12.28.12



I crudely pasted my face over a pictuer of Elder Windhausen and his ex girlfriend (with his permission).




Christmas day with Irn Bru



Snail

Christmas Choir

So it was awesome to talk to you all on Christmas, but I forgot one important detail. That I would be emailing today. And on Wednesday next week. Anyway, I really have nothing else to say. I was soo happy to talk to you all and I hope you're all enjoying the season. I will just attach some pictures. I love you all.

12.17.12

CHRISTMAS IS HERE!

 

It's Christmas time at our house! That brings back some good Christmas memories. Anyway, I probably won't be calling/skyping because I'm planning on going into hibernation for awhile. I hope thats ok. But really here are the details for the anticipated Christmas skype-

 

Yes, I can skype you on Christmas. Unless I give you further notice here is the time. Christmas day at 7:00 Scotland time. Which would be 12:00 there? For sure 7:00 Scotland time. I just made a skype account and my name is [xxxx] in Glasgow. So you can try and add me and stuff. Also, make your own skype account. So here are the steps for you. 1-Make your own skype account   2-add me as a friend. Then we should be ready to go. We are going to go and test it out with some members tomorrow to see if it works. Just ask around to make sure you've got everything ready. I don't know anything about skype so I will be doing the same.

 

Time to give a shoutout to Bear. She was an awesome dog and she will be missed. I am really sad to hear that she got put down, but it really was time. She had awesome antics and she loved us. I will get another dog when I come back to make sure that things keep getting chewed up and pooped on. And that the lawn will still have trails in it. ha!

 

Christmas is here and it's so weird to me. I've been gone for quite awhile and I can remember when I was new, thinking that it would feel like 40 years before I got to 8 months. Then time just flew by and here we are! I definitely miss you all, but I know that I'm in the right place and the rest of my mission will keep on flying by. I hope you all have fun in good ol Cedar City though. The Christmas traditions here are pretty similar to America. All the stores have huge sales and everyone buys a bunch of stuff. It's a fun time of year.

 

Last week, me and Elder Lever were on exchanges and we were walking around in City Centre. A guy came up and introduced himself and told us that he is a member in Irvine. We had a nice chat and then he asked me where I was from. When I told him Cedar City, he got really excited and told me that he has a cousin there! Then he asked me if I know Jane Hoyt (his cousin) and I was way excited to tell him that she is my neighbor! His name was Alec Hutchinson. It really is a small world and it's so awesome when these things happen. Who would've thought that I would meet him in the middle of Glasgow City Centre?

 

We had a huge mission conference last week. All of the missionaries in Scotland gathered in Edinburgh to hear a member of the first quorum of the seventy speak to us. His name is Elder Kearon. It was way good and he gave us a lot of really good advice. I don't have enought time to write all the stuff he told us, but it was awesome. We all lined up so that he could shake each missionarie's hand and look into our eyes. Then, at the end he chose a few missionaries to interview. I got to see my MTC companion there for the first time since we left Provo. That was pretty fun, too.

 

I taught my first Skype lesson to a lady when I was on exchanges yesterday. She lives a few hours away and so they skype her. It was really cool, but I felt pretty strange talking to a computer screen. I think I was talking really loud at first because I didn't know what to do. Anyway it was pretty cool, the Spirit can testify even through skype.

 

I will end by throwing in a missionary thought about Christmas. We talked about this in Priesthood last week. Prepare to be preached to. It's funny to see how everyone makes sure they are completely prepared for Christmas by buying gifts and food and all the other stuff. Christmas will come every year. But, the thing that we don't take into consideration is that this is the Saviour's birth celebration. And we need to prepare for his return every day of our lives, because it will only happen ONCE. How great will it be when that day comes if we can look Him in the eye and tell him that we tried our best, and that we were loyal to him.

 

I better end this for the week. I love you all and hope you have the best Christmas ever. I won't be able to email again until next friday, I think, but that's ok because we get to talk! I am excited to hear from you on Christmas!

 

Elder Goodwin

12.10.12

Yo everyone!

 

Christmas time is here and it's pretty weird to be in a different country, away from all my family! But, it's pretty awesome here, too. All the stores are playing Christmas music and a few houses have lights on them. The snow from last week is all gone, but it's still pretty cold. The Christmas traditions here are pretty much the same, except they have like 3 different celebrations. The day before Christmas, christmas, and the day after. I think it's called boxing day or something but I'm not sure.

 

We had a miracle happen this week. We have been teaching a Less active guy named William since I first got here a few months ago, and he never does anything. We recently taught him about family history/geneology and he came to the family history centre with us on Wednesday. The best part, is that he came to church on Sunday after that. He just needed to break down the barrier of walking in the door for the first time in years and who would've thought that family history was the way to do that. Now, he has all the birth certificates and other information he needs for geneology and he is meeting with the family history director on his own because he is so excited. Pretty good stuff! We also met with the born again basher and it was really annoying again. She refuses to listen to anything. I was debating in my mind on whether I should testify about the Book of Mormon, or kick over the table and throw my glass at the wall. Ha! I decided to testify of the Book of Mormon. We told her if she needs anything to call us, but we really can't do anything unless she is willing to listen.

 

We also found an awesome new investigator. We stopped him in the street one night and taught him about the Book of Mormon and how it's helped us and gave him a copy. We said a prayer and everything, but it didn't seem too unusual to me. We went to meet with him again on Saturday, and I honestly didn't think he would be at the flat for the appointment. He answered the door and was so excited to talk to us. He has already read 5 or 6 chapters of the Book of Mormon and he willingly said the prayer at the end of the lesson on his own. The Spirit was way strong and he even said that he will be baptised when he finds the truth. I asked him if he would like us to mark a chapter in the Book of Mormon to read, but he said he would like to read it all on his own and asked if that's ok. Ha! It was soo good. We are seeing him again tonight so I hope it goes well.

 

I ate some more haggis the other day at a members house and I have to say, it's pretty good. It's really spice. I'm not sure how to explain it. It's way ground up and it looks black. She gave us the choice of blood pudding or haggis and I will take haggis anyday. Blood pudding freaks me out. We have been eating good lately. We get a dinner appointment almost every night and it's always something delicious. I will learn to cook some Scottish stuff so that I can make it for you all when I get home.

