Final Email from Elder Goode

Thanks for the update on the funeral for Grandma. I am glad that everything went well. I am doing really well. I have to finishing adjusting my suitcases here in Maipú and we have a couple of hours before they are going to take us to the Airport. I had an amazing time yesterday. So many blessings that I have seen. I have been truly blessed and I am happy for the experiences that I have had. I know that time comes and goes and I enjoy it all. I will try to call if we have time. I will most likely eat and everything to call a little bit before the last flight to not wake you up so early. Thank you for everything and for the constant support. I know that we will have a lot of conversations to catch up on. Thanks for everything and I will talk to you tomorrow. Thanks for everything I have been truly blessed.

Final Emails - He will be home on May 31st!

Thanks for the update. Don`t worry I had a feeling that I would be saying goodbye to one of my grandparents before the mission. I knew that something was going to happen. Those feelings just come in life. I am really grateful for the example that my grandparents have always given me. I know that they are truly loved and it is hard on everyone when they go. I really appreciate everything that has been happening lately and the lessons that I am learning or have learned. I can`t wait to see everyone next week on Tuesday. I am doing my best to keep focused on the work. It is hard to keep finding more people to teach when you know that you aren`t going to be there for anything that happens in the future. I am doing my best to strengthen my converts in the Gospel this week and leave them ready so that the next missionaries can help them and serve them with the ward to keep them going strong. I want to be in contact with them all here soon. Thanks for everything and the constant support. I know that it isn`t easy to write every week and be there constantly.

I love writing to you, but I am grateful that this phase of our lives is almost over.  I love having my children close to me and being able to call or text whenever I want.  Which just reminded me of the other thing I had forgotten. 

Your new cell phone number is                                in case you want to give it out to anyone before you come home. 

I wish you could be here for the funeral, but I don’t want you to miss the last week of your mission.  I figure that the Lord knew what He was doing and He would want you to stay and be a finisher.   

You have had wonderful grandparents and I am grateful that they have been around to influence your life.  Life would have been very different without them.  I am happy Grandma is now at peace.  I hope Grandpa will join her soon because I hate seeing him sit there day after day, not being able to do anything but eat, sleep and watch TV. 

Were you able to have your confirmations on Sunday?  Do you have any more temple trips planned?

We had the confirmations of Roger and Sandra. We won`t be able to have our Temple Trip this week. We have not been able to get the interviews for the Temple or for The Aaronic Priesthood with the converts. It hasn`t been easy to get them through and because we haven`t been able to, we can`t take them to the Temple. I am doing all that I can. This week I have a lot of activities. I have lunch with my Mission President and his Wife tomorrow and Thursday the Temple trip. Either Friday or next Monday I will have my Interview with my Mission President and I will ask him for a new Temple Recommend, as well. I am nearly out of time, but I am grateful for the time that I have had to write and everything. I will be happy to not have to email so much or write so much trying to explain everything.

Okay!  Be careful and safe as you travel home.  Take time to eat something during your layover between flights. 

I love you so much and I can’t wait to wrap my arms around you again. 

Hugs and Kisses!

Love always and forever,

Mom

Zone Conference Photos from May 5, 2016

Photos from Zone Conference on May 5, 2016 with the Cinco de Abril Zone, the Ochagavia Zone and the Republica Zone.  Braxton is in the Cinco de Abril Zone.

In the photo above, Elder Huenimilla is on the bottom left corner.  He is Elder Goode's companion.

Elder Goode is in the middle row behind the hermana with the blue sleeves.

The Temple Trip Was Amazing!!!

The temple trip was amazing! I was shocked.... I didn`t expect them to want me to be a Witness for their Sealing. It was an amazing experience and I learned a lot being the first time that I have been in a sealing. I really enjoyed this week and we had the baptisms of Roger and Sandra as well. Luis, Estefania and Maria Fernanda were confirmed as well. It was a great week! I am doing great and enjoying all of the great blessings that have come my way here. I never expected to have 7 baptisms in my last 3 months but it happened. Being 2 and a half months honestly in 10 weeks 7 baptisms was not on my expected list, but I am happy with everything.

We ran into Wadcene and talked to him and found out that he had moved to another part of the Sister´s sector. He is doing well, but didn`t attend church. They are working with him. Lorentz was sick this week so he couldn`t go out and visit with us. He is looking for a place to rent. I am really enjoying everything right now. 

Congratulations!!!  I am so happy for you.  I wish I could give you a great big hug right now.  I am so happy that your last area has been so productive.  I wish we would have had more time between your endowment and when you left so we could have gone to a sealing with you, but this is awesome for you to get to experience it with someone you love so much.  Not very many missionaries get to have an experience like that!

What great things do you have planned for this week?  Do you have any other investigators that are progressing?

I highly doubt that we have more baptisms before I come home. It would have to be my last Sunday and we don`t have a lot of investigators right now because we just baptized the majority that were progressing. We have been truly blessed here. We are planning a Temple Trip with the new converts that we have had for the 28th of May, but we need to have all of their interviews and have them receive The Aaronic Priesthood as well. I am working towards that goal. We are going to be looking to leave a few baptismal dates ready if we can. 

I am really enjoying this time, but I am fairly exhausted after these last couple of weeks. They have been exhausting, but great.

I am really happy here doing what I can and strengthening everyone here before I come home. I had a great time with Camila and Guillermo. I really enjoying having that experience with them. I will see them again. They are going to come when we have our farewells in Maipú.

They give a very important assignment to the Witnesses to a Sealing though. It was really awesome to be there. It made my whole week. Elder Huenumilla ran into his Ward, because they were all there for a Temple Trip. He ran into friends, ward members, his Bishop and others. He had a great time and it was really nice. The sister missionaries that received Diego de Almagro 2 after I left, that were there visiting with Camila and Guillermo, also had permission to be at the Sealing. It was really amazing. I will have to show you the pictures later on or ask my companion to send some to you.

Have Elder Huenumilla send some if you can.  I can’ t wait to see them!

