Searching for Investigators

Photo from the baptisms Elder Goode and Elder Alvarez had on March 13th in Babahoyo.


Hi Curtis. Thanks for the photo. It is awesome. Tell me the names of the guys in the photo please. Is this your baptism from last week?

Okay, I can see from the date on the photo, that it was on March 20th, so it must be your baptism from last week. That means the guy without the tie must be your convert, Linyker. I know the second from the left is Elder Alvarez, your companion who went home last week, so who is the other guy. Which one baptized Linyker? Why are you the only one smiling?

Hey, so guess what? We had a really hard week. We don´t have many people to visit right now so we are trying to find new people that we can teach. So I am really tired. We broke out the ward directory and tried to find all of the members that we could, so that they could give us references. So I walked all over our sector sometimes up to forty blocks an hour. We have been walking a ton.

Something good that is happening is that we have been having activities as a stake. We are doing an invasion. We are going to invite all of the people that we can, to come to the church to watch “The Testaments” so that we can get references. So that should help, but we are trying to do all that we can to find people that we can by ourselves, too, so that we can have success here. We got really lucky when I got here with Elder Alvarez, but now the people don´t want to listen.

Well it sounds like you have a really good plan to create some success. It seems like a lot of the missionaries have found people to teach by talking to the members, especially the part member families. There are probably siblings or younger kids who have not been baptized yet, unless Elder Walke found them all when he was there. He baptized a lot of younger kids while he was in Babahoyo. I think he really went through the Primaries and tried to locate all the kids who were coming, but had not been baptized yet.

Have you tried lots of prayer and faith with your plan? Fast Sunday is coming up again. Maybe you could have a fast for the extra help that you need.

Thanks for the pictures. They are wonderful. I am assuming that the family is the sister of Linyker, her husband and daughter. Is that right? What are their names? Is this at their apartment? When was the photo taken?

Shrimp and Fish Elder Goode ate in Portoviejo back in February. They purchased them in Manta one p-day.

In the picture, there is Antonio on the left. He baptized Linyker and then Elder Alvarez and then Linyker and then me.

What is Antonio's last name and how does he fit in? Is he a friend, brother, or ward member?

I don´t remember his last name but he is a ward member. He was baptized in February and we wanted him to have the experience of baptizing someone to keep him excited about the gospel and we made the arrangements to have him do it. Really it was cool to see him do it.

That is neat. They look like they are about the same age. When I talked to Chris Jenkins yesterday, she said that in Clayton's mission, the missionaries don't get to do the baptisms. They are required to have a ward member perform the baptism because it helps the new convert to form ties with ward members and keeps them active for longer. It sounds like a good plan because if the only ties the convert has are to the missionaries they will easily get discouraged after the missionaries move on to another area, but if they have ties to a ward member, they are more likely to keep coming and progressing. It also makes ties the other way, so that the member feels responsible for the new convert and will try to protect the member and help them to grow in the gospel. Chris said that they try to get 50 people out to each baptism so the convert will feel a strong tie to the ward. Hopefully both boys will progress in the gospel and the Priesthood and go on missions.

The picture of the family with me and Elder Garcia is the Nuñez family from Portoviejo.

The picture with all of the people are: in the blue is Wendy and in the gray Sandy, that we baptized the week before and in the yellow their cousin. In the pink, is their friend. She is a member of six years and she gave the reference to the missionaries and she is now a ward missionary that is teaching Linyker and Sandy and Wendy the lessons again. And then there is Linyker and Antonio, again.

Wow. That is awesome! It is neat to see the members getting involved with teaching the new converts. Hopefully Linyker, Antonio and the friend will all have a desire to go on missions and teach the gospel to others. Your influence could spread exponentially to places you cannot even imagine. Your influence will continue to be felt for generations and generations of time.

Who are all the pretty girls in the photo? Are they members yet? If not, you better get busy and teach them all. Does Linyker have a girlfriend?

Linyker doesn´t have a girlfriend, but I told you in the other email who were all of the girls in the picture.

Okay. They look awfully close, but I guess the people of Ecuador are more inclined to touch than we are in the USA. Hopefully they are good friends by now. It is really neat that she is teaching Linyker. What a neat experience for them all. Do these kids have more friends that you can teach? It would be great if they could become involved with teaching the gospel to their friends. It would help them prepare for missions.

We are trying to get more references so that we can teach their friends. We have asked, but we haven´t gotten references yet.

You must have found a faster computer with a USB port today. Thanks!!!

Why is the water so green? The font is gray. Where is the green coming from? Is that what all of your water looks like? Yuck! I am grateful for purified water. I hope you are, too!

The green water comes from the water tank in the church. It is dirty and they need to clean it. So until they clean it, our baptisms will be in green water.

Sounds like a service project for some missionaries and new converts to the gospel.
Ask them to help you clean the water tank and have them bring some of their friends to help you. Maybe you can accomplish both tasks at the same time. Come up with some other service projects that they can help with and bring friends to. Go sing at the hospital or just visit. Make something or fix something. Think creatively and get as many involved as you can. Serve food and more will come. Advertise that you are serving food and you will get even more.

