All is well.

Dear Mom,

Yeah, we also had the time change. So we got an extra hour of sleep. But yeah, now I am very tired in the night time when all of the District Leaders are calling in safe. And I just want to go to bed!! haha

I think Elder Jones and I are going to have a day where I speak in British accent all day, and then a day where he speaks in an American accent all day. Probably not on the same day. The crazy part is that there are TONS of British accents! And my companion can tell the difference between them when they all sound the same to me! haha.

Yes, President Edgren came down to Kraków. And he took us out to eat for dinner. And then the next morning he took me and my companion out to breakfast. But because it was a holiday, there was only one place open... McDonald's -- haha

President Edgren told us, "Oh great, what is your mom going to think when she finds out that I took you out to eat at McDonalds??" haha

It was great to be able to talk to him.

I have not gotten any packages from Amazon except for the camera cord. Thanks again for that, by the way! :)

If your package has arrived at the office then I will get it next week at Zone Conference :)

Wait, so are you going to be learning Polish? That is fun!

Things are going well here in Kraków. Halloween was last week. All Saints Day is the big holiday here though. EVERYBODY goes to visit the cemeteries and light candles and put flowers on the graves.

We did service at the cemeteries a couple times and helped people clean graves. It was really cool and really nice to be able to help people.

And then for Day of the Dead, we had a Branch Activity and we all went to the big cemetery in Kraków. And Romek, who is a genius historian and a tour guide of Kraków, led us on a tour through the graveyard. It was really cool. I will send some pictures. :)

Zone Conference is next week. And a general authority is coming. A member of the Seventy. Elder Christopher Charles. It will be cool! :)

Love, Drake

City photos by Russ Back

Brilliant! (and other new British phrases I've picked up lately)

Me and Elder Jones

Dear Family,

It's been a busy week with my new companion.  First I had zone training.  We usually have the missionaries talk to train the other missionaries in the zone.  But I thought it would be nice to have someone who has been recently baptized talk to the missionaries instead.  So Marcin and another new convert spoke and it was really great.

We had a Halloween party for the people in the Branch. Lots of preparation for the missionaries -- planning, buying pumpkins, cleaning up.  It went really well and was really fun.   

It's also really fun with music because Elder Jones is from Wales, the United Kingdom, Britain!
So he likes the same music that I like -- really great British bands.  He loves The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd,  U2.  Brilliant!

I've even been speaking with a British accent at times, without even realizing it now that Elder Jones (from Wales) is my companion.  And I find when I do that, I end up using fancier words. But they don't actually use the word "fancy" like that because they'd say "I fancy that!" but would say "posh!" to describe something really nice.  Brother Tuderhart (who is from England) from the branch says, "Cheers" instead of "goodbye."

A company here in Krakow (also in Germany and is other places in Poland ) studies food, water, lifestyle -- making a "human library," inviting people of all kinds of lifestyles or backgrounds to come so they can learn about us.  So Elder Jones and I were invited to go last week.  It was really great.  We gave them lots of Books of Mormon.  We will be going back this Thursday and will be doing another conference with the rest of the employees there.  

At McDonalds (a rather posh place in Poland) with the Edgrens

Guess that's it.  Cheers!

-- Drake

Podcast of Elder Allen and Elder Hon in a Polish podcast interview about the gospel.