Week 61 (07/23/2012) - Zone Conference and one week to transfers...

Zone Conference

Braden says these people are awesome! This is all of the missionaries he is working with right now!
The second guy from the right, Elder Alex Larson from Idaho is one of his best friends. 

Hola familia!


¿Como están?

How is everyone doing today? I hope that everone is happy! Happy Birthday Avee! WOO! I promise I will make you a cake next year, no worries! Love you Avee! 


Thank you all for your awesome emails that you sent me this week! I love reading about how everyone's weeks went! I have heard from a bunch of people here that this year there are the highest temperatures they have had in the United States for the last 100 years or something haha...is that true? If so, I bet mom is happy! haha sounds good! Weather here is good! It has been extra hot lately with rain in the late afternoon to nightime everyday! Everything has gotten extremely green! It's really funny...our neighbor trimmed a rose bush and put a bunch of the stems in the ground in front of our house. Just like stuck them in there...and they are already growing leaves and stuff! I have heard of people doing that in Utah but you have to like water them and fertilize them and then, MAYBE they will grow...but every single stem she put in has grown! And we didn't water them, we didn't fertilize them, or anything! It really is the "promised land" here! haha all the gringos joke that you can basically take a dry stick and stick it into the ground and you get a tree from it! It is almost true!


But as for the daily life, it is all good here! We had a multizone conference this week! (I sent a picture of our zone) and it was good! We learned how to teach the lessons more simply and not take 2 hours to explain what really should only take 45 minutes. It was good! I learned that I talk way too much and explain with way too many words! I need to explain using simple words and phrases that get the point across easily :) We have been working a lot this week with the Familia Lino and they finally came to church! (That is the family with the two little kids) Well, actually they didn't both come to church, just him, but it is a really good start! It has been a bit of a fight to get him there but he loved it! He has been wanting to go for a really long time but there have been a lot of problems with him getting there! But he did finally come! Yay!!! We also had Karen, the 14 year old girl, come to church! She has been 9 times now, but she can't get baptized because her dad is a little stubborn and says we should baptize exclusively in the name of "CHRIST" and not in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Butwe are working with them! It's great! We are also working with the Familia Cañas. I've talked about them before but I have called them the Familia Medinas. We found out that only one of them is named Medina and the rest are Cañas so I will be calling them that from now on :) But they weren't able to go to church again this last week! We are working with them though!!!

Other than that, we are looking for new people always and having lots of fun! This will be my companion's last week and we have a lot of goals that he wants to do for his last week! It will be a great week though! We'll work hard! I love you all! I am happy and well here, just goin' along! I hope that everyone has a productive, happy summer! Go swimming lots for me haha I definitely miss that on hot, sweaty days! Have fun! Love you all!!

Love,
Braden

Week 60 (07/17/2012) - Teaching families and building the gospel

Here are 3 pictures, too! The first is of a member family we taught last night! They live WAY up on top of a hill! I got there completely drenched in sweat! haha then there is a picture of me in front of some really, really tall grass haha and another one with the Familia Lino that we are teaching!

Hola Familia!

Hey! How is everyone doing today?? I hope that everyone is happy and well! All is good here! We had a pretty good week of work! Did a lot of good lessons and stuff! We have been working through something called the SIMI. I don't know what it is called in English but it is a list of ALL members active or not active that were baptized in the ward! It's a big job because there are about 200 people active in our ward but there is about 800 people on the list! So we are working through that! 

So, I've learned about a lot of things this week! Me and my companion have really focused on getting our studying in! Sometimes we have appointments or something and we don't get to do all of our studying, but this week, we have been working hard to be able to do it! I have been reading a lot in the Book of Mormon (I've almost finished it!) and then I have been reading as well in Isaiah in the Bible! I have an institute guide that has been helping me understand it all! IT'S REALLY INTERESTING! I have been learning a lot about the gathering of israel and everything! In 3 Nefi, Jesus tells us that "ye ought to search these things. Yeah, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently, for great are the words of Isaiah." Jesus commands us to read it! There was also a quote I read by Bruce R. McConkie that said something like "My salvation may just depend on my understanding of Isaiah" So... I figured I should start studying it! haha it's really good! Really interesting stuff! Keep studying the scriptures and keep working hard! I love you all! 

So apart from that this week has been pretty calm. We have been working a normal week of work and just going with the flow! I really love it here! It's really hard sometimes not going to lie, but it doesn't matter! I was thinking the other day about how when I first got here, I sometimes thought about what it would be like to just go home (I never actually wanted to leave), but now I was thinking about how I've changed. I was thinking about some of the difficutlies here and then I thought, but I would never want to go home early, it's TOO important to be here! I read a scripture I really liked that was in Mormon 8: 20-24. There is a part in there that says, "for the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled." It made me think...hmm...I get down sometimes because I feel like no one is accepting us or people don't fulfill their commitments but then I thought, it doesn't matter! I just need to be happy and keep on going because NOTHING can stop the eternal purposes of the Lord! It really stood out to me! I am happy here! It's hard but I am learning that it is absolutely worthless to be down for even one minute! We need to be happy always! The eternal purposes of the Lord will be fulfilled! And we are part of his plan! It was really good to read that!

