I
hope that everyone had a great Christmas! I sure did! Christmas day
we woke up and opened presents. Sister Petersona and I got pretty
spoiled. We then got ready and headed out to the Senior Couple's house
in Perdido. We had breakfast with them and the Pensacola, and Perdido
Elders. That was a lot of fun. Sister Peterson was able to Skype her
family while we were there. We went straight to our next appointment
once she was finished talking to her family.
Before having
lunch with the Nicholson's, brother Clanton, Sister Lee and her son
travis, I was able to facetime with my awesome family! It was great to
see all of them and hear how things were going for them. Lunch was very
interesting! We had Arroz con Pollo ( Chicken and Rice). They had a
recipie from panama city panama. It was really yummy! Just not your
traditional Christmas meal. Lunch was pretty awkward though... Travis
was hitting on Sister Peterson the ENTIRE time haha I felt pretty bad,
but i have to admit, it was quite commical :)
We then went
back to our apartment to have studies. Later, Marina picked us up and
took us to the house she was house sitting. This house was BEAUTIFUL! I
didnt get any pictures because it was dark out already. But it was an
old victorian mansion basically haha it was awesome!
We made
a very traditional southern Christmas meal. It was really yummy! Ham,
turkey, sweet potatos, squash casserole, stuffing, rolls. It was
delicious. Once we had eaten dinner, we boxed up all the food and took
it to the Hospital in Gulf Breeze where Marina's Daughter and son in law
work. It was a lot of fun.
The rest of the
week was good. Stressful at times, but good. Stress motivates us to do
and be better. We got a new investigator this week! She is awesome.
Her name is Jamila. She was actually a referral who wanted a bible.
She was so shocked that real people delivered the bible and that it
wasnt just sent to her. So we got a return appointment with her tomorrow! Pretty Legit. :)
Well
I hope you all have a wonderful week! Have a very happy new year! I
cannot believe that 2015 is already almost over! Too crazy!
Love,
Sister Wood
Sister Peterson, Me, Marina, Alex, Rain, and Lindsay
Sister Wood & Hootie
Sister Wood, Sister Peterson, Travis, Sister Lee, Brother Clanton, Sister Nicholson, and Brother Nicholson
Brother Nicholson spiced up the picture for us... :)
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Tuesday, December 29, 2015
7 Months a Missionary!
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
The Reason for the Season
The Reason for the Season
Well this week has been pretty great. We have been busy going to appointments, dinners, and parties! We sure have been blessed this week!
We had a lot of unplanned meals provided for us. That was such a blessing! We also had our half mission conference this Wednesday. That was AWESOME!
We
had a bunch of musical numbers performed by missionaries in our half of
the mission. Sister Peterson was one of them. She sang " A Poor
Wayfaring Man of Grief" beautifully with an Elder in our District.
There was one song though, that just touched me the most. Elder Lee-lo
changed the lyrics to the popular pop song "Hallelujah" He made so it
was focusing on the birth of Christ and his life and mission on earth.
It was BEAUTIFUL! I wish I could have gotten a copy of the lyrics. But
the spirit just overwhelmed me as he sang.
At the half mission conference, President Smith shared some great ideas of gifts that we could give.
YOUR TIME
YOUR RESPECT
YOUR TRUST
YOUR FRIENDSHIP
YOUR PATIENCE
YOUR COMMITMENT
A SMILE
A KIND WORD
A COMPLIMENT These ideas made me think of my family tradition that I love so much.
YOUR TIME
YOUR RESPECT
YOUR TRUST
YOUR FRIENDSHIP
YOUR PATIENCE
YOUR COMMITMENT
A SMILE
A KIND WORD
A COMPLIMENT These ideas made me think of my family tradition that I love so much.
Every
year my family passes around a beautifully wrapped box. We write down
on a piece of paper what gift we will be giving the Savior
that year. As President Smith listed those gifts we could give, I
began to think of the gift that I could give this year. The gift that I
will be giving the savior this year is to turn outward and serve
others. When life gets hard, we mere humans tend to turn inward, and
ask "why me?" But the Savior turns outward when faced with trials and
temptation. When we turn outward and help others, we find out who we
are to become and how.
The greatest gift we all have
received, is the Savior Jesus Christ. It is only through him we can
receive a fullness of joy and peace in our lives.
I
wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Take time to think of the
ultimate gift we have been given, he, who is the reason for the season.
Sister Wood
Inbox
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Monday, December 14, 2015
This
week was pretty crazy! We have been experiencing some difficulty due
to my companion being under the weather. But we had a great time
attending Zone Training. They taught us how we can more effectively do
missionary work this time of year. So that was very helpful. We also
were introduced to "Zwickify" Elder Zwik of the Seventy toured the
mission about a year ago and taught how we can simplify and intensify
our teaching as missionaries.
Sister
Peterson and I have put "Zwickify-ing" to the test.... and IT WORKS!!
It is awesome! I have found that as I study with the intent of teaching
a very simple and powerful lesson, I learn so much more. I am then
able to teach it simply to others without word vommiting all over the
place like I do so often haha
We
used this approach when we taught our awesome investigators, Jonathan
and Blessing, the Plan of Salvation. We even had a fancy visual. They
LOVED it!!! The Spirit was so strong as we testified of this perfect
plan our Father in Heaven made for us. The plan of salvation just made
so much sense to them, and answered a lot of questions that they both
had. Jonathan is determined to do baptisms for those diceased members
in his family that did not have the opportunity to know and follow Jesus
Christ. Jonathan has promised us that once he is well, he will be
baptized. So we are doing all we can to strengthen his faith as we
teach him and his wife the simple truths of the Gospel. I believe that
Heavenly Father is making him ill to humble him. He is a very
knowledgeable man. He went to college to become a revernd, so he knows
the bible like nobody's business. I believe he is being humbled so that
he will be able to really listen to what we have to share with him. If
he was well, I don't think we would get a word in. But because he is
relying solely on his spirit and how he feels about what we teach, he is
able to understand it and accept it.