That is amazing that Elder Huenumilla’s ward was there.  I am sure he felt that to be a special blessing to him. 

I have never been a witness to a sealing.  I bet it was so amazing!  I know it has always been amazing to me when I have been asked to be a witness in an endowment session.

I am happy that it went so well.  Did anyone take photos?  I hope Camila will post some soon.  I will have to check on Roger and Sandra’s FB pages to see if they post any photos. 

You were companions with Elder Leyva weren’t you?   He just got married.

I hope this week will be a good one and I hope you are able to take some of them to the temple to do baptisms.  That would be so awesome for you and probably a neat experience for your companion as well. 

Enjoy this time.  You can rest and recover when you get home.  You can always catch up on your sleep on that long plane ride home. J

Elder Leyva told me that he was going to get married in April. I heard that he had gotten married. We took pictures of the baptisms and of the temple trip. I just can`t send them. At the latest you will see them in a couple of weeks.

I know.  Everything is in a couple of weeks.  Closer, but still so hard to wait for it.  With today’s technology, it is hard not to have what I want when I want it.  I guess I should be very grateful our technology is more advanced than that of Chile, but still, I hate waiting. 

Here is a photo of Elder Leyva, that his wife posted an hour ago.  I am not sure when they got married.

The District that I am working with has been a little bit harder than my last one. They are both in the same ward in El Rosal, but the sectors are smaller and they are having a really hard time finding people that are willing and want to be baptized. 

Maybe you could help them out this week and do a finding day where everyone knocks doors in their sectors.  Maybe you could get a few ward members involved so you could split up and cover more ground and knock on even more doors.  Or borrow your Zone Leaders for a day to help out.

I will see if we have time because we are out of time.... I am really excited about everything right now. I have tried to in their sector and we haven`t had much success either. We went out as a District once and it didn`t work well. My companion is sending a couple of photos of the baptisms. He didn`t take pictures of Camila and Guillermo so you will have to wait for those.

Okay.  I am not sure what else you could try.  Pray for help and inspiration and you will know what to do to help them. 

I hope you have a fantastic week.  I know it won’t be as great as last week, but enjoy it anyways.  Work hard.  Be obedient and finish strong.  Take some photos of your apartment, the busses, the families you are working with and teaching and the other missionaries in your district and zone.  Enjoy and soak it all in, because soon you will be missing it as much as I am missing you, well, maybe almost as much!

I love you so much!  I am so very, very proud of all you are doing and all you have accomplished.  I know your Heavenly Father is proud of you, also. 

Hugs and kisses!

Love always and forever,

Mom

I´m out of time I´ll talk to you next week. My companion is sending pictures right now from the last baptisms.

Sweet!!!  Please tell him thank you for the photos and for being such a great companion to you.

Sadly, the photos never arrived in my email.  He must have run out of time, so I will wait another two weeks to see them. L

Excited for this Week!!!

Hi, Mom. Things are going really well. I am doing great. The training was very limited, but I did pick up several concepts that I hadn`t learned before. I was being reminded of a lot of things that I had learned before. I am really grateful for the preparation that I put into place and the help to accomplish the goals that I have made. I have seen many blessings. I know that I am better prepared than many people returning home to go against the challenges and difficulties that I will have to face coming home.

I am really excited for this week. We changed our goal and we want to work to baptize Roger and Sandra this Sunday. They need very little teaching, but our goal is that they get baptized this Sunday instead of waiting until the 21st. This way we have more time, just in case. I am really excited to keep working with everyone here. I have seen so many blessings from the Lord and I am excited to make many temple trips coming home from the mission. I have a personal goal of working every Sunday on Family History work instead of playing video games. I decided that Video games are not something that will be a part of my Sundays after the mission. I would rather dedicate it to visiting people and temple work.

Those are great goals.  I hope you are able to help Roger and Sandra prepare for this Sunday and work with the Hatian that just moved to your area.  That would be so awesome and you have the ability to teach him well with the help of the man who goes out teaching with you each evening.  The Lord will bless you.  I think It is really cool that you are learning so many languages.  That will be a huge blessing to you in your adult years.  I hope you will be able to use them in your employment and in your service in the church. 

I am excited to work on Family History with you again.  I can't get Clain and Dad very excited about it and Curtis, Michelle and Shara are too busy in their lives right now.  We might be able to work on Clain a little bit together and help him learn to love it.  Thanks for your interest in Family History.  It is fun to have one of my kids love the things I do. 

How many missionaries were at the training today?  All of the ones that were in your CCM group and a few more?

There were 9 Elders and 9 Sisters today but one was there because the Assistants had a meeting, so Elder Ballard didn`t go and Elder Bevan extended his mission so he wasn`t there either.

That is interesting.  I didn't know they would let you extend your mission.  Is Elder Bevan going home with the big group at the end of June?

I got the carpet cleaned already.  They came earlier than expected.  It looks much better.  It has been too long since we cleaned it. 

What is the name of the Haitian man?  Have you met with him yet?

In occasions you can extend. I didn`t want to. The Haitian that attended once is called Wadcene. Lorentz is the one that goes out to help us almost every day.

I am glad you didn't.  I want you home.  I miss you. 

I hope things will go well with Wadcene.  I will pray for him and Roger and Sandra and for you and your companion.  I hope this will be one of your best weeks of the mission! 

Any questions about the temple names?

I just printed them off. I will go over them to see what I can do and verify the ones that would be duplicates. I will cut them out in a little. I am running short on time today, so it will be later. I only have a few more minutes. I should be fine with everything here. I have done everything that I have left to do for the mission during my email time. I will be able to dedicate a little more time to writing. I am relaxed right now. My main focus right now is helping my district to have success because they haven`t been having much success. They have a harder ward and they are working hard, but I have to keep looking for new ways to help them to be successful and to baptize. They are really great. We are doing everything that we can. I am really enjoying everything here. I am going to try to leave my information with more people before I end.

