Transfer 8 Week 4, 5 and 6

 Hi everyone, this is the longest I have gone without writing to you all and I'm sure you really missed my updates. Well some pretty exciting stuff happened and I will give you the best recap that I can.

Week 4
This week of the transfer we had a lot of fun. The wards in our stake had a lot of activities so we went to a few of them to try and meet more people. They of course gave us a lot of candy. Elder Fogleman gave all of his candy away to kids at the activities (he's pretty healthy) and I kept mine and ate it  (I did it because I wanted the kids to stay healthy... you don't have to call me hero but you can if you want to).

We also met one of the cutest dogs that I ever saw. His owners called him a Cavapoo (a mix between a King Charles Cavalier and a Poodle) and it looked like a teddy bear. He was very tiny and I was worried if I sat on him he would die, but he was so adorable. On the way to district council that week we were running a little late. We were on bikes because as you can remember I don't have a car :( I got to an intersection and turned around to make sure my companion was ready to cross with me, but he wasn't there. Turns out the nut that keeps the axle and front tire attached to the bike had fallen off so he stopped to make sure he didn't crash and die. So we called everyone at the meeting and they were already there of course and updated them on the situation. Elder Kimball and Elder Barker have a car so they came and picked us up and we were half an hour late to our meeting. But Sister Nagel and Sister Passey brought donuts so that cheered me up. We also did like a billion hours of service, ok not really but we did a lot of service. On Saturday alone we did service for 3 different families, totaling right around 6 hours. It was great. Also because of Halloween that weekend the Mission required us to be home by 6:30 on both Saturday and Sunday. Apparently some people in Utah dress up as Missionaries on Halloween but they make trouble. So to keep us safe and for accountability reasons we stayed inside. 

My district

On Sunday we got out of a lesson at 6:25 ish and actually ran home, which now that I think about it probably looked really suspicious but that's in the past now hahaha.

Week 5
We had a Zone Unity Day on this Monday. I also refer to it as Zone Sports, cause we get together and play sports. We also include a spiritual aspect but we spend most of the time playing. We played this game called set me up which is pretty much a big game of dodgeball but we had two balls and if you get hit you kneel down where you got hit but you can get back in by throwing a ball and hitting someone, or by tagging someone who's not out yet and then they're out and you're back in. It was crazy and crazy fun. I went all out but I don't think I ever won, I was in the last couple people every time then I would make some silly but very funny mistake and get out. During the week we met with a lot of members in our wards that we had not met before. It was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed sharing messages with them. I also took a driving test in a 12 Passenger van.

I will elaborate more on that later but it was really fun. We also started doing a District prayer every morning at 6:40 in the morning over the phone. It's a great way to start the day and to make sure everyone else is awake. During the week we went on exchanges with Elder Barker and Elder Kimball.

Elder Barker

Elder Kimball

 I was with Elder Barker and we started by walking around with rakes and finding houses on the street that needed some raking. So we would do what we like to call a rake and run where you just rake their leaves up nice and pretty and then leave. Elders Fogleman and Kimball had a crazy spiritual experience on exchanges. They went to this family's house that we have been trying to contact for a long long time and they were able to share a message with them. The Mom apparently described it as an answer to prayer. They even came to church on Sunday. The first time in 12 or so years for the parents. 

  

 

Also one of my BIGGEST achievements this week was that I hit my one year mark since I had been set apart as a missionary. On November 2nd 2020 I was set apart; November 3rd was my first full day as a missionary (which I spent running errands with my Mom {I <3 you mom}) and then November 4th I started the online MTC. Which means I have been sending you emails for a WHOLE YEAR! Isn't that so exciting?

Week 6
We Started off the week by going and picking up the 12 passenger van and driving it back home. Because on Tuesday we woke up at 5 in the morning, picked up 10 Elders and went to the Temple. 

