{Letter #67} The Season for Giving Thanks

 Hi everyone! I hope you all are doing great! These last couple weeks have been awesome! We had zone conference, Thanksgiving, lessons, and many services!

Zone conference was awesome! I didn't get to give a training this time around, but I still learned a lot!

Some missionaries gave talks in zone conference about prayer and how we can have more meaningful prayers. Something they said that has stuck with me is the importance of praying with real intent! Meaning, praying with a intent to act on what answers we receive.

When Joseph Smith prayed in the Sacred Grove, he had an intent to act on what answer he received. It lead to him seeing God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

Although we likely won't seeing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ we can still learn from Joseph Smith's example! We need to act on what answers we receive. Whether or not it is what we expect or want.

You will be blessed to see God's hand acting in your life more as you do so!

Thursday was Thanksgiving (obviously) we were very blessed and received plenty of food from members of the wards.

Here's a scripture I like. Ammon said:

"Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen." (Alma, 26:37)

God is mindful of you! He is waiting to bless you! Turn to him in prayer. He will hear you and answer your prayers! Then, give thanks to God for all the many blessings you have! It will bring more joy than anything else can!

We have had a bunch of lessons this past week. Also a lot that fell through. People were busy with the holidays. But a lot of people wanted to reschedule for this week, so we will have a very busy week! It will be really good!

On Thanksgiving we were able to help out with a turkey trot.

That was a lot of fun! There was a member of the Tualatin stake that recruited our whole zone to help out and volunteer with it! They said it was a good chance to be in public with all the 600+ people.

Apparently they got a lot of positive feedback, so I think it went well!

Unfortunately, not everyone was here when we got the picture taken.

We also got to help a lot of people move this past week. Most of it just super random, got a phone call out of the blue asking for help. It was cool! Always good to help love and serve!

My spiritual thought for this week is going to come from "The Living Christ" which I am working on memorizing. While the entire thing is amazing I love this part:

"He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come."

As we come to know Jesus Christ and follow His example we will qualify for all the blessings that God has in store. We will find eternal joy, true peace and purpose, and a hope for all things to come!

Jesus Christ loves you! Learn to love Him by learning about Him and following Him!

I love you all! Have a great week! Happy Christmas season now! Let me know if I can do anything for you all!

Love,
Elder Goold

A glimpse of our family phone call this week....
(Ellie in Rexburg, Lucie, Mom, and Grandma in Alpine, Me in Tualatin, Cami at work in Birmingham, Dad in Saint George, Garrett on his way to work in Birmingham, Spence in the parking lot of the gym, Emma in Provo) 

{Update #66} Thanksgiving Week --an update from Mom

 Elder Goold has been very busy lately and didn't have time to send a letter this week, therefore this update will be an update based on the phone calls we've had with him, along with the pictures he sent. 

 This week consisted of lots of meetings, including a zone conference....

a trek to the temple...   

... lots and lots of driving (since he and his companions are zone leaders with a minivan in an area with a lot of bike elders),

....and 3 Thanksgiving dinners (including one with the Botchways).  These pictures of he and his companion, Elder Shaw, were sent to me via text on the day before Thanksgiving. 

Wendy's was their p-day dinner/lunch and had nothing to do with Thanksgiving...

Also included in his pictures this week were this batch of hot chocolate cookies he made--apparently he's trying to bake one batch of cookies per transfer--and a picture with a random Elder I know nothing about.  

On the bright side, he got two phone calls home this week (one on p-day and one on Thanksgiving Day).   We loved being able to talk with him!

All in all, he seemed happy and very busy.   We miss him. 💗

{Letter #65} Car Time!

Well, my excitement of having a minivan has turned into me driving for 3-4 hours today. 

So I'm a little short on time! It's been a great week though! We had Mission Leadership Council (MLC), zone council (with President and Sister Botchway!), and a bunch of lessons!

At MLC there was a lot of good discussion on what we can do to improve our efforts to find, teach, and baptize as a mission. It was really good for the most part!

