Elder Goss---W:82 Emergency Transfers are so FUN!!! (Mar 30, 2021)

Sorry, but that's a bit sarcastic. Last Sunday, we were in a lesson, and President Gimenez called us. So afterwards we called him back, and he informed us that Elder Poulson (my companion) was getting emergency-transferred to a new area, because there were some Elders leaving, and he's filling in the vacancy. Normally, transfers would be happening in 2 weeks from now. But that's the joy of ET's. 

So today, we dropped off Elder Poulson, and picked up Elder Searle! (kinda like "swirl", but without

the w). He has been serving about 7 months, and is the first originally-called-to-San-Diego-missionary I've had since last summer. Wow! He is from Texas. He loves futbol. 

So, now I get to recalibrate my routine and adapt to yet another Companion! Not the funnest job, but who's to say he isn't going to be the best companion ever?!? Encinitas is a pretty fun place, so I really can't complain. 

We haven't met with Renee or Jime this week, sadly. But we've had some bomb lessons with members. If any of you want to watch a really awesome testimony in Spanish, we recorded an amazing sister here bear her witness of Jesus Christ. If you go to Facebook, and search Venir a Cristo en San Diego page, her video should pop up here soon. Also, while you're at it (again in Spanish), there's another bomb video about "The School of Life" that Elder Poulson and I made. You are all welcome to like and share the page, even if you aren't from San Diego. 

I love you all! Take care!--

Aaron Hyrum Goss

Elder Goss --- W 81 (Mar 23, 2021)

Dear friends and family, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, brothers and sisters, hombres y mujeres, dogs and cats, and ALL things which are above and beneath heaven and earth....

Hi. 

Here is your weekly report from Elder Goss here in San Diego: whether is nice. Although it is almost always super cloudy in the mornings, it becomes clearer in the day. For California, surprisingly cold, sometimes beneath 40°. And always windy. But I'm sure that is because we are so close to the coast.

 We didn't have as many lessons this week as we wanted to, but we DID have a great lesson with Renee, Jimy, y Roberto. We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them. We went over faith, and repentance, and after that baptism and the Holy Ghost, and finally endure to the end. Throughout the lesson, they we nodding their heads, agreeing how important it is that we have faith and repent daily and be baptized, etc. And when we were wrapping up, we asked them if they would consider being baptized in the future. It was almost funny to see their whole disposition change. They went from completely agreeing with how important all this stuff is, to shocked realization that we were actually asking them to APPLY it. They understood the theoretical aspect of Gospel stuff, but they never gave it much real-world thought. It was scary and intimidating. They nervously chuckled and gave a tentative "maybe," and we gave them something easier to do. But it was good to put it in the back of their minds, and help them recognize and FEEL the Gospel is real. 

The Gospel isn't just theoretical, abstract explanations that you believe or not. It truly is the rules by which the universe functions by. Science just hasn't caught up yet. But the more we discover, the more we find that the principles of the Gospel are slowly, one by one, being backed by science. Science isn't the standard of truth, but it will (if given enough time) support the Gospel principles. 

God has never been wrong, in theory OR principle. Trust God this week! If you hear or read something that leaves you disturbed, and questioning what you know, just relax. Take a breath. Whether you know some detail or not doesn't change the Truth. Misinformation and unclear context is real. Don't be scared. One day, EVERYTHING will be explained. So trust and study. 

Thanks so much! Take care.  

--

Aaron Hyrum Goss

Elder Goss---W:80 Loading... loading.... (Mar 16, 2021)

Well, this week wasn't too brilliant. We set up a lot of appointments, but most of them fell through. Elder Poulson and I are thinking we ought to do more finding, in order to just start talking with more people. Hopefully, we'll find more people to teach. 

For P-day today, we went shopping through some thrift stores, and that was fun. I missed having plaid shirts, so I bought one! I look forward to wearing it next P-day or service project. 

For a spiritual thought, we were listening to a Devotional, and something stuck out at me. You know the question "how do I know what is a prompting compared to my own personal feelings?" It is a very genuine question. God speaks to different children in different ways. How does God talk to me? What way(s) do I hear him personally? The answer found here in James 1:4

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth ot; and it shall be given him."

 

Why don't you just ask him? Have you ever prayed to God, asking him in what ways he answers you? Give it a shot! Find out for yourself. 

Thanks everyone. Take care!

