Short but sweet!

October 27, 2013

Hey, sorry this email is going to be super short.  Our P-day activity went a little too long and I feel guilty not going out and trying to do a little bit of work tonight.  So, I will probably not be able to tell you too much now.  But, my new companion is great, we get along really well, and are going to work hard and do great things together!  

It sounds like Haiti was awesome and that you did a lot of good and helped a lot of people!  THat is so cool and I love hearing about it!  Sorry I can't say too much more this week. 

Oh, but I got the Halloween package!  Haha that is pretty funny!  Thank you so much!  It is awesome!  And tell Suz I got their package and will try to take some pictures and send the stuff back to them next week!

I love you all and can't wait to tell you more about what we are doing and how things are going!  I love you and am glad you are all doing well!

Love, Elder Wood

14 Lessons

October 20, 2013

Hey!!!

Mom and dad--well you won't be reading this until you get home from your trip, but I hope Haiti was awesome and that you loved it!  I hope you didn't catch any crazy jungle diseases either!  But I hope it was totally awesome and I want to hear all about it!  

Well, this week has been awesome!  We got 14 lessons in and a few other visits with active members. So, that was a really productive week for here, and we have been working hard!  I think that this is the busiest week I have had yet here, so that is awesome! 

Monday was pretty normal.  Just getting things done and whatnot, then we had a lesson with an inactive member.  It was good.  She is inactive because of her job, but says she wants to quit her job now and find a new one so that she can start coming to church again!  So hopefully all goes well for her!

Tuesday: We had a little barbecue thing with some of the young men and women in the ward.  Then we taught a lesson with an investigator.  He is awesome!  He has so many things to overcome and change in his life, but he knows that this church is true and says he wants to do everything he can to change his life and come to the truth and return to his Savior!  So, we are going to be working with him a lot for the next little while!  But he has a baptismal date for November 24 right now, so that will be awesome hopefully!  Later we visited an active member.  Then we had English class.  There is a 22 year old girl who has been coming for a long time now.  She is Catholic, sometimes comes to church, but has never really been interested in receiving the lessons.  But tonight she wanted to watch the "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" movie.  So we did, and now she wants to meet again because she has a lot of questions and good feelings about it!  So we are just working slowly with her! But it is coming along.  By that point it was night and time to go home.

Wednesday:  Today I was on splits with me, Elder Tessers and Elder Hobbs in our area.  I was leading. It was super stressful, because every appointment we had planned cancelled on us last minute, so I had to scramble to try to figure out what to do.  So, we went and tried to find several inactive members to visit.  We actually ended up getting in 3 lessons, which is a pretty productive day!  And we got a new contact who invited us to her house sometime to share our message.  So that was awesome!  Then we had to go to choir practice to practice for Stake Conference on Sunday and Saturday.

Thursday:  Thursday we had service in the morning.  Then we were invited to go to Sister A's house to meet her family and several members of her old church and to help her make the transition to our church.  So we were super excited about that!  But she lives far away--an hour by car, so her husband came and picked us up.  We thought it was going to be so productive and we would get so many contacts.  Well, it wasn't quite what we expected.  We just went there and watched mass--in Javanese--and ate food and tried to talk to people.  So, not as productive as was hoped for, because we didn't even have a chance to teach her a lesson.  But we were still able to show her our support and help her transition to our church, and also establish a relationship with her husband so that we can open the door to teach him later as well!  So hopefully all will go well with that.  Later that evening we also had a few lessons with inactive members, so that was good.

