Monday, December 29, 2014

Happy New Year

Thanks for everything I hope that everything is going well and that you are enjoying everything.

We work a lot with the parks and everything that is around. We are working really hard and no we can´t do splits with the priests. We can only with Elders and there are a lot of opportunities. I´m not too worried I am just working hard to help the people and keep doing my best each day. Thanks for all that you do and always writing to me. I really appreciate all that you do and that you are always looking out for me in every little thing. It means a lot to me.

Okay. I will find souveniers don´t worry too much about that. More than anything I am looking for things that I want and that will last and be good for a long time. I am doing just fine and everything is going well. I haven´t taken money out yet because everything here would charge extra fees. I don´t know where I need to take out money to not get charged and I can´t remember where it was and I have not really been worried about that.

Okay.  It is not a problem.  Just look at the little icons on your Checking card and try to find a teller machine that has the same icons on as the card.  Then it shouldn’t charge a lot of fees.

Okay. More than anything the 3000 peso charge is a 5 dollar fee and not exactly something that I like..... I am being really good about money like always. I never lack and usually I have a little extra saved away for the emergencies or the moments when I have to use more to be okay but I am being very good about the money don´t stress. I will probably at some point use some but thanks for always having it ready. I just don´t usually want to use it if I don´t really need it. That´s how I live life simple and happy. My companions never understand how I can give away so many things without even having a hard time they really like that. They say that the American missionaries usually don´t share or keep their packages for themselves but that has surprised every one of my companions that it isn´t that important to me. I enjoy seeing them happy more than enjoying the food or toys or anything else. I love to give but at the same time I like to be prepared for the future not living outside of my means. Thanks for your concern and I will do my best to have my memories and everything as well thanks and I love you a lot. I don´t know how much more time I have but I really appreciate all that you do for me.

We got six to eight inches of snow last night.  That is our first good snowfall of the year.  Clain is out shoveling it right now.  I am sure you will miss that opportunity!  Did you ever get to shovel snow down there?

Ya right..... Snow...... It just rains. In the mountains there was snow but that was it.

Hey I found two new people from records can you look into the parents of this person they were in a record and I just created them but they need more information. The code is: 9M6D-9M5 Thanks!

I´m out of time thanks for everything and I will talk to you next week thanks!
  

Monday, December 22, 2014

Merry Christmas!

I know but we will see. I am doing good with everything and I picked up the package yesterday at the concert in Maipú. It was really good and we performed 4 times. In Talagante, 5 de Abril, Olimpo, and Maipú. President Barreiros said that they are going to do other concerts in the future so I will have other opportunities to sing in the mission. It was really great. The thing that I like most is that I get to keep all of the music to remember the choir.
Photos of the Choir that sang in the La Navidad program this weekend.  



Choir members on the bus, probably going from one location to another for the program.


Thanks and I am doing my best to enjoy every tiring day of exhaustion that I have. I am really tired after this last weekend getting back to our apartment around 11 or 12 every night. It was a really crazy week with very few lessons. But I am doing just fine even though my sector is really low on numbers.

Elder Correa hasn´t received anything and he said that he doesn´t receive packages. He really wants to work on his English and get it down. A lot of the Latin missionaries like the quads that we have in English because there aren´t any in Spanish. They tend to like the blue ones with silver like I have and I don´t know for certain but something special for him like that maybe a middle sized blue quad with silver and if you have the opportunity you could put his name on them. Juan Sebastian Correa Mejia. I know that he would love that, but I don´t know if it is too expensive or anything. His birthday is the 17th of January if I am still with him it would be really great and if not I could give it to him when I see him. But that is what I have been thinking. Thanks! Love you!

 Two photos of Braxton with Elder Chuquel, his first trainer in the mission.  

 Photos taken by Hermana Gutierrez at the concert.

Okay, I knew about Chuquel being basically engaged and yes I knew about his missionary that he met when he was with Elder Smith his trainer that came to Lo Espejo and found him. Elder Chuquel has been a member for a little more than 2 years with a year of that time in the mission. I know the Bertangna couple well. They are in the office and I know Cecilia really well. She works in Al Cantara and came to the concert yesterday and took the pictures. She works to keep Al Cantara running. She does laundry, works and everything for the church, but isn´t a missionary. I also know the Andersons well. We just got a new couple the McCain couple from Idaho. Elder Correa didn´t sing in the program, but Elder Vasquez did with me. There were 24 missionaries in the choir 6 of each part. It was really good I went with Elder Hatch to all of the practices and my companion worked with his companions while we went to practices.



I got my package yesterday and we opened it this morning during the morning of Preparation day and we started decorating, but didn´t finish. My companion is frustrated because he wants to open the presents, but loves the scriptures and we read them in Spanish and English to help him learn and understand. I love your Epistle of Letters to Missionaries. I read a lot of the cards and things this morning. We opened 9 of the 12 Stars after reading each scripture and guessing and we will do one a day until Christmas.

Thanks I live in the street Santa Rosa on the West side it is like 259 or something like that for the street number. it is in the middle of 3 department buildings. I am going to take treat bags to District Meeting on Wednesday to give to my District. There aren´t enough for the whole zone so just the District will get them. We did a White Elephant as a mission last Thursday and I got a Santa mug and I gave a Mate cup and straw to someone I don´t know who got it, but it was an Elder. We also are doing a zone white elephant but we each have a name to give something to. Mine is Elder Fernandez that used to live in my apartment in Lo Espejo. He is a District Leader now in my Zone, but isn´t mine. He went to Republica then one change later, so did I. In my apartment it is just Elder Correa and I and I think that just about covers all of the questions, but I will do my best to keep up with them all.

With the Christmas concerts for the mission there were 4. We had one in Talagante on Friday, 2 on Saturday one in 5 de Abril, one in Olimpo, and on Sunday we had one in Maipú it was really great. I am doing really well and I am going to send a few pictures of the week. We are going to start with Christmas and work back.


This photo is of the mission at our Christmas party that we had and with the whole mission. Have fun looking and finding me. 


