Re: Another email

Hello Parents,

Thanks for the positive feedback to all of my emails, be they exciting or otherwise. I really enjoy the chance to write to you each week, though I find it to be a difficult task to find interest things about which to write recently. I have had a pretty boring week, really, and we expect next week to be boring as well. We had a new senior sister arrive recently from New Zealand. She is officially the first Kiwi that I've met, and she is just what I would expect: extremely good natured, independent, overly passionate for soccer (football) and rugby, and very funny sounding. She was actually born in England, but has lived most her life in New Zealand, so she has a really fun accent. I love hearing her speak!! We spent some time taking her around to do all of her visa stuff this last week. Unfortunately, she tripped on some pavement at one point and hurt her foot pretty badly. We got an X-ray of it, which showed she has no fractures, but there is a lot of swelling and soft-tissue damage. Her companion is a nurse from AZ, who has travelled a lot with the Red Cross emergency response team. It is funny to see the two of them interact, because the nurse keeps trying to keep her from hurting herself, while Sister Paeameolotu-Tuokai (quite a mouthful for anybody to say, esp. Romanians :) keeps trying to get away with not using her crutches and threatens to beat anyone who suggests her using a wheelchair. Sister P, as we dub her, is also very nervous in traffic (coming from NZ, where they drive on the left), which makes for a very excitable ride driving her thruogh the streets of Bucharest. She constantly thought we were going to get hit by oncoming traffic.

This next week is going to be the senior's conference for all the senior missionaries, which means that Elder Bartholomew and I have to be in the office all day every day next week as the Facers will be gone. That means, you guessed it, trying to find things to take up my time. I usually resort to filing or reading scriptures. Whatever the case, I anticipate much boredom. I'm really starting to itch to get out and do some real missionary work. *Deep breaths* It's really not that bad at all, just that I don't ever seem to be as occupied full time as I would like; and when I am, its with the kind of stuff that leaves you without a really large sense of meaningful accomplishment once you're done. Oh well. This time in the office has really brought me to appreciate the time I will have in the field and just how very precious is the time I have as a missionary.

As for Jenn, she is doing very well indeed. She had a tough transfer with a companion who had a different style and work ethic than she, but she seems to be loving her new greenie companion. As for what it is exactly that trainers do; they have a bunch of very important responsibilities. As a trainer, you have to help your new missionary to learn the ropes of being a missionary. It is your job to set a good first example for your young and impressionable trainee. It is very apparent to see the habits and attitudes that missionaries pick up from their trainers, so it is important to start them off well. The language, of course, is also a big thing that a missionary works on at the beginning of the mission, and it is the trainers job to build, encourage, and aid their greenie in becoming confident in speaking. It is a very hard job (kind of like teaching a spouse from a pre-arranged marriage, whom you've never before met, how to drive), but it is also very, very rewarding. I really hope for the opportunity to train!! I'm really sure that Jenn will be a super-great trainer!

Thanks so much for the pictures; I really love seeing you all sunburnt and having fun!! I especially loved to see the girls' beautiful braids!! :-) Thanks so much for your letters! They are really a big support. I, as always, love being a missionary! I love reading the scriptures and pondering them. I love the joy of obedience and of knowing that I am doing something pleasing to the Lord. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts.

Much love,
Elder Frahm