Week of June 23, 2014

Elder Franks in the past couple of weeks have not written much.  This week we found out that he has a parasite in his stomach and he spent the morning at the Clinic to get some medication for that.  He also struggled this last week with his toenail it was taken off last week and also he played futbol (soccer) last p-day without shoes and burned the bottoms of his feet.  He was not able to do much work because of these things.  Please keep him in your prayers.

Week 7 (Palpala, Argentina)

3 planes and 1 bus later.....

So I am finally in Argentina!! It took 3 planes and 1 bus ride to get here but I am finally here. When we got to Argentina yes everything was in Spanish. There were people standing in the airport with the signs of the different missions and so we found Salta and this cute lady talked to us for a minute and then they took us outside and put our luggage in a truck then we got in vans and off we went. We were taken to an airport across town and on our way there we saw the Buenos Aires temple! It is so beautiful! At the other airport this guy led us through the airport to get our tickets and to take care of our luggage and he only spoke Spanish. When we were taking care of our luggage, we had to pay for one of our carry-ons that had to be checked luggage (we didn't have to pay, the guy had a credit card from the church) and when he went to pay the computer didn't work so he told me and Hermana Fraga to wait with this other Hermana who was flying to Brazil for her mission (she too only spoke Spanish and she is from Buenos Aries I think) Anyways so we waited with her till the computer worked and waited for the guy to come and get us. Finally after an hour the guy came and got us and he told us where to go to meet the others. We found the others thank heavens and we didn´t miss our flight. Then we got on the plane to fly to Salta. At the airport the Mission President and his wife met us there . 

At the airport in Buenos Aires

On the bus from the airport to the Mission home

18 New Missionaries

We went to the mission home and ate and talked about some things...then we stayed the night at a hotel. Then the next day we drove all around Salta to go to the police station and sign some papers and to this other place to sign some papers. Then we went to the mission home and had lunch. Then we got our new companions. 

Having dinner at the Mission home after a long day of travel.

My companion is Hna Brown. She is from Utah!

She is super nice and very supportive.  I have struggled with home sickness but I´m doing better as the days go by. The first night I was here in my area I was so overwhelmed and I just missed you guys so much. 

Hermana Brown and me (doesn't she look nice)

18 New missionaries and their companions and the President and his wife

President and Sister Levrino

Argentina is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. I am serving in a city called Palpalá. It looks like the ghetto. But it is very beautiful. Sometimes you have to really look for the beauty because there is trash everywhere. And there are fruit trees everywhere so the fruit falls off the trees and rots in the streets. There are dogs everywhere but I haven't seen any that have been to disgusting. The food here is delicious and the people here for the most part are super nice. At night there are alot of drunk people and we have to try and stay way from them.  We go to bed at 11.00 and wake up at 7.00.  I am trying to learn the language, and I'm trying to stay strong and do work.  It´s definitely not easy but it´s a blessing that I get to be here in Argentina.

Oh our apartment is new but it doesn't have gas yet so we have to boil water and shower with a bucket.  It´s interesting but everything is a wonderful experience. Well I will write more next week and hopefully get some pics to you.

 

Love you so much! 

Love from Argentina, Hermana Franks

Week 6 (MTC)

How is it going Family!? My goodness this week has just been so great! and guess what I only have a few more days left in the United States!!! How crazy huh! we leave on Monday so today has been full of packing. 

We went to the temple and then we went to print off emails at main campus but half way through the printer ran out of paper and there was none to be found so we had to recycle some and on the back of one of my letters is a letter that was all in Japenese so that was cool....i guess, i couldnt read it:) anyways then we waited at the bus stop for an hour and a half and the bus never came so they got a van to take us back to west campus. 

Oh on Tuesday we had a great devotional the speaker was Elder Cook I know be jealous! It was so great! 

This week has just flown by. It's crazy to think that in just a few short days I will be in Argentina! And on the same Continent as my brother!!! 

It's crazy! 'mtrying to send pics but this computer is broken i think! 

oh so when we were waiting at the bus stop this girl walked by with her dog and it was so cute!! She stopped and let us pet it! I almost died... or the other option was to sneak the dog away! But i didn't i refrained myself:)

(Oh Hermano Wallace says hi, he is one of our teachers:)

yeah so we are just packing and having fun! 

Oh i gave a talk last sunday in church and yes it was all in Spanish! i really am so excited for the adventure im about to have! I know it will be a little hard at first but i am praying that heavenly father will help me learn Spanish soon!

Well i love you all so much! Hope you have a good week!

Love, Hermana Franks

Waiting for the bus

With our MTC teacher it was pick day

A dad of one of the Hermana's in Brittany's district made each Hermana a watch and gave them to all 6 missionaries in her district,  it is the Agrentina flag

One of their teachers

Their other teacher - Last day with them. 

