2008_11_18 Quevedo Sur Zone Photos

These photos were taken at the Zone Conference held on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 in Quevedo at a Stake Center. This is the Quevedo Sur Zone.

On the front row are Elder Willams (He was a room mate with Curtis at the MTC), Hermana Gamboa, Presidente Gamboa and Elder Sanchez ( Elder William's Companion).

On the second row, the third elder from the left is Elder Bejar (Curtis's companion).

On the third row is Elder Goode (Our Wonderful Missionary Son) , to the left of Elder Bejar.

I believe all the Gringos are in Curtis's District. He mentioned in an earlier letter that there were five Gringos in his District. Notice how large those gringos are. We grow them big here in the USA, don't we. Notice how small President and Hermana Gamboa are next to Elder Williams and Elder Sanchez.

I think there must be two districts in the Quevedo Sur Zone. Each district must have eight elders in it.

2008_11_24 Week 5 Braxton & Dad

To: Curtis Goode
From: Braxton Goode
11/24/08 02:30 pm

Hi Curt I am doing great. You won't believe what happened last Wednesday. Dad, Todd, and Me went hunting to try and get my swan and dad checked me out of school after third period because I had a presentation to do. We sat for almost the whole time without anything flying but about fifteen minutes before the end of the hunt a single swan came in from the north really high it saw our decoys and it turned west and then turned to the east and it turned back headed west over the boat. It was dropping height very quick and it came over me and I knocked it down with one three inch shell. Mom sent you some pictures of it. It wasn't very old but it was still a good bird. I hope you are having a good time and teaching the people what they need. I can't believe how quickly it is going. I am happy that I got it though.

From: Craig Goode

To: Curtis Goode

Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:00:43 -0700

Dear, Curtis

How has your week been? I have the house done the rain gutter back on and all together. Well We, Todd and me took Braxton out Wednesday duck hunting at Ogden bay unit 1 north pond and set up. We got there at about 12:00 noon. We wanted all day and no ducks we sat there all day. Then about 15 minutes before closing time we heard a swan so we got ready after a few minutes a single swan came so we stared calling when it saw the swan decoys goose with white bags over them it wanted in bad it circled and started doping and came right over us. I had Braxton get ready when it was just right I had him shoot and we got it. Mom sent some pictures Let me know if you were able to open them. How has the teaching been going? I think mom had Braxton email you before he went to school. Let me know if he did? I Love You.

Love Dad

hey I got the pictures they are awesome I am so happy that he got his swan it looks like a good bird. he sounded so excited in his email make sure that you get it measured so there aren´t any problems the work is going good we have a baptism this Saturday the mother of Antonia that was baptized a few weeks ago

2008_11_24 Week 5 Balzar Mom

Mom wrote to Curtis Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:12:51 -0700
Curtis replied on Monday, November 24, 2008 at 11:40 am MST

Hi again Curtis,
Tell us about your week. What exciting things happened this week? Do you have new investigators?

yes we have many new investigators in palestina we have gladys and odalis in relicario we have jesus and a young woman named allison in balzar we have the family santillon they are the ones we taught the lesson on chastity to the family of ricardo and mariah. Mariah is the neice of a member and they are really interested in the gospel and they have four kids

How are your old investigators doing?

Most of them we have given up on and moved on to other people now

Did any of them come to church?

We had six investigators at church yesterday julio Espana, Hna. Beatrice and her son Julio part of the Fam. Santillon, Carlos de Barco, the father of a member came too. and in Relicario allison came

How is your smaller branch doing?

They are doing good I gave another talk this week on the importance of the book of mormon. there was 11 people there not counting me or my companion

On your letters to the mission president each week, you put down a list of numbers. Can you tell us what those stand for? Some of them we think we have figured out, but not all of them.

in order the numbers are baptisms, confirmations, investigators with a baptismal date, investigators that attended church, lesons taught with a member present, other lessons, investigators progressing, references recieved, references contacted, new investagators, lessons taught to recent converts or less active members

What is the most exciting thing you did this week?

probably the zone conference

Tell us about your very best lesson?

I taught obedience to the family santillon and I told the story of nephi getting the brass plates and shared the scripture 1nephi 3 7

Do you have any more baptisms lined up?

one this saturday with jesus the mother of antonia and then the 6 of december we have allison two members kids and carlos de barco so quite a few actually

How are the bugs and mosquitos down there?

they really aren´t a problem in balzar but my companion assured me that there are other areas that the bugs are really bad

Did you treat your sheets?

no I haven´t treated my sheets yet

Does the spray work well to keep them off you? Are you happy and healthy? I will continue to ask every week, so don't roll your eyes at me. ;D

yes I am happy and healthy

Tell us about your Zone Conference. Where was it held? Who spoke to you? What else did you do?

it was held in quevedo in a stake center elder bryan, elder ramirez, hna gamboa and presidente gamboa

Did you see any more of the elders you know at the Zone Conference?

no all of the other elders are serving in different areas elder bartolomei is in manta and elder felt is in peninsulare and elder fewkes is either in peninsulare or duran i´m not for sure which I don´t know where elder Smith is serving

Do you talk to many people while you are riding on the crowded bus with your knees squished?

