March 25, 2013
Dear Family:
Alright alright alright! This week has definitely been a
little more exciting week than the last few. I’ll start with your last letter
though. Dad tell me a little more about being the bishop, how is it? How do you
feel about it? Did Dad or Brett get anything cool for their B-days? So should I
try and figure out how to get a kenelog shot soon? Or should I wait until
the year mark? I might just try and go without cuz I don't think my allergies
will be as bad here and I don't want to get immune to the shot. That and I
think it might be kind of a big hassle to get to the doctor and stuff on the
mission. I love the recycled letters Lisa is using on me haha. I think it’s
funny. Lisa when you told me you were going to buz Ronny's hair I thought you meant
cut it short! Not shave it! Ronny I think you should bic it, like as in shave
it with a razor and see how it is. Does your head get pretty cold? I'm loving
your new board Ronny, I can't decide if I like the new one or mine better. I
think I like the bottom of mine better but I don't really like the binding side
of mine as much. I love the pics of my niece and nephews. Briggs already looks
so different! I don't really know how I feel about Bryant's cross dressing
picture though. Brett and Jason, what did you guys do for spring break? Did the
family do anything fun?
Ronny asked in my last letter some questions I am going to
answer real quick. How I feel about the mission and stuff. I am really liking
it. Sometimes it can get frustrating but that’s just life. I miss being normal
sometimes, but I have the chance to do something that will change people’s
lives and I love that. I think I would enjoy it a lot less if I was with a hard
companion, and I do not look forward to that day. Is it hard? Yes it is hard, I
get up at 5:45 every day and go nonstop until 10:30, when I fall asleep but I
enjoy it anyways. It has been nice as of late because we have been doing more
teaching than finding. And no, it is not at all how I thought it was going to
be. I think it is a lot like going to the temple, you never know what it is
going to be like until you get there.
I'm not bugging you about it but my glasses haven't got here
yet (cuz E. Jessup gave me his sunglasses because he doesn't want tan
lines haha) I just don't really like wearing aviators on a bike cuz I’m afraid
the giant things are going to jump off my face. I just am letting you know in
case they got lost in the mail or something.
It has been really warm here, but this last week wasn't as
bad as the last. Honestly I would compare March here to July or end of June at
home. It’s hot in the day and not cold enough in the morning to justify wearing
a hoodie on our run to the gym. I don't know how well I will deal with the
heat. I am kinda jealous of you guys snowboarding haha. Is there any snow at
the house or is it just up in the mountains?
Monday was good, we went to a members house where we all go
and play pool. I suck at pool haha. Before that was basketball and e-mailing. I
am excited for the day I’m not in Hemet and there is actually something cool to
do on p-day and not just play ball ha. Then we had a lesson or two that night.
Tuesday we had some good lessons. Our first one was with
Robert Bailey Russel. He is this black Baptist preacher that got converted to
being LDS a few years ago. I think we learned more than we taught haha. He is
having a hard time getting to church cuz he just got his back messed up so they
asked us to go see him. We also taught this neat lady named Fantasia, she used
to like be super devoted to the Catholics and did the whole exorcist
things I guess haha. She’s kinda crazy. Then my companion and I went on team
ups and I taught this old guy from Germany. Sometimes it is really hard to
understand what he is saying. He is the classic eternal investigator. He has
been going to church for like 6 years but will never get baptized. I mostly was
there because he needed me to lift and move a TV for him and his wife.
Wednesday we had a lesson with our golden investigator
Susan. She is the one that showed up to stake conference just to check
out the church one day and got found because the member from the 70
asked people investigating the church to stand up and he talked directly to
them and so some of the missionaries went and talked to her and she is in our
area. She actually lives right next to the church. She is really educated. Has
a couple of degrees. She used to teach English as a second language and knows a
few other languages. We taught her lesson 3 or the doctrine of Jesus Christ
(basically faith, repentance, baptism, holy ghost, endure to the end). We
basically didn't even have to teach her. We would ask her about the subject and
she would tell us about it spot on and we would just clarify a few things. She
has a lot of faith and already had some really good experiences with feeling
the spirit and being directed by it.
Thursday I went to Riverside. We had a trainer/trainee
meeting at the mission home. That was really good. It was cool to get to see
some of my old friends. The meeting was ok, until Pres and Sister Smart got up
and then it got mind blowing! Pres is super inspired and directed by the
spirit. He would teach us a bunch of awesome stuff and then a question would
pop into my mind that was specific to me and nobody else in the room and then
in the next sentence or two he would directly answer my question and I would
just be like wow... mind blown... Then we sang Hope of Israel and I had a new
meaning of that song come to me which is pretty awesome. I felt the spirit
really strong during it and was trying not to cry. It kinda sucked though
because even though I was closer to the back I was stuck out from the side in
the isle and in the direct line of sight of Pres and he was watching me
the whole time. Then I just got to spend more time with my friends and then we
headed back.
Friday was pretty slow at first. We were just out visiting a
few people when we had miracle happen. We were biking and this kid at a door is
like "Hey Elders!" So we go talk to him. His name is Jeremy. He
is our age and is working for Vivint going door to door selling it. He is a
member and so we are just chillling and we were giving him some advice about
knocking doors cuz he is just getting started. While we did this some lady
across the street yelled hey missionaries come here! So we went and talked to
her. She is a care taker for an old lady that lives on the street but was doing
some work for the old ladies son that lives a few doors down from his mom. His
name is Steven. He wasn't there but she wanted us to come back and talk to
Steven when he is there cuz he has some questions for us. After dinner we biked
back down there and met him. When we sat down he is just like, " Well boys
I think I want to be baptized into your church so tell me the steps I need to
take to do that" I had never had that happen before. So we taught him what
he needs to do and we hope he does. He seems super solid. He is smart too. He
was an English teacher.
Saturday wasn't too eventful and I am over time.
Sunday was super stressful at church because we had like 5
investigators there. One of them who is Kenny is super critical of the church
and I forgot to tell you about him. I will have to in the next letter. Anyways
it kinda sucked cuz the speakers kinda sucked, they came to my and E.
Allen’s class gospel principals we didn't get to read through before we taught
it. Elders Quorum was a mess cuz they had Chase Seeley’s twin teach it and now
I think Kenny thinks we are all crazy. Then E. Allen went with Sam to Ukipa to
a baptism and I went with my buddy Christian and went and taught some peeps but
not too eventful
I'm getting kinda over time and that was pretty much my week. My week was awesome, probably the best one I have had.
Also this week is transfers (we only had 5 weeks in this one
so they could get on track with the MTC) Elder Jessup is leaving to Murrieta
which I am kinda sad about but it’s ok. His comp is training so I hope he is a
cool kid. Jeff Cooper’s cousin is leaving too. We are getting like 3 new
greenies. This one sister that came in with me has to train because how many
sister missionaries we are getting. Which is crazy because the training program
we are supposed to go through is 12 weeks so she hasn't even gotten half way
through it yet. I'm just glad I don't have to do that yet cuz it would be a
train wreck ha. Alright got to go.
Love you bye!
Elder Wood
P.S. that’s definitely the longest letter I have written on
my mission, maybe ever.
P.S.S. I forgot, anything people would have sent from last Wednesday
to this Wednesday will get held in the office because of transfers and they do
a good job of not sending the wrong mail the wrong people.
P.S.S.S. remember to always use my first name cuz I just
found out there is another E. Wood in the mission because he just sent me a
letter I got from one of the kids I was in the MTC with haha
