Oh my goodness! This week was super amazing. :)

So Monday was pretty fun. We played Mafia as a zone. :D We have a great time together. I love my zone so much.

Tuesday we had an awesome District meeting, and celebrated one of the Sisters birthdays. :) It was fun. We had an appointment with Arianna, and we had asked one of our ward missionaries to come with us to her lesson. When we went and knocked on the door, no one answered. It was odd, because we'd confirmed with her earlier that morning. We knocked again, and waited, but no one answered still. We felt a little sheepish, but we still wanted to do something productive while we had the ward missionary there, and we both felt prompted to ask if she would try someone elses house with us. We drove over to Andrea's house. (She is from Serbia, and Sister Dinning and I tracted into her if you don't remember.) When we got there, she opened the door, and invited us in!!!! :D It was so cool! Also, after five minutes of being there, we found out that Sister Rossberg (ward missionary) and Andrea had super similar stories, and could 100% relate to each other. It was so amazing. Andrea is going through some rough times, and told us about what is happening in her life. We were able to testify of a loving Heavenly Father who wants her to be happy, and is there with her every step of the way. She started to cry, I started to cry, and the Spirit was so strong. I felt just an overwhelming love for this woman. It was so good. After we had been talking for a while, she asked if she could come to church with us. To which we responded with a resounding yes. :) She wasn't able to come yesterday, but texted us, and was super worried that we would be mad or upset. We assured her that we weren't and that she could come next week. We really hope to see her. :D It was such a good experience.

Wednesday we had a good lesson with Kevin. We read 1 Nephi 11 with him about the tree of life, and were able to talk about the symbolism, and what everything means. He asked a lot of questions, and we had some super good discussion. :)

Thursday I was on exchanges with Sister Lee! We had a great time together, and were able to go and see a lot of the less-actives that we haven't been able to get a hold of recently. It was kind of a miracle. We were able to do some service, and Sister Lee contacted a bunch of people in Chinese, which is always super cool to see in action I love going on exchanges with the Sisters. It's always a wonderful experience, and leads to many mighty miracles. :)

Yesterday was so good. I love fast and testimony meeting. It is so powerful when people get up to bear their testimonies. It is probably my favorite type of sacrament meeting. We had dinner with this amazing family. I love them so much. We had to have dinner super early, and had to make it really short, because we had to be somewhere at 5:30, but it was so wonderful. We had planned a message to share, but when the time came to share it, the Spirit led it in a totally different direction. We wound up talking about families, and family prayer. We talked about how prayer is like connecting with heaven. It was so amazing. I shared 3 Nephi 18:21, which talks about praying in your families, and I got super teary-eyed, because the Spirit testified to me how important it was. I was able to testify to this young family about the importance of family prayer. I'm so grateful that my parents were diligent in family prayer, because it has blessed my life far more than I'm sure I even know. We went to the temple music night, and saw Kevin there, as well as many friends. We spent most of it outside in the foyer talking to some recent converts that we knew. That was cool. Also, I found out that one of my investigators from Newport Hills is getting baptized!!! It's so exciting!

That's about it! This week will be fun, because Elder Hamula from the First Quorum of the Seventy is coming to our Zone Conference on Thursday, and then to MLC on Saturday. I'm super excited. So many miracles are coming! They are always around us. I know that they are.

Oh my goodness. I love this quote. Plus, I love President Monson, so it's like double awesome. There are so many things that we can learn from the past, and we definitely need to prepare for the future, but there are so many miracles around us here and now. I am so grateful for the tender mercies that we have every day.

I love you all! Thank you for all that you do! I'll talk to you next week!

Much love,

Sister Wood

Happy Halloween everybody!!

Our Halloween is kinda boring, cause we all have to be inside by 7pm. :) So we'll finish P-day, go to dinner, then go play sports as a zone. Should be fun. :) Kevin made us come by this afternoon, so we could trick or treat at at least one house. :) He gave us candy and stuff. :) He's funny.

