Saturday, November 14, 2015

Week 4

First let me start off by saying that I had the best day in the world
yesterday. Went to dinner and there was chick-fil-a on the menu. And
like 2 days earlier we had this chicken sandwich like we have every
week in the MTC, and Hermana Jess was like oh man I could kill for
some chick-fil-a. Gonna be honest I went and prayed for some better
food or just help to eat it cause they serve the same thing every
week. And what shows up... Two chicken sandwiches with waffle fries.
God will answer your prayers. Gonna be honest we all stole the
chick-fil-a sauce and so next time they have the nasty chicken it's
gonna be like having Chick-fil-a all over again. Im so excited. Oh
then I got a package from my family filled with chips and salsa.
Basically the best day of my life.

Side note. There's like some problem with our mission, they like
aren't ready to receive us yet so I think all 5 of us going to costa
Rica east are staying back and extra week while everyone leaves. And
since we are in some weird change with districts we get no knew
missionaries and since it's thanksgiving and we weren't suppose to be
here all our teachers are off. So I will most likely be here till
November 30th just chilled with 4 other missionaries. Weird. They said
it could change back to the 23 and we will know for sure on Friday
because Friday is when everyone else is getting their travel plans. So
if I get plans on Friday I leave if not I stay. But hey if I stay they
say holland comes on thanks giving so like that could be pretty cool.

Last Thursday we has my favorite class yet. Hermano Mace had us read
in Alma 24 about the people who made a covenant with the lord to put
down there weapons of war for peace. We related this to us and asked
us what are our "swords". The swords are things that you do to your
self that keep you from becoming a Christlike missionary. So we write
these things on a piece of paper and then (like the people) we buried
them in the ground to never do them again. It was a supper powerful
lesson. We all have things that we do to ourselves that keep us from
following Christ. I hope all of you will choose to put those things in
the ground and never do them again. Just like the people in Alma 24.
Also on this day I pulled out a quote from Ashley and it said "little
by little one travels far." ~ J.R.R. Tolkien basically was the
reminder I needed. I feel like I know nothing and have barely learned
Spanish but if I look from where I came from I have come so far it's
the past couple weeks. If you ever feel like your not progressing just
look back and see where you've come then try harder.

Service time again and we were given the same job. This time I told
Hermana Soe straight up how I was feeling and why and what bothered
me. She was nice about it and we were able to get through service
peacefully and without a bad attitude. What a difference it makes if
you can just be honest with people. It will seriously surprise you how
good it can be.

Sunday.
Sunday was the best as always. I gave the opening prayer in Spanish
and since district A was leaving we had two musical numbers the temple
walk after church was beautiful! We too lots of group photos because
they were leaving. We went to see a talk by Elder Holland last night
that was so good. I learned so much about the importance of opening
your mouth and not being afraid to speak about the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Seriously so good. Then we all stood outside and listened to
the departing district say there good byes. Everyone was crying it was
so sad. It's crazy how close you can get to people in such a short
amount of time. We get to know people here on a spiritual level and
your friendship is forever changed. We are down to 13 now for two
weeks. Then we will be down to 5 and then we will all leave.

Worse thing of the week: I got a flan in the mail and they threw it
away. So all I got was an empty Cereal box. :( (don't worry they
didn't throw away the cards) it still sucked. How rude.

 Fun fact of the week: I drink Sprite at every single meal... I'm
convinced it's the only reason I can focus and stay awake for all the
hours of the day while everyone else falls asleep.

 All is well here. Besides that it's getting colder and I'm still
here. I love all of you! Thank you to everyone for the letters and
packages. I got a letter from my cousins this week and they wrote
Hermana Soe as well. It was the highlight of our day.

Ps Shara: we loved the picture of Florida. At first we thought she
wrote the wrong person because Hermana Jess is going to serve in
Florida. It was really funny. And I loved the encourage meant from
them to keep working hard on my Spanish they are so darling!

I love you all! Thanks for the support!
Hermana Freeze













Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Week 3

The struggle is real. Spanish is a big slap in the face all day long.
I love it and hate it. What an adventure the MTC is! Prepare yourself
this is a long email but like your welcome to skip to the end. I'll
still love you. So here was my week.

Tuesday our devotional speaker was Neil L. Anderson. And he gave an
amazing talk about sacrifice, opposition, adversary, and deliverance.
He testified a lot about the power of our savior and it gave me great
motivation to press on.