After I opened the box and took out the papers yesterday. We waited to go through everything until today because we were exhausted and I had to carry a 24 pound box through metro that was about an hour from my house and put it down to rest during metro but still had to carry it for like 20 minutes. But I am happy and so is my companion just that he wants to open everything. We are going to have a great time. Thanks for sending everything and I know that it was really expensive, but I appreciate all that you do for me. We are going to hang the chains later we put them all together today but need to put them up. We also played a couple rounds of bingo with the two of us. We are going just fine though just really tired. Thanks for everything!


This is the invitation for the concert that we had in color if you hadn´t seen it. It was really awesome and with all of the performances our mission president said it was like 2 Stake Conferences or about 1000 people but in Chile that is a great turnout. I don´t know if that was total or just Maipú because Maipú was packed.....



Other food that we had with our family from Ecuador. It was really interesting and new and I wasn´t exactly used to it, but I liked it overall. Ask Curtis if he has seen this before?

These are called Arepas. We made them with a less active member and we had them with cheese inside. They are really good. We had them another time in a Family Home Evening with less active members and active members. 



Each year our mission makes a mission card with photos of the whole mission and all the missionaries, so I am going to send a photo of this year´s to you. That way you can know who all the missionaries are in my mission right now and where they are all from and who has been my companions. Elder Ballard from my group is training right now, if you didn´t know and he is training the first Bolivian in our mission, Elder Barrero or something like that you can find them in this photo and look at the whole mission enjoy.


Monday, December 15, 2014

Nearly Christmas!

Figure out what your companion wants to do and we can work with that.  Does the cyber you are using have cameras?  We will go to Cache Valley on the 26th for the Parkinson party so that is probably not the best day for us.  The others should be fine.
   
We are going to be at a cyber and we have to verify if it will be open on the 25th. My companion is going to Skype on the 26th because his family can that day. We will be in a cyber for everything, so don´t worry too much.

What time are you going to Skype on the 26th?

He will Skype on the 26th, but I don´t know the hour yet.  We can do them separate if we need to.  Let me know. My companion just said at 4 which is 1 in the afternoon for you.... I don´t know. What do you want to do about it?

Will the Cyber Café be open on the 25th?  That would be the best for us, but if not, we can do the 26th at 1:00 our time.  I think it is actually noon our time.  We are four hours different now, I think.  Right now it is 11:50 a.m. here.  What time is it there?

4 so yes it is 4 hours different now. So it would be 12 for you then. On the 26th. I don´t know if Cyber will be open on the 25th but I will ask and let you know before the 25th, probably the next Monday to verify if it will be open.

The Parkinson party is in the evening, so we could Skype with you before we go up. 

I have been trying to answer them all. I will let you know and I only have 1 hour for Skype so it will be little bit short and quick.

Elder Correa has been here for 3 months and it is a really hard area to have people to teach. They are all so busy and plans fall through with everyone.... It is really frustrating. We try passing by to confirm our appointments for everyone and calling to plan things during the day and a lot fall through.  The ward is great, but they are really only available on the weekends. They work a lot. We had 160 people at church yesterday, so it is fairly consistent. We are doing everything that we can to have success.

Carlos came to church with his family this week, so he has the needed attendances.  We just have to finish teaching all of the lessons that we haven´t yet, which will be a challenge and plan his interview and everything at the church building that is half an hour away.... That is probably the hardest part about church is that it is so far away but yet the people come which for me is a miracle in many ways. I am really excited and doing all that I can.

We have been practicing a lot of songs. We have about 6 or so songs that we will be performing as a choir.  I am losing a lot of time in my sector for choir practices and performances this week, so it will be really crazy. We also have our Christmas party that is a reunion of special changes because missionaries are going home that day as well. So it will be large. I have a choir practice Thursday morning at 8 and the reunions until 4 in the afternoon. So 5 in the morning for you until 1 in the afternoon.... It will be a long day, but it will be good. I´ll keep working on writing more and doing my best to keep you informed.

They are finishing their missions. It is just when they end because they had a change at one point that was 8 weeks long and caused this need of special changes.

Ya things are good with Elder Correa and I know there are a lot of people. Look for Cerro Santa Lucia in Google Earth and that road by it is the edge of our sector on the south side and inside of Santa Rosas to the East is ours until it hits a large road that is east of another that is called Portugal. That is the other border and there is another street south of Diez de Julio. That is our other border. All of that space is our sector. Our church is on the corner of Republica with Gorbea if you want to know how far away everything is for the sector. The other part of our ward is west of Santa Rosas that right now is the sector of Simi Squad. That is more information for you.

That´s awesome that everything is going so well and that you are enjoying this time of year. I am barely realizing where we are in the year. I just barely got here it feels like and now it has been a half month.... I don´t understand how the time passes so quickly, but it does and there is never enough time to do everything that we would like to accomplish, but enjoy everything and serving the people in the time that you have.

We walk usually or use metro if we need to go to other parts, but walk a lot. My shoes are fine and no, I don’t need insoles.  I am doing just fine.

Simi Squad is a companionship that uses computers to make El Rescate or the books for each sector, The Rescue in English, that have all of the members that live in your sector. They also have a phone to receive all of the calls for references and they find the people that have moved and where they are living now and send their directions and do a lot of the hard work for the mission. They are in the office until 6 in the afternoon and then head out for 3 hours a day to teach. They lose a lot of time but help the whole mission.

There are 3 right now because one ends his mission on Thursday. Elders Baumann ending his mission from United States and Elders Trejo and Bittencourt. Trejo from Mexico and Bittencourt from Brazil. They all have more than a year in the mission but are working hard. We also know that they are going to be changing sectors. They are going to switch sectors with the Sisters in our Zone so they will be in Republica and the Sisters will be in Diego de Almagro 1.

Brother Schneiter said he would send you an email with the link to a YouTube video of the presentation they showed at the Ward Party. 
  
I have the link.  Also, my small speaker broke.... The charging port, the little metal ends inside are broken so I cannot charge the speaker which makes it useless for music.... I don´t know I have been looking for a speaker here but don´t stress about it. I haven´t found anything yet, but I am going to find something that I can use because I miss having music....

