Happy Christmas!

We had a fantastic week! We were able to have lots of lessons this week and the ward is continually progressing and working more and more to help the less actives and investigators feel welcome and bring more people to Jesus. It is always great to see the fruits of the labor!

We had a great family night with Melisa and Guillermo because another family invited them to do it with them! We talked about goals and how it is important to prepare for the future and if we put God first, He will always help us. Then during the week we had another lesson with them and we taught the plan of salvation. It's like their world made sense now. They loved what they learned and they both accepted to be baptized!!!! How amazing, right?? I love them and I am grateful to be here teaching them!

We are finding new people and families to teach, but I feel really good about the work we have done here. I know that the future missionaries, ward members, and investigators will be grateful.

We are going to have a pretty crazy week this week! We have lots of activities, tramites, and Christmas to do! I can't wait to see all of you! I would like to end with a couple scriptures.

"Wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream..." (Jacob 7:26)

"I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: "But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be unto thee..." (3 John 1:13-14)

"And now I bid unto all, farewell..." (Moroni 10:34)

Love,
Hermana Wood :)

Once again from my companion. :)

The Christmas tree we are going to give to a family tonight, inspired by the Christmas tree my mom gave to me.

Who knew?

Why did I think I was going to be able to end my mission peacfully? Haha, well, that thought was a little off track because this week was crazy! We did so many things and lots of stuff happened and I am going to try and share it all with you.

First. Haha. Well, once upon a time, we live in a building that needs three keys to enter. One for the main door, one for the bars in front of our door, and one to open the door to our room. Oh, and before we had a rule that we couldn't take the cell phone out of the house, but this week the changed it. And we have to be in the house at 8:30. So on Wednesday, we went to leave the house. We took the phone, locked the bars and the door, and left the building. We went and visited everyone we needed to see...and we realized that it was 8:20 and we weren't going to make it home in time. So we started running. We ran in the middle of the street in Rosario, in the bike lane, because it was faster. We ran and ran and ran, and we finally got home. When we got there...we realized we didn't have the keys!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were stuck in the middle of Rosario without keys or money. But, THANKFULLY, we had the phone! So we called the elders and they said we needed to go to the hermanas in Parque Urquiza and spend the night because there wasn't anything we could do about it in the moment. We called the landlord, and he didn't have a copy of the keys or anything. So we called the hermanas, and they paid the taxi that we took and we slept with them for the night. It was hard to sleep because you could hear the bats outside all night and the doves in the morning. but that's beside the point. Then in the morning, we called the elders and they said they were going to meet us at our house. So we took a taxi, and they paid for it, and we got there. Before they called the locksmith, we pushed all the doorbells of the people to see if they could open the maindoor. One guy said yes and came down. We explained what happened and he said a woman had found some keys yesterday!!!!! We quickly talked to the woman and she said she found them in the keyhole of the main door! I left the keys in the door! Hahahaha. I felt kind of stupid, but blessed that we didn't need to pay lots of money. we made copies of all the keys and now we are okay. Oh my gosh, so funny.

Second. One night, we opened the window to go to sleep, and a butterfly came in the room! Obviously, being me, I couldn't sleep with a butterfly in the room. So I started jumping on the beds trying to reach it and put it outside. Hermana cruz tried to help by hitting the butterfly with her towel. But...she hit it so hard, that she let go of her towel and it flew out the window! Then in that moment it started raining and pouring and we couldn't find her towel. but don't worry, i got the butterfly out of the room. We found her towel the next day soaking wet, but we found it. :) Third. We had the Christmas dinner here in our ward!! Melisa and Guillermo were able to come!!! They told us that their son is okay now and he is with them, so they are very happy about that. The primary did the nativity and the youth served the food for everyone. We had to leave, but after everyone danced and had a great time. It was very nice!

Fourth. Yesterday we had consejo de barrio with our bishop, and we were so surprised becuase we taught him the new plan from the area and he put everything in practice! We gave him a copy of the Action Plan with the vision, goals, and plans, and he made a copy of it and gave it to everyone organization so that each one has a vision for the ward and how they are going to help the ward grow. I loved to see the fruits and I know that they are going to keep progressing here! It makes me happy!

Fifth. This morning Hermana Cruz and I went to the Monument! It was so beautiful because there was no one there and the sun was behind the clouds. I love Rosario and I love being a missionary!

Those are the stories from my week. I hope you all have an amazing week with everything that is going on with Christmas and families! I love you all!

Love,
Hermana Wood :)

A Savior is Born

No one ever thought they would see me with an apron... ;)
Alfajores!!!!!!!!!!

We put up the christmas tree.
Yay for Christmas!

