Monday, August 11, 2014

New area-Makindye

 Dear Braden,
 Glad to hear that you didn't starve and that people feed you lots of good food.
 Zach got his license. Yup he is now legal. He is taking over your car. it is nice that he can drive himself to his friends and school now.
Hope woke up early one morning and decide to cut her own hair. :( I had to take her to great clips and have them fix it so it looks alright. She is quit the handful. Today at church she got mad at me and left during
sacrament. I told dad he better see where she was going-she actually made it half way home on her own before dad caught up to her. She thinks she is bigger than she really is.
 So Tanner Todd had his farewell today. he did a good job with his talk. He
 spoke on service. He leaves in just over 1 week.
 I took the kids to the sir for back to school shopping. I think we got
everything they need. We will find out this week at back to school night, I
 guess.
 How is your new area? Who is your new companion? Do you have any
 investigators?
 Love ya lots,Mom


===========================

Zach is driving my car!! That cant be good at all! sounds like i might
not have a car when i get home. Hope is a handful though thats the
thing haha she might slow down in a year or 2 we will see. tanner is
going where again for his mission? there might be someone from one of
my areas that is going to the same mission.

My new area is Makindye its a good place i like it a lot but the
apartment is terrible its super dirty and wont ever get clean because
it is stained, the pluming gets clogged all the time and the church
has to pay a guy to come unclog it every 2 to 3 weeks and that costs a
ton. we had the stove catch on fire and almost melt one of the handles
to it as well. So needless to say we have been looking for a new house
to go live in and hopefully we will be going with in the next week or
2. besides that i love the new area, it reminds me of Ntinda but with
a lot more hills to it :( i hate hills oh well. the area i am in is
actually not a branch but a ward!! its kinda strange i have only been
in branches. My new companion is awesome!!! he from Dallas Texas and
turns out we played lots of the same video games like LOL, WOW, and
Starcraft. he is also a very funny guy he likes to make jokes a lot as
well. i think i will have no problem with this transfer haha. dont
worry when we work we are focused on the work. we have a small
teaching pull because he had tetnis when i first came so we need to do
find like normal haha.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Mutungo

On 8/4/14, Traci Erickson
Hey Braden, How was your week? Hope it was good and that you got enough to eat. Are you being transferred?
 I think (maybe you already did) you should report your money being stolen to the mission President. If it has happened before, maybe they can figure out who is doing it and put a stop to it.
 So, we have been keeping an eye on the news of the Ebola outbreak in Africa.
They are having all missionaries moved to different missions in the Sierra Leone and Liberia missions. This is a precaution, to make sure No missionaries get sick. Thankfully, there aren't any reports of it hitting
 Uganda, yet.
 This week was actually pretty quiet and low key. Which was nice for a
 change. We do need to go have some fun before school starts. I was
planning on going to 7 peaks one last time but it is supposed to be rainy all week.Weary face Maybe we will have to hit the dollar movies instead. Ethan
thinks we should make spud nuts one day. We will see, if I have the energy.
Pres. Spencer and his family took their youngest-CECE- to the temple to be sealed on Saturday. They gave her a name and a blessing today in church.
 They had a big family turn out. Russ Lasson and his family were there. It was fun seeing them again. All 3 of their girls had their white temple dresses on. It choked me up-remembering seeing all of you dressed in white in the temple when we blessed Hope. What a great experience. One that most member's don't get to do.
 In RS meeting today, we talked about not being to hard on yourself or
 comparing yourself to others. That God know that we aren't perfect and he also knows our talents. it was a great reminder.
 Both Zach and Ethan got their school fees in the mail. They both got
classes that they are excited for. And both of them are in choir classes.
Yeah, Ethan-finally something musical. Ethan made sure Dad went on line and
paid the fees because he can't wait to get his real schedule and find out if
he has classes with his friends. I think he is the only one excited about
school starting so soon.
We all pray for you, daily. Keep up the hard work and remember to smile and
 be yourself. 'Cause no one else can do it.-be you-that is.
 Love ya lots, Mom
HUGS

--------------
So a lot has happend these past few days! We were invited to the
branch presidents house for dinner on saturday then invited to the 1
councilor house on sunday for dinner and today we had a big feast
with the ZL's in the area, and received transfer news! turns out i am
leaving Lira already!! kinda strange its the first time i will be
staying in a area for only 1 transfer! i am going to a place called
Mutungo sounds like a good place we will see soon i guess. I kinda
wanted to stay in the north a little longer than that but oh well
atleast i got to come back :) Ethan is taking choir class!!! NO WAY
thats awesome.







 On 8/4/14, Loren J Erickson 
So apparently I don't pay enough attention to know which terrible disease
 is ravaging parts of Africa.  I think I told you it was the bubonic plague
last week  Wrong!  It's the e-bola virus.  It sounds like it is getting
quite serious.  They are transferring missionaries from the affected
regions to other missions.  It still appears to be some distance from you,
but please, PLEASE take good care of yourself.  Watch your hygiene habits very closely.  Don't take any chances with food or drink.  This is serious stuff.  Listen closely to everything your mission president says about it  and follow his counsel exactly.  Hopefully, it will never reach your area, but you need to be prepared.

