12/30/12

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope that you all had a great Christmas like I did. It really is a very different situation celebrating Christmas in the Philippines, but the Spirit of Christmas is the same. We had a great ward activity, the longest one I have ever attended. It went from 9 am to 5 pm, though it didn't start until about ten and Elder O and I left at 4 so that we could finish our studying. One of our investigators came and also came to Church yesterday for the second time. One of the oddest parts of Christmas in the Philippines is the lack of snow. We had some rain yesterday, but there is zero chance of getting snow. Ever. I;m a bit sad about that, but apparently come April through September I'll get to see lots of rain and flooding. They'll be fun!

On Sunday we had the most investigators at church that we have ever had. M, MA and S all came. This is truly a little miracle, since we were not able to reach or even make contact with MA and S this week, despite all of our efforts, yet they still attended Church. It really shows how much the Spirit is working with them and that Heavenly Father is watching over them and answering our prayers and the prayers of their families for them.

On Sunday, we had a great experience during Sunday School. We had an overview and brief introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants since that is going to be the course of Study for 2013. At the end of the lesson, we sang The Spirit of God and I was conducting the music. As we started singing the Spirit entered and filled the room. It was overwhelming how strong it was and I know it touched everyone since I could see everyone as I was directing the song. This experience really strengthens my testimony of the restoration of the Gospel and that in these the Latter Days the Lord is pouring his Spirit out on His saints and preparing for the Second Coming of His Son, Jesus Christ. I love this Gospel so much and I love My Father in Heaven and my Savior and all that they have done for me.

SO I want to share an amazing experience with you that I had this past Friday  We were out in Nambaran and we found some new investigators. One of them, a man named E, is Jehovah's Witness and had a lot of questions and opinions. After teaching the First Vision he told us that he Didn't believe any one could see God. He was speaking in Ilokano so I couldn't understand what he was saying as he was saying this. But my mind went to an experience in the MTC when an investigator told us the same thing and how I responded and how he understood that Joseph Smith could see God. I didn't know why I was thinking about this, then Elder O told me that E had said he didn't believe any one could see God. I responded in the same way I did in the MTC and confounded E. I'm still not exactly sure how what I taught confounded him, but by teaching him the truth about God and Jesus Christ, he basically had to agree that Joseph saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. Remind me of this experience when I come home and I'll see if I can explain it in more detail. I know that the Spirit brought my MTC experience to mind and guided my words as we taught about Joseph Smith seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ. The Spirit has guided me so much here in Bacarra and it really is amazing. I know that this church is true, that the Gospel was restored through Joseph Smith and and that we have the fullness of the Gospel now.

Just one real quick last story. On Friday Night as Elder O and I were traveling to an appointment, we were stopped by a man on the corner. He was a bit drunk, but was still thinking and talking very clearly. He told us that we need to go to his house on the 30th and teach him. He basically asked us to teach him the Apostasy and Restoration, the Plan of Salvation and the Atonement. And he said all of this in English. I was super excited to teach him and we did and it was a good lesson. He was not drunk and was speaking Ilokano this time, so I barely understood any of what he said. But the Spirit was strong as we testified of the Restoration of the Gospel through Joseph Smith and he is excited to keep learning.

THank you for all of your prayer for all of the missionaries around the world. We really do receive may blessings because  of your faith and prayer. This is the Lord's work. I ask you to do all that you can to help the missionaries where you live share the gospel and bring other to Christ. Mahal Kita. Kita Kits sa 21 months!

Elder RWood

Pictures 12/23/12

Christmas Letter (12/23/12)

Dear Friends and Family,

 

Merry Christmas. Now that it finally is almost Christmas. Here in the Philippines it is Christmas Eve, though I suppose that in the States it is still the 23rd. It is very weird not having a cold Christmas season. I've never had a December that I can remember when I was not wearing a jacket and gloves. Maybe during our three years in California, but I don't remember those years very well. It has actually been hotter here over the past week than in any other week so far. And when you are walking across rice fields from one barangay to another and there is no breeze and no shade it is HOT and that is an understatement. It is definitely not the same as Christmas in the US in the temporal things, but the Spirit is still the same. Since Christ is the center of Christmas that is one thing that will never change for me, the Spirit of Christmas. I have decided to study the New Testament and the Book of Mormon about the birth of Christ for the next few days. It is amazing to think that he came to Earth for us and that this season that we celebrate is only the beginning of the life of the greatest man who ever lived, our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful that he came to Earth and did all that he did for us, healing the sick, establishing his church and especially the Atonement. There is no greater gift that we can celebrate and receive than the Gift of Jesus Christ from our Heavenly Father.

