1-7-16

Family,

Okay so Sunday was the first Sunday of this year and we had 9 church and priesthood first and sacrament last; it was a little different but I didn’t mind. We did a little contacting that night and found a guy who was super interested and has been looking into different religions taking the discussions from other churches and he was like I think your message and you two elders are better and on a different level than those Jehovah witnesses and the evangelical or evangelists missionaries.

Lunes or ex P day was good; we had a normal day working in the morning looking for people and then lunch; we had I think ham and cheese sandwiches. Then studied the afternoon and then went out at night and looked for people and contacted the street of the church and found another good guy who is interested and yeah I’ve passed church and seen it when I walk past.

Tuesday we went to Santa Rosa for zone meeting and that was good. We got on the bus at 9 45 in the morning then rode it to Castex and the other elders got on and we met (who they are the Elder Caseres from Paraguay has about a year in the mission and Elder Alverez from Costa Rica who is brand new elder). Then we all went to Santa Rosa, got off found the zone leaders, had lunch milanesas. Then we walked forever to the church on the other side of town and got a little lost but got there eventually had the meeting and then finished and then walked to the terminal and got on the bus, bought some food luckily they sell sandwiches for 10 pesos in the terminal so 1 US dollar. Got on the bus back to Pico got here at 9 at night and then planned talked and went to sleep. 

Wednesday had a lesson in the morning our investigator has read all the way to Helaman 8. Then we talked with the neighbor who is this guy who owns like 5 dogs and he was real nice and told us about his life and childhood and poverty and family and talked to us for like 50 minutes and then said he wanted to pass by our church on Sunday ,when do we have services and we said 9 and he said what am I supposed to wear. Just long pants and a shirt. And we talked to his neighbor who was interested and said we could come back another day because he had company over but he wants to hear our message but we should return tomorrow.  

Then we went home and had lunch fideos with meat and vegetables it was like a stew kind of thing. Then we studied and planned for the week because Wednesdays are weekly planning sessions. Then went out last night and I went to the bank big federal building of Argentina and used the ATM machine there and took out 500 pesos. So in the past the rate when I got here was 10 pesos to 1 dollar but now the rate has gone up which is good for me because right now the rate is 14 pesos for every dollar. So I took out 500 pesos which is about 35 or 36 dollars. Had no problem. Then we went and bought cereal so we have breakfasts in the mornings.  

Then we went and taught our one investigator who is really great and he asked tons of questions and has lots of questions but we were able to answer all of them and he told us that in the past the other missionaries of other religions didn’t have answers and couldn’t answer his questions but we were able to. We taught the restoration and he said he remembered a little bit of it - the part about Joseph Smith and the First Vision but didn’t remember the Book of Mormon. And he asked him how do you know this already and he said when he was little like 12 years old he would go to the church to play soccer and went to a couple of church Sundays because that is how it worked to play soccer you had to have attended church that past Sunday or promise to come and attend the next Sunday. Then at the end he asked a question about the plan of Salvation and I was like that’s funny you would ask that because that is next lesson the Plan of Salvation we will talk all about that next time.

Then we left and then we went to the church for correlation meeting with the branch president and one of the counselors. Branch president told me I have another talk in 3 weeks. Then went home and ate a little cereal for dinner and went to bed. 

Today this morning woke up and came to write and email here.

This week I have been eating a lot of yogurt and fruit like apples and pears and peaches I bought a bunch of those and then bananas I eat all the time so I’ve been eating a lot of fruit and buying yogurt that is good too. 

That was practically our week and now it is Thursday a little past half week it is a little different to be writing on Thursday. That is all for this week. I will probably send pictures next week talk to you guys next Thursday. I hope everyone is doing good! Have fun

 

Love,

Elder Frampton

 

11-9-15 (week 11)

Dear family,

So let’s see Tuesday or maybe it was Monday after I had already sent my long letter and I went to write the mission president he sent a letter saying he changed the schedule for us missionaries. So we wake up 6 30 exercise eat breakfast shower get ready and out of the house proselyting and contacting by 8 or 8 30. Go until 12 30 go back to the house for lunch which is an hour until 1 30 do our studies personal and companionship for an hour each until 3 30 then for the newer missionaries we have to do language study and/or the program Doce Semanas (12 weeks) which is just like training. Leave the house like 4 or 4 30 go back out and contact and teach the night time until 9 when we have to return to the house again to get ready for bed. So that was kinda new but not really because my companion and I had already been doing this schedule we think president changed it because we gave him the idea because we have been doing it this whole time.