I am sorry.  I know that must be a pain.  Music is awesome!  Does your companion have a music player or speakers?  I can get you another speaker if you want and send it with this package that I have ready.  I would have to move it to a box, but that would be okay. 

I don´t know.... I think I can find something but don´t stress about it right now. I am doing okay. I am working with everything I am going to try to send a few photos to you before I have to be off. This one is of lunch with our family from Ecuador ask Curtis if he has seen this before. It was really good and a different flavor than what Chileans eat normally so it was really awesome. Chileans like food bland and boring and other countries have more interesting flavors. But things are going really well.

  
Please send that photo again.  It only sent the top half of the photo.  Weird.  I thought that Chileans ate a soup like this.  I have seen it on the Mission Blog.  It is called Cazuela, with rice corn on the cob, meat and squash in it. 

I have had it before with Chileans but this was different more Ecuadorian. The flavor was better. I don´t have time to send it again.... It took forever to load.... Sorry I really don´t have time to send it again. I really have to go. We have an hour and a half to do all of our shopping still. We had to be in Maipu for the morning for a Choir practice so we are a little rushed today. Thanks for everything and for all that you do. From Republica to Maipu in Metro is about an hour. You can look up the metro routes if you want. We are in the stop for Santa Lucia so there and line changes and everything really interesting. Thanks for everything and enjoy the cold..... I want to be cold..... I am warm but it isn´t as warm as Utah gets in summer but I am in the street more so it feels like it. The winter here was really nice for me to have time to feel nice when I got to the mission with the cold. Thanks for everything and I will keep writing all that I can and doing my best.



Monday, December 8, 2014

Elder Correa and Elder Goode in Diego de Almagro

One of the missionary moms posted on Facebook that there was a fire in a chapel in the Republic Stake.  Was that your church building?  Did you hear about it?

It was at another church building and yes I heard about it. It was in Parque O'Higgins not my church building. Mine is in the Stake Center and there are two wards there Rebublica and Diego de Almagro. 

Can you just upload all of them to my Dropbox account next week?  Please!  I am so happy to see your happy face today.  Keep on smiling!


No I will just keep sending you photos through email. I have a few this week. Starting with my new companion and I. He is from Cali, Columbia. Things are going really well though. It was a harder week with a lot of time in the street.... We are having a hard time finding times when people are in their houses because they all work so much and aren´t home.... We haven´t had more than 2 lessons in a day yet.... It is really frustrating for me..... I want to have more lessons to have more progress but it is interesting. Our attendance at Church was 161 and our goal for the end of the year is 167 so we are pretty happy with that. Right now we are working to find more investigators and help them progress this month. We have a couple but not a lot honestly. My last sector had around 20 investigators and here we have less than 5..... It is really interesting....

Really rough....  We only had 11 lessons last week and I don´t like it this way..... I am working really hard and contacting a lot we had 89 contacts this last week. We have one new investigator that we are going to work really hard with this week he came to church this last Sunday to have his baby blessed in the church and his wife is a less active and her parents are active. We have been teaching about Family History and I really need your help. SUPER IMPORTANT......  Can you help me find out how to link the Family Search accounts so that when one person does something on their tree it shows up on the others? Because it isn´t happening and this family wants to have their trees connected and I don´t know how to do it...... They are really awesome and are from Ecuador..... Imagine that.... I am looking for a baptism of the husband of Soley who is Carlos. We had 3 lessons with them this last week and are going to start into the lessons with Carlos this week and work really hard to help him be baptized this month. Thanks and I really need to know how today.




He has 16 months and he has 3 months in this sector and had 1 baptism that was basically ready when he got here. He is really excited because his last companion was really lazy and wasn´t working hard but I am sick of being on my feet all day..... We are looking for ways to be in the houses more..... Thanks and I will keep sending photos. We decided to cook Plátanos and we had beets and a salad it was really good. I am learning to cook with him and he is learning English from me. 

Thanks for the photo.  It sounds like they need someone in this sector who is a good hard worker.  That would be YOU!  Has your companion had any baptisms here?  How long has he been in this sector?  How long has he been out on his mission?  I am happy your attendance is close to your goal. 

Yes..... They want it to have the correct name code for each person and it always shows up person unknown. Carlos wants to add Soley and have all of her branch of the family show up but it won´t because he can´t find her and she has all of the branch finished.... Each want to do their side of the family and join them together just by adding the other.... It is really frustrating because Carlos is doing all of his family that aren´t members and aren´t in the system and Soley will have to add them all individually.... The parents of Soley as well will have to do it all the hard way and they all want what Soley has but don´t know how to get it.... I am really frustrated with it because I don´t have a lot of time and I can´t individually do it all at once. We need to start focusing more on the lessons and not just doing their family trees..... I need a way to make it all show up faster. Soley has all of her grandparents and to great grandparents. Carlos has his parents but to create them all with take a lot of time for 4 accounts.....

If they add something for a living person it will not show up in the other account.  Each person will have to add the living people to their own account.  Once they get to the deceased people, then they should be okay.  It is like adding a bridge from the living to the dead. 

When I first opened my account, I had to add Dad, all of our children and grandchildren, my parents, dad’s parents and each of our grandparents.  It was the grandparents who were deceased.  Then when I added each of them, it populated the rest of that branch of the tree. 

I had to do the same thing for Dad’s account and for your account.  It is meant to protect the living people in the tree.  No one else can see the living people I add except for me.

Is this the problem they are having?

The thing is that they all have accounts.... and they want them to have all of the information..... I will have to work with them to explain everything about the system and that is really annoying.... Oh well I will have to explain and work with it.....

If entering in all the information for the living people is a burden for them, then have them just work with one account and not two or more.  I have several couples in my Sunday School class who just share one account.  It works out alright. 



Here are some photos of the city from an apartment we were visiting in with our Ward Misson Leader. Also do I have a Skype account to use for Christmas calls?




More photos of other parts only a little of this is in my sector most of my sector is the other direction. Are you sure there isn´t another way to connect all of the accounts?



