#westernSydneylife

Bonjour family & friends!

Life is great. Life is sometimes hard. Life is sometimes surreal. Life is sometimes really slow, but mostly way to quick. I love it.

I just want to testify of how precious this time is. Something we are encouraged to do as missionaries is account to the Lord the events of each day in prayer. To tell Someone who already knows exactly what we did all day (and how our decisions will ripple through this life and the next for that matter) what we have done. At the beginning of my mission, I wondered why I needed to tell Heavenly Father something He already knew. But as I have accounted to the Lord for my actions each day, I have developed a deep gratitude and respect for this opportunity. I have experienced how the Lord has shown me His hand, how He has helped me to repent, how He has encouraged me for the good I've done and brought to light where I could have improved.

This is my invitation to all of you. Account to the Lord the events of your day. How did you use the time you were given? I know that as we do this, making good choices will become even more appealing. I look forward to the time I have to talk to my Heavenly Father about my day. To receive His guidance, His help, and to feel His love. Please just savor the time that you have to spend with Him. Just feel the warmth of His love and renew your testimony that the Father of our Spirits really does hang on our every word as we pray. I love Him. And I know He loves us.

 

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS!

-trade offs! with Sister Uitu and Sister Casperson. These sisters are both fantastic. Sister Uitu and I visited Samoan families and tried to improve our finding skills. We learned so much, especially about following the spirit. Sister Casperson and I were happy even when all our plans fell through. We found two miracle people! I had so much fun with these sisters this week. 

-Sister Vaiho and I are slowly becoming an old married couple who can finish each other's sentences and read each other's minds hahaha.

-There was such a sweet moment this week. Sister Casperson and I just came out of a great lessons and the Baulkham Hills sisters asked us to pick them up from the chapel. We went to go get them, and as they came out of the chapel they ran and hugged us. They were shouting "Peter is getting baptized!!!" Their investigator accepted a baptismal date. We were excited all the way home, and then we went inside and told Sister Vaiho (who had previously taught Peter and absolutely loves him) and Sister Wilson. They started jumping and dancing and we were all so happy. Being a missionary is the best. 

Sister Vaiho, Casperson, Wilson & Froemming

-I gave a talk on Sunday about service. :) 

-This week Sister Vaiho and I went to visit an elderly man in our ward (93 years old) who has been sick lately and unable to come to church. He is so sweet. When we entered into his little unit, he sat in a red sweater with his big scriptures open. We talked a little bit about life and the Gospel. He expressed His desire to be with his wife who has passed away again. The spirit was so strong. Before we left, this sweet man, concerned for us, insisted that we take 3 cans of soup because he wanted to feed us. For some reason this act of kindness absolutely touched our hearts. We burst into tears as we left his tiny home with 3 cans of soup. 

-Sister Tuala has a French/Tahitian hymn book. We decided to sing a Tahitian hymn for Sister Vaiho and she loved it. Then we tried to sing the same hymn in French and we were crying laughing because it was so bad. "You literally did not say one word I understood" -SV #FrenchIs2Fancy

-This morning, Sister Vaiho and I were able to take the lovely Sister Denny to her new area in the CITY! Her companion is going home mid transfer and so she came down from Coff's Harbour (which is like 7 hours north of the city) early. It was so cool to drive her through this beautiful place and see how excited she was. Missionary life is the best!

-I'm falling in love with the Winston Hills ward. I love the people here and I love the work ethic and vision this ward has. Also the stake is amazing. We had a meeting with President Checketts and some of the stake leaders and it was incredible. President's counsel was inspired and the stake has excitedly embraced it. We're not creating programs, we're developing a culture of devoted service. WOW! 

I hope you all are happy. There are heaps of reasons to be stressed or sad or dissatisfied. But what good does feeling that way do any of us? We're all going to struggle. We're all going to have hard times. Why not try smiling? We have to endure to the end anyway, why not enjoy the journey? There is so much more to happy for. 

Have a great week!

Je t'aime,

SF

Testify!!!

Sawadeeka family & friends!

I want to testify of the words that were spoken this past conference. My heart was filled with the Saviour's love & my spirit was taught. If you haven't yet watched conference, I invite you to watch it. If you have watched conference, I invite you to watch it again. 

The words that pierced my heart the most, were those of our dear Prophet, Thomas S. Monson. What an incredible man. He doesn't even need to speak to convey a message of love, diligence, and obedience. We all know that our time with President Monson is coming to a close. How profound that the message he chose to share with us was about our choices. It was short, sweet, and a little imperfect (#chinesecat), but I pray that we will all heed the words of our living Prophet and allow them to sink deep into our souls. From the moment these words reached my ears all the way down here in Australia, they have stuck with me: "If we choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice." 

