the work continues...

So this will be fast! This week was great! We marked 4 baptisms in 2 days so I was really proud of myself. I'm enjoying this area still and would be content staying here a few more transfers. The work gets to be difficult at times and the ward too, but the Lord keeps translating all the perfect people and I'm getting used to being left with the leftovers. No, but honestly I'm loving the people. They make me want to pull out my hair at times, but I still love them so much. This last week was full of ton of great experiences that I had time to write in the journal but not in the email. Sorry :(. Ok ok, I'll just write one experience really fast. We are teaching a young man with special needs. He is autistic. Slow down, slow down... I know what your thinking. I haven't gotten so desperate to baptize people that I'm throwing special needs people in the water! His mom and the bishop wanted him to be baptized, because he wants to pass the sacrament...and he can't pass the sacrament without the priesthood and cant get the priesthood until he is baptized. Anyway I learned a lot of new things about the official church manual that I never knew about. BUt anyway we taught him the plan of salvation this past week and during the lesson I just started feeling the spirit extremely strong. I honestly felt the love that God has for him. When I started talking about the Kingdoms of Glory and more specifically the Celestial Kingdom I started to get really choked up. This young man just got so excited about living with God and I just kept thinking about how innocent he is in God's eyes. As I talked about the Celestial Kingdom I told him that is it a special place where God lives and where we can live with our families forever in happiness. ..then I bore my testimony to him....telling him that I knew 100% that he would go there. It was an awesome experience teaching someone who is so pure, so innocent that you already know his exaltation is guaranteed. It really was awesome to teach him and I just left his house feeling how much God loves his Children,, how precious they are in his sight. Anyway...I'm out of time unfortunately, but I'm doing great. We are working hard and the sun has stopped burning my flesh! I love you guys so much! Have an awesome week!
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love, sister wood
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Well these first few days haven't been too bad. I feel a little bit like a full time mom or babysitter, but it is going well. Luckily Sister G is really cool and speaks Portuguese well for an American new to the field. We´ve been working really hard, but having few results which is extremely frustrating. I feel like everything, literally EVERYTHING depends on me. The pressure is extremely present and I lost 6 pounds this week from stress and stomach problems. But don´t worry about me. I´ll get the hang of things soon and everything will turn out alright. The mission is just a life of Ups and Downs. I´m getting used the constant changes and the constant trials that come. This past week I was feeling a little down and out when Sister H shared a really cool scripture with me in D&C 138:13 that talks about the righteous in the spirit world. The righteous were those who ``....had offered sacrifice in the similitude of the great sacrifice of the Son of God, and had suffered tribulation in their Redeemer’s name.`` Sister H talked to me a lot about that is why our lives are so hard. We are expected to offer great sacrifices in our lives in order to be worthy to be counted with the righteous. When I look back on my mission I´m pretty sure I´m going to think of it as the hardest and best time of my life. I definitely feel like I have suffered a ton during my time here, but I´ve also had some of the best experiences in my life...experiences that have honestly shaped and molded me into a better person. Anyway things are going well. I´m happy and safe, so no need to worry. Thanks for everything you guys do to encourage me to be a better missionary and person. You guys honestly are my angels and words can't express how much you mean to me.! Have a wonderful week.