Monday, July 27, 2015

July 27th - Week 8 I Don't Remember What Week I'm On!

Hey Everyone!!

This week was super awesome! Where to start...
We have been doing really well in the work (I think...but I don't really have anything to compare it too). We found 9 new investigators my first week! There is one family Marcela, Rodrigo, and their daughter Sofie, who I am really hopeful for. She is the English professor and it's always fun to talk to her. I am excited to keep teaching them, but they have been sick this week so it's been a while now.  Everyone has been sick this week so the last few days have been slow and we have walked around with no luck. 

We also have an investigator Gustavo who is awesome. His wife I hope will start listening because it would be awesome to have the whole family! Their son Alfonozo is 3 and he has some mental disabilities so sometimes it is hard to teach them because he requires a lot of attention and they are constantly distracted. But we are just having patience with them. 

Camila is also super great. She lives with her boyfriend (big problem here) and her daughter. She didn't answer the door when we went to pick her up for church this Sunday but we will try for next week. Like I said, there has been a bug going around here and tons of our investigators have been sick. 

There is a recent convert, Maria who just moved in the ward. She is about 85 I would say, blind, and from the South. She is here living with her daughter. We go to teach her and she is the sweetest. She calls me her gringa and I love it. Haha she is super old and wrinkly and to be honest she looks like that doll at Grandma Freedman's house that was made with the nylon stocking!!! Whenever we are with her I always think of that. 

We also have a new investigator Jeni. I think our first lesson with Jeni might be my favorite lesson so far. Wednesday we walked around all day with little luck. Nobody was answering their doors and 2 appointments had fallen through. At 8 we had an appointment with a future investigator Nicole, but she didn't answer the door. I was really bummed because the day had been hard, but we walked to plan b's house (Jeni) and she let us in. We started talking and she started talking about polygamy. There was a program that aired on the national TV this week about the LDS church and polygamy...people keep bringing it up with us. But anyways, she started telling us how she wasn't interested and just started arguing. We tried our best to assure her that we don't practice polygamy but with little luck. We asked to share a message and she agreed but i could tell she wasn't really interested. We prayed and the spirit was so strong. We shared the plan of salvation and she had tons of questions and was really receptive. At the end we bore testimony and the spirit was definitely present. It was amazing to see her heart soften during our visit and it was a really great experience. She still has a few doubts but in time we can help her out. I love how the Lord works, when we are prepared he puts people in our paths! Had our appointment with Nicole not fallen through we wouldn't have been able to meet with Jeni!

There is a less active family we have really been working with and they have started coming to church! And now all 3 are getting callings! It's awesome and I love them. They really trust us as well and they feel like my family here in Arica. We are tyring to help them prepare for the temple now which is awesome.

The bishop in our ward is incredible! I don't know if I will ever have a better bishop while on the mission. He is really young, 30 or so but is working so hard with the missionaries. He has only been bishop for 2 weeks now but it was crazy to see the difference in the ward my first week compared to my second. They had an FHE this week and the attendance was super great! He also is working super hard to get everyone to the temple and has organized trips to Cochabamba, Bolivia for September and February. 

We had interviews with President this week and I love the Daltons. They are fantastic! I also love how I can understand their spanish because they speak really slow. Thats always nice. haha

Not much else happened this week that I can think of. Hermanas Clawson and Roldan brought us completos home the other night so that was fun. We all had completos together and planned. Really though, personal opinion, Chilean food is super bland but here in Arica there are lots of Preuvians and Bolivians so those meals at members houses are soooo good. 

Today we went and visitied the morro here in Arica. Its a big tourist spot and it's a historic site. I think its where Chile won over Peru in the war of the pacific. I couldn't understand what the plaques and stuff said so I'm going with my best guess. 

I am looking forward to this next week! On Thursday Hermana Espinoza is going to Antofagasta for training so I am going to work with Hermana Carrabine for the day. Her companion is going to go with Hermana Espinoza to Antofagasta. I don't know what president is thinking because Hermana Carrabine is in her second half of training so we are two gringas that don't speak Spanish but it will be an adventure. Also it will be fun because we were in the same mission prep class at BYU!!! Such a small world. It will be fun to go see a different. sector. 

Spiritual thought of the week, Mosiah 4:27-

"And see that all things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore all things must be done in order." I



love this scripture because it totally applies to my life right now. There are always things we can improve on but it is important to rememeber that as we are diligent the lord will help us improve. As long as we are trying our hardest, we will always be doing enough.

