Homecoming

Izach arrives home Friday 22nd of November. 
His homecoming address will be December 8th at 11am in the Pioneer Ward, South Weber UT.

November 18, 2013

I guess I am signing off!  My last email so my last mission post to the blog.  Thanks everyone for keeping up on how I'm doing.  Thank you for all the letters and the support.  I'm super sorry if I never wrote you back or havent in a long time.  I'm a terrible letter writer.  Just know that the letters meant A LOT to me and helped me more than you will ever know.  I want you all to know that I love and care about each of you and am so thankful for all of your examples to me.  I know that this Gospel is true, and that if you desire to feel more of our Father in Heavens love then talk to the missionaries and they will help you.  I know that our Savior wants us all to receive the fullness of the blessings that he has in store and that there is no other way to receive them except through this restored Gospel.  I know that following the teaching of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will make you happier than anything else you will ever find in this entire world.  I know that our Father in Heaven loves you SO much that he has made it possible for you to return to live with him and our Savior, and that that way has once again been brought back to the Earth through a modern day prophet.

Thank you all so much!

Love Elder Jach-Goates

November 11, 2013

Things here never cease to be anything less than amazing!  We had stake conference over the weekend.  The adult session on saturday was great.  We had 2 different investigators there and they both really enjoyed it. It's great to have a meeting so focused on moving forward the work of salvation.  Sunday was great with all the talks focused on overcoming trials and relying on the Lord.  The spirit filled the room from the opening hymn to the closing prayer, and to top it all off I was able to see so many of my families from my first area of Manchester.  Man it made me miss them and feel like a brand new missionary again.  It was so great to see all of them right before coming home.  This last week has been filled with tender mercies, and I already know this week will be filled with them as well.  There are so many little things that the Lord blesses us with which sometimes we look over completely.  It's when we take the time to see those little things that changes our whole perspective and helps us to live a happier more abundant life.  Perspective is everything!  Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right!  It's having the fear or the doubt and taking the step anyway that changes it all.  It's not until after we take that step into the darkness that we find out that there is solid ground awaiting us. It's not until we seek the light that we find pure joy.   Look for those moments.  Look for those little blessing and then be thankful.

Love Elder Jach-Goates

November 4, 2013

It's been pretty crazy this past little while! We  had exchanges on Tuesday, a trunk or treat on Wednesday and the temple on Thursday.  We picked up 3 new investigators who all said they would come to church this week and who we are teaching again this week as well.  We invited all of them to be baptized and they all excepted.  We found 2 investigators the week before and we have a few potentials for this week as well. We're setting specific dates in which to be baptized with some of them this week.  It's great to see how the Lord is blessing us for working hard and doing what we have been asked to do.  I'm grateful for the opportunity I have been blessed with to serve my brothers and sisters and to help others feel more of the Saviors love!

Love Elder Jach-Goates

October 28, 2013

It's been another great week! We found 2 new investigators and have return appointments with 3 more solid potential investigators this week. We also set baptismal dates with a few of our current investigators.  We had a fast as a mission a few weeks ago for new investigators and it was so great to hear about all the miracles people witnessed because of the fast.  People have been popping out of the woodwork.  It's been amazing! It's Halloween this week so gather up some pass-along cards and start taping them to your candy.  You never know who's life you will change just from a simple card.  I love you all and I Love this gospel.

Love Elder Jach-Goates

Fall Leaves

October 21, 2013

Things are going well.   We are currently trying to get some new investigators but that's a normal thing.  We had a new potential come to church yesterday with some of our recent converts.  We have an appointment to teach her tomorrow, so I'm excited for that.   We have a couple exchanges this week and interviews on Friday so I'm looking forward to that too.  We got to see a member from my last area at church yesterday as this is their old ward so that was awesome.  This work is an amazing thing and to have a small part in it means so much!  What trust our Father in Heaven has with each of us to trust us with special tasks and to give us prompting from the spirit.   I love this work!

Love Elder Jach-Goates

October 14, 2013

It was transfers last week and I stayed in Cedar Rapids for my last one.  It's a great area and a great ward. We have a lot of support from our bishop and ward counsel so things are moving along nicely.  We have 3 sets of elders in the ward to help with all the member work so its great.   We're running a little low on investigators as we spent a lot of time working with members and helping them become what Pres Jensen calls  FFT (finder, fellowshipper, and testifier) but the members are starting to get involved so its working great.  Now to focus a little more time on finding new people to teach.  It's weird thinking this is my last transfer, it doesn't seem real.   Makes me reflect a lot on my mission and things I want to do better before coming home.  My departing temple trip is on halloween so that will be fun to be able to go to the temple and be with some great friends.