I
am so grateful for this Gospel. I am also grateful that I get to be a
part of this miraculous plan that our Father in Heaven has layed out for
us. All he wants is for us to be happy and to return to him. I know
that we are the happiest when we are striving to be like our savior
Jesus Christ. As we follow his example of caring for others and his
unwavering obedience, we are the happiest we could ever be.
I
know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses families. Not only am I
seeing how it blesses the families of those we teach, but I am seeing
how it has blessed my own family and how it will bless the family I have
to come. I am so grateful to have been raised by parents who taught how
important the gospel is. I am grateful that they taught us to pray,
study the scriptures, and keep the sabbath day holy. I am most grateful
to my Heavenly Father for allowing me to be a part of such a wonderful
family full of people who have the greatest desire to follow or Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
Have a great week! Remember what matters most! :)
Love,
Sister Melissa Jean Wood
Florida Tallahassee Mission
Sisters in the Pensacola Zone
They are awesome!
Sister Harris Snapped a picture of me at District Meeting haha Oh joy :)
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Monday, December 7, 2015
Tender Mercies
Hello all! This week has been a busy one for sure. That is a missionary's dream though, so I can't complain :) The Lord has blessed us with so many tender mercies! It has been truly incredible. We taught a combination of 18 lessons this week. It was pretty exciting! I got to go Ukelele caroling twice this week with people in the ward. That was so much fun! The people we caroled to were so touched.
The
most incredible part of this week was yesterday. The Sabbath day has
such a special place in my heart. Yesterday I had the opportunity to
fast. My testimony of the power of the fast has truely been
strengthened!
The highlight of the entire week, is our
lesson with our investigator Jonathan. We arrived at the appointment,
and began to visit with jonathan and following up on the commitment we
left with him last week. He has been really struggling with some
serious health issues. Sister Peterson and I both felt impressed to ask
him if he would like a blessing from the elders. He agreed. While
waiting for the Elders to arrive, we intorduced the Book of Mormon to
him. As we read the last paragraph of the inroduction, he stopped us.
He began to tell us that something had touched his spirit. He told us
that the parable of the Rich man came into his mind. For those who are
not super familiar with this parable, i will explain. A rich man comes
to christ and askes him what he can do to gain eternal life. Christ
then asks him if he is keeping all of the commandments. The rich man
explains that he has done everything that has been commanded of him.
Christ then tells him that he must sell all that he has and give to the
poor. The rich man was not willing to give up his temporal things to
follow christ.
Jonathan related this to himself. He
explained that he has a great knowlege of the bible and of the gospel of
christ. But the one thing he has never given a chance is "the
latter-day Saints" When jonathan was telling us this, tears began to
stream down my face. The spirit bore such a powerful witness that
Jonathan needs to join the church. He of course began to weep as well.
He has not yet commited to a date to be baptized yet due to his health
issues. but he has felt the spirit testify to him that this is
something he must do. That was one of the most powerful lessons i have
had on my mission!
I testify to you all that our Heavenly
Father lives. He knows each of us by name. He has a great plan for us
all. He wants us to be happy in this life, and in the life to come.
The lasting joy and peace we recieve is from the knowledge of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. It is only through Jesus Christ that we are able to
be forgiven of our sins and change to become saints to return to our
father in heaven. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament
of Jesus Christ. If you feel that your faith and knowledge of jesus
christ is lacking, read the Book of Mormon. It will change your life.
It has certainly changed mine. I love you all and hope yall have a
tremendous week!
Love
Sister Wood
Florida Tallahassee Mission
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Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Turkey Day!
Hello dearest family
and friends! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I certainly
did. We had two meal appointments on Thanksgiving! It was awesome.
Our
first meal, we had at the church with a few families in the ward. They
had fried turkey. Oh my goodnes... that turkey was sooooooo good. I
didn't think i would like it, but it is probably one of the best
turkey's i have ever eaten!
Our
second meal was at the Nichols. Brother Nichols is in the Bishopric in
the Pensacola ward. He and his wife have two little girls, Emily and
Whitney. It was crazy with kids running around and being loud. But i
absolutely loved it because that is how thanksgiving usually is for me
at home. So that was such a tender mercy for me to feel so at home on a
holiday spent away from the people that I love the most.
We
had an incredible lesson with one of our investigators yesterday. His
name is Jonathan. He is an international reverend from ghana. He got
dropped just before i came to pensacola because he went to uganda to go
preach. We had crossed paths with him a few times when he came home.
We felt like it was time to start teaching him again. Last week we were
able to teach him and his wife, Blessing, in their home. We taught
them the Doctrine of Family History. Which is a huge focus for the
FTM. They really enjoyed it and said they would write down their
questions so we could come back and answer them.