Something interesting that happened was a lot of missionaries there were focusing a lot on the negative and everything that our mission is currently doing poorly. It ultimately ended up in a lot of discussion of HOW we can do things different. HOW we can change.

But they completely skipped over the WHY and the WHAT. The things that actually influence our attitudes and behaviors.

"True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behaviors" -I don't remember who

But when we understand doctrine and the WHY behind what we are doing we are far happier. We are far more likely to actually have lasting change.

Although it wasn't the most productive council, I still learned so much!

At Zone Council we talked about some changes that the mission had in rules. Most of these seem like looser rules at first glance, but are actually an invitation for us missionaries to step up and live a higher law. Really interesting

And then we talked about how living the doctrine of Christ blesses our lives and the lives of all God's children! It was awesome! The Spirit was very present and I learned a lot from all the missionaries in the zone!

We have had a lot of lessons this past week with a few of our friends. It's really interesting to see how big of a difference it makes in people's conversion when they try to keep the invitations we extend.

When we invite someone to read the Book of Mormon, pray, or come worship church, we invite them to take the foundational steps to build their testimony and increase their conversion! When people act on it I can see them become happier, gain more hope and peace, and find a true lasting purpose!

It's amazing!

When they don't act on these things they simply stay the same way they were when we first met them. It's a little sad when that happens. All we can do is continue to love and pray that the Spirit will work in their hearts.

Some other things that happened this week:
-went to a baptism and ran into a friend from VA
-some amazing talks in church and lessons in EQ
-linger longer after church + about 5 lbs of brisket to take home after that

My spiritual thought for this week is from Alma's teachings. (And my Dad sent this verse to me today and I really loved it) He said:

"And now we only wait to hear the joyful news declared unto us by the mouth of angels, of his coming; for the time cometh, we know not how soon. Would to God that it might be in my day; but let it be sooner or later, in it I will rejoice."

As we look to Christ we will have true lasting joy! I promise that to each of you! Look to Christ this week!

Love you all! Let me know if I can do anything for you!

Love,
Elder Goold

 
PS  Here's a glimpse of our family phone call today:

(Me in Tualatin, Mom in Alpine, Dad in Saint George, Emma in Provo, Cami at work in Birmingham, Spence in the grocery store in Highland.  Missing:  Garrett at work, Ellie doing homework in Rexburg)

 

{Letter #64} New Whip

Okay, so this title has kinda a double meaning. I'll get to it in a bit. It's been a crazy week honestly. Here's a summary: bike elder, transfers, bike zone, the rest of Halloween, and just everything else that I can't remember!

On Halloween we went to the half mission party at the church! That was pretty fun! Lots of basketball and we watched Tangled. (with permission from the mission president). It was a lot of fun!

Next, last week my companion got made the co-bike elder over the mission. But as his companion I got to go along with him for all that.

So that was fun! They were busy trying to buy new bikes in preparation for 7 (I think) new bike areas to open up at transfers. It was crazy.

At transfers Elder Crum sadly got moved to a new area. My new companion is Elder Shaw! He's pretty cool!

He is a worldwide champion whip cracker. I'm not entirely sure how it works. It's very impressive to watch though.

Another thing that happened was half of the Tualatin zone got put on bike. Which means that we get to drive people around a lot. which also means we needed more seats in our car.

So we got a minivan!

Honestly the best mission vehicle in my opinion.

So there are the two new whip things related to the title!


My studies have been awesome recently! I have been learning so much! I want to share a couple verses that I read this past week. Somehow I ended up in Hosea 6:3, 6, in which Hosea and the Lord said:

"Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth... For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."

All the commandments, laws, covenants, gifts that we are given are to help us know God! It is so important to get caught up in what's right and what's wrong and what we need to do next. But all of this was so we can learn more about God!!

My invitation for this week is to think of ways that the commandments help you learn more about God!

I promise that you will come closer to Him and Christ's power will be more present in your life!

I love you all! Have a great week! Let me know if I can help with anything!

Love,
Elder Goold