A Birthday in the Lord's Service!

WOW!! Thank you soooooo so so much for all that you did to make my birthday special! I just love you all. A birthday on the mission is AWESOME! I loved it :) Spending the entire day just serving the Lord and His children makes it so much more meaningful! Unfortunately, I don't have any miracle stories that happened on that day, but as Sister Woo always says, "We planted a lot of seeds!" God gave me a wonderful gift though- SUNSHINE!!! It was the warmest day of the week! It snowed the day before and the day after my birthday, but it was nice on warm on the 23rd :) That It was exactly a year ago that I went through the Reno Temple and made those sacred covenants with my Heavenly Father.

Last week on Sunday, Sister Woo and I and 4 other sisters had the opportunity to go to a FAMILY WARD!!!!!!!! Right here in Salt Lake City. So we went to our ward at 7:30 in the morning, and then drove over to the Edison Ward. All the other sisters had to give talks, but since I was in charge of the music, I didn't have to! (That's what happened last time too! Sharing your talents brings great blessings ;). They sang, while I accompanied the EFY Medley- we'll bring the world His truth. Always a powerful song! We could only stay for Sacrament meeting, so as we were leaving, the Bishop informed us that there was a lunch prepared for us! (That was a happy surprise! lol) And this ward was FULL of Polynesians- so you can imagine ALL the food they gave us. Not only was it plentiful, but it was DELICIOUS. It made me sad that we don't get to eat at members' homes, but at the same time, it made me really glad because they just keep filling your plate with food... we were stuffed after that! lol. At least when I make my own meals, I control what I eat! (most of the time haha).

We left the apartment Monday morning in a little bit of a rush- but thankfully we weren't late! Want to know why? Before we walked into the gates, Elder L. Tom Perry passed by us on his morning walk, looked at his watch, and said, "It's 4 minutes till 9.. are you gonna make it?" I was SO thankful that we weren't late.. how embarrassing would it have been to be late and have to account that to an apostle of the Lord! lol He was so cute and so happy! We were laughing as we continued walking, and Sister Woo said, "What a cute man....... is he a regular?" (Some people that come to Temple Square come really often and so we see them all the time- we call them 'regulars'). I looked at her and laughed! When I told her it was Elder L Tom Perry, her eyes got SO big! She didn't realize that was him :) It was hilarious! Seeing him really brightened up our morning. It's amazing how much happier we were after that. God truly has called apostles and prophets again on the earth, in this day and time. We are SO excited for GENERAL CONFERENCE next week!!!!! It is always such a happy time. And such a spiritual high. If any of you come for conference, do not come to Temple Square without names and numbers of your nonmember friends so that I can call them for you and share the gospel with them!!! :) :) :) Just thought I'd warn you haha :)

New investigators, progressing investigators, baptisms, new people to call.... all of these are falling into our laps. God truly blesses us for our efforts as missionaries. I was reading about missionary work in Preach My Gospel this morning in Chapter 3, Lesson 5 (page 84). I outlined all the responsibilities we have as members to do missionary work, and listed the blessings that the Lord promises us for doing it. One of the blessings is "joy". What an understatement! SO much happiness comes from sharing the gospel! I love it! I've realized that I need to do WAY better at being a member missionary when I get home. There are so many things that I'm going to change. There are so many things that I will actually go out and DO when I get back! Fear definitely gets in the way for too many people. Forget your fears and get to work! The Lord needs you. Pray for missionary opportunities, and take advantage of anything that comes up which would allow you to share what you believe. President Joseph Smith did say, "After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel". It's our DUTY! Let's get to it! :)



I love you all and thank you again for your thoughts, prayers, letters, and gifts! I love and pray for you always! MORONI 8:3!


xoxoxo

Sister Rochelle Frogget

"Shall we not go on in so great a cause?"

This morning at 6:30am, our mission had the privilege to watch the NEW Joseph Smith movie!!!! It still has many clips from the original version, but there are many new ones now too! They explain things a little more simply- it's more of a missionary tool now with new wording, new scenes, and a new perspective (as well as less violence). I like it, but I still miss the old one! I fell in love with it. Either way, the gospel is still true and Joseph Smith was still a prophet! It was definitely a testimony booster. Like always. I love Joseph and revere him. I'm SO glad I can testify of him and of our Savior each day!

