{Letter #103} Grace for Grace

Hi everyone! I hope you all have had a great week! What is something exciting that happened this week? This has been another remarkable one here in Gresham!

We had the temple, interviews with President Botchway, lots of exchanges, cool referrals, and even received a plant from a random man!

First off, we went to the temple today! The temple was closed for a while and it's been 4-5 months since I last went and I was missing it! If you haven't gone yet, or haven't gone recently, please go! It will help you feel more of God's peace in your life!

 Between some amazing teaching experiences we've had and  some cool referrals, this past week has been awesome! We had a few great first lessons with people who have committed to read the Book of Mormon and seem very interested in learning more! We also received a referral for a guy from Texas! He is up here in Oregon about 50% of the time and wanted a church to go to. We called him, gave him the address, and shared a little verse with him. Then this Sunday he actually came to church! That doesn't happen too often (not here anyways) with people who refer themselves. It was cool! He loved it and we loved it!

We got to go on some exchanges this past week also--both with Elders I have served around for at least 6 months now. It's been awesome to see how much they have grown in that time! Missions are awesome for growth and learning! It's a  great time to dedicate yourself to growing closer to Christ and helping others to do so as well!

On Saturday night we were biking to visit a friend of ours when a random guy shouted at us to stop from inside his garage. He was super nice, not too interested in talking more about the gospel though. He had been trying to sell a plant called "Love Lies Bleeding" all day and only had one customer. He wanted to give us one for free to thank us for what we were out doing. Kinda a funny interaction, but it's a pretty plant!

Lastly, we had interviews yesterday. This was my last one with President Botchway before I go home. It was really good! He gave a lot of great life advice on a lot of different topics, but mostly on how to remain a disciple of Jesus Christ when I get home from my mission!

For my spiritual thought for this week I wanted to share a couple verses that have been on my mind. In Luke 2:52 it teaches:

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."

Then in Doctrine & Covenants 93:11-13

"I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us.
And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace;
And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness"

And lastly in Doctrine & Covenants 93:19

"For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace."

I love these sequence of verses! Jesus himself learned and grew. He did not start out as all that He was destined to become and in that same way, we too can and must grow!

As we are obedient and seek to follow Christ we can grow grace for grace just as He did!

I hope you all have a great week! Let me know if I can do anything for you!

Love,
Elder Goold

A glimpse at our family phone call this week: (Dad, Mom, and Ellie at home, me in Mount Hood)   

{Letter #86} Higher Joy!

Hi everyone! I hope you all have had a great week! One of the biggest highlights of my week was definitely General Conference! If you don't know what that is or didn't get to watch, I would highly recommend you look it up (link above) and watch it! It's awesome! In addition to that, we had 9 of our friends listen to the words of a Prophet this weekend! That is awesome! Prayers for them would be appreciated!

Please send me one of your favorite talks or some things you learned. I'd love to talk about it!

We also got to go to the temple today.

You all should go if you haven't recently! It is a special place of learning, peace, and joy! And it is the House of the Lord! You will feel Him in your life!

One of my favorite talks from conference was Elder Uchtdorf's talk about joy!

As we focus on Jesus Christ and center our life on Him, He will bring us higher and lasting joy!

I want to close with a scripture from Hebrews 12 that I have been thinking a lot about recently. Paul taught:

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Christ suffered everything so everyone could have eternal joy! But it is still our choice to receive that! Look to Christ! You will feel that joy!

I love you all! I hope you have a great week! I am praying for you!

Love,
Elder Goold

A glimpse at our family call today.  (Me in Canby, Ellie at home, Mom at home, Dad in Saint George, Cami, Lucie, and Oliver in Alabama, Emma at BYU...Spence was traveling, Garrett was at work)

{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)