HOW TO GET RIPPED (spiritually of course bc I'm not in shape LOL)

Hello family & friends! How is everyone going?

This week was what I would call a refiner's fire week. Haha, lots of opportunities for growth which is the best right? 

This really was an amazing chance for me to learn and change. I experienced "hitting a wall". It was the first time since I've been out that the work really felt like work. Heavenly Father is really molding me. This is exactly why people tell you not to pray for patience on your mission haha. But how else are we going to grow if we don't ever have to struggle and put forth effort to change? It's easy to be loving when the people are easy to love, and it's easy to be a hard worker when the work is easy. But it's those moments when you're completely out of your comfort zone, and you put forth all the effort you can to continue on. That is when the Savior will make up the rest and start to change your nature. 

Something I learned from one of our investigators who is a boxer (p.s. he is an adorable italian-aussie man and he is such the stereotypical boxer. He has a wall of Rocky movies. Haha, makes me think of Naomi.) He talked to us about how when you lift a weight, and do maybe 10 reps, the only ones that will make a difference are the last two. It's not until those last few reps, when your muscle starts giving out and you start having to really push that it makes any difference. He said the first 8 won't do anything for you. 

It's the exact same principle for Christlike attributes: patience, diligence, obedience, charity. All of those qualities are easy to have at certain times. It's easy to be obedient if you like the rules, it's easy to be diligent if someone's watching, it's easy to be charitable if it's Christmas time, and it's easy to be patient if you're content with waiting. But what about when we get to those last few reps? What about when we start to pass the level of fitness that our Christlike attributes have been developed to? What about when we have to start to really push?

That's when you make a decision. A decision to honor the covenants you have made to take upon you His name. At baptism, you covenanted to represent Him. You are His disciple. You are to say and do what He himself would say and do in every situation that you are in. This covenant does not have any fine print. It doesn't say: "Represent Him unless it's really hard and you're really tired and you haven't had anything to eat since this morning and you the person you're talking to is just being really annoying." Haha, that would be really nice but it just doesn't work that way. We have to press on, we have to think of Him. We have to keep trying even when it gets hard.

But please, Brothers and Sisters, do not get overwhelmed by this daunting task of lifelong, discipleship. Remember that a covenant is a two way promise. And that as we keep our promise, Heavenly Father will keep His. He will bless us with the Spirit and the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That we may be able to press forward and do things we could never do on our own. 

This is when true change happens and true discipleship begins.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS 

I was really slack on taking pics this week so I will send you more from Zone P-Day ice skating which was hecka fun. Didn't fall AND I wasn't the worst skater. 

Awkward mission friends 4ever 

Professional Ice Skater Pose

My Zone

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​-Interviews with President were this week. President and Sister Checketts are amazing! President just has so much knowledge to share with us. Sister Hosea and I taught them the Restoration lesson if 5 minutes and it went so well! We've been practicing for 3 weeks and this was definitely the best it's been. The spirit was so strong and we were able to state what we know to be true simply and clearly. Also, they are s'cute, they are like this weird little mix up of Idaho and Hawaiian culture. So funny. Also I loved talking to them about all the things they had to adjust to because sometimes I still feel like I just got here.

-Dinner at Barbara's. She is definitely one of my fav members. She is a very sassy, very hilarious, woman and she fed us crumpets with ice cream and like 5 different sauces. Quote from Barbara: "I really do try to be healthy but if I were to fret about every grain of sugar I consumed, I would loose my mind."  Also the Hamanns are another great family I love. I felt so at home at their house because 1. They fed us American food because Bro Hamann is from Oregon. and 2. When we asked if we could sing a hymn to open our message Sister Hamann went "No." and then started cracking up. I then went on to tell her the many times the missionaries have asked if they could share a message in my home and my mom has done the same thing. We had a good laugh and then sang the hymn. Haha, felt like home!

-Me being a dog person has saved our lives a couple times.

-I have never walked so much in my life. This week we walked soooooo much. So many appointment just out in the middle of no where that no trains, or buses went to. The only upside is that the more I walk the more Milo I get to drink.

-We got a new Ward Mission Leader! He is amazing and has so much energy and excitement for this calling. Ah, we are so blessed to have Brother Burgess. He and his wife just moved in 3 weeks ago and we love them so much already.

-In unrelated news, our old Ward Mission Leader said the B word in Gospel Principles. Sister Hosea and I's eyes got so big and we just looked at each other. Apparently if you're super Aussie, that is not a bad word. Haha, it just shocked us so much. I'm used to the H word and D word from members because that's not bad here, but the B word surprised me a little. hahaha. 

