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!