Hello @kwilliams, and welcome to the sweetest community around! It’s so great to have you here with us! Currently, there is no way to win gold bars from in-game events. However, you can participate in competitions around the community for a chance to win gold. Nonetheless, do keep an eye out for future updates for new game features and levels! Regarding your second question, each life received from a friend is meant to represent a single life. For example, if you choose to accept five of your gifted lives, then this should represent a full set of lives. I hope this helps to answer your question!
Things is my friends that play the game be telling me they are sending lives but I am not getting them.... I get maybe 1 one a week. Something is wrong