Transfer 11 Weeks 1, 2, and 3

Ok some quick updates from these first weeks of this transfer that have happened. We are having tons of fun and feeling the spirit abundantly. 

Week 1
We moved into a new house and it's little and cute, but really fun. It's got a small little bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and a small study room. I can walk from end to end of it in about 5 seconds. It's a little tight with 4 people but I'm loving it. Our roommates are super funny. We were also having some toilet clogging problems but have since resolved them 🤢 

President and Sister Johnson

We also had MLC, a meeting with President and all the Zone Leaders and I wore a brand new suit that I got. Well they gave us lunch with dessert; the dessert was strawberry shortcake and a strawberry jumped off of my plate and onto my pants and marked it up. So I went and got a wet rag and spent the rest of the meeting dabbing at it. It came out luckily so nobody worry. But the meeting was great and we talked about how to help our mission. 

Then a few days later we had ZLC and we talked with our district leaders about the upcoming transfer and how to help each of the missionaries to succeed. 

On Sunday we drove around in the Morning inviting our friends to come to church that day. Then our roommate who was in the backseat opened the door and threw up while we were parked. So we were like, ope well let's take him home and let him rest. Then me and my companion went to church and it was good. 

 

Week 2

This week started great, we had a good P-Day with our district and played basketball and got to know each other a little better. We have new people in the District including Elder Blackwell my old companion from last year and it's so fun to have him up here in the North Zone now. 

We also planned for Zone Conference which was coming up. Elder Hanosek and I were in charge of the role plays for the conference and we decided we were going to make them really powerful and revelatory experiences for everybody. We were going to practice teaching one principle in a minute. There are times where we only have a short bit of time to share something and help people to feel the spirit, so it was good practice. 

  

Weekly planning in the font

We went on Exchanges with Elder Payne and Elder Morse. I was with Elder Morse for the day and we had a great time. We talked a lot about bettering ourselves and how we could improve the little things. How we can forget ourselves and serve others but also how to focus on ourselves when we need to and to refine ourselves.

Then zone conference did come around and it was great. It was in a chapel very close to us so we were asked to show up there early to help set up tables and chairs in the gym for lunch. We got there at 8:30ish and left around 5:00 in the afternoon so it was an all day thing, but it was super awesome. 

We started off hearing from President and Sister Johnson and having a big group discussion/reflection on last transfer which was good. Then we talked about what we were going to do differently this transfer. We also played a game where we were asked a question from the Missionary Handbook and we had to find the answer, it was good practice.

We had some lunch and it was delicious, and then went right back to Zone conference. Then we had a training and we were up to do the role plays. First we did a run down on why we practice and why it's important to have this experience. Elder Hanosek and I demonstrated a role play in Spanish and we tried to do it in a minute, but found out it actually took us three minutes. Then President started adding in, and other people came up and did role plays; afterwards we would always break it down and talk about what went well, all the fun stuff. 

Then we heard more from President, he talked about building strong foundations, and rooting ourselves to them. He talked about something called J ties, which connect houses to the foundation and how we need to have those strong connections. 

To conclude Elder Blackwell got up and bore his testimony. He went up to bear his testimony because he tore his meniscus and his ACL and he's going home for surgery in a few weeks. It was really sad, but very spiritual. He talked about the importance of this work; that this truly is the Lord's work. I cried the entire time. Like I actually cried the whole time he spoke it was so sad, he's an amazing missionary and he doesn't deserve for his mission to be cut short because he's one of the best missionaries we have.

To end Zone conference we had barbecue for dinner and it tasted really good. Then we took some sick picture out in the parking lot. 

On Saturday our ward threw a Valentine's day party and it was awesome, the food was good and the people were so fun. We invited some of our friends we are teaching and they came. Then they all started dancing at the end and let me tell you, the latinos can dance haha. Then the members sent us home with tons of food. 

On Sunday we got our friends to go to church and it was so funny because when we got to their house and they were all still asleep. We literally knocked till we woke someone up and got them to go wake up their brother. Then we pretty much busted in and woke up the kids and told them to get dressed. The one teenager we picked out his outfit and then we found a ride for them to get there. It was so funny and they said that they enjoyed it. 

