Dear Family,
This week has been an interesting period of time. I only have a few stories from this week that are worth telling, but they're pretty good, so I hope you'll enjoy them. At the beginning of my transfer here in Edinburg, my companion was continuously looking for an investigator that they had been teaching, but all of our efforts were to no avail. I had never met her, and we had been swinging by her house every day for about a week and a half, so I was beginning to lose hope.
However, after probably stopping by her house about 20 times, we finally found her home for just a few minutes. We were able to talk with her and sort out what had been going on and if she still wanted to be baptized. She said yes, and should now be getting baptized this Sunday. She is halfway through Alma in her personal reading in the Book of Mormon and has read every pamphlet a missionary can give. She is doing well and this next week we will spend teaching her daughter who has been coming with her to church, but is currently unsure about being baptized. Hopefully we will help her to be ready by this Sunday as well, so that she and her mother can both be baptized on the same date. This was a lesson in faith for me because after stopping by so many times I really didn't see the point anymore. But my companion knew her and never lost hope. And look what happened!
The other story I have from this week involves a lesson we had with a recent convert's brother, David. David is a pronounced atheist who doesn't believe in God because he has never really felt the Spirit and can't understand what the beginning of any of this was or where things came from. I explained to him that for me, that is exactly what faith is. As a 20 year old man, I don't know a lot of things, but something that I have learned is that as humankind, we know the beginning of nothing. Everything can be broken down to a smaller and smaller point, until something just has to have "been". For me, faith is not knowing where something begins, but believing in it anyway. As Latter-Day Saints, we know of the principle of exaltation, which helps to put our progression and the origin of God into one eternal round. I don't know where God's God is, or where the first began, that is where my faith comes in. I do not know the beginning of all things, but I know that God exists and that the words of His holy prophets are true, and so I have faith that it is a true principle. (This sounds way more jumbled than when I was speaking to him, probably because when I was speaking with him it was more guided by the Spirit.) Anyway, the really miraculous part of this is when I was speaking with him in English, his mother, who only speaks Spanish, just started crying out of no where as I was testifying to David of God's existence. After the lesson she came to me and said, "I don't know what you said to my sons, but I have a feeling that you did a lot to help them and I'm very grateful." Very few times have I felt myself being carried in my speech by the Spirit, but during this time I know that I was. I have a firm testimony that the Lord does guide this work, and not just by directing you where to go and what to do, but he literally puts His words into your mouth so that you can bring His children unto Him.
I'm low on time, but I just hope everybody knows how grateful i am for your support and prayers as a missionary. I hope everyone continues to do well in the family and that everything goes well with those in our family who are carrying children. I love you all and hope you have a great week!
Love,
Elder wood
February 7, 2011
January 17, 2001 Email from Edinburg, TX
Dear Family,
This week has been a pretty interesting week out here in Edinburg. This is the first area for me after leaving the area where I was "born" in the mission. It's a different experience to leave an area that you've been in for so long and to have to start off with new streets, new members and new investigators.
The biggest struggle for this area, I believe, is that we are so far out of the way. Our area is at the very northern tip of Edinburg and most of the little pueblitos are so far apart that it's a considerable mile/gas drain on the car to just go try and visit someone off the cuff. The distance of our area from most of the members in the ward is making having members present at lessons a little hard for us. And it didn't help that my companion has only been here six weeks and I had just arrived. I spent Sunday getting to know a lot of the members better so that I could call them and not just be some no-name missionary asking them to drive 25 miles to help us. Hopefully we'll see some fruit from those labors during this week as we call members to see if they can come out with us.
My new companion is Elder Arens, who comes from Arizona. He's been out in th emission just under a year and is a good hard-working elder. The area that we work in is probably about 80% Spanish, which is nice because I'm getting a lot of practice with the language. A few days ago I had a day where I didn't speak any English during the day to my companion or anyone that could speak Spanish. It may not seem that fantastic of a story for some of the missionaries in foreign countries, *cough* Peru *cough*, but it took quite a bit of effort when you have another gringo missionary and most people will get what you're saying if you speak in English. Elder Arens has good Spanish, but I've found myself translating for him a few times during the lessons. Hopefully, soon we'll be able to have some good studies together and get him rolling his erres.
Not too much this week has happened in the way of investigators, just a couple of good lessons and a couple sessions of damage control with some baptismal dates and impatient parents that want them to decide if they're going to go through with it or not, already. Anyway, the work is going well here and I'm excited to start doing my part to help the work of the Lord in the northern part of Edinburg, Texas.
