My trip to lagoon! :D‏

The president let us all go to an amusement park! no. but i have still been on a rollercoaster aaaallllll week long [with Elder Jimenez].  "I hate you, stop talking, i love you, thank you, lets study, please just go away, never let me be silent, youre prettier when you dont talk, thanks for not giving up on me, i dont care at all, youre my first true friend, lets work, i have no desires, why do you care, im suffering so you have to suffer too, today was great, im grateful for my trials, "...", i want to go visit your family when i get home." its the most intense rollercoaster of my life! BUT! i have an excellent Security Bar.

Now that i have done everything that i can think of, or that others can think of, and nothing has really worked... i will just keep moving keep seeking the guidance of the spirit, being happy, being a missionary. loving my life and what i do, and giving everything i have to help my companion and to serve the Lord. 

This week has been fun! we had intercambios on tuesday and we basically just bounced form house to house! it was awesome! everywhere we went they opened up the doors for us! we found another lady to teach as well, she is the mother of a 13 year old boy who got baptized but doesnt have lots of friends in the church and stopped going a few months ago, we had an excellent lesson with them and we really felt the spirit, she commited herself to read and pray and we will visit with her again hopefully tonight! its kindof hard to get in contact with her because there isnt a man in the house and because she lives really far away, but she seemed really open to the message we shared, and i think she was interested in how it could help her better her realtionship with her son.

Then later in the week we were also able to visit a less active woman who actually made it to church this week! we had 2 less actives that we are working with come this sunday! that was rewarding. but we went to go visit her with an RM in the ward and she was telling us how aweful her life was and that she just wanted to die, and she started asking about the possibility of suiciding and still being forgiven... it was bad... so we just started teaching because she was going down dark paths and we knew that she needed the spirit. so we started talking about Christ and about the scriptures. we had a good talk about it and we challenged her that when she felt crappy, instead of just sitting there, she had to pick up her scriptures and she seemed excited about it, then at the end she told us another story about suicide... and the RM said something that i thought was cool, i dont now if its doctorine but it sounded good to me! as we know we will all be restored to our natural state in the spirit world. good to good, and bad to bad.... even a good person cant expect to kill themselves because of depression and show up happy in the spirit world. if you are depressed when you leave, thats how you will show up! i thought it was a cool thought! it seemed to help her a lot! but she came to church and we talked for a bit and she said she had been reading and feeling a lot better. that was good.

We also visited a family this week who have been having LOTS of problems... its kindof sad, but this has been like the theme of my week because of what ive been studying in the book of mormon and for what ive been seeing. The lord sends us trials to soften us up a little. The husband of this family hasnt been progressing at all. he hasnt really wanted a change hes just been content where he is. but after this... he opened up a TON! we had an excellent lesson with him and he commited to baptism, prayer, and yesterday night when we went back he commited to read the book of mormon! but all by himself! we didnt even challenge him to do it, he just said while we were teaching "wow! i need to read this book! i didnt realize it was so important" then promised us that he would read it without us even asking! that was cool.

Its been interesting this whole week to see all of the bad things that happen to people, but how they choose to take it. some choose to get mad and depressed or shutoff... and some people take the iniciative and try to get out of it and get over it. and the greatest blessing that we have is the Gospel! it shows us how to make it through everything, to carry every burden, to conquer every trial. it is truly everything we need. Christ has been through it all, if we CHOOSE to let him help us. he gives us what we need to make it through. that has been beautiful to see. God isnt ashamed when,in our trials, we look to him. thats what he wants! obviosuly that he wants us to look to him always, but theres no better opportunity for us to start than when we feel bad! how merciful is our Father in Heaven.

We also did a sweet activity this saturday in a little farmers market shpeel that they do in a plaza close to our house. we were inviting people to english classes and we had a big bowl of candy that they could win candy if they answered bible questions! we talked to LOTS of people! hopefull next week it can be even beter! i want to do it every saturday! we will talk to LOTS of people :) i know that the Lord is preparing people. i have seen it SO many times. we just need to be watching for them, and praying for the Lords help to be able to find them! Everyone should be doing this! i invite all of you to pray, EVERY DAY for missionary experiences! then just let the Lord do his work.

