" It was awesome to be back in Martin…”

Hey everyone! Well we had a good last week, lots of cool things this week! And some fun pictures too. 

So last Tuesday we had our Zone Conference. It was awesome! It's always awesome to have President Salisbury with us for the day! We talked a lot about how to better teach repentance. I really liked what we discussed. One of the things that stuck out was "If we want to help others repent, then we need to be repenting ourselves". I really believe that it is true. Christ, while He was sinless, showed us this principle because He lived perfectly everything He taught. Then I got to go on exchanges with Elder Halterman down in Martin!! 

It was awesome to be back in Martin, but super weird at the same time. It was like deja vu, but in a good way. I was able to interview the Smith family they've been teaching the last little while for baptism and they were awesome. I didn't get to see too many people, but it was awesome anyways. I also heard that Cathy has been doing better and has been getting a ride to church now (she moved out from Sis. Taylor's place) and she had surgery to fix her lip and so now she's easier to understand! Martin is still awesome, I miss that place! 

We got to teach Madi again this last Saturday about the Plan of Salvation and it went really well. She had a lot of really good questions and she committed to baptism on the 8th of April!! She's been reading the Book of Mormon and praying and she's really feeling it! She told us how she got an answer to her prayer about help with school, and it was pretty cool to see how quickly she's getting answers to her prayers! Keep her in your prayers! 

Our fireside went really well this last Saturday! We had some awesome testimonies given and the Spirit was really strong. We didn't have as many people as we were hoping, but it was still a powerful event! We talked all about prayer and getting answers to prayers and how it helps us become converted to the gospel of Christ. The Welches had a daughter who just got back from the Arizona Scottsdale mission and she even helped out with bearing her testimony even with short notice. 

Then yesterday we got to teach Kayla and her friend James the restoration!! So, they moved from their apartment and now have more room and it's definitely a nicer place, so that's good:) It was cool to be able to see them again. Kayla told us how she has continued praying on her own and has been trying to improve her prayers, so that was pretty awesome to see. Other than that, the week was pretty normal. Oh, except my dreams. I don't know what I've been eating but I've had some pretty darn funny dreams, too many to email about really. If you want to hear some, email me about it:) 

Elder Webb and I got a cool chance to go and give a blessing to a super new premature baby that didn't even have a name. That was an experience for sure. It kind of got me interested in looking at NICU jobs as an option for me. I definitely felt impressed by it.

So, going back to Zone Conference, I wanted to mention a little more about the idea of living what we teach/believe. It is one thing to understand the gospel and it's doctrines, but it's another thing to really live it and put it into action. That is where the power of God is found, in our faithful actions. I know that this is a true principle and I want each of you to think of something that you can better live in your life. 

Hope you all have a good rest of the week and stay warm and safe!! And always remember that chocolate pancakes are better than pancakes with syrup 🍫🍮

Take luck!!

Elder Goold 

Selfie with people who I thought were looking, but weren't

Elder Halterman 

Elder Webb

"Hill Billy Hotdogs, exchanges and more…”

Well this last week was definitely exciting! Lots of fun stuff happened, that's for sure🙋 And it was warm-ish just about all week, which is always great as a missionary. 

First, we did a lot of running around: We had a new senior couple move in from Arizona, so Wednesday we went with Elder and Sister Scott to re-open their apartment, which included a trip to Home Depot. Then to thank us, the Scotts took us to Hill Billy Hotdogs for lunch (super funny place, look it up!). Super good hotdogs and deep-fried pickles!!! Then Saturday we helped Elder and Sister Traynor (the new couple) get settled and showed them around Huntington. 

So we got to teach some new people this week! Kelsey was the first girl we taught with Brother Webb on Thursday night. She had a really good friend back home in Parkersburg who is actually on a mission now, so she was open to talking to us! It was a really good lesson and she is going to come to church next week! She didn't this week because she was out of town for the weekend, but next week she committed to it! 

