Week 77: Faith unto Repentance

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had an amazing week. Wow, It's March! In my head I know that time is always the same, but it feels like it is moving so fast. I feel like I'm in the last leg of a marathon, and just sprinting my way to the end. It makes my head spin when I think about it too much. :) 

We're all good here on the California end! We have been having a ton of fun doing the Lord's work. It's a little funny, because sometimes we'll look at the day we have planned, then realize that we don't have any time for meals, because we have so many appointments.... So we'll put dinner as a backup in case someone's lesson falls through. It is a great blessing though. 

This week was wonderful. Last Sunday, a less-active member in our ward brought a friend to church. We introduced ourselves, and asked if she would be interested at all in having us come by. She said yes! So we set up an appointment for Tuesday. On Tuesday we went, and we taught the first half of the Restoration. It was an amazing lesson. The Spirit was so strong. It was almost palpable. Socorro (the investigator) is so prepared for the gospel. Every time we brought up a new point, it seemed to just click in her brain that it was true. She agreed with everything we had to say. She even bore her testimony to us about prayer. It was amazing. At the end of the lesson, I invited her to be baptized, and she said that she has been wanting to be baptized in a church, and a lot of her friends had been inviting her, but she hadn't gone to any, until she decided to come to ours. She talked about how to her, it wasn't a coincidence that we were there. So wonderful. We asked if she would like to be baptized on March 24th, or March 31st, and she chose the 24th!!! Oh my goodness, I wish I could describe how amazing it was to see her faith. She is so willing. We set up a return appointment, and went over the next day to finish the Restoration. We taught, and she talked about how she had been feeling that her baptismal date was really soon, but then she told us that if it was God's will, then it was time. OH MY GOODNESS!!! When does that happen? She's so cool! So we are working with her to be baptized on March 24th. :) She couldn't come to church yesterday, because she had to go to Mexico, but we will be seeing her this next week, and have been in contact. I'm so excited for her. :) 

We had a super funny moment in the middle of our first lesson with Socorro. The woman who owned the house started cooking jalepenos in the kitchen right next to where we were. About 3 minutes later, we all randomly start coughing because of the spice that is being pulled into our lungs... We all died for a good five minutes, opened all the windows and doors, and just tried to breathe. Then it subsided slightly, and we were able to bring the Spirit back. But it was so funny. 

We had an amazing zone conference on Wednesday. We talked all about the basics of the Gospel, and what we are teaching. So we are now putting a huge focus on helping our investigators do the simple things like reading the Book of Mormon, praying, and going to church. It's been really neat to just start again with the little things that make up the big things. Like it says in Alma, "6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." It's by doing the little things that we bring about the great things. How do we gain a testimony? It's not like a huge tree will randomly fall from the sky, and plant itself in your heart. It's piece by piece, step by step. If we want a big testimony, we have to first do the little things to plant and nourish it.  

I had the opportunity to sing again in the temple music devotional last night. Kevin and Shelley came! It was so wonderful to see them again. I sang a song called, "I Heard Him Come", and it was a wonderful experience. I love to sing, and I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have to do so. I had Hermana Laboriel translate part of it for me, so I sang a verse and a chorus in Spanish, which was a lot of fun. :) I'll try to include a recording of it. 

Haha, I've been noticing recently that the more I learn Spanish, the worse my English gets. I probably won't be able to communicate in either language by the time I go home... ;) Haha, it's been a lot of fun. I love being in a trio. My companions are way too much fun. I absolutely love being with them. We have definitely felt a lot of joy the past few weeks. 

I love being here, I love serving the Lord. I am doing absolutely everything I can to give the Lord everything I am. I'm so happy that I have this time to serve the Lord, and I will be very sad when this time comes to a close. But that day is not today, so I'm not going to worry about it too much. It's so interesting to me, because when I came on my mission, I never anticipated feeling the way I do now. I feel like my heart breaks a little more with everyday that passes. I love these people, and all of the people I have served so much, with all of my heart. Every few hours or so I just think about how much I don't want to leave. Then I get back to work and choose not to worry about it, because I will cherish every moment I have to wear the Lord's name on my heart. 