Well
yesterday, we were able to return to his home and answer the questions
that he had for us. Being a very god fearing man, he really wants his
disceased family members to have the opportunity to be baptized. When
he said that, the spirit was so strong. I could feel all of his
ancestors, that he spoke of, there. We testified to him that we have
been guided by his ancestors to come to his home and teach this
beautiful doctrine to him. It was an amazing experience.
I
mean really... what are the chances that this international reverend
lives in Pensacola Florida. The only mission in the world that is
focusing on the doctrine of Family history. Its too crazy! Heavenly
Father certainly has a plan for Jonathan. I feel so blessed and
privileged to be part of something so special. #blessingsfromabove
I hope you all have a great week! Love and miss you all!
Love,
Sister Melissa Jean Wood
Floida Tallahassee Mission
Only in the South....
Sister Morales fed us on Friday,and this is the home-made cheescake that she served us. She certainly spoils us sister missionaries!
The lovely fried turkey! YUM!!6 Months a Missionary!
This
has been a pretty awesome week! We had a lot of success with finding
some new investigators this week. We had some really good lessons that
could be a game changer for a few investigators. We are really excited
to see what the Lord has in store for them.
Tuesday
night and wednesday, I went on an exchange with Sister Willis in
Milton. That was really good. I love that missionary work always has
the same great spirit anywhere you go. It is amazing to feel how much
the Lord loves each and every one of us! I got to testify about the
temple in a lesson that we had with a less active. It was really
great. The spirit bore witness so strongly. There is no denying that.
There is no better feeling in the world than helping others recongnize
the spirit. I absolutely love it!
Sunday
was great as always! We had 1 investigator at church, as well as two
less actives. The entire Pensacola ward was expecting me to be
transferred this week, so they were all telling me that i needed to let
them know if i was leaving so we could say goodbye. haha That was an
adventure... To our surprise, Sister Peterson and I will be staying in
Pensacola for another transfer! So I get to spend more time with all
these amazing people that I love so dearly. Also, on sunday,Ermlisa got a
calling to be an achievment days leader in the ward. So that was super
exciting for her! She will do a great job!
Well since this week is Thanksgiving, it is only appropriate that I share what I am grateful for.
I
am so grateful that I made the choice to serve a mission. I have
learned so many things in such a short amount of time. Things that I
definitely would not have been able to learn anywhere else. I have
learned how to love people for who they are, Children of God. I have
been able to feel of the love that our Father in Heaven has for them,
and that is truly incredible. There is nothing more powerful than being
in a lesson and seeing the Spirit working within the person you are
teaching. It is something I will never forget.
I
am so grateful for my parents, and the many important things they
taught me as a child. I am so grateful to have been raised in a family
centered on the teachings fo the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To witness
people who have been searching all of their lives to find the truth has
made me really appreciate where i come from. By no means was i anywhere
near perfect. Another great lesson that my mission has taught me has
been humility and repentence. I often associated the word repentence
with negativity, like i had done something terribly wrong. However,
Repentence is one of the most beautiful things we have been given. We
are given the chance to change, and become better. We are given the
chance to see ourselves the way our Father in Heaven sees us, and build
upon that. I am most grateful for our beloved Savior Jesus Christ. I
think of the many things that he suffered for each of us individually
and collectively, making it possible for us to repent, and eventually
return to our Father in Heaven. I am so grateful for the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. It is so very simple. Faith, repentence, Baptism,
Recieving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the end. It is
absolutely perfect. By doing those five simple things, we are able to
recieve a "mighty change of heart" we can "become saints thorugh the
atonement of Christ." The knowledge of the gospel has blessed my life
and has brought such peace, and joy. I have seen it change my own life
as well as others that I have shared it with. I know that our savior
lives. It is only through Christ that we can return to our loving
father in heaven. They have a plan for each of us. They love us and
want us to be all that we can be and more. The more gratitude we show
to our father in heaven, the easier it will be for us to see his plan
for us each individually.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And remember what you are most grateful for :)
Sister Melissa Jean Wood
Florida Tallahassee Mission
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Monday, November 16, 2015
Heavenly Father's Love
Well,
this week has been quite interesting to say the least. It felt like an
eternity, but at the same time it feels like i was just writing a
weekly email yesterday. Time is strange on the mish. We had a Zone
Training this week. That was super good. Elder and Sister Harris gave
Sister Peterson and I a ride. Before the training, they took us out to
breakfast at the Waffle House. That was super good haha. I have not
had a good breakfast like that in a long time. Unfortunately, Sister
Peterson was feeling ill. During the training, she was fevering, and
vommited a few times. She recieved a priesthood blessing during a
break. That was a special experience. She was getting chills, and
still vommiting, so she just stayed in the foyer for the rest of the
training, because she was so ill. We went home from training, and she
just went to bed. I called the mission nurse to see what we should do.
All her symptoms led to the conclusion of food poisoning. So Sister
Wright called a doctor to call in a prescription for her. Later that
night we were able to get a prescription for her. We stayed in the
apartment all day wednesday and half of thursday. Friday was the first day that we were actually able to go out and see people.
Friday
was a great day. We had a few set appointments that we were excited to
go to. We visited a less active sister, Sister Knight. She is one of
my favorite lady's ever!! I told her that i was speaking in sacrament
meeting, and she automatically wanted to come to church. So that was
pretty awesome!
We then had an appointment with a former
investigator who we kept randomly seeing all of last week. We finally
met up with him. He is an international reverend from Ghana. I think
he thought our meeting was so that he could teach us, but all he was
teaching was doctrine of the gospel. So that was super cool. I felt
very impressed that this is his time to recieve the Gospel. He has a
wife and four boys. He is such a faithful man and has so much
potential.