Wednesday's are always the hardest days. You feel so tired because you
just spent the day before learning nothing. It's like the day you come
home from vacation and you like need a vacation from your vacation.
This Wednesday Hermana Soe got super sick. So typically in the
mornings we spend the first 30 min planing our day. Then the next
three hours is devoted to
personal study (where you study for the needs of the people you teach.
Most the time we study about prayer and the Holy Ghost to try and
invite people to develop a relationship with their Heavenly Father)
companion study ( where you share what you studied and then plan how
it can be used to help those you teach )
and language study ( where you are "suppose to" learn everything you
might need to say today in Spanish. Which is impossible. ). Since
Hermana Soe was sick she basically took a nap during this time and we
didn't really get anything done. We had to teach Gracela a single
mother with one son, who works as a maid. The lesson was terrible.
Worst lesson we have ever taught. We know it's because of the lack of
preparation too. We couldn't say like anything we needed to in Spanish
and our lesson was all over the place but we testified of prayer and
invited her to pray. We walked out of that lesson completely laughing.
It's the first bad lesson we have had and we just thought hey now we
can only go up.

Thursday hit and Hermana Soe was not doing good at all. I let her
sleep in. While she slept I did 2 hours of duolingo, read 3 conference
talks and tried to listen to the Book of Mormon in Spanish but I fell
asleep. So I guess it was nice cause I got a nap out of it too. She
woke up and was feeling much etter so we went to class and Hermana Soe
received a package. It completely made her day. My parents sent her
cookies and she shared with the whole class. She just lit up when she
got mail it was the sweetest thing to see! (She is from New Zealand
and it takes years to send mail from there to here) Spanish is coming
for me. Super slow and grammatically incorrect but it's still there.
I'm getting better at speaking Spanish straight from my mind instead
of reading it. So there's that.

Friday was good. We stated with service. We had to clean all the sinks
and mirrors in the girls dorm. Basically just wiping hair out of the
sink for an hour. Gross. While we were cleaning I found myself getting
annoyed. You know when you like clean something or like are given a
job and you do it but then someone goes and does it right behind you?
And your like dude come on like I already did that, or like seriously
it wasn't good enough for you, or please just do it your self why do I
even bother. Well my companion was cleaning behind me and it like made
me super annoyed and I knew it was stupid for me to be annoyed so I
like tried not to be but it totally bothered me. And then basically
the rest of the day was terrible. All because of my negative thoughts
In the morning. Im telling you if you let Satan in your mind even just
a little he will make you so unhappy. He made me feel so dumb. So I
encourage all of you to watch your thoughts this week. You think that
they don't effect you but they do. Your thoughts determine your
attitude. Try and be positive and give people the benefit  of the
doubt. The day turned around when we were teaching Gracela. We were
teaching about prayer and I felt this super strong prompting to like
skip to the end of our lesson and it was amazing. Probably the most
amazing lesson we have ever had. She felt the love of our Heavenly
Father and agreed to start to pray ever day and look for Christ in her
life. Hard thing was she asked me what the difference between the Holy
Ghost and an angel and you think we'll that's not a super hard
question but like in Spanish it was impossible.

Saturday
I hate how words in Spanish have genders. I don't get it and I hate it
and it sucks.
That afternoon Hermana Jess had a breakdown with Spanish. So we took
like 30 min just trying to help her out. It's hard because one of us
breaks down like everyday and you just feel for that person so much
cause this is so hard and you feel like you've learned nothing. But
every 3 hours is a new class and you pick yourself up and start again.

Sunday
Fast Sunday! The lord is miraculous! I was able to fast for like a
full 20 hours without getting light headed or sick or anything which
is a miracle. I fasted for strength to learn the language and for one
of our investigators. He has cancer and so I fasted for him to get
better. Fasting brings a strong spirit for the day. We had mission
conference that was so inspired and uplifting. I can't even begin to
tell you all that I learned. Then we had a point in the day where we
had like 40 min of just free study time. We have a little bit of
tension in our class but nothing like the other zone. Anyways we were
given an assignment to write down 25 talents we have by Monday. Which
is hard.  It seriously is like the most difficult assignment we have
been given. So I had this promoting that we should help each other out
with the assignment. we went around the room and to each person we
discussed the good talents we see in the. What a neat experience to
see our class bond. We are closer then ever because when you can see
the good in someone your less likely to get mad at them.  Great great
day. Oh and guess what mom one of my talents they said was great
dental hygiene lol. Thought you would be proud. Then on the very first
day Hermana Jess saw this statue of two missionaries on  bikes and she
said one day I'm gonna get on the back of that bike. Well Sunday was
that day. Our Sunday night film got out super early and it was dark
enough but light enough to take the photo. It was hilarious. In a
skirt Hermana Jess climbed up onto bik behind the statue of the elder.
Basically was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. But the best
part of the day was ... Well side note. Hermana Soe is Tongan and
basically can make friends with anyone who is brown in like 2 seconds.
So she makes friends with all these people and they all give her food.
So Sunday night she walks in with a bag of scoops and queso. Yes
that's right my favorite. So I couldn't resist I ate half the bag and
just sat in my bed with the most delicious snack.