Well, we could, but they actually pay a guy to clean the church, so they said they could call him and tell him that the water tank is dirty. So he will do it, because he gets paid to do it.

Well, come up with another service activity to generate interest from the kids. Maybe you could clean the church or clean up the outside of the church or do a neighborhood cleanup project. Do service, then play soccer and have refreshments. Put up lots of fliers around the neighborhood to get people's interest.

I am sure that if we advertised food we could get all of Babahoyo to come to the activities, but the thing is, we don´t have a huge budget and this gringo is all out of money. So we are going to have to see what type of budget we are working with, but it won´t be very big at all.

I will see what we can do to plan some activities and get them into action. They sound good, but it will take some planning to make them work good, too.

Okay. Well you will have to work with the resources you have. I bet you could come up with some creative way to get food there. A cookie baking contest for the young women? A pie baking activity for the Relief Society? Work with your ward activities committee. Somebody has the resources to help you.

I checked your account last night and you are indeed almost out of money again. Alas, so am I. I will try to get you some more on payday, but probably only $100 this month. Sorry.

Isn't planning one of the things that missionaries do best? Maybe your Zone could work together to come up with a community service day. Maybe you could get some help from the community leaders to fund the project. Spring is a great time to beautify the world. Approach the wards, the stake and the community. Dream big! Plan big! You can make it happen and the results will bless all of you.

I love you so very much and I am so very proud of all you are doing. Did you write to Clain? Please do. He can hardly wait to find out what you think of his call. He has talked about it all week long.

Love always and forever,
Mom

Well, I gotta go. Tell Clain congratulations on his mission call for me and tell him to check his email, too. I love you all lots.

Bye,

Elder Goode

I love you son. You are an amazing example to me!!! BE GOODE this week and every week!

Elder Parkinson from Arizona

Week 14 Portoviejo

Have you been losing or gaining weight since you moved to Portoviejo? I am guessing you are gaining now that you are riding the buses and using taxis more and walking less. Am I right?

I do think that I have been putting on a little bit of weight but not a whole lot like five maybe ten pounds but I am trying to stay the same I really don´t want to gain weight again so another thing that I am doing right now is I eat what they give me but if they ask if I want more I tell them no so I am eating less than I used to so I feel a whole lot better if i eat just a little then I don´t have the same problems that I did before remember when my stomach would hurt after I would eat it was because I would eat too much and then it would hurt but now that I am eating less I don´t feel like that I feel satisfied and I don´t hurt.

Have you taken the Bomb since you have been there? How many times?

I have taken the bomb once so far in my mission when I was with Elder Machuca and it really didn´t have any effect on me. I will take it again when I go home, so I got lucky I will only have to take it twice while others had to take it up to four times in their missions.

Do the missionaries get to go to the temple before they go home?

I am not for sure if the missionaries get to go to the temple or not but if I need to renew my recommend President Gamboa can do it.

I asked about the photo CD and no one knew anything about it, so I am assuming you were unable to get it to Elder Ogden or Elder Mitton in time to get it home. What happened? Are you going to send it another way?

I was unable to get it ready in time to send through pouch, but it will be ready here soon and I will try to send one disk through pouch to see if they will send it. I hope that they will. If it is a problem then I can send it another way. I might be able to send it through the Ecuadorian postal service, but that could be a problem in itself so I will try the pouch first and see if it works.

Things are going really good here. We got a new missionary in the house and guess what? He is from Arizona! But do you want to know the really cool thing? His name is Elder Parkinson! Do we have family in Arizona? Well, it is really cool. He has lots of questions and I have lots of answers, so this week I have been helping him get used to Ecuador and everything here.

This is the email address of his mom. Drop her a line and you can help her out like I am helping her son out. I am sure that you are going to have lots to talk about. Well I am going to send this one off and hopefully you can reply to me quickly with a really astonished email telling me how cool it is that the new elder is from Arizona and has your maiden name. Well I love you lots!

Elder Goode

We didn´t have any baptisms this last week, but we have a goal of one for next week. We are really confident that we can get permission for Luis this week. His parents have been really positive the last couple of times we went, so there is hope.

Fungus and Fish

Week 2 Portoviejo






From the left:
Elder Aldo Bejar, from Lima, Peru, Elder Goode's Trainer
Elder R. Machuca from Lima, Peru, Elder Goode was his trainer
Elder Curtis Goode
President J. Wilson Gamboa from Colombia

A Three Generation Photo
Grandpa - Elder Bejar, Dad - Elder Goode, Son - Elder Machuca


So, how are things going out there in Utah? I am doing good out here in Portoviejo, but I feel like I am back in Utah, but in southern Utah. Out here in Portoviejo it is really, really hot and dry and there aren´t a whole lot of green trees like there were in Quevedo. Things are going good. We are working hard and having fun. Elder Carlos is a lot of fun, but he doesn´t talk a whole lot, but I am working on that problem. Everybody here says that I speak really, really good Spanish. I am actually surprised that I have received so many compliments on my Spanish here.

Just so that you know, Elder Nordgran was here in my sector before me, but just for a week and then there was an emergency change and he had to leave. Elder Neyra was here in this sector, too. I know so many missionaries that have been here. Elder Verastagui started his mission here with Elder Arana. Elder Cruz was here. There are a ton of missionaries that have been here that I know.