 

I love walking past municipal hall here in Bacarra at night. there are lights, 3 nativity scenes, christmas music and it just feels ands is so bright and cheerful. After a long hard day it really lifts me up to walk past it and think about past Christmases and have my thoughts drawn to Christ. We had Christmas Mission Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday and it was great. WE had half of the mission during our sessions. I am including some pictures from it. I really felt the Spirit of Chtist strong as we did service at the Hospital and then went caroling and had a program and dinner. It was such a great experience. Tomorrow is the Ward Christmas activity and it is going to be quite the event.

 

Yesterday, Sunday, S, one of our investigators came to Church for the first time. He is the first person that we started teaching and while he has been a bit hesitant he is really starting to feel that this is the path that God would have him take. His brother is a member and really wants his family to be with him for eternity. S is very humble though he is a bit afraid of what the people in his church will think of him if he is baptized. But he is over coming those fears and he is definitely feeling the Spirit each time we teach and he wants to follow Christ. Our other investigators are doing well also and we are hoping to have a big week this week.

 

Thank you all for your prayers and your faith. I know that the Lord is pleased with all that you do as you are striving to follow Him. I encourage you to take the time this Christmas season and think about what Christ means to you and give to others. THere really is no greater gift htat what Heavenly Father has given us in His Son, Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas! Mahal Kita!

 

Elder RWood

A Trycy? Quick, fold yourself in the middle! (12/9/12)

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope that someone who understands the quote that is the title reads this letter. This week was great. We started teaching a new investigator this week, I. He is the nephew of one of the members of the ward who was baptized a few years ago and he is super excited about the Gospel. He is only 11, but he loves to read the Book of Mormon. When we first gave him one I wasn't sure if he would ever let go of it. He read all that we asked him to read and a little more between our lessons. We are going to invite him to be baptized this week. He attended Church with his uncle on Sunday. Our other investigators are doing well also. M and L are both getting ready for baptism, but neither was at church on Sunday. We have a few other investigators that we are hoping to commit to baptism by the end of the week. We invited one of our other investigators, S, on Thursday, but he is still unsure about the church and is afraid of what others in his church will say if he is baptized.

Did you all get to see the First Presidency Christmas Devotional? It was awesome wasn't it. If you didn't I encourage you to watch it on lds.org. I miss seeing Temple Square at Christmas time, but I'll have plenty of chances to see it is future years. I loved all three of the talks. I especially liked President Utchdorf's talk about being a gracious receiver. I have never really thought about that. We always get caught up in giving that I don't think we often consider how we receive the gifts that we are given, both from others here on Earth and from our Father in Heaven. I encourage all of you to take some time this season to think about that. And always remember what President Monson said about giving of ourselves. When we give of ourselves we give more than if we were to give anything else. That is what our Savior did for us. He gave of Himself completely and became the greatest Gift that Heavenly Father can offer us.

Merry Christmas to you all! I hope that you are all having a wonderful Christmas season and remember to think about the true meaning of Christmas. I may sound cliche in saying that, but it is true. Christ is the center of Christmas and the message of the Gospel and He should be at the center of our lives. I'll probably say something like this in every letter for the next few weeks. I really love this time of year, when everyone feels the Spirit of Christ greater and I pray that we can all carry that with us till next Christmas, Thank you for all your prayers and love. Mahal kita!

ElderRWood

Shaving+Thinking="Loathing" from Wicked? (11/30/12)

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been great! I have really felt the truth of the advise that President Hinckley's Father gave him, "Forget yourself and go to work". That is a great remedy for homesickness and lonelyness. And has it been easy to forget myself in the work. Elder O and I are both new to the area that we are serving in so we have had to work hard to get to know the area and the members in Bacarra. It is such a pretty area too. Lots of fields and in parts it's almost a jungle. We get some places using tricycles and jeepneys but mostly we walk which I think is awesome.

We have found a bunch of new investigators this week. We contacted two previous investigators. One, L, has been taking the lessons for a while and is married to a member. We went and taught them about the Restoration and invited her to be baptized on January 5. She accepted and on Sunday we talked to her husband. He holds the priesthood and wants to be worthy  and prepared to be the one to prefrom the baptism. We also contacted M, a nine year old in a part member family, who had a baptism date but it never happened. We reset her baptism for January 5 also. There was the Bac-Bacarra festival this week so it was a bit difficult to contact people on some days, but that did not hinder the work.

