Hi Everyone!

I am doing spectacularly this week. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a missionary. It's crazy awesome. 

This week I got a new companion! Her name is Hermana Garcia! She is so wonderful. She is from Australia, and just got transferred from the Spanish speaking part of the mission, (where she has been for her entire mission up to this point) into an English speaking part of the mission. So that has been a little bit crazy, and we've had an interesting time together trying to adjust, but we are doing well together. She has this crazy long red hair, and is probably the sweetest person on the planet. I feel very blessed to be able to know her. 

After transfers on Wednesday, we had to drop Sister Blair off at the Mission office so she could be driven to the airport. It was so hard to say goodbye to her. There were 8 other sisters going home with her, and so many people were crying. We were all a mess, but she is happy to be home with her family for Christmas. 

We also got to help set up and be a part of the Ward Christmas Party. It was a blast, and an awesome experience. We met so many people that we hadn't ever met before, and were able to talk to the Anaheim Spanish missionaries, which was fun. (The Anaheim Spanish Ward meets in our building, so we had our Christmas party together.) I tried tamales for the first time. They are so good, but maybe a little bit spicy for me. We had an awesome time, and loved spending time with our ward. 

We are still working with Gamal, and hoping that he will keep progressing and working towards his baptismal date. 

I want to talk about Julie. Julie is the 16 year old girl who we met last week. She told us last week on Sunday that she wanted to come to church, and we've had other people tell us that in the past, and then they didn't show up. It's super disappointing when people don't keep commitments. Anyways, we called her on Thursday, and asked if she was planning on coming, and if she needed a ride, etc. She said that she was coming!!! Then she came!!!! Oh man, so much stuff happened yesterday that could have prevented everything from happening like it did, but it was amazing! She stayed at all three hours of church, and she wants to come back next week! She is also letting us come and talk with her tomorrow and on Thursday. I cannot express how blessed I feel that we found her. She was telling us yesterday about how she had been searching for a church, and wanted to come closer to God. What the amazing!!! 

That's about it! I'm so excited for Christmas, and I'm excited to see what the next week brings, because life is never boring as a missionary. I love this gospel, and I love this Christmas season where people are so much more open to talking about Christ and remembering him. 

I love you all so much, and want to wish you a very Merry Christmas. 

Love, Sister Wood :) 

Picture 1) This is Sister Garcia and I along with two of the Bishops daughters. I put a wreath on my head, and soon everyone else had a wreath on their head, so we took a picture. Also, the little girls wanted to wear our coats. This happened while we were setting up for the ward Christmas party. 

Picture 2) Us and Santa!! :) 

IMG_2198.JPG

IMG_2219.JPG

Hi Everyone!

I am doing spectacularly this week. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a missionary. It's crazy awesome. 

This week I got a new companion! Her name is Hermana Garcia! She is so wonderful. She is from Australia, and just got transferred from the Spanish speaking part of the mission, (where she has been for her entire mission up to this point) into an English speaking part of the mission. So that has been a little bit crazy, and we've had an interesting time together trying to adjust, but we are doing well together. She has this crazy long red hair, and is probably the sweetest person on the planet. I feel very blessed to be able to know her. 

After transfers on Wednesday, we had to drop Sister Blair off at the Mission office so she could be driven to the airport. It was so hard to say goodbye to her. There were 8 other sisters going home with her, and so many people were crying. We were all a mess, but she is happy to be home with her family for Christmas. 

We also got to help set up and be a part of the Ward Christmas Party. It was a blast, and an awesome experience. We met so many people that we hadn't ever met before, and were able to talk to the Anaheim Spanish missionaries, which was fun. (The Anaheim Spanish Ward meets in our building, so we had our Christmas party together.) I tried tamales for the first time. They are so good, but maybe a little bit spicy for me. We had an awesome time, and loved spending time with our ward. 

We are still working with Gamal, and hoping that he will keep progressing and working towards his baptismal date. 

I want to talk about Julie. Julie is the 16 year old girl who we met last week. She told us last week on Sunday that she wanted to come to church, and we've had other people tell us that in the past, and then they didn't show up. It's super disappointing when people don't keep commitments. Anyways, we called her on Thursday, and asked if she was planning on coming, and if she needed a ride, etc. She said that she was coming!!! Then she came!!!! Oh man, so much stuff happened yesterday that could have prevented everything from happening like it did, but it was amazing! She stayed at all three hours of church, and she wants to come back next week! She is also letting us come and talk with her tomorrow and on Thursday. I cannot express how blessed I feel that we found her. She was telling us yesterday about how she had been searching for a church, and wanted to come closer to God. What the amazing!!! 

That's about it! I'm so excited for Christmas, and I'm excited to see what the next week brings, because life is never boring as a missionary. I love this gospel, and I love this Christmas season where people are so much more open to talking about Christ and remembering him. 

I love you all so much, and want to wish you a very Merry Christmas. 

Love, Sister Wood :) 

Picture 1) This is Sister Garcia and I along with two of the Bishops daughters. I put a wreath on my head, and soon everyone else had a wreath on their head, so we took a picture. Also, the little girls wanted to wear our coats. This happened while we were setting up for the ward Christmas party. 

Picture 2) Us and Santa!! :) 

IMG_2198.JPG

IMG_2219.JPG

Hello!

Can you believe that I have been a missionary for two days shy of three months? Because I can't. It's super weird, and I feel like I am in this alternate universe where time simultaneously stands still and moves really fast at the same time. It seems like just yesterday I was saying goodbye to my family and walking into the MTC. Man, It's seriously weird. 

This week has been nuts. So many things going on all the time. We never have enough time to do everything that we need to. 

