The Holy Ghost and a Sheet of Paper

Hey Y'all,

 I was able to go to the Detroit Temple this week for personal worship and it was super cool.

Here's the weekly joke:

Q:  What did the lions say before going out to hunt the LDS missionaries?

A:  Let us prey. 

.... Yup, the jokes are getting lamer by the week I know.

     Well here is the run down for the week;

Sonja:  She was confirmed a member on Sunday and she asked Elder Cortez to do that so for the past week. Elder Cortez and I have been practicing how to give a blessing in English so he feels more comfortable with doing the confirmation. So he had been carrying around a piece of paper with the wording and things to practice for his pronunciation and one day he couldn’t find the paper and I was sitting at my study desk when he came down the stairs saying "Where's the sheet? I don’t know where I put my sheet".  Since he still doesn’t know English the best and has a great accent, I didn’t realize that he was talking about the "sheet" of paper with the stuff he had been practicing and because of his accent I thought he was saying a completely different word all together. So, when we got it all figured out , we had a pretty good laugh about that one. (hence the title of the letter) and yes the sheet of paper helped because he did great. 

Mike, Lisa and Kenji: Another great week for their small family. Mike has given up coffee as well and now they have set a quit date for smoking this upcoming week or so to give them a little time to prepare for that to make sure that they won’t go back to it after they have stopped. Kenji is all the way in Jacob of the Book of Mormon and Mike and Lisa are about to finish 2nd Nephi.  Eveytime we come over they always have great questions and point out to us cool things that stuck out to them and how it has helped them. Members have been coming with us to every lesson with them and I can say that with the help of the members their progress has sped up a lot more! Mike is determined to be baptized with his family and has made tons of progress this week... The little miracles that they are experiencing each day are so cool to see, such a cool family. 

Laurie & Tina: Laurie is a new investigator that we recently picked up and here is the story of how it happened... A couple months ago, a member that I had never met before, called and told us that she had a friend that might be interested. Her friend is deaf and was wondering if we knew of anyway that we could find someone to help teach her (even though the member is an ASLinterpreter).  Nothing came of it, but we had kept that in mind for a while until we received a media referral from some ASL missionaries in Arizona saying that a women named Laurie had gone to the deaf branch with her cousin and loved it and wanted to know more... Well one small problem is that neither Elder Cortez or I know ASL... what a coincidence that we had recently talked with a member who did know ASL though, so we got in contact with the member, Tina, and went over to her house.  She said she would love to help us and right before we were about to video call Laurie she asked us for the name of the woman and we told her it was Laurie and Tina got super excited and said Laurie is one of my good friends! So she video called Laurie and introduced ourselves and set up a time for next week for all of us to meet and teach her the first lesson. So on Saturday we were able to do that and taught Laurie the restoration and it was a really cool experience to teach and have Tina interpret.  Laurie seemed to enjoy it and came to church the next day with Tina to interpret... she liked it but obviously it is hard to go to church and be the only deaf person there but a deaf branch has to start somehow. So we will see what God has in store for her and her husband. It was cool to see how it all came together and was able to work out and see all of the things just fall into place. 

Other than that we had some lady tell us she was going to set up Bible studies with a whole trailer park for us to teach... so we will see if that one pans out! 

It was another good week here in Toledo, Ohio. I have a real testimony of member missionary work. When members and missionaries work together the process for investigators is much smoother and it helps them along the path to conversion. When the members in this ward have come with us to lessons and fellowship the investigators, everything else just falls into place, and of course the Book of Mormon and it’s teachings are really what solidifies that conversion and brings us unto Christ and our Heavenly Father. I Love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all that it teaches us and helps us to do. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has a perfect plan for each of us and I am grateful for the Book of Mormon that strengthens my testimony, of all of this every day. 

 Dont forget to read and pray! 