Love Elder Jach-Goates

October 7, 2013

This transfer ends this week.  I'm staying in cedar rapids and with my companion.  General conference was amazing!  There was so much direction and guidance given with such boldness this time that no one can be confused on where the church stands.   It's pretty scary to think that the country that was formed on religious freedom is now pondering taking that freedom away.  I'm thankful for the love that our Father in heaven has for each of us, for the roles that we all have in this life and the next.  I'm grateful for the gift of eternal families and the nature and purpose for earthly families.  What a great time we have to live in and an amazing opportunity that God has trusted us enough to be here in this day with all that is happening in the world. I know that as we hold strong to what we have been taught that we will not go astray and that Father will give us what we need exactly when we need it.   Never doubt the testimony you have received and never doubt that God can answer our questions and turn our weaknesses into strength!

Love Elder Jach-Goates

September 30, 2013

We got to go on specialized training with the mission president on Wednesday.  We were able to go to a members house for a dinner appointment and go to our recent converts home as well.   Alfred the dad was so excited and so honored to have the mission president in his home.   In his closing prayer he mentioned how honored he was like 3 different times!   It was fun to get to know Pres Jensen a little better as well.   I went on exchanges with the district leader on Thursday (he is a Spanish missionary) so we had a bunch of lessons in Spanish so I pretty much just sat there and smiled the whole time, Ha Ha it was great!   It was really cool to be able to feel the spirit at different times even though I couldn't even understand what they were saying.  It's funny to think that I am an in states missionary and I've been able to teach lessons to Spanish, Chinese, African, Burmese, Brazilian, Muslim, and American people.  I wanted to go foreign and that's definitely what Father in Heaven gave me.  Just with a lot more benefits, Ha Ha! Heavenly Father really does give us exactly what we need!

Love Elder Jach-Goates

September 23, 2013

As for the mission it was as great week!  We had 2 baptisms on Sunday right after church and we had a great turn out of members.  There weren't enough chairs in the relief society room! there were a bunch of youth that showed up to support Freddy who is 15 and so many people came and gave them both a hug and welcomed them.  It was such a great experience!  We had ward conference as well and the stake president gave a talk on the holy ghost.  It was a great talk helping us to remember how great that gift truly is.  Then during the 2nd hour they had a ward counsel meeting with the stake pres. The bishop invited my comp and I in for that.  It was a great meeting, also talking about the holy ghost and receiving and following revelation.   Our ward is really striving to become member missionaries.  The bishop has taken action and had a fireside with the ward counsel on missionary work.  He had us come and teach them how to role play and invite people to meet with the missionaries and to come to church.   We taught them how to talk about the gospel with their friends and helped them understand that as members you don't need to answer their questions and even if you can you shouldn't because that is not your calling.   You should always try to include the missionaries in every opportunity to answer peoples questions about the church.   Always follow the spirit as for what to say and to help them have a desire to learn.   What a blessing to have direct guidance from our Father in Heaven on everyday matters and most of all the opportunity to invite others unto Christ.

Love Elder Jach-Goates

September 17, 2013

It was a pretty fun week!  We had Elder Robert C Gay of the 70 come through on a mission tour.  It was so great to hear all the advice and direction he had for us.  He had volunteers go up on the stage a few times and he called me up there twice without me volunteering, Ha Ha. I would make a comment or answer a question and he would call me up and say why don't you come help these missionaries figure this out, Ha Ha.  It was a lot of fun!   Then the next day we got to hear from him again and he talked about how important our mission meetings  should be and that everything we talk about in those meetings should be of the utmost importance. Missionary work is a lot more member oriented now, they want us working with members and helping them to succeed in their calling as finders.   It was amazing to see how bold he was when talking about everything.   I'm excited to be apart of this big change that is happening in missionary work.  We have been witnessing a ton of miracles here lately.  We have had a few new investigators move in in different areas that all want to be baptized.  We have 2 baptisms scheduled for Sunday and 1 in another area on Saturday.  Then another 3 the next weekend in another area.  We have a lot of potential for October as well.  Such great work.  There always seems to be so many miracles at the end of the year.  The Lord makes up the rest after we've given all that we can.   We push ourselves to the end then when we think we have nothing left to give he gives us just enough determination to take the next step.  It's so amazing to witness the Lords hand in all things and to be a part of His kingdom.   What a blessing we have as members to participate in gathering His lost children.

Love Elder Jach-Goates

September 9, 2013

It's of coarse been a great week!  We have a few investigators that are progressing toward baptism and they came to church on Sunday so that was awesome.  We should have two baptisms next Saturday the 21st.  They are all progressing really well.  One of our investigators is very nervous about everything but is still so willing to learn and meet with us.   She has a great understanding of everything we teach and always has great questions.   She took notes during church for some questions that she had and says we can go over them this week.   There is a member family that is fellowshipping her and is doing a fantastic job.  I'm super excited to see her progress and to be able to help her feel the spirits guidance!  This gospel is amazing!

