Adam Serving in Portland: August 2023

{Update #54} Busy, Busy, Busy

Hello dear friends and family!
This is another update written by Mama Goold, since Adam just experienced what he called the craziest p-day of his mission. Among other things, his p-day excitement included a temple trip, helping a ward member move, and dinner with his mission president. By the time he had a minute, p-day was almost over, so this letter will have to do!

This past week included MLC (Mission Leadership Council), which, as always, was a highlight for him. His mission president taught about the Christlike attribute of DILIGENCE, which is an attribute that will take you far in life...both spiritually and in your daily life. The Preach My Gospel manual says this about diligence:

"Diligence is steady, consistent, earnest, and energetic effort in doing the Lord’s work. The Lord expects you to work diligently—persistently and with great effort and care. A diligent missionary works effectively and efficiently. Diligence in missionary work is an expression of your love for the Lord and His work. When you are diligent, you find joy and satisfaction in your work."

Based on our conversation today, it sounds like Elder Goold and his missionary colleagues are doing a great job at being diligent at bringing people unto Christ! Speaking of Christ, here's a quote I read recently that reminded me of the peace and hope that having a relationship with Christ can bring to each of us.

"Because of Him, we do not have to deal with our frailties, sins, and fears alone. Because of Him, death is not the end. Resurrection will come to all who have ever lived. Because of Him, families can be together forever. Because of Him, guilt becomes peace, regret becomes relief, and despair becomes hope. We are given second chances, clean slates, and new beginnings. " "This Easter, Find Peace in Jesus Christ," Russell M Nelson, March 2021

A few more highlights for the week:

Exchanges with Elder Endemano (or something like that). He's awesome.
Helped shovel gravel for a few hours
Met a cat named Doug, that acts like a dog.

Met a frog that acts like a frog

I have no idea why these pictures were taken, but #missionaryhumor

This is a picture from last p-day's zone activity:

Alright, that's about it. He's crazy busy, but also happy. I'm sure he'd love to hear from you, so send him an email or a letter and make his day!

He loves you and we all appreciate your support! Have an amazing week!

Love,
Mama Goold (for Elder Goold)

PS We only had a few minutes for a phone call today, so only a couple of us could get on. Ellie and I were in a parking lot in Provo, Dad was at home in Saint George, Spence was unavailable while he was climbing at the gym, Cami was putting Lucie to bed, Garrett and Emma were working. That's all folks!

{Letter #53} Diligence!

Hi everyone! I hope everything is going well for all of you! This week was pretty busy, like most weeks it seems. We did a lot of missionary work, had zone conference, went on exchanges, and a bunch of other meetings.

It was a bit of a slower week in terms of the missionary work to be completely honest. It's really interesting to be training, it has required me to take things a lot slower than normal and also be really deliberate about what we are doing. It has been good to regularly be asking "does this activity help people to come closer to Christ?"

When all your thoughts and efforts are focused on Christ you are so much more able to see the Lord's hand in your life!

"And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God." (Ether 12:18)

At zone conference we talked a lot about diligence! Being a diligent disciple of Jesus Christ and diligently seeking to learn about Him. When we are diligent in our own efforts to learn, we will begin to see those miracle that are talked about by Moroni in Ether 12. We will increase our faith in the Son of God and we will be lead by it!

We also had exchanges yesterday! That was a lot of fun! I got to stay in my area and work with Elder Gurr. He is usually on bike, so it was a good break for him I think. We talked a lot about that focus on Christ and how we can be more diligent in our efforts to serve Him. We also talked about the BYU talk "Be 100 Percent Responsible". You should go listen to it sometime. It's very good and teaches a lot about taking responsibility for our life!

My spiritual thought for this week will be Doctrine & Covenants 11:20. In which, the Lord taught:

"Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength"

It is our responsibility to keep the commandments of God! When we do we will be happier, and blessed in all things! The Prophet King Benjamin taught:

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

Love you all! Let me know if I can pray for you or help you in any way! Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Goold

Some pics: Here I am with Elder Stone (my trainer) and Elder Thatcher (who I'm training)

Exchanges and a Saint Bernard puppy:

Zone conference:

The air is smoky:

A glimpse at our family phone call today: (Cami and Spence were at work)

{Letter #52} The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling!

Okay, okay. The sky isn't actually falling, but it has just been a crazy crazy week. A lot has happened, and the sky falling is kinda what it feels like currently. Here's a summary of all the stuff: Elder Dahl finished his mission, serving with Hazeldale Elders, training(!!!!), transfers, temple, and lots of interviews/meetings.

I'll start with the temple. President & Sister Botchway gave us some Tongan ancestor's names to take through the temple. That was awesome. The temple is an amazing place! You should go. It is a house of peace, learning, and the House of the Lord!

My previous companion, Elder Dahl, completed his mission! He had to pack a bunch, so Wednesday and Thursday were pretty full of that. We dropped him off at the mission office Thursday afternoon, then I went with the Hazeldale Elders until transfers the next day.

I have lived with one of those Elders {Elder Partridge} for 6/9 transfers on my mission, but those ~24 hours were the first time that I've been his companion *technically*. We had a total of 3 lessons during that time, all were pretty good. Teaching in a trio is definitely a unique experience.

On Friday night I got to pick up my brand new missionary! His name is Elder Thatcher! He's awesome. He's going through a lot of things that new missionaries often do with the adjustment period. He's a very solid teacher and has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ! I'm looking forward to the next few weeks of this transfer. In the picture below, Elder Thatcher is the one right behind me in the blue suit.

There have been so many interviews and meetings since the transfer began. We have driven to the mission office almost every day. They have all been good, a collection of meetings to help trainers, trainees, and also just interviews with President Botchway.

