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!

Transfer 7 Week 2

Hello everybody, I know you are all dying to hear what I've been up to so let's get right into it.

On Tuesday we went to a restaurant called Nacho House and it was super good. Elder Heller, my companion, told me to order the Carne asada fries. I did and I was very glad I listened. It was really good and it was a lot of food.

We also went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders this week and that was a lot of fun. I went with Elder Blackwell for the day and we stayed really busy and talked to every person that we saw. We even went into a store and pretended to shop and actually bumped into and talked to a lot of latinos. They were all super friendly but some of them lived far away and were just shopping there. Plus it was awesome to practice so much Spanish just by talking to everyone we could in Spanish. And I love joking around with the Latinos; they have great senses of humor. We also got to share about the Gospel a lot which is probably our absolute favorite thing to do as Missionaries. So yeah we had great exchanges. 

 

Sometimes we play basketball in the mornings, and wow I am not very good at it. It's fun but it would be more fun if I could actually play basketball. I wish we could roll out a wrestling mat, then I would feel at home.

Oh yes, and this Tuesday we had zone conference and it was so cool. We heard from our leaders and talked a lot about the importance of the work we are doing on our missions. We also spoke about aligning our will with Gods and how Christ's will was perfectly aligned with Heavenly Father's. That's one of our goals out here on the mission is to align our will with God's.

This week in my studies I read a lot about the Doctrine of Christ. If you want to read about it as well, these are great chapters. 2 Nephi 31, 3 Nephi 11, and 3 Nephi 27. This was one of my favorite passages.

3 Nephi 27:

14 And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—
15 And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works.
16 And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.

Well I love you all, and I'll talk to you next week

 

-Elder Golden