Tuesday, October 20, 2015

10-19-15 (week 8)

Well starting with Wednesday we had a district meeting at the church so we walked up there in the morning and had like a 2 hour meeting with the zone leaders and district leaders and the other companionship that lives in house. talked about our investigators and the work and just other stuff. Then when we went to leave the church we realized while the whole time we were in our meeting it had begun to rain and it was still raining.
It was like the heavy fast down pour so we are like okay well this stinks we will be all wet. But before we could go back to the house we needed to stop by a store close to our house to buy some baking stuff because we had promised banana bread and chocolate chip cookies for our investigators we would go visit later that day. So we are running to the store and the streets are completely flooded because like the sewage drains here stink and so the streets were completely like 6 inches of rain in them and there was only like a couple of cars out because you have to be crazy to drive on these streets and we are standing at the sidewalk and we are just watching like all these cars hydroplane and stuff but it wasn’t bad or anything. We are running to the store and the wind starts to pick up and it is blowing like real good and then we see a bright light and I was like what was that and then I hear the noise KABOOM thunder strike it was like really loud almost like 5 cannon shots all in one. We get inside the store we are buying our baking materials then we see another flash of lightning and another Boom and then the power goes out in the store and we are like great. So we buy our stuff leave the store head back to our apartment jumping through the streets that are flooded with the wind blowing and pounding us around with lighting strikes and crackle of thunder in the background it was literally like a mini hurricane or something a storm. I felt like I was in a movie. Getting hit with wind with lightning strikes with streets flooded and I’m drenched my suit coat is soaked my shirt my pants everything was wet all the way down to my skin. I got inside the apartment and I had to hang all my stuff to air dry in the little laundry room we have. They have been drying this whole week along with my shoes and socks and I just found them dry completely yesterday.
Then Thursday comes and we had lunch with this family that lives really far away. We live on 9th and 24th street the corner and the family that we were going to still lives on 9th street but they live on 56th street so we had to walk to 32 blocks or streets down to their house. Lunch was good we had some meat and bread the normal stuff then because Thursday is our day of service we offered to do the dishes afterward so we did all the dishes then walked back to our house and then we did some planning and studying then we had to go give a blessing to this lady because her back was real bad and it was hard to walk and her back hurt and she was in pain. So I got to put the oil on the head and say it was for the healing of the sick and afflicted and then my companion said the actual blessing.
Then that night we had our normal Thursday dinner with the mission leader´s family the Perez´s. That was good we had empanadas and juice and I didn’t eat a whole lot because my head kinda hurt because I think I was really hot.
Then Friday we had our appointment with the Jehovah Witnesses in the park because they didn’t want to meet at our church and they didn’t offer for us to come to their church so we decided to just meet in the park. It was a cold morning and we are sitting there waiting then they show up riding their bicycles and they have their little Testigo bag and stuff. We sit down in the park and we prayed and then decided this was going to be a sharing of beliefs. We didn’t want it to be bible bashing or religion attacking or anything just we share what we believe and we had a few questions about their beliefs and their church and then they share what they believe. So they start telling us they don’t eat meat that hasn’t had all the blood drained. And they don’t believe in war or self-defense or fighting or anything. 
Then it was our turn we shared like one or two of the articles of faith and then we had a Restoration pamphlet to give to them and a Book of Mormon. Because the Jehovah Witness only believe in the Bible. We tell them here look here in the introduction and see it says anyone who reads with real intent and prays to know if it is true will receive an answer and will know the Book of Mormon is true and thus Joseph smith was a prophet and restored the church and the church is true and we showed them the promise in Moroni 10 or whatever. And we go to hand them the copy and they like dive backwards and like scream and like no we cannot accept this we will not ever read that book. Ahh if we touch that book our hands will light on fire and burn. They were fine if we were holding it and reading from it but then when we tried to give it to them so they could have it and they freaked out. They were like we know about that book and the Nephites and Lamanites and all these specifics to the book of Mormon and I was questioning how do they know so much about it and they were like we have a magazine or a book or review or something about our church and our book of Mormon. We were like can we get a copy of this article published about our church. And then they were like no the bible is the word of God not that book that is not the word of God no making additions to Bible stuff like that and Elder Searcy was like well Guess what have you ever read this book NO! You haven’t. Well I have and I have prayed and God has answered my prayers and has told me that this is the Word of God and the Book of Mormon is true. And then they are like, ´´Wait, who did you pray to?´´ and Elder Searcy responds, ´´I prayed to God to know that it was true and it is true´´ and they are like well haha you aren’t supposed to pray to God you are supposed to pray to Jehovah. And after that we just left and were like whatever. They think like Jehovah is Heavenly Father and Jesus is Jesus. But we know better Jesus is Jehovah and Heavenly Father is God. They told us okay if you believe Jesus is Jehovah and is God and all of that then who is the Son of God? And we were like what? no? Jesus is Jehovah, Jesus is the son of God, God being Heavenly Father. Jesus is Heavenly Fathers son. We left. And then I told Elder Searcy I can’t wait to see their faces when we are all dead and we are in the Spirit world and the Jehovah Witnesses are like dang it those Elders were right, we should have listened to them.
Then still Friday that night we had Family night at the church and we watched the movie the Other Side of Heaven in Spanish (it was either that movie or Johnny Lingo)
Saturday we went on splits; Elder Searcy went with Hermano Miranda and I went with Hermano Samoza and Perez and we went to visit less actives people in the church. We visited this old man who was 88 Hermano Argello. And then we met back with the other guys Elder Searcy and Miranda back at the church in a couple of hours and Elder Searcy tells me the less active they went to visit lives so far away they walked a 5k to get to his house and back to the church. Haha a 5k.
Then yesterday was Sunday and we had the potential for 7 of our investigators to come to church and 0 of them ended up showing up. None of them came to church. But church was good the 3 speakers and then I noticed something during the sacrament is that the water here in Argentina is unsafe and bad to drink so then in comparison the water in America is so much better at least we can drink that water but then during the sacrament I had the bread and had the water and while drinking the water I was like Wow this is the best water ever. The sacrament water here is better than the sacrament water in America. Probably because they filter it so good here for the sacrament it tastes super good and cold compared to American sacrament water.
And then in priesthood in elders quorum I got to lead the music a 6/4 song and I did a perfect job and everyone was like so surprised and I was like I like to lead music. Then we went over to the branch presidents house for lunch and we had asado and it was good and then also potato egg salad something like that. Then we went back to the apartment took a small nap and then went to visit some people that night and then came back and afterwards and planned went to bed slept and then woke up today to have P day.
So from the looks of it seems like I have a story or a highlight for each day of the week this past week. Hopefully this upcoming week is just as eventful and I can find a highlight from each day again. Hopefully this week is good. Hope everything back at home is good and not too quiet. Haha enjoy your time alone.
Love,