Finally, I want to share an experience of a referal that we recieved. We were teaching a member in Pasiocan, a very rural area and at the end we asked her for referrals. She thought for a bit then went inside to get a list of people in a club she was in. She came out and said she had thought of one, her daughter-in-law, who is not a member. We pullled out our planners to write down the information but she went inside. We were a bit confused until she came out with her daughter-in-law about twenty seconds later. We taught her the first lesson through Joseph Smith, invited her to pray to know if Joseph was a prophet and gave her a Book of Mormon. Referal recieved and contacted in about thirty seconds (fist pump!).

Thank you for all of your prayers and faith. You have all set such great examples for me and helped me a lot in preparing to serve the Lord. God be with you all till we meet again. Mahal Kita!

Sincerely,

ElderRWood

In Memory of Donald Hastings Wood (11/27/12)

*Side note* Elder RWood's grandfather passed away on Sunday, November 25. Grandpa had been very sick the last few years and Elder RWood knew Grandpa would not make it until RWood's return home. Grandpa and Grandma Wood also served in the Philippines back in the last '90s.
-ABice


Dear Family and Friends,
 SO I have officially been in the Philippines for five days and I love it here. In Manila, it didn't feel much different than parts of the US like California (except for the traffic. They are insane drivers here!) WE got to Manila on Wednesday morning and since we didn't fly to Laoag until the next morning, we got to go to the Manila Temple. It was a great experience. We arrived in Laoag Thursday morning and met the APs and President and Sister Barrientos. They are amazing, loving people. WE got to go out and place some Book of Mormons first thing after we arrived, which was tough but a great learning experience. WE had our interviews with President Barrientos and then had a Thanksgiving dinner which was amazing and very different from any thanksgiving I have had before. The next day we got our companions and areas. I am serving in the Bacarra area with Elder O. We are just a bit north of Laoag city. It is a very pretty area and the members are very helpful. In Five days I have had more foreign food that I have had in my entire life and I love Philippino food. The work is definitely not easy but is is very rewarding. I'm sorry if this email is not very long. I've discovered that I am not very fast or good at typing but I am going to get better (hopefully) and I am a bit overwhelmed with everything that has happened and I'm not entirely sure what all so say. I love the Philippino people and I have felt the had of the Lord in my life very much, both since I began my mission and since I have arrived in the Philippines. I know that He loves all of us and is watching over us. 
I'm going to miss you Grandpa Wood. Thank you for all that you have taught me, for your great example of missionary work and love. I know that you loved the people of the Philippines very much and you enjoyed your time serving them. We will meet again. 

Thank you all for your prayers and faith, not only for me but for all of the missionaries and their families. Thank you for all of your great examples and love. God be with you all!

More photos and SNOW (Utah snow)

I'm sorry I don't have names or captions for these pics...dork-fish didn't send any. ABice :)

Letter 11/13/12...He leaves MONDAY!!

Dear Pamilya at mga Kaibigan,

This last week has been amazing. Very possibly the best week yet here at the MTC. Being my last completely normal week I'm glad that it was so awesome. The awesomeness started with the Devotional on Tuesday. Elder Zwick of the Seventy and his wife spoke. The spoke about having our hearts in the right place and being a disciple of Christ. Elder Zwick told an amazing story about Elder Maxwell. It was an awesome Devotional.

 

On Wednesday we had our first Skype lesson. It was a bit nerve-racking but it turned out great. Elder B and I didn't have any Tech problems and were the only companionship that didn't. Out investigator is BJ. He lives in the Philippines around Manila. He doesn't have any specific religion but he has been very open to accepting the Gospel. He has a bunch of really good questions too, which as missionaries we love. His questions so far have been mostly about prophets. When we told him that there was a prophet on the Earth today, he asked if the prophet was Mitt Romney. We explained that Mitt Romney is not the prophet, that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet God has called to lead his Church at this time. He likes the idea that God still talks to us and has read a bit out of the Book of Mormon. We have taught him three times since Wednesday. Our other investigators are doing awesome as well. I haven't talked a bunch about them, but I have really come to care for all of those that I have taught. Some may take a bit longer to warm up to the gospel that others, but through the Spirit all people can come to know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and that His Church has been restored in these latter days.

 

We also hosted on Wednesday. That was a blast! It's crazy to think that nine weeks ago that was me stepping out of the car and looking completely lost. While it is a bit sad to see families break down completely, it is great to be able to reassure them that their sons and daughters will be taken care of and they are beginning the Lord's work. I don't think my family was in quite as bad of shape as some of the families that I saw. We get to host again Wednesday and this time we get to welcome almost 800 new missionaries. No missionaries come in on Thanksgiving and so two weeks worth arrive on one day. It'll be quite the day soon when the 19 yer old sisters begin to sweep the MTC. We may need a bigger one.