In Spanish, it is "Ha nacido un Salvador" and we are sharing this video with everyone, just like we did last year with the little cards! It is so much easier to talk to people in the street when we have something in common. This is what we say? Missionary: Hi, we have a question. Do you celebrate christmas?
Person: ......yes.......
Missionary: Oh, really? Us too! We have a present for you. It is this little card. Right here is says, "A Savior is Born". For us, the Savior is Jesus Christ. And for you?
Person: Yes, Jesus, for me too.
Missionary: Perfect. Here is a web page that you can enter and watch a 2 minute video about Christmas and Jesus Christ. We would love to pass by and answer any questions you have...etc.

It works so well. Because they are basically obligated to say yes, and the spirit comes because we are talking of Jesus. The people really feel the spirit of Christmas, because here in Argentina it is really hot during Christmas and no one decorates, so it is different, but when we talk about Jesus, they feel it.

This week was my last fast sunday here in Argentina. I was feeling a little down and I fasted and prayed to have at least one investigator in church on Sunday. I was praying and praying, hoping that we would have one, because here it is hard to come by. When we got there, there were a TON of people that were in the church. It turns out that a company here had a work party in Rosario, and everyone from Buenos Aires came here for the party and the members came to church on Sunday. They invited some of their associates to come to church! 6 investigators! We also had a baby shower and some of their family members came that weren't members! Can you believe how much Heavenly Father answered my prayer and fast? I know He listens to us and hears our prayers. When we put in our part, He will always bless us. It was a miracle.

Carina is doing well. She was all ready to come to church, but her sister-in-law wasn't able to watch her shop, so she couldn't leave the shop. But she really wanted to come. We taught her the plan of salvation. I love teaching her because she loves to learn and understands. I think my favorite part of the lesson was when I asked, "So, Carina, were did you live before this world?" And she said, "I lived with God as a spirit and I came here to be tried and tested so that I can live with Him again." Wow. She is amazing.

Melisa and Guillermo are trying to figure everything out with the judges and policemen and I will tell you if we hear anything about them. I know this is His work and His glory. To help us become like Him. We already made the decision to become a God one day because we made covenants with Him...and that's why we have trials. So that we learn how to become like Him.

We were able to talk to our bishop about the new area plan and he was so excited to put it into practice! He is so humble and willing to work for the Lord. I am grateful to be here and help this ward.

Oh, the best thing that happened this week was Hermana Olga taught us how to make alfajores!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, they are delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I now have the recipe and obviously we are going to be making some alfajores. ;)

I love you all so much!

Love,
Hermana Wood :)

HERE WE GO!

Me and Hermana Olga
The view from the roof our our house.
In the terminal for transfers and I was with almost ALL my companions! I love all these girls!
My companion is too creative. She made me this cute box. :)

My companion, Hermana Ribeiro, made my last planner for me. She put this scripture on the back: "Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard."

I can't believe that I am officially starting my last transfer. I am going to stay here in Echesortu with my companion, Hermana Cruz. I am so excited to work this last part of my mission. I feel prepared and ready to do exactly what my Heavenly Father wants me to do.

I don't know if any of you have realized, but this area is very different from my other areas. We are working so hard, and we are seeing miracles, but it difficult. This transfer we are going to focus all of our efforts in helping the ward here progress and work with us. Because us working here alone really isn't going to help much and it is very slow. But we know that working with the bishop and the members is the way to help this area progress. We have a bigger vision for those in the future that are going to come, and we know we need to help the ward now so that it is prepared in the future. I know that if we can work with them, the Lord will bless us in the way He needs to. I am just learning to work and work and put it all in the hands of the Lord.

Melisa and Guillermo are having family problems. Melisa has a son names Francisco, and he is three years old. He has another dad that isn't Guillermo and every weekend Francisco goes with his dad. This last weekend, the dad didn't bring Franciscio home and they still don't know where he is. They are working the police and trying to find out what happened. They are very stressed out and we are praying super hard for them. If you could pray for them, we would grately appreciate it.

We were able to visit Carina this week. I love the desire she has to learn. We were able to go with a member and she felt really good. It is hard because she lives really far from the capilla and she doesn't have a way to get there...so we are going to ask some members if they can pick her up to go. But she is really great. :)

We also have a menos activo family that is coming to church! The Family Fuentes! They are finally coming to church and we are super happy for them! I loved ponderizing my scripture this last week. I learned so much about the atonement of Jesus Christ and His love for us. He wants us to repent because He doesn't want us to suffer in the way He had to. He is the perfect example of love and patience and I know that He will always be there to love and lift us up.

Right now I am with Hermana Cerna! She is staying with us for 2 days because she is going to start training as well. She is super great and I love her! Haha, I am with both the hermanas that I trained. ;)

I hope you all have an amazing week! I love you all!

Love,
Hermana Wood :)

And it starts all over again

My bored face.

