Countries, Charity and Charlestown

Sawadeeka family & friends!

I hope you are all happy! :) It's been a wonderful week here in Charlestown. We had an amazing ward activity & it was so great to see everyone come together.

This ward has taught me so much about love. Charlestown is honestly a big family. I've learned so much from the people here. They are so diverse but they are the most beautiful when they are united. 

I really believe that the key to this work is the pure love of Christ. When we see members and missionaries working together moved to action by charity we will truly take part in God's eternal work. 

"The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing... the truth of God with go forth boldly, nobly and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done." 

I invite all of us to take the time throughout this week to plead with Heavenly Father in prayer for the pure love of Christ. Then, to look for opportunities to develop this divine quality. I promise that as we do this together, our hallowed hands will assist our Father in His work. Great joy awaits us.

In other news,

I'm leaving Charlestown. I am being transferred to Winston Hill which is a suburb of Sydney. It's a bit closer to the city than Emu Plains was. So back down to the "rat race" I go. ;) I'll miss the laid back beach people of Newcastle, but after praying about this transfer decision, I cannot deny that this is God's will. My new companion will be the beautiful & lovely Sister Vaiho! She came in with Sister Panmongkol and I. She is so sweet and Tahitian just like Sister Mapuhi! #bonjour #TahitiTrip2017isSoReal. I can't wait for the adventures that lie ahead in Winston Hills! Let's go! :)

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS!!!!!

-It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!!! But it isn't.... #wrongsideoftheworld

-Setting up for/ cooking for / eating at / meeting people at / enjoying INTERNATIONAL FOOD NIGHT!!!! Honestly, it was the best. Some investigators, less actives, non members, and HEAPS of members all eating, and laughing, and enjoying together. The highlight of the night for me was when our elders performed a Fijian dance that they got Presiden't approval for. They were so into it and our ward was so shocked. It was pretty great. 

(I am currently trying to get video from any members who might have been present)

Here are more pics of the very fun evening:

(setting up! :) delizioso!) 

-TRADE OFF WITH SISTER WALKER! This girl is a beast. She just finished her first transfer and she is such a testimony that the new missionaries just keep getting better and better. What I love the most about her is that she follows the spirit. She is destined for mission greatness. ("My grandparents are kinda.... buds with the twelve")

-Johnny! His a miracle that we met while walking around Charlestown square doing some finding. 

-I've been wanting to take a picture with this sign with our Ward Mission Leader on it for three transfers, and this weekend I finally did haha. Gotta love Brother Jarvis!

-On Sunday, Michelle got it out of me that I was getting transferred. Then moments later, because we were having a combined 5th Sunday lesson, Bishop asked if any of the missionaries were getting transferred, and Elder Lord raised his hand, and then Michelle pointed me out haha. So I was blessed to be able to bear my testimony one last time to the Charlestown ward. 

-I have loved my time with my amazing companion Sister Panmongkol. I have learned so much from her about life, and trusting God's plan for us. Chan rak kun! 

Have a great week everyone!

Rak na, 

SF

The Parable of the Chocolate Croissants!!

Sawadeeka family & friends!

WHAT A WEEK! I hope you all had a great one too! :)

Every week, I find that there are brand new undiscovered challenges. And honestly, that can be kind of exhausting. I sometimes feel like my brain is constantly on alert for what's next. "Okay we're teaching this at 4, and we need to make sure we budget our kilometers for when we go here, and we need to make sure we update the progress record before this, and we still have to call these people.." and so on.

But I have seen time and time and time again that if we rely on Christ WE CAN DO IT! No matter what happens, no matter how impossible a task may seem, no matter how intimidating a new challenge, no matter how differently things go from our plan, we have Him. When we have good intentions and a pure heart, He stands by our side. 

Funnily enough, this lesson really hit home on Friday morning before studies. All of the sisters were making 5 star asian food, and I was baking chocolate croissants for our district lunch. I popped the nutella filled dough in the oven and hopped in the shower thinking they would be fine. When I got out, I asked Sister Panmongkol if she would check on them. 

After I got dressed, I came out to see how they turned out, hoping they wouldn't be a little too brown. Sister Panmongkol said "Sister Froemming, I don't think you're gonna like this." 