 

We got our flight plans on Thursday. We leave the MTC at 4:30 PM on Monday November 19. Our plane leaves Salt Lake at 8:30 and we arrive at LAX at 9:30 (I am taking into account time change). We leave form LAX for Hong Kong at 12:30 and arrive at Hong Kong around 7:30 on the 21st. Then we have a three hour flight to Manila and then a flight of unknown duration to Laoag. Luckily our entire district is together the entire time along with at least three other districts of missionaries. Time has flown so fast. I can't believe that I am already 9 weeks into my mission. If the time continues to move like this I'm going to be home in the blink of an eye. Scary thought! I haven't even left the MTC left.

 

So last quick note we got lots of snow last week. I sent some pictures and hopefully I will have more to send on my first P-Day in the Field. Thank you for all of your faith and prayers. Mahal kita!

 

Mahal

 

Elder Ryne Wood

He's been out for 7 weeks!! (11/6/12)

Dear Pamila at mga Kaibigan (friends),

This are starting to speed up here at the MTC. I'm so excited! We get out travel plans in about three days! I'm kind of stunned at how fast the time has flown. I was always told that the mission would fly by and has it ever here at the MTC. In two weeks I'll be in the Philippines at the mission home. Ah! I love it here at the MTC though and I'm sure I'll love it even more in the field.Yesterday my district found out that we get to host the new missionaries tomorrow. It's crazy to think that it is our turn to help introduce the new missionaries to the MTC when it feels like it was just a few weeks ago that I was a new missionary, but it has been about a month and a half, 7 weeks.

Tagalog has really picked up. Yesterday (Monday) during class, we covered about 8 or 9 different random Tagalog grammar principles and basic ideas and usage things. We did it mostly because there were only two companionships in the classroom for about half of class. The Skype lessons began yesterday, but Elder B and I don't teach until tomorrow. I'm so excited! Those that taught yesterday dais it went well aside from a few technical difficulties, but that is to be expected when communicating via the internet over the Pacific Ocean. I hope that this is something that the MTC administrators implement for as many missionaries as possible. This will be a great way to be introduced to the language as spoken by native speakers since not many of the teachers are native speakers. Stay tuned to hear more.

This past Sunday was Fast Sunday, and here at the MTC Fast Sundays are great! Fasting has come to have a whole new meaning for me as I need the Lord's help more and more as I am striving to teach His Gospel. I hope that you all took the chance to fast for something specific and show your faith. I know that the Lord will bless you with whatever it is that He knows you need, since what we think we need and what He knows we need are not always the same. Fast and testimony meeting was awesome. Since our branch is currently very small, about half of the missionaries got to share their testimonies. Everyone form my district did and that was amazing. We hadn't planned it or discussed it, but we each felt impressed to use this our last fast Sunday at the MTC to share our testimonies with our fellow missionaries.

I want to share a real quick story from teaching this week. Elder B and I teach R and he has been having trouble with reading the Book of Mormon. Over the past week, we have been trying to figure out what we can do to help him. During the workshop on Saturday, we talked about using the Book of Mormon and saw clips form Elder Hollands Devotional in February about it. Yesterday when we went and taught R, the Spirit was super strong and he has committed to really read and think about the Book of Mormon. I have come to have agreater love and understanding of the Book of Mormon while I have been at the MTC. It is our most powerful tool in conversion. It can answer any question because of the Spirit that it carries. It has answered many of my questions. I encourage you all to use it. Live by its precepts and you will draw closer to God. I've been working on using it more and it has been an awesome experience.

I've been a bit sick with a cold and cough, but the doctor prescribed me and antibiotic and a nasal spray and I'm feeling much better that I was earlier. I hop you are all safe and healthy and that you are turning to the Lord for help. He will help you. I can testify of that because he has helped me so much. Thank you for your letters and especially your prayers. Mahal Kita!

 

Elder RWood

Crazy P-Day!! (10/30/12)

Dear Family and Friends,

 

Today has been a crazy day. This week has been a crazy actually! What has made today so crazy is that we have had so much to do, way more than a normal P-Day. Elder B had to go to dermatologist at the Rivrewoods Medical area for a odd spot of skin on his knee. Turns out is was just a cut that is having trouble healing due to the dryness of Utah and became a bit infected. So we then went to a pharmacy and got some lotion the Doctor perscribed. The people there were super nice and even gave us each a free gormet cupcake. It's super weird being outside of the MTC grounds. Everyone says Hi and askes what mission your going to. Because of this we had about two less hours do the rest of our preparation and have been running around trying to get everything done before choir. It looks like all the essentials are going to get finished but I'll unfortunately have to put of some of the other things I wanted to do, but I'll find time to do them.