We also got to see some other less active sisters on friday. Sister Schmitt, and Sister Robertson. I love them so much!! The are both incredible women!
Saturday
was a great day as well! We visited a less active family, the Lott's.
They are super cool. He is a recent convert of about two years, and
they have three kiddos, with a fourth on the way. Super cute young
family!! Young family's are hard to come by in the P-Cola haha. We had
two great lessons with our investigators, jen, and Marilyn. They are
both pretty great! We commited Jen to coming to church on sunday to hear me speak :) That was super exciting!
Sunday
I was able to give a talk in sacrament meeting. It went pretty well. I
usually am super nervous when speaking. But it went really well seeing
as i didnt word vommit all over the place like i did at my farewell
talk. haha I love how the spirit just takes over and gives me the words
to say :) I spoke about the gifts of the spirit. I learned a ton
while preparing for this talk. here are a few main points i feel
impressed to share from my talk.
When we are baptized we are
cleansed from all sin. We are then able to be confimed a member of the
Church and recieve the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The Gift of the Holy
Ghost is what sanctifies us, or makes us holy. It is when we recieve
the Gift of the Holy Ghost that we "experience a mighty change of heart,
and have no more desire to do evil" ( Mosiah 5:2) People often wonder
what it is that makes Latter Day Saints different from other people. It
is that Gift of the Holy Ghost we recieve after baptism that sets us
apart from others. We recieve peace, joy,answers to prayers and comfort
when we are worth of the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
The
Gift of the Holy Ghost is one of the greatest gifts we recieve from our
father in heaven. When we recieve the gift of the holy ghost, and
remain faithful and obedient to the covenants we have made with Heavenly
Father, we are then able to recieve more from the spirit. These are
spiritual powers, abilities, or talents known as gifts of the Spirit.
D&C 46: 26 "All these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God."
Because
these gifts are for our benefit, they help us know and teach the truths
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are given these gifts so we can all
work together and edify one another.
In 1 Corinthians 12
Paul speaks of the body of Christ. He explains how a body has all sorts
of appendages and groups. Yet they all work together to make up one
body. We can apply that same message to the gifts of the spirit. We
are all given different gifts of the spirit. If we were all given the
same ones, we wouldn't be able to fully function as a church. There
would be missing pieces. Therefore, we all have different abilities, or
gifts, so we can work together to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In
order for us to use these gifts the way they were intended is to 1:
Know what they are 2: How we can develop them 3: Recognize satans
imitations of them.
So what are some of the gifts of the
spirit? Well there are a lot more than i though there were, that is for
sure. Some of the most common ones we hear of are the gift of tongues,
interpretation of tongues, and translation. The gift of Teaching
Wisdom and Knowledge is one i was not familiar with. As missionaries,
we are blessed with this gift at times. Truths of the Gospel are brought
to mind, and we are then able to teach them clearly and powerfully to
an individual who is ready to recieve the gospel. Believing the
testimony of others was another gift of the spirit i was not familiar
with. Faith is one of the greatest gifts we can revieve from the
spirit. Everything stems from our faith. Without the gift of faith, no
other gift can be given.
So how do we develop these great
spiritual gifts? We must first know which of these gifts we have been
blessed with. The way to know is to sincerely pray and fast. Another
great way to know which spiritual gifts we are given is through a
patriarchal blessing. I am so grateful for my patriarchal blessing. It
has gotten me through some very hard and confusing times. It has also
taught me more about what is expected of me as a child of God.
We
must be obedient, and faithful to the gifts that we recieve. we need
to use them in the way they were intended. For the benefit of the
children of god. we show our obedience and faith through what i like to
call CPR. Church attendence, Prayer, and Reading our scriptures.
Now,
Satan knows how beautiful, and powerful these gifts of the spirit are.
Like always, Satan has to do his best to confuse us. There are many
instances in the scriptures that show us how satan uses his cunning mind
to lead others astray. The story of Moses and Pharoahs court is a
great example of how Satan can use our spiritual gifts to confuse us.
Satan also decieves us by letting us think that these gifts or abilities
do not come from god. They are just part of who we are, and that we
are to keep them to ourselves for our own benefit. When we have that
frame of mind we are definitely not using these sacred gifts they were
intended.
In return for giving thes gifts, the Lord asks us
to give thanks for any blessing we receive. When we are grateful, our
father in Heaven just blesses us even more.
Learning about
these many spiritual gifts, and how they are to be used really
strengthened my testimony of God's Love for us. He wants us all to be
successful. So he gives us all these many gifts in abundance. When we
use them to help eachother, we are happy and we get the most out of
them. But most importantly, it makes our Heavenly Father happy. He
doesnt just send us here alone to survive on our own. He gave us
eachother, so we can learn and strengthen eachother.
I know
that our Heavenly Father Loves each and every one of us personally and
individually. He has given us the Scriptures, and living prophets to
lead and guide us and keep us on the straight and narrow path. I am so
grateful for this Gospel and how simple it really is!
Hope yall have a great week!!
Love,
Sister Melissa Jean Wood
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Preview attachment DSC00573.JPGMonday, November 9, 2015
Week 3 of Transfer #4
Man, week three of the transfer is like the hardest week to get
through i guess. Appointments fall through, companionships get hostile,
and limits get pushed to the breaking point. There is however, one
thing that gets us through the week. That is the sabbath day. I have
gained a stronger testimony of sabbath day observance while being on a
mission. Even though i wear "church clothes" every day, and feel the
spirit pretty strongly on the daily, the sabbath day still has its own
special spirit.