By the way, my new address is:
Elder Roland David Spencer Wood
1313 Denver Street
Edinburg, Texas 78541
I was very happy to receive a lot of email fromthe family this week. It was great to hear from all of you and I hope that even though I didn't have the time to respond, I'll be graced with more updates on how the family is doing!
Love and best wishes,
Elder Wood
This week has been a pretty interesting week out here in Edinburg. This is the first area for me after leaving the area where I was "born" in the mission. It's a different experience to leave an area that you've been in for so long and to have to start off with new streets, new members and new investigators.
The biggest struggle for this area, I believe, is that we are so far out of the way. Our area is at the very northern tip of Edinburg and most of the little pueblitos are so far apart that it's a considerable mile/gas drain on the car to just go try and visit someone off the cuff. The distance of our area from most of the members in the ward is making having members present at lessons a little hard for us. And it didn't help that my companion has only been here six weeks and I had just arrived. I spent Sunday getting to know a lot of the members better so that I could call them and not just be some no-name missionary asking them to drive 25 miles to help us. Hopefully we'll see some fruit from those labors during this week as we call members to see if they can come out with us.
My new companion is Elder Arens, who comes from Arizona. He's been out in th emission just under a year and is a good hard-working elder. The area that we work in is probably about 80% Spanish, which is nice because I'm getting a lot of practice with the language. A few days ago I had a day where I didn't speak any English during the day to my companion or anyone that could speak Spanish. It may not seem that fantastic of a story for some of the missionaries in foreign countries, *cough* Peru *cough*, but it took quite a bit of effort when you have another gringo missionary and most people will get what you're saying if you speak in English. Elder Arens has good Spanish, but I've found myself translating for him a few times during the lessons. Hopefully, soon we'll be able to have some good studies together and get him rolling his erres.
Not too much this week has happened in the way of investigators, just a couple of good lessons and a couple sessions of damage control with some baptismal dates and impatient parents that want them to decide if they're going to go through with it or not, already. Anyway, the work is going well here and I'm excited to start doing my part to help the work of the Lord in the northern part of Edinburg, Texas.
By the way, my new address is:
Elder Roland David Spencer Wood
1313 Denver Street
Edinburg, Texas 78541
I was very happy to receive a lot of email fromthe family this week. It was great to hear from all of you and I hope that even though I didn't have the time to respond, I'll be graced with more updates on how the family is doing!
Love and best wishes,
Elder Wood
January 17, 2011
January 17, 2011, Email from Edinburg, TX
Dear Family,
This week has been a pretty interesting week out here in Edinburg. This is the first area for me after leaving the area where I was "born" in the mission. It's a different experience to leave an area that you've been in for so long and to have to start off with new streets, new members and new investigators.
The biggest struggle for this area I believe is that we are so far out of the way. Our area is at the very northern tip of Edinburg and most of the little pueblitos are so far apart that it's a considerable mile/gas drain on the car to just go try and visit someone off the cuff. The distance of our area from most of the members in the ward is making having members present at lessons a little hard for us. And it didn't help that my companion has only been here six weeks and I just arrived. I spent Sunday getting to know a lot of the members better so that I could call them and not just be a no-name missionary asking them to drive 25 miles. Hopefully, we'll see some fruit from all these labors this week as we call members to see if they can come out with us.
My new companion is Elder Arens, who comes from Arizona. he's been out in the mission just under a year and is a good hard-working elder. The area that we work in is probably about 80% Spanish, which is nice because I'm getting a lot of practice with the language. A few days ago I had a day where I didn't speak any English during the day to my companion or anyone that could speak Spanish. It may not seem that fantastic of a story for some of the missionaries in foreign countries like *cough, Peru, cough*, but it took quite a bit of effort when you have another gringo missionary and most people will get what you're saying if you speak in English. Elder Arens has good Spanish, but I've found myself translating for him a few times during the lessons, so hopefully soon we'll be able to have some good studies together and get him rolling his erres.
Not too much this week has happened in the way of investigators, just a couple of good lessons and a couple sessions of damage control with some baptismal dates and their impatient parents that want them to decide if they're going to go through with it or not already. Anyway, the work is going well here and I'm excited to start doing my part to help the work of the Lord in the northern part of Edinburg, Texas.
By the way, my new address is: Elder Roland David Spencer Wood, 1313 Denver St., Edinburg, Texas, 78541
I was very happy to receive a lot of emails from the family this week. It was great to hear from all of you and I hope that even though I didn't have the time to respond, I'll be graced with more updates on how the family is doing!