Then for p-day we went to go eat at Señor Pollos and then went and played basketball with our district. I actually went to the Hospital with Elder Blackwell instead of playing basketball so that our companions could play and so that he could sign some paper work for his knee. We had a good time catching up and talking. We've grown extremely close on the mission. I'm gonna miss him. 

Week 3
This last week was interesting. Monday night I wasn't feeling good, at all. I decided to go out and teach anyways and at the end of the night I was dying. I got in bed and had flu like symptoms, nausea, fatigue, chills, headache and back pain. My companion and my roommates gave me a blessing and I started feeling better. 

Well pretty much I got sick and was in bed all of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I finally regained some strength on Friday and we went to a meeting. I was tired but feeling better. Then we went out and worked which was a nice change of pace for me. Then we get a text that President wants to meet with the MLC the next day. So the next morning on Saturday we get up at 6:00 and drive to MLC. We discussed the mission and what tweaks or adjustments we might want to make to help our zones. We had a few action items that we want to take like enforcing the daily schedule and making sure that people are being obedient to the directions we are given from our leaders, such as waking up at 6:30 starting studies by 8:00, and going to bed by 10:30. 

Then our roommates had a baptism, they are serving in the same ward as us so we went and supported them. The family was so excited and they're so funny. They've been in the states for only a few months and the sons are 14 year old twins. Hilarious. 

Today we had zone unity day. Pretty much that means we all get together on p-day and have a good time. Elder Blackwell borrowed a grill and everyone brought barbecue stuff. I bought a ton of burgers, someone brought deer steaks!! And it was a good time. We grilled and chilled. Everyone was talking, getting to enjoy each other's presence, then we played some basketball. Overall great week. 

Spiritual Thought: a verse I was reminded of was in Alma Chapter 5, it says: 
                       45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
        46 Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.

I really liked these verses because it talks about how we can find truth for ourselves. We can find the truth by listening to the Spirit. God gave us the Holy Ghost to guide us and lead us. Here the Prophet Alma reminds us that the spirit testifies of truth and that we can learn these things through the spirit. 

I love you all and I'll talk to you next week, vaya con Dios. 

-Elder Golden

 

I'm going to miss this guy ~ Elder Blackwell!

Transfer 10 Week 6

So I'm sending this a couple of weeks late but here is my report haha. 
It was the last week of last transfer and we did some fun stuff. We had exchanges with Elder Burgoyne and Elder Kolberg. Elder Burgoyne is one of our District Leaders and I went with him for the day. He's from Minnesota and he's super good at basketball. He's like 6'2 but he can do windmill dunks and stuff. Super sick. 

Elder Burgoyne and me after exchanges

One morning we get a text from President like right at 6:30 am that he wants us on a zoom call with him as soon as possible so we were tripping out. It was in a group text with a few other numbers too and we guessed they were the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders from the other Spanish Zone. We threw on suits super quick and got on the call. Nobody else dressed up hahah but it was fine. President laughed at us and told us we didn't have to get dressed up. Then he asked if we were business up top and party down below. I look down and I was in shorts and Elder Hanosek was in slacks. So I told President what we both were wearing and he laughed again. Then we chatted about the zones and the missionaries. 

Same ties and suits

We also found out about transfers on Sunday night after a big zoom meeting with the whole mission. All the missionaries who were going home bore their testimonies and then we heard from President and Sister Johnson. We got the new transfer board and Elder Hanosek and I were still together which we were really happy about. But we found out we were moving to a new apartment with other Spanish Elders, one of our new District Leaders named Elder Bringhurst and his Companion Elder Roberts. 

We were super happy that we could stay together and have another transfer to work hard in this area, there is a lot of promise here and we really love the people. 

Spiritual thought: I read a lot about missionary work in the scriptures such as when Aaron taught King Lamoni's Father. In Alma 22 it says:

17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.

I really loved how the King humbled himself and his life completely changed from what he was taught by Aaron. Earlier in the Book of Mormon the King wanted to kill Aaron and his brothers, and now he was willing to sacrifice everything he had to know God.

I love you all so much and can't wait to tell you more about what I've been up to.

-Elder Golden 
 

Moving in to our new place

Me and Elder Williams