Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Elder Goss---W-25 (Feb 25, 2020)

This past week has been really exciting! It feels like each day is a whole week. It is strange to think that I've only been with Elder Larrabee for a week now. It feels like so much longer! He's pretty fun, and he really enjoys games, so we've been having a blast together. We have also been having some great Spanish studies. We both are working hard to learn español, and we are doing a great job. 

We have a LOT more people here than in Linda Vista. Guess what? We took Freddy and Isabella to the Mormon Battalion, and that was a blast! They and their children really liked it. We are teaching several more people, and if you could pray for Gerando, that would be great. He's interested in being baptized, but his grandmother refuses, until his mother (who doesn't live here) gives her approval. So we are going to be giving his mom a call, and hopefully God will soften her heart. 

Spiritual thought: have a soft heart. Don't resist the lessons God is trying to teach you. They are for your benefit. God's number 1 goal is your happiness. Don't deny yourselves that. Be humble, be willing to change, and be positive. 

I love you guys. Thanks for all your love. It is much needed. :)

See you soon!
Elder Goss

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Sister Goss---W27: 6 Months and Bye Riverside! 💔 (Feb 24, 2020)

Hi everyone!! I hope your week went well! :)) My week has been incredible and I'm super sad to write this email at the same time haha! :) I've seen so many miracles and sometimes life is too good to move on from.

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time with packing and moving, so it will be a short email. But yes! This past Friday I hit 6 months out!!! YAAAAYYY!!! Honestly I remember starting my mission and thinking of myself in 6 months like "wow- that's so far away and I'll be such a good missionary then." Hahahaha nope. Not even close. :) I feel nowhere qualified to have been out for 6 months already. I still consider myself a new missionary but I can't claim that anymore! Yikes!!! The good news is that God is the one in control and I am just an instrument in His hands. With my faith and willingness, He can accomplish great things. It's not me at all.

And yes, I am leaving Riverside. I'm actually very heartbroken about it, but at the same time, I know it's time to leave. I've grown super close with the members, missionaries, and friends. And Riverside itself! I can't wait to come back already! ;) This is a hard goodbye. That's for sure.

Sooooooooo where am I going, you ask? Well, let me tell you the story. There are 14 new missionaries coming in and only 2 leaving, so that means 6-7 new areas will be made. Bike areas. I was pretty confident that I was going to be doubled into a new area on bike despite the other predictions that were made. Transfer Saturday morning, at 6:54am, I hear a phone vibrating and couldn't see who the caller was. The only person that calls that early on transfer Saturday is President Hammon giving a leadership call, however. With shaky fingers, (AGAIN), I answer. He says (AGAIN) "Sister Goss, I'd like to change your life a little bit. Will you accept the assignment of Sister Training Leader?" Whaaaaaat? That threw me for a loop!!! I did NOT expect that, even though some others did. I'm super nervous and feel rather inadequate (seeing I've only been out 4 transfers), but I'm excited. I'm going to Lake Elsinore to serve as an STL!! AHHHHH!

A ton happened this week but here are a few highlights! Hermana Longshore and Hermana Thompson were able to baptize Reuben and guess who came down for the baptism! Hermana Weston and Schmutz!!! I was SO HAPPY to see them!!! I cried so much haha!! And Reuben proposed to his girlfriend right after the baptism! It was so good. :)))

And then miracle Saturday morning!! We went with Lynn to the temple!! :D Woooooo!!! I realized I haven't been able to do baptisms for the dead for almost a year now and it was such a relief to be able to go and do them again. As I was sitting next to Lynn in the temple, I was overcome with emotions realizing that she was baptized herself not too long ago. How amazing is that. I'm so proud of her.

So that's the update! My heart is both hurting and excited; MAN missionary life is crazy!!!! I trust the Lord 100% and know that through Him, all things are possible. I love you all so much and have the best week ever!!

Love, Sister Mary Goss 


Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Elder Goss---W-24 TRANSFERS!!! (Feb 18, 2020)

Wow wow wow. Woooooow. This is weird. Today is transfers! I have a new companion! And a new area! And a new mode transportation! IT'S CRAZY!!! My new companion is Elder Larrabee, from Drapper, Utah. He came to the field the same time as me, so we're going to have to be crankin' some Spanish. Goodbye Elder Smith! I am going to miss him. And good-bye Linda Vista, and hello Bonita! My new area is just below my last one. Seems slightly more ghetto. But everyone I've talked to says that they loved this area. So I'm excited! And then there's the bikes; no more car. Now, I'm traveling in traditional missionary-style! Apparently, though, "my" bike has some brake issues, so (*nervous chuckle*), we'll see how this works out. 

