Week 75 (10/29/2012) - Change for the better

Hola familia!

How is everyone doing?? I love you all! So this week, we had baptisms!!! WWOOOOOO!! Roxana, Mauricio, and Oswaldo were baptized this last Saturday and it was awesome!! I LOVED TO SEE THEM GET BAPTIZED!!! They were all baptized and it all went smoothly! I baptized Mauricio, Erick (a kid in our branch) and Roxana and my companion, Elder Fizgerald, baptized Oswaldo! It was really special!! After the baptism, we all came back into the service and Roxana and Mauricio shared their testimonies with us! Roxana told us about how she had made a huge change in her life. How she knew the church was true and she started crying a little bit even! She is not the type of person to cry but it was a really cool testimony! I loved it! Also Mauricio shared his testimony, Mauricio and his little brother Oswaldo have been waiting since April to get baptized! They have been waiting on the parents so that they can be baptized, but the parents gave permission for them to be baptized before them! They will be waiting for a few more weeks for their baptism! Mauricio also commented on how much they have changed! It's really a complete change in them, they have come from a family that has a lot of problems, problems of abuse and fighting but they have completely changed and it is awesome! I love it!

Also, I have a new companion this week! His name is Elder Fitzgerald! He is from Virginia and is like a giant bear! He is taller than me and weighs about 250 pounds! He's so huge! He reminds me of the guy off the King of Queens show that is sometimes on TV. If you don't know who I'm talking about, just ask Dylan, he´ll know! He's really funny and is ready to learn! He never thought he would be a Counselor in a branch on his mission! But we are learning together! I love him and he is great! I love being here! It's great to be here and to serve! I love it!

So anyway, this week has been a really good week! I hope all is well at home! keep working hard and remember to always be happy! God wants us to be happy and if we continue looking for him, we can find peace in every moment of our lives! The gospel is true! There is a quote from one of the prophets I don't know who it is haha but he said that, "As we accept the gospel and apply the Atonement in our lives, God promises us all the blessings of heaven." As we apply the gospel, live the commandments, and repent by applying the Atonement, we can recieve all the blessings that God has for us in this life and the life after. God gives us a chance to change. He loves us! And as we love him we can recieve guidance! I love the gospel! It's so cool!

So I promise you guys that I'm not too weird! haha I have gotten a few comments from people that have said that I am weird haha but I promise I haven't changed that much! I still love cooking and dancing in the kitchen!! :) Love you all!!!

Love,

Braden

Pictures!!! Our Branch President

We got some photos yesterday from a miembro in Braden's branch.

Branch President, Elder Woodfield

The baptism of Familia Abrego

Braden with his companion, Elder Fitzgerald

Week 74 (10/22/12) - A change for good

Hola familia!

¿Como están? Espero que todos estén bien! Les amo mucho y quiero decirselo!!

How are you all? It's been a great week here in El Salvador!!! I hope that everyone is doing well and that you are all enjoying the fall colors! So, guess what?! My companion has changes!!! How sad is that! We are going to be having a baptism this next week and then in the next couple weeks a few more baptisms! He'll be missing them all! But I am sure that he is going to be doing well in his new area! But all is well here in Morazan! We have been working hard to prepare the Familia Abrego for this next week: the three kids will be getting baptized, then the parents will be baptized next month! Miguel Angel is doing well also! He came to church yesterday and loved it! He came with his little 5 year old girl and she also loved church! We are starting to teach his family now as well! They live in another part of our area but they are starting! They are great!!

So, this week we had a lot of cool experiences! We have been working hard and talking to a lot of new people in our area!! We have had a lot of success and we are really happy! Something that I have noticed that I really love, is the power of testifying. I have found that as we live the gospel as God asks us to live it, we are able to change lives with our testimonies! In my patriarchal blessing, it talks about how as I share my testimony I can influence lives. But it also says that to be able to do that, I must live the gospel. I have been making a lot of changes in my life, I have been feeling the spirit guide me to come closer to do the right things, and as I follow the gospel, God allows me to help others. I feel that is the same with all of us. As we strive to live the gospel, and we get away from the little things that aren't right, we can help others and change lives! I loved the conference talks that mentioned this! I have been thinking a lot about the talk by Elder Bednar and Elder Holland and I really love it! I have learned a lot as I strive to "choose the right" haha...Wow, I sound like a primary kid talking or something haha but just stick with it, I promise I'm not too weird haha you all still love me, right?! haha I just love the gospel and how it changes lives! It has changed my life and I am excited to help others change as well!!!

Anyway, I love you all! Stay happy and keep working hard! I love all your emails each week! Thanks for all the updates and news that you always send us! I love you all!!!

Love,
Braden

Week 73 (10/15/2012) - Papusas, dry season, and success!