Last Monday we taught Kevin, and showed him the talk, "Fourth Floor, Last Door" by President Ucthdorf. It was super good. :) The Elders came with us, to see if they could help us clear up some of his concerns, and they wound up giving him a priesthood blessing. It was very sweet, and I really hope that Kevin will open his heart to it. :)

I forgot that we have to find time to do the 12 week training program for new missionaries, so it's been kind of an adventure making sure that we get it done.... : D

On Tuesday, Sister Peacock had a dinner with all the other new missionaries, and I went on splits with one of our ward missionaries! It was awesome. :) We went to Book of Mormon class, and I went to dinner with another set of Sister Missionaries. We had a good time.

Wednesday, we met with a man in our ward and the Elders to talk about some people in our ward who might need our help. After we were done talking, they asked if we would teach the Restoration to him and his wife, with them posing as non-members. (Our stake is pushing the missionaries in each ward to get 20 lessons a week, so members can sign up to have us come teach a 20 minute Restoration discussion.) So it was a little bit of a surprise. It was kind of cool actually, because that morning during our 12 week study, we had practiced teaching the Restoration in a minute or less! When you are prepared, Heavenly Father definitely helps you.

We were contacting, and we met some really interesting people. One is named Miriam! She is a very sweet lady, who we sang to in a park. She said she comes to the park every Monday and Wednesday, at 5:30, and that she would love to talk to us more! So we hopefully will be able to teach her. :) We had dinner at a new family in our ward's house, the Fry family, and they just moved here from Orem! I found out that they lived just down the street on Paradise Dr. from one of my really good friends. :) That was pretty funny. Random connections!

Thursday was really good. :) We did service at 2nd Harvest, and went on splits so that we could go see Sister Romano, and help with the Korean English class. Good times all around.

Friday was crazy. Crazy things happened.

Saturday we got to go do temple tours!!! It was way fun. :) While we were there, a recent convert came up to us and talked with us for a few hours. It was super awesome. :) We had the stake trunk or treat, where we got to be judges for who decorated their trunk the best. My personal favorite was the Pokemon Go trunk. :)

Kevin came to church yesterday, and it was great! I'm so grateful for him, and his desire to come to church, and to continue learning more.

That's about it! I love ya'll lots. :)

Isn't it amazing that we are truly children of God? We each have the genetic disposition to become like Him. I am so grateful for that. I know that we each truly have the potential to become like Him. I love you all! Have a great week!

Love, Sister Wood :)

Pictures!

1) Service!

2) Trunk or treat with the stake!

3) Sister Peacock used to work at Coldstone, so I found one for us to go to. :)

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Oh my goodness. Miracles are happening here in California. : ) It's been an amazing week. Simply wonderful.

Monday was good, the usual stuff. Sister Dinning got to have dinner with one of her favorite families, then we went and said goodbye to Kevin... :( It was kind of sad, but she'll be okay. Plus we will continue teaching him, and all will be well. :)

Tuesday was crazy. So much that we had to do. We packed and cleaned and visited people, and tried to do some contacting when we had the time. We had lunch with someone from one of our previous wards, ( we both started our mission is South Coast. ) which was awesome! After all that, we went to the stake center to attend transfers. I cannot tell you how nervous I was to go and get a new companion. I was super nervous. My heart was beating fast, and oh my goodness, my mind was running in every direction. I am also the only Sister that is training without a co-trainer, so that was nerve wracking as well. We sat down and waited for them to bring in all of the new missionaries. Then we stood and sang 'Called to Serve' as they walked in. I was conducting the music, so I got to see all of them as they sat down. It was so crazy. So the AP's said a few things, then started to announce who would be trained by who. I will be training..... *drum roll please* Sister Peacock!!!!! :D I know that means nothing to you guys, but she is so awesome. :) She was really tired, but super happy to be in California. :) I'm so so so so so excited to get to know her better and to work with her. We had dinner and Book of Mormon class, so she got to meet some of the members of the ward. It was great. :) We are going to see so many miracles together!!

