Drake -- 6 month mark tomorrow!

Waiting at a bus stop

There's the bus coming!!

Dear Mom,

Tomorrow is my 6 month mark on my mission! That is a half way to half way! That is crazy to think. It has been going by so fast.  We have transfer calls this Sunday. So I find out in less than a week where I am going.

I have been in Bydgoszcz for 4 months and I love it here, but I might be ready to leave. I'm not sure yet.. haha

Bydgoszcz at night

I really just hope that I go the same place as Elder Waszkiewicz and that we are at least in the same Zone.

We had Zone Conference this week and it was awesome. Elder Kotter and his companion Elder Hardy stayed at our apartment.  Elder Kotter's mom is just like you!!! She is a super health food person, does yoga, and does doTerra oil stuff.  Elder Kotter is a super healthy eater and inspired me to eat more fruits and vegetables!  So are you in contact with Elder Kotter's mom? You guys have so much in common.

Catholic Church

This is the view from the back

I think it looks cool

At Zone Conference, President Edgren made new announcements for new changes! It's crazy!  He is giving us more freedom and making us more personally responsible for rules.  He wants us to get more creative with finding and wants us to use our talents to find people. Like music or playing musical instruments!  So I think I might by a cheap little guitar.

I like the pictures you sent from the beach!  That's awesome!

I guess you will probably find out from Sister Kagele where I am going!

Love,

Elder Drake Allen

The Library -- The view out the window 

from where I am emailing right now

Drake -- Średnio na jeża

I need to get a haircut.  (I'm getting one today).

Dear Mom,

This week I learned that a way to say "so-so" or "ok" in Polish is what the subject of this email is.

It literally means, "Mediumly on the hedgehog."

??????

Haha

I think that's so funny because it makes no sense in English...

This week we started helping a member in our branch with a program to stop smoking. He's doing really well and isn't smoking anymore! I have never gotten the opportunity to help somebody with something like that before. It's really amazing to be able to help him with it.

We started teaching a woman this week named Liliana. She met the missionaries on the street over a year ago. We found her in the area book under the section for potential investigators, which is people you met on the street. The missionaries weren't able to set up with her because she didn't have time. But while looking through the area book we found her name and saw that the missionaries weren't able to get a meeting with her.

So we called her and set up with her! We have met with here twice already and it seems to be going well. We are supposed to meet with her tomorrow.

We have Zone Conference this week. So Elder Waszkiewicz will come to Bydgoszcz! That will be fun to see him!

In a week, it will be my 6 month mark on my mission. That is so crazy. Already a quarter of the way through.

Transfer calls are in 3 weeks. We get the calls on the First and we have transfers on the fifth.

I might be leaving Bydgoszcz soon!

Are you friends with Elder Marcus Rittmanic's mom on Facebook?

He is my ZL in my district here in Bydgoszcz. He's super fun. You should try to find her! He's from Provo.

Tell Racer good job on his Eagle Project! Tell him that he needs to beat Jake and Chris! Haha

Love,

Elder Drake Allen

Our apartment

(click on the pics to see it bigger)

Elder Manwill made some hamburger meat

and then he found some taco powder stuff in the cabinet

then he was like, "too bad we don't have any tortillas..."

and I said, "Well... Why don't we try making some?!"

So we made tortillas and tacos and they tasted so good! :)

Tacos!!!

Drake -- 16 Lessons!

Statue of the Flisak in Toruń

Dear Mom,

We taught 16 lessons this week!! Which is like incredible! It is the most I have ever taught on my mission so far. Sometimes we are only able to get like 3 or 4.

There were some super hot days this week. So hot that when were in our apartment we would sometimes open up the freezer and put the fan in front of it to get A/C.

A/C like doesn't exist in Poland...

Oh, also this week! I had Green Beans for the first time in 15 years.

The last time I ate green beans, we lived in the house on Murray Road. I ate them and threw up. So I never ate them again, until this week when were at a member's house and they made us some.

Something funny that happened this week was that we were teaching an old lady. And she was asking us about a question about the resurrection. Elder Manwill was trying to tell her that we can come back another time and teach her more about the Plan of Salvation (we had to go)

But she thought that he was saying that she is going to die soon and that we teach her about it in the next life.

I laughed so hard. It was so funny.

I just told her, "No no no! In this week. In this apartment. In this life. On this earth!"

haha

It was really funny.

We have Zone Conference next week which is pretty exciting!

Love,

Elder Drake Allen

Spiders galore!!

There were TONS of spiders this week at our apartment! Like every black dot you see in the picture is a spider.

Bydgoszcz is known for it's giant spiders. At least by missionaries it is...

I got bit in the eye during the night and it swelled up. I think it is better now.

Elder Manwill is deathly afraid of spiders. So I have to be the hero... haha      

(Note from Renee -- I was the spider hero at home.  Glad to hear Drake is stepping up to that roll now! :) )

Big boy -- Wowzers!

I buy lots of milk

Those are all my milks.

My companions usually buy like one or two bottles a week...

The one on the far right is chocolate milk!

Inside the oldest building in Bydgoszcz 

This is inside a Catholic Church that was built in the Middle Ages.

Like in the 1400s.  Super old.

It's called the Fara Church or the Church of Saint Nicholas and Martin.

Castle prison in Toruń.  We went to Toruń again this week.

Statue of the Flisak

So the statue of the violinist behind me is of a guy from Toruń legend.

His name is the Flisak (which means "rafter" like one who travels by raft)

The legend goes that there were tons of frogs in the city and the Flisak played the violin and led all of the frogs out of the city. Like the pied piper!

So there is a famous statue of him. And there are little gold frogs surrounding the fountain that squirt water.

Drake -- Changes!

In the elevator with Elder Manwill

Dear Mom,

As you saw by the picture, my companion changed this week.

Elder Stockford got a call this week from the President and was told that he would be going to Warsaw in two days to serve in the Office. It was crazy, we got a call out of the blue and it was a huge surprise. Elder Stockford had one day to pack and then was gone.

Elder Manwill was in the office, but he switched places with Elder Stockford and now he is here with me.

He is my new companion.

His name is Elder Austin Manwill and is from Annabell, Utah. He only has 3 months left on his mission.

My new companion!

Now I am with Elder Manwill and we have been having SO much success lately. We have TONS of meetings set up for this week!

I don't really have much time to write, I need to write to the Mission President.

Tell our family that I love them.

Love,

Elder Drake Allen