I pray that we will all "feast upon the words of Christ" that we've received this General Conference. Let's allow Heavenly Father to speak to us time and time again through these messages over the next 6 months and onwards. 

WEEKLY HIGHTLIGHTS!

-Thanks to Conference, I started to feel Heavenly Father's love a little bit deeper this week.

-the lovely Colleen of Grafton who I met last time I was on trade off. We got to teach her again (she's obsessed with Sister Panmongkol from when she served in Grafton!) and it was fantastic. What a beautiful lady - inside & out! 

 

-General conference (if you couldn't already tell it was a highlight hah) !!! Such a wonderful weekend. I have a special place in my heart for Neill F. Marriot,

Milk and Honey Without Price

Sawadeeka family & friends!

Hope you have all had a wonderful week! It's been great here in Charlestown. Time is flying!

This week my heart is full. How grateful I am for opposition. After a challenging week, I have even deeper feelings of gratitude for the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. There were so many times this week when I, of my own strength, had nothing left. There were so many times this week when discouragement and darkness threatened to creep in. I felt a bit like Moses after his experience seeing the power of Satan and the matchless power of the Saviour when he said "I know that man is nothing, which thing I had never supposed." (Moses 1:10)

I know I talk about it frequently, but it's because I have learned that this enabling power is real, and accessible to all. "Behold doth he cry unto any saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price." -2 Nephi 26:25. 

I know that divine grace is real. It is for us. It is for tired mothers, for youth making tough choices, for those battling addiction, for those who struggle to forgive, for those who feel their life has gotten out of control. It's for young and old, black and white, bond and free. All we need to do to receive this blessing is believe and act. Just trust Him enough to keep going and call upon Him for strength. I've found that sometimes all He requires of me is to hope and to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I pray that you all will have an opportunity this week to experience this power. We all need it, all the time. I know that the Lord has given us this blessing so that we can have the strength we need to make it back to Him. We don't need to do it alone.

I love you all. 

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS!

-Jason! We had an opportunity to teach him yesterday and he is planning on coming to church. 

-We were able to go do some visits with Sister Osmotherly this week. She always brightens up our day. :) We never stop laughing and never stop eating cadbury.

-Interviews with President & Sister Checketts were so lovely! They are starting to feel like family. I love them dearly. 

-I'm so Thai. I eat chillies on everything now.

-We had a district lunch because our district is so multicultural and it was so fun! Asian, mexican, and polynesian food and they had me bring brownies because I'm white and no one cares what I can cook lol. (Sister Panmongkol made Thai food from a box because she doesn't know how to cook Thai food lol)

Are You Arguing With The Spirit? Round 2 (AKA Sister Froemming Is A Slow Learner)

Malo lelei family & friends!

What a week in Emu Plains. To be honest, I think Heavenly Father realized that I have the most humble companion on planet Earth and therefore I need to have other opportunities to excersize the muscle of my Christlike attributes. YAY! 

During conference, the words of Neill F. Marriot were music to my ears for two reasons: 1. HER SOUTHERN ACCENT FILLED MY SUFFERING, CHEESE GRITS DEPRIVED SOUL. 2. "It will all work out"

Those words rang so true in my heart. When you live the Gospel, and you trust in Heavenly Father it will truly all work out. Each time I am scared, overwhelmed, intimidated or feeling inadequate, I remember that if I will submit to my Heavenly Father's will, it will truly all work out. I can testify that submitting to Heavenly Father's will is true happiness. "Consecration is the only surrender which is also a victory." - Neal A. Maxwell. 

I realized this week that I have not given my whole heart to Heavenly Father. I have not given my whole soul. 

Tuesday in New South Wales was HOT. 36 degrees Celsius to be exact. I thought it was going to be 23 because sometimes the missionary portal completely lies, so I dressed for a nice cool day. Next thing I know, my companion and I are walking in the heat for hours from dropped appointment to dropped appointment in long sleeves and boots. But we stayed happy as we sang a song, talked to people, and fanned ourselves with Restoration pamphlets. 

We finally made it back to Emu Plains via bus, train, and good ol fashioned walking at 5:15 pm. "Okay 45 minute dinner before our appointment, we got this." 

