Week 33: Же

Привет., Я это самое...

    This week was pretty good. I picked up my new companion and we went back to Астрахань. We had a few plans cancel on Saturday and just decided to go finding for a few hours. We went to this boardwalk thing alongside the Volga river. And we just asked people why the river was called "The Volga" and we got 2 phone numbers out of it!! One of the guys was pretty energetic and he said he was drunk, a little, but that part is important when we ask them to stop drinking later haha. I'm excited to meet with him and the other guy who owns a motorcycle shop and has a lot of free time.

My comp is good. He reminds me a lot of my friend Jett. I feel like we are going to be really good friends. We are also going to put in the work for finding people because the teaching pool here hasn't been very big. Also, Elder Page and Whitaker, Elder Taylor and I traveled to Kazakhstan this week for a visa trip.  I sent some pictures of it.   

Our recent convert is good. He is growing really fast in the gospel. He is divorced and that kind of took a tole on him. 

Happy Birthday to Blake (on the 23rd) he turned 13 this year. 

And I hope everybody else has a good week as well. 

Он ещё жив

Старейшена М Франсковияк

 

Week 32: Transfers!!!

Dear everyone,

The call has come and I will be staying in Astrakhan but I will be getting a new companion. His name is Elder Taylor and he is from Utah county somewhere. He just barley got out of training so this next transfer will be quite the experience for us both.   And I would remind you that we will continue to be the branch counselors and the branch president does not speak any Russian! We have started to teach him some Russian but we have to start at ground 0. But this also means that we have to lead church and translate for him when he wants to speak. It is going to be a real growing experience for me. I am excited.

On Thursday I have a visa trip to Kazakhstan which was a blast last time I went. 

ask and ye shall receive

Elder Franckowiak 

Week 31: Baptism!!!!!!

Hello Family and Friends,

  It was a week of incredible blessings. This week we had a baptism in a hotel pool. The pool water was up to my neck when I did the baptism. It was such a cool experience. There were 7 people at the baptism including us, the missionaries. But, due to Russian laws, we are not allowed to send pictures of Russians at all. But I will send pictures of the hotel where we were.  Then yesterday at church he received the Holy Ghost. It was so cool to be here for his whole conversion and see him change. He really was searching for truth and he found what he was looking for. He is going to be a great addition to the branch here and I'm looking forward to seeing his continual growth. 

Love this church and all that it offers. 

Я тоже знаю что он жив!

Старейшина М Франсковияк

Week 30: Thank You!!!!

Family and Friends, 

Thank you to everybody who wished me a Happy Birthday!!

It will truly be one to remember here in Russia. This week has been a really good one. 

The baptism for Alexei has been postponed because we can't find a place to baptize him. And it will take a few weeks to do some paperwork to help us get legal document work to do it at a hotel somewhere. I don't know why we just don't do it at a river. We would have to cut a block of ice out but that would be a baptism to remember. He is so ready to be baptized though. 

The Elders from Volgograd came down this week to interview the guy and it was fun having them here. We met with a few potentials with them and it was just an overall good day. 

On Sunday we had 20 people come to church and even an investigator who hasn't come to church and we've been meeting with him for 2 months now. 

Thanks again for all the birthday wishes and I hope everyone has a great week as always. 

с любовью,

Elder M Franckowiak