"Oh no, I hope they're okay. I really want to have something to bring to our lunch." I thought. 

And then I laid my eyes on what used to be croissants but now looked like black coals. I was pretty sad. Until me and my companion looked at each other, and burst into laughter. Suddenly the worry was gone and I knew everything was going to be okay. 

For some reason, this experience really solidified a principle that I've been learning.

Christ has come. He truly has atoned. He's broken the bands of death. He lives this day and wants to help us. How can anything really, truly go permanently wrong when we know this? There is always repentance, healing, or enabling. No matter which way the situation goes, it will always be okay if we look to Him. He's provided a happy ending for every situation. (D&C 6:34-37)

I hope that we can just trust Him a little bit more. That even when we're tired, we can keep going and trust that He'll help us. That when we're feeling discouraged, we can trust that "this too shall pass" and that He will help us. That when we've made a mistake, we will get back up again and trust that He'll heal us. That when we feel fear, we will trust Him enough to feel His love instead. 

Please, let's all try to take advantage of the time we have here on the Earth. Of course, we can choose to be sad. It's easy to look around and see unfairness and suffering in our lives and the lives of others. But what good does it do? Let's try our best to see the good! Let's laugh instead of feeling angry, let's receive comfort instead of getting bitter, let's make plans instead of wallowing, let's learn from and not dwell on our mistakes.

I love you all, and I know you are probably doing better than you think you are.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS!!!!

-GRAFTON / COFF'S HARBOUR!

Have I mentioned how much I love it up there? We had the opportunity to be with the lovely Sister Lui & Sister Koi of Grafton, and the adorable Sister Lewis & Sister Denny of Coff's Harbour.

I went on trade off with Sister Koi in Grafton and we had an amazing day! I really learned so much about personal prayer from her. I can't believe how much she has grown. I love being her companion! I always learn so much and so deeply.

(picture taken going over the bridge from South Grafton to Grafton)

I also was blessed to go on trade off with Sister Denny! She is a ray of pure light! She is powerful because she loves everyone so much. She is such a joy!

(Alex who we had a wonderful lesson with about the Gospel of Jesus Christ! :) Two days later, after reading the pamphlet four times, he has a baptismal date!!!) 

-My favorite lil Thai chili turned 25 this week. 

-Ange dropped us because her husband doesn't believe in God and she wants to be aligned with him. It was a tough one, but we testified to Ange that He does live, and invited her to never close the door on Him. She hopes that one day her husband will soften his heart. We pray that he will. & we're grateful we can record her name for future missionaries. 

-Luke's little cousin was in town and he's so sweet and helped pick out Sister Panmongkol's birthday present. We can't wait for Jacob to come to church one day! :) Luke is also preparing himself to be called as the first Australian prophet so get ready everyone. 

-We ate heaps of authentic Italian food at the Nolan's :) #mamamia #besuperhappy&donicethings

Have a fantastic week everyone! 

Rak na! 

SF

Sermon on the Mount Pt 3

Sawadeeka family & friends!

Hope you've had a fantastic week! Charlestown is doing great! :)

This week has been such a gift. It's amazing how Heavenly Father will always make something extraordinary out of our imperfections. This week was full of ups and downs, but I am so grateful for them. I can honestly say that I know my Heavenly Father a little better & can recognize the voice of my Saviour a little clearer from the experiences over the last seven days. 

I know that God lives. He will always forgive us, He will always love us, but He does expect a lot from us. He expects everything. Our weaknesses & our strengths, our faith & our fears, our joys & our sorrows. He will take this offering, meager as it is, and in return give us His everything. His everything which is unimaginable and undeserved. I cannot understand it. But I know that this plan is only possible because of His pure love. I stand all amazed.

I'm so grateful to have a patient, loving Father in Heaven. This week, Sister Panmongkol were having "one of those days". One of the days when it feels like the work will never change no matter how much you work. We had faced more than a few rejections and a little disappointment. When we felt we were finally done with our seemingly unprofitable finding, we started to drive to our dinner appointment. 

"Pull over. Knock that door." 

I let out a big sigh. Another prompting. I really didn't feel like it. I let my companion know the feeling I had. She nodded her head and we pulled over. We felt a feeling of peace as we said a prayer (which included repenting for being ungrateful for a prompting lol) and began walking to this house. As we approached the door, we heard loud music, we could see that there was a pretty wild party going on at this house. We did not feel we should knock it as we could see that there were people drinking. Another disappointment.

