What time will you call, our time, which is two hours later than your time?
I can call whenever you want me to, except from eleven to twelve because that is lunch here. What time can Skyler be there? I think it would be better to call in the morning so that everybody is still there in the house before Michelle and Jeff leave to go home, if they come down. Talk to Skyler quickly and tell me what time. I could call at ten. I don´t know if that would be good with you, but ten would work out for me.
Which packages have you received?
I got three packages in our zone conference when we went to the temple. They had the zone stockings and the two big stockings in them. Elder Garcia fixed the name tag so it now says Elder Garcia and the card. He just put his last name after Carlos since that is his first name, so now it says, Dear Elder Carlos Garcia. So that worked out ok.
Have you given the small Christmas stockings to the missionaries in your Zone yet?
No, I will do that Wednesday in the District Meeting.
Have you received any cards or postcards?
I received five post cards now, one from Clain, one from Braxton, one from Dad, one from Shara and one from Grandma Parkinson.
Is Elder Felt still living in the same house as you? That wasn’t clear from your last email.
Yes, he is still here.
Tell us more about your new companion, Elder Carlos Garcia.
He is from Panama. He has one brother and six sisters. His mom is from Colombia and his dad from Spain. He likes to fish. We have been talking a lot about hunting and fishing, so that is kinda cool. We get along good, so things are going great.
What does he like to do?
Fishing. He lives by the ocean, so he goes spear hunting and collects sea food by hand and stuff like that. I thought that it is pretty cool.
Tell us about his family and how long he has been a member.
He was born in the church. His dad served his mission in the Central America Mission, like almost thirty years ago and he baptised his wife on his mission.
Where did Elder Carlos get transferred to?
Elder Carlos is now in Perdro Carbo. It is between here and Guayaquil.
How was your trip to the temple?
It was so good! I have forgotten so much. I can´t believe how much I had forgotten in a year. I can see now why it is so important that you go to the temple regularly, so that you can remember everything and learn more.
Where and what did you eat?
We ate in the temple in the cafeteria. It was rice with shrimp in a corn sauce thing and with a beet salad it wasn´t the best food I have ever eaten, but oh well. That is ok.
What special things happened that day?
We got presents from some of the temple workers. There was a pair of North American temple workers and a few here from Ecuador that went in together and bought all of the missionaries presents. They gave the gringos a pair of socks and a tie and a cool cover for a little hymn book. They gave the latins a shirt and a pair of socks and a tie. I thought that it was really awesome, so this Wednesday I am going to do an activity with the zone. We are all going to write as a zone, thank you notes and we are going to send them to the office to give to the temple workers. I thought that it was the least that we could do for them after the gifts that they gave us.
Did you have any baptisms this week?
No, we didn´t have any baptisms this week, but for next week we have a few planned.
How are your investigators progressing?
They are coming along. I hope we can get the permission of Luis´s parents, so that he can get baptised.
Who came to church?
We only had three investigators in the church. There is a pair of women that come just about every week, but they don´t want to get baptised yet. And we had a husband that came with his wife to church, the first time that they have come to church while I have been here. We are teaching him. She is a member, but they aren´t married and she was married before so we have a sister from Elder Felt’s ward that is a lawyer that is helping us with the divorce, so they can get married and then he can get baptised. So that is pretty cool. He is a police officer so we have a buddy in high places if we ever have problems.
Did you have a special Christmas program in church?
We had our program of carols in the church, last Saturday. That was pretty cool. We came up with a three scene play that we incorporated the carols into. The basic plot was that there was a single father that is a thief that wants to give his three sons a good Christmas, so he robs a pair of North American missionaries to sell their stuff to get money to buy his kids a good Christmas. So that is the first scene, that he robs the missionaries. (I was one of his accomplices that helped him rob the missionaries.) It starts out that a group of missionaries are singing in a park and that they sing a song and then they all start to leave and two missionaries stay to clean up. They had a little display with pamphlets and there is a pause and an old guy starts talking. The people keep moving, but without talking. He says that the guy sitting on the bench over there is him sixty years ago and that he didn´t have anything to give to his kids for Christmas and that he only wanted to give his kids a good Christmas. And that is where the action starts again and he robs the missionaries. He tries, but he was a lot smaller than the two missionaries, so he calls for help and that is where we, (me and another missionary), run out and help him to rob the missionaries. And then we run off stage and the missionaries are all sad and depressed and that ends the first scene.
The second scene is that he goes to a friend to sell the stuff and that is when he finds out that there is just books and pamphlets and nothing of "real value" so he says that he is going to burn the books and that is when the spirit or the audience prompted by script cards says Nooooooo and he pauses and says that he better find out what the book says. And that is when he opens the book and reads that Jesus will be born of Mary in Bethlehem and then all of the missionaries come out on the stage singing “The First Noel.” And then when we finish, he reads that angels speak to men and then we sang “Angels We Have Heard on High.” And then the choir left and he said that he was going to go show his kids the books, that they could change their lives. that is the end of the second act.
The third scene is in the house. The three kids are sitting on a couch in the house and the dad enters and the kids all have a negative attitude, that he just remembers that he has kids, that they don´t want to listen to him. He says that he has something that will change their lives and one says that they are thieves, that there isn´t change and that Christmas is just a material thing. The father then leaves and the kids go back to sitting and playing and then there is a knock on the door and one of the kids goes and answers the door and the missionaries enter without being asked and shake hands with the two other kids and sit down and start to teach the kids. The kids in shocked silence listen and then after about a minute of teaching, the father enters again and sees the missionaries and they all get quiet. And the father says that he wants to buy the book, because it is so good. They tell him that he can keep the book. He says thanks, but then asks them to explain more and he sits down and tells his kids that he told them that it could change their lives. That is where the play ends and the old version of the father stands up and says that that is how it all started, that he changed his life through The Book of Mormon and that everybody there could change their lives, too.
When and where did you sing the song you have been practicing? What song? Who else sang with you?
We practiced in District Meetings before and after, for three weeks and then a little bit before the activity on Saturday.
What plans do you have for Christmas day?
There is an activity in the church on Christmas, so we will go to the activity and hopefully someone will invite us to eat a Christmas dinner. If not, we will keep visiting people on Christmas.
Do you have any District or Zone activities planned this week?
No, we don´t.
Who is your new Zone Leader or Zone Leaders?
Elder Rojas and Elder Fonseca. He is from Bolivia and has a little more time in the mission than I do.
Tell us a spiritual experience you have had recently.
We are teaching a lady that is a widow. Her husband died four or five months ago. She is doing really good right now. She said at first she was depressed, but the missionaries helped her out a lot. Well the other day, one of the neighbors did something that she didn´t like, to her kid. I won´t go into details about what, it isn´t that important, but she was really mad and angry for what had happened and she doesn´t want to forgive her neighbor. Well I told her about what happened between you and (your friend) and that she still doesn´t want to accept all of the apologies and treats and things that you have tried to do to reestablish the friendship that had existed for so long. I started to cry telling her all of this. I told her how you were my hero, that all of the things that you did to repair what had happened and how even though you may have felt like you were right, you put that aside and tried to make things better. I cried. I could feel the spirit really strongly. I challenged her to try to forgive her neighbor for what had happened, that it really didn´t matter. A little incident like that shouldn´t be more important than the friendship that they had had before. She said that she would try, but she seemed to really accept what I had explained to her. I hope you aren´t mad that I used you as an example.
Has the fungus and athlete’s foot cleared up?
Yeah, it is clearing up and I am doing a lot better.
Are you healthy and happy?
Yep, I am doing great.
Do you need anything?
More jerky!
Hey Curtis. Great to hear from you. We are all home now. I will have dad get on and talk to you, too, while I am typing a reply to your email. It was great. Thanks. I am crying right now. It is fine that you used me for an example.
Will ten be ok to call on Friday?
Skyler said he could be here at 10:00, so that will work for us. We will anxiously await your call.
I am glad the name thing worked out with the Christmas stocking. I thought it was neat that your new companion's name was Elder Carlos Garcia. Is your old companion expecting to get the Christmas stocking? Hopefully he will not be too disappointed. He will be getting the set of scriptures when they arrive. You didn't open all the gifts yet, did you?
I think you are going to be short two of the little stockings for the Zone, so you and Elder Garcia will just have to go without. Sorry. It is a pain to keep the packages under four pounds.
If I planned things right, you should get a whole bunch more postcards this week in the pouch. Then a bunch more will probably trickle in over the next few weeks. I hope you enjoy them.
In the photo that Hermana Gamboa sent, where is Elder Felt's companion? Is he right below him or below him to the left?
I am glad you and your companion are getting along great.
It is really cool that your companion likes hunting and fishing like you do. I am sure that makes it more interesting. You have something fun to talk about occasionally. I know Elder Carlos liked Chemistry, like you do, but that is not as exciting of a subject to talk about like hunting and fishing. Spear hunting sounds like something you would absolutely love. Maybe someday you can go visit him and get a chance to try it.
That is neat that Elder Garcia's dad met and baptized his mom while on his mission. It is interesting that he found someone in the Central America area that was from Colombia. How strange is that? It has been almost 30 years since dad was on his mission. Wow!!!
It is really cool that you got to go to the temple on Thursday. I thought about you being there, all day long. It is important to go often. We have got to do better this year. I am setting a goal to go at least once a month. I am finally past the point of remembering what I have to say at the veil, but occasionally I still mess up. I am now learning new things almost every time I go, so it is very important to us. I hope you will always have a desire to go to the temple. I have only eaten in the temple cafeteria a few times. The food has always been great. Yours sounds interesting.
That is really cool that the temple workers did something so very special for the missionaries. What a really neat service. I think it is awesome that you are going to write thank you letters to them. I think you should all write thank you cards to President and Hermana Gamboa also and maybe some to the office elders who do so much for the missionaries. Gratitude is something that everyone can work on more in their lives.
I hope your baptisms work out for this week. It would be really cool to be baptized on December 26th, a really cool Christmas gift. I am glad you are finding some new investigators. I hope you can get the divorce worked out while you are there, but those seem to take months from what I have read in other missionaries’ letters.
