Pictures from the Sandy Clean Up.  Top two pictures are J.D. with two of his friends in the mission (Elders Tedrow and Woodward).  His companion, Elder Quist, is on the second row, left.

Excerpt from letter sent before Christmas:

I'm sorry I couldn't say more in my last emails.  I've been super strapped for time.  So, we went and gave a blessing to a man in a hospital.  I still need to get over my dislike of hospitals.  Let me rephrase that.  I love hospitals; I just get feeling weak while there.  It's weird , I know.  Oh well.  The blessing was avspiritual experience, and I'm glad we could do it.  A member asked us to go; the son let us do it and knew we were coming.  The guy was in ICU and just out of surgery.

I laughed super hard when I read about the dinner with the missionaries [at our house in Utah] because I said to Quist that day, "I doubt we will ever have the missionaries over."  Oh the irony.

I have met a lot of really humble people here recently.  It's really cool.  There is just a beautiful light about them.  I've also experienced many miracles or blessings.  I went on an exchange with another missionary.  I was extremely nervous because it meant I would have to take charge of the pool (our area) all by myself.  The other missionary only knew English, so I would have to do EVERYTHING.  This gave me great anxiety; I prayed just to be able to make it through the day.  It turned out to be really good though.  I ended up having no anxiety talking to people and had a really good experience.  We knocked on a door this guy had just painted, but he let us in.  We (or I) talked to him and his wife.  They were extremely nice and were just amazing.  It was very spiritual.  They talked a lot about how everyone just needs to respect and listen to everyone else.  Then you guys came up and I explained the whole religion thing and how you are still happily married and they went off on how amazing that was and how it was because of respect towards each other and God.  It was just a very good experience.  They want to hear more, but if they decide it isn't for them I won't be disappointed because they love God and are happy; that;s what I care about.  I honestly believe they were a blessing from God to really help me that day do more than just "make it through the day."

I've been asked to sing with a sister in my district for the mission Christmas program.  No clue what we're doing yet, so this'll be interesting since it's less than a week.  I'm also now going to play piano for sacrament meeting because no members can play piano and the missionary who was doing it just left.  This'll be fun.

Since arriving in New York, J.D. hasn’t had much chance to write something for this blog, so he asked me to post some excerpts from his letters to us.  (I've left out most of the family stuff.)

Nov. 5

I absolutely love it in NY. I love the people, the town, the everything. I live in an area called Dyker Heights in Brooklyn!!! I have the best view of Manhattan and the ocean. I love it. My apartment is a very stereotypical NY apartment. It's small, dirty, overpriced, and my favorite place. I really love it. I'm not joking. 

I really dislike street contacting I won't lie. I don't like disturbing people when they obviously don't want to talk or just are having a good time with their families. My companion really is interesting when he does it because you could spot him from a mile away that he is coming to talk to you. I've talked to some interesting people... really interesting. I have a few awesome stories but I'll send them in snail mail when I have time to actually write things. Now I'm in a Chinese internet cafe so I'm just listening to Chinese pop music while writing my letters. I do hear real music because everyone plays their music loud here so that is really nice. 

I miss Mom's cooking haha. I am fine fending for myself but it's not nearly as good. I have had 1 dinner appointment; it was so good! I had this Honduran dish call popusas (spl?) and it is like my new favorite food. I love it. 

I survived the hurricane obviously. I stayed in my apartment for the storm because I live in the highest point in NYC. 2 missionaries came and joined us in our pad for the storm. I am disappointed [with some of the missionaries, a few—not all]. "Oh, I'm tired." "I'm hungry." "It's heavy." "It's wet." BLAH BLAH BLAH! It's pathetic that a greeny like me has to kick others' butts into gear to do stuff. A lot are just lazy and it just makes me want smack them. There are owners of the houses who don't stop to eat. I don't either until they do. That's my philosophy. I will get a good dinner tonight, they won't, so I can hold out and help them get done faster. There are also some Elders that are not sensitive at all to the loss of some of these people and will be talking about how hard this house was destroyed or how much crap was lost or stuff like that. Are they idiots? They will also work so incredibly slow and inefficiently. At one point I nearly said, "You live in New York. Act like it. Suck it up, act like representatives of Jesus Christ, and get to work." Someone was very hesitant about picking something up so I said, "What are you doing? Are you scared you'll break a nail?" That got him moving haha. I've often thought about what Pap would say to some of these guys if he saw them. That'd be good haha. But there are a lot of missionaries that are very helpful and aren't just putsying around.

