Week 40 (02/27/12) - Dodgeball and mock lessons, working hard!

Our cute Elder Woodfield at the dodgeball tournament

Elder Woodfield with Spencer, his mission leader - "He's so cool!!"

Left - 7 month old baby, Dominick, and Spencer's mom
Right - CARLOS! WOOO! "Love that kid!!!"

Making Yuka (like potatoes) for the dodgeball tournament!

DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT
Bottom right - CHICO (Francisco), a member that helps the missionaries a lot

Hello family!

So, what's going on everyone?!?! 

Miss you!! Love you!!!

So how's everything going lately?? Read Mom's email, and says that all is just really normal!! haha gotta love being boring right?!? haha all is normal here too!! But it's good! So, I was thinking... For so long I kept asking if Kortnee has a ring yet, if she has a ring yet... and now she has a ring!!! Yay!!!! But I need a date now too! haha I know, I know, so picky me! But being a missionary, I need a date! (date to do a return visit, date to be baptized) So, when is it going to be eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh ?? hehe 18th of May?? Cool date there, eh???? haha just kidding! LOVE YOU KORTNEE AND DYLAN!!

So all is normal here!! I am sure it's heating up up there in good old Utah so that's good right?? Here its the same as always! Although it seems to be getting more and more brown every day from the lack of rain! But it's good!

We had a couple cool things this past week! We had a special training from the Mission President on how to plan for lessons! For some reason, the President called me to be the person to present an example of how to plan well! I have no clue why!! haha I don't feel like I do a good job! Heck, I feel like I probably learned more than anyone else in the room! But anyway, my companion and I did a "mock" thing about how to plan a lesson! It was fun! But the best part is, the night before, I was on divisions and we had NO time to plan for it! So we planned for 5 minutes before the meeting haha anyway fun fun!

Also, something way fun was that we had another mission activity this week! We decided to do a competition! We had a dodgeball tournament! The thing is, though only the return missionaries knew how to play dodgeball! So, we had to teach about 60 very loud people how to play! It was a blast though!! We were playing for like 2 hours! And it was a pretty good success, too! We got like 2 good refereneces from it!! It was great!! Can't wait to play at the Reeder family party again!! Wooooo!!!

But anyway! Other than that, it was a pretty normal week! Had lots of lessons and we did our best to help people!! Maybe one cool experience was a lesson with the Chicas family! We had a really, really good lesson - the spirit was there and they just accepted all that we taught! We also started teaching the plan of salvation and they had a question about the temple! What I realized is, that since they are getting baptized before my year mark, I will be able to see their sealing!!! Woo!!! If a missionary baptizes a family, he has the opportunity to see the sealing of them in the temple!! I am stoked!!! Also, praying about it, we decided to change the baptismal date for them to the 17th of March but still all is well!!!

Well, that's about it from this week!! I love you all!! I will attach a few pictures from the dodgeball tournament!

Stay close! Stay happy!! Love you all so much!!! 

Love,

Braden 

Week 39 (02/20/12) - Thinking of food and successful missionary work!

Elder Woodfield (right) and Elder Garcia with Oscar Pinto, who left for Nicaragua on his mission this week!

At Jonothan's (Carlos' cousin) baptism on Saturday (02/18). They are with his family (they aren't members but they are working on that one!! haha) 

This is the Familia Chicas, Raul and Rebeka, with the Elders!

Hey everyone!

How is everyone?!?