We got there at 6:30 and it was great. We absolutely loved it and had such a powerful and spiritual experience. Let me just tell you, I had a GREAT time. Also throughout this week we got to go and meet more fun people from the wards that we serve. We get the opportunity to share a short message about the gospel with them and they are always very thankful. One sister even offered me a big glass of fresh squeezed grape juice and she sent me out the door with a bottle full of Vitamin D capsules. It really has been a blessing coming on a mission. I also got to play a harpsichord for the first time in my life and it was pretty cool. It was pretty much the most beautiful instrument ever (it was a handmade all wood 50 year old harpsichord I might add) and it even sounded pretty nice as well. I also conducted my last District Council this last week and it was great. We played a scripture game and I gave out fruit snacks as a prize. We had a good time and it was a good transfer together as a District. 

Because this was the last week of transfer we are now moving into a new transfer. I am staying in the same area, but sadly my greenie Elder Fogleman is getting transferred to Roy, about as far away as it gets, and we are both sad. I got called as a Zone Leader which was kind of sad because I really wanted to finish training Elder Fogleman. But it's ok I will have a great time with my new companion and we are going to have an amazing transfer together (on Tuesday). We're excited but it is going to be a very busy first week. We have a lot to get done.

Well everybody I have studied a lot of really great things over the last three weeks and would really like to share with you the most important event that ever took place on this Earth, the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I really love the way it is told in the Gospel of Luke, in chapter 22 it says:
39 And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.
40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, buy thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Through the Atonement, Christ's suffering and Sacrifice for us, we are able to Repent of our sins and transgressions. If you know me, you know that I am far from perfect, I make lots of mistakes and do lots of dumb things. However, God knew that none of us could be perfect and he sent us a Savior, His only Begotten Son, so that through Him we could find forgiveness.

In Alma 19:36 it says, ”And thus the work of the Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his Spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name.

The Lord is waiting for us, He never forgets us, all we need to do is turn to Him and take his hand.

I love you all and I hope you have a great week.
-Elder Golden

Transfer 8 Week 3

Hedgehog mug

It finally happened :( I turned 20, I'm no longer a teenager. Well it's ok, now I'm one year older and wiser too.

So it's been getting colder and more rainy here; feels like home I guess haha, it really does look like Washington right now, cloudy and a little rainy.

This week we had a couple of really great days where we just went around our area and met new people, mostly members of our Stake but it was really cool getting to know them.

We also met so many cute dogs. It was really awesome. I loved it so much. We got a little bit of hair on us but it was all good.
 

So we had our first district council as well and I think it went really well. Elder Fogleman and I biked there and back too. On the way back it was really windy and it almost knocked me over one time it was pretty funny. There are 10 missionaries in our district, so it's the biggest district that I've ever been in. They're all really great so far. And I'm sure it will stay that way haha

Every Sunday we have like a billion meetings and we try to go to as many wards and  participate in as many classes as we can.

Anyways I don’t have time to write much more, and I honestly don't remember all that much from this week. Just know that I had a great Birthday today and thank you to all who read my emails for just staying updated on my life, love you all.

Spiritual thought: Matthew chapter 16
24 ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Many times it takes sacrifice to follow Christ and his example. However there are great blessings for those who sacrifice for the lord's sake.

-Elder Golden 

We keep finding these puzzle pieces

Flamingo attacking a skeleton

Helped unload these flowers as a service project

Elder Rawson- Spanish Zone

Elder Roland- Spanish Zone

Transfer 8 Week 2

HEY EVERYONE. This week has been so fun, interesting, and exciting. Here's some quick highlights for ya.

So we were out walking one day and we found this Lost Dog. He just kinda ran up to us and played. Super cute. But we didn't see anyone nearby, so I took my belt off, used it as a leash and we went off in search of his owner. We also called the phone numbers on his collar a couple times but without any answers from them. Since we couldn’t find his owner we dropped him off at a animal hospital that said they'd take him for the night and we messaged the numbers. They texted us later and thanked us a lot. Very cool.

