"Parent Trap III"

This week’s letter is going to be short. We spent all day in João Pessoa being interviewed by the president and receiving a training about lots of mission related stuff. Anyway I wasn’t so happy about spending our pday at the mission office, but such is life. Today is also my companion’s birthday. After emailing fast we are going to eat pizza with the other sisters we live with. This week was pretty good. Our spirits were high and we worked hard. Last Monday night we received word that a man we baptized was shot accidently by his friend. Luckily it was just in the arm. He was in the hospital for a couple days, but now he is back in his house recovering. Yesterday he took off the bandages and we got to see the wound. It was awesome!!! The bullet passed completely through his arm leaving an entrance and exit wound. The good thing about this is that he now has a stronger disposition to go to church regularly. Sister Nascimento and I live in a house with 2 other sisters--Sister Burton and Sister de Oliveira, and it is just the most fun thing ever. Seriously every night is just crazy because Sisters Burton and Nascimento are going home next week. We have already had a water balloon fight in the house and a water fight with buckets. Last night Sisters Burton and de Oliveira surprise attacked us with mousse in the face. Luckily they made a huge bucket of it and we had an all out war. Goodness the aftermath was horrible though because the mousse had egg whites in it and it hardened in our hair and clothes and on the floor of our house and everywhere....but it was soooo fun! Unfortunately we didn’t realize that out house was without water ( which happens a lot here) and we had to take a bath on the side of our house with buckets. We just about died laughing as we helped each other wash the mousse out of our hair. This morning, when we woke up and opened the back door a big mouse ran in and hid in the room that holds our suitcases are. After fighting for a few minutes about who would take care of the mouse...Sister de Oliveira and I finally volunteered and entered the room. We closed the door and Sister de Oliveira scared the mouse out from under the dresser and I started whacking away at the mouse...but I’m a horrible shot. (luckily Sister Burton filmed this all from the window) I kept hitting thin air or the floor next to the mouse...and every time I swung the broom stick for some reason we screamed. Honestly we were very much ´´girls´´ screaming and jumping on top of anything that was close and let us escape the mouse. Finally I killed it and afterwards we buried it in the backyard. The funeral was very sweet, few people attended, but tears were shed. Hopefully the mice will avoid our house in the future! So this past week Sister Nascimento and I were walking in the street at night and when we turned the corner a girl yelled ´´Sisters!!!´´. We didn’t recognize her, but started talking to her and she said she was a returned missionary who was inactive. She returned home 2 years ago and because of lack of friends in the church and other wrong choices she left the church. As she talked to us she started to relate all the problems that had happened to her since she left the church. She also said she was fervently praying for help in her life while walking in the street and we all of a sudden appeared out of nowhere. We talked to her for a long time and she has a lot of doubts about returning to the church. She really wants to return to the church, but thinks everyone will judge her and she is also very ashamed of how her life has turned out. She talked about how things were hard for her when she was going to church, but said it was the only time in her life that she was actually happy. She talked about since she left, that she only feels an emptiness that won’t go away. She tried to find happiness in many things--drugs, alcohol, men, etc, but she said her life is nothing but loneliness and unhappiness because of her decisions. We talked to her a lot about repentance and committed her to go to church this next week. She promised she would. Talking to her was really an awesome experience. While we were talking I felt very strongly the love and concern that God has for her. As we said our goodbyes and started walking home Sister Nascimento and I just started tearing up because of the testimony we gained about the love of God for his lost sheep. The scripture in Alma came clearly to my mind: “Now my beloved brethren we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in, yea he numbereth his people and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth.” I have a very strong testimony of this scripture. Every day we meet people who are ´lost´ spiritually and it is just the most humbling experience ever to meet these people and talk to them. Gotta go. Time is up! Love you, Ariel