Love and best wishes,
Elder Wood
This week has been a pretty interesting week out here in Edinburg. This is the first area for me after leaving the area where I was "born" in the mission. It's a different experience to leave an area that you've been in for so long and to have to start off with new streets, new members and new investigators.
The biggest struggle for this area I believe is that we are so far out of the way. Our area is at the very northern tip of Edinburg and most of the little pueblitos are so far apart that it's a considerable mile/gas drain on the car to just go try and visit someone off the cuff. The distance of our area from most of the members in the ward is making having members present at lessons a little hard for us. And it didn't help that my companion has only been here six weeks and I just arrived. I spent Sunday getting to know a lot of the members better so that I could call them and not just be a no-name missionary asking them to drive 25 miles. Hopefully, we'll see some fruit from all these labors this week as we call members to see if they can come out with us.
My new companion is Elder Arens, who comes from Arizona. he's been out in the mission just under a year and is a good hard-working elder. The area that we work in is probably about 80% Spanish, which is nice because I'm getting a lot of practice with the language. A few days ago I had a day where I didn't speak any English during the day to my companion or anyone that could speak Spanish. It may not seem that fantastic of a story for some of the missionaries in foreign countries like *cough, Peru, cough*, but it took quite a bit of effort when you have another gringo missionary and most people will get what you're saying if you speak in English. Elder Arens has good Spanish, but I've found myself translating for him a few times during the lessons, so hopefully soon we'll be able to have some good studies together and get him rolling his erres.
Not too much this week has happened in the way of investigators, just a couple of good lessons and a couple sessions of damage control with some baptismal dates and their impatient parents that want them to decide if they're going to go through with it or not already. Anyway, the work is going well here and I'm excited to start doing my part to help the work of the Lord in the northern part of Edinburg, Texas.
By the way, my new address is: Elder Roland David Spencer Wood, 1313 Denver St., Edinburg, Texas, 78541
I was very happy to receive a lot of emails from the family this week. It was great to hear from all of you and I hope that even though I didn't have the time to respond, I'll be graced with more updates on how the family is doing!
Love and best wishes,
Elder Wood
January 10, 2011, post from Donna, TX
Dear Family,
Not too much has happened this past week in the way of news, except for a couple of interesting stories and a change. Elder Raynor, my companion, spent this past week in training with all the leaders of the mission in McAllen. President Trayner gave a series of training meetings over a few days that totaled quite a few hours of instruction. While my companion was in the meetings, I spent most of the days off on exchanges with other missionaries. I spent a day over in Pharr, another town near McAllen, and enjoyed the area quite a bit. That day we managed to find quite a few people who were excited to argue with us, but we managed to stay away from most of that and use our time more effectively.
When Elder Raynor returned from the meetings we had a chance to talk for a bit about what he learned and how we were going to apply it in our area. Mostly it boiled down to encouraging us to speak boldly and use the power and authority of our calling, asking the hard questions to figure out who is prepared, and setting expectations with investigators from the beginning. So, that night we went out to work with those principles in mind. We had an appointment with a woman we met the day before, and we went by to talk to her. Her name is Jessica. She told us that she had talked to the missionaries about 11 years ago, but it had never gone past the point of the missionaries just being her friends. We started talking to her about the Gospel a little bit and Elder Raynor explained to her the relationship she has with God. Like a good missionary, I was looking at my companion while he was talking when I heard him ask, "Why are you crying?" I turned and looked at Jessica and she was bawling. She could only reply, "I don't know . . . ." Elder Raynor hadn't said anything out of the ordinary or really dramatic, but as he taught the Spirit came and had a big influence on her. Basically it came down to the fact that she wasn't really sure if God existed or not. We invited her to kneel in prayer with us and ask God if he was there. After the prayer we continued to testify to her as boldy as we could that as she embraced the Savior and His Gosepl, she would receive a stronger and stronger witness that God does exist and that he loves her. It was a great experience and was probably one of the most spiritual moments I've had on my mission.
Unfortunately, the story of Jessica will have to end there, because I received a call letting me know I would be transferred this Tuesday, the 11th, to a new area. I will be moving to the Edinburg North area to be Elder Arens companion. I've met him once before at zone conference, and he seems all right, but I still don't know too much about him. I'll be moving to a house in Edinburg that currently houses six missionaries, so I'm sure I'll have some fun stories to tell in the coming weeks. Many missionaries besides me are getting moved around this transfer and quite a few changes are happening in the mission. Another zone is being made in Edinburg, and quite a few areas are being whitewashed, or both the missionaries that are currently there are being taken out and new missionaries are being put in.
