Success in Babahoyo

Week 7 Babahoyo Written on April 26, 2010

Hey, so how are things going? I am doing really well here in Babahoyo we have been having a hard time but we have been having lots of success too. We have two baptism dates for the fifteenth of May a cousin of Wendy and Sandy and the boyfriend of a member they are living together so we are helping them get married and then after they get married then he can get baptized and a year from now they can go to the temple to be sealed as a family. We also have three other couples that we are working with that aren´t married we have to do a last will and testament for one couple and then they can get married and be baptized. We have another couple that he is a less active member and she isn´t a member and they aren´t married so we are going to help them get married and to do that we have to get a paper that she doesn´t have so that we can get then married. and the last couple he is living in Quevedo and she lives here and they want to get married and then be members of the church but the problem is they don´t have any money so we found him a job and now we are working on finding them an apartment and then we can get them married and get them baptized so right now I feel a little bit like a lawyer and a church employment officer we have found work and we are finding an apartment for them we have done papers and marriages so we are working hard for our baptisms but it will be worth it in the end. Well I love you lots and hope that all is going well.

Love,
Elder Goode

I think that is awesome Curtis. You are learning a lot about what it is like to be a Bishop. You have to help people fix a lot of their problems in their lives in order for them to be happy living the gospel. If their physical environment and situation are not good, they can't focus on the spiritual part of their lives very well, but when you help people get into a better situation where their physical needs are being met, then they can focus their efforts on improving spiritually. I think this is going to be a lot like what I will be dealing with as a Relief Society President. I have to help them to have hope in Jesus Christ. The hard part is that you can't do everything for them. You have to teach and then let them make decisions in their lives based on those teachings. We still have to let them exercise their agency and the church's plan is that they should help themselves as much as possible. It is hard when people don't follow through and do what is best for themselves.

I am glad you are working so hard and that the Lord is blessing you with some success. It will be a huge blessing to these people later in their lives to see what you helped them to achieve. I hope they are all able to stay active and progress to the temple. That would be the ultimate blessing for you.

What is going on in your Zone? Are all of your elders doing well? How is your companion doing?

As a zone we are doing really good we are having success. We had two more elders train here in Babahoyo so now every sector but mine has a new elder in it so that is kinda cool I have the chance to help a lot of new elders to progress and become better we really don´t have many elders that are very old in the mission there is Elder Casas and then me and my companion and the rest are at the year mark or younger so we have a really young zone but that is good they are obedient and teachable so we are having lots of success.

I am glad things are going well in your zone. Keep on being a fine example for the young missionaries. You had great examples to follow when you arrived in the mission. I am sure they will look to you to know what they should do and how they should act.

Are you doing very many interchanges with elders right now?

Tell us more about your ward and your companion please.

Have you heard anything about plans for coming home? dates? tickets?

We haven´t been doing very many interchanges but we are going to start doing them this week I will stay in our sector and elder De Leon will go to the other sectors and well thing will work out well. I haven´t heard much about coming home dates or tickets or anything like that I am sure that it will be in the process but that is Elder Elwood’s job not mine so he takes care of all of that I will hear more about that next change they usually don´t give us much notice before hand. The ward here is doing really good we are having lots of success as a ward the members are coming out to church we have regular assistance of between 150 and 180 members each week so that is good we are working to get the number up to 200 that is my goal before I leave here in Babahoyo so I hope I stick around a bit longer so that I can achieve this goal. We have lots of members that are helping us out a lot and this is why we are having so much success.

That sounds really great. I know the missionary work must go smoother when the members help. Otherwise the investigators don't have any friends and ties to the ward and will get lost when the missionaries move to another area. We are doing more missionary work in Relief Society, trying to plan some activities specifically for those inactive members we are targeting. I think with this new program we will get even more involved in missionary work.

Hopefully you can get involved with it when you get home.

Do you need anything?
Are you happy and healthy?

No, right now I am doing good. I don´t need anything else right now but can you do me a favor can you see if you can find a few fruit for me? You don´t have to buy them just see if you can find them to buy. Maracuya, platano, the tomato from the tree, narajilla, Zapote, Pitahaya, tuna or the cactus fruit, Guanabana, guava, and Mangos. I want to see what there is available for when I get back.

I think you may be disappointed in the quantity and quality and price of these strange fruits.

Why do you say that? Can you find these fruits in Utah?

So what time do I need to call? If it is five there that means that it is seven here?

I think so. Is that too late?

No, that is ok I just couldn’t remember the problem is that is one of the best times to visit with investigators Sunday at seven. I will see what I can do to not set up any visits for that time but we will have to see when we can do it.

Would it work better earlier in the morning? I will have a meeting at 11:00, but we could do it before that like at 9:00 or 10:00. That would be 11:00 or 12:00 your time. That would be great and might make it easier if we have to go up and get Taylor that evening. The girls wouldn't be here, but they probably won't be even after church. Jeff always has to do financial stuff and with Shara going to the conference, she probably won't come down either.

It would work better. Eleven is when we are leaving the church and we are doing less productive things at that time, so I think that when I leave the church it will be eleven thirty or so and then I can go call and talk to you. In the morning will be much better so that I don’t have to give up our appointments that night.


Dear Curtis

How are things? Did you have any baptism Saturday? It looks like we will be going Prong Horn Hunting in September. We drew out and we also all got our deer tags. Andy Kay is going to be taking us, maybe Ted, too. Clain twisted his ankle Saturday jumping on the tramp. Mom is going to take him to the Doctor today at 12:30 to have it checked. We are going to go see Michelle’s Picture she had to for her last project tonight right after school. Well let us know what is new and exciting that you have been doing? I Love You!

Love,
Dad

That is cool! I am really excited to go hunt. It has been a long time since I have been, over two years now. I just gotta wait another four and a half months and I´ll be there. Has Skyler talked to you yet? He sent me an email and said that he wanted to buy me an elk tag down there in Arizona, but he needs my hunting info. If he hasn´t talked to you yet could you get a hold of him and give him my info so that he can buy it if he is going to. Thanks. We didn´t have any baptisms, but we have two planned for the fifteenth and we have about five more that we are working on marriages, so that they can get baptized. So we should have some more baptisms in May. Well thank you. I love you lots.

Elder Goode