December Letters

Monday, December 7, 2009

Dear Family,

First off, I have to comment about Anna's attatchments. The music is FANTASTIC! Oh how I miss your piano hands!But I Also have to remark, Anna, how long have you had that southern accent? I guess maybe it has been so long since I have heard it, it was a surprise!It was kind of interesting hearing a genuine southern accent because it has been so long. I kind of felt like my companion, in the sense that today we took a district trip to more northern albania, to a city called Kruje. He misses the northern Albanian accent because he has been in the south so long. He was in heaven listening to the dialect today. once again, the music is awesome; you know how much I love "What Child is this". And I am SO jealous that you got SUSHI!

And Melisa, Awesome job with the Makin! It is a Beautiful makin, just like emily's makin. And you looked BEAUTIFUL, and GORGEOUS! It is good to hear about thenew major! I think you will enjoy that.

Mom, you mentioned if there was anything I needed else. well, last transfer, my oil vial dropped of the keychain, and my watch glass broke. I'm not sure what could be done...right now, I just carry an entire bottle of oil with me and it would be nice to carry something smaller. Also, brown sugar in practically only available in tirana. That is about all I really need. I was going to ask about the oil vial earlier, but you had already sent the package so didn't worry about it.

Well, as for my day in Kruje. It is a old city, and I got to visit a REAL CASTLE! I was thinking,"we don't have these in America..." Actually, (just a bit of random information) considering the lack of available public restrooms, I had the unfortunate opportunity to pee on a castle! (I thought Ammon would find that funny.) Had there been any other course of action, I would gladly have taken it. I asked the others they thought it was illegal to urinate on a national monument, and we figured that Albanian Old Men (xhaxhi) do it all the time, and I really had to go! Anyway...

Also in Kruje I had the opportunity to visit a xhami (muslim masque). The man was very kind, and we were respectful. My companion went for the purpose of obtaining a koran. It is actually part of the muslim religion that if someone asks you for a koran, you must freely give it to him. My companion asked him if he could have a koran, and he gladly gave us all one. so now I have an Albanian/Arabic koran. The xhami was interesting, with lots of arabic things inside and prayer mats. It kind of is another world over here in some ways (its especially noticable when you wake up at 4:00am and hear the xhami doing the hoxh (muslim prayer call) and then hearing it the other 4 times during the day on loudspeakers all over the town. Anyway, kruje was great, even though it took a few hours to get there.

My companion gave me a violin lesson! I am not any good, but who knows what I can do with a few P-days this transfer.

By the way mom, could you send me the recipe for popcorn cake? I was thinking about that the other day...that would be sooo goood....

Well, as for this week, I didn't realy make anything spectacular. Tuesday morning I made breakfast cake with the last of my brown sugar because we couldn't buy food the night before for breakfast and we had to use what we had...it just so happenend that we had enough ingredients for a breakfast kake.

My Albanian is improving...slowly. In some ways I think in Albanian. Some words are more natural in Albanian than in english, such as Xhami (we never say masque). Also, it is intersting because I never think of myself as John anymore...even when I think about myself it is Elder Fredrickson. That is who I am...Elder Fredrickson. I really hope that my Albanian improves a bit faster...but as the Albanians say, "Avash, avash".

Emily, did I ever tell you that whenever anyone sees the picture of the cake, they ask who wrote that ,and if you know albanian? It is kind of funny. But its also slightly interesting because there is only one spelling mistake, but you spelt it how it is spoken in the north. You were very very accurate.

Let's see, investigators. We have edi, that is ready to be baptized all except for his smoking problem. He has a strong testimony about everything, but doesn't have the faith to quit yet.

We have Algida, but we haven't seen her since last time i told you about her.

We have a man named Florian who we will teach about Baptism tonight.

But also pray for my companion, Elder Anderl. He, as Brach President has a lot on his shoulders. He has a lot of members to work with, on top of being district leader and having mission leadership. He is also about to begin tithing settlements, and you can imagine what that will be like for him. He is also trying to organize the Christmas party. He needs help, and in some areas of his calling, I simply am helpless. Please keep him in your prayers.

I love you all. Thank you for the warning about D.D.'s Christmas package. I promise I will not open it till Christmas. And any Christmas baking recipes would be nice too. I miss Christmas baking. By the way, did you put my name in the name exchange? Who do I get a gift for?

Thank you for your prayers. They do help. We have a lot of work here in Fier, and I am prety sure I will still be here next transfer. I love you all!