This week was the first choir practice I attended where I wasn't leading.  It was kind of weird.  I think I can get used to singing in the choir again, even if I'm not much of a tenor any more.  It's hard letting go of that desire to be leading though.  The new ward music chair and choir director is Sister Perkins (again, probably someone you don't know), and she will do a good job.

How are things with your companion?  I think you said there were transfers this week.  Did that affect either of you?  I know it's tough being with a companion that you don't get along with very well, but it doesn't sound like this elder is as bad as some companions you've had (one in particularcomes to mind).  He's just quiet, right?  Do you feel like there is any
 hostility or disrespect behind the silence?  I had a companion like that once and it was a long couple of months.

 We are losing one of our Gospel doctrine teachers, so there is a remote
 chance that I may be asked to fill in while we find a new teacher.  That
 should be fun.  Very intimidating.
 I hope you are healthy and as happy as your present circumstances permit.
 How are your investigators coming along?  What do they have to say about
 what you are teaching them?  I hope you are remembering that the most important thing is to love them and sincerely care about them as sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven.  You know the old saying, "people don't  care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

The last thing I want to do is distract you from the important work you are doing, but I thought you should know that Malynn Erbe is coming home in about three weeks.  I can't believe how fast time has flown.  Your time
will come soon enough. Just keep your head in the work and it will be here
before you know it.

 Know that we love you dearly and pray for you every day.  We worry about
 the current health situation in Africa, so please be careful.  I am so
 proud of everything you are doing to bring the happiness of the Gospel to
 the people of Africa.  Know that you are changing lives eternally.
 Love,
Dad

-----------
I know what you meant when you spoke of the plague haha, i think i
heard about it 3 or 4 weeks ago, even the UG government has a close
eye on it as well so if it does get to UG we will know.  So i will be
getting transfered already!!! its my first time to come to a area and
only stay for 1 transfer haha. its kinda strange!! The thing is I dont
want to pack my suitcase again... oh well guess i dont have a choice
do i. we have one investigator that will be baptised on satuday to bad
i wont be around. they just enjoy talking to us and having a good
time, that area is very friendly to missionaries and most of the
people like us a lot.  we did get to help in Mormon Helping Hands this
week as well that was really fun we got to pick up trash on the roads.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Summer


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Re: another week‏



7/28/14


On 7/28/14, Traci Erickson <tracirerickson@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Braden,Wow, I can't believe I actually went to bed and then remembered that
> i hadn't emailed you yet. Lucky that I love you enough to get out of bed and
> send you a line or two.Smiling face with smiling eyesGrandma and Grandpa E Left our house Sunday night
> to go to the family reunion. Friday, Nathan and his family came to visit
> for a few days before they went home from the family reunion. We didn't do
> fireworks on the 24th just so their kid could do it with us. Everyone had a
> good time. I will send pictures later. I can't believe how grown up their
> kids are getting.Saturday, Dad and I went to Grandpa R's 55 high school
> reunion. Grandpa asked Dad to take a group picture and some during the
> reunion. That's why we went. Their was a pretty good turn out and they all
> seemed to enjoy themselves.Today ad's Aunt Sharon and Uncle Mike invited us
> over for dinner to get together with their family and Nathan's since we











On 7/28/14, 
Braden,Wow, I can't believe I actually went to bed and then remembered that i hadn't emailed you yet. Lucky that I love you enough to get out of bed and send you a line or two.Smiling face with smiling eyesGrandma and Grandpa E Left our house Sunday night to go to the family reunion. Friday, Nathan and his family came to visit for a few days before they went home from the family reunion. We didn't do fireworks on the 24th just so their kid could do it with us. Everyone had a good time. I will send pictures later. I can't believe how grown up their kids are getting.Saturday, Dad and I went to Grandpa R's 55 high school reunion. Grandpa asked Dad to take a group picture and some during the reunion. That's why we went. Their was a pretty good turn out and they all seemed to enjoy themselves.Today ad's Aunt Sharon and Uncle Mike invited us over for dinner to get together with their family and Nathan's since we don't see each other much. You remember them right? We always have a BBQ in their backyard.
 So tell me all about what is happening there. Anything fun or exciting? Transfers are soon right? I hope you get a comp that will actually talk to you so your days go by faster. Keep up the amazing work. You will be greatly blessed for it-now and later on in life.
 Love ya much, Mom

Sounds like you had a busy week hehe, and also the house must have
been full thats when i go to my room and hide haha.

nothing really exciting happend here, besides the fact that someone
(most likely a Elder) stole 50000 shillings from me, i dont know who
but oh well i know they wont bring it back. and its only about 20
dollars but thats a weeks worth of food oh well guess i just have to
eat light for 3 more days till i get moroni again haha. We also had 5
investigators come to church which is amazing!!! transfers are next
week so yeah, we will see what happens.