Later that same day we bumped into a lady who was leaving her house in her car. She was a member in one of the wards we cover but we had never met before. We chatted for a second and she told us her family had grown pumpkins that year and that we could go and take one home with us. So we took the Pumpkin and carried it all the way home to our apartment where it now sits above our couch. It's awesome.

We met these super nice people named the Page family. The Dad is a member and served his mission in Croatia but they haven't gone to church in a while. He was so nice to us and even gave us some water and a ride to our next appointment. He was really great.

We also found some sort of secret tunnel underneath our chapel. It was so weird. They kind of just use it for storage but there’s a little ladder that goes down through a trap door. 

This week we also went on what we call an Inspired Walk with one of our members Brother Le Starge. We visited some people who we thought could use a nice warm hello and it was really nice. Then we went around a neighborhood with him offering to take out people's garbage to their street for them cause the trash was going out the next morning. We spent a whole hour doing that and it was something small but we don't know who it may have made a big impact on.

We also met this one guy Named Ian. He's our new Catholic Friend. He's so nice to us and keeps telling us that we're doing the Lord's work.

We also went and ate at In-N-Out. I found out you could get burgers with 3 or even 4 patties on it. I went with 3 and it was great! A nice balance between a big burger, and a nice sized meal.

Zone conference was this week as well and it was a cool opportunity to get to really feel the spirit, learn, and get to know some more people as well. That was one part of serving in Spanish is we didn't know the English missionaries as well. Partway through we went to the gym and had a fun scripture activity where they would give us a scripture reference and we would try to find it quickly. I didn't win. But I made it pretty far which was cool. Then we played bump, that game with the long line of people and two basketballs. I did win that. I was really surprised actually. I've never been much of a hooper.

Corn maze map

Elders Blackwell and Gray at the pumpkin patch

Well those were some cool parts from our week. Something I read in the book of Matthew was really cool though. In chapter three it says,

"16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"

 

 

This passage describes Christ's Baptism and I just really felt the spirit when I read it this week. It reminds me that we all need to follow Christ's example in all that we can. It's not always easy, but it will always be worth it.

Love you all and see you next week

-Elder Golden

P.S. I get home in exactly one year. Kinda sad, kinda exciting.

Transfer 8 Week 1

Elder Folgleman

A bike seat is not as comfortable as the drivers seat... but I will live. Just so you all know, we have been biking everywhere in our area, up hills, down hills, up the road, down the road, over bumps and all that fun stuff.

My new companion’s name is Elder Fogleman; he is from New Hampshire and he has been awesome. We have already bonded quite a bit, and we really get along quite well.

We were at our church building on Saturday and I opened a door to the outside and this massive colony of bugs fell out of the door frame and onto the floor of the chapel. It was really nasty. They were crawling all over the place and we went and got a vacuum and it took us almost two hours to suck them all up. We looked it up later and they were called box elder bugs and when the weather gets cold they crawl into the door frame to get warm and it said the best way to yet rid of them was with a vacuum, so I guess we did alright. It was quite possibly the strangest thing that ever happened to me on the mission.

We've also had a couple of meetings during this last week and we went and discussed how to best help missionaries in our zone find more success. The meetings were long compared to my previous meetings in the Spanish zone, but I'm still adjusting to a lot of differences.

We are also going and trying to meet all the people in our Stake, the Leaders, the members and especially the friends that the last missionaries were teaching. It's been busy but really good. Also I'm not used to having more than one ward because of my time in Spanish, so we have 7 wards, 7 Bishops, 7 correlation meetings every week and yeah it's craziness so far. 

My MTC companion Elder Hanosek

So this week I was reviewing a few of the talks from General Conference and I really enjoyed reading one by Elder Rasband called "The Things of My Soul”.  He listed 7 things that will help us in life.
1. Love God the Father and Jesus Christ our Savior.
2. Love thy Neighbor.
3. Love yourself.
4. Keep the Commandments.
5. Always be worthy to attend the Temple.
6. Be Joyful and Cheerful.
7. Follow God's living Prophet.

