Weekly Email :)

Hello Everyone!
Lots of BYU fans were here for the football game! Ha almost everyone that came into the Visitors' Center was wearing BYU shirts and hats haha! We represented well in DC! ;)

This week went by so fast! I can't even believe it! I don't even know where to start!
Melody- She is doing so well! She came to the Relief Society dinner activity that our ward had and she really enjoyed it! She told us and Bernice, "Wow it feels like I have 3 new sisters in my family!" Haha it was so cute! I love the unity and sisterhood in our church. We are all a big family! We taught her the Plan of Salvation this week as well! She is so excited for her baptism in October! She is changing so much just in the couple weeks we have known her! She is just the best and such a huge miracle.

Doris- So we got to meet Doris this week! She was a media referral! When we got over there we got to know her and then started to teach her! She recently had one of her daughters  pass away and so we taught the Plan of Salvation to her! She found so much hope in this plan our Father in Heaven has given to us! It was really neat, she told us the one thing she wishes she would have done, is have her daughter baptized. It gave us a wonderful opportunity to testify of temples and how we can do that essential work for our ancestors who have passed on who didn't receive those essential ordinances while they were on the earth! I am so glad we are able to do that for them so that they have
the choice in the next life to accept it. Temples truly are so special!

Rachael- Huge miracle this week with her! So Rachel is the one who has a strong desire to get baptized but her parents are not supportive at all. BUT GUESS WHAT!!! Bernice took us all out to lunch and RACHAEL'S MOM CAME!!!  It was nice to get to know her mom a little bit more! I
know their hearts will be softened one day! I am so grateful for Bernice! She is such a key member in the Bethesda ward!:)

We brought a cute young woman out with us who is preparing to go on a mission soon! That was such a neat experience and we saw lots of miracles!

Well those are some experiences this week! I love you all! Here is a quote that I really liked from this week! It is by Brad Wilcox, "Scriptures make it clear that no unclean thing can dwell with God
(see Alma 40:26), but no unchanged thing will even want to". I love this quote! Change is so essential! I am glad this mission is changing me!
Sister Freeman

 Bernice took us all out to lunch to a Greek restaurant.

 

 

 

 BERNICE IS THE BEST!
 

Elder and Sister Burgon leave this week to St. George to be the Visitor Center directors
there!:(  We are going to miss them so much! They are such great and Christ-like people!
 

Sister Lin made Korean BBQ for Sister Shin! It was so sweet!

 

 

 

We got to try some yummy Thai food!

 

Sister Ete!!!!!

11 Months!!

Hi everyone! This week was fantastic! Here are a few highlights!

- I found out Deanna got baptized!!!! Woo! I taught her in my last area! It was so fun to see her at Why I Believe last night and get that exciting news! She is so incredible!! It was also fun to see other investigators and recent converts that I taught in my last areas at Why I Believe! It was such a good night! I'll send pictures!

- Bernice is the BEST ward missionary EVER! She is seriously the best!

I hope I can be just like her when I get off my mission! She is such a huge blessing to us and is always willing to do anything to build God's Kingdom. I love her so much! Member missionary work is so important! Missionaries come and go in the ward, but the fellowship members make with those that are new in the church is so vital! I know the Lord is so proud of Bernice!

-Melody is doing fantastic! She came to church yesterday and we had a wonderful lesson about baptism! She set a goal to be baptized on October 9th! That was definitely a huge highlight from this week! Melody was so prepared for the message of the gospel. Bernice came with us and had really remarkable comments!

- Tara went to the Philadelphia temple open house and really enjoyed it. Her son is on a mission in Australia right now. She is not a member but when we visited with her after she went to the open house she told us that one day she wanted to enter into the temple with her son. She is so amazing and is doing so well!

- We stopped by some potential investigators houses this week. We met this guy that is from India. He was pretty much telling us his life story and how he felt a divine power a couple years ago. He said how he could feel that divine power often. He told us some things that happened in life and then mentioned how after that, he could no longer feel that divine power. He was so sad and we could tell that he felt hopeless. This was SO sad to see. We were able to testify to him that he COULD feel that divine power again. It gave us a wonderful opportunity to teach repentance. We told him how through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can always feel His spirit (or divine power) within us if we are living in harmony with God's will! The spirit slowly sunk into him throughout the lesson. I love how the spirit guides lessons to those seeking to feel it.