Friday:  Today we had District Meeting and all that. And the zone leaders came, so I was on exchanges again.  So, district meeting was good.  Then we went and visited 2 inactive members.  They were short on time, but we worked our way in with love and got a short message in and helped show them our love and desire for them to return to activity.  Then we visited I. D., our contact from the other day.  She was busy, so we set up an appointment for Sunday evening.  As we were leaving her house, it was already pretty close to time for English class, and it started to rain.  So we headed for the church. Right as we got there, it started to downpour!  It was crazy--I've never seen it rain so hard!  Well, because of that no one came to English class, but one of the members at the church got a call that her house was flooding, so we went to help clean it up.  It was crazy--the street had 2 feet or more of water rushing down it!  It was like riding through a river!  It was crazy and cool and fun!  Luckily the rain didn't last too long, though, and by the time we got to her house it had stopped and the water was already drained.  So we helped to squeegee and mop the rest of the water out of the house so that it could begin to dry out!  So that was nice and a fun little service opportunity.  Then it was off to Pak Jon's for some more chicken and rice.  Except the power was out, so it was a candlelight dinner in the drizzly weather.  Kinda awkward with just a bunch of Elders...but funny! 

Oh, and I found out one of the Elders in my district--Elder Giolas--who I have become really good friends with and is one of my favorite Elders, his family just moved to Midway and live on main street just a few minutes away from the cabin.  And  he and I have a lot of hobbies in common, so we were planning all the fun things we are going to do hanging out in Midway and Ogden once we are home! Haha it was a fun conversation for a few minutes--good to thing about home but not be homesick!

Saturday:  So, today we had to go fix Elder Hobbs' bike because he fell over when he rode into the church yesterday and tried to do something cool to show off to the members!  It was funny to say the least!  And we all had a good laugh at him!  Luckily he wasn't hurt, but he broke the derailleur completely off his bike.  So tht was  problem.  And the bike shop is far from the house, and he couldn't pedal.  So he sat on his bike and held onto my backpack and I pulled him to the bike shop.  Oh the things we figure out how to do with bikes as missionaries...  But, if you see Matt Howard anytime soon, tell him I miss the Bike Shoppe and mechanics that know what they are doing and do it right.  He had to get his derailleur completely replaced, so they did.  Once we came to pick it up, they told us that they didn't have the right one in stock, so they put a different one on, but now he can't use several of the gears.  And when I asked if they could take the right derailleur off one of the bikes just sitting in the showroom that had the right derailleur, they were unwilling to.  So, his bike sort of works, and they still made us pay full price.  So dumb!!!    Whatever...  

After that we went and taught a new investigator who we just got a referral for.  He wants to learn about our church and the Book of Mormon because he is confused reading the Bible and has a lot of questions.  His name is P. D.  He is pretty much golden it seems like, so that is awesome!  After that, we had the Saturday Evening session of Stake Conference.  All the missionaries were here, and we all had fun talking together again!  And conference was awesome too!  A lot about making the trip to the Temple for members here!  So awesome to see their desire!  It is so different from home where we have a Temple 10 minutes from the house! But they have to work so hard to go there, but those that have gone are so grateful and say it is completely worth it and that they were so blessed in their preparing and saving as well as while and after being there!    After that it was night and we went home.

Sunday:  Sunday morning we went to watch a baptism of one of the investigators of some of the other Elders.  It was awesome!  Then we had stake conference.  It was good.  It was a broadcast to all of the Asia area.  There was  again a ton of stuff about member missionary work and Temple work and stuff. They are really stressing that and it is so good, because I can really see the importance of member missionary work now, and how much a desire to go to the Temple helps people stay active and strengthens families and the church!

After conference, we went and taught I.D., our new contact.  She has never heard of The Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith, but she seemed to accept it fairly well, or at least desire to know for herself.  So that is good, and she invited us to come back again!  So good!  2 new investigators this week! After that, we went and visited with P.A. to help try to give him some support to overcome smoking and prepare for baptism!  He is really trying and has good desire, but smoking is just so hard for him!  So we keep praying for him to overcome that!  Then we went and interviewed one of the Sisters' investigators for baptism.  She passed, so that is great!  The work is progressing here!  Well, that is it for now.