Week of June 9, 2014

So this week has been alittle different. so Thursday I got my toenail taken out, well part of it.  This has been my fourth in the mission, but I'm doing alot better and yes I took pictures but I will wait till I get home. Anyway for this week well not much has happened. The people that we are teaching are doing good, they are progressing but alot of things are changing with the work of salvacion, for example now we are not as focused on baptism as less actives coming back into the church. So we are looking and teaching alot of that type of people. I told mom this already but I thought it was something cool but Mel especially. I know how to play the piano, my companion has been teaching me. I'm still not very good but I can play almost every hymn in the book.  I'm happy, just thought I would throw that out their. 
Trying to think of something special to share with you guys this week I thought of a sister that we are teaching. Her name is Smith, ya I know weird, anyway so we taught a lesson and we were talking and she just started going in on how she likes it when we come over because she feels so good inside and things just always work out after we have talked to her. so it was cool. 

Anyway love you guys, if you have question please ask and if I don't answer well just keep asking.

love you all from Colombia

Elder Franks

Week 5 (MTC)

How is my wonderful familia?!  
Monday was great cause i got not 1, not 2, but 3 packages! 2 from you guys and 1 from aunt Jake! How precious! 

Well I have some bigs news! I GOT MY TRAVEL PLANS!!!! 

So we leave a week from Monday! We have to be at main campus at 6:00 in the morning and then our plane leaves at like 11 then we fly to Atlanta Georgia (yeah imma do some drumline) Haha jk:) Then we have a 4 hour layover then we fly to Buenos Aires. And we aren't really sure how we are getting to Salta. let's be honest my guess is a private jet or something...or some pack mules;) I don't really care, I'm just excited for the adventure!! and all 6 hermanas are all traveling together!! so it will be a blast!

Oh Brennan finally wrote me!!! I was sooo excited!! 

Oh we got to host which was fun! and we get to host again this Wednesday!

Love you have a great week!

 Saying Goodbye to one of our teachers, Hermana Johnson.
Our District made up a holiday...Fancy Friday that is when you and your companion matches.  It looks like Hermana Franks and Hermana Dascanio are the only ones that are matching.

Hermana Dascanio, Hermana Johnson & Hermana Franks 

Week of June 2, 2014

Elder Franks letter again this week was very, very short and he said that nothing new has happened.  He is happy and healthy (except he did say that he is getting another toenail off this week, but it's okay)  I wonder if he is going to have any toenails left when he gets home.  He did send some pictures so here they are.

Week 4 (MTC)

Hola mi familia!!!

How is everything going?

Girls how was Girls Camp?

Things here are just great! Today we went to the temple and it was so great! After the temple we went and printed off our emails then went and started laundry. After that we went to Brigham's Landing to eat lunch at burger supreme. We walked in and this guy walked up to the counter and handed the worker his credit card and said all of their meals goes on this. Then he looked at us and said',  "You guys deserve it." It brought tears to my eyes!! It was just so amazing. 

Spanish is coming along well, not as fast as I would like it to but that's alright the Lord will help me. 

At our devotional on Tuesday the speaker was Elder Russell M. Nelson and his wife. Yeah not everyone can say that they get to hear from an apostle every week!  I think they are building up till President Monsen. Did you guys try and watch the devotional on tv? 

Well I didn't get very many letters this week..but I did get some cinnamon rolls yes they were delicious!

Oh so yesterday Hermana Dascanio woke up sick (she threw up a few times) so I made her sleep for a little while . I cleaned the apartment and all the other Hermanas went to class. Hermana Dascanio slept till 10:30 which was so good. When she woke up she felt so much better. It was just a weird bug I guess. But 2 Elders from our zone gave her a blessings which was so awesome. I Love this gospel so much!!!

SO we get to host next week!!!! We are so excited!!! I can't wait!

Oh so I finally got to see the baby duck. I will send you some pictures! I didn't know that I loved ducks so much but the ones that live here are so cute!

So Hermana Dascanio's sister wrote to her and said she is going to make us all rainbow loom bracelets! That is so cute huh!! 

Well anyways Love you all so much!!! hope everything is going great there!!!

Love, Hermana Franks

Week of May 26, 2014

hey hey,

well well so to start things off with transfer well I'm......................still in Santa Marta......................with.........my same companion...............and .....I'm..........happy ha ha but i do have a new companion. just for a couple of days. his name is Elder Palmer from SLC, Utah.  Anyway we also had another baptism this week, it was kinda of a surprise. So to make the long story shorter, Juan was a reference and he just showed up to church, that's how we met, then we taught him like two times in two and a half weeks. Then we went to visit and he had assisted again, anyway so we talked to him and he was just saying that he wanted to be baptized and that he couldn't wait, he didn't read much, we hadn't taught hardly anything but he was serious. So we were OK vamos a enseñar but (side note: did you guys like that little part right there, I put it into Spanish because we talk Spanish and think in Spanish ha ha OK going back) he just like fought against us every time we tried to talk but ya he passed his interview and he was baptized.  I am sending pictures.

Yulis assisted church too and I am super super happy for her. She is awesome. 

ya not much here. but it just goes to show that with the Lord nothing is impossible. 

Anyway have a good week and I love you all.

From Colombia
Elder Franks