I hope that these photos help you see a little of the view and that the apartment buildings are huge.... I live in one that has I think 24 floors.... I honestly don´t remember they all have a lot.... Thanks for everything and I am out of time enjoy your week and I will work with what I have for now and help them to all work through one account and add everything into one and if they want to they can create the others for their own accounts but I will explain that so that they can all have the people in their accounts and then we will start working on teaching Carlos. He is really receptive and I don´t doubt that he could be baptized in a short amount of time. Thanks for everything and enjoy your week!

No we cannot use computers of members we have two options Skype in cyber with cameras if it has them or in the church using the computers there and we have 4 days that we can Skype for 1 hour. 24-27 any of these days.

I understand thanks. More than anything it is really frustrating because it would be so much easier if everything just showed up.... Oh well thanks and I have to go bye! Love you!

Love you, too.  Thanks for the photos.  Good luck.  You can do anything.  Nothing is impossible with the Lord.

I understand and I will let you know next week which day my companion and I are going to Skype we are going to talk about it and plan it out. Thanks for everything and I will work with the families to help them have their family history tree. Thanks for everything. Love you!




I am grateful to another mom for posting this fun photo of Braxton.  When they meet up for transfers or other meetings they like to get together with their mission family members.  There is a tradition in the mission that your Trainer becomes your Father.  Braxton's trainer is Elder Chuqel with the pink tie.  Elder Chuqel has also trained Elder Prisbrey, who is on the far right with the light blue tie.  Elder Smith, in the center,  trained Elder Chuquel, so he is Braxton's Grandfather.  He also trained Elder Stevens who is second from the left, so elder Stevens is an Uncle to Braxton.  This is Braxton's Heritage in the Mission.  I can't wait to see how it continues to grow throughout his mission.  


I am grateful to another mother for posting this poster on Facebook, also.  Braxton was selected to sing in the choir for this program which will be presented on December 19th, 20th and 21st in the mission in three different locations.  He was excited to be able to sing and perform again.  He loved doing that last Christmas with the Syracuse High Madrigals.  I am sure practices are adding a bit of fun to his December as well.  I hope he will remember this as one of the highlights of his mission, to sing about the birth of our Savior, in Spanish.  I wish I could be there to watch and listen.  I hope it touches hearts and brings new people to investigate the church.  What a wonderful Christmas blessing! 













Monday, December 1, 2014

One Baptism, A Transfer and Photos Finally!!!


Thanksgiving I forgot to do stuff and was really busy.... It was really busy this week. 4 of our investigators passed their interviews, but only 1 was baptized. That was Isabel that I sent photos of the other day. Ashlee is going to get baptized this week and the other two are going to wait for a while, but still are going to keep coming. I am really excited to be in another sector, but there will be a lot of challenges here. I know that I will learn and get used to it and the sector will improve. There is a lot to do here, but I know that it will all work out. I am really happy and excited with changes and I have better computers to use to email, so it will be really good!



Elder Vasquez baptized Isabel and she hasn´t been confirmed yet. The boys didn´t feel ready, but they are still progressing. It is fine. Things will work out. I am doing really well and I sent the photo to your email Saturday night or for you Saturday afternoon. I sent a lot of pictures from my camera you should have a lot of them....

I didn't get the photos.  The email program must have blocked them.  Can you send them again?

I will send the photos that I have, first of Isabel and afterwards others. Look for an email from my camera they were all from my camera. I sent you another message with all of that information.....



The Guerra Zapata family that are really great and they are progressing still. Elizabeth, the mom, needs to get married, to be baptized and the two kids will when she is or with more times attending church.  Their father doesn´t come..... he is the father of the youngest and the photo was taken at the church.



The family of Melanie. She the taller woman. She was baptized by Elder Fernandez in the other sector and yesterday her sister Miriam in pink and Israel the guy holding the young kid were baptized by Elder Decker and Elder Villablanca that are in the other sector. They are a great family and I was teaching the sister of Melanie and Miriam.



Here is a photo of me with Miguel and Javiera. She is the sister of Melanie and Miriam and they are progressing, but still haven´t come to church.... They didn´t even come to the baptism which was frustrating..... Oh well, they are really great though. I am really excited though for my new sector. These photos are the people from my last sector basically.



The Soto Flores Family. Jessy, the mom is the one that I gave an inhaler to. They are converts of Elder Smith and Elder Chuquel. They are really great and it was really great to visit with them. All of them speak English, except for the Dad, who isn´t the dad of any of the kids, but they are awesome! Great people that were in my last sector.

I am basically out of time for today, but I will let you know more about my new sector, Diego de Almagro 2. It is in the zone Republica and before I was in the zone Ochagavia in Lo Espejo 2. My companion now is Elder Correa from Columbia. Things will be really good here and I will get you a photo of him for next week. Thanks! Love you bye!

It shouldn´t be a problem anymore with photos at least while I am in Republica so for at least a month and a half I will focus on finding good photos for you! Love you bye! 

Monday, November 24, 2014

5 Baptisms Planned!


Don`t stress too much about Book of Mormon 2 stickers. I have all of the scriptures references, just not the stickers. I am okay. Don`t spend a lot on a whole set for nothing. I am going to hang onto the other that is a duplicate because it has the scriptures listed, but the wrong stickers. Don`t stress over everything and packages are surely costing a lot. Don`t stress a ton about sending a lot of them or for every little occasion. Thanks for all that you do.


I don`t know if I will have changes in a week, but it is possible. I am doing really well. I am having a really hard time when we go to teach English Classes here, because I am forgetting so much.... I can`t talk easily in English. It is so rough. I am used to talking in Spanish to the point that I can`t speak English well. I can think English when I want to, but I usually am thinking and doing everything in Spanish. I hope that you are doing well and I am doing really well. We haven`t had any baptisms in the past 5 weeks, but we have 5 planned for this next Sunday. I am really excited and we are working really hard with all of them to have them get baptized and have great experiences. There are a lot of people that we are teaching but we are working to help more people be ready for baptism. We have a lot of people that are progressing just at different rates and will be ready to be baptized in a little more time. I am really excited! There are so many blessings.