 

Well, I hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season and the CHRISTMAS trees. (NOT HOLIDAY TREES) Christmas trees. I love you all and pray for you all. Pictures are me and Bro Buist next to the Christmas tree I decorated and Sister McCulloch.

 

Elder Goodwin



12.03.12

Yo family!

 

Whoa! It's so weird that December is already here and I've almost been on my mission for 8 months. It's really crazy for me to think about. Time flies.

 

On Tuesday, we went to Edinburgh for smart start. That is for all the trainers and trainees to pretty much see what they've learned and get them started. My son made his father (me) proud! It was a pretty good day except for the role plays. I think role plays are so foolish sometimes. But, they really do work and they help a lot. But, they are still foolish and I feel like an idiot when I have to do them. It was good for Elder Windhausen to see all of the Elders he came out with and it was pretty fun to see all of the other trainers.

 

I have to be in a choir again and as usual, I am not ammused. It's supposed to be pretty legit though. It's all the missionaries from 2 different zones and we have practices for it a lot, then we go sing in a mall and raise money for charity. People think we are the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or something. When we practice, we sit in different parts of the chapel according to what type of singer you are. Everyone who has no idea how to sing parts or sing anything stands in the middle and acts casual and tries to sing melody or something. That's where I stand. I bet it will be pretty cool, though. We are all probably gonna be wearing santa hats.

 

A couple days ago, we got approached by this 40 year old, creepy lady in the street and she was like 2 inches from my face while she was talking to us. Right up in my grill. She told us to come by her flat and teach her what we believe sometime and we said we would go by the next day. We went there and she opened the door and got up in my grill again and creeped me out, then she said she forgot about the appointment, THEN, she said, "I can't see you today because my niece is undressing in the other room", "I'm so sorry, give me some cuddles." She came at us and was trying to hug us both at the same time, but I looked at her and just said, "No!" hahah it was pretty funny. Elder Windhausen didn't know what to do. We won't be going back there anytime soon, to say the least.

 

The weather here is really cold now. It finally snowed last night, for the first time. Only like an inch, but everyone was sliding around on the road, because everything just turns to ice way fast. My coat dominates though and I stay pretty warm. I hope it snows more because it's weird to have it be Christmas time and have no snow.

 

The members here are awesome. We have been getting 5 or 6 dinner appointments every week, the last few weeks. That is really exciting for this area and it's way fun to see them all. We also got invited over to the Hann's house for Christmas and Christmas Eve, so I should be able to skype from there. That will be exciting.

 

Anwyay, that's all that has been happening lately. I hope you're all doing well and you are all in my prayers. Have an awesome week!

 

Elder Goodwin

11.26.12

Hey family-

 

I will start by telling you some of the highlights of the week. Listen up!

 

Last Sunday, I learned that we (all the missionaries in the nearby area) would be doing some type of musical number for the Relief Society Stake Christmas party. We were all gonna sing Angels We Have Heard on High and so we got together on Wednesday to practice it. As you may know, I hate singing and so I wasn't ammused. We were planning on having some random girl accompany us on the piano, and I was debating in my mind, whether or not I should hide my talents under a bushel. Ha! But then I decided to play the piano. I practiced it for awhile until I could do it good. It went really well. I also accompanied Elder Windhausen and he sang Silent Night in German. He is supposedly a very accomplished singer. He sang for the Pope one time. Anyway, he is really good at singing. Everyone loved both of the musical numbers and it was pretty fun.

 

We've been having some random success lately. We decided to try something new, to get some of the less active members to actually do something. We introduced them to family history and now a couple of them are planning on going to the church with us to do family history. Who would've thought? Hopefully, they follow through on it.

 

We had a pretty funny teaching experience last thursday. We met one of our investigators in a nice coffe shop (her idea) and she drank some tea while we taught her. There was some awesome music playing in the background and it was pretty distracting. Anyway, when I asked her if she had been reading she said she had read just about everything. Little did I know that she wasn't talking about the Book of Mormon. She pulled out her Bible and had about 20 scriptures marked that she thought would stump us. She started going through them and we were just answering all her questions and kindly resolving all her concerns with the Book of Mormon and even some Bible scriptures. She seemed pretty annoyed that her attempt to confuse us had failed. The thing is, if we wanted to, we could probably bring up scripture after scripture in the Bible that she wouldn't be able to explain and tear down her religion, but that doesn't EVER solve anything. Bible bashing is fruitless. So after awhile, we just told her that we are the guides and we've given her the way to find her answers. (The Book of Mormon) We told her to just ask God because he will never lie to you. It was pretty annoying anyway. ha

 

This Thanksgiving will definitely be one to remember. We ended up going to this old ladies house and she cooked us chille beef and potatoes. It was really good, but not the same as the Thanksgiving dinners in America. I was telling them all about how awesome Thanksgiving is and they were jealous. I told them about how we have TONS of people around the table and about the tradition where we say what we are thankful for and all the fun things we do.

 

Anyway, that's all I have for this week. I will attach some pictures though. I love you all!

 

Elder Goodwin

11.19.12

Well, not too much to report on this week. Again. Oh ya, President called and I'm getting moved to the Belgium/Netherlands/Peru/Argentina mission. Just thought I would let you all know.

 

We had MANOK on Saturday night. Moves Anticipation Night Of Kebabs. It's where we just go buy a Kebab and think about moves call. Pretty obvious. haha It's fun though, because we had a combined MANOK this time. We met a bunch of other missionaries at the church. Elders Parsons, Robinson, Snowden, Witt, Bayer, Moser, Crosby, Griffin and my son, Elder Windhausen. It was a pretty fun time and the Kebab guy delivered them like an hour late, so we didn't have to pay full price. I'm really starting to like Kebabs. I finally figured out what donner meat is. A bunch of random parts of a sheep mashed into a big piece of meet and then roasted on some stick. It goes around in circles and when the outside layer is done, they shave it off and sell it. It looks pretty nasty, but it's really good. And unhealthy. It's kind of like the concept of hot dog meat in America. Not much happend with moves. The Australian Elder is moving, but everyone else in our district is staying. I'm pretty happy about it, because I really like this District.