 

So our zone is now just two districts and we are now the "oldest" distrcit. I'm afraid I gave you some false information last week about new districts. We are getting one this week of seven missionaries, three sisters and four elders. That will still be only  25 missionaries in our district though, which compared to when we first arrived is barely anything. But that really doesn't change anything about the MTC experience except making it easier to get a shower. And there is only three weeks left for my district. We get our travle plans next Friday. AH! Time has flown by in here. It feels like I just barely got here when it almost time to leave.

 

So the devotional speaker last tuesday was Elder Larry Echo Hawk of the Seventy. He told us the story about his conversion and the first time that he really read the Book of Mormon.  It was awesome! I loved his talk in conference too, about how testimony can spurn any attack on the Church or the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith or Jesus Christ or anything.  One of the things that I have learned here at the MTC is how important it is to bear testimony. We need to live our lives as a testimony of Jesus Christ.  We also need to be converted to Christ, not simply have a testimony of Him or the church. Conversion is what provides for us to endure to the end.

 

So this week has been pretty good so far as teaching goes. We taught Ro on Friday and invited him to be baptized. He asked if he had to be baptized twice since he had been baptized as a baby in the Catholic church. We read parts of Moroni 8 with him and he seemed to understand. Whjn we invited him again, he said he wasn't making any promises but that he would think about it. When we visited M on Monday, he said that he hadn't beenable to attend church because his brother visited him on Sunday. We talked about his brother and he said that he has been sick for a while and he is worried about him. We talked about eternal families and asked if he would like for his brother to hear the gospel. He said he would and we are arragning to have missionaries meet with him. I think that this is really the biggest sign of how M is progressing. Now that he has felt the truth bless his life he wants his family to hear it too.

 

Sorry that is letter is so scattered. I'm still running at full speed to try and get everything done that I need to and my mind is a little frazzeled right now. I'm hoping the devotional will help bring me back to normal. I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and faith! Mahal Kita!

 

Elder RWood

 

"We need to offer salvation to those we teach, not simply share information with them." Elder D. Todd Christoffersen (Did I spell that right?)

Why do all the clocks show different times? (10/23/12)

Dear Family and friends,

Sorry to Mom and ABice that this email is not going to go directly to them as well as Dad. I'm typing this in the laundry room and I forgot the letter that has your emails.

So I have some exciting news. We found this out on Wednesday of last week, but I wanted to see if I could get more details before I told you. But I haven't so here it is. Bro. Stevenson who is over the Tagalog districts our our floor told us on Wednesday that our district has been selected to be a pilot district for a new idea that they are trying. Starting on November 5, we will be teaching lessons via Skype to people at the MTC in Manila in the Philippines. We were all so shocked that no one really said anything the entire time he was talking to us. He was also speaking in Tagalog so we were trying hard just to understand all he was telling us. We will be checking out laptops and teaching two or three times a week. We don;t know exactly who it is that we will be teaching or anything besides that fact that we will be doing it starting on November 5. I am so excited! To be able to talk to and teach native Philipinos and Tagalog speakers before we are there is going to be a great learning experience. We are all nervous of course and there is now a greater sense of urgency in our learning and teaching experience. This will probably replace our TRC teaching and possibly our other teaching, but we don"t know yet. I'm super excited and nervous and honored to be trusted with the piloting of this program.

In a week our branch/zone is going to be tiny. Three districts are leaving on Monday and Tuesday of next week and we won't get any more missionaries until the week before we go to the Philippines. So there will be a total of 18 missionaries for about three weeks. Chances of speaking in sacrament will go up by a bunch, which won't be a problem. I love sacrament meeting here at the MTC. Elder B and I were just called on Sunday to be the Sacrament coordinators, so it's up to us to prepare it and and ask people to bless and pass it and then we'll take it down. This Sunday was awesome. We saw Elder Bednar's devotional talk from 2009 called Recognizing the Spirit. He said that he is always asked how to know whether it is inspiration from the Spirit or just someones own thoughts. And the answer he always gives: Quit worrying about it! Be obedient, be a good boy or girl, work hard and have faith and the Lord will take care of us. He shared some stories form his life of experiences of not realizing something was a prompting till much later. Look up President Packers talk 20 Mark Note. I'm not sure If you will find it, but it is about one of these experiences.