Today I had choir practices in Maipù. You`re probably confused about choir. Remember how you found the Christmas Choir from last year? Well I am in the choir for this year. My companion is as well and we have fixed a lot of our problems, but there are a few little ones. We both enjoy singing so that has helped get rid of a lot of stress. I am really excited and happy with everything. Enjoy everything and I am doing my best and time passes quickly and everything. I can`t believe that I am nearing 6 months. Time will pass really quickly and I am really enjoying serving but I get bored at times. 


If you want you could save all the money that you would use to send things to me and start stockpiling things for Christmas or other things like that for when I get back? I`m really doing just fine. Things are great and everything! I know that when I get back there will be a few things that I will want to buy and have fun doing. Also don`t forget about Newmont, to reapply before I come back from my mission. Have a reminder or something. I don`t want to lose that opportunity. I am really happy with everything and things really aren`t that hard right now. I am happy with everything. Enjoy your snow while I have summer. Thanks for everything. I will be back on a little later. We are on really early today and will be back later today to write more. Thanks for all that you do!


I was disappointed not to get any photos or the video this week.  Can you please try to get something to us this week?  Did you send the SD card yet?


No, I haven`t. I don`t think that I am going to send it. Also the password to the Wi-Fi at the church wasn`t the normal church password, so I couldn`t send anything, because I don`t have the password. Sorry, I know that I promised, but I honestly couldn`t send anything. I am doing my best..... I might be able to get it sent today during internet time. I will be back on later, but I don`t know for sure.


I looked into Dropbox and I can`t upload from these computers. Some computers can read my camera, but there are others that say that they need to format the card and they can`t format anything. These computers are newer and can`t read my camera. I don`t know... I have given up a lot on being able to send photos, because I am on a really good computer in Maipù today..... I don`t know.... I have done what I can.... There is only so much that I can do and I am having a really hard time with technology not doing what I want it to do lately. Thanks for everything and I will be on a little bit later to reply to everything but I still have to do my Family Search time. Thanks and talk to you later.


The computers all want to format my card. I don`t know and the password is not Pioneer47 it isn`t LDS Wi-Fi or however it was. It says Rama Lo Espejo or Branch Lo Espejo. I will try with my external drive, but I don`t know for certain. I am doing what I can. I didn`t send the card, because I kept forgetting to send it and I kept trying to use it to upload to Dropbox, but haven`t had good luck with it.


The baptismal dates are Francisco and Alfonso the kids of Elizabeth and Victor. They can`t get married yet, because they live in a camp, really poor and honestly horrible. You would be grossed out. They are amazing and we are doing a lot to serve them and all that we can. We are working to baptize the kids, because Elizabeth loves the church and wants to be baptized, but cannot right now. We have talked to her about March getting married and baptized and how we won`t be here and it will be other missionaries. And how she will need to continue going to church and being the strong one to help her kids stay strong. The kids really like the church, too. They don`t understand everything, but we are working really hard with them.


We have Patrick and Ashlee. Both are guys and they are our Haitians that can be baptized. All 5 have the attendances to be baptized. We are passing by to help them and teach more of the family. We were able to get a lot of stuff in French and they came to our English classes this last Saturday. It was awesome teaching and learning Creole and French from them and teaching. They are really great and really strong. We are doing all to make sure that they are ready.  We also have Isabel who is the mom of Ivan, who is a recent convert that we are verifying that she has stopped smoking and is ready.


We are going to visit them a lot this week and plan the baptismal interviews and do all we can to have them. We are planning a huge baptismal service in our branch planned for 7 baptisms, 2 from the other Elders. We are really close and we can do baptisms any day of the week. We like to do them Saturdays, but if they attend, they do the baptisms after the reunion (meetings) and the following week give them the Holy Ghost, but sometimes we do Saturday baptisms and Sunday Confirmations. This just worked out to be a Sunday. 


President Barreiros baptized all of the missionaries at the temple and the Elders that were waiting to be baptized did the confirmations. It was really awesome. I got baptized for them all, but not confirmed for all, for a few yes. They were doing their best to get them all through and it was a really awesome experience. I got to be a witness and confirm various times. It was really awesome. I really enjoyed it and the temple with recent converts is the next Saturday. We are going to verify with all of them who can go and make sure that they have names and everything. Otherwise, we are going to reschedule, but our goal is to strengthen their faith and help them be more active. They are a little lazy at times, but we are doing our best to strengthen their testimonies and help retain them active. 


I have been messaging two missionaries who will arrive in your mission in January.  Marcel Max is from Brazil.  He speaks Portuguese and English. He is really a cool kid.  I have enjoyed our conversations.  He wants you to be his trainer.  He has been reading your blog.  He went to the temple for his endowments on your birthday.  The other guy is Cole Mason.  He is from North Ogden.  He is friends with Logan Parkin.  I started emailing his mom and then I sent him a message on Facebook.  Cole will go to the Chile CCM.  I am still not sure where Marcel will go.


That`s really cool that they are coming to my mission and it will be in my 5th or 6th change depending on when they are in the CCM. If it is my 5th change it will be right when Elder Chuquel told me that I need to train. I honestly have no clue what will happen and I have learned that if it is the Lord`s will, it will happen. I am enjoying serving and looking for opportunities to serve. I don`t want to be selfish or anything but I really want to use my white tie. It is a little flashy and honestly one of my favorites and I would like to be able to use it more often.


Things are coming along slowly and as the people follow through with their commitments. There are a lot more people and as they progress I will let you know. I may change sectors so I am going to focus on the ones that can be baptized soon and if I stay I will let you know about the others that I am working with. I feel like I will stay, but the Lord knows a whole lot better than I do. Thanks for everything!


I will do what I can. We have been having a little bit of difficulties with success in the work, because the majority of the members aren`t doing much to help us have success in the work. They aren`t working well.... We have activities and other things, like this last Saturday to show the organizations of the Church to people who don`t know the church and we only had 4 people show up that were new..... And 3 of them were brought by one person..... There is a lot of difficulties with this and we are working as hard as we can. There are a few people who work really well, but overall the branch doesn`t help much. We are trying and doing our best to keep people coming, activate less actives and in-actives, keep the new converts coming and helping them establish their testimonies, but we can`t do everything.... We only had 48 people this week and we can think of so many people that just didn`t come.... I don`t know what I can do in some cases, because they are just being lazy or something. But I am doing my best to strengthen them and looking for the best way to have success and be patient with everything knowing that I can`t make it go faster. Love you!