 

The ward work is still going better all the time. We got a referral from a member last week, which is probably comparable to parting the red sea in this area. We have an appointment with him next week and that's pretty exciting. The members are starting to like us a lot better. Bishop actually talks to us and likes us. He never talked to us when I first got here. He also gives us names of people to go by and see how they are doing. It's cool to see the improvement in the member work. 

 

We had a pretty funny dinner appointment with an old lady last week. She cooked some pretty strange foods for us. haha she is a classic old lady though. She feeds us things that are like 3 years expired and thinks they only have expiration dates because it's a conspiracy to get more money. She also brought her neighbor and he was really nice. He had no shame in telling us some strange things, but was nice, nonetheless. ha! I love random situations like that. 

 

I think I've already told you that we go to a nursing home to see this old guy named Dougie every week. He is hilarious. He told us that when he went to his room one night, there was an old lady on his bed, and he thought she was a prostitute so he tried to punch her and now he's in trouble. We were trying so so hard not to start laughing. We managed to stay controlled. He is the funniest old guy ever.

 

I got to go on exchanges with one of the Zone Leaders this week. Elder Snowden. It was pretty fun to talk about all the American things that we can't talk about with our companions, because they don't understand them. Namely American Football or Basketball or baseball or whatever. I have to say American football when I talk about it here, or everyone will think I'm talking about soccer. Sometimes I just say "the real mans football" and it bugs people. Ha

 

Anyway, that's what's happening this week. I hope you're all enjoying life and staying on the straight and narrow. If in doubt, PRAY. And if not in doubt, pray anyway. And then read the scriptures and go to church. and then do some missionary work. OHHHH. Anyway, I love you all and pray for you all.

 

Elder Goodwin

11.12.12

FAMILY!

Hey everyone. This week has been pretty good. We have been finding new investigators and things are really starting to pick up. The member work is especially going well. When I first came here, the Bishop never even talked to us and the members didn't help very much, but now I think we have gained their trust and gain it more every week. Probably just by being obedient and working hard. I think they can just tell that we work hard and try our best. Now, the bishop gives us names to go see every week and they actually include us at ward council. It's pretty exciting to see things finally picking up!

Did I ever tell you all about the Celtic games here? The Celtics are the local football club and people are OBSESSED with them. The stadium is pretty close to our flat, so on game days, we can  barely get anywhere because the streets are flooded with fans going to the stadium. Like a bunch of dang buffalo! Ha! (Got that saying from Dad in Vegas) But anyway, they wear the same colors as the Boston Celtics, so the whole east side of glasgow is just packed full of people wearing green. I bought a pretty sick celtic jersey so that I can remember it someday. The 1 thing that you should never talk about in Scotland is the Celtics or their rivals, the rangers. ha people fight about their football teams all the time. It's hilarious, because in America nobody even knows who their local soccer team is! But here, it's like the manliest sport you can do! 

We had to come inside early on P day last week, because it was bonfire night and they light lots of fireworks, so they wanted to make sure that the missionaries weren't out lighting fireworks. Ha so we had to be inside by 6. I took the oppurtunity to go to bed at 8 30 and it was awesome. Sleeping rules. ha! We also ate some dominoes. The dominoes here is better than in America. It's so good, but it's pretty expensive, so we don't get it very often. It was exciting to eat some good pizza though, just though I would let you know about it. 

The weather here isn't too bad. It's always cloudy, but that really doesn't bother me. I heard that it will probably be quite a mild winter. It hasn't really snowed or anything. It gets pretty cold, but it's never unbearable. Probably because I'm like some type of grizzly bear that doesn't feel the cold or something. 

Well, I forgot the list of things I was going to write to you about, so I'm not sure what else to include in here. I will make a lot longer letter next week. But, really, life is good here. I enjoy Glasgow so much and the experiences I'm having here. We've met lots of really nice people on the streets and even some that said we can come by and teach them. So, hopefully things will keep going good. So ya, life is good. I love you all and pray for you all. 

Elder Goodwin

11.05.12

 As I said, Happy birthday to Dad and Bryan! I hope you both have an awesome week. 

This week hasn't been too exciting. No drunk people attacking us or children harrassing us. But, I forgot to tell you about the Kebabtism that happened last week. Yes, that right, I kebabtised Elder Windhausen, my son. We went to a random kebab place in the city with the zone leader. (Elder Witt and Elder Snowden) We got king kebabs on nan bread. They were soo massive. None of us were able to finish them. I will attach a picture so you know what kind of a food challenge this really was. Kebabs are pretty good, though. I like the one called the chicken donner. I'm not even sure how they make the meat, but it's probably pretty sketchy. It's good anyway. Me and Elder Parsons (District Leader) found the best kebab place ever while we were on exchanges. It's called Kebabish. I'm not sure why I felt the need to throw that in here. We also had the pizza hut buffet last week and it was delicious. I found this cereal at a store called Lidls and it's called Nougat Pillows. It's like crack. It's delicious and I can't stop buying it. ha!

We have had some good spiritual experience. We found a couple new people to teach while tracting. It's really nice to tell people how they can find peace in their life even though we live in such a crazy world. They light up when they hear theres a way to do that. I especially like explaining how this message can strengthen families. I think that is something that people here really need. We rarely run into families with both a mom and a dad. There are soo so many single parent families. 

The weather is getting colder and colder. It's still random. Sometimes it's sunny and nice and then it gets unbearable cold within a few minutes. It's hilarious. The nights are long. It doesn't get light until about 8 30 and it's completely dark by 5 15. 

I don't have much else to say this week. If anyone wants some souvenirs let me know and I will send you some. The only way I know who wants something is if you write me and tell me. So do it! And then go read the scriptures and do missionary work! I love you all and hope you all have a wonderful week. 

Elder Goodwin 

10.30.12

Family-

It has been a good week full of interesting Glasgow experiences. I love this place. We emailed today because yesterday was District Leader/Zone Leader conference so they just moved p-day to Tuesday for the whole mission. I will first tell you of some of the great experiences from the past week. 