Elder Frampton

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

10-13-15 (week 7, first one in mission field)


Dear Family,

So arrived in Buenos Aires went to baggage claim to pick up bags and everything was there except for my carry on that I had to get checked because there was not enough room on the plane so I get it checked. Entonces I go and find someone to talk to and they say oh Frampton yes here and gave me a slip wrote down some info about me and said where my final destination is and I said Bahia Blanca and they say okay tomorrow we will send it to Bahia Blanca airport and you come pick it up at 6 55 at night it will be at airport. So went through Customs no problem then found a guy waiting for us; he threw us in a van and drove off we didn’t know where or what we were doing (all kids going to Bahia Blanca). We arrive at an airport like 30 minutes from the big Buenos Aires airport we were just at. This one is a small like passenger airport. We wait then check our bags and take a bus across the airfield to a plane we get on the plane old fashion way not like a terminal or thing we walk through but like they lower down the stairs of the plane and we physically climb up the stairs into the plane. Get on and it was only a 1 hour flight to Bahia Blanca. They gave us some juice and a cookie on the plane; I was happy for food for such a short plane ride.

Got to Bahia Blanca and the mission president and the assistants are waiting for us. We say hi, greet each other, then get in a van and go to the mission president’s home. They talk to us there and then feed us empanadas for dinner. Then they take us to the assistants like house and we spend the night there. Wake up, walk like 10 blocks to the church and we sit there and wait. The mission president and his wife and missionaries make us breakfast eggs and bacon and chocolate milk. Then we play charades then they take us into the chapel give us the low down on what is going on and introduce us to the missionaries that work in the office, the finance guy, the housing guy, the social guy, and give us speeches and PowerPoint presentations including telling us half the missionaries are Americans and half are Spanish people. Then they pull up our pictures on the screen and pull up trainers pictures and they tell us a little about what’s going to happen.

And I got assigned or matched to Elder Searcy. He has been here for a year and a half and is from Lehi, Utah. He is really great and we went to the office and took those pictures then we had lunch which was vegetable soup and grill cheese sandwiches. Then we gathered my stuff headed over to the bus station and we waited and then took a bus 3 and half hours to Santa Rosa and stayed there for the night at the zone leaders house just so we had somewhere to sleep. Then woke up went to the bus station and took another 2 hour bus ride to my assigned area which we are at now called General Pico. Look it up on the map so you know where I am.