I love you all so much. Thank you for all that you do. :) If you want to send a last letter before I go home, I would love to get one. I hope you all have a spectacular week, and that the Lord will watch over and bless you. I love you! 

Much love, Hermana Wood :) 

Week 76: Sometimes, we just need to walk by faith

Hello Everybody!!!!!

Oh my goodness, que semana. (What a week.) :) It was so good! So many miracles happened this week. 

Spanish word of the day: chevere - cool  ( I like chevere better. It sounds chevere. :) )

There's a scripture that goes along with the thought of miracles in Moroni, 

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven? … Has the day of miracles ceased?” (Moro. 7:27, 35.)

“I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men. … [nor will they], so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved.” (Moro. 7:29, 36.)

I have seen too many miracles to doubt that scripture. I know that God is actively, and intimately involved in every second of every day of our lives. It's amazing to have that kind of love, and that kind of support with us all the time. Sometimes I think I forget Christ's promise in John that says, 

"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." Our God is a god of miracles, and I think one of the greatest miracles that we can experience is that of never being alone, and being understood by one far greater than ourselves. 

Being moved into Spanish has really taught me this principle. I realized the other day that there is no way that I could have picked up this language as fast as I have without the constant help of the Holy Ghost. What also baffles me is the fact that I was being guided to this long before I ever wanted to serve a mission, when I decided to take Spanish when I was in Junior High. God is all powerful, all knowing, and all loving. He knows what is best for us. 

This week we saw some wonderful blessings. One of which is having Hermana Brown with us. She brings with her this amazing spirit of diligence and joy with her. She has wonderful ideas and has been a huge blessing to me. I feel so blessed to be her companion. I'm also super grateful for Hermana Laboriel. She shows me time and time again the kind of missionary I want to be. This week has been full of love and laughter. 

We were able to see our investigator Marcela this week. We started teaching her two daughters as well. She is very sweet, and very open to the gospel. This week we taught about the Restoration, and invited her to be baptized. She said yes, but she is praying for a date. We have been working really hard to remind people of our purpose, and to be bold, while showing them love. It has been really cool to see. 

On Thursday we had a ward missionary activity, so the members could get to know us, and we could get to know them. It was so so fun. I absolutely love this ward. We have so many amazing people here. I love them with all that I am. It's so funny, because this happens every time I move wards, at the beginning, my heart is still with my previous ward, but after a few days of serving them, I realize that I have enough room in my heart for all of them. I'm not sure how it works, but love only grows as you give it away. 

We tried to stop by some less-actives on Saturday night, but they weren't home, so we went to a potential's house who lives below them. She invited us in, and we were able to share the beginning of the Restoration, and bear testimony of eternal families. It was a wonderful lesson. By the end of our lesson, she asked when we could come back! So we are going to see her again this week, and are excited to work with her. 

Haha, yesterday we were texting one of our investigators to invite him to church, and he responded with, "I would like to go to church, but I am drunk." We kind of laughed a little bit, then invited him to the ARP class later that night, when he was feeling a little bit better. Then, 20 minutes into sacrament meeting, he shows up!! I know it's not funny, but we were laughing so hard, because he had driven himself to church. I think Heavenly Father definitely protected him. But he came, and he enjoyed it. He was a little out of sorts, but hopefully he'll be able to come nest week and soberly enjoy the sacrament services. 

Wow. I wish you all could just watch my life unfold every week, because it's really hard to type it all out. :) I'm also sorry this is super long... But this week was really good, and I have definitely seen the hand of God in my life. Never forget that I love you, and God loves you. I pray for you often, and hope that life is treating you well. :D 

Thank you for all that you do! Please let me know if I can help in anyway. I love you all!!!! Have an amazing week! 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Wood :) 

P.S. I really am sorry this is so long, please don't feel obligated to read it if you don't have time. :D 

Week 75: And then there were three...