On Tuesday, I went on exchanges with Elder Robinson. He is from Australia. So, most of the day I just kept telling him to "THROW ANOTHER SHRIMP ON THE BARBY!" It was pretty funny. He kept getting frustrated and telling me that he never throws shrimps on barbecues. Our main focus in most of the lessons we had was that Australians like to throw shrimp on the barby. I told everyone that in Australia, when they get bored, they just go outside and throw shrimp at a barbecue. haha It was a funny day. 

Now, I will tell you of another crazy drunk person. We were waiting at the bus stop in front of our flat, at 1:00pm. We thought this would be a calm time of the day, but we were in for a surprise. I noticed that there was a drunk woman staggering up to the bus stop and I turned to Elder Windhausen and said, "Oh no." Of course he had no idea why I said that, because he hasn't been here that long. She came over and sat down and just stared at us for a few minutes. We were acting casual and keeping our distance, then all of the sudden she stood up and started running at Elder Windhausen, but she almost fell in the road. Then she sat back down. Then, she stood up again and got in a fullback position and put her fists up and came sprinting at us. All of the sudden she took flight and straight-up karate kicked Elder Windhausen in the thigh. Then she came at me, but I was just laughing, so she went back to Elder Windhausen and was just attacking him in the street for like a minute. She was too drunk to do any damage, but he was just standing there in the road trying to get away saying, "Stop it ma'am!" I was just standing off to the side laughing hysterically. I couldn't control myself. It was too funny. Luckily she turned her attention to a random chinese guy and started attacking him for awhile. Then she tried to get on a bus, but they wouldn't let her because she wouldn't put down her bottle. THEN, she was just standing there on the sidewalk and randomly fell over backwards and knocked herself out cold for a few second. We ran over and helped her up and sat her on the bench. When she gained consciousness, she just went back to her usual antics of attacking and trying to get on buses. Pretty funny day. 

Almost every other night, there are some local little kids who follow us back to our flat and heckle us. I think they are all ferocious wild animals disguised as humans. They are crazy. They love to bother us and heckle us because they know that missionaries can't do anything! errr! They were throwing soup at us the other night! haha 

I finally got to try some Haggis, yesterday! It was actually quite good. It's kind of like taco meat or something. Same kind of texture. 

We had the primary program at church on Sunday. It was soo funny. I love the primary programs. It was just like it is in the States. It's awesome how church is the same everywhere we go. That is one thing that has given Elder Windhausen lots of comfort when he gets homesick. 

We don't have many investigators right now, but that is ok. We will just keep working hard to find some new ones. We still teach lots of less active people, and I love that. I think that learning to teach less active members is something that will help me, not only on my mission, but when I get home, too. We have a few good potential investigators we will be seeing, so hopefully they will be solid. 

I love you all! Thank you for your encouragement and support. I hope you all have an awesome week. 

 

Elder Goodwin

10.22.12



Haircut.




Edinburgh Castle from far away.



Pratt's Hill (Arthur's Seat)





Family!

Hey everyone, I didn't really get stabbed, in case you were wondering. That would be pretty awesome if I did, though. Not really....maybe? ha! No, I will just go get in some pub fights instead. 

It has been a great week. I am enjoying training. My German companion is a pretty good trainee. He works hard and has really good desires. I always tell him that maybe someday, if he works really, really hard, he will be like me. haha Not really. He speaks English quite good and he is already pretty good at teaching. It's pretty fun to train. He is homesick a lot, but that is only normal. Everyone feels the same thing when they come out, especially right at first. The only thing that bugs me about training is the extra hour of study we do in the morning. It makes the morning pass so slowly! We make sure to get a lot from it, though. 

I had an extraordinary accomplishment this week. I cut my own hair! I was pretty scared, but all the other Elders kept talking me into it. I just grabbed the trimmer one night and went for it. I cut the top 16mm and the sides shorter. It actually turned out pretty good! It is a good skill to know and will save me money every month. I will attach a picture so you can all see how studly I look with my haircut. 

The district I am in right now is awesome. We have 4 other Elders. Elder Parson, Elder Robinson, Elder Crosby, and Elder Griffin. It's quite fun. We are all obedient and hard working, but also like to joke around and have fun. I think it's so important that we all learn to laugh in our lives. It makes things pretty miserable to be serious and unhappy all the time. I've learned to laugh when people yell at us or mock us. I just think it's hilarious now! ...anyway.. our district is awesome. That's the main point. We ate at Burger after district meeting and it was delicious. Everytime we go there I get the Double Bacon Cheeesburger XL. Supersized. Dominant meal. We usually eat wraps or sandwiches or frozen pizza at the flat. We also buy some wings that are pretty good. Sometimes I cook spaghetti or something. Sometimes, when the Zone Leaders or District Leaders call us, I answer the phone by saying, "Hello this is President Goodwin." It's pretty funny. We all get a long really well. I always tell them that I have a lot on my plate when they ask me to do stuff. They think it's hilarious. Sometimes I call the Zone Leaders and tell them that I probably can't proselyte today because I have a pretty bad hangnail or other absurd reasons. One time I told them that I had a medical condition called dandruff and that it would probably keep me stuck in bed for the next couple weeks. But, ya, it's a fun time. 

We had an amazing experience with a new investigator yesterday. All of our investigators dropped last week, so we do a TON of finding. We met this young guy (probably around 22) on the street and had a lesson and prayer with him right there, and he said to call him later and we could come by. So we called him and set up an appointment for Sunday. When I called him on Sunday, I honestly didn't think he would answer. He answered and said he was pretty hung over, but that we could still come over. We went there and had the best restoration lesson I have had so far on my mission. He agreed with everything. He said he used to be Catholic, but he didn't agree with the way they prayed or did church and a lot of other things. He was so excited to Read the Book of Mormon and find out for himself. He even said the prayer at the end. The Spirit was definitely there. I really hope that he will honor his next appointments because he truly is a "golden" investigator. 

It rained everyday all day last week, except for yesterday. It stays dark for a long time, and it gets pretty cold sometimes. I had to wear my big coat almost everyday. Anyway, I though I would share that because lot's of you are curious about the weather here. 

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week. Stay true to your beliefs and study the scriptures. They give me so much hope and happiness. Ya, that's right, I'm committing you to read the scriptures. I love you all!