Friday we got to go on exchanges with the Elders that serve in Ashland. We did exchanges where both Elder Stephens and Elder Johns came to Huntington and we both worked in our area. I was with Elder Stephens and we had a pretty good day. We contacted a lot of members about the fireside we are having soon and we found a pretty cool guy named Michael who used to play baseball for Marshall University. It was pretty fun and we had a lot of good work with 2 sets for the day. That was good (pictures included). 

So for some good news! We found out Saturday morning from the Barboursville sisters that Kayla has moved back with her family in Huntington, so now she's back!!!! They are moving this whole week to a new place still in our area, but that was super-awesome to hear that she's back. We are going to go and try and see them all later this week and teach them again. Yeah, I was pretty pumped about it, but Elder Webb still hasn't even met her. I'm pumped!!!!

Then Saturday we had a lesson with a girl named Madi with Brother Clarke. That was an awesome lesson too. We were really impressed with how receptive she was. The Spirit was really strong during that whole lesson and she had already read some of the Book of Mormon before we taught her, so we are really excited for her. She lives with her mom and brother right now and so we are hoping to teach them as well and get them all into it! 

Last night, we got to teach Brian and Angie, a couple from China! But it was a good bit different than usual from most Chinese people we teach, because they both speak good English and Angie is already Christian! We also aren't sure if her mom is a member, but Angie said her mom back in China would go to the Mormon church on Sunday and even brought her a few times. But wow, that was a crazy lesson. Brian is really, really, smart and so he was asking really good questions about the whole plan of salvation left and right and it was awesome! We invited them to the fireside and we are going to go back on Friday to teach them more. 

I decided to study faith in Jesus Christ this whole last week and wow! I gained so much more from that than I thought I would. I didn't necessarily learn anything groundbreaking, but I gained a stronger testimony that as we study the doctrine, our behavior changes faster than by studying behavior. I challenge all of you to thoroughly study a doctrine or Christ-like attribute you want to have more in your life and see if studying it doesn't help!

“True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than study of behavior will improve behavior.” - President Boyd K. Packer

Take extra luck this week, just for fun

Elder Goold😬

Elder Webb and I at Hill Billy Hotdogs

Foggy Morning in Huntington

Elder Johns doesn't like papparazi

Exchanges with Elder Stephens

"That guy ran a red light like a champ...."

Heyloo!! I hope everyone is doing swell wherever you are reading this, whether on a bus or a couch or any other sitting device. It's been a good last few days, lots of fun stories and cool people!

So we got to teach Tom again last Thursday, which was great! He really has a desire to know the truth, but we've got to work with him to act on that desire. He's really busy, especially as a foreign exchange student, but we read from the Book of Mormon with him and I think it really helped him get excited to read it! The Book of Mormon truly is the word of God and someone can know the truth of God's existence and His love by reading that Book, I know it! 

We got to teach another guy named Jeff last night. He is a college student here doing BioChem and he's really nice. We had a really good lesson with him and I really think he felt the Spirit! We are going to go and see him on Friday this week! We still haven't got to see the B family again, Bro. B has been really sick, but he's getting better, so keep them in your prayers!!

We're organizing a fireside here for the 25th all about conversion! We're focusing on getting answers to our prayers, so that's pretty exciting!! We're really pumped for all of the participation and we are hoping it goes well. We have a lot of great members here, it's just getting things rolling with them, that's what needs to happen. We had ward conference this last week as well which was sweet. President Cox is awesome, he gave a really good talk about the Atonement and justice/mercy. Super good!! And it's kinda funny, the way he holds his hand reminds me of the Cat in the Hat:) Haha, but he's awesome. 