This whole rollercoaster week i have found incredible strength. i know that my Redeemer lives. I know that he is strenthening me. i know he is there for everyone. what greater blessing is there on this earth than to know him and follow him? there is none. We can. always, through Him.

Yeah, finally finishing up, this week i met Brother Burton from Virginia... he was visiting Chile with his son! he learned spanish 40 years ago and still remembers it! totes my new goal. want that. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! i have been doing it for 1 year now. i love it. its hard sometimes, but i LOVE it. i feel the Gospel changing ME and changing SO MANY around me. i am just happy! i smile! i feel good! i love it!

Be happy! feel good! love life! choose Christ always! i love you all! be strong!

Elder Gold

God is great‏ (July 28, 2014)

Hello world!

I love you all!

well! this week has been super duper interesting! the challenges of this sector continue to be just so confusing and abnormal to me! but thats ok! i continue to trust the Lord to guide my paths based on my personal worthiness and effort! he has never failed me! and i know he never will! i choose to use the statement that i hated SOOOOO much a little less than two years ago when i had the accident with my knee... "everything happens for a reason" its the way it is. im supposed to learn from this situation. and i am! im learning lots and lots.

This week i am grateful! i have no idea what im doing! but i am grateful for the experiences that i have had that have taught me about life. especially for my mother who taught me constantly about communication and its importance in healthy relationships, and for experiences with friends that have only served to strengthen that knowledge. its at least a base to be able to work through it. i am also grateful that i have learned through many experiences that you cant and shouldnt try to control people, and that its important for them to do their thing. invitations are good, obligations are bad. and if the other person doesnt accept the invitation, all is well. I feel incredibly calm through this whole process, when i start to gt angry, God has given me the ability to swallow it almost imediately. not even my face has time to react to the emotion before its calmed and gone. Im also grateful that God will guide me. if i search for the help it will be there. im certain that the lord has prepared me to be able to handle this path.

All of that being said, faith without works is dead so... i have faith that i will be guided, if anyone has advice on how they have been able to deal with problems, it will be warmly welcomed! I thought that we were good, he had been strugling a bit but i felt that the companionship was good, but now... he wont talk to me unless it is completely necesarry. so planning, comp study, conversation about investigators... is all gone. he is there... but he refuses to talk to me at all unless he has to say a prayer or he has  something necessary. I would understand a bit more if we had fought... but we havent. at all. i literally cant think of why he would be so mad at me all of the sudden... i dont want to be all holy and such but honestly i have searched, prayed to know, everything. i cant think of what i did. with other people he is happy and talks, but never to me if its avoidable... and when we are alone... way less. so, i do know that he has a problem with me. but, i dont know what it is or how to fik it.  (mom, you have full permission to edit or delete this paragraph based on your judgement. i tried to be fair and loving and not bash at all, but i would like help with this so... yeah, if it sounds like im saying bad stuff about my comp. you can cut it. that is not my intention in the slightest.)

But yea! im super happy! i love missionary work! i am calmy walking forward with faith in Christ. i have had lots of time to pray and meditate while we walk... and i just want you all to know. God lives. he isnt just a figure. he is there. he affects our lives. he works us and molds us. Christ came to earth! he suffered for our sins! this is real! He knows how to help us through EVERYTHING. this isnt just something to believe in. this is REAL! if we believe it, we must live it, if we live it, we will believe it more. this is TRUE! i wish i could show it to you by my tone of voice and intesity but... i just know. passing belief. passing words. GOD IS! 

well, my comp just finished so i have to finish up right now :) love you all tons and tons! take care!

Elder Gold

Copiapo, Chile

semana 3, cambio 9, año 1‏ (July 21, 2014)

Hey fam! hope that all is well! hope that you are loving life!

This week has been good! we are still just moving forward with the missionary work. trying to find new people always and helping those that we have to move forward.  