Where I live, you couldn't really tell it was a hurricane but other places got hit very hard. Parts of Staten Island and Far Rockaway got destroyed. It looks like a war zone. That's not a figure of expression but a literal statement. There are holes in the ground where houses used to be, parts of houses gone, boats lodged into houses, cars piled up in the street filled with sea water, roads covered in dried mud, streets that are now rivers. It is a very humbling experience. I won’t go into too much detail because it is very sad, but in one area we helped with they were still looking for bodies in a pool of water. We've been doing service for the past week and will for another 2-6 months. We will work during the day and proselyte in the night. We went out to Staten and then got stranded there for 2 days because NY ran out of gas. We stayed in a chapel and got blankets, food, and new clothes from the help of members. It was very nice of them. I am so humbled. It made me think of all the things I'd have to throw away if I picked a water line and pitched everything below it. And let me tell you, people have a lot of stuff. So keep things clean, that's the motto. 

Nov. 13

This week I had to talk to people on the phone in Spanish for the first time. You know how much I hate talking on the phone anyway so this made me really scared. I actually ended up doing really well and set appointments and talked to a lot of people. It was pretty cool. At one point I just thought, "why am I nervous? If I mess up, none of these people will ever recognize me or remember this." So I changed my attitude and it was a whole lot easier. We also talked to this Hispanic family and I told them I was part Italian. They then said that made me Latino and one of them. I'm good with it, that's all I care.

So in our pad, our pilot light went off on our oven. We called our landlord and when he came he said there was something wrong with the hose. We have to keep our windows open so we don't get filled with gas till he can fix it and it just snowed, so we're a tidge bit cold haha, but everything is fine and there isn't anything to worry about. Also, the toilet clogged. We have to get the landlord to come fix it because it won't unclog and it's been unusable for 2 days. We've had to go to a chinese bakery and buy something just to use the bathroom haha.

Service has been going pretty well here. Things have started calming down as more houses are getting finished. There's still work but like I said, it's calming down. I'm curious as to how Stone Harbor is? What's the news on that? I know NJ coast was hit really hard. I haven't worked with Jellen yet but I have seen some NJ Elders and saw two of my friends who are serving in Philly who came to help us out. 

That's cool about Byron showing the CNN pic. I hadn't seen it but had heard that we had been on CNN. Cool! Thanks. We get to Staten by car pooling or by subway/bus depending on the day. I really love doing the service. Anyway, I've got to go. I love you.

Nov. 19

So I found out, Mom, that [my companion] Quist's brother saw your devotional when you got the Maeser award and remembers it. He said he really loved it and thought it was very good. Thought that was interesting. Plus, if he remembered it by your name, then that means it left an impression. Small world.

Thanksgiving we are going to a member's house and that's all I know about that. We have a mission lunch at the mission office tomorrow. Every missionary in NY South will be there. It will be fun... I hope :P

So things that have happened here... I have met a lot of very interesting people. I love people watching here. It is so very entertaining here. I have also had an incredible amount of humbling and spiritual experiences here. Every Thursday we teach an English class in the church for those wanting to learn Spanish to English. I absolutely love that more than anything. I see people who wouldn't normally talk to us and really get to know them well. OH, it's a free class for anyone, very few members ever come and we have about 8-12 people every time. We teach them what they want to know and then end with a spiritual thought. It's a very good experience. We've met a lot of people there. It's amazing. I've actually thought I might want to do this when I get back,  like for St Francis or anywhere if they'd let me. (Not with the LDS spiritual message, obviously.)

Well I'm going to go. I'm trying to send pics but these computers are really dumb.

Nov. 26

Average days here depend on if we are doing service. With service, we go to where ever we are that day, then serve till 4. Come back, eat, shower, go out for appointments. When not doing service, we do studies from 8-12, eat, go out and street contact (or fearless as we call it), and visit people. On Thursdays we teach English class and yeah...