Hope everyone has a great week!


Hermana Freedman

Monday, July 20, 2015

July 20th - Week 7 Arica, Siempre Arica

Hola Everyone!

I have so much to write today!!! My last week in the CCM was amazing. I loved every minute of it. We got to go contacting one day which was fun and then the next day we went on splits in Santiago Este. That was a great learning experience. Sunday night the mission presidentes from Santiago Sur spoke to us. They are incredible!!! Also sunday night me and my hnas made cookie dough just from a mix at the store and sat and ate it in our room. It was a fun little pow wow before we all went our separate ways. 

Tuesday morning we all left for our different missions. It was really sad to say bye to Hermana Kleinman but i'm sure she is doing great things in Concepcion Sur. There were 8 Hermanas (4 gringas and 4 latinas) and 4 elders (2 gringos and 2 latinos) that all came up here. Our flight was good and we met up with one more hermana who was coming from the Argentina CCM. The Daltons picked us up and we went and took a picture at this landmark place. I think you got the picture. We stayed at the mission home Tuesday and Wednesday got our assignments. It was a 12 hour bus ride from Anto to Arica and I was with Hermana Espinoza and then 2 other sets of Hermanas and their trainers. 

I am serving in Arica, with Hermana Espinoza. It is a weird situation becasue she is a Sister Trainig Leader and usually there is a companionship of STLs and you never train while you are an STL so that has been kinda crazy. But I just consider myself an honorary STL or a STL possibly in training haha. I think it will be a good experience as hard as it is sometimes. Hermana Espinoza is 20 I believe and has been out for 14 months. So she is getting close to her death bed. She says FETCH all the time and I really don't like it and I better not pick up the habit but I just have to laugh about it because she probably says it so much. I think in time we will be able to do great things together. She speaks no english and currently the language is a little bit of a barrier...but in time. 

Thursday morning was good. We studied and went out for a bit but then at 6 we had to go to the bus terminal because we had a conference in Iquique on Friday. So a 5 hour bus ride thursday night and we got to Iquique at around 4 am. We went to the chapel and "slept" there till 7. The conference with Elder Zeballos was super great and I actually understood quite a bit. My zone had a musical number. We took a 5 hour bus back to Arica at 3 and worked for the rest of the night. 

Saturday was good. The mornings are hard because everyone is asleep. We really need investigators but we gotta have time to work. Hermana Espinoza has had a lot of other responsibilies this week which has made the work hard. Saturday night we had a lesson with Marcela who I love. She is an English teacher and I got to bear my testimony to her in English which felt so nice!!! I remembered what it feels like to actually tell someone exactly what im thinking. 

Sunday was good. I like the ward. Sunday night we found a new investigator, Camilla so that was exciting!!!! The people here just let you in and open up so quickly it is crazy. 

Im pretty sure I learned a different language in the CCM. I don't understand anything here...in time. Sorry if this email was too vague I have a lot to say and not a ton of time!!! 

Spriritual thought! 3 Nephi 5.13 I believe...We are disciples of Christ and have the responsibility to share the gospel so find opportunities to do it!!!

Love you all!

Hermana Freedman

The view from Arica to Iquique


Iquique
Hna Freedman and Hna Espinoza - Freedman on right :)




Wednesday, July 15, 2015

July 14th - Week 6 Antofagasta Here She Comes!!!

Catie did not have a P Day this week because she flew today from Santiago to Antofogasta.  She is now officially in her field of service, even though we do not know where she will be within her mission or who her companion is.

Below is a letter we received from President and Sister Dalton who preside over the mission:

¡¡Saludos de Chile!!

We are pleased to inform you of the safe arrival of Sister Catherine Mary Freedman in the Chile Antofagasta Mission. We are thrilled to have Sister Freedman serving here with us.  We were able to pick her up at the airport today and enjoyed getting to know her.

Thank you for the sacrifices you are making and the support you are giving to her while she serves. We know she will appreciate the support she receives from home and you will be blessed for having a missionary in the field. We have attached photos of Sister Freedman taken in front of our signature Antofagasta landmark, La Portada, with the city of Antofagasta in the background.