So we got here Thursday and then did some proselyting and then had lunch at a members home, then had dinner at the ward mission leaders home, and we have lots of meat and lots of bread or pan and had some stew kind of soup but not really then went back to house and called it a day.

Friday was like my first real day as a missionary. Went running in the park and around the plaza then showered got dressed, studied then left had lunch somewhere. I think someone made us lunch and we brought it back to the house. That night was family night so we all met at the church and played soccer at the field next to the church. I was the goalkeeper or goalie and for the first like hour that we played. I didn’t let one goal go in and Elder Searcy was offensive and we had like 3 other boys on our team that were all like 14 years old. It was the five of us and the first hour the score was like 7 to 0. Then finally they scored (the other team) which are like all these 16, 18, 20 year old boys here are investigators or friends and like a couple of them are members of the ward. But they were big tough guys and they scored once.

Then we returned to the apartment and went to sleep. Saturday we had some appointments I invited one lady Veronica to be baptized and she said yes and we are having that in 2 weeks and then I invited one guy Jonathan to come to church on Sunday. We just walk around and go to appointments. If we ever have free time we have to clap our hands outside people’s homes because there are no things such as knocking doors or tracking or anything. We stand outside their gates and clap and they come outside to the gate and then talk to us. We have handed out at least 5 pamphlets of the Restoration that way.

There are tons and tons of dogs here like thousands on the streets I really like it; none of them are mean or bite or anything. But I get excited when I see a cat because they are far more uncommon. And with so many dogs I set a goal to see a certain type or breed each day and one day I set a real hard goal to find a dalmatian and lo and behold I saw one I’m pretty sure the only one in all of Pico - here I saw a dalmatian that day.

Sunday went to church. I had to bear my testimony we are part of the rama or the branch and meet at 9:30 as the ward meets at 9 and starts with classes first. But we are part of the branch. And yes Jonathan the investigator we invited came to sacrament meeting actually.

We had lunch at the branch president’s house and we had ravioli tortellini things, pasta manicotti things, and it was good. I liked it and cheese and crackers and bread of course. Then had jello for dessert it was like jello with fruit like floating inside of it. Then we left had some appointments elsewhere.

Yesterday was a holiday of some sort I didn’t find out it was Columbus day until like half way through the day so everything was like closed and because of the holiday they moved our P day to today which is Tuesday but normally it is Mondays so watch for Monday next week.

Then today we went shopping and we are emailing and stuff.

Now for some of the other little details:
1.    we live with a pair of other elders from Peru and from Chile; the four of us in our kinda house pension thing.
2.    Kitchen is nice. Elder Searcy and I make cookie banana bread, empanadas, tons of stuff in the oven.
3.    We have a mini laundry room where we wash our clothes and then we have to let them air dry in the house.
4.    We don’t drink the water. We mostly drink milk a lot and we have to buy clean water in huge jugs and then we make juice so we have tons of tang and lemonade and stuff. So we drink juice and milk mostly.
5.    Breakfast we have a 10 pound bag of cereal and that is what we eat every day for like the month. It is not even close to being like even a 1/8 of the way gone. It is a huge bag and we eat it for breakfast.
6.    We go running every day.
7.    When I got here with all my American dollars the bank exchanges them for I think 8 pesos per dollar. The government and money and stuff is bad but instead one elder traded me at a rate of 14 pesos per dollar so I gave him 200 dollars and I have 2800 pesos so I am pretty rich.
8.    I’m doing good though the weather is not cold. It may be cold right in Bahia Blanca but General Pico is so far away it is hot here. I sweat sometimes.
9.    My Spanish is good and coming along the first couple days I understood no body. it was super hard but now I understand like almost everyone. but I still am not that good at talking I need to work on talking more and sounding more Argentine with ll and y and che so people can understand me better. 

I think that was about everything for the week. Wait I forget I got a real nice cool short haircut this morning for 30 pesos so about 3 dollars and I feel so nice and I showered and shaved after I got home from the haircut and I felt real fresh and muy guapo. I think I look good. That is it for my first week here. I guess I will talk to you next Monday.

Love,
Elder Frampton


Monday, October 12, 2015

Elder Frampton arrives in Bahia Blanca Argentina

Brian left the MTC Monday around 9 am and got to the airport in Salt Lake.

He was able to call home before catching his flight to Atlanta.
He left Atlanta around 10pm and arrived around 9 am Tuesday in Buenos Aires.

We got this picture on Friday.