Monday/Today:  This morning we had a lesson with P.D. again.  We had to start from the beginning again, because he is kind of confused.  But we got things cleared up with him for the Restoration, and he likes what we are teaching and seems willing to act on it, and invited us back again!  And he even closed with prayer, though a little reluctantly, but it was such a good sincere prayer, and he even cried a little bit!  So we will definitely keep working on him!  Then we went and did a little shopping, picked up my suit--its finally done and looks pretty good.  But I forgot my camera, so sorry, no pictures.  My bad!  Now we are emailing, then we have some futsol, and then a lesson with a fairly new member. So, we are busy but it is good!  And Wednesday I fly to Jakarta to get some training and to pick up my new companion, so that is exciting!  Then we come back Thursday night!  Exciting and nerve-racking.  But I think it will work out well--so long as we just keep working hard and do what we are supposed to do and rely on the Lord to make up the rest--I know he will not leave us hanging out to dry!  I have already seen that the last few days.

Well, sorry, I have to go!  I love you all and hope everything is great at home!  Love you!

Love, Elder Wood

Oh and I just got an email from the Jensen's last week but haven't had time to respond yet, so tell them sorry for me.  But tell them thank you for the letter, it was awesome and gave me a good laugh and made me happy!

Still waiting for the package, but it usually takes quite a while, so no worries yet!  Thank you!

Love you!!!

Sent from my iPhone

New Bike

10/14/13

Hey!

So, this week has also been pretty good!  Not quite as amazing as last week's experiences, but still some awesome stuff!  And again, I am probably mostly just going to hit the highlights.  

Monday:  Not much.  Just a normal P-Day getting stuff done and then trying to find a lesson that evening.  Our lesson with Mas fell through because he was busy, so we tried and eventually found an inactive member that we could meet with and share a little message.

Tuesday:  Today was the highlight of the week!  We had house inspection in the morning by the senior couple after we finished study time, and just before we left for the day.  And they brought snickerdoodles!  Such a good snack!  Then we went and cleaned out the baptismal font from after a member baptism on Sunday.  Ya, the missionaries get all those responsibilities here, but it is a good service opportunity and a good chance to gain the trust and favor of the members.  After that we left to ride out to the bishop's house (the parents of Elder P).  It is about a 1 hour bike ride away.  So, we got there and talked to the family for a little while while we waited for Sister A. and her daughter to get there, because we were having a lesson together at the Bishop's house as a fellowshipper and because he lives in the middle of us and this investigator.  She is a golden investigator and is awesome!   We have already taught them 3 times.  SO, tonight we watched the film, "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" with them.  I love that movie, because even though I have already seen it so many times, every time I watch it  my testimony is strengthened and I feel the Spirit, and know my investigators do too!  After the movie we all talked about it a little bit together.  Sis A. and her daughter loved it, and said they know it is true!  We then talked about the part of the movie about baptism, and gave them the baptismal commitment!  They really want to be baptized and know it is true! There is just a mild setback--they have to ask permission from their family or something so that there are no bad feelings.  But, I think it will be able to happen!  And she invited us to her house on Thursday this coming week to meet with her whole family!  So hopefully we can help with that!  Afterwards we all just bore our testimonies in a circle, and it was a really cool moment!  The spirit was so strong, and there were very few dry eyes.  Then the bishop fed us all a delicious dinner! After that, because of distance and time, it was time to go home for the night!  But it was a powerful and awesome day!

Wednesday:  I got a new bike!  One of the bikes at the house was terrible, and had to be replaced, so we went and bought a new bike with the senior couple.  Our budget is under $200 per bike, so it is nothing special, but it is new!  And, then because the bike that it was replacing was the extra bike right now, we had to decide who got the new one.  Because it is the biggest bike (though still smaller than Eliza's bike) I ended up getting it because I am the tallest, and it is the best fitting bike for me.  But, I keep offering to trade and let others try it--I don't want to be selfish with it!  After that, the day was pretty much just ordinary--a few lessons, an English class, and that was it.  Oh, but if you see Matt Howard, you will have to tell him I miss quality bike service.  When we bought the bike and got it home, we realized that the front tire was on backwards, the brakes were too loose, and the gears didn't shift smoothly.  So, we had to take it in to get serviced this morning because we don't have any tools to fix it alone at the house.

