From Elder A. Goff - "16th transfer, 3rd week, and another trip to the West."

Hey everyone.

   So the e-mail from Joli was really exciting in several ways.  The most exciting I think is that Zach Horlacher got his mission call and is coming to the BILLINGS, MT mission!  Haha I freaked.  We are at the office this morning as usual and when I read that I jumped up and told President Gardner.  He is excited to get another Bunkerville boy.  I have been hoping someone from home would get sent here ever since I left.  Apparently he doesn't actually get here until after I am home for like a month, but I'm still excited he gets to come up here.  I sent him a message on facebook as soon as I got the E-mail from Joli.  I told him that if he had any questions to let me know. :)

   This week was pretty crazy.  We just got back this morning.  We left last Tuesday.  So it has truly been a long week.  Tuesday we embarked on our adventure by first heading to Butte to go on team ups with Elder Catron and Elder Davis.  It was a good time.  When we woke up the next morning we ran 2 miles in preparation to go home and look good for all the pretty young ladies.  It felt pretty good to go running.  It's hard to motivate yourself to go outside and fun in the mornings up here during the winter.  It can get pretty chilly. :)  It was good though.  Now I need to do it everyday. Rather than once in a great while.  Push ups and sit ups aren't cutting it.

  Wednesday we headed up to Missoula for team ups with Elder Sims and Elder Tabor.  It went well up there.  We had a good time and found a new investigator while tracting. 

   Thursday was our first Zone conference.  It was in Missoula with the Kalispell and Missoula zones.  It went pretty well.  We focused a lot on finding this time around.  Our mission has been struggling to get out and find new people to teach.  So we talked a lot about it and it seems to have motivated that side of the mission from what the numbers show this morning.  Friday we were in Helena with the Butte, Bozeman and Great Falls zones.  Once again went well.  It was good to be in Helena as always.  We ate dinner at the Mangums and the Snoddy's were there as well.  Good food and good company. 

   Saturday we back tracked a little and went up to Kalispell to do team ups with Elder Vroom and Elder Weight.  Their area is beautiful.  Right off of Flathead Lake.  They are pretty lucky.  I have never served in a place like that.  Lander is the prettiest place I have served.  Which is all right.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.  Sunday morning we drove to Polson, Mt for church and Elder Heywood got to baptize a man he taught when he served there.  It was his very first area.  It was a great experience.  His name is Dustin Kent.  He is about 23.  Next Sunday we will be in Worland and I'll get to perform the first baptism of my life. :)  I'm pretty excited.  We will get to go to church down there and get to visit with my Peeps and get to baptize sister Butterfield.  :)

   Overall this has been a good week, Long, Tiring, Long, and Rushed.  But good nonetheless.  We will have another week like that this time around.  Team ups, Zone Conference, Teaching, Baptizing...The works.  I hope all is going well back home.  JoliAnn!  Good luck with your patriarchal blessing.  I'm excited for you to get it. 

   Love you all.  Miss you all.  Love, -Elder Austin Gene Goff.

P.S.  A bunch of those pictures were taken at a museum in Polson that a member owns.  It's a pretty cool place.

Current Area: Billings, Montana

Current Companion: Elder Heywood

From Elder S. Goff - "Hola Fam"

  Alrighty then so this week went really well to start off a change I really enjoyed this past week. I really get along with my comp great. We are working super hard together and I feel like we will have the ability to help a lot of people out that we find. I already have felt like there is a better spirit with us and I think the other people can tell as well the members and our IVN. I'm really excited to get some work done with my new buddy. It’s great because I feel like he is just a friend that I’m doing missionary work with not a companion and nothing more. We have fun together but we work super hard too.}

  Today we went up to the top of the mountain here in Victoria once again and it went pretty good. As we were walking I was talking to one of my buddies, elder lundstum and well we were saying that climbing that thing is a lot like the mish. like the first part is super tough but after awhile you get used to it and you keep moving, you get to enjoy yourself for awhile and then you get to the top and you have to turn around and make your way back down but going back down isn't so easy. the rocks are still all over the place and things are still going to be tough on occasion but if you are always watching out and trying to learn and stay in shape (spiritual) then you will be able to make it to the bottom with out stopping and a lot easier.

  Right now in our area we are trying to look for every member that we have on the list and see what’s going on with then. My comp and I both have a great desire to help this place change but we understand that we can’t do it alone we need to work with the members we have and continue to show them all that we love them. Things are going well and I am enjoying myself.

