Week 3 (MTC)

Hola Mi Familia!! Como esta? Ustedes feliz?

First of all....GIRLS IT'S SUMMER! And second of all I JUST LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!! And third THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PACKAGE. Dear elder is where it's at. Nothing could beat that 4 LB. Brownie!! It was so good. All the hermana's in my district just loved it! There is only a little bit left! Dinner is at 4:30 so by the time we get home at9:45 we are in desperate need of a snack!

So this week has just been great! Last Sunday we had a devotional. For the devotional we watched this talk given by Elder Bednar called The Character of Christ. It was such a good talk. I got a lot from it. After the video everyone stood up as the President of the MTC walked in. I thought, do we usually stand for President Nally? Then I saw him. Elder Bednar walked in!!! WHATT! I know it's crazy right. Hermana Dascanio and I just Looked at each other and couldn't decide if it was real! He didn't give a talk. He did a Q&A thing. So some Elder's were holding microphones and if he picked you, you stand up, then they bring you the microphone. I was trying to think of a question but all i could think was 1. I wish my brother was here. 2. This is awesome. and 3. What do you ask an Apostle?! It was such a wonderful experience.

So today we went to the temple. I love the Temple. It was so beautiful today. I will send some pics. Also we went and ate lunch at main campus today, and holy have we been missing out! Here at west campus we only have 2 choices and it's not always good. People kept telling us that even though we don't have very many options we have better food. Little did we know that that is not true! At Main Campus I'm sure we looked like we had just walked in to Disneyland. They have so many choices! Hermana Dascanio and I ended up getting a hamburger and a buffalo chicken salad that was pretty much super delicious. They also had a build a wrap station and Chinese food and i don't know what else but it was so yummy. 

So yesterday our class was being evaluated by Hermano Vargas' boss. And before he left, he said to Hermano Vargas, I'm really impressed with your class. YES! I'm so happy cause i have been working super hard!

 We teach "investigators" (a.k.a. Hermana Johnson and Hermano Vargas, our teachers) almost everyday. But on Monday we have a new person. They said sometimes they are members and sometimes they are new converts and sometimes they are real investigators. But we will start teaching them 4 times a week starting Monday. Our investigator's name is Alan. I hope it goes well. I think all of our lessons have gone pretty well! I just try to stay positive with myself. 

We got new missionaries in our zone this week!! They are pretty fun! There are 2 sisters who are in their own district ( because they are advanced spanish) and then in the other district there are 4 Elders and 3 Hermanas. They are so fun! It's so great. 

I really love being a missionary!!! I love my district and Hermana Dascanio and I get along really well. Things are going so great.

Well have a great week! Try to Have Fun even though you are super busy:)

Adios 

Love, Hermana Franks 

Saying goodbye to some of her zone

Hermana Franks & Hermano Dascanio at the temple

This is where we are going

Picture of the Temple

Week 2 (MTC)

Hola mi familia!!!

Wow i cant believe that i've been here for 10 days!!! How is everybody?? 

I'm doing so good! It's been such an adventure already! Today we went to the temple. It was such a great experience. 

Yesterday my companion, Hermana Dascanio, found out that her grandpa had passed away. It was a pretty hard afternoon for her. But while we were in the temple she said she could just feel him there. I'm pretty sure he was there with me too. I just feel this powerful feeling like the Lord made us companions because we both needed this experience. I think he really needs me to comfort her in this trial. 

We have such a good time together. I really have come to love her. 

Yes we have taught another investigator, her name was Gabi. But she wasn't a real investigator:) Her name is Hermana Johnson and she is actually our teacher now. So we have her usually in the mornings and Hermano Vargas in the afternoon. They are both so funny. Im pretty sure they are the best teachers here and we just happened to get both of them. I'm not for sure but i'm pretty sure that it's because we are the best/funnest district here:) 

The rest of our zone is leaving on Monday so it will only be us 6 Hermanas till Wednesday. We are getting 4 new elders and 2 new sisters in our zone next week!

 So we are in the choir! I know it's pretty impressive;) so we have choir practice on Sundays then on Tuesdays we sing at the devotionals. This last Tuesday devotional, Elder L. Tom Perry was the speaker and we sang 'Nearer My God to Thee' It was so amazing.  He talked about the importance of companions. It was muy bueno. Oh and the devotionals are broadcasted so you guys can watch them. Yeah we are on TV:) So at the beginning they were saying the countries where it's broadcasted and one of the countries was Colombia. I was so excited and i just started to silently pray that if Brennan was watching that he would be able to see me. Then when we were doing our musical number. They did a close up of me and then panned down my row. And i didn't know it till after. And Hermana Dascanio said hey they did a close up of you! So that is kinda cool. I don't know if he was watching but Heavenly Father sure answered my prayer:) 

So i'm not homesick. I miss you guys. But when I think of being home i'm not sad to be away. It just makes me more excited to go to Argentina! If that makes any sense...