In my district, there are four companionships, me and my companion, Elder Enciso and his companion, Elder Piedra (He is one of the new gringos.), Elder Baez and Elder Merrill, (He is a new gringo, too.) and Elder Turley and Elder Rojas (He was district leader with me out there in Quevedo North and now he is Zone Leader here). There is one more new gringo in our zone. He is the companion of Elder Minga, Elder Mitchell, so there are three new gringos here in our zone. That is cool, so later I will be able to do some interchanges with them to help them out. That is really going to be a cool oportunidad for me.

I finally got to eat some fish. We had cerviche two times and it is so, so good! It is no wonder that all of the missionaries want to come to Manta or Portoviejo or to the peninsula to eat fish and other sea food.

Well I am going to send this one off and hopefully you can send me another one before I sign off. I love you lots!

Have you sent my photos yet?

No, but I am planning on doing it really soon. Maybe before Christmas I will get them sent.

Are you able to read and study the Ensign and Liahona?

Yep, we have free time in the night after we plan that I like to read the Liahona or the Ensign.

If so, which is most helpful to you?

Which ever one you want. I understand them both.

Did it help to send copies for your companion also?

Yep, because they could read, too.
Is there anything else you would like for Christmas?

Well right now I can´t think of anything more that I really want that can´t wait for a year.

Do you need anything?

Yep, send me some anti-fungus cream. I have athlete’s foot and I also have some fungus growing on my finger.

Does your new companion need anything?

I don´t think so.

What is your new companion’s full name? I have Moises J. Carlos from his email address.

I think that is him.

What does your new companion like to do for hobbies?

He liked to play sports. He studied, too, and he finished three semesters studying Chemistry.

Are you healthy and happy?

Yep, I am doing good actually. I had some killer headaches, but that was because of the climate change so I wasn´t used to drinking huge amounts of water, but I fixed that. So, it is all good now.

I am attaching a photo of the Portoviejo Zone on August 25, 2009. It is one of the ones that Elder Gittins sent to you. Is your new companion in this photo? Which elder is he? If you can, tell me the names of the elders who are the second one, the seventh one and the ninth one from the left. I think I know all of the other elders in the photo.


1-Elder M. Turley, Zone Leader
2-

3-Elder Salvador Rojas, Mexico City, Mexico
4-Elder Manuel Aguirre (Confirmed! He is The new Assistant to the President.)
5-Elder Milton Camacho
6-Elder Patricio Faundez, District Leader
7-
8-Elder Edwin Merchan, Colombia
9-Elder Moises Carlos, Peru (My companion)
10-Elder Christopher Hynes, Ontario, Canada
11-Elder J. Vincent Erickson
12-Elder C. Campo, Zone Leader, (went home this change)
13-Elder Marco Enciso
14-Elder Shain Smith, Reno, Nevada, District Leader


Hey, this is Elder Frye with his kid, Elder Flores (or Flowers in English).

From the left:

Elder Ronald Flores

President J. Wilson Gamboa from Colombia

Elder Mark Frye from Napa, California

I just thought of something else that I want for Christmas. Can you get me a new CTR ring, but the one that has like a bunch of languages on it, but a spinner in a size 11. If you could, I would really appreciate it.

Hey a few more questions for you. What happened with Clain and the dance? Did he get asked? Has he answered back yet? How is Braxton doing? I know he turned fourteen, so one of the terrible teens down, right? Well I hope it is all going good. Here is a picture and I will send more, ok?

Well you didn´t manage to send me a reply before I had to get off, but I love you lots and I hope everything is going well! Be Goode!!!

Love,

Elder Goode

Awesome photo. You look really good!

Clain did get asked to the dance by Denise Greenwell. That was last Monday evening. He went and answered her the same night. We bought a stuffed dog about a foot and a half high and a Happy Birthday balloon because the day she asked him was her 18th birthday. He then took it and a card up to the door to her. They invited him in and he stayed for an hour to visit while I sat in the car in the dark. I was really proud of him. The dance is this coming Saturday night.

Braxton had a nice birthday. He was ordained to the office of Teacher that day. Clain got to stand in the circle and help. I bore my testimony in church that day and told him how grateful I am that he came to join our family. I told a little about the night that he was born. I don't know how much of that story you know. I will try to type it up and send it to you next week. I want to type it up for Braxton. But the night he was born, I was left alone at the hospital in terrible pain. I prayed for help and the Savior came and put his arms around me and comforted me through that difficult time. I know without any doubt that Jesus Christ lives and He knows and loves me. I know he loves you, too.

Since that day, Braxton has been trying a lot harder to be nice and thoughtful and not so much of a pain in the butt. He is a good kid, but he is a teenager and I guess they are all entitled to act like teenagers once in a while. Ha! Ha! You sure did!

All is well. I was hoping for a bit longer letter today, but thanks for the information. I am probably too late with these emails. I was stuck in a meeting in the office and couldn't get back to email quickly enough.

I love you so much. Have a great day son!

Love always and forever,

Mom

"I am in the Clouds!"