That is great.  Just keep helping and loving your District members.  Pray to know how to help them.  Think of all the things your past District Leaders and Zone Leaders have done to help you be successful and apply anything that might help them.  I know the Lord will guide you. 

I am glad your last few weeks will be a little more relaxed.  Love it and enjoy the people.  It will probably be a long time till you can go back and visit, but you will still be able to stay in touch.  I have added most of your companions on Facebook and the rest can be added when you get home or when they get home.  

You can give people Dad's phone number or mine.  We are getting rid of the house phone, unless you want me to change your number to be that phone number.  I could, but you would get a few extra calls from pigeon flyers and people who have had our number in the past.  Let me know.  I am going to go change it this week sometime.  

I´m out of time I will talk to you next week!

Upcoming Baptisms

Sounds like everything is going really well. We had a great week! We had 6 investigators attending church this week. We have 3 baptismal dates all for this next Sunday. The 3 kids of Gloria. Luis is 21, Estefania is 20, and Maria is 11. We are working for this next Sunday. They are doing really well. We need to finish teaching Luis a little bit and have their baptismal interviews this week. It is possible that Estefania might have to work Sunday. We are doing all that we can to prepare everything so that she can attend this week and the next week to be baptized and confirmed. I don`t have a wall hanging like what Curtis has. They are more common in Ecuador than here. I have something nice though from here, but it isn`t the same quality. Thanks for all of the updates. I am not going to have a lot of time to write. I have to type up my goals today.

I am happy for you to be having so much success in this area.  I know the people must really love you and you will be missed when you come home.  It is nice that you will be able to keep in touch with people through Facebook, Email and Phone Calls.  I wish Dad would have had those.  It would be nice to know what has happened to all the people he taught. 

  

I am excited to see your goals.  I think it is great that they have you set goals.  I hope you can accomplish them all, but don’t stress too much about it.  Things will work out for you.  The Lord will bless you for your efforts.  I am fairly sure I know how your schooling will be taken care of, but we can talk about that when you get home.  I am certain the Lord has provided a blessing for you, so that you will not have to worry and fuss over money.   

Work hard, but smile and laugh and enjoy these last few weeks.  Take lots of photos and enjoy these weeks.  They are like the cherry and whipped cream on top of your ice cream sundae!  The whole sundae is amazing, but the last little bit will top it off so well.  Going to the temple with Camila and Guillermo will be so very special!   

I love you so much and I am so proud of you.  Have a super, great, amazing, fantastic week. 

Thanks! I am doing all that I can to enjoy the work and the time that I have. It is hard because I have to focus on the most important things all of the time and I never have sufficient time to do everything that is in my plans. I have learned how to plan better to accomplish more every day. I have seen so many blessings. This week, we are going to be running to have all of the baptismal interviews and make sure that they get baptized this Sunday.

I should be calling this Sunday for Skype. It should be around 4-7 here which would be around 1-4, if I am not mistaken. What time do you have church right now? We will have church in the morning, the baptisms, and then lunch afterwards and then the Skype call. I don`t know if there will be a problem with that time frame?

It is 11:38 here.  What time is it there?

2:48 right now here. 

Most likely we will have to have the call during your church hours. I can`t earlier and later I doubt it as well.

There is a three hour difference.  We can do 2:30 or anything after that or if we need to, we can skip church and be home earlier. 

We will try to start later than 5:30 then. I will verify what we are going to do. My companion said that the Stake Center has 6 computers and most likely there will be other missionaries that go there for their Skype as well. They have good cameras and microphones. I am going to plan to be there after 5:30 but before 7. We will try to be there around 6.

Hey, I am out of time, but I love you and thank you for so much. I am really grateful for all that you do and for your patience with my emails. I finished typing up my goals and everything that I had left to do during my emails. I will get you caught up on Sunday about everything that I haven`t been able to write or say. I really am doing my best.  Sorry about the short emails. I love you. Talk to you Sunday!

I love you, too!  Have a Goode week!

Two Baptisms and Three More to Come!

My asthma is doing fine. We are working with Gloria´s 3 kids. Estefania and Luis are the other 2 and they are all awesome. I didn`t tell you, but Gloria and her family are from Ecuador. Brian is from Perú. Things are going great. We are working hard. My asthma is under control and I always have eaten a lot so I don`t think it is an issue. I am not losing weight right now. We got water back last Monday. I don`t think that our mission medicates against parasites ending the mission. I am not worried about the Grandparents too much. I have learned a lot from them and if The Lord calls, He calls, but things are going really well. I am enjoying the work.

The other Temple trip I couldn`t go, because we had so much going on and there wasn`t any way to go. I sent a message to my Mission President today asking for permission for everything with Camila and Guillermo. We had the confirmations yesterday. We are working towards the 8th of May with all 3 of Gloria´s kids. Things have been really great and we are going to keep working hard there and finding more people that want to be baptized right now.

That is amazing!  I am so happy for you.  I am happy that your hard work is paying off.  Is your companion a good teacher?  You haven’t told us much about him.  Congratulations on your baptisms and confirmations.  I hope the others work out as well.  

I am glad your health is good.  Is it getting cold down there yet?  Will you be okay without your coat?  

I hope you will be able to work things out to go with Camila and Guillermo.  That would be such an awesome experience for you.  

Do you have any plans for your Mother’s Day call yet?

I don`t know yet about the Mother´s day call. I have the camera that I used last Skype call, but I don`t have all of the details yet.  

I should be able to go with Camila and Guillermo. Are they going to have the Endowment and Sealing the same day? 

It is a little cold, but I have the inner part of my coat. The warm part and I have my umbrella. I should be fine.

My companion teaches really well. He is in his 4th change in this sector. He should stay another after this one. He will be a very successful missionary. I wouldn`t doubt him being an assistant to the new Mission President when he is ending his mission.

Try to let us know next week about your phone call so we can set it up with everyone.  If you get a chance, test out your headset and find a computer that will work better.

I don’t know on the endowment and sealing.  I would think, yes, but I don’t know.  Perhaps you could get permission to call them and find out.