I love you all! A scripture I love that I read this week is D&C 98:3, "All things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my names glory." I know that we grow through the hard times. I know that it is through those hard times that we really come to know our Savior and a glimmer of what He went through. I am so grateful for the mission I am serving. It is molding me and refining me every day through those hard times to become a better tool in the Lord's hands. I thought I knew all about the atonement before my mission, but it is on my mission that I have really been able to gain a deeper understanding of that principle. Never lose hope!

Sister Freeman

 

 It was Elder and Sister Fowler's (the Visitors' Center Director and his wife's) 50th anniversary!

 

 He gave all the sisters flowers! It was so adorable!

 

 

 Marty had a dinner where he invited some non member friends! His brother also came.

(They are slowly mending a relationship where they haven't spoken in years!)

 

 

 

They had to take the Angel Moroni off the temple to fix him up (he was getting rusty on the inside). We were so lucky to get a picture with him! Haha woo!

 



He is back up now!

 

 A family from Brazil came into the Visitors' Center and we got to take them around!

I told them how both my parents served their missions in Brazil and they were super amazed haha! They were a sweet family.

 

BERNICE!!

 

 Some of my previous companions with Sarah,

a daughter of one of our investigators in Gaithersburg!

 

 Khaylia!!

 

SARAH!



DEANNA! It was so great seeing her!

Family picture ;) haha!  My two trainees! :)

 

 

 

Bernice Strikes Again! Love this sweet lady!

Here is another fb post from Bernice!

7:40 pm tonight - headed with the Sister Missionaries to give a Lesson!
We had a great Lesson tonight about Temples!! The Sister Missionaries were on a split schedule so they switched companions. What a sweet lesson we had with Sister-Megan Freeman and Hermana Lourdes Urbina. God is super awesome!!!! Hermana Lourdes is from Honduras, where my parents are from!!!!

 

Tender Mercies :)

Hey everybody!!!!!!!!!
So yeah, that scary moment when you realize you only have four transfers left.... I guess that is still a long time... Right? Haha I miss you all so much! DC is so amazing! I love it here! They are already putting up Christmas lights at the Visitors' Center for the Festival of Lights!!

Here are some highlights from the week:

So we were at the Visitors' Center and two guys walked in. One was named Dylan and the other was Tim. Tim just got baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and he brought his friend, Dylan with him to see the Visitors' Center. We got talking with Dylan and he told us he has given up on religion. He said it wasn't for him. We began our tour around the Visitors' Center and showed him the temple model and what happens inside. We gave Dylan some time after. We could tell he was pondering about something. He got really quiet but we proceeded with the tour. We then took him in the 'Because He Lives' room (I feel like that is where all our miracles happen haha) and we talked about Jesus Christ. We had a really good talk with Dylan. Tim, had a lot of really good comments to add. I asked Dylan if he has ever felt the spirit before and he said, "no." We then taught him about the Holy Ghost and how we can feel it. We then promised him that he would feel the spirit during the two minute 'Because He Lives' video and we encouraged him to act on that feeling and follow what the Holy Ghost would try to tell him. During the video the thought came to my mind that my companion and I needed to pray that Dylan would feel the spirit. But right as I had that thought, I looked over and sure enough, my companion was already praying!! Ha it was so cool. After the movie the spirit in the room was SO strong!  Dylan gave us his email when the tour was finished. After the tour, he emailed me and thanked us for the tour. He said he hasn't thought about his spirituality or God in quite some time and he said he couldn't stop thinking about the tour and the spirit he felt while he was at the Visitors' Center. This experience changed my life. It made me think how some people walk into the Visitors' Center not even knowing they are looking for the truth. I am so grateful that Dylan left the Visitors' Center feeling the spirit and having a desire to learn more.

