Called to Serve in DC North: 15 Months!!

Hey everyone!
I cannot believe it has already been 15 months! Where has time gone?! These past 15 months have been so great in so many ways! I'm so grateful to be here and I am so excited to make the most out of these last three months! We had such a great week! Sorry this email might be a little long!

I will start out with a little miracle we had. We had about an hour and a half left in our area one day before we had to go to the Visitors' Center and we originally had planned to go and check up on some referrals in our area. We both felt like there was something else better and more productive that we could do for that time of day. So we decided to go contacting! I am sure glad we had that prompting because we were able to meet someone who God had prepared for us! So we decided on going metro contacting since we have a metro right by our apartment. As we were getting on the metro, Sister Larson made eye contact with this guy named Adam. We sat next to Adam and he first starts talking to us and asking some questions. We talked about why we were here in DC and he seemed super excited! We asked him about his religious background and he told us how he was actually searching right now for the truth. He said he was really involved in a church but then started turning away from it because he didn't like how worldly it was getting and how it was conforming to worldly aspects. We shared with him some of our beliefs and he was comforted when we explained to him how no matter what happens in the world, our standards and beliefs will not be lowered. He told us that about ten years ago, missionaries knocked on his families' door and gave them a copy of the Book of Mormon. He said he was the only one in his family that was interested in reading it. He said he was able to read it all the way through and loved how it talked so much about hope and families. Adam's stop was coming up, but he wanted to keep talking so we got off with him and we talked more. He was so blown away and expressed a strong desire to want to learn more and to come to church. He was seriously so prepared. I am so grateful for those missionaries that knocked on their door ten years ago!!! We were so happy that he is YSA and in our area!!

A few days later, we met up with Adam and brought a member of the ward with us. The lesson went super great. The member shared so many neat and powerful insights! At the beginning, Adam expressed some things that he strongly believes in, and they all went right along with the first lesson of the restoration. It was a miracle. The spirit was so strong. He agreed to getting baptized!! We are super excited for him and how the spirit was able to communicate with us and tell us to go contacting!

This week at the Visitors Center, I was happy and a bit surprised to answer some phone calls of people who just called in wanting to be baptized... it was so cool. The first woman's name was Gina and she called in and asked what the process was to become a member of the church. I asked her why she wanted to become a member and she said that she plays cards with some ladies that are Mormon and she really looks up to them. We put her on date to be baptized February 12, and then passed on her information to her local missionaries. They were super happy! Another girl that called in was named Chy. So I answered the phone and Chy said in a panic, " WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY. I NEED TO GET BAPTIZED RIGHT NOW. THIS IS URGENT!!" I though it was a prank at first so I asked her some questions and found out she was actually serious. She said how a couple years ago, she had a lot of health issues and was not feeling well. She said missionaries from our church that held the priesthood came over and gave her a priesthood blessing of healing. She said that about a week later she was all better but then moved to Arizona and lost contact with our church and with the missionaries. She said that she has been wondering how she could get back in touch with us and then found this number somewhere and immediately called us. She told me how she has been sort of investigating our church for 4 years and knows it is true and time for her to get baptized. She loved the fact that our church is one big happy family that takes care of one another! :) I asked her to pray about her baptismal date being Feb 11. She agreed, and I passed on her information to the missionaries in her area. They were so excited to receive this elect daughter of God to teach.

Update on the Shashani family. (They are the ones we tracted into last week!) We went over to teach their family one last time before we passed them to the family ward. When we drove up his two cute little girls were waiting and looking out the window for us!! It was so cute! When we got there, the two girls ran and gave us the sweetest hugs!! The dad had dinner all ready on the table for when we got there. It was so amazing and delicious. Afterwards, we followed up on what we invited them to do last time we were there, which was to pray. The little 7 year old girl humbly said, "Well, I prayed that my grandma would get better and it made me feel happy and peaceful!" It was so cute. We then proceeded to teach them the Restoration and the spirit was so strong. This family is so special. On Saturday, we had a pass off lesson at the Visitors Center with the missionaries who would be teaching them. They LOVED the idea of temples and how they make it possible for us to be with our families forever! When they came to the Visitors Center they also brought with them a family friend named Suzahn, who is also from Iran. They all expressed how peaceful they felt. We showed them 'Because He Lives' and when it was finished the two little girls said, "CAN WE WATCH IT AGAIN?! That was magical!" Haha it was so cute. They opened up a lot to us and explained how that day had been hard because their grandma had just passed away. We were able to teach them about the Plan of Salvation and show 'Gods Plan for His Families.' It is so neat how the Lords timing works, how the spirit guided us to them right when they were going through this hard time. They said they felt peaceful. Suzahn said she wanted to meet with missionaries and bring more of this joy into her life. Hormoz, the father, accepted to be baptized when he knew a little bit more. The Sisters who get to teach them are going to be so great! I'm so excited for this special family. I love the Persian culture!! They are so great!

It is so great being back in DC 2nd. When I was in the area before, we were working with a less active guy named Ivan... AND NOW HE IS SO SOLID. We met with him and his testimony is so solid and AH it is so great to see how much he has grown!!

We got to go on a few exchanges this week with some of the Sisters in the Visitors' Center. It was so great. I LOVE exchanges. Exchange miracles are real! I would love to talk more about exchanges but this email is getting long! But long story short, prayer never fails to lead us to the elect and sincere seekers of truth. So many people in this mission are ready and have been prepared for years! It is through prayer that God can direct us towards them.

Love you all

PS: For all those who are wondering about Inauguration Day... unfortunately we did not get to go, but it was SO CRAZY!!!! We could hardly go anywhere without running into protests and riots. BUT we managed to stay safe!! DC is crazy but so amazing! Hope you all have a wonderful day! Pray for our countries leaders!!!

~ Sister Megan Freeman

The Inauguration! A member who went sent us this picture!

Elder Fowler (Visitors Center Director) and his wife finished their mission!

So we all got to say goodbye. Haha Elder Fowler said he was the only guy we were allowed to hug while being missionaries haha!! He gave us big hugs and kissed all our heads before he left! It was so sweet and so sad!! :( We are going to miss him! He is a sealer in the temple and promised to seal all of us to our eternal companions if we wanted him to!! :)