I love you all! I hope you don't think that I ramble sometimes haha! but I am learning a lot here!

Love you all so much!! Stay safe, happy, and well!

Love,
Braden

Week 59 (07/09/2012) - Cool teachings and two special families

P.S. So, I also attached 3 pictures! One of a little girl that lives in our ward! another of Jose and me the night before he left for the Dominican Republic (on his mission), and then the last one of Rosa Guadaloupe's baptism!! I hope you enjoy them!!

Love you all!!!

Hola Familia!


Como le van?! Espero que todos esten bien!


How is everyone?? I miss you all! How is good old utah!? I love when you all send me pictures of the mountains and stuff - I really miss the mountains! There is just something familiar and cool about the Utah mountains! Here the mountains are extremely beautiful but there's nothing like Utah mountains!! Thanks for always emailing me and keeping in touch! I love your emails!


So this week, some cool things have happened! I've got some good news and some not so good news! So the not so good news is that the Medina family that we have been teaching moved! They moved to another area in our zone though, so they will be close! They had accepted a baptismal date and everything this week and then all of a sudden, they had to move! haha but it's ok! We are going to keep in touch with them still! 


Also this week, the Lino family wasn't able to go to church! They had a bit of a family emergency and couldn't come! But keep praying for them! They are so amazing! I love them and want them to keep learning! We have been talking to them about the Plan of Salvation and they love it! It's great! The dad works for the government, doing paperwork and name registries, and the mom works selling stuff like Avon! Yeah, they sell that stuff here, too! haha But they are just great! Pray for them!


Also, this week we had interview with the President! About every 3 months, we have interviews just to see how we are doing! This time he asked us to share a scripture from our studies that has impacted us lately! I shared a scripture from 3rd Nephi Chapter 12 - the beatitudes! we talked about them for a bit and then he asked if I had any questions...I asked him how do I keep my thought positive and pure. He said that's a good question and he shared with me 1st Nephi Chapter 15 Verses 23 and 24. He talked to me about the fiery darts and temptations. He said that as humans, we will always have the fiery darts and temptations, but it is our job as pure, worthy members of the church, to get rid of those thoughts in an instant! He explained that sometimes, we have a thought enter our mind (an unrighteous thought, a depressing thought, or basically any unhappy thought) and because of our knowledge of the word of God, God won't let us be blindly hit by the thought and we will know that it is a thought not from God! Then, in that instant, WE have the choice to accept the thought or throw it away instantly! I really liked it! Maybe it doesn't make any sense in an email but I hope you can all study about it a bit and learn about it too! It's amazing!


Anyway, other than that, all is good here! I am happy and well! Also, parasite free! (I took another test and they said they were all gone! Woo!!) But happy and well here! Keep going strong up there!! I love
you all!!!!


Love,
Braden

Week 58 (07/02/2012) - Rainy weather and good families!

Hey Family! 


How are you all doing?!!!!

Thanks for all the awesome emails that you've all sent me! I love getting a lot of letters and news! It doesn't matter if you all think it is boring, it is always really exciting to me! Thanks! But it sounds like you are all doing well! Working hard, and having a lot of fun! I keep forgeting it's summer there! I don't know why, but when I think of Utah, I always turn to memories of snow and skiing haha I forget that it gets warm! haha
Thanks for all the pictures, Dad! I loved seeing the fountain and the arber! The house is looking really pretty! I can't wait to come back and help out in the yard and stuff! I'm not going to lie, I miss mowing the lawn! It will be something I'm sure I won't be missing after a few weeks though haha! 


Anyway, it's all going well here! The weather is nice! It has been raining a bit! Yesterday it rained so hard that our little sidewalk leading to our house had about a 2-inch river flowing down it! haha But it was sweet! Other than that, it has been pretty good!

This last weekend, we had a stake conference. The temple president and his wife, and President Glazier (my mission president) and his wife spoke! It was really cool because they talked about missionary work and got a lot of excitement going! The temple president talked about marriage as well! He said that he has been married over 51 years! He was talking about ho, even now after so much time, he is learning a lot about marriage! I love seeing people that work in the temple! They are always so happy and calm! They always have a smile on as well! It is one of the coolest works that there is on earth! I can't wait to go to the temple a lot more when I get back!

So, as for the families that we are teaching, the Familia Lino and the Familia Medina are awesome! They are both reading the Book of Mormon and learning a lot! They haven't been able to go to church yet, but they say that this week they will both go! (I talk like the two families are connected, but they don't even know each other haha) But anyway, it is really great teaching them! I love to finally teach someone who is excited to learn and be taught! They actually read and pray! WOOOO!! haha 

Well, other than that, that's about it! I love you all! I miss you all as well, but that's ok! It is really good being here! I love to work and teach! If there is ever anything I can do for any of you just let me know! I'm always here to help! I love you all!!! Stay safe! Keep writing! haha I love you!!!

Love,
Braden