Elder goodwin



10.15.12

Hello

I was going to tell you all who my son is, but I don't really feel like it right now, so I probably won't Jk. As you may have guessed, he is from Germany. Near Fryborg. His name is Elder Windhausen. He is 19 and is REALLY excited to be here. That is good. He speaks English quite well, but still struggles with some words. I will teach him the ways though. I already taught him like 10 swear words and showed him how to punch hard, because that is part of the 12 week training program. I made it. It's called the 12 week program to becoming a man. HA! Not really. Training is pretty good. It was really funny to not be the new guy in the mission home. We got to go there and hiked up Pratt's Hill (Arthur's Seat) again. It was even better the second time. It's so pretty up there. It over looks all of Edinburgh and you can see a lot of Scotland from the top. I didn't get as tired when I hiked up there either, so I must be in better shape. Probably, considering the weight I've lost. All the new missionaries were so scared and it was hilarious. I'm excited to have Elder WIndhausen as a companion. He is struggling with adjusting to life in Scotland. haha I think mostly because he heard so many horror stories about Glasgow. He has really good desires and he is really obedient, and I'm sure he will be a great missionary. He is a champion. I will send a picture of him to you all. 

I celebrated my 6 month mark last week by eating the package of goldfish I got from that package. It was a glorious celebration. Ha not really, it only lasted for like 20 minutes and then lunch was over. I can't believe I've already been out 1/4 of my mission. Time flies so fast. If anyone wants some souvenirs or anything just let me know and I will get some sent. Like any tartan ties or anything. 

It has been getting dark pretty early lately. I think it starts getting dark at around 6 30 and it doesn't get light until about 8 30. The weather isn't too bad. Some days, we can still go out with just suit coats and we are fine. Usually I wear a rain coat, too, because it the weather is VERY random and it changes a lot. It has been raining a lot, but we have clear blue skies today. I'm excited about that. We are meeting up with some other Elders to go and do some green bowling after this. I don't know if that is what it's really called, but that's what we call it. We always play sports on p-day and it's amazing. We play floor hockey usually. I didn't know I liked hockey, but it's pretty fun. I've been trying to talk everyone into playing basketball, because I haven't played since I left the MTC. They have a few outdoor basketball courts in the city, but everyone just plays soccer on them. err. 

Even though, we had less proselyting time this week because of training meetings, we still got 23 lessons. That is a pretty epic number if I do say so myself. And I do. We found a new investigator on the street and we have been meeting him on the street everyday and teaching him. It's pretty good. We say a prayer and everything right there on the street and he enjoys it. There are so many funny people on the streets. Last night, we stopped a guy and he said, "I'll just be honest with you lads, I'm really drunk right now, so I probably won't remember talking to you." ha So we just gave him a card and our number and told him to put it in his jacket pocket and look at it when he's sober. I would say that 80 percent of the people on the streets during the weekends are drunk. If it's later than 7. haha It's really funny. We have a few other investigators, but they aren't really progressing right now. One of them is just struggling with drug addictions. It's sad to see his house. It's filthy in there and he never has any food, because he spends it all on drugs. He even knows how bad it is for his health and what great things he could do if he could get off them, but the hold on him is really powerful. We are trying to get him to attend the addiction recovery program, but he gets nervous to go to the church, because it's like an hour away by bus. 

The members here are really good. Especially the Richardsons. I already told you about them, I think. They are all very friendly to us. 

Well, I hope you all have an awesome week. Keep your heads up and stay strong in the faith. I love you!

Elder Goodwin

10.08.12

Bird poop on my backpack.

Fox

Tartan Ties

Well, moves call has yet again arrived. Elder Quashie is getting moved to the Paisley Zone and I will be training a new missionary. Whoa. I'm pretty nervous because I'm pretty young to be training already. I'm also really excited, though. It's gonna be really weird going to the mission home to pick up my son. I will be the "seasoned veteran" (you think all missionaries are seasoned veterans when you first get there) instead of the terrified new Elder. ha It should be pretty fun to see the shell shocked look in all of their faces. I will be going to the mission home on Wednesday to pick find out who my trainee will be. I will probably just buy a whip and whip him into submission. hahah

I got a SICK package this week from Mom and Dad. It was full of delicious junk food from America and letters and all the things that I love. It was like christmas. Ha I even made a little pile of all the stuff on the couch, like we used to do on Christmas morning. It has been awesome to dine on some good junk food, though. I gave Elder Quashie some so that he could see how dominant Americas food is. ha

The weather here is getting colder. It's still not bad, though. Usually, unless it's raining, I can just walk around with nothing but a suit coat and it's perfect. I like the fall. It gets dark a lot earlier now and stays dark later. It will be weird when there is only a tiny bit of light everyday. 

Conference was awesome. We watched the 10 sessions live, but had to watch the other ones recorded. We didn't get to see the last sunday session because it was too late. I really liked elder Holland's talk. Everyday and every night, I think we should ask ourselves, "Did I love Him today?" It's such a powerful statement. I know that I love Him and I want to always be able to show that through my actions. Serving others is one of the best ways. I think the new missionary ages are awesome. I bet there will be a lot more sister now. That is good because the sister missionaries dominate. They are so genuine and spiritual. Usually more mature than us as well. haha

Sorry this email is so short, but I don't have much time, because we have a lot of appointments today and our flat is getting inspected. If I get time later, I will come and add more. I love you all. 

Elder Goodwin

10.01.12

FAMILY!

It has been an epic week.  A week of triumphs and high achievement. A week of sorrows and misfortune. A week to be remembered. Ha not really it was a pretty average week. 

I will start by spinning a tale for you all.

 So there I was, sharing the gospel, walking down Shettleston Road, just minding my own business. It was a clear day and the sun was shining. As I continued down the path of righteousness, (Shettleston Road) I noticed something above me in the air, but it was too late! The seagull had me pinned down and before I could even react, said seagull had taken a dump on my backpack. Anyway, it was pretty nasty and I had to go and clean it off. I'm still looking for that seagull. One day I will get my revenge. 

