I Love You Guys

November 21, 2016

I have never felt this much sorrow in my entire life, and it makes it worse having to bear it on the other side of the world. I love and miss Ethan so much, and my heart is grieved that I cannot be with you at this time. Please keep me updated on details that you receive. I feel like I have been left in the dark without any immediate way of learning of anything. 

Here are a few things that I have been thinking. First of all, I would like you, when you are ready, to please ask Wayne to read the message that I will write, as he was the leader for both of us, and is a very dear friend. Secondly, please tell President Holmes that i would like to speak with him, i've already gotten it approved by the mission president, and please tell him to call the mission president to receive information on contacting me. Thirdly, the best way that i can think of to begin to heal this terrible wound, is continuing on in this great work. I will be visiting with others throughout the day, but I will check my email daily for any new information or any updates, or anything that you guys could possibly want to tell me. With that said, if there is anything that you feel you want to tell me, or even if you guys would like to talk to me, my phone number is (*******)

I love and miss you guys so much. I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH. MY HEART IS BROKEN, AND WRENCHED AT THIS SITUATION, but I know I'm supposed to be here. This is the hardest thing I have ever experienced in my life. I feel so alone, but I am comforted by my mission president, by my companion, by you guys emailing and calling me, and most importantly, by God. I have never felt so close to him, before now. I love Him, and I love you, but always remember, GOD LOVES US MORE. 

I have also noticed in emails from others, that there is a little confusion on the matter of me deciding to come home or not. Please clear that up with the following, THERE WAS NEVER ANY DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THIS IS WHERE IS AM SUPPOSED TO BE. I AM NOT AND WILL NOT COME HOME EARLY.  There is nothing more important in this world than the gospel, and I will not rest until I have fulfilled my mission. Yes, this is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but we did not choose God’s plan for us because it is easy, WE CHOSE IT BECAUSE IT IS WORTH IT. I KNOW THAT GOD IS OUR LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER, AND THAT HE KNOWS AND LOVES EACH OF US MORE THAT WE CAN EVEN COMPREHEND. I KNOW HE HAS A PLAN FOR EACH AND EVERYONE OF US, AS HARD AS IT MAY NOW BE, THIS IS HIS PLAN FOR ETHAN. I KNOW ETHAN IS IN A BETTER PLACE NOW, AND THAT HE IS CONTINUING GOD’S WORK WHERE HE NEEDS HIM. I LOVE THIS GOSPEL, AND I SEAL THIS BRIEF TESTIMONY IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, AMEN. 

Your son and loving brother, 

Elder Aidan Hamilton Fraga

TOP PRIORITY!!!

November 14, 2016

Hey Y'all!

So I've been thinking, when my two years are up I might just get released here and wander around Africa for a little while! (for 2-6 years) In unrelated news... TRUMP? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? TRUMP? That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. You are all more than welcome to join me in Kenya if it gets too bad over there! In two years I should be fluent in Swahili! The people over here are really nice! I’m sure you'll like it! There aren't any white people, which can be weird sometimes, but it’s nice! LOL. 

You would never guess what I did today... I went on a freaking safari! It was the best! I saw zebras running alongside our car, giraffes poking their heads out of the trees, and we even saw an ELEPHANT! Ooo boy are those creatures huge! It was literally a dream come true! I love Kenya! (now keep in mind that this is no paradise... its hard work under a hot sun 24/7, there’s lots of poverty and this whole experience is really humbling, but it’s great!) MISSIONS ARE GREAT!!!

We continue to teach and talk to new people everyday! Our lessons are going really well, and I can see my testimony grow every single day! I love this gospel with all my heart, and I can say without a doubt that I know that it is true!

I’m kinda running out of time again to day, but remember that I love you! But God loves us even more!

 Elder Fraga

P.S. there is a food here called chapatis, I now know how to make them, and they are literally Cafe Rio tortillas... they are so good, and in two years they will be the perfect addition to our homemade burritos... mmm mmm mmm...

Messages to convey

November 6, 2016

Hello!, 

I'm glad to hear things are going well. i love being a missionary. My Swahili is coming along well over here! I've been learning a lot, and we have been giving some really great lessons! 

Please convey these messages to others:

SETH- Dude I'm super proud of you! You're going to love it in Texas!

ZACH- Dude when i get back in two years we gotta go mtn biking because I do it everyday here and I love it!

CONNER- I forgot to tell you but I did really like South Africa! My favorite part were the thunder storms!

MOTHER- I love you!