We had an appointment with a sweet lady named Alice (we met her at the grocery store last P day. She saw our name tags and saw Jesus Christ and said for us to come right on over!) As we were getting out of our car, we saw a woman sitting on a bench looking a little depressed. We felt like we needed to talk to this lady, so we approached her. We got talking with her and got to know her a little bit and Sister Shin offered to sing a song for her. She kindly accepted. Sister Shin sang 'I Am a Child of God' so beautifully. When she was done singing, Melody said, " Woah............ I had a dream where I was in the depths of despair when someone came up to me and told me that I was a child of God." We got talking with her and she opened up and told us about some mental challenges she has been having. She told us how she feels like she is reliving that dream (feeling really depressed) but this time, it was us that got to approach her and tell her she was a child of God. It was so wonderful to get to testify to her that she really is a child of God. She also told us that in her dream she was holding an iron rod of some sort and she was hanging on for dear life. Sister Shin and I talked about the story in the Book of Mormon with the iron rod (1 Nephi ch 8). We explained that she was holding on to the rod trying to take the right path that leads back to God. I am so grateful that as missionaries, we are able to help people who are clinging to the iron rod to help them find the glorious fruit of the gospel. I am almost certain that in this story in the Book of Mormon, there were missionaries all up and down the iron rod trying to help people stay on the right path. ;) I know it was no coincidence that we met Melody! We are so excited to go and visit her again this week!

There is this sweet lady named Oksanna in our ward. She and her husband got baptized almost a year ago. We have been bringing Oksanna to lessons that we have throughout the week. It has been so great getting to know her! She told us that she just wants to do missionary work all the time! It was so amazing. She said that ever since her husband and her have joined the church, their relationship has gotten so much better! The gospel truly does mend relationships! They are working towards getting sealed in the temple for time and all eternity!!! Super exciting!:)

I LOVE the Bethesda ward!! It is so great! The members are so amazing and the best ever! I hope you all have a fun and safe week!

Love, Sister Megan Freeman :)

 

Bernice (the greatest member ever) came with us to visit Marty!!

 

 A member had this nice center piece... Haha the dad is a crocodile hunter!
 



 Sisters at the VC!

 

 Bernice took us out to Korean BBQ for lunch on Saturday!

She is the best!

 

 

 

Sister McArthur's last couple of days in the mission (she left on Wednesday!)

A member invited us come over to celebrate Labor Day last P day!

 

 Sister McArthurs last time at the VC.

Here's a picture mom found on the mission fb page...

 

 

 

Right before Sister Mcarthur left to fly home!:(

 

This is mom... here's a funny one she just sent to me with her contact lens prescription...

I told her to take a picture of the box, but I got her mug as well...cute Megs!

 

Another mission mom just posted these on the mission fb page.

The angel Moroni got a good cleaning and it looks like he's

on his way back up to the top of the DC Temple!

 

 Here's another one mom found on the mission fb page of the same day...

 

Another Beautiful Facebook Surprise!

Scrolling through Facebook today, I stumbled on this cute mug!  Thank you Bernice Guity for first of all, feeding my daughter, and second of all, posting these pictures.  It is so amazing to see Megan as these activities are unfolding!  Megan told me that she loves Bernice!  Well I do too and needless to say, I've friended her on fb.  Megan says she does a lot for them and goes with them on a lot of their visits.  She has recently reactivated and LOVES the sisters, as you can see here!  I'm grateful to good people like Bernice who take care of my Megan when I can't!

Cute Megan enjoying some Korean BBQ!

(Iron Age Asian Grill in Rockville, MD)

 Similar pictures to these were in her letter that she sent on September 12th.

This one's funny!

 





Sister Shin is from Korea, so I'm sure this was a real treat for her!

Here is the facebook conversation I had with Bernice!

Mindy Smith Freeman: Aw there's my missionary daughter! Thanks for posting!!
Bernice Guity: You are so welcome!!!! We had a beautiful lunch today!!! We ended the day with the Sisters giving me a beautiful lesson on the Holy Ghost!!! What a sweet, lovely day!!!
Mindy Smith Freeman: This makes me so so happy to hear!
Bernice Guity: Your daughter is doing a great job here in DC, Bethesda Ward!!! She is a wonderful Sister Missionary!!!!!
Mindy Smith Freeman: I have serious concerns that she's not gonna get on that plane when it's time to come home! She LOVES her mission and everyone there!
Bernice Guity: No worries. She will come home. I know she misses you all so much!!!!

Random Text Picture!!

