¡Feliz Navidad! (Sent December 23, 2013)

¡Familia!

Merry Christmas! I hope that you´re enjoying all the festivities there, because there´s practically nothing here. Pretty much everyone we talk to says that they plan on calling their family for a few minutes, or singing a Christmas hymn, and then drinking Maté all day long. I don´t think it´s going to be different than any other day for us on the 25th. But that´s fine with me! There´s nothing I´d rather do that preach the word of Christ to celebrate His birthday!

Here´s some culture facts that I learned from my companion yesterday. In the southern half of Mexico during Christmas, they have Papá Noel, and the 3 Reyes Magios. In other words, there are 4 people giving presents to little kids. And they say that America over-commercialized this holiday! ;) Also he asked me if we have ¨El ratón de dientes¨. Yeah, their ¨Tooth Fairy¨ is a rat. I couldn´t stop laughing for a good five minutes.

This new area, Pablo Nogués 1, is incredible. The people are much more wealthy than in my old area. They´re compairively less so than back home, but there is much less villa (slum). And we have progressing investigators! We had 3 investigators come to church, and one of them, a ¨vejita¨ (sweet old lady) named Juana, was baptized! It was incredible. It´s so nice to be in an area with people who are interested, even if it´s only just a few. We still have pleanty of rejection, but I´m so happy to see our efforts affect someone.

For example, we´re teaching a family with the father, Sergio, being a less active member, and the mother, Natalia, an investigator. They like to talk, which is something pretty much everyone has in common. I had the prompting to testify about the Sacrament, but I was so lost in the conversation I had no idea when would be a good time. Right before we ended the lesson, I just burst out into testimony, and I was amazed at what Heavenly Father said through me. I promised that there was real power in partaking of the Sacrament to remember Christ and renew your covenants. I told Sergio that he would be able to quit smoking faster, and that Natalia would recieve an answer that what she´s reading in the Book of Mormon is true, if they would excercise their faith in this way. My speech was clear, and the Spirit was incredibly strong, both of which were evidences to me that was I was saying were the words of God.

The more letters I write, the harder it is to differentiate experiences. I feel like I´m saying the same thing over and over, yet I never get bored of doing so. It´s all because I´m still preaching the same Gospel, and witnessing the same miracle of seeing God´s hand in His Own Work. The more I ponder about this, the more I´m humbled to be a part of it. I love being involved in the single and only work of the most Noble and Glorious Father of Heaven. Everything that God does is to bring about immortality and Eternal Life for His children. I testify that God´s plan is perfect. Though there are a million things bent on the corruption our progress, there was never a flaw in the Plan of Salvation. God has forseen all our problems, and provided us with a universal and infinite solution through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I´m so grateful for Him, and I testify that He lives and wants to help us, en Su nombre sagrado, Jesucristo, Amén.

¡Les amo muchísimo! ¡Hasta miércoles!

-Élder Goff

The pictures:
1. Élder Bobadilla and I in the apartment.
2. Waiting for the bus which is always delayed on Sunday, the day we need it most to bring investigators to the Chapel.
3. Juana´s baptism

Tengo sueños de un Navidad verde y café. (Sent December 17, 2013)

¡Hola, familia! ¿Qué tal?

I don´t believe any of you. There´s no way that Ryan is starting his mission papers. I just got here! This is what I said to Ryan: ¨WHAT!? You´re starting your mission papers!? Nuh uh. I just started my mission! Oh my gosh. Reality just jumped up in hit me in the face with a sledge hammer. I just told another Elder that you were going to start them in 2 months.¨ I can´t believe how fast time goes out here. But I am excited beyond belief for him. I already look up to him so much, and I can´t wait to see how much more amazing he becomes on a mission.

My second transfer just finished, and I´m sitting next to my new companion Elder Borbodilla from Mexico. He´s such a stud, I can´t even believe it. I´m incredibly optimistic about this new area. Especially because he tells me that robberies are very rare. ¡Chau San Ignacio! In reality, I really enjoyed my time in my first area. The people were so humble, and the ward absolutely incredible. Though the investigator situation was incredibly hard at times, I learned a ton, and will always remember my time serving the Lord in San Ignacio 1.

I had a ¨funny¨ experience this week. I was praying one night, grateful for the progress I´ve made on my humility and patience. I told Heavenly Father something like ¨thank you for all that I´ve learned in the ´Refiner´s Fire´. I´m happy to go through any time that you see something imperfect in me.¨ Yep. I was pretty humbly cocky. And then came the trials. The last week of the transfer was pretty rough. I didn´t really feel like I was doing my job, though I was trying with all my might. I repented sorrowfully, and the last day of the transfer, we found a golden investigator. Ivan asked sincere questions, felt the Spirit, and accepted a legitimate appointment rather than just something like ¨pass by and maybe I´ll be here.¨ I´m praying so hard for him, even though I´m not in that area anymore.

So... it´s Christmas, eh? I´ll take your word for it. It´s 40 degrees Celsius plus that monster called humidity. Also, it hardly seems like Christ is being involved at all. I know that the commericialism of Christmas is a concern in America, but it seems like all that passed a long time ago here. I have yet to see a Christmas decoration with Christ, outside of the home of a member. People are so caught up in their worship of Saints and excitement about Papa Noel that they seem to not even give notice to the Savior when celebrating His birthday. That just breaks my heart.

I guess it´s just that much more important that we bring this message about Him. Please always remember Jesus Christ every day. I´ve learned that He chose to keep the marks on His hands and feet not to prove that He´s the Savior and how much we are indebted to Him- though that is and always will be true- but He chose to remember us. He daily remembers us and the help that we need. Why is it so hard than for us to remember Him? With the vast contrast between His perfect life and death, and ours of carnal wickedness and consistent need for repentence through Him, you´d think it would be the other way around. Yet the greatest of all, is also the most humble, and the most patient, of all.

I can´t wait to celebrate His birthday serving Him. I love you all, and I hope that you are all safe and happy during this Christmas season.

See you soon!

-Elder Goff

----------- Sent later that day...

HAHAHA! I just realized that it seems like the subject says Christmas of green and coffee. I meant the café that means the color! I´m not breaking the Word of Wisdom, I promise! :)

--------- Pictures! ----------

Sorry it´s been a while with pictures. Here are a few from the past little while. The drawing is of the Geico camel on a Wednesday. Hump Day!

There should be one of my companion celebrating his other ¨Hump Day¨ at the one year mark.

Then the ward Christmas activity. It was an Asado, which is like a Barbeque, but where the missionaries don´t eat until last because there are so many people. :) But it was delicious, and we weren´t there to eat. We´re there to serve.

Then me and some other missionaires. I can´t tell which pictures I´m sending, so I can´t tell you about them. :/ But they´re all incredible missionaries.

Oh now I can see them! That´s my district. The one with us laughing was taken while the camera was falling and my companion was trying to catch it. Then me and Elder Fernandez from Nicaragua (my second comp). And Elder Mason, the other gringo in my pension from California.