First Week Home

While home waiting for knee surgery Elder Gomm has been out with the local missionaries helping with the work here in California. He also got home just in time to see the first of five young ladies from our ward depart on her mission. Saturday we attended the temple with all five of these soon-to-be Sister Missionaries.

The Sister Missionaries and the Future Sister Missionaries "Heart Attracted" our house the day before surgery.

Back Home For Just A Little While

May 16, 2013

Elder Gomm arrived in California late this afternoon. He will be home for knee surgery. He will return to North Carolina to complete his mission as soon as his knee is rehabilitated. Paul and Dena joined us at the airport to welcome him home. Then of course we stopped at In-N-Out for burgers.

Welcome  Home Wounded Warrior. All along carrying a Book of Mormon to share with someone along the way.




Don't worry, we helped him with his bags.

We stopped by the Temple on the way home.

HOME SWEET HOME!

Heading Home For Knee Surgery

Elder Gomm will be coming home this Thursday, May 16th. He has re-torn the meniscus in his right knee.

It was about 3-1/2 years ago that he tore the same meniscus during club volleyball practice. This time it was a simple jump to catch a Frisbee. Today he was seen by the leading orthopedist in North Carolina. It was determined that Elder Gomm must come home ASAP for surgery to repair the tear. He is scheduled to see a doctor here in California on Friday with the hope that surgery can be scheduled for sometime next week. The recovery time ranges from 6 weeks to 3 months.

Upon return to California, Elder Gomm will be temporarily released as a Full Time Missionary. When his recovery is complete he will once again be set apart as a Full Time Missionary. He will return to the North Carolina Charlotte Mission and pick up right where he left off. His mission will not be shortened. He will still serve a total of  two years; therefore he will return home sometime in the Fall of 2014 rather than July 2014.

In our Skype conversation on Mother's Day Elder Gomm said he is at peace. He knows that there is something to be learned from this experience.

We are so grateful for all the love, support and prayers that have been offered in Elder Gomm's behalf. Please pray for his speedy recovery and return to the mission field.

Thank You,
Elder Gomm's Mom & Dad

Mother's Day 2013

On Mother's Day Elder Gomm was able to Skype with Mom & Dad

Missionaries only call home on Mother's Day and Christmas.

All other correspondence with family and friends

is done once a week via email and US Mail.

May 6, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

Well a ton has happened this week that will change my future. There have been 58 new missions created in the world because of the wave of new missionaries. Because of this many missions will be affected, including the North Carolina Charlotte Mission. 

Effective July 1, 2013, The Ashville Stake of Zion will become a part of the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. This means that all vehicles, missionaries and assets will become part of that mission. The funny thing is.... that I am currently in the Ashville Stake or Ashville Zone as we call it. So, I may end up in Tennessee Knoxville Mission in July. This is both exciting and sad. I love adventure and exploring the unknown, but I hate change.

This is a large vine not a tree

Anyways, life continues on in Blairsville. Monday we got to hike on the Appalachian Trail. Boy is it beautiful! I may want to hike part of it after my mission. The trail goes through 14 states from Georgia in the south to Maine in the north; nearly 2,200 miles. 
















It was truly wonderful to see the beauty that Heavenly Father created for us.

I met a return missionary that was hiking that same day. As it turns out he served in the California Sacramento Mission and served in Placerville, near my hometown. Small world!

Life is good here in the South. I tried boiled peanuts, a true southern treat, and I really like them especially boiled with a little bacon. 

This week Lee is getting baptized!! We have been working with him for only a month and he loves the Church. He is so excited for his baptism this Saturday. So keep him in your prayers.

The Lord truly loves us!! I have seen His hand in my life this last week. He helps us in our trials and blesses us openly because He loves us so much! All He asks is that we recognize Him in all we do.

Please keep me in your prayers everyone. I am really going to need them more than ever as the changes come to our mission. I love you all. 

Love,

Elder Gomm

PS Oh, and up here in the mountains everyone says yun’s rather than ya’ll. I love it!!! hahaha

More pictures from our Preparation Day (P-day) hike on the Appalachian Trail (pronounced around here Appalatchan). My companion and I hiked with the two senior missionary couples serving in our district.

Largest Poplar tree east of the Mississippi River

Trillium Flower

Outdoor Chapel along the Appalachian Trail

The white mark on the tree tells you it's the Appalachian Trail

April 22, 2013

Hey ya’ll!!!!

I have been exiled...... like John the revelator on the island of Patmos. Except I am in heaven here in the mountains!!!!! I say I am exiled because I am in the area that is the furthest away from the mission home. It took us 6 hours to get here a trip that had to be done in two days. There are no others missionaries around us just 2 sets of wonderful senior couples that are in our district. I kind of feel like I am in another world here in Blairsville, Georgia because everyone is so friendly in this small town surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. I don’t know if I can express how excited I am to be here!!!!