I am trying and anytime that I use the thumb drive or camera with cables or anything it can`t read it on these computers. It is like they lack the ability to read the card. I think it is because my camera card is 64 GB. I don`t bring the terabyte drive with me each week because I don`t always take photos off. I have only found 1 cyber that can read my card and we aren`t at that cyber this week. I don`t know what to tell you to tell Brother Schneiter..... I am trying, but these computers can`t read my card. I have tried every method that I know of to connect them. Think of the computers that we used when it was 2000..... That is basically what I have to work with now..... Bricks...... A little slow and by a little really and hard to work with.... I can`t even enter the jump drive on these computers to look at my photos, because every time that I try it wants to reformat the drive and I say no, so I can`t do anything. I don`t know what to tell you..... I have tried, but I kept the card and didn`t send it, because I thought I could send it through Dropbox, but I wasn`t able to and then I also want to have both cards. I don`t know. Here they don`t sell 64 GB cards, only 16 is the largest that I have seen. Could it be something about the technology being too new for the computers to handle? There are some things like little DVD players that we have that can only read 8 GB or less drives or other things so I think it has to do with the computers not knowing how to read a 64 GB drive..... That`s all that I have.... I don`t know what to do about it, because I can`t do anything now.... The only thing that I can do is explain what I am doing and keep working hard. I will do my best, but I am going to ask our Branch President for the Wi-Fi code tomorrow or at the houses of some members that have Wi-Fi to send some photos. I will send several groups of photos and try to send new ones that you don`t have to give you photos or something because the video I can`t send.


I understand, but our attendance dropped from 74 to 48 it feels like about half was lost.... I don`t know what we aren`t doing. It was a week with less time available to work, because of reunions and temple and everything and we had more lessons than any other week. 29 lessons and we are doing so much to serve and help the people learn the way to have the blessings.


I tried sending things in Maipù with the same problem as here and I didn`t have the terabyte drive. I will look into it next week and I have Choir Practice Friday, but I don`t know the entire schedule. They only told us Friday for now, so I don`t know.... I will do my best to get what I can. Thanks for everything and I will see what I can do and I have tried every method that you have given me to send stuff. The computer that I have today is really slow so I might have to wait until next week to look at the photos on Dropbox. Thanks and I am doing what I can. I have been waiting for Family Search to load and this computer can only do so much at a time.... It is really slow. Next week I am going to use a different one because this one is awful.....


I forgot to talk about how I am doing. My allergies are acting up a little more than normal, but I am okay.  I have a little bit of a cold.... I am doing fine. I have been trying to use all of my medications, but I am not using them nearly as quickly as you are sending them. I will keep using what I have, but I will let you know when I am running low. I don`t need any more right now. I have plenty. I am not using them perfectly, but I am trying to remember every day, but I forget to use them. I am not perfect at remembering all of my medications, but I am taking my allergy and vitamin every day.


Thanks for all that you do. I love you and hope that you are doing well. You should tell me a little more about the other missionaries that you have found that are going to come. I will have plenty of opportunities to get to know them in the mission. Thanks for everything! I am still trying to look into Dropbox and I haven`t done any Family Search I can`t with this computer. The sites use too much and the computer is so slow this week. I will keep away from this one next week, if I am still here.


Ya, I know it has been annoying. We go to the church that is the center of our mission, the church in Esquina Blanca in Maipù. The office of our mission and everything is there. I could ask to send them, but it isn`t my Preparation Day. I really don`t want to be a bother to everyone. President isn’t always there and he is usually really busy. I will do what I can, but things are limited and I have been trying to do my best with the principle for our mission. When there are problems of any kind is You Fix It! We have a lot of little things that happen every day that we have to solve.


We were in a service project and all the hard work and diligence that you and Dad always taught me pay off, because I never get tired during services and am working the whole time and the other Elders don`t know how I can do that. They are a little bit pampered in some ways, but I am grateful that I know how to work hard, but because of that I lack patience when things don`t work out or go fast or there are problems. But I am learning a lot and doing my best to do better.


Thanks for everything that you do for me and I am still looking into Dropbox, but I will probably just have to look next week. I will let you know what happens with the changes. They call us the Saturday night of week 6, so this Saturday night we will know for Church on Sunday.  I will do what I can to remember everything and keep up with everything. If someone leaves, they always talk here in this branch, so we will see what happens. I am basically certain that either I or Elder Vasquez will go and for some reason I feel like he will go, but I don`t know for certain. Thanks and I will let you know how things go for next week. 


Thanks for everything and I will try to get you some of my best photos tomorrow. I am a little forgetful so there aren`t tons of photos, but I have more than 100 in my time.  I will do what I can to have good ones. I just get going and forget to take photos. Thanks for everything and for all that you do. Enjoy Thanksgiving and the time with Family. The time passes really quickly for me and will be gone before I know it. Thanks and I will talk to you next week! Love you! Bye!

 

 

 

Monday, November 17, 2014

Lots of Gratitude!

I got the package this week. They moved our reunion to Thursday last week. It was really nice and I have been marking with the markers. I am a little frustrated though because Book of Mormon 2 has the same stickers as Book of Mormon 4. They accidentally put 4 in a 2.... So I have double of one and none of Book of Mormon 2. It`s fine though. I am doing really well. I don`t think I can send the video today..... I don`t have a good computer or time to do it..... I am really sorry.

Also I really need your help today. Do you by chance have male names ready for baptisms? We are going to the temple as a mission this Wednesday and we can only go to do baptisms if we have names. We can get baptized if we have our own family names. Can you email me a print sheet or something so that I can get the cards at the temple. I don`t know exactly I might be able to print it here if you email me an attachment of the names ready to have them printed for the temple. I really appreciate it and I only need male names for baptisms. Love you so much and I will keep writing, but if you can work on that I really appreciate it!

