Week 5 Sebring

Another week down. It was a good one too! We are teaching a lot of great people! We got a new Ward Mission Leader. His name is Preston and he is only 20 years old and has only been a member of the church for 6 months! This past week he came teaching with us 3 times for the entire day each time! I have never seen someone so converted to the gospel. He came from a pretty rough life but now is working on his mission papers. It's pretty crazy!

 

Judeler is doing great. We moved his baptism date to June 10th to give him time to quit drinking coffee and when we met with him he hadn't drank it in over 4 days! We had a lesson with him on Thursday where he brought a bunch of friends. We set baptism dates with them too for June 24th. Their names are Djephsondy "Jeff" and Zoe (not sure what his real name is ha). We also found another part member family a couple weeks ago and challenged the nonmember husband to read the Book of Mormon. Well we taught him Wednesday and he is already to Mosiah so he is loving it. His name is Gildardo and his wife's name is Lady.

 

Of course the best part of the week was Sunday. I got to hear from my family! I'm so blessed to have the family I do. And especially the mother that I do. As the 2,000 young warriors of the Nephites were asked to face the Lamanites army they said the didn't fear because they had been taught by their mothers not to doubt. As they acted on the faith which their mothers helped them gain, they defeated the army of the Lamanites without a single one of them dying. I feel like a modern day stripling warrior being taught to have great faith by my Mother.

 

I hope you all have a great week!

 

Elder Goff

 

Fishing this morning

 

Exchanges with Elder Thomas



Week 4 Sebring

Another week has come and gone here in the promised land. I honestly cannot believe how fast time has gone. We saw several miracles this week.

Sister Stichler and Bob, one of our investigators, opened up to us this week. They told us of their experience they had a couple weeks back. Sister Stichler has been less active for over a decade and Bob is a devote catholic. They were having some serious trials in their life. They both were praying for help the same day without telling each other. Well about 2 hours after Bob prayed for help, Elder McKee and I showed up not knowing them at all. We had a short lesson and felt prompted to offer them a priesthood blessing so we did. After the blessing Sister Stichler was crying but we didn't think too much of it at the moment until is past week when they told us of the experience. They have been to church the past 3 weeks in a row and Bob is starting to have a change of heart and accept the gospel! Its super hard to explain the feelings and details in words. This is the Lord's work and w are simply just his hands. There is a reason for everything whether we know it or not!

I taught a few lessons in Spanish this week. I used a lot of google translate and then just a few words that I knew. I'm getting to the point where I can understand a lot of Spanish I just can't speak any of it. One family we taught is Juan and Carol. They aren't married but Juan wants to get baptized before I leave so hopefully I can get something worked out. During one of the lessons we had with him this past week there was a knock at the door and it was Jehovah Witnesses. It got real awkward and I won't get into any details but the good news is that they came to church with us Sunday!

We have a bunch of other people we are working real closely with! The Lord sure is blessing us here in Sebring. The further into my mission that I get the greater appreciation I have for the gospel and the Book of Mormon. We would be lost without it. I'm just about to finish it again and then I'll be starting it over once again.

Hope you all have a great week!

Elder Goff

The District

I Ain't Even Scared!

Juan

Golfing Today

Week 3 Sebring

Sorry this week will have to be super short!

I had a great week. Damion and Judeler are both solid for their baptism date on May 27th.  We committed Judelers friend Jeff to be baptized on June 10th this week too.

I went in another exchange to Lake Placid (one of my past areas) and we had dinner with Brother Short and the Bacevic Family which are 2 of my most favorite families in the world! It was pretty great!

Today we went fishing in Okeechobee which is where they have the big bass tournaments every year. I hooked a monster fish that I would guess to be about 10 lbs but as I was about to get him in he shook the hook off. I about cried! It was the biggest bass I have ever seen in my life! I caught a big catfish though so it's all good. Also we had an alligator that kept sneaking up on us but we were up in a bank so he didn't have any way to bite us haha. And he was just a little fella.

Well I had another amazing week! Sorry I can't write more. I'm out of time.

Elder Goff

Week 2 Sebring

Hey everyone! Week 2 in Sebring was a great one. Honestly I feel like I say that every week but it's true everything about the mission is great!

So I had the opportunity to go on exchanges to Lake Placid this week. I got to see my recent converts from a year ago!!! It was super good to see them. I sure miss that place. We also taught a few of the investigators I had worked with. We picked up a few new investigators from it too. It was awesome to be back!

We also had ZTM this week. I thought I might be done giving trainings in Zone Meetings for the rest of my mission since I left Daytona but then I got asked to give another training at this meeting. It was good though. I talked about how we need to set the stage for the spirit to teach through us. I feel like that is one of the secrets to a mission. We don't even need to be good at speaking, if we are worthy of the spirit and prepare others to be taught, we don't even do anything in their conversion process. It's all the spirit!