Me Dashuri,
Elder Fredrickson

By the way, WE TAUGHT 20 LESSONS THIS WEEK!!!



Monday, December 14, 2009

Dear Family,

I really wish I could tell you about Christmas calls but it seems that you know more than I do!Our internet cafe does have a camera, and I think, (vetem think) that it has skype. I know it has headsets and cameras but I don't know how to work skype, but if you get instructions, we will work that out with you next week. My companion is on a trip right now with all of the other Elders and Sisters that are leaving in 3 weeks. It is really painful to see him go; He is such a GOOD missionary. I wish I could spend more time with him, because I know there is a lot I could learn from him....but our separation is inevitable.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMMON!!!! I though about that the other day and I wrote in my planner, write happy birthday to Ammon. By the way, how is he enjoying my scriptures that you found in the ceiling of the church? I kind of wish I could see a picture of them. Ammon, I hope you had a happy birthday.

Thursday we had an interesting experience. Joseph B. Wirthlin (Elder Wirthlin's son) came and visited our branch building that day. We had to open the building, and so we got to meet him. We didn't know he was coming untill about 15 minuites before he arrived at the building!He was with a man from holland and an Albanian. He looked at the building, asked us some questions, then after we were done he asked if we had had lunch. We had not and he asked where a restaurant was that we could eat. There are not many restaurants in Fier other than fast food, (sufllaques, hot dogs, pizza, gjiros) but Elder Anderl know a reasonably nice Pizza restaurant that also served Crepes. It also just so happened that we think that this restaurant is owned by the Mafia (I forgot to mention that Fier is a major Mafia hub. There is actually a member here that his father has connections with the mafia. He went on a mission, maybe to escape a bit. He returned, and his father said that if he has any associations with the church, he would rather him dead than to disgrace the family...and he wouldn't think twice about having the Mafia take him out. lets just say, we don't talk with them...for our sake and for his. Anyway...) This restaurant was NICE! Brother Wirthin and his friend payed. I got a chicken crepe and everyone else got pizza(but I was asked to help the holland man AND my companion finish thier pizzas....I WAS STUFFED!). Brother Wirthlin thought is funny, because while he was speaking, I would shake my head in agreement. He had heard about it, but it was throwing him off a little, and he was enjoying himself. Its become so natural to shake my head yes. Its only begun to become habit. Anyway, it was quite an experience talking with Elder Wirthlin's son. Actually, Brother Wirthlin's son was one of the missionaries that opened Albania. He said that when his son was here, he had to wait 2-3 hours in line just to buy bread for 10 cents. And also, to get meat, they would on occasion slaughter a goat in their bathtub! He said it was quite an experience. I enjoyed talking with him.

By the way, please tell the missionaries to tell the business owners to have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS from Elder Fredrickson! I need to send them a postecard or something....

Speaking of, it is kind of funny so see Christmas lights on the Xhami near our house (the muslim masque)! THAT would not fly in most Islamic countries!

MY RICE STEAMER IS ALIVE!!!!!! IT LIVES!!! I MADE RICE!!! I MADE FRIED RICE!!! I MADE A FRIED RICE OMLETTE!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Today, we plan on meeting Florian. We plan on asking him to be baptized today. He prays, and he reads the scriptures, and he feels good when he does. Pray for him, and pray for us as we go see him.

The language is still slowly comming. I can kind of get my point across if people are patient with me. We had 15 people in church on Sunday! 2 investigators. I had to play the piano for the first half though untill the branch pianist came. She is Anna's age. Also, I blessed the sacrament for the first time in Albanian. Elder Anderl asked me to bear my testimony about the Temple during Sunday school (because that was what the lesson was on). Everyone was silent while I spoke. The Spirit was definitely there. I know that it was fulfillment of one of the blessing placed upon me when I was set apart by President Otis.

Please continue to pray for my companion Elder Anderl. It is REALLY hard being branch president in Fier. Things are getting Crazier every day. Things just pop out of nowhere. The night I wrote you last week was the craziest so far. The church is so young here. In many ways, it reminds me of some of the situations in the early days of the Church. He has to deal with so much, I really feel sorry for him. And the worst part is that there is only so much that I can do. There are a lot of things that I cannot help him with. Those are the most painful things of all. Please continue to pray for him.

