Hola hola hola. Buenos dias. Yo soy Elder Frampton,
First I have to say, I love the mission so much and I’m learning so much! But you know what’s weird? I have been out a year on my mission and I still feel like I have so much to learn! It's crazy.
So our recent convert, Alexander is literally the most faithful member I’ve ever seen and he’s only 11 years old. His family are not even members and he comes to church every week. He is usually the first one there too. He’s super excited to get the priesthood in December. It's so cute. He’s just like my little bro--so cool.
We don’t have a lot of investigators right now so we’re on the hunt. We’re just looking and finding people in the streets--walking up the hills. It’s kind of fun just to talk to everyone in the streets. That’s one of the things I love about the mission, You’re always outside in the street. You’re walking, you’re smiling, you’re waving at people, asking “Hey, how’s it going? Como esta?” You just start talking and getting to know people. It’s really interesting how in three minutes you can find out a lot about people and if they are going to be receptive to the message of the gospel.
We worked way hard this week, but we didn’t have a lot of lessons so we walked a lot. We walked and we walked and we walked. Straight up the hills. In the rain. One day while we were out in the streets trying to be guided by the spirit, we decided to go up this hill. We were passing by this investigator’s house, which is down the hill through a secret passage. We were like “should we go? We don’t have a lot of time.” But we were like “Let’s go.”
On our way there we walked past this member’s house and we were like “Hey, how’s it going?” It turns out she was having a really hard time and she needed a blessing. So we gave her a blessing and it was so cool because she was really cheered up, and really happy that we came by. She said, “You guys came right in the moment I needed you most.”
It’s really cool to see how God works like that. Literally, you show up at the right moment. It’s not like you knew. God just guides you straight to the place he wants you to be. It’s really awesome.
After all of our hard work this week we were finally able to find a new investigator. Two of her sons and her daughter recently died and we were able to testify of how families can be together forever. It’s really cool to help people with that stuff and to share that message with people who have lost loved ones . . . It brings soooooo much comfort into their lives, it’s incredible. Just in the fact of bearing testimony that they will see their family members again. It’s one of my favorite things about the mission too. To help people with that because it’s something that everybody wants and I’m really grateful for that knowledge.
Here is a question for you. One day while we were out in the rain walking around and talking to people one day, we struck up a conversation with this guy who had a Chicago. We just started talking about Chicago and then we were working the gospel into the conversation. He was like “no, I have my own faith. I’ve already shared with missionaries before. I really, really honestly tried to find out if your church was true” When he said that I really felt like he was being honest and that he really did try to find out if this is the true church. He said he didn’t feel that connection, and he honestly tried. It was really interesting. I was thinking about it and wondering why God didn’t give him the answer that it was the true church. I was wondering if you guys had any insight on that.
That’s how it is sometimes. You just gotta keep fighting. Keep looking. Keep working. Keep praying.
I was reading in Alma yesterday, about Alma the younger, and how when he goes to the city of Ammonihah after he has had a ton of success in Zarahemla, no one believes him, and they think he’s a fraud and like they basically throw him out of the city. Its absolutely just terrible. And I love, love, love when an angel comes upon him afterwards while he’s feeling sorry for himself, and the angel is like. “Dude, just chillax. There isn’t any reason to be sad. You’re doing great.” he basically tells him Lift up your head. Rejoice. You have a lot to make you happy. You have so much to be grateful for. You’re keeping the commandments of God. There’s no reason to get down. You feel the spirit and that’s really what matters.
I went on an interchange this week with Elder Fulmer from Arizona, who is awesome. We freakin’ tore it up. Elder Fulmer’s crazy. He took me on all these shortcuts through the woods and literally almost killed me. We taught this family of like 50 people, and they were like singing and dancing in their little house. It was awesome.
This week I also got to make bread! Classic Chilean bread. When I go home, besides all the people, I ‘m going to miss the bread so much. It’s AMAZING. I’ve been dying to learn how to make it so slowly, but surely I’ve been making friends with this woman who works in a bakery. Yesterday I got to make bread with her.
Oh my gosh. One of the biggest blessings in my life happened yesterday. ha ha ha Someone made me a pair of onesie Avatar pajamas. They are so awesome. It’s like the whole outfit of Avatar--the cape, the arrow, everything. I slept in it last night, and it’s like sleeping in a cloud. They’re so freakin’ sick.
Yesterday, I really learned that the best way to learn is from the spirit. Like I’ve really been learning a lot from my mission. I’m taking in so many things at once. I’m learning so many things. Like I’m learning from different missionaries, different people, life lessons, doctrine, etc. I’m reading the scriptures and there are so many other things I’m reading and worrying about and trying to learn and memorize. So much information to take in at once. And like if you were to ask me one thing I learned on my mission, I think the only things I could tell you, are the things I learned from the spirit. Those are the only things I remember. I felt the spirit testify of this to me. That this is true. That is is how God works, how he helps us remember truth. I feel like when the spirit testifies about the truthfulness of whatever it is you are learning, you can’t forget it.
I think one of my favorite things about the mission is when we teach the restoration. Especially when we recite the first vision in the words of Joseph Smith and how he describes his experience. Like every time I teach the restoration I feel the spirit when I teach that part. I don’t know why, but I like it. That’s one of my favorite things about the mission. I think that people feel the spirit too when we teach it. It’s like a confirmation that Joseph Smith really did see God the Father, and the Son. I love it.
This week we didn’t have a lot of success, but we did have a really awesome lesson. It was really, really cool, and she was super receptive to the restoration. She understood it really well, and she said she’s going to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.
And finally, one last thing. Guess what! I'm freakin' AP. Crazy, right? ha ha I leave this afternoon to go back to Vinar, and my new P-day will be on Saturday. I'm excited. Lesssssss gooooooo!
Hey, I love you guys. I'll be back on Saturday.
Elder Frampapi
P.S. I got to play soccer with my zone this week on P-day, which is always fun. I had like a freaking’ diving header goal, in front of all these Chilean members, who are like soccer pros, and I was balling out. They called me the Messi of the United States. ha ha ha
