Yumar

Happy Monday!

A crazy week here in primavera full of lots of funny stories and miracles. (like always:) This is the last week of the change & it makes me so sad to think that I will most likely have changes.. my heart!

I think one of the biggest miracles of this week was meeting Yumar. On Friday we were contacting in a park and contacted Yumar who just moved here on Wednesday from Puno. He moved here looking for work, but doesn't know anyone, doesn't even have a place to live yet here, and is a little lost. He has always had a lot of faith, and just told us how he is relying on the help of God in this time of change. He is so so receptive. On Saturday, President Johnson came to Tacna and put on an activity for the converts and investigators. Yumar went and he loved it. President talked a lot about the restoration of the gospel, and it was powerful. Yumar is already digging up the Book of Mormon, was able to go to church yesterday, and he even found a job this morning! Real excited about him.

The Roque fam. is doing well. We postponed Vanina and Virginia's baptism for the beginning of May because they were having to work Sundays, but have now changed their schedules and will be able to attend church! Sorry not too much updates, have a happy week!

Matthew 6:33

Hermana Wood

Pics: My family (hna cejas and baptista) in multizone conference, hna naveros, Tacna arch with comp, and we ran into one of my investigators from Arequipa in the mall here in Tacna! 

Bryan Got Baptized!

Hiii!!  Hope everyone is doing well!

Well.. Bryan got baptized!! The adversary did everything possible to keep the baptism from happening, but it happened.. and Bryan is a member! For example.. about an hour before the baptism we were filling up the font when boom the power went out. No lights, nothing. Luckily some brothers from the ward helped us find some big emergency flashlights that we hung on the walls which helped a lot. We had to call all the members telling them there would still be a baptism and we were just praying everyone would still come.. but the members are the best and they came! After the second message, right before the ordenance, the power came back and the lights came on! Perfect timing ha. He had to be baptized a few times to keep his whole body under, but yes all turned out well. After, in his testimony, he shared how he literally felt like he was born again, and felt so clean. Super special. :)

Out of time today, but more updates next week. Que tengan una linda semana! xo

Hermana Wood

Matthew 19:14

pics: deep cleaning as a district, district lunch, zone volleyball, & one of the divisions of the week

Spiritual High

As Elder Uchtdorf said.. I am HAPPY to be a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!

How amazing was conference? I feel so blessed to be a missionary in this time of great change! A super strong spirit-filled weekend. So many favorite talks and sayings that hit me hard, so I am just going to write a couple of the notes that stood out to me most:

-pure LOVE is the true sign of every true disciple.

-we are to be forgiving even when it seems that others may not want our forgiveness.

-success: going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm

-repentance is his plan, KNOWING that we will fail.

-Put exclamation marks behind the prophets teachings!

-"You think my dads a good guy at church? Hes an even better one at home" (this is 100% true with my dad, so I loved it)

-In our prayers, ask the Lord what we can do to act in the situation, rather than asking for him to change the situation.

-Spiritual impressions are life savers.

-BEHOLD the man.

-Save individuals rather than perform tasks.

-Be ONE.

-Want to know your purpose? Come unto Christ.

-Sadness? Open the Book of Mormon.

-Keep Christ as the center of our lives, in ALL things, in ALL places.

"Our heavenly father is constantly saying: "I LOVE you. DONT give up."

-The spirit doesn't force himself into our lives.. we are free to choose.

-By small and simple things, GREAT things come to pass.

-The little decisions in private, make a big difference. (use time wisely)

-Keep paddling to move upstream to our eternal goal.

-Say YES to the revelation we receive.

-Love love love love love everyone!!!

This is a gospel of pure love!

Oh how I love conference! So, that was a huge highlight of the week. Another fun story.. so Monday night we closed off the night with a family night, with a Book of Mormon message, with Brayan and a few other families. It went super well. After, and at 10:26 pm we were finishing the night with companion prayer. We had just kneeled down and the phone started ringing. I looked to see who it was and it was Brayan. We weren't going to answer because it was already late, but at the same time it made us worried to see Brayan was calling late, so I answered. The phone call went a little like this:  me: "Buenas noches Brayan, cómo está?" Brayan: "Hermana wood...... .... ..... yo me quiero bautizar. ya!" ya English version: Me: "Good evening Brayan, how are you?" Brayan: "Sister Wood.. ..... ... I already want to get baptized!" It made us so happy ha, he had received an answer clear as day in the family night that we had. He has his interview at 6:00 today and will be baptized this week! So stoked for him.

Thank you for all the love and support, it means so so much. I have the greatest supporters in the whole world! Go make it a happy, faithful week! xo

(Oh and as President Ballard invited us to do, go write in your journal about the sacred occasion it was to be a part of sustaining a new prophet!)