Your Christmas program sounds wonderful. I am glad you were able to do that. It is a fun story. I bet you will remember it all of your life. Hopefully it had an effect on someone that was there to see it.
I hope you will get a dinner invitation for Christmas. If not, find some way to serve others that day to make it special.
Thanks for sharing this very special experience with me. That is a wonderful gift to me. I hope it will help this sister to forgive her neighbor.
I am glad you are doing great. There should be a bit of jerky in your Christmas packages. Hopefully that will keep you happy for a little while.
We love you so much! Take care and talk to you soon. I love you.
P.S. When did you mail my photos?
That will work out then. Well, I love you all very much and I hope all is going well. I will talk to you all this Friday. I love you lots bye. Elder Goode
Elder Felt’s companion is the one right below him in the picture that is titled Portoviejo, Rios, Orquidias, Bobahoyo.
The elder that is all the way right and above a sister missionary from the states, is my step- brother in the mission or Elder Alcocers kid, Elder Ruiz from Costa Rica. If you look, Elder Carlos is below me in the picture. Not the one right below me, but the one below him.
Awesome Curtis. Thanks so much. I love you! Have a terrific week. Merry Christmas!
Love,
Mom
Showing posts with label phone call. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phone call. Show all posts
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Lots of Great Information!
Week 6 Portoviejo with Mom
Packages
I got two packages this last week, the two Thanksgiving packages. They arrived all right, but the pie crust didn´t hold up too well. It was falling apart and the package was pretty hammered. I still managed to save enough to make the pie and it turned out all right. I did manage to get your disks in the mail, but like you, I forgot to put in the letter before I sealed it, so I will have to send it separate.
Phone Call
I haven´t thought much about the phone call, but I have been thinking a little bit about it. But this year they are having a special, I guess you could say. It is only going to cost ten cents a minute, so I will be able to call for forty minutes and it will cost me four dollars. That is pretty cheap, right? I thought that that would be the best option, so I think I will just go to a Cabina and call and pay the four dollars and talk to you guys again.
Your Apartment or House
We live in a four story building. We live on the top floor. We have a balcony with a hammock. There is the kitchen and with the kitchen is our desks to study, on the other side of the room. We have three bathrooms between four missionaries, so I have my own shower and Elder Felt uses my toilet, too, but he showers in the other bathroom, so it works out ok. We sleep in two rooms, me and my companion in one room, and Elder Felt and his companion in the other. And Elder Felt and Elder Merchan have their own room for their desks to study and plan.
More about your Companion
He is from Peru. He has been a member for his entire life. He likes to be annoying and a tease. Sometimes I really wonder if he really is 21 years old. This is his fourth change and I am his second companion, so that makes me his step-dad in the mission. So now, my kid, Elder Machuca, has a step-brother. He is really organized and he hates disorder. We are really complete opposites. Most of the elders tell me that I must have a lot of patience. Imagine, I have patience. I am surprised too! Don´t worry!
Your Investigators
We are teaching Juan Pablo. He is going to be baptised this Saturday. We need to set up the interview and then he will be set. We have a few others that are on their way, but we hit a few snags with them. Luis Vivas, he is sixteen, but his parents won´t give him permission to be baptised. We are working really hard with his parents right now, but it is hard, because his dad drinks. So he isn´t home much and when he is, he is drunk and he doesn´t listen too good when he is drunk. We tried to talk to him the other day, but he just kept talking and wouldn´t let us talk, but we are going to get this permission. I won´t give up. Saturday we were supposed to visit with Luis´s dad, but he wasn´t in his house. Luis said that he was at a friend’s house drinking, so we went with a member that was there with us and I tried to get him to leave and come visit with us, but his drunk friends wouldn´t let him and he didn´t want to anyways. So it is hard! I have never had to deal much with drunks, but now I am and it is really hard. I never thought that I would have the courage to go pull a drunk man out of a bar and take him to his house, but I tried. He just didn´t want to come. We are also teaching two of Luis´s friends. The problem with them is they didn´t come to church this Sunday because it was Stake Conference and they didn´t want to go to the Stake Center. So they can´t get baptised for this Saturday because they didn´t come, but they will get baptised next change for sure. We don´t have to worry about the permission of their parents either. I already have the papers signed by their parents. Then there is Ibet. She is the one that Brother Arana took us to. She has a baptism date for the 26th of December, but she hasn´t come to church yet, so I don´t know if she is going to progress. So we will see what happens, because she can´t get baptised if she doesn´t come to church.
Your Teaching Pool
We are meeting a lot of new people because we are knocking a lot of doors so we are seeing a lot of people come and go and come and go but we are meeting and teaching a lot of people and they are exercising their agency, so I am content with my work even though it is hard and there is a lot of rejection. But like you wrote in that book so long ago it is just like my pre-mission dating career, right? I am used to it.
Baptisms
Juan Pablo this Saturday.
Spiritual Experiences
I had a very spiritual experience this week. We were teaching Juan Pablo about tithing and he understood it, but not all of it. He kept asking what if he wanted to give more if he could. We told him that tithing is only ten percent and that he could give more in his fast offering if he wanted to. I kept talking and then I felt a quiet, but strong feeling to stop talking and when I stopped talking, Elder Carlos started talking and he bore a really powerful testimony about the blessing that he has received in his life just completing with this commandment, just paying ten percent and then giving a very generous fast offering and Juan Pablo understood and was very willing to pay his fast offering. The really cool thing is that yesterday in the conference, the sister of Juan Pablo, that is a member, came up to us and thanked us for teaching her brother the gospel. I felt like all of my hard work this change was worth it, just for the thanks that she expressed to us, how grateful she was that her brother was receiving the gospel. It was really, really cool!
Your Thanksgiving Day – What did you do and eat?
We worked hard and I didn´t even remember that it was Thanksgiving until a few days later, so it wasn´t anything special for me this year, but I can assure you that next year it will be really great! I am sure I will go huntin in the mornin and eat lots of turkey with the family and we will be missin the next missionary in line.
Your Health
I am doing good. I haven´t been having the headaches, because I have been drinking a ton of water. I found a new drink that I like a lot. I take three limes, the limes here are little about the size of a golf ball and I squeeze them into a liter sized cup and I put in about a quarter cup of sugar and then fill the cup with water and stir it up and drink it. I love this! Last week, I bought forty limes and they didn´t last the week. This time, I bought sixty limes and I hope that they last the week. I was thinking about your experience with cerviche and I was wondering what size of limes you used, because the limes in the states are a lot bigger than the ones here, so this could have been your problem in the cerviche is that one lime here is like two tablespoons of juice where there a lime could give you a quarter of a cup. I don´t know if that was the problem, but it could be some of it.
Your Branch
The branch is going good. It should soon be a ward. They said that they have to wait until the middle of January and then they can propose it as a ward and it should be accepted, so I could be the first missionary in the 12th of March, as a ward instead of a branch. I was the third missionary in Valencia as a ward and I was with the second, fourth, fifth and sixth missionaries of the ward. Just so you know.
More about your Sector
My sector is actually quite big and to answer your question about where my money has been going it has been going into a lot of taxis and buses. We are always taking taxis on almost a daily basis, like yesterday, we had the Stake Conference, so I had to take a taxi to get one of our invesitgators and then to the stake center ($2.50). Then we took one after the Stake Conference to our house ($1.00). Then we took another taxi to our lunch, which just happened to be by the Stake Center. A family invited us ($1.00). A taxi back to our house ($1.00). Then we took a taxi back to the Stake Center to practice the choir that we are going to be performing later in the month ($1.00). Then we took another taxi to go pick up investigators for the Christmas Devotional ($1.00) and back to the stake center ($1.00) and then a taxi to go home after the devotional ($1.00). So we are using a lot public transport so it is kinda hard with the money that they give us and they are telling us that we need to buy better food, so we are buying more and better products to eat. I now spend thirty to forty a week on food and when they only give us eighty every two weeks, it just isn´t enough with the food and the taxis and with the interchanges that is another story in itself.
How long did it take you to go to Chone?
It was two hours to go to Chone. It really kind of sucked. It reminded me a lot of my trips to Balzar after District Meetings. Chone is cool, but the house is horrendous. They are looking for a new one, because it is so bad.
Why is Elder Arana in your area teaching? Where is he from? Why is he back in the mission?
Brother Arana is from Guayaquil. He was here in my sector when he was here in the mission and he came back to visit his converts for a few days. He trained Elder Verastagui here in this sector, like two years ago.
Exchanges
I am thinking that I am going to do an interchange this week with Elder Baez from Argentina and with Elder Merrill. So I will go with Elder Merrill and Elder Baez will come here to my sector and I want to see how the things are going out there in their sector and how the missionaries in their house are getting along. From what we understand, they aren´t getting along very well, so I am going to see if I can figure out the problem and try to help them fix it.
Are you going to the temple for Christmas this year?
Yes, the letter from President said that we are going to go and that he wants us to pay our own passage and buy our own food so I am going to have to start setting aside money now so that I have if for later.
Hey Curtis. Thanks for the great letter and all the good information. I am glad all is well. I will put a bit more money in your account just in case you need it this month with the temple visit. Probably only $50 more. What do the elders who don't have any extra money do when they have to travel so much?
You are probably right about the Cerviche and the lime juice. I might try it again with just a little bit of juice.
That sounds okay on the phone call. What day will work for you? Think about it and let us know. We are having our party with Shara and Michelle on the 18th. Michelle and Jeff will be there on the 24th in the evening and on the 25th, hopefully all day, but at least in the morning. Are the Cabinas open on Christmas day?
Sorry about the pie crust. I squished it a bit to get it in the package. I need to find a square one that would fit easier. I hope you
liked it anyways.
Thanks for sending the photos. I will anxiously await their arrival.
Congratulations on the baptism coming up. I hope it all works out for you this time. Keep working on the rest of them. I knew the mission would change you in many ways. I hoped patience would be one blessing for you. I am glad to see you are developing some.