Just got this picture via text from a complete stranger!  This is so awesome!  Megan is at the Visitors' Center RIGHT NOW!!!

The mother of the girl next to Megan sent me this picture,
but she didn't say her name! Thank you kind stranger!
Here is the text conversation:
Me: Thank you for this picture! Who is this? It's fun to get news from my daughter!
Girl's mother: She's doing great!
Me: She LOVES her mission!!
Girl's mother: Mine is the second from the left, new RM from Korea.
Me: Ah that's so neat! Sis. Shin is from Korea but you probably already knew that!! So cool!
Girl's mother: Yeah they had a blast talking. Sis. Shin is from my daughter's greenie ward.
Me: Wow! It's such a small world in the church!
Girl's mother: Totally! We stayed much longer than we'd planned!
Me: I bet! Well thanks for thinking of me today!! Made my day!
Girl's mother: So many in Korea did that for me. It was always the best day!

Transfers!

Hello family and friends!
Today is crazy busy! We are getting Sister McArthur all packed and ready to fly home on Wednesday! We are going to miss her so much! Sister Shin and I will be together for another transfer in Bethesda! Yay!!

Update from Bethesda area:
Rachael is doing so well! When she came to church with us she kept telling us that this is where she needed to be. She texted us and told us how excited she was for her baptism! I really hope her family will allow her to make this special promise with God! Her parents are slowly having a softer heart to this idea! I know that it is because of prayer and fasting that this change has been able to occur in her
parents! Kenji and Gian are doing so well! Kadia, their aunt, said that their mom said that ever since they started to take the missionary discussions, they have been blossoming into young men and women. I am so excited for them! And for their special day in a couple weeks where they will enter into the waters of baptism!

Update from the Visitors' Center:
At the Visitors' Center, we were talking with a lady that came in that just got baptized a couple of months ago. We asked her about her conversion story and she said, "I didn't know what the spirit felt
like... Until I heard the story of Joseph Smith, I knew what it felt like and I could not deny it!" I loved what she said! I love how Joseph Smith was able to stand for what he knew and saw and never
denied it, even until his death. I am so grateful for the Church of Jesus Christ that was restored in these latter days through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I love getting to share the message of the
restoration every day!

With all the changes in our mission, something that is really being stressed is Obedience. I have such a strong testimony of Obedience and I know that if we obey exactly to the littlest of things, then
miracles will continue to flow into our lives. President Johnson sent us all an email that really hit me. Here are some things that I loved from it:
- Obedience brings perfection.
- "Some missionaries may suffer a bit as they learn this principle, as they bend their will to the will of the Lord, but oh what blessings will follow: there is nothing like a faithful, humble sister or elder
who has learned the principle of obedience" (Ezra Taft Benson).
- "When obedience to policies and rules ceases to be an irritation, and becomes your quest, you will be on the path to true discipleship and the authority you now hold will be accompanied by great power" (Elder Marlin K. Jensen).
- Obedience is the first law of heaven.
- As we are obedient we will have the Holy Ghost. I loved this! I know that what really matters as a missionary is being able to have the spirit with us so we can teach, and obedience is the
key that allows us to do that. Obedience is something that I will take from the mission and try my best to apply in my life at home!

Sorry a lot happened this week, but we have to get going! It is a busy P day! Love you all and I hope you have a great week! I'll send lots of pictures so it will make up for the short email!
Love, Sister Freeman 

 CLAUD!!! He is the cutest boy ever! He got baptized a couple months ago!! 

I talked a lot about his conversion story in previous emails!

 Sister McArthur's last Sunday in the Bethesda Ward!

Tara and her family! They are investigating the church!

JULIAN! He is a kid with special needs and has been so fun to get to know!

All the Visitors' Center Sisters! I love them all! They are so amazing!

Specialized training! Sister Shin got her I pad! 

She is doing so good with her training! I love her so much!

Here are some more pictures from the transfer! (Sent in a separate email.)

It poured rain... And our umbrella broke...

The Haitian family we are teaching!

The Burgeons (a senior couple that serves in the VC) made us all breakfast!

Sisters...

Our district.

Cooking...

We helped someone move.

Love my companions so much!  Another picture of Sister McArthur's last Sunday...