Elder Goold Has Arrived!

Dear Parents:

We are thrilled to report that Elder Jackson Rockwell Goold arrived safely in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was picked at the Front Runner Station, visited This Is the Place Monument, came back to the mission office for an interview with President Hillier and brief training. He had lunch with the office staff and all the trainers. He met his new companion and they went to their area this afternoon. Elder Goold will be serving with Elder Steven Barrett Thompson in the Midvale Zone.

You should expect to hear from your missionary on his next Preparation day, which will be Monday, August 1st. Thank you for your prayers and support, and for sharing Elder Goold with us here in the Utah Salt Lake City East Mission.

We would like you to send all packages and letters to our mission office. The address is:

3487 South 1300 East, West Entrance
Salt Lake City, Utah 84106

With love,
President and Sister Hillier

Week 2

Hello everyone! It's me, Elder Goold, back at it again!
 
It's been another crazy week here at the MTC. I can hardly believe that I've been out on my mission for 2 weeks already. There's just about 104 weeks that I'll be serving, and I'm already down to 102. I guess time flies when all you're doing is learning the gospel and figuring out how to serve people better.

I'm amazed at how many spiritual experiences I've had at my short stay here. For example, on Sunday we have a devotional from a speaker. They announced that the MTC Presidency decided that they should show a devotional that Elder Bednar had given in December at the MTC called " The characteristics of Christ." It was a really good talk that better helped me understand how I can have charity for the people that I serve and how better to be an instrument for Heavenly Father. He taught how we don't posses spiritual gifts but how we become them. REEEEEAAAALLLY good stuff. Then at the end of the talk, everyone in the meeting center (the gym, capacity 2,100) stood up and the organ started playing "we thank thee O God for a prophet" and I about died. A man and his wife walked in with his wife and sat on the stage. The conducting member announced that we were blessed to have Elder Bednar to stop by and he was going to do a Q&A session with us.

HOOOOOOOLYLYLYLYLYLYLY FLIP was I excited. I don't have a lot of time to talk about what he said, but what he did say was amazing and absolutely inspired. Just seeing an apostle of Jesus Christ made my testimony grow 10X. I never knew that someone could carry such a spirit with them or that someone could be so strong with knowledge of the scriptures and Jesus Christ. I took a lot of good notes that I will for sure use on my mission, + how cool is it to see an apostle!?!?!?

We had Elder Clarke from the 70 talk to us last night at the Tuesday devotional also. We talked a lot about when he was a mission president and gave a lot of good messages. My favorite is "Diligence beats Intelligence" I really want to be a hard working missionary who devotes myself to the salvation of souls. MAAN am I excited to actually go out into the field haha.

Other than that not much is different from last week other than we've been playing a lot of volleyball haha. I take a train at 6:30 in the morning on Tuesday for 20 minutes to SLC where the mission pres will pick me and the other missionaries up.

Thank you everyone so much who has responded!!! I love seeing all the pictures and hearing all about you're crazy lives haha! I know the church is true, I love everyone!!!!

(P.S. get in contact with my mom if you want to send something to me/have any questions.)

BIG LOVE.
-Elder Goold

Week 1

Hello everyone!!

Thank you everyone for all your wonderful messages!!! My first week has been both the longest, most exhausting week. It has also somehow gone by crazy fast. Every minute of everyday is accounted for and is filled to the brim with classes and devotionals.

 I never thought there could be so much about the gospel that I didn't know. The teachers here are amazing and totally helpful. I've been getting better at teaching and sharing the gospel. This first week has been a lot of how to study and also adjusting to life in the mission field. I feel like I've learned how to teach the restoration and how to not be afraid to invite people to be baptized and how to help investigators make and keep commitments. It have also learned how to invite other people to pray. The power of prayer has really helped me, I feel like I'm praying pretty much 24/7. 

I'm adjusting to life out here pretty well. In terms of living conditions, it's pretty much an EFY on steroids and its completely oriented on sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. The food is catered by the BYU staff and has been so far pretty good. One night we had Papa Johns and I about died I was so happy haha. Also we had chick-fil-a one night, that was pretty good.

Exercising everyday has been kicking my butt and making me sore, but it's good for me. We went to the temple today in the Provo Temple, what an amazing experience. You can really feel the Holy Ghost strongly as well as the love from Heavenly Father. 

My companion is Elder Bates, he is from Washington. I'll be attaching pictures later because the computers in the Laundry don't work very well. He is really good about reading his scriptures and he shares them really well during lessons. He's kinda quiet, but he also can joke with me. My district is working pretty well and I think I'm learning a lot. I've gotten semi comfortable so I started joking a lot, maybe that's a good thing, maybe its not.

I hope that everyone doesn't cry too much in my absence. If you ever need a good joke, just look in the mirror. (kidding?) 

Love you all!!!!!

-Elder Goold

First Night at the MTC

I've made it into the MTC! They quickly let us use the computers. I'M DOING WELL AND I'M GOING TO BE DOING GREAT. No crying yet ,but who knows. Been in class all day. My p-day is Wednesday. BYE!!!

Big love.
-Elder Goold