Last Sunday was incredible! Not only was Christina confirmed as a new member of the church, and not only was Otus baptized as a new member, but we met a wonderful and sweet lady named Teresita!!! As we told her about Joseph Smith's experience, she literally was speechless. She kept saying "wow.... that makes so much sense! It feels so right!" We said a prayer with her after our lesson, and she explained all the feelings that the Spirit gives us. She mentioned how warm and happy she felt. We actually called her yesterday to have another lesson with her, but sadly she didn't answer. BUT, we found out from talking to her today that at the time we called her, she was meeting with the missionaries over there in Arizona! She loved their visit. And she LOVES the Book of Mormon. She told us that she smiles whenever she sees it. She's really seeking for the truth. She already has such a strong relationship with her Father in Heaven, and she wants to do what He tells her to do. She'll be going to church this Sunday! She said that every time she talks with us or the Elders, she goes from feeling empty to feeling full. She is SO sensitive to the Spirit! She's definitely an example to Sister Woo and I. I love her already.

The very next day, we had planned to meet a lady in the visitors center who was overcoming a hard trial in her life. We also planned to share 3 Nephi 11:14. I really can't say this enough- Planning means everything! You know why? Because we really did find her!! Dalyce from Florida. She just lost her mother a month ago. She was looking for peace, for comfort, for something meaningful in life. As we spoke with her, I realized that she was the one we planned for, so I looked down at my planner to see what scripture we needed to share. I flipped open to 3 Nephi. After we told her what the Book of Mormon was all about, I told her how much comfort, direction, and peace it has given me in my life. We explained the crowning event in it- Christ's appearance to the people in the Americas. We had her read verses 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, and 15 (The last 2 verses were the most powerful). We paused after she read it and let the Spirit speak. She almost had tears in her eyes when she asked, "Where can I get one of these books?" .... AMAZING!!! She loved the idea of missionaries coming to bring it to her and share more. She also loved the idea of Sister Woo and I teaching her more over the phone. So we're calling her TOMORROW! I'm so excited :)

We have had so many spiritual experiences this week. We've met so many PREPARED people!!! We're teaching a lady named Leah tomorrow night- she just recently moved to Utah, and has a good feeling about the church. We've also taken a few Mandarin tours and they are SO willing to listen! We had the chance to give them a Book of Mormon in simplified Chinese (since they're from Mainland China, and no missionaries can bring one to them). We met a young guy named Cody on Wednesday whose friend Heather referred him to Temple Square sisters during Christmas-time! He is now baptized and preparing to serve a mission next year!!!! How amazing is that? That call center truly does work miracles. We got to see the fruits of it right there in the visitors center. I love this gospel!!! :)

This work is so fruitful! I feel so much joy from it and love for it. I would advise ANYONE to take a part in it. This is the Lord's work.
Shall we not go on in so great a cause?

I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART :)
xoxoxo
Sister Rochelle Frogget

PS: Did you all have a good St. Patrick's Day?? Sister Woo had no idea what it was, and she was so confused why we HAD to wear green. Everyone that came on the square that day was of course wearing green and it amazed her lol. We even met an Irish couple that day, and the husband's name was Patrick!! haha :)

We went on top of the Church Office Building last p-day! Fun pics.






We got to put a white pin in the map! That means baptism! It was the day Christina got baptized. :)



JAMBA JUICE!!! last p-day :) yummmmmmmm (Sister Woo's sister sent us a gift card :)

TWO baptisms this weekend

Transfer number two with Sister Woo is pretty coo! :) We are having a blast together. Seriously. AND, we are having SO much success. God is pouring out his blessings upon us. We have also had some of the most spiritual and humbling experiences this week. I'm excited to tell you about them.

First off, we got an email yesterday from a man named Otus. He's from Malaysia, but currently living in Nigeria. He came onto mormon.org last transfer and had terrible English, so we didn't understand what he wanted. But we found out his home address and sent him the address for the local church in his area. We also got his phone number and called him a few weeks ago, but again, we couldn't understand a word he was saying. So we hoped for the best and emailed him a link to the Book of Mormon. Well our email yesterday informed us that he initially came onto mormon.org as a joke, but then he went to church one Sunday, met the missionaries, started taking the lessons, and is GETTING BAPTIZED THIS SUNDAY!!!!!! He bore his testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel and thanked us humbly for helping him find the truth. Wow.... talk about a miracle! We really didn't do much, but now another one of God's children is coming to his fold! :)