So...once upon a time...my companion fell in a hole and twisted both her ankles and we had to rest from Thursday to Sunday because she couldn't walk. So that was a fun time. I am very grateful that Heavenly Father is VERY patient and He knows that we are humans and sometimes we can't do everything we need to, but His work still moves forward, even if we can leave the house. It's amazing really.

Despite everything, we were able to visit Melisa and Guillermo! They are finally understanding the importance of only having one church that has the authority of God on the earth because, like is says in Ephesians, there is ONE lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism. Because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever and His church will not change. They are super great and they tell us they feel something inside that they can't explain when we are with them and want to keep learning more. Guillermo said the closing prayer of the lesson and asked God if this is the path they should take for their family. I am grateful for them! We weren't able to visit Carina and Gabi because my companion was hurting from her feet. But we called them and they said they are doing well and super excited for us to come back. Really, Heavenly Father prepares the people that are ready to hear the gospel.

Other than that, I have been reading and learning a lot. That is probably the best part of having to stay in home, you get to read a whole lot more. :) The scripture I ponderized this week was Helaman 10:4. I love this scripture because Heavenly Father is very proud of His son, Nephi, for everything that he did to help the work go forth. He trusts Nephi that He will never ask for anything that is contrary to His will. I want to be like Nephi and have my Heavenly Father's confidence in me.

We also had the Stake Conference here in Rosario Oeste! Francisco Viñas, the area seventy, came to our chapel and gave an amazing talk about the atonement. He said that the ONLY way we can live with Heavenly Father again is through Jesus Christ. If we don't repent, and we get to the end and pay for all of our sins, we still won't be able to live with God again because Jesus is the only one that can overcome the justice with mercy. It was very profound and I learned a lot. We also got a new stake president, and hopefully he will do a good job! The best part of all is that Cañada de Gomez is in the same stake as Echesortu, so I was able to see all the member from Cañada and I was SO happy to see them! I love them all so much!!!!

I love you all!
Love,
Hermana Wood :)

I am so tired

Zone Conference
Yesterday, I turned 16 months! And since I turn months on the 16th, it was my golden birthday month. My companion made this adorable pop-up book for me. I love it!!!

Oh my goodness, what an amazing week we have had. I am so tired, but I am so happy. I'll tell you about the highlights of the week. We had interview with Presidente Zanni this week. He helped us all feel the desire to baptize more in our mission and have more baptism this year than the year before. He is really changing our mission and I am grateful the time I have had to get to know him and feel the spirit work through him. I know that he is called of God to help us. Our mission is a little hard, but I know that this is God's work and He will work the miracles He needs. I am happy to be a part of it!

We had an amazing family night this week the whole ward! Lots of people came that we invited. Melisa and Guillermo came with their son, Francisco! They are doing amazing! They loved the activity and met lots of the members. The members received them really well, so we are grateful for that. After the family night, everyone set up chairs to watch the soccer game of Argentina vs. Brazil. So funny, I love Argentina. On Sunday, we found two women that are so amazing! They are Carina and Gabi. We found Carina the other day contacting and she invited us to come and talk to her on Sunday. When we got there, she said she invited her sister-in-law, Gabi, to listen as well. They have both had really hard lives, but they both believe in God so much and have hope that everything will be better. I loved to see the light in their eyes when we said that the same church that Jesus Christ established is here on the earth today. That there are prophets and priesthood and miracles and that they can be baptized by someone who holds the power of God. They both accepted to be baptized and we are so excited to work with them. I know that God put them in our path and we can help them make these changes in their lives.

And yesterday, we had a SUPER special p-day! Our zone went to the mission home and we played games all day. We played vollyball, basketball, lightning, 4 square, soccer, tug-of-war, egg toss, relay races, double dutch, and so much more. It was so fun. I am so tired. We also watched Meet the Mormons. It was such a fun day! I am glad we could take part!

I hope you have a great week!

Love,
Hermana Wood :)

We Moved

My mates. :)
My companion........ :)
We moved...again!
Our new house!!!! :)
I still fit in my jeans! That is a big accomplishment. ;)

Well, this week was full of surprises! We weren't able to work as much as we wanted because we moved!!!!!!!!!!! Finally!!!!!! Haha, this is the second time in my mission that I have stayed in the same area, but we have changed houses. I guess I'm an expert now. ;) But our new house is so much better! In our old house, we didn't have windows.......but now we have a balcony and another window so that the air flows throughout the whole house. And just in time, because things are heating up here and it is really hot. So we are super glad we moved. :)

However.........we have had a few problems in our new house. The things that heats up the water (I don't know what it is called in english) started leaking, so we had to find a huge bucket to put underneath so that could actually leave and teach people. We have also had some problems paying all the things and that takes some time. But now, everything is set and we are ready to keep working!

