December 28, 2015

Hello Friends and Family,

So, Christmas here in Tuman was great. We did a bunch of fun things. My favorite memory was Christmas Eve. I bought a lot of empanadas to give out to the homeless. We gave some out but I had a few left so we decided to go the Jarrin, a town outside of Tuman. In Jarrin, we have been teaching a sweet older lady that is super poor. She lives in this tiny little shack and supports her family off the milk she gets from her cow. We walked in her one room house and gave her the rest of the empanadas. She started to cry and couldn't express how grateful she was. Through her tears, she said she only had enough money to buy a couple of empanadas and it wasn't enough to feed her family. With the bag of empanadas we brought, she could feed her entire family. This experience strengthened my testimony that we are literally instruments in the Lord's hands when we listen and act on what the spirit tells us to do. I was so grateful for this experience and will remember it for as long as I live. Today, I got called saying I have a change and I'm going to the zone Dorado, area via hermosa. Everyone just gives me a pat on the back and says good luck when I tell them I'm going to via hermosa. Don't really know what to take from it but I will find out tomorrow. My companion is from Bolivia. His name is Elder Quisbert. Saying goodbye to my pensionista and her family was so hard. I really grew to love them. It feels like I'm leaving my family all over again. They are so humble and had so much patience with me. I will miss them. I know change is hard, but this gospel is all about change. I know the Lord has a plan for me in this new area.                      

                                                                                                                                           

Love, Elder Goold

December 14, 2015

Hello Friends and Family,

This week was so much fun. All the zones got to go to Chiclayo for Christmas. We ate lunch together, which was really good. We performed our skits that we have been practicing. All the zones skits were really funny and it was so cool to see everyone's personality. It was really nice to relax and enjoy Christmas. We talked and watched an animated Santa movie. We also had stake conference this week in Pomalca on Saturday and Sunday. Hermana and Presidente Williams both talked. They both did an amazing job. We also listened to an Area of the Seventy speak. He was really funny and his talk was based on hope, and sharing our light with others. It was really inspirational. Also this week we have been teaching a young girl named Joslyn. Her mother is a recent convert to the church. We have been a little skeptical in teaching her because our rules in this mission for baptizing someone younger than 18 is really hard. To make a long story short, we got special permission from the president to teach and baptize her. Yesterday, she asked me if I would baptize her. I know she is only 12 years old but still the spirit hit me so strong. The feeling is like nothing I have felt before. I couldn't even answer her question because I was so shocked and happy. She will be baptized the 26 of December. I know that God answers our prayers, and I'm so fortunate to be able to see the fruits of our labor.      

Love, Elder Goold  

December 7, 2015

Hello Friends and Family,

So Sunday, we went to Pomalca to watch the Christmas devotional. It was really good. I can’t believe I had never seen a Christmas devotional before the mission.  (He has he just doesn't remember :) ) It was really inspirational. On the way home we got a ride home with a drunken taxi driver. We didn't realize that he was drunk when we got in. It was a very sketchy ride but on the bright side he was a happy drunk and didn't charge us. Christmas miracles come in all forms haha! We also had a zone meeting this week. I always leave the zone meetings energized and ready to work hard. This week we get to go to Chiclayo to perform our Christmas skits, and I can't wait.

             One thing I absolutely love on this mission is being able to teach people how to pray to their Heavenly Father. The spirit is always so strong when people offer their first prayer. They are always so simple and sincere. Often it is the first time they have felt the spirit. Also this week I have tried to ask inspired questions. They help to truly understand your investigators needs and its also how Jesus Christ taught con preguntas inspiradas. I hope you all enjoy this special time of year as you search for the true meaning of Christmas.      

Love, Elder Goold

The Pomalca Zone

Dallin's Zone Leader Roasting Guinea Pig which is considered a delicacy

November 30, 2015

So, this week was awesome! We have a fecha for baptism on the 19 of December but in the excitement of the moment my companion and I realized that Eduardo is not married with his wife. So that date will fall through. Eduardo really wants to be baptized; it’s just a matter of when he can get married legally to his wife. We are also teaching a man named Victor. He wasn't interested in our message at first but than I realized how much he likes guns. So, my Spanish gun vocabulary has gotten suddenly pretty good over this past week, haha. He has shown me all of his guns, even the guns he made himself. Scary, I know, but he was definitely impressed with my gun knowledge. He is awesome! We are just waiting for his answer to see if the Libro de Mormon is true. I also had lots of chances to serve this week. Cutting wood, building houses and even helping a paralyzed man take a bath and go to the bathroom. Let me tell you, that was an experience I will never forget! Peruvians are definitely shocked that white Americans can work hard. I'm so grateful for you mom and dad for teaching me how to work hard. This skill I have developed at home of working hard has helped me to bring more people to Christ. My companion was sick one day, so we didn't get much done that day. Also the Peruvian food has been working me up some magic! I found myself running all week at top speed through the Peruvian streets to get back to the porta-pot toilet behind our room in time. I had to buy a case of TP on p-day. (see attached pic) Never thought I would be sooo grateful for TP. My poor companion has definitely been getting his work outs in this week as we run at top speed to and from the porta-pot. haha. Gotta love this work. What else can I say?

Elder Goold 

November 23, 2015

Hello Friends and Family,

So this week we have been teaching Lucy and Jorge. They live in separate homes but they both are in wheelchairs. They have both been prepared from the Lord to listen to us. They listen with true intention to understand what we are saying. They both are a little timid to make the big commitments like baptism. We serve them often through out the week because they can't do a lot of things on their own. I hope with all my heart that they will listen to the spirit and commit to be baptized this week. Speaking about baptism, we were informed Sunday morning that we have a talk in sacrament. I spoke on baptism because frankly that is the only thing I can talk about for 10 min without having time to prepare. I have learned that Heavenly Father doesn't ask much of us. If we just do the little things and perseverar hasta al fin, we can have eternal life segundo nefi. I would like you all to keep doing the little things and never forget a servir su proximo. 

Hasta luego,

Elder Goold

November 16, 2015

Hello Friends and Family,

This week we had interviews with the mission president and his wife. It was really fun to get to know them on a personal level. Well, I have another change in Tuman, six more weeks. It’s funny because all the other missionaries from my group have left to other areas and I'm the only one that has stayed in this area. Today for p-day we went running because frankly their is nothing else we can do. It was fun and really hot. I need to run a lot more because I'm getting really fat from all this rice. Romario and Gustavo haven't been keeping their compromisos. We have been working with them really hard but if they don't progress this week we might have to dejarles. That will be really sad because we have come to really care for those guys. On the bright side, we have found some really good new investigators. One of our new investigators is named Lucy. She has had many things that have happened to her recently that has prepared her to meet us. In her words, I feel like God has sent you two jovenes to me for a reason. ¨ I know the lord prepares people for us to teach and you can tell that they have been waiting to hear from us. It’s a very humbling and amazing experience. Thank you so much for all your prayers. They have definitely been helping us this week to find more investigators.  

Love Elder Goold