You got me. 

So hey, this week was a wild ride! We were all over the place! We had a fantastic p-day last Monday walking the freedom trail and having all sorts of adventures in Boston. Complete with a ferry ride/my only experience riding a boat on my mission probably. It felt very rejuvenating and rebellious of me, even though we are allowed to ride ferries. Bottom line: it was enjoyable and reminded me of home.

We had to say farewell to our dear mission president and his wife! On Friday we had a special farewell conference and it was a very emotional time for everybody involved. All I have to say is that the hymn "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" should be illegal. Holy bawl fest. Ugh. But we are SO STOKED for the Millers to get here! Sister Packard talked about welcoming in the Millers with open arms and she had a picture of them projected on the screen and it just felt right. They are the ones for the job! Saturday was transfer meeting and Sister Martinez and I got to go because Sister Alexander is our 3rd companion for 5 days! WEEEEE. And has been so fun.

So. Fun.

Yesterday we had an appointment with an investigator that fell through so naturally we knocked on their neighbor's door... And they were refugees from Iraq who didn't speak a lick of English! Or Spanish... So they were totally out of our area of expertise. But we passed around their smartphone with google translate and we had a great conversation with them! Haha... It was really funny. Good stuff. I love being a missionary. Because you can just walk into a random strangers' home and they will sit you down and bring you juice and listen intently to what you have to say to them. 

De verdad, I just love this work. I love being able to learn new things and grow my testimony. I KNOW that God is real and that He hears and answers our prayers. I know that He loves all of His children. I know that He is my Father in Heaven and that His goal for me is to become like Him to enjoy all the blessings that He enjoys. Keep the faith, my friends! Thanks for all the Birthday wishes! 20 is weird, I know. 

Love you all!

Erminuh Frei

There she goes again

Well folks, 

I've survived another round of transfer texts unscathed! Sister Martinez and I get to work together for a 3rd transfer here in Worcester!! Woot woot! If I come home Mexican, you will all know why. Since Sister Alexander (one of the English Sisters) is going to train and there is a bit of a delay between transfer meeting and new arrivals we get to be in a trio for 5 days! It's gonna be crazy. Sister Alexander and I have always joked about us being companions and here we are. We'll teach her how to pray in Spanish and how to choke down mountains of rice and she'll be an honorary Spanish Sister! Haha, but really though, I am so grateful to be staying here with Sister Martinez. There are so many great things in store for this area! Namely: Oscar has a baptismal date!

After 2 full transfers of flaky investigators who were going absolutely nowhere, we've caught ourselves a live one! Actually more than just one! Yesterday we had 9 investigators at church again, which was wicked sweet! 

Anyways, we are super stoked, and loving life! Yesterday I could hardly sleep because I was so excited. We are going in to Boston today too, so it's gonna be good times! Love you all!

Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Erminuh Frei

Watermelons, Matrimony, and Tender Mercies

Holar!

You know you had a good week when you're just exhausted on Monday. So tired. I....... Help...... Mom? Haha, jk! Ok, yeah, like I'm pretty tired, but good tired! Like I just ran a 1/2 marathon tired! And the good news is: I get to run another one tomorrow! And I'm not even saying that sarcastically! You already know how much I love running! And the same applies to missionary work! I love it!

So last week on pday we got the crew together and carved some watermelons! You heard right! We had a good time as a zone doing what people normally do in October in June. Yeehaw!  Carving watermelons is actually really fun. I recommend. Plus it's a lot more fun to eat the gooey insides of a watermelon than a pumpkin, so that's a perk. 

Also, we had another hispanic marriage at the chapel, and we got the PVC there and picked up some potentials! Meanwhile eating some really good food, and listening to non-approved music. Awwww yeah. (Don't worry folks, I'm actually not that apostate. Not really a huge fan of hispanic music... gross) It was awesome to show people the exhibit about Jesus Christ and watch the "Because of Him" video over and over. I don't think I'll ever get tired of that video. The spirit is strong with that one. Also, we were able to do some member service and help the relief society set up for the reception, and it reminded me of all the wedding good times I've had! I think I'm gonna change my major from Biochemistry to Wedding Planning. That's a thing, right? 

And now, for my favorite part of the show: 

Tender Mercies of the Lord

So this past week we kinda lost contact with our most promising and progressing investigator, Oscar. He cancelled our appointment on Saturday without rescheduling, and didn't come to church yesterday... It was really freaking me out. All I could think about was the possibility that he stumbled upon some crazy anti-Mormon literature on the internet, or he got turned off last Sunday when one of our recent converts went off in Priesthood about how the Bible isn't true.... Ai ai ai ai. (FYI We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly) BUT! I just kept a prayer in my heart that we would be able to see him that day, and, what do you know? God answers prayers, my friends! Turns out Oscar just had car troubles, and we were able to visit him last night and discuss some of his questions and doubts about the Book of Mormon. It was great! We had our branch president with us and he fielded almost all of his questions. Members, folks. Members.  

