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

Toukley Kiai

Sawadeeka family & friends!

I hope you've had a fantastic week! I'm happy to report that Sister Panmongkol and I will be staying in Charlestown together for another transfer! I love my companion, and I love this area! :)

This week, I was asked to speak in sacrament meeting. I shared with the ward some of the things that I've learned from the mission. I would like to share them with ya'll too.

1. God loves us a lot more than we realize. We cannot comprehend it. It's unending. It's unconditional. Honestly, it's inescapable. He always has and always will love us. And He loves us with a love so much more pure and intense than our human limitations can produce or even fathom. He loves the sinner just as he loves the saint, and He's provided a way for all of us to be clean and healed.

2. It's real. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is real. It is necessary for our exaltation. It is cleansing, enabling, and changing. I know that the Plan of Salvation is real and in motion. We truly did participate in the councils of Heaven and we chose to follow our Saviour Jesus Christ to be here on this Earth. Everyone who has ever lived or ever will, will die and live again. We are eternal beings. We will meet God one day and be judged. Jesus Christ truly has Atoned. It is real and I know it.

3.Covenants are a gift from a loving Heavenly Father, desperate to guide us home. Covenants tether us to the Saviour, Jesus Christ. They allow His sacrifice to pour into our lives. They invite divine power into our very being. Heavenly Father makes covenants with those He loves, and they are available to all.

I love this Gospel. I know it works. I hope we all can try to be a little closer to Heaven this week.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS! 

-TOUKLEY TRADE OFF!!!!! I went back to Toukley and I went with my toko Sister Koi! We had a fantastic day. Catching up, learning from how our missionary skills have developed, and building our testimonies. The best part was a fantastic lesson with Susan (my Filipina BFF who is coming back to church) and her husband! He's not a member and he normally doesn't participate in lessons, but during our lesson he stayed engaged and tears filled his eyes as he talked about his family. It was amazing! 

Also we went to see my dear Lisa! She's still progressing towards baptism. So many circumstances are trying to hold her back but she knows it is true and is doing all she can to be baptized! Her faith is incredible. She also may have given me heaps of curry & chocolate but I can't remember.... ;)

-While I was on trade off with Sister Nelson, we opened the gate of a less actives house and I see a giant dog slowly preying toward us. Sister Nelson had already started to walk in, and I just go "Sister Nelson. Slowly walk towards me." She looks behind her and sees this giant dog and runs out and closes the gate. The dog continued to stalk over to us slowly and we were kinda freaked out, but next minute he's chilling at the door and we're petting him. Hahah, false alarm! The best part was having a funny ice breaker story when we met his owner for the first time! :) 

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)