-Sister Hosea got spit on by one of the kids of our investigator. HAHAHAAH, it was so out of hand. He hit her with a stick and then just started spitting on her over and over again. The mom freaked out and was apologizing and we were just laughing and saying "it's not a big deal. don't worry!" although when we left we were just like "WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!" So funny!

-The slow and steady progression of our investigators. It may not look like it at first glance, but we can really see the work moving. We are finding new people each week and working to get them progressing. This area takes a lot of patience, but I love it so much!

Have a great week everyone! 

Love you HEAPS!

SF

Blue Mountain Majesty

Hello family & friends!

Another beautiful week in Emu Plains! The work is progressing so wonderfully here! We have seen miracle after miracle. Something that has really become cemented in my mind is that the key to success is desire (shoutout to my MTC district leader lol). 

It really is so true though. If we leave our flat in the morning and are just hoping to find a family, hoping we knock a good door, and just hoping that something will happen, we are basically wasting the Lord's time. If we are not on our knees pleading with the Lord morning and night with pure motives, if we are not studying as hard as we can, with open hearts ready to be taught what we can do better, if we are pessimistic and unbelieving, merely hoping, we WILL NOT ever reach our potential or help others reach theirs. 

Every day when we leave our flat, we must have pure desire running through our veins. Desire to please the Lord, desire to serve others, desire to teach effectively and find more people to teach. Desire + Pure Motives + Action = Miracles. 

Last night we went home with one of our members after church and had 30 minutes to spend working their area before we would eat dinner with them. We knew this time was precious because as sisters we have to be in after dark unless we're at an appointment. This was our only opportunity to find for the day. We started out knocking some doors and after being turned down a few times we stopped and said a prayer. Sister Hosea prayed that we could find 2 new investigators. We began walking again and contacted another lady who turned us down. I felt like we should pray one more time, so I offered a prayer and asked that Heavenly Father would lead us to a specific house. After we opened our eyes, we crossed the street and headed to a house that caught our attention. Right as we were about to knock the door, a man and woman came hurrying out and we scared them really bad on accident haha. We apologized profusely and introduced ourselves and they said that they would love for us to come back and teach them more. (P.S. they are from Wales and have the CUTEST accents). We were so excited and just immediately thanked Heavenly Father. 

The Lord wants to bless us. He wants to bless His children with the gospel. All we have to do is be worthy, have sincere desire, and express that desire to the Lord by word and action. Now this doesn't mean that we can ask Heavenly Father for anything we want and He will have it drop into our laps. We also must be willing to accept and seek His will. But, never forget that He truly is your Father. And if we, being evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more shall our Father, which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matt 7:7-11)

"Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you. Amen." -D&C 4:7

Weekly Highlights!

Blackheath

-We got to go up to a place called Blackheath this week. It was so pretty! We were way up in the mountains with beautiful views. It was so stunning. I'm so lucky to be able to see such a beautiful country.

-We got to teach Mary this week (she the mother of the family we met a few weeks ago). She is from Sudan and has 4 cute little boys.The struggle to not tickle and snuggle and love on them is too real. She is amazing and loved the message of the Restoration. She had a little bit of trouble understanding us because English is her second language. BUT Heavenly Father always provides, and it just so happens that there is an RM who just got back a month ago that learned her language on His mission. We are so excited to teach her and her family with him again on Tuesday. 

-Friday was exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders and I was lucky enough to spend the day with the lovely Sister Allen. She is so sweet and just an incredible person. I learned so much from my time with her. She's from Brisbane and she has my favorite Aussie accent ever too. She gave me so much information and guidance about what we can do to strengthen the ward's missionary effort. I'm so excited to apply what I learned from her and from the spirit as she taught me! 

-Sis Hosea is actually my BFF and I love her so much. Transfers are fast approaching and we're trying not to think about it, but the reality is that our days together are numbered. I'm so blessed to have her as a companion. I've learned and grown so much with her, I love doing the work with her, and the girl cracks me up. I love my companion! 

Ice Skating in Australia

Ice skating for Zone P-Day!

Love you all HEAPS!

SF

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Checkett out! (and other bad puns)

Hello family & friends!

I hope everyone had an amazing week!

This week was very special because I got to meet President and Sister Checketts! I did take a picture with them but neither Sister Hosea or I approve for posting. Here is a picture of the Checketts:

(He is very tall)

They are absolutely wonderful though! They are both really so inspired coming from being trained by the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles of the Church! President's vision for the mission is "Four Times in White". He wants us to look at every single person as if they are dressed in temple white. And then to do everything we can to get them to the temple to receive saving ordinances and be with their families' forever. I am so excited for the Checketts and the inspiration and enthusiasm they will bring to ASNM! 

I've don't have much time because we're going to Blackheath to hike and maybe see some snow as a District. So we'll just go straight to Weekly Highlights!

-When Sister Hosea thought a roach was a doorbell and was this close to "ringing" it. 