I can't believe that I only have four weeks left here at the MTC. In just a few weeks I'll be getting travel plans and then heading to the Philippines! It's so crazy. I've learned so much but I still have tones that I need to learn. Time sure does work differently here in the MTC. Days last weeks and weeks last days. I love it here. the lord has answered so many of my prayers and I have felt the Spirit so strong. I have really come to love Elder B and all of the Elders in my zone. I doubt I would have been friends with any of them in high school, but here at the MTC they are my brothers. We have grown close as we have gone through tough times and good times. I'm so glad to count them among my close friends.

Thanks for all of your love and support. Thank you for your prayers for me and for all of the missionaries. The Lord hears them and answers them ins o many ways. I am grateful that the Lord has blessed me to have been among all of you that will read this email. God bless you as you seek and follow His will! Mahal Kita!

Mom and dad- thank you so much for your letters. THey really help give me strength. I love you so much! If i forgot to mention any thing, tell me so I cna make sure to tell you next week,
TWood- Congrats on getting to State! Sounds like it was a hard match, but you did your best!
A and MBice- Keep your heads up and turn to the Lord for help. Things will turn out.

Love,

Elder RWood
PS-All the MTC clocks are different!

Because It's Tagalog... (10/16/12)

Dear Family and Friends,

 

So quite a lot has happened this weeek. I'm glad to know that my emails finally made it through. I have no idea why they were having problems making it. According to my mom, i narrowly avoided a Howler. Guess two tetters and two emials make up for one missed email.

 

The right after I wrote my last email, we had the Tuesday Devotional. My entire district sings in the choir so we go at 5:15. While the choir was practicing, the tech people accidently flashed up the slide with the speaker on it. THe Devotional SPeaker was Elder Bednar! He gave a great talk about how to get the most out of conference talks by finding the doctrine, invitations and promised blessings in each talk. Definitely something that I recommend doing. During our Sunday fireside (sorry for jumping ahead) we found out some new exciting changes for missionary work. One is that come January, all MTC stays will be shortened by a third, starting with the language missionaries then the native speaker missionaries. So English speaking missionaries who know English will only be at the MTC for two weeks! Tagalog will be a six week program. The other is that they are beginning a new 12 week infield training program for missionaries who will be going into the field soon, This training will prepare the missionaries to be called upon to train the large influx of new missionaries that the Church is expecting around February. That means I could be a trainer after being out for only three months. Crazy thought!

 

This week has been an awesome week spritually. Elder B and I have still been teaching R and M and they are making wonderful progress. R has agreed to read the Book of Mormon and include his family in the reading. That was a great lesson when we invited him to do that, it was not what we expected to teach. M finally prayed with us, after he overcame his fears of being too unworthy and unimportant to pray. When he said the prayer, it was one of the most heart felt, genuine prayers I have ever felt. The spirit was so strong,. We had a great time in the TRC talking  about prayer. Teaching in Tagalog is getting to be much easier, but we still have so much to learn. And we have only five weeks left! So the title of this email comes from the answer Bro. Pearce and Bro. Mauzy give us somethimes when there is no explanation for why something is in Tagalog. We have basically just accepted it and now we use it alot.

 

Sunday for the film, elder B and I went and watched The Mountain of the Lord. When it was over I was ready to go to the Philippines. I wanted to get on a plane that night and go start to preach the gospel in Laoag. I was so excited about this work. I still am! I love the opportunity that I have to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in Philippines. I have been so blessed to have the Lords help as I have been preparing. I has not been easy, especially not this last week, but the Lord has provided the way for me. I am where he wants me to be and that he has been watching over me.

 

I'm still trying to decide a scripture for my plaque, but if the picture needs to be from the Philippines I have some time! Congratulations to my brother Tyler and his double partner for making it to the State tournament for Tennis! First ones ever apparently. Thanks for all of your letters and espedcially for all of your prayers on my behalf and the behalf of all of the missionaries. The Lord hears every prayer for his servants and answers them in amazing ways. I love the Book of Mormon. We started the Revelation through the Book of Mormon fundamental and the entire distcirt was about ready to get on a plane for the Philippines by the middle of the lesson. I know that it is the keystone of this Church that it contains all that we need to know about the gospel and the plan of salvation (D&C 20). Read it! Everyday! Make this gospel more than just a testimony or something that feels good. MAke it a life style! I love you all and pray that the Lord will bless you!