I love you lots,
Mom
The Cabinas are open on Christmas and just about any other day except New Year’s Day, so I will be able to call on the 25th or 24th, but I will see what day will be best. But it will also depend what President says. Last year, he said that we could call whatever day in December that would work best, but I don´t know for sure yet. I could ask about the 18th, but would everybody be there? I want to call when everybody is there if I can. Can Skyler be there? Can you see what day he could be there too? If he could be there the 24th or 25th? See what you can do I don´t think there will be many changes from what president said in his letter this week. Just the Zone Leader changes and those that will be training, so I don´t know. Let’s see what happens. I love you lots! Bye!
Elder Goode
I am glad you are able to love your companion. It is great preparation for marriage. There are times when you won't really like something your wife will do, but you will still love her and because you do, you will ignore the things that bug you and cherish the things you do love about her.
Thanks for sharing the spiritual experience. I am sure that was very special. I am happy to know you are listening to the spirit's promptings and allowing him to work through you. There is nothing that makes you feel better than true gratitude when you have helped someone. I know in my job there are many days that the thanks I get from others makes it worth continuing. Otherwise, I don't think I would still be doing this job. The gratitude makes all the pain and struggle worth going through.
That is cool that Elder Arana lives so close and is able to come and visit those he taught. It seems strange that they would send him to the same mission where he lives, but maybe he lives in the Guayaquil South boundaries. Was he disappointed to serve so close to home?
I am glad to hear your health is good. Has the fungus on your hand gotten any better? What about the Athlete's foot. I think those packages had the medicine in, didn't they?
Pray for help before you go on your exchange and I am sure the spirit will help you discern what the problems are and help you suggest ways to fix them.
Love you so much,
Mom
Okay. I will try to find out about Skyler this week so I can tell you next Monday. On the 18th everyone should be there after 6:00, but Skyler probably won't be. Shara won't be there on the 24th and 25th, but Skyler might be. Hard choice, I know!
Have a really great week son! Know that we love you very much and we are so very proud of you.
Love always and forever,
Mom
Packages
I got two packages this last week, the two Thanksgiving packages. They arrived all right, but the pie crust didn´t hold up too well. It was falling apart and the package was pretty hammered. I still managed to save enough to make the pie and it turned out all right. I did manage to get your disks in the mail, but like you, I forgot to put in the letter before I sealed it, so I will have to send it separate.
Phone Call
I haven´t thought much about the phone call, but I have been thinking a little bit about it. But this year they are having a special, I guess you could say. It is only going to cost ten cents a minute, so I will be able to call for forty minutes and it will cost me four dollars. That is pretty cheap, right? I thought that that would be the best option, so I think I will just go to a Cabina and call and pay the four dollars and talk to you guys again.
Your Apartment or House
We live in a four story building. We live on the top floor. We have a balcony with a hammock. There is the kitchen and with the kitchen is our desks to study, on the other side of the room. We have three bathrooms between four missionaries, so I have my own shower and Elder Felt uses my toilet, too, but he showers in the other bathroom, so it works out ok. We sleep in two rooms, me and my companion in one room, and Elder Felt and his companion in the other. And Elder Felt and Elder Merchan have their own room for their desks to study and plan.
More about your Companion
He is from Peru. He has been a member for his entire life. He likes to be annoying and a tease. Sometimes I really wonder if he really is 21 years old. This is his fourth change and I am his second companion, so that makes me his step-dad in the mission. So now, my kid, Elder Machuca, has a step-brother. He is really organized and he hates disorder. We are really complete opposites. Most of the elders tell me that I must have a lot of patience. Imagine, I have patience. I am surprised too! Don´t worry!
Your Investigators
We are teaching Juan Pablo. He is going to be baptised this Saturday. We need to set up the interview and then he will be set. We have a few others that are on their way, but we hit a few snags with them. Luis Vivas, he is sixteen, but his parents won´t give him permission to be baptised. We are working really hard with his parents right now, but it is hard, because his dad drinks. So he isn´t home much and when he is, he is drunk and he doesn´t listen too good when he is drunk. We tried to talk to him the other day, but he just kept talking and wouldn´t let us talk, but we are going to get this permission. I won´t give up. Saturday we were supposed to visit with Luis´s dad, but he wasn´t in his house. Luis said that he was at a friend’s house drinking, so we went with a member that was there with us and I tried to get him to leave and come visit with us, but his drunk friends wouldn´t let him and he didn´t want to anyways. So it is hard! I have never had to deal much with drunks, but now I am and it is really hard. I never thought that I would have the courage to go pull a drunk man out of a bar and take him to his house, but I tried. He just didn´t want to come. We are also teaching two of Luis´s friends. The problem with them is they didn´t come to church this Sunday because it was Stake Conference and they didn´t want to go to the Stake Center. So they can´t get baptised for this Saturday because they didn´t come, but they will get baptised next change for sure. We don´t have to worry about the permission of their parents either. I already have the papers signed by their parents. Then there is Ibet. She is the one that Brother Arana took us to. She has a baptism date for the 26th of December, but she hasn´t come to church yet, so I don´t know if she is going to progress. So we will see what happens, because she can´t get baptised if she doesn´t come to church.
Your Teaching Pool
We are meeting a lot of new people because we are knocking a lot of doors so we are seeing a lot of people come and go and come and go but we are meeting and teaching a lot of people and they are exercising their agency, so I am content with my work even though it is hard and there is a lot of rejection. But like you wrote in that book so long ago it is just like my pre-mission dating career, right? I am used to it.
Baptisms
Juan Pablo this Saturday.
Spiritual Experiences
I had a very spiritual experience this week. We were teaching Juan Pablo about tithing and he understood it, but not all of it. He kept asking what if he wanted to give more if he could. We told him that tithing is only ten percent and that he could give more in his fast offering if he wanted to. I kept talking and then I felt a quiet, but strong feeling to stop talking and when I stopped talking, Elder Carlos started talking and he bore a really powerful testimony about the blessing that he has received in his life just completing with this commandment, just paying ten percent and then giving a very generous fast offering and Juan Pablo understood and was very willing to pay his fast offering. The really cool thing is that yesterday in the conference, the sister of Juan Pablo, that is a member, came up to us and thanked us for teaching her brother the gospel. I felt like all of my hard work this change was worth it, just for the thanks that she expressed to us, how grateful she was that her brother was receiving the gospel. It was really, really cool!
Your Thanksgiving Day – What did you do and eat?
We worked hard and I didn´t even remember that it was Thanksgiving until a few days later, so it wasn´t anything special for me this year, but I can assure you that next year it will be really great! I am sure I will go huntin in the mornin and eat lots of turkey with the family and we will be missin the next missionary in line.
Your Health
I am doing good. I haven´t been having the headaches, because I have been drinking a ton of water. I found a new drink that I like a lot. I take three limes, the limes here are little about the size of a golf ball and I squeeze them into a liter sized cup and I put in about a quarter cup of sugar and then fill the cup with water and stir it up and drink it. I love this! Last week, I bought forty limes and they didn´t last the week. This time, I bought sixty limes and I hope that they last the week. I was thinking about your experience with cerviche and I was wondering what size of limes you used, because the limes in the states are a lot bigger than the ones here, so this could have been your problem in the cerviche is that one lime here is like two tablespoons of juice where there a lime could give you a quarter of a cup. I don´t know if that was the problem, but it could be some of it.
Your Branch
The branch is going good. It should soon be a ward. They said that they have to wait until the middle of January and then they can propose it as a ward and it should be accepted, so I could be the first missionary in the 12th of March, as a ward instead of a branch. I was the third missionary in Valencia as a ward and I was with the second, fourth, fifth and sixth missionaries of the ward. Just so you know.
More about your Sector
My sector is actually quite big and to answer your question about where my money has been going it has been going into a lot of taxis and buses. We are always taking taxis on almost a daily basis, like yesterday, we had the Stake Conference, so I had to take a taxi to get one of our invesitgators and then to the stake center ($2.50). Then we took one after the Stake Conference to our house ($1.00). Then we took another taxi to our lunch, which just happened to be by the Stake Center. A family invited us ($1.00). A taxi back to our house ($1.00). Then we took a taxi back to the Stake Center to practice the choir that we are going to be performing later in the month ($1.00). Then we took another taxi to go pick up investigators for the Christmas Devotional ($1.00) and back to the stake center ($1.00) and then a taxi to go home after the devotional ($1.00). So we are using a lot public transport so it is kinda hard with the money that they give us and they are telling us that we need to buy better food, so we are buying more and better products to eat. I now spend thirty to forty a week on food and when they only give us eighty every two weeks, it just isn´t enough with the food and the taxis and with the interchanges that is another story in itself.
How long did it take you to go to Chone?
It was two hours to go to Chone. It really kind of sucked. It reminded me a lot of my trips to Balzar after District Meetings. Chone is cool, but the house is horrendous. They are looking for a new one, because it is so bad.
Why is Elder Arana in your area teaching? Where is he from? Why is he back in the mission?
Brother Arana is from Guayaquil. He was here in my sector when he was here in the mission and he came back to visit his converts for a few days. He trained Elder Verastagui here in this sector, like two years ago.
Exchanges
I am thinking that I am going to do an interchange this week with Elder Baez from Argentina and with Elder Merrill. So I will go with Elder Merrill and Elder Baez will come here to my sector and I want to see how the things are going out there in their sector and how the missionaries in their house are getting along. From what we understand, they aren´t getting along very well, so I am going to see if I can figure out the problem and try to help them fix it.
Are you going to the temple for Christmas this year?
Yes, the letter from President said that we are going to go and that he wants us to pay our own passage and buy our own food so I am going to have to start setting aside money now so that I have if for later.
Hey Curtis. Thanks for the great letter and all the good information. I am glad all is well. I will put a bit more money in your account just in case you need it this month with the temple visit. Probably only $50 more. What do the elders who don't have any extra money do when they have to travel so much?
You are probably right about the Cerviche and the lime juice. I might try it again with just a little bit of juice.
That sounds okay on the phone call. What day will work for you? Think about it and let us know. We are having our party with Shara and Michelle on the 18th. Michelle and Jeff will be there on the 24th in the evening and on the 25th, hopefully all day, but at least in the morning. Are the Cabinas open on Christmas day?
Sorry about the pie crust. I squished it a bit to get it in the package. I need to find a square one that would fit easier. I hope you
liked it anyways.
