"Keep on keeping on"

I~m doing well down here in Natal. This week had its ups and downs, but I~m staying happy and upbeat. The weather down here has been miserable this week, but I~m getting used to feeling like I live in a furnace. Yesterday morning we left our house at 7:00 to pick up our investigators for church and the sun was HORRIBLE! Everytime Sister Dias and I saw a patch of shade, we ran for it as fast as possible! There is a saying they have here--the sun may rise first in João Pessoa, but it burns first in Natal. Natal has a high rate of skin cancer, but don't worry I~m piling on the sunscreen. So last P-day Sister Dias and I went to the centro in Natal with two girls in our ward and it was so much fun! We pretty much just walked around the city and window shopped. To get back to Potengi we needed to pick up a bus. At the bus stop we tried twice to catch this bus, but because it was 5:00 (when everyone got off work), there were hundreds of people trying to catch this one bus. I watch the first 2 buses with my mouth literally wide open in amazement. I have never seen so many people crammed onto a bus in my entire life. It was seriously miraculous to see. After missing the first two buses we made a grand effort to catch the third and after a lot of pushing and shoving we succeeded. I thankfully got a spot close to the window, but the majority were unlucky and were crammed in the middle of the row. But goodness I~m not kidding you. this was a bus built for 50 people and it had over 200. While we were traveling we hit a lot of bumps, but no one moved because we were packed in so tight. I wanted to get a picture, but my arm and bag were pinned up against another person. It was CRAZY, but I couldnt help but laugh. Oh the worst part was that since it was rush hour we were stuck on this bus for 2 hours! Imagine 2 hours, with 200 people in this bus in 90-100 degree temperatures. awesome. BUT I got to see the beach and it was absolutely stunning. There was a fullmoon and it lit up the water and beach. I tell this place is just absolutely gorgeous. I found a story in the Ensign this week and I want to share only a little bit of it with you: John Stephen Akhwari, a marathon runner from Tanzania, competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics. Even though he suffered along the way from fatigue, leg cramps, dehydration, and disorientation, a voice called from within to go on, and so he went on. Exhausted and staggering, John Stephen was the last man to enter the stadium. When asked why he would complete a race he could never win, Akhwari replied, `My country did not send me 7,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 7,000 miles to finish the race´. In life, we are not brough to earth just to be born into mortality. We came with a mission and a purpose, and that is to endure to the end. Remember the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. All of them served the Master , and all received an equal wage. It did not matter that some arrived after others, only that each one finally came. If you have taken missteps in your youth, don't let discouragement overcome you. The Lord's judgements are not spiritual grade-point averages--with past sins and mistakes averaged into the final grade. He has promised that ´ he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I the Lord, remember them no more.´ So, if you are not where you want to be, decide today to get there. Our lifetime degree will be graded on how well we live up to the covenants made in our saving ordinances--baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, etc. You CAN cross the finish line with everyone else. `´Go forward and not backward. Courage,...and on, on to the victory!´´Anyway I really enjoyed this article by Elder Ballard in Fev 2007. I meet lots of people who think because of the things they've done in the past they can't be forgiven or have a good life in the future. What an outright lie this is that Satan tells people. I knew this before my mission, but I know it more now than ever---through the Atonement everything is possible. Jesus Christ suffered for us...bore more pain than we can begin to comprehend...like it says in Nephi, he literally has us graven on the palms of his hands...it is impossible for him to forget about us. I wish more people would believe in the power of the Atonement. I wish more people would believe that they can change and be better. It is a thing very frustrating at times about missionary work...sometimes people just think they are a lost cause and don't even want to try to redeem their lives. Anyway, I have to go. I hope this email makes sense. English is becoming more and more foreign to me every day.Love you all! Have a great week and stay safe!Com carinho e amor,Sister Wood