--

Aaron Hyrum Goss

 

Elder Goss---W:79 New life in a new area. (Mar 9, 2021)

Well, it has been a blast here in Encinitas so far! Del Mar is pretty pretty. There is a member here who has an backyard gym, that let's Missionaries come over and work out every morning. My companion, Elder Poulson, LOVES to work out! He is massive. In addition to playing sports (particularly football), he would also spend 3+ hours at the gym back home. Wow. That's crazy! It really has been a blessing for us. 

We are trying to find people to teach right now. We are in a branch, so the number of Members is very small. We have been going to a lot of parks to go on walks or do studies, and that's been pretty fun. Although I typically enjoy studying indoors more, I agree it is better exposure to the public. 

Man, you really learn a lot about yourself on the Mission! For all you who are waxing or waning, give it a shot. For example, I realized that by nature, I am an introvert! While I am great in short settings, I find that unending contact with lessons, people, and especially companions is EXHAUSTING. My few "alone" moments are so precious, with just me and God. Of course, I'm getting better at that. But I never considered myself to be an introvert before. 

And I think ANYTIME you put yourself in a new environment, you'll learn something new about yourself. How you think, who you like to be around, where your heart is, and why you do things the way you do them. This type of reflection can be intimidating, but it is very healthy. It is much easier to grow content and snug if you've been in the same area, doing the same things, seeing the same people, for years. It can be hard to change ourselves and improve, when our environment remains stagnant. That's one reason I think that the older a person gets, the less they are willing to diverge from their lifestyle or beliefs. 

Even a small change in regular routine and the people you see can teach you remarkable things. I'd encourage you, to do something new sometime. And not just a one-time thing. The longer you remain in an unfamiliar atmosphere, the more you are going to learn. If that idea sounds unappealing, it probably means you are a bit too comfortable and complacent. Be bold! Exercise courage! You will only conquer your fear by facing it. What you learn will be worth the effort. 

See you all next week! 

Elder Goss

Sister Goss---W81: Changed forever (Mar 8, 2021)

We made it!! The time has come! I fly home tomorrow morning and will be released as a missionary Wednesday morning, exactly 18 months since the day I landed in California. Before I go into more detail here, here's a recap of my last week in the mission: 

Monday we played all sorts of games including kickball, lego contests at President's house, Bang, and foosball! It was so much fun; a perfect pday! We also said goodbye to the Salbatos and Lynn. <3 Tuesday we had district council and sang the traditional "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" for those poor unfortunate souls who are going home. Tears were definitely shed. District councils have become one of my most favorite meetings. :) Wednesday we had a pizza party at Souls 4 Soles and then zipped down to Lake Elsinore because Ashley came back from Hawaii to be baptized!! Woohoo! She's so awesome and I'm so blessed; the timing couldn't have been better. :) Isn't that so awesome?? I'm so proud of her!! Thursday I officially started packing, we had a lesson with Samantha and taught her about the Plan of Salvation, and chatted at the ASL social that night. Friday we served at Salvation Army and taught Taylor at the church building. Taylor asked to say the opening prayer and she expressed, "I'm so excited to be baptized. I want to be a missionary." My heart melted; she's so cool. :') Saturday we cleaned the streets of Riverside (which happened to be the first service I ever did in the mission, and now it's the last as well!), ate lunch with Charlita, and watched stake conference with the other missionaries. And Sunday we had stake conference ... 

But most importantly, this week I invited people to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. We found, we taught, and we baptized! I obeyed the command of the Savior: "For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; and he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mormon 9:22-23). This week I was a missionary. :) 

I've done this every week for the past 81 weeks. And it's been the most rewarding experience of my life; nothing can even come close to comparing to it. <3 Words can't really describe how I feel about my mission. It was not your typical mission, nor will it ever be to me. The best way I can describe my mission is that it was my First Vision experience. :) I have been changed forever because of what I've learned, who I've met, and the things I've done. And all the glory goes to God. "Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel" (Alma 26:16). 

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's true and living church here on earth. I know that through baptism, we can be saved because of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. :) I know Joseph Smith saw what he said he saw; he is a prophet of God! And we have a prophet leading the world today! I know the Book of Mormon is true and "a man [will] get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by other book." It has given me the testimony I have. :) 

I LOVE YOU ALL! Thank you for everything you've done for me while I've been out here in California! I can't wait to see you again; keep on keepin' on and working hard. :)) God loves you! Never forget that! <3 

Love, Sister Goss

 

Elder Goss---W:78 Transfers to the North (Mar 2, 2021)

 Howdy howdy everyone! I got some exciting news! Today was transfers, and boy is it crazy! I am being transferred to Encinitas CA, which is top north along the coast. It is sweet, because it is in the mountains (kinda), the area is very nice, and although there's only a small spanish branch here, I am excited to meet them.  

