July 25th, 2016 - Week 61 "Servicio"

Hola Familia! 

Today was another great p-day. As a zone we went to Caldera and played soccer at Bahia Inglesia. It was a blast and it's starting to warm up here in Copiapo. Winter is starting to come to an end. Hermana Chamorro and I are still working our hardest. 

We had 6 investigators at chuch again, and Maria Jose and Kiara are really progressing. We are hoping to set a baptismal date with Maria Jose and Kiara soon since we now have permission from President Ferreira. They went to primary for the first time too and loved it! We are trying to focus on getting the ward really involved so that when they are baptized they will stay active in the church. 

Aurora is progressing slowly. She has a hard time making choices and it's hard for her to see the need to look for the spirit outside of her house when she can more comfortably feel it when we come over and she doesn't have to leave her comfort zone. But the Book of Mormon is a powerful tool and as she reads more and more her testimony will start to grow. We had a powerful lesson on baptism and confirmation this week but there's still something missing. Maybe a member...but it's been difficult since she told us it's not ok to bring members with us to her house and she never accepts invitations to family home evening.

This week Hermana Chamorro and I looked for lots of service opportunities and it made me so happy serving others! There are so many small ways to serve and I don't know why but I feel like mostly everyone asked us to wash their dishes this week. Haha but Hermana Chamorro and I had fun washing dishes together. I was really impacted by the difference in my animo (or excitement?) throughout the day when we had done service. I have a strong testimony that God blesses us when we serve his children. 

We will be receiving transfer calls this weekend. I'm not sure what will happen but it might be time for me to leave Copíapo....we will see what President thinks. It will be sad working with a different companion since Hermana Chamorro and I get along so well but I'll be happy with whatever happens. 

I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Freedman

July 18, 2016 - Week 60 "Surprise..."

Hey!!! On Thursday the office called telling us that interviews and the get to know you conference with President would be Saturday and Sunday so P-Day was changed to Monday again. This week was good, we found quite a few new investigators who are super great but also were challenged quite a bit. 

Rosa has been progressing tons. The other day we went to finish teaching her the lessons for her baptism on the 23rd and she told us she had had a dream that she was baptized in a river. Hermana Chamorro and I started thinking that maybe it wasn't a dream and that she actually was a less active member. So...we looked for her record and SUPRISE!!! Rosa is already a member. So...our baptism for this weekend fell through which is a bummer. But, at least we were able to reactive Hermana Rosa. 

We also have a young woman we have been working with who is progressing lots. Her name is Sofia. She was a reference from a recent convert in the ward. Well we started working with Sofia and her mom, but her mom lost interest but told us it was alright to keep teaching Sofia. Long story short we received permission to baptize her, set her date, she came to church, and...then  her mom called us and told us she can't be baptized until she's 18 and then can make the decision. To keep from being too Debby Downer, all our other baptismal dates fell through this week...

Soo....we are starting over again. But with lots of faith. We have made lots of plans to work better with the ward and BAPTIZE!!! 

I was also able to work in Caldera this week with Hermana Challco. It was so great to see all her progress and teach with her again. At one point we found a new investigator and started teaching the Restoration. The woman was seated next to me on the couch and Hermana Challco in a chair on the other side of the woman. She taught the first part and when it came to me to start teaching about Christ's life on earth I started teaching and testifying. Hermana Challco had a water bottle and started drinking water (but the woman had her back to her at this point and was looking at me). As Hermana Challco was drinking water squirted out both sides of her mouth and I tried to keep going but I lost it laughing. All 3 of us started laughing and it took us a good solid 5 minutes to get under control again and invite the spirit back. oops. 

With the Elders we planned a ward activity this week which was really fun. We talked about virtue and played lots of games. 

Another highlight of the week was the conference with President and our interviews. President has lots of excitement and its contagious. He was able to give me some good advice and I'm excited to have the opportunity to learn from 2 presidents. The Ferreiras also came and played soccer with us this morning. It was a blast!!!

On Saturday I was honestly feeling a little down with everything that had happened during the week, but the Relief Society had passed us a ¨message box.¨ It was a little box with rolls of paper inside. Saturday night I prayed and decided to see what the box was all about. I ended up pulling out a quote by Elder Uchtdorf that I loved! It said, 

"Sometimes in life we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey."

