HOORAH FOR ISRAEL

TEN MORE DAYS IN THE MTC AND ONE MONTH OUT WOOT WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got the package mom!!!! Thank you so much. That is so helpful. Thank you for the shirts, they are perfect and very comfortable. Also, the pita chips were to die for haha. I like ate the whole bag. I hope you and dad had the BEST anniversary ever!!!! I was thinking about you all day. I also hope Abby and Ralph had a good anniversary. 

Also, as far as I know I only have one sibling. It is a sister and her name is Grace. As far as other siblings? Haven't heard from them in about a whole month. I hope they are all still alive and well. 

It sounds like Philmont is a blast!!! Sleeping in tents eating the same food as me with people snoring!!!! Haha just kidding, but it sounds like you are learning a lot. I have loved the messages that you have shared with me so thank you. I am going to severely miss your dear elders every day. We get our FLIGHT PLANS TOMORROW!!!! I am so excited haha.

I have so much to write this week haha so I will try to get it all down.  How can so much happen in the MTC? I am not sure, but it does so here we go. 

So on Thursday and Friday last week we had some mission president's come and teach us. Our mission presidents were The Msane's. They came from South Africa and were going to Kenya and they were so incredible. The African people are unlike any other. First of all their voices are so powerful. I could listen to them talk all day long and then their faith is incredible. I hope I get to teach Africans in Italy. On Saturday we went to the temple for the last time and I got to take those family names that you sent so that was so awesome.

And we met President and Sister Pickerd!!!!!

Holy cow they are incredible people. They both served their missions in Rome and are so humble and amazing. They are so kind and actually were very emotional. President Pickerd was an Area 70 and they have been on like the temple presidency or something to do with being on a board of a temple for six different temples!! They lived their whole lives in Texas and then moved to Arizona. They were called in October and meeting them for the first time was so incredible. They said with tears in their eyes that they have been praying for us since October. They said we want you to tell your parents and make sure they know that we love you. They talking a lot about Moses 6:24-35 and I think a lot of our mission will be based around the scripture 3 nephi 5:13. We asked about the temple and he said you know, the answer I give people is that 

"Rome wasn't built in a day" 

haha and that it is all up to the first presidency. But I don't know if you know. Inside the Rome temple will be an exact replica of the Christus statue found in Denmark I believe, and the church has digitally copied the original statues of the original 12 apostles and those will be surrounding Christ in the Rome temple so that's pretty incredible. 

They also talked about the story of Esther which I of course love. I hope I will be able to have that same courage that she had on my mission. They said when the apostles were here they made it very clear that this is HIS work. This is not our mission they are not our baptisms. It is His work and it will be done the way He wants it to be done. They left on Monday and will be touring the whole mission this week meeting every single missionary in the mission!!! haha. I think they finished that yesterday and now will just be preparing for the new transfers....... WHICH IS MEEEEE!!!!! They are incredible people. I feel very lucky. It is inspired.

I played my violin on Sunday in Sacrament which was very fun. I didn't have the piano music so I gave my music to one of the Romanian elders and he made up an accompaniment. He was telling one of the elders, who told me after the fact, that if there was anyone his name would be caught in like a "heart" with it would be Sister Gochnour, and this particular elder, haha he's from Australia and is so funny says, get in line. WHAT. THese people are on missions what are they thinking??????  That just shows you a tiny bit of what I deal with daily. Some of them are funny, others I just want to kill.  Now all of the guys in my district make fun of me for it haha.  They also all call me mom. haha. Typical. Bet you can't figure out why that's the case. I am not bossy. I promise. I just ask them to nicely pick up the apple that they threw at the garbage can and please close the door when they leave the room every five seconds. hahaha oh my life.

On a more spiritual note, I will share with you what I learned this week. President Stephen B. Allen talked about how we are the Savior's elite troops. We were saved for this time to come to earth to fight the war with Satan. He then talked about how well Satan knows us which is so true and really very scary. Satan knows EXACTLY how to push our buttons. He puts these dangerous thoughts in our minds that build up into other things. Satan is not happy with any of us. We are outnumbered, but we are much stronger than he is. The Lord promises us that if we bear with patience our afflictions will will be given success. We have to hang in there and perhaps I might be the means of saving one soul. If that. He also says unto us, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." There is no sin we can commit that hasn't already been paid for. It is a big concept to wrap your mind around but we are so incredibly lucky. He said I want you guys to serve your missions in a manner so that when your are on the plane flying home you can hear the words in your head saying, "Well done thou good and faithful servant." That is what I want more than anything right now. This is His work and I want to be able to be an instrument in His hands to help others understand the joy and peace this gospel brings me. 

We also heard from Elder Arnold from the seventy and what I liked most about his talk was how he said, "Do your best, and then try again." All we can do is our best. The Lord will make up for the rest. I am so grateful for that and to be able to be a part of a church where I get credit for even trying because I am SO far from perfect. We sang the song Hoorah for Israel which was so incredible. I am Israel. I and all of you, have been saved for these last days to help bring others to the fold. To help gathered scattered Israel. I can see Joseph Smith in so much turmoil and so much pain, leaving his family and everything he loved and saying "Hoorah for Israel". I am so grateful I have been saved for these last days and that I get to be a part of this work.

I love you all and am so grateful for the love you show me. It is very much needed. Missions are very hard sometimes and I feel like I don't want to do it sometimes, but if you're ever in a situation that seems terrible, play the "well at least game". Well at least I have a family that loves me who I get to be with forever. I think this will come in handy when I am asking people to share a message with them and they just say no or yell at me haha. I can't wait for Italy and I am grateful to be a part of this beautiful work. I love you so much.

FORZA ITALIA!!!!!!!!!

arrivederci

Sorella Lucy Ann Gochnour

P.S. Also, there are 33 new italians coming this week!!! so that is going to be pretty insane. I don't even know what is going to happen haha but the overlap is only five days so that's good. I am so excited to see Carly and Miles!!!

Elder Dameron and me

 Me and Sorella Bishop