A Week For The Books

Hey Everyone!     

                                         

So this week has been all over the place but lots of good things have come of it.

1. We had all four of our progressing investigators at church this week! It is exhausting making sure that all of the investigators are taken care of right before sacrament starts and that they are comfortable. I felt like a chicken running around with my head cut off hahaha. But luckily we got everything figured out before hand and they all had a great time. We were able to show Tim around and show him the baptismal font and everything. After that he passed his Interview! He is really excited for this opportunity to be baptized and I am very excited for him as well. He has become someone that I will never forget and will always be thankful for getting the chance to get to know him. He is awesome. 

2. Raquel agreed to do phone lessons because her schedule is crazy so we were able to work with her a lot this week and have moved her baptismal date up to the 28th! We were able to help her recognize the spirit in conjunction with an answer to the Book of Mormon and other things and it was really cool seeing as she made that connection. She has been on fire ever since and it has been awesome to see her faith grow each time we talk with her. We are starting to do English lessons with Spencer and Raquel, once a week, with Spencer’s brother which will be a good opportunity for all of us to get better with the languages we are learning. Also, these next two Sundays will probably be my last in this area and I can’t think of a better way to end out my stay here! I have loved this area.

3. Doug and Jessica are both still doing awesome. I Love them both and am very thankful for the friendship that is there.  

4. Yesterday was probably the craziest day of my mission yet. Elder Watkins and I were at the hospital for 6 hours or so because he woke up really sick and lots of things happened at once and we had to go to the hospital in an ambulance. I am very thankful that he is okay and doing a lot better now. It was probably one of the weirdest days of my life.

Well as each week passes my testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel grows. I know that Thomas S Monson is called of God to be a prophet and that the decisions that he and his councilors make are inspired. I know that this church is the same church as was established by Jesus Christ during his time on the earth. I know that Joseph Smith was called to restore the gospel again to the earth. I know that by following the commandments, gospel standards and teachings and by trying our best to do our best that we will be the happiest that we can be, even when things get tough. The church is true and the book is blue! I love you all! 

Until next week,

Elder Frandsen

The Church Is True

Another week has gone by here in the Ohio and it is already half way through the transfer and I think that my time here in Painesville is running short. 

Well here is how my week has gone.

Tuesday: We were asked to teach the 6 Am seminary class at the church so we had to wake up at 4:30 to get everything ready...  I am glad that I was able to take release time seminary, that’s for sure. But it was fun to be able to interact with the youth of the ward and be able to learn together. The church is true no matter where you go in this world. Later in the day we met a Jehovah’s witness who ended up giving Elder Watkins and I had both copies of their bible and then proceeded to try to bible bash with Elder Watkins (that was a mistake) and reminds me of a quote by Elder Holland that says "We don’t bible bash but when we do, we win" So that is always interesting. 

Wednesday: We had another awesome lesson with Doug And Jessica. During the lesson I realized that one of the biggest reasons that I have seen my testimony grow so much on my mission has been because of Doug and Jessica. I have been able to see the gospel work in other people’s lives that both formerly had large problems with the word of wisdom and other things. The change that has happened with both of them in the past 4-5 months has been very big and they both know it and all of their friends know it and we know it. Being able to see the gospel be a light to someone who was in the dark has been eye opening for me and I am and always will be thankful for the friendship that I have formed with both of them. 

Thursday: Just a regular ole day of getting mistaken for Jehovah witness missionaries.

Friday: I had a pretty cool experience during my personal study. We had Elder Gong of the 70 come a couple weeks ago and he told us to take our next step forward in progressing as a missionary and I had decided mine was being able to teach from the scriptures better. So having a companion that know the scriptures better than any other missionary I have ever met has really helped with that, but he also gave me the Idea to buy a study journal so I did.

So during my personal study I had the thought to go through each of the lessons and for each main point I would find 4-6 scriptures that back up/ relate to or teach about that point from all the scriptures available to us. So I have been doing that and it has already helped me out a lot! That was a testimony builder of listening to church leaders and taking their advice and applying it into my life because it really does work. 

Saturday: Met with Tim and he is still progressing really well. We also met with Raquel who is getting baptized at the end of this month and she is awesome. Even though her whole family is Jewish and they all think she is weird for getting baptized in a Christian religion, she still wants to go forward with it and knows that it is true. That has also been another testimony builder for me of the truthfulness of the gospel.