How was your week? Mine was difficult, but I got through it. This week was only a little bit of a disaster because our baptisms fell through and we had to cut a lot of people from our teaching group who weren't progressing. Also the weather has been a little difficult this week-- the beginning of the week it was hot and I received a nice sunburn and at the end of the week it was nothing but pouring down rain. Because I don't have an umbrella I got completely soaked one night and was actually a little cold for the first time on my mission. I was walking in a 1ft-deep river aka the street, and the thought came to my mind...wow I really wish I had a sweater..but after a few seconds I just started laughing because the thought of using a sweater here is just ridiculous. It was really fun to try and walk in the flooded streets though...luckily the majority of the streets empty fast after the rain stops. The rain will stay for the next couple months so I think today I will buy an umbrella. Well this past week I saw my first living tarantula in the wild and unfortunately I saw it in a house. I was teaching about the Plan of Salvation when all of a sudden I saw a ridiculously HUGE spider running on the floor behind our investigator. As soon as I saw it I screamed nossa!!!!` (the equilivent of oh my goodness) and scared everyone in the room. When our investigator saw it he jumped from his chair and smashed the tarantula with his shoe. Goodness it was quite an interesting thing to witness, but now I'm nervous that we will find one in our house! Unfortunately there are a lot of big spiders in this area and scorpions, but I have yet to see a scorpion.
Anyway things are going well. The mission really can be extremely difficult at times and physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting, but it is also the most rewarding experience of my life. Many times this past week I just wanted to sit down and cry and give up, but I refuse to be a quitter. When times get tough a person really has to make the choice to give up or go on. If the person gives up one time it will be easier to give up the next time and the next time and so becomes the pattern of their life. The opposite is also true. If a person endures one difficulty they know that when the next hardship comes they can endure also and a pattern of endurance is set. I think this is one of the best lessons I'm learning on my mission---to not give up. When I have a difficult day thoughts always come to my head like --What are you doing here? Do you really think you can make a difference? Your life would be so much easier if you just went home....etc. Luckily I'm developing a "never give up" attitude. Many times this week I thought I just couldn't take anymore--when you are standing in the torrential rain, soaking wet and everyone is shutting the door in your face it is easy to have these feelings---but honestly giving up will get a person only one place---nowhere! Though it seemed almost impossible at times to go on this past week the point is that it was possible. Yesterday I was sitting in sacrament meeting a little discouraged when the words "You havent failed until youve stopped trying" entered my mind. It really is true. We really never have failed in our lives, in our missions, etc until we give up and choose not to endure to the end. Unfortunately I talk with people everyday who have given up on life. We are teaching a family that have a lot of problems with addictions---smoking, alcohol, crack. Many of these problems came because they thought their lives were too difficult to deal with and so they just gave up. They gave up in school, in work, they stopped going to church and now they are suffering from their actions. It is so sad to meet people who have developed this "give up" attitude and have slowly, over the course of their life, become subject to the temptations of Satan. Anyway the point of this email is just never give up...it leads to only one place. The only option, though at times it appears difficult and impossible, is to press on. Nefi says it better than me in 2 Nephi 31:20 --- Wherefore ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. WHerefore, if ye press forward, feasting upon the words of Christ, and endure to the end, behold thus saith the Father, ye shall have eternal life.?
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Oh below is the email address of my companion. This next monday is her birthday and she only receives emails from one friend. She is the only member of the church in her family and her family didn't agree with her decision to serve a mission. If you all could please send a short email to her wishing her a happy birthday that would be wonderful. She understands English and her name is Sister Nascimento. She is an awesome companion and I really want her to open her email this next week and have some emails wishing her a happy birthday.. Thanks.
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Love you!
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sister wood
mailto:sisterdaiananascimento@myldsmail.net

