Many are cold but few are frozen

It was a red letter week, my friends! I have now survived 2 blizzards! WEEEEEEEEE. Yesterday we were purple-dotted as a result of Winter Storm Neptune. Usually we are red-dotted which means we aren't allowed to drive, but that doesn't stop the Boston missionaries! But purple dot means don't leave the house, ya fool. As Sister Packard said: "You are purple-dotted because that's what color your skin will be if you go outside!" Good stuff. So we studied and it was my favorite :)

This week was super great! We finally were able to contact a few potentials and scheduled some appointments with 'em! #NEWINVESTIGATORZZZ Other than that, the majority of the time we sat at the bus stop freezing our Royal Rastafarian Knee-Knees off. The bus schedule is non-existent. We would try to leave people's houses right as the bus was coming and 2 hours laterrrrr. Jk. but really. Also the entire MBTA has been closed for several days... So pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked...

Anyways, the church is SO true. Something I have learned this week is that the Book of Mormon truly answers the questions of our soul. It's amazing. We were reading Alma 22 with an inactive woman we are working with and she related so well to King Lamoni's father. She hasn't been doing the homework we've assigned her in the past, but when we texted her a few days ago she said that she read!!! WOOOOOOOOO! God truly knows our needs. I love being a missionary! It is the best job in the world!  

Have a great week! Love you all!

Con Amor,

Hermana Frei

#BeMine

Hey!

It's been a great week! We had meetings, meetings, and MORE meetings! And then we had snow, snow and MORE snow. According to the weatherman we have had 6 feet of snow fall in the past 30 days. 6 Feet. What. In some places it is piled so high that it looks like a mini mountain. It sure helps with the lack of real ones, let me tell ya. :) On Mass Ave, right in the middle of the city, it was piled so high that you couldn't see the stop light from certain angles. Lol. No big deal. 

Also, holy traffic. We had to go to Weston (outside of Boston like 30 mins) for MLC on Wednesday, and with the combo of the snow traffic and the Patriots parade, transportation was whack. I've never seen a subway station so packed in my life. See pics attached. Daggum. 

Other than that, whoa. Life is crazy. We had interviews with President and MLC and Zone Meeting and all sorts of good stuff! We got a new investigator from Italy! That was exciting! But he doesn't live in our area anymore so we passed him along to some other missionaries... It was a little sad. But he WILL be baptized one day, so that's the great part :)

Anyways, Happy Valentines day to all! Remember: "I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine." (D&C 38:27) #BeMine #Zion haha. That's something that I've learned a lot about out here in the MBM: zion. My favorite scripture is Moses 7:18. I know that we can all build Zion wherever we are from Boston to Seattle. It's all about that 1 heart and 1 mind, y'know? 

I love you all! I pray for you all everyday!

Have a great week and stay warm! :)

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

#BEastStatus

Hello, my dearest family and friends!

It has been a wild week! Snow update (let's just get this over with): There is currently about 2.5 feet of snow on the ground and we are currently in the middle of our second major snow storm. Juno came with a blast, and we had to stay near our home all day. There was a lot of time to study, play games, and shovel snow. We even gave away 2 Book of Mormons and extended a baptismal date! Linus is currently roaring away right now... Nobody in the mission is allowed to drive, but nobody said you can't walk, eh? :) 

Funny story: on Tuesday night we were all going a little stir crazy after being inside for so long, so, naturally, we started playing our favorite game: "What Are the Odds?" I lost and I had to call 5 random contacts on the Portuguese Sister's phone. Preface: I HATE talking on the phone. I felt like puking. So I called a random Cape Verdian guy on their phone... Then we went outside and I did a snow angle, the phone fell out of my pocket and into the deep snow bank, and BAM. The phone got soaked and ruined their battery... Hahaha. All part of the evil plan to get out of calling 4 random people. Jk, it really wasn't funny because the Portuguese Sisters didn't have a phone for a few days... But let's be honest, it was a miracle :) 

This past week we extended 47 baptismal dates as a zone! Now that is what we call #BEastStatus. There were many new investigators found, and many people willing to change their lives. So awesome. And yesterday we had a baptism! Nickenson Chery was baptized and he is great! He was an investigator from the Haitianaries, but he is coming to the English ward, so we get to claim him as our own :) 

With all the snow and craziness, a lot of plans cancelled and the buses are always late, but the work goes on! I am staying safe and (mostly) warm and dry! I love the beauty and purity of all the fresh snow. It reminds me everyday how I need to become. 