Hey Braden,How are things going in the mission world? Any investigators
 yet? Does your companion talking to you more? I'm sure that can be
 frustrating, having him ply talk to other African's in the house.
 How far do you have to walk these days and did you buy new shoes?This week
 was pretty quiet. We pretty much stayed home and kids played with friends.
 We did make it to Lei pool and to the small lake in Pleasant Grove. The
 Spencer's from next door were there also and they kept us entertained.
 Grandpa and Grandma E. arrived Friday and came to our house to visit on
 Saturday afternoon. They went to church with us on Sunday and Dad talked them into singing in the ward choir. ad got to lead for his last time today.
 Paige lead for her last time in Sacrament meeting. She was released and
 put in  as a Primary worker. (You know all about that). She is teaching the 3 year olds. I'm sure she will do well. The Primary Presidency was released and a new one put in last Sunday, so a few more changes needed to happen in the ward. However, they didn't put a new conductor in so we will have t0  wait to see who gets that calling.

 Granparent's E. showed of pictures of the trip the took to China in May.They saw some pretty cool things. of course, Hope is now asking when we can go to China. We better start saving money for her now, I have a feeling that she will be a world traveler when she grows up.

 Hope all is going well for you.Love you lots, Mom
 I can't believe that school starts again in just a few weeks. They kids
 aren't excited about it, yet. And I have to admit, neither am I. Guess we will just have to go with the flow for now and hopefully we will get excited about it the closer it gets.

 Things are going some how better, we had a few investigators come to church,
 this week which makes me happy, we still dont talk much but the work is
 getting better! i cant wait. Not much has happend here but thats ok we are
 now in week 5 of the transfer! its crazy! how time flies. Sound like you have been busy with stuff.

 By the way its a pain emailing today because the Letter "H" is missing on
 the keyboard, i have to hit the small metal circle to get it to type it
lol.

 
Never be ♯Never be ♭
 Always be ♮
 




On 7/28/14, Loren J Erickson 
>
 Dear Elder,
> We keep hearing about the Eboli plague that is spreading through Africa.
>  Please, please remember to wash your hands often.  I worry, especially in
> rural areas, that they won't react quickly enough to avoid serious
> spreading.  I hope your mission president is communicating with you about
> this.  If you have any hand sanitizer left, now would be a good time to
> start using it liberally.  They haven't mentioned Uganda on the news yet,
> but it'll show up long before it makes the news.  Just be careful and take
> your personal hygiene very seriously for a while.  Same with your food.

> We've had several visitors this week.  Grandma and Grandpa Erickson stopped
> in on their way to the family reunion (which we missed).  It was good to
> see them, but Grandma can sometimes be over-sensitive about being an
> inconvenience.  That get's tired to hear after a while.  While they were
> here Grandma tried out Mom's "zero-gravity chair", which is basically a
> lounge chair that tips backward like a recliner when you lean back.
>  Apparently it was so comfortable that she's been gushing about it to
> everyone they've seen up here.  So we are secretly sending one home with
> Nathan and Amanda (next paragraph), and going to have Uncle Brian set it up
> before G&G E get home.  Should be an interesting surprise.

> Nathan and Amanda came up after the reunion and stayed with us one night
> then spent the rest of the weekend with Ann.  With the six of them it
> turned out to be quite crowded in the house.  Nathan's kids have not ever
> done "real" fireworks, because the restrictions in Arizona only let them do
> sparklers.  So we had several aerials left over from the 4th of July and
> did those for them on Friday.  You should have seen their kids faces.  It
> was priceless.

> This afternoon we went to my Aunt Sharon's house out in West Jordan.  I
> don't know if you remember her and Uncle Mike.  Most of their kids (my
> cousins) were there, and it was really nice seeing them all again.  From
> our side of the family, Nathan and Amanda were there and Ann.  Ann seemed
> very distracted and troubled.  She took a phone call during the
> get-together and then just disappeared.  I hope everything is all right
> with her.
> How are you and your companion getting along?  Are you starting to talk
> more?  I noticed that when I was in Japan that the native elders sometimes
> had a little attitude towards "gaijin" (foreign) elders.  My first native
> companion was certainly that way.  I hope things are better between you and
> your companion.  From your last letter it sounded like you had several new
> investigators.  That's awesome!  How is that going?  How are these people
> receiving the gospel message?  We'd like to hear more about your day-to-day
> experiences.

> Know that we love you and pray for you every day.  A lot of people have
> asked about how you are doing and we love telling them about your
> experiences.  Take care of yourself and stay healthy!
>
> Love,
> Dad

We, havent heard much about the plauge going around but mission
president has his eye's on it and he said he would give us a massive
text if it reaches Uganda. he will basically just put us on lock down
until it calms down again.

Sounds like you have had a very busy week huh, thats good. also sounds
like the house was packed...not good...haha

so the most exciting thing that happend to day was, that some one
stole 50000 shillings from me, i dont know who it was by the way thats
only about 20 dollars but that goes a long way its enough for food for
a hole week. i guess we will see if it just comes back most likely not
though. we had 5 investigators at church! that was also very very
nice! we will be trying to see them often now for the next few days
see how things go. besides that me and my comp, we still dont talk
much. but transfers are next week so he has a high chance of leaving
seeing how he as been in the area the longest. there are also 23 new
elders coming to the mission which will make a lot of changes as well.
i might be training i kinda hope not though.