Okay so quick little story. So the catholic father that we met last week knows a couple of former investigators that we have been trying to get in contact with recently and on Saturday we were able to go to their house and meet with them. When we told them that we had been invited to go to lunch with Father Chris and had been to their church they were really excited and said that they would agree to start meeting with us again because we were willing to look at it from their side of the street as well. So now we have another awesome family that we are meeting with once a week.  

Sunday: Well sad story. Tim was not able to make it to church so we have had to push his baptism back a week :( but that is okay! I hope I am able to be here still to see him be baptized but either way I am happy that he is making the right choice. Also I still have no clue who won the super bowl... Now the challenge is to see how long I can go before someone says something about it. 

Well, even though not a whole lot of huge crazy miracles happened this week, I felt that my testimony has grown and has been strengthened more this week than any previous. I love the gospel. I love the Church. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and for his Son and our older Brother Jesus Christ. I am thankful for The Atonement and all that it encompasses. I am grateful for the scriptures and a great companion. I am grateful for the great examples I have had in my life. Last but not least I am very grateful for an awesome family.

Love you all!  Remember: The Book is blue and the Church is true. 

Have a good week

Lunch with a Catholic Priest

A picture of Lafe with his new companion, Elder Watkins.

Well another week has gone by here in Painesville Ohio and some how I am still here and have not gone crazy yet, like others that live here. I love this little city and all of the strange weird things and crazy/awesome people that live here. I am going to always remember and love this area.

Last Monday: I would like to start out by saying I am going to be a professional Bowler when I get back instead of going to college... I bowled a solid 70... well on my way to becoming a pro. Also, Elder Watkins continues to blow my mind with his knowledge of the scriptures. I have seriously learned more in the past 2 weeks from him about the scriptures and them relating to the gospel then all of my time in Seminary. (Seminary teaches a good foundation and I highly recommend it.) So it has been really fun to be his companion.

Tuesday: We found Rosetta stone at our library for free so we have been doing that for our language study and it has been such a great tool in helping my Spanish grow. It is hard being called to speak a language that I am not constantly immersed in or hearing all the time. But, it has grown my testimony of the power of the Holy Ghost. I had a hard time in high school remembering any words I learned in Spanish class but somehow now I am able to pick up and retain my vocabulary without using it all day every day. It has been a really cool experience.

Wednesday: Doug and Jessica are the greatest. They have progressed so much in the gospel in such a short time. The lessons that we are having with them now are really cool because they have a solid foundation and ask such great questions. They haven't missed church in the past 15 weeks! Jessica also has a job now and is getting back on her feet. Slowly but surely they will one day get baptized.

Thursday: Met with all Spanish less actives at once in the same house (they are brothers) because they happened to be visiting each other at the same time we had set up to meet with one of them. So we were able to teach all of them together. It was a pretty cool experience and we moved Raquels baptism to the beginning of March. Spanish people are very kind patient and accepting. I love being able to work with them.

Friday: Went over the baptismal interview with Tim and he passed with flying colors! He is getting baptized in two weeks and I am super excited for him and I have loved working with him and seeing the change that he has had and how much he has grown spiritually and in his testimony of Jesus Christ.

Once again I was picked to come up and talk at the Spanish AA meeting haha.

Saturday: I have met so many people in this town the last 6 months.  Now when I am walking down any of the streets I always see someone I have talked to and they wave or they will come over and talk to us again. It as been fun to become a part of the community here. I was picked again to speak in the Spanish AA meeting haha. We have made lots of friends and been able to teach a lot of the people that attend these meetings. It has been such a good tool in both learning Spanish and finding people to teach.

Sunday: Okay funny/cool little story,

We went to the last part of a Spanish catholic mass and afterwards the Priest came up to us and we got to talking about each others beliefs and It was a really good conversation and he was a super nice guy. But at the end he said " We should go to lunch this next week... We can either vent to each other about being ministers and missionaries and the work we do or you can tell me more about The Book of Mormon." So we accepted his offer and got his number and are probably going to go to lunch with him sometime this next week or so. I never thought that I would be invited to go to lunch with a Catholic Father but who knows, Catholics makes great Mormons too.

Well That is all for this week. I wish I could tell all of you everything that happened and all the cool little miracles that I see as a missionary each day.  I love serving in the area where so many cool/big things happened in the early history of the church. We are so blessed to have the knowledge of the restored gospel and all that comes with it. We are blessed to have a Prophet and Apostles that speak to us today. We are so blessed to have a loving older brother, Jesus Christ that atoned for us and for everything that accompanies that. We are so blessed to have a loving Heavenly Father who knows and loves each one of us. The Book is blue and the Church is true. I love you all.

Con Amor

Elder Frandsen