I love this gospel and the chance we have to share it with everyone! There are so many great people in this area trying to find themselves and God in the process. I am loving my mission and this wonderful city. Boston is SO beautiful. Whoa. 

Have a great week amigos!

Con Amor,

Hermana Frei

You're a Blizzard, Harry

Well, folks! I have experienced my first REAL New England snowfall, and reports are saying that it's only gonna get better! Blizzard warnings with hurricane force winds? Bring it on. The whole world will be blanketed in 2 feet of beautiful white snow! I wish that we lived in a hillier area so that I could do some urban skiing, and also I wish that the white handbook didn't nix winter sports... Haha. It's ok. I don't even own a pair of skis. But a nice pair of crampons would be really nice right about now.

Anyways, enough about the weather. 

It's all about the miracles. Last night as we were getting home, I reached into my purse to grab our keys.... aaaaaand. Nothing. Good thing our wonderful, beautiful roommates, the Portuguese Sisters, came home 5 minutes later because we would have been constructing snow caves to sleep in. So this morning as I was praying I prayed that I would be able to find the keys. I went on with my regular workout routine and 30 minutes later Sister Lowenthal (one of the Portuguese Sisters) came over to me and handed me our keys... MIRACLES. THEY EXIST. 

HAS THE DAY OF MIRACLES CEASED? 

 I SAY UNTO YOU NAY!

More on miracles: we have an investigator we found on the bus who is goldener than golden. Plus, she isn't crazy or weird and all the members love her. She came to church on her own free will and accord (we didn't have to set up a ride!) she sat by her member friends, THEY took her to gospel principles and Relief Society, and they all went on their merry way afterward! I hardly had to say 2 words to her the entire 3-hour block. It was amazing! Plus a bunch of the young couples in the ward are going over to her house sometime this week to have dinner and have a party basically. Uhhhh what? She has a tentative baptismal date for the end of May when her family comes to visit from South Africa. Whoa. So yeah, she's all set. 

MEMBERS. THEY MATTER. 

Well, that was my member-missionary plug for the day. 

I know God lives. He wants us all to realize our divine potential to become like Him. Always have your sights upward, don't settle for mediocrity. I know that He can help us become the people that He wants us to be. I have seen myself change so much these past few months, and I know that it is all because of Him. 

I recommend that everyone read the conference talk "Guided Safely Home" by Thomas S. Monson. I never want it to be said of me that I was "Powerful in potential but weak of will." Just something fun to think about :)

I love you all! Have a wonderful week full of laughter and joy. Look for the miracles in your own lives. I know they are happening!

Love,

Hermana Frei

Madam Librarian

Hello family and friends! 

It has been another great week in the beautiful city of Boston! Wow. Everyday we go out and I am ceaselessly amazed. How did I get so lucky to serve here? Also, I am convinced that everybody has a cool life story if you take the time to listen. That's the greatest part about public transportation! You really get the chance to listen and learn from all sorts of people. Some of 'em are a little wack-o, but hey, they are children of God as well :)

This past Wednesday we were meeting with one of our recent converts at the Copley Library (if you haven't seen a picture of the Copley Library then you should google it) and we were reading the Book of Mormon with her. We had a really good discussion and showed her how to use the index to help her answer specific question in her life. Once we finished we had her offer a prayer. It was probably one of the most beautiful prayers I've ever heard. When we said "Amen" we opened our eyes and there was a library monitor standing right by the table we were sitting at, staring at us. At first I thought we were being too loud, or maybe they outlawed praying in public libraries or something... But she said that she was listening to the prayer and it touched her. And then she asked if we were planning on coming back to the library to study soon because she wanted to learn how to pray like that! We were like, "what." Jk, we were all about that, so we set up a time to go back on Friday. We got to meet with her for like 10 minutes on Friday and gave her a Book of Mormon and we got that #ReturnAppointment. So sweet. God is truly preparing people to hear our message. And half the time all we have to do is pray in a public library and the people come to us :)