In spanish it translates a little differently and says that "sometimes we become so focused on the goal that we fail to find joy in the journey. "

That was exactly what i needed to hear. And I felt lots of peace, knowing that if I work hard, do what i have been called to do, and have fun, the Lord will bless me! 

Entonces....everyone remember to have fun and find joy everyday! There are so many blessings that sometimes we overlook, but we are so blessed and Heavenly Father loves us!

Love,

Hermana Freedman

July 11th - Week 59 "Moronis Ark"

Hey everyone! This week was super great!

Here are some of the highlights this week...

Aurora- Aurora came to church yesterday!!!! Thats a huge step! This week we had a few lessons with her. The first was with Hermna Pebbles during a companion exhange. Aurora had read about Lehis vision of the tree of life and had lots of questions. We were able to compare it to her life and talked a lot about faith and she committed to come to church! Later in the week Hermana C and I went and taught her the Word of Wisdom. She has a few doubts but we were able to help her see that it is a blessing not a rule. She is reading her BOM almost daily (and we would be calling her to check up...but our phone broke)! 

Rosa- Rosa wasn't able to make it to church yesterday and we aren't quite sure what happened so her baptismal date will have to be changed. We were able to have a few lessons with her as well. Her situation is a little hard and she is always in and out of the hospital but she shared her testimony with us of the Restoration this past week which was really powerful. 

During my intercambio with Hermana Pebbles this week the Carrion family came and dropped their washing machine off before moving to Chillan. When Hermano Carrion set it up he pulled out a filter and water started pouring out all over the floor. And it smelled like a rotten egg. Poor Hermana Pebbles had to help me clean the floor for a good while and our small apartment smelled so bad. We were breathing through our shirts all night. 

Church yesterday was pretty great. Besides Aurora going an investigator of ours Hector went for the 2nd time. His cousin is a recent convert. We also were asked to help in the primary yesterday. When we went they were playing a picture guessing game. At one point the teacher showed a picture of Noahs ark and she asked who it was, a cute little boy raised his hand and shouted, Moronis ark!!! Then she showed a picture of the first vision and asked who it was, another boy raised his hand and said, When Nephi had a vision and saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! The girl sitting next to him turned her head and said, no....its when Heavenly Father and Jesus went to help the boy who fell down and was sad. We all got a good laugh. 

Also...P-day next week will be on Wednesday since we have interviews and a special meeting with President Ferreira on Monday and Tuesday. Love you all. You are in my prayers!!!

Hermana Freedman

July 4th, 2016 - Week 58 "Happy 4th of July"

Happy 4th of July!!! I hope everyone is having a great day and celebrating lots! This week was really great with lots of exciting things happening.

We were able to meet President and Hermana Ferreira this week!!!! They are the greatest and we learned so much. They are so excited to be here and their excitement really stuck with us and it is cool to see how the whole mission is working with new ánimo. One thing I loved is that they talked about envisioning everyone in white. It has been great to focus our thoughts on everyone in white! They also created a new rule that we can play soccer. But the catch is that there have to be Hermanas playing or we can't play. We are pretty popular as almost all the elders have been calling asking us to play soccer. This morning we hiked to the cross here in Copiapo with all the hermanas and then met up with the elders and played soccer for a few hours and the Elders had a BBQ. Pretty fun! 

I also was able to work with Hermana MacDonald again and we always have the greatest time together. It's good to have family in the mission! 

As far as investigators go...

We have a newer investigator Rosa. She is an abuelita but is so ready to accept the gospel. She has a baptismal date for the 23rd. Yesterday when we went to pick her up she was already halfway to the chapel!!! The ward did a really great job of fellowshipping her and we are excited for her progress. 

We also had a young woman come to church yesterday named Lily. She is the friend of a recent convert. She doesn't really believe in God and we have had a little bit of a hard time finding her in her house to teach her but she made the effort to come to church which is huge progress!!!