The next few days were great! On Thursday, we saw Susan, and we talked to her for a little bit, and after listening to what was going on in her life, I told her about the Book of Mormon, and the peace that it brought into my life. How it helped me feel closer to God, and how I knew that it would bless the life of anyone who read it. She asked if she could borrow it, and I told her that she could keep it. :) I wrote my testimony in the front cover and gave it to her. It was a very sweet experience. I am grateful that I can be a help in her life.

 We went to the mission home to talk to Sister Clark for a little bit, which was really good. She told us when we were done, to go and find a miracle on Roosevelt, which is a street in our area. So I drove straight from the mission home to Roosevelt, and turned into an apartment complex that I have never been in before. I asked Sister Peacock which way she wanted to go, and off we went. So we started knocking doors. We first talked to a Persian man, who didn't speak much English, and gave him a Book of Mormon. At the next door we spoke with a woman from Afghanistan, who wasn't interested either. The third door we knocked on was on the second floor of a building, and this young woman opened the door. Her name is Arianna.

We introduced ourselves, and asked if we could share a message with her about Jesus Christ, and she asked how long it would take. We told her that it didn't have to be long, and she let us in!!!! :D So we went inside, and we were able to teach her the Restoration. At the end of the lesson, I asked Arianna if she would follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized, and she said yes!!! We set the date of November 20th!! :) It was a miracle. Oh my goodness. So amazing. I am so grateful.

We had a ward chili cook-off, which was awesome and fun. :) We saw some other people, and were able to teach some more lessons. :)

Sister Peacock is so amazing. She is just picking things up so fast, and is such an amazing missionary, and she hasn't even been in the field for a week! She also has an enormous amount of faith, which is absolutely one of the reasons why we have been seeing so many miracles. I have so much that I can learn from her. I am so excited to see what happens. :)

Yesterday our car decided it wanted to break the Word of Wisdom and started smoking. Something broke, and it was shooting oil all over the engine, which I now know is bad. I had continued driving, thinking when we got home we would check it out, even though I know virtually nothing about cars... So we were carless for about four hours, cause they brought us one of the the old mission cars that  are no longer in use. It was sad, cause we were looking forward to walking for a day. But all is well, and we will not complain against our blessings. :)

That's about it for today! I love you all! Today's thought comes from the book of John, "In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world."

Isn't it amazing that we have a Savior who has overcome the world for us? The world offers loneliness and despair, while our Savior offers us peace and joy. I'm so grateful for Him.

I hope you have a great week!

Love, Sister Wood :)

1) Sister Peacock and I have the same first initial. :)

2) We found this little guy in our car.... I named him Trevor.

3) My new companion!!! :D

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This week has been great! :) Miracles are happening here in Irvine. :)

So Monday and Tuesday were pretty standard, so I won't bore you with those. (Meetings and things.)

Wednesday I went on exchanges with Sister Graham! She is so awesome. She's been on her mission for about 4 months, and she just gets it. She is so solid, and I learned so much from her. We started off the day by going to a recent convert's house. We talked to her about going to the temple, and the blessings that come from attending. It was kind of cool, because there is a huge language barrier, and it's obvious that she didn't understand a lot of what we were saying. But the Spirit was there, and she commited to go to the temple! So that was awesome. :) We stopped by some LA's, and had a good time getting to know them. It was just such a phenomenal day, and it was so fun getting to know Sister Graham, and learn about her testimony. She's a great missionary. 