Friday and Saturday were pretty fun since we had full days planned out and then LITERALLY everyone on the planet cancelled on us. So we ended up walking miles down a road in the freezing cold to find a referral, got to the house and ain't nerrbody was there... We tracted around for a bit, a bunch of Hispanics pulled the "I don't speak English card, but I pulled out my good ol' trusty espanol! Then they just said they weren't interested... haha. I love people. Our toes were sufficiently numb, but we got some good pictures for posterity! Boston has a variety of random ghetto bridges to take pictures on, rest assured. :) 

This morning I was studying in Preach My Gospel Chapter 5 about the Book of Mormon and how it can help us answer the questions of our souls... Good stuff. Alma 34:5 says that the root question is: "Is Jesus the Christ?" So I was thinking about it and reading Alma 36... And I think that chapter is the most powerful way that I know that Christ is real and my Savior. It is truly because I have used the atonement in my life, and I have felt the joy and peace of true repentance.

I love you all, and have a fantastic week!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

Love, Becsicle

Hey, so it has been really cold. You know it's bad when it's -4 degrees. But really though. Whoa. I felt like Sanka from Cool Runnings when he stepped out of the Calgary airport, and immediately ran back inside and put on all the clothes he owned. 

Love it.

I'm still alive though, and it's warmer now. 

This week we had MLC (Mission Leadership Council) which is apart of my duties as an STL. And it's the best part of the call! All the ZLs and STLs and President and Sister Packard get together and we just talk about the state of the union. It's great. We talked all about how to build Zion in the mission. As a result, my new favorite scripture is Moses 7:18. 

Anyways, this week has comprised of a lot of meetings, miracles, and everything in between. We had a bunch of less actives come to sacrament meeting and 2 investigators! One of the investigators spoke mostly Haitian Creole, which was a little tricky. I wish I knew how to speak all the languages in the world! Haha. 

Update: Sister Batschi and I get to stay together for another transfer! And we might get to volunteer at the Boston Marathon! I'm so stoked.

Love you all, my friends, and peace be da journey! The gospel is true and God answers prayers. I know because he answers mine everyday. Keep on keeping on!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei

How 'Bout That 2015?

Well, folks, another year has come and gone. What is time? I don't know. But it's ok, I'll probably still date my journal as 2014 anyways. My subconscious is quite nostalgic sometimes. 

As I've pondered over the past year and the coming year I have realized how much I have changed, and the opportunity for so much more change in the future. It's kinda insane. I love it. That's one of the things that I realized after skyping home for Christmas: nothing at home has hardly changed. But I have changed so much as a person. It's pretty wicked cool. You always hear about how much people change from their missions, but it's weird when you see it in yourself. 

So yeah, that was my conscious nostalgic rant. 

This week: wowy-zowy. It was a great week! One of my New Years Resolutions is to ditch my comfort zone and talk to EVERYBODY. Just as a warning to those who try this out: you talk to all sorts of people, and I've already garnered all sorts of great stories. I talked to a lot of people who were "all set" and even some people who were mildly interested. My favorite was yesterday: a 55 year-old Honduranian man from the looney bin proposed to me in Spanish. That was good times. Haha, just so you can all rest assured, I told him "no gracias." :)

On Saturday we went on exchanges with the Spanish Sisters in our zone (one of our responsibilities as STLs) and I got to go with Hermana Turner to the Spanish program! It was so great! The best part was that I was able to pick right up where I left off and teach lessons and talk to the people without too much trouble. It gave me a lot more confidence that I won't lose my Spanish before I go back to a Spanish area. 

Something that I have studied a lot about lately is making sure that we aren't missing the mark: Jesus Christ. As I have read "Jesus the Christ" it has struck me multiple times that the Pharisees and all those people had completely lost the mark in their strict adherence to the Mosaic Law. So when he came they couldn't recognize him! We also need to beware of that. Are we studying things that are of little import or don't relate at all to our Savior? Also, we need to remember why we do the things we do. Why do we keep the commandments? Why do we read the Book of Mormon? Why do we attend church? Because of Jesus Christ. 

Anyways, I love you all! I know that Christ is my Savior and that it is through Him that I have been able to change in 2014 and will continue to change in 2015. Happy New Year! 

Que Dios les bendiga!

Con amor,

Hermana Frei