On Monday We got to go to Balboa Island, which is this awesome little man-made island in the ocean. There are lots of little shops and places to go. It was a super fun Sisters activity. 

On Tuesday, we had a successful day of tracting and visiting less-actives. We had some interesting conversations with this man who is a professor of theology. We tried really hard not to argue with him and just leave, but he really wanted to talk to us about different religions and why ours was wrong... So we just testified to him, and disengaged. It was a weird conversation. We also had our Christmas... Activity? As a whole mission. It is always fun to see all the people who came out with me. We had a blast, and got to see a lot of friends. 

For the past few weeks, we have been able to go and help at Habitat for Humanity. It has been a great opportunity to do service for us. Service is one of my favorite things to do for people. I love going and helping with whatever we can. It's great. :) Especially when you see how much people need help and see how grateful they are for you. It makes being a missionary so amazing. 

We also had a mission-wide Sisters training meeting. They gave trainings on so many things. Modesty, music, love languages and how to get along better with your companion, and many other things. We heard the story of how our mission president and his wife met and got married, and it was probably one of the sweetest stories I've ever heard. After they were done telling the story, he got down on his knee and proposed to her again. (He has always felt like he didn't do it right the first time.)  I looked around while this was happening, ( I have to admit I shed a few tears as well) and almost all of the Sisters were crying at least a little bit. It just made me laugh, because this would never happen at an Elders training. 

One of the STL's made up a rap and was going to present it during one of the trainings, and at the Christmas party was asking around to see if anyone knew how to beat-box. I have a very, very, very basic form of beat-boxing, (It's not very good) but she asked me to "drop a beat" for her during the Sisters training meeting. It was fun, and an opportunity to share a talent that I had never really considered to be a talent of mine. It was fun. :) 

Last story for today. :) Yesterday, Sister Blair and I went tracting for an hour before dinner. We prayed before, and asked Heavenly Father to help us find someone who we could help. As we were walking, we saw this girl standing in her driveway, and we went and talked to her. We started our normal spiel, "Hi, we're the missionaries! Could we share this quick two minute video with you?" She said yes, so we shared the A Savior is Born video with her. After it was over, I asked her how she felt, she proceeded to tell us about her depression that she had been dealing with for years, and how now she didn't really feel anything anymore. I felt so sad at that moment, because here was this beautiful daughter of God, who didn't think that she could ever feel His love, or even feel happy ever again. I suddenly had this prompting that I had to tell her. So I testified of things that I knew. That she was a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father who only wanted her happiness. I testified of the Atonement, and repentance. As I was talking, she started to cry, and the Spirit in that moment was so strong. I knew that she could feel it, and that the Spirit was telling her that what I was saying was true. I had another thought at that moment, that I needed to invite her to be baptized. I was taken aback, because I had just met this girl, and I didn't want her to think I was nuts for inviting her to be baptized... But I asked that if she had a witness and knew that the things we had shared were true, if she would be baptized, and she said yes! She also said that we could come back and teach her and her family, and that she would come to church! It was such an amazing miracle that we were able to meet her and testify to her, and help her feel the Spirit. I am so excited to see her again. 

Heavenly Father is just waiting to bless us. When we are obedient and do the things that he has asked us to do, he will make miracles happen in our lives. I have seen it time and time again on my mission so far. 

Transfers!!! I will be staying in South Coast for this next transfer, ( our ward was really happy about that :) ) and I will be getting a new companion. Sister Blair returns to New Mexico on Wednesday, which is crazy, because we just got here. I can't believe that it's almost 2016. I'm nervous, but excited for transfers, and I will let you all know what's going on! 

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and support! 

Love, Sister Wood :) 

Hiya!

Life is so great! I love being a missionary. :) 

Man, this week has been a little bit crazy. Every week is crazy, but this one was super hectic. 

So, on Tuesday we had Sister Blair's departing dinner. ( This is where all of the missionaries going home get to invite one other missionary, and go have dinner and a testimony meeting at the Mission Home.) It was really nice, and I felt blessed that Sister Blair invited me to go with her. She also invited her other greenie, and it was really fun. After the dinner, we all sat in this big circle in the living room, and were asked to share a memory or something we learned from one of the departing missionaries. We were so grateful that Elders and Sisters have separate dinners because as soon as the first person started talking, everyone started crying. Seriously, so many tears. It was a mess. It was really awesome, and really spiritual, but we tried to take some pictures afterwards, and it was all puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. So many tears. But it was good. 

To make things more interesting, we had zone 24's that night as well. (Where the whole zone gets together and switches companions for 24 hours) We were super late. Most people know that I'm not a super prompt person anyway, (I am getting better at it on my mission) but we were super late. I felt really bad for all of our temporary companions. They were not very pleased with us. We didn't get to bed until almost midnight, which is super late for missionaries. I went on a 24 with Sister Bauer (who I came out with) and Sister Van Den Braun (the British one) in their area. We had an awesome time together. We had a lot of fun, and talked to some awesome people. I am so glad I got to be with them for a day and hear their testimonies. 

We also have started sharing the "A Savior is Born" video. It is so awesome! I love that video, so so so so so so so much. It is awesome. I love sharing it with people as well. Seriously, it's the best. Being a missionary is the best! 

The day after 24's (Thursday I think) I went on an exchange down in the Spanish area. Oh my goodness. I thought I understood Spanish. Who was I kidding? No one. I do not understand or speak Spanish at all. It was so funny, cause I would be sitting there nodding, pretending like I understood what everyone was saying, but then someone would ask me a question, and I'm pretty sure I looked just like a deer in the headlights. I did not get it. My temporary companion, Hermana Garcia, said it was so hard not to laugh, because it was so obvious that I had no clue what was happening. I also got a massive headache from trying to follow along. They called it a "greenie headache" Which makes sense. I am so grateful I got to be there though. I felt the spirit, and I know that no matter what language we are speaking, the gospel is still true, and the spirit can still touch our hearts. It was a very fun day. 