  I really think that I am getting worse and worse at English. I think my letters always suck pretty bad and I see ones that Austin sends and then I know that mine suck super bad haha I think I was better at the whole writing thing at the first part of the mission than now but I’m trying. I love you all and hope everything is great. Congrats to (GOO) Magoon who is the newest 145 state champ I thought that was pretty awesome what a stud.

love yall

Elder Goff

Current Area: Victoria City, Mexico

Current Companion: Elder Vela

From Elder A. Goff - "Daina got her answer."

Hey Family, Friends, Loved ones, and the rest of the world.

It's me, Elder Austin Gene Goff of the Montana Billings Mission reporting on my 2nd week of my 16th transfer. It was a good week, just like many other weeks I have had on my mission. Elder Heywood and I pretty much had zero P-day last week. We were so busy her in the office. It kind of drives me crazy being in here all p-day. Probably because I know it's our only day to play ball with everyone and I love playing. I just want to go play and when I don't get to I just feel very fidgety. Like I need to go run and jump. Last week we got to go play for a total of 30 minutes at the end of the day then we had to get dressed and go to dinner...and that was our p-day. That's one thing that really stinks about being assistant. Sunday night we are always up late taking numbers from all the zone leaders and making a report for President Gardner. Then Monday we finish it up and end up doing a lot of other things too. Oh well.. Part of the call I guess. President did tell me I wouldn't have a p-day most of the time.

We taught Daina this last week again. The 15 year old that is a foster child to the Newby's. We have been patient in teaching her and helping her to understand the spirit and the answers she gets. She has read and prayed a lot, but this time she said at the end of our lesson that she has gotten her answer. :) It was neat to hear her say that. So next time we go over we will set a date for her to be baptized. Hopefully it will get to happen before Elder Heywood goes home.

Elder Heywood and I were tipped off about a cowboy hat sale at a Ranch Supply store this week. So we hopped in our car and went to the supply store and each bought a $50 cowboy hat for $25 bucks! :) Now we will both be wearing Cowboy hats off of the plane. :) We will look so good haha.

So now about when I get home. I have thought a lot about what I'm going to do..Well I guess as much as I have time to think about something other than my responsibilities now. I was wondering about going back down with Glen maybe. I wanted to ask Glen about working for Alex again. Or if that is even an option. I have thought about working for VitaMix. Preston's dad has worked for them forever. Booker and Chris are both working for Vitamix right now and are living in California. Preston has been asking me if I want to do that. I really don't know what I want to do..But I feel like I really do need to have a plan. I don't want to be idle when I get home. I want to get going pretty quick.

I'm still waiting to hear back from BYUI, but I just feeling so incredibly torn. I don't know what to choose. I have prayed and I feel like I need to make a decision and then ask if it's right. I would love to go to all of those schools to be honest. :/ But that's just not going to happen. I'll figure it out. Sorry my e-mails have lacked detail. I always feel so rushed lately. I love you all.

Love Elder Austy

Current Area: Billings, Montana

Current Companion: Elder Heywood

From Elder S. Goff - "4th Kid"

Well fam sorry I didn’t write yesterday but I didn’t have time. We had changes and well guess what I got another kid. Yup I'll be training for my 4th time in the mish. I was not too happy when we found out changes on Saturday but when I went and got the kid yesterday it made me feel a little better. I really couldn’t believe that I was getting another one but of well it’s all good his name is elder Vela and is from Chihuahua. He is super young 18 years old but knows what he is doing here so I’m happy for that.

On Sunday I dedicated a grave that was a neat experience. It was for a member that had her husband buried in Guadalajara but then a few days ago went there and got him up and brought back his bones to put here closer to the family. He died over 17 years ago from cancer. they had his bones in a suit case that they put in a hole and it was neat cause the sister let me and my comp see the bones so I got to see a real human skull and bones quite the experience. It was cool.

This week we also had a conference with President Johnson from the 70. He is the area president of México and that man is awesome he is super smart and sure did teach us a lot I really enjoyed it.

Well peeps I love you but I gotta get back to work. I love you all and I’ll see yall real soon. Keep it real and read the blue book.

Love Elder Goff with an S

Current Area: Victoria City, Mexico

Current Companion: Elder Vela

From Elder A. Goff - "E Mail"

Hey Family,

We had a good week this week. Glad transfers are finally over. It will be nice to have things settle back down until tomorrow when we go to Helena for Leadership Training. We will meet with all the West Side Zone and District Leaders. Then Wednesday back in Billings for the East side and Wyoming Zone and district Leaders. It should be good though.