Hi Braxton.  I am glad you got the package.  I will try to find another set of Book of Mormon 2 stickers.

I do have some male names ready for Baptisms.  I have already printed them off once, so if they ask about it tell them that we will destroy the other copy of the cards.  I was hoping Clain would take a date and go do some, but it hasn’t happened yet.  He misses out and you benefit.  How many names do you think you will be able to do?  I think I have about 15 male names.

If I have them I can do them. I don`t know if there is a rule on how many. I don`t think they are going to stop me from doing them if I have them. Why would they want to keep people from the blessings of Salvation?

They shouldn’t.  I just wondered how much time you would have.

I need them today so that we can let the Asistentes know that we are going to the Temple for Baptisms. I need to have that paper printed from here to have it ready to go. Thanks for all that you do and for the help in everything and the photos. I really enjoy hearing about what is going on. We still haven`t had any of our baptisms and we are working really hard to help the people progress. We are working really hard with Patrick and Ashlee our Haitians, Elizabeth, Victor, Francisco, and Alfonzo, one family that isn`t married yet, Miguel, Javiera, and Angelina a family that is married and Javiera is the older sister of a recent convert of the other sector. We are doing a lot. We also have another couple that aren`t married Juan and Maria. There are a lot of people slowly progressing. We also have Francisco and a bunch of others that we are working with to help them be baptized, but it is really hard to do it all because we can`t make them progress just invite them and have them agree to do it and follow through on their own will. I know that the results will come, but they are just a little slow and it will happen. We are doing our best though, in this moment to help them reach their goals. Thanks for everything!

You are making great progress.  You have a huge teaching pool right now, which is great and will help the work continue in that area long after you are transferred.  You may not be there when the baptisms happen, but you have helped to plant the seeds of testimony and that is a very important thing.  Did any of them come to church this week?
  
Patrick and Ashlee our Haitians. We have more in the family but our goal is their baptisms in the next 2 weeks and a few other people. We need to teach a few lessons and make sure that they are ready to make covenants with the Lord. I am doing all that I can, but I can`t change their agency just do my best to love them and work with them to help them progress. Because if they aren`t progressing we have to stop visiting them, because we are losing time if they aren`t progressing. It`s hard at times, but we are really focused on the Temple in our mission. Our president will let us go to the temple with converts and sometimes less actives that become active and can go. For example, if Elder Chuquel`s converts invite me to the temple I can go. I am doing my best and I am really excited. Enrique that you found on Facebook with Vanessa received the Melquezedec sorry can`t remember how to spell it..... Priesthood yesterday and he is paying tithing and they are excited to go to the temple. They are really strong and we are doing a lot here, but we are progressing a little at a time. Patrick added me on Facebook because he asked me what my account was and I helped him find it. Keep up with the newly added people from the mission there will be a lot as time goes on. Thanks and when will I get the form for the baptisms?

I talked to Brother Schneiter.  He understands the frustration you are having with the video.  He said other missionaries are also having problems sending the video.  He said if you could send about 20 photos and your written testimony he could work with that.  I was hoping you would have sent some photos from the church this week using the Wi-Fi and I kept waiting for the video, hoping it would come from one of the members there.  When you go to the office, could you possibly send it from one of their computers?  Please send it to me and I will get it to Brother Schneiter.  Then I will know it is taken care of.  Plus I am excited to see it as well.   We still have a couple of weeks, so keep trying to find a way to send it.  I think the Dropbox solution is the best, but that requires a good computer.  How far away do you have to go to the other cyber with faster computers?  Did you mail the SD card with the photos yet?
  
No, I haven`t mailed it and I forgot to upload it to Dropbox when I was teaching Family Search to a family that is preparing to go to the temple in less than 2 weeks with us to do baptisms. We are doing what we can right now. I am really busy and a little forgetful with some things because there is so much to do all the time and I can`t do it all..... I am doing my best. Thanks for everything! I will do what I can and thank you for all of your support and help with everything.

There are 23 on this Family Ordinance Request.  There might be more if I searched under Elijah Daniel Goode that I haven’t reserved yet, but I am not sure I am finished checking everything on those yet.  Hopefully this is good for now.  I hope it is okay that they are under my name and not yours.  Do I need to move them to your account and then print it off?

I don`t know if it needs to be under my name. Was the last one? Because Elder Gilbert printed off the last set so I really don`t think it matters that much. I will print it off and it shouldn`t be a problem. Thank you so much! 

I can`t send photos today. I tried I will send some tomorrow through my camera when we have our correlation meeting in the church. I am doing my best and there is only so much that I can do. Thanks for all that you do for me and I have a little bit of time still. I really am enjoying everything that has been happening lately. It is just crazy and really busy. The time passes quickly, but still feels really long. I am doing my best and there is a lot to do and so little time to do it. I know that the Lord has a plan and that sometimes we have to suffer our afflictions before the Lord gives us success. I am suffering a lot in many aspects but I am learning a lot of patience in my trials and to work hard all day long regardless of how exhausted I am. Time as a missionary is really short, but it is so important to use every moment the best that we can. I am doing my best to always do that and serve the people. Thanks for everything and I will keep writing what I can each week and doing my best. Love you!

I just went through the descendants under Elijah Daniel Goode.  There are a couple of male names that you could do, but a lot are female names. Then there are lots of them that were born between 1904 and 1920 that we are not able to do yet because of the 110 year rule.  I will try to finish these names up and then if you get another opportunity to do baptisms in the future we will have some more ready for you to take.  I just want to take time to clean up the places and make sure birth, death and marriage information is verified with sources.  You have done a lot to get them to that point.  Thank you.  I know they will all appreciate your efforts.
  