And then the other thing is starting in the New Year in January we won’t be able to get meals from families anymore. So without other people providing us with lunch or dinners we are thinking they will have to increase our budget because literally like everyday right now we have lunch with a member or a less active or someone. And if in January we can’t have lunch everyday then they will have to give us more mission money for us to buy supplies and food for us to cook our own lunches everyday.

Which brings us to this morning when our district leader called asking like how much we eat every day how much that cost what kind of things have we been buying for breakfast which just is cereal and milk but he asked prices and quantities and types of food so we are thinking that is what is about. Probably president is getting an idea how much everyone is spending and stuff and then will up our mission fund from getting 1300 pesos every month to like 1700 pesos or something I don’t know what number he will pick.

So anyway now going back in time to Tuesday. It was a normal day contacting in the morning then lunch then we were in the middle of our studies and the zone leaders call and say Elder Frampton needs to buy a bus to get from Pico to Santa Rosa because they have bought me a bus from Santa Rosa to Bahia Blanca already and that second bus leaves at 11 at night. So we call the bus place looking for a bus and they say there is one that leaves at 6 and one at 8. So I decide to take the 8 one because it is only a 2 maybe 2 and a half hour bus ride and if I would take the 6 one I would get there like 2 hours early so I said I will take the 8 one and get to Santa Rosa about 10 or 10 30 and then only have to wait for like half an hour. So my companion takes me in a taxi to the bus station and we get there at like 7 55 and I made it just in time to catch my 8 o clock bus. Then the bus ride was fine but I was a little confused because we made like 5 or 6 stops some that seemed unnecessary because normally that bus ride only has 2 stops (1 in the next town Castex and then the other in a little pueblo) So with like 3 extra stops I got to Santa Rosa at like 11 05 and I was worried I had missed my bus or something I hop off and I see two guys in suits and it’s the missionaries they give me my bus ticket and tell me my bus hasn’t arrived yet so I didn’t miss it or anything like that.

So I wait with them and my bus comes at 11 15 and I get on and they had me write down an address I’m supposed to go to once I get to Bahia Blanca. So I’m riding on the bus and I’m real nervous and scared to fall asleep because someone will steal my bag (I just took my little shoulder bag with some garments my tooth brush and deodorant). So I maneuvered my bag under my arm against the wall kind of half sitting on it so that way someone will have to wake me up if they are trying to get to my bag. And I am able to fall asleep for only like 3 hours. I wake up its like 2 in the morning and I couldn’t fall back asleep so I stayed awake for the last 2 hours.

So we get to Bahia Blanca at 4 in morning and I get off the bus hop in a taxi tell the driver the address and he says he knows right where it is. I talk with him for a little during the drive luckily my Spanish is decent because I have been here for 4 weeks. He drops me off and I realize oh this is the assistants house the same one I stayed at the very first day I was here in Argentina. so I open the gate walk around to the back go into the little house had to be quiet because I know the others are sleeping I go to the bath room brush my teeth come out put on my pajamas and by this it is 4 30 I hop into my bed that they had left prepared for me. I’m laying there pull the blanket on top because it was a little colder there in Bahia Blanca for some reason.

Then next thing the door swings open the lights turn on and it is the Secretary and the Materiales elders from the office and they say okay elders time to wake up we got to get going now. It was 5 I hadn’t even fall asleep yet I get out of bed put back on my clothes which I had just gotten out of and put on my pajamas. So I put on my suit and we leave. We take a taxi to the migrations office place and they tell us we are here so early because a line will form very quick because everyone always comes here early. So we stand there outside at 5 30 almost 6 in the morning until 8 when the migration office place opened. And by that time we look back and there is a line half way across the street and luckily we were first in line because we have been waiting there since 6. So we go in they have me sign some stuff take my fingerprints and sign something else. Then we leave and take a taxi somewhere else walk inside I give them my passport verify I am who I am why I am here how long I’ll be here for do this stuff called Tramites and DNI a bunch of immigration things. Then by this time it is 12 and they say okay we are done.