You could always wear the sweaters that go under your suit coat and your thermal underwear to keep warm.

I am glad that your companion will be successful.  I am sure you have helped him to become that wonderful missionary.  You have great faith in him. 

We love you so much!  It is great to hear from you.  What else has been going on in your part of the world?

I gave the Thermal Underwear to companions that aren`t good about the cold and I am using the sweaters. I am fine it isn`t that cold here. I would imagine that the endowment and sealing go together. I will find out soon.

I figured you wouldn’t wear it because you are always so hot-blooded.  I am glad you are using the sweaters.  Take some photos of you wearing them.  So far, I have not seen any photos in the sweaters.  Be warm.  Be safe.  Be happy! 

Love you, too!!!!!  Be Safe!  Be Goode!

Flooding in Santiago

Sunday, April 17th, Santiago, Chile had some flooding.  Here is a News Article about the flooding.

Floods Hit Chilean Capital, Cut Water to Millions

·        By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SANTIAGO, Chile — Apr 17, 2016, 5:03 PM ET

Heavy rains have caused severe flooding and cut water service to 4.5 million people around Chile's capital, Santiago, officials said Sunday.

The Rio Mapocho flooded several districts of the city and landslides killed at least one person. Seven others were missing, and officials said some 300 people had been evacuated. Power was cut to more than 80,000 people in Santiago and the provinces of Valparaiso and O'Higgins.

The huge El Teniente operation of the state-run Codelco mining company was forced to close. Officials said schools would be shuttered as well.

City official Claudio Orrego said that while the Mapocho didn't overflow its banks, a problem with a tunnel led water to spill into the city.

Orrego said water service was cut to at least 4.5 million people due to contamination caused by the flooding. Authorities urged residents to limit water use until the problem is past.

We are Doing Really Well!

We are doing really well. Our water has been cut for 2 days but we are fine. We have water still that we stored and haven`t had problems. In our sector there is water so if we have problems we can go to the sector. We were in the house after church yesterday all evening and I am staying here for my last change with Elder Huenumilla. Things are going great. We had 2 baptisms this weekend Gloria was baptized and Brian it was really awesome! We are going to confirm them next Sunday. We also are working to baptize Gloria´s daughter Maria Fernanda. Things are going really well right now. I am not worried about the weather we are doing great. I am really happy and excited for this change. We were really blessed to have both baptisms this weekend. We are working as hard as possible to do more and have more success.

Have you heard anything from Camila and Guillermo about going to the temple? Have they had their interview with their stake president yet? Can you verify a little more about it?

It is a little difficult about the whole family situation with everything right now. I know that the Lord is sending so many blessings to the family. Thank you for all the help and support. I am enjoying everything right now. I know that there are so many blessings here in the work. I love working here and doing my very best to serve and help people willing to come unto Christ and show their faith through their actions.

Sorry that everything is short on time and everything but I am out of time again thanks for everything and I will tell you more in a little while. I love you! Talk to you next week!

Very Short Letter!

Hey Mom, I am sorry. I really don`t have a lot of time to write and I know that is frustrating, but I had a lot that I needed to write to my Mission President and other things. My time is nearly up, but I love you all. We didn`t have investigators at church, but we are still working hard to baptize Brian and Gloria this Saturday. They are both really awesome and want to be baptized. We are going to be working hard to have it happen. Thanks for all that you do. Brian wasn`t sure last week, so he didn`t get baptized yet, but he feels a lot more sure, now. So we are going to be helping him a lot right now.

Hi Braxton,

I love you and I know it is always hard to accomplish everything.  Are you happy and healthy? 

Love,
Mom

Let me know when you know more about Guillermo and Camila. Thanks for the help. Sorry, I am also preparing my Farewell Invitations for the people that I visited so that they can visit with me before I return. I am preparing them now so that I can have them delivered early. Thanks for everything!

I am doing really well. I am so sorry that I am not going to be able to write more but I am out of time right now. I love you talk to you next week!

I love you, too.  I can’t wait to have an opportunity to really talk to you.  I miss that.  Keep working hard.  We are praying for you.

General Conference

Conference was really great. We had 3 investigators attending. We have 2 with baptismal dates right now. We have Brian for the 9^th but he isn`t really firm yet to be baptized even though he has been taught all of the lessons. We are working with him to see if he really wants to be baptized and his interest. We are working towards the desire that he needs to be baptized this weekend. We also have Gloria that came to church last week and we need to teach her a lot more and verify how she is coming along with the Book of Mormon and several other things. She has come to church twice and was at the conference. It was really great. We are doing a lot. We left between the sessions on Saturday to contact and we found a lady named Silvana that we invited to the conference for Sunday and we were going to pick her up, but we arrived late so we called her and she told us that she thought we weren`t going to come so she went on her own. We went and she was there and she has a lot of questions and a few problems that she is working to find answers to help her daughter.

I know that getting home I am going to want to have a little time for family and then start working to save more money. I don`t have a clue how much money I have left or anything. I am very concerned about finances after the mission. I feel like I am going to be lacking money and that I should work hard and prepare for college and see about dating and everything afterwards. I don`t know exactly, but time is going to go by very quickly and I am not sure about what will happen with everything right after the mission. 

I still don`t have pictures and I highly doubt that I will be able to get pictures to you before I finish my mission. I am sorry I would love to, but the computers don`t have a good capacity to read my camera. I am doing my very best, but everything is very stressful. I am doing all that I can right now. Time goes by really quickly, but I am really exhausted right now. I am doing my very best to keep working my hardest right now, but there is so much stress and everything right now to deal with that makes it interesting.

We have been working really hard to have success and we have a lot of people that are really receptive that are just making bad decisions. Our retention is the same case. We have 11 people that are really great, but lately have been making bad choices and aren`t attending church a lot. We are working really hard and our leaders are a little complicated, but we are doing our very best to accomplish the most that we can.  We are trying to do a lot and very little is happening. We are doing the best that we can to help each person and help them to make the decisions that will help them to receive the blessings of the Atonement that only come through the ordinances of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Sacrament. We are so busy that it is hard to focus on everything. We have a couple that got married on the 30th of March that know that the church is true but haven`t come to church even though they want to be baptized. I am trying to be patient with them so that they can make the right choice and be baptized. There are many things happening, but I am just trying to do my best. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all that there is to do and I know that coming home won`t be much different. There will be a lot of things that I am going to need to do and finding the time with be a challenge for me.

