It was SO good to hear from Braden again this week! He is doing well and working SO hard! He has a new companion from Idaho. They are stuck in their home for the next 2 days because of the floods through Central America. But most importantly, our Braden is SAFE. Read about what he's been up to! Another successful week!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Hola Familia!!!
How are you all?? I hear it is nice and sunny up
there and 75 degrees, eh?? That sounds good! I hope that the weather is good in
India as well!!! Here we have been a bit wet hehe but that isn’t important
right now, I want to tell you about my new companion!!!
So this last Monday, we got home that night and
were about to go to bed when President Glazier (the mission president) called our
house to call me to be a trainer! He said we needed to be in San Salvador at 8
o’clock the next morning for a training conference! I was so nervous but so excited
at the same time!!! Anyway, San Salvador is about an hour and a half away so we
had to leave our house at 6:30 to get there on time!!! But, when we got there,
we had a meeting with all the new missionaries, who had gotten there the day
before, and all the trainers! They talked a little bit about the training
program and we had a little bit of breakfast! Then, the new missionaries left
(I still didn’t know who my companion was at this point) and the trainers had
another meeting to get us all motivated and excited (not that I needed it, I
was so excited!) After, we came back to our area and I finished my last day
with Elder Encarnacion! The next morning, we left our house at 5:30 to go to
Santa Tekla, where our Stake Center is, (that is where all the missionaries in
our stake meet when we change companions). When I got there the Assistant to
the President introduced me to my new companion! Guess what?! He is gringo! He
is from Idaho!! Crazy, eh? I am assigned to serve with another Elder that.
before the MTC, spoke absolutely no Spanish! I was like… hmm … OK! Sounds
great! Let’s go and do this! You know?! I was stoked! But my companion is
awesome! He is really nice, very loving, and works so hard! His Spanish is
a lot better then mine was when I first got here, and he can understand
basically everything. He is working so hard to improve his Spanish! I will
send you all a picture next week! (I know, I know, I haven’t sent pictures for
a long time but I promise I will get you all some soon ok?? I’m
sorry!!! I love you all still if that helps!) Anyway, we came back to our
area and we have been working hard ever since! Being Senior Companion is
definitely a lot harder than Junior Companion…but being a trainer and a Senior
Companion is crazy! haha Definitely keep me in all your prayers deal? We have
been working hard and we have been learning so much! In the last 4 days, my Spanish
has been getting better and better by leaps and bounds! I can teach hour long
lessons without any problem understanding or talking, and I can have complete
conversations about whatever else with hardly any problem. It is amazing to see
how much the Lord has blessed me! I have had so much help! Thank you everyone
for your prayers and your support!
So you all want to know something? There has been a
hurricane in Guatemala this past week and because of it, I haven’t seen the sun
since last Monday!!! It has been raining without a single pause since Monday night
last week!!! Crazy, huh? And it isn’t just light rain, it is a lot of rain!!
And there have been mud slides in the mountain regions of the country! (Please
don’t worry we live in a very, very extremely safe spot!) But some of the
members in our ward have had problems in their houses. Yesterday, we went to
help clear out some stuff from the mud slides! It was crazy! They are just
little ones, not like the gigantic ones, but they take out bushes and sometimes
little trees! Also, all of a sudden, in the lower part of our area, a river
started! haha It caused some damage and flooded some peoples homes! Because of
all this damage, and more throughout the whole country, we have been confined
to our houses for all of today and tomorrow! They said we could leave to buy food
today and write our families and that is it! They just don’t want us being
tempted to go and visit those people that are in the places that are having
trouble I guess! So, we are going to be stuck here for a while! Can you guys
help us pray to have the rain stop so we can go visit our investigators?? Good
:) Thanks guys!! P.S. I am completely safe and I have never felt in danger! Our
house is seriously one of the only parts that hasn’t had trouble! We are on high
ground and our area has good drainage systems! I AM SAFE :)
Something funny - this week, I got 16 letters!!! I
got this huuuuuuuge stack of letters this last Friday, and no one else got
letters!!! I got all the letters from Lizzie since August 26th (I haven’t
gotten any since the beginning of September) and I also got 6 dear elders! And
a letter from Mom and Lizzie’s cousins! Let’s just say, I felt pretty special!
hehehe I loved it! Thank you so so much everyone!!!
Anyway, I love you all!! I hope you are all doing so good!!! I miss you
all so much and I pray for everyone every morning and night! I am excited for a
couple months when we can talk on Christmas! If there is anything I can do for
you all, please please let me know! I am here to do anything for anyone! I love
you all so much! Stay safe!!! (especially Lizzie the Explorer over there doing
all her crazy adventures in India! haha)
With Love,
Braden
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