Aurora has hit a little bit of a stumbling block. Someone told her we don't smoke in the church and she has a bit of a smoking problem. That got her down and she told us she doesn't want to to to a church with lots of rules. If we can manage to teach her again I'm pretty sure we can get her excited to go to church. She continues to read the Book of Mormon even if its just a few verses but there is potential. 

Hermana C and I have been finding quite a few people recently and it's always good to renovate [Spanish word] our pool of investigators. President Ferreira has invited us to double the number of lessons we have with members and feels that is the best way to have more success. We are working hard to invite members to help us teach. 

I hope everyone has a great 4th and a good week. Especially Jilly Bean!!!!! Happy Birthday!!!

Love,

Hermana Freedman

June 27th - Week 57 "Goooooooooaaaaaalllllllllll"

Well...everyone in Chile is beyond happy today (besides Hermana Chamorro) since we are Copa America Champions again!!!!! Yesterday I would be lying if I said we slept since there was so much noise all night. We were able to watch the Chile v. Colombia game on Tuesday, or at least the first half but didn't watch the final yesterday since it was on Sunday. But I'm just happy Chile won!

Argentina beat USA in the Copa America. Catie had to wear an Argentina jersey to deliver on their bet

This week was great and I was able to see Hermana Challco again!!! On Monday night Hermana Challco, Hermana Palomino, and Hermana Pebbles slept in the pension. It was so fun to get the scoop on Tocopilla and know that everyone is doing well. Hermana Challco took good care of Tocopilla and I'm excited to have here nearby. 

Catie and Hernama Challco!

An investigator Fresia came to church yesterday with her faimly. Her son is a recent convert and we are trying to help Fresia also prepare to be baptized. 

We found lots of new famlies this week which was fantastic! We also went to visit one of our investigators Erika this week who is 7th day Adventist. She always tries to bible bash us and this was our last attempt. Whe we got there her grandson let us in and when we walked into the living room here daughter was there and 2 preachers from church. We listened as they talked about the bible and then were able to teach about he pre-existence and the fall. Erika's daughter was attacking us but we continued to bear testimony and pulled out a few scriptures from the bible and Book of Mormon to help her understand. The spirit was super strong and at one point her pastor got mad at her and told her to listen to what we were saying. It went silent and she quietly listened. In the end her pastor accepted a Book of Mormon and a pamphlet. I think we touched his heart.  

Sorry for such a short email. Today is a holiday here and it's been hard to get a hold of internet! 

Love you all!!

Oh and change of mission president this week! I feel so blessed to have served with the Daltons but am so excited to meet the Ferreiras!!! (And family, pretty cool that you could meet them this week!!!)

Hermana Freedman

June 20th - Week 56 "Feliz Dia de Papa"

Happy Fathers Day Dad!!! Thanks for your example! Te amo mucho!!! This week was the last week of the transfer...but i won't be having any changes. I will be staying here in Maray with Hermana Chamorro for at least 6 more weeks! But, tomorrow the house will definitely be divided. Argentina vs. USA. The loser buys ice cream. 

This week we were able to watch the Chile v. Panama game which was super fun. I have definitely come to love soccer. And on Saturday we didn't sleep thanks to the Chile v. Mexico game. Chileans know how to celebrate a goal. Haha. 

This week I also got stuck on a micro bus! Hermana Chamorro and I were coming back from centro and it was super full. I'm not sure how but we had kinda gotten separated and when the bus stopped I didn't make it off in time. I touched the doorbell but the bus driver wouldn't stop!!! Hermana Chamorro was running down the street after the bus. A block later it stopped to let me off. We had a good laugh. I almost made it to Paipote all by myself. 

This week we also saw progress and miracles. 

-Daniela (my convert from Pimientos) has really been struggling with the idea of the temple. Since after her baptism I have felt strongly to continually talk about the temple. This week the Lord softend her heart. We had a lesson on the plan of salvation and I was able to testify of the importance of the temple in our progress. Daniela for the first time understood the importance and has plans to go in July to do baptisms!!! I am so excited!!!

