A week full of self-examination

Hey fam!

Wow! i have been recieving a lot of news from home and it sounds like things are just changing like crazy! you guys are all just growing and moving forward! its so awesome! im happy for you! 

Change lots of times is hard, sometimes its change for the better, but its still hard. i just changed cities, comps and changed to be senior comp as well, sometimes its really hard! but in the MTC one of my teachers always talked about comfort zones, that we needed to make sure that we werent falling into comfort zones because thats where progress stops. you have to always be reaching a little higher. Ive been learning a lot more to take more responsability for my actions, before it was easy when something was bad to say oh, well i didnt know, or that was his responsability, but not anymore. I still try not to make my comp feel like he has no say or that im in charch of everything but if something doesnt work out right its more my fault than his, i need to be always improving and getting better.

We had a conference with all of the priesthood in the area south america south. uruguay paraguay chile and argentina. Elder Ballard and Elder Rasband spoke. there is a HUGE focus on missionary work right now, it islike the only thing that they are talkig about, that we as members of the church need to be more open to share the gospel with other people in our lives. we dont have to give people the lessons, but we do need to pray to recieve missionary experiences. talk about gospel topics in every day conversation and follow the spirit from there. What they talked about a lot in the Conference for the priesthood was reactivation of those who have fallen away. to love them, and invite them to come back. we have smartphones and computers and all sorts of stuff to communicate. we should use it to share the gospel with more people. i used to think that sharing the gospel was 2 years on the mision then you were done, but now, it has to be through your entire life. this is one of the major duties that we have. I definitely didnt do enough when i was at home but i knwo i will now, because i understand now. 

This has been a week full of self examination, kind of a hard week as well, but we will be looking up. always moving up!

Love you guys tons and i hope you are all well!

Elder Gold

I'm in Vallenar... (2/17/2014)

Family of mine!

I love you guys a lot!

K! so i got transferred! ite been an interesting week! Im in Vallenar (sorry if i repeat stuff from last week), which i super duper different from Arica... probably because its almost a days journey to the south! here there is green! not a ton! but yes, it exists here! and you can drink the water straight out of the tap as well! it doesnt kill you or give you diareah! its like heaven or something! im so stoked to be here! im working with Elder Estrada ( i will include a photo) he just completed 3 months as a missionary so it has been a little interesting with both of our first changes but were getting it done... we walked a ton this weeek and got to know the sector really well. But i know that we are gonna work really hard. we already have some people that are progressing. Catalina who is 16 with 2 little girls and has problems at home but she really has the desire to learn more and to help her daughters. Wilma who is like 40 but is just super duper nice.she works with little kids and has been really busy this past week but she is great. and a few other families that we are working with and have good potential but we havent had many visits with them.. this week has been a big learning experience for the both of us but i know we are going to be working hrd (side note Elder Estrada just completed 2 years as a member of the church today). Also we are in downtown so the sector just feels totally different! but this week we will be focusing really hard on finding!

Thank you for your prayers and your love!

Elder Gold

PS im with Elder Said from brasil, with a heavy portugese accent wich was hard to understand at first, and Elder Miranda from chile. good guys, im happy. oh and Elder Estrada is from bolivia

New area!

Family of mine! i love you guys lots and lots!

As you should know, i got transferred to vallenar this week. the other side of the mission. 24 hours in bus. but! luckily i was saved. i got on the bus wednesday night and thursday morning arrived in antofagasta, i stayed in the mission home all that day being a slave to the presidents wife, cleaning floors, the car. doing yardwork. lots and lots of housework... even though they are almost never in that house so it was almost sparkling haha. then i stayed the night there and we woke up in the morning and headed to vallenar in their car because they had a conference down there. it a good deal, even though it was a little awkward to be with president and his wife alone the whole day hahaha. he told me lots of really cool stories. Vallenar is great! there is a little tiny river! that always flows! and green everywhere! and its not quite as hot either! that was super duper happy! My comp is great, he is so ready to work and just an awesome guy. his name is Elder Estrada from santa cruz bolivia. The branch here is fantastic as well. sorry, but i am really short on time this week so thats gonna have to be all. but just know that im super happy to be here that im doing well and expecting lots and lots of good times! love you!

Elder Gold

Mamitas, mamitas.... (Feb. 3, 2014)

Hey fam! hows it going!?

This week has been pretty good! pretty normal! its just crazy how the time has been flying!

This week we decided to change mamitas so we talked with one of the hermanas in the ward and asked her if she was willing and she said yes and so we let the mamita know that we were gonna change this month... then that same day her grandson who is like 2 went to my comps backpack, grabbed his week old 20 dollar sunglasses and took them to the door... then slammed it on them. that was a very very sad moment... and the next day we were all sick from the food that she had served us hahaha. rough day with the mamita! but all was well... we werent so sick as to not go out and work so we left like normal and one of the visits we had we went to this house and they were having a party! so they invited us to completos with w huge group of people... we were sitting next to this couple from spain (their accent is way cool!!!! they make z and c when it sounds like s into th, and the s is like... airy. and vosotros too. i dont know why it was fascinating to me but i liked it a lot.) and she was forcing me to eat this giant completo and i was trying not to throw up and eating super slow and drinking lots and she just kept reminding me to eat and telling me that eating was more important than listening and that i could eat and listen at the same time and all sorts of stuff, and my comp was just there laughing at me... oh... problems... but thats ok! i survived.

The next day we went and did service to prepare for EFY and we moved these massive platforms and got our hands all torn up and super tired and washed a ton of stuff and cleaned bathrooms and basically just worked like dogs! it was a good time. Sometimes its nice to just go work really really hard doing stuff like that... but annoying to have to take care of my knee.

The mission is great! sometimes i start thinking and my life is just crazy awesome! I dont work, dont play video games, dont watch tv, dont do basically anything that everyone else does, I only have to focus on the work of the Lord. crazyness.

Thats all for this week fam! love you guys lots and lots!

Elder Gold

  (Note from Mom: I'm not 100% sure about these pictures because at the time we were in the process of figuring out the best method for sharing them: one drive, sky drive, attachments, etc.  But my best guess is that they come from this time period... ish.  I guess)