I haven´t because MY spanish isn´t very good but my companion will sometimes talk to people and teach while on the bus

Do they have any kind of celebration at this time of year, like a harvest festival or Thanksgiving?

No just Navidad that is all

What is the most interesting thing you have seen?

I have seen motorcycles the size of mine with 6 people on it. it is quite funny actually

If I send Christmas Cards for President Ruiz and his family, and Sister Valdez, will they be able to read them in English? Should I translate the words first and write it in Spanish or let you translate it for them when you deliver the cards?

Translate them first it will be easier

We got your letter that you wrote on November 3rd with the scriptures in it. Thank you. It arrived on November 19th. It is postmarked on November 18th in Salt Lake City. That is kind of slow mail. Is there a return pouch that you are sending your mail through? Who paid the postage?

I take my letters to the district meetings and give them to my district leader he gives them to the zone leader and the zone leader puts them in a box and sends them on a bus to guayaquil where the elders in the office pick them up and sort through them and send the ones that need to go to the states and the ones that are in the mission they put into other boxes along with the other letters and things and send them the next week to the leaders of zones and they distribute them in the district meetings

I look forward to getting the one with your testimony in. The scriptures were awesome. I am glad you sent so many. We read them for Scripture Study the other night. Is the local mail unreliable in getting mail back to us?

I don´t know I just send them where I am told to send them

Do your district leaders go to the Mission Home every week to get your mail?

No it is through the pouch that they send on the buses my zone leader just goes to the bus terminal and picks the box up

How are the beds down there? Is your bed long enough for your big body or are your feet hanging off the end of the bed two feet? Is it too hard, just right or too soft?

the bed is good it is long enough but just barely

Where do you go to take out your trash? How often do you do that?

we put the trash in the gutter in bags and the garbage truck comes and picks it up about every other day

Do you clean your apartment every Pday?

yep we do

I wish you could send us some photos so we could visualize where you are and what you are doing. You said you would try to send them today. Is that going to work?

I don´t know I will try and see if I can send the cd through the pouch this wednesday I am working on the cd right now

Tell us anything else you think we would like to know.
I love you so much and I am so very proud of you.
Love always and forever,
Mom

Hi Curtis. Thanks for the answers. Have you heard from Michelle. She had good news to tell you. I know Braxton wrote about hunting and dad probably did, too. It sounds like you have been very busy. I am glad you had a good turnout at church. Do you teach a class for the investigators during Sunday School?

yeah we taught about the restoration of the church and yes I have heard from michelle

Do you have a large group in the Sunday School class, investigators and new members who attend? Besides listening to talks, what else did you do at the Zone Conference?

no there was four people in our class this week so it is small in zone conference I also had an interview with president gamboa ate a cookie an apple a package of 3 grahmcrackers and drank a bottle of cifruit

How long do the zone conferences last? What did all the elders do while President Gamboad did interviews?

all the other elders had their interviews the day before but since we are a hour and a half away from where zone conference is held they didn´t make us go the day before for our interview zone conference started at 9 and got done at about 1

That makes good sense. It sounds like they try not to waste any time. So you had four hours of talks. What did they teach you about?

how to effectivly use members and ward mission leaders to help our work. hna gamboa talked about eating breakfast and eating healthy and talking with our mamita about what foods are healthy and not to just serve us rice. oh Presidente and sister (Hermana in spanish or Hna. for short) send their love and told me to thank you for allowing me to serve a mission

That is cool. I will send a Christmas Card to them as well thanking them for taking good care of you. Are you eating a balanced diet? Do you eat pretty much the same things every day or is there more variety in your meals?

I am eating a pretty balanced diet rice with beans and meat or instead of beans something else like vegetables well I gotta Go I love you lots

I love you, too. Have a terrific week!

2008_11_22 First Paper Letter from Ecuador

On Wednesday, November 12, 2008 we received an envelope. It was mailed on November 7, 2008 from Salt Lake City for 35 cents postage. I believe it must have gone from the Mission home in Ecuador through the return pouch to Salt Lake City where it was then mailed to us.