Now back to this last week. Tuesday we got all the greenies. 4 sisters and 1 Elder. Which is very odd for our mission. There are usually about 8 Elders and 1 or 2 Sisters. They are a good group though. We are happy to have them. I love having them come and remembering what it was like when I was brand new. I remember being so scared and excited at the same time. Trying to take in every detail and training that I was receiving. I still remember so clear coming off the airplane in Billings, being picked up by the Fisher and the assistants. I remember looking over the Rimrocks at Billings. I remember taking pictures in front of the temple and eating twice with the Fishers. Then having a testimony meeting in the evening and finding out where we were all going to be going. It’s so cool to see the excitement of the New Missionaries. I get a kick out of it. Since Elder Worwood was the only new Elder we decided to stay with him at the mission home so he could have that experience of staying there his first night. IT was pretty fun and Elder Worwood is going to be a great Elder.

Thursday morning we sent off the 2 missionaries going home. ARG…So crazy sending them home. It’s the 2nd group I’ve sent home and it’s only getting closer to my time. Gives me butterflies when people talk about it. The time will surely come though. Elder Heywood is next! AHH!!!

I gotta tell you about this inactive guy we ran into while tracting a couple of weeks ago. He was busy when we tracted into him so he told us we could come back sometime. Well we went back to visit with him and he had a lot of beef with the church and brought up every bad experience he has ever had. He was very talkative, but all he had to say were bad things about the church. Towards the end we asked if we could share a thought with him that we both felt needed to be shared. He talked a lot about trials resulting from his divorce a couple of years ago. He has 2 daughters living with him...and so on. We shared Helaman 5:12. A simple verse. One single verse. We shared it, talked about it and his total attitude changed. It's such a testimony builder of the power scriptures hold. I love the verse in 2 Nephi 33:10 It talks about how if we believe in Christ we will believe in these words. We build our foundation on Christ and his words and we will be ok. This inactive guy realized that he had not had a foundation built upon Christ. He had a foundation of Worldly things. He even said he was thinking about coming to church. Which he was totally against when we walked in. He said, "you aren't getting me to church." And that single verse changed that.

I'm happy to find out that I have been accepted to Dixie and Snow College. Except now I am more confused than ever haha. I thought knowing where I'm accepted would make it easier. BYU-I will be sent out soon. President has to do a couple of things on my BYU-I application. So I guess we will see what I choose. I'll make a decision eventually and pray about it. Everything is going well out here though. We have a lot to do today for meetings this week so I had better get going. I love you all.

Love, Elder Austin Gene Goff

Current Area: Billings, Montana
Current Companion: Elder Heywood

From Elder S. Goff - "How bout the Pack!!!"

Well first off I have to say something about those green bay packers that I'm so happy about I’m sure that uncle dale is feeling the same happiness that I am. I will for sure have to find and watch that game afterwards.

This week went really good but it was super cold and that really wasn’t that fun we got to 3 degrees below in Celsius. It was super bad I didn’t enjoy it at all. we had a lot of citas this week to go to but hardly anyone was ever home when we went so we ended up just looking for more knocking on doors and that really wasn’t that fun it sucked but oh well. We are trying super hard to keep going and have a good time. This is the last week of the change so Saturday night I will find out if I’m leaving or if I’m out of here. I really don’t know what will happen because I have had 6 months in my 1st 2 areas and if I have another change hear it will be 6 months as well so I guess well see if we keep the pattern going.

I’m not sure if I have told everyone about a man named Eduardo here that we are teaching that we found threw revelation. well we found him cause one night we were hitting on doors and I had a store pop into my mind and I knew I had seen it before but had never entered in it well my comp asked what we were going to do and I say lets go to a store and he was like why and I said I don’t know. we walked a couple blocks and I saw the store I had seen in my mind and outside the store was a man and as we got closer I could tell it was the one I had in my head as well so we enter like normal to buy a bottle of water and then I started to talk to the man as well and turned out that he isn’t part of any church but wants to learn and well we have been teaching him a couple weeks now and this week he excepted a baptism date. I’m really excited for him. I know we were guided to him and it was great that we found him.

Not too much is happening here but we are staying busy and trying to enjoy everything that comes our way including the crazy weather.

the lord is blessing me and the things that are important to me as you all can see cause my packers won I just gotta keep working hard and maybe even bigger things will happen =) I love you all and hope yall have a great week.

Current Area: Victoria City, Mexico

Current Companion: Elder Olvera