We still have a solid amount of investigators here, but they aren't really progressing. We've been doing a lot of finding to try and get a bigger teaching pool. I really like finding, because you never know who you might meet behind the next door. It could be someone who has been prepared by the Lord, or it could be someone who just got done smoking some crack. Haha it's been known to happen.  We have been doing a lot of finding in some High flats in the area, and we have seen success come from it. Usually, people in more humble circumstances, are much more willing to listen to the Gospel and act on the things they learn. We just found an African family the other day who is pretty interested. Africans are really good because they already have a strong belief in Jesus Christ and they love to learn about prophets. We teach quite a few Africans. 

Today, president Brown sent this epic paragraph in his letter. 

Sometimes we wonder why, when we are working hard and giving all we can, we don’t see the blessings we think the Lord should give us it’s important to remember that we are to “wait upon the Lord”. Each of us need different trials to shape us into the person He wants us to be.

 

I like this quote from Elder Orson F. Whitney;

'No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable. It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulations, that we gain the education that we came here to acquire.'

In Preach My Gospel we learn that “When you have done your best, you may still experience disappointments, but you will not be disappointed in yourself”

It helps me to know that no matter what happens, it really doesn't matter, as long as we are trying our best and being obedient. The Lord knows what's best and that's why he gives all of us individual trials. Sometimes, it might seem unfair, and your challenges might seem bigger than the challenges of everyone you know. But, it's only because God love you, and he knows that's what you need, so you can be with him again, and be the best person possible. 

I will attach some sick pictures this week. LeBron James shirt, seagull poop, tartan ties, and whatever else. 

I love you all. Stay strong!

09.24.12



Bus ride through Scotland.  On my way to my new area.




Glasgow City Centre




Statue in front of the library.  Every time someone in the city takes the cone off his head, someone else puts it back on the next night.



Well, this week has been real, it's been fun, and it's been real fun. Before I start, I would like to formally say HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MANDY!

 

There hasn't been too many crazy or comical things this week, but we had some good success. We hit our goal of 20 lessons again and that was good. On Friday, we went on exchanges with the assistants. They just recently got called to be traveling assistants instead of normal assistants. That means that they spend all of their time traveling to exchanges and back. That would be pretty tiring. President Brown called different people throughout Scotland and Ireland to be his cousellors. I'm excited to see how that works. President Griffiths never did that.

 

I was pretty nervous to go on exchanges with the assistants, but it was really good. Me and elder quashie split for the day and went throughout the area with our assigned assistant. ha we ended up teaching 10 lessons and finding 4 new investigators that day. The assistants were way impressed and it was a fun day. Anyway, we found a bunch of new investigators this week and so I am excited to teach them all again. We found out that one of our other investigators sniffed too much glue when he was young and that he likes cocaine. ha Missionaries meet some interesting people.

 

We always go and visit this less active guy who lives in an old folks home. He is only less active because he can't leave, but he never gets any visitors except us. He has pretty bad health, but he is way nice and cool. He tells us lots of stories and makes us tell him stories about the bible. hah it is pretty fun. The other member family reminds me of our family so much. I think I already told you all. They are the Richardsons. We just go there every Wednesday for dinner and it's hilarious. They just sit around and say funny things and the sisters mock everyone in sight. Then they love me to tell them stories of my past "redneck" antics. They just sit and laugh. A couple of their favorite stories are about Dad. Haha I told them the story about how he got injured on the trampoline and when he went off a jump in Brian Head on skiis. Their dad can relate and they loved it. haha

 

Last p-day we were gonna go golfing with an ex professional golfer that we found. He was going to take us out and show us some tips for driving. It was raining though, so we didn't get to do it. Hopefully, he will take us out some other time. It's starting to get kind of cold for golf, though. The weather is still random. It's funny because one minute it's sunny then the next it's really windy and cold and raining. I never know what to wear outside ha.

 

My flat is pretty nice. It has weights and so I get a good workout every morning. My biceps barely fit into my shirt. Hah not really but they are pretty massive. hah and we each have our own bathrooms. That is SO nice. All in all it's a good flat. When people ask where we live, and we tell them Shettleston Rd, we get some concerned looks, but I haven't seen anything epic yet. hah hopefully soon.

 

Well, that is all I have to say for now. I will go and download some pictures to walgreens.com for you all to see. I love you all! Go to church, read your scriptures, and pray. It's the only way to go!

 

Elder Goodwin

09.17.12

My fellow kinsmen,

This week has been full of teaching the gospel and being dominated by drunk people. It was a good week. I will start by telling some of the funny things that have happened. But first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Emmy and Dude! Do something fun. Anyway. .. 

When we were going to tract a high flat, we went in the bottom floor and there was a guy standing there acting casual in the corner. Upon further inspection, I realized that he wasn't wearing any shoes and that he was scarcely covered by a strange pair of shorts. He just said "alright boys" (the typical greeting in Scotland) so we just kept walking. Then all of the sudden we hear him shouting a bunch of profanity and jumping up and down and yelling really weird things. At this point, his shorts were falling off and so most of his butt was visible. Then, he starts trying to pull the guard rail out of the ground and all the time swearing more and more. We were trying to refrain from laughing, but it was quite difficult at the moment. We were about to go over and help him, but then consierge showed up and helped. I realize how not funny this sounds, but I found it amusing. haha He was probably just drunk. 

A couple of days ago, we were waiting at the bus stop and we saw a drunk lady coming towards us. She was completely wasted and staggering all over the place. She was probably like 30 and quite "large". We knew this could be unpredictable. She walked up and shook Elder Quashies hand and then came towards me. I thought she was just going to shake my hand too, so I put my hand out. She grabbed my hand with an iron grip such as has never been known among men. Then, with the quickness of a puma and the strength of a polar bear, she pulled my hand to her face and kissed it for like 5 seconds, until I started pulling away pretty hard! THEN, she tried to pull me up off the bench, and I had to muster the strength to stay back. When she finally released my hand, she almost fell in the bushes, and then she left. That was the end of that. 

I finally got to go to a Tartan shop! I bought the Braveheart tarten tie, the Macbeth tartan tie, and ordered a Goodwin tarten tie. There is not a Goodwin tartan, but they are from the Sterling clan. So I got the sterling tie. I checked a few different shops to make sure they weren't just making things up. They all said the same thing, so no worries. If anyone wants some tartan stuff, just tell me. It is really expensive though. 