I have really been loving the study of the book of mormon and have had some cool experiences with that as well. I finally thought up an organization plan for a study notebok and i have been writing down in one section al of the scriptures that i like and a summary, in another all of the "revelation" moments when i get something aweome out of the scriptures that comes from the spirit not the words, and the main section where i write down things i have learned and basically everything else! it took a whole 11 months to figure this out but hey! it finally came. i like to have it a little more organized as i study, because now i can look back on what i have studied and actually use it. but before it was a lot harder to look for stuff. 

another experience i have had this week with the Book of Mormon was when i was reading in alma... that part when its basically all just wars and battles and stuff and there was this part that talked about how the wickedness of the nefite people brought upon them the curse of the war, and that if they would have been more faithful to the commandments of the Lord the lamanites wouldnt have even made it across the borders. and i was reading and thinking and i just felt pain for these people, that like us dont always understand the commandments that they have been given, and then they have to suffer the consequences when they break them. that if they would have just had a little more faith, and us as well, then they wouldnt have had so many trials. it would have been a trial that was easily vnquished and then over. but thats the way the world works. thats why we have to work hard every single day to get closer to god and to try and do what he wants. thats when he is able to bless us and protect us in ways that dont seem totally possible to human eyes, like defending the borders of the nefite lands from the nearly endless troops of the lamanites. just by obedience. 

this week i am tlaking about study a lot because we have been going through some interesting times with my comp, so keep him in your prayers. but i was reading again in Jesus the Christ... that book is just awesome. i want to talk about a few specific parts but im almost sure that if i do i will just want to say everything and then i wont even make sense haha. but i loved the part that talked about how Jesus talked about authority... because he had that authority, he didnt say "i have athority listen to my words" he just said it the way it was. with power. so im gonna try and apply that a little more. be more firm in the way that i know it is and let other people see that its the truth. just because im sure.

The church is true! the spirit is great! i love the mission! thank you so much for everything!

Have a great week!

Elder Gold 

STILL getting used to things‏ (July 14, 2014)

Man! this sector has been an interesting challenge! so much not what i was expecting or am used to. The missionaries here were just so ready to chill and eat and not do any work, and that is like the norm here, everyone is just content to chill and be happy. so... we are trying to get some new stuff happening, but people dont like it when you rock the boat... so... i may have some people who dont like me very much... but we have to work harder than we have, and we have to follow the rules. women do not like to be told that we cant come in the house unless there is a man with us. so yeah, new challenges. but its been good, lots of learning and growing. i wish i could say i was perfect but... still no. darn! people just dont see us as missionaries who are coming to invite them to come unto christ, they see us as awesome guys who they like to have around.

Anyways! good week! we found a few new people! hopefully we can amplify that and keep the momentum. We had an opportunity to clean up dog poop this wednesday in a really really really poor sector of our area. It is incredible to see how little these people live on, and at the same time, how content they are with it. its just like they get accustomed to living with nothing and they lose their drive to do better. they do the bare minimum and nothing more. just enough to survive. its sad really... we have been thinking about how we could help some of these people. obviously we cant just give them things, like money or houses, because that doesnt help them, what these people need is help changing who they are... learn to work, to take instruction, to contribute. The good thing is that we have the Gospel with us, that is here to help us in every aspect of our lives... moses 1:39. Thats what God is for. he wants us to progress. he wants us to gain eternal life.

We had interviews with the President this week as well. that was good, we did a bunch of practices on how to teach about the book of mrmon and use it help people to gain their own testimony about the church. it was good! i enjoyed it! The interviews also opened up a new door for us to be able to help each other out as a companionship and try to become stronger individually and as missionaries, my comp woke up the next morning just really... bugged and i knew he had been bugged so i was praying to know how to help him and i just felt impressed to give him attention without pressuring him and i was asking about his family and stuff and then he just opened up, and we talked about everything, how he was feling and we made a couple plans about how to help him out and what i could do to make his life a little easier... i was glad he communicated it with me, it was kind of an interesting chat at first and i just had to listen through a lot of things and not react but at the end it was really good.