Elder Frampton with President Cifuentes and Sister Cifuentes

Monday, October 5, 2015

10-3-15 (week 6-last one in MTC)

Dear Family,

Everyone in my district has had Spanish in the past. Everyone at least 4 years then one other elder and I have 5 years and one elder has 6. There is another companionship in my zone not my district that I know are going to my mission so I will know those 2 other elders going to Bahia Blanca too. 

There are missionaries traveling with me; two companionships of sisters and one companionship of elders and myself. I will eat at the airport. I will probably call when we are in Salt Lake airport so a little after 10 because we leave the MTC at 8:30 in the morning. We get to SLC at about 10 so 12 in Pennsylvania and land in Atlanta at 8 leave about 10 from there so I will probably call again. I have a calling card with 10 dollars on it and the rate is 1 cent a minute so I have 1000 minutes. I will call home phone.

We already did laundry early this morning and now we are writing and have conference at 10. I brush everyday! 

I get a choice every day except Friday; dinner is always Papa Juan's pizza so every line is serving that so everyone like must eat pizza. There is salad and pasta I eat those occasionally I eat more fruit salads than I do vegetable salads. I couldn’t go to the temple last week it was closed for General Women's Session of Conference and this week is normal General Conference so I can’t go today either. I’m excited to see who the new apostles are.

I’m a little nervous I want to understand everything but I know I won’t at first. I hope people can understand me. I know I have been thinking a lot of the Plan of Salvation and the Atonement and Premortal and after death life. I know the Savior is my Salvador and Redentor. Thanks!!


Elder Frampton


9-26-15 (week 5)


Dear Family,

I saw that the temple (Washington) is getting renovated or cleaning or something. 

The Pope seems to be very popular and Mike sent me a picture of La Papa instead of El Papa. 

It was sad I was on lds.org and saw Elder Scott died and I told my district and they were like really that’s 3 apostles they have to call during General conference. I will still be around to see Conference. 

I got my flight planes or my flight information yesterday. I leave not this Monday but next Monday October 5 so the day after General Conference. I have one week left here and then when October 5 comes I will be on a plane to Argentina. 

My companion and I are getting along fine. His mom is Mexican so I can relate because we both have Hispanic moms. 


That’s a really cute cat. Tell Grandma I said Hello.

Elder Frampton

Saturday, October 3, 2015

9-19-15 (week 4)

The letter you sent me in Spanish - I could read the whole entire thing with no problem. I like the subjunctive that you included in a part of it too. 

I have not heard anything about my visa I hope it is okay but at the same time maybe not hearing anything is good. Because for example an elder in my district got called down to the travel office and had to sign some stuff and like reprint his FBI clearance report. I don’t think you are supposed to call about it or anything. 

Tell me how Grandma's house is like if it is big or what. Yeah we don’t have super intense navy training language here but it is still hard. My Spanish is improving I know a lot of words my vocabulary has gone up a lot, but now I really have to focus on pronunciation because I am not good at pronouncing things. The Spirit definitely does help though and I have seen lots of progress and I talk more during lessons when I rely on the Spirit to put words into my mouth as long as I open my mouth first. 

Love,


Elder Frampton

9-12-15 (week 3)



Dear Family,

I have been getting all your dear elders and they are nice the little spiritual messages they are uplifting. My Spanish has been getting easier to speak. I say every prayer during the day almost fluent in Spanish. With investigators it is still a little hard because I don’t always know what to say to them so I have to talk slow and be guided by the Spirit as he tells me what to say and then I try to translate what he says in English then I turn it into Spanish in my head and then say it. Hopefully the spirit will start talking to me in Spanish instead of English that way I don’t have to spend time trying to translate. 

I am feeling good I am not really sick anymore I just have a very small cough. I’m trying to exercise and eat well but yesterday was the first day I didn’t exercise because my companion was super sick so we had to stay in our residence dorm all day resting and studying. I studied a lot from the scriptures and learned some things of the endowment.  I looked up grammar rules and read my scriptures and found some deep doctrine and then I napped like once. But he seems like he is getting better we will have to see how he feels over the weekend going into Monday.

I will try to keep on eating healthy but the food is getting kind of bland because they have like the same food like every day of the week. Like burgers is always Mondays; pizza is Fridays like each day is different but because I have been here almost 4 weeks I have gotten used to all the food and it is starting to taste a little bland.


I saw Jake Szendre yesterday and I also saw my mission prep teacher from BYU and thanked him. The speaker this past Tuesday was the presiding bishop: Bishop Causse. He was great talked about missionary work and stuff and then he played the piano. Instead of a closing hymn he played on the piano Come Come Ye Saints. I was like I didn’t know general authorities could do that. He was really good. That was pretty much the week in a wrap.

That’s about everything that happened this week. 

Love,
Elder Frampton