Say My Name... ELDER OAKS!!! ELDER OAKS!!!

Man, general conference is just the best! And is it just me or is Elder Oaks lookin' a little more like Heisenberg each and every day?... dang dang dang, I LOVED his talk! I really enjoyed his talk on the family, Holland's talk on not beating ourselves up, and Christopherson's talk on holiness! Those three were gold! Unfortunately I was only able to watch the Sunday morning session because it was like this:

Saturday morning- downloaded, English

Saturday afternoon- downloaded, only Swahili...

Sunday morning- downloaded, English

Sunday afternoon- downloaded... the session from last year... -_-

I don't know what they're gonna do about priesthood session, but I hope we get to watch it! 

And I don't have a lot to say, but I'm alive and I'm safe, and I may as well add my testimony that the church is true! The Book of Mormon is the word of God! And our loving Heavenly Father speaks to us today just as in times of old through his chosen prophets! 

I'll work on giving you an update of the area next week, but for now, my comp is really cool. His name is Elder Sunu. He is learning English fast, and I'm happy to serve with him!

Love you all! I'm happy for Aanika and Adam! And I hope you all have an awesome week!

Elder Fraga

Aidan's post for his sister's wedding

Aanika, Aanika, Aanika... The day you have been waiting for, for all your life, has finally come! Wow, Wow, Wow... Today is YOUR day, and I hope it feels special.

I remember the day Adam asked me if he could marry you!... I was nervous, shaky, excited! You probably felt the same, eh?... the good news is, that I said YES!!! But... the even better news is that you said yes, and because of that you are sitting next to the dude you are going to spend the rest of time and all eternity with. I am so happy for you two, and I am so excited to have such an awesome brother-in-law, to join in all the crazy Fraga family stuff...

Aanika, you really have been there for me throughout my entire life. It’s like you were my life guru! You were the one that I would always talk to when I was wanting advice on all the stuff I was going through, and for that I am forever grateful. I remember the loooong car rides that we would have late into the night talking, about what was going on in our lives. Me talking about things that at this time are not important and you talking about life, and school, and your mission, and Adam. You really have had a crush on that boy for a long time! And it is so awesome that after all these years, things have played out perfectly! Woo-hoo! Blessings!

Thanks to your witty character, your personal charm, your good looks and your loving personality, you were able to get the guy, and Adam, you're cool. Haha here comes an awkward part but uh... You’re strong, handsome, and intelligent... good for my sister! I’m happy that you guys are the way you are, and that because of that, you fell in love. But I will forever take credit for the catch phrase "Imma pray for the double A" and I know that the faith and hope that our families had in your guys' relationship had something to do with this glorious outcome!

So, obviously I'm not going to be there for your guys' wedding, but at least I can imagine it! And in the depth of my twisted imagination I was reminded of this: 

[Eva's dressers:]
Eyes, hair, mouth, figure
Dress, voice, style, movement
Hands, magic, rings, glamour
Face, diamonds, excitement, image

[Eva:]
I came from the people, they need to adore me
So Christian Dior me from my head to my toes
I need to be dazzling, I want to be Rainbow High
They must have excitement, and so must I

I hope with all my heart that just like Evita, you feel "Rainbow high" Haha, sounds psychedelic... But also that you feel dazzling and that you recognize that you are an Argentine Rose! Adam, I hope you feel like an Albanian rose or something. But, your wedding must be exciting, and filled with love, and ultimately, the best day of your entire lives so far.

Now for the missionary part, heheheee.... *rub hands together*... So if I have learned anything from my mission, it is that the scriptures can apply into every part of our lives, so here is some wedding advice from the prophet Alma to me to you:

 "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass"

What a truly GREAT thing it is to have a marriage that will last for eternity. What a joyous thing to celebrate on this happy day,. Let us all remember that if we want success in our relationships, we must do the small and simple things, saying "I love you" everyday, being each others sense of happiness even if the world seems to try to make your day feel like crap, and most importantly extending a simple invitation to Christ to strengthen you both, to lift you both, and to develop more and more love for the rest of your lives!

Now, I only have one thing left to add... God loves you, and I do too! I can’t wait to be with you in a year! ‘Till then the glass of filtered water is once again raised to the sky for an abundance of joy in your guys' relationship! Haha! Amen!

-Elder Fraga

That's What I'm Countin' On

KISUMU

Life is crazy.  I have been through a lot here in Kenya. I have seen so many things that I never wanted to see, and often times I'll find myself in a situation where I'm like "Geez..." and then I think back about it and i'm like "GEEZ.". Life. Is. Crazy.

I don't know what to do, but I hope I find some rest one day!

I still have a year left on the mission, and a year is a very long time, but I have been thinking a little bit about what I want to do after, and an idea came to mind! I was talking to Elder Torrie the other day and there was something that we talked about that just has not been able to leave my mind since! Obviously things aren't set in stone (It doesn't really seem like anything ever is in life...). But I was thinking about how cool it might be to go to BYU Jerusalem for a semester after I'm back? I know Jerusalem is sketchy and all, but I promise you, that after living in Nairobi for 6 months... nothing can scare me. As I said before, I don't know exactly what I'll do, but I'm sure things will get a li'l easier. I just wish I could hug you guys and hear you guys say "everything is gonna be alright, you're home now." But for now I push on! a"I keep rhymin' I keep writtin' the next cypher, best believe something the something the pide piper." I don't know what else to write. You don't need to post this one on the blog. I was just writing to write... Excited for conference though! It should be good!

Elder Frags

a eminem song

Hemingway

You know how sometimes you get a bad haircut and there are a bunch of people that say "Hey! It looks nice!" but deep down inside you know they're probably just tellin a white lie? Yeah... that's how i feel about my writing. 

Anyways... I bet the wedding was a blast. The pictures sure looked nice. I'm doing okay over here in the green hills of Africa ya know. I don't have a lot to say this week, but maybe I'll abandon all plans and live like Hemingway when I'm home? Markin' my own path, seein' what the world has to offer with my trusty companion, a flask (filled with kool-aid). We will just have to see.

Now here's something to ponder during the week ahead: Let's say you walk up to a friend and you say "Here's some cash, blablabla no matter what may happen, you can't give it back to me, I will be a better person". The buddy says "Okay sure, I promise." and life moves on. Later you find yourself in a little bit of a pickle and you go back to your buddy, beggin' for the cash back. If he is a true friend, he will honor the first promise and hold it in reserve, right? He wants you to become the greater man! That is kinda like our Heavenly Father. In the preexistence we said "Send me down there and put me through whatever is necessary to reach the potential you have for me!" and then we come down here on earth and say things such as, "Okay Heavenly Father! I've had as much as I can take! Stop the train! I'll be getting off here!", then he honors the first promise we made! God is our friend! He wants the best for us. That is why we pass through trials like missing funerals, or weddings, or birthdays. It's because we are striving to reach a higher level. Life is never at any times easy. But with God, it is ALWAYS worth it. I know these things are true! And I love you all very much! Goodbye for now.

-elder fraga

Underfed and abused lion. I saw this guy a while back...

These are the monkeys that hissed at me!

Swahili Name Badge