WE had a sweet activity this week as well! in a little town outside of the city by like 10 minutes another ward had a talent show thing outside and they invited all the missionaries and our job was to g out before it started and just invite EVERYONE and then once it started show people around the little stands they had made about the auxillary... i dont know how its called in english but like young mens and womens and releif society... and then talk to them about the church a little bit. it was fun! it was cool to just stop caring and talk to EVERYONE, i feel like i have developed that ablity, i can start a conversation with ust about anyone who is willing to talk to me. and at the end i was able to give away 3 copies of the book of mormon and get a bunch of adresses... and get rejected a lot but thats ok! but it was a great experience! we want to try and have one down here soon :)

So super scattered email i feel like... sorry about that. i think im still just trying to find my system kinda... im just feling a little out of the zone... but its part of the process, i just need to keep working :) 

I still love the work! i still love all of you! thank you so much for everything! the church is true!

Elder Gold

also... not to be tunky but you were talking about dates and all so i figured out what day i will get home... the 15 of july maybe the 16

Copiapo

Wow! its been a fun week! as always it just FLEW by like lightning! Almost all day tuesday we spent cleaning... that pension was AWFUL, i honestly doubt that it had been cleened in 6 months... my comp cleaned the bathroom and i cleaned the kitchen... i dont know who got it worse... there were things in the sink that had been molding forever, and everything had a lay of bad water minerals and stuff on it... i washed dishes for like 3 hours straight. But, now its like a million times better, when i showed up i thought that this was one of the worst pensions in the mission, but know its a lot better... i dont know how much detail to go into but we did lots, I replaced the shower head, a few light switches and wall sockets, and we only had 2 funcioning lightbulbs when i showed up. Now everything works. which is good. it only needs to be painted (which we probable wont do because of time), and we have to do something about the toilet... its... bad. oh, and the door... as you can see in the pictures i sent... so yep, that took a good 8 hours of work at least. but it was fun. we are now able to exist in the house and funcion well. who woulda thunk that i would care about dirty things... the mission does things to you. 

Also, i am following after an Elder who wasnt all that excited about some of the rules here... so its been a little bit of an experience to have to tell people that they just let us know that we cant do this that or the other... being the bad guy is not my favorite part, but i know its for the best, so onward with faith we go... sometimes i still fail, but im trying. Its like a purging process. but im glad my Companion is Willing to follow me, at least he isnt fighting the obedience... he doesnt exactly try to take the lead in proomoting it... but if i make the choice he wont fight it. so we are gonna keep working on that! always fighting to be a little better. 

Elder Jimenez! (heem én es) is from Santa Cruz Bolivia! again! the same place as Elder Estrada, but we are having a good time together. he is a fairly quite guy when he wants to be... but hes got his jokster side as well. he always makes fun of me hahaha, but in a good way. i think we will get along well. im glad he wants to be obedient. 

The ward is AMAZING here... we have more than double the amount of members as an average... its gonna be great! lots of people who are willing and eager to share the gospel! now we just need to be worthy and dilligently searching for the spirit and help them to know how to do it and we will just have MOUNTAINS of sucess here. party! we really do have a great ward! my first week in Vallenar i met EVERY person in the building and was able to remember all of their names... here.... yeah right. floods of names and info, we are both kindof trying to get to know the sector, Elder Jimenez was only here for 6 weeks before i got here so there are lots of people that he doesnt know either. also, this is the first ward i have been in where the other sector is with Sister missionaries. more adventures! 

I still just LOVE to feel the spirit directing me. We had an appointment with a family that hasnt gone to church in like 3 years because they had a problem, so we got to go visit them and they started off with the whole speech about how they were never going to come back and what happened and everything. i was really trying to search for guidance as we continued talking about other stuff, i was sure they had already heard a lot about why they needed to go to church and stuff and i felt impressed to talk about the book of the mormon, right as we were about to start, the dad, who didnt want to participate came down and said that he had to go buy some stuff so we tlaked for like 2minutes and then i asked him if he would stay and talk for just 15 minutes. and he DID! all of the members and said that he was the key so i really wanted to get him to participate, so we talked about the book of mormon, not at all about the church, and challenged them to read it daily! and they said yes! hopefull they do it! I feel like if they start rreading the book of mormon either the time will come when we feel to invite them, or they will just go to church by themselves. it was just a good lesson. i dont know how to explain it.

sometimes i feel like im just rambling with my stories but i really am just excited to be here. i feel happy. there are always problems but there are so many golden moments and good things to think about. so much good in this world! i love it! 

