Last Week in the MTC: TURN OUT!

Hey family!! 

How are you guys? How has your week been? Mom, I got you Dear Elder this week and I loved it! There was one part in there that was so touching about what Chase said, which was so cool, so thanks for sending me that! 

I can't believe this is my last week in the MTC. It's so surreal to me. It seriously feels like I just got here and now I'm leaving. The MTC has honestly changed my life and I'm writing a little book about my MTC experience. I'll share it with you guys when I'm done. Mom, I decided I want you to start a blog for me about my mission because I realize that it's just as important for others to hear about the experiences I am having as it is for me to experience them. In a devotional this past Sunday somebody said we need to share our thoughts and feeling just like all the prophets in the Book of Mormon shared their thoughts and feelings. 

This week has been way good. My Spanish has been getting way better, but I realized something so important. I'm not trying to learn Spanish and I'm not trying to learn English. These languages don't matter. The real language I'm trying to learn is the language of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and if I can become more like Christ, Spanish will come and everything else will fall into place. 

I'm kinda sad to leave this place because its become my new home and my new family and now I have to leave it again.  But it's okay because I'm excited to meet my new family. But ya, its hard to say goodbye again. 

I'm doing great though. I'm working hard and learning a lot and having a lot of fun too.  I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life as I have here.  

I miss you guys and I'm truly grateful for all that you've done for me.  I love you guys!

Here is my spiritual thought for the week: 

TURN OUT, TURN OUT, not in, TURN OUT! It's a really simple thought, but it really is so powerful. I heard this in a devotional given by Elder Bednar. He said "when times get rough, turn out."  I've had a lot of time to ponder and think about life and I think about how I can become a better missionary and more importantly, a better person. I realized that if I just strive to be more like Christ, then I naturally become better and so I've really been trying to figure out how I can be more like Christ. I've been reading scriptures and praying, and then I heard this: TURN OUT! QUIT THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF! Not once did Christ ever think about himself. Not once. Even when Christ was betrayed by his own apostles after HE HAD JUST SUFFERED FOR THE SINS OF THE ENTIRE WORLD, he didn't feel sorry for himself. I imagine Christ on the cross with his hands and feet nailed to it, and then him saying "father forgive them, for they know not what they do."  Wow. TURN OUT! I know that if we can turn out then we will be happier in our lives. 

Love Elder Frampton 

MTC Week 4--This mission isn't about me!

Hey family!

I miss you guys like crazy!!! I hope you guys are doing amazing! My week went pretty good!! ya, it's been tough, but I live for the tough times! I pray for them because I know through those times I grow as a missionary and as a person and as a representative of Jesus Christ! It's been a great week. I have been learning so much and having a ton a fun and working hard and feeling the spirit. I have had a lot of cool spiritual experiences this week, and I have never been so close to Jesus Christ than I am right now. My testimony has grown a lot and I have been just trying to rely on the lord.

I was able to give another blessing this week and also had a really good opportunity to help some of the kids in my house with some of the problems they are having. Missions are hard if you let them be. . . Life is hard if you let it be, SO DON'T LET IT! I truly have found that when we think about ourselves and our problems and when I think about my family back home and how I can't speak Spanish, then the mission is gonna be hard! Really hard!! But if we turn to the Lord and think about what the mission is truly about and what life is truly about then we are given strength. I have learned something really important this week, and its really simple. This mission isn't about me. Me choosing to go on a mission isn't about me. This life isn't about me. I'm here simply because there are people out there that need Christ, and there are people out there that NEED me to be ready to tell them. 

When I look at life with that prospective there is not one person on this earth that will stop me!! Satan will bring his whirlwinds and chains and do everything he possibly can to stop me but he won't! Bring it on Satan!!!!!!!! I love it!! I will help everyone I can by sharing the message of Jesus Christ and that's my spiritual thought for this week!!

I've also been having a lot of fun this week. I'm working way hard, but I'm trying to work hard and have fun doing it. I try to turn everything into a game. I have been playing chess and doing a lot of dunk ball and just enjoying every moment here in my mission. It will fly be and it already has, and I'm just trying to soak it in. 

I also organized a devotional for about 200 missionaries in the MTC and had this amazing devotional. I knew an elder that I had this amazing story that changed my life and I wanted to get him to share it with everyone, so I gathered all the elders I knew and it was an awesome devotional! 

Umm,  what else... I finally got the runs here. lolololol, but I just embraced it.  ha ha I also got way tight with a lot of the Latinos here and it is so fun to talk with them. They are funny as crap. And I just love all the missionaries here and I'm sad that I have to leave here in two weeks. 