Love y'all

Until next week,

Elder Frandsen

Me and my boy, Elder Cortez

Pic of all dat boys

Detroit, Michigan Temple

Milagros, bautismos y ardillas

#God's Army

Whats up fam,                                         October 17, 2016

Couple of jokes for the week (yes I know they are getting worse by the week).

Q:  Why are all of the prophets from the Book of Mormon always depicted with large arms?

A:  It's from scripture chasing with the brass plates in seminary.

Q:  What kind of a pet did Lehi have?

A:  A flea. The Lord told Lehi to take his family and flea into the wilderness.

Well here is the quick run down of the week:

That awkward moment when you are a missionary
and all you can do is give someone a high five.
Sonja's Baptism:  Sonja is on cruise control and has been for the past 3 months... she is so cool. We visited her earlier in the week and her goal was to finish the Book of Mormon by her baptism and she did it!  Her goal is to read it again in 90 days with the Relief Society... if only everyone that we taught was that ready and willing to learn then the world would be a different place. The baptismal service itself was such a cool experience.  Half, if not more of the ward, was there to support her in her decision to be baptized.  Her family and in laws were there as well. Right after I baptized her she turned around to me with the biggest smile and the spirit was really strong and then she gave me a high five, ha-ha. At the end of the service she got up and bore her testimony and she has such a cool story and most everyone there was in tears by the end of it.  So cool to watch her as her faith in the Savior and the gospel have grown the past 3 months. Glad that I had the opportunity to be a part of it.

Mike, Lisa and Kenji: Mike is doing a lot better now and is able to meet with us again which is a plus.  Kenji their son is such a smart kid and loves church! Lisa is the rock of the family and is so cool... I have watched her changed so much in the past month as she has been truly studying from the Book of Mormon and praying daily. She has recognized the spirit guiding her recently and she says it is the greatest feeling and she knows that is what she wants in her life and is determined to have that for her and her family no matter what she has to give up. The power that comes from the gospel is real. They are a cool little family. 

Longhui: We set a baptismal date with him this week as he enjoyed the singles branch and wants to take the next steps forward. Member missionary work is real and is the reason why he is progressing as he sees others that share the same beliefs. He is coming to know for himself. 

Elder Cortez and I: This past week was great! We found lots more potentials and people to teach which is good so we won’t have to be out tracting so much during the winter months. He has a lot of faith and works hard. He also can’t say the word squirrel and it is the funniest thing to hear him say it everyday when he sees one. 

Things are going well, Missionary work is good and God loves all of us. The Book of Mormon is real and we should take advantage of it. Prayer is how we can communicate with Heavenly Father... so why wouldn’t we do it?  The church is true and the book is blue! 

Love y'all,

until next week, 

Elder Frandsen

Good Times!
Also, sonja showed us a good video called save the trees... check it out on youtube you wont regret it lol

I Gave Birth to a Spaniard

Buenas tardes,

Joke for the week:

Q:  Why did the home teacher cross the road?

A:  It was the last day of the month. 

aaaaaand then:

Brother Smith:  My home teachers are so good they come on the first day of every month.

Brother Jones:  Oh yeah? My home teachers are so good, they come the day before that.

Here is a quick run down of the week:

Tuesday: last day with Elder Durrant, yay, spent some time visitng some members of the ward to say goodbye.

Wednesday: Dropped Elder Durrant off at Cleveland and headed over to Kirtland to pick up the new guy and we all gathered in a room and then they had all the new missionaries come in and president announced one by one who would be with who and there were 2 Elders from Mexico and El Salvador who walked in and I knew that I was probably going to be with one of them and I was right! My new companion and guy I am training his name is Elder Cortez from Mexico. We headed back to Toledo straight to three appointments and the first appointment we had was with our two Asian investigators and the member we brought with us is also from Asia and when we sat down I realized that I was the only person in the room who grew up speaking English as a first language... good times. But Longhui and Angelina both came to church this week which is awesome because they haven’t been in forever. Next we met with Lisa and she is also doing awesome despite all of the crazy things going on in her life. It is so cool to watch her get so much peace, comfort and strength from reading the book of Mormon. And for Elder Cortez first American meal some members took us out to red robin :)) 

Thursday: We met with our investigator in the hospital who again told us that he was being killed everyday and coming back to life... each conversation with him that we have are all so different. It is sad to watch him struggle with the mental health problems he is having right now. After that I decided to take elder Cortez to a nicer neighborhood to tract and lets just say the people there are not quite as accepting as they are in Mexico of the gospel... But despite that he keeps telling me how we are in the Promised Land lol. 

