April 14 - Favorite Conference!

So, this week was pretty good!  Actually it was awesome!  We got to watch Conference this week on Saturday and Sunday!  And we got to watch it in English!  Or at least we got to watch some of it in English, and listen to the rest of it in English.  The internet here is too slow to stream it, and too slow to download it all, too, so we got some video, but then we had to revert to just streaming audio because video was too slow.  But the audio was kind of cool, too, because then we could read along with the text as the speaker read the talk, and it helped to better understand.  But Conference was awesome!  I definitely got more out of this conference than I have out of any  Conference before.  I wish I had been better at actually paying attention and trying to get something out of Conference before, becuase it truly is amazing and has so much strength and counsel for each of us individually.  I mean, I guess that would make sense, seeing as it is the Word of God given directly to us...that puts a new perspective on it for me.  But I can tell you that my questions were all answered very clearly, and I can't wait to read and review all the talks!  (Will you send me an English Conference Ensign when they come out?  Last conference we never got the English version here... Thanks!)

I will share some of my favorite thoughts from this conference.  And sorry, I will not quote things very well and will probably leave a few things out, because I forgot to bring my study journal with me today with my notes in it.   But, to me, one of the most powerful messages of Conference was Elder Packer's talk.  He is interesting, because he rarely talks about anything other than the Savior and the Atonement.  And this year was no different.  But his closing testimony was so powerful.  When he read Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon's testimony "That He lives!" and then said that their words are his works, and he said "I know Him" was one of the most spiritually powerful moments of Conference to me, because the Spirit came like a wall and confirmed his words, and testified that they were true!  He lives, and I know it!

I also really liked President Monson's talk about not worrying about what the world thinks.  "We must do what is right, because it is what is right!"  We need to be courteous to others, but we need to stand for what we believe.  I loved one of his closing lines that went something like, "It is impossible to stand firm if we are rooted in the shifting sands of popular opinion and public approval."  Well, that's dropping a bomb!  It was powerful, and so relevant to each of us!  And it reminded me of his quote from last conference that says, "Dare to be a Mormon, Dare to be alone, Dare to have a purpose firm, Dare to make it known."

One more that I really liked was Elder Eyring's talk about being a Proper Priesthood Man--a good Priesthood role model, and how important that is to those around us!  It was just a cool talk!

Well, there were a lot of other amazing things that I learned, but for now that's about all I will write.  But Conference was amazing! 

The rest of this week has been pretty good!  We have a new investigator, and yesterday we gave him the Baptismal commitment in our second lesson, and he accepted it!  He was so prepared and placed in our path, and he wants us to work with his family now, too!  So that is super exciting!  And we have one other investigator that has a commitment, and 3 others that we have extended the commitment to that are praying about it!  So that is exciting!  The Lord is hastening His work!  The guy that has been teaching a congregation out of the Liahona that lives far away has been avoiding us lately (I have actually never met him yet), but we are praying for inspiration to know when to go out there to meet with him and find out what is going on.  And the rest of the work is going well, too! 

I am realizing how fast time is going by, and it is kind of scaring me.  I am realizing that even though I still have a little over a year left, I don't really have that much time left to be a full-time missionary.  Hopefully I will be a missionary my whole life, but there really is something special that I can feel being here full time, and I really enjoy it!  I guess that is good motivation to make the very most of it while I still have time! 

Well, I am glad that you guys are going somewhere fun for spring break!  Costa Rica huh!  That's pretty sweet!  Haha mom, stop worrying about it.  You don't need to feel like you have to put vacations and life on hold for 2 years for me.  My life sure isn't on hold here.  So go have fun and don't worry about it.  Sure, I'd love to be there.  But, and sorry, I'd rather be where I am right now...I love you though!

Hope things are going well and that you are all healthy and having fun!  Thanks for the Easter package, too!  It was awesome and I have been loving it!  The talks are awesome and I have already listened to a lot of them!  And the pictures are awesome too!  And I'm excited for the birthday package :)  You guys are spoiling me!

Thanks for everything!  YOu guys are awesome!  I love you so much!

Love, Elder Wood!