I appreciate all of the updates, but I don`t honestly know what will happen when I get home and how the Lord wants me to continue. I just know that accomplishing the goals that I am starting to set is not going to be easy and it will be frustrating, but I have many things that I really want to accomplish coming home. I know that it will be a challenge and it is possible that I don`t accomplish all of them, but I am going to do my very best to have a great plan set so that I make these goals happen as quickly as possible.

I don`t have a clue how I am going to accomplish them all, but I have good idea what I want to make happen in my life coming home. I don`t like focusing a lot on it right now, but I am planning for the future now and working as hard as I can to have as many baptisms as possible here before coming home. I am fighting against the clock to do so and I know I will be doing the same at home to set in my goals for the future coming home. I don`t know about spending a lot of time playing, or doing too much for fun coming home. I feel like I should focus in and prepare so that the future goals can be accomplished sooner than later.

Just relax. It will all work out. I am happy you are working so hard. You can invite people to the gospel, but they have to choose it for themselves. 

I´m not stressed over it. I am stressed over the fact that time passes so quickly and that I want to do more and accomplish more always.

There will be time for fun along with accomplishing your goals. It is great that you are setting goals.   I am excited for you to tell me about them when you get home. 

Sadly I am out of time. Thank you for everything. I appreciate all that you do and for the help. I know that my goals aren`t going to be easy to accomplish. That is why I worry so much, because I know that they are very difficult ones that are worth the results for me.

We all get the same amount of time and we don't always get to decide how things go. Come what may and love it!

I love you. Have a great week!

You should receive a copy of them after the mission. I am working on the 10 goals that will be sent to my parents, my bishop, and stake president when I am coming home from the mission. I am looking mostly into goals for the next few years and the purpose in each of them and I am going to have to work hard to be able to accomplish them all. I love you and will talk to you next week. I love you! Thanks for all that you are doing and for the updates that I get. I really am grateful.

Happy Easter!

I am doing fine health-wise. It has been asthma related my medical experience and it was an asthma doctor. I am eating a lot and am doing fine. I feel great. I hope that everything is going well for everyone at home. I am doing better. I had an additional medicine for 5 days was all, but working hard to help me feel better. We played soccer today and I am feeling much better than before. I have seen a lot of blessings this week. We had 4 investigators this week at church and we have 2 investigators with baptismal dates for the future. We have Brian an 18 year-old kid for the 9th and Gloria that we met on Saturday that came to church working towards the 16th. We are doing so much right now. We found 7 new investigators this week, but 2 of them came to church. We have a washer. I live in a new apartment building. The house is great. We didn`t have anything special for Easter. I haven`t heard more from Camila. Hermano Salvador is a convert that is really special from Peñaflor that works hard in the Mission and helps us a lot it will be cool. I don`t remember the exact date, but it is here in April, but it will go well.

Hi Braxton!  We are at the AT&T store buying phones. I am glad you are feeling better. Do you have more energy now?

I am doing better. Yesterday I was slightly light-headed, but I am doing well. I don`t know much about the phone models and everything, but supposedly the Gold one is really nice, but I don`t have a clue or idea about what I want. I really haven`t focused much on that either, but I am doing much better and working hard to have success, just working hard and seeing many miracles in the work.

I chose space gray which is basically black and silver. It is a 5S which is about the same size as the phone you had before your mission. We ordered a nice case for it. It will be dark blue and light blue so you won't even see the black and silver. It has 128 gigabytes of storage. The phone case has the ability to charge your phone when the battery gets low and it seals it from water, dirt, snow and protects it if it gets dropped. Awesome phone for our awesome son!!!

I am glad you are having good success. I hope you are able to have some baptisms in this area. Did the lady who got robbed come to church?

No, this week she was at the beach and didn`t come. We are going to see how she is doing this week and if she is still interested.

Did the mission do anything for Easter?

No, the mission didn`t do anything special. We have been sharing the video Hallelujah with everyone and focusing on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and we have seen so many blessings from it. There is a lot to do and we have to walk 5 minutes to the bus stop from our house and 5-15 minutes in bus to our sector depending on traffic. We are doing great. I think she will be interested. Her name is Aystia and she is 22 and has a 5 year-old kid. She is great and has most of the lessons, but we are doing our best. Here in the sector we have 7 people that have attended church recently, so we are going to keep working hard to prepare the most possible right now. There are so many people that The Lord has been preparing here that we are going to see what we can do now for them. Thank you so much for your support and worrying about me, but I am doing really great. I know that everything will be fine. The time is really short and the mission goes by really quickly. Before you know it, I will be home. I can`t believe that things go so quickly. I don`t want it to end and there is so much that we are doing now to be able to help everyone to come unto Christ. I don`t know the exact date yet with Camila, but I should know when she writes back. Keep in contact and ask her to let you know when they have the date so that I can get permission. I am going to be waiting to hear.

I love you and I am out of time! Thanks for everything!

Visit to the Doctor

I´m sorry that you have been sick. I had my Doctor`s appointment that the mission set up. It seems like my sickness is influenced by my asthma. It appears that my last sector, before we changed houses caused a lot of it, being a poor quality house. And now I am still sick, because of that. I am doing fine though. I have a few changes and another medicine to take to help with my asthma. 

Our investigators are a little complicated. They didn`t attend this week. Our baptism is not on track. She didn`t attend this week. She is a little discouraged, because she got robbed on Saturday. We went to pick her up Sunday and she didn`t want to go.... Oh well. We will see what happens this week and if she is willing still or not.

