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 and 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

Transfer 7 Week 1

Hey everyone, just a quick update for you all. This week went by very fast. I am now in North Salt Lake with my companion Elder Heller. We have a lot of people we are teaching but for some reason a lot of lessons we had fell through. It was quite odd. Hopefully this week will be better.

I am very excited though to be here and I know that there is a lot to be done. I hope that I can do all I can to make a difference in the lives of others.

We had ZLC this week, (zone leadership council) where the leaders get together and discuss how to best help the zone. It was cool getting to see the other missionaries and hearing from all of them as well.

We also have zone conference which I'm very excited about. I hope that I learn a lot and really feel the spirit.

Well something I studied this week and wanted to share with you all was in Jacob chapter 4 of the Book of Mormon. Verse 4 says, "For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us".

I liked this verse because it spoke about the purpose of the Book of Mormon, testifying of Christ, just as all other Prophets in the scriptures have done. Testify of Christ and the peace we can find through him.

Quick funny moment: we got a different car and they left these really really nice really really stylish sunglasses in it so I've been rocking them all week. You can see me wearing them in the pictures below. Try not to be jealous.

Well everyone that's about all I have for the week; love you all and take care.

-Elder Golden

Super Cool Glasses

Transfer 6 Week 6

Great week!

We had a zone conference with two members from the quorum of the 70. Pretty much just high up Leaders in The Church. And I even had a one on one interview with one of them. His name was Elder Sikahema. Vai Sikahema, and I found out he was a running back in the NFL for I think 3 different teams which is so cool, and if I'm not mistaken he was the first Tongan to play in the NFL. Super awesome guy.

Zone conference was overall super spiritual and super powerful. I felt like we learned a lot so it was just a great day. We talked about the blessings of having a modern day prophet and following their counsel and how it brings blessings. We also talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, namely faith in Christ, Repentance, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. This Doctrine that Christ himself taught is so essential to our journey in this life and in the next. I feel so blessed to have the knowledge of this gospel and the joy that it brings to so many people. 

In other news I found out yesterday that I'm getting transferred and will now be serving in North Salt Lake. That's the furthest south area in our mission. I'm very excited but sad to leave my current ward. They have been so loving and supportive of all missionaries, (but I would like to think of me especially).  I do know my next companion will be Elder Heller and I'm very excited, but sadly it will be his last transfer before he finishes his mission. So hopefully we can help him to go out really strong. 

RIP District B

We also went to Buffalo Wild Wings today with our district as a last activity before we all got split into different areas, and we ate a lot of food. It was great and we really enjoyed it. I probably ate about 30 wings. Pretty light day for me. I could probably get down 50 before I started to really feel it. If you didn't know I'm exaggerating about both of those numbers. But we had a good time.

Well I need to go now. But I really love you all, and I'm praying for you. Take care and see you next week

-Elder Golden

FaceTiming Scooby on P-day

We dropped off a copy of El Libro de Mormon at a friends house
and it got caught in a rainstorm along with the note on top

Transfer 6 Week 5

This last week we had Yaritza's baptism and it was awesome. The spirit was strong even though we started a whole hour and a half late. (Basically the font wouldn't fill fast enough) but it was truly great. She got up afterwards and shared about what a change she has experienced from meeting with the missionaries (us) and talked about the peace and happiness she has found in the true and restored Gospel. 

Yaritza then asked me to do the confirmation the next day at church. I accepted with a TON of fear in my heart. A confirmation comes after Baptism and is when a priesthood holder confirms somebody a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and gives them the gift of the Holy Ghost. Well I had never done this before, in Spanish or in English. So I had to do it in Spanish in front of about 200 people and I had to use the tu form of Spanish. Quick rundown/Spanish lesson for all you homies. There are two ways to say "you" in Spanish. As missionaries we use Usted; it's the formal and a more respectful form. There's also Tu, which is informal. You would use it with family or close friends, but generally we don't use it at all on the mission. Well having only used Usted for nine months did not help me here because in blessings such as a confirmation you use the Tu form, so I had to go into my brain and for a day relearn some very simple Spanish. Long story short, I did it and didn't mess everything up, so I was very proud of myself.

Now you may be wondering what is baptism and confirmation all about? We perform these covenants in the church just how Christ told and instructed us in the scriptures. In the new testament, John 3 verse 5 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Baptism is a remission of our sins, and represents new life, being re-born, and receiving the Holy Ghost is being born of the Spirit. We know that to enter into the kingdom of God we must do these things.

Oh what's that? You want to enter into the kingdom of God? Well me too. If you wanna learn more about this let me know and I'll find some missionaries near you so you can do just that, learn more about these essential ordinances.

Well everyone, I have to go, but I love you all so much, but Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you even more than I do, never forget that.

-Elder Golden

Yaritza's Baptism

Awesome ties I bought for 75% off