Week 25 Valencia

Hey how are things going? Guess where I am right now! I am in Duran with Elder Williams from the MTC. We are here in his sector because we have to wait until Wednesday so that we can pick up our new companions and take them to our sectors. I am training in Valencia. I stayed another change and Elder Hernandez is now in the office. He is in charge of all of the money now. I am so excited. I also am District Leader now! Elder Bartolomei went to Babahoyo and now is companion to Elder Arillano, the Zone Leader. Elder Verastagui went home today. He had to go one change early so that he could get back in time to study. Our new Zone Leader is going to be, you guessed it, Elder Bejar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so excited to see him. I will stay here in the sector with Elder Williams today and tomorrow and then Wednesday we go to the office to pick up our kids. Things are going really good. I am in the clouds! I hope you get this fast, so that you can write me back.

That is AWESOME NEWS!!!!!!! I am so happy for you. I was hoping so much you would get to be a trainer this time and that is a big bonus to be a District Leader, too and to have Elder Bejar as your Zone Leader. Plus you get to stay in Valencia and baptize the rest of the investigators you have been preparing. WOW!!! How lucky are you!!! I guess the Lord is really blessing you. He knows you and He loves you and is aware of your needs and desires. Make sure you offer a prayer or two of gratitude for these special opportunities.

WOW!!! I bet Elder Bejar is excited to be a grandpa now. Maybe he already is with the other elders he has trained, but there is no better thing than being a grand-parent. It is an awesome experience. I will forward your letter to dad. He will be so proud of you also. Wow!!! My heart is pounding in my chest. I am so excited for you. Congratulations son. You are so awesome!!!

Tell us about Elder Williams. What has he been up to? I haven't heard much about him since you got to Ecuador. Is your new son a gringo? I heard they were getting a big group of gringos this week. Is that true? Please take awesome photos when you get to Guayaquil to pick him up. I can't wait till next week to hear all about it.

Did you have any baptisms this week?

We didn´t have any baptisms this week, but I don´t know if I am going to be training a gringo or not, but I do know that there are going to be four gringos coming this change, so there is a chance that I could have my first gringo companion. Things with Elder Williams are going good. He was in his first sector in Quevedo South for five changes and then he came here to Duran North and he killed his first companion here and then he trained an elder from Peru and now he is training again. So for him things are going good this change. He also became District Leader, so we have to prepare the class that we are going to teach Thursday together so that we will be ready when it comes time to teach because I will get to Valencia Wednesday night and then Thursday we have to go to Quevedo for the district meeting. Elder Williams is doing good. He is living in the same house as Elder Ogden. I am sure you have heard about him. So today I get to hang out with Elder williams and Elder Ogden and his companion. Things are great here. I love you lots and hope that all is going well!

It sounds like you will have a great week then. Elder Ogden seems like a fun elder from his letters. He takes funny photos all the time. Take a few while you are there this week.

Are there other changes in your district? Which elders are you going to be over? Who is the other district leader in Quevedo North? Is Elder Bartolomei still a district leader this change? Who is Elder Bejar's companion?

Elder Bartolomei is still District Leader. It is just that now he is companion to a Zone Leader. I don´t know who will be the other District Leader in my zone and I don´t know who will be in my district yet. Elder Vargas left, so there will be a new elder that is District Leader in Buena Fe, so I don´t know what will happen. It could be that I am going to have the Republic (where Elder Bartolomei was) and the Zone Leader in my district. I think that is the most likely, but we will have to see what happens. I am excited to see.

That will be cool. So you will do training each week at the District meeting on Wednesday. What other responsibilities does a District Leader have?

Elder Bejar is going to be companion to Elder Cacuanga. He is from Otavalo. He has like four changes in the mission.

Cool. Send photos of your district and zone as soon as you can. Have you sent my photo DVD yet? Please send it soon. I miss seeing your wonderful face!

I haven´t had time to send it, but I will try and get it sent ok. I will try really hard to remember that I have to send it. I made two disks that I am going to send to you.

Awesome. I can't wait. Did you get any of our postcards in the pony? You haven't mentioned them.

I have to help my district. If there are problems, I have to help them find solutions. I have to do the baptism interviews. I have to teach and help the elders in my district and I have to do interchanges to see how the elders are doing, how they are progressing. I am now a little bit like the eyes of President Gamboa here in the field. I have to let him know what is going on and how the elders are doing. If someone is a little bit down or not excited, I have to let president know and I have to try to help them get excited about the work. It will be cool. That is for sure.

Awesome. Do you communicate the problems to President Gamboa by phone or email or to the Zone Leader first? Do you have meetings in Quevedo to attend?

I hope you don't have anything big to deal with. One of the elders in the Quevedo South mission ran away a couple of weeks back. I think they are still looking for him. Rumor is that he ran off with one of his female investigators or converts. He locked his companion in their apartment and took off one morning while his companion was in the shower.

I know you will do a great job at being a district leader. You have awesome leadership abilities. This will be a wonderful challenge for you and it will get you even more excited about the missionary work. I can't wait to hear how it goes. I am so very proud of you. I love you so very much!!!

What happens is that after District Meeting, we have a meeting, the Zone Leader with the District Leaders and they talk about what is going on, I assume. I have never been in one. And when we have an interchange, we have to report to President Gamboa in our letters each week that we send.