Melisa and Guillermo are doing awesome! They are reading the Book of Mormon together and praying to know if it is true. One day they were reading outside and a random guy came up and started pointing at the book and said, "Stars, stars, stars, stars..." Haha, they didn't know if that was their answer or no..but it was pretty funny. :) They both came to church on Sunday! They really liked the sacrament meeting and felt really comfortable. The ward helped a ton and really helped them feel welcome, and we were really grateful for that. They are awesome! :)

We need to find all of our other investigators this next week, but they are all super great. I am loving this area and I am learning a lot from my new companion! I am learning to be humble, patient, trustworthy, loving, non-judgemental, and willing to do anything in order to help her feel good. I am super grateful for the mission and everything I have learned and all the experiences my Heavenly Father has given me!

I loved ponderizing Alma 6:6 this week because I feel like our ward is finally putting into practice what this scripture says. they are praying for our investigators and trying to help them come closer to Christ. As members, we should always try and share the gospel, no matter the circumstance. This week I am going to study D&C 130:2. It is a very beautiful scripture.

I love you all!!!! Have an amazing week!

Love,
Hermana Wood :)

Yay for missionary work!!

We had a super great week full of miracles! I have no idea where all these people came from, but this week we found 7 new investigators! That is amazing for this area! We are super happy and blessed for this time to be here and help these prepared people come unto Christ.

The first people we found are a couple in their 30's name Melisa and Guillermo. They are amazing! they are super open to learning more. Melisa has a 2 year old son named Francisco and Melisa and Guillermo were already planning on getting married really soon. About a year ago, they listened to the missionaries and now they are open to learning more. They are reading the book of mormon together and they weren't able to come to church this sunday because they had to go and take care of Melisa's dad because he is sick. they were sad they couldn't come and asked us for a chapter to read in the book of mormon. They are amazing! We are excited to teach them and help them become an eternal family. :)

We also found a woman named Roxana. She is open to listening to us...but not very willing to change. but her daughter, Rosario (yes, her name is Rosario) is 20 years old and she listens very attentively. She likes to learn more and we are going to help her have more friends in the church so that she can come and feel comfortable. We are excited to teach Rosario!

We found a couple other people that we talked to in the street that we are going to pass by and visit this next week. All we need is faith and patience, and everything works out the way it should.

I loved ponderizing my scripture this last week. It really tied in with the special conference we had yesterday on Sunday! Walter F. Gonzalez, the area seventy in charge of our mission, came and talked to us about how to bring the spirit much stronger in the lessons. He said we need to talk of Christ always. When we talk of Christ, the spirit is able to testify of the truth that Jesus is our Savior and He died for us. When the other people talk of christ, they will also feel the spirit. It was a very powerful conference. Presidente Zanni also asked if I could play the piano...so I did. Haha, I'm pretty sure the calling of playing the piano will always follow me..yay.

My new scripture is Alma 6:6. It is a very powerful reminder of what need to do as member of the church. I hope you all have a great week!

Love,
Hermana Wood :)

Week 1

Well, I am here with my new companion, Hermana Cruz! She is from Mexico City, Mexico! She is 22 and the 2nd of 4 children. Her whole family is members and she is super obedient and excited to be here in the mission! We have worked so hard this week and little by little we are seeing the results. We were able to visit lots of menos activos this week. We also recieved about 4 references this week! That means that the members are starting to work and are sharing the gospel! I am super excited about that! One crazy way we found new investigators this week is there was a family and they needed to start their car...but it wouldn't work. They started pushing and pushing the car, but nothing happened. So we offered to help push the car, and magically it started working! :) We are going to visit them this next week. :)

I was able to study my scripture this last week and it really helped me to forget myself and go to work. I thought of a story that I heard here in the mission:

A young man went to the place that makes crosses. The kind owner recieved him warmly and asked him what he was looking for. The young man said he came because his cross was too heavy to bear and he wanted another one. They started walking among the crosses. He saw some that were very small, and other that were gigantic. As he kept walking, he didn't see one that quite fit him. As he rounded the corner, he saw the cross he wanted. It was a little beaten around the edges, medium sized, and perfect for him. He looked at the owner and said, "I found the cross I wanted!" And the owner said, "That was the cross you started with. Now, take up thy cross and follow thou me."

I love this story. Every single one of us has different trials, everyone has a different cross to bear. But every single one of us can take up our own crosses and follow Jesus Christ because He knows how our crosses feel on our backs. He knows how painful it is to put one foot in front of the other, day after day, longing to just sit down on the side of the road and call it quits. That is why the last step in the gospel of Jesus Christ is endure to the end. If Jesus had sat down on the side of the road in the garden of gethsemane, none of us would have the amazing privilige of living with our heavenly father again. We have experiences to learn and grow. I am learning a lot here in the area and I know it is for a reason. I love my mission and I wouldn't trade it for the world! My new scripture is 2 Nephi 25:26. I love you all!!

Love,
Hermana Wood :)