Emily, you asked how I felt about Albania. Well, everyone knows that the Government is corrupt. Actually, you here about rich students bribing their way through school, to the point that you can't know if your doctor earned that degree or paid for it. It is said when husbands are so controlling that they lock their family in the house when he is gone so they can't leave (locks only work with keys, in or out. If you don't have the key, you can't get in or out...). I know a woman that works 30 days straight without a break for 150 dollars. It is hard to find a job. It is a sad place in many ways. But in many ways, it is such a beautiful place. The countryside is divine! I went to Apolonia again today (it is in my area!) and I got to see the beauty there. The people are reasonably respectful (with exception to most of the teenage population (cuns pronounced choons (oo as in tooth)). The people love their family for the most part, and they are a very humble people in many cases. Communism hit this place HARD! There are many people still with communistic feelings and the government has a lot of communist influence too. It is hard, because people waste away their life on facebook. They are on facebook for literally 9 or 10 hours a day, just wasting away. They don't read anything for the most part. They are very behind the rest of the world, but they think they can skip critical steps...but it just won't work that way. SO MANY PROBLEMS IN THIER LIVES WOULD DISSAPPEAR IF THEY SIMPLE OBEYED THE GOSPEL! It is hard knowing this, and even harder to get them to understand it!

And by the way D.D., I have not opened the christmas package yet. It was pretty beat up when it arrived, but s'ka gje, its ok. Its still intact.

I agree that Anna would be a GREAT missionary. It would be even cooler if the branch pianist and her became companions! (Daniella, the branch pianist, is thinking about serving a mission.)

I love you All! I hope you have a merry Christmas (by the way, did my suitcase from the MTC ever arive? It had important things in it. Please tell me.) Oh, yeah, I get to SPEAK with you on Christmas! I love you and I will try to arrange a time!

Love,
Elder Fredrickson


Monday, December 21, 2009

Dear Family,

So....

I had written a REALLY LONG e-mail, to send you....but then we had a black-out and I lost everything. So i guess you will just have to hear about everything on friday when I skype you at 7:00 my time (I believe 12:00 your time). If by chance you don't hear from me by 7:15 my time, call my cell number.

So, remind me to tell you about these things:

Our meeting with Algida,

Getting beat up by a gang of albanian teenage boys,

Edi, and Florian, our progressing invetigators,

The Christmas Present I got my companion without him knowing it,

Funny Language mistake,

and then any other questions you have for me!

Love you all, don't have time to say more.

Love,
Elder Fredrickson


Monday, December 28, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year! The Albanians are getting really excited for New Year's. It is a HUGE holiday for them. Even now, explosives are going off at all hours of the day (AKA BIG FIREWORKS!). I don't think they have a legal limit as to the amount of gunpowder allowed in the fireworks, so we will be hitting the deck when New Year's Eve comes along. Even now, then fireworks get kind of close, but we have been commanded to be IN THE APARTMENT by 4:00 on new years eve.

Well, was shume exciting to see all of you Friday! Sorry, you haven't been sleeping well Melisa. I hope you and Dad start feeling better. And Mom, you know that the mission president and his wife have facebook, and they update it about the mission and stuff. Ammon, congrats on work! I admit that I was a bit worried when I found out you were following in my footsteps as a chef. It is a really hard job, but I guess it will be a bit easier since a few of the chefs that were really vicious have left. By the way Anna and Ammon, tell everyone at the restaurant hi for me and wish them a MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Anna, I often listen to your piano recordings. I would like to find a way to burn the ones in my e-mail onto a CD so I can listen to them at home rather simply on P-Day. Elisa and Mom, sorry I worried you about last week. I didn't have much time and I didn't think I made it sound too bad. Emily, It was awesome getting to see you and Sung and Lola. Matt, thank you for your advice on your Christmas Messages CD. It is really hard for me to see my companion go. It is a constant reminder to me that my turn will come, and I fear that day with every fibre of my being. I know that he doesn't want to leave, but his time has come, and this realization hurts both of us. I only have 7 days left to be with my companion, and I know that if I were with him for my entire mission, I still couldn't learn all of the great things he could teach me about missionary work and becoming a true disciple of Christ. Thank you all of you for the Christmas Messages! I loved every one of them (but dad, something is wrong with the second CD. It is not working on CD players. Do you think it only works on Computers?) I loved hearing the Primary, and hearing from the Rawlings and the Wynns and the Holdens, and the Grishams...EVERYBODY! Oh, and by the way, have I really lost my accent Anna? Were you surprised to hear my voice? It is kind of funny, because when you spoke, I have wondered when you have aquired that accent. My companion says that I don't sound like any of you. And thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the Christmas Present. It will be useful. And I must say D.D, when the customs on the box said that within was 30 dollars worth of hand sanatizer, I thought it was a joke. I thought it was a humorous cover up for the surprize Christmas present you didn't want me to know about. But much to my surprize, I now have enough hand sanatizer to last about 3 missions! Thank you for sending it, because I (unlike many missionaries) do carry it on my and use it, but I imagine that Sister Neil will say the same thing next Christmas and just remember that I will still have PLENTY left! And Brother and Sister Rawlings, I apologize that I haven't mentioned you in these e-mails. It is interesting because sometimes I remember your cement business, especially since ALL OF THE BUILDINGS HERE ARE MADE OF CEMENT! I hope Sister Hull is feeling better. And Tell Sister Johnson thank you for the letter. It was good to hear from them. And I hope Sister Nevins is feeling better too.