I too hate fearlessing Dad. It's useless and gives me anxiety. I was slightly humbled because one of our new investigators who is a golden investigator was found by fearlessing so... that kinda put me in my place...

With service I haven't been able to do much Spanish so it's gotten a little worse but I still use it everyday, which is good. I'll talk to the workers or the people in the houses in Spanish if that's their language.

Oh I forgot to tell you. So I went to mission conference. 10 min before it starts I get asked to sing for it... that was interesting. It went ok but not as well as I want. Does it ever?

So happy late thanksgiving. We were supposed to go to 2 members' houses but Quist got a concussion playing football so we stayed in our pad all day and I took care of him. Haha that was my TG day but it was actually fun so I didn't care.

Dec. 5

first, the shift key isn't working so this will be annoying.

so transfer meeting is tomorrow and this last week i was praying saying, 'please transfer me' and having faith that it would happen even though i wasn't done with the 12 week program. well the transfer call came and they told me i was out! i was so scared, happy, nervous, excited. my comp thought that couldn't be right and i also was sad because maybe i did want to stay... i'm so bipolar... so i prayed and said, if i stay or go, i will have faith and know that whatever happens is right and for the best. right when i finished we got a call from the zl's and said that the first call was wrong and that i was staying.... i think it's cuz i had a moment of doubt haha. oh well, i will follow what the lord wants and i know it is for the best.

We went to a recent convert member's house in one of his old areas and I met this kid named Robert. I could tell he had just a pure soul. I could also tell the religion stuff quist brought up with his mom, he found embarrassing and frustrating. So i talked to him about normal stuff. he's going to the army on friday and all this stuff. He's an amazing kid. At the end I felt i should say "Hey, I know this religion stuff is ridiculous and cheesy sometimes, but take my advice and take your BoM with you just to have in case you need it. I'm not saying read every day, just have it in case." There was other stuff but that was the gist. I wanted to be real.

Anyway, Dad, I actually think "fearlessing" isn't a bad name but is clever and is true. When talking to people, you really can't have fear but just go for it. That's the truth, it doesn't mean I like to do it though haha. Anyway the Turkey Bowl was an entire mission thing. All the missionaries were doing it. It was a lot of fun actually and a good activity for Thanksgiving. It was a nice time to run. Haven't run well since the MTC so it was good.

We had a mission conference this last week. In it we were asked, "What have you learned from this?" I honestly couldn't think of an answer. So it was on my mind for a while. I started thinking about all the people I've seen and talked to. People have been angry at God and ceased to have faith, something that I understand. The quote from the song in Les Mis came to mind, "To love another person is to see the face of God." So I came up with something "If that's the case, then to serve another person is to be the hand of God." That's really what we, all volunteers and not just the Mormons, are doing. We are being the hand of God in people's lives reminding them that He IS there, that He DOES care, and that He will NEVER forget about any of us. Just something that I wanted to share with you.

Dec. 10

I'm really sad. I got a haircut from a Spanish place and THEY CUT MY WIDOW'S PEAK!!! I feel weird. It's growing back but I still miss it and don't like how it looks without it haha. Don't judge me. You can tell Todd I miss his haircuts.

I was thinking about how I don't have to decorate this Christmas. It made me happy and sad haha. Sad that I couldn't do it, glad that I didn't have to clean it up. :P  It'll be interesting having my first christmas away from the fam but I'll be fine.

The 12 week program is the training program they put new missionaries into for 12 weeks obviously. It's a 2 hour companionship study each day where we have a set thing that we are supposed to study/watch/read. It's not too bad, just not my favorite. So our days are in the morning, exercise for 30 min, get ready (shower, eat, dress, etc) 1 hr, 1hr personal study, 2 hr companionship study, 1 hr language study. Then we go out and proselyte.

So I think I just had a 1st transfer hump. I feel a lot better with this new transfer than I have been feeling. I have little to none anxiety anymore and Quist and I are getting along very well now. He actually had an asthma attack on Fri and so we've been in our pad the past 2 days so he can recover. I enjoyed it and got to finish the New Testament. First time and I really like it, but my thought at the end was, "Revelations!? Seriously?" That book is messed up yo. Like really. I started reading the Old Testament today and... well... it's a book.