Hermana Wood

James 5:16

Pictures: Pday lunch with the other Tacna Hermanas. The sweet drawing Hermana Cejas made me after divisions this week. After helping Ximena clean her house this week, took advantage of pants and handstands! & my cute comp

Raul Part II

Happy Monday! I hope you are all as pumped as we are for conference this week.. Go soak up every minute of it! We are so blessed to have a prophet here on earth guiding us. Don't miss a minute of any of his words this weekend. :)

So the lastest from Primavera.. Do you remember Raul? We knocked his door and turned out he is an inactive member who was branch president, mission leader, and all that in Chile? Yeah, well after we met him and his family they passed through some big challenges. Their house got robbed, tvs, jewelry, clothes, even some couches, almost everything. Lots of work problems too. His wife, Frida, is from Piura so this past month they have been up north visiting her family and getting away from the mess for a little bit. But now they are back and yesterday Raul came to church for the first time in 6 years!

Not only that, but it was fast and testimony meeting and he bore his testimony! He started out thanking US for knocking his door. Crying, he told how he wasted 6 years of his life without the gospel. He testified of our Living Savior who paid the price for each and every one of us. Testified of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Of the huge difference in his life WITH the gospel. Of his gratitude for repentance. And his willigness to never step away from the church ever again. It practically had me in tears ha. A huge testimony that it is never too late to change or repent. Our Savior is always there with his arms open to us. Never, never too late! 

Other happy news: Yusara has a date to get married!!! In April, and her baptism will be the week after her wedding!!! yay. Also Vanina-the Roque fams oldest daughter (from the kitchen when it blew up, that story..) finally has a baptism date yay! For the 15th of April.

Brayan keeps progressing and is already a friend of everyone at church.

We have been reading the Book of Mormon together as a mission and this week we are finishing it all together. I just want to testify again that the book is true! It is powerful and changes lives. Everytime I read it I get something new out of it. God loves us so so much that we have his words in our hands. Take advantage of that and read the book every single day! Something I have realized here in the mission is that when someone pulls away from reading the Book of Mormon, they are pulling away from the church. It's like Lehi's dream, when the people let go of the iron rod, they were walking away from the tree of life. Keep on gripping tightly to the rod! It's so worth it. Love the book with all my heart! 

Have an amazing week, love you all! xo

DyC  27:15-18

Hermana Wood

Quick Trip to Arequipa and More Priesthood Power

Buenas Tardes! Feeling real happy to get on internet today to see a fun little surprise... Baby Gunner!!!! So stoked to meet my cute new nephew in a few months. So happy for you Kaleb and Adria! Also, birthday shoutout to Adria this week, I hope you have an amazing day!

This week was crazy busy but really good. I'm just going to give a few of the highlights because so short on time.

-We had leadership conference in Arequipa and it was powerfullll.

-José passed me the sacrament yesterday in church. :)

-Bruno had an interview with the bishop where they set his goals to receive the melc. priesthood.. he is so excited.

-We met Brayan. (The zone leaders in the area next to us were out contacting in the street last week. Brayan was walking on one side of the street and the elders on the other. As Brayan quotes it "I looked to my left seeing 2 white angels running towards me"-the elders are both gringos ha- and they were able to contact him and passed us the reference after. He is 22 and he is so so receptive. His best friend passed away 2 weeks ago and he has really been looking for God in his life. He loved church yesterday, already fits in real good with the YSA, and has a baptism date for April 7th!)

-My companion is so fun. She is a convert, was baptized 2 years ago, the only member of her family, and she's just the sweetest. Not to mention she makes a real good travel buddy, running buddy, and companion!

-We met Gisella. She is a member who was baptized about 4 years ago but has been inactive these past couple years. Her husband isn't a member, and her oldest son isn't either. They have 3 kids-a 9 year old, 2 year old, and new born. The 2 year, old, Ramsus, has a disease (I dont know what its called in english) where his chest is growing inwards instead of outwards. The poor thing, it makes it so hard for him to breath at times, and he gets tired so easily. He has to go to Lima 3 times a month for his treatments. This week, we took a brother from the ward, Alan, to their house to give Ramsus a blessing. When we showed up to the house Ramsus was throwing a big fit, screaming and all. We tried to help him get all calmed down but he kept crying and crying. The brother that came with us went straight into giving him the blessing and when he put his hands over Ramsus´ head and started to speak.. silence. Ramsus was dead silent. Everyone listened, and it was a really special blessing. When it finished-Ramsus was staring upwards at Brother Alan as if he were an angel or something. and still in silence. The priesthood is SO REAL. Gisella burst into tears, Jimmy her husband even let a few tears fall, and the spirit was undeniable. So so so much power in the priesthood. 

I hope you all have an amazing week! Go find someone to serve, and if you can share the gospel with them-even better:) Love you all so much! xo

Hermana Wood

D&C 18:28

fotos: family night with the bishop's family, when we went to Arequipa for leadership counsel we had an extra 2 hours to spare so I got to visit the Cualquira family in Alto Selva Alegre-my favorites!!, with the other hermana leaders in leadership conference, Service project as a district-and look at what we are holding in the service picture-we found a ton of these dead rats ha

Another Transfer, Another Companion!

