Erika

Hi Family!

This was a pretty normal week. Nothing much going on. We got a new branch president. I think he'll do a good job. Oh, we also got to go to the temple. That was nice!

This week we're going to baptize Erika. She's really great.

It all started a couple months ago, it was nighttime and we saw our friend Axel walking in the street. We asked him where he was going. And he said he was going to his aunt's house. We went with him and met his aunt, Erika- and her daughter, Josselyn. We got to know them, and they invited us to share a message. I tried to show the Easter Mormon message, but it didn't work. The only video that worked was a video called 'El otro Hijo Prodigo´- the other prodigal son. It's great! By the end of the video they were both crying. Apparently the same situation had passed in the family. The daughter ran away a month ago- and just that week that we found them she came back home. There was an older brother, Oscar, that was mad that his sister had come home, he didn't trust her. So he went to live somewhere else.

A week later we went back- and Josselyn had disappeared. Erika was really upset. We sat and talked to her, and gave her a blessing. Oscar, the son, came back home to live- and we kept teaching them. Erika progressed and went to church. Everyone thought she was a member- everyone loves her there! Oscar is really cool- he's about 20 years old. He got a scholarship offer to study aeronautical engineering. He's really smart. He wasn't sure if he was going to accept it- but we convinced him to do it! He will start studying in June- he will also have to learn English, so we're helping him with that. He has a girlfriend, Jasmine, who lives in another city. Santiago Texacuangos. His girlfriend just had a baby- last week. Her name is Ashly. She's really cute:) Oscar is pretty worried about studying full time, and supporting his little family as well.

Erika is kind of fragile, she has a really bad job, her boss is really mean, verbally abusive I think is more correct. So we've been helping her out a lot- giving lots of support. She's been worried sick about her daughter as well.

We taught her about the word of wisdom, and she decided to start eating more plants. She really is golden. She wondered if I had ever tried lentils- she heard they're healthy and she wants to try them. That why I asked for the recipe:)

Two weeks ago we were on a bus. And Josselyn, the lost daughter, got on. She had cut her hair- and dyed it. But I recognized her. She recognized me as well.
I told Oscar that I had seen her, but I didn't tell Erika- I don't like seeing people cry.

We taught her about fasting. This month she fasted for her daughter.
Last week, out of the blue Josselyn showed up. She told Erika that seeing us in the bus made her feel guilty. She decided to come home. God answers prayers!

Last week Erika decided she was going to get baptized, her granddaughter was born, her daughter came home, it was a good week for her! Once she finds a new job things will be great!

She's going to get baptized on Saturday!

Well, times pretty much up. I love you all!
Have a great week!

Happy Birthday to Todd and Bryan!
Now you guys can buy knives, and spray paint, and dry ice! And Vote!
Have a great week!

-Elder Goodman

Semana Santa

Hola Familia!

Feliz Lunes de Pascua!

This week was the Semana Santa here in El Salvador. (that translates to Holy Week)

There was an earthquake on Monday. It was fairly big. 5.1. Not big enough to knock down a house- but still...  My companion and I were about to leave the house when everything started shaking back and forth. It was pretty scary. Right after that ended there was a big thunderclap and it started raining really, really hard. Our house has a metal roof- so it was pretty loud. Then the power went out. It was pretty scary! We thought it was the end!  That was pretty exciting!
Thursday was Jueves Santo. We had a mission activity - we brought people to the temple. From our ward no one went- it was pretty disappointing. But it worked out- they had me working as a photographer. So we just ran around the entire time taking pictures. That would have hard to do if I was trying to keep track of investigators at the same time. I saw some people that I knew from Cojutepeque and from San Miguel too! It was sweet!

Friday is the biggest day of the Semana Santa. They do these things called Alfombras. Giant colored salt drawings in the middle of the street. It's pretty cool! But, they close the streets off- so it's kind of hard to get around. We were in another city, Santiago Texacuango, and no buses were passing, we weren't sure how we were going to get home, but finally a bus passed. He took the Autopista Comalapa, the freeway, which runs parallel to the city. The freeway is divided into two parts, for the two directions of traffic. And every couple of miles there was a little road that connects them. Our bus made a u turn on one of those little roads, and then went in reverse for about a kilometer before we could get back into the city. It was pretty crazy- I hope I explained it well enough!