Thursday was pretty normal too.  Some good lessons and weekly planning.  Oh, and we went to the funeral of a member who passed away.  That was pretty sad to see family mourning, but also good to see them comforted by the message of the Plan of Salvation.  It was cool, too, because there were a ton of people at the funeral, most non-members, and the whole funeral and messages were about the gospel and the plan of salvation, so good missionary work and chance for people to hear a little about the gospel!

Friday was also just pretty normal.  Just teaching lessons to a few people.  We had district meeting that morning, and set a goal of 10 baptisms for our district by the end of the year, and planned how to make it happen!  And, as hard as it seems here, I think it really is possible and will happen!  The highlight lesson for today was watching the Joseph Smith movie with P., because it helped him better understand the events of the Restoration and increase his testimony.  We are just still working to help him overcome smoking, because other than that, he is completely ready and excited for baptism!

Saturday was Conference!  The way it works here is everyone just meets at the church building and watches it over projector in the chapel, like Priesthood session.  So, they watch a session, have an hour break for lunch, watch the saturday afternoon session, and then separate and watch Priesthood and Relief Society sessions.  Then it is done for the day.  Luckily, Elder Ho. and I were able to watch it in English on the Family History computers downstairs, so that we could actually understand it!  So that was nice!  

After Conference, Elder He. was sick, so we went home, he slept, and Elder Ho. and I cleaned, worked out, and watched several of the proselyting movies.  It was a good relaxing day, though a bummer not to be able to go out and do work.  

Sunday was Conference again!  and we again went to the church, and were able to watch in English! And Sis. A. and her daughter came and really liked it!  So that was great!  After that, we went and had   lesson.  It didn't go very well, sadly.  As we were explaining why a restoration was needed, the guy we were teaching got offended and thought we were talking bad about other churches, even though we never said anything like that.  He wasn't mad,  but it was just...weird.  But he believes that any church, no matter what, is true and will lead us back to heaven.  And he believes the Bible, but can't understand it, or why not everyone can agree on it.  He says we just can't understand it because God is mysterious and wants us confused...That logic just made me confused...But, oh well.  We will keep doing what we can to help him and just be kind and serve.  He still tells us we can come back whenever, but I just don't see any intention to act on our message at this point.  But hopefully someday he will be able to see the truth or be touched.  After that we met with the Ward Mission Leader.  It was  good meeting, and after they gave us the spaghetti I talked about.  It was so good, but they make us eat way too much! 

That pretty much brings us to now.  We haven't done much today--just cleaned house and fixed bikes. Then we will have some lessons later.  Well, ya!

Glad to hear you are all doing well!  Haha thanks for the picture of rufus and duke with the whipping cream!  That was pretty funny and made me laugh!  Its weird to see the house all different now in pictures, like the kitchen table in the dining room and stuff.  Oh and the new couches, too!  I got the pictures the other day.  Cool!  Now I'm just wondering what is filling the big space where the kitchen table used to be?  Haha oh well, mysteries to find out in a little less than 2 years!

And cool to hear that you are heading to Haiti soon, mom and dad!  That will be a lot of fun!  Ya, don't get any of those jungle viruses--they are not fun!  Luckily I haven't had anything recurring from it.  Oh, except that I have already gained all the weight I lost from it and then some!  The other night after we were severely over-fed spaghetti and meat sauce (delicious!) at a members home, I weighed myself when we got home and I have hit the dreaded 170 pound mark!  15 pounds heavier than when I left for the MTC!  Crazy!  I don't really understand how, either, because I am always hungry!  Maybe its because of the very heavy white rice diet!  So, I guess time to be a little more careful about what I eat!  