But then we realized, it was a duplex! We excitedly headed for the other door on this house. When we knocked, a lovely woman named Ange opened the door. We started having a discussion about God, and her family. "Please come back. I want to hear more about this." We set a return appointment and she insisted on hugging us before we left. 

As we walked away, our hearts burned with the spirit and overflowed with gratitude. "DID WE JUST FIND A NEW INVESTIGATOR?!" It was like the first drops of rain after a drought haha, Such an amazing feeling. And the best part, is knowing that someone gets to hear the hopeful message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and experience God's love and light in their life. 

I urge you all to just do what you can. Give the most that you have. Heavenly Father doesn't expect you to be perfect. He'll take whatever you can give and make it wonderful! On that day, it felt like all I could give to get out of the car and knock one more door. And He accepted that small sacrifice and blessed us and Ange that day. 

I am reminded of the story of the widow's mite. 

"And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and behold how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a fathing.

And he called unto him his disciples, and siath unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury:

For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. "

Mark 12: 41-44

I know we can look around and see others and become discouraged. Sometimes it looks like they have so much to give and all we have will never be enough. But I testify that I know that the Lord loves us as we are, and that no matter how much we have to give, if we give all, it will be pleasing to Him.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS!!!!!

-This week, I was beyond blessed to go on trade of with Sister Tuigamala. She's from American Samoa and she is absolutely crack up. I had a day full of laughter, Samoan food, and deep doctrine discussions haha. She is amazing! I took her to all the Samoan families in Charlestown and she taught them in Samoan & I testified in English. There was such a special spirit about those lessons. Thankful for one of a kind sisters like this one! :) 

(from top left to right: Sister Taroca from Fiji, Sister Salvador from the Philippines, Sister Tuigamala from Samoa. Bottom left to right: me, Sis P, and Sister Shen from China)

-Sister 'Ete'aki celebrated her 9 month...I feel so old. My pepe is halfway. Can't believe were not the new ones anymore!

-Sister 'Ete'aki celebrated her 9 month...I feel so old. My pepe is halfway. Can't believe were not the new ones anymore!

-Mereweather! We were going to visit a less active and we parked our car next to this view and started FREAKING OUT! This is like a secret gem that we didn't really know about until our RS President asked us to visit someone here. #blessed

-I sat in dog poo while gardening in someone's yard this week. Not really a highlight but watching my companion laugh was. ("It's a good thing it's a little dog" -SP)

I hope you all have a great week! Please let me know if you need anything (besides ugg boots or a kangaroo skin)

Rak na,

SF

Family & Food LOL #outofemailtitles

Sawadeeka family & friends!

I hope you all have had a wonderful Mother's Day! We are all so blessed for the wonderful women in our lives. 

It was amazing to get to talk to my parents today. Yesterday in church as we sang the words to "Families Can Be Together Forever" the words pierced my heart. 

"I always want to be with my own family, and the Lord has shown me how I can"

I want to add my testimony, to the final testimony born at conference by our beloved Elder L. Tom Perry. He said: 

"Let me close by bearing witness (and my nine decades on this earth fully qualify me to say this) that the older I get, the more I realize that family is the center of life and is the key to eternal happiness."

The center of life and the key to eternal happiness. Wow. Although I am not nearly as qualified with a mere two decades on this earth, I truly believe the words Elder Perry shared with us. 

For those who know us closely, you are probably aware that the Froemming family is far from perfect. Let's be honest, we're still working towards normal - perfect isn't really on our radar yet. But the things that I have learned from my family have been essential to my mission and my life. I could not have learned the lessons that I've learned in my home any where else. Sure, I have grown and learned so much as a missionary. But really every principle that I've learned here is just a magnification of something that I initially learned in my home. I testify that the relationships we build in this life are precious. They are eternal, and their value is immeasurable. I know that the love we experience in this life, in these beautiful, wonderful, imperfect relationships is in similitude of the beautiful, wonderful, perfect love the Saviour has for us. 