On Friday, we went to DLC. (District Leadership Council) Where the District Leaders and Zone Leaders, and STL's go and talk about the zone and how to better help the missionaries in the zone. Because Sister Blair is the only STL in our zone, I get to (have to?) go with her. No one can play the piano, so we always sing the hymns A Capella. This is always and adventure because most of the people there... try their hardest to sing in tune, but it's hard with out a piano. Anyways, one of the Elders started the song, but he started it on a super high note. So, we are trying to sing along... but we can't. I just couldn't do it. So I changed the key and shifted down a few notes in the middle of the song. We all lost it. It sounded awful, and we just started laughing really hard. Sister Blair was crying from laughing so hard. We were trying to be reverent, but it took forever to calm down. 

Anyways, that's about it for this week. We have transfer calls this week, and then Transfer meeting next Tuesday. I will definitely let you all know where I'm going! 

I love you all! 

Love, Sister Wood :)   

Greetings Everyone!!

So, I know I talk about this a lot, but the weather is seriously so weird. I can't get used to it. I keep expecting to wake up to snow on the ground, but that doesn't happen in California. Also, everyone is talking about something called El Nino, which is this humongous storm that is supposed to come and hit California. I love the rain and I am crossing my fingers that it happens, cause that would be awesome. Also, California needs the rain, so added bonus. 

There are so many awesome things that happened this week! Seriously, so many miracles. I have learned a lot this week about God's timing. Seriously though, it's nuts. He just puts people in our path when we need them to be there. We have met some amazing people this week. We have had so many experiences where we would go somewhere, and it wouldn't work out, we'd try all of our back up plans, and nothing would be working out, so we would go somewhere that we felt prompted to go, and bam! Someone who needed us right at that moment. It's amazing what the Lord will do with us when we surrender ourselves over to him. 

I love this gospel so much. I love teaching people about it. We were able to have an awesome lesson with one of our investigators about the Book of Mormon. We took one of the new members of our ward with us, and it was amazing. The member bore such a strong testimony and was able to relate so much to our investigator. We knew that it had been inspired that we had taken that specific person with us to teach that lesson. When we asked her how she felt when we read from the Book of Mormon, she talked about how peaceful and happy she felt. I cannot tell you how amazing it feels when you realize that someone is feeling the Spirit because of something that Heavenly Father let you bring into their lives. I know that we as missionaries couldn't do what we do with out the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Without him there to testify and be a witness to the people you are teaching, there would be no point in trying to teach. But with the Holy Ghost, we can do anything, and he can touch the hearts of so many people. 

Last Sunday, the teacher of the Gospel Principles class said he was sick and wouldn't be able to teach the lesson. He asked if we could teach it. We didn't have the book, but we thought we should be able to wing it. We get to the class, and we find out that we will be teaching... The Law of Chastity. I was kind of dreading it. Our newest member, (who had just been baptized the day before) walked in and someone said, "Guess what the lesson is?" He responded, totally kidding, "The Law of Chastity!" We all died laughing, and then he said, "Wait is it really the Law of Chastity?" When we nodded, "I've heard this lesson four times in the past month!"Oh man, it was so funny. 

We also had the opportunity to see the Churches Christmas initiative video. (Like the Because he lives video in Easter) It is so good. My whole mission was sitting in the chapel and we watched the video probably four times. The spirit in that room was so, so  strong. I can't wait for you all to see it. (It comes out on November 29th) It is so good. I'm excited to start using it to find people and help people "Discover why" I am so stoked!!!! It's going to be amazing! 

Dang! I don't have anymore time, but I am so happy to be out here serving a mission. I have a testimony that Jesus Christ is our Savior. He loves us so much. I love this gospel and I am grateful to be able to devote this year and a half of my life to him and his work. It is amazing to see Heavenly Father's hand in my life. I love you all so much. I have a challenge! This challenge will take a while, but for a whole year, I want you to write down one thing you are grateful for every single day. I will be doing this as well. Starting today. Put that thing in a jar, box, whatever will hold 365 (366, because of leap year :) ) pieces of paper, and next year go through and read all of the things you were grateful for. I am so excited! I promise that if you take this challenge, you will have an increased capacity to see Heavenly Father's influence in your life. 

I love you all!!! 

Love, Sister Wood :) 

I'm finally sending pictures!!! 

1) I got to hold a bird! 

  

So, I know I talk about this a lot, but the weather is seriously so weird. I can't get used to it. I keep expecting to wake up to snow on the ground, but that doesn't happen in California. Also, everyone is talking about something called El Nino, which is this humongous storm that is supposed to come and hit California. I love the rain and I am crossing my fingers that it happens, cause that would be awesome. Also, California needs the rain, so added bonus. 

There are so many awesome things that happened this week! Seriously, so many miracles. I have learned a lot this week about God's timing. Seriously though, it's nuts. He just puts people in our path when we need them to be there. We have met some amazing people this week. We have had so many experiences where we would go somewhere, and it wouldn't work out, we'd try all of our back up plans, and nothing would be working out, so we would go somewhere that we felt prompted to go, and bam! Someone who needed us right at that moment. It's amazing what the Lord will do with us when we surrender ourselves over to him. 