Now to McDonalds!! Wahoo go inside it is like this huge 2 story like restaurant the most richy McDonalds I’ve ever seen. Go in look at the prices you got 70 pesos for a kid’s meal that is like 7 dollars for the little kid meal. So anyway I get a Big Mac some fries and a Sprite. It was sooo delicious. Then they take us to the stake center or church building or the mission office its all the same building in Bahia. Sit down on the chairs for a while talk with the guys in the office then the mail elder gives me a package and it was the package from Mom I opened it and ate the chocolate eye balls. Then it was time to hop on a bus to come home. They drive me to the terminal give me a ticket and they tell me Elder Frampton you need to watch and be cautious and get off at Santa Rosa because this bus is going all the way to Jujuy. If you don’t get off in Santa Rosa you will go to Jujuy which I just looked up right now and is 17 hours farther than I’m supposed to go and 1519 km which is 943 miles.

So anyway on the bus got off safely in Santa Rosa looking around for the elders the zone leaders someone. No one is there I walk around looking can’t find anyone so I say maybe I’m just supposed to buy my ticket to Pico and get on the bus. So like 7 minutes later I run into the zone leaders wearing like normal p day clothes and they are like oh elder Frampton we have been looking for you and I told them I got here like 7 minutes ago I’ve been looking for you. They take me to their apartment and I spend the night at the zone leaders get up in the morning and take the 6 o clock bus back to Pico get to Pico and my companion is waiting we take a taxi back to our apartment I change into some work clothes because Thursdays are service days we go over to an old lady’s house and we weed whack and pull weeds.

Then it was a normal day again - went home after service showered had lunch studied and had our appointment that night with that one family. And they hadn’t read or prayed since last week except the father finished 1 Nephi and is starting 2 Nephi. And they were different this time; they weren’t as interested and they just kept saying the phrase like oh we like sharing and talking and beliefs and stuff.

Friday was normal again; no lessons though so we just contacted, lunch, studied, left went to the church for noche hogar and no body showed up absolutely no one. We were the only ones in the church so we took a TV from the media closet and watched Ephraim´s Rescue on it.

Saturday umm I don’t remember I have nothing in my agenda and I don’t remember anything from Saturday so I guess nothing really happened. I think Saturday was just a normal kind of nothing to do day uneventful. Then yesterday we woke up, went to church, came back took a little nap, went over to the branch presidents for lunch and it was good they had a fruit salad I really liked. Then we had dinner at night with the branch mission leader's family.

And first off it is super hot here already like I sleep with short PJs and everyday when proselyting I’m so sweaty. So we are sitting outside talking while the wife is making the dinner and I wasn’t super hot because it as like 7 at night so kind of dark and cool breeze then we move inside for dinner and I start sweating a lot and I’m like really sweaty and they give me some juice to drink and I feel a little cooler then they bring out the main meal hot hot soup.  So I’m sitting here in this already hot house eating hot soup, sweating like so many pounds off I can barely even see because it is running down my face so fast and I wife some sweat off and then more just comes I’m sweating faster than I can wipe it off. And they are like Elder why are you sweating so much?  I just said it is because I am white- I have white skin they laughed and I was like I just want to leave or step outside or something. Finally dinner ended and we left and walked back to our house and I stepped inside our pension and I ripped off my clothes, I was toasting. And they say it only gets hotter here like December and January are terrible and we can’t take our suit coats off or wear short sleeve shirts until President says so and he will make that decision for the whole mission.

So that was my week. Hope you guys aren't indexing too hard until your eyes and hands fall off.

Thanks! Hope you have a good Thanksgiving because I don’t know when it is I think like not this Thursday but in 3 more Thursdays. Eat some turkey and enjoy it! 

Love,

Elder Frampton