So, my time in Donna is coming to an end after four and a half months. I've enjoyed my time here a lot, and I've certainly learned a great deal as a missionary. The only convert I've had in this area is Hector, so as far as baptisms go I wasn't terribly successful in terms of baptisms. However, I'm satisfied with the work that I put in and I'm confident that I have done some work to sow some seeds in this area. Hopefully, I helped a couple of inactive members start the process of coming back into the church.
I hope everything is going well for everyone at home. Hopefully, everyone has had the chance to start the new year off right. I'll continue to pray for Mel and I'm confident that the Lord is doing His part to support her and the family. Don't forget to hold fast to your resolutions (one of which I hope was to write Elder Wood more :P).
Love,
Elder Wood
P.S. We watched Toy Story 3 on New Years, and even though I saw it before the mission, it was tons of fun to watch it with 40 - 50 missionaries. Also, that move is even better when you can understand what "El Buzzo" (Spanish-mode Buzz) is saying.
Not too much has happened this past week in the way of news, except for a couple of interesting stories and a change. Elder Raynor, my companion, spent this past week in training with all the leaders of the mission in McAllen. President Trayner gave a series of training meetings over a few days that totaled quite a few hours of instruction. While my companion was in the meetings, I spent most of the days off on exchanges with other missionaries. I spent a day over in Pharr, another town near McAllen, and enjoyed the area quite a bit. That day we managed to find quite a few people who were excited to argue with us, but we managed to stay away from most of that and use our time more effectively.
When Elder Raynor returned from the meetings we had a chance to talk for a bit about what he learned and how we were going to apply it in our area. Mostly it boiled down to encouraging us to speak boldly and use the power and authority of our calling, asking the hard questions to figure out who is prepared, and setting expectations with investigators from the beginning. So, that night we went out to work with those principles in mind. We had an appointment with a woman we met the day before, and we went by to talk to her. Her name is Jessica. She told us that she had talked to the missionaries about 11 years ago, but it had never gone past the point of the missionaries just being her friends. We started talking to her about the Gospel a little bit and Elder Raynor explained to her the relationship she has with God. Like a good missionary, I was looking at my companion while he was talking when I heard him ask, "Why are you crying?" I turned and looked at Jessica and she was bawling. She could only reply, "I don't know . . . ." Elder Raynor hadn't said anything out of the ordinary or really dramatic, but as he taught the Spirit came and had a big influence on her. Basically it came down to the fact that she wasn't really sure if God existed or not. We invited her to kneel in prayer with us and ask God if he was there. After the prayer we continued to testify to her as boldy as we could that as she embraced the Savior and His Gosepl, she would receive a stronger and stronger witness that God does exist and that he loves her. It was a great experience and was probably one of the most spiritual moments I've had on my mission.
Unfortunately, the story of Jessica will have to end there, because I received a call letting me know I would be transferred this Tuesday, the 11th, to a new area. I will be moving to the Edinburg North area to be Elder Arens companion. I've met him once before at zone conference, and he seems all right, but I still don't know too much about him. I'll be moving to a house in Edinburg that currently houses six missionaries, so I'm sure I'll have some fun stories to tell in the coming weeks. Many missionaries besides me are getting moved around this transfer and quite a few changes are happening in the mission. Another zone is being made in Edinburg, and quite a few areas are being whitewashed, or both the missionaries that are currently there are being taken out and new missionaries are being put in.
So, my time in Donna is coming to an end after four and a half months. I've enjoyed my time here a lot, and I've certainly learned a great deal as a missionary. The only convert I've had in this area is Hector, so as far as baptisms go I wasn't terribly successful in terms of baptisms. However, I'm satisfied with the work that I put in and I'm confident that I have done some work to sow some seeds in this area. Hopefully, I helped a couple of inactive members start the process of coming back into the church.
I hope everything is going well for everyone at home. Hopefully, everyone has had the chance to start the new year off right. I'll continue to pray for Mel and I'm confident that the Lord is doing His part to support her and the family. Don't forget to hold fast to your resolutions (one of which I hope was to write Elder Wood more :P).
Love,
Elder Wood
P.S. We watched Toy Story 3 on New Years, and even though I saw it before the mission, it was tons of fun to watch it with 40 - 50 missionaries. Also, that move is even better when you can understand what "El Buzzo" (Spanish-mode Buzz) is saying.