That will be cool. Make sure you write really great letters to the Mission President from now on. Make it a point to not just tell him about the problems. Tell him something really great about your district in each letter and give compliments to the missionaries in your district often. That will help him to know that you really do care about each and every one of the elders in your charge.

Be a really great example to each of the missionaries. Make sure you are following all of the rules and being the very best example you can be. You aren't carrying that pocket knife hanging out of your pocket every day are you? I don't think that is a great idea. Tuck it down inside the pocket if you have to carry it or put it in your bag. Please don't let it hang out there to attract attention from other elders or from criminals who would beat you up.

Tell us about the burn on your finger, please.

Oh, ya, my finger. I was in the house of a member and the husband was the only one there and he was going to cook our lunch, but he asked us to help. So I was helping him cook. I was frying the ripe platano in oil to eat and the hot oil spit really badly while I was putting the platano in the pan and it burnt my ring finger of my left hand from the knuckle above the nail to the knuckle above that knuckle. It has healed up really pretty good. Right now, it is just a different color of red than the rest of me, but I think with time it will go away.

Okay. I thought it must be not too bad because you hadn't mentioned it to us, only to President Gamboa. We could see the bandages in some of the photos, but it looked like you were having a great time painting and not in too much pain, so we haven't worried about it too much, although that is my job, to worry, isn't it?

How is your new suit? Have you had a chance to wear it anywhere yet? Does it fit good? Please take a photo and post to the email as soon as you can. I am dying to see you in it.

Are Elder Frye and Elder Shain Smith still in Quevedo North?

I will see what I can do to take a picture of me in my suit, but right now I am three hours from my house and my suit. Elder Fry is still in Buena Fe and Elder Smith hasn´t been in Quevedo North. I think you must be confusing him with someone else.

Yeah! I figured you didn't have all your stuff with you, just a few things. Take one when you can. Do you like the suit? Does it fit good? Why aren't you wearing one of your other good pair of shoes? Don't let your feet hurt in a worn out pair. Pull out a good pair and be comfortable!!! It is not like you. The poverty down there must be making you a bit more aware of just how blessed you are. Normally when something breaks or wears out, you just get a new one. You don't worry about getting it fixed to make it last longer. I guess that is a good thing. Dad and I have talked about this a couple of times since your last letter. I guess a mission does all kinds of good for young men.

You are right. I guess Elder Smith was in the Quevedo South Zone with you, not the Quevedo North. I have just been wondering about him. His parents aren't posting his emails for some reason. I have been wondering what is up with him.

Have you ever heard what happened with Elder Fewkes? Is he still serving a mission in Idaho?

Hey, I took these pictures right now with a web cam that was here with the computer. They aren´t great, but it is better than nothing.

Well I gotta go. My time is up. I will definitely tell you about this week that is going to be way awesome next week. I love you all! Bye.

I love you son. We are so very proud of you! We will pray for your success as always. Congratulations and have a marvelous week!!! Love, Mom

Dexy's Baptism

Week 21 Valencia Emails with Mom

Dear Curtis,

I am so excited to hear about Dexy’s baptism. Please tell us all about it. Who attended? Did her family and friends all come?

No she didn´t want her family to come to the baptism and we haven´t yet had a chance to meet her family but we are going to try and set up an appointment this week.

You said you were teaching some of her siblings, how are they progressing?

We aren´t teaching any of her family yet.

What about her parents?

We aren´t teaching yet this week we are going to try and set up an appointment.

Are they willing to listen? Are you teaching her friends and their families?

Right now we are teaching the family of one of her friends but the problem is they don´t want to come to church because it is a ways away.

You said you were going to baptize her, did you?

Yes

Who did the confirmation?

The bishop

Was she confirmed in church on Sunday?

Yes

How is Isabel doing?

Isabel is doing good she is excited for her baptism this Saturday so things are going really good.

Did she attend church?

Yep she did!

Is she ready to be baptized this week?

Yep! She will have her interview this Wednesday and then Saturday she will be baptized.

Do you have any other investigators who are ready to be baptized?

Right now we don´t, but we are working on it we have a family of five that we are getting ready for baptism, but they are a few weeks out right now.

How is Esther doing?

Esther is doing good she hasn´t been coming to church so we are working on that so that she will come and then when she has been coming to church for three or four weeks she can be baptized without problems so we are just waiting and exorting her to come to church.

Shirley is the one that is going to go to school in Guayaquil and she went last week and she is there right now.

When does she leave to go to Guayaquil for school?

Last week.

What is she going to study there?

She is going to be studying computers and design I think or something like that.

You said you would send us a photo of her.

I took a picture last Sunday, but the problem is I left the camera in the house so I can't send you a picture right now.

How is Mosche doing?

He is doing good he is back with his wife or his girlfriend so we have to help them get married but I don’t know if they want to get married so we will see what happens.

Is he still listening to you on Saturdays and Sundays?

Ya, he still is, but his wife won´t let him come to church. So it is hard for him to progress, so we will see what happens.

You said you have an inactive family that gave you a reference. Are you still teaching them? Tell us more about them, please.