Thanks for sending the photos. I will anxiously await their arrival.
Congratulations on the baptism coming up. I hope it all works out for you this time. Keep working on the rest of them. I knew the mission would change you in many ways. I hoped patience would be one blessing for you. I am glad to see you are developing some.
I love you lots,
Mom
The Cabinas are open on Christmas and just about any other day except New Year’s Day, so I will be able to call on the 25th or 24th, but I will see what day will be best. But it will also depend what President says. Last year, he said that we could call whatever day in December that would work best, but I don´t know for sure yet. I could ask about the 18th, but would everybody be there? I want to call when everybody is there if I can. Can Skyler be there? Can you see what day he could be there too? If he could be there the 24th or 25th? See what you can do I don´t think there will be many changes from what president said in his letter this week. Just the Zone Leader changes and those that will be training, so I don´t know. Let’s see what happens. I love you lots! Bye!
Elder Goode
I am glad you are able to love your companion. It is great preparation for marriage. There are times when you won't really like something your wife will do, but you will still love her and because you do, you will ignore the things that bug you and cherish the things you do love about her.
Thanks for sharing the spiritual experience. I am sure that was very special. I am happy to know you are listening to the spirit's promptings and allowing him to work through you. There is nothing that makes you feel better than true gratitude when you have helped someone. I know in my job there are many days that the thanks I get from others makes it worth continuing. Otherwise, I don't think I would still be doing this job. The gratitude makes all the pain and struggle worth going through.
That is cool that Elder Arana lives so close and is able to come and visit those he taught. It seems strange that they would send him to the same mission where he lives, but maybe he lives in the Guayaquil South boundaries. Was he disappointed to serve so close to home?
I am glad to hear your health is good. Has the fungus on your hand gotten any better? What about the Athlete's foot. I think those packages had the medicine in, didn't they?
Pray for help before you go on your exchange and I am sure the spirit will help you discern what the problems are and help you suggest ways to fix them.
Love you so much,
Mom
Okay. I will try to find out about Skyler this week so I can tell you next Monday. On the 18th everyone should be there after 6:00, but Skyler probably won't be. Shara won't be there on the 24th and 25th, but Skyler might be. Hard choice, I know!
Have a really great week son! Know that we love you very much and we are so very proud of you.
Love always and forever,
Mom
Monday, May 11, 2009
2009_05_11 Week 6 Valencia Mom
Curtis,
It was so good to hear your voice today. You sound great. You have an interesting accent now. I recorded the conversation with a digital voice recorder that I purchased. It is not great sound quality though. The recorder picked up a lot of noise from my cell phone. I think I had them too close together. I should have tested that out before the call. There are lots of hums and cracks and pops throughout the whole conversation. Oh well. It was really cool to play it back and hear your voice again after the call. I will try to take time to type out the conversation later. There was another way to do it, but it wouldn't have worked on speaker phone, so I thought this way would be better. I think the other way would have been a much clearer recording. Did you have an echo during the whole conversation? I could hear everything we said echoing after we said it.
After your call we drove to Smithfield and had a barbecue with Shara, Rob and Taylor. Grandma and Grandpa had gone to Georgiann's home in Ogden. They got back about 6:30 or 7:00. They got to see Taylor for a few minutes. She is such a funny kid. She reminds me a lot of Shara at this age. She is busy and just wants to be big and do everything by herself. Shara gave me the cutest photo of her. She has the messiest hair and she is trying to brush it herself with the back of the brush. And best of all is that she has the cutest fish face. I will try to get Shara to send me the photo by email so I can send it to you. If not, I will scan it and print one out. I will try to send it to you in the next package. I stopped by the Distribution Center last week. They had the Ensign in English, but the Spanish Liahona was not out yet. I will check this week and see if it has come out yet. I got my Ensign in the mail on Friday. Hopefully the others will be soon.
Taylor has had an ear infaction, runny nose and cough. The runny nose and cough could be just allergies. Mine are really bad right now. All the grass and cottonwood pollens are bad. I have had a runny nose all week and a dry hacking cough with post-nasal drip. I wake up with a sore throat every morning, but it goes away pretty quickly. I am just a bit hoarse and raspy sounding. I hope it settles down soon. A good rainstorm would help.
This will be a really busy week. Braxton has three soccer games, all away. Two are in Salt Lake and one in Provo. They are on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning. He will probably play a fourth game on Saturday afternoon. He is thinking of quitting his LaRoca competition team and just playing AYSO soccer next year.
Yesterday, Dallas Carter called him to see if he could go and sub for his team. They have been short players for a couple of weeks. He was excited to go because it got him out of working in the garden. He left and went with the Carters to the game. I drove there a few minutes later to watch. I wanted to see how he did with the AYSO team. He had a blast. The other team was short players this week. He and B.J. Bouwhuis were there as subs. B.J. played for the other team the first half and then Braxton played for them the second half. Braxton had a beautiful assist early in the game to help them score the first goal. He played well and had a huge smile on his face the whole game. He sent three or four more assists in to the front line, but they didn't score them all.
Yesterday, Dallas Carter called him to see if he could go and sub for his team. They have been short players for a couple of weeks. He was excited to go because it got him out of working in the garden. He left and went with the Carters to the game. I drove there a few minutes later to watch. I wanted to see how he did with the AYSO team. He had a blast. The other team was short players this week. He and B.J. Bouwhuis were there as subs. B.J. played for the other team the first half and then Braxton played for them the second half. Braxton had a beautiful assist early in the game to help them score the first goal. He played well and had a huge smile on his face the whole game. He sent three or four more assists in to the front line, but they didn't score them all.
During the second half, when he was playing for the other team, he took the ball from midfield all the way to the goal and scored. He went through about eight players to get there. It was fun to watch. He has not gotten to play offense like this for so long. Felipe, his LaRoca coach will only play him on defense. He is very good at that, but he is tired of it. Anyway, after he scored that goal, the kids he knew on Dallas's team, started giving him a bad time for hurting their team. So, he started playing sloppy and losing the ball on purpose. He even passed the ball back to a player on Dallas's team and let him go forward and score a goal. That put Dallas's team ahead, so they were all happy again. The coach wants him to come to the game next Saturday again. I think I will take him and then get him signed up for AYSO with this team if possible.
Braxton also has a track meet on Wednesday. He ran really good. He ran a 1600 meter race in 6:00.1 minutes and improved his time by 12.59 seconds. He was 14 out of 36 runners. Not bad for a 7th grader. He ran an 800 meter race in 2:56.6 minutes and improved his time there by 1 second. He also ran a 4 X 400 meter relay. He was the last guy, or the anchor leg. His team came in near the bottom with a total time of 5:12.6 minutes. They were the C team and they beat the time of the B team. His coach said he ran a really good leg of the race. The first guy on his team got off to a slow start, so his team was half a lap behind for the whole race. Braxton made up some distance and they were only 1/3 of a lap behind. They ran two heats of the race. His team was in the second heat which was slower, but they beat the time of the B team that had ran in the first heat. I won't make it to Water Aerobics at all this week, but next week I should get back to a more normal schedule, I hope. Braxton will still have a couple of make up games to play, I think.
Note: Everyone is invited to the Court of Honor. I will try to get invitations sent this week by email and by snail mail.
It seems like life is always really busy around here. I have got to find time to get invitations made for Clain's Eagle Scout Court of Honor. We are doing it on Friday, May 29th at 5:30 in the evening at Bingham Park. We have asked Kevin Fielding to speak and the lady from the stake will present the award to him. I am going to call Ron Dawson and see if he will come and give him the Eagle Feather. Kevin said he would come over this week and show us some of the possible things we can do. I hope he remembers to come.
There were some changes at Church today. They released the Elder's Quorum Presidency. Myron Bouwhuis was released as President. Duane Thomas was released as 1st Counselor. Chris Burrell was released as 2nd Counselor. Layne Wayment was called as Elder's Quorum President. Chris Burrell was called as 1st Counselor in the Elder's Quorum. Robert Greenwell was called as 2nd Counselor in the Elder's Quorum. Kelly Bingham was left in to serve as Secretary in the Elder's Quorum. Brent Rose was released as Young Men's President. Richard Oliver was released as 1st Counselor in the YM Presidency. Larry Garrett was released as 2nd Counselor in the YM Presidency. Layne Wayment was released as Secretary in the YM Presidency. Myron Bouwhuis was called as Young Men's President. Clair Hamblin was called as 1st Counselor in the Young Men's Presidency. Duane Thomas was called as 2nd Counselor in the Young Men's Presidency. I don't think they called a secretary yet. Clain gave a really nice talk on Gospel Principles taught to me by my mother. He did great. The Priesthood, Aaronic and Melchizedek sang a song for Mothers. It was really nice and fun to see Clain, Braxton and Dad all up there singing.
Well it is really late again. 12:30 in the morning. I am really tired. I will end. Maybe I will have time to write more tomorrow. I love you lots and I am really proud of you. Take Care.
Love always and forever,
Mom
Hey! How are things going today? Well things are going good. I have to get a DVD made and send you a bunch of pictures and videos that I have taken. That is really cool that you were able to record the conversation. So Braxton is going to quit soccer? That is ok because when I get back I will get him into hunting like I was before my mission or more. Who knows? I hope everything is going good.
Hi Curtis,
I don't want Braxton to totally quit soccer. He would spend too much time just playing video games. I want him to still have some exercise of some kind. They play AYSO soccer in the fall and in the spring. They just don't have as many practices or games each week and it won't cost nearly as much.
Have you taken lots more photos and videos since you sent the last ones?
I have taken about four or five gigs of photos here in Valencia.
Here is a picture of a bottle of Inca Cola and a picture of me and Elder Neyra with the kids of one of the members here in Valencia eating zapote.
Thanks. My computer just froze up. I had too much stuff open I guess. I am restarting it. How fast are the computers you are using to email? What kind of computers are they? How many? Cost to use? Keyboards different or the same?
Are you resizing the photos from larger files? They are really fuzzy and pixelated. Can you resize them with a little higher quality and send them again?
Resize them to 800 X 600 with a 300 pixel resolution. Some of those you sent me are only 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch in size. Too small and too pixelated. I want to see your handsome face, not blotches. Please.
