Shinguards to Sandals: We are Now the Lord's Missionaries

The Happy Map Picture

My dearest family and friends!

Another week has past and I don't know where the time has gone! It really is so true that time flies by here. But in the most weird and longest way possible haha. I liked how someone put it that each day is like a week and each week is like a day. There is so much that happens each week that I literally had to write down what I wanted to say in this letter.

So to start off, I have to give a little tribute to my companion and another girl in my district. Of course the poly ones. My companion (Sister Ulu'Ave) who is Tongan, and Sister Barlow in my district who is Maori. I found out that they are like legit polynesian dancers. Like they can do what all the chicks at the PCC do in Hawaii. My companion supposedly is best at Tongan dancing and she actually danced for the Queen of Tonga when she went over there. How cool is that? And Sister Barlow is apart of the Living Legends at BYU and they tour all over the place telling the story of the Book of Mormon through dances. I was amazed. Not only can they dance, BUT THEY ARE HILARIOUS. We laugh. All. The. Time. And I can't help it. I am so blessed to be able to be with them here at the MTC. It is so great. Us 3 have also all had some tender mercies while being here, and I just love that I have been put with people I can relate to, and it seems like we have been friends forever.

So how did you all like the Worldwide Broadcast last Sunday? I am so lucky that I got to be here for it! I loved it. It is cool that technology will be used more in missionary work even though I am pretty sure tha won't have an affect on us in the Philippines haha. After that though, it made me think that I should have been a better member missionary before I came out here. I challenge you all to make an effort to be better, because it is something I wish I would have done better while I had the chance. Now I am a full-time missionary, which is AWESOME. :)

We had a devotional on Tuesday and Janice Kapp Perry came and spoke/sang to us. It was so stinking cool. Mostly the singing part. Because she had all of us missionaries sing every song. The last song we sang literally send chills through my whole body. We sang the Army of Helaman and Sisters of Zion song. Imagine 1/2 of the Marriott Center full of missionaries singing this song. Not only that, but the girls sang the first part, and when it was the elders turn to come in, the STOOD AND SANG IT! Like I wanted to cry so hard it was so cool. To see how many amazing righteous young men were in that room was absolutely incredible. Everyone, THE RIGHTEOUS GUYS ARE THE BEST. So when we started both singing at the same time at the end, everone stood and yes that is when I started crying. They changed the words for us and the last phrase we all sang was "WE ARE NOW THE LORD'S MISSIONARIES TO BRING THE WORLD HIS TRUTH." How cool and powerful is that? I still can't get over it.

The lessons/language are coming along! I would never ever be able to do it without the Lord's help. We taught our fifth lesson, and now we teach again on Monday. Our teacher Brother Ward had us go through each lesson and find out what the base of it is. I never realized it, but all of them come down to GOD'S LOVE FOR US. Everything we teach and say is because GOD LOVES US. I thought that was so cool. And that is what most investigators need! Funny story, we were teaching Ellen the other day and at the end we were trying to set up a time to come back. I was trying to say for us to come at 8. Well walo is 8 in tagalog and wala is nothing/none in taglaog. She kept asking when and I kept saying wala because that is what I thought it was and I kept repeating it, and she was looking at us like what in the crap? Finally she just said bye, and we walked out. HAHA I WAS SO EMBARRASSED AFTER I REALIZED WHAT I WAS SAYING! I never knew one letter can be so crucial hahaha! So yeah, it is an adventure, but I love it. My goal for this last week was to focus on studying the doctrine and allowing the language to come, and I have seen a change. I am so blessed! I liked the quote that our teacher gave us "Language is the medium, not the focus." It is totally true and I need to keep reminding myself that.

I want you all to know that I love this church and I don't know what or where I would be without it.

Alam ka po na

tutoo and po ang aklat ni mormon

muhal ko ang aking ama sa langit

si jesu cristo ang ating mununubos

mahal ko si jesucristo

ipananumbalik ng Diyos ang kanyang ebanghelyo sa pamamagitan ni Joseph Smith

sa pangulan ni jesucristo, amen.

I love you all. Thank you so much for all the support and prayers. I can truly feel it!

Until we meet again (next week).

Mahal Kita,

Sister Wood

Day 1 - Complete

Cool Pic

We just taught our first lesson in Tagalog

District Leader - This one is for Clara

The District

Temple Day

My Awesome Kasama (companion) and I

As Courtnee and her companion were sitting here a random Elder (as she says) walked by and said to her, "Did you just leave your Sadie Hawkins dance?" another Elder then walked by and asked her if today was 50's day at the MTC. Judging from her expression, she wasn't amused.