Stefany's (9) baptism 

Us and the Book of Mormon! We were waiting for a bus and a member took a picture of us :)

A cow got into our church!! haha I don't know how it got in, but we had to scare it out! haha where I am is a bit like the valley, there are cows in the streets sometimes and the people wear cowboy hats! haha

A little kid they called Billy that is one of the kids in the Abrego 

family! Everyone thinks he's crazy and a little devil, but I like him! haha  

 Dinner last night... :)

He made papusas!

Hola familia!!

How is everyone today?? I LOVED the pictures that you sent me Dad! It looks like the mountains are getting so pretty! I can't wait to see snow again! It sounds like everyone is doing pretty well up there! Is anyone getting ready for Christmas yet?? It doesn't even feel like it is October! Haha the weather here is the same as ever! The rain is beginning to stop for the year though. Really soon, it will be the dry season here and I will be wishing for more rain! Haha but it is supposedly (if that's how you spell that word haha) supposed to cool off a bit in December! Haha We'll see!! But its crazy being here! I love the branch and I am finally getting a hang of things here! We organized a temple visit this next weekend for all the members! We as missionaries can't go, but we organized it to be able to help them enjoy the temple that is here in their country!! It's crazy!! Many members that are endowed haven't been to the temple for 3 to 5 years! It is because we are so far away! Before the dedication of the temple here in El Salvador, the closest temple was about 10 hours away in Guatemala  And now its about 3 hours away here in San Salvador!

But anyway, all is good here! The Familia Abrego came to church this last week! Woo! We finally made a breakthrough with them! We set a baptismal date for the 27th of October for the kids! And then in Mid-October, the parents will be getting married so we set a baptismal date for the 29th of November! Woo! They are really excited and just stoked to keep going on! As for Hno. Miguel Angel, (by the way, I always write Hno./Hna. and I dont think that I have ever told you what it means! Haha but Hno/Hna. are the abreviations for brother and sister in English!) But anyway, Hno. Miguel Angel and Alfonzo didn't come to church this last sunday! We still don't know why, because we weren't able to go to their houses yet, but tonight we will go there! Haha but keep praying for them! They are awesome and always read the Book of Mormon! We are also starting to teach a ton of new people but we haven't taught them very much so I will tell you about the others a little bit in the future :) I love my area because it is so huge! It's like endless little cities that are just FULL of people that have NEVER heard about our church! It's awesome! Haha

But yep, all is good here!!! Just working lots and having lots of fun! I love you all!!!

But yep apart from that, just another great week in Morazan! I got my package from Lizzie today! Woo! :) haha I´ll write you all a little more later!! LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Love,
Braden

Week 72 (10/08/2012) - A great weekend of General Conference!

These are the baptisms from Los Alpes over the last few weeks! I tried sending them last week but they didn't work!

Love you all!!!

This is the baptism of Josue

This is the baptism of Rene - Elder Mehr (last companion) on the right

Hola Familia!!

How is everyone?! I love you all!! So, how was conference for everyone??!! I loved it!! I definitely learned a lot!! haha got a few "slaps in the face" too, if you will! haha it was all good though!

I hear the weather is steadily changing up there! Colder and colder, is it? Sounds awesome!! I think it was one degree hotter the other day! haha seriously, the temperature never changes here! It's always the same! haha. But anyway, all is good here! We had a good week! Worked hard! Everyone is happy and well!! We had several investigators come to church this last weekend! We had Hermano Miguel Angel that came and then also Alfonzo! They are two guys that live in different places but we found them both at about the same time! We have been working with them and visiting them for about 2 weeks! They both love reading the BOM and have been reading a lot! They are progressing really fast! Miguel Angel is about 40 and a little while ago separated from his wife but he has 2 daughters that he visits a lot! But he is great! We hope that we can teach his family as well!! He is great! Alfonzo is about 60 years old and he lives with his sister! He is also awesome! He has already read into Second Nephi and he has only been reading for a week! It's awesome!! I love it!! But then there is also the Familia Abrego! They are great! Some of them have a hard time coming to church on occasion so pray for them, but they are doing well!! The dad will be going to Honduras this next month to get the papers so they can be married and get baptized! They are great though! We may be baptizing the kids in two weeks though because the parents don't want us to wait to baptize them! haha so we may be doing that! but its all good still!

So, on to conference! I loved it! One of my favorite quotes was from M. Russell Ballard: "There is a power in our love for God and His children, and when that love turns to tangible acts of kindness, it will sweeten the world with hope and love." We are all like the little bee that he described. We cannot do it all alone but we must work together to help in everything. We can't hold pain alone, we can't help alone. We must work as a team to overcome struggles, to overcome pain, and to help others! If we do this we can become as the bees and have enough food together! I loved the analogy of the honey. Honey sustains life, honey is one of the substances in the world that can completely sustain and help us to survive. As well, if we work together, we can receive the equivilant of the honey in spirit life. The fruit that it talks about in 1Nephi 8. The only thing that can give us complete happiness and joy in this life! But we cannot do it together! Anyway, I really liked that!