-P-Day in Richmond. Art museums, stores with American candy, 5 pounds of apples for $6, mountain views, and the lovely Richmond Sisters. The best way to P-day. 

-GETTING A DANG FOURTH OF JULY BOX!!!!!! Celebrating fourth of July in Aussie was such a struggle so getting that on Tuesday made me so happy. We may, or may not have, waved the little American flags I got out of the window as we left the conference where we met The Checketts. President and Sister Checketts honked their horn and got all excited to see them wave. It was so cute. YAY AMERICA. 

-We got invited to PEC. Whoo! It was super helpful and we were able to give a lot of input. I love this ward! 

-Speaking of our ward, I met one of my new fave families. The Cranfields. Sis Hosea talks about them all the time but I hadn't got to get to know them because the last time they had us over we were on exchanges. But they had us over on Saturday and the rumors are true: they are beyond cute and so funny. They are kiwis (New Zealanders) so their accents are amazing and we got to try New Zealand fruit. Also we just laughed so much with them! Their daughter is an RM who went to England and she is so sweet and she relates to us so much. Also it was amazing because we had one of the most powerful experiences sharing a message with them! They have such beautiful, powerful testimonies of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I felt the spirit so strongly in their home. Sweetest family ever!  

-Speaking of speaking, (lol I'm sorry for being so lame) We also got to speak in sacrament on Sunday. We got a call on Saturday night because someone dropped out last minute. So we got some last minute speaking assignments. Sis Hosea spoke on Chapter 8 of PMG and I spoke on Chapter 6. If you can tell me what those chapters are about without looking then I will send you Tim Tams (missionaries excluded). It went really well though. We are both especially grateful that if you just put in all the effort you can, you can always trust Heavenly Father to take care of the rest. 

(Tracting in Aussie for ya)

​-WE FOUND A NEW FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was such a cool experience and DEFINITELY a miracle. On Monday night during planning, I had such a strong feeling that there was someone specifically who we were supposed to find. I told Sister Hosea and she said that she had a really strong feeling we were supposed to go down a particular street and turn left. So the next day after the conference with the Checketts, we did just that and we found Patricia and her family. THEY INVITED US INSIDE!!! For the first time on my mission, someone actually invited us in (other than men where we can't/wouldn't anyways). It was amazing. We got to meet her husband, kids and Grandkids and she invited us back. I cannot stress enough how rare this is! Please keep her in your prayers.  Side note- We are meeting with Mary who is the mom of the family we met last week, tomorrow. I'm so excited to see the work progressing! Heavenly Father is truly preparing people, we just have to be willing to listen to the promptings of the Spirit. 

Well I love you all! I hope each of you are taking the time each day to plead with Heavenly Father to send you the spirit so you can be guided in everything you do. Open your heart to the promptings of the spirit and I promise you that Heavenly Father will communicate with you. We should be striving to feel the spirit all day, everyday. 

Stay close to the Lord and have a great week!

Love you HEAPS.

SF

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"Wait, isn't George Bush on Mt. Rushmore?" - Sis Hosea

Hello beautiful family & friends!

What a lovely week it has been! The work is progressing so beautifully in Emu Plains. Slowly, but steadily we are seeing the Lord refine us as missionaries and soften the hearts of those we meet. We have felt so much love from the ward this week. They have been eager to come teach with us and they have welcomed us into their homes so that we can teach them. We are starting to really build a strong relationship of trust with them. This is so essential to the work here! 

An experience I had a few days ago has really profoundly impacted me and how I see missionary work. A little back story is that when I was in the city a few weeks ago for Arrivals Training part 2, I was asked to gain a vision for the mission that would align with the Mission President's, with the Brethren of the church, and with God's. I was a little confused about this for some reason. The vision President shared with us was so personal and specific. I did not really know how to go about obtaining my own. But one day, as I was praying before studies, I decided to take a lot of extra time to pray very specifically for our members & not just for our investigators, recent converts, and returning members. So I started praying for these families in our ward. And I started praying for all of the members who Sister Hosea & I had left commitments with. I prayed that they would keep the commitments we had left. I prayed that they would have a meaningful experience sharing the gospel with those in their life. I prayed that they could help someone in their life receive the restored gospel and enter the waters of baptism, and see them one day enter the temple with their families. I prayed that they would have courage. And that even in the face of rejection, they would feel the joy that comes with opening your mouth and sharing what you believe. I prayed that they would have a spark for missionary work and that they would continue to bring souls unto Christ for the rest of their lives. As I prayed, I felt the spirit confirming to me that this was Heavenly Father's vision for the Emu Plains ward. This is what He wanted me to help Him accomplish here. 