I really like this list because I know that when we do these things it leads us to more good and become more like our Savior. If we strive to do what is right we can have the spirit with us to guide us through these crazy times.

Well everyone I just want to say I love you all and I hope you have a fantastic week.

-Elder Golden

Transfer 7 Week 6

Well everybody I'm about to update you on the life of Elder Golden.

This week we had General Conference. General Conference is when we get to hear from the leaders of the church and they give talks and it's really spiritually uplifting and overall a great time. We spent most of Saturday and Sunday watching it. I really enjoyed it and the messages that were shared. They were full of wisdom and inspired advice for listeners all across the world.

Elder Locke leaving for Mexico

Now for an update on the changes happening here for the new transfer. Because it is the end of this transfer, some people are transferring to their original missions and others are going home, such as my companion Elder Heller. That also means new people will be coming into the mission in this new transfer. So here's what will be happening to me.

I was called Sunday night and asked to be a trainer, meaning I would train a brand new missionary. I said yes, and that is exciting news. But when the transfer board came out it said I would be serving in an English zone in an English district in an English area with a brand new English companion. I am not happy or excited for this. I really love serving in Spanish. I want to stay in Spanish. But for some reason we don't always get what we want. I'm going to try to grin and bare it. I will do everything in my power to enjoy myself once the transfer starts. But so far I've been pretty down about it and I don't see any positives. I feel bad for having such a bad attitude but this is just how I feel. Please pray for me. I need it. 

My companion Elder Heller

I know God has a plan for me, and if I trust in him and his plan I will come out better for it on the other side. President Johnson has already named this transfer the "Faith Transfer" so I'm going to do all I can to put all the faith I have in him.

Well I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Remember to love your God with all your heart, might, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.

-Elder Golden

Transfer 7 Week 4 & 5

Hey friends, so sorry I couldn't write last week we were very busy. But here's a quick rundown of what I've been up to.

Week 4
Not a super busy week but we had a good time. We met some new friends Ana, Angel and Angel Jr. They were really nice and we taught them a quick lesson. We invited then to come to church. They said that they wanted to but then didn't show up :( but I think they liked hearing from us so we will go back again soon and try to get the ball rolling again because we haven't heard from them since.

We also had a mission wide zoom meeting where we got to hear from a professor from BYU and he taught about angels and the ministry of angels. It was very interesting and it made me curious about the subject so I read a little bit more about them in the scriptures that week.

Week 5
This week we have been doing what we call inspired walks. We pick somewhere to go and walk down the streets and talk to everyone we can. Even people who don't speak Spanish. We had a cool experience on one of these walks this week where we came across an English ward having a young men’s and young women’s activity. They were making carameled apples and asked if we wanted some. We said no and they kept on insisting and we tried to change the subject by asking if they knew any Spanish speakers in that neighborhood. Some of the other leaders heard us and they knew Spanish speaking families who lived on their street or nearby them. It was really cool and we now have a few families that we want to go introduce ourselves to. We were glad we were walking there that night to come across those people and now have some leads to follow, haha.

We have also had a couple of fun district councils these past few weeks. We have been discussing missionary work, how to help our friends that we are teaching, and how to better ourselves. These last few weeks while leading district council I asked us all to turn to the scriptures and look for examples of missionary work in them. We took turns sharing what we learned and it was really cool to hear these examples.

 

 

One more fun thought. People here have been decorating for Halloween for the last few weeks and I really like it. October is the best month and not just because it was the month I was born, but that helps. Anyways, I've taken some pictures with some of the spookiest decorations I have seen so far.