Also I loved Elder Eyring. God does not place the pavilion, we put it there. I loved the story he shared about his daughter-in-law. She had been praying for years to have a child and then one day she decided that instead of asking for what she wanted she told God that she was going to give Him her life. She took off the pavillion that was keeping her from God and he recieved the blessings he was looking for! We all have our own types of pavillions. we need to look and find what they are, whether it be work, pride, personal desires and many other things, we can overcome it and find the blessings we are looking for! God is willing to bless us and help us and we must be willing to give ouselves to him to be able to do the things that he requires.

Anyway, I loved conference! God loves each of us! He loves us NO MATTER WHAT, and we can come closer to him through sincere efforts! I love the gospel! I love the oportunity I have to help and to serve! I know that everything happens for a reason. Remember that The spirit can only go TO the heart, it is our choice if we let it in! All the messages in the Conferences can be let in, but we must let it come in! I love the picture of Christ as he is knocking on a door and there is no door knob for him. We must let him in :)

I love you all!!

Stay strong! Stay close! But most importantly, stay close to the Lord!!

Love,

Braden

Week 71 (10/01/2012) - Birthdays, babies, and funny investigators. Oh, and a baptism.

Hey family! 

How is everyone?!

So, I seem to remember forgeting to tell Derek "Happy Birthday" in my email a few weeks ago! Sorry Derek! I hope that you got your little package and that you liked it! It's Chelsea from England, right?? haha anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! And also, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" Dad!! I love you!!! Will you be getting a wheel chair this year or are you still going along with the walker hehehe haha just kidding! I love you Dad! You are still the strongest Dad I know! You could still totally beat me in an arm wrestle!! haha I love you all!!!

Apart from that, I hope all is going well! I hear I am going to be an uncle again, eh? What will his name be? Send me pictures! I love you all! Go Britny and Luke! (I'm waiting for news from Kortnee and Dylan? haha where's the baby anouncment??? hahaha just kidding!!)

So, apart from that this has been a great week! Had another great Sunday yesterday full of interviews! We called a new Young Men's President! We are getting organized and it is great! To answer your questions, no my companion can't be in the office with me as I do interviews, there are specific rules to interviews as a missionary (for interviewing investigators and members alike). As I am doing the interview (especially if it is a woman or a child), my companion has to be right outside the door or at least within 15-20 feet. That way there aren't any false accusations or anything! Apparently this is how it works as well with bishops, they should never interview a woman or child alone. There should always be another priesthood holder there close by! I am learning so much about church administration reading the manuals! haha it's awesome! The Bishop's manual is the best! It talks about excommunication and tons of stuff that was kind of blurry to me before but now its all clear! It's awesome!

So apart from the branch we are working hard! We had a baptism Saturday! As I mentioned last week, her name is Stefani. She is 9 and is awesome! I got to baptize her, too! The first time in the baptismal font since March (the other baptisms were baptized by our bishop)! But it felt really good! I love baptizing! It's awesome!! But also with Hermano Miguel Angel, we put a baptismal date for the end of October! He's progressing pretty well! We also went contacting yesterday and found a lot of really good people! I will tell you all more about them when we go back and teach them in this next week!

Another thing... I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED FOR GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! I'm sorry to say but I am pretty sure my email next week will be just full of quotes and stuff haha make sure you all watch ALL the sessions! I LOVE CONFERENCE!!!!! It's just awesome!!

So funny story that happened yesterday! So this is to let everyone know how many different types of people you get to know! We were walking down a road at about 8:45 last night, and I knocked a door. I saw a hammock inside the house swinging so I knew there was someone in there awake, but they didn't stand up! so I knocked again and said "Hey, how are you?" No one answered, but I knew there was someone there so I knocked again and then I saw the guy standing up from the hammock, he came to the window to talk to me (that's something normal here, they don't open the door, they just talk to you through the window) But then I was like, "Hey, we are missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and we are here to share a message about the gospel of Jesus Christ. What's your name?" And when I said that he didn't say anything he just started to close the window a little bit. Then I said, "We know its a little late, but we would like to come back some day this week?" He closed the window a little more. "I said uh..... Hola?" and he closed the window all the way. so I just said "Thanks hermano see you!" and walked away! haha it's just funny because on occasion you will meet people that just dont want to talk to you at all! haha I don't know if he was dumb (like can't speak) or something, but there were other people in the house talking and they could have come to talk to me too! haha but it was funny! I love contacting people! You meet some of the weirdest people! It's great!!

Anyway, that's all for this week! I love you all! Good luck with all the birthdays and babies coming! I love you all!!

Love,

Braden