We always see tons of fox's here. It surprises me everytime, because I think I've only ever seen 1 fox in utah. They are EVERYWHERE here. They go into peoples back yards at night and are always messing things up. Sometimes, we see them right in the City. They have no fear, kind of like me. haha.

I really like the members here. There is a family named the Richardsons, and they remind me of our family. We have a dinner appointment there every Wednesday. They even have a son out on his mission in Ogden right now. They love it when I tell them of my crazy antics back home. They think it's hilarious. I always tell them about all of you and they want to meet you all. They are epic. There is also a family from the Philipines (however thats spelled) named the Paderengas. They make delicious food and are also lots of fun to visit. We have quite a few investigators right now and we are going to invite them to attend a baptism (missionaries from the other area) on Thursday. It should be really good for them to see that. Most of our investigators really struggle with smoking. I wish there was some magic way to just have someone quit smoking in 5 minutes. ha but we still have a overcoming smoking plan that works really well. 

The weather here is starting to get colder. From what I've heard, there are only a few real differences between summer and winter. Even more rain and more wind. It's also definitely getting colder. I am excited to see what winter is like here. It's getting darker earlier and earlier everyday. Supposedly, in the middle of winter, we will only get like 5 or 6 hours of daylight everyday. 

 

Well, I love you all and hope you have an epic week. Work hard and trust in the Lord. 

Elder Goodwin

09.10.12



Deep fried pizza



Family~

This has been an excellent first official week in Springboig. The weeks are flying by. Seriously. We were able to get our 20 lessons again and we are pretty excited about that. We found a couple new investigators as well, and we have still been teaching 2 of the new investigators from last week. The catholic guy is still there, but I think he just likes to talk to me, to be honest. Hah he isn't very keen on keeping commitments. We will see this week, though. We were able to soft commit a guy we found named Jim to be baptised! I am way excited. We have taught him a few times and he really wants the peace that can come from reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. He has a lot of word of wisdom problems, so it won't be easy or fast, but I think he really has the desire to change. 

Yesterday, after dinner, we still needed 3 more lessons to hit our goal of 20. We prayed that we would be able to hit it, and then we went to tract the high flat we had planned. We didn't even have to chap too many doors, but we ended up getting invited in to 3 different peoples houses. Unheard of! The first guy is a Muslim, but he also kept telling us that he is Rasta. He was just lighting up cigarettes left and right and smoking on us haha. But we were able to teach a bit about the Book of Mormon and gave him a copy to read and pray about. It was tough, because he doesn't understand english very well. There is so much diversity over here. Anyway, the second guy we found was named Andrew. I'm pretty sure he was "unaccountable" but we shared the Book of Mormon with him as well. He was excited, but we will see how it goes. The third guy was golden though. He is from Bangledesh and is here studying politics and economics. We shared  2 Nephi 31 and also talked about the Book of Mormon. He was WAY excited to get it and is going to start reading immediately. He has been looking at different religions and is trying to find peace in his life. His name is Faysal. I'm pretty excited ha. 

Anyway, now onto the stuff you all want to hear about. I will tell you some more stuff about Scotland. Scotland is the only country where coke is not the most sold fizzy drink. (soda) By, the way, they don't call it soda here. It's fizzy drink or juice ha. Pretty much, anything that isn't water and doesn't have alcohol is juice. The national drink here is called IRN BRU. It's delicious. You should all order some. It's like the Mountain Dew of Scotland. EVERYONE drinks it. I actually bought some american mountain dew and some apple jacks at the american candy store last week. The apple jacks were £8. ERR that's ridiculous. I didn't know until they rang it up, so I just bought it. It is delicious though. All the cereal over here is different. Even the same ones have different names. IE Cinnamon toast crunch is called curiously cinnamon here. Frosted flakes are called frosties. They just like to change names. Also, the store TJ MAX is called TK MAX here. haha Well, since this paragraph is so random, I will add in more random stuff. Last week, I bought some deep fried pizza from a random shop and it was pretty good. It kind of looked like some hawked a lugi on it, but it's whatever. I'm honestly not picky anymore. It's weird. I just go around devouring everything. We had some delicious chilli with potatoes underneath it and it was way good. I don't like broccoli soup very much, but I eat it anyway. Here is another random thing that I forgot to tell you all. You can't get free soda refills at any of the fast food places. So I looked like a fool for awhile, because I just kept taking refills, until my companion told me to stop stealing. They don't have Fords or Chevys over here and they very rarely have trucks. The main brands are Peugeot, Vauxhall, BMW, Land Rover, and TONS of Mini coopers. I get pretty excited when I see a truck. The only trucks I ever see are Toyota Hillix's. ha

Well, yesterday was stake conference and it was way good. President Brown and Sister Brown spoke. He talked about why people over here have a hard time eccepting the gospel. He said that there is absolutely nothing wrong with their hearts, but it is the traditions of their fathers that keep them from enjoying the gospel blessings. Just like the lamanites in the Book of Mormon. We just have to find a way to touch their hearts, like all the great missionaries of the Book of Mormon did. We also had a member of the 70 there, which is really exciting, especially for Scotland. His name was Elder Fingerlicker. Not sure if that's exactly how to spell it. haha everyone thought his name was pretty hilarious. It was a good talk though. His name was pretty distracting. 

I did some more pigeon teaching last week. Not really, ha but there were a bunch of pigeons so I stood in the middle of them and pulled out the Book of Mormon. I will attach some pics of the week in this email. I love you all and hope you have a great week. Keep doing your best and things will work out. Love you!

Elder Goodwin

09.03.12

Bus Pass

Elder Quashie (Current companion.)

Well, I am in the city now. It's definitely a change from Coleraine or Cedar City haha. This place is pretty massive! WE have to use buses to get around everywhere and I pretty much have no idea how to use buses. I am picking it up slowly, but surely. Glasgow city centr is in our area as well, so on P-day we get to go to city city centre and look at all the shops and stuff. It is a huge city. Today we are going to a science museum or something. I don't know, but it sounds fun. We are going with some other elders because there are about 3 companionships that live fairly close to us. The Zone leaders are actually in the same ward as us. Then there are the chinese speaking elders who live pretty close as well. Our district is just us and 1 other companionship though. Actually, I think there is a senior couple as well. It is pretty weird to be so close to all these different missionaries. I think it will be fun.