Friday: Sonja was having a quinceanera for her daughter and she asked if we could help set up so we did and Elder Cortez was right at home because before his mission that is what he did for work was set up and run parties like that and then they let us stay for food and he was in 3rd heaven with how much food he has had in the last 5 days. Also, it was really cool too see that three families from the ward came to support Sonja and her daughter there as well. 

Saturday: I hope I am not working my companion to death hahah we had to bike about 25-30 miles to the 8 appointments we had all day and I feel like a concerned parent as he is riding his bike because he doesn’t know all the traffic laws so I keep looking behind me as we are going to make sure he is still there and he is still chugging along it is great. We also met with Lisa that day again and taught her about fasting and it was such an awesome lesson! We are also going to be teaching her son now with her there to review it with him. We set a baptismal date with them for next month and committed them to fast about it. Elder Cortez Also fell asleep in his missionary clothes like Elder Calhoun in the best two years is was hilarious. 

Sunday: Church went really well, Lisa got up and gave her testimony and it was the coolest thing. She talked about how with her husband being in the hospital the last two weeks and all the trials she is having in her life she wouldn’t have been able to make it through them and would have gone back to drinking if it weren’t for the book of Mormon and what she has been reading, the support from the ward and from us missionaries supporting and teaching her. It was an awesome moment. Elder Cortez and I both got up after that and gave out testimonies as well. We also finished planning Sonja’s baptism for next week and she passed her interview with flying colors! She is so excited for her baptism and to make that next step on the path of the gospel. She is such a cool person and I am glad I ave been able to teach her. 

That is all for the week... so I will share a little bit more about Elder Cortez. He is from Matamoros Mexico and he grew up in the church, all of his family members are in the church as well and his dad being the last one to join about 3-4 months ago after he got his mission call. He was a visa waiting in Mexico city for three months so he has already been a missionary for a while so I guess all I have to do is help him get used to living in America and how things are done here. He is about 60-70% fluent in English so our conversations are about 50-50 English and Spanish so I can help him to learn English and understand what is going on sometimes. He is the funniest kid I have ever met and has a great love for missionary work, which has really helped me a lot. He has definitely given me a much-needed boost to keep on working hard until the end of my mission. He also tells me all the time how this is the Promised Land and how this is the greatest thing ever... it has made me realize just how much of the little things that I have I am taking for granted... kind of humbling. He has great faith and great ideas of thins he tried in Mexico that we have already tried here with some investigators that have worked great. God is good; he knows what we need and when we need it. I am grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary and all that I am learning and the growth I am experiencing. I am grateful for this extra little push to be better and work harder. I am also really grateful for how much my testimony in the book of Mormon and plan of salvation has grown recently. 

Well that is all from this week!

read your scriptures and say your prayers. 

Love y'all

hasta la semana que viene,

Elder F

Another Week, Another Dollar....

Hay y'all,

​Last district photo before everyone is transferred

Here is another one,

What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?

"It's Christmas, Eve." 

Getting better every week :))

Good story for the week:

WE have been meeting with this guy for a bit and recently he stopped taking his meds So he ended up getting pink slipped and is in the psych ward at the near by hospital. So we still go and visit him a couple times a week to help him feel supported. But since he has gone cold turkey off his meds, the withdrawals have caused him to have a split personality. So the other night he told us he was actually 68, not 37, he had died 14 times and resurrected himself every time and that we were 2 crip gang members from Chicago. We weren’t quite sure how to respond to that. Next time we went and saw him he didn’t remember a word from that conversation so hopefully it was a step forward!