I am going to miss a lot of branch members. Oh! Also, I gave a talk in the Mid-Single Adult ward last Sunday. It went really well. It was about Ministering. It was really weird, because I was trembling pretty badly basically the whole time, and yet I wasn't nervous at all. I'll share a few insights with you all:

My talk was focused on a General Conference talk by Sister Bonnie H. Cordon "Becoming a Shepherd" (2018 October). I'd encourage anyone willing to read it to do so, because it is very insightful. Sister Cordon makes a valuable point of saying that to perfectly minister, you need to be a perfect friend. Laugh with them. Cry with them. Sacrifice for them. As Missionaries, we are called to minister to everyone in our areas. The other day, I heard someone put it this way: "isn't it sad, that we have to be assigned to love eachother? John, you love Bob. Sam, you love Ralph. We're supposed to love everyone, but because we are human we need a little help. And we even fail at that." This is perhaps a little harsh, but I find it kinda true. We can do better. We can love better. So let's do better. 

I love you all! See you soon. 

Elder Goss

P.s. I keep forgetting to send pictures, so I'm sorry. Here are some (and sorry if they are out of order) :

1. Myself and Elder Larrabee 
2-5. Zone 1 (my previous zone) at the beach
6. Elder Larrabee and a package
 





 

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Sister Goss---W26: First church tour (Feb 17, 2020)

Happy President's Day everyone!! :) And Valentine's Day!

I don't have tons to talk about this week so it will be a shorter email than usual. Yay for saving you time! ;) Haha just kidding. 

This week we had zone conference! FINALLY! It's been a long time! Zone conference was super good--it was in Corona so I got to leave Riverside for a little bit! Woooo! Four zones attended this conference: Ontario, Corona, Jurupa, and Riverside. One of the mission presidency members wasn't able to come and give his training at the end, so President Hammon got up and said "sometimes it's really nice to have people not come so I can call on some of YOU to come up!" He then said, "I would like the following three missionaries to come up and share what they are doing with their Restoration study in preparation for general conference. Hermana Butikofer, Elder Rodriguez, and Sister Goss, will you come up?" Haha of course. This is the second time he's called me up in zone conference! Uh oh. But, you know... Extra blessings I guess. ;) 

There's a young adult named Alex who contacted the bishop in this area asking if he can learn more about the Church. The bishop forwarded that information to us and we met a few days ago at the church building! Our ward mission leader also came and we gave our first building tour! He was very interested because his girlfriend is a member and he said he didn't think learning about the Church through the internet is the best way (he's right!!). But he wanted to know why families in the church are so devout and why his girlfriend believed what she did! He is super cool and said he would read the Book of Mormon. I'm so excited for him! 

Lastly we attended mission prep for the young single adults yesterday! It was super weird being on the other side of mission prep - not being the future missionary, but rather THE missionary. I loved being able to share some thoughts and insights with the prospective missionaries and it really took me back to the mission prep classes I took haha! I love being able to share experiences and thoughts about missionaries and missionary work in general. :)

So that's about it for this week! It's been a really good week. :) And here's a sneak peak for next week's email: hit 6 months, transfers, and temple. BIG STUFF coming up!! Stay tuned and love you all!!!

Love,
Sister Mary Goss

1) Minerva from Valencia! She loves us so much
2) Connie (she's 103!) and Anai from Valencia. Love themmmm
3) Mary from Valencia. Hands down the sassiest woman I know (same name, same sass?) ;) 
4) Valentine's Day donuts! 
5) Riverside lights behind us <3
6) Mission Inn today!
7) Mission Inn again
 






 

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Elder Goss---W-23 (Feb 11, 2020)

Hi everybody! How are you all? I'm doing great. Transfers are in a week, so the next time you hear from me, I could be in a new area, or with a new companion! Or both! (or neither...). Gosh, it is wierd to think that I might say goodbye to Linda Vista (my current area). The lifestyle in Linda Vista is pretty high, so knowing how the universe works I'll likely be transferred to City Heights (the rough and rough of San Diego). 

The work went slow this week. Again. But there is a family who are members, but are having a hard time going to church. They speak English, but want to attend the Spanish branch. So (*cross fingers*) hope they'll come. 

Well, God loves you. So much. And he wants to tell you this: you are living beneath your blessings. You could have so much more, actually find happiness, if you ditch your own passions and appetites and put off that natural man.  All of us, no matter where we are along the path, can receive more. "But what do I have to do?" Only God can tell you that. Do you feel that God doesn't talk to you? Do you feel the spirit in your life? If the answer is "no" the first thing you need to do is to gain the Spirit. You cannot feel happy without the Spirit. You'll never be happy without the Spirit. So that's your first priority in life. Gain the Spirit. You are here to have joy, and you can't without the Spirit. 