The feelings in my stomach overtook the feelings of the spirit and we rushed from the train to the car, walking by several people. By the time we had gotten to the parking lot, the spirit very clearly told me to slow down and turn around. My eyes fell on a clean cut, dad-looking man and an unwelcoming younger man with headphones and a hoodie smoking a cigarette. It became very clear that Heavenly Father would like me to approach the less inviting of the two. 

I sighed and tried to fight the feeling and continue to walk to the car. I didn't want to make my poor, hungry & thirsty companion sacrifice more of our dinner hour. Eventually, I couldn't fight the feeling I had any more. I told my companion and she hesitantly agreed to go back. She looked a little confused as I pointed out who I felt prompted to talk to but she, as always, put up with me and happily came along. As we began walking towards the young man, he got up and started walking towards the train. I was tempted to let him walk away and head back to the car, but I couldn't fight the feeling that we needed to talk to him. 

I took a deep breath and then began to literally stalk him haha. HE KEPT GETTING AWAY! Eventually we saw him sit down at the bus stop. I took a deep breath, it would be so easy to just turn around and go home. I looked at my companion and she looked at me with "Please don't make me do this again" written on her face. But with a silent prayer, we approached him.

What a beautiful person. As I told Cameron that we had felt prompted to talk to him (and apologized for stalking him aha) he looked at us with amazement in his eyes. 

"What drew you to me?"

"Well, as missionaries, we represent Jesus Christ. I think we were drawn to you because He loves you very much."

"That's pretty freaky. I actually just really recently accepted Christ in my life after I got some pretty bad news about my heath."

My heart LEPT! He is golden. I felt the spirit guiding us in our words as we began a discussion about the gospel. I was amazed as I looked at this young man, who I had expected to tell us to leave him alone, accepted our message with open arms. I could see in his eyes the spirit working in his heart. 

And then a car pulled up "That's my ride."

And before we could get his number or address he had to hurry off with only a pamphlet in his hands. 

I felt so happy as we walked away, but so sad knowing that if I had trusted the Lord AS SOON as I had gotten the prompting, we could have spent a few more moments talking and could have set a return appointment before he got away.

Heavenly Father always takes care of His children. When we trust Him IT WILL ALL WORK OUT. 

“And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit."

I hope this experience paints a clear picture of the importance of listening and trusting the spirit. I can promise that as members of the church we are capable of feeling the spirit AT ALL TIMES. I know that sanctification comes through the Holy Ghost. Please invite the more fully into your lives, and relish the direction it gives you. True discipleship comes as we seek, listen, and promptly act upon promptings of the spirit. My heart was deeply touched by the words of President Eyring this conference as he spoke about his father: 

"That was only one example of a time when he prayed and then did what the Spirit told him God wanted him to do. He kept at it over the years, as you and I will. He never talked about his spirituality. He just kept on doing little things for the Lord that he was prompted to do."

May we all listen to our loving, quietest, and most loyal friend more perfectly.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS!

-Conference! It was amazing. I can't really even express the love I have for the leaders of the church, the inspiration that came as a result, and the growth of testimony for me and many others that resulted.

-Bro Burgess gave us koko samoa which was so yum.

-My flatmates are the loveliest people. Sister Wilson is a cutie new addition to our flat and she loves Indian food with me. 

 

Sister Froemming and Sister Wilson

-Those Australia shout outs in conference though.

-We met the funniest member from the Penrith ward who is like my mom x 10000 (if you can even imagine that) and her daughter is on a mission too.

-Talking to everyone! It's almost like the warm weather is making everyone more friendly.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!! Thank you for putting up with me. 

Have a great week.

Love you HEAPS!

SF

Greetings From The Oven Down Under

Malo lelei family & friends!

I hope you have all had a fabulous TWO weeks. Sorry for a lack of email last week. I wasn't able to write because we had the opportunity to go to the Sydney temple and temple P Day is always too amazing and too short. It's been a wonderful two weeks in Emu Plains. We've had so many moments of joy and a few of disappointment. But at the end of the day, I just can't put into words how happy this work makes me. 

My favorite thing about being a missionary is cutting out the distractions of the world. Talking to Heavenly Father, feeling the spirit, and doing something productive all day long. The world can seems so bright, and shiny sometimes. It is hard to resist it's pull. But in the long run, a life centered around worldly things is not life at all. The world would put you in a state of slumber from what's really all around you. It wants to distract you from your loved ones, responsibilities, and from your Heavenly Father. It takes freely and gives you nothing in return. The nature, temptations, and distractions of the world are designed to pull you away from the spiritual and towards the carnal.

For example:

Think about how you felt this weekend after you watched conference. 