I love this gospel so much. I love teaching people about it. We were able to have an awesome lesson with one of our investigators about the Book of Mormon. We took one of the new members of our ward with us, and it was amazing. The member bore such a strong testimony and was able to relate so much to our investigator. We knew that it had been inspired that we had taken that specific person with us to teach that lesson. When we asked her how she felt when we read from the Book of Mormon, she talked about how peaceful and happy she felt. I cannot tell you how amazing it feels when you realize that someone is feeling the Spirit because of something that Heavenly Father let you bring into their lives. I know that we as missionaries couldn't do what we do with out the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Without him there to testify and be a witness to the people you are teaching, there would be no point in trying to teach. But with the Holy Ghost, we can do anything, and he can touch the hearts of so many people. 

Last Sunday, the teacher of the Gospel Principles class said he was sick and wouldn't be able to teach the lesson. He asked if we could teach it. We didn't have the book, but we thought we should be able to wing it. We get to the class, and we find out that we will be teaching... The Law of Chastity. I was kind of dreading it. Our newest member, (who had just been baptized the day before) walked in and someone said, "Guess what the lesson is?" He responded, totally kidding, "The Law of Chastity!" We all died laughing, and then he said, "Wait is it really the Law of Chastity?" When we nodded, "I've heard this lesson four times in the past month!"Oh man, it was so funny. 

We also had the opportunity to see the Churches Christmas initiative video. (Like the Because he lives video in Easter) It is so good. My whole mission was sitting in the chapel and we watched the video probably four times. The spirit in that room was so, so  strong. I can't wait for you all to see it. (It comes out on November 29th) It is so good. I'm excited to start using it to find people and help people "Discover why" I am so stoked!!!! It's going to be amazing! 

Dang! I don't have anymore time, but I am so happy to be out here serving a mission. I have a testimony that Jesus Christ is our Savior. He loves us so much. I love this gospel and I am grateful to be able to devote this year and a half of my life to him and his work. It is amazing to see Heavenly Father's hand in my life. I love you all so much. I have a challenge! This challenge will take a while, but for a whole year, I want you to write down one thing you are grateful for every single day. I will be doing this as well. Starting today. Put that thing in a jar, box, whatever will hold 365 (366, because of leap year :) ) pieces of paper, and next year go through and read all of the things you were grateful for. I am so excited! I promise that if you take this challenge, you will have an increased capacity to see Heavenly Father's influence in your life. 

I love you all!!! 

Love, Sister Wood :) 

Yokwe and Aloha Everyone!!

It is so beautiful in California, but I have to say that I am missing the snow. It's a super big trial to have to go out in 72 degree weather all the time... Just kidding. :) It's beautiful here. It's super weird that it's the middle of November and it's still so warm. I get cold a lot, but my companion and the other missionaries say that it's nice. I'll be cold in the middle of the day and people say to me, "Why are you cold? You're from Utah!" Yes, I am from Utah, but what people don't understand is that I was cold in Utah too...  :) I was on exchanges with a Sister from Samoa, and she was wearing this huge winter coat, and I had a blanket wrapped around me, (we were sitting at the temple tour tent) and we got the weirdest looks. It was so funny! 

The craziest thing happened last Monday. We had a dinner appointment at a members house, which happens quite often. (We have dinner with members almost every day) So we went over and were having a lovely meal. She was telling us about her life, she grew up in Uruguay, came to the US for school, married the mission president's nephew from Uruguay, then they moved to California. (She's like 84) I had a feeling that I should talk about my grandma from France. So I started talking about how my grandma had been born in France, moved to Argentina, then eventually went to Canada. When I paused for a minute, Sister Williams stopped me, and said, "That sounds just like this missionary who knocked on my door, her name was Sister Argault, she lived in France and Argentina as well." My grandmothers maiden name was Argault, and I was sitting there like, there is no way that this is really happening. So I was like, was the missionaries name Eddie? And Sister Williams gets this big smile on her face and said, "Yes! Eddie Argault! She was the first missionary that ever knocked on my door. She was the first person who taught me about the gospel. There were not many Mormons in Uruguay at that time, so I had never heard of the church before she came to my door." I was a little bit stunned, and I said that Eddie Argault was my great aunt. She is my grandmothers sister, and I had known her my whole life. It was AMAZING! We had this awesome conversation about Aunt Eddie and my Uncle Arturo. What are the odds that we happened to meet this lady? It was so wonderful. It also helped me with my testimony of planting seeds. Because this sister didn't get baptized until almost two years later, but my Aunt planted the first seed. 

We were looking at the area book last night, looking at former investigators and potential investigators. We were reading why some of the former investigators were dropped, and the missionaries before us had an amazing sense of humor. One of them was about an investigator named Joshua, and the reason he was dropped was "Did not fit the battle of Jericho." My personal favorite was "Was less interested in the gospel than Joseph was in Potipher's wife." We had some pretty good laughs. 

Being a missionary is amazing. Thank you for all your love and support! 

Love, Sister Wood :) 

Greetings! 

Man, the life of a missionary is awesome. Don't get me wrong, it's hard and a lot of hard things happen, but it is so amazing to be out here. Heavenly Father is so aware of us and what we are struggling with. He knows us all perfectly, and will help us. This week was full of miracles, and I don't have time to share all of them, but I will share a few of my favorites. 

So, every week, because Sister Blair is an STL, we go to a thing called DLC, where the district leaders, zone leaders, and STL’s get together and talk about the zone and things going on. At last weeks meeting they decided that we were going to have a zone 24, where everyone in the zone exchanges companions for 24 hours. I was excited to be with another companion and get to know her a little bit better. They paired me with Sister Shober. She is awesome. So we were having companionship study, and we started talking. We talked about things we were struggling with, and she shared with me some scriptures and quotes. I so needed her at that time. It was amazing to me that at the time when I was struggling with those specific things, she was there to help me. I knew that Heavenly Father had put us together for a reason. The zone leaders received revelation that we needed each other on that day. It was a wonderful manifestation of the love Heavenly Father has for us.