-Aurora is progressing! We left her a chapter to read after our last appointment and she had read 8 chapters more! She committed to come to church next Sunday and has agreed to be baptized the 16th of July if at church she feels it is really right. We have been incorporating the members as well which has really helped. I love how Aurora always has questions and is really looking for the answers! She told us she feels that God is leading her to a new life. 

-The biggest miracle of the week was yesterday night. We hadn't found any new investigators all week and Hermana Chamorro and I were pretty bummed. We had put future investigators in our plans all week with no luck. On Sunday night at 8 we had an appointment with a future investigator that fell through. We went to all the other future families in the area to try and find someone but nada. We were close to our apartment so we entered quickly and offered a prayer for help finding a new family. With 40 minutes left in the day we went to the bishops to ask for a reference. They passed 2 references. Neither family answered the door. We decided to knock the neighbors door but they didn't have time. So...we decided to just make the best of it and at least have a lesson with a member present. We went to a recent converts apartment to visit him and his mom who is an investigator. They didn't have time either but we asked for more references. They started talking about all neighbors!!! It was 8:40 and only one apartment had the light on so we knocked the door. A woman opened the door and her two dogs came running out. She started saying enter, enter and we thought she was talking to her dogs! Finally she said, do you want to come in and share or not! With 20 minutes left in the day we were able to find a family. Claudio, Cristina, and their 2 daughters. Claudio is Catholic but has attended lots of church, including ours for a month or so. He prays every night. Crisitna says she believes in everything but has gone to our church for a few activities (for the food...). We shared the Restoration in 10 minutes, like President encouraged us to practice and they invited us back this Friday! We were so excited and it was a testimony builder that God blesses us for our diligence. 

I know this church is true and there is nothing better than being a missionary!

Besos y Abrazos!

Hermana Freedman

Natalia

Hernama Beatriz

June 13th - Week 55 "Viva Chile"

Well it's pretty crazy that its time for the Copa America again. I feel like just yesterday I was in Santiago watching the Chile Argentina final. Just in case anyone doesn't know, or forgot, Chile won. Haha... Hna. Chamorro has made my love for Chilean soccer grow since she is always cheering for Argentina, and... President Dalton has given us permission to watch all the Chile games which has been really fun. 

Last Monday we went to Caldera with Hna. Cinthia, Pia, the hermanas from Palomar and the hnas. from caldera. We went to Bahia Inglesa which is the prettiest beach. Caldera has the best beaches in Chile. We had so much fun and Hermana Chamorro and I got ready for the Chile Argentina games and both went sporting our jerseys. 

This week we had such a great lesson with Gladys and a member from the ward.  Gladys was so excited for her baptism, she had made tons of progress with her goals to quit smoking and we got her interview set up and everything. When we went on Saturday to pick her up for her interview she told us she doesn't want to be baptized which was such a bummer. We are now deciding if we should just let her go or if we need to keep working with her. There is definitely a lot of praying going on. It's sad seeing her let all the temptations of the world get the best of her, and in such a short time (less than a week) she has backtracked tons....

But there is always something good that happens. Yesterday a recent convert that Hna. Chamorro and I have helped reactivate brought her 2 sons who are 8 and 9 because she wants them both to be baptized! We have an FHE planned tonight with them. 

Also we have a newewr investigator Aurora. We had an appointment for Saturday scheduled but on Friday she called us cancelling. However while planning we felt we should put plans in her area and Saturday morning left to start working. We ended up running into her in the street and she told us she was busy because her mom was over. We asked if we could head over just to introduce ourselves to her mom and she got super excited. We were able to share The Plan of Salvation with both of them and Aurora was super interested. She still doesn't want to accept baptism but we are seeing progress which is exciting! 

This week during zone training I was able to teach about Luke 5:4-7

 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

 6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

I loved this small set of scriptures and loved how Peter said they had diligently worked all night without results. But then they enacted their faith when they obeyed the Lord and they were blessed beyond measure. Then in verse 7 I loved how they invited others to come and help! President recently has been reminding us of President Monson when he told us that now is the time for members and missionaries to work together. I know that if we do that we will find so many people to teach that [our ships will sink] or we will have success beyond what we can imagine. 

I'm so grateful to be a missionary and to be serving here in Copiapo!!!

Love,

Hermana Freedman