Monday
Yesterday I hit the halfway Mark in the MTC. I am leaving for costa
Rica in 20 days. Wow that came fast. Monday we went to teach Jose but
he was in the hospital because of his cancer. In stead of teaching
they had us email him a lesson. In Spanish. Like a whole lesson. In
Spanish. Over email. Did I mention all in Spanish. Oh my gosh it was
hard. You want to say so much and you just can't. :( we did meet his
wife who is so cute and amazing. Seriously such a nice lady. And then
Hermano Mace's class hit. He asked the French speaking sister in our
district hoe many words of French she says every day. She said 20 so
he told us WE CAN ONLY SPEAK 20 ENGLISH WORDS ALL DAY. some elder said
"what really but that's not a lot" and he put 7 Tally's under his
name. So basically we get one English word an hour. So that's been
brutal. There is nothing more frustrating then not being able to
express your thoughts. Thank goodness I got a package from my family
filled with my favorite Carmel apple and lots of warm clothes. Biggest
blessing ever was getting to wear pants to bed last night. I was so
warm. However while doing the pre work for the last class of the day I
got super overwhelmed and had a breakdown. I curled into a ball in my
XXL skirt I happen to own and just cried the other Hermana helped and
I said a prayer asking for comfort and I felt a lot better. Then I ate
the entire Carmel Apple in my package. Right then and there. The whole
thing. In like 5 min and honestly I felt a lot better. The magic of
sugar.
Then I got to read my letter from Sam and my family and another
blessing was that everyone was gone. I was able to read my letters and
cry all to myself (which never happens in the MTC cause alone time
doesn't exist) so they was a tender mercy for me and you know I felt a
lot better.

Sorry for the obnoxiously long letter this week. The iPads let you
cheat and I can write my letter in notes and copy and paste it to mail
so it doesn't count as Internet time! So once I get to Costa Rica my
letters will be so much shorter! Oh speaking of iPads I've learned
this week that since my district is in the pilot program no other
group of missionaries gets the same schedule as us. It's completely
unique. And our teachers teachings are completely unique as well. They
are trying lessons that have never been done before. Like this week we
got to plan what we are going to be taught for the next week. We got
to pick our entire schedule for class next week. Hermano mace said we
are 1 of only 20 other districts in the world that gets to do that.
Crazy super neat. I'm excited. I honestly love it. We do get
interviewed a lot on how we are learning Spanish and we take all these
assessments that make you feel like crap. Other then that it's super
fun.

I love love love you guys! Thanks for all the mail and packages! Your
day can't be bad when you get something I'm the mail! And the support
from you guys means a lot you can feel your home cheering you on here
it's really neat. A special experience I will never forget.

I read this in the temple this morning and thought I would share.

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I
also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the
chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out
of temptation, and I have loved you

Remember he loves you. He humbles you because he loves you. And he
will always prepare a way for deliverance because he loves us.

Have a great week!

Hermana Freeze

Halloween! Thanks for the cookies mom


The bike statue


another temple walk. Picture with friends that Hermana Soe made... Cause she makes friends so easy  


Week 2 in the MTC

Sorry guys it's been a crazy week for me. Here's Jordan's letter from a week ago, October 27th.

The weeks here are like months. Each day you feel a million emotions
and then you go to bed and it starts all over again. I guess I can
just give you some highlights or lessons I've learned

On Wednesday I was so sick I couldn't get out of bed and I had to
sleep like all day. I was praying for the strength to get up and I
physically couldn't. I was upset because I felt like because I've been
sick my language and spiritual study was being delayed but I said a
prayer and asked Heavenly Father to help me feel better tomorrow.
Enough that I can start learning. And I also humbled myself and told
him that if he makes me better and able to learn I will stop doubting
the call I received to go Spanish speaking. (It's hard to learn a
language. You get frustrated and angry especially since I know sign
language and could totally learn so much faster if I was English or
signing.) so I promised God if he could help me get better and learn I
would put my whole heart into learning the language and loving the
people in Costa Rica. Well Thursday morning rolled around and I woke
up right on time with no alarm and felt great. Seriously it was the
biggest miracle. I haven't been sick since and I've been able to catch
up to everyone and speak just as much as they do even though I was
sick for a week and didn't learn anything. Super cool.