The next miracle happened during temple tours. We were sitting at our tent that sits in across from the Newport Beach temple. This woman came up and started talking to us. She was a member and she and her family were moving to California from Utah. She and her husband were there looking at prospective houses. She asked us about the wards here, and which wards needed more help, etc. I felt prompted to tell her that all of the wards would welcome them with open arms, and that Heavenly Father will always help us know where to go. It wasn’t really anything big, but she began to cry, and told us that they had really been struggling to decide, when we talked to her, she felt peaceful and knew that as they relied on the Lord, he would help them know where to go. I know that the Spirit helped me help this woman. It was so amazing.

The third miracle came yesterday. As most of you know, It was fast Sunday. As we fasted, Sister Blair and I both prayed that we would find some investigators. We always go to church fifteen minutes early to talk to people and welcome them as they enter the chapel. Two sister missionaries that we didn’t recognize came up to us and started talking with us. They told us that they had a man with them who they had been teaching. They were Samoan speaking sisters, and this man spoke English and was in our area. They wanted to pass him off to us, because they were from the Anaheim mission, and felt that he would benefit from having us teach him. It was so awesome!! Not only is he excited to learn, but he also has a baptismal date for November 14. We are so stoked to teach him. Heavenly Father listens to our prayers, and answers them.

We also watched the new Mormon Message called Reflections. If you have a chance, I highly encourage you to watch it, because it is really good. We had an awesome Halloween. All of the missionaries had to be inside by 7pm, so we had a zone activity at the stake center. We played Volleyball, Basketball, and chair soccer. It was so much fun. My zone is so cool. J I am so blessed to be out here with the people I’m here with. I have met so many awesome people and missionaries. I love being a missionary!!

Sister Blair and I are still figuring out our area, but look forward to working hard. I am almost halfway through my training, which is awesome. I look forward to being done with 12 weeks.

            Thank you all for your love and support. I love you all so much!

Love, Sister Wood :) 

Hiya!

This week has been pretty interesting. Just when you feel like you're getting used to missionary work, something happens to throw you in a tailspin. Then, when you don't think you can handle any more, Heavenly Father takes you by the hand and helps you calm down. It's comforting to know that he is on our side. 

I know that Heavenly Father is constantly aware of us and what we need. He knows each of his children perfectly, and loves us infinitely. He loves us more than we are ever aware of. I have seen that a lot this week. 

I have learned a lot about humility this week. I realize that I can't do it on my own, and if I want to touch peoples lives, I have to constantly have the spirit with me. I know that I myself can't convince people of the truth, but when I teach with the Holy Ghost, they will have a sure witness from him. This lesson came to me when we were teaching a lesson to someone else.

We had been contacting in a park, and I just felt off. No one wanted to talk to us, and I was getting discouraged. I wanted to leave, but I felt like we needed to stay. I asked Sister Blair if we could pray so I wouldn't feel discouraged and so we could find someone to teach. After we prayed, we both felt prompted to walk back the way we had come from. We saw a woman sitting on a bench, and went to talk to her. She had time, and was willing to let us teach her! It was awesome! After so many people saying no, it was amazing to have someone say yes. So we sat on the bench with her and began teaching. About five minutes in, I realized that I was just going through the points of the first lesson. I was worrying about what I was going to say, rather than listening to the spirit, and trying to discern her needs. I stopped for a minute, and just said a little prayer to help me and Sister Blair be in tune with the spirit. We then had this awesome lesson about families and baptism. We are teaching her tomorrow and are so excited! :D

That is pretty much the highlight of my week. I love seeing the light in people's eyes when they feel the spirit confirm the truth of something to them. It's so amazing. 

We have also been able to work with a lot of LAs this week, helping them come back to church and overcome their difficulties. I love hearing people bear their testimony. It's almost like watching a baby horse walk. It's a little bit wobbly at first, but slowly they get more confident and more sure of themselves and what they believe. Then they have that desire to come back to the Savior and feel the power of their own testimony. It's truly amazing to see the Lord's hand in our lives.

We had the ward Trunk or Treat on Saturday, and a crazy amount of people showed up. People who apparently haven't been active for months were there. It was cool being able to talk to them and get to know more people in the ward. Hopefully we will be able to meet with some of them in these next few weeks.

I love this ward and everyone that I'm meeting. I love seeing the gospel change people's lives for the better. I want you all to know that I love my Savior and I know that as we try to draw closer to him, he will draw closer to us. He is always knocking at our door, but it's our choice whether or not we're going to let him in. 

I love you all. :) 

Love, Sister Wood 

P.S. What do missionaries do on Halloween? 

           Trick or Tracting!! 

P.P.S. I made that joke up myself during a meeting and I totally lost it because I thought I was so funny. I literally started crying because I was laughing so hard. The Elders and Sister Blair thought I was nuts, but I thought it was hilarious. :D Yup, I know I'm funny. ;) 

Have a great week! 

Hello everyone!!

I am doing so well. I am truly starting to love missionary work. Being out here and serving people all the time is great. We go to help some people  move on Saturday, and today we are doing some service at a country club. Not sure what we're going to do, but it should be fun. Unfortunately, we have to wear skirts to do this service, but it should still be fun. Wearing skirts and dresses all the time sounds fun, but sometimes I really miss wearing normal clothes. 

I can't believe that I have been on a mission for a month... It's super crazy. We went and got gelato to celebrate my one month mark. It was pretty great. Sister Blair and I are working really hard to get new investigators. When we doubled in, there were none, so a lot of our time is spent contacting, tracting, and visiting less active people. We have had some interesting experiences with all three. I am happy to report that we have two new investigators, and quite a few potential investigators!!! I can't wait to begin teaching these people and helping them come closer to Christ. 

