18 months!!!

Zone Photo taken on Tuesday, July 16, 2010 in Manta, Ecuador.
Front Row: Elder Eduardo Gavarret, First Counselor in the South America Northwest Area Presidency, Sister Gavarret, Hermana Gamboa, President J. Wilson Gamboa

Missionaries from Left to Right: 1- Elder Cruz , 2- Elder Garcia (Companions with Elder Goode), 3-Elder Ramirez, 4-Elder Parkinson (Lives in the same apartment with Elder Goode), 5- Elder Baez, 6- Elder Merrill, 7- Elder Fonseca, 8- Elder Piedra, 9- Elder Goode, 10- Elder Lopez, 11- Elder Avila (Lives in the same apartment with Elder Goode), 12-Elder Romero , 13- Elder Mitchell, 14- Elder Guix, 15-Elder Perez, 16- Elder Walke

Week 17 Portoviejo

Did you have any baptisms this week?

Hey, we didn´t have a baptism this week, but we are really confident that this Saturday we might be able to baptize Luis and then we can work on his two friends for the next week.

Tell us about Luis and his two friends. Any progress towards baptism?

With Luis, we are working and trying really hard and we have lots of hope. Last week, we had problems finding his dad with Carnival and it being a holiday, so he spent the majority of the time drunk. But now that Carnival is over, things are back to normal. We have lots of hope and we are going to try even harder this week, so that we can have a baptism for the Branch Conference which is next Sunday.

Tell us about each of your other investigators.

We have Nely. She is the one that got mad at the neighbor. We finally found her again and we are planning on taking her to church for the conference so that she can see what the church is like. She has never been before so we are going to work extra hard to get her there.

Tell us more about the ward you cover in Portoviejo.

My ward is actually a branch, but it should be a ward here soon. We are having a Branch Conference to see how the ward is doing and if everything is going good then we will become a ward. So we are all really, really excited for this. It will be a big step forward for us. The ward is pretty big in size or the amount of land that we have, but it is really pretty small in people. There are lots of families that are inactive, but that is the majority of Ecuador right now. But we are trying to help more people become active because that is what President Monson wants us to do. Usually, there are about one hundred or a hundred and twenty that assist the church every week, but the goal for the conference is to have two hundred there. That would be really cool! I have to admit.

Tell us about the seafood you bought and ate. How was it?

The seafood was really, really good!!! We had shrimp a few times and I got to tell you, I love shrimp! I could eat hundreds of the little guys! The thing that sucks is that you have to clean the little guys and that is the hard part. You have to peel the shell off and then you have to cut the vein out and that takes time. The octopus was really good. We are actually going to eat some more today. When we bought the seafood, we cleaned it and then put it in plastic bags and put it in the freezer and then we could eat it when we wanted to. So today we are going to eat the last of the seafood. We took it to a sister today and she is going to prepare it for us for lunch. We are going to eat shrimp and octopus and fish. It is going to be so good! Don´t worry. I will take pictures, so that you can see it. I will have to prepare all of these delicious meals that I am learning when I get home. But I want to tell you about another drink that I found a long time ago, but I forgot to tell you about. You boil cinnamon sticks in water and then put sugar to taste and drink it. I was really surprised when I first tried it, but I have to say it is really good. Have you tried the cerviche again?

Tell us more about your companion.

My companion, Elder Garcia, will turn 21 in April. In June, he will have a year in the mission. I am his second companion. He has a girl waiting for him. She is from Italy. His mom is from Colombia. She is black (don´t worry that isn´t an offense in Spanish.) His real dad is from Spain and he hasn´t had much contact with him. His step-dad is also from Spain. His step-dad married his mom when she was a month pregnant with him, so his step-dad raised him as his own son. His step-dad served his mission in the Central America Mission a long time ago when the mission was five different countries. His real dad is not a member of the church. His step-dad taught and baptized his mom, while he was in the mission.

Tell us about your zone and district.

In my zone, we have a few new missionaries that weren´t here last change, like Elder Aracayo. He was the companion of Elder Carlos last change and Elder Frye is the companion of Elder Carlos this change. Elder Perez, he is from the same group as Elder Machuca and is senior comp (Elder Machuca is senior comp, too. He had a change and is now in the Orquidias Zone.) Elder Cruz, I knew him from Quevedo North and he is in Chone now and is district leader. Elder Walke, he is a zone leader. Elder Parkinson, but I have told you about him. In my district there are four companionships, mine, Elder Avila and Elder Parkinson, Elder Perez and Elder Mitchell, and Elder Baez and Elder Merrill. So looking at things time wise, I am the only elder in my district that has more than a year in the mission, so my district is really young in the mission.

