Hello All,
Yes, I am now here in Pitesti (Peet - esht). No, that is not the same as Ploiesti, from where I have just come. I am now about 2-3 hrs to the NW of Bucuresti. It is a much smaller city than Ploiesti, with more dogs (and very aggressive ones, it seems). But, it is also somewhat nicer than in Ploiesti, and I think that the poeple are just a tad friendlier here. At least those are my first impressions. As for dad's guesses, they were pretty good: Cluj-Napoca is a beautiful tourist favorite, with a pretty good branch. Craiova, meanwhile, though bigger, is not yet open to missionary work, but will be the next city opened. I think that it was open at one point, but missionaries got beat up enough to stop the work there.
As for the branch here, it is quite a bit smaller than that in Ploiesti. In Ploiesti we had about 80 active members, while here there are about 15. But, those 15 are really great, and I am sure that we are going to add to that number in the very near future. The only married couple in the branch, where both of them are members, are the Boldias. He is a former Pentacostal preacher, their 14 yo daughter is, based on some test, the smartest child in Romania, and their are some of the most principle citizens in Pitesti. They are super cool. I could go on about the other members, but I will save them for later letters.
As for my new companion, his name is Elder Christensen, (or Elder Christi, for Romanians) and he is super cool! Though admittedly poor with the language, he is very humble, diligent, and charitable in a way that just wins people over. It is hard to resist his sincerity! He is pretty young in the mission, this being his 7th transfer, and he is even younger than me in age, being only 19. This is his first time as a senior companion, but he is doing marvelously so far. I can't wait to see how this transfer will go.
So, here is something. There was absolutely nobody to play the piano for the hymns on Sunday, so who do you think played. Yeah! I actually played the hymns for sacrament meeting, so you can imagine how desparate a situation it was. I played the simplified versions of High on a Mountain Top, There is a Green Hill Far Away, and Praise to the Man. I messed up a bit, but it was good enough to keep the rhythm and melody well enough to sing by.
Another story. After the transfer meeting, which took place in Buchurest, I was stuck with Elder Nakken, needing to get to Pitesti. Elder Nakken was to be companions with Elder Goodell, who had stayed in Pitesti with Elder Christensen, leaving Elder Nakken and I companionless, with baggage for the both of us, needing to get to a city we had never seen. Then, when we got to the train station, we found out that we had missed the rapid train that left from the station (where we had left our baggage at a storage area), and that the only train we could get to Pitesti that night would be a Personal train leaving from a station about 20 minutes' walk away. Now, Personal trains don't have heat, lights, or very many regulations at all, and they stop about every 15 minutes for all the little villages by the wayside. So, Elder Nakken and I were forced to take the grueling journey from the main station to a secondary station, pulling a lot of very heavy bags, where we then got on a train in which we were forced, because of how crowded it was, to stand in the aisle with our baggage, making people mad and choking on the cigarette fumes for a 3 hour ride that should have taken under 2 hours. It was cold, uncomfortable, suffocating, but fun enough. It's a good story at least.
I also had the chance to talk to a couple of the new missionaries that just arrived from the MTC. They seem like a very bright group, and it was a lot of fun talking to them. Then, when I asked if they had seen Jenn there, they all seemed to know her. Apparently, she played the piano for one of the Tuesday night Devotionals, which is a pretty big deal. Also, I think she spent some time talking to one of the Elders whose name is Ryttersgaard, who is from Denmark and knows Swedish. So, that was just kind of a fun connection. She should be in Sweden by now, though I haven't heard anything from her yet. Next week probably.
Oh yeah, last week, when visiting a members house in Ploiesti before I left the city, they fed us bird liver. It was horrid; mostly because of the texture and the flashbacks I had to 10th grade Biology. I ate it all, though, without flinching. I can't say as much for my companion, Elder Peet.
Well, I had better get going. Thanks for all the support you give me. Thanks for sending a package; I will be sure to share. Tell the girls to keep up the good work at school. Mom - you're doing fantastic balancing the many elements of your hectic life. Dad - Ditto. I love you.
Love muchly,
Elder Walker Frahm
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