Week 45: Baptism!!

This week was a pretty normal week but it was also transfer week. We went to Kazakhstan through Astrakhan and stayed in Astrakhan while we were waiting for our train that night. The elders there had set up a branch cleaning at 5pm. We all went there and I was able to see and talk to all my past friends. It was so cool talking with Alexei and to see the progress that he has made in the past 6 weeks that I have been gone. He is already ready to receive the higher priesthood. I also got to see and talk to the branch president down there. The one from Chile. He is such a good guy.

We also had a baptism on Saturday. The sisters passed him off to us about 5 weeks ago. The cool thing was, he knew that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet but he said that he wanted to get baptized in the Autumn. We laughed and taught him a few things about procrastinating the day of your repentance and got him to commit to a date. Such a cool story.

Nothing else though, except the atonement of Jesus Christ is the only means by which we can be saved. то есть the Savior had descended below all things.

то есть он жив

Elder Franckowiak

Week 44: Mother's Day

Week 43: Христос

Friends and family,

 This week was good. We had some pretty powerful lessons with some less actives and have seen some progress with them through the lessons. With this one guy that we met with, we talked about how we can acquire faith and how this life is the time to prepare to meet God. It was pretty powerful. But in the end he told us that he has no desire.... что делать? 

Love Russians. They are so funny and so straight up to you. I love it though. "how long have you been out?" "about 10 months" " oh wow, your Russian sucks. You should be a lot better." It's so humbling. haha

Mans heart shall fail them.

Он Жив

Старейшина Франсковияк

Week 42: Emergency Transfers

Fam and Friends,

Another good week and it was also zone conference week. The main topic from the president was D&C 76... gotta love it. The rest of the topics were about loving the people and loving Russian. I really like these topics because they motivate me to work harder and to be a better person Вообще.

One of my companions is getting emergency transferred because some elders in Sochi could not handle each other. So Elder Page, is going to Astrakhan... the place where I just came from.

We got a new investigator from the sisters this week and we had a really good lesson. In the end we invited him to be baptized on the 5th of May and he said yes. It probably won't happen on the 5th, it will probably be on the 12th. Either way, I am so excited to get to know this guy because this guy is funny. It's cool to see how much he really wants this gospel in his life and how much he knows it's true. One thing he said though is that he wants to be baptized in autumn....... hahahahha why? I love Russians.

Он жив!

Elder Franckowiak

Week 41: Волжский

 

Hello всем

This week Elder Page and I went to Volzhski to do a split with a Russian. We met with someone on the first day who had some very interesting ideas about people who are good and people who are bad. He gave us an object lesson and it left me and Elder Page dying. Just the examples he used for his demonstration were funny. The next day we did service for 4 hours at the guy's house. He was so weird and has been an investigator for 12 years. He got a girlfriend and then she got baptized before he did. But we put up insulation on the outside of this guy's house.  We raked his garden and pulled out all of the old strawberry leaves. We went inside his house and ate cold chicken legs that were good...... and the Russian and the investigator, we were serving, made a homemade balcony so they could stand on it to do some stuff with an indoor cooling system for the summer. He went in the room, hit his electricity power line things with a wrench and said "it should stop acting up now". Really good experience to say the least.

I love serving people and we can always see the joy that comes from the people after we serve them.

still no pictures, i gave up on this place.

Он ещё жив

Страрейшина м Франсковияк

Week 40: Я... это самое

Все,

This week has been an interesting one. We met with a few recent converts and some less actives. Pretty average week actually.

We went on a finding activity though and happened to stumble upon a basketball court with a group of three playing. We decided to challenge the boys because we are in a trio. We sadly beat them by an exceedingly high number. The whole goal was to get their numbers in the end and be friends but they were hesitant to do so. But they wanted to play again. So a few days later we came back and played them again but this time there was a guy who looked like he actually played basketball. Turns out that he did, but a year ago he tore his ACL or something and is now just starting to come back. Needless to say though, we beat them by an exceedingly high amount. And they wouldn't give us their numbers again. I've gotten used to playing basketball in church clothes though.

Other then that nothing really happened. But the work must go forward. Basically what I'm trying to say is that the church is true.

Elder Franckowiak

No pictures again, there is no place to download pictures on the computers in the new area

Week 39: VOLGOGRAD

Hello my dear братья и сёстри,

This week has been one to be completely covered in the journal. I had to say goodbye to all the people in Astrakhan that I had grown so close to (not very many people). My favorite person was the branch president from Chile. We spent so much time with him and he taught us so much spiritually and worldly (like world news). I finally left Astrakhan on Friday night and I took a night train to Volgograd. Alexei, the guy I baptized, was at the train station waiting for me. We talked and he almost shed a few tears as he thanked me for being there with him through his journey. We got here on Saturday morning and we had to go straight to the branch.

My new companions are great! They are keeping me motivated to eat well and exercise. That is definitely what I have been needing for the past few transfers. When there's no motivation, there's no activation. по крайней мере для меня.

General Conference was good and I am excited to implement it into my own life. And I am so grateful that I have a Savior who was willing to take upon himself the sins of everybody so we have the opportunity to return to our Father in Heaven again.

ОН... это самое... ЖИВ!!!!

стрейшина Францковьяк