Are you guys going to go see Les Mis when it comes out? You'll have to and then tell me how it was!!! Or wait 2 years for me. Whichever you want. Both are equally acceptable and I really have no preference. Seriously.

I've had a lot of good experiences this past week. We met with a Less Active member. His mom died a while ago but he still hasn't really worked through it. He wants to go to church because he really likes it, but it reminds him of his mom and that's scary to him. I got to do what I really want to do and I got to act like a psychologist. We started getting to the depth of his fears and feelings and it was really cool. It really gave me strength this week to see that thanks to the Lord, we are able to help people out. It really made me happy.

Tell everyone I love them and miss them.

Dec 26

Feels like I just talked to you guys... oh wait... :P

The singing in mission conference went really well. I got a lot of compliments and got to listen to a lot of AMAZING singers/performers in this mission. That day was all a Christmas program. 

Anyway, as you heard, my Spanish is super good haha not really. I'm not bad but I'm not as good as I want to be. I am slowly progressing haha. It's good.

Um... some news. [Name omitted]. Remember her? Yeah, SHE'S GETTING MARRED IN JANUARY!!! Like the 5th!!! People can't be getting married... Also, []... yeah he's engaged... to my friend []. Yeah... I CAN'T HANDLE THE MARRIAGES!!!! Ok all the people there need to stop getting married and all the people here need to start getting married. Seriously, that is a problem out here. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Of my investigators needs to get married before they can get baptized. And they really want to... ugh. When someone says they are married and are hispanic, unless you see the certificate and you were there, don't believe it. In Hispanic culture, you are married if you've lived together more than 3 months. The word "married" means NOTHING. Absolutely. Nothing. At. All.

I'm a little frustrated actually because we have this couple named []. They are amazing. They are both 60 something. Anyway, they are my 3rd grandparents. I'm not joking. They are. I love them! They always give me food and for Christmas they gave us cards and money. They are investigators, not members. They are amazing!!! I love them... so know I'm being taken care of haha.

I gotta go but I'm writing a letter with more stuff and cool stories. Thanks!

New York Address for J.D.

Elder James Goates
New York New York South Mission
85-69 60th Dr
Elmhurst, NY  11373-5547

Last MTC letter

Hey y’all,

            Well, it’s my last letter from the MTC!!! I’m out of the prison!!!  I mean …

            So, how well was conference received?  Everyone in the MTC cheered when President Monson made the announcement about change in missionary age.  It was extremely exciting.

            Not much to say except good bye Utah!  Cool story:  I’ve seen a lot of people.  Jeremy Call, Chris Hoffman, Martie Tullis, Cameron Kocherhans, Zach Stay, and, of course, those that work here.  Bro. Hess was also an “investigator” for in-field orientation.  That was cool.

            I’m extremely excited and extremely nervous, but it’s time for me to leave.  Last Sunday, I gave a talk in Spanish to my branch.  People said they understood and some natives said I did really well with no noticeable mistakes.  Now, I’m ready to go to NY and sound like a baby talking, yay!

            This last week, Elder Bednar came and talked to the missionaries.  While listening, all I could think was, “How much are we loved!”  It’s the truth.  The Lord loves us so much that He has given us such great people and ways to be counseled and consoled.  It truly is amazing.  The Lord will always give us a way of help in our needs.  That I testify.  Ask in faith, and ye shall receive.  It is true.  No matter who the person, the Lord will counsel us, comfort us, and help us.

            Hope you are all well.

ꜟ Adios !

Elder Goates

It's Hipster Sister!! and Sister Dishong!!! Now you know what they look like.

