I smell a new car!!

So this week Sister Kemp and I got a brand new car! We are driving a 2014 Ford Fusion. We call it the great white. Because it is great, it is white, and it looks like a shark. So it works! It is such a smooth ride! Ok, now that I have said that it is going to break down. Worldly! Oops.

Anyway, California is in the middle of a drought. One of the Seventy has asked that everyone is the state fast for rain, so I will be fasting with all of my family this week. That was cool for me to think about. I am not allowed to ask my family to fast for things out here but hey they live here so they will already be doing that! 

This week has been eventful! We got 5 new investigators who I am so stoked about! I will write more about them in a few. I also cut my first pineapple. I know lame huh? I am 21 years old and I just learned how to cut up a pineapple. Haha! What a loser! Anyway, don't worry I am pretty much pro at it now and it was delicious!

Ok, serious stuff now. Did I ever tell you people about Ernesto? I hope so because he was a total miracle from the start! Well he went off to LA and told us that he would refer himself the missionaries because he wanted to get baptized. I lost contact with him and yesterday he showed up to church!! He went to the other ward but that is ok! Those sisters were able to have a great lesson with him and he still wants to be baptized! I am so excited for him! I just want him to be a member already! He has changed so much just since we have first met him. 

This week we met this girl, who I am very excited about! She answered the door and told us that other missionaries from different faiths like to come because she and her brother will listen and like to hear what other people believe. We taught her about the restoration there and she followed everything so well! At the end she told us that out of any other religion that she has hear our makes the most sense and that she loved how we know everyone has a piece of the truth but there was originally one church and that it would make sense now to only have one true church. She invited us back and we are so excited to teach her more. She has been prepared to hear this message.
I have found that I love teaching children. I am pretty sure I have told you this before but it never ceases to amaze me how in tune little children are with the Spirit. They are so receptive and acknowledge the fact that they feel good when we teach them and they are so willing to keep the commitments and find out for themselves! Sister Ardnt and I talked to a couple of young boys a few weeks ago but it was dark and we didn't want their parents to get mad at us because we were two strangers walking around talking to their kids at night, so we quickly declared to them and asked if we could come back. We talked about how our families can live together forever and one of the boys Tyler loved the idea! He started giggling and told us he was excited that we were telling him this stuff. We told him we would come back some time in the middle of the day and we said our goodbyes. Sister Kemp and I went back yesterday and knocked on his door. I don't think I have ever felt so welcomed by anyone. He opened the door and said "hi!" Then he did a double take and excitedly exclaimed "Oh hey!" We asked him if we could talk to his family and when would be a good time. His dad then came to the door and asked what we wanted. He quickly told us he was not interested at all and said goodbye. I wanted to cry. Not because he wasn't interested, although that is sad, but because Tyler could feel the spirit as we testified to him that night and he wanted to learn more. I have been praying that he will be able to find missionaries again some day when he is older so he can come to find the truth for himself.One day.

Angelina, Melissa, and Kailin are doing well! They love having us come over and Kaitlin is loving young womens! 

Lydia is still going strong and loving the church! We have been over a few times to see her and it is incredible how much faith she has.

So, sorry this is so short, but I am out of time. I will continue with the stories next week! Have a fantastic week and remember who you are! I love you all!

