They don´t do anything like Girl’s Camp or Helaman’s Camp here but they did have a Young Single Adult Conference in Manta this weekend so that is pretty cool.
Is there anything you need or want?
Right now there isn´t anything else that I need, but I will definitely let you know.
Do the people down there do any canning or preserving?
Here there really isn´t any canning or preserving but that is something that the leaders in the church are stressing right now, that the people start keeping a supply of food and money in their house. Here it isn´t hard to buy a sack of rice or beans and keep it in the house, but the people just aren´t doing it. The people normally buy every day here or buy every other day, but they are always buying so they can cook. The people that have fridges usually buy every two or three days, but the thing is to buy you leave the house and go to the corner and there is a store.
Do they garden all year long?
No Answer
Do they just replant stuff when it quits producing?
Here they have planting seasons, too. When it is raining, they can plant different plants than when it is dry, so they plant and then they harvest.
Do any of the plants go through a winter dormant stage?
No, here the trees produce fruit and then they wait about three months and they produce again and they keep doing this all year long, but there are a few trees that are always producing fruit like oranges.
How has the weather been down there?
The weather has been pretty good here. It has been a little cooler and drier, but this is summer in Ecuador in winter it rains and is hotter.
The changes are different. This time they called Saturday and told us that I would be staying in Valencia and that Elder Castaneda would be leaving, but they didn´t tell us where. Sunday, we went to the Zone Leaders house and they called again, but they didn´t tell us the changes. They just said that the people that had changes would go to Guayaquil and when they got to Guayaquil they would give them an envelope and the envelope would tell them where they would be going and who their companion would be. So I still don´t know who my companion is, but I need to go right now and wait in the bus terminal until he gets here. Right now I am with another Elder that is waiting for his companion. His name is Elder Peralta. He started his mission in Valencia and his second sector was Balzar, so we have lots to talk about, but he is from Peru. I seem to get stuck with the Paraguanos. Let’s hope that I get a different country this time, maybe Mexico or Bolivia or Guatamala. Lets hope!!! Well, I gotta go, but when I get to Valencia with my companion we will get back on and let you know what is up with the changes. Well, I gotta go. Bye.
Hi Curtis,
I am glad you are getting to stay one more change in Valencia. I hope you can get those baptisms you are working on to work out in the next six weeks. Please write and tell us about you investigators this week and what is happening with them. Did they go to church? Is anyone ready for baptism this coming week? What great experiences did you have?
Who is your new companion? Give us as many details as you can.
Love you lots,
Mom and Braxton
Hey, I am back here in Valencia. My companion is Elder Hernandez. He is from Guatemala. He is starting his fifth change here in Valencia with me. He was in Babahoyo before in the same house as Elder Frye and Elder Elwood. His trainer is Elder Mitton who is now Zone Leader with Elder Cachari in Quevedo South. Elder Cachari is the trainer of Elder Bartolomei.
Well this week, Dexy came to church on her own. That was really cool. Dexy, I found out is a day older than I am. She turned 20 on the 24th of July, but the really cool thing is that the teens and the young adults invited her to a party that they are having for one of the teens in the ward that just turned 18, so they are going swimming to the swimming pool. I thought that that was really cool, because she has been telling us that she wants to make more friends in the church and now they are getting her involved in their activities. She will be a great convert for us. She has a baptismal date for the 22nd of August. Elder Castaneda helped us out with that before he left. Sunday, when we were in the church, he told Dexy that he was leaving, but that he wanted her to keep listening to the elders and to be baptised and he put the date for the 22nd and she acepted it. That was really cool!
We have been working with a less active family and they gave us a reference and we have been visiting with this family and they came to church Sunday and to the activity that we had last Friday. That was really cool! We have a few more people that are working on progressing, so we are working with them. We have a couple that we are working with to help them get married. We also have Shirley that is still coming to church and my English classes and is progressing good. We just have to keep waiting for her birthday in November, so that she can be baptised. But you know what, she is a really cute girl. I gotta take some pictures to send you, but I am definitely going to have to keep in touch with her. Other than that, we don´t have much else, but we are working good and planning on a big change for baptisms so let’s see what happens.
That is neat. I am glad they are involving Dexy in their activities. It is always easier to come when you have made a few friends. Do you know where Elder Castaneda ended up? Can you tell us more about your new companion? You said he is on his fifth change, so he has been out for 24 weeks or about 6 months. Who are your district leader and zone leader now? What other missionaries are in your district and which ones are in your zone?
Elder Castañeda is in Jipijapa (you say it Hippy Hoppa) in Manta with Elder Ruiz. He is from Costa Rica.
I still don´t know a whole lot yet, give me a week and I will let you know more. I promise! Ya, he has been out four changes and this is the beginning of his fifth so he has six months. His name is Elder Hernandes, but I am pretty sure that it is spelled wrong, but I´ll figure it out this week.
My Zone Leader is the same and I think that my district leader will be, too, but we will see. Maybe they will change us. I don´t know. The zone stayed about the same. I received Elder Hernandes and Elder Peralta received another one and that is the only changes that there were in the zone.
When are you going to send us some pictures? A photo CD? Soon please!
I got the photo that the APs took at Zone Conference, but I don't think you ever told me who everyone is. I think I sent you an email asking, but it was one of the weeks that you didn't send us email. So who are your Zone leader and District leader?
There was a Mauricio R Hernandez who was companions with Dan Mitton in Babahoyo. I wrote down that Dan was his trainer. Is that the one? I am attaching a photo. Is this your new companion? I put down that he is from Guatemala and entered the MTC about 1/21/2009.
Can you correct my bad guesses on this photo from the Zone Conference in July?
Missionaries from Left to Right: (My Best Guesses)
1 Elder E Coj – New Greenie - guess
2 Elder Francisco Castañeda - fact
3 Elder R Peralta - guess (probably wrong)
4 Elder J Esselman - guess
5 Elder A Verastegui - fact
6 Elder Blake Bartolomei - fact
7 Elder Donaldo Batista - guess
8 Elder Curtis Goode - fact
9 Elder Amilcar Vargas - guess
10 Elder Junior Lopez - guess
11 Elder C Garcia – New Greenie - guess
12 Elder Mark Frye - fact
Companionships (My best guesses)
Verastegui and Coj – Zone Leader - guess
Goode and Castañeda - fact
Bartolomei and Esselman -fact
Frye and Lopez - fact
Peralta and Batista - fact
Vargas and Jiminez (You said his new companion was Jiminez, but he’s not in the photo – was there a transfer or is the name wrong? Is his companion Garcia?) – guess
Who are the District Leaders?
Which missionaries are in each district?
Who is your District Leader?
Curtis didn’t respond back. We will have to wait and see if he answers my questions about this photo next week.
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