I got on a bit early today because I have to run to San Salvador today to do a bit of business, you know being a missionary, I'm a very busy man! haha just kidding I'm just going to return some money to the Secretary! But anyway, that's what's up today! It takes about an hour to get there from here! It should be fun! We are planning to go to Wendy's too!! I haven't had Wendy's since I left Ogden!!!! Ah!!! I love Wendy's! It's amazing what food you miss when you haven't had it in a long time! Foods like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (I hated them before my mission because I had had them millions of times but now it's like a luxury!) And beef! They don't eat very much beef here because it's expensive... mmmmm a nice sirlion steak sounds so good right now! Or prime rib!! Mashed potatos! I miss good Idaho potatoes! haha anyway, I'm just making myself hungry! haha all is good though!! I get rice and beans at least!! hehe oh and platanos fritos are so good!! (fried bananas mmmmmmmmmmm nothing better!!) Would it surprise any of you that my favorite meal of all time for breakfast is the "classic" liquified beans, fried bananas, and eggs all with tortillas! Mmm nothing beats it! I could eat it every day for breakfast!! hehe

Anyway, so on to the missionary life! This last weekend, we had a baptism!!! Yay!! Carlos' cousin was baptized this last weekend!! He is a 14 year old young man and he is so happy!! He is a very shy kid though and he doesn't talk much but I love him! I will attach a picture of the baptism too!! But he has been preparing for several weeks for his baptism and he was so ready!! He was just completely stoked for the baptism! I can't wait to come back with all of you so you can meet them all!!

Other than that, we have some exciting news!! The Familia Chicas (the family I said that as I walked into their house, I just felt like they would get baptized) accepted a baptismal date for March 10th last night!! Isn't that exciting!! I am so stoked!!! Pray that all will go well with them and that they can be prepared for that day, ok?? Also, I will be sending a picture of Raul and Rebeka Chicas in my email today. I got a picture of them because I wanted you to know what they look like!!!

As you probably have already figured out, I am still in Lourdes with Elder Garcia! I am so happy I get to be here another transfer! We have so many good people that we are teaching!! I could spend hours talking about all of them but it would just make you all bored! haha but about all of you guys! I am so happy that you had a good week!! Everyone's still alive and dad has a new smile right?? haha sweet!! I love you all!! If there is anything I can do, I'm here for you all!!!

I just wanted to apologize as well for my last couple of emails, they've been a little bit boring I think!  But I will try to put more information from now on, deal??

You can tell everyone that I have gotten their letters - Kolby's, Melissa's, and stuff. I read in moms email that they were wondering. So, yup yup!

Anyway, that's about it for this week! If you have any  questions for me, let me know!! LOVE YOU ALL!!! Stay safe and happy in that nice and frosty snow!! hehe you're jealous of me and Lizzie, arent you?! hehe anyway, love ya!!

LOVE,
ELDER WOODFIELD!

AKA BRADEN 

Week 38 (02/13/12) - Youth Investigators and a fun companion!

Elder Woodfield in a mango tree, picking green mangoes to eat!

Elder Garcia "doing a weird point thing, I don't know exactly," says Braden
haha

Carlos Baptism on Saturday, February 4, 2012
Left to right - Elder Braden, Carlos' grandma (member), his brother, Carlos' sister (Lucia), Carlos, Carlos' other sister (Victoria), Elder Garcia, and Carlo's Aunt (Isabel)

A cool picture of Carlos and Isabel (his aunt) at the baptism

Hey family!!! 

How is everyone on this fine day??? I hope it is as fine for you up there as it is for me here!! I am dying!! haha it is getting into the hottest two months of the year here!!! It's around 100 degrees every day and it's supposed to be getting hotter!! Ah!!!!!!! haha but all is good - not complaining or anything. I love it here!!!

 

Other than that, all is good here!! We have been working with 3 youth for baptism! 1 is named Stephanie. She's 16 years old and is studying to be a nurse (they start really early here) but she is awesome! She's getting her whole family (a family of 6 people) in on the church too!! They are still a ways off from baptism but they are getting more and more comfortable with the Book of Mormon and everything!

We are also teaching carlos' cousin named Jonothan. He is 14 and really likes the church! He lives just as far as carlos does too!! haha If we have permission from his stepdad this week, he can be baptized this next weekend! We're working on that though! He's really nice and loves what we teach! He just sometimes has a bit of a hard time understanding my spanish haha I find that the farther I get from the city, the harder it is for people to understand me! haha it's funny!