It has been a really long week. I am sorry that it is going to seem like I am on for very little time, but I have had to write a lot of things for the mission today and am just getting around to writing so I will do my best. The computers here in this area aren`t really good for reading my camera so pictures aren`t in the options.

I am really glad that Camila and Guillermo are doing so well and happy to hear when they go. I also got invited to Hermano Salvador´s temple endowment. He invited me to that and it will be in April. I must have had a positive influence on him because he was just in the stake and I was fairly far away, but he is an amazing convert that has done a lot in our mission.

Hi Braxton!  I am glad you were able to get to a doctor and get some help.  Hopefully the new medicine will help you to feel better.  I hope you will get better quickly.  Is your current house newer and better quality?  Is it clean? 

I am back at work today, but coughing more than I have for several days.  I also coughed a lot last night so I didn’t sleep well.  Oh well.  I have heard from others that this sickness is really hard to shake. 

Keep working with your investigators.  Share your happy smile with them and love and serve them as you can.  You will bless them and help them. 

I understand about the camera.  I was afraid you would be back in a poor computer area again.  I guess I can wait a few months to see your smiling face again. 

I will let you know when I hear more from Camila.  I hope that you will be able to attend.  I am happy you will get to go with Hermano Salvador.  That is neat.  

I am happy about Camila`s reply. She is going to have her interview with the Stake President fairly quickly and then they are going to set up the appointment for the Temple. And they said that they are going to send you a message, so that you can send me a message, so that I can verify and get permission to go. Thank you for everything that you do. I am doing well. I am just a little frustrated with slow transit and having to travel to and from my sector every day. I miss being able to work faster. It is frustrating sometimes. I also forgot that the people in the city are slightly rude.... Oh well. I am doing great, just that I am short on time....

Use your travel time to de-stress.  Relax and enjoy the time with your companion.  You can still accomplish a lot in the time you have.  I am sorry that people are rude.  Just keep smiling at them. 

Please drink lots of fluids and keep yourself hydrated.  That will help you get better sooner.  Try to get lots of sleep. 

I know you are very busy and working hard.  I love you and I am so very proud of you.  It is tough to work when you don’t feel well, but you just keep doing it.  I love you so very much!

I ran into Carlos on Wednesday last week.... I was shocked we talked for a little and I am going to write him again. I really hope that things start changing. He hasn`t been going to church and he told me that, but I am going to remind him and help him a little more when I can.

I love you and sorry that I am so short on time. I am doing my best. I need to start preparing my farewell letter to send to all the people from my sectors, so that they come at the end of May for my Farewell from the mission. I am doing really well. I appreciate all that you are doing for me and the help. I am working hard and we will see what happens in the next little bit. Sorry that I can`t write much more, but I am out of time sadly. Thank you for everything that you do and sorry it is insufficient and I know it is frustrating, but I am doing my best to write as much as I can.

I know you are doing your best.  You always do.  I would love to hear more, but I understand.  Have a great week and BE GOODE!  We are praying for you!

Love always and forever,

Mom

More About New Area

This is a screen shot of Braxton's current ward.  The blue outline is the Ward Boundary.  I divided it up with lines and numbers and asked him to tell us which parts he is covering.  His church building sits in the middle of 2, 3, 5 and 6.  

I have sectors 9, 10, 6, 3, and a portion of sector 5, and a little of 1. The sisters have 1 below the line from 2 and they have 2, 4, 7, and the majority of 5. We have from the street Gandhi above or towards 6 and 10. We might have parts of 8 but I am not certain.

Hi!  How are you? 

That is a lot of area to cover.  That puts the church in the middle of the two areas, which is nice.  Which section do you live in?

What kind of work do these people do?  There are warehouse looking buildings up in section 3.  Do they work there in manufacturing?

It depends I don`t really know that much. We don`t live in the ward.... Or even in the mission. We live in the street Las Rejas a little north of the street Ecuador in apartment buildings that are close by. We have to travel every day to the sector and back, but oh well. 

That is interesting.  Is your apartment nice?  How are you feeling?

I think that I have an infection of some kind most likely respiratorial because it isn`t going that great, but it could just be my asthma acting up lately....

We do have Haitians in our sector that are members and investigators so I am practicing my French and Creole again.... I understand a lot when they talk. The Haitians are really receptive and one that is a recent convert comes with us most of the days to visit people which is really great.

The apartment is small and I have been much better, but I am working hard and just doing my best. Always hungry and I don`t know if I have a problem because I eat everything and stay skinny. I feel tired a lot, but work hard. I can run normal, but I get tired quickly. We played soccer today and it was hard on me today.... We will need to look into it afterwards to see what is going on. I used all of my medications and everything like I should and it was still complicated to play.

Who would have thought that you would be speaking French and Creole and teaching Haitians in Chile.  I guess they had to go somewhere after the big earthquake and flooding.  I am glad you’re are having some success with them.

It has to do with financial situations as well. They speak Spanish and English on occasions. The majority have some Spanish. I know a little French, but it is not enough. I can understand it when spoken and know what they are trying to say, but teaching is something else. That is why we bring a recent convert that is Haitian. Like you know I have a convert that is Haitian in Lo Espejo. I am doing great, but there is a lot to do and always be focused on.

You can spend extra money from your account if you need to and buy more food.  I don’t like that you are hungry all the time.  I will keep praying for you to have the strength you need to finish strong.  We will get you into whatever doctors it takes when you get home to make sure you are healthy and recover your strength.  Take care of yourself the best you can and if you need to, please talk to the mission medical person.  A priesthood blessing may help.  Are you okay emotionally?

    

I am glad you are being exposed to some different languages and cultures.  It is good for you.  I am happy you have a recent convert willing to go teaching with you. 

It sounds like you are still stressing a lot!  Just do the best you can.  Don’t beat yourself up for things you can’t control and things you can’t accomplish.  I realize goals are such a huge part of the mission life, but be realistic.  It is not your fault when someone cancels an appointment or doesn’t follow through with their commitments.  You can lead them to the gospel, but you can’t force them to partake of it.  Be happy with your best efforts and smile and have a little fun now and then.  How are things with your new companion?