BUENOS DIAS!!!!

Oh my goodness, I'm so happy. I have no idea how to express just how happy I am by way of typing, but I am so excited for this transfer. Seriously, I am like bursting with joy, and I am so ecstatic. :D 

So this week was good! We picked up 2 new investigators, which makes 16 for the transfer, which is so so cool. Some are progressing, and others are not, but it has been such a privilege to invite them all to come closer to Christ. One is Erica, a former investigator who is super open to the gospel. The problem is she's super busy, (which is similar to everyone else in our ward...) but we will hopefully be able to see her at our return appointment this week. She is super sweet, and I'm super excited to work with her.

 We were able to see a lot of people last week. One of my favorite people is Gina, who is super catholic, but a lot of fun. It was amazing! When we went over, she told us about her friend who had come over, and asked her why she had a copy of the Book of Mormon. He got a little upset, and started talking about how it wasn't the Bible and all sorts of other stuff. Then, she proceeded to teach him about the Book of Mormon, how we had never told her it was the bible, and that it was another testament of Jesus Christ, and that it helped us see God's love for his children, because he gave everyone his word. It was so cool. He then asked her if she was going to go to church with us, and she said she didn't know yet. I'm so excited for her. She's amazing. 

We happen to be teaching a bunch of old women, and they are super funny. We have a 75 year old, a 72 year old, and an 82 year old. :) They are so fun to visit. 

Friday was crazy! We went out in the morning after studies for like an hour and a half to see some people, then returned to our apartment for weekly planning. After about an hour, we got a mission-wide text telling all of the missionaries to return to their apartments, because all of Orange County was experiencing terrible storms. In Spanish it's tormentos, which I like a lot. :) So we were confined to our apartment for the rest of the day. We did a lot of stufff. We made some awesome cookies, which was fun, a member of our ward brought us dinner, and she was going through a really hard time, so we were able to pray with her, and give her comfort. It's neat to me that even though we couldn't go out, we were still able to help the people that we needed to, whether they came to us or through the technology that we have. It was amazing. 

I think it's wonderful to see the promise be fulfilled that no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. I know that to be true. Even storms and being stuck inside can't keep us from serving the Lord. It was a neat experience. 

 I love this work so much. :)

So we got transfer calls on Saturday!!!  I was so unsure of what was going to happen, but Hermana Laboriel and I are staying together in Mission Viejo 5th ward!!!! WOOOO!!!!! I am so so so so so grateful. Just as we were about to say goodbye to our district leader though, he said, "Hold on! There's something else!" We were super confused, but then we found out that another Sister was being transferred from English to Spanish, and we were going to be IN A TRIO!!!!!! I've never been in a trio, and I am so ecstatic that I get to have one for my last transfer as a missionary. Her name is Hermana Brown!! I will be including a picture of the three of us that was taken this morning in our car. :) 

Haha, I'm so happy to be exactly where I am. I know this is where God wants me, and am so grateful to be in his service. This is the best and most important work in the world. There is a scripture in D&C 123 that I thought of, which says,

 "12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—

 13 Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—

 14 These should then be attended to with great earnestness.

 15 Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things."

There are so many people who don't have the truth, and I'm out here working to help them find it. I love where it says that this should be "attended to with great earnestness." Because in the war against Satan, we can't afford to be idle. He isn't going to stop trying to drag people down to misery, so we can't stop trying to help lift them up to the light, the pathway of happiness. I know this gospel to be true with my whole soul. I know that Christ lives, and is fighting everyday with us, shoulder to shoulder, helping us bring souls back home to Heavenly Father. 

I love you all so much. Please let me know if I can do anything for you. Have an amazing week!!!

Con mucho amor,

 Hermana Wood 

Week 74: Feliz dia del amor y la amistad!