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Gallega bonita

This week was one of the hardest weeks of my mission so far, but in a good way. Sister Nascimento and I worked nonstop this past week and at the end of every day we were just almost too exhausted to take a shower. Our hard work paid off though. We baptized a man yesterday and will baptize another this next Sunday. Things are going well here though. The weather has been a little bit cooler....80 degrees ish...because of all the rain we've been having. The rainy season has arrived more or less and a lot of the streets have turned into lakes. Its great though. My chacos dry fast and I never have to do my hair anymore. Usually I just put it up into a ponytail or in a bun because anything else will just be destroyed in about 5 seconds. I'm sticking out a lot here unfortunately. Not a single day has gone by on the mission without someone in the rua saying ¡gallega bonita! (oh beautiful blond). Yesterday we were walking in the street and some young men started yelling some things at me and I turned around because I wasnt sure what they were saying. As soon as I gave them that little bit of attention ja era! (it was done)...they said o gallega linda, ?fica vermelho! (oh beautiful blond, don't get red (embarrassed)). They continued to shout: gallega donna de minha coracao, te amo....?(oh blond lady of my heart, I love you!) goodness gracious all I could do was laugh and ignore them. So until now I've never had a problem with dogs, but two times this past week my companion and I have almost been attacked. The first incident was when we were searching for the house of an investigator...we found it without any problems, but there was a dog parked right in front of the gate. As soon as we approached he seriously leaped at us...barking, and snarling and trying to bite us. It took us quite by surprise and me being the person I am decided to sacrifice Livro de Mormon instead of my leg. I placed the Book of Mormon between me in the dog so he wouldn't bite (horrible I know....almost basphemy!) , but luckily I stepped back just in time and his bite landed in the air. e decided to just continue on our way and not talk to our investigator, because the dog seriously refused let us pass. The second incident happened this morning. We were arriving at a house of an investigator and this dog in the front started running towards us barking and snarling. I thought we could pass by him, but as soon as we took a step forward he tried to bite us. Goodness this dog was ferocious. My companions legs were trembling as we backed away and we went on our way again. I think the dogs here honestly have something against us. ..don't worry though. I'm being careful. I really don't have too much to say this week....lots of miracles happened though. We found a lot of inactive people randomly and are working to reactivate them and we are teaching their families. The greatest thing about this week was seeing our investigator change. He gave up smoking and coffee in one week! He went from smoking a carton a day to nothing in less than a week. He is still is dealing with the withdrawls but is definitely seeing the blessings. It is awesome to see how fast people can change if they really want to. When I return home in a year you will just have to stock the house full of kleenex because I know I will cry a lot my first weeks back home after the mission. Goodness life is just marvelous down here really. Thanks for all the emails, pictures, and support. You guys can send pictures again because I have unlimited storage now....so start sending some recent photos!!!! I love you all!
love, sister wood

New city: Tibiri, New companion: Sister Dias

Things are going great here in Tibiri. ( Tibiri is close to Santa Rita or Rangel if you are trying to find it on the map...it is close to the Joao pessoa airport). My companion is awesome and we are having such a great time together. We work so hard during the day and walk back to our house at night completely exhausted, but somehow find the strength when we arrive home to joke around and have a good time with the two other sisters we live with. We are meeting a ton of great people here and we will definitely do a lot of good in this area. I forgot to tell you, in my last area (potengi) Sister Dias and I were the high baptizing dupla in the zone! Anyway I'm absolutely loving it here and can't believe in less than a year I will be home and back to a normal life. How strange. I was sitting in conference yesterday and suddenly realized how much I have actually changed during my mission. I'm still the same Ariel, but in many ways I've changed for the better. I started crying yesterday when I thought about that one day I won't be a missionary. This mission is everything to me. Elder Holland hit it right on the nail when he said there were two periods in his life--before the mission and after the mission. This mission is helping me more than any graduate school, study abroad program, etc ever could. This really is the work of angels. Everyday we leave our house and teach people about this wonderful plan that Heavenly Father has for his children...and honestly angels are our associates. We don't see them, but their presence is definitely felt. I know that missionaries really are blessed and protected by these angels. It is an undeniable fact. I dont know how many times I've been protected or warned of danger on my mission by the spirit....but I'm beginning to lose count. Anyway in less than a year I return.
Love,
sister ariel wood