{Letter #98} Blessed and Happy State!

 Hi everyone! I hope you all have had a great week! It's been an awesome week here. A lot of fun things going on! We had several exchanges, lots of meetings, cemetery grave digging  service, and King Benjamin's tower.

So this week was crazy for exchanges! There was an elder that had to go to the hospital unexpectedly (he is okay now). We got asked by President Botchway to go on exchanges pretty much immediately so everyone would be out serving where possible. It was actually really good! I got to go with Elder Kennelly again! I've been on 4 exchanges with him now, he is an awesome Elder! I also got to go with a new missionary, Elder Hunt. He is super cool and is waiting for a visa to go to Japan for the rest of his mission!

We had Mission Leadership Council, some community service coordination meetings, and meeting with local church leaders. It has been a crazy week, but seriously so good! A couple things that stuck out to me are the ways that we can work together to solve problems. Seeking to learn from God and from the people around us is one of the most effective ways we can overcome challenges in our own life!

We had a cemetery restoration service. It was cool! We got to level and repair some headstones. I did not think digging up people's headstones would be something that I would do on my mission!

Today we had King Benjamin's tower mission activity! Each zone created their own flags for the event and we  talked a lot about serving others and being the Savior's hands. It was really cool! I invite you all to read Mosiah 2-5 in The Book of Mormon. The prophet, and king, Benjamin teaches a lot about Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us! you will learn or feel something new!

This week our friend James is going to be baptized! He has shown forth so much faith since I have arrived! Prayers for him would be appreciated!

My spiritual thought for this week is a verse from what king Benjamin taught:

"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" (Mosiah 2:41).

As we follow Christ and keep His commandments we will be blessed in all things! we will have more lasting joy!

I love you all! I am praying for you! Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Goold

{Letter #96} Have Courage, and Be Kind

Hi everyone! I hope you've had a great week! I'd love to hear how you are doing and anything that you are looking forward to!

This has been a good week here in Canby, Oregon! Here's a few things that happened: zone conference, exchanges, ward parties, and of course some fun lessons!

Zone conference was awesome! We talked about having courage in the ways we behave ourselves and being true to God and the commitments we make.

I got to go on exchanges with Elder Partridge again. This is transfer # 9 serving close to him! It's a lot of fun to work with someone for over a year of my mission. We had a good day and we're able to find a few people to teach!

On Saturday we had a ward party in both wards we serve in! Both were great missionary opportunities and we got to meet a lot of new people that the members had invited! It was pretty awesome!

We have started to get fed by the members a little bit more! People are finally realizing that we were getting an average of less than 1 meal with members per week, so they are doing things about it now! The first one this week was lasagna (my favorite meal)! It is the only time a member has made lasagna for me my entire mission!

My spiritual thought comes from chapter 6 in Preach My Gospel, specifically integrity, which was mentioned in Elder Gerard's talk in General Conference

“Recent revisions to the Preach My Gospel missionary manual notably added integrity as a Christlike attribute... A life of integrity is not a life of perfection; it is a life in which we strive every day to foremost be true to God and within that context to be true to others.”
-“Integrity: A Christlike Attribute”, Elder Jack N. Gerard, April 2024

The whole chapter is awesome! I would highly recommend reading through it as a part of study time someday.

"When you have integrity, you understand that there is right and wrong and that there is absolute truth—God’s truth. You use your agency to choose according to God’s truth, and you promptly repent when you do not. What you choose to think—and what you do when you believe no one is watching—is a strong measure of your integrity."

Anyways, I hope you're doing well! Have a great week! I'm praying for you!

Love,
Elder Goold

An interesting sight we saw this week

The eggs were frozen  / Another shot with Elder Partridge

{Letter #94} I Will Walk with Jesus

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great week! It has been busy busy here! We had transfers, interviews (3 days after transfers!), exchanges, and lots of fun lessons!

First off, transfers! Elder Cherry and I are both staying here in Canby! This is the first transfer of my whole mission that I haven't attended for some reason. It was nice not to have to worry about going to Beaverton! We just got to keep working in Canby!

Just yesterday we had interviews with President Botchway! That was far earlier in the transfer than normal. We got to talk a bit about what's happening with zone conference in a couple weeks. We also talked a lot about continuing to point others to Christ to change their nature. It was a cool topic of discussion!

In one of our lessons this week our friend Bailie decided on a date to be baptized! She has such an amazing testimony of the gospel already and is so prepared! She bore her testimony at church of how the gospel has changed her in the past year since she started coming to church.

The gospel truly changes lives! It is not meant to just make us happy for a little or be a once a week thing. As we truly look to Christ we will have lasting joy! We will become more Christlike!

My spiritual thought this week is from 1 Nephi 19:23. Nephi taught:

"And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning."

The scriptures are for us to learn about Christ! They will only truly bless our lives as we seek to apply them to our circumstances though! As we do it allows Christ into our life to change and lift us!

I would love to hear what things you have been applying from the scriptures recently!

I love you all! I hope you all are doing great! I am praying for you!

Love,
Elder Goold

P.S.
The new hymns came out. You should go listen to them. They're awesome.