Well, we saw Algida yesterday. To back track, since most of you didn't hear the continuation of her tale, we met her last Saturday. She finished her summary of the Bible (which took a bit more than an hour or hour and half) and then proceeded to ask us questions. Well, my companion was on an exchange and I was with someone that was in my MTC group. It was a Miracle that we were able to understand eachother as much as we did! Then we gave her a Doctrine and covenants. She met with us that Wednesday Morning to return it,because she had finished it. She LOVED IT! She had lots of questions about the Doctrine and Covenants, but none about the Pearl of Great Price. She said that the Pearl of great price is exactly what the name says, a Pearl of great price. She gave us her summary of both of them, beginning with reciting the introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants by memory, and ending with reciting the 13 Articles of Faith from Memory. She Also read the "Bible dictionary" in the back (its like a mix between the bible dictionary and the topical guide and its found in the back of foreign language triples) and she read the maps. All in 4 days. Thus she has completed the standard works in albanian in a total of about 20 days. We gave her a gospel principle manual to help answer her questions, and she returned that to us when she came to church YESTERDAY! She said it answered many of her questions. I really believe she has a testimony and I can see her as an awesome sister missionary and fantastic semenary and institute teacher. If only her parents were a bit more open. They are Muslim and not interested. She lives in a suburb of Fier and calls s when she can meet. She is so smart!

I have been thinking a lot lately. I have been rather hard on myself lately, especially because I find myself doing sometimes things that I criticized (within myself) about other missionaries before my mission. I have never been one for anything less than EXACT obedience. I could never understand why it was so difficult to be Obedient...you just DO IT! But now that I am here in their shoes, I see how prideful and judgmental that I was. I am far from a perfect missionary, but I am trying. It is especially difficult because I have seen it, and the consequences of actions, and yet I don't do what I know I should. I in many instances find myself in the same mind frame as Nephi in 2 Nephi chapter 4. Why do these things so easily beset me? I know what I should be doing, so why don't I do it? Sometimes I wonder if my preparation before my mission made a difference. I wonder if I was just wasting time. I tried my hardest to prepare for this mission and in some ways I feel that I am wasting it, that I am not taking advantage of opportunities as they arise and therefore I miss them. Everything that I did before my mission, every aspect of my life was focused and centered on preparing for my mission. I had a job that REALLY got me out of my comfort zone, having to talk to and interact with many, many people that I have never met. It helped me to financially prepare for my mission, and forced me to learn to rely on my Heavenly Father. I was going with the missionaries practically every day for nearly 2 years for many hours in the day, and I was going to the Temple 6-9 sessions a week. Everything I did was about my mission, and about helping the people I was working with at the time, whether living or dead. But I just wonder if it made a difference. Perhaps I would have been a bit less prideful if I hadn't done these things. When I was working alongside Elder Anderson, I asked him if I should be spending this much time with the missionaries, or should be having a normal life. He said," I have never heard of anyone saying, 'I wish I hadn't prepared so much for my mission'." I had kept that in mind as I prepared, because I wanted to be able to help people to the best of my ability. But I question if it made a difference. I just want to help people. Before my mission, I wondered about the worth of a soul. When I saw an investigator, I saw their potential. I saw that that single investigator was the key to the salvation and exaltation of THOUSANDS of individuals, thousands of our Heavenly Father's Children. I saw that because of that person, generations of their ancestors can receive the gospel and ordinances, and though that person, their posterity for generations would grow up in a gospel centered home. Not to mention all those that they associate with NOW! When I saw a couple, happily married, I could only see how much happier they would be if they knew they could be together FOREVER, for time and all Eternity. I somewhat feel that I lost sight of all that, getting lost in a foreign language.

I love you all, thank you for all of your prayers, and letters. Thank you for the faith that you have in me. I love you and once again. have a happy new year!

Love,
Elder Fredrickson