Monday, December 30, 2013

Monday, December 30, 2013

Actually, reading the emails Monday is fine.  We have 2 bars of Wi-Fi from the senior couple upstairs that come kinda in our apartment; so we can read them.  We just can’t send it until we get Wi-Fi.  So if you want to keep doing it on Sunday you can, whatever is easier.

What a great week to talk to you guys!  I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Despite all the tears. Haha!  It was hard to refocus but- easier than it was when I left to come here.  Haha!

I am so thankful for the iPad keyboard.  It really saves me a lot of time.  I have learned the importance of keeping detailed records of phone calls and that has been helping a lot to have the keyboard to do it faster.  We have been receiving lots of contact information lately with the simple fact that we are talking to so many people.

This week the goal between the 2 districts was 650 people.   I don't believe we hit it.  The holidays really shot us in the leg for our goal, but honestly I tried realllllly hard, and it was one of those weeks where you are just exhausted afterwards, because you gave it your all.

Speaking of talking to people.  We had a neat experience.  We were inviting a woman on the bus to learn more, and she really wasn’t interested.  She was very polite though.  Then I invited the other lady that was listening to our conversation.   She took a card and said she was on her way to church.  But as another lady left the bus she said, “I want one of those cards please.”  And she took one and walked away. THENNN the bus driver said, "Wait, so what happened after Christ established his church?" and I went to the front and stood by him and just taught him the 3 min restoration and he wanted the website where he could learn more.  He says he sees the elders on his route often [his route passes the church] and he said he would order a Book of Mormon, but we had one on us and so we gave it to him. Nothing like New Yorkers fearlessing you! :)

Christmas and Christmas Eve was spectacular.  We got the awesome pins from president and we were able to hear about all our new goals for the year.  It’s always rejuvenating to talk of goal setting, it just gets you in a "let’s do it" mood.  We also did a lot of reflecting on how the year had gone.  For the upcoming year, president said there will be a progress graph in the office with how we are hitting our goals for the year as a mission.

We have been adding to our elliptical activities, and trying to refine them and make them better.  If you don’t remember, the elliptical is what we call the area around the church. President found that churches in the community that have tons of members are because people around that area attend it.  So he decided we need to do that with our members, strengthen it around the church house and work out. "Everyone" knows the Mormons around the church now, they see what we do.  So we have what is called "elliptical activities" to find people.  We started a new thing that is working well.  We give out hot chocolate and have a shoe shine. We talk to them about who we are and what we are all about as we shine their shoes.  The community loves it :)

We also met a woman on the street who was kind, but didn’t want to learn more.  She called us to ask if she could interview us.  She said she was thinking about it and she really finds it fascinating that 2 young girls are sharing our Christian beliefs in a highly Jewish/Muslim community.  She gave us info we needed to know and I laughed when she said, "Will you need time to get this approved by your temple, or something?" Haha!  I told her it would need to be approved, but i know every once in a while missionaries get interviewed.  So, we called our district leader, and zone leader and will contact president today to see if we will end up doing it. If president says to do it, we will.  It will be a great opportunity to bring the church out of obscurity and help people know who we are and what we believe.  I just stink at things like that, so we'll see what happens.

Things are really going well!  Sister Hodgson is tearing it up.  I am thankful for her as a companion. :)

Love you,

Sister Jalynn Freeze

Monday, December 23, 2013

Monday, December 23, 2013

I appreciate the update.  Sounds like a lot of fun!

I found out that my iPad, that I thought was configured to be watched by church headquarters was set up, but it wasn't!  Haha!  The reason it was so funny, was because some of the elder's wasn't configured and I gave them a lot of grief, sarcastically, that they were being disobedient.  Long story short, we found out that mine wasn't either.  I couldn't stop laughing.  But NOW church headquarters can see my every move.

How about Christmas Day, between 1:30-2:00, my time for phoning home? We have been asked to do visits that day, so we will see what we end up doing. The mission is having a mission conference tomorrow.  We will meet at the Planview chapel, which is closer to my old area. This will be my first meeting as a mission!  I am so excited!  We are to meet at the mission office at SEVEN-THIRTY AM, and it takes an hour thirty to get there from Brooklyn.  We will have an early morning.  But we are excited.  Tomorrow night will also be good-we are going Christmas caroling with a family in the ward.

New Year's Day is a normal day, and New Year ’s Eve we come home at 6pm, do "anything" but cards.  I plan to sleep.  We don't get much of that here...

Our district is passing around the stomach flu, so that may be my companionship soon.  I sure hope not.

This week we haven't been able to get in touch with our investigators really much at all.  I feel kind of bad.  We went to see our investigator and she was not feeling well.  We just pray for them. Sometimes that's all you can do.