 

 

Also this week we had another mission wide zoom meeting with a lady who talked to us about the power of the Priesthood. It was a really cool meeting and we learned about the importance of priesthood in our church and to all the members. She talked about her own mission and the power of God all around her because of her divine calling as a missionary. And her being set apart by a priesthood holder, she was working under the authority and power of the priesthood and how much that blessed their efforts. 

Spiritual thought: this week in Jacob chapter 1 verse 7 I read, "Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest”.
This reminded me a lot of what we are doing on the mission. I really took it to heart; I’m not trying to persuade people to come unto Christ for my benefit, it’s for their own salvation and I have nothing to lose by trying. It's hard sometimes but giving it my all is better than not trying.

Well everyone I love you all and I hope you have a fantastic week. Keep me in your prayers, you are all in mine. I will catch you on the flippety flip.

-Elder Golden

Transfer 7 Week 3

Hello Everyone!!! I will give you quick update on what has been going on here in my life. You had better buckle up, because it is rather exciting.

Last Monday night I did a baptismal Interview for a really awesome guy named Eduardo, he was taught by the AP’s, which is just fancy talk for Leaders or really good Missionaries, who are in our district. It was a really cool experience and Eduardo was Baptized the next day.

Tuesday morning we got a phone call from a seminary teacher in our area, they told us that some people showed up that morning and asked if that was where they could learn more about the church. Well he referred them to us and we set up an appointment for that same night. We went over to their apartment and met them. They are three adult siblings named Raul, Rosario and Carmen. One brother and two sisters from Perú. They told us that they wanted to learn more about our beliefs and as they said, "la cultura en su Iglesia" which means, "the culture in your church" which made me laugh a little bit. They were very open to the message and the spirit which was so cool. We shared a message called the Restoration, which is about the Restoration of the same Church that Jesus Christ organized during his life on the Earth. It was a powerful lesson and it was so amazing. At one point, the brother, Raul said something along the lines of him believing that God had sent us to them to learn more about the Church. We are very excited to see them continue in their learning and creating a better relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ.

On Wednesday we took our roommates to a bike shop to get their bikes fixed and to buy materials for more or less proofing their tires from going flat. We had to go and pick them up like 10 times this week because one of their bikes has gotten a flat or broken down in one way or another. Every time they feel really bad and think that they are inconveniencing us but Elder Heller and I laugh really hard at them. We find their bad luck with bikes very funny.

On Thursday morning we had a zoom call with the whole mission and talked about the Gospel, it was actually really cool. Then that afternoon we had District Council and Interviews with President which both went really well. My Interview with President was funny because mine was scheduled first and we thought he was coming in person and he thought we were gonna call on zoom. So we ended up getting on the zoom call 10 minutes late but he was very understanding and we laughed about it. We then had a really good conversation and yeah it was just pretty cool overall. 

Friday I don’t really remember much that happened but it was probably a good day I think. OH YEAH we found a fork in the road... it was hilarious.

Saturday, Elder Heller and I were out walking and I had to use the bathroom so we went into a grocery store real quick and after, we bought some chocolate milk. By that I mean we each bought a whole gallon of chocolate milk for ourselves. They were on sale for 49 cents because they expired within the week which was no problem because we finished then within two days. It was so great.

Sunday we went to church and the two sisters we met on Tuesday came to church but their brother couldn't because he had to work. But they said that they really enjoyed it and that made us very happy to hear.

Well friends that was my quick update on my week. I want to let you know that God loves you and he has a plan for you.

Spiritual thought: We memorized a scripture in spanish this week and I really liked it. But here it is in English for all of you. 3 Nephi 5:13 "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life”.  I really liked this verse because it describes our efforts as missionaries, we are here to spread the word and help others to obtain eternal life.

Funny thought: We had to go pick up our roommates because of bike problems and we drove past them three or four times and pretended not to see them and one time they chased us around this apartment complex’s parking trying to get our attention. We were cracking up in the car so hard.

Ok love you all and talk to you next week!!
-Elder Golden

Important Document

I very much enjoyed this punch this week!