I know and I am doing what I can. Today I won`t be doing any I am focused on doing my best to get them printed and writing you a little more. I can take a little break from the records. I know that cleaning up the records makes it a whole lot easier for you to prepare them for the temple and that is part of my goal to have the names ready so that you always have a source of people to serve when you go to the temple every month as a family since I can`t always go. That`s part of my vision for doing the clean-up. If someone is willing to prepare everything people have the opportunities to serve. Keep going and drag the others along. Use Preach My Gospel Chapter 11 and practice the commitments with Dad and Clain and Curtis and Alex and have a great time. Go as a family and commit them to going and I will do my best to make sure that there are people ready to be served. Thanks for your help and love and support. I love doing the technology side and with a few weeks of work and only a couple hours there are more ancestors receiving the blessings. Thanks and keep doing your best and I will do the clean-up work! Love you! I am going to enjoy doing temple work on my own time table after the mission. Thanks! Love you! 

You are welcome Bud!  I love helping you.  I know you are doing all you can and working hard to be the best missionary you can be.  Are you writing things in your planner that you need to take care of?  Then you won’t forget as easily.  That is really neat that you are teaching Family Search to a family there.  How awesome that they can go and do baptisms with you.  What are their names?  Are they recent converts?  Is it easy to find records for Chile?  I have never done any research in South American countries so I don’t have any idea how easy it is to find the records there.  There is so much to learn, but you are making a huge difference to them to be able to teach them the things you have learned.  I am so proud of you.
  
I have the ordinance request. Thanks so much and it is just a little bit harder because they are recent converts. Yessy and Alfredo Soto Flores. They are a marriage with 3 kids. They are Yessy`s and Alfredo married her afterwards. They are amazing. They can go as a family. Hector is 11 which is hard because he can`t so he will go with us but can`t do baptisms. Our goal for them is at least one person for the 4 that can do them. 2 and 2 and if they can get them ready and I helped them create their parents and they are going to work to put the information in for grandparents and everything but we are doing our best with them. The temple will help them with goals and to have the vision for the temple. They were baptized 8 months ago and just barely started paying tithing. They are Chuquel`s converts. I am doing all that I can with them to keep them strong through the temple. They are really amazing and great. Thanks for everything and I am doing my best to explain everything.

Thanks Braxton.  I love you, too.  You are amazing.  I will excitedly wait for the photos tomorrow.  It will be an awesome Tuesday, too!
  
If you were to have gone on a mission and everything was easy and simple with no challenges or trials, you would not have learned all that the Lord wants to teach you.  Always remember that we came to earth to have trials and tests.  That is how we prove our worthiness and commitment to God.  Just remember these trials won’t last forever and you will be able to endure them.  Try to find ways to be optimistic and happy.  A talk I read from President Uchtdorf yesterday said to Live the Gospel Joyful!  I liked that.  There is so much joy in the blessings of the gospel.  You have more blessings than you could ever count.  But when you are discouraged, start counting a few and you will soon realize that you are incredibly blessed and loved.  Share your blessings with others through your testimony and by teaching them to use Family Search or by using your amazing talents.  Find ways each day to love and serve your companion.
  
I forgot to tell you.  Kelsey got her mission call.  Did she email you?  She is going to Texas Houston South Spanish Speaking and leaves on March 25th.  She will go to the Mexico MTC.  She is so excited!

I got a message from her and wrote her back thanks for remembering to tell me. Thanks for all of the photos and sending me photos when you get them. It really helps me feel updated. Thanks for everything and for being here to help me with everything. I am doing my best and hope that you have success. I am basically out of time. Sorry, but I have to go. Thanks for all that you write and do for me. Love you so much and for all of your help! Enjoy the Ogden Temple I can`t, so you need to!

I will try out Chapter 11 and see if I can get them to commit.  I keep hoping and praying that they will develop a love for the temple on their own and will have the desire to go and serve.  I know Clain and Dad had a good time on Wednesday and we were able to get a lot of help with the names we had.  Dad had 6 male names for endowments and other members of the ward took them and helped him by doing an endowment for them.  I had 7 names done for me that night.  Plus Alex and I did 2 the week before.  We each have a few initiatory ordinances that need done.  That is what Dad likes to do best.  Soon we will have another whole set ready to take to do sealings.  It is exciting to see the work go forth. 

I am so excited that you have a love for the work and will carry on with it after your mission.  I think it is so awesome that you can do some while on your mission.  I love you and I know your ancestors are appreciative of the work.  I think that a great missionary effort is going on in heaven among the Goode Descendants.  That work will increase when your Grandfather joins his brothers in heaven.  Because of that, I know it will not be quite as sad when he dies and leaves this earth.  For now, he is still hanging on and actually seems healthier now than he was a year ago.

  
Don`t forget to verify. That is the most important step. Always do your follow up! :) Make sure that they are willing and remind them. We as missionaries are supposed to be in contact with our baptismal dates in Spanish (fechas) every day. So don`t forget to keep reminding them, but not annoyingly. Make sure that it is a part of their schedule like going to church each week. Make it a habit! Love you!


Thanks Braxton.  Have a super awesome week!  The Lord will bless you.  I put your name on the Temple Prayer roll.  I will keep it there as often as I can because I want you to have those extra blessings and prayers to be able to work through your trials and problems, especially those with your companion.  I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and I know that the Holy Ghost will guide, direct and comfort you.  I love you more than you can even imagine.  Take care.
Love always and forever and ever,
Mom

I am doing just fine. We are getting along better, but not like I would like. Everything is a little distant, but that`s fine. It happens. I am doing great and working through everything. There are little things that we can do always to help us and I am doing my best to improve my abilities.

The Ogden Temple will be there for a lifetime.  Enjoy the Chile Temple while you can.  You may never make it back there again after your mission.  No matter which temple, it is always a place full of the Holy Spirit.  Soak it up and enjoy that special time.  Write about it in your journal.

I will thanks bye!

I will try!  But Dad still has his agency and overcoming his anxiety is a big part of it.  He has to feel comfortable going or he won’t. I will keep trying.  Thanks for your encouragement.  I promise I will read Chapter 11 next week.  I have to get my talk ready this week.
  
That`s fine. It is all about commitments and helps a lot. I have been studying it to help me in the work, to help the people to progress by having commitments that will help them progress and make covenants through obedience and success in their lives through our invitations that they accept and then act upon. I know it will help, but don`t pester Dad with it. Your goal is to be nice about it, but invite and commit him nicely :) A little love goes a long way! Bye!