Megan's Letter on 5/30/16 - Exciting Week! :)

Hello everyone!

This week was excellent! The members in our ward are so incredible! They make us feel right at home. They always give us groceries and so much food! We haven't even needed to go grocery shopping in like two weeks! It is so awesome. I love them so much! I am convinced that we are in the best area!:)

We had Zone Conference this week! It was so powerful! President and Sister Cooke are phenomenal people! I am going to miss them so much when they go home next month!:( Everything President and Sister Cooke spoke to us about just hit my heart so powerfully.

Sister Ete is really good at Polynesian dancing, so we went and taught the young women in our ward a Polynesian dance! The girls loved it!! It was so fun to interact with them and talk with all of them! They are incredible girls! Sister Ete is so amazing. I have learned so much from her. She is also a Visitors Center sister on her outbound. President told me at interviews that he has never done that before because normally he puts the VC sister with a full proselyting sister on her outbound but he said he really felt that we should be together! And I can totally see why! She is so incredible.

Haha guess what!! I have a third grandma!!! Haha there is this sweet lady who we are teaching (her daughter is a member in our ward) and she tells us to call her 'grandma'! It is so sweet! We brought her flowers the other day and went on a walk with her. She was so happy! She is teaching us Spanish little by little! She is so great!

So last week I talked about Rachel a little bit but she is doing so well! Last week we got a referral to see her brother, Ansu, and Rachel joined in on our lesson. We went over to their house this week and Ansu wasn't there, so we just taught Rachel. She is amazing. The first thing she tells us is that she needs the address to the church building so she can come to church on Sunday haha! The second thing she tells us is that "Ansu hogs the Book of Mormon you gave him, so I downloaded the gospel library app on my phone and have been reading the Book of Mormon every day." CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!!! She is so golden! We have loved getting to teach her! She brought her two little kids with her to church on Sunday and loved it! Her kids ran up to Sister Ete and I after church and showed us their pictures they colored of Jesus Christ and told us very proudly that "they got to read from the bible.... out loud!!!" Haha it was so cute! They looked so happy and Rachel was just so full of light! It is something I will always remember!

Lots of the people in the Gaithersburg YSA branch are referring their friends to meet with us like crazy! It is so awesome! They are so missionary minded! I hope to be just like them when I get off my mission! We had a lesson with Michael who was referred to us by Josh in the YSA branch and it went so well! He asked us if he could be baptized... That never happens haha it was so great!:)

Margaret is doing all right. She kind of forgot everything we taught her.... So we are starting all over again with the lessons. She was progressing so much but now is kind of falling backwards, but she will get there! She has a strong desire and testimony that this is true. She has had a problem keeping commitments lately so we really just broke down why it was so important and how it will help her.

We met Lily at church last week. She just came all on her own. We were talking with her after last week and she said, "I finally found the church I have been looking for my whole life!" This week she came again and told us how happy she was to be here! She said "This church is where I can come for true happiness." She told us how she wants this in her life! She is from Iran and has so much faith! We have to get special permission to teach her because of her religious background being dangerous! But she is so amazing and I already love her so much!

I am so grateful to be serving a mission right now and for the relationships I have been able to make with so many amazing people. I have loved getting to see other people's lives. It truly is preparing me for life ahead. Something to remember this week: God never ever EVER afflicts us, He only tests us! :) This life is the time to be tested and to prepare to meet God! Let's give it our best! Love you all! Have a great week!

Love, Sister Freeman :)