We are able to take this day to rest from
our labors. We go to Sacrament meeting were we participate in one of
the most sacred ordinances there is, The Sacrament.
Partaking
of the sacrament is one thing that i look forward to doing every week.
It is the time provided for us to be reminded of the sacred covenants
we have all made at baptism, as well as those made in the temple, to
take upon ourselves the name of christ, to always remember him, and to
keep his commandments. As we covenant to do those things, we are
promised a blessing in return. The blessing of the companionship of the
Holy Ghost. What a great gift that truly is. The Holy Ghost helps
keep us on the right path. He reminds us that we are to mourn with
those that mourn,and comfort those that stand in need of comfort. It
speaks to us in time of difficulty, and comforts us when we feel alone.
I am so grateful to our Father in Heaven for giving us such
an amazing gift! He wants us to be successful, so he provides a way
that we can be. We must be worthy of the spirit, and courageous enough
to act upon the promptings we recieve. I know that if we pray for ways
to recognize the spirit more fully in our lives, it will happen. I know
that because i have experienced it. When we strive to be sensitive to
the spirit and willing to act upon the promptings we recieve, amazing
things will happen in our lives.
I love the Sabbath day
with all of my heart. I look forward to it every week. I wish i would
have understood its significance earlier on in my life. I
I love you all and hope that we can all find ways to make the sabbath day a special day.
With love,
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
The Waters of Baptism
This week was absolutely amazing! Our awesome investigator was
baptized on Tuesday October 27th! The spirit was so strong! Ermilisa
was and is just glowing with the light of the spirit. She was so
excited and ready to be baptized. We had some members in the ward speak
on baptism and the gift of the holy ghost. They did a great job. The
spirt bore witness of the truthfulness fo their words. Brother Kanupke,
who is the gospel principles teacher in the ward, perfomed the
baptism. Ermilisa absolutely loves the Kanupkes, and asked if he wold
baptize her. That was a very special experience for Brother Kanupke,
because he is a convert of two years. So he really enjoyed taking such a
special part in her conversion.
Ermilsa's son, his wife,
and their son came to the baptism. He has been pretty hesitant about
this whole process, but after the baptism, his demeanor has changed
completely. He is a lot more open minded about this new change in his
mother's life. Ermilisa said that he has a lot of questions. So we are
just waiting for the Lord to tell us when the right time is to help
answer some of his questions.
Ermilisa was confimed
yesterday in sacrament meeting. It was a beautiful blessing. Heavenly
Father has such a great plan for Ermilisa! She has such a strong
spirit. She is definitely a woman of faith. I am so proud of her and
her decision to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized!
Ermilisa holds such a special place in my heart. I know that i needed
to serve a mission so i could help her come unto Christ. She has made
so many changes in her life. Its been a long, hard road, but she
finally made it. And this is just the beginning for her. She plans on
doing more family history, and going to the Birmingham Temple to perform
Baptisms for the Dead for her ancestors.
I feel so
privileged to take part in sharing the Gospel with Ermilisa! Heavenly
Father has a plan for each and every one of us. It is amazing how our
personal testimonies can impact other individuals so much.
I
know that our Heavenly Father lives. I know that he loves us so much
that he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to come to earth and set the example
for us all. Christ, who was perfect, was baptized. He walked 70 miles
to recieve that saving ordinance to fulfill all righteousness. H
also atoned for the sins of the world. It is through Jesus Christ and
his atonement that we are saved. I know that he lives. I know that as
we center our lives on Jesus Christ, we will be able to accomplish all
that is required of us in this preparatory state on earth. This time
here on earth, is the time we have to prepare ourselves to live with our
Heavenly Father. I know that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and
Jesus Christ on that beautiful spring morning in 1820. There is no
doubt in my mind that Jesus Christ restored his church through Joseph
Smith. I know that through the power of the Priesthood and gifts of the
spirit, that Joseph was able to translate the Book of Mormon. I know
the Book of Mormon to be the word of god. It truly is Another Testament
of Jesus Christ. It speaks of him every 1.7 verses. As I have studied
the Book of Mormon, I have grown closer to our savior, and come to know
that it's teachings are true. I know that we have a living prophet on
the earth today, Thomas S. Monson. I know that he represents our lord,
and savior Jesus Christ to lead and guide us. The church is just the
vehicle to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Its not the church that
converts, it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we have faith in Jesus
Christ and his atonement, repent, are baptized, recieve the gift of
theHoly Ghost, and Endure to the End, we draw closer to Christ and our
Father in Heaven.
I have done a lot of self evaluating while
on my mission. I have learned that the Gospel is so very simple. We
just need to start where we are. As we pray sincerely and with real
intent, Heavenly Father with guide us and help us strengthen our faith.
We just have to start somewhere, and where we are right now is the
perfect place to start. He doesnt expect us to be at a specific point
on the path in order to help us. He wants to help us where we are right
now. We just have to ask him. I can promise that he will be there for
us when we do.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Under Pressure
Hello there! this week was a great week! Week one of transfer #4!! we had a great week!
We got to take Sister Smith out on a lesson with us on Tuesday!