My new companion is Elder Poulson, and he's from Colorado. But the craziest thing is: our apartment. It isn't even that clean or big, but check this out: we got a car (Toyota carolla), a garage FOR the car (no more parking troubles), we have our own washer and drier, we have a massage chair (SWEET), A stocked pantry and fridge, and best of all, it's a QUAD apartment! Elders Wren and Norris are going to be with us. So I am super hyped for this transfer.  

For a small spiritual thought, I was reading some of Paul's epistles to the saints, and I loved 1st Corinthians 3:16 "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" It also references the same in 1st Corinthians 6:19. And I know that it can be easy to forget that. It can honestly be really hard to take good care of yourself. Exercising, eating HEALTHY, keeping your brain sharp, and abstaining from harmful things can be REALLY hard sometimes, even exhausting. Sometimes it doesn't feel worth it to keep it up. But I know that of you do, your future self will thank you. If you can get past the current cravings or feelings of laziness, it will so be worth it. That's called discipline. And self-mastery is very rewarding and fulfilling. So keep at it! 

See all of you next week. Bye! 

--

Aaron Hyrum Goss

 

Sister Goss---W80: I finally made it to Hemet (Mar 1, 2021)

 At the beginning of my mission, I always felt like I would serve in three places: Riverside, Murrieta/Temecula area, and Hemet. ;) As the months and transfers have gone by, I've visited every zone in the mission except Hemet! Just when it seemed that would never happen... it happened. And boy what a week it was. ;)) Let me tell you about it!! 

Wednesday and Thursday were awesome because we had multi-zone conferences! With half the mission each day!! "But wait Sister Goss, aren't you only technically in one half at a time?" you might ask. Well yes, you're right! Sister Noall and I got to go both days because President asked us to give a Facebook training with Elders Vance and Campbell. :) Huge blessing if you asked me; not only was it fun to give the training, and an incredibly spirit-filled meeting both days, but that means I got to see everyone in the mission once more before I come home next week. :) That is a super rare blessing. AH it was so awesome! Multi-zone conferences are some of the most spiritually-charged meetings I've ever been in. Having tons of missionaries gather together, train together, learn together, practice together, and feel the power of the work behind us is indescribable. I LOVE THIS WORK! 

Friday was the day of all days! Are you ready for a story?? So our ASL district decided to film our "He Reigns" music video in Idyllwild, the mountainous area in the Hemet zone. There are 7 of us in the video, plus 3 film crew members. None of us had enough miles to all drive the 2 hour trek (which is a lot for our mission because our mission is small!), so this idea popped into my head. I immediately called President and explained the situation, to which he said "yes that is no problem at all! Way to save miles!" :D Wanna guess what the idea was? So Friday morning, all the 8 other elders pulled up in the mission 10-seater transit van, picked us up, and we road tripped up to Idyllwild together! HAHA! It was soooo fun!! :D We were gone basically all day and stopped in 7 different locations up there, filming all sorts of shots. And the video looks SO good! Make sure you see it when it goes live! :) So not only was it a crazy drive up, but I finally made it to Hemet, Idyllwild, and the famous James Burrito locations I've heard so much about. It was the best ever. :) Wooooohooooo!! 

Our branch also grew this past weekend. :) We had not only one, but TWO deaf baptisms! It was so awesome!! The Spirit filled the room so much; I've never witnessed quieter baptisms, and yet they were packed with power. It was really neat to see the baptismal service and confirmation done in ASL. It was amazing. :) The work continues to move forward! Taylor, a new deaf friend, wants to be baptized at the end of March and totally loves and understands the Restoration of the gospel. Samantha is reading the Book of Mormon everyday. The members we're visiting are inviting friends over and they're asking questions and pointing out things they love about the message we share. We met a deaf woman in Walmart today, started teaching Romona from Instagram (who also loves the story of the Restoration and is so excited to read the Book of Mormon), had another referral come in from elders in Ohio, and just kept seeing the miracles pour down. They continue to come. God is so good! This is His church! I love it!! 

I'll write one more weekly next week, don't worry. :) I'm not dead yet. But I truly know this work is true and I'm so grateful for the experiences I'm having and the people I'm meeting; my life is changing everyday for the better! I hope you all are continuing to do well; make time to nurture your testimonies and faith; that's the most important possession you have. Love you all so very much! Keep on keepin' on! 

Love, Sister Goss