That one that Elder Bartolomei sent his mom is 1600 X 1200 pixels and 300 dpi. It is a great photo. It is 354 kb in size. The ones you sent last time were not as clear. They were 588 X 441 pixels and 300 dpi. They are 86 kb in size. Bigger is much better if you can do it.
Hi Curtis,
Who knows how many people out there in the world are reading your blog. I published it to be an example to the world of missionary work and service. I hoped it would inspire others to want to serve a mission. I hope it will fulfill that purpose. I hope you will want to say and do things that would help others want to serve missions. When you write your letters remember that you are writing to a world wide audience, not just your family. Include more of your special teaching moments, how you feel when the spirit is touching an investigator, how it feels to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Bear your testimony about what you are doing and its importance. It doesn't have to be a long, full testimony, just mention how a principle of the gospel has helped you as you have worked. Most of all, I want you to convince your brothers that they should go and serve the Lord. Tell them how important the work is and why you are glad you are out there doing it. Make them excited to go and serve.
Clain is still preparing, but I don't see a lot of enthusiasm. It seems more of a duty to him. He is going because that is what we expect him to do. I want to see him excited to go because he knows how great your mission was. Share the kinds of things that will help him prepare and get really excited to be a missionary.
I signed Clain up to go to EFY (Especially For Youth), the week of June 15th to 20th. He will go to USU and stay five nights in the dorms. I think he will have a great time. It was $425 for the week, but if it helps him to become more excited about the gospel it will be worth it. He never shows much emotion of any kind. He is getting to be more and more like you all the time. The only difference is that I knew you had a lot more self confidence and courage than I think he has. I am pretty sure he will go on a mission and he will endure it and stay, but I want him to go and love it, not just endure it. I want him to be on fire and know that he can make a difference. Share that kind of enthusiasm with him, please. Let him know how much you are enjoying your mission. Tell him of the great experience it is to help convert someone to the true gospel. Tell us more experiences of what it was like when you were teaching an investigator. Tell him what it was like to baptize someone. Tell him how you felt when you were giving a blessing to someone. Were they healed? Did the blessing help? What little miracles have you seen? How has the Lord blessed you personally? How have you been lifted up by the angels who are round about to help you?
It was interesting to listen to you talk yesterday. It is clear you are thinking in Spanish now and having to convert back to English. That is good. I am sure it makes communication easier than switching back and forth all the time. Are you understanding everything you hear now?
Monday, May 4, 2009
2009_05_04 Week 5 Valencia
May 3, 2009
Dear Curtis,
Hi! I hope you have had a really great week. Mine has been pretty good.
First off, we need to figure out how we are going to do your phone call home on Mother’s Day which is next Sunday, May 10th. Do you have a phone that you can call from?
Can you call me and then I can call you back on that phone?
I need to know the whole phone number with the country code. I have a calling card that I can use from this end. I could just call you if I knew the number and what time to call you.
We have church from 11:00 till 2:00. Clain is giving a talk in Sacrament Meeting, so we have to go. His topic is gospel principles taught to you by your mother. He is supposed to speak for five to seven minutes.
We would like to go to Cache Valley to visit Grandma Goode and Grandma Parkinson after church. I don’t think Michelle and Shara are coming down here. I have been trying to talk to Michelle all day to find out what she is planning, but she won’t answer my calls or texts. I am not sure what is up with her. I haven’t talked to her much this week. It was her last week of school, so she should be all done for a while.
Shara was called to be the Second Counselor in the Primary Presidency. She has to sing with the Primary Kids in her ward on Mother’s Day. Her church is at 9:00, but I still doubt she will come down after because she will have two mothers and four grandmothers to go visit that day and all but me are up there in Cache Valley.
Email back and let me know what will work best for you as far as time and how you are going to call. Do you have a calling card you can use?
Can you buy one if you don’t have one?
It might be good to get one with enough minutes in case I can’t call you back for some reason like last time. How long can you talk this time?
I put your tax refund in your bank account. I transferred $500 of it to your savings account because you get a little bit better interest rate on that account than on the checking account, but not by much. The rest is in your checking account. You have been using a lot of money again. Are you having to travel a lot in your new area? Did it cost you money to go to the Volcano and the Waterfalls?
Answer these questions first and hopefully we can email back and forth a couple of times today.
I love you so much and I am very proud of you.
Love always, Mom
Hey how are things? As far as the phone call we have a cellular in the house that we are going to use to call. What we are planning to do is buy a card that will put money in our account in the cell phone and then we can call. I am going to buy thirty minutes of time I think that will be enough, but I will check and find out more before I buy, so I buy enough. I think that this will be better and more sure than you trying to call me. I can only call on Sunday, but just about whenever you want me to during the day. What time will be best for you and what phone do you want me to call?
Okay. That will be great. I think it is probably best to call my cell phone then you will get me no matter where I am at. The number is 801-725-****. You could call at 3:00 or anytime after that. What time do you have church and what else do you have planned for that day?
We have church from 9 to 12, lunch at one and a meeting at two, so three thirty should work fine. Do you think it is possible that you could be with Skyler so I could talk to him, too? If not, that is ok. Tell him I am still waiting for a picture of him and his fiance. Do you want me to call three thirty my time or your time? There is an hour difference right now.
We can try to get Skyler to come down, but with Mother's day he may be busy. 2:30 or 3:00 our time would be better so we could go up to Cache Valley after, but will that give you enough time to finish your meeting? If not, what time works for you?
I will talk to Skyler about the picture. He was supposed to email it to me so I could email it to you. I guess he forgot. Being in love can make you do things like that.
How has your week been? Tell us about your area, your companion, your investigators and your site seeing trips please.
Three or three thirty my time which is two or two thirty your time will work for me.
Okay. Make it 2:30 my time so we will have time to get home from church. Clain might be really long-winded and make the meeting go over. Ha Ha!
Ok that will work. I will call two thirty your time. I will get back on later today to answer your questions.
Okay. I love you lots. Take care.
Later . . .
I got a really cool photo of you today from Elder Bartolomei's mom. It has Elder Felt, Elder Williams, Elder Bartolomei and you just outside a chapel door. It is an awesome photo. Where was it taken? When?
She sent me another one last week that had Elder Neyra, you, Elder Bartolomei and another guy all hanging on to trees and branches as you climbed down a muddy hill. I am guessing it was when you went to see the waterfalls. I don't think the other guy in the yellow shirt is Elder Bartolomei's companion because she sent another photo of Elder Bartolomei with his companion in front of the same waterfall you sent me. In that photo, his companion is wearing a different shirt. Who is the other guy in the yellow shirt? Who went with you to the waterfalls? Tell us more about it.
Do you have more photos? Tell us about it.
Tell us about the baptisms you have had in Valencia. Names? Dates?
Tell us about the investigators you are teaching now.
Tell us more about your companion. What is he like? Do you get along? What are his favorite things to do? What do you really like about him? Did he know any of your other companions? How long has he been a member? Tell us about his family.
Tell us about your apartment.
I mailed two packages to you on Tuesday, April 28th. They have paper copies of the Conference Talks in English. The Spanish versions weren't out yet. I will send you an Ensign and Liahona as soon as they release them in a couple more weeks, I think. The package has a USB jump drive. On the drive there are a bunch of photos that we have taken since you have been gone. I thought you might want to look at them. I will try to print a few of them and mail to you with the next package. You can delete the photos to make room to store backups of the photos you take. There are also mp3 and mp4 files of the conference. I hope you are able to load them onto your ipod so you can listen to them and watch the videos if that is allowed. If not, just delete the video ones. I also put the music on there. You may have to dump some of the music that is on there or the old conference talks to make room for the new ones. Some may be the same. I think there are talks from three conferences there.
I told you earlier that I would put in an 8 GB SD card. I didn't put it in. It was acting weird and I was afraid you would use it and then not be able to pull up the photos after you took them. I put in 4 new 1 GB SD cards for you.
Let me know if there is anything else you need. I will be sending another package in a couple of weeks with the Ensign and Liahona.
Braxton has been running track. He ran the 1600 meter (mile) race the first week in 6:19:8 He was 34th out of 54 runners. The second week he ran the 1600 in 6:12:60, so he got faster. He was 15th out of 38 runners. He has another track meet this week on Friday. He is going to get even faster. I think he is doing great for a 7th grader running against 8th and 9th graders.
I love you so much and I am so proud of you. You look really great in that photo. You look so happy and healthy. The fruit and rice must be agreeing with you.
Love,
Mom
Hey how are things going? I’m back on to answer your questions. First about my sight-seeing trips. We went first with Elder Bartolomei and his companion Elder Gabino to the waterfalls. We also brought along our ward mission leader Claudio. He is the one in some of the photos you have seen. Claudio had been to the waterfalls before so he knew the way, so it was much easier for us.
Elder Goode at the Waterfalls near La Mana
My sector is big. Here in Valencia it starts at a place called the Esperansa or the Hope in English and ends in the Mana. We also have a place called the Berhel and a place called 6 de Agosto or the 6th of August. We are working mainly in the Mana to help start the church there. We had one baptism. His name is Hector. He just turned 18 and he is doing great. We are planning another baptism for this Saturday. His name is Oscar. He is 16 years old. His mom and dad are members, but his dad died about two and a half months ago.
That is great! If you have more time, tell us more. Has it been raining a lot on you the last two weeks? I have a weather site on the internet I have found and it says you should have had 6 inches of rain two weeks ago and about 4 inches last week. Is that right or is this site giving me the wrong information?
No, the sight is correct. We are getting rain here mostly in the night, but it is raining a lot when it does here. We are getting lightning and thunder, too.
The picture that Elder Bartolomei’s mom sent you was taken last Tuesday in the Zone Conference. We are only missing Elder Smith to have all of our district together in the same place, but Elder Smith is in Duran still, in his first sector. I talked to him during the transfers in Guayaquil. He’s doing good and loving the mission.