Yep they are the Arias family, a family that consists of the mom and four daughters that are eight or older and three kids one girl and two boys that are younger than eight. They are progressing the mom wants to be baptized so we are working on it. We still need to teach them a lot more before they can be baptized so that is where we are right now.

Tell us more about your companion. What city in Guatemala is he from?

He is from Guatemala city or the capital.

How many are in his family?

There is his mom and dad and then he has his older brother and an older sister and then him and he is the baby in the family.

How long has he been a member?

He has been a member all of his life.

Where did he serve prior to coming to you?

He was in Babahyo for six months and then he came here like I did.

This is Elder Dan Mitton with Elder Mauricio R Hernandez.
Elder Mitton was his trainer in Babahoyo.

Who were his other companions? There was a Mauricio R Hernandez who was companions with Dan Mitton in Babahoyo. I wrote down that Dan was his trainer. Is he your new companion? I am attaching a photo. Is this him? Send us a photo of him if you can.

Yes, he is my companion now. He was with an Elder Mittton, Elder Donoso and an Elder Rodriguez and now with me.

Please take a look at the other photo and my guesses about who each missionary is. Correct it and send it back please.

Please send photos soon. It has been a very long time since you sent us any. We only have a couple of photos since you have been in Valencia. We want to see the people and the places you visit and your apartment and your companions. Please.

Have you received any more packages, letters or cards?

Tell us about the people you are teaching.

I love you so much.
Love always and forever,
Mom

It sounds like you have been very busy. Congratulations on the baptism. I am glad it worked out. Next week, pictures, for sure! Promise me!

What special experiences have you had this week?

I am actually planning on bringing my camera to the cyber and leaving it there and having them put all of the pictures that I have on my cards on a dvd so that I can send it to you, so I think I will drop my camera off a little later today and pick it up tomorrow with the dvd all ready to go. But next week I will have all of the photos in one disk to send you some, ok?

Okay. It has been a very long time since you sent us any. We want to see all the places and people. Thanks.

Are you getting along well with your new companion? What does he like to do? I sent a photo of a missionary I think is him. Is it?

Yes that is him. He likes the computer and stuff like that. I gotta ask him more. He doesn´t like to talk very much, so I don´t know much yet.

You are together all week long. I know you are supposed to focus on the work, but you could ask him a little bit about himself. :)

What spiritual experiences have you had this week? Anything funny?

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.

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?

2008_12_29 Week 10 Balzar Mom

I have added more of my conversation with Curtis to the bottom of this post. I only had time Monday to post part of it. Sorry it is a little disjointed. We had several email threads going on at the same time.

Mom wrote to Curtis Mon, 29 Dec 2008 01:47:57 -0700
He wrote back that day.

Hi Curtis,

Tell us about your Christmas Eve? You said you got your packages, so you must have had a District Meeting, then you had a Festival (I am not sure that was the word you used) in each of your two branches and a Christmas Eve Dinner. Tell us all about that day, please.

We went to our district meeting. I received the three packages and then we went back to Balzar. In the house, I opened the packages. Then we ate a little, not much though, and then we took a bus to Relicario. We visited in Relicario for about two and a half hours because the members in Relicario invited a family that is not members, so we visited with them and made sure that they were invited to church Sunday. After we took another bus to Balzar and went to the church for the Fiesta. It was good. We had a little program. Elder Bejar and I sang a duet and then we watched Joy to the World and then we ate chicken with rice and a salad of onions and tomatoes and peppers. It is actually pretty good. After we ate, Elder Bejar and I left for a Cyber Cabina so he could talk to his parents. While he talked, I memorized more of the proclamacion for the world, and then we went to our house.

Tell us what you did on Christmas Day please. Lots of details please.

See above this is Christmas Day.

Did you like the packages?

Yes they were great. Elder Bejar really likes pistachios he had never eaten them before now. The pens are awesome. Elder Bejar was surprised that you knew what his first name started with.

Was there anything that did not arrive okay?

No, everything arrived just fine. No problems at all.

What did you like best?

The notes from everybody that was way cool to be able to hear from everybody in the family.

Did you take photos of the Christmas tree after you hung it and decorated it?

Yes I have pictures of the tree on the wall don´t worry.

The little puzzles were for you to share with kids you meet down there. Do you want me to send some candy or anything else that you can give to the kids? Is that something that is okay to do?

Yeah it is ok, but you don´t need to. There is plenty of candy here to share with the kids. I can buy the huge bags of assorted candy for a dollar or two.

Did your companion like his Christmas stocking and gifts?

Yeah, he did. He says thank you very much. (He said this in English.)

Has he ever had a Christmas stocking like that before?

I don´t think he has, but he knows what they are for and the tradition.

What did Elder Bejar's parents send him for Christmas?

He hasn´t received a package from his parents while he has been here.

Did you have your baptisms on Saturday? How did that go?

Yeah, we baptized three people, Ricardo, Maria and their oldest son Carlos.

Did you take more photos at the baptisms? Did you take photos of Allison's baptism?

Yes I have photos of both baptisms. I just need to make another cd and get it sent.

Do you have any more investigators that are progressing or that you have challenged for baptism?