There are people who are prepared to listen to the gospel. and we can find them. The gospel is true, and i love my Savior. I need His guidance. i feel His presence. im so grateful! 

Im glad that the fourth of july was good for you guys! i didnt even realize that it was the fourth of july until we had a meeting and some of the other missionaries wee talking about it... man. i guess its better that way. because i love the fourth of july. but i shouldnt really care about it right now, better to be focused!

I love you! Thank you for everything!

Elder Gold 

Cambios!

Well! we got the call! i am now in Copiapo! its about 2 hours north of vallenar. I was sad to leave... but thats the mission! it was a great experience! i learned so much and i feel like i left on a good note, so maybe its for the best!

We had a good week! remember that story we were gonna wait on... well i will finally tell it! so like 2 weeks ago ish we were trying to contact this lady who we had talked to before and told us when to come by but whe had never been able to catch her at home... for the past 6 weeks... she lives in the far end of the sector so we didnt go more than once a week, but we went over to her house and tried to talk to her and her nany came down to answer the door... she was a younger girl... who didnt have very covering clothes on... so we kindof just asked her where her boss was and just left because i didnt want to talk to her... girls are scary now... so we started walking away and  i just had this pang and a thought that i had denied the opportunity to learn about the gospel to someone based only on how they looked... i felt bad and as we reached the end of the street i looked back and she was still just sitting in the door, not looking at us but the door was still open. i mentioned my feelings to my comp as we continued walking and we went to contact another person who lived somewhat close... then we were talking about it... and we decided that we had to go back. so we went andknocked on the door and i told her straight up, sorry for interrupting again but we felt like we should come back and talk to her. she was super happy! she said that she had met with missionaries a few times in bolivia but she came to chile to find work, she loved to hear what they talked about and said it made her feel really close to God. Wow! so we obviously couldnt go into the house... becaus it wasnt hers and because she was alone.. so we tlaked outside a little about the plan of salvation and and the book of mormon and then gave her a copy and left... we called a few days later and she was reading and loving it... she went to church that sunday... and this week we had a lesson with her and her boss. it was awesome! she is another one of those people that has been prepared!

We also had an incredible lesson on the intercambio i did with Elder Peaua. One of the hermanas in the ward has a neice that is going through some hard times and we had this sweet lesson with her, when we were preparing we didnt know them very well so we planned something and then we were unsure so we decided to pray about it... after the prayer we felt that we needed to change it completely so we chnaged it all... and when we got to the lesson... it was perfect, that was EXACTLY what she needed to hear we talked about Christ and his importance and what he wants for us. it was incredible, super strong spirit there. We were also able to find this lady who has been studying and reading a lot and she is starting to doubt the existence of Christ as the Son of God... Immediately i whipped out the book of mormon... we read a couple passages in there and then talked about it, that really helped me realize how important that book is to people who dont have a strong relationship with Christ, its not very often that you find people who dont believe but are willing to listen, the book of mormon is POWERFUL in that aspect. it was a good lesson. 

Then this saturday we had Rosas baptism... thinking about that as well, it was kindof cool, when we were teaching her we had challenged her to baptism  twice but  she always said "when i feel the call i will" and we were talking about it in comp study and we decided to just explain to here about the whole concept of a goal and that she would be prepared by that date if she kept reading praying and going to church. so thats what we did! and she accepted! and she was 2 weeks before her baptism in a class in church when she annaounced, i WILL be getting baptized in 2 weeks! im SURE this is true... sweet! so she got baptized, it was amazing. i love her. she asked me to be the one to baptize her... so i was privelaged to be able to do that, she has really changed so much, its just a really different feeling in there. its the spirit... but its just... so sweet. like joyous. i dont know, but it went well. She will do great things!

Then! drumroll! we were trying to reach our cambio goals and have 70 people in church which would have been the highest in my time(how many go inour home ward? like 200?).... and when the meeting started we were at like 20 people... and then before the sacrament we were at like 40... and then after the sacrament there is always a big wave of people coming in late... so i was waiting for it hoping for all these people... and none of the came... 41 people in church, the lowest it has ever been. WOW! well, that ok. our average has gone up by like 10 so that was just a bad week.