The envelope contained two letters, one from Curtis written on October 22, 2008, the second day he was in Ecuador and one from President J. Wilson Gamboa G., his mission president. Curtis's letter is on a piece of very light weight yellow paper that has a watermark on it. The watermark has a border around the edge, lines for writing and a picture of the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple near the bottom. He probably got it at the temple hotel where he stayed his first night in Ecuador. President Gamboa's letter is on a white piece of paper with the Mission address in the top left corner, the name of the church in the midddle at the top and a photo of the temple in the top right corner. It is type written, but signed in ink by President Gamboa.


Curtis's Letter
10-22-08


Dear Mom & Dad


I made it to Ecuador! It is so cool here. I have already been through the temple today. The session was good. I didn't understand much though. It was all in Spanish. The traffic here is crazy people honking horns and changing lanes like crazy. It was cool to see.


There are lots of American thing here. They fed us pizza when we got here. It was different, but delicious, too. I will eat lunch at the President's house and then come back to the temple hotel where I spent the night and meet my trainer and go to my area and start working.


I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to you more yesterday. Tell the boys I love them. Tell dad I love him lots too. Put this paper on a white piece of paper. It is way cool! I gotta go.


Love,
Elder Curtis Goode


P.S. I met Elder Bryan. We are going hunting after the mission.


Note from Mom - I corresponded with Elder Bryan's mother in Winnemuca, Nevada before Curtis left trying to find out about baggage weight limits. Elder Bryan is serving as an Assistant to the President. He will finish his mission in January 2009.


President Gamboa's Letter
October 28, 2008


Dear Goode Family,


This letter is to let you know that we are very pleased to have Elder Goode with us as a missionary. He arrived to the country safely and has demonstrated an excellent attitude and desire to serve the Lord in His work.


Elder Goode is currently working in Balzar in Quevedo Sur. With this letter we are sending you a photo that we took with your son the day he arrived in Ecuador.


It is our aspiration and desire to help these young missionaries with the guidance of the Spirit. We hope to inspire and instruct them so they will have success. They are welcome here as though they were our own children, and we will care for them as such.


We would also like to ask for your help in supporting your son. We will tell him to write you every week, but we also ask that you might remember to write him every week. Your letters to your son are precious. Thank you again for all that you ahve done to prepare and support this fine missionary.


With love,
President J. Wilson Gamboa G.
Ecuador Guayaquil North Mission

Elder Curtis Goode with President and Sister Gamboa outside the
Guayaquil Ecuador LDS Temple on October 22, 2008.

Elder Curtis Goode with his companion, Elder Bejar.

2008_11_17 Week 4 Balzar Shara

Curtis emailed Shara Gibbons on Monday, November 17, 2008 9:36 AM
Shara emailed back that same day.

hey how are things going? sorry I haven´t written in so long I have been really busy in Ecuador. Everything is good in Ecuador except the milk they sell it in liter bags so it takes about 4 bags to make a gallon and they cost about the same as a gallon of milk too so it sucks I can´t drink milk like I could in the MTC. How are things in lewiston? Well I gotta go bye

Things are going good. Taylor's birthday is tomorrow she will be one year old already. I can't believe that she is a year old already time really goes by quickly.

yeah I know the time goes quickly Today I have two more weeks and then we have transfers and I will have a month and a half in the mission already it is pretty crazy

Yep it is. How is the food? Are you able to speak with the natives in Spanish alright?

The spanish is coming along good. I can talk with the people ok but I still am having trouble understanding them but it is getting easier. the food is good. for breakfast and dinner I have cereal or bread and milk or eggs nothing really hard or complicated. for lunch monday and tuesday we eat in our house so we usually have rice and some other thing like mashed potatoes or vegetables or something. wednesdays we eat in the house of one of the members here in our branch it is good. then thursday through sunday we eat with a differnt member she is our mamita de comida or food. she cooks really good usually soup to start with and then a plate of rice with beans and some sort of meat and usually with fried bananas or platanos they are so good.

Sounds like you are eating really well. So I saw a picture of you with your companion and mission president and wife. You are so much bigger than they are. Are you bigger than about everyone down there?

pretty much I am taller than just about everybody the only people that are taller than me are other gringo missionaries everybody else is shorter than me

Is it easy to get people’s attention because you are so much taller? Do they come up to talk to you or do you have to approach them?

I have to go talk to them still but it is ok we don´t knock on doors here we just walk down the street and talk to the people that are sitting looking out their windows and teach them through the window then when we return we get invited into the house to teach them more

That is cool, do you have any baptisms lined up?

I baptised a 54 year old lady last saturday and we are baptising her mom on the 29th of this month and then the first saturday in december we are baptising a young man named carlos de barco

That is neat. I hope that you are enjoying teaching the gospel.

I am don´t worry well I have to go I am out of time sorry Bye I love you all a lot Elder Goode

We love you too!!!