 There are so few members here that the congregation makes up a branch of about 30 people. That is so foreign to me, I guess, because I grew up in that huge Rescue Ward that had to get split because it went half way back into the cultural hall. They had to make up callings for the members. Well, here in our little happy branch, most of the members are above the age of 55 and half of them are new members of about 2 years. It is so awesome.

This is where our Branch meets

I have already been having marvelous adventures with my new companion Elder Gosselin. On my first day there was a huge thunderstorm with rain the size of large grapes. Yeah, I found out that rain can actually hurt when it hits you. Lightning and hail were showering down on us while we tried to teach a lesson. A tree was struck by lightening not more than a hundred feet from us. I was then driving home and found that there was a small river going across the road. They should have given us a Jeep rather than a white Corolla because I have already gone on some driveways that would be deemed as a 4 wheel drive trail in Moab!!! Let’s just say that I love it here!

The people are so wonderful here! Already we went tracking and found a few people who are so excited to get baptized!!!! They recognize us as Christ’s representatives and feel the Holy Ghost as we teach them. I don’t know if a mission could get any better!!! I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father and his wonderful mercy!!!! My joy is full!!!! 

Love,

Elder Gomm



County Courthouse in the center of town

April 15, 2013

Hey Ya’ll!!!

I AM GETTING TRANSFERRED. OK, I hope that broke the suspense. So, DON'T WRITE any letters until you get my new address. I will be in my new area Tuesday and will send some letters with my new address. Good Bye Lincolnton.

This is a bitter sweet transfer. I really love the people here in Lincolnton. Yesterday at church was a hard day with many tears. I was humbled to realize how many lives I have touched here and how many hearts I had the opportunity to help change. For awhile I felt like a failure because I didn't baptize anyone, even though I knew I tried my best. But I found that success isn't about how many baptisms you have its how many souls you help bring closer to Christ. I got to see that yesterday and my joy is full as was Ammon’s. 

I am excited to go to my new area. I know where I am going and am really excited!! You will have to wait till Tuesday for my mom to post where I officially am. Just like Paul or Aaron, the Spirit of the Lord is calling me elsewhere; my work is done here. Elder Call is going to see great success. Something big is about to happen in Lincolnton. I am really excited for him and the diligent Sisters in this ward to reap the harvest of so much sowing. I am really going to miss Elder Call, he and I are best buds! Please pray for him and his success that he and his new companion will work miracles here. And I give a shout out to all of the people of Lincolnton, God be with you till we meet again. I love you all!

Farewell Elder Call

Now for some words of wisdom that I learned this week. We were blessed to have the opportunity to attend Stake Conference. The stake president gave a great talk on how we all can "catch the wave".

To you members of the Church, there are 3 things we can do to simply do our missionary work, and they are:

1. Know the names of the full-time missionaries in your ward. If you haven’t done so introduce yourself and invite them over for dinner. It’s beneficial for both parties. The missionaries don’t have to eat Top-Ramen or peanut butter as much. ;) And the members get to be edified by the missionaries and have authorized representatives of Jesus Christ in your home.

2. Know the names of each of there investigators (people learning and investigating the church with the missionaries). This isn’t too hard to do. Pray for the missionaries, pray for their investigators by name, and pray for your own missionary opportunities.

3. Invite! Invite people into your home. Invite the missionaries’ investigators into your home. Be a friend to them. They are often making new and difficult changes in their lives, and they could use someone to help lift them up. This is so simple. You have dinner as a family every night, I hope? How hard would it be to have someone over into your home to sup with them and have the missionaries teach them in the comfort of your home? As members of the church our homes should be the most sacred place next to the temple of God. There is a wonderful spirit in member’s homes; they have all the blessings of the restored gospel. When an acquaintance comes into your home, they feel the warmth, the peace, and the love that is there and they then are no longer acquaintances. They become our friends, our brothers and sisters. We have what they need. I see it every day! So invite! Invite people, to church, to meet the missionaries, to come eat with you and your family, invite to Family Home Evening, and invite them to learn the message of the restored gospel. Trust in the Lord; imagine the trust he has in you. If we open our mouths he will fill them.

 7 Yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, that the field is ^awhite already to harvest; wherefore, thrust in your sickles, and reap with all your might, mind, and strength.

 8 ^aOpen your mouths and they shall be filled, and you shall become even as ^bNephi of old, who journeyed from Jerusalem in the wilderness.

 9 Yea, open your mouths and spare not, and you shall be laden with ^asheaves upon your backs, for lo, I am with you.

 10 Yea, open your mouths and they shall be filled, saying:^aRepent, repent, and prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for the ^bkingdom of heaven is at hand;

 11 Yea, ^arepent and be baptized, every one of you, for a^bremission of your sins; yea, be baptized even by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.

Doctrine and Covenants 33:7-11

Brothers and sisters if we can do these three simple things, I promise that we will see miracles!!! The heavens will open and blessings will be poured out upon us. Let us rejoice with our brethren, in the fullness of the Gospel! Jesus is the Christ and he has restored his gospel!!!!

Love,

Elder Gomm