Which elders are you supervising in your district?

In my district, there is Elder Garcia and I and Elder Avila and Elder Parkinson and Elder Baez and Elder Merrill and Elder Mitchell and Elder Perez.

What have you been teaching in your district meetings?

We have been working on chapter six of Preach My Gospel which is Christ like attributes, so that is what I have been teaching. This next week, I have to teach how the missionaries can help their investigators come to church.

Where do you get your hair cut?

I go to a member that has a barber shop and he cuts our hair at a discounted price, a dollar fifty.

How often?

I usually cut my hair every three or four weeks.

Have you sent me some more photos yet?

No.

Have you received your Valentine Package yet? I am trying to get another one in the mail this week.

No.

Do you need anything?

More deer jerky would be nice. Send me some post cards of Utah, different places in Utah. Elder Garcia wants to know Utah a little better. He also wants candy canes. I told him they don´t sell them this time of the year, but he told me to ask anyways.

How are your contacts and contact solution doing?

I am not using them, so they are doing just fine. But I figured something out talking to Elder Piedra. He said that the problem I am having with my contacts is because my eye isn´t breathing like it should, so I need a contact that has hydro clear or something like that. I don´t remember for sure, but he said he was having the same problem and that changing to a contact with hydra clear solved his problem.

How is your clothing doing?

My clothes are doing ok. They will make it another six months easily, don´t worry.

Are you getting lots of rain down there? Do you ever wear the boots you bought?

We were getting lots of rain, but it has calmed down now and it isn´t raining much anymore. I left my boots in Valencia because they were a little small, but I don´t think I will need to buy another pair because it isn´t raining much here.

Have you spent any time at the Ocean? Did you take any photos at the ocean?

We went to Crucita once and I did take some cool pics, so I will try to get them in the mail soon ok? Sorry.

Are you healthy and happy?

Yes. I think I am now losing a little weight. We decided to cut down on our expenses, to walk more and take less taxis and busses, so I am walking the long distances now instead of using taxis : )

Limeade and Crucita

Week 10 Portoviejo

When you make the limeade, do you peel the little limes and grind them up in your blender or do you just cut them in half and squeeze the juice out of them? I tried both ways. Those little things are hard to peel, but they made nice juice in my new juicer. It was easier to just cut them in half and squeeze them to get the juice out, but I probably didn’t get as much juice that way. We really liked the juice though. We have drank six liters of it so far. I mixed up another 3 liters tonight.

I usually take them and cut them in half and then squeeze them but I bought a special squeezer that makes it really easy to squeeze them. The other thing you can do is cut them in quarters and put them whole with the peel into the blender with water and blend them and then after just strain it and drink it fast. If you blend the peels the juice will go sour after about ten minutes so for me it is better to squeeze it and then I can put it in the fridge to let it get cold for later.

Have you gotten permission for Luis to get baptized yet?

No, we haven´t gotten the permission yet it was a hard week with it being Christmas and new year it was hard there wasn´t much time to visit and when we visited his dad was drunk so ya we don´t have permission yet.

Did you have any baptisms this week?

No, we don´t have any baptisms this week we are hoping to get permission for Luis this week though.

How are your investigators coming?

They are doing good we are working hard with them and I think that we should have success this month.

Do you spend much time proselyting at the University?

No, we don´t spend any time at the university I don´t know if we could go up on the campus to visit.

How was your visit to the Ocean and Crucita? Tell us about it.

The ocean was way cool. I am glad that I got to go and it was really cool to eat right there next to the beach.

Did you get any more post cards?

No, I didn´t get any more post cards this last week and I didn´t get the last package so I don´t know what is up.

Did you get your other package?

No

Have you written those thank you letters I asked you to write? Please do it soon if you have not.

No, but I will today.

Did any of the packages you received have the Plan of Salvation puzzle in it?

Yes, I did receive the plan of salvation puzzle.

Are you healthy and happy?

Yep I am.

Do you need anything?

More jerky.

Merry Christmas!

Week 9 Portoviejo

Hey, how is it going? It was great to talk to you on Friday. I really enjoyed the conversation. I hope that all is well with you there in the United States. I am doing good here in Ecuador. Let me know what’s going on.