Thursday we had MLC! It was so good. :) I love MLC, especially when they give constructive criticism about how we can be better as a mission. So good. We had dinner with the Relief Society President, then went on splits so that we could see Sister Romano and help the Korean Elders with English class. I love English class. :) 

Nothing big happened on Friday or Saturday... Oh wait, some Sisters down in San Clemente locked their keys in the trunk of their car at 7pm, and had no way of getting them out, so they called us, (apparently this has happened to Sister Dinning twice. :) ) So we went to the office and got a spare key and drove it down. When we got there, we tried to unlock the car, and we had the wrong keys! So we called the AP's, and they met us in Mission Viejo, and we got the right keys. Then we took the Sisters back to San Clemente, and got everything figured out. :) It was really funny. :) 

Sunday! Oh my goodness! We saw a HUGE miracle on Sunday. :) So we have ward correlation every Sunday at 9:30 with our Ward Mission Leader, at 10:15, all the ward missionaries come, then at 11 o'clock, we have to go to ward council. Church then starts at 12:30. So this past Sunday, we didn't have ward council, so we had roughly an hour before we needed to be back to the building. So we walked around the building for a minute, then I said, "Hey, we should go invite some people to church." Sister Dinning agreed, so we went. We didn't have  a set place in mind, so we were just driving around. She pulled up by this one park, but there was literally no one there. So I was like, "We should go tracting." So we drove around some more, and wound up on this random street, somewhere in our area. We got out, and started knocking doors. About the fifth door in, we saw this lady in her backyard, behind a gate. Her dogs were super loud, so we couldn't really say anything, when she says, "Wait, for just a minute!" So we wait, and she comes out the front door to talk to us. We introduced ourselves, and I asked where she was from, becuase she had an accent. She's from Serbia, but she just moved here from Utah a few months ago. She has a three year old daughter. :) We talked for a minute, and she told us about her Mormon friends and how much she loved being around them. We asked if she would like to learn more about what they believe. She said, " I would love to. You all just have something about you. You are so happy, and so kind. Yes, I would absolutely love to learn." OH MY GOODNESS!!! IT WAS AMAZING! So we gave her a Book of Mormon, our number, the address of the church, and got her information. Her daughter is sick right now, but she asked if we would come back sometime next week. :D When we got back in the car, I asked Sister Dinning, "What if we hadn't gone tracting?"  We thought about it for a minute, and said a prayer of gratitude that we had been able to be where Heavenly Father had needed us. It was incredible. 

That's about it! I love being out here, doing what I'm doing. It's the best thing in the whole world. This weeks thought comes from President Hinckley. :)

 

"He lives, the Eternal Son of the Ever Living Father. He lives, the Great Creator, the Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Savior of the New, the Wondrous Light in a dark and troubled world. He lives to bless us, to teach us, to heal us, to touch our troubled hearts, to give substance to our greatest dreams, to assure the immortality of our souls.” —Gordon B. Hinckley

Enough said, I don't think there is much I could add to that quote. :) Isn't it amazing that we have access to such a being whenever we need him? He is always right by our side. 

I love you all! I hope you have a great week! 

Love, Sister Wood :) 

So this week was good! 

Tuesday, we had District Meeting! Good, as always. :) We were able to go and do service for a nice elderly lady in our ward. :) She is super friendly, and we had a good time helping her. I love doing service. We had dinner with this one super awesome family, and that morning, we had asked the Mom if there was anything specific she would like to share a message on. She had responded with diligence, so we prepared a message on diligence. After dinner and the message, I realized that something we had said, had affected those kids. I know it wasn't me, or the words I was saying, but the Spirit had touched their hearts. Sometimes, it's easy to get a little discouraged, and think we aren't making any sort of difference, but I realized in that moment 2 things. 1) It's not me making the difference, that's why it's so important to have the Spirit with us all the time. 2) I can do anything through Christ, which strengtheneth me. I know that I'm here for a reason. We never know the impact we are making. 

Wednesday was really good too. :) We taught Kevin, and talked about Priesthood, and accepting God's will for us. It was a really cool lesson, and our Ward Mission Leader came, and made it even better. Bro G. is super awesome, and just brought such an amazing testimony. Inspired member-present lessons are the best! 