 

Also, we are working with a kid named Melvin. He is 13 years old and is really nice! It's funny because you can tell that his parents (even though they aren't from our church), have been pressuring him to be baptized because every question that we ask him - like "what is the purpose of being here in this life" (normally people answer to learn to grow things like that) - he always answers "to be baptized."  But, he really does have the personal desire, we are just trying to help him understand that it is a lot more than baptism!!!

 

Also, we have been working with the family Chicas (the parents and 2 kids) and they are so great!! The dad has been out-of-town working for about a week and a half but we have stopped by to say hi to the mom and she loves the church!! She has read parts of the Book of Mormon that we have given her, prayed about it, and says she knows it's true!! I love it!!!

 

Other than that, its been a good week! Lots of normal missionary work! I love it! my companion is great!! We get along so well together! He is such a dork! We always just throw dumb jokes at eachother, kind of like me and james used to do haha but it's awesome! We get along really well! It's fun!! I hope that I get to be with him for the full 12 weeks of the training program! the president said that I might not be with him for the full 12 weeks but we will see this afternoon if one of us will be changing or not!

 

But, it's been a really good week! I love you all!! Guess what?! Almost nine months! Crazy, huh?? Where has time gone!! Almost a full year!!! I love you all!!! Stay Close!!!

 

Love,

Braden

Week 37 (02/06/12) - Carlos' baptism and lots of family news!

Hello family!!! How are you all!!!  

Hey, first off, I wanted to appoligize for writing so late today! We played soccer this morning and I had to get a hair cut and it took a really long time!! :( I am not such a fan of hair cuts here! They shave every single corner of your hair so it is perfectly even haha just weird!!! I heard the news about Britny! That is so good that she is going to have another baby! That's so cool!!! That just means that I will be the best uncle of two nieces (or niece and nephew!) when I get home! That is to say if Kortnee doesn't get married and have a baby by the time I get home! hehehehe by the way Kortnee, I think that May 18th would be a good day to get married, my one year mark! Also, Lizzie will be home from Africa right??? hehe a hint (and a reminder), I still want a cardboard cutout! At least have a luncheon or somethin??? hehe Also, question, where did you go about getting a cardboard cutout of Mitt Romney in the first place to put my head on it?? But cool! All is good! I am also glad to hear about Dad's new smile! That is crazy that Kalee just randomly entered him in and that he won!!! I am so excited for him! That's sweet! I am stoked!!! I want a picture!!!

As for this week, we had Carlos' baptism! He passed his interview this last week and was baptized!! His baptism was really spiritual and he is seriously so excited!! He has such a happy loving light about him, especially after his baptism!! So, what a cool week!!!! Baby anouncments, teeth and baptisms!!! yay!!!

Other than that, it has been a pretty normal week here!!! We did have a really cool mission activity this week where we had 20 people go knock on all the doors around the church and we got 17 different return visits! That's a lot of people!!!! I am just so glad that I have such a cool opportunity to get to know everyone here!! I can't wait to come back with everyone for you all to meet them! Maybe you won't be able to speak their language exactly but I know that you will all be able to feel their love!! I love it!!!

I love you all! I hope that you are all safe and happy!! Keep on going in life and never give up!!! I really like a scipture in Ezekial (I think that is how it is spelled in English) 11:19. It talks about how when we are baptized, and when we take the sacrament every week, that God can give us a new heart. That he will take away the old heart of stone and give you a new one. I really think this is so cool! Really, in life, we can follow the same path over and over, we can be sad and depressed or we can recieve the "new heart or way of life" that God has for us.  We should always be looking for the better path, the better way to be in life because if we are sad then, as dad always says, there needs to be a change in our lives. If something is confusing us, we need to change somthing about what we are doing to be more in line with what God wants of us. 

I love you all!!! I hope that all is going well!! Thank you so much for you packages and letters and love!!! I hope that with all the cool stuff going on, you don't forget about me! hehe just kidding! Love you all!!!

Love,

Braden