In addition to all this, as of today it has been 1 year since I began my mission! Time has flown by. It has been a great year! Lots of amazing people, both missionaries, members, and friends that have made my mission what it is to me today!

Also, it has been about 105 degrees out the last couple days and the houses here don't have central air conditioning, so that's fun.

My spiritual thought for this week is going to come from Chapter 5 of "Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ"

In preparation for district council on Monday, we all read the section: The Book of Mormon Testifies of Christ. after we had studied that section we answered these questions at the end of the section:

-What have you learned about Jesus Christ from your study of the Book of Mormon?

-How has your study of the Book of Mormon influenced your testimony of Jesus Christ?

I invite all of you to ponder on those questions! Write them down somewhere! I testify that the Book of Mormon is the greatest witness we have of Jesus Christ as our living Savior! If you don't have a testimony of that, I invite you to study ponder and pray about the Book of Mormon.

It will change your life! It will make Christ a part of your every day life! You will be happier! You will have peace!

Love y'all (my mom was right about this part). Let me know if there's anything I can do for you! I'm praying for all of you!

Love,
Elder Goold

A glimpse at our family phone call this week: (Emma, Garrett, and Spence were at work)

And another little tidbit he shared with me this week...his current ward gives the missionaries a lot of food, which means he's had very little to buy since he's been here.

{Update #51} A Baptism!!!

Hello friends and family!

Elder Goold has had a crazy week, so this is Mama G recapping his week with the pics he sent and the report he gave over the phone. I apologize in advance for any old person goofiness that I may not be able to contain myself from including. 😜

First off, MICHAEL GOT BAPTIZED!!! A member of the ward performed the baptism, but it was an amazing experience for both Elder Goold and Elder Dahl to be a part of! Michael was excited and ready for this step in his eternal progression! ❤️

The program template was created by yours truly, but was finished up beautifully by my favorite missionary!

His companion, Elder Dahl, heads home on Thursday, so his district held a “funeral” for him. Apparently it’s a light-hearted, albeit a bit somewhat macabre tradition held across many missions throughout the world.

Here is Elder Goold, Elder Dahl, President and Sister Botchway, plus two unidentified district leaders at district council this week. I’m sure it was amazing, because they always are!

He and his comp got to spend a little time in the Family History Center this week!

He went on exchanges with the zone leaders this week, and apparently stopped at Dutch Bro’s for something cold along the way!

A random 9pm photo…

Oh yeah, how can I forget the coyotes in the church parking lot? 😱

Elder Dahl “dying” {by going home very alive}, means that transfers are this week and Elder Goold will at least be getting a new companion in the next day or two! So changes are a coming! 😁

This is probably about where he’d share a spiritual thought, so here’s a quote I came across in my studies recently:

“An essential part of this missionary effort is for individual members to become beacon-light examples wherever we live. We cannot be in camouflage. Our Christlike example of kindness, righteousness, happiness, and sincere love for all peoples can create not only a guiding beacon light for them but also an understanding that there is a safe harbor in the ordinances of salvation and exaltation of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Quentin L Cook, “Safely Gathered Home,” April 2023

I guess that’s about it. This is where he tells you all how much he loves y’all and offers to pray for you! I will reiterate that, as his mother, I also love you all and are grateful for the love and support you give to our sweet Elder! Have an amazing week and don’t forget to send Elder Goold lots of emails and letters. ❤️

Love,

Mama G. (For Elder Goold)

A glimpse of our family phone call today (Emma and Cami were both at work).

{Letter #50} A Blessing and a Curse

Hi everyone! I hope y'all are doing well! This has been a pretty good week. Lots of things happening. Here's what happened: a mission devotional, 3 baptismal interviews, and honestly not a ton else. It felt busier than it was I guess🤷‍♂️

We skipped district council yesterday to go to a mission wide devotional with Elder Ahadjie from a Quorum of the 70. He has been friends with President Botchway for a very long time. It was his very last day in the calling, so as of today Elder Ahadjie has been released. It was a fantastic devotional.

We got to hear from President and Sister Botchway and also Elder and Sister Ahadjie. Here's some things that stood out to me:
-we love the Lord
-that should be our why for doing missionary work
-we must apply the scriptures to our own life
-specifically using "me, I, my, etc." when studying
-we are blessed for obedience
-we curse ourselves when we are disobedience
-when we act in disobedience we remove ourselves from the presence of the Holy Spirit
-we can return by choosing to repent
-the Lord can shape our hearts and our desires when we act in obedience
-have JOY in the Lord's work
-we are CALLED to share the JOY of the Savior’s atonement

Those were just a few of the things I learned, I don't currently have my notes on me, but those are some of what I still remember without reviewing them

Elder Ahadjie's use of the Old Testament was very inspiring. He taught the gospel and doctrine of Christ very simply and effectively. It was inspiring and very Spirit filled.

We had 3 baptismal interviews this week. One was our friend Michael! He's gonna be baptized this Saturday. We're very excited for him!

The other 2 were interviews that my companion and I conducted. They went very well! And there are going to be 3 baptisms this Saturday. Very exciting times!

If everyone could pray for Michael, Ella, and Mykaela that would be much appreciated!

A verse I wanted to share this week is from the Prophet Benjamin's address. He taught:

"And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you."

This is a verse that Elder Ahadjie used in his devotional. These things are true! When we love the Lord and are obedient to Him, we will be blessed! It is a promise that has been given to us from the Lord! "and he never doth vary from that which he hath said".

I invite all of you to find one thing that you can be more obedient in this coming week. You will be blessed!

Love you all! I hope all of you have a great week! Let me know if I can help out with anything🙏

Love,
Elder Goold