Talofa everybody!

It has been an awesome week. We are going strong down here in Marblehead. :) I really love this area and all the people here. One thing I really appreciate is that people reject us really politely and kindly. I mostly walk away from interactions with people feeling happy and satisfied rather than sad and discouraged, and thinking that I will never talk to another person ever again. So that is a major blessing. 

I have discovered the miracle of tracting. I am learning to love it. We get a lot of no's but we also get people who say yes! So that's been awesome. We decided that we will go tracting for at least an hour every single day. I will update you on the miracles that come from keeping that promise, because I know that the Lord is preparing people for us to meet, we just need to find them! It reminds me a little bit of those "Where's Waldo?" books. You meet someone who you think might be the person you're looking for, but they end up just being someone who is kind of like that, but not quite ready. Then, you miraculously find them! And I always have been able to find Waldo, so I have no doubt that I will be able to find the elect out here in California. 

I have so much hope for this area. Yesterday we had two miracles happen right in a row. One of the reasons that they were such monumental miracles was because we have been really struggling this week. We had an investigator drop us, Sister Wolterman got bronchitis, among other things, and we didn't know why everything was exploding, all we knew was that we couldn't hold everything together. So we watched in despair for a minute, but kept moving forward with the faith that Heavenly Father knows what he is doing, and he knows how to help us. It was a major building experience in turning to Him when things get hard. 

Anyways, we haven't been able to see an investigator for about a week, when we helped her move, she's been kind of lukewarm to us for a little while. Her daughters birthday was yesterday, so we took over a present. When we got there, she was so open to meeting with us again, and she seemed to be in such a better place than she had been. It was astonishing how much she had changed. It was seriously such a miracle. She had a baptismal date for the 27th of February, so we will have to recommit her to a different date. But, she is willing to come closer to Christ, and that is a huge blessing. 

We had just finished meeting with the investigator and were driving to our Ward Mission Leaders house when we realized that we forgot to stop by one of our members houses who had just been released from the hospital. We were just about to decide to see her tomorrow when we both felt like we needed to go back and see her. So we turned around, and we went to her house. While there, we were able to meet her neighbor, who had met Sister Missionaries before, and was so willing to meet with us. We will hopefully be seeing him tomorrow. It was seriously a miracle, because so many things tied into that one culminating event. If even one of those things hadn't have happened, we never would have met him. Heavenly Father is looking out for us, I know he is. 

So many miracles. I look forward to seeing more, and am very grateful for Heavenly Father's guiding hand in my life. Tender mercies are everywhere, even when life is hard. :) 

I have also realized the joy of singing "We Are All Enlisted" as we walk from house to house while tracting. Singing makes everything better. 

I love being a missionary! I love being able to serve these people here in Marblehead area. Thank you for your love, Support and prayers. I love you all!

Love, Sister Wood :)