We have a few. Irina, she is 9, but her mom won´t give her permission to be baptized, but she has lived with her grandmother for over a year so legally her grandmother is her guardian and can give her permission to be baptized, so we are planning on this Saturday.

Is there anyone that we can pray for? What specific needs or challenges do they have?

We need help to find more people to teach right now. We don´t have many investigators that are progressing. We need to find more.

How many investigators came out to church this week? Did you teach a Sunday School class to them?

In Balzar, we had two investigators and they have been investigators for a long time, for about 4 or 5 years. They know Elder Ika, the one that emailed you. In Relicario, the family that came to our Fiesta came to church also and brought more of the family with them, so we had 7 investigators in Relicario.

Did you do anything special for your members or investigators for Christmas? Elder Walke's blog said they had a cool activity in the park in Babahoyo, where a member dressed up as Santa and they took photos with the children and Santa. They got the addresses of the kids so they could deliver the photos and give a short message to the families about Christ. It sounded fun, though it was a lot of hard work. Did you do anything like that?

No, we didn´t do anything like that in Balzar, but on the 24th below our house Santa was there for the people to take pictures with. He was below our house, because we live next to the city hall of Balzar.

What plans do you have for this week with New Year's Eve? Do you have to stay inside because of all the partying?

No, we don´t have to stay inside the whole time and the only thing that we have planned is another dinner with the Ruiz family, that is all.

Is there anything you need or want me to send to you?

No, I am good, no problems and I don´t need anything.

Is there anything you would like to have, but can't find in the store?

Just a pocket knife, but that is not a necessity right now.

I will transfer some money into your account for the packages and the $50 that the Gailey's gave to you. I will try to do it this week. Dad said you mentioned buying a belt. That would be a fun souvenir. Are you still looking for a knife?

Yes I am looking, but have not found one yet. Here in Balzar, they don´t sell much in the way of knives. Elder Bejar says that when the people want to buy a knife, they go to Manavi to buy it.

One of the missionary blogs mentioned that you are supposed to be getting the Liahona every month. Are you getting it? If not, should I sign up for a subscription for you?

We don´t receive it every month, but our Branch President does and we borrow his copy and read it during lunch.

Are you happy and healthy?

Yes, I am happy and healthy.

Has it started raining a lot yet? Is it getting hotter?

Yeah, it is getting hotter, but it hasn´t started raining yet.

Will you please share your testimony with us.

I love you so very much. You are such a fine example for your brothers, cousins and for many others who are reading your blog and sharing in your mission. I talked to Daniel Greenwell and his mother, Rita today at church. Daniel has his call to Calgary, Canada. They have been reading your blog and he is so excited to get out there and start serving his mission. They want to create a blog to share his mission experiences also.

I am so happy for Skyler. I am so excited for him to get to go and serve. I know he will be a great missionary, too. I have felt all along that things would work out for the best for him if we just had enough patience. I hope he will go and serve with all his heart, mind and soul like you are doing.

At the Parkinson Christmas party on Friday, we didn't do gifts like we have in the past. Instead we put together some kits for the humanitarian center. We did newborn kits, hygiene kits and school kits. The kids got to help assemble the kits. It was good to give instead of getting because we are all so blessed and we reallly didn't need more gifts. I took my laptop and a projector up and showed the photos and videos you have sent home. It was good for everyone to get to see what you are up to. I put it on a slideshow so it just kept playing over and over while we did the kits and tied a couple of quilts and other activities. I also took some paper and markers and many of the family wrote you letters or drew pictures for you. I will mail them soon for a Valentine surprise. They may get there a few weeks before that. You will love the drawings. They are really cute.

I love you son. I am so very proud of you. You are the BEST!!!

Love always and forever,

Mom

You didn't type your testimony. I know you have one. Will you either type it or write it and mail it to us?

I´ll mail my testimony to you, and I meant that while I have been with Elder Bejar he hasn´t received a package.

I thought you had said on the phone that the district meeting, the two fiestas and the turkey dinner were all going to be on Christmas Eve. Did you do all of that on Christmas day? What did you do on Christmas Eve?

No, I mixed the two days sorry. District Meeting was the 24th. We visited some investigators after lunch and then went to dinner and I called again. The 25th we studied and then had our weekly planning session and then after a little lunch we went to Relicario and then Balzar for the Fiestas.

In the photos you sent, there is a map with arrow sticky notes on it. You have written on them. We think we have figured out some of the places. Is this right?

You live at the red arrow.

The church is at the blue arrow.

The green arrows are your mamita's homes.

The single one is the place you eat on Wednesdays. What is the name of that sister?The two green arrows are where the Ruiz family live and where Sister Valdez lives.

We can't tell what the yellow one is.

We can't tell what the purple one is.

The single green arrow is the Ruiz family. The other two are the other mamitas. The top one is the mamita Alvarado that cooks for us on Wednesdays and the bottom one is the mamita Valdez. The purple one is the store where we buy all of our things. It is called the Tia and the yellow is the Clinica where they rehab drug addicts and alcoholics. We help there when our ward mission leader is here, but he has been in Guayaquil the whole time I have been here, so we don´t go to the clinic. But our Ward Mission Leader was at church Sunday so maybe he will start helping us out now.