Second Letter from MTC

Hey Everyone!
     How are you?!  K that's enough, now listen and care about me.
     The MTC is going pretty well.  We've now taught 3 investigators.  It has been a wonderful experience, and I've learned a lot.  Recently, we have started doing something called TRC.  We go and visit this building where people (members) volunteer to come in and get taught by missionaries in the mission language.  It honestly is amazing because we are able to deal with real people and not just teachers.  It rejunvenates my soul while in here.  I just find myself loving these total strangers.  It's one of the coolest things I've ever experienced.
     I've started doing choir while in the MTC.  While it is nice, it makes me truly appreciate Rosemary Mathews and Sis. Hall.  They made amazing choirs.  I miss Men's Choir so badly.  If anyone is in Men's Choir now and reading this, you can tell Sis. Hall or Mrs. Mathews that I am really glad for what they did and that I miss head tone badly (well, more like miss people using head tone).
     My companion and I have gotten along so well.  He is hilarious.  We are now writing The Book of Leo.  It is a compilation of our district's stories and parables that are applicable to other missionaries and that are just funny.
     I have been blessed with one of the greatest blessings of the MTC, 3 weeks with no new room mates.  I'm not even joking.  I get my own desk and bedset.  It rocks.
     Things have been going really well for the most part.  I can speak the language much better and only in a blue moon do I not understand.  Now I'm ready to go to NY, hear a native speaker, and not be able to understand anything!  I now think in Spanish, it's weird.  Also, if my grammar/spelling sucks, don't judge.  My brain is in Spanish mode.
     I got a haircut.  I have never had hair this short before.  My head is cold.  One good thing is that I got to see Sarah Card (she works at the MTC).  It was weird seeing a girl I knew from my previous life.  I wasn't used to it.
     There are so many interessting people here.  I make nicknames.  Now, as horrible as these may sound, understand, we must keep our sanity somehow.  Some examples are Elder Bitter-face, Sister Bitter-face, Elder Utah-face, Elder Neutron (as in Jimmy Neutron--seriously, this kid has the largest forehead I've ever seen), Elder Meathead (two companions who are one entity), Sister Lohan (Lindsey), and Sister Hipster (who is the epitomy of Chloe Issac).  They are all amazing, but I just need to make names.
     I'm really ready to go to NY.  All of us are.  I think they are testing us because every video clip we watch is of someone in NY.  It's hard.  They need to stop showing things of the city because I still have a month.  Will I survive?  Who knows?  I also had someting cool happen.  While doing the TRC thing, I was able to teach a member.  She just so happened to be Alex Blackham's mother.  It was one of the coolest/surrealist things.  Crazy!
     Alright so remember how I said I would eventually talk about my spiritual experiences?  Yeah, this is now.
     So, we often get new investigators to teach.  Durkin and I have developed a ritual for what we do to prepare for our first time meeting them.  This time, though, was so different.  We went in and met our new "investigator".  She was a woman whose husband was LDS, and she was nondenominational Christian.  I love her, but his woman shows no emotion whatsovever and comes across as being mad/cold when she's not.  We went in and started our ritual, but I felt like there was something we could help her with.  Elder Durkin asked a question using words he never used before and it was a totally normal question.  He asked if she had any children.  In her quiet voice she replied no and that she wanted them but then she said something I shouldn't have been able to hear/understand.  She said, "No puedo tener hijos."  "I cannot have children." (I heard it but my companion didn't.)  I immediately had a question come to mind.  I thought "I need to ask her if she is happy with God."  I could not pay attention the whole lesson my companion was giving.  All I could think about was this question.  Never before have I so strongly felt what I needed to say.  I've had ideas before, but never have they not left my mind.  I didn't feel like I could interrupt, so I sat there for almost the entire lesson.  Finally, the feeling was so strong I said, "I'm sorry but I've felt I needed to ask this the whole time.  Are you happy with God?"  She paused.  After a moment she responded, "Yes and No.  It is very difficult because I can't have kids."  The spirit was so incredibly strong.  We were able to share with her many things that really helped her.  After a few lessons, we asked how she felt about God.  She replied she had never been so close to her Father as she was now and how she wasn't unhappy anymore.  It was spectacular to be able to see her open up and grow.  I truly began to love her as I taught her.  I knew I wanted to help her.  I knew the anger she had felt.  I knew that she could be happy again.  It was one of the most spectacular and spiritual experiences of my life.  It gave me an even stronger drive than I had before.
    This is the reason I am here and I love what I am doing.  I hope all of you are doing well, and I will write again soon.
Sincerely,
Elder James Goates

JD and companion, Elder Durkin

District 35 C! All the guys off to New York, and all the gals off to Guatemala!