That makes for TWO baptisms this weekend!! Because guess who.... CHRISTINA!!!! is getting baptized on Saturday!!! We just called her last night and she's super excited about all her new friends and ward family members who are supporting her at her baptism. She promised us pictures, so I'll be sure to send those once I get them! She did send us some cute pictures of her, so I'll attach one to the email :)

I now want to tell you all about one of the most incredible experiences I've had on my mission. This one is up at the top for best experiences! It was early in the morning. The square was really slow. Sister Woo and I were walking around in the North Visitors Center with no one to talk to. Suddenly, some sisters who were assigned at the front desk told us there was a tour with 2 people at West Gate, and we should go take it. We walked in that direction, but saw no one. We figured some other sisters had taken it. But I felt that we should walk by anyway, just in case. We did, and we were surprised to meet a couple waiting for us by the Tabernacle- Kevin and Kathy: from Louisiana, on vacation for their anniversary, both members of the church, and both blind. They had never been to Temple Square before and wanted a tour. We happily introduced ourselves and began showing them around. These two were wonderful!!! They followed the sound of our voices and footsteps as we guided them to the Assembly Hall. We told them all about it, and they marveled at the original benches and pillars, but they were even more impressed with the Spirit that they felt there. They are SO sensitive to the Spirit. Of course they rely more on other senses since they can't see, and feeling the Spirit is one of them. That's what made the whole tour amazing. They were able to feel everything. Physically and spiritually. They felt that same spirit in the Tabernacle. We had the most profound conversations about what life is all about, and what matters most. Sister Woo and I were both so humbled. Kevin and Kathy were so happy, so grateful for what they have, so humble, so loving, so successful (Kevin makes furniture and is a full-time student, while Kathy is a full-time stay-at-home mom! They have 3 kids together!). And they can't even see anything with their eyes.... just imagine.... wow. The part that beats most other experiences I've had on temple square is when we took them up to the Christus. We were the only ones in the room. We explained what the murals and the statue of Christ looked like. We bore testimony of Jesus Christ, and one of their first questions was if they could go up and touch His feet. (That is seriously something I had never thought to do! During my whole mission! Yet it's so obvious! Of course it would be appropriate to go up and touch his feet!). We guided them up to the statue. They touched his toes and then felt the prints of the nails in His feet. Everything was quiet. We didn't say a word. The statue was too tall for them to touch His hands, but they stared up into the face of the Savior, and paused for a moment. Think about that..... it was one of the most spiritual moments of the tour, and of my mission. Sister Woo and I even had the chance to touch the prints of the nails in His feet- something we had never done before. Then I gazed up with them, and I pictured the time when Jesus Christ will come again- and Kevin and Kathy can go up and touch His feet... His hands... and His face, and then be healed by Him and look into His eyes. As I pictured that, tears came to my eyes and i was humbled even more. They each had such a profound love for the Savior, and I seriously saw light shining from their eyes and their entire beings. They shared their conversion stories with us- they both converted a few years ago- Kevin through the missionaries, and Kathy a little later, through Kevin. We went on to explain paintings and statues and displays. It gave us a new perspective on life itself. Going to the Conference Center auditorium was incredible as well. They didn't want to leave because they felt the Spirit so strongly there. We took them up to the second floor, to the Hall of Prophets- all the statues (busts) of the prophets since Joseph Smith. This was a new experience as well because they wanted to touch and study each prophet's face- study their features, their facial expressions, everything. (Kathy noticed that President Hinckley was the only one smiling. "He was such a jolly man!") Even though they're both recent converts, they both have SO much knowledge about the gospel and the history of the church! I was amazed. They really know what's important in life. Like I said, it was such a humbling experience. We're not sure why Heavenly Father blessed us with such a miracle, but we thanked Him for it and will treasure that moment for the rest of our lives. It really opened my eyes to a lot of things. It broadened my perspective on life and filled me with love. Kevin and Kathy will always be remembered, and I'm sure they will continue to inspire and change lives. I look forward to the day when I can see them again. I love this life and this gospel. I know without a doubt that it's TRUE! There's no denying that- now it's time to LIVE it and endure happily to the end, till the Lord shall say the work is done, and we can all enter into His rest.

I really can't add anything after sharing that. The gospel is true my friends! and I LOVE being a part of this work!

ALL MY LOVE!!!!!

Sister Rochelle Frogget

Pictures from food court