Sister Skeeter

Week of 01/20/14

This week has been weird for me getting used to a new companion. It's funny, because all of the sisters that came out with me have had a different companion both transfers and I have just had the one. When Sister Kemp got here I really had to adjust things to fit the both of us and not expect it to be the exact same as the last two transfers. It has been interesting for me to see how different missionaries do things and how we can still be obedient by doing things a little differently. I keep thinking about Mom and Dad always making fun of me while I did my homework because to me, the teacher's way is the only way. Guess I haven't learned my lesson because when Sister Kemp asks if we can do things a little differently I immediately want to say "no." I assume it isn't as obedient as the way Sister Ardnt and I did things and that our way is the only way. Wrong! Don't worry though, I am loosening up a little bit. Slowly but surely I will learn to love change. It is also hard to imagine though that anyone could be as obedient as Sister Ardnt. She is very strict.
  I can already see that this is going to be a real growing transfer for me, however I am excited to see how it goes! It has been fun to have someone who was in the MTC with me. We get along really well and we have had a few people comment on two red-heads working the area. Watch our  4th ward!
The work in this area has been progressing really well! We taught our referral Hannah on Tuesday and it was such a great lesson! The spirit was so strong. Right before we got started on the lesson her boyfriend walked in and said he wanted to listen to the lesson as well. We gladly invited him in and honestly I expected him to just sit there and make fun of us. As we taught, the spirit was so strong! When I got done reciting the first vision we stopped and asked the two how they were feeling. Hannah responded that she felt security and that she felt really good. Chad, her boyfriend, said excitedly that he felt joyous and like he didn't have to worry about all of the junk that was happening in his life. I was elated to here this! I love when the people we teach can feel the spirit so strong! We explained that it was the holy ghost giving them those feelings and that He was testifying to them that what we were saying was true. We went on with the lesson and after we committed them to read the introduction to the Book of Mormon and the first chapter. As we walked out the door Chad turned to us and said "We will start reading tonight and I will make sure she reads as well!" referring to Hannah. I again doubted them, as to if they would remember our next lesson. Last night however we had another surprise. We went over to the house to teach the little girls Kaitlin and Melissa and as we were leaving Chad was there again. He was outside on his skateboard smoking. doubt sank in again but he yelled to us saying, "Hey! I will see you on Tuesday!" We told him we would be there and that he should bring any questions he had so that we could help him. He replied "I have been reading and don't worry I have questions." He then pulled the Book of Mormon out of his pocket and told us that he had brought it everywhere with him. Sean who lives in this home agreed to that and told us it was Chad's new travel companion. We are so excited to have the opportunity to teach these two children of God. I should not have doubted them in the beginning. I am looking forward to Tuesday and will be preparing with a lot of prayer and scripture study so that I can invite the spirit in this next lesson and help them progress even more.
As for our recent converts, Cheryl is finally making an effort to come to church which is so great! She came yesterday along with Lydia. We have started the new member lessons with both now and are in the process of handing them over to the ward. So far they both have great home teachers who are making sure that the lessons are done and that they are being fellowshipped. I love that the ward has been so great about introducing themselves and making sure that the new members are comfortable in the ward. I know with this ward that I don't have to worry about Lydia and Cheryl getting left behind. They are in good hands.
Those were some of my favorite moments from this week. Sister Kemp and I are still trying to figure out how to best work in unity, but I guess that is how it is the whole transfer; always improving out teaching and working on being better servants of the Lord. I am excited for the progress this area is making and I am so glad that I am still here for at least another transfer!
So, I got an email from Sadie today, let me just say; I was so excited to hear from her! As I wrote her I thought about an experience I had this week during studies. This is the story I told her and I wanted to tell you as well;
Every single time I make a plan to do something He quickly turns me around (even when I am trying to turn back) and shows me a happier way to live. There is a scripture in Genesis 19 and it is the Lord talking to Lot and his wife. He tells them "escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in the plain." As I read that I thought about myself and how I need to stop looking back and stop lingering in the same spot. I need to move forward and progress to higher grounds. Let me tell you, that has made ALL of the difference. The adversary wants us to be unhappy and if he can get us to focus on the negative we will stay on the plain and lose our lives. I am excited for the change this transfer will bring and I can't wait to hear from you all! I love you!

Sister Skeeter

If I had a dog I Would Name it Sally

If I had a dog I would name it Sally,

Ok that is a lie. First off, this is a note to my future husband. Whoever he may be and where ever he may be. I will NOT...EVER have an animal in my home. :) Let me just say, I didn't like animals before I got here but having all of these stinky, nasty....things throwing up during lessons, jumping on me, and sneezing on my feet has really made me dislike them even more. They are disgusting....so sorry future husband! Hope you don't like animals!

Ok on to the real stuff now. We were stuck inside this entire week so we don't have much new to talk about. Sister Arndt was sick so I did a lot of studying and thinking. It was weird not going out at all. 

Lydia is doing so great! Her baptism is this Saturday! Wahoo! I want you guys to meet her. She is probably the sweetest lady in the whole world and all she wants to do is serve the Lord. We asked her why she like the church so much and she said "I just feel at peace with it. I know it is the only true one and I don't feel like I have to go out searching anymore." Yep, that is our investigator...or the Lord's :) We can share.

Oh, this story is for my mom. Incase you were wondering we live in the ghetto. I forgot to tell you that one day while we were out tracting we heard gunshots and then saw an ambulance drive up. Yep, that happened. And one day we were in an area we call "Big Mexico" (we have a "little mexico" too) and we saw a bunch of sketchy looking guys go into an ally way. A few minutes later we heard gunshots, and a few minutes after that they dispersed. That is the kind of area I am in. Fun huh? Got to love the crazy things that happen on a mish! Uhm so I can't think of anything else that needs to be said. I know the second I get off the computer though I will remember plenty of things to tell everyone. 

Oh, I got a funny sweater the other day...I love it :) I didn't buy it, Jamie got it for me for Christmas, it says "Red Hair, Don't Care #gingerproblems" hahaha Yep! That is me!

Question; is anyone taking care of bamboo plant? I want that alive when I get home! :)

Ok, I can't think of anything else. Sorry this one is so short! More stories to come next week! Love you all! Thank you for the support you give!