I also got to go to the temple this week and we watched a video on families and it made me cry. I thought about the first time I went to the temple and I thought about how I walked in the celestial room and I still remember vividly mom and dad standing there holding hands with so much joy. I remember I could literally see their spirits glowing off of them and as I walked up to them I had so much joy in my heart because I had a little taste of heaven and how families can be together forever.

I miss you guys and I pray for you every night. I know you pray for me, i can feel it in my heart so thank you. Have an amazing week! 

Elder Frampton

MTC Week Three

Hey, I know, three weeks! Crazy huh? But it has gone by so fast, it so weird. I'm really enjoying it here and learning to love everything about it! The language is hard . . . I feel behind my whole district and I got really frustrated with myself because of it one day, but then I quickly realized that it's only been three weeks and I need to relax and have fun with it. 

This week has been really spiritual as well. I got to hear a talk from Elder Holland and it was life changing. I feel like I'm really starting to find a specific purpose in my life now and it's awesome. I'm learning what my strengths and my weaknesses are and I love both of them. I love working hard again, and I've really learned to love the scriptures and reading them and searching them. Its like my favorite part of the day! And I had a really cool experience this week--I got to give one of the sisters in my district a blessing and it was an amazing experience. I felt the spirit really strong!! Also it was Mexico Independence day and it was so cool to see their culture and dancing and music and fireworks. I really love the culture. 

I've had a really good week and I'm excited for the next one! love you guys.

Goodbye. 

Elder Frampton

MTC Week 2

HEY EVERYBODY! 

HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING? I love all the pictures! I wish I could have been there for Wyatt and Garrett's birthday so bad! I cant believe they're 16. I am so pumped for them! happy birthday guys! Have you guys got your permit yet? You guys are studs, man. 

I am doing really good! I had a great week. I got a little sick, but other than that I've been way good. I love it here in the MTC.  It's so spiritual. Every day I feel the spirit so strong and it helps me to keep working hard. It's crazy how much work we do here. We honestly have something to work on or study for our whole day, but it's kinda fun and nice to have that. 

The language is way tough and I feel a little behind but that's okay, I'm just trying to be patient with myself and I know if I work my hardest and try my best I have nothing to worry about because the Lord will do the rest. 

It's been way fun here too. Tons of my friends are here, and I've really come close to a lot of the elders and I love all of them. They are all so cool. Me and my companion are literally like brothers. We are way tight. We have been pulling a lot of pranks this week and we are working on a music video that will be coming soon. 

I had another good week. I just mostly want and hope you guys are happy and doing good more than anything. How is everything going with you guys? l love you guys. I know you guys are getting blessed a lot, and I'm so happy for that!

Bye, 

Love Elder Frampton

(PHOTO COURTESY OF MY STUDENT, CHRIS HAN. He is in Zach's zone.)

First Week in the MTC

Hola me familia!!!! 

It's been a whole week.  Wow! I miss you guys like crazy, but I honestly am doing so good. I love it here! its the best thing ever! I love everything about it! I'm so happy right now. I have such a great companion. He's soooo smooth, and we get along great! 

I'll start you off on my journey of my first week.  On the airplane I got to sit by both of my friends, Wyatt and Chase. which was so nice. We got off the plane in Mexico and I decided to start off my mission by attempting to talk to some random person in Spanish. I decided to ask him his name which is como te llama, but instead of saying that I said, "te amo, which means I love you. LOL Luckily he said, I love you too! ha ha. Then we got on a bus to drive to the MTC and it was crazy. I thought I was gonna die because they drive so crazy here. No one stops for anything. It was awesome!!! 

When we arrived at the MTC the first thing that happened was they made me get a haircut, which was the scariest thing of my life because it literally took 30 seconds and they just flew through it. But it looks good. Then I got my companion, who is way tight! We love to sing together and dance, so whenever we get stressed we just dance it out. We get along so well.

Umm lets see . . . there are some really funny elders, but I love, love them. Like one elder in my room always does these funny impressions. Lately I've heard a lot of Mickey Mouse ha ha. Another elder just hiccups all the time, lol, but its cool. I've been challenged to a foosball tournament by elder Hepworth, who is apparently a foosball legend,  and I play hackysack with my friend, Elder Nightcamp. I call him The Nighthawk. He reminds me a lot of Napolean Dynamite. I love it. Whenever we get tired of studying, we just Hackysack. 

The language is way tough, but I'm just trying to be patient with myself and have fun with it. We had to teach an investigator the second day, which went pretty well actually. The food is pretty good. No diarrhea yet. 

I'm super happy so that's most important. How are you guys doing? tell me everything. How's conditioning Garrett? How's Wyatt's leg? How's high school? 

Mom, I met a couple of your students! Elder Han was one of them and he's way cool!

I wanna hear about everything. I can't wait to hear about everything!  

Love you guys and miss you so much!

Elder Frampton