MATT- I get it now!... The only part of the fish that tastes the way they smell, is the brain! 💀

Tell the rest of the family that I love them too!

I love you! and I'm sorry the email isn't as long as it could have been! The power went out and so I didn't have a lot of time! 

ausdfasdfiuasdfhkajhfiwe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

October 31,2016

I FREAKIN LOVE IT HERE IN KENYA! The area is so great! The people live in mud huts! It's awesome, and yeah I wasn't joking about the vegetarian thing... The SAMTC mission presidents were jerks... But it's cool because he was the son of Marvin J Ashton! Kinda cool! 

My mission presidents are the bomb! They are so cool, and his father was a watch maker too! We get along so nice! I really like my area, and I really freakin love Africa! Just on the car ride alone i saw lions, zebras, giraffes, ostriches, antelope, wildabeast, and tons of other birds and animals! It's amazing! I love living here! It's like camping, but with having a constant subtle smell of Lays bbq chips because people burn their trash here... I really like my apartment! It's fun! There are lizards that run around all over the place, and when I'm falling asleep, I imagine that the mice that are squeeking are birds chirping and it puts me right to sleep! We wash our clothes by hand, it's kinda fun actually! I really like the food, and the meat eaters at home ain't got nothin' on me anymore!... There is something here called ugale, and it's the East African version of paap! It's really good! OOO boy am I gonna come back with some good stories! I don't have a lot of time right now, so I think im going to send pictures next time! But my companion, Elder Ngabonziza, is SUPER awesome! We get a long very well, and he's been teaching me how to cook! I have some great ideas for YM/YW missionary night for when I get back... The other day, we had a dinner appointment with a kind sister and she gave us bread and dilluted hot chocolate! It was so nice of her, I was so grateful. 

Anyway, gotta start finishing up, but, I know this gospel is true with all my heart! Look for ways to help the missionaries, and be a missionary back home! I love you guys so much, and i will see you soon!(in two years)

Love you so so much!

Love,

Elder Fraga

2nd Week In...

October 18, 2016

Dear friends and family,

I am loving it here in the MTC! The spirit is so strong and I learn more every day! We had a "transfer" last week and I got a new companion and district! My new district is just awesome, and my new companion Elder Brown, from Arizona, is hilarious! He is also going to Kenya! AND I GET TO GO TO THE TEMPLE ON THURSDAY!!!

My short stay in the MTC is almost up! I get on a plane for Kenya NEXT TUESDAY!!! Unfortunately, this will be my last P-day for the next couple of weeks, so you wont be hearing from me for a while... I’ll fill you in ahead of time though, "KENYA IS SO AWESOME I LOVE IT HERE!" also... the internet here is too slow to send pictures... so... sorry... Also I  still haven’t met Conner’s friend yet?! I hope I get to meet her soon...

That’s really exciting for Seth and Lexi and Jeff! tell them I’m really happy for them!!! I still haven’t heard from Conner and Ethan... -_- so you butts better write me soon! AND when we were watching some MTC Provo devotional this week, I saw Jakson singing in the choir and I saw a really cool Austrailian kid that was in my seminary class named Callumn in the choir! It was funny. Also, being on a mission is so weird because suddenly the Mo Tab is better than Fleet Foxes, The Restoration is the best movie I’ve ever seen, and watching The District leaves me on a bigger cliff hanger than The Office, or Stranger Things things ever did for me?! SO WEIRD... you also need to tell Alex Bell that everyone here hangs SO loose because that is the literal way people greet each other HAHA...

The food here is pretty good! It’s all American (minus having paap once) because the white mission presidents couldn't handle the African food... There are rumors that they even fired the last cooks because of it... I do have some big news though... This past week I have been pondering exact obedience, and realized it was wrong of me to lie to you... a couple of days in I talked to the president about the whole vegetarian thing and he told me to either stop being vegetarian, or be sent home... what an ultimatum... but I haven't had any problems adjusting to this new lifestyle (besides being unhappy about it..) but the most important thing here is being obedient, even if that gives the thousands of people that said I would eventually break, bragging rights... haha... THIS IS NOT A JOKE.

Anyway, I’m almost out of time here, but I love and miss all of you!

Elder Fraga

P.S. Isn’t it crazy that I pretty much only have 101/104 more times to email you?! WHAAA?! Time is flying by! Also, I might call you guys from the airport... the time difference is pretty crazy though... so I’m still deciding.

P.P.S. have you ever thought about if we were to be standing right next to each other, right now, one of us would be upside down?... It’s been on my mind all week...