Our investigators are doing good. We had a few new people come to church. There is a part member family we found this past week that came. The wife is less active and the husband is not a member. He is actually catholic but decided he wanted to try our church out. Judeler is doing well. Also Damion is too. They are both still good for their baptism date May 27th!

Well time is sure flying by! When I started my mission I felt like I had too much time on the mission and now I don't feel like I have enough. Time is sacred especially when you are serving the Lord! I was talking to an Elder while back and he said he just wanted to chill to the end of his mission. He said he just wants to listen to real music and do normal things until the end of his mission. As I pondered on that later I thought about our Savior and His mission here on earth. It's sure a good thing He didn't just chill to the end of his mission. Towards the end of His mission here on this earth he literally changed the world.

Love you all!

Elder Goff

TJ and Ashanti

 

Week 1 Sebring

This week was a great one as always. I'm loving Sebring! There are so many prepared people here. Elder McKee is awesome! He's been out about 9 months and is from Mesa Arizona. I'm super excited about this transfer.

We are teaching a few people who are great. Judeler is a Hatian kid we are teaching that is preparing to be baptized on May 27th. He loves this church. He even gave a Book of Mormon to one of his friends and is already considering a mission! I'm super excited for him. We set a Baptism date with a kid named Damion. He knows this gospel is true and loves it so much. He basically bore his testimony to us in how he knows it's all true. The only problem is that his family is Catholic and is completely against it but by the sound of it that isn't going to stop him. We set his date for May 27 also.

We had a pretty cool experience this week. We had about 30 minutes before our next lesson so we were looking through some records and saw a part member family that lived near by so we stopped by. Earlier that that we had prayed that we would be led to someone that day searching for the gospel. Well we met Maria. In the past she wasn't able to be baptized but she said her mom now will let her so when her Dad gets back in town next month he will be baptizing her! She said she already has been reading the Book of Mormon and knows it's true. The Lord sure answers prayers for those who are striving to be diligent!

Another miracle happened back in Daytona. Nick got baptized Saturday!!! I called President Clark and got permission to skype for it so it was as if I was there. It's a pretty long drive back so I wasn't able to go in person but I felt the spirit just the same. He is such a stud! I sure am going to miss him.

I took the time this week to study the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It's hard to even comprehend how difficult it must have been for him. The driving source behind His Atonement is charity. "Charity never faileth." The love Christ has for each of us is uncomprehendable. He is risen and now we have hope. We will overcome death and have the opportunity to one day live with God in complete joy for eternity. "O how great the Plan of our God!"

Love you all and hope you had a happy Easter!

Elder Goff

Week 30 Daytona Beach

This week was a bitter sweet one. I've got a lot of good news and bad news.  I guess first I will give the bitter part of the week. I am being transferred. I've been here in Daytona Beach do about 7 1/2 months and have met some lifetime friends. Can't wait to come back and visit! 

The sweet part is that I am going to Sebring! That is in the same district as Lake Placid which was one of my past areas. I'll be able to go on exchanges and visit some sweet members and also my recent converts there!!! Man I miss that place so much so I'm super stoked that I get to finish my mission there! My new companion will be Elder McKee. I actually have been in a few exchanges with him so I'm excited about that too. Mission life is great!

The other good news is that Nick passed his interview for baptism. He will be baptized Saturday at 5:00. Unfortunately Sebring is over 3 hours away from their so I won't get to be there for it :/ I'm going to ask the President Clark if I can Skype in for it. We also went a date with a family last week. Their names are Latoya, Nikita, and Archero and will be baptized on May 28th. Also Johnny is doing really well. We are going to reset his date for baptism tonight, then I leave tomorrow morning. Its such a good feeling to see so much happening here and I'm pretty sad I have to leave it all. But the Lord is calling me to another Promised Land. 

I was doing some pondering this week on miracles. Just as Mormon teaches us in Moroni 7, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven?... And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men." Miracles have not ceased and I know without a doubt that as we live the Gospel of Jesus Christ by excercising our faith and repenting daily, we will see miracles and angels will minister to us. I have witnessed way too many miracles for this church to not be true. 

I hope all of you have a great week and take the time to recognize the miracles in your life each day.

Elder Goff

Nick

Johnny

Huertas Family

Hunter

Jed

Fishing behind our apartment

Week 29 Daytona Beace

This week has been crazy! I'm super short on time so I will just quickly sum it up. Nick is doing great! He is dead set for his baptism in the 15th. He texted us during Conference explaining how excited he is for it. Elder Curl and I found a family of 13 and 10 of them are baptism age. It's going to be hard to teach them all but they show some interest so that would be sweet. Finally, Conference was amazing!!! One of my favorite talks was from the priesthood session with President Eyring. I loved how he challenged each of us to "walk with Christ." As we change our perspectives to the Savior's, we will see others with charity. I love this work and I am truly humbled to be a servant of the Lord!

Sorry I was so busy today so I won't be able to respond to any emails but know that I love You!

Elder Goff