One of the investigators names is Ahmad, and he is Arabic. He lives in the park where we went contacting. He is super nice, and very interested in the gospel. We are excited to get to know him better. When we asked our District Leaders to get us an Arabic Book of Mormon yesterday, (we were on the phone doing numbers.) they paused and then said, "Sorry, but what did you just ask?" We repeated the question, and they kept saying, "Arabic? You want an Arabic Book of Mormon?" Yes we do. They will hopefully get that to us sometime this week. 

We also had an awesome experience at the Bishops house last Monday. We had been invited over to have dinner with our Bishop and his family, and to give a lesson for FHE. Sister Blair and I had decided to teach about building upon the foundation of Christ, and how when we do, we are kept safe and Satan can't hurt us. We decided on this because there is a cool object lesson that goes with it that appeals to teenagers and kids.

The object lesson goes like this, you get a can of soup (or anything, it just needs to be a normal can.) and you pass it around so everyone can see that it is a legitimate can. You ask everyone if they think that if you smashed someone's finger with the can, if it would hurt. The answer is unanimously yes. Then, one missionary puts their finger on a flat surface as the other missionary smashes their finger as hard as possible with the can. Because their finger is pushing against the table, the table takes all the force and their finger is not broken or hurt in any way. But the can has a huge dent in it from where their finger was. (It works, I promise. But don't try it at home.) This then applies to Helaman 5:12, and you teach about how Christ can keep us safe.

            We had practiced at home, and it had worked perfectly, so we were ready to show it to the family. We asked Sister Harmer for a can, and said that any can would do. She gave us a can of Progresso soup, that had expired in 2008. We thought it would work fine. We were wrong. We did all the normal things, but when Sister Blair smashed my finger, the can exploded. Literally everywhere. There was beef stew on the wall, the floor, the couch, the children, the window, the blinds, the pictures, me, literally everything. We all sat in stunned silence for a good fifteen to twenty seconds. I will never forget the looks on the Harmers faces. Then one of the kids said, "Well, we've never had missionaries do that before..." And we all died laughing. It was so funny, and they were all so great about it. We helped them clean everything up, and tried to salvage our lesson. The can had a pretty good dent in it, but we could not get through the rest of the lesson with any semblance of seriousness. I am just glad we weren't banned from their house.

Yesterday we go to go to a fireside celebrating the ten year anniversary of the dedication of the Newport Beach Temple. It was really cool to hear about all the miracles that were a part of building the temple. I feel so blessed to be a temple tour sister and be able to be so close to the temple twice a week. There is a wonderful spirit there. 

We were able to do a session at the temple on Saturday and it was amazing as always. I love the temple and the blessings we get from attending it. I know that Heavenly Father is aware of us and knows what we need. He loves us all so much. 

I love being a missionary and serving Heavenly Father’s children. I have met so many wonderful people here. 

Thank you all for your love and support. :)

Love, Sister Wood :D

T'alofa Family and Friends! 

I am doing well. I got pretty sick this last week, but I am happy to report that I am over the worst of it and well on my way to recovery. Being sick in the mission field is horrible. Being sick in general is bad, but being sick on a mission is worse. Luckily, we have priesthood holders who can give blessings and help us overcome these trials. I got a blessing from my mission president, which brought much needed comfort and guidance. I am so grateful for the priesthood.

This past week was pretty interesting though. Last Monday for P-day, we went to play a game of softball at a nearby baseball diamond. When we got there though, the entire field was soaking wet. As we walked on the dirt, we found out that it was actually mud. So, rather than play softball, we wound up playing in the mud for an hour. It was so much fun. We got kind of dirty, but we came out more unified. It was great to just have fun with the sisters of our district for an hour.

Sister Blair and I saw a few miracles this week. We were contacting some media referrals that we received, and when we pulled up to the last house, I looked at Sister Blair and told her that I didn’t think we were supposed to be there, and asked if we could go back another day. She agreed, so we wound up visiting a less active member named Sister Felix. When she answered the door, she looked so surprised to see us, then she gave us the biggest smile and asked us to come in. She then proceeded to tell us that whenever she was struggling with a big decision in her life, the missionaries showed up in some form. Apparently, minutes before we got there, she and her husband were discussing whether to move to Utah or to Texas, and when she said, “I think we should move to Utah”, we showed up at her door. It was a really cool experience that helped her in their decision of where to move, and also strengthened her testimony of the fact that Heavenly Father is aware of us and what we need.

The next miracle was just yesterday. After visiting with Sister Felix, we went home. When we got there, I realized that I couldn’t find the cell phone. It was really bad because the phone is our only way of communicating with anyone, and the only way investigators and contacts know how to communicate with us. We searched everywhere for it. It wasn’t in our car, our house, or at the church. I thought that maybe we had left it at the Felix house, or somewhere in the neighborhood where we were before that. So we went to the house, and no one was home. We left a note, asking about it, but weren’t too optimistic. As we were getting in the car, I had a thought that we should go back to where we had been parked the night before.  As we searched, I didn’t see anything, but after a minute Sister Blair said, “I found it!!” It was stuck in the curb between the grass and the sidewalk where there was this little crevice. The phone was completely fine, and we were so grateful because we knew that Heavenly Father had helped us.

When we go contacting in Santa Ana, there are a lot of Spanish people. This is really difficult because I don’t speak Spanish. We try to get our message across, but it doesn’t always work very well. Also, contacting is hard, add a language barrier and it’s almost impossible. Most people are polite and wait until we kind of stop talking to say that they’re not interested, but we were contacting on this one street yesterday. We walked past this man, and started to introduce ourselves. We asked him what his name was, and he responded with, “My name is Miguel and I do not want to talk to you two.” So we left. It was kind of funny, and kind of sad at the same time.

