Week of August 11, 2014

haha i feel so original in my titles of my letters. anyway whats up family? how is everything going. from the looks and from what i hear you guys sure do love to party. you guys go to lagoon, going to monster truck shows all that good stuff right when I'm not home. haha oh Mel i loved the video, Super jealous haha. so this week was alright. i was still without a companion so that made things hard. but i learned alot especially this week. more than anything I've learned more about patience and i have learned really about what my Father in Heaven whats of me. and not just me but every person. i learned and am still learning that things usually don't happen the way that we want. but that He knows where we should be and whats we are capable of doing. and i know that he has put me in this position for a reason. so whatever position we are in we need to do are best and also have a good attitude about it, even if its hard and we don't like it. that's the way it is. 

so as far as people go in my area, well its not really going. but i hope that if i stay here to finish that my companion and i can find alot of new people and that we can work hard and that i can finish strong. oh i did have a "baptism" this week. ha no actually it was in the area of the sister missionaries but the lady wanted me to baptise her. it was cool and i will send pictures. also we had a family history activity and it was super cool. ya pictures with that as well. and the other picture is a good friend of my. its a parrot of one of the members. in Spanish the word for parrot is guacamaya. but it was so cool. anyway that was really the highlights of my week. oh today we had a multi zone activity and we watched Rio 2 that was cool too. 

anyway love you all and until next week..............

Love from Colombia, 

Elder Franks

oh ya one more thing........6 weeks left!!!!!!!!!!  that is all

Week 14 (August 11, 2014)

¡Hola mi familia! ¿Cómo esta? 
So you got a puppy!

Mi semana fue muy bueno...y muy chistoso. Mi gusta los fotos de los dos chicas... ¿Donde esta mis hermanas? Yo no se las otras chicas en sus fotos. Hoy vamos a Jujuy para shopping. Fue muy bien. ¡Mi encanta Argentina! Yo estoy muy bien. Mi español es mejor cada día. Y mi testimonio esta más fuerte cada día. 

Oh oops i forgot that I was writing in spanish;) How is every one? How is life in good old grass valley. Let me just tell you It is very different living in a city. 

Oh let me just tell you about our week. First of all.. one night we were walking home and one of the collectivo (bus) drivers stopped to give us a ride..we were probably  10 or 15 minutes away from our apartment.... and when it was our stop we were about to get off and he asked us if we could do him a favor. (Hermana Brown had prayed for a service opportunity and so we were excited for this opportunity. He asked if we could run across the street and buy him "next day" or something like that. We weren't sure what it was but he said that the lady would know what it is. So he gave us some money and we ran across the street and told the lady what it was and sure enough she knew what it was. And well we bought hi cigarettes!!!!! oh my goodness we just looked at each other then hurry and ran it over to him. Then invited him to Church! AHhh can you believe it!! we bought him cigarettes!!! Hermana Brown said..." I feel like we need to repent." And i said " don't look at me you are the one who prayed for a service opportunity":) oh man it was soooo funny. 

Then saturday we met this really old man and he couldn't hear nada but he was nice. So we gave him a card with the address to the church. And on the other side of our card their are questions and the one on this card said " do you want to live with your spouse for eternity" or something like that and he said I don't have a wife.  Then before we left i was shaking his hand and he grabbed my  other arm and said...¡Nos casemos! Or lets get married....And I said umm no. And Hermana Brown grabbed me and we left:) Oh man it was so funny. So yeah between buying cigarettes and getting proposed too. My week was pretty normal:) I love all the experiences that i am having. I love every moment.

I cant believe that Brennan doesn't have much time left. Its a little hard but I know that i am where I'm supposed to be. 

Well I love you all. Hope you are all doing well. Please give Marisa and Melanie a hug from me...

Much love from Argentina!!!

Love hermana franks.