Sabrina--bummer about state tennis!  But the picture mom sent from regions is awesome!  And hey, at least you did your best and felt good about it!  Bummer that thats just the way the game of tennis goes hah!  It is a game that I love, while hate at the same time!  But, keep practicing and playing so that you can beat me when I come home!

I love you all and love hearing from you each week!  Have fun and be safe in Haiti!  And Sabrina and Eliza better be good at home!  Haha!  Love you all and can't wait to hear from you again!

Love, Elder Wood!

(Oh, ps, the sd card with pictures, I haven't been able to send yet, becuase for some reason it is like 5x as expensive to send from Solo as it was from Jogja.  And because of that, they can't fit enough stamps on the envelopes I have.  So, I will try to figure it out and send it soon.  And don't worry, the pictures are already backed up on another card.)  Sorry it hasn't been sent yet!

Love You!

Love Elder Wood

Saving Soul Ride

Wow!  What a week it has been in Indonesia!  Talk about a Spiritual High here going on right now! And, we haven't even been able to watch Conference yet, so there is more to come!

SO, the first few days of the week were pretty normal.  Not too much going on, just a few good lessons with new and/or inactive members and a few investigators.  We had some good lessons though!  One of them was with a member who was baptized 17 years ago, but can't remember the last time he has been to church. Sad!  We have visited him twice now and helped him try to find his testimony again. But it is difficult, because from what it sounds like, he has never really had a testimony that he has recognized before.  He met the missionaries and really liked them when he was in junior high school, so he got baptized.  But he didn't really know or feel much, he was just converted to the missionaries. So as soon as they left, he went inactive.  However, we have found a glimmer of hope to help him grab onto.  Even with his limited knowledge about the church and no testimony, he has told us that he felt "free" right after he was baptized.  So, there is a testimony in there somewhere that we are going to work to revive and help him learn and grow and hopefully reactivate in the church.  It is awesome how the Spirit can testify and bring feelings to the remembrance of those who need or are seeking to find it! Hopefully this guy will then act on those feelings!

So, that was the first part of the week.  Sorry I am not going through day by day, I don't really have enough time today, and I want to hit on the highlights!

So, Friday we had PLD (where the whole zone gets together and we have a meeting with President and training and stuff).  Friday morning we all met at the church in Solo and had our interviews and talked and hung out together.  The interviews were great and I love having a chance to talk one-on-one with President Donald!  He is amazing!  It wasn't too long, but he talked to me a little bit about becoming a trainer.  I will be training a new Indonesian Elder starting on October 23 in the area that I am in right now.  I asked him why I, still brand new, am becoming a trainer.  He said that when they were planning who would become trainers, he walked in the door and saw me, and he just knew that I was supposed to become a trainer I guess.  So, that is cool to know that it isn't just a "Oh, he's there and can do it."  But that it really is a calling that he feels and told me that he knows I can do well!