We had a Christmas fireside that I was asked to play in for the Spanish ward, and I played with Sister Lewis.  We performed Angels We Have Heard on High. A member of their bishopric who let me borrow his clarinet asked if I could play in their sacrament meeting on this last Sunday- and it went well.  We played the same song, and he added the flute part.  He played great and it went well.  The Spanish ward is tiny.  I wish some of the English ward could come support them with callings or something.  They don't even have a pianist for sacrament meeting.  I'm not sure why the missionaries in that ward don't play for them.  I know a few of them know how.

The training is going really well.  I have been able to learn a lot.  I don't know what there is to say any more about missionary work- it's just really the same from week to week?  What do you want me to report?

Mom and Dad, did either of you train on your mission?

I am so thankful for the experiences I'm having. Training this week has been great! :) Sister Hodgson is really just progressing so well!  I am so proud of her.  There is so much that she teaches me.  I recognize the huge responsibility, but it am not as overwhelmed as I was.

Sorry for the lame email. This week has been great!

Monday, December 16, 2013

Monday, December 16, 2013

Hello! Update from Midwood!

So much going on here, so many changes!  Our district is so different, but it is just as great! Last transfer we were called the Midwood Mere Kats... This week; Magpies. This week we did the same goal as last time for Fearlessing people.  We changed our goal from 500 to 400 because we lost a whole companionship, now down to 4 companionships plus the senior couple, the Mckells. We love them.  We hit our goal; it's been a fun journey.  We get to meet some amazing people.  My favorite part about having number goals is that a person represents that number, and we have been able to meet 400 PEOPLE. So awesome!

My companion’s name is Sister Hodgson!  She is AWESOME!  Can I just say, she is adjusting to mission life like a pro.  I sometimes forget she is new... Her teaching skills are better than mine, and unlike me- she has not had a mental breakdown from being here. My first week in the mission ranks the hardest one yet- so I'm grateful she is handling change so well!

We had a special experience that was simple, but huge. We haven't been able to get in touch with our investigator and we were a little worried, but decided that we would just stop by her house.  As we were walking to her apartment building she was walking toward us and we were able to talk to her more about her concerns and the things that she is worrying about. Her grandson who is so interested in the church will have basketball over church time next year, so we are sad about that. Church will be moved from 9am to 12:30. 

Sister Hodgson really is on top of teaching.  She spent an extra week in the MTC and was able to teach TONS of lessons. Upwards of like 30, I remember only teaching a few, plus.  You can tell that she really is a natural.

It snowed like nobody's business the other day.  That massive coat is so good for it.  I had a guy on the train ask me about why I was dressed so bulky.  I just told him I was from California and then he understood.  Oh, and my boots... Love those things!  A ward member gave me another pair of legging tights that have fleece in them! I am so thankful!

We had a Christmas party/program!  It was fantastic, there was a nativity and we sang as a district for a musical number. We have a talented ward :) Bishop even played the piano!  It was a great opportunity for Sister Hodgson to meet everyone in the ward!

I have been learning a lot about how The Lord qualifies who he calls.  He has been helping me a lot with all the responsibility that has been given to me, and made it do-able.  I feel overly stressed every once in a while, but I do know how to do missionary work.  I just didn't realize how much I knew how to do until I had to lead an area and a new missionary.  The mission has sure humbled me a lot. :)

Tyson looked like he had fun- I had no idea MASH was filmed by our home. Where is it?

As far as Christmas goes, I can skype or FaceTime, with FaceTime I won't have to create a new skype account, probably anytime that day.  Can I give you details when it gets closer? I'm really excited!  It just creeped up on me!  I had no idea it was so close until Amber said something the other week!

This week was a great opportunity to do a lot of turn over for organization.  We spent a lot of time organizing referrals and "paper-y" work... Even though it's digital. The stylus will be soooooo handy to have. Being outside in the 30* [with a wind-chill of teens] the thought of taking off the gloves is horrendous.

Last week for p-day I got a 2 dollar, fake, small Christmas tree and spent a few dollars on a strand of Christmas lights to use all the families Christmas ornaments :) I love it! It just feels like Christmas now:)

Today, we unpacked Sister Hodgson and did the regular things.

At church there was a spectacular talk on the atonement.  It was spectacular. Our desires are to change, and when we rely on the Savior that is how we will be able to have that.  We are so blessed to be able to have the atonement in our life to rely on.  It makes me pumped to keep changing.  Be "forever changed," as President always says, and "let the mission change you!" Don't think you can do it alone, it's not possible.

I just want to rely on the spirit, it is easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of a mission and lose track of that every once in a while.  I am the most happy and see more miracles when I do. Agh! Does anyone else think it's cool we get to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost after we are baptized and live worthy?  It's one of my favorite parts about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We work from the "12 week program" when we are new missionaries, and I took a little progress test while we were studying from it this week.  I realized just how much I love the gift of the Holy Ghost and I am constantly reminded how key it is in conversion and missionary work. 

Something I love is just how much I notice when the spirit leaves.  In my setting apart blessing it says that when I feel the spirit leave I am to get on my knees and ask for it again.  Something I want to be better at doing.

I love you all!