Exchanges with Elder Willardson:

P-day fun.  We played ultimate frisbee:

A glimpse at our family phone call today:  (Ellie in Rexburg, Mom at home, Me in Canby, Garrett and Cami in the car on the way home from Chicago, Spence on his way home from the gym)

{Letter #84} I Like Public Speaking

Hello everyone! How has your week been? Did anything fun happen? What are you doing to celebrate Easter this Sunday?

This week it felt like I was wearing a sign that had something to the effect of the title to this email. In case you were curious, I don't actually love public speaking.

This week was busy and pretty epic! We had zone conference, gave a training there too, temple tour, spoke in sacrament meeting (with about 10 minutes notice), and exchanges!

First of all, Zone Conference! That was awesome! It was held in a historic Portland Tabernacle. It's the first stake center in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the pacific-northwest. It is pretty cool! Lots of cool history around it. If you want to know more, you can email me!

In zone conference we got to give a training on planning! The main teaching point was actually the story of the Brother of Jared in Ether chapters 2-3. I highly recommend you read them and listen to what the Spirit teaches you about planning!

We had an awesome temple visitor center tour with our friend James! He is so cool! He knows a lot about the gospel already and is working towards being baptized! If you could pray for him that would be great!

This Sunday (Palm Sunday), we were outside the chapel greeting people as they walked in. The bishop walked in then turns around and comes back. "One if the speakers couldn't come today, would you be able to speak?"

That was fun! If you haven't given a talk in front of a few hundred people with 0 prep time, I wouldn't recommend it! It's okay though, it actually turned out really well! The Spirit definitely guided that😂

That goes very well into my spiritual thought for this week! It is some of the verses I shared in that talk. The prophet Alma taught his son Helaman. He talked about a compass that worked by people's faith in Christ. Alma said:

"And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.... The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever. And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live". (Alma 37:45-47)

(If you want more context you can read verses 38-47)

I love these verses! Christ is joy! If we look to Him we will have life, joy, and direction!

Especially during this Easter season I invite you all to ponder on Christ and His atoning sacrifice! You will feel those things.

I love you all! I am praying for all of you! Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Goold

Here are some pics: 

Our friend Bailey and a couple of her friends

Our friend Jana

Our friend Diane

On p-day, we got to tour this incredible house built from scratch by a member of one of our wards.  It's huge and has lots of personality.   Our whole zone spent a couple hours touring around it.  Come to find out, one of the owners of the house grew up in the same ward I did in Virginia!  

Check out that dragon gargoyle! 

The scenic views from the house were incredible!

The grounds were pretty amazing too.

There were different themed rooms throughout the house

From last week's temple trip

P-day shenanigans

Last week's p-day included lunch at the Botchways' with the whole zone

Some more temple pics

A glimpse at our family call today 
(Me in Canby, Mom at home, Dad in Saint George, Spence in the car on the way to the gym, Emma in Provo, Ellie in Vietnam, Lucie in Alabama, Cam,Garrett, and Oliver were also there, but not in the picture)

 

{Letter #83} Be a Lighthouse; Not a Glowstick

Hi everyone! How has your week been? What has been a highlight? What is something new you tried?

It's been a good week here! A couple highlights: temple, Mission Leadership Council (MLC), exchanges, fun lessons, and a zone lunch with President Botchway.

First off, today we got to go to the temple! This was the last time we'll be able to attend before it closes until August, so it was extra special to be able to go today. It is a beautiful place when the Spirit of God dwells constantly!

If you are seeking for direction or answers I encourage you to go to the temple. Even if you don't go in. Just go. Pray and ponder. Talk with God! He will guide you!

I got to go on exchanges with Elder Partridge again!

He came out on his mission at the same time as me and we have served close to each other for almost 10 months of that time, so it was a lot of fun!

We got to teach a couple people and also just had a lot of good conversations.

We got to go to MLC on Friday! That was awesome! Elder Treadway (an area 70) was there! He talked a lot about sanctification. How we need to be sanctified.  He also specifically talked about how sanctification is a combination of obedience and sacrifice (think about temples).

He invited turn to God in prayer and ask what 1 thing we can start doing or stop doing to become more sanctified. That was a cool invitation! I invite you all to do it too! You will feel the power of Jesus Christ more present in your life as you do this!

Lastly, we had some awesome lessons with our friends this week! Our friend Mary accepted a date to be baptized. And we are working with Diane to help her progress to being baptized in a couple weeks!

All I have to say is that the Book of Mormon has power to it! If you read from it and pray to know if it is true, you will begin to see God's hand every single day!

My spiritual thought for this week is one of the few times in scripture that Jesus Christ talks about the suffering he went through. Christ said:

"Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink— Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men" (Doctrine & Covenants 19:15-19).

Christ lives! He suffered so we don't have to! Decide on just one thing you can do to be a little closer to Christ! Ponder on His infinite atoning sacrifice. He will ease your pain! He will fill you with His love!

I love you all! I am praying for you! Let me know if I can do anything for you all!

Love,
Elder Goold

 

Here are some more photos from this week:  

The sky looked so pretty on the way to the temple today

More temple pics:

Elder Moore was a bit tired. 

 A glimpse at our family phone call this week  (me in Canby, Cami, Lucie and Oliver in Alabama, Mom at home, Dad in the car in Saint George, Ellie in Vietnam, Emma walking on BYU campus, Spence driving home from the gym)