So, that took until the afternoon.  Then, because we were still in Solo, my companionship had a few appointments that we wanted to go meet with before the day ended because there was nothing else planned for the day.  We had 2 different appointments planned for that evening.  But they were far away from each other on opposite ends of town and there wasn't enough time to go to both of them together.  So, since we had so many extra Elders there, we did a split.  So, Elder He. and Elder M. went to P. (the one from last week that is having a hard time with smoking) to teach him. They said the lesson with him went well.  Elder Ho., Elder C. (one of the AP's and the Elder I spent my first week in Tangerang with) and I went to a new investigator--the referral from P. from last week--named M.  It was the second time we met him and taught him.  But, it was the most incredible and powerful lesson I have ever taught or been in!  It was awesome!  He has been having some problems in his life and had asked us to pray with him before.  So, to start off the lesson we asked him how he had liked the last lesson about the Restoration.  He had really liked it he said.  Then we followed up on if he had read and prayed about Moroni 10.  He actually had!  And he said that when he prayed about it, he felt a peace and comfort in his heart!  We helped explain to him that that was an answer that it was true through the Holy Ghost, and he believed it.  Then, we started talking to him about how he had asked us to pray for him.  We explained to him about the Priesthood and its purpose and blessings in our lives, and he then changed his question and asked if we could give him a Priesthood Blessing of comfort and help.  So, we did.  The Spirit during that blessing was very strong, and we could all feel it!  After the blessing, we asked him how he felt.  He actually started crying, and told us that he knew at that time that the Holy Ghost had come to him and testified to him that these things that we were teaching are true, and that the Priesthood is a true power of Heaven, and stuff like that!  It was so cool!  After finishing his explanation, he then asked how he can feel that Spirit and comfort of the Holy Ghost more often in his life.  What an awesome question!  So, we taught him about baptism and confirmation and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost so that it can be his constant companion and help guide him.  He really liked that idea, and was really interested.  So, he then asked before we even had the chance to give him the baptismal commitment, "So, how soon can I be baptized?" Wow!  Talk about someone being prepared by the Spirit to receive this message and the ordinances of Salvation!  It was awesome! So, we talked a little about the qualifications of baptism and what has to happen, particularly the word of wisdom.  He smokes, but told us that starting Monday (today) he would never smoke or drink tea again!  He has such a strong desire!  And already such a strong testimony!  If I'm honest, there were several instances in that lesson that the Spirit was so strong that I got emotional and almost cried, too, when I was testifying!  It was by far the most powerful and amazing lesson I have ever taught or been involved in, and I am so grateful for the opportunity!  And he even said the closing prayer himself, which people are always to shy to do!  So awesome!  Needless to say we all went home on a Spiritual high that night and were so excited!  Oh, and he has a baptismal date now for the 27th of October!  So, we will be going to visit him 2 or 3 times a week, even though he lives like 45 minutes away by bike.  It will be our (saving) Soul Ride--kinda like Harley Davidson, but on cheap ghetto bikes!  So great!

Saturday morning we had the actual PLD meeting and training.  Well, that was another spiritual high! We talked about so many cool things!  President Donald has such a strong spirit when he speaks!  It is so cool to sit and just listen!  One of the things he talked a lot about was the mission goal to get 70 baptisms this year.  We still need 34 more, but we still have 3 months to do it.  He talked about how it is possible because it is the Lord's work, and He wants it to happen.  The only thing that our success depends on is our effort and our faith.  We need to have faith that it will happen, work hard to make it happen, and be obedient to the rules and commandments so that the Lord is bound to bless us!  The way he talked about it was so inspiring, and we all left with the vision and faith that we can do this!  It works out to about 1 baptism per companionship by the end of the year!  It can and will happen, I know it!  He then moved on to talk about one reason we need these baptisms.  He talked about the Stakes of Zion, or stakes, holding up a tent.  Right now there are only 2 stakes in Indonesia, and we need 4 to hold up the tent so that there can be a Temple built here in this land!  That is inspiring, because I have already seen and felt the desire of the members here to be able to attend the temple!  So, to help them in any small way get one in their own country that is more accessible to them would be awesome!  One thing I thought of was, "Someday, when I am watching General Conference and they announce that a Temple will be built in Indonesia, I want to have worked hard and be able to say, 'I helped build that Temple.  Maybe not with brick and mortar, but I, in some small way or another, helped the church there grow strong enough to need a Temple in Indonesia!'"  So, that is our goal!  After that, all the missionaries got up and gave a short testimony.  The spirit in the meeting was so strong that I don't think there was a single person who didn't get emotional at some point or another. That just testifies of the power, importance, and divine help of this work that we are doing!

Such  an amazing weekend!

The rest of the day, we taught another member lesson that was good to a lady that is too old and unable to come to church, so that was good.