Thanks,
Elder Goode

Hey! Guess what? Everybody loves the ring that you sent me they all want me to give it to them. I don´t know why the members are like this with the missionaries. They think that we will just give them whatever they ask us for, but there is a family that wants a set of rings like mine. They even took their sizes down, too. They want four, one size 11, one size 8, one size 7 and one size 6, oh and Elder Garcia wants one size 9.5. I don´t know if you can do it, but they want them. If you can´t, don´t worry about it. You could use the money that Skyler gave you towards the rings if you want. The family did talk about paying for the rings so they would give me the money, but it all depends if you can do it or not. Don´t feel pressured at all. If you want to do it, send me how much it would cost, so that I can tell them. Oh, and Elder Garcia also wants you to look and see if you can find him a catalog where they sell lots of church affiliated stuff like the rings, ties, pants, suits, that sort of stuff. He says he is thinking about starting a company in Panama that sells church stuff when he gets back and he wants a catalog to help him get an idea of what stuff is available. Thanks so much! I love you lots!

Elder Goode

Yeah, I am still on, but I am going to be getting off soon because we are going to go to Crucita and we are trying to get everything done early, so that we have time to go and have fun. If you want, I will try to get back on a little later so that I can read the long letter that you usually send. You can tell me how weird that I sound and what everyone said about the phone call and everything. Well, I gotta go. I love you lots!

Bye,

Elder Goode

Inspiration and a Little Bit of Luck!

Week 4 Portoviejo

How close are you to getting the Maestro all passed off? You haven’t told us in a while.

I still have a little work to do, but I am getting there.

What area of Portoviejo is your Sector in? Can you give me your street address so I can find it on Google Earth?

I am in 12 de Marzo. If you look at the university that is in Portoviejo, my sector is on the side of the university that goes out toward the ocean. That is my sector. Elder Felt and Elder Merchan have the other side of the university. But if you are looking at the university, follow the main street that the university is on for my sector and after the university in my sector there is a road that goes up on a hill. That is where there is a school that is called 12 de Marzo. I live on that street, but not up on the hill. I live just across the main road, not on the corner, but the second house on the side of the road that is closer to the university. I hope that makes sense. I don´t know how much clearer I can try to make it, because I don´t know how much Google Earth shows.

Have you received any packages yet? Your Thanksgiving packages will probably arrive after Thanksgiving. Sorry, it was poor planning on my part.

No I haven´t received any packages yet.

How is your athlete’s foot and fungus problem? Where on your hand is the fungus? Do you have any idea what is causing it?

The fungus is on my finger. It is my middle finger on my right hand. If you look at your hand with the nails up, it is on the right side of my middle finger and it goes from the tip of my finger to the middle of my finger, the knuckle. The humidity is the cause of it, but just about all of the elders get fungus sometime in the mission.

Did Elder Carlos get better from his throat infection?

Yep, he is a whole lot better.

Are you healthy and happy?

Yep.

What happened with the Bishop on your last six baptisms in Valencia. Why weren’t you able to have those baptisms?

He told us we couldn´t baptise the San Martin family if the mom didn´t get baptised with her kids. The assistants told me that Elder Machuca and Elder Thomas had a goal of six the last week, but that they all drank coffee, so they couldn´t get baptised. That Elder Mitton had to interview all six and they all said that they drank coffee. That is like four hours of interviews. That is really long.

Do the Peruvians eat a lot of hot foods? What kinds of things do they cook that you like to eat?

The Peruvians are a lot like the Mexicans. They like things spicy, but they cook a lot like the Ecuadorians, just with peppers and chiles to make it hot.

Did you get a family heirloom from Elder Bejar?

No, I didn´t, but I decided to start one so that we can have one in the family. Elder Williams told me that he received a shirt that has been passed from missionary to missionary since 1996. So it has had a while here in the mission. So I think unless one of my grand kids is a thief and keeps the family heirloom for themselves, it should be around a long time.

Did you write your names on the back of your heirloom for future posterity?

Yes, that is the idea, that the elders can say that my great great great....... great grandad is Elder Goode from Utah.

What day did you mail my photos? I am expecting to get them as my Christmas and Birthday present. Don’t disappoint me!

I mailed the disks this Wednesday, that is coming, in the District Meeting.

He Better!!!

Are you walking a lot in Portoviejo? Or do you use the buses and taxis to get around?

I am walking a lot here in Portoviejo, but we have to take buses sometimes to get from one part of the sector to others and then we walk. My sector goes from the university here in Portoviejo to another city called Cruzcita, that is out there on the ocean. So my sector like all of my others is a big one.

