Re: We got your package

Hello Family,

Sorry again about last week. So, as for New Years; we had a super huge fireworks show / war zone. Apparently, New Years is the biggest holiday here in Romania (yes, it does exist here), and everybody and their grandmothers -- quite literally -- purchase fireworks and shoot them off... at each other. So, midnight, we find ourselves walking home from the New Years Eve party that we were having at the church when we found ourselves --us 4 missionaries, the older missionary couple, and a couple of members -- in the middle of what appeared to be a WWI reenactment. There were bottle rockets, firecrackers-- pretty much anything loud and explosive that you can think of -- going off all around us. Elder Cristi, my companion took some video of it, and you really would think that we were hunkering down in a shell bunker protecting ourselves from the storm of steel and napalm pummeling the ground around us. I have probably seen more impressive fire works shows, but never ones that took place twenty feet over my head. It was quite the experience. Luckily, Elder Cristi is a rather large guy, so I kind of just crouched behind him and emerged unharmed.

Speaking of which, I also had heard about the missionaries shot in virginia, and it actually made me really appreciate serving here, where firearms are completely illegal. So Grandma doesn't have anything to worry about. (Plus I had one of the Elder's here make up a workout schedule for me consisting of pushups, situps, and pullups, so I expect to be able to deal with any of the scrawny Romanian street kids, who would be the only ones to ever get it into their heads to attack us missionaries.)

Tell Sarah congratulations. That is super neat that she is getting married!! It is also rather weird to think about.

I got your package this week. Which means that I, too, have had a tape to listen to. Thank you so much for that. It is likewise an amazing joy to hear your voices. Thanks as well for the food and candy. I am glad that you liked the package, that the girls like the books and that dad likes the tie.

Unfortunately, I just found out this morning that I am transferred from Pitesti, which is super sad because I loved my companion, I adore the city, and we have a lot of really good investigators with whom we are working, four of whom are scheduled for baptism. But, of course, I will go where the Lord needs me.

Yesterday, we had the amazing privilege of going to Buchuresti to have three more wonderful girls added to our small, but growing flock by being baptised. There were also three other people from Buchuresti who were baptised, making it a rather large, and super-spiritually charged ceremony. Two of those baptised were investigators that I helped to teach: Sister Felicia Dragomir and her 8 year old daughter Adriana. My companion baptised Felicia, and Brother Dragomir (a member since April) baptised his daughter. Adriana had asked me to baptise her because her dad was too nervous to go through with it, but in the end he pulled it together and did a great job. Another great part about the baptism was that we had a very high attendance. Though we only have about 30 members in the entire city here, we rented a 42 passenger bus to take us to the baptism in Buc and ended up having an attendance of 20 members and 15 investigators. We were floored to have that many people from our smaller city participate in the beautiful, life-changing experience that those baptised went through.

I have to go. :)

Love you,
Elder Frahm