Oh and tell grandma franks that i got her letter:)

Week of August 4, 2014

Well there is one week left until my last transfer. I still don't have a companion but the greengo that I'm living with is going home this week so I,m pretty sure that I will just be with his companion at least until the transfers. but I don't know yet. anyway ya I forgot to ask about the family reunion, from what I heard it was pretty good. hey but school is starting way early this year. why? 

as far as I'm going, well I'm going good. things are really difficult as far as teaching goes for alot of reasons but something that I'm learning is even more patience especially in the things that i know i cant change. so even though i didn't have many lessons last week or their is no water here or whatever else I'm really calm. it bothers me yes but like i said there is really noting that i can do. but ya 

also my health is good. i haven't gotten sick in awhile so that good. I'm happy about that but i feel good. 

so also with the news of the bishopric, i feel and I've really learned especially in this area the importance of revelation when talking about the church. and well i honestly feel like they were called of god even if i haven't been there for almost two years. but ya it will be good. um but ya so i hope everything is good, and that i find everyone in good condition. i love you all and well just want you guys to know that I'm so grateful for the gospel and for the opportunity to serve my heavenly father here in this country. I love the people and i love well everything. even though its been hard most of the time, and maybe i haven't had the most success or been the very best missionary, but like Elder Holland says, my mission has meant the world to me. i can honestly say that its the best decision that I've made in my whole life besides getting baptized. 

i love you all and i will talk to you next week.

Love from Colombia

Elder Franks

Week 13 (August 4, 2014)

Hermana Franks did not write a letter this week because she chatted too much with her father and ran out of time to write a letter to the family.  Sorry but she did send a picture.

Hermana Franks & Hermana Brown with some ward members.

Update

So I have updated my missionaries letters so please read from June 30 till this weeks. Sorry I am such a slacker.  Also please give extra prayers for Elder Franks, I think he is struggling just a little bit.  Thanks

Week of July 28, 2014

well family. this week was super difficult but i learned alot about patience. like you guys no I'm without a companion. and that means that i didn't work hardly at all in my area. but that's not the end of life, just have to keep going ha. so that sister said hi again and this week i will take a picture with the family so you know who they are. 

so as far as people, i really don't have anyone to write about either. but something that i was thinking about and actually I've been thinking about lots lately is well really you guys. i don't know today i just am full of emotion. and its not really trunky emotion because if i wanted that i would justy talk to elder palmer haha (the other greengo that is living with me). no but more of just who i was and who i am. actually elder palmer and i have kind of an inside joke thing. Elder Holland gave a talk once about the conversion of Peter. and in the talk and actually in the scriptures it says that we need to leave behind our nets like the first apostles had to do. and we've talked alot about how we have to leave behind our "nets" in life. and I've thought about that alot. when it gets to the point of me coming home there are several things that im going to want to make better in our family. "nets" that not only we might leave behind but nets that we should leave behind. I've learned that lesson pretty well and i have lots of net that I'm going to leave. the thing is is that we are all called to be missionaries whether we have a plack or not but how willing we are to actually do what god wants us to do. to put aside are wants to do what god wants. that's something i want to help change when i get back. 

i want you guys to know that i love you and i mean it. that i am so happy to be here even though its super hard when you don't have a companion, when you don't have water, when you feel down alot of times because you don't have people who are progressing. and many more things. I'm so grateful for the Gospel in my life and the chance that god gives me and everyone of his children to change and be better. 

so anyway i hope that everyone has a good week.

with lots of love,

from Colombia,

Elder Franks

Week 12, (July 28, 2014)

How is everyone? How was camping? 

I'm doing good. Working hard and loving life. 

Today was transfers and Hna. Francis went home. And Hna Rawlinson and Hna Brown leave the end of this month. Hermana Rawlinsons new companion is from Mexico. 

Yesterday we sang in sang in church and last night we had Family home evening with some members from our ward. There is one chico named Sergio who is waiting for his mission call. He submitted his papers and now is just waiting. 

It has been really cold this week.  And our apartment is like an ice cube. I am working really hard on my Spanish. It´s so hard but I love it. It´s funny because the more Spanish I understand the more i have to say. But sometimes i accidentally say things in English because i understand what they are saying and i forget that i dont always know how to answer in Spanish:) 

How was the family reunion? Tell me everything! How is everyone? I miss my family lots. I think about you alot. And i pray for you everyday. Me and my companion still have a few difficulties every know and again and i don't always understand why she does things but I love her. And we have good goals for this month so i have high hopes. 

Well I hope you are all good. And remember that I love you!

Much love, de Argentina,

Love hermana Franks

P.s. I was going to send pictures but I don't have the plug for the computer. We left our phone here earlier and so we were in a rush to get back to see if it was here. And it was so all is good:)