Love you all! See you later!

Elder Goss

Sister Goss---W25: Edgar, Aladdin, and papoosas!! (Feb. 10, 2020)

Good morning everyone! Happy pday! Well, for those of you who are missionaries. Happy Monday for the rest of ya'll. ;)

Quick shout out to the BEST parents in the whole world!! Happy 21st Anniversary this week!! 😄❤️ I sure do miss them a lot.

Michelle was an employee at Soles 4 Souls for a long time and became super close with the missionaries. She stopped working there recently, but still stops by every now and then to buy us treats. Well Sister Gugelman and I made her cookies to give as a thank you and visited her in her home! She is in our area! :D The other missionaries were so excited to hear that we get to visit her. She asked us not to talk about religion, but I hope she will continue to warm up and be willing to give it a chance in the future. She's awesome. :) 

We found this really cool dude last week named Edgar. He speaks Spanish but prefers to read/speak in English. We taught him a little bit about the gospel of Jesus Christ outside his apartment while he was working on his car and gave him a pamphlet. He was very open and said we could come back, so we did this Wednesday. Not only did he read the pamphlet, but he said "didn't it talk about three things? Baptismos, fe, y repent?" woohooo yeah Edgar!! He read AND he remembered! We expounded on what those things meant, shared with him the message of the Restoration, and invited him to read the Book of Mormon. He said, "yes I will read this. Next time I will teach YOU from this book to show you I read it." Haha yes please! ;) I'm so excited to keep meeting with him. He's very open minded and kind. 

Do you want to know what one of my favorite things to do as a missionary is? Answer questions!! I LOVE it when people ask questions!! And then after giving a little answer (with a source, of course), I then refer them to another source where they can find their own answer. Having questions answered is so much more powerful when you put the work in! (Rather than someone simply telling you). So seriously--if you have any questions, please ask me!! I'd be so thrilled to answer. :) 

We knocked on one door and could see that their TV was on. I've never been more trunky than when I saw it was the live-action Aladdin and about died. Not only was it Aladdin, but it was the jam scene!! The funniest scene!! Ahhh it was so hard to just get a little taste and then be reminded I can't watch it for another 13 months. Ugh. So hard. I love that movie. ;) 

On Saturday we had exchanges! I went with Hermana Thompson to Spanish land again. I love being able to hear them speak and teach in Spanish. It's such a treat. We had a dinner with a member and asked if we could have papoosas (fried tortilla and meat thing). She said yes and surprised us when we got there saying we were going to make our own! Haha so we attempted to fry our own papoosas in her little tiny Latina kitchen and it was so fun. They ended up tasting great, so yay! :)

This week was super great and I hope y'all had a good week too! Miss you so so much! Love you lots!

Love, Sister Mary Goss

Massive Mailbox!
 
 


Another fire in CA. This time near the church building!


Making papoosas

aaaaand eating the papoosas :))

Picking oranges service

Hermana Longshore and me with my handy-dandy tool

Zone activity this morning!! Kickball is the best ;)

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Elder Goss---W-22 Yo vivo en una fiesta de Español (Feb 4, 2020)

Good morning everyone! Buenos dias! Estoy muy emocionado de escribirles a todos esta semana. Español es divertido de aprender, especiamente en DuoLingo! (But somehow my little sister has more XP than me, the stinker). 

If any of you need help reading that, good luck. It sounds broken, even to myself. But, you know what they say. "When you learn a language, you'll make 30,000 mistakes. It's your choice how soon you make them." Speaking isn't as hard as listening. Some people talk very softly and very fast. No comprendo. I mean, speaking is hard too, ESPECIALLY in Past tense. Because there are 4 different ways to say "I was." And all except one are irregular from their infinitive (estar or ser). Yeah yeah, now I'm boring you all. I'm boring myself. 

This week we had exchanges! It was great! I got to go to Elder Wentworth's area, and we had a blast (well, I had a blast. I think he was at least content). We were able to help someone move, which was a blessing for them and for us. 

This week has been a little rough for my companion. There are some rough stuff going on back in Elder Smith's home, and it's really getting to him. If any of you are willing, it would be great if you could keep him in your prayers. I appreciate all that you already do. 