Ok. Thanks. I wasn't sure how you were going to fit all of that into one day, after we talked on the phone.

You said you are needing to find more investigators. What are you doing to find more? Do you go tracting or talk to people in the streets? Do you give out Books of Mormon? That book I sent you has a lot of ideas for things you can do to find more people. It talks a lot about just making more contacts. The more people you talk to each day, the better chance you will have of finding someone who is willing to listen.

We knock a lot of doors, but the best way for us to find people to teach is through members, but they haven´t been helping us out much lately. But in Relicario the members are doing great. We have lots of new investigators there. We just don´t have the time to visit in Relicario every day.

Great. So it is not as far to the Ruiz family as I thought. It is a ways to Sister Valdez with the laundry. How do you carry your laundry there and back? I noticed in the photos you have some containers holding some of your laundry. Do you carry those containers there to put the clean clothes in and your dirty clothes in your laundry bags?

No we drop our dirty laundry off on Mondays in our bags and then we pick it up clean on Friday or Saturdays and then we drop the dirties off again the next Monday.

It will be good if you can teach all of the people that came to church this week in Relicario. Tell us more about that Branch. You said you meet in a member's home. Do you have the meeting inside? Where do you all sit? Is it crowded? Do you have regular sacrament trays? What do you use for a Sacrament table and table cloths?

How big does the branch have to get before they will get a meeting house? When will they get a Branch President called who is not a missionary? What do you do with the tithes and offerings that are gathered? Do you have to enter it into the computer in Balzar or do you take it to Balzar for the other branch to take care of it?

We have Sacrament trays and a white table cloth that we put on the table. Everybody sits in chairs or stands or sits on the floor. We meet inside the home of one of the families. It is good. This next Sunday is Fast and Testimony Meeting, so the members in Relicario come to Balzar for church, so we don´t have to go to Relicario next Sunday.

Oh. I thought you said earlier that you dropped it off and then went proselyting in the area while she did your laundry, then you picked it up and took it back home. Is it awkward to carry it all the way through town? There doesn't appear to be a straight path to get from your home to hers. I guess it makes sense that you have so many clothes now if the mamita has half of them all the time.

It is time to go I love you all lots Thanks for the packages and all the notes they were good. Bye.

Love,

Elder Goode

Okay. We love you lots. Braxton is almost done typing an email for you. I hope you can wait long enough to read it. Have a great week. Send us a paper letter if you have time.

I always have way more questions than he has time to answer. Oh well. We love to hear from our missionary and we are grateful for all he does tell us.

2008_11_22 First Paper Letter from Ecuador

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


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


Curtis's Letter
10-22-08


Dear Mom & Dad


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


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


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


Love,
Elder Curtis Goode


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


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


President Gamboa's Letter
October 28, 2008


Dear Goode Family,


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


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


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


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


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

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

Elder Curtis Goode with his companion, Elder Bejar.

2008_11_17 Week 4 Balzar Dad

Dad wrote on Monday, November 17, 2008
Curtis replied back on that day.

Curtis,

It’s been a busy weekend. I did the siding on the gable over the front porch. It took all day, but we got it done. Clain and Braxton helped me. Where I have to climb the ladder, measure and get down and go cut, it took a long time. After finishing, I was very tired and yesterday I was very sore and stiff. My back and knee were hurting. I feel a lot better today.

How has your week been? Did the lady get baptized on Saturday? I really enjoyed when we had baptisms it was always a special day. Have you found any new people to teach? We pray every day that you will find someone to teach and baptize.

My class is watching a cooling system video so I thought I would write. I think I will take Braxton duck hunting Wednesday with Todd to try to get his swan. They are in now. Skyler calls when he see swans when he is out hunting. We have always been busy doing something so we are not able to go. Maybe this week.

Is it getting easier to understand the people when they talk? I have got to go for a few minutes. I will check back. Love Dad

That is good make sure that braxton gets out there to try for his swan a few times make sure that he has fun too. Yeah we had the baptism this saturday and the confirmation sunday too it went well I was the one that baptised her so it was really neat

That’s neat you were able to baptize her and it went well. I still have to do the rain gutter then it will be all done. Keep working hard it will be worth it. Are you going to send us some pictures of the people and the area?

I have been trying to figure out how to send them to you what I will probably do is burn them to a cd and then mail you the cd I will see if I can´t get them ready to send for next week.

Ok that will be good. The weather has been great the past 3 days I hope it storms Wednesday when we go Duck Hunting. I have been selling a few birds which has been nice. Taylor’s birthday party was fun. She is crawling everywhere now and will be walking soon. What do you have planned for work tonight?

We are planning on visiting some of our investigators the ones that are close to the house of the mamita de ropa because we are dropping off our clothes before six to be washed

How does she wash them? Washing machine or by hand?

my clothes get hand washed and then hung on a line to dry

Thats a lot of work. Does she get paid?

yeah we pay her 2.50 each time we have laundry that needs done

You would pay more than that here at the laundry mat. I’m sure that helps her out to.

yeah we also buy the soap too which is about 1.50 per time so yeah it is pretty good well I gotta go I love you Bye Elder Goode