January 3, 2011, Post from Donna, TX
Dear Family,
This has been a tough week back here in Donna, but nonetheless we are continuing to work hard. Many of our investigators have fallen off this past week, and we've struggled to continue finding new ones. Some of our investigators that were progressing towards baptism have had issues or challenges come up with family relationships that are preventing them from coming into the Gospel. Or they have hit a commandment that they aren't willing to obey. It's sad to see people fall off of the path when they were started on their way, but I'm confident that some seeds have been sown, and maybe the Lord will send missionairies to them again when their circumstances are a little more ideal.
The week has been hard with investigators, but not all of this week was a disappointment. These past few weeks we've been putting a lot of effort into re-activating less actives and doing what we can to get them back to living in accordance with the covenants that they've made. Not all of the less active or inactive members we've worked with have been willing to come back, but we did find a few who are now making their way back into the church.
I will continue to pray for Mel and the baby. I'm sure that the matter is well within the Lord's hands, and that all things will turn out for their good. I'm confident that when real trust and faith are put in the Lord, He can work miracles, and I have no doubt of the presence of miracles within our family.
Congratulations to Avalee on her birthday and her baptism. She is setting a great example for the rest of the grandkids, who I'm sure will have quite the foot steps to tread in.
Thanks so much for sending me the set of the ward newsletters from home. That was pretty cool. It's awesome to see just how much fellowship and co-ordination there is and the growth that is going on back home. I also really like it because ward unity is something we've been trying to work on here in Texas. The activities reports and announcements give me some great ideas on what we can do to help the ward and recent converts mesh together.
Everything went over great this past holiday season. I really appreciated all the warm wishes and Christmas presents sent by everybody. Needless to say, most of the candy has been consumed, and I've probably gained 5 or 6 pounds, but running will soon get rid of that, I'm sure. I hope everyone figured out what they wanted to improve on and focus on during this New Year and were able to set some meaningful goals. I hope every has a great week and continues to have a fantastic start to the New Year!
Love,
Elder Wood
This has been a tough week back here in Donna, but nonetheless we are continuing to work hard. Many of our investigators have fallen off this past week, and we've struggled to continue finding new ones. Some of our investigators that were progressing towards baptism have had issues or challenges come up with family relationships that are preventing them from coming into the Gospel. Or they have hit a commandment that they aren't willing to obey. It's sad to see people fall off of the path when they were started on their way, but I'm confident that some seeds have been sown, and maybe the Lord will send missionairies to them again when their circumstances are a little more ideal.
The week has been hard with investigators, but not all of this week was a disappointment. These past few weeks we've been putting a lot of effort into re-activating less actives and doing what we can to get them back to living in accordance with the covenants that they've made. Not all of the less active or inactive members we've worked with have been willing to come back, but we did find a few who are now making their way back into the church.
I will continue to pray for Mel and the baby. I'm sure that the matter is well within the Lord's hands, and that all things will turn out for their good. I'm confident that when real trust and faith are put in the Lord, He can work miracles, and I have no doubt of the presence of miracles within our family.
Congratulations to Avalee on her birthday and her baptism. She is setting a great example for the rest of the grandkids, who I'm sure will have quite the foot steps to tread in.
Thanks so much for sending me the set of the ward newsletters from home. That was pretty cool. It's awesome to see just how much fellowship and co-ordination there is and the growth that is going on back home. I also really like it because ward unity is something we've been trying to work on here in Texas. The activities reports and announcements give me some great ideas on what we can do to help the ward and recent converts mesh together.
Everything went over great this past holiday season. I really appreciated all the warm wishes and Christmas presents sent by everybody. Needless to say, most of the candy has been consumed, and I've probably gained 5 or 6 pounds, but running will soon get rid of that, I'm sure. I hope everyone figured out what they wanted to improve on and focus on during this New Year and were able to set some meaningful goals. I hope every has a great week and continues to have a fantastic start to the New Year!
Love,
Elder Wood
January 11, 2011
Monday, Dec. 27, 2010, email from Donna, TX
Dear Family,
Not too much happened this past week on account of the fact that a few of our work days were scrapped due to holidays. We still did what we could to try and talk about the gospel with anyone we could, but you can only find so many shut-ins that will let you have a lesson with them on Christmas Day.