Other than that there wasn’t a whole lot else that happened, Lisa and her little boy Kenji finished 1 Nephi this week. She told us how grateful she is for the Book of Mormon and prayer because it is giving her so much more strength and desire to overcome the trials she is having in her life. It is so cool to watch everytime the power and happiness that comes into people lives when they start to actually search for God and read from the Book of Mormon.  She also watched half of conference and said she felt like the messages were directed towards her. Sonja is doing awesome like always and has almost finished the Book of Mormon and keeps telling us that before she was already a happy person but since she has been reading the Book of Mormon she has been 10x happier! Happy, you wonder why more people haven’t given the Book of Mormon a chance? 

Conference was awesome! I felt like there was 3 themes that stuck out to me

1. Trusting in the plan of salvation and a loving heavenly father

2. The Book of Mormon

3. Overcoming our doubts

Of course I am sure that many of you probably got completely different messages out of what was said. That is the amazing thing about the Holy Ghost and how it teaches us all something different and specific to our needs even though we all were listening to the same thing. I especially loved Elder Stevenson’s and Elder Ballads talks and of course I loved President Monsons talk about the Plan of happiness. I am so grateful for modern day prophets and apostles and the opportunity to be able to hear from them every 6 months. I hope that we don’t take that for granted. 

Tomorrow I go to pick up my new companion/trainee/son from Kirtland... I am really excited for the opportunity to show him the ropes of missionary work. 

Well that is all for this week! 

I want to leave a challenge for anyone that is willing, If you aren’t already studying from the Book of Mormon daily you should decide now to set aside 10 minutes a day to do so. The blessings that come from reading the Book of Mormon daily are awesome :)

I love you all!

Until next week,

Elder Frandsen

Made Elder Durrant a beer cake for his 21st birthday... found the beer can in the street, haha not sure how sanitary it is.

I'm Pregnant

Take a Wrong Turn and You End Up in the Middle of Nowhere

Hey fam,                                                               September 26, 2016

Here are the jokes for the week:

Q. How do you know the toothbrush was invented in Ohio?

 A. If it was invented anywhere else, it would have been called a teethbrush 

( only 1% of the Ohio population actually have a full set of teeth)

Q: What's the only thing that grows in Cleveland? 

A: The Crime Rate! 

And to explain the title of the letter, last night the mission president called and told me that I am going to be training a new missionary next transfer and in mission terminology when you train someone you become known as their "mission dad".  The trainee is known as the trainers "son" and then when your trainer trains you become a grandpa and so on and so forth... Therefore I am expecting a son who will be here in a week and a half. Excited for the opportunity because I know how much my trainer helped me but I am also sad to see Elder Durrant go, he has been a good companion.

It's an Elder

Not a whole lot else happened this week, we tracted a lot and had about a 1,000 more people tell us that they are catholic and slam the door. Can’t say that I will miss that one when I go home. But we were able to have dinner with Mike and Lisa this week and meet with them a couple other times. They are really cool and it is so cool to see them start reading and praying together and especially to watch as Lisa, who tends to study a little bit more than Mike, actually teach Mike the lessons because she read the pamphlets. There life still isn’t perfect and of course they still have lots of problems but they have seen the light at the end of the tunnel as they learn more about Jesus Christ and his gospel. Fun, fun, I love watching people recognize that in their life. Sonja is still doing great and went to a Relief Society activity and Women’s Conference and we had no idea until the rRelief Society president told us. It is nice to have good ward members to fellowship.

THIS WEEK IS CONFERENCE! It is like a missionary vacation every 6 months. I am really excited to be able to hear from the leaders of the church and take away some things from it that I can do better at.

Read ur scriptures

say ur prayers

Alma 34

Love you all,

Elder Frandsen

Tracking Out in the Farmlands

Greeen