As you can see, member work has been a huge theme so far on my mission. That's because it is the most effective way to do missionary work. We have seen a huge change in our work as members have started coming to teach with us and as we've seen an increase of participation in fellow-shipping. Members make all the difference. It's amazing! Our finding efforts have also been more effective as we've been opening our mouths even more. We don't have as much time to knock doors any more, so it's been a rule that we don't let anyone walk by us without us talking to them about the gospel. It's been wonderful to see that the Lord truly is preparing people.

Looking back now, I realize that there was so much more I could've done to progress the work at home. I realized I could've shared the gospel so much more often. I could've helped the missionaries more. I could've taken the commitments they left more seriously.

Brothers and Sister, please take the work seriously. The field IS white already to harvest and we need every man, woman, and child out there with a sickle. We should live and breathe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It should be ingrained in who we are. We should radiate the love of Jesus Christ at all times. Please, look at everyone in your life for who they really are - your brothers and sister in God's eternal family. They are here for the same reason you are. They want to be with Him again. They want to be with their families forever. They need to know that Jesus Christ is their Savior. They want these things so desperately, even if they don't realize it. Do not take the blessing of being exposed to the Gospel lightly. Heavenly Father did not allow you to have the Gospel because you are extra special and He favors you. No. He allowed you to have the Gospel because He trusted you to share it with His precious children who are all around you. Every person you see, every friend and family member you have, they are all opportunities. Opportunities to keep the covenants you have made and to show your Heavenly Father that you appreciate all He has given you. 

Yesterday as we sang "Because I Have Been Given Much" in church, I was struck by the 4th verse:

"Because I have been blessed by
thy great love dear Lord
I’ll share thy love again
According to thy word
I shall give love to those in need
I’ll show that love by word and deed
Thus shall my thanks be thanks in deed"

Thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed. 

Share it! 

Okay, I love you all sorry for preachin' at you. 

Weekly highlights!!!!!!!

-For those of you who know me well, you know I have some   serious issues with Canada. It all started when they beat us at heaps of stuff in the winter Olympics two years ago. BUT, I'm happy to report that Sister Phinney is a Canadian and I love her! Because I love her, I allowed her to celebrate Canada day during District Meeting. I listed all the things that I know are good about Canada and then took secretly sarcastic pictures with her.

                                                      

Sister Froemming and Sister Phinney)

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-Enjoying the beauty of Aussie! One day this week we got to go to Glenbrook (my favorite suburb) and visit some people as well as doing some knocking. Everything was so beautiful! I saw colourful, [note from US Mom - she is spelling like an Aussie. Is she doing that on purpose] exotic birds and so much bush. It was lovely! It makes me so happy to see so much beauty around us as we work. 

                           

In Glenbrook

Leaving your mark on a poor innocent tree

Near as I could tell, this looks like a room someone used butterflies to decorate the wall. Notable is Kirsten's willingness to stand there.!!

-Sassy, old, Australian ladies in our ward. They are what I was expecting all Aussies to be like. So crass, so blunt, SO FUNNY. Feels like I'm at home with them (shout out to my fam). 

-Doing service for the disability center in Leura. We went as a Zone and just worked so hard. My job for most of the day was loading up a wheelbarrow with road base and carrying it back to where we were laying pavement. We all went so hard because doing service as a missionary is literally 1000x more fun than as a normal person. No clue why. But it was so nice to get to help out! We also got to see some of God's most precious children who stay in that center. They were all so sweet and fun! 

                                       

Sister Froemming doing yardwork - CPR has been administered to her father)

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-After service we got to go to one of the lookouts in Leura. It was so beautiful! I love being in the blue mountains.

Taking in the majestry of the Blue Mountains In Leura!!!

The Zone Taking it all in

-THE FOURTH OF JULY!!!!!!!!!!!! Sister Hosea and I got burgers and fries from a Turkish place, haha. We we're teaching so we didn't have time for an American dinner but we did have a small photo shoot and ALL week we were singing America hymns. #MURICA 

-MEMBERS STARTED INVITING US OVER LIKE CRAZY! Our meal calendar is almost full for the next month. Let me assure you, I do not care about getting fed one bit. I could care less. Sister Hosea and I have plenty of funds to buy food. We are really blessed in this mission like that. But, this means the members want to have us in their homes! We are so excited to get to know them. I know it seems little, but it's just an amazing sign to us that we have gained trust. Serving like Ammon worked! We can't wait to teach these families and help grow their excitement for missionary work!

-We met a family from Sudan this week that agreed to meet with us again. We barely had any time to talk to them because we stopped them on the street on the way to our bus, but they seem interested! They are so prepared I can feel it! Please pray for them. 

I hope everyone has an amazing week!

Love you heaps!

Sister Froemming

P.S. I meet President Checketts tomorrow!