Think about how you feel after you watch 4 hours of Netflix (I'm allowed to do this because I'm so guilty of this in the past haha)

Hopefully that paints a clear picture. If not fakatomala!  (Repent)

Something that one of the members said a couple weeks ago really stuck with me "The world really gives you nothing. You put on the newest music and watch your favorite TV show and you expect to gain something from it but you don't. At the end, you just have to come back to reality. But when you focus on the Gospel, you always gain something because that is what's real." -Kristie Ireland

Media and materials are not what's real. What's real is that you are a spirit child of God. And that you are here for a very specific purpose. Your goal is to return back to live with Heavenly Father again. You are surrounded by your brothers and sisters who have the same goal. And that should be your focus throughout each moment of each day. Eternal perspective is so important.

Never let the world dim your light. It may be hard to resist the temptation of the world, whether it be something that is harming your spirit or simply just distracting and dulling you, but as you withstand temptation Heavenly Father will always help you. I can promise you that it is much more satisfying to give your whole heart to the Lord than to have one foot in Zion and one in Babylon (not geographically correct but you get it!)

I love you all! Please try to think about the Saviour throughout each day and communicate often with your Father in Heaven. James 4:7-8

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS!!!!!!!!

-I love the temple so much. It was such an amazing experience to be able to go inside the house of the Lord. Each time I go, my understanding grows deeper and the spirit I feel grows so much stronger. I have found that nothing has increased the spirituality of my temple experience as much as a continued study of the Plan of Salvation. The more I study it, the more my heart fills with gratitude for the eternally important opportunity of temple attendance. I know that if we are pointed towards the temple, we will be ready to stand in front of the Saviour. 

-GENERAL CONFERENCE NEXT WEEK! Yep, Aussie get's it a week late. But I'm so excited!

-Seeing sipis (sheep) randomly while walking to an appointment in Springwood. 

-Somehow we got three boxes of food from members this week. 

-We bought a Tongan himi (hymn) and have been singing Tongan songs all the time. 

-SO MUCH FINDING! SO MUCH WORK! It's such a great time for finding right now. School holidays, warm weather, light evenings. Such a wonderful time to be doing the work.

-During our planning session we created a plan to ignite the missionary work in Emu Plains. Man, I am so excited about it. I'm realizing now that I'm near my 6 month mark in Emu Plains. When did that happen? Seriously though. I just want to work so much harder because I want this ward to be a well functioning, missionary work machine for the next missionaries. I love this place so much and I know that the potential is unlimited when the ward and the missionaries really start to work together. 

-My favorite people and my favorite countries. 

#distancemakestheheartgrowfonder 

#USA4ever #whichcountrydotheytalkaboutintheBookofMormonagain? #whichcountry'snationalanthemisinthehymnbook? 

#ksorryI'mdonelol)

-One of our investigators just casually has two tanks outside of her house. 

-It is 38 degrees celsius today which is 101 Fahrenheit. I'm loving it at the moment but I don't think the love will last too long haha. I've already got some pretty horrendous tan lines.  

-Elder Kehler (who was the only person from my MTC district who came to Sydney North with me) is now in my district. Pretty cool! District 66A forever.
​

Please keep Nancy in your prayers this week. We feel she is so prepared. 

Have a great week!

Love you HEAPS.

SF

Singing In The Rain!

Hello family & friends!I hope you all had a wonderful week.

This week was such a wonderful time to learn! 

I have been so inspired and and fed by the conferences we've had this week. Zone Conference was such a revelatory experience for me. Also, hearing from Brother Hallet of the Seventy was amazing!

I left those conferences with an increased understanding that the time is NOW for members and missionaries to work together. Neither of us can fulfil our callings if we do not work together. We are made to help one another. The missionaries aren't in our wards to do the missionary work for us. They are there to help us to fulfil our duty as members. Sister Eteaki and I have received so much inspiration on how we can help this ward become more missionary minded. 

It's so important that we as members understand this: the badge doesn't make you a missionary, the covenants make you a missionary. The knowledge you have makes you a missionary. As full time missionaries, we have been called on 18 month to 2 year missions. But each and every member of the church has a similar calling. I believe that each of us, before we came to the Earth, knew we would have the gospel. We also knew people in the pre-existence who we loved, and cared about deeply who would not have the gospel. I know, that we told those people we would labour diligently to find them. 

Think about that. What would that mean to you if you truly promised people who you love that you would find them and share the gospel with them so that you could rest together in the presence of God? I promise you that as you ponder that thought, the spirit will testify to you that you have made that promise to at least one soul, (maybe thousands). I know it is true because each time that thought enters my mind, my heart begins to burn. 