If there is an email address other than the one this email was sent to that you would prefer that we use and put in our records, please let us know by replying to this email.  Attached to this email is a document about communicating with your missionary, I know it is long, but it has important information.

We have created a facebook group for parents/guardians of our missionaries where we can put information.  The major purpose of this group is to have it available as a way to contact many parents at once in case of an emergency in the mission.  To join the group, please find “Hermana Sandra Dalton” on facebook and send me a friend request. Please do not send a request to join the mission family group, just a ‘friend’ request and I will add you to the group.  This group is only for parents, not for other relatives or friends of our missionaries.  If parents do not have a facebook page I can accept the friend request of ONE relative or other contact person, preferably an adult.  If this is the case the person sending the friend request will need to send me a message telling me their relationship to the missionary.

The Lord is hastening the Work of Salvation and this is an amazing time to be a missionary.  Sister Freedman is needed here and we are so grateful she has chosen to serve a mission, we can tell she is going to touch many hearts and change many lives, helping many to come unto Christ.  We will care for her as if she were our own.

With much love,
President & Sister Dalton
Chile Antofagasta Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints




Tuesday, July 7, 2015

July 7th - Week 5 Santiago MTC

Well first off! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JILLY! I hope you have the best day. I'm thinking about you here!

Not much happened this week and it went a little slower than usual but only one more week left so I can do it!!! We got a new classroom because we got a new transfer of missionaries and we had the biggest classroom but there is a district of 12 now so they needed the space. That new district has 11 elders and 1 hermana. She was the only North American to come so good luck to  her....

Last pday was fun. We went and got completos as a district and then I went with my comps and we got gelato. So yummy. I think we are going to go get lunch and ice cream together again today. 

Fourth of July was so much fun here!!! Our district all wore red white and blue and so did the rest of Chile! Everyone loves America. It's just a fact. Kidding, really the finals of the Copa america were on Saturday night and Santiago was insane all day. We have a window out to the street and it was so loud all day. Presidente let us watch it and the 3 hour break was awesome. It went into PKs before Chile won!!! It was a big deal because next year is the 100th anniversary of the copa america, so 25 copa Americas and this was Chile's first time winning. Next year they are holding a special 100 year copa america in the states!!!!! 

I don't want to brag...but....we are kinda the coolest district in Chile CCM history. Presidente keeps telling us he wants to retire our number and has given us the motto "gone but never forgotten". Sorry the keys don't work like normal. Then Hna Doll had a dream about our district last night. I'm just going to pretend its because she loves us but its probably safer to say she has been ready for this 6 weeks to go by more than we have. 

This past Sunday was my first Sunday in solo EspaƱol.I actually could understand most everything but they speak super slow here. I bore my testimony again in sacrament meeting and it was really cool to see my progress from week 1. I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn but i'm getting there. That night at the all the north americans sang the star spangled banner and that was fun. I also shipped my bag off to Antofagasta so that was crazy. I can't believe how fast time here has gone.

Yesterday at the park those two girls Daphne and Rosia that we played soccer with last week were there again so we stopped and talked for a while which was fun. The people here are super chatty and I love it! Makes my job a lot easier. 

This week should be fun. WE go contacting tomorrow and then on splits on Thursday so that will be awesome and good practice for the field on Tuesday!!

I don't remember if I told you but we got 2 new investigators. I JUST FELT AN EARTHQUAKE!!!! FIRST ONE SINCE I GOT HERE!!!! But anyways back to investigators. Matias I love and he is just so fun to teach it's like a really fun challenge. Our other one Milagros is so hard because she doesn't have any apparent needs and we have talked and talked to try and find one. But yesterday we had a terrible lesson and after our teacher suggested maybe we teach the restoration. It clicked that the first time we taught her I kept feeling like I should teach the restoration  but I ignored the thought. Now after lesson 3 she is telling us she needed the restoration! I learned a big lesson to always follow promptings. I think one thing the cmm kinda had me thinking was that its bad to teach the restoration 1st because there's no way that the restoration could address their need. I definitely learned wrong but I'm gladIi learned that lesson here in the ccm. So spiritual thought for the week. Always act on promptings!!! The Lord knows what he is doing. 

This is my last pday here at the ccm!!! And next week I don't think I get one so I'm not sure when I will write you next but I love you all! Thanks for the emails and prayers! Have fun at pageant family and look for every missionary opportunity you can!!

Love,

Hermana Freedman