(we were a little nervous) It went really well. There was no reason
that we should have been nervous haha. But when you take the mission
president's wife on a lesson, the pressure is on.... The Spirit in that
lesson was intense. Sister Smith shared a beautiful testimony! I am
so grateful for her and her great example! I found out that she is
related to Debbie Donaldson, the lady who cuts my momma's hair. Its a
small world for sure!!! The best part about tuesday
though, was that President and sister smith took us out to dinner!!
That was super fun! I love president and sister smith so much!! I
gave them some of the Bananna Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies I made, and
they LOVED them!! We can just say that i am the new favorite sister
missionary in the FTM haha ....if only that were true :)
We
had some success with getting in touch with some less actives this
week. I love teaching the less actives in the Pensacola Ward!! The
love that I have for these people is unreal! This new focus for the
mission is going to change lives, wards, and stakes! Its absolutely
amazing. I have never been able to experience love for people quite
like this before. I am able to see people how our Heavenly Father sees
them. Its is a priviledge!!
Saturday,
Ermilisa had her Baptismal interview..... She passed :) haha So she is
ready to go! We got her fitted for a jump suit, and have the whole
baptism program all planned out! We have been inviting everyone!! Its
gonna be a great day! She is an amazing woman! She truly is a woman of
faith. She has changed so much over the last 4.5 months. But all for
the better of course! She is so ready and excited to be baptized!! She
is already a great missionary too!! she has given out 4 book of
mormons!! and she has taken 3 friends to church with her!!! How
awesome is that!!
Sunday
was the primary program in the Pensacola ward :) it was so good!! The
way these kids testified of Christ through their singing and talks was
absolutely incredible!!! Ermilisa had brought her neighbor with her to
church, and they loved the program!!! The ward is also super excited
for her baptism tomorrow!! I think there is going to be a great turn out!! Hopefully anyways.
Oh
how i love being a missionary! Its nothing i expected... its better!!
The experiences i have had are so special to me! I cannot imagine
doing anyting else right now. I know that it is not chance that i have
been called to serve in the Florida Tallahassee Mission. Its not by
chance that President Smith is my Mission President. I look up to them
so much and learn so much from them!! Missions are hard, im not going
to lie. But they are more than worth it!! This gospel brings such joy
and peace into my life! I love sharing this gospel with others with the
intent of getting people to come closer to our Savior Jesus Christ!
Friday, October 23, 2015
Activities in Pensacola
So this week has been pretty crazy. I am staying another 6 weeks
in good ol pensacola!!! YAY! I get to stay for Ermilisa's Baptism on
the 27th! I am super excited!
On October 1st, we had a
special zone training, were President Smith taught us the Doctrine of
Family History. Which basically talks about why we do family history,
with scriptures to back it up. I absolutely LOVE teaching the Doctrine
of Family History, because, the spirit bares witness of its
truthfullness so intensely.
This tuesday, we had a great
lesson with one of our investigators, Marilyn. She is an older lady,
and we have been teaching her for a while. But we decided to teach her
about the Doctrine of Family History, because she had a lot of questions
about the spirit world and what happens there. So we start teaching
Her the lesson. We get pretty much all the way through. Then all of a
sudden, i get this prompting to talk about her deseaced husband. It was
one of the most powerful experiences I have had with the spirit yet.
The Spirit was just working right through me. I was able to tell
Marilyn that her deceased husband had a lot to do with us meeting her. I
told her that her husband wants her to know that what we were sharing
with her was the truth, that wants her to listen to us because he wants
to be with her for eternity. The spirit in the room was powerful. The
spirit was just giving me the words to say. It was incredible. I was
so humbled and felt so priviledged to experience such a tender moment.
Marilyn started to get emotional as she was overcome by the spirit. It
was very aparant that her husband was there with us in that lesson. She
told us that she believes her husband would say that.
The
Doctrine of Family History has such a special place in my heart.
Missionary work is not just happening on this side of the veil. It is
happening on the other side as well. I know, without a doubt, that we
are led to prepared people by thier ancestors, close family, or
friends. Their ancestors have accepted the gospel in the spirit world,
and now need thier work to be done for them. The only way they can get
it done is through their decendants. They then lead the missionaries to
them. I feel so honored to be part of such a great work!
Monday, October 12, 2015
A Loving Heavenly Father
Well I have hit my 20th week as a missionary!! How crazy is that?
But who is counting?... Yes, me.... and lots of other people haha
This
week I have experienced the Love of Heavenly Father immensely. I know
he is there. I know that he loves us. I know that is very mindful of
us.
This week i was having a pretty rough week. I was
getting a bit discouraged and nervous for transfer calls to come. I was
pretty nervous, because for some reason, I was just feeling like my
time in Pensacola was drawing to a close. I didnt really feel needed. I
just felt like everything that I said or did just got put to the side
and went un-noticed. I felt that i needed to ask for a blessing. So I
asked Elder Harris ( Senior couple in my district) to give me a
blessing after district meeting on tuesday.
He did, and what a blessing it was! That blessing helped me to
remember that I am definitely not alone. I was given some great council
and encouragement. If you are ever struggling, PLEASE do not hesitate
to ask for a priesthood blessing.
Another moment this week
when I felt the Love of our Heavenly Father was when we were visiting a
less active sister. We just dropped in to say hello. She let us into
her house and we began to visit and get to know one another. Sister
Petersona and I were just trying so hard to figure out what she needed.
We tried talking about Family History, faith, General Conference... but
then i just got this overwhelming feeling of love. Like someone was
hugging me, but i felt like it was meant for Sister Robertson. So when
the time presented itself, I said thorugh tears of course...