Here in Valencia we are working with a lot of references. We are contacting about ten to fifteen a week and right now we have more than twenty that we have received that we need to contact. For the most part, the references are in the Mana that is where we are working the most, because the Bishop wants to form a branch there to make it easier for the members, so they don’t have to travel a half an hour to church every Sunday. So this is what we have been doing, contacting lots of people to find five families in the Mana that are members and are paying their tithing. That is the most important, that they have priesthood in the families and that they are paying tithing.
That is awesome. I am glad you are making a difference. Five families doesn't seem like a lot, but it will be enough to give them a good start. Keep working hard at it. I am sure you will find them or help them to get the priesthood and start paying their tithing.
How is your memorizing coming along? Your deadline is coming soon.
When you can, send more photos.
Have you heard any more about Elder Fewkes? Whenever you can, take photos with all the other missionaries you know. Try to do a photo with all of your companions so far if you are ever all together in one place.
Elder Fewkes had some health problems here in the mission, so he went home, got it all figured out and right now he is serving in Idaho Spanish speaking. But when our transfer comes, he might get the chance to come back to Ecuador to serve. That is what we are hoping, but let’s see what happens.
I think that it will be a little hard to get all of my companions together because Elder Alcocer is going to leave here for his house on the 8th of this month, so I think that is Friday, so he doesn’t have a whole lot of time left in the mission. I did get a photo with him the other day in the Zone Conference though. I talked to Elder Bejar in the terminal in Quayaquil for a little bit. He is now district leader in Pasquales doing good. He has six months left before he goes back to Peru, too. Elder Neyra is in the same group of missionaries as Elder Bejar. He came to Ecuador with Elder Bejar and he will leave with him in October.
I was afraid you wouldn't be able to get them all together before he left. I guess that is okay. You will always remember them anyway. Gather the ones you can whenever you get a chance.
I do hope Elder Fewkes gets to come back to Ecuador, but I guess it won't matter as long as he is serving the Lord. I am glad Elder Bejar is doing great. That is neat that he is a District Leader now.
Tell me more about Elder Neyra and about your scripture memorization. And make sure to say goodbye before you get off today.
Elder Neyra is from the center of Lima, Peru. His family consists of his mom and dad and eleven kids. He has 8 brothers and 2 sisters. He is the youngest of all of them. Elder Neyra likes to play guitar and sing. He loves my Ipod and he is trying really hard to take advantage of the fact that he has a gringo for a companion to learn English, so I am talking a lot of English with him in the house, so he can learn it. Elder Neyra likes to be in style and in fashion. Some of his brothers live in the states in New York, so he has a bit of an American style, but he still has his Latin style, too. Elder Neyra likes to joke around. All of his brothers are bigger than him, so he has a little bit of the attitude like I do that we are big and bad and that no one can hurt us. You know what I mean.
He sounds like fun. I am glad you are enjoying your time together. Just be really careful, even though you are big and bad. There are still things like guns and knives that can hurt you. Always be obedient so you will be protected. Maybe you will get to see Elder Neyra after your mission. He may decide to come to the states, too.
Send us more photos when you can. I love to see you. Send us a good photo of Elder Neyra. I have the one you did with the multiple exposures and the one on the muddy trail, but I want a good close up shot of him.
Send us more photos when you can. I love to see you. Send us a good photo of Elder Neyra. I have the one you did with the multiple exposures and the one on the muddy trail, but I want a good close up shot of him.
How is your memorizing coming?
What did you learn at your Zone Conference?
Ya! I know that there are still things that can hurt us. My memorization is coming along slow, but sure. The Zone Conference was about obedience to the rules of the mission. It was good.
Well I gotta go. I love you lots. I’ll talk to you Sunday at two thirty your time, three thirty my time. Bye.
I love you, too. I am so excited to hear your voice on Sunday. Be careful and remember who you are.
Love always and forever,
Mom
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
2008_12_29 Week 10 Balzar Dad
Dear Curtis
It was good talking to you on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was too bad we had the phone problems, but everything worked out. I had an email all typed to send and I spell checked it and lost the email so I had to start over. Mom is reading your email to us as I am typing this. I am going to have Braxton and Clain help me put sand and hay in the nests and put the breeders together today. I will have Clain carry the crates of birds for me. I love you.
Love Dad
That is good. Keep the boys busy and out of trouble. See if you can´t take them hunting one more time before the season ends.
I will try to get them out hunting again. That is exciting about Skyler and his mission. He wanted to tell you himself. Keep working hard and you will be blessed. We pray for you every day to find new people to teach and baptize. Have a good week. I love you.
Dad
I´ll keep working hard. Tell Skyler that when he gets to the MTC to just be obedient to all of the rules and it is easy. Tell him that the first few days are the hardest and if he can just make it to Sunday, that things get a whole lot easier. Also tell him to speak as much Japaneese as he can while he is at the MTC because once he gets to Japan he is going to wish that he had spoken more. Tell him Thursday is wing night in the MTC. He will figure out what that means when he gets there.
I love you all a lot. Tell the boys "Hi" for me and tell them to write me a letter telling me what they got for Christmas.
Hi! This is Braxton.
Dad got 2 new paddleducks and I got 2 DS games, 3 PS2 games and an i-pod. Clain also got an i-pod and "Dangerous Hunts 2009" and "Legendary Adventures" from me. The DS games are "Castlevania Portrait of Ruin" and "The Legend of Zelda" and "The Phantom Hourglass" plus one from Taylor that is "Castlevania and The Dawn of Sorrow". My i-pod is blue and Clain's is green.
We got movies also, "The Dark Knight" and "Hancock" and "The Rescuers" and many more. Clain and I got a gun cleaning kit. It is cool and has lots of cool stuff. The PS2 games I got are "The Legend of Spyro" and "The Dawn of Dragons", and "Lego Batman", and a new "Lord of the Rings, Return of the King".
It was good talking to you on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was too bad we had the phone problems, but everything worked out. I had an email all typed to send and I spell checked it and lost the email so I had to start over. Mom is reading your email to us as I am typing this. I am going to have Braxton and Clain help me put sand and hay in the nests and put the breeders together today. I will have Clain carry the crates of birds for me. I love you.
Love Dad
That is good. Keep the boys busy and out of trouble. See if you can´t take them hunting one more time before the season ends.
I will try to get them out hunting again. That is exciting about Skyler and his mission. He wanted to tell you himself. Keep working hard and you will be blessed. We pray for you every day to find new people to teach and baptize. Have a good week. I love you.
Dad
I´ll keep working hard. Tell Skyler that when he gets to the MTC to just be obedient to all of the rules and it is easy. Tell him that the first few days are the hardest and if he can just make it to Sunday, that things get a whole lot easier. Also tell him to speak as much Japaneese as he can while he is at the MTC because once he gets to Japan he is going to wish that he had spoken more. Tell him Thursday is wing night in the MTC. He will figure out what that means when he gets there.
I love you all a lot. Tell the boys "Hi" for me and tell them to write me a letter telling me what they got for Christmas.
Hi! This is Braxton.
Dad got 2 new paddleducks and I got 2 DS games, 3 PS2 games and an i-pod. Clain also got an i-pod and "Dangerous Hunts 2009" and "Legendary Adventures" from me. The DS games are "Castlevania Portrait of Ruin" and "The Legend of Zelda" and "The Phantom Hourglass" plus one from Taylor that is "Castlevania and The Dawn of Sorrow". My i-pod is blue and Clain's is green.
We got movies also, "The Dark Knight" and "Hancock" and "The Rescuers" and many more. Clain and I got a gun cleaning kit. It is cool and has lots of cool stuff. The PS2 games I got are "The Legend of Spyro" and "The Dawn of Dragons", and "Lego Batman", and a new "Lord of the Rings, Return of the King".
Monday, December 22, 2008
2008_12_22 Week 9 Balzar Mom
Mom Emailed Curtis Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:49:14 -0700
Subject: 2008_12_22 Merry Christmas Curtis!
Curtis Emailed back that morning.
Hi Curtis,
I have not sent you any other emails today because I wanted to make sure you had time to email us and discuss when you could call. We are all at home today, so we hope to be able to chat with you for a bit.
The day that will work best for all of us is Tuesday, December 23rd. We will go to Smithfield that day. If you call at 6:00 our time, 8:00 your time, that should work. Michelle gets off work at 6:00, so she could get there just a few minutes after you call. Rob would also be able to get there about that time. So anytime after 6:00 for us would work that night.
If that is not good, we could also do tonight. Will either of those nights work for you?
Love always,
Mom
Tomorrow, Tuesday should work ok. We have an appointment at 7 that usually goes until 9, but I will see if we can visit earlier and leave in time to get to the phone in time for 8 or maybe a little after 8 like 8:10 or 8:20. Will that be alright? Last week I didn´t get off fast or early the cyber lost the internet and didn´t get it back until the day after so there wasn´t much I could do. Sorry.
Okay. That will work. We will be up at grandma's earlier in the day if you should have to call sooner, but later would be better. The phone number there is 435-563-5709.
I understand about the cyber. Braxton just called. He is at the church for Basketball practice and the poweris out there. I am glad it is not out here or I wouldn't be able to email you.
Have you gotten any packages yet? Or more letters?
I will receive my packages this Wednesday. When I visited the temple, the pouchero or the elder that takes care of all of the letters and packages, was there and he had me sign two papers and he took my censo (my Id for Ecuador) and went to get the packages. He called today and said that it cost 33 dollars to get the packages and he told me to tell you to only use the green stickers from now on. He said it is much easier.
Okay. I will be good and follow the rules. I am glad you will get the packages. Can you open them when you get them or do you have to wait till next Pday? Did you get any more letters?
Have you gotten the third package? I sent it with a green sticker.
No, I haven’t received the third package, but it will come without problem, maybe this Wednesday, too. I will have to wait for Pday to open the packages, but that is ok, not a big deal.
Surely they will make an exception for Christmas. You won't be doing a lot of teaching that day anyway. I hope you get them okay. Sorry about the problems with them. I can see what a pain it is if they have to have your senso to pick them up. Do you have any Christmas plans this week?
Thursday, we have a Fiesta in Relicario at 2 in the afternoon and then another one in Balzar at 5. And Wednesday, in the evening, our mamita is cooking a Christmas Dinner for us. She bought a turkey that weighs about 18 pounds that she is going to cook.
