Week 44 Elder Goodman is Going Home

Hey everyone. Here is the week.

Monday

We played basketball pretty much all p-day at the stake center. Did some emailing, and I got to see all the wedding pics and fun stuff that happened. One word of caution to Justin who is planning on coming to Washington some time soon​​. If you try to find me, I will be a little disappointed. Plus I have an angry red neck as my companion, so you better watch out.... haha jk! If you want to find me, I'm okay with it. I just can't help you try to find me. Anyway, after playing all day, we came back and went to dinner. Then we rode off to the Scolics to have FHE with them. We talked about Pres Gordon B. Hinckly's talk "You

Don't Know How Much Good You Can Do, and we watched the Mormon message behind it. I recommend you watch it. It's a good little video. After that, we came home and got ready for bed.

Tuesday

I went on an exchange with Seattle Hill, in Thomas Lake. Elder Stewart came with me on it. We started off our day with mormon.org time, and then came back, had lunch, and did our comp study. We went to go see people, but no one really opened their doors. After, we went to dinner with the Merrills. I found out at dinner that Disney Infinity is over and done with. They're done making the characters and game pieces, which really surprised me, but that's okay. I hope the family has gathered more since I had left. After dinner, we ran over to the Templin's and had a lesson with them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a really good lesson. The spirit was there, and they really loved the lesson. Then we ran home to exchange back and then go to bed.

Wednesday

We had district meeting, and Elder Goodman talked about effective teaching and past mentors. After district meeting, we came back home and had lunch. Then we ran off to the library and did My Plan. During My Plan, I watched some videos and moved some of my music around on my USB. Then we went back home and did our comp study. After we went to go have a lesson with our investigator, Michelle, but we found out she was in Kirkland getting her daughter's violin fixed. So we rode off to the Allen's home, a family in our ward, just in time to see Brother Allen's son eat a Carolina Reaper, one of the hottest peppers in the world. It was pretty funny to watch them do it. He and his buddies, all ate one and after, they started walking around the garage dying of the heat. His buddy, Ryan, ran into the restroom and started barfing. That was a little disgusting and weird. Brother Allen's son, Nick, started drooling all over the place. The funny thing is he would not drink any milk, but both of his friends did. He had stomach cramps for the rest of the day. It was pretty funny to see them do that. We then had to run off to dinner with the Lukes's and had Navajo tacos with them. After dinner, we then ran back to the Allen's because Elder Goodman got a flat tire. So we patched it up and got it back to working again. After, we ran off to Patti's to go and talk to her for an hour before we came home and went to bed.

Thursday

We went up to Fred Meyer so Elder Goodman could buy some allergy meds. Then we came back and tried to visited some people in our area and met the Chungs. After, we came back and did  comp study, and had linner. After, Seattle Hill showed up, and we ran to the food bank together. After serving at the food bank, we came back home and got ready for bed.

Friday 

I had an appointment with my counselor. Then we came home, and I took a nap because I was about to pass out, and it wouldn't have been good if we were doing weekly planning. After, we then went to go see John, a potential, but he wasn't home. So we went back home and weekly planned. Then we rode off to dinner with the Debells. After, we ran up to Mill Creek to help with a move they had, and then we came home and went to bed.

Saturday

I went on an exchange with Mill Creek, and I was with Elder Erickson. The move wasn't done yet, so we went and helped them for most of the day, I installed new lights into the house. It's funny. Ever since I decided to change my career path to house renovations, I've been learning how to do all these things on my mission. Around 4, we had a lesson with an investigator Mill Creek has and taught him the law of Chasity. It's been 3 and a half transfers since I taught that lesson, so I really didn't remember what it was all about. I had the basics, so I just stayed with that. After we ran back to the move, and I installed a chandelier while Elder Erickson helped with flooring. Then we came back to their apartment, had dinner, and then exchanged back. 

Sunday

We went to church and had ward conference. We had the stake presidency talk to us. It was a good meeting. A lot was said about service and believing in Jesus Christ. After, we then came home and had lunch, and did our personal study. Then we went off and had dinner with the Griffiths. We had to do it early because they had seminary graduation. It's weird to think last year I had just graduated... but that's okay. I hope graduation was good for everyone that graduated. Sorry that's a week old, but I forget sometimes...life of a missionary. Anyway, after dinner we came home and finished up weekly planning. Then we went to have a lesson with the Templins. We talked about CPR--Church Pray Read. It worked out great. Everyone was really active in the lesson. Then we came home and Elder Goodman accounted for his last time.

It's weird to see the end to Elder Goodman's mission. Today is his last p-day. I'm going to miss him a lot. He is one of my favorites, as well as Elder Stoddard. 

My spiritual thought this week is a quote from Elder Bednar, "It's a lot harder not to shrink then it is to survive." This is something I really struggle with. I just want to shrink almost all the time because that's the easy thing to do. But I don't shrink because that's what Satan wants me to do. I have also heard another saying that "this Gospel is not a comfortable gospel. It is a gospel of change. We don't run into war with our beanies and Nerf guns saying I'm ready to fight. Its the Armor of God. It's supposed to be heavy." I really like that saying because it's just really funny, but its true. Our leaders don't ask us if we are comfy in the gospel. It wasn't easy for Nephi to get the brass plates. They didn't just walk in and ask if they could have the plates once. It's not like he just said, "Well sure, have a cookie on your way out." They had to ask 3 times, and then after a lot of work,the Lord delivered them from their trial. Brothers and sisters, it is the same for all of us. So many of us are at the point where we could shrink at any second. Sometimes giving up is so second nature to us, that we do it without thinking about the outcome. We give up anyways. I've done that several times in my life, and I won't lie. I have come so close many times on my mission to giving up. I can say I am even at that point now, but I can't give up now. My Heavenly Father needs me. It's not because of the work I want to give up, it's because of me and the changes I am trying to make because it's so hard. I also heard this saying from Elder Holland, "Missionary work is hard because salvation was meant to be earned." I am trying to earn my salvation, and I won't go home until I have done so. I hope we remember this always in our daily lives, Yes, I am still going through a hard time as I will ever be for the rest of my mission, but I can't give up on my Savior now. Not when He is preparing me for perfection. I hope this is the same for all of you. I love you all, and I'll see you soon. Bye!

Elder Hammond

Pics of Elder Stewart and me on our exchange and then pics of Elder Erickson and me on our exchange