"
Sister Robertson, I feel very impressed to tell you that Heavenly
Father is aware of you. He loves you. He wants you to know that you
are important to him." That was such a tender moment. Not only for
her, but for me as well. It was what I needed for my feelings of
inadequacy to subside. No longer did i feel like my time was finished
in Pensacola, but that it had just begun.
I
can testify that the love that our Heavenly Father has for us is
immense! He is aware of each one of us. He knows our struggles, our
frustrations, and our needs. There is no better feeling in the world
than feeling the Love of our Heavenly Father. I can promise you that if
you pray to hime to know if he is there, he will let you know. He wants
us to be happy and he is willing to help us with whatever we need to
get there. We just have to ask him for help. Its not easy, but it is
so worth it. We dont have to be at a certain level of spirituality to
talk to our heavenly father. He wants us how we are so he can embrace
us and make us into something that we could never imagine for
ourselves.
Have a great week!
Sister Wood
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
A Week of Revelation!!
This
week has been full of revelation! I love being a member of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! I love having living prophets
and apostles who lead and guide this church. What is interesting though
is that they are not the heads of the church. The head of the Church
is Jesus Christ himself. The prophets have that authority from our
loving Heavenly Father to share with us what Christ and our Father have
revealed to them. I think this process is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!
On Thursday,
we had a special zone training. President and Sister Smith were there
to teach us! That was so great to see them and hear what it was they
have been planning for a while to teach us. They had been traveling
around the mission doing the same training for all the zones in the
mission. The Pensacola Zone was the second to last training, because it
is so far away from the rest of the mission.
In August,
Elders Stanfill, and Neilson of the Seventy came and toured our
mission. They gave us great council and taught us about the Atonement
of Jesus Christ. They received some revelation during their visit. We
all know that revelation comes straight from the Lord himself through
the Holy Ghost, so this was some pretty intense stuff :) They shared
this revelation with President and Sister Smith who then over the last
couple months have thought carefully and prepared a way to share this
revelation with the mission.
It was announced at Zone
Conference that our mission is the first mission in the United States
that would be implementing this into our work as missionaries! So that
got our attention right away. We will no longer be focusing on finding
people to teach and baptize. Our main focus for the next year is going
to be completing families, and re-activating the Less- active members in
the mission.
When i heard this, i was overcome with the
spirit. For the last little while, i have felt that it is my purpose in
this area to reach out to the less actives and bring them back to the
joy of the gospel. I have been a bit overwhelmed because that was a
HUGE undertaking, and we were supposed to be focusing our time and
efforts on finding and teaching new people. I was just super frustrated
not knowing how i was going to fulfill this purpose that I felt I had in
this area. So when President and Sister Smith announced that we will
just be focusing on the Less-Actives from now on, I was so excited.
I
am so excited and honored to be taking part in such a sacred
work. Re-activation is very close to my heart because it is happening
in such abundance in my own family. It brings such joy to know that I
will be helping other families experience this same joy!
We
received some great training that will help us work in unity with the
ward councils. Missionaries cannot do this work alone. It is only
possible if the members and the missionaries work as one. I know that
this will be a great change for this mission! Especially in Pensacola!
The Pensacola Stake has over 2000 less-active members! So we have our
work cut out for us!
We also had some great training on
Family History. President told us that the Ancestors of those we are to
teach are leading us to them and helping soften their hearts. Because
it is only through that descendant of theirs, that we teach, that it is
possible for their work to be done.
Think back to how
excited you were when you were going to be baptized! Then a few minutes
before your baptism starts, you are told you cannot get baptized yet.
You have to wait for your great, great, great grand-daughter to do it
for you. That would be absolutely devastating! I know it would be for
me! So that is why family history is so important! We are finding them
and gathering their information so they can get their work done! So
not only is missionary work being done on this side, but it is being
done on the other side as well. I found that to be so powerful and very
motivating!!
Saturday and Sunday
we had the privilege to watch General Conference! I love General
Conference and always have. As a missionary though, it has a greater
meaning. Its like a Christmas for the soul!! haha :) Every talk I felt
was just what i needed to hear. I also received some great revelation
for our investigators. Ermilisa attended the Saturday Morning session with Sister Peterson and I. That was really cool. She enjoyed every second of it.
After
the first session, Ermilisa was able to get a priesthood blessing.
That was AMAZING! To hear the council that Heavenly Father had for
Ermilisa was incredible. I know that our Heavenly Father is VERY proud
of her! She has such great things in store. What i thought was
absolutely amazing, was that in her blessing it said that " Heavenly
Father, and your Ancestors are pulling for you." That was powerful! I
felt so honored to witness such a statement.
I
absolutely LOVE being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints! The Gospel is what makes us happy and brings true
and lasting Joy to our lives. The church is just the vehicle that gets
us moving, and encourages us to endure faithfully to the end. The
Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that with all of my heart. The
Gospel is so simple, yet so profound. It is perfect. I know that we
have a loving Heavenly Father who knows and cares for us individually
and collectively. I know that the only way to return to him is through
His son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the one that makes all things
possible. "I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me."
I hope you all get the chance to ponder and study the talks given at General Conference. They are truly inspired.
With Love,
Sister Melissa Jean Wood
I got to have REAL southern food!! It was SOOO good haha. And to my surprise, I really like collard greens!
