Elder Daniel Goold: "Assassin-Saris Rex and lots of other stuff"

Hello everyone!! This last week has been so kick butt, and I can't even put it into words. We have been so blessed here in Martin and I know that these same blessings are spreading over our whole mission. With the unified Book of Mormon reading we are doing as a mission, there are amazing blessings showing up all over our mission. So I will try to recap some of the awesomeness that has happened.

Monday we had FHE with the Bentleys and talked all about faith. It was sweet because their nephew, who has been less active with the rest of his family was there and he was really participating. We are hoping to get him and his family back soon after the dad has surgery for cancer.

Tuesday we taught a lot of awesome lessons and it was sweet. We saw Cathy, who should be baptized before the next transfer! She is doing really well with remembering the commandments and how to pray! It's been really good progress for her. We saw a lot of our investigators in Allen and then we got to teach some new people. We taught Jordon, who Sis. Bentley found at the Jenny Willey Festival, that night and then Kristen, who is a girl Elder Baggett gave a Book of Mormon to. Both of them are awesome!

Wednesday we went out and worked in McDowell, which is a farther away town, so we can’t get there as often, but it's good workin' out there! We found this new guy to teach, Wally (like the Disney movie) and he is hilarious. He is huge into his family and connects with the fact that families can be together forever. Then we got to teach another man named Robert in Dwale (da-whale). He is a student in Prestonsburg and he loves looking into all different religions and really was into the Restoration, so we are pretty happy!

Thursday we went on an adventure in the backwoods of our area to find some random people no one in our ward knew. So that was quite exciting and we were successful in our journey. We also had a super-duper awesome lesson with Sean and April. We talked about the Plan of Salvation and it was such a powerful lesson. They really are accepting of it and they committed to come to church!!!

Friday, we had district meeting all about the scriptures and it went really. We did it outside in sweater-weather because they were cleaning the building. Then I went on exchanges with the Elders in Paintsville. I went with Elder Perkins to Painstville and Elder Willie went to Martin for the day with Elder Baggett. It was a good exchange and we got to find a cool family who invited us back. OH, and even though we didn't get to go, Brother King and Jonathon got to go to the temple in Louisville!!!!!!!!

Saturday was busy but fun. We had more appointments fall through, but it was a good day. We saw Thomas Flannery, the 2nd time that week, and it went really well. He's been reading a lot and was already in Jacob after a week and a half! He is doing well and we are pumped for him! Nothing else really happened, but a good day regardless. We had another good meeting with the Bishop too, so that's good.

Sunday was really a good day. We had Thomas and Cathy both come to church. Sean and April were going to come, but he was called into work before they got ready, so they couldn't come. We had a good service and then we went and visited more less-active members with Bishop Spurlock. Later Sunday afternoon was when it got fun. So we talked with this lady who invited us back on Tuesday and when we talked, I noticed a strange bug on her house. Not sure if any of you remember this story from almost a year ago, but there was an assassin bug on her house!!! Only the second one I have ever seen, but still awesome. This time I knew not to hold my face right next to it, but what we did do might not have been better. We decided to catch it in a little plastic container and take it with us. So now we have it in a little box and we are trying to get it to cage fight a spider. We named it "Assassin-saurus Rex" so that explains my email title:) It's quite entertaining as far a missionary stuff goes, haha!

Overall it was a really good week and it was filled with all sorts of funny stories and amazing lessons. I really am having the best time and Heavenly Father has done so much for this area and it's all coming together right now. I'm not sure what I've ever done to get to be here, but I love it.

I wanted to end, since I am almost out of time, with my testimony of the Lords work. I have been able to see how preaching the Gospel to all the world really is preparing the world for the Savior’s return. I testify that it all started nearly 200 years ago when God called a young boy by name, and that through that Prophet Joseph, the fullness of God's Plan of Salvation and Christ's Atonement is known by man today. It is a perfect plan and I know it is true more and more as I share it with those I meet. I hope all of you continually testify and share the truth of the restored gospel with all those you can. And if you are too freaked out to try, read 2 Timothy 1:7 :)

Take Luck,

Elder Goold