Letter 1

FYI, J.D. is sending us letters to post.  Here is his first one, without editing:

Hey Everyone!

Well here ends my first week here.  It was the most surreal experience of my life.  Let me start by saying that I love it here …well, now I like it.  I just had to make sure you don’t get the wrong idea.  The first day was like a terribly corny movie.  Picture this:  You have just said goodbye to your family.  You are in a new, strange place, but you realize there is nothing physically obscure about it.  You are very unsure because you have a weird feeling but can’t figure why until you see it; then you understand.  Here they come, ties blowing slowly in the wind, gigantic plastic smiles plastered on their faces while they walk with arms bent, as if speed walking with a purpose.  “Bienvenidos, Elderes!”—the two words I heard most from every white marshmallow with a tie.  This was now my home.

A week later I still find things corny but now it’s normal that people say, “how do you get your shirts so clean?”  (I kid you not; I did actually hear that.)  For the most part it was a show to freak out the newbies, but there are still those instances.  It was hard the first few days, I won’t lie.  I wondered what I was doing here and all those cliché questions.  Everyone told me to stick it out till the first Sunday, and it would get better.  They didn’t lie.  It has been 3 days since Sunday and it feels like yesterday.  It also feels like I’ve been here a month.  In one week I have gotten extremely close with my companion and my entire district.  Because of that, the time seems like I’ve been here a long time (in a good way).  I sometimes wonder if people have missed seeing me, but then I realize it’s only been seven days and I’ve been away from people much longer at other times.  It’s crazy.

I have done the impossible!  I’ve lost 7 lbs since entering the MTC.  (Don’t worry I am eating.  I just am exercising and eating healthier.)  As most know, the MTC is part of BYU.  This might not make any difference to anyone, but BYU means no caffeinated drinks.  I am dying.  Not really.  I have not drunk anything except water.  I am healthy.  But, if anyone feels like sending some caffeine, I would not be opposed.

My companion is a really awesome kid.  His name is Elder Leo Durkin, and he plays for BYU volleyball.  He rocks.  We got along really well from the get go.  My district really rocks (as I’ve said).  When asked by our Branch President how we were getting along I had to laugh and think, “are you kidding me; these people are my family.”  I have seen many friends here on a regular basis.  Quick rundown of who they are: Brenton Mangum, Mason Foster, Jake Johnson, Janel Anderson, Shirley Grover (see her the most), James Marriott, Matt Jensen, Arthur Diaz, Jarom Harrison, Cameron Mayo, the Jolleys, the Gerkes, and others that I probably forgot.  For those who understand, there are so many family members that I cannot keep from laughing.  Be happy for the totrys, be very happy.

Now for the really important part, the reason why we are here at the MTC.  I have felt the Spirit so strongly while being here.  Every day I have something happen where I feel the Spirit powerfully.  We have been assigned an investigator who we had to teach in complete Spanish on the third day.  It was tough, but it was amazing to teach with a spiritual power.  Every day we can understand and say more.  We are almost done teaching Rafael (our investigator), but it is amazing to watch him grow and feel a new happiness in his life.  Yes, I know that this is a mock investigator and that he works here, but the spirit is real.  That cannot be acted or faked, and I see that with this experience.

Spanish here is crazy.  In 3 days I learned more than 3 years in high school.  High school Spanish was helpful, but I am miles ahead now.  My companion and I go well together because he can speak better than I can, but I understand better.  It is a good match.

I miss everyone, but I am happy to be here now.  I hope everything is going well and that you all are safe and happy.

Elder Goates

K guys, this is where I will have my family post some awesome things that I do and the letters I sent back. :D

My mailing address for the MTC (not for packages):

Elder James David Goates
Provo Missionary Training Center
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604
United States

My P.O. Box for the MTC (for packages):

Elder James David Goates
MTC Mailbox # 243
NY-NYCS 1022
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

When I leave for New York (in about 8-9 weeks) my address will be different.

Address for both letters and packages:

(THIS MAY CHANGE SO NOT TO HERE UNTIL I GET THERE AND CONFIRM)

Elder James David Goates
New York New York South Mission
85-69 60th Dr
Elmhurst, NY 11373-5547
United States