Sticking around in Primavera another change, yay!!

My new comp is Hermana Pinto, she is from Lima. We have done divisions a few times with her, and she is from hermana Cejas group in the mission so I already know her! Reallyyyy excited for this change. :) And we are still hermana leaders so it will be fun to keep working with all the sisters!

 Bruno got baptized yay!!!! When we went to visit him this week before his baptism he told us something super cool. So he was reading the beginning of the Book of Mormon and something hit him hard when he was reading about the dreams and visions of prophets. It hit him that back in September, he had a dream. In this dream, he was super sick in bed and there were 5 people visiting him. 3 girls, a boy, and a man all dressed in white. These people were teaching him. This week, he realized that this dream had US in it. When we went to visit him a couple weeks ago, we went with Jean Carlos and his wife, Damissu to give him the blessing. He was sick in bed, and we were all sitting in the same positions that he saw in his dream, teaching him. He explained to us that he was certain it was us in this dream, and maybe you can all decide who the man in white was.. Really cool. I know that God has been preparing him for a while now to make this decision and recieve the gospel in his life. God's plan is perfect and I know that everything happens for a reason. Bruno's baptism was so special and he was glowing, so happy.

Go make it a big week! Fav quote of the week: The JOY we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. Pres. Nelson

Hermana Wood

D&C 6:37

Pics: Hermana Liza getting a few surprises in her last few days, paty and Is pet, and we love it when paty and valentina visit with us, and I will miss hermana Liza and her quote wall

Words can't describe it

Ok words can’t express the happiness that I have felt this week. I feel so so humbled and GRATEFUL to be a missionary. So many confirmations received this week of why I am serving here in Peru right now. Why I have the companion that I have. Why I am serving in this area, primavera. I know I am exactly where the Lord needs me and that alone makes me really happy.

Saturday Paty was baptized, and yesterday Valentina was baptized. When someone has truly been converted, it is the most special thing to be a part of their conversion process. I was trying to think of what to compare it to.. I thought of cheering under the Friday night lights in the Lavell Edwards Stadium, or passing American Heritage with an A grade, or crossing the finish line of a half marathon, or sticking a beam routine with a 9.7. but no.. this kind of happiness is even BETTER. I just can’t describe it! The Church is true. It changes lives. When we met the Roque family, Paty was the one that didn’t want anything to do with us. She literally avoided us when we would go to visit them. But little by little she let us teach her, she made friends with the YSA, she let the Book of Mormon change her, and now she is a new person. A few minutes before her baptism was about to start, she called us out into the hallway and broke down crying. It scared us, we asked what was happening and the only words she could get out were "my grandma, my grandma". Her grandma passed away 3 years ago and we haven’t talked too much about her. But she said that in this moment she could somehow feel her grandma so close. She knew her grandma was there with her. She had never ever felt anything like this before. I believe that her grandma already accepted the gospel over there in the spirit world. Thanks to Paty’s decision, Paty can get baptized for her grandma and the rest of the family that has already passed on. Thanks to the temples and ordinances. It was so special and Paty is this example for her family who is also following in her footsteps. Valentina’s baptism was so special as well. When we first contacted Virginia, her mom, in the street, Valentina was there as well. She practically didn’t talk at all, but just looked at us smiling the whole time. Yesterday when she bore her testimony after the baptism I had a flashback to that first moment when I saw her in the street. The same smile and beautiful Valentina, but now she just has this glow, and even just being 11 years old she has changed as well. Was NOT by coincidence that we contacted them in the street 2 months ago. Also for about a month, us and the other ward leaders have been searching in the church systems looking for Virginia’s records in the church from when she got baptized about 35 years ago. Nothing. We have not found any record with her name. this week, We had to go all the way to phone calls with the church offices in Salt Lake and they couldn’t find anything either. So they told us that Virginia has to get baptized again.

oh and Bruno? He is golden. So prepared. He went to the baptisms this week and after Valentina’s baptism told us that he doesn’t want to wait any longer, he already wants to get baptized. He already has lots of friends in the ward, he knows all the leaders, has all the lessons, and ya so he will be baptized this Friday. My comp, Hermana Liza, finishes her mission this week so it will be cool that she will be able to be in Bruno’s baptism:) The church is truer than ever. I have a testimony that our father in heaven is so loving. I know that from trials come BLESSINGS. So if you’re struggling, keep pushing forward with your faith in Christ, because the blessings are right around the corner. Pray, fast, study the scriptures, and the Lord can help. He knows us perfectly and has already passed through everything we are going through. I love my Savior. He lives. and I know he loves me! Have a great week, xo

Hermana Wood

3 nephi 5:13