Heavenly Father is so good to us. He knows our struggles and our trials. I know the miracles we saw seem small, but to us they were a testimony to us that Heavenly Father heard our prayers and answered them. It also bore witness to us that the Holy Ghost is there for us if only we will heed his promptings. I know that as we listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost it will become easier to recognize them when they come.

I am so grateful for the experiences I’m having and the people I’m meeting. Thank you all for your love and support.

Love, Sister Wood

P.S. The picture last week was of Sister Hardin and I. I will work on getting one of Sister Blair and I

Picture 1) Me with President & Sister Orgill

Picture 2) The group of missionaries I came with 

Sister Wood.JPG

Welcome.JPG

Yokwe and Aloha!! 

These are the customary words of greeting in my mission. Yokwe is a Marshallese word for hello and love, and Aloha is just another greeting. My mission president served as a stake president in Hawaii, which explains why we say it all the time. 

I finished my time at the MTC. I will miss a lot of the people I met there, but I'm so excited to be here in California. While I was an STL in the MTC, I called all of the new missionaries that we were leading ducklings on their first night at the MTC, because they were following us... like ducklings. It really stuck. The new missionaries affectionately called me "Master Duck" and saluted me every time they saw me, which was quite often. We got some weird looks, but it was fun. I also learned how to bear my testimony in sign language from some of the new ASL missionaries in our zone, which is very cool. I practice it every night. 

After waking up at 2:00 in the morning, taking a bus to the airport, having to go through security twice, due to having my toothpaste in my carry on, and taking my very first plane ride. I made it to California! I got to fly on my very first airplane! I was a complete mess. I found out that I do not do well on airplanes. Luckily, the trip was only an hour and a half long, so I managed. The Elder who was sitting next to me was very kind and helped me through it. It was very interesting. But I made it safe, and that is what's important. At the airport, we were greeted by our mission president, and some of the missionaries from our mission. We rode to the mission home where they fed us and let us take naps in the chapel. It was lovely, if not a little bit weird, to be told to grab a pillow and pick a pew to sleep on. It was very fun. 

After our naps, we had transfer meeting where they introduced all of the new missionaries. We all were introduced, then we got our new companions. My new companion is Sister Blair. She is very nice and fun to work with. She got kind of a surprise because we are doubling into a new area, (which means that two missionaries who haven't worked in an area go and open it and start serving there. Our area was closed for one transfer before we came.) training me, and was called as an STL. We also got called as tour guide sisters for the Newport Beach Temple. So every Wednesday night and Thursday morning we will be doing tours on the temple grounds. That is definitely a lot to handle. We will be serving in the South Coast ward. We have met some nice people, and taught a few lessons. We also have Elders serving with us in this ward, which is nice. 

This past week has been spent meeting the Bishop, meeting people he thinks we should meet, and trying to fulfill the busy schedule that comes with being a missionary. I have struggled a little with adjustment, but I know that the Lord will help me, and that this is where I'm supposed to be.

I loved General Conference. It was awesome to see three new apostles be called. I was so edified and uplifted. I loved Elder Nelsons talk about sisters, and Brother Lawrence's talk, where he asked "What lack I yet?". We can all learn so much from these brethren. They have been called by a loving Heavenly Father, and inspired to teach us specific things. It was wonderful to hear from the Prophet. I love the leaders of the church and the counsel they give us. 

We had the opportunity to be present for one of the Elders lessons. They were teaching an investigator about the Plan of Salvation, but it somehow turned into a lesson on the law of chastity. It is possibly one of the most awkward things that I have ever been able to witness, but it went alright... I think.

My mission address is:

Sister Anne Wood

23 Lake Road

Irvine, California 92604

If you want to send me anything. :) 

I am doing well and am enjoying being a missionary. I know this gospel is true, and that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us. I love you all, and thank you for your love and support. 

Love, Sister Wood

DSC00093.JPG

I made it to California. The plane ride was.... interesting, but I'll give you more information on that later. :) I am well, but very, very exhausted. I have been awake since 2:30 this morning. I am so excited to be here in California. Here are some pictures that they took of us today when we got here. :) I love you both very much, and am so glad I got to talk to you today. 

Love, Sister Wood 

P.S. There is a facebook page that you can join where they post things about us missionaries, and you can see more pictures and videos of me. It is called the California Irvine Mission page, look it up on Facebook, and you will need to add yourselves, and they will approve it, then you can see more about my adventures here in Irvine.

Sister Wood.JPG

Welcome.JPG

Greetings family and friends!!

Another week has gone by, and life is still going well. I can't say life is ever boring here at the MTC. Something is always happening. We had some great experiences this week, and some not so great experiences. Sister Hardin and I are still having a great time. She has been sick these last few days, and that has been really hard for us to deal with. She feels bad because she is sick, and I feel bad because I don't want to miss class and things. We worked it out though. Life at the MTC isn't always hunky dory, but it is so worth it. Most of the time it is as amazing as everyone says it is though. 

This week we got two investigators, one is Carolina, and the other is Candice. (Candice is just one of our teachers' alter egos, we call her a progressing investigator) Carolina is a real investigator that the MTC provides. We got to meet her on Tuesday, and have taught her two lessons so far. She is the sweetest person ever. She is very receptive to the gospel, and just wants to know that truth. She feels like there is something missing in her life. It has been a wonderful blessing and learning experience being able to teach her. I really enjoy being a missionary. It's amazing to learn more about the gospel and feel the spirit.