 

Elder RWood

October 10, 2012

Dear Pamilya and Friends

Was conference great or what!? When President Monson announced the age change for missionaries the gym of the MTC exploded with sound. It was incredible. THe Spirtit was so strong during all of conference but especially during that first address by President Monson. I actually teared up the Spirit was so strong. I know that he is a prophet of God and that the work of God is moving forward unhindered in the Lord's eyes. And there must be a big event on the horizon since the Lord is calling all of His soldiers in the fight for the salvation of the souls of His children. I hope that the rest of conference was as powerful for you as it was for me. I went in with a ton of questions and by the end of the first session all of them had been answered. By the end of the last seesion all of the questions I had had been answered ten times over. I hope it went the same for all of you. One of the things that really helped me this conference was to ask myself for every talk, Lord is it I? I found that when i go into every talk with that general question in mond, the answer for every talk is a resounding YES. The age change was still the most amazing thing though. And I'll always remember it since I was in the MTC when it happened. I can't wait to get the chance to train some 18 year old missionaries fresh out of high school and ready to serve the Lord. I have already heard and seen how the change is blessing the lives of those I know, and even those that I have no clue who they are. We had a temple walk between the afternoon session on Saturday and the preisthood session. At the intersection outside the MTC a car that drove by had a girl in it who when she saw us on the corner leaned out and yelled "I'm going in at 19!" For all thos for who this was an answer to prayer, thank Heavenly Father fervently. Follow the promptings that he gave you this conference. Personally I really liked Elder Holland, Elder Bednar and Elder Echo Hawks' talks.

We had our fireside sunday night and guess who was the speaker. Chad Lewis! Crazy huh? He shared some awesome stories about sharing the gospel through his career and his contact with others like Teddy Bruschky(?) and the Wounded Warriors group that he hiked Mt Kilamanjaro with last year. He has a very strong testimony and really knows and loves the Lord. After the fireside Pres. B selected about twenty missionaries to be able to meet with Chad Lewis for a few minutes. Unfortunately I was near the back so no such luck on that one. I'm gal dthat I didn't because I instead got to see Elder Bednars talk here at the MTC last christmas, called The Character of Christ. I don;t know how many of you have heard of or seen it but it is amazing. Look for it and if you find it watch it. It is very deep and moving. IT really puts a new perspctive on the life of Christ and his role as our savior and exemplar. When in the most troubled of times and throughout all of his life, when the natural man would have turned in with self pity, pride of selfishness, Christ always turned out in selfless love and service. It is quite the address.

I'm sorry about last weeks emial not getting through. Hopefully it made it this time and the pictures made it alright. The eldest of the Elders that were here when we arrived just left yesterday and today. Thankfully, ten of them are going to Laoag. But i'll still mis them for the nect six weeks and those that are going else where. They have been such great examples for me and my district. I can't believe that my time here at the MTC is a third gone. In three weeks I'll be one of the elder Elders in our zone. It's crazy!

Congrats to my little bro TWood on his top rank in tennis regionals. Good luck bro! Thank you to everyone for your letters prayers and thoughts. I love to hear news about how you are doing and want to know how life is going for you. I know that the Lord is watching over all of us and knows what is best for us. If we will ask and seek to find out his will he will give us patnubay (guidance). I love you all and pray that God be with you till we meet again.

Mom/Dad- could you also send me my Philipines shirt? Thanks for your letters and love. I love you.

Love

Elder RWood.

MTC Pics (Provo Temple)

Elder B and Elder O

Elder RWood and Comps

District

Me and Comps

October 2, 2012

Dear Pamilya and Friends,

This week flew by! I can't believe that it is P day already. This week has gone well, there is always so much to do here and it feels like there is not enough time to do it all. With classes, meetings, study and everything else that they have to do, it's all work and play roled into one.

So I forgot to mention last week about our investigator. We began teaching him the Friday that we arrived here at the MTC. His name is R and is from the Philippines. His wife is an inactive member and he wanted to know more about the church to get along with her better. It was rough at first because we could barely speak the language and had a really hard time understanding what he was saying. But we relied on the spririt and visited with him five times, teaching five lessons. The last lesson he accepted the invitation to be baptized. But, he is actually one of our teachers. It was a great experience teaching him though. even though we found out he was our teacher early on accident, it was still easy to think of him as R and love him and pray for him. We now have two new investigators, M and Ro and we can't wait to begin teaching them.

Tagalog is going really well. I have learned more in two weeks than I imagined that I could. It is coming so fast thanks to the Lord. He has truely blessed me with an outpouring of his spirit and I have been able to see the blessings that it has brought to my life. It is definitly not an easy language to learn though, with all the ng, angs, and other crazy things. I have found that in many ways it is an easier language than english. It just makes more sense, even if a single letter a is the difference betweenthe sentences: the people killed Jesus and Jesus killed the people.