Hello! How is everybody? :D

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! :) I hope that it is filled with love and happiness, and that you each remember how much I love you. :)  

Wow, this week was full of miracles. I think I say that every week, but it's still true. :) 

I made a rookie mistake on Sunday and asked someone for dinner, while my companion was talking to someone else, asking for dinner, and we set up dinner for the same night... So long story short, we had 3 scheduled dinners in 1 night. That was crazy, but we had some good authentic Hispanic food. Plus one was super nice, and just let us take it to go, so we only wound up having two. But portion sizes are real my friends, and I was just fine. :) 

This week we were able to teach Micaela's daughter about God's love. I absolutely adore the fact that the first thing that we teach people is about their divine identity, and a divine, loving father. Is there anything else that we would rather teach? I love sharing God's love with people. 

Thursday was amazing. Seriously, one of the most Spirit filled days on my mission. We went on exchanges as a zone, and I went to the North area of Mission Viejo with Hermana Smith, who came into the mission field with me. We had some great studies in the morning, then just went out and worked. It was so good. We went by a house, where a man they had met at a service project lived. He invited us in, and we began to talk with them. We were able to teach some things, and then they started talking about their daughter who had passed away.  As soon as I heard them talk about that, I knew that it was the reason why I was in that particular area that day. God had been preparing me through my experiences, to help this family. I was able to testify of eternal families, and share with them the love of God, and let them know that they were going to have their daughter again. It was truly amazing. 

We visited with a lot of people this week, and saw a lot of miracles. 

We had a Sisters Conference this past Friday, and it was so wonderful. We talked a lot about thoughts, and about how our whole lives begin with how we think about things. I think what I learned the most was that whether we are happy or sad in our circumstances depends on what we are thinking as we go through them. It was a wonderful experience, and I learned that to make each day more meaningful, more spirit-filled, and simply happier, we must think the thoughts that Christ would think. If we want to be like Christ, we must do as He would do. When we are doing as Christ would do, that is when we truly are happy. It was really neat to think about. 

I don't have much time left, but I want to leave you with my testimony. Missionary work is the best thing in the world. Here on my mission, I have truly come to understand what the Atonement of Jesus Christ means. I have been so blessed in being able to see others come closer to Jesus Christ and accept his atonement. I have been able to teach people from all walks of life, and probably one of the biggest lessons I have learned is that God loves all of them. Every single one, without exception. He sees our potential, even when we don't. He never forgets us, and puts others in our path so that we can come closer to him. That's all he wants. His sole purpose is to help us be happy. In Moses we learn that God's purpose is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." We also know that "men are that they might have joy." I have realized that when you put the two together, that God's purpose is to help us have joy. How do we get true joy? Returning to live with our Heavenly Father, and helping others do the same. That's why I'm here on my mission. So that others can have the joy I have felt in my life. It would be so selfish of me to not share it. I love this Gospel, and I know it to be true. I know that families are truly eternal, and that this life is only a glimpse of what is to come. I love my Savior, and I'm so grateful for Him, and his example. 

I love you all, and I hope you all have an amazing week. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you. 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Wood :) 

Week 73: Andale pues

Hey y'all! This week was great!

So this week. We started February! What the heck!? I feel like all of time is just blurring together now. A year ago, I was leaving my greenie area... Never would I have imagined all of this happening. 

Spanish phrase of the week: Andale pues 

It literally means nothing, but is just used as a filler word. It took me 4 weeks to figure that out. No one could tell me the meaning of the word. If I figure out a better meaning, I'll let you know. :) 

We saw some really cool miracles this week. We saw Gina again! She is super nice. She loves the messages we share, and just like everyone has her hang up, but I'm confident that she will come to see the truthfulness of the gospel. That's something I love about this gospel. We don't actually have to convince anyone that it's true. All we are here to do is invite people to find out for themselves! Then, if they have a pure heart, and real intent, they will find out as well that it's true. I love that we're not selling a product, we're just sharing the message of God's love. What a blessing that we get to do that. 