How big is your sector?

From the university to Cruzcita, is about an hour in bus, but at low speeds, like thirty-five to forty miles an hour.

Does your sector cover just one ward or one branch?

Yep, my sector is just one branch. It is part of the stake, but it isn´t big enough yet to be a ward, but they said that they were close.

How big is your ward or branch?

It is about the same size as Valencia.

How many people attend each week?

About 100 to 120.

Do you teach any lessons or have you talked in church?

I gave a talk on missionary work my first Sunday here and then we give a class every week. We teach the Gospel Principles class.

Are the members helping you a lot with the work? Are you able to take them with you to your lessons?

We are working on getting the youth involved so we are taking a youth with us just about every day when we visit.

Have you ever met President Gamboa’s Counselors in the mission? You have never mentioned them. Who are they and where are they from? What do they do to help the work?

No, I don´t know anything about his Counselors.

Do President and Hermana Gamboa have two sons with them on the mission? Elder Abriel mentioned a 14 year old son. I have found a lady on Facebook that I think is Hermana Gamboa. She is friends with some of the returned missionaries. Her name is Doris Pulido Barrerra. Is that Sister Gamboa? The photo is of her with President Gamboa and two sons. One looks like he is about fourteen and the other about eighteen. He could be on a mission, I guess.

That would be Hermana Gamboa and they have two sons. One is in the mission, in Argentina and the other is here. He comes sometimes to the Conferences with his parents.

Tell us about your investigators. Do you have any with baptismal dates set?

We have four with baptism dates. One is the brother of a member. He is 26 and his sister is about thirty and she is a member that lives in another ward. But he accepted a baptismal date for the 12th of December without problem. He has accepted everything that we have taught him without problems. His name is Juan Pablo or John Pedro in English.

We have three others that we are teaching that are all 16 years old. They have a lot of friends in the church and they like to go to the church to play soccer. We just need them to come to church so they can get baptized. I think we are going to have the four baptisms on the 12th, but let’s see what happens.

Do you have any that are progressing?

We have a lot that we have found that are progressing, so that is cool. I am pretty sure that all of the finding that we have been doing has paid off.

You said your sector is called the 12th of March. Did you know that the city of Portoviejo was founded on March 12, 1535?

No.

Is your sector near the university? If so, you might have lots of success working with the students there. I suspect they are a lot more receptive to change than their parents who are set in their ways of religion.

Have you been having power blackouts in your area? Some of the other missionaries are talking about how they turn off the power for an hour each morning and an hour each afternoon to conserve power. They say that Ecuador is experiencing a drought and because most of their power is created by water, they are having shortages of power due to the drought. Elder Daniel Mitton said they have been teaching about the light of Christ when they have to teach in the dark. He said this has been very beneficial to them and the people are listening because it is a real lesson they can see, how Christ represents light in their lives. It might be something you could use in your sector.

Yes we have been having black outs here. Ours are a three hour block in the mornings, from 9 to 12, so it doesn´t affect our area too much.

Hi Curtis,

I just got back on my computer. I had to go to WPJH for a bit and just got back to WPEL. I hope you are still on the computer. Thanks for the answers to the questions. Tell us more about what you have been doing this week. What happened that was exciting? You must have had a Zone
Conference. I believe that photo was taken on November 20th. Is that right?

Love you lots,
Mom

Yep, you are right the picture was taken on the 20th and we did have Zone Conference. We learned a lot about the obedience in the conference. There seems to be a huge problem with the disobedience right now here in the mission, so we talked about why it is so important that we are obedient. It was cool. I learned a lot and I got lucky with a lot of my comments or I was inspired, but I am sure that there was a little luck. Elder Aguirre passed out a letter to all of the elders, a different letter of the alfabet. I got the letter J and then Elder Aguirre asked Presidente to pick a letter and he picked one and Elder Piedra got picked and he was the example and then Presedent picked the J and I got picked and the thing was that we had to remember a scripture with a certain word that began with me letter. My word was juventud or youth in english and I had studied a long, long time ago in my second or third change the scripture so I had to give the reference and say the scripture from memory and then tell what principle I would apply it to and then what commitment I would give the people. So that was cool I got lucky with a scripture that I knew. Many didn´t know the scriptures. I was one of just two that were able to do it without any help.

Well I gotta go, but I love you lots and I hope that all is going well for you.

Bye,

Elder Goode