Now you might be wondering, how do I find these people? I may have made a promise, but where do I even begin to find them? LOOK AROUND YOU!!!! Your family, your friends, your neighbours, each person who passes you on the street. Do you think Heavenly Father makes mistakes? Do you think that in His perfect, eternal plan for you there is room for coincidence? These people are in your life for a very specific purpose. They are those who you said you would help. They are your brothers and sisters. They are those who, before we came to this earth, you comforted by saying "I will find you my friend."

I hope you know that I am only saying this because I am worried you are taking these things lightly. I'm worried that when the missionaries come into your home, you half heartedly accept their commitments with no intention to actually complete them. I'm worried that when they ask you who in your life is ready, you ignore the name that comes into your mind and you tell them "no one yet but I'll keep an eye out." I'm worried that you think that you are doing your missionary work by simply feeding the missionaries. Don't get me wrong, we love to eat with you. But a focused missionary cares much more about helping you fulfil the sacred calling you have as a member of the church to do missionary work than they do about casserole and apple crumble. 

Please Brothers and Sister, look at each person in your life who is not following the example of the Saviour, whatever step they may be in. Deepen your own conversion and please, strengthen your brethren. I'm not saying you need to baptise each of your friends within the month. (But if you can do that, than lol yeah please do that.) But I'm saying, just help move each of them forward. Your less active, struggling, and non member friends and family need your help. When you look at them, try to seem them in temple white. Try to point them towards covenant making & keeping, point them towards the temple, and most importantly point them towards the Saviour. 

When you feel fear, when you feel inadequacy about sharing the gospel, always remember who is the author of these feelings.  When you feel excitement and when you feel the gravity of your duty as a member sink into your heart, remember that this is the Spirit. Remember who you are. Remember what you have been called to do.

I have some commitments I would like to extend to you.

1. Go to Heavenly Father in prayer, and give your heart to Him. Let Him know you will trust Him to overcome fear and doubt. Let Him know you want to receive spiritual promptings that will allow you to help your family and friends. Promise Him to act on the promptings you receive. Lean on the enabling power of the Atonement and eagerly work to receive and act on these promptings.

2. Involve the missionaries. Invite them into your home, have them teach you, and then tell them the feelings in your heart about missionary work. Tell them your fears and tell them your hopes. Involve them in discussing and setting goals for the people in your life who you have been called to help. 

I love you all. You are amazing. Please decide today to do all you can to help those around you make it back to our Heavenly Father. I know that as you do, that peace will enter into your lives. That you will be given the strength to overcome the problems you face. I know that you will feel a closeness with your Heavenly Father and Saviour as you labour with them in the work of salvation.

"And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father." (D&C 15:6)

(WOW thank you for reading this far! ahaha)

WEEEEEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS!

-I'm getting pretty dang good at Tongan if I do say so myself (yes I know I'm supposed to be teaching Sis E. English but both purposes are being accomplished lol) We sang to the Tongan family in our ward a Tongan song last night. It was so cool! 

-Conferences are the best! I also just love to see President and Sister Checketts. I feel the spirit so strongly around them. They are amazing. 

-Weekly lowlight: Elder Evans who has been my District Leader for my whole mission and Sister Phinney who is the only Canadian I've ever loved are both going home. Sad day. I will miss them dearly. Also transfers were just so sad because we lost heaps of people from our zone and even my adorable Filipino flatmate Sis Salvador. It's alright though, we're excited to see new faces!

-On Saturday it started POURING while we were in Springwood and we didn't have an umbrella. We were kind of bummed but I decided it was worth it to buy one for us so we didn't have to go home. Sis E and I huddled together under the umbrella and knocked doors one the way to visit a less active. It's so funny how the times when you should be completely miserable, (freezing and soaked) are some of the happiest times. We sang our favourite hymns as we walked from in the pouring rain and could not stop laughing and smiling. 

-It's getting hot. I'm so ready for this weather.

-GETTING A PACKAGE FROM MY MOM AND A LETTER FROM PRIMARY! #PUREJOY

-Our ward is just so funny and quirky. No matter what kind of week we have, when I go to church on Sunday, I am so refreshed and happy. I am so grateful for the sacrament. And I'm so grateful for a wonderful ward who are a pleasure to serve. 

-I'm just so dang happy. I love you all but I officially never want to leave.

I hope you all have an AMAZING week. 

Ofa atu,

SF