Okay, so to explain my email title: Elder Webb and I were driving down 5th Avenue and I was turning right. Then two cops roll up behind me. (Note: it was warm and so we had the windows down) After the light turned green, I make my turn and one of the cops flies up beside me and yells "Hey, hey!!!!" at me through the window. So I stopped the music and slowed down and replied "Yeah?" Then he said back "So that car in front of you, yeah, that guy ran a red light like a champ, so could I just sneak in front of you and pull him over really quick?" 😐 "Uh, yeah, go for it" So then he pulled the guy over. It was pretty darn funny. Not to mention I almost died when I cop started yelling at me while I was driving. Oh, we also came around a corner the other day to find some guy OD on some drug in the middle of the street. So that was lovely:)

Something I really liked from this last week actually came from our District meeting. We discussed recognizing the Spirit and Elder Tunell had a really cool visual. He wrote the word "SPIRIT" up on the board and then asked us some things that we liked that could possibly distract us from the Spirit. Then each thing we came up with, he wrote that word over "SPIRIT" and after just 3 or 4 things, you can't even tell the Spirit is there or recognize it. That really left an impression on me, especially since I get really easily distracted (no surprise there). I want to challenge each of you to think of something you can take out of your life that is just a distraction!! Or even just set a short time away from distractions for feeling the Holy Ghost. He's a lot more willing to be with us than we are willing to have Him! 

Anyways, it hasn't been super long since we emailed last, so that's about all the exciting news for now. Hope you're all doing well and staying safe!! Keep up the good stuff!

Take Luck

Elder Goold 😬

“Love is really so key in everything we do.”

This last week and a day has been something that's for sure!! I'll give you some highlights! 

First, it's been really warm the last few days, which has been really nice. It's been changing back and forth like crazy from warm to cold. But the warm just gets me excited to be able to walk more than drive. I really like walking, haha!

Someone that we got to teach this last week was Tom! So Tom is from Thailand originally. He's been in WV for about a year. Elder Kropushek and Elder Curtis originally met him last semester and he was really into the gospel! He's Buddhist but he really wants to know if God is there and if Christ is the Savior. He read a lot of the Book of Mormon and came to church once, but after Thanksgiving break last semester, we lost contact with him, right before I got here. But we got to see him last Thursday and it went really well. He has so many good questions, especially about repentance and baptism. He is really sincere and even offered to pray (in Thai ) at the end of the lesson! We are really excited for him!!! 

Basically that was the most exciting thing, or at least the best things to email about!  We haven't been able to see Kennedy. We'll see him and have a really good lesson but then he is pretty uncommitted for return appointments, so we go a few weeks without ever hearing from him, but I think he'll come along eventually! 

The B Family came to church this last week!! We didn't get to visit them last week because Bro. B has been out of town, but we're going to see them tomorrow. We'll likely have to move their daughter's baptism back a little but she'll be ready. She really loves church! 

Something else that is exciting, we are starting to roll out a Self-Reliance initiative throughout the stake. The idea is pretty self-explanatory. It's going to help anyone who comes improve in a variety of ways, whether it's a personal business or budgeting or how to get a job or read or anything. It's a really good project for this area and, as a benefit, we as missionaries may have a way of helping out in the program! It will be nice because it shows the gospel from a different perspective and I really feel it's the perspective this tri-state area needs. 

The rest of the time, it's been a lot of finding, which isn't really a bad thing, I really like it and it's definitely entertaining.  We talk to a lot of the students here and we are going to be doing presentations to student associations soon so that will be pretty awesome! 

I really like this quote from President Thomas S. Monson, so I wanted to just include it in my email. Love is really so key in everything we do. If we have pure love for what we do or for those around us, life is so much easier!! 

The Martin Ward (where I previously served) has had 2 baptisms the last two weekends - I love that place.  Transfers are tomorrow and there are 4 new missionaries coming to our Zone - it’s going to be fun!  Oh and Elder Burgerner and Elder Baggett are both going to be Zone Leaders!

                

I have pictures this week (and not just one!!) so I'll put those on and you can enjoy:) Hope y'all have a great week and stay safe!!! 

Take luck and take good care of it!

Elder Goold!🙃

Huntington District:  Elder Hanson, Elder Webb, Elder Wasden, Elder Tunell, Sister Van Tassell, Sister Wheatley,
Elder Christensen and I

We went to an art museum last week

A really sweet hand-made glass sculpture

The smallest gun I have ever seen

I FINALLY got to see a Cashew Fruit Tree!!!!!!
Did you know that Cashews come from a fruit?