We went to a crazy bible study this week, it was weird, but kind of cool. One of the ladies there said that she had a lot of questions about our church, which we are more than happy to answer, but we'll have to go on a day that they're not having the bible study, cause that was a crazy night. 

We picked up a few new investigators this week! One is Micaela. She is so awesome! The Hermanas met her contacting a while ago, and we were able to stop by and teach about eternal families, and how God is our loving father. The Spirit was so strong. We are going back this week, and will hopefully invite her to be baptized. We also had a pass off lesson with the English Elders, and it was so funny, because they don't speak any Spanish, so they just kind of sat, and nodded. :) But it was good, and a huge blessing for us. We're all on the same team, so that makes it all good. 

On Thursday we set a baptismal date with an investigator named Dariela. She is super sweet, and we actually haven't taught any of the set lessons that we have. But she agreed that if she knew this was true, she would enter the waters of baptism on March 4th. Hopefully we can help her get there. I'm excited to be a part of her journey. 

Friday we had some meetings, then were able to meet with a less-active young woman and her mother and grandmother, who are not members of the church. We talked about Helaman 5:12, and about building upon the rock of Christ. It was a wonderful lesson, and we are going back to teach them on Friday. :) I'm so excited. 

Something major that I've learned throughout these past few weeks is that we might not be able to communicate with people, whether it be because of a language barrier, or because someone is closed off or prideful, or whatever it may be, there are still a few things that are universally understood. The Spirit is one of them. I might not speak perfect Spanish, but I have learned how to teach with the Spirit. It has been amazing to see that even if I can't express myself as I would wish, I can still bring the Spirit into their lives. Another universal language is love. I love these people so much, and it makes me want to serve them. Service is another language that is universal. 

Some General Authority once said, something along the lines of,  "Always preach the gospel, and when necessary, use words." We can show people what the gospel is by how we act. I am so grateful for all the opportunities that I have to serve people. Service is probably one of my favorite things to do. One of the counselors in our mission presidency said in our last zone conference, "You love what you serve, and if you need to feel more love, serve more." It's so true. I can't help but love these people, because I am serving them. I am so happy to be exactly where I am, doing what I'm doing. It's the best thing in the world. 

Here is a quote for this week! 

"Perfect love casteth out fear."

This has been a lesson for me on my mission, and I thought it went well with my thought earlier about love. 

I love you all so much! If there is anything you need, please let me know! I would love to help in any way! 

Have an amazing week! 

Love, Hermana Wood :) 

Week 72: Press forward with a steadfastness of hope

Greetings everybody! How are you all doing? 

I'm doing so good. This week has been super challenging, but amazing at the same time. Funny how Heavenly Father works that way. When we feel so alone, and like nothing is going right, He always somehow, someway if we're looking for it let us know that he is right there with us. None of us will ever truly be alone. Isn't that an amazing promise? 

Christ even said, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." He has promised to be here for us. We have the Savior of the World at our fingertips, I hope that as we remember that, we will be more inclined to remember him, and his atonement. But not only remember it, but act on it, and use it so that one day we can dwell with him, Heavenly Father and our families forever. I am very grateful this week for eternal families. 

This week was wonderful. We saw many miracles, and I felt the hand of God guiding us and directing us on our way. We had a baptism in our ward this week! It was that of a 16 year old girl who was part of a part-member family. It was beautiful and touching in every way. I am so grateful for the path that Heavenly Father has for us, so that we can be united as families forever. Isn't it amazing? 

We went on exchanges this week, and it was my first day since transfers where I didn't talk to anyone in Spanish. It was interesting to go back to English. It was an awesome day, and I loved being with Sister Hunter. We were crazy busy all day, and had a lot of appointments. It's so fun to teach all day! I loved every minute. We had a lesson with this amazing Lebanese family. They speak 4 different languages. Each of them. It's amazing. It was a powerful lesson about Prophets,  the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and how they all go together. It was awesome. 

Today we went on a crazy hike with one of the zones. It was super fun, but super hard. My fitbit equated it to walking up 75 flights of stairs... :) It thought it was funny. :) 

That's about it for today, seeing as I'm almost out of time. I love you all so much! 