This past week was also rough because we had to turn a few of our investigators over to the Lord, to give them some time to open their hearts or be in more opportune circumstances. Most of that happened on Tuesday or Wednesday, so I was a little bit discouraged about that, but then a good Christmas day made up for it and helped to lift my spirits.
I don't have too much time to write today, so I just want to say that I was very glad to be able to talk to you all on Saturday. I hope that everyone has a great week. Congratulations to Avalee with her upcoming baptism. I'm super proud of her and it's awesome to see the first grandchild (or for me niece/nephew) setting the example for the rest and making her first promise with our Heavenly Father. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love,
Elder Wood
Not too much happened this past week on account of the fact that a few of our work days were scrapped due to holidays. We still did what we could to try and talk about the gospel with anyone we could, but you can only find so many shut-ins that will let you have a lesson with them on Christmas Day.
This past week was also rough because we had to turn a few of our investigators over to the Lord, to give them some time to open their hearts or be in more opportune circumstances. Most of that happened on Tuesday or Wednesday, so I was a little bit discouraged about that, but then a good Christmas day made up for it and helped to lift my spirits.
I don't have too much time to write today, so I just want to say that I was very glad to be able to talk to you all on Saturday. I hope that everyone has a great week. Congratulations to Avalee with her upcoming baptism. I'm super proud of her and it's awesome to see the first grandchild (or for me niece/nephew) setting the example for the rest and making her first promise with our Heavenly Father. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love,
Elder Wood
Monday, Dec. 20, 2010, email from Donna, TX
Dear Family,
I hope everyone is having a great Christmas season as the kids get out of school and the holiday is right around the corner. With only a few days left before the big show, I hope everyone has all of their gifts together. More importantly, I hope everyone has had a bit of time to contemplate exactly what we're remembering this season.
There are few times better than this season to remember our Savior and exactly all that His life entails. Now we remember the birth of the only person who can open the gates of heaven for any one of us. As a missionary it has been hard to really convey to people the significance of the life of Christ. If we could only understand what he went through for each one of us, then perhaps we could understand just a part of the magnificence of his atoning sacrifice for the whole world.
This Christmas season is going well for us so far and we have had some success in teaching people about Christ and the Restoration of His church. We are trying to teach all of the people we meet what our purpose is as missionaries so they can understand exactly what we do and why we are doing it. As missionaries we are called to, "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, and teaching repentance, baptism and receiving the gift of the Holly Ghost." So far it has been a good experience for me to help people understand why I'm serving as a missionary. We have found a couple of good people from it.
I'm grateful for everyone who thought to write to me and support me on my mission. It can't be easily expressed how much gratitude I feel for those who have set an example for me and have given me a hope and vision for what new members of the Church can become. I hope everyone takes a renewed effort during this season to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone that they can and to support the missionaries wherever you are.
I hope everyone is able to have an enjoyable Christmas season and spend time with those they love the most. Take some time to remember the Savior on Christmas Day and make some traditions that will help you and your children remember their Christmas experiences with the Savior. Merry Christmas to all!
Love,
Elder Wood
I hope everyone is having a great Christmas season as the kids get out of school and the holiday is right around the corner. With only a few days left before the big show, I hope everyone has all of their gifts together. More importantly, I hope everyone has had a bit of time to contemplate exactly what we're remembering this season.
There are few times better than this season to remember our Savior and exactly all that His life entails. Now we remember the birth of the only person who can open the gates of heaven for any one of us. As a missionary it has been hard to really convey to people the significance of the life of Christ. If we could only understand what he went through for each one of us, then perhaps we could understand just a part of the magnificence of his atoning sacrifice for the whole world.
This Christmas season is going well for us so far and we have had some success in teaching people about Christ and the Restoration of His church. We are trying to teach all of the people we meet what our purpose is as missionaries so they can understand exactly what we do and why we are doing it. As missionaries we are called to, "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, and teaching repentance, baptism and receiving the gift of the Holly Ghost." So far it has been a good experience for me to help people understand why I'm serving as a missionary. We have found a couple of good people from it.
I'm grateful for everyone who thought to write to me and support me on my mission. It can't be easily expressed how much gratitude I feel for those who have set an example for me and have given me a hope and vision for what new members of the Church can become. I hope everyone takes a renewed effort during this season to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone that they can and to support the missionaries wherever you are.
I hope everyone is able to have an enjoyable Christmas season and spend time with those they love the most. Take some time to remember the Savior on Christmas Day and make some traditions that will help you and your children remember their Christmas experiences with the Savior. Merry Christmas to all!
Love,
Elder Wood
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