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Monday, September 28, 2015
Lessons to be Learned
This
week has been a week full of lessons. Heavenly Father is teaching me
so much! Being a trainer is Exactly what I needed. It is definitely
the HARDEST thing I have ever done, but I know that " I can do all
things through Christ, who strengtheneth me."
This week was a
little crazy with the whole P-Day change, then our STL's decided to
have an exchange this week too! So it was all sorts of crazy!
Tuesday
was Pday and that night we started our exchange. I was with Sister
Brown in P-Cola. She is a super sweet sister! She taught me a ton,
probably without even realizing that she was teaching me haha. We had
an awesome lesson with one of our Investigators, Dianna. She has been
investigating the church for about ten months. She is what we call an
"etern-igator" But we found out that she had a true desire to be
baptized, so we are just trying to figure out what her concerns are.
She is pretty solid though. She comes to church every week and keeps
her commitments! So we just have to pull the trigger with her I
guess. :)
Wednesday
was a good day. Sister Brown and I did some service at the Ronald
McDonald House, and met some really cool people. This family is from Crestview, but they are in Pensacola because they have a son that was
born prematurely. So he is in the Children's hospital here at Sacred
Heart. They are Less active, they converted to the church a few years
ago, but just got out of the habit of attending church. So that was not
just a coincidence that we ran into them. We got all of their
information and got it sent off to the missionaries in the area that
they live.
Sister Brown and I taught a lesson to Ermilisa.
She is progressing towards her baptism on the 17th!! Its awesome to see
her faith grow!
Thursday was
a great day!! We visited a bunch of Less-Active Members. I love
visiting with them and hearing how they got into the church!! Sister P
and I had an awesome lesson with Ermilisa! We taught her about
Service. We somehow got on the topic of people being prepared to
receive the Gospel. The Spirit prompted me to tell her that the reason
she is so prepared to receive this Gospel, and understand it, is because
her Son has accepted it and now wants her to accept it. Her son passed
away in 2010 from a motorcycle accident. The spirit bore witness to us
all that he had accepted it and now wants his mother to partake of that
same knowledge and joy. That was an incredible moment! The spirit is
always so strong when we are teaching Ermilisa. I personally believe
that it is because her son is there too, helping her understand the
things we teach her.
Friday
was a fun day! We visited a returning member and her 3 year old
daughter , Vega. We taught her about Family History and gave her a
booklet to help get her started. Vega is the cutest little girl ever!!
She reminds me a lot of my niece Leah! So i just automatically love her
to death!! She was just hugging me the whole time haha. She tapped me
on the shoulder and said " sister wood, I love you!" that just melted
my heart! She is a cutie!!
Saturday was
awesome as well. We felt prompted to go to a specific neighborhood to
go tracting. We knocked a few doors with no success. We then knocked
this door, and a man came out and started telling us his life story. We
gave him a Book of Mormon and a Restoration Pamphlet. He just needed to know that God
cared about him. He didn't give us his name, but we know where he lives,
so we will be stopping by in a week or so to see how he is doing. The
Gospel will definitely change his life. He said he had been taught my
LDS missionaries before, so maybe now is his time. Ermilisa was able to
watch Women's conference!! She LOVED it!! She called us afterwards and
shared all the things that she loved about it, and told us that she felt
the Spirit the whole time she was listening!!
Sunday
was another great day! Ward Council went really well this week! It
was awesome! Ermilisa attended church in Louisiana and even brought a
friend with her. She is already being a missionary!! She makes me
proud!! :) We had dinner at the Freeman's house ( they are basically
the ward) We listened to their conversion stories. That was a special
experience. Heavenly Father touches our lives in so many different
ways!! We are trying to get a new program started with the ward. " In
Home MTC" We are pretty much going to teach the members all the
discussions, with the intent of getting them to help us when we go to
appointments. They seemed pretty excited about it.. So we will be
meeting up with them in a week to start teaching them the discussions!
So just remember... Every Member a Missionary! :)
The re-occurring
theme this week was prayer. I kept coming across "prayer" in my
studies. The exchange taught me a lot about prayer. And I realized
how vital prayer is when we are teaching lessons. Up until this past
week, I have been trying to just figure out things by myself. I would
search the scriptures, and Preach my gospel, but for some reason i would
always somehow forget to pray about it. I realized how silent i was
being to Heavenly Father. Then i realized why things were so
difficult. That was a very humbling experience. I know that the power
of prayer is REAL! I know that Heavenly Father wants to bless us with
so much, but is just waiting for us to ask for his help. I can honestly
say that anything is 110% easier when we seek Heavenly help.
Another
lesson that I learned this week is that Love is what makes us happy.
We attended the broadcast of Women's conference, and that was something
that really stuck out to me. Love is what makes us happy. That is so
true! I have been studying Charity lately. Charity is the Pure Love of
Christ. So when I heard that " Love is what makes us happy." I knew
what i needed to be better at. I love the people here so much! I love
being a missionary, but i need to show my love, not just feel it. When
we show our love, it changes our focus from ourselves to others. That is
what Christ did. He turned outward, when any other man would turn
inward. Without Charity, we are nothing, even if we have faith, pray,
attend church etc. That means nothing if we don't have Charity.
I
just want you all to know how much i LOVE this Gospel. I know have
seen it not only change others lives, but my own. This Gospel is a
Gospel of Love. It is all centered on Love. I know that Heavenly Father
LOVES all of his children. He knows us each individually. He Loves
us so much that he gave his Only Begotten Son to atone for our sins.
Now if that is not an act of love, i don't know what is. :)
Sister Wood
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