I know that God is leading this church. We might not be able to understand His plan, but I know that it will always be for our benefit. 

I love you all, and hope you have the most amazing week, and that you will look for God's hand every day. 

Love, Hermana Wood :) 

Week 71: Milagros! aka miracles. :)

Hello everybody! 

This week has been really good. And when I say really good, I mean amazing! :) 

Haha, It's just been good. This week was really full of humbling experiences. It's kind of amazing to me how when we are humble, that is when the Lord can work miracles through us, and truly show His hand in our lives. When we are prideful, it's a lot harder for him to do that, because we aren't relying on him to help us. 

We had zone conference this week. The theme for zone conference was definitely consecration. They talked a lot about giving everything, and putting everything that you need to on the altar of sacrifice. I'm working on consecrating time every day to memorize a scripture, because nothing has more power than the word of God, and we are here to share God's word and love. 

One of our mission presidency talked about how you love what you serve. If you serve the Lord, you will come to love the Lord, if you serve the world, you will love the world. Where you put your time and energy is where your heart is. I think that's why the Lord said to treasure up things in heaven and not on earth. Because where our treasure is, our heart will be. He also talked about how if you are lacking love for your companion, or your ward, or whoever, serve them, and the love will come. It was cool. :) 

We watched Only a Stonecutter, which is only like 20 minutes long, and a phenomenal little film if you need inspiration. 

It was a wonderful meeting. I also had the opportunity to bear my testimony in Spanish. It was super nerve-wracking, but I know that Heavenly Father was there with me. It was very simple and basic, but it reminded me that the Gospel isn't always super complex, but is often simple enough for a child to understand. It was humbling, but a wonderful spirit came over me as I bore my testimony. I couldn't say much, but what I could say, I felt with my whole soul that it was true. It was a very sweet experience. 

I had another taste of what missionary work is truly about this week. There is a family in our ward who is struggling. A lot. They had a really rough experience as a family, and while there wasn't a whole lot we could do for them, we went over to their house, and we were able to offer them comfort and support. We called the Elders, and they came and gave a Priesthood blessing to the mother. Also we were able to give them some supplies that the mission was trying to get rid of, that they needed. It just reminded me of the pure love that God has for all of his children. I feel very blessed to have been an emissary of that love for that family. I may not be able to speak Spanish very well, or teach very well, but I can love people. It was a wonderful reminder.

We had an appointment with a less-active member of our ward on Saturday, but when we got there, no one was home. We were kind of surprised, and waited for a while to see if she was coming, but she never came. We walked around for a bit, trying to contact former investigators in the area. As we were doing that, we walked past a woman, and I listened for a moment and heard that she was speaking Spanish to someone on the phone. I motioned for Hermana Laboriel to wait, so we could talk to her. We talked for about 20 minutes, and we taught her about how God is our loving Heavenly Father. We soon had to leave though, and I had a feeling to ask her if she would let us come back and teach the lessons, so that I could practice my Spanish. She said that we were more than welcome, and we will be going to teach her on Tuesday! I'm grateful for the opportunities we have to follow the promptings of the Spirit. :) 

Yesterday church was good. Obispo (Bishop) invited Hermana Laboriel and I to bear our testimonies at the end of sacrament meeting. I was again reminded that I don't have to do everything perfectly. All I really need to do is try my best, follow the Spirit, and use the Atonement. When we do those things, we really can't truly fail. We were able to go to a devotional last night, where one of the less-active (now active) members I worked with in South Coast was speaking. It was wonderful to be able to go and support her. 

I love being here. I love serving a mission, and being able to serve the lord. I know this is the true church. Yo se que hay milagros todos las dias cuando buscamos por ellos. 

Thought for today!

It's so true. I have been the happiest when I'm serving others. Like King Benjamin said, "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God."

Les quiero! I'll talk to you next week! Let me know if I can do anything for you! 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Wood