Friday was the day of days. You start teaching in Spanish like 2 days
after being in the MTC and we taught this man (Francisco) for a whole
week. Our last lesson was on Thursday and we finished strong. Then
today we got our second teacher. (You get two teachers who each teach
you for 3 hours ever day) and you'll never guess who it was.
Fransisco! But he is really Hermano Mace from Orem Utah. But I swear I
believed he was from Chile. He is the best teacher ever. He has us run
up and down the stairs 3 times and run around outside and bare our
testimonies to people in Spanish (even if they only speak Japanese)
and we fight every day on what's better Texas or Chile and basically I
have learned so much and I've only had him as a teacher for like a
couple days.
But the best part of the day was that afternoon. We got IPADS. That's
right I am in a pilot program for Spanish speaking missionaries where
they are testing to see if having an iPad in the MTC even if you don't
get one in the field will increase how fast you learn a language. It
is the biggest blessing in the world. I can't even tell you how much
it helps. With google translate and with one thing I have access to
every church book and talk in Spanish and English and we can watch
Mormon messages and email from our iPads! Oh man I have been so
blessed.

Sunday was good as always. It's filled with beautiful talks and
devotionals. Oh and I got dragged to choir which I actually didn't
hate because he gave us a hint that today the devotional is going to
be broadcasted to every MTC across the world. So basically someone
really important is coming to speak today and I won't be able to tell
you guys for another week. Darn. But we also get to watch church
videos that night and we picked the restoration a super good video
about Joseph smith and the book of Mormon. But there's this one part
in it where he meets his wife and they like talk and I leaned to
Hermana Jess and said this is the closest thing we will get to a chick
flick for 18 months. It was super funny.

Lastly Monday was a roller costed of emotions. We studied in the
morning to teach our TRC investigator (these are members of the church
who had a missionary teach them and they joined the church so they are
acting out their original story before They joined the church and we
have to teach them about God and Jesus ect.) our investigators name is
Jose he is from Guatemala City.
The first time we taught him he said his mom had a big faith in God
and prayed every day but that he just didn't know. He said he felt
very alone and asked if we ever felt alone, my companion didn't no
what he said so she is just like nope. And I'm like ahhh wait don't
tell him no everyone feels alone sometimes. So I told him yes and In
my broken Spanish I told him that when I feel alone I pray to God and
he can comfort us because he knows us. We read some scriptures and I
asked him if he would like to say the closing prayer and he was like
ehhhhh no and out of my mouth comes POR QUE NO . So like I guess I
wasn't leaving this lesson till he prayed. We ended up having him
repeat after Hermana Soe and it turned out really great.
So we came back on Monday prepared with a lesson about joy and prayer
and a loving Heavenly Father. Usually we pray before a lesson and ask
for the gift of tongues and the gift of interpretation of tongues and
the spirit so we can know what he is saying and say what the spirit
directs. But we were running late so we ran straight into the lesson
and I do pretty good understanding but I don't rock the speaking part.
But while we were in the lesson I couldn't understand anything and I
started to panic. I realized we forgot to pray so I said a quick
prayer in my head and right when I said amen it was like a switch was
flipped. I was able to understand and answer and he asked me a
question and this beautiful answer flooded out of my mouth in Spanish
and it was the most amazing experience. We all left in tears because
the love and spirit was so strong. It was so amazing to witness this.
In Matt 6:8 it says

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what
things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Heavenly Father knows what we need. He knew I needed the gift of
tongues to speak Spanish in that lesson but he can't bless us with
gifts like that unless we have faith and ask for them. We must ask him
for all things and through our faith he can pour out blessings apon
us. But it is through our faith in Christ that we are blessed.

So many great things about this week. Like the Harris's sent me a cake
in the mail. A whole cake. It was delicious and defiantly made my day.
Is like already half gone but it was worth it. The MTC is amazing and
will definitely be an experience I will never forget.

Love you all and your letters and emails! Thanks so much for all your support!

Hermana Freeze

This is our "investigator" before he became our teacher 



and the second picture is Sam's package which was the first package I got filled with lots of delicious weird Asian food that I made everyone try


Elder fuller also left for Ukraine on Monday and I was sad cause I
won't be able to make fun of him or the Russian choir ( he's branch
during our temple walk time when normal people take photos they are
singing hymns in Russian lol)


And just in case you missed my weird ness here ya go


 Sorry but since Sunday is Domingo in Spanish we all wore flamingos or
pink. Because my district is awesome


The guy next to me is going to Barbados speaking French. We met him playing volley ball at gym time and he is basically my favorite human. He is so nice and he left today so we are kinda sad





Ran into elder bird from my mission prep class from our stake