I have also learned a tonabout the gospel during my time here. I love having devotionals and firesides twice a week. This week we also got to watch elder Holland's talk "Missions are Eternal". It is amazing. the spirit was so strong. I motivated me to want to be a better missionary. And speaking of elder Holland, General conference is this weekend! I encourage all of you to have a question or two inmind as you watch. Watch all of the sessions that you can and i know the Lord will answer your prayers. He has answered mine.

So some fun stories from my time here. First is that the best meal I get is breakfast at the temple on p-days. It is celestial, as the elder elders call it. Another fun story happened yesterday in the book store. i was buying some suppies for class and something went crazy when the cashier scanned one of my items. The total ended up at almost $14000. The look on his face was priceless and everyone in line had a great laugh.

Thank you for keeping me so well updated on things that are going on. I love to hear from everyone. I may not respond fast or at all, but I will keep you in my prayers and I pray for the blessings of the Lord upon all of you. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts on my behalf. I have felt them in my life and the Lord is answering them

 

Dad- Keep the scores coming.

Love, Elder Wood

Obedience brings blessings. Exact obedience brings miracles. -Sis. wendy Nelson

Photos from Temple Square and Drop Off Day

Salt Lake Temple

Family at Temple Square

He's in the Lord's hands for the next two years

Good-bye hug from Grandma

Grandma and Grandpa

Goofy, excited smile

Mom and dad

Momma

Older sister

Dad

Off on his Best Two Years :)

First letter! (9/25/12)

Dear Family and Friends,

Sorry about that email. I'm not sure what happened there. I must have hit a button or something that sent that. Since I'm still working on how best to do emails and I forgot the email that Dad told me to email to (sorry Dad), most likely not all of my letters will be like this.

 I hope that all is going well for everyone. Thank you all for the letters that I have received so far. If you don't get a letter back from me as soon as you would like I'm really sorry. There is so much to do here and it feels like there is so little time in which to do it. My P-Day is on Tuesday, so that is when I will be writing and sending most of my mail and emails.

 They really don't waste a second here at the MTC. From the time I walked away from the car with my escort and luggage my training had begun. I got my nametags, book and materials, dropped off my luggage and went to the first class. The teacher spoke only in Tagalog and no one in my district had any idea what the teacher was saying most of the time. There are nine elders in my district and guess what, we are all going to Laoag! President Smith, our branch president said that that is a rare occurrence and none of the other districts in our zone are like that. I am in a threesome companionship, which so far is much different that what the normal companionships seem like. My companions are Elder O and Elder B. Elder B is from Orange County  in Southern California and is 100% Navajo. He is really cool and super spiritual. Elder O is great too. He loves to share his testimony and always has a story or comment for everything. I love both of them. They have helped me grow a ton just in the week that I have been here. We have great Zone Leaders as well in Elder Bham (any relation to Uncle G?) and Elder H, who is from New Zealand. Or branch Presidency is great also, with President S, Brother H and Brother G. Brother H actually was missionary that helped open up areas of the Philippines. Brother G is no longer in our branch though. He and his wife just got their call to serve in the Alpine Germany Mission. I love all of my leaders and all that they do for me.

 Tagalog is tough, not going to lie. I've learned a lot since I've arrived, more than I had expected but I still have lots and lots to learn. Brother P who is our teacher is amazing and does a great job of helping us learn. He speaks only in tagalog unless there is something that is super important, when he switches to English. Most of the time I can get the basic gist of what he is saying. My Taglish is pretty good but I want my Tagalog to exceed my Taglish. It's mostly vocab and phrase memorizing right now. We haven't got to the grammar except for a quick over view. It is exactly the opposite of the way we structure in English.

This computer really hates me. We had a great experience at the end of our temple walk on Sunday. As we we're coming away from the temple parking lot a couple was walking up with their three year old daughter. When the girl saw the group of us, she ran up to us and looking at us with the biggest mile I've ever seen on a child said "Hi missionaries". We all said hi back and felt so good. It is truly amazing how she knew exactly who and what we were. That really made me realizes that the time is at hand when the Lord wants my heart mind, might and strength in serving him.

 I'm about out of time, so I hope that everything is going well for everyone. I hope to hear from you all in the future. Thank you for your prayers. I have felt the strength of your faith in the blessing the lord has poured out upon me. I know that this church is true, that Joseph Smith was a prophet and the Jesus Christ is my savior. This is his church and work. He loves each of us more than we know or comprehend. I love you all and hope for the best for all of you.

Love,

Elder Wood