 

The ferry to get over here was pretty fun. It's like a mini cruise ship. hah Except we can't really do anything too fun, because we are missionaries. haha. There were a bunch of other elders going over with me, so we had a fun time. We talked to this guy from San Francisco and I talked to him about the 49ers and how I've been to a game. Then I told him that Kobe is a fool and we had a pretty funny argument. haha he wouldn't talk about any church stuff with me, so we just reminisced about the bears and the 49ers and the Lakers. Then we talked about John Stockton and how everyone loves him. hah

 

Glasgow is a pretty infamous place, as I'm sure you've all heard. There is an estate called Easterhouse that is in our area, that is pretty crazy. I guess there are a bunch of documentaries and stuff about easterhouse and all the violence and stuff. I will probably go down there tomorrow to do some tracting hahaha. JK mom. I actuallly think this area is pretty nice. I have run into some pretty rough accents though. Hah I can understand most people fine now, except for Glaswegians. I haven't even talked to anyone with a proper Glaswegian accent yet. Supposedly, they have a bunch of gaelic mixed in with english and nobody can understand them.

 

Here are a few things that I've noticed Scottish people say- Instead of saying the word "don't" they say "dunny." haha and for some reason instead of saying "I don't know", they say "I dunny ken." They also say "canny" instead of "can't". They pronounce the word "house" as "hoose" and the word "cow" as "coo". They also say aboot instead of about. hah I love the accent hear. It is so fun to listen to everyone. I will tell you of more Scottish phrases in my next email.

 

Our flat is pretty nice, too. It has 2 bathrooms in it, so me and Elder Quashie get our own bathrooms. That is the best part about our flat. It doesn't have as good of view as the Coleraine flat, but I don't think many houses in the world have a view like that. We also have some weights. I am so excited about that. I have been utilizing them every morning during exercise. And we have a pullup bar.

 

Me and Elder Quashie have been getting along pretty well, so far. There aren't really any solid investigators here, so we have done a lot of finding. In only the 4 1/2 days we have been together, we have found 5 new investigators and we taught 23 lessons this week. Domination! Teaching on the spot is truly the key to getting more lessons and finding more investigators. One of our investigators is a Catholic guy named Jimmy. He is really nice and has let us in to teach him twice. He has a sick view of Glasgow and he let me get a picture. We committed him to read the Book of Mormon and he said he definitely will and also said he would like to go to church, but only because he is curious. haha I can tell it's because he feels the spirit, though.

 

We had a pretty crazy thing happen with one of our investigators. Her name is Lynsay and we found her while doing some tracting. We taught her about prophets and the Book of Mormon and committed her to read it. When we came back for our next appointment, we saw a note on her door explaining that she had to go to work, but she had left us a care package. The package had her Book of Mormon, a letter with £5 in it, and some treats. The letter talked about how she had read the Book of Mormon all the way up to Mosiah 3 and how she believed what she read. She said she had a very lengthy chat with her minister and that she will probably stay church of Scotland. Foolish minister! We will definitely try by again because I know she believes it. That is the best way to have an investigator drop us ever, though! haha

 

Well, I'm gonna have to get going, but I love you all. The quote of the day is "Become the missionary your mother thinks you are." Dominant quote I learned in the MTC. I hope you have a good week. I pray for each of you every night.

 

Elder Goodwin

 

Sorry I didn't have time to send everyone individual emails today.

 

08.28.12



Our District at district meeting. Elder Barney, me, Elder Wilberg, Elder Leonard.



Black Saturday Parade



Train on the way out of Portrush for my last time.



Well, it's official! I am getting moved to Scotland! I will be in a place called Springboig. It's a part of Glasgow and Glasgow is the biggest city in the mission. It should be pretty exciting. I will be serving with one of the only black Elders in the mission. Elder Quashie? I think that's how it's spelled, but I'm not sure. He is from London. I will also be the senior companion. I am really excited to be senior companion, but pretty dang nervous as well. It will be more responsibility. I know that the Lord qualifies those that he calls, so I'm not too worried. Glasgow is pretty infamous though. Hopefully, I will see some crazy stuff and maybe even be forced to defend myself in a pub fight. haha I really don't know much about the place, but I willl be getting on the ferry tomorrow morning to go over. Everyone calls the accent glasswegian and says it is pretty much a new language. I probably won't be able to understand anyone for awhile, but that will be pretty funny. It is also one of the more "dodgy" areas of the mission and I am excited about that.

 

It has been really sad saying goodbye to everyone. I nearly cried numerous times yesterday, but I HATE crying in front of people, as you all know. It is weird to leave this area, because I have grown so close to the members here and it is almost like my second home now. It really almost feels like I'm leaving home again. I went around all day yesterday to get pictures with all my favorite people in Coleraine. It's tough, because I might not ever see some of these people again. I got all their emails and things too, though. I am sad to leave, but at the same time, I am excited to begin a new adventure in Scotland. Glasgow is exactly the place where I have been wanting to go, so, as usual, I lucked out again.

 

This past week was really good. We got 23 lessons and did a lot of finding on the streets again. We have been seeing lots of success. I will tell you of something that I found pretty comical.

 

One of the members called our phone, and Elder Barney answered it and accidentally said, "Dear Heavenly Father" instead of "hello". hahah then he tried to act casual and carry on the conversation. I had to leave the room because I couldn't stop laughing. The member never brought it up again, so he probably felt pretty awkward haha.

 

I heard that Jarica had her baby! That is way exciting. I am excited to see pictures. Now Braylee has someone to dominate. haha.  I also got a package from Shennie this past week and it was dominant. It had a sick shirt and some church news and some good quotes/talks. Thanks Shen!

 

Well, I don't have too much else to say this week. I just wanted to let you all know that I am going to be in Springboig, Scotland now. I will go find the Goodwin and the Benson tarten at one of the shops and buy some ties. I know that this gospel is true and that it will always be the firm foundation that we can turn to. I also know that obedience to these Gospel Principles is the only way we can find true peace in this life. I love you and hope y'all have a good week.

 

Elder Goodwin