They are probably going to change the rules about the mamitas de comida. Change it so that we eat each day in a different house of members and we won’t have to pay the mamitas either, so it will be good, if they do change it. Right now, I think that they are testing this idea in a few zones in Guayaquil, but I am not for sure.
I had read that in one of the blogs of another elder in your mission. He wasn't sure it was a good idea. He worried that the quality of food would go down. I guess it will save you some money, but I wonder if it will be a hardship on the mamitas.
I am glad you are going to get some fun Christmas experiences there. I think you will remember these special experiences all of your life. The times you spend with the members and your investigators will be special. Did you have your baptism yesterday?
How was your temple visit? Where did you sleep in Quevedo? Tell us about it please.
The temple was good. I understood a lot more this time than the time before when we arrived. We stayed in the house of the zone leaders. There were 8 elders there. It was crazy, especially because I was the only gringo. All the others were latinos, so I was the "but" of a lot of jokes. We spent the night in Quevedo, got up at 1:30 in the morning and left for Guayaquil. We got back to Quevedo after the temple and the zone conference at 8 and spent the night again in Quevedo. Then we left in the morning for Balzar and worked all day in Balzar and then the next day we got up and left for Quevedo again for the district meeting. So we were in Quevedo for 4 days straight so we didn’t get as much done in Balzar as we would have liked to, but that is ok.
That sounds great. I am glad you got to go to the temple again. Most missionaries don't get to go while they are on their missions, so it is cool that you got to. The day you arrived, did your trainers get to go to the temple or just come there to pick you up? Was the zone conference good? Was it 4 hours long like the last one? Did they feed you?
We got your package with the CDs of pictures. Thank you. They were really great, but someone stole the letters. The tag on the package said it had CD and letters. :)
The package with the CDs only had CDs in it, so nothing was missing. Our trainers just picked us up. They didn’t get to go through the temple. We ate in the temple. It was good, soup, rice, pasta salad, broccoli cauliflower and chicken in a stir fry of sorts, and cake for dessert.
Please write a quick note to each of your brothers. They are waiting "impatiently" to hear from you. I figured you didn't send the letters, not that they actually got stolen. :) A paper letter or card now and then would be nice.
I have some more Christmas cards to send to you; One from Brent Rose, one from Darlene King and one from Garvene Garrett. They won't make it for Christmas, but I told them you would be glad to get them anytime. Bishop King is still in the hospital in intensive care. He has Pneumonia and Congestive Heart Failure. He isn't doing very well. Darlene is doing much better. She was at church yesterday.
I have to go. I love you all very much. I’ll talk to you tomorrow at 8 my time, 6 yours. Ok. I love you lots. Bye.
We love you, too. Have a really great week! Talk to you soon.
Love always,
Mom
This is a second conversation that Mom and Curtis were having in between the one above.
Mom, Can you do me a favor? Can you send an email to (Kelsey, he missed her name) with the address to my blog in it and tell her that I asked you to send it to her? Thank you.
You want me to send it to Kelsey?
Yes, please if you would.
Yes. I will send Kelsey the blog address. Are you writing to each other?
I write her a letter every 2 or 3 weeks and occasionally I recieve an email, but that is about it.
I will send her an email with the blog address. Dad ran to the store. He is on his way back. He says hello and to tell you he loves you. I don't know if he will make it back before you are off. Please say goodbye before you go today.
Can you print anything from there? I have some cool Christmas stories I would like to send you, but only if you can print them and read them later. I don't want you to take our time reading them now.
I can print them if you send them so I can open them in Word.
Here are the Christmas stories. I hope they will help you feel the spirit of Missionary Work at Christmas time.
We love you so much and we are so proud of you. You are setting such a great example for your brothers. They love you so much and they love to hear from you each week and read of your experiences as a missionary. Tell us the kind of things in your letters that will help them want to go on missions and serve as you are doing. Make them want to be a missionary like you are.
Subject: 2008_12_22 Merry Christmas Curtis!
Curtis Emailed back that morning.
Hi Curtis,
I have not sent you any other emails today because I wanted to make sure you had time to email us and discuss when you could call. We are all at home today, so we hope to be able to chat with you for a bit.
The day that will work best for all of us is Tuesday, December 23rd. We will go to Smithfield that day. If you call at 6:00 our time, 8:00 your time, that should work. Michelle gets off work at 6:00, so she could get there just a few minutes after you call. Rob would also be able to get there about that time. So anytime after 6:00 for us would work that night.
If that is not good, we could also do tonight. Will either of those nights work for you?
Love always,
Mom
Tomorrow, Tuesday should work ok. We have an appointment at 7 that usually goes until 9, but I will see if we can visit earlier and leave in time to get to the phone in time for 8 or maybe a little after 8 like 8:10 or 8:20. Will that be alright? Last week I didn´t get off fast or early the cyber lost the internet and didn´t get it back until the day after so there wasn´t much I could do. Sorry.
Okay. That will work. We will be up at grandma's earlier in the day if you should have to call sooner, but later would be better. The phone number there is 435-563-5709.
I understand about the cyber. Braxton just called. He is at the church for Basketball practice and the poweris out there. I am glad it is not out here or I wouldn't be able to email you.
Have you gotten any packages yet? Or more letters?
I will receive my packages this Wednesday. When I visited the temple, the pouchero or the elder that takes care of all of the letters and packages, was there and he had me sign two papers and he took my censo (my Id for Ecuador) and went to get the packages. He called today and said that it cost 33 dollars to get the packages and he told me to tell you to only use the green stickers from now on. He said it is much easier.
Okay. I will be good and follow the rules. I am glad you will get the packages. Can you open them when you get them or do you have to wait till next Pday? Did you get any more letters?
Have you gotten the third package? I sent it with a green sticker.
No, I haven’t received the third package, but it will come without problem, maybe this Wednesday, too. I will have to wait for Pday to open the packages, but that is ok, not a big deal.
Surely they will make an exception for Christmas. You won't be doing a lot of teaching that day anyway. I hope you get them okay. Sorry about the problems with them. I can see what a pain it is if they have to have your senso to pick them up. Do you have any Christmas plans this week?
Thursday, we have a Fiesta in Relicario at 2 in the afternoon and then another one in Balzar at 5. And Wednesday, in the evening, our mamita is cooking a Christmas Dinner for us. She bought a turkey that weighs about 18 pounds that she is going to cook.
They are probably going to change the rules about the mamitas de comida. Change it so that we eat each day in a different house of members and we won’t have to pay the mamitas either, so it will be good, if they do change it. Right now, I think that they are testing this idea in a few zones in Guayaquil, but I am not for sure.
I had read that in one of the blogs of another elder in your mission. He wasn't sure it was a good idea. He worried that the quality of food would go down. I guess it will save you some money, but I wonder if it will be a hardship on the mamitas.
I am glad you are going to get some fun Christmas experiences there. I think you will remember these special experiences all of your life. The times you spend with the members and your investigators will be special. Did you have your baptism yesterday?
How was your temple visit? Where did you sleep in Quevedo? Tell us about it please.
The temple was good. I understood a lot more this time than the time before when we arrived. We stayed in the house of the zone leaders. There were 8 elders there. It was crazy, especially because I was the only gringo. All the others were latinos, so I was the "but" of a lot of jokes. We spent the night in Quevedo, got up at 1:30 in the morning and left for Guayaquil. We got back to Quevedo after the temple and the zone conference at 8 and spent the night again in Quevedo. Then we left in the morning for Balzar and worked all day in Balzar and then the next day we got up and left for Quevedo again for the district meeting. So we were in Quevedo for 4 days straight so we didn’t get as much done in Balzar as we would have liked to, but that is ok.
That sounds great. I am glad you got to go to the temple again. Most missionaries don't get to go while they are on their missions, so it is cool that you got to. The day you arrived, did your trainers get to go to the temple or just come there to pick you up? Was the zone conference good? Was it 4 hours long like the last one? Did they feed you?
We got your package with the CDs of pictures. Thank you. They were really great, but someone stole the letters. The tag on the package said it had CD and letters. :)
The package with the CDs only had CDs in it, so nothing was missing. Our trainers just picked us up. They didn’t get to go through the temple. We ate in the temple. It was good, soup, rice, pasta salad, broccoli cauliflower and chicken in a stir fry of sorts, and cake for dessert.
Please write a quick note to each of your brothers. They are waiting "impatiently" to hear from you. I figured you didn't send the letters, not that they actually got stolen. :) A paper letter or card now and then would be nice.
I have some more Christmas cards to send to you; One from Brent Rose, one from Darlene King and one from Garvene Garrett. They won't make it for Christmas, but I told them you would be glad to get them anytime. Bishop King is still in the hospital in intensive care. He has Pneumonia and Congestive Heart Failure. He isn't doing very well. Darlene is doing much better. She was at church yesterday.
I have to go. I love you all very much. I’ll talk to you tomorrow at 8 my time, 6 yours. Ok. I love you lots. Bye.
We love you, too. Have a really great week! Talk to you soon.
Love always,
Mom
This is a second conversation that Mom and Curtis were having in between the one above.
Mom, Can you do me a favor? Can you send an email to (Kelsey, he missed her name) with the address to my blog in it and tell her that I asked you to send it to her? Thank you.
You want me to send it to Kelsey?
Yes, please if you would.
Yes. I will send Kelsey the blog address. Are you writing to each other?
I write her a letter every 2 or 3 weeks and occasionally I recieve an email, but that is about it.
I will send her an email with the blog address. Dad ran to the store. He is on his way back. He says hello and to tell you he loves you. I don't know if he will make it back before you are off. Please say goodbye before you go today.
Can you print anything from there? I have some cool Christmas stories I would like to send you, but only if you can print them and read them later. I don't want you to take our time reading them now.
I can print them if you send them so I can open them in Word.
Here are the Christmas stories. I hope they will help you feel the spirit of Missionary Work at Christmas time.
We love you so much and we are so proud of you. You are setting such a great example for your brothers. They love you so much and they love to hear from you each week and read of your experiences as a missionary. Tell us the kind of things in your letters that will help them want to go on missions and serve as you are doing. Make them want to be a missionary like you are.