We live in front of one of the big Catholic cathedrals. And on Friday and Saturday night (Viernes Santo y Sábado de Gloria) they have this big, loud, all night vigilias. We didn't sleep. 

Funny, but Sunday here isn't really big. Everyone goes back to work- and it's not really anything special. Sad, because Sunday is the most important part- The resurrection! I played a special musical number.  On Wednesday night we went to the meetings, and I practiced the piano a little bit to prepare for the musical number. I left the music up by the piano on the stand. Sunday morning the sheet music wasn't there. Someone from the ward before us had taken it. We planned on not having the musical number. But I talked to one of the bishopric from the other ward, and while our Sacrament meeting was going he ran around trying to find it. He found it and gave it to me right before I was supposed to play. It was really lucky!

Sunday we went around contacting- and we came up with a new way to contact! We introduced ourselves as missionaries- and said that we had a special Easter message. Most let us in! We introduced the Book of Mormon and explained that it was the story of the people on this continent that also believed in Christ! We explained that after Jesus resurected he appeared to the people here. Then we read together a couple of verses from 3nefi 11. We explained that just like to the people back then, Jesus invites us to come to him, and be healed and forgiven of our sins. It was really powerful! 

This is my favorite part of the mission- having permission to go out and talk to everyone I can- and share with them this beautiful message! I love this!

Have a great week!
I love you!

-Elder Goodman

The flag at the temple

Cruz Family!

Garcia Family

That's a big ant!

Alfombras

Service Project

Thanks for the birthday cake!

A Grand Weight Lifted

We had multizones this Wednesday, they were great! President Vasquez shared a really powerful testimony. I got to see a lot of old friends from cojutepeque. I also had a really cool experience.

I had an old companion from a while back that I didn't get along with. Right before changes we had a pretty big fight. I always felt a little bit of resentment towards him, and I know that he always did towards me, because we always kind of avoided each other. He's pretty much the only person that I would consider an enemy, for lack of a better word. 

This week I was studying the Teachings of George Albert Smith, and I found a story from his life. He was in an election, and the other candidate was his friend. The other candidate started spreading lies about him, and because of this George Albert Smith lost. After a long time of hating him, GAS went up to the other guy, and asked for forgiveness. And they became friends again.

I decided I needed to do the same thing. At the multizone I went up to my old companion. I thanked him for everything he had taught me, and for being a good missionary. I had asked forgiveness a long time ago, but I always felt that he didn't accept it. To be honest I can't even remember if I asked for for forgiveness on Wednesday.  But after we talked he hugged me. And told me that everything was alright. 

It felt so good! I am so glad I talked to him! I felt as if a grand weight was lifted off my shoulders! It was awesome! I don't know why I waited so long!

That was the highlight of my week! 

I love you!

-Elder Goodman

General Conference

Hi Family!
Happy Birthday Mom!

This was a pretty good week!

Saturday Morning Elder Loveless called me and told me that I had emergency changes, I was a little bummed until I realized that it was April Fools day... Jeez... can't escape it....

Definitely the highlight was General Conference. We got to watch it in English, which was pretty sweet. I really, really liked it. To be honest, I'm a little bummed that it's my last General Conference in the mission. I always get so much more out of it on the mission.

We brought a couple of investigators for the Sunday session! Wow! It was so great! We are teaching a lady that for some reason she doesn't want to commit to get baptized. But after General Conference we visited her, and she had made her decision. She's getting baptized the 22! Everyone loved it and had a great experience!

I was sitting next to Elder Loveless when they announced the new temple in Saratoga Springs. That was pretty exciting!

Sunday night we had dinner with the branch president (bp). My companion (a huge computer nerd) noticed that the bp had a pretty nice computer, so he asked about it. And the bp just lit up! He had built the computer, and he knows a lot about stuff like that. We had a pretty interesting conversation, I was able to participate because I had been with Elder Ledesma for 2 months. My comp couldn't keep up with the conversation all the way, for his Spanish, but he was trying harder to participate than ever!  It was really cool!

Man, I feel like I should be writing more, but I honestly don't know what to write about- everything is great! I'm really happy! Life's good!

I love you!
-Elder Goodman

Priesthood session

A parade passed by our house