Thursday I was on exchanges with the amazing Sister Bradsby. She has been in the mission field since this most recent transfer, and I was totally worried about our exchange. I always stress about them, even when I know I am doing everything I can to be exactly obedient. But she came, and we had a phenomenal day together. We contacted people on the street, we taught lessons, we were able to go and do a few hours of community service, and so many other things.

 We went by a less-active that someone had asked us to check in on, and when we got there, were instructed to go to her room, where she had been sleeping. (She's really sick.) So we talk to her for a few moments, but she is super out of it, and keeps talking about the pain she was feeling. So I asked if she would like a blessing. She said yes, so we called our Elders, (who are on bike...) The conversation went like this, "This is Elder Oler." "Hi! Where are you?" "Why?" "We need your help, someone needs a blessing." "Okay... we're by the church." "How fast can you get to Hayes?" "Like 20 minutes. But we'll pedal fast, so maybe 15. See you soon." It was super funny. I am so grateful for the Elders. They're great sports. :) So they came and gave the blessing, then one of them said, "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is going on?" And the lady says, with a totally straight face, "I do mind! That is a personal question! Didn't your mom teach you it's impolite to ask that?" I literally thought I was going to be sick. The tension in the room was so thick. The Elders collectively looked shocked, stunned, and one looked like he was going to cry. Then she goes, "I'm kidding, you're totally fine." It was so funny. :D 

It was kind of cool, cause on our way to un-exchange, Sister Bradsby says, "Today is what every day should be like. This is what being a missionary is about." It was so cool. Such a good day. :) 

GENERAL CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!! I loved it so much!!! :D So many amazingly good talks and inspiring messages. I loved them all. I loved Elder Rasbands talk about remembering. It really inspired me. I can't wait to do more family history work. Also the talk about Joseph Smith. SO GOOD. It was all good. :) 

Yesterday I was able to sing in the Temple Music Devotional! It was a super neat experience. I will include a recording, but don't feel obligated to listen to it. :) 

That's pretty much it. I love you all so much! Thank you for all that you do! This weeks thought comes from President Uchtdorf, in the Womens General Session. :) 

Have a great week! 

Love, Sister Wood :) 

Pictures! 

1)Sister Bradsby and I :) 

2) The temple is so pretty! 

3) Our zone had a hunger games activity where we threw nylons full of flour at each other. SO MUCH FUN! :D

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So now I hit my year mark in the field. Weird. 

Tuesday was transfers! But nothing happened in my companionship, so it didn't really affect us. :) This week was kind of boring, well not boring, because really, when is missionary life boring? I told someone today that boredom was a choice, which I think is true. This week was just normal. 

We did normal stuff, taught Kevin, talked to people about the gospel, we taught English, did some service. Seriously, I think it was just like my other weeks. :) But it was still good. 

Highlights would be... 

We got to go and help a lady that lives in our zone boundaries move. She's not a member, and she really needed help. So our whole zone came together to go and help her. It was a super awesome experience, and she kept telling us how much it meant to her, and how much she needed us. It was just a cool manifestation of the fact that Heavenly Father is watching out for all of His children. We're going back tomorrow to help her again. 

We stopped by one of the less-actives in our ward, who we haven't been by to see since before I came here. When we got there, she told us that she had just really needed us to stop by and talk with her. We didn't do anything special, we just went and listened to her. It was still a really cool experience. 

We had an awesome dinner with some members this week. They both served their missions in Japan, (just like my dad and brother in law) and they made these vegetable pancakes called okonomiyaki.  (I probably butchered the spelling) It was so fun! It totally reminded me of when I had them at home, and was kind of a tender mercy. Also, you never know when things from your childhood will come in handy. I have sung a Japanese folk song, that I learned when I was young, for different people at least ten times on my mission. I've known this song since I was a little kid, and it has actually helped us contact some people and help them be more willing to hear us, simply because I knew this song. So thanks Dad. :D 

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to attend Hooman's baptism! If you don't remember who that is, he is an investigator, now recent convert, that the Elders found about four weeks ago. He is so amazing. It was so cool to see  him enter the waters of baptism. Seeing Hooman's journey, and hearing his testimony, just helped me understand even more that the field truly is white, already to harvest. It will happen in the Lord's time, and when people are ready. Sometimes we're sowers, and sometimes we're harvesters. But all are important. Both of the Elders who found Hooman went home before he was baptized. Neither of them were able to make it. But were they any less important than the missionaries who were able to see him enter the waters of baptism? No. Not at all. 

Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us I know it. :) 

My thought today comes from Elder Holland. 

"Heavenly Father is anxiously waiting to answer your prayers, and fulfill your dreams. But he can't if you don't pray, and he can't if you don't dream." 

I hope you all have the most amazing week. Don't forget to look for miracles, because they are always, always there. 

I love you all! If I can do anything, please, please let me know. Thank you for your love and support! 

Love, Sister Wood

Pictures:

We couldn't find our mailbox, so we just tried every single one until one opened. Of course, it was the second to last. :D 

Sometimes, missionaries let other missionaries dye their hair... :/ But it turned out okay. :P

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This week was really good. :) 

I'm out of time, so I'll just share the highlights. :D 

We taught Kevin! I know I talk about him every week, but he's one person that I think about all the time, just wondering about how I can help him. He's still doing good, we keep trying to set a baptismal date, but he'll do it when he is ready. On the flip side, the Elders found an investigator a few weeks ago named Hooman, who is a body builder/ model from Iran. He's super golden, and will be getting baptized in two weeks. It's so exciting!! Hooman is so so awesome. :D 

Tuesday we found the backwoods of Irvine when we went to service. We went to something called second harvest. It was super weird, super gross service, involving expired food. But we were helping ( I think), which is a plus.... But service is great, regardless of what you get to do. 

Wednesday was my birthday!!!! It was such a phenomenal day! Not a teenager anymore, but when we went to English class to teach, everyone kept commenting on how young I was... :) You win some, you lose some. :D A member who had the same birthday as me took us to Olive Garden for lunch, which was crazy fun. :) Then we went and learned how to do Family History, from another member, then we went tracting. :) We had a wonderful family feed us dinner, and we had cupcakes to celebrate. Then we taught Kevin! Sister Dinning decorated the whole house, and I felt so loved. It was such a good day. :D 

Thursday we had MLC, then did other missionary things, but at the end of the night, at 8:10 ish, we were about to go contacting, (cause it's prime pros time), but we felt like we needed to go to see a member of our ward. We went by, and she told us how much she needed us to be there that night. She told us about her life, and her struggles, about her journey into the church, and her life before and after. It was so amazing, and such a testimony building experience for me. 

Friday was pretty standard, so not much to say there. 

Saturday I was on exchanges! We had a District Blitz in Northwood, and we got so much done! I and my temporary companion handed out 5 copies of the Book of Mormon, which was cool. :) No one super interested, but lots of seeds planted. It was really good. We went and did service with our zone, and painted some ladies house. I only got a little paint in my hair, which was a blessing. We contacted some referrals, but again, seeds, but no real interest. :D It was a super busy, but wonderful day. I love talking to people in the street. :D We also got transfer calls! Sister Dinning and I will be continuing as companions and STLs in Northwood. :) I'm so grateful that I get to keep working with her. :) 

Sunday we had church and the temple music devotional! Sister Dinning sang, and did a beautiful job, I will be singing on October 2nd, which should be exciting. 

That's about it! The thought for this week comes from President Ucthdorf. :) 

"I like to think that from heaven’s point of view, there are no borders. God sees each of us as His children no matter where we live. He is our “homing impulse.” We feel drawn to Him because He is our Father, and heaven is our home.

He sees us not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees us as His children. He sees us as the being we are capable and designed to become."

I love you all! Remember that you are a beloved child of Heavenly Father. He loves us all more than we can comprehend! 

Thank you so much for your love and support! Have a phenomenal week! 

Love, Sister Wood :)

Pictures from my birthday :) 

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