I am fine. I just pulled out around $60 today. I am eating a lot. I am not bad off. I feel fine. I am fine emotionally. I am just doing my best. I talked to Hermana Barreiros and she said that if I keep losing weight that they were going to have me go through an exam. I am doing my very best and I don`t think that it will go bad.

I am glad Hermana Barreiros is aware of the problem.  I worry about you, but you are great at dealing with problems on your own, so I will let you make the decision of whether you need an exam or not.  When you get home, you know you will have to deal with me being Mom again and making sure you get into the doctors and get healthy again.  Dad, Clain and I all went to the dentist this month and after two years, we were all cavity free.  Hopefully you will be, too, when you get home.    

Do you and your companion live with any other missionaries or just the two of you?

Are you still there?  You haven’t told us anything more about your companion.  How did your lessons go this week?  Please say goodbye before you go.  Your letters have been so short lately.

Things are going really great. I am not stressing over things. I am just working hard to accomplish all of my goals. I have taken on a lighter aspect in the work to be serious when working and relaxed in the street talking and working as we should. I am not stressed. I work hard to have success everyday, but we can´t always have the best day of our mission. I know that there are tons of blessings and miracles that the Lord has placed in all parts. I am grateful for all of the blessings that I have seen in my life and the gratefulness of the people that have accepted the message. I am working hard and here I am going to be able to do a lot more to help people to get to the temple and see the blessings that are waiting for them.

Sorry I was writing to My President. I am still here. My companion is in his 3rd change. I told you last week that he is from the areas near Concepción. He is 23 and is a convert of a little over 2 years now. He is really great. We had a great week. We had 25 lessons and 10 new investigators. We were so close to having the 12 that is our normal amount weekly goal... We are doing great working hard. You can go back to the pictures of the 2015 Christmas calendar to see pictures of him. I haven`t taken pictures yet with him, but I need to. I will look into a few more things, but things have been great. I am enjoying the work with him. He is shorter than most of my companions and a little chubbier. He has lost a good amount of weight, but he still walks slow, but it goes well here.

That is great.  Getting people to the temple is even more important in my eyes than getting them baptized.  I hope you are able to do that and to go with them to the temple.  Being there makes it so special and memorable in your heart.  Have you heard anything from Camilla and Guillermo?  I hope so much you are able to go with them to the temple.  I hope they will keep their commitment to get there.  I wish so much that Carlos and Soley could make it to the temple while you are still there, but I doubt that will happen.  What about that family from Lo Espejo that Elder Chuquel baptized?  Have they gone to the temple?

I am glad you are not stressing, but it feels like you are by the things you have written lately.  Maybe I am just worrying about you when I don’t need to.  I will pray and try to relax and hope you will do the same. 

I am happy you are getting along well.  Maybe you need to walk a little slower for a while and notice the trees, bushes, flowers, bugs and birds.  I hope there are not lots of dogs in your area.  I have seen some photos lately of missionaries in your mission being chased by lots of dogs.  Scary!!!  I will try to look him up on the calendar.  Please take some photos of the two of you.  I want to see your smiling face and how skinny you are becoming. I hope you will put some weight back on now that you are walking slowly instead of riding so fast. 

Make sure you buy a few souvenirs that you want to keep the rest of your life during these last few weeks you have.  Get a wall hanging for me and one for you to keep that will help you always remember the wonderful people and culture of Chile. 

I am happy you had so many lessons and new investigators.  That is great work.  I hope that will give you a great teaching pool to work with.

Is there anything fun or exciting to see in your new area? 

The family from Lo Espejo moved back to the United States. Can you verify with Camila and Guillermo by Facebook to see what day they are going to go to the temple?

Can you send this? "Solo quería preguntarles cuando se van a ir al Templo y que me pueden averiguar cuando para que consigo los permisos para estar allí si me pueden hacer este favor sería genial. ¡Gracias Elder Goode! ¡Les extraño nos vemos entre poco!"

Yes.  I will send it to Camila today.  Do you know where in the United States they moved to?

I don`t know. I have a few things so far that I have received from members as souvenirs. I have a good amount of things to help me remember. Don`t worry about that. I am out of time though. I love you and thank you for everything! I am doing my best to still give you as much information as I possibly can.

No.

Have a great week!  I love you so very much!

Camila’s reply.  "Elder! Este miércoles tenemos la entrevista con la estaca y tenemos que pedir la hora, apenas la tengamos le escribo a su mama para que le avise. Muchas gracias por su preocupación. También lo extrañamos, falta poquito!Cariños"

Curtis,

Braxton asked me to send this to Camila today.  She replied and sent a message back to him.  I did a Google Translate.  Can you do a better one?  What is falta poquito! Cariños"

"Solo quería preguntarles cuando se van a ir al Templo y que me pueden averiguar cuando para que consigo los permisos para estar allí si me pueden hacer este favor sería genial. ¡Gracias Elder Goode! ¡Les extraño nos vemos entre poco!"

"Elder! Este miércoles tenemos la entrevista con la estaca y tenemos que pedir la hora, apenas la tengamos le escribo a su mama para que le avise. Muchas gracias por su preocupación. También lo extrañamos, falta poquito! Cariños"

"I just wanted to ask when they will go to the Temple and they can find me time so that I get permission to be there if I can do this favor would be great. Thank you Elder Goode ! Strange We see ourselves between little! "

"Elder ! This Wednesday we have an interview with the stake and we have to ask the time , just have it I am writing to his mother to alert you . Thank you for your concern. We also miss him , little foul Cariños "

Curtis said, “I rewrote the google translate so it is translated correctly.” 

"I just wanted to ask when they will go to the Temple and they can find me time so that I get permission to be there if I can do this favor would be great. Thank you Elder Goode! Strange We see ourselves between little! "

"Elder! This Wednesday we have an interview with the stake and we have to pick a date and time, as soon as we have it I will write to your mom and have her tell you. Thank you for your concern. We also miss him, just a little time left. Take care. 