Then we went on alesson rampage to try and talk to as many people as possible on sunday so i could say bye to them but also share messages... it was fun! we had like 5 lessons that day and talked to lots of people... that branch is so awesome and i know they are gonna keep progressing.

I was sad to leave but Elder Turman is ready and it probably for the best, Im now with Elder Jimenez! we will send more pictures and talk about it a little more next week! Also! while i was just writing that... we got a call from an hermana hear who just gave us a reference! cool! this should be a sweet place! Blessings!

Thank you so much for everything! i hope you are all very happy!

Loving the mission! its so fun!

Take care!

Elder Gold

 

 

Miracle Sunday (June 23, 2014)

Hello fam! so we had a pretty interesting week! we started the week pretty good, just normal days, lessons. then wednesday came around... mundial... or world cup. against spain! Spain is last times champion and Chile was playing at 2 on wednesday... which meant they would be ending like at 4 and we would leave the apartment and just have a normal day! wow! that was not how it worked out for us! the game started at 3.. so we got outside.... NOBODY was outside. it was empty... and silent... except for when the whole city would do these tiny anxious screams in unison... then... everything erupted... horns and screaming and madness! wow! chile had beaten spain (last times champ) 2 - 0 and knocked them out of the cup! wow! then the streets were just crazy for the next HOUR! literally. massive traffic jams. people driving and honking and screaming and more horns (which are incredibly loud here... built especially for this) just SO much celebration. wow. luckily we had a few appointments planned for that night so we ended up alright. had some good stuff... i will try and send a few videos of that. 

Then we had an intercambio with Elder Ercanbrack, he is a stud. i think we would be friends back at home. we get a long really well... but we talked to A LOT of people that day... not to many things that worked out but we spent all day talking. then we found them an apartment! its soooo nice! hopefully they will be moving out this week.

On saturday in the morning we had a sweet service activity wehre we had to go in and rip out a couple of trees in this school playground place, it was fun! but i didnt have gloves and my hands sortof got eaten... but thats ok! totes worth it, sometimes its awesome to just go really hard and just work until im beat. but after i kindof paid for it! so tired! also...Rosa got her baptismal interview and passed ith FLYING colors, then i also had to give my first baptismal interview! that was fun! i was a bit nervous but i studied lots and lots and it really was  great experience. He was also ¡very ready to be baptized. he has made LOTS of changes in his life.

Then on sunday... after just an interesting week... not too full of obvious sucess... we got RAINED on by blessings. So... Cecilia... who we thought we had lost but before had seemed really really prepared just showed up to church! YAY!!!!! then while we were there she was just super super awesome and she asked us to come over at 6 that same night. PERFECT! We had also invited this other bolivian that we had met to come... and our colombian apartment security guard. they both came as well! both Fabian and Elias came. just movin along, and Rosa of course was there and they announced her baptism for this weekend. and Ibar... who is still coming.. in total 7 investiagators! wow! it was awesome, and the 2 ones who had never come before just loved the church! it was awesome. we have more appointments for throughout the week. that night we went to visit Fredy... who is still just doing great! and then later on to visit Cecilia nad her husband... we went with one of their friends... who is the district president... and it was just incredible. they are so ready... i expect to hear about there baptism in another few weeks. then a great spiritual lesson with a part member family. 

Today! we got to watch the game! Chile vs. Netherlands... whew!it was fun! chile was controlling the whole game but the netherlands still came in with the 2 goals... they just had an impenetrable defense... it was impressive. but thats ok! chile is still passing on to the next round!

This is the last week of Elder Turmans training! soooo fast! tooo fast! i will almost certainly be leaving this sector this week... they will let us know on satuday.... i want to stay! a lot! i want one more here! i have LOVED this sector! so far my favorite... man... but, i guess that is part of the mission. Transfers. I LOVE THE MISSION!  these last few weeks i have truly just been falling in love with it. i am loving every second and im so grateful for it. learning and growing so much... and just feeling the spirit ALLLL the time. it is just sooo sweet.... im so glad i get to have this experience.

I love you guys a lot! you are in my prayers always! 

Have a great week!

Elder Gold

 

(Mom Note:  This must be the artistic side of Henry... 

taking pictures of textures... textiles... or something)