As I ponder my incredible family, my heart swells with gratitude for the Saviour, Jesus Christ. I know that's it's through Him that everything we experience in our families can work together for our eternal good. I testify that through Him, wounds can be healed, faults can be forgiven, chaos can turn to peace, and families really can be together forever.

I encourage each of you to set goals to either 1. set goals to become an eternal family or 2. look within yourself to see how you can create more harmony within your home. 

I love you all so much. Thank you for being like family to me. 

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS!!!!!!!! 

-Everyday, Sister Panmongkol & I have adventures. I love missionary work with her! #SoPMG

  -Heavenly Father is a master teacher. He taught me some pretty big lessons this week in a hilarious way that deeply impacted me. He truly knows us all so well.

-The view from our flat. I can't complain. #NewcastleNoHassle

-Trade off with Sister Bagnos! She is a gem. Honestly she is so amazing. Such a powerful sister. She's from the Philippines and she's so sweet. You constantly feel the spirit with her. (She reminds me so much of Sister Mapuhi! haha) We had an amazing miracle filled trade off. :) 

-Sister Salvador's birthday! Sister Panmongkol and I woke up early and decorated the flat. And then Sister Bagnos & I suprised her with Filipino food for dinner. (They fed me blood chicken btw but I loved it so it's all good). 

-Samoan feed. ("You're the first white person I've seen eat with their hands") 

The Samoan less active who always feeds us and shares her testimony with us came to church on Sunday!!! It was amazing to see her at church. Everything finally felt right with Sister Mose there :) Her husband has been coming back for a few weeks and seeing them together on Sunday was amazing. 

I love you all! Hope you have an AMAZING week! :)

Rak na,

SF

ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR!

G'day family & friends!  (No pics came through)

So sorry for the lack of email last week. Sister Panmongkol and I were down in Sydney and it was hectic. But it has been a FANTASTIC two weeks here in Charlestown. I hope it has been equally fantastic for y'all! 

Here in Aussie we've been celebrating Anzac day! It's a holiday celebrating the Australian/New Zealand Army and on this day everyone is friendly and nostalgic and suddenly Australia is a much more religious country. It is magical.

(view as we were walking back to the car from the morning service we went to in Dudley)

It was such a wonderful day. People's hearts had truly softened! We were able to talk to so many incredible people. We learned more about the rich history of this country, and the diverse people who make it great. I made a a little more room in my heart for Australia on April 26th. 

It was beautiful to see Australia go back to it's roots. I felt the spirit of this country. And I know that this country is one that is founded on eternal principles. A lot of people here have forgotten, denied, or just become too busy for God. But on Anzac day, their hearts were stirred to remembrance. I know that He is "mindful of every people" (Alma 26:37) . I know His plan is for all of us. Each soul we set our eyes on is precious. I invite you all to learn more about Christ's Atonement. Remember Him. Don't wait to be reminded. The Plan of Salvation is more merciful than it seems. It is more undeserved, and loving than we can understand. Please remember the promises of the Lord in your life. 

I love you and I am so grateful to know we are all in His care. 

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS!

-Have I mentioned Anzac day? Honestly one of the most fun, most effective days of my mission. People everywhere. The Spirit EVERYWHERE! Spirit led finding. Milo, & vegemite. Beautiful views, and time remembering those who have sacrificed. Such a special day. #fairdinkum

-Trade off with Sister Salvador! :) We used to live together in the Emu Plains flat and we now live together again! We had a great day together! Talking to everyone, developing relationships with members, and learning from each other. I love her so much! #MAHALKITA!!!!

-Fia came to Charlestown this week and took Sister Panmongkol and I out for lunch. It was so good to see her! She is an amazing example of what an RM should look like. 

-One day this week, Sister Panmongkol and I were struggling to feel motivated. We decided we would sing a hymn to invite the spirit. She immediately opened her hymn book to "Be Still My Soul". We felt the spirit! We knew Heavenly Father guided us to sing this hymn. I said, "can you open your hymn book randomly to one more hymn?" She opened her hymn book straight to "Let Us All Press On". We were laughing so hard, we couldn't get past the first line "Let us all press on in the work of the Lord."  #VerySubtleHeavenlyFather It was a great example of how He'll always be there to help us keep going! :) 

Hope you all have a great week. Fear not! Press on. We can do it! :)

Chan rak kun,

SF