Transferred to Cinco de Abril Zone & Peñaflor Zone

Photos from Zone Conference last week.
This is the Peñaflor Zone

 March 2016

I did have changes today. I am in the Zone Cinco de Abril in the sector Lo Errázuriz 1. I am companions with Elder Huenumilla from Chile, Concepción. Chiguayante is the name of his city, but he is from that area. He just finished being trained by Elder Baker. I should finish my mission here. We will see what happens. Supposedly, there is a family that is going to get married and then get baptized here and there are 3 people. I don`t have any details, so I will have to get back to you on that. I also talked to President Barreiros about Shara and as a mission when we had our fast from Saturday to Sunday it was added in for Shara as part of the Fast. So she has a lot of help coming as well from the Heavens. I am really excited for this week to meet everyone, but it is going to be a hard one for me. I am still a District Leader and I only have 2 other companionships now. I had 3 before, but I have the other 2 and my own now. We are going to be working really hard and I will let you know how everything goes. I am sad, because I don`t have a bike now.... I am sad.... I really don`t want to be walking, because my body is so used to biking now, but walking will be good, but my feet are going to hate me for a while.

I don`t have a clue about phones to be honest. I don`t know what they look like or anything. I don`t really know about the whole color deal or type. I don`t know the difference in them anymore. I don`t know... I am just going to be working hard and doing my best in the time that I have left here to work and do all that I can. The details aren`t that important to me in the moment. I am fine just working hard and doing my best to serve and bless the lives of those around me. I have no clue what would be better or what color more than likely it would be fine what you choose. I don`t have a big difference in opinion. I don`t know what space gray would be anyway.... Silver, Gold or the other. I don`t know and size I don`t know either, because I can`t see any of it.

Finally got Moved!

Photos of Braxton's new apartment

We finally got moved, but we are waiting for the Pentionists in our mission to bring us a new refrigerator and a stove, so that we can be a little better off. We are working with what we have right now, but it makes things a little complicated. We moved on Thursday. We haven´t been able to get anything accomplished in the situation of Sebastian.... I am slightly frustrated because this weekend we have Stake Conference, so we can´t confirm our baptisms and the week after we have a multi-stake broadcast which keeps us from confirmations as well. We can´t confirm anyone until the 20th of March now.... I really am praying that Sebastian could get baptized soon, but I don´t know if I will be here for the experience. I really don´t want to leave this sector, but I have a feeling that it will most likely happen... Well, you will know what happens next Monday in the afternoon when I write. Thanks for the updates on school and everything I am going to send a few pictures for you so that you can see the new house when we had just gotten it.

I haven´t gotten the package yet, but they didn´t bring us pouch this last week. We haven´t had pouch in a long time and we are really low on pamphlets to give to people which makes it hard to teach them as well. Things are going well. Sebastian hasn´t gone to church in a few weeks, but his Mom and Step-Dad came yesterday. Yessenia and Leonel. They are really amazing and we are still waiting to hear about the divorce and everything.

I am glad Yessenia and Leonel are coming.  I hope they are able to get the divorce figured out soon.  Curtis spent a lot of his time helping people get through all the paperwork for their divorces, so they could get married.  They had a member who was a lawyer that the missionaries worked with.  Do you ever help with the paperwork or do they have to go and wait in long lines like you do to get your Visa paperwork done.  Why did that take so long this time?  You were able to do it all in one day before.

I am sorry about the package.  A couple of moms have been complaining on the Facebook page that their packages have not arrived for their missionaries, so I suspected yours might be in the same situation.  I am sure with new elders in the office learning new duties, that it is busy.  And with the Mission President getting ready to leave and a new one coming, I am sure there are extra things to do there, also.  Have you had a Zone Conference recently?  Your Mission President or his wife posted photos of some of the Zone Conferences, but not yours. 

Change is hard, but it can also be good.  You have met so many wonderful people in this area.  I am sure there are wonderful people somewhere else for you to meet as well.  You have planted many, many seeds in this area and they will eventually sprout.  Your influence has made a difference in peoples’ lives.  They will remember you for good all of their lives.  Maybe there are more people you need to meet and help before your time is up in another area.  I am sure that you will end up where the Lord needs you most.  Think of the people as Heavenly Friends that you knew before this life and now you are becoming reacquainted with them.  Plus, I think you are ready for another new challenge.  Another district, a zone or training a new missionary!  The Lord will provide what you need most. 

That looks nice and clean and not moldy.  I hope it helps you to feel better.  Who are the pentionists?  Are they an older couple or regular missionaries?    

Is it a duplex with two homes or do you have the whole place?  Do all homes down there have bars on their windows?

It seems like every time you get moved to a better living condition, you then get moved to another area.  Oh well, I guess you are being a good scout and leaving things better than you found them.

Are you feeling any better this week?  I hope so.  Is it starting to get colder and wetter yet or is it still too hot for you?

It´s hot.... I don´t know if I will stay... It could happen but who knows. We will have our Zone Conference on the 3rd of March. We are looking into everything that is happening and seeing what will happen. I don´t have a clue honestly about everything that is coming here. I just know that there is a lot of work to do and we will see what the Lord has in mind. Thanks for all the support and we will see the blessings that are coming for the people. I just want to be able to help Sebastian to be baptized in the time that we have but it is unlikely....

Could Sebastian request that you come back and baptize him, if you were to be transferred?  I know you have enjoyed working with him.  I wish he had been ready earlier.  Has he worked things out with his Dad now?

Thanks for the photos.  Do you have any of you and your companion?  I want to see your happy smiling face!

I know you are about out of time.  I hope you have a wonderful week.  We think of you often and pray for you often.  We are so very proud of the work you are doing.  Don’t measure your success by the number of baptisms, but by the hearts you have helped turn to Christ and the wonderful friendships you have made.  I love you so very much.  I am anxious for you to come home, but I know there are still things for you to do there, so work hard and be obedient and diligent to the end. 

Love always and forever,

Mom