Love,
Sister Skeeter." 

I Should Just Change My Name

So you would think that with my name plastered on my clothes that people would get my name right. NOPE! I am still Sister Wood(). No 's'. Maybe I should just legally change my last name so that people can get it right. But then I think about it and with my luck people would start calling me Sister Woods finally and still get it wrong. The challenges of having an easy last name....

Ok, on to the work, this is the letter I wrote to my president this week but it works for this so I am just making things easy and copying and pasting :)
President Castro,
This week I feel like I have learned a lot in my personal studies! The thing that sticks out most in my mind right now is being exactly obedient to the Lord. Not even just while I am on my mission but throughout the rest of my life. Being out here has really taught me the importance of following the commandments so I can follow the example of the Savior and ensure that I am protected from the adversary. Today I was reading in 3 Nephi 27 and in one of the verses the Savior is telling the people to follow what he has done and do what He does. A lot of people who are and are not members don't realize that that entails following Him exactly. He told those people as well as us to do as He did, not to pick and choose what parts of His life we wanted to follow.
On Tuesday last week Sister Arndt and I were studying and we opened preach my gospel to Ask Questions and we studied the personal/companion study. As we looked at it we were really confused as to what it was asking and we tried to think of questions that applied to the situation. We realized that that is something both of us struggle with. We got to talking and we had the thought that Elder Kleiman would call us and ask us to do an ed-pep on that for district meeting. We were right. I am grateful that we get to do that now because this provides an opportunity to really focus on that part of our teaching and help us learn how to ask better questions.
I have also really been noticing correlations between the Book of Mormon and the Bible this past week. We did our Christmas message on 3 Nephi 1 and Helaman 14 which talks about the signs of Christ's birth. We then related it back to the Bible and the start that appeared for the Wise Men. Since then I have really been able to see how the two books really do work together and support what the other is saying. It has been a real blessing to me because before I knew they worked together but I had no specific examples to show it. As I have been studying I have been able to see specific examples and it has really strengthened my testimony of the two.
At church on Sunday I made a realization that I am so happy about. Before I came out on my mission I kind of dreaded going to church. I liked Relief Society because I could always feel the spirit there but the rest was just boring to me. Since coming out on my mission I have been able to see the importance of church attendance and I have a real desire to go to church and pay attention to the things that are being said. I learn something knew each week and I really appreciate the Sacrament so much more now. I recognize that we decided how sacred that ordinance is and I realize now that that is a time for me to focus on the Savior and to think about how the atonement has blessed my life and how I can more fully use it. I love church and it makes it easier for me to testify of it now to investigators because I have that appreciation.
I have also come to love the scriptures so much more while I am out. I see why RM's are always talking about how they want to keep reading each day for an hour and how they want to do it early in the morning as well. I see the need to be reading the scriptures in depth each day and the blessings that it brings. I understand now that if we are not doing our scripture study we are much more prone to falling into the hands of Satan. Today while I was studying I read 3 Nephi18:25 and again it was the Savior talking to the people commanding them to pray so they don't fall into temptation. It dawned on my then how it is possible to fall away just from not doing the simple things. Prayer is one thing we do to protect ourselves from temptation. When we are not praying we are opening ourselves up to that power and we can quickly slip.
Those are my favorite things that I learned from my studies this week. I love personal study time. It is my personal time with the Savior to learn and grow.
Now, on to the work. Things in the 4th ward area are going really well. Makayla is such an incredible person. She was asked to give the young women lesson this Sunday so we helped her prepare the lesson. She showed us the topic and it was "What is Zion?" We had no idea how to turn that into a lesson. She told us that she was able to choose her topic and that she wanted that one because she knew nothing about it. She wanted to do a lesson that she could learn something from and not just take the easy way out. I don't even think a lot of members would do that these days. I am blown away by her and her willingness to come unto the Savior.
Lydia is doing well also. Her son was in town this week and she said that he doesn't support her baptism right now. She says he doesn't quite understand why she does it but she still knows that it is what is best for her and she still wants to move forward. She is very excited about her baptism and her testimony is growing each day.
President, I don't know how Sister Arndt and I were so lucky to have such great investigators but we do and we pray each day that we can take care of them how He would want us to and to our best ability. I am grateful that I am out here serving a mission for Him.
Sister Woods

I have loved being able to be out here learning all that I am. Talk about a whole world of things to discover! I don't get why that scares people so much! I look forward to learning new things and others say that they don't like that they can't know everything. That is the best part of life: learning!! Oh well, I just do what I can to teach them and if it is too much then it isn't their time I guess. Ok I need to get writing some other emails. I love you all and I hope the holidays have been great for you!

Love, Sister Skeeter.