Love Elder Jach-Goates

September 4, 2013

I am now serving in Cedar Rapids!   This was my first zone when I came out, sadly Manchester my first area is no longer in this zone.  There were too many missionaries so they split the zone a few months ago.  My companions name is Elder Weiss he's from a small town in Nevada between St George and Vegas.  He's been out for 9 months.  He's a way cool kid and a great missionary.  I feel really old in this zone!   Luckily there is an Elder in my district that is going home in October so I don't feel as bad, but everyone else besides one other sister has been out less than 9 months.  So crazy!!!  It's great serving around so many eager missionaries though.  Keeps me working hard!   We live in a house with 2 other elders its a blast!   One of them just got done being trained by my son Elder Bagshaw and is now training a new missionary going to Brisbane Australia.  My companion was trained by my trainers trainer so in missionary terms I live with my uncle, my grandson and my great grandson, ha pretty sweet!  Love you all!

Love Elder Jach-Goates

August 26, 2013

Transfers are on Thursday so we got transfer calls on Friday.  It turns out Elder Tall and I are both leaving the area and 2 new elders will be coming in to replace us.  Luckily Elder Tall and I didn't do anything wrong.  There is just a lot of stuff happening in the branch that we know about that missionaries should not know.  We are leaving to help the branch cool down a little.  Luckily we have members working with all our current investigators so we know they will be well taken care of.  Now these next 2 transfers are going to go even faster with a new zone and new companion.  I'm excited to see more of the mission and meet more missionaries.  On Saturday we had the privilege to go to Nauvoo with a recent convert and her non-member son.  We didn't go to the temple but we went through the visitors center and went to a few of the old Nauvoo houses.  It was a lot of fun!   Then at the end we watch Joseph Smith Prophet of the Restoration.  It was great and the spirit was strong!   One of the temple sisters talked to the non-member son for a while after and gave him a BoM to read and told him to read Enos.  He read it as soon as he got home and decided that he was going to read the entire BoM!!!   He said to his mom after they dropped us off that he felt like it was all true!!!   So excited to see the progress of others in the gospel!   This recent convert is the only member in her family and it would be SO great for her to have her son baptized!   I'm bummed that I won't be here for Quashawn and  Krystal but I know they will be baptized in the future.   I love this work and am so thankful for the comfort the spirit brings!

Love Elder Jach-Goates

August 19, 2013

We had a great week!  We were able to go on 2 exchanges with some elders.  It was a lot of fun!  On Saturday the college here in town had their move in day and all the Churchs in the area go and help the people move in.  So we went and were there from 9 till about 2:30.  We met a lot of cool people and found a potential that said he wants to come to church. Quashawn and Krystal are both doing great.  They came to church yesterday and we had a lesson with them this morning in a members home that went great.  They have been praying about being baptized on September 28th and they said they feel good about it so far.  They are still worried about getting married but they are doing awesome.  I'm super excited to continue to see them progress.    In Ames there was a boy we were teaching named Austin that was friends with a member family the Greenes.  He started emailing me a few weeks ago and said he has decided to be baptized on September 7th.  SO exciting!!  He also said he has been thinking a lot about going on a mission.  How cool is that!   He is such an awesome kid and its so great to hear that he is doing so well.

Love Elder Jach-Goates

August 12, 2013

We have had a pretty busy week.  We had a meeting an hour and 20 minutes away in Iowa City on Tuesday than a meeting 1 hour and 15 away in Osceola on Thursday than another meeting 1 hour 15 away in Des Moines on Sunday, ha ha it was a travel filled week.  We had a zone training meeting on Thursday in Osceola and it was awesome!  Such a spirit filled meeting.   The trainings were on sanctification and on helping our investigators feel and recognize the Holy Ghost.  It was related to describing and elephant to someone who has never seen one.  We decided we would just take them to Africa to see one so during the week we have received word that everyone has been taking their investigators to "Africa!" ha ha it was awesome!   We also had an amazing opportunity to teach a non-member family in a members home.  They invited them over for dinner along with us and we had a lesson on the BoM and they were reading out of it and asking questions.  It was SO cool!  They will most likely be a slower process but are such nice people that we are excited to work with them. That same member family has been trying to share the gospel with SO many different people all the time it has been great.  You will now start to see missionaries in light colored suits and without back backs.  The 1st presidency has decided that we look to much like the feds and not very approachable.  No more backpacks because we look like we are going hiking in the mountains.  We are now to use side bags or to carry our things in our hands! =) pretty crazy! This work is changing, change is part of this life.  The appearance on the church might change to remain involved in this ever changing world but one thing is for certain the Gospel standards will forever be the same.