Tender Mercy numero dos: One of our recent converts has been struggling with her testimony and the word of wisdom, and we have been trying to get her back on the right path. (cling to that iron rod!) So yesterday we sent out a text to her and a few other people in the branch to remind them to read their scriptures, and she immediately called us! She said that she was having a crumby day and was feeling spiritually weird and physically ill and she saw the Book of Mormon on her ottoman and started to read it! And she opened up to exactly what she needed at that moment. Then she proceeded to testify that she knows the church is true and that God loves her. And it just melted my little baby heart.

I know that God loves all of his children! I know that because He has blessed me with a wonderful family that loves and supports me, He has given us a prophet to lead and guide us, and He has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to show us the way home. 

It doesn't get any better than this!

Love you all!

Erminuh Frei

My big fat greek wedding

Ai ai ai. Has another week passed by already? Good heavens to Betsy! SLOW DOWN.

Ok, you're right. I should stop yelling. Man, God is good. I'm glad to find you all in good health. Last week I got like 4 emails including an email about how I was using my monthly funds... So either everyone was too busy partying (in which case, rock, rock on) or the world was ending. But hey, this week was better, so it appears that everyone was just having a good time. 

Party on, Garth? 

Party on, Wayne!

Well, yesterday was a flat out miracle. There is honestly no explanation. Ok, so picture this: my first Sunday in Worcester. We had a good, healthy attendance of 30 people at church. Every week since, the Branch has steadily crept to a solid 45 people in attendance. Not too shabby, right? Usually we have 1 to 2 investigators at church on a REALLY good day. We're talking the stars aligning REALLY good. Real good. (my word, where has my english gone?) And folks, yesterday we had 60+ people there and 9 solid investigators. 

Yes. Please, take a double take at those numbers. And then say a prayer of gratitude in behalf of this very humble missionary. As I was playing prelude I looked out at the congregation, looked back at the hymn book, then did a classic Nacho Libre double take (if you have no idea what I am referring to, please go watch the fore-mentioned classic when Nacho visits the "dead guy"). Daggum. There were a lot of people! Also, testimony meetings in our Spanish Branch are just super tender. I wish you all could have been there yesterday to just feed your souls from the presence of the Spirit in the room. 

I know that God has a hand in this work. Sometimes I think that I'm in this alone, and that's just a big, fat, (greek? no no no) lie! He never forsakes us, nor will he ever. Keep the faith, and never stop being awesome (and attractive)! I love you all, and God loves you more! Food for thought: How are you going to seek the guidance of the Spirit today?

Bueno, hasta luego!

Con amor,

Erminuh Frei

It's True.

My friends, 

this week was probably one of the most memorable of my mission. And since my mission is 100 times more exciting and memorable than real life, it was THE most memorable week of my life. 

Why is that, you might ask? Well, we saw multiple miracles, picked up several new investigators, and the climax was last night at the conferencia latina. Elder Jeffery R. Holland, an apostle of the Lord, came to the Boston Stake Center and talked to all the Latinos in the New England area including several of our investigators and less active members. And it was the most amazing experience of my life. 

I really don't know what else to say. 

I wasn't questioning my testimony or my conviction, but last night as I sat there listening, the Holy Spirit of God testified to me that this is the true church of God on the earth. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to be truly happy in THIS life as well as in the life to come.

It's true. It's all true. 

If you are struggling and questioning the reality of God or the truthfulness of the church, I beg you to come unto Christ. Stand ye in holy places and be not moved. Make your home a sanctuary in this crazy world, attend you weekly church meetings and strive to partake of the sacrament worthily. Elder Holland said, "We need you to come to church because YOU need to come to church." I know that is true. Don't make excuses. Attend the temple. Put God before all else. Literally, before ye seek for riches, seek ye first the kingdom of God.

If you want to be happy He is the truth, the way, and the life. 

It's true.

Con amor,

Hermana Frei    

Ai ai ai

Aloha!

It's been an amazing week! All about that faith, hope, charity, and love! You know what I'm saying? Today while I was in the temple I was trying to seek some major revelation for our area in Worcester. We have a million investigators and none of them are progressing towards baptism. A part of me wants to just throw in the towel and drop them all. But then I realize that conversion doesn't happen over night, as much as I wish it did. WhatEVER. I need to be more patient and teach towards conversion using the Book of Mormon. It was good times. Truly I just love the temple. I am able to feel so much peace and tranquility and all the clouds are cleared from my mind. I just love Heavenly Father for providing us with a place where we can go to receive so much clarity. 

It's kinda like doing yoga with waaaaaayyyy less work. 

I hope that we can help these people come unto Christ and firmly grasp the iron rod. Sometimes missionary work can be frustrating and you can't always see the fruits of your labors. Last week I kept asking myself "What are we doing wrong?" and then I thought, "What am I doing wrong?" And then I realized that while I can always improve as a person/missionary, sometimes you're not "doing something wrong" per say. Sometimes you receive no witness until after the trial of your faith, ya know?

So yeah, good times. Also, we are super excited in Worcester to have another go at Zion in our district! I love all of the people that I work with so much. They are the best in the whole world. 

Anyways,

Have a good week!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei