Sunday, January 26, 2014

This is what a wonderful life is all about!!

Sunday evening  we drove Veronica, our newly baptized friend to Bellevue to a  New Member Fireside with Pres & Sis Choi, Pres & Sis Miller and Pres & Sis Wood.  There were about 60 in attendance, being new members, missionaries, members, investigators and our Leaders.  Of the 13 that bore their testimonies, one was from America.  Can you believe that in Seattle Washington I am on a Foreign Mission?  These members and investigators were from China, Russia, Mexico, Korea, El Salvador and Africa.  This small gathering really filled my heart with such a tender feeling for Missionary Work, especially when new members tell of the hard choices they have made....leaving families and homes and countries for their membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I admire their strength and their Love of Jesus Christ.

Monday evening Sister Carter and I attended a FHE for all Senior Couples and Senior Sisters in our mission.  Again, the entire Presidency was in attendance and the total there were 20.  We had been asked to prepare a lesson and it was so much fun!  We followed the example of Pres. Holland when he was BYU President in 1980-89.  He and his wife would give the Fall Devotional, the first Tues of the Fall Semester and they stood at the podium and did The Jeff & Pat Show and chatted in a light and loving manner.  Well, Sister Carter/Sister Frame tried to do something similar and we stood together (behind the primary music stand..our podium) and we shared wonderful miracles, fun times, hard times and the glorious experiences we have had with the Elders and Sisters as "The Sisters" in our mission.  Can you imagine the 'bit of trepidation' in our hearts as we spoke in front of our entire Presidency?  In closing we shared  that  one person in particular, in our Seatac Ward,  did not know which one one of us was which when he would say "Sister Carter/Sister Frame" but we really did not care because we were united in what we were doing and Our Purpose was (we then spoke in unison) "Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost ad enduring to the end".  Both of us finished this recitation with tears in our eyes and The Spirit of the Holy Ghost was with us in the room.  This was a wonderful experience and was actually 'another miracle' in our day.  

We also had a pot-luck dinner with three different soups and all the fixings. Our evening also was blessed with Sister Choi speaking in her very humble and loving manner. President Choi also spoke...with laughter and testimony and tears as he also told us of the love he had for us and how he needed us to help build up and work with the younger missionaries because they need role models and much love and guidance.  The Missionaries in the Washington Seattle Mission have set a goal of 1663 baptisms for the year of 2014.  This is five times more than last year but there is great faith in these incredible missionaries.  We need the faith and prayers of all of you to help accomplish the work of The Lord and to find and teach and baptize and also to rescue and remind those that have forgotten what they once believed.

This past week we have used a 3 minute Mormon Message narrated by Elder Christofferson called "Dailey Bread-Patterns" and it was so good we kept using it as we visited with less active members and  non-members.  These are some of the words he used.  He said it  was not by chance God has created us to need physical sustenance.  As the Children of Israel were delivered from Egypt they lived on manna, which was given to them daily by Heavenly Father.  God was providing daily and teaching them to remember that He is the source of life because this manna was a daily thing that could not be stored.  Then we teaches that there is a Spiritual Parallel.  We all easily recognize the need of physical food daily.  But the spiritual need for sustenance should be equally as strong and it comes from constant effort to commune with God.  We can't go weeks and months without that spiritual strength.  If we develop the spiritual strength it will increase our courage to do right and serve others.  He reminds us of these small means of spiritual sustenance, which are prayer, reading scriptures and serving and that these activities will transform us. You really need to watch this message, you will love it and it is much better than my words!!

Wednesday Sister Smith called us and asked us to come and sing with she and Brother Phil Smith.  If you can remember they are both in their early 90's..she being older than he.  She fell a couple of weeks ago and with all the rain and grey skys and poor health she was a bit discouraged and depressed and so...she called "The Sisters".  Now, you need to know that Sister Carter has a very nice voice....Sister Frame has a voice that follows others....Sister Smith did sing with the Tabernacle Choir for 8 years....and Brother Smith is a wonderful man and can't carry a tune (his wife said).  Well, I was sitting in the middle of Brother Smith and Sister Carter and having a VERY HARD TIME carrying a tune (whatever one I was to follow and carry).  Sister Smith stopped the singing and said she had perfect tone and she had to help Brother Smith hear the tune....because she was hearing 3 tones.  I guess that would be she and Sister Carter, Brother Smith and then me.  Oh my, I coughed, slightly smiled at Sister Carter and then continued singing 'in perfect silent harmony' as I mouthed the words.  But really, what a wonderful opportunity to serve others regardless of our talents!  We visited and also shared our ipad song of the Tabernacle Choir's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and they loved it and ended our half-hour visit with Brother Smith's prayer.  We love these people sooooooo much.  Tonight we heard she had been taken to the emergency room because she was having a hard time breathing, they are both in our prayers.

This mission is really one of the most blessed events of my life.  Yes, there are so many wonderful things that have happened to me and  I am very grateful  for the privilege to work and serve in the mission field.  I am blessed, but the greater blessing for me is all that Heavenly Father has given to my family.  The fact that Mom still lives alone and when I call her on Sunday nights she sounds so happy (maybe she is a great actor but I do think she is happy).  Our children and grandchildren continue to grow and do good things and serve in so many ways.

I rejoice in the "Wall of Faces" that are above my desk and around my window and I am very thankful for the many notes and 'bleeps' that come my way!!
May God be with all of you and bless you this week and may you continue to look for and find the Miracles in your family and in your lives.
Love to all of you!!!
Sister Frame

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Life is Ducky!


Tami sent me this beautiful snow sculpture I think she found in Alpine, near Wendy's home and I just needed to share it will all of you. I really am a bit tired of the rain, and the snow duck brought some thoughts of home and a bit of yearning but then I realized 'snow needs to be shoveled and rain does not'. Therefore, I am just so thankful to be where I am at this chapter of my life!!!
I love being a missionary and meeting and teaching and loving so many people. What an incredible privilege.

 

Today was the baptism for Veronica Chernichenko. We did not teach her 
but she is the lovely young lady we took to the temple and also to the piano concert for Sun Beam Choi. We have become very good friends and we just love her!! I think I told you about her. She and her family moved from Russia when she was 4 1/2 years old...about 15 years ago. Her parents speak very broken English. Her Father is a truck driver and her Mother stays at home with their 10 children. Veronica is currently living with a friend and her family and going to school. As Veronica has been taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ she did not share her experience with anyone...her family or those she was living with...because she said they would do anything they could to prevent her baptism. She is an amazing young lady and really is a Pioneer for her family....for her parents generation, her brothers and sisters and also for her own family and children and all those that have gone before her and have not hear the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sister Carter and I were asked to speak at the Baptism. We reminded her that this day is very exciting because she is participating in her very first ordinance of the Gospel and she is making her First Covenant with Heavenly Father. She has shown she has faith in Jesus Christ and really believes that He will do all He says He will do for us. She also has shown she has a repentant heart and is willing to be baptized and follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God!
We reminded her of Mosiah 18:9...that as she is baptized she says she will 'stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places'. This is such a wonderful reminder for all of us. And then we asked, If you were called into a court of law, could you be 'convicted' of being a member of "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" by the way you live and act and by the words you speak and use. That is a very good thought for all of us to think about and evaluate how we are doing.

This week has been a very different one. I had to go to the dentist and they did the first part of a crown on my back upper molar. This is not terrible but just frustrating that I have to take the time to go to the dentist while I am on my mission. The car headlight went out and the brakes are making funny noises.
Monday night we went to dinner with The Browns. He is the 1st Counselor in our Bishopric and is such a 'gentle giant'. Sister Brown is in the Stake Primary Presidency of the Seattle Stake. 
The Boys are all basketball players...the two oldest having graduated. It was really a nice evening and we left with a message "Sanctify Yourselves" (Mormon Message), a song and prayer. These are great experiences to be with ward members. We looked back on old Progress Records and found a lady named Brenda and her 11 years old son. We went to see her and she wants to hear the lessons so we start teaching her on Tuesday.
We met another lady in McDonalds who wants to know more about the church and said she wanted to come to church on Sunday. Hopefully she will be there. She gave us her phone # and we will give her a call. It daily seems we are sooooo busy. Our contacts this were were 32 members and 10 nonmembers with 21 people to church. 

We had District Meeting Wed. of this week and many changes have been made since Transfers on Tues. We have 2 Zone Leaders and they each have an Assistant. Elder Seppi is our Zone Leader and Elder Webb is his assistant. Elder Stringham is the other Zone Leader and is over another part of our Zone and his assistant is Elder Ibara. Our District Leader is Elder Searing and Elder Grogitsky . Elder Griffiths and Elder Chadwick are in our Seatac Ward and so are Elder Kendell and Elder Anderson. Sister McBride and Sister Nudd are also in our District. These two Sisters teach the Tongan people. It is just wonderful to meet these new Elders and Sisters. We really love them.

It is Saturday night and we just finished our work. Bishop and his wife called. They said they had made too much ham/bean soup and wanted to know if we would share it with them. What a delightful hour to be with them and their son Steve and Granda Boyd. We love this family!!
We are going into the Senior and Junior Primary today and teach them of John 13:14-15 and Matt 5:1-2. We want to encourage the children to select people in their family or school of neighborhood that they could share more kind acts of love and also how they can be examples.

I want to thank all of you that have written me and shared events and experiences of the Sharon 2nd Ward, of your families and those things you are doing. I am extremely thankful for your friendships.
I am so happy that with modern communications I can receive emails and messages from my family. I love the 29 grandchildren I have and love those 6 children and their spouses that call me Grandma and Mom. I am extremely thankful for Sherrie and Dennis and Merrily for taking such good care of my Mom.
My heart this morning just seems overflowing with love for all of you...and especially from my Savior Jesus Christ. I love him with all my heart. I love the Book of Mormon and I know of it's truthfulness. I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet in this latter-day dispensation and I am thankful for all he did for the Work of The Lord.
May God be will all of you and bless you this coming week. Take time to look for the small and simple miracles (which are never small and simple) and discuss them with you family and teach other....and don't forget to record them.
Love to all of you,
Sister Frame

Monday, January 13, 2014

"Don't Wait to Get Started!"‏

This is a bold statement and I am going to remind myself there is no time like today to do those things that are our High Expectations. Just Do It! The reality of getting started and reaching high is that this process will make all of us work hard and stretch and become more than we had any idea we could be.

 I find it almost impossible that another week has passed and the opportunities to love and serve continue and the miracles are there and available to all of us. Heavenly Father loves us and wants to bless our lives. 

Last Sunday we drove Pin and Veronica to church. Pin is an 80 year old Philipino member who has attended another ward and by out 1-2 visits each month we have encouraged her to come to the SeaTac Ward which is the ward of her residence. It was not too hard to get her to come because of our new time change of 1:00. Veronica is an investigator we thought would be baptized on Jan.11 but the plans were delayed. She is the young lady we took to the Temple and the piano recital. She is such a delightful young woman. Our attendance at church this week of less-actives was 23. Our goal is 40 by June 30. So, please pray for us and this righteous desire!

 This Sunday we had dinner with Richard Johnson and his mother, Louise; Monday evening we ate with the Jesse Ramirez Family. Each time they feed us we have authentic Mexican food. This week we had delicious cactus. Last month it was Pazoli....oh, so good!!

 Monday we ran to Seattle to Pikes Market and to The Pro Shop and Nike Town. Sister Carter is going to outfit her grandson from head to toe in Seattle Seahawks clothes for his college graduation. This was a fun day!! Oh, we also bought a cookie!!

 We have the benefit of using the King County Libraries and we each got a library card. Each visit to the library we can print of 75 black and white and 15 colored. What a fine service to the residents of King County. We went and printed our colored Mission Letter this week which had the condensed notes of our Zone Conference

 Tues was our weekly bread run and how blessed we are to do this. We usually get about 30 loaves of 12 grain, 9 grain, 24 grain, blueberry Struesel and raisin bread, english muffins, flat breads with cheese or garlic bread and on and on. It is such an opportunity to go into the homes and visit and share bread and then tell of Jesus Christ who is the 'bread of life'. Kathleen and Conrad, her non-member husband, did come to church last week!! Glorious day! We visited this week again and they both said they would be to church again this week and probably a daughter would come with them. Kathleen is feeling much better.

 Sometimes I am just so amazed of the bumpiness of the roads we travel in this life, yet progress does come and we need to keep our eyes opened, looking up, for the strength and help we can receive. We had a wonderful visit with Sister Simon's daughter, who is less-active. We visited and reached out with an invitation to please come to church. I really can understand that coming back to church through those tall doors is hard to do after being gone so long. We told her we will be at the doors waiting and hopefully she will be there. My car needs inspection and emissions and what a pain. Cars are not checked for emissions in Washington state. Sassers, our Senior Couple friends from Orangeville, sent me the form I need and we finally found a place that will check the emissions. Can you believe it is about 5 miles away...and out of our mission... so we had to receive special permission from Pres. Miller to go to Renton and have it done and get the papers sent in. That is a project for P-day and it will be a great day when completed.







The hardest and saddest part of our week was that Roberta finally decided to give "Chopper", her papered Victorian pit bull up for adoption. She loves this dog more than anything but just can't afford the food and all that is required to take care of him. She lives in a very small mobile home and her knees are bad and it is hard to walk him. So, it happened this week. She cried and Sister Carter and I also cried but he will be so much better off where he can be outside and run...but will never be loved more!!


This week we had a Zone Meeting and I continue to marvel at the power and strength of these young Elders who teach and train all of us. Elder Seppi and Elder Gardner are our Zone Leaders and they are wonderful. We are having transfers on Jan 14. When that takes place, NO ONE in the Washington Seattle Mission will have been 'in the field' as long as Sister Carter and I..most often called "The Sisters". That is amazing and in our Zone more than half of those Elders serving are 18 years old. Can you believe that? If you could be around them and see the incredible Elders they are you would just be so grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed the world with the power of these young people. Our Sisters are just as strong!! The Washington Seattle Mission has a goal of 1663 baptisms in the year of 2014 and we realize how much our Heavenly Father is depending on us and guiding us to teach and preach the words of Jesus Christ to His children. Please remember ALL the missionaries daily in your prayers. Yes, the field is white and ready to harvest and all of us, members and missionaries, need to set our hand to the plow and do all we can to teach and rescue God's children.


Today, Sunday, Sister Carter and I went on an exchange so that I could help get Sister Nudd to the clinic for an IV and fluids after a slight concussion last week. she is mortified of needles, and Dr Badger was so kind and gentle as he assured her that he would be careful and even hold her feet so she wouldn't "kick" him.  She did extremely well and after 3 bags of fluids was feeling much better. After a blessing from the Elders and many prayers from the rest of her mission friends, it was yet another small miracle that she was able to get through the needle work that needed to be done to get her healthy.




I am extremely thankful for Jesus Christ and for the reality of the Atonement and of The Resurrection. I know I am a Child of God and that He knows me and loves me and all of us.
I am thankful for the reality of daily blessings and miracles and I ask all of you to look for them and make your families aware of them....and then record them so you won't forget.
I love all of you! I love being a missionary! I have worked very hard climbing this mountain but the vistas are sooooooo beautiful and I am thankful I have "Just Kept Swimming".
Thanks for your letters and cards and pictures. To my children, grandchildren and Mom I can't thank you enough for your tireless love and encouragement and wisdom and counsel and for sharing your lives with me. I sit her with 'sweaty eyes' as I count my blessings!
May God be with all of you and bless you this week.
Love,
Sister Frame

Monday, January 6, 2014

Happy New Year....I mean Happy NEW Year 2014!!!!! A Time for new and marvelous changes!‏

Ink Dots by a new member....just really needed some color in this letter.‏

I hope and I am sure most of you do hope this will be a great new year.  That at this wonderful time when were are alive we will be able to see growth when hard times come;   happiness when their was sadness and excitement and joy when we realize the process of 'climbing our mountain' has given us experiences of growth that we had no idea we could obtain.  Yesterday the sun was shining in  Tukwila and it was beautiful, not sure what it will be today but I just am so blessed to be able to do and enjoy so many things.  Yesterday Sister Carter and I met the Kirkland Sisters (Sister Swenson and Sister Walker) in the Seattle Temple, enjoyed a beautiful session and then we chatted over lunch about what each companionship is doing and ideas to share with each other.  We enjoy these 'Senior Sisters'!

Our P-day this week was just plain and simple. We studied first, then cleaned our apartment, did our hair, shopped at Costco (WOW! you't can't believe the number of people), went to the Dollar Store, Fred Myers, gassed the car, wrote letters....and then the day is over.

Tuesday we had a miracle.  During our Companion study we felt we should visit Kathleen.  She is less-active and although she says she wants to come to church, she expresses words that her husband is sick with cancer and won't let her come.  When we knocked, she never invites us into her home and we visit on her porch, she came outside and closed the door (It is rather cold) and  she cried and cried with her head on our shoulders as we gave her hugs.  She said she thought of us all morning and "prayed us there".  She is having problems with anxiety and depression that we have never recognized for a year until this last month.  Anyway, she calmed down a bit and said she and her husband were going to come to church last week and then she had a hard time.  We visited, had prayer with her and for her and left.  Thursday on our 'bread run' we decided we needed to check on Kathleen and give her a couple of loaves of this delicious bread.  As she opened the door, so extremely grateful to see us....and the two loaves of bread, her husband popped his head around the door and graciously introduced himself and we shook his hand.  He told us he felt he really needed to do a better job of taking care of his wife and they were coming to church this week.  Yes, it has been a year and by small and simple means great things come to pass.

Wednesday Bishop  called us and asked us to 'find PanNaMa'.  We reminded him we were Missionaries but also pretty good detectives so we would go to work!  She is the only member of her Burmese family with a husband and 7 children.  Their family moved in Feb. and 'no one' went looking for them that found them...including us.  So, we went to their previous apartment complex and knocked on 5 doors looking for someone that knew where the family in #112 had moved.  No one knew or would tell us.  As we were leaving "Colonial Gardens", a u-shaped complex, a lady on the opposite side came out with a baby on her hip and another little person at her feet and asked us if she could help us.  She was also Burmese.  We told her the name 3 times and she did not understand us until we said "Apt 112".  Then she knew it was PanNaMa, she invited us into her little apartment and she gave us the address and the phone #.  Why did this lady come outside?  It was one of our  'incredible miracles' that happen daily.  No, we did not change water to wine, or walk on water but this sweet little lady just stepped outside because Bishop Floyd needed to know when one of his sheep were!!! We found the apartment, visited, met the children who had been in school for the first time since we met her in January and shared Heavenly Father's love with her!!!

Zone Meeting was at the N. Seattle Stake Center on Wed.  We left home at 9, knowing we needed to be there at 10:00 and never knowing what the traffic on the Seattle freeways would be like.  Our Entire Zone went to the meeting fasting and the "Spirit' just could not be restrained for the entire 2 1/2 meeting!  What a privilege and blessing it is to experience hours such as these. President Choi is a Seventy, a General Authority, and it is such a wonderful opportunity to 'sit at the feet of this great man'.  He tells us often to 'Have Fun with the Spirit' and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is glorious and brings love and happiness into peoples lives so we need to enjoy sharing it with the World.  He is such a positive person and so are his messages.  Sister Carter and I feel it is fun to share such a message with those that have forgotten or those who have never known the truth of it's words.
He told us to check our Spirituality.  We are each like a computer and when too many Apps are added to our computers, they slow it down and it does not run as well. (I know most of you can't believe I am talking like I know much about computers..but this made sense to me). We are likewise slow and not running as well when we add so many of the 'Worldly Apps' in our lives.  It is necessary to re-format ourselves  and clean out the bugs and unnecessary  activities in each of our 'Personal Computers'.  We do this by repenting, deleting out weaknesses and being obedient to those rules we know we should follow.  Then we will be able to 'Run our Computers (that is us) at a greater speed and reach Higher Expectations.  

Well, I have chatted long enough.  Hope your NEW Year is great and even better than the last.
I want you to know that I am extremely grateful for Jesus Christ and for the Atonement.
I am very thankful to be a Missionary and to have the health to do all we do.
May God be with all of you and Bless you this year!
 
Love,
Sister Frame