Just before Christmas . . .

This photo is from Sister Edgren's Instagram -- 
thought I'd add it since Drake wasn't able to upload one
 -- taken at their Zone Christmas Party

Ok ok ok

For some reason my camera is not connecting to the computer!! AAHH!

I wanted to send a picture of my christmas tree. haha

it looks like the one on the charlie brown movie

It's a little tiny one that I bought on the street for like 15 złotych

It's a real tree

But I forgot to water it for a while
so it shed, sheded? shedded? sheddedded? dang

I don't know how to speak English anymore

anyway... it lost a lot of pine needles and so it is all super barren and twiggy

But I still put ornaments and colored christmas lights on it
so it's ok

Christmas morning, I am going take my presents out of the package and put them under the tree and open them

yay!

And then we are going to hang out at the Sheley's house during the day, then set up the chapel for Zone Conference the next day, and then talk to you on the phone! :) yay! :)

By the way, did you wrap up all the presents that I sent home and put them under the tree? If so, then please take a picture and send it!

and make sure to take pictures of people opening up my presents to them! :)

I am excited for Christmas, excited for Zone Conference, and super excited to talk to you in just 2 days! :)

Talk to you soon! :)

Love,

Drake

Where's the snow?

the snow all melted (and I got a new hair cut)

Dear Mom,

So, the snow all melted. Sad story. That made me very sad. I like the snow and it sounds like it might not come back! What's the point of it being so cold with no snow!!

Missionary Work update:

We have one investigator. Ziemowit. He has been investigating for a very long time now. And he has just been so busy lately. But he came to church and we met with him afterwards. He has a goal to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year.

We have been doing a lot more tracting these last couple weeks. Because it gets dark at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and it's cold. So there is like no one on the streets at night. So tracting like never works. And I have never gotten let in tracting my whole entire mission... until yesterday!!!

We have been doing caroling tracting with the sisters (I play the ukulele) and yesterday we finally got let in! The sisters have another meeting with her next week.

I gave a talk yesterday.  It was on the life of Christ and how we need to become more like him. :)

Oh! And yesterday, I played the PIANO during a musical number in Sacrament Meeting where the sisters sang. What? Me? Piano?? I know right. I just cheated and did chords like I usually do.

We're getting pretty close to Christmas! :) Get my presents to people under the tree!! :)

Is Terra home? When is she coming home?

Love,

Elder Drake Allen

LEGOs!!!  I open up a new one every after daily planning in the evening! :)

P.S from Renee (I sent Drake this Lego Advent Calendar as an early birthday present.  He gets to build a tiny Star Wars character or ship every day till Christmas!)

Mostly Photos of the Snow

snowy snowy

out our window

panoramas

(you can click on these photos to make them full size)

Sister Sheley taught me how to make creamed eggs on toast.

It's good!

Drake -- Happy Birthday James!

Happy Birthday James -- from the library!

Another "selfie" that Elder Peacock didn't enjoy as much :)

Dear Mom,

Elder Peacock's friend who is a missionary sent him a email that said:

"If you play half game, you still get a whole snowcone! That means that even though you might only have half of the investigators as the rest of the missionaries in the world, you still get all the blessings of missionary work! :) "

That is SO crazy that James got turtles!!!! Haha :) That's so funny. Do they have names? Can you send a picture of him with them? So Dad was ok with him getting pets? How long will those turtles live? Where is the aquarium? What does he feed them?  Tell me that one of them's name is Squirtle!!! Haha 

James was still in bed when Drake wrote on Monday, but it was his birthday, so he was anxious to have the day begin.  When I asked him if he wanted to show Drake his new turtles, he jumped up and posed for a few pics I took with my phone to quickly email to Drake.

You can see one of the turtles swimming on the left

In the picture that you sent me of James blowing out the birthday pizza candles I could see some plates on the fireplace mantle. Are either of those the Polish Pottery plate that I sent you from Bydgoszcz?

I am going to try to send home some presents for Christmas this week. You already have Racer's, right? I hope they get there on time. If not... they will be New Years presents... for everybody else on my birthday. Haha.

It snowed yesterday but didn't stick. But I think it is supposed to snow again this week.

We have an exchange with the APs (Assistants to the Mission President) this week. Pretty crazy. The APs right now are Wilson and Neuner. I was with Wilson in Bydgoszcz my first transfer. I will tell Elder Neuner about the Elder who was/is serving in Santa Cruz who knows him. Seelos, I think.

Did Dad call Grandpa and tell him about the Funeral?

That's so crazy that Collin got married! Tell him congratulations from me! Also, does he know that KayLee is serving in the same mission as he did? She actually leaves to New Jersey today I think!  Is his wife from another country?

Oh, and what was Lexie dressed up as for Halloween? In the white dress and with the London teddy bear?

Oh, and do you think that you could send me the weather forcast for the week in Poznań every week? Just like send it on Sunday so that I can get it on Monday.

Tell James Happy Birthday from me! :)

Huh, will this be the first Christmas in our family without the whole family being there?

Well, I guess I will be there by telephone! :)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!  Are you guys going anywhere or having any guests?

We are having a branch Thanksgiving dinner. They don't have Thanksgiving in Poland. So we are sharing that with them! :) The Sheley's are going to make a full thanksgiving FEAST! :) yay!

Love,

Elder Drake Allen