The food here is alright....It's defiantly not as good as home:( i think that is something that i really miss. But for the most part i just love it here.

So yesterday some new Elders came into our class for a minute so that they could practice bearing there testimony's. So they would share theirs then we would share ours. And i just started to say mine and words just came out that i didn't even know i remembered! I know it's because the spirit helped me. And also i haven't really been frustrated with trying to learn it. I just try to have patience and try to really use my study time wisely. That is really the key i think. I just have to have a positive attitude:) Also Hermana Dascanio is so supportive:) 

We did some laundry today and it was pretty exciting;) alright chiste chiste:) ...chiste is joke:)

Well I love you all and i hope everything is going good there:) 

I will try and send some pics:) Love you!!!!!!!!!

Love, Hermana Franks

P.S. I really love it when you guys send me letters cause we can get those everyday...

Love my companion

In Class learning spanish

Ducks that live at their appartment building, Elders named them "He Kevin and She Kevin"

Going to the temple

Our teacher made us cookies

Week of May 12, 2014

Elder Franks is doing good, except that he hasn't written for several weeks now.  I chatted with him today and he is healthy and happy.  I finally got some pictures out of him so I thought I would share them with you.

Week 1 (MTC)

1st Day in the MTC

My District (just the sister's, I don't know about the elders)

Having Lunch

hey family! how's it going? my p-days are Saturday. Just in case you were wondering that is today:) Anyways well I've really had a great time so far. The food is pretty good. its kinda weird sometimes though... yesterday we had tilapia and it had some kind of breading on it that had some weird red and green dots in it?? yeah i was like hey chef i hope this isn't leftover from Christmas;) alright i didn't say it....out loud.

My compenrera... companion's name is Hermana Dascanio. She is from Fort worth Texas. She is pretty funny. she always talks in this German accent and it makes me talk like that too! to day she got these really big cuts on her ankles and they were bleeding all over the inside of her shoes! it was a little nasty but we got it taken care of:) 

This morning we went to the temple and did initiatorys. It was a really spiritual experience. After we walked to this museum at BYU and went through the Sacred Gifts Exhibit! it was so neat to get to see all those paintings. It took 12 years to put together! I would encourage you guys to come see it....but today was the last day they did it. They had paintings from Denmark and one from President Monsen's Office! And just alot of paintings from all over the world!!! 

Our spanish teacher's name is Hermano Vargas. He is soo funny!! And he is really smart! He is going to school at BYU, and he is study mathematics and he is planning to go to Princeton to finish his degree. He is from Mexico City. And he knows five languages. Yesterday he was telling us about he hates Dora the Explorer:) we have class in spanish, so i sit there and really try to pick up what he is saying but alot of the time i just listen then just nod my head and say si. There are only 6 of us in our district and its all hermanas. NO elders. But our branch is so fun! The rest of our branch is right next door to us. We are on what's called the West Campus. We live in the Wyview apartments and we have to walk across the street to Raintree for class. We have a whole apartment that is just ours to use as our classrooms. it's pretty cool. 

Yesterday we taught our first lesson to an investigator yesterday IN SPANISH! Her name is Maria. She was really patient with us. Hermana Dascanio and I even ended up giving her an El Libro De Mormon and she was so excited!! the spirit was so strong and i know that Heavenly Father really helped us know what to say.

The Spanish has been a little hard. The other five sisters in my district have all taken 2 to 3 years of Spanish, so they pick up on things fast. I dont feel like i understand quite as much as they do. Its kind of hard for me, but i just keep trying to remind myself to not compare myself to them. And also that i just have to keep praying and to have patience cause i know it will come. And also its only been three days. I just really am so anxious to learn the language. But Hermana Dascanio is really supportive. She always says that she is surprised by how much i already know. 

Everyday we have 1 hour of gym. We have three gyms that look like huge white igloos. So far we have played volleyball everyday. Its so much fun. We play with our zone. and its just great fun. 

Well love you so much!!!!

Marisa and Melanie write to me:) 

Love, Hermana Franks