And read your scriptures! Scriptures are amazing! I've met some people here who don't study their scriptures, and I can really see a difference in their lives. Their happier. They have more energy. And it is sad, because when confronted, those who don't read say that scriptures just don't bless them (for any reason). And the truth is, with that belief, they won't. And it's sad. They are missing out on so much, if only they could have a little faith. Additionally, effective studying takes time. I personally have been reading the scriptures since I was young, and for a while I really didn't get anything from it. But, especially starting my highschool years, I became good at delving deeper, and I learn cool and inspiring things. And NOW, I am able to learn some really interesting stuff daily. "When do you dig a well? Before you're thristy." I encourage all of you to dig YOUR wells now. Perhaps you're thirsty now. So don't let yourself suffer any longer! 

I love you guys. See you soon!

Elder Goss

Monday, February 3, 2020

Sister Goss---W24: The Savior's burden (Feb 3, 2020)

Good morning (or afternoon or evening wherever you are) everyone! This week was one of the weeks where I learned the most in the short span of 7 days. Not necessarily mentally or educationally, but spiritually. I'll start with some of the miracles I saw this week!

During our family history hour, where we look for records and sources online to put family trees together, I found 3 new families!! I felt so much excitement for these families now that they've been found. I'm so excited to take their names to the temple so they may have the opportunity to be baptized by proxy and accept or decline that baptismal covenant. Every single one of God's children will have the chance to be baptized and accept His gospel! God is so good!

We taught another lesson to Michael, an 8 year old boy who wants to be baptized but his family hasn't been active in the church for around 20 years. His cousin Kaylani was there and we watched the 20 min Restoration movie with them. We gave both of them a children's copy of the Book of Mormon and Kaylani hugged it to her chest and said "I'm going to read and pray about this every night!" As we kept talking she leaned back and softly said "Am I in a dream?" It made my heart melt! She knew it was true and was feeling the Spirit. Her quiet and sincere testimony was so touching. She was smiling really big the whole time. At the end, she introduced us to her mother who is not a member! She also wants us to teach her and we are so excited! 

We also had more bike adventures this week haha! We only had one service with other missionaries this week. The other service times we were scheduled with the sisters who are too sick to leave their apartment, so Sister Gugelman and I had a lot of alone time (not my favorite but it's okay). We biked to one of our services which included us going over the freeway on a bridge. It happened to be incredibly windy that day and I felt like I was about to be blown over! Haha! Somehow the wind was always going against us and we we're moving about 2 inches a second. ;) Again, couldn't help but laugh. It was so funny. Don't worry - by some miracle we didn't get blown over!

At Soles 4 Souls we packed a massive semi full of bags of shoes. Hermana Longshore and I climbed on top of the shoe pile and packed the shoe bags in the top as tightly as we could. It's true that heat rises lol! It was super toasty in there! We packed for a solid 30 minutes and then I pulled out my phone to check the time. Hermana Longshore said "uh oh. I don't have my phone. It was in my pocket." We all paused the packing, said a prayer, and I turned on my flash to start looking. She didn't have the SIM card so we couldn't call it, and her phone was black. This semi was packed with shoes and 10 feet tall 13 feet wide. It felt like trying to look for a needle in a haystack. The shoes were going to Dubai, so if all else failed, they could ship it back but... Yeah we were worried. I said I hadn't seen her phone in her pocket for a while so I suggested we go back and look. We went back a good 16 feet or so and dug around. Elder Reeves came up to help and I asked if he would lift a bag up. I shined my flashlight down there and he saw a screen. We found it!! Honestly the odds were not in our favor but somehow... God answers prayers. ;)

Referring back to the lessons I learned this week, I won't go into specifics. But I have learned that God's priesthood power is real. I've also felt the burden of those we are teaching in a way I've never felt before. Lynn's car was stolen, her phone was broken, and she's now getting threats on top of fighting cancer and sickness. Tony, Amy, and Suzie asked us to stop reminding them and only want to see us every now and then. Several people we're working with called or texted us in distress asking us for help. As I walked into church, I felt a heavy burden on me and could just tell many people were hurting. As people bore their testimony, my feelings were confirmed. I felt God's sacrifice for us and the burdens He carries for us in a way I've never felt before. The thought of me causing Him any more pain through sin and guilt made me cry even more. He truly carries us because He loves us. Our burdens are not light. They hurt. But we are not alone. Someone voluntarily took that upon Himself to carry the burden with us. I'm so grateful for our Savior, and understand His Atonement a little better now. Being a missionary does that, I guess. Sacrament Meeting ended with the Hymn Abide With Me, the song my family would sing a capella together. Needless to say, it wasn't a coincidence.

I love you all! Turn to your Savior! He knows every burden you have, do, and will carry. Miss you all so so so much! Love, 
Sister Mary Goss


 
Riverside Pride sign

Time to get dirty

Waiting for interviews with President

Soles 4 Souls semi :)

I found a guitar!!