Love Elder Jach-Goates

August 5, 2013

We were able to go to the pageant on Saturday.  The last day of it.  It was SO cool!   We went with 3 investigators.  They all LOVED it!  It was such a cool experience.  We went through the visitors center when we first got there and I got to see Sister Hall.  It was SO fun!   There were some members from one of my previous areas that I got to visit with as well.  It was such a great day! We had so much fun and the investigators were so excited.  The spirit is so strong on temple grounds and in Nauvoo.  You can feel the difference when you drive up and see the temple.  Martie, one of our investigators, noticed the different feeling she had and how happy and comforting it was.  She loved the visitors center and wants to come back when they have more time to go see all the different buildings and learn more about everything.  It was such a fun experience!   We were so blessed to be able to have all of that work out.

Love Elder Jach-Goates

July 29, 2013

It's been a crazy few weeks as you can tell as I haven't had time to write a blog post.  Last week was interviews and so we got to spend some time with President Jensen and his wife and get to know them a little better so that was great.  We had transfers but both my companion and  I stayed.  The work here is creeping along and struggles as we don't have much for member missionary work.  They are amazing at fellow shipping people as we bring them in but they refuse to help us find any new people to teach.  There are a few people in the branch that do really well and are trying their hardest to help us so that is great.  This zone is really picking up and the district leaders are really changing and striving to help in any way possible.  Elder Firth, our district leader has changed SO much.  It's been great to watch as he opens up and gets excited about the work and about helping the district.  We have one family who has recently started coming back to church and is SO awesome!   They are working with their neighbors across the street and invited us and them to the circus as a fun activity to break the ice so that should be fun.  Their neighbors are a really nice family and would fit right in the branch.  We have been looking for opportunities to serve them and help in any way they need so we mowed their lawn and gave them our number for anything else they need.  Things are going here just wish it was a little faster! =)

As we strive for excellence the battle is hard but once we are there and look back we can live with no regrets and full of gratitude for what that journey taught us!

Love Elder Jach-Goates

July 9, 2013

As for the mission it was another busy hectic week with the 4th of July and zone conference! We had a ward talent show and picnic on the 3rd Elder Tall and I and the senior couple in the branch did 2 skits, ha ha they were pretty funny!  I'm trying to get the video from a member to show everyone.  On the 4th we visited a few members and got to help with a 10k run that a member puts on as well.   It was a lot of fun!   The elder in the zone who was in a car accident is rapidly improving.  He is now able to talk and feed himself.  His memory is slowing coming back.  He remembers his dad and is able to walk around.  He is still in missionary mode and responds better to elder and not his first name.  He talks about the Iowa Des Moines Mission but still isn't quite sure where he is.   He gets better everyday.  We are SO thankful to the Lord in protecting him and helping him to heal.  His companion walked out with a couple of bruises after get hit at 60.  Miraculous how much we are watched over.  I'm so grateful to be a missionary at this day and age where there is so much evil around.  So much that is trying to drag us down and make us miserable.  What a blessing it is to be teaching something that literally changes people lives and gives them the chance to be happier.  We found a man named James who is in his 60s and is home bound because of his back.   We were looking for a referral that we received and he and his wife Geneva invited us in and allowed us to share a message.  We did and invited them to read and pray.  We went back a few days later. Geneva had a migraine so wasn't able to sit in on the lesson but we talked with James and he had read chapters 1 and 2 of 1 Nephi.  We asked if he had prayed to know it was true and he said that he already believed it was true just like the bible.  We were pleased but talked about how it is essential to gain a spiritual conviction from the Holy Ghost.  We read chapter 3 and then Moroni 10 3-5 and he sat there in tears and said over and over "that is a powerful verse!"   The spirit was so strong!   We invited him to continue reading and praying and talked to him about baptism.  He said he really wanted to be baptized but wasn't sure how he would be able to since he was home bound and would lose his assistance if he left his house too often.   We invited him to pray and left after closing with prayer.  On our way out we looked in the window to watch him pick back up the Book of Mormon and start reading again.  We have another lesson with him tomorrow.  SO excited to see how the spirit works with people.  He had talked to missionaries 20+ years ago and just now he was ready to accept.  We never would have found him unless that member had given us the referral to go see someone completely different, (he lives in a town where there is literally 5 houses, so we never would've gone there).   Follow the promptings and you could change some ones life FOREVER!!!   This gospel is true and this work is amazing!

Love Elder Jach-Goates