Monday, December 15, 2008
2008_12_15 Week 8 Balzar Mom
Mom Emailed Curtis on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:38:28 -0700
Curtis Emailed back that same day.
Hi Curtis,
We would like to have you call on Thursday night. That is this week, on the 18th if that will work for you. Rob, Shara,Taylor, Michelle and Jeff can all come down that night if it will work for you. They will not get here till 6:30 or 7:00. I know that is getting really late for you. If it needs to be earlier, Michelle will leave work early to get here sooner. Will that work and what time is best for you? If not, we could do Friday, the 19th or Sunday, the 21st. Those days don't work as well for everyone, but they will adapt to work with your schedule.
is there a time that I can call the next week? when it is closer to christmas. I will have to ask permission in order to call this week and the time to ask would be this wednesday when I have an innterview with president gamboa but then I won?t be able to tell you if I am calling or not. the next week would be much better if you could.
Where will you be calling from?
The house of president Ruiz he has a phone that they allow the public to use and it has a meeter on it to tell how much time you have used and how much it costs so I can call you on this and then you can call back
How long are you allowed to talk on your phone call? I need to buy the right length of calling card.
I can only talk for 45 minutes no more
When is your companion going to make his phone call?
on the 25 in the evening
Have you received any packages yet? Did you call the office about them?
no I haven?t recieved them and no I didn?t call about them
Have you received any more DearElder paper letters? I have sent you one or two every week since you left.
yes I recieved 8 last wednesday and read them today
Did you get to baptize Christopher this week? How old are Allison and Christopher?
no we didn?t christopher is ten and allison is 12
Did your investigators come to church this week?
yes we had ten investigators at church this week
Tell us more about your investigators that are progressing and scheduled for baptism, please.
Carlos de Barco he is scheduled to be baptised this next sunday he has had much time with the missionaries but he studies in guayaquil which makes it hard to schedule time to meet with him but we have been working hard to schedule this and it is pretty sure that he will get baptised
The Family of Ricardo and Maria they are great investigators they need to get married but we are working on that we need to get mariah a papel de votacion to prove that she voted so that we can get the papers they need to be married they also have two kids that can get baptised too so on the 27th they are getting baptised if they are married by that date. they love the missionaries and we have lots of fun with them lots of good jokes
Tell us more about the four times you have hit your head. Did you get hurt badly? Did you laugh or cry?
the first time I hit my head it hurt we were leaving the barber shop and they have a metal door that is similar to a garage door that you can pull down this is what I hit my head on. The second time was in a bus the celing in the busses are short so I have to bend over a little bit to enter since I was bent over I didn?t see the hand rail that is monunted to the roof of the bussed and I hit my head on this this one hurt but not that bad I didn?t realise it untill later when I was scrathing my head and found a scab that this one had caused me to bleed. the third was the door to the house where allison and christopher live and it didn?t hurt but every one laughed at me and I laughed too. the fourth was a tin roof and it was more of a bump than a solid hit so it didn?t hurt at all.
How are your clothes holding up? Is the hand washing hard on them?
my clothes are fine no problems so far just the nametags on the socks are coming off that is all
Are you dreaming in Spanish yet?
no I haven?t really been dreaming in my sleep or if I have I don?t remember it
What was the best thing that happened to you this week?
(no answer)
Have you done anything Christmasy, like Caroling or baking cookies for your investigators? Do you have an oven?
no we haven?t done anything christmasy and no we don?t have an oven
Are you happy and healthy? Has the cold gotten better or worse?
yeah I am happy and healthy my cold is doing much better I have been using zicam that I bought in the mtc and it is helping a lot
Do you need anything?
no but in the next package you send send me a couple more tide pens they are life savers.
I love you lots.Mom
Hi Curtis,
Shara and Rob can't come down on Christmas Eve like normal because Rob's brother, Jason, is a fireman and that was the only day he had off. They are having the Gibbons party that night. I just emailed Shara to see when they could come down. It will have to be Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Unless we do it on Christmas day and do it from Lewiston.
Michelle and Jeff are coming down for Christmas Eve and morning, then they are driving up to Island Park for the weekend with his family at a cabin. We could possibly all go up to Lewiston on Christmas day before Michelle and Jeff head north and call from there.
I read that you are going to the temple this week on Wednesday. Tell us more about that. What time to do leave on the bus to go? Are you sleeping the night? What other activities are planned besides going to the temple?
Are you still there? I feel really bad about the packages. They should have been there by now. Please try to do some checking to see if you can locate them. They left the airport in Miami on November 24th, so they are in Ecuador somewhere. I can't track them any farther than that. I tried, but I can't find the right place to look. I will see if Gary Jenkins can help me with the tracking. Please check on your end.
Curtis, Could you do Sunday night, the 21st? We could go to Smithfield and you could call there? We could go up after church, so anytime in the afternoon or evening would work that day.
We could do Monday or Tuesday if that doesn't work. We would have to drive to Smithfield and have you call there. Michelle gets off work at 6:00, so you could call at 6:30 and everyone would be there by then.
Choose the day and time that works best for you. The phone number in Smithfield is 435-563-5709.
(No answer to any of these. He must have been out of time. We will have to setup a phone call by email next Monday.)
Curtis Emailed back that same day.
Hi Curtis,
We would like to have you call on Thursday night. That is this week, on the 18th if that will work for you. Rob, Shara,Taylor, Michelle and Jeff can all come down that night if it will work for you. They will not get here till 6:30 or 7:00. I know that is getting really late for you. If it needs to be earlier, Michelle will leave work early to get here sooner. Will that work and what time is best for you? If not, we could do Friday, the 19th or Sunday, the 21st. Those days don't work as well for everyone, but they will adapt to work with your schedule.
is there a time that I can call the next week? when it is closer to christmas. I will have to ask permission in order to call this week and the time to ask would be this wednesday when I have an innterview with president gamboa but then I won?t be able to tell you if I am calling or not. the next week would be much better if you could.
Where will you be calling from?
The house of president Ruiz he has a phone that they allow the public to use and it has a meeter on it to tell how much time you have used and how much it costs so I can call you on this and then you can call back
How long are you allowed to talk on your phone call? I need to buy the right length of calling card.
I can only talk for 45 minutes no more
When is your companion going to make his phone call?
on the 25 in the evening
Have you received any packages yet? Did you call the office about them?
no I haven?t recieved them and no I didn?t call about them
Have you received any more DearElder paper letters? I have sent you one or two every week since you left.
yes I recieved 8 last wednesday and read them today
Did you get to baptize Christopher this week? How old are Allison and Christopher?
no we didn?t christopher is ten and allison is 12
Did your investigators come to church this week?
yes we had ten investigators at church this week
Tell us more about your investigators that are progressing and scheduled for baptism, please.
Carlos de Barco he is scheduled to be baptised this next sunday he has had much time with the missionaries but he studies in guayaquil which makes it hard to schedule time to meet with him but we have been working hard to schedule this and it is pretty sure that he will get baptised
The Family of Ricardo and Maria they are great investigators they need to get married but we are working on that we need to get mariah a papel de votacion to prove that she voted so that we can get the papers they need to be married they also have two kids that can get baptised too so on the 27th they are getting baptised if they are married by that date. they love the missionaries and we have lots of fun with them lots of good jokes
Tell us more about the four times you have hit your head. Did you get hurt badly? Did you laugh or cry?
the first time I hit my head it hurt we were leaving the barber shop and they have a metal door that is similar to a garage door that you can pull down this is what I hit my head on. The second time was in a bus the celing in the busses are short so I have to bend over a little bit to enter since I was bent over I didn?t see the hand rail that is monunted to the roof of the bussed and I hit my head on this this one hurt but not that bad I didn?t realise it untill later when I was scrathing my head and found a scab that this one had caused me to bleed. the third was the door to the house where allison and christopher live and it didn?t hurt but every one laughed at me and I laughed too. the fourth was a tin roof and it was more of a bump than a solid hit so it didn?t hurt at all.
How are your clothes holding up? Is the hand washing hard on them?
my clothes are fine no problems so far just the nametags on the socks are coming off that is all
Are you dreaming in Spanish yet?
no I haven?t really been dreaming in my sleep or if I have I don?t remember it
What was the best thing that happened to you this week?
(no answer)
Have you done anything Christmasy, like Caroling or baking cookies for your investigators? Do you have an oven?
no we haven?t done anything christmasy and no we don?t have an oven
Are you happy and healthy? Has the cold gotten better or worse?
yeah I am happy and healthy my cold is doing much better I have been using zicam that I bought in the mtc and it is helping a lot
Do you need anything?
no but in the next package you send send me a couple more tide pens they are life savers.
I love you lots.Mom
Hi Curtis,
Shara and Rob can't come down on Christmas Eve like normal because Rob's brother, Jason, is a fireman and that was the only day he had off. They are having the Gibbons party that night. I just emailed Shara to see when they could come down. It will have to be Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Unless we do it on Christmas day and do it from Lewiston.
Michelle and Jeff are coming down for Christmas Eve and morning, then they are driving up to Island Park for the weekend with his family at a cabin. We could possibly all go up to Lewiston on Christmas day before Michelle and Jeff head north and call from there.
I read that you are going to the temple this week on Wednesday. Tell us more about that. What time to do leave on the bus to go? Are you sleeping the night? What other activities are planned besides going to the temple?
Are you still there? I feel really bad about the packages. They should have been there by now. Please try to do some checking to see if you can locate them. They left the airport in Miami on November 24th, so they are in Ecuador somewhere. I can't track them any farther than that. I tried, but I can't find the right place to look. I will see if Gary Jenkins can help me with the tracking. Please check on your end.
Curtis, Could you do Sunday night, the 21st? We could go to Smithfield and you could call there? We could go up after church, so anytime in the afternoon or evening would work that day.
We could do Monday or Tuesday if that doesn't work. We would have to drive to Smithfield and have you call there. Michelle gets off work at 6:00, so you could call at 6:30 and everyone would be there by then.
Choose the day and time that works best for you. The phone number in Smithfield is 435-563-5709.
(No answer to any of these. He must have been out of time. We will have to setup a phone call by email next Monday.)
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