So the other day we were teaching Candice, and we were trying to explain what the Holy Ghost feels like. Sister Hardin took the lesson on an interesting path... You know when Christ is baptized and the spirit comes down like unto a dove? She was trying to explain that the Holy Ghost was like a companion to Christ after he was baptized, and he was there as a testament of what had happened. After she talked about this she asked Candice, "What does the image of the dove tell you? Candice looked so confused, her facial expression was pretty much exactly what I was feeling at that moment. She responded with, "Well, it's a bird..." Sister Hardin looked at me, and I could almost hear her say, "Back me up with something..." But I was completely speechless. I had no clue how to salvage the situation. We then finished the now very awkward lesson and went back to the classroom, I told our district about what happened and we all just died laughing. It was hilarious.

Our district gets along really well, all of the Elders are very nice and bring a wonderful spirit with them. But, all of us being between the ages of 18 and 20, sometimes it's hard to focus. We have had some pretty epic games of Church Pictionary and Book of Mormon hangman. We have some really fun times. 

Another story! Sister Hardin has gotten a lot of packages, and her dad over the past four days has sent two sets of two dozen donuts. My sister also sent me a box of a dozen donuts. So collectively, we have received five dozen donuts in five days. We obviously couldn't eat all the donuts, nor did we want to. So we gave the first two dozen to the Elders in our District and the Elders and sisters in the other district in our zone. They enjoyed them a lot. They were shocked when we brought more with us two days later. They were grateful for the donuts though. 

It's hard to believe I have been here for  a week and then some. We got to meet the new sisters in our branch. They are super sweet and lovely to talk to. I am glad I was called as an STL, and am able to serve them. Four of the sisters are speaking ASL, so they will be here for six weeks. They are all very nice. 

We are leaving the MTC on Tuesday morning at 3:35 in the morning, which is obscenely early. We will then drive up to the SLC airport and wait for our flight which is at 8:30. I am so excited to fly on a plane!!! 

I wish I had more time, but I don't, and I still need to email my branch president. Thank you so much for your love and support.

Love, Sister Wood

Hello everyone!! I have now been here for less than two days. The MTC is so wonderful. It seems like someone took the entire place, soaked it in the spirit for a few hours, then put it back. The spirit is so crazy strong here. I have met dozens of new people as well as old friends. It has been so much fun so far.

On your first day at the MTC, they take you to get your nametag and other things, then you are led to where you will be living during your sojourn at the MTC. I went to my apartment, then went straight to class. Predictably, I was the last one there, and found I was like fifteen minutes late for class. I got to meet my companion, Sister Hardin. She is wonderful, and exactly what I needed in a companion. She has already taught me a lot. They also make you wear these neon orange dots, signifying that you are a newbie. The other missionaries have affectionately termed it the "dork dot." While it seems a little degrading, you are bombarded with people saying "Welcome to the MTC!!!" It was very fun. As my companion and I were walking out of our building, we stopped to let some elders who were jogging pass us. As they passed, they shouted, "Welcome to the MTC!!" We smiled and said thank you, but we didn't expect the next thirty elders who did the same thing. It was so funny. It also made us late to class. Needless to say, the MTC has felt very welcoming. 

It has been so busy. They take you straight from one thing to the next here. It has been great. It was weird this morning because Sister Hardin and I got to choose what we did for P-day. It was kind of odd not having a minute by minute schedule. 

My district is wonderful. Sister Hardin and I are the only sisters in our district along with six elders. They are all very nice. Sister Hardin and I are both going to the Irvine Mission, along with another sister in our zone. The other missionaries in our district are going to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the Washington Federal Way mission respectively. We all get along really well. :) Yesterday we met our Branch Presidency, and they are kind and loving men. Their wives are probably some of the nicest women I have ever met. It was very cool. Each missionary went and was interviewed by a member of the branch presidency. After the interviews they came back, and called the zone leaders, district leaders, sister training leaders, and two other callings that I can't remember. Sister Hardin and I were called to be the sister training leaders! I am excited but very, very nervous. Our STL's are great, and I hope we can do as well as they did. Things move very fast here. because missionaries are  only here for 12 days, they go through STL's and zone leaders really fast. I am grateful for the opportunity to help and serve. 

Having had seven siblings serve missions, I thought I knew what I was in for. This was not the case. I have heard coming to the MTC is much like trying to drink out of a fire hose. This is not accurate. It's more like trying to stand on the beach and fill a cup with water during a tsunami. You get a little in your cup, but most of it goes over your head. I'm trying really hard, and feel like I'm doing pretty well, but I've only been here for two days, so we'll see how it goes next week. I really don't have much more to say, but I am grateful for the support I have received and I love you all very much. The church is true and God is our loving Heavenly Father. These things have never felt more true to me than they have here. I love this gospel, and I know I'm where I need to be. I have been blessed so much already. 

Love, Sister Wood 

See you in 18!!!

Hey everyone!!! Tonight I will be set apart as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Nerves and excitement are very prominent today. I am so excited to go and serve, but I still feel very nervous. Before I leave, I just want to bear my testimony. I know that this is the true church. I know that Heavenly Father lives and loves all of his children. He knows each of us individually and wants only what is best for us. Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. I know that he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in that grove, when he was but a young boy of 14. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and if we take Moroni's challenge and pray about it, Heavenly Father will testify to us through the spirit that it is true. I love this gospel, and I know that it is true. I am grateful for President Thomas S. Monson, who is a true prophet. I know that he is the only man on the earth that holds all the keys of the priesthood. This church is true. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to go and serve a mission.

I pray that Heavenly Father will bless all of you, and I hope you know how much I love you. Thank you for your support and love!

Much love,
Sister Wood :)