Sunday was good too.  It was testimony meeting, and I had to translate for the Mission Couple.  That was fun...  but I did Ok and it forced me to really pay attention and try to understand!.  Oh, and we had 5 investigators that came to church, so that was awesome!  One of them was M.!  After church we went and taught P. about family history and temple work to help him realize that this gospel is important to more than just himself alone, but that he needs to hep his ancestors too.  He really liked that concept and that he could help them gain salvation and all that he his working for!  So, hopefully that helps him! And that story will be good for him too--thanks mom!

Well, that is about it for this week!  It was a good one!  

I'm glad things are going well at home!  Congrats on making it to state Sabrina!  So awesome!  Glad Conference is going well!  We will watch it next Saturday and Sunday at the church house with the members...in Indonesian.  Hopefully I can understand some of it!  

Keep Rufus going strong, I want to see him again!!!  

I love you all and am glad that you are all safe and doing well!  Hope you have a great week!  Love you!!

Love Elder Wood!

Different...but good!

Hey Hey Hey!

So, this week has been good.  Different again, but good.  I feel like I write the "different" part every week, because it seems like lately every week has been completely different from the week before.  Everything is always changing and not much stays the same.  Different challenges, different joys, different blessings, different companions, different houses, different everything.  But, what always stays the same is the Gospel, my responsibility and blessing to have the opportunity to share it with the people of Indonesia, and the love I know my Savior has for me and each of His children.  So, even with everything changing around that, I, and all of us, can always have a solid rock to build our foundation on that we can hold onto to keep us grounded no matter what is happening around us.  

So, what was different this week?  Well, my companion, Elder Ajidharma, finished his mission and went home Wednesday morning.  So, 1 week with him, and then another companion exchange.  But, there is a shortage of missionaries in Indonesia right now because of the group that just went home. No one has come to replace him yet, so I am in a tri-panionship with Elder Hendro and Elder Hobbs right now, covering both of our areas.  So, that is cool and nice because it gives us a lot of opportunities to do more work!  But managing going to two overlapping wards and keeping everything straight and everyone happy is a bit difficult.  But we are figuring it out!

So, Monday for P-day we cooked pancakes and stuff like I said.  Then that night we went to visit an investigator who was at the hospital.  We talked with him a little bit and shared a short message and helped take care of and comfort him.  He was pretty miserable, but was grateful for us coming there. Sadly, though, I think we were the last visitors he ever had, because I found out later this week that he passed away on Tuesday morning.  It is so sad that he never had the chance to act on the information that he had received.  He has been to church one time, and taught just a few times, because he is a fairly new investigator.  But he invited us to come teach him at his house when he got out of the hospital. But, this is also why  I am so grateful for our knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and that he still can have an opportunity to accept the gospel in the next life, and his saving ordinances can still be done through Temple work, and he has the opportunity to receive Salvation still, and this time with a perfect body free of the challenges and setbacks that he faced in this life.  What a blessing!

Tuesday:  Translating...Well, it actually wasn't as bad as I had expected.  So, it was a guy from BYU Hawaii that came to speak.  And it was actually a seminar on entrepreneurship.  Hey, that sounds kind of familiar to me...throwback to classes 6 months ago!  It was really cool, though!  And there were like 4 translators--Me, Elder Giolas, and then 2 Indonesians that are fluent in English.  So, luckily I didn't have to translate much at all, but got to listen and hear some good information that I can apply both to life after my mission, and also by keys to success that apply well to missionary work as well!  So that was a good opportunity to do service and learn at the same time!  Afterwards we skyped with some other famous "business guru" that wrote the book "The E Myth".  After that, we met with Sister A. at the church and shared a little message.  It was hard because everyone was leaving the seminar, so we couldn't teach very well.  But it was a great opportunity to because she got to meet and talk with a ton of members!  After that we had another good lesson, English class, and then eating at the famous Pak John's.

Wednesday--We became a tripanionship.  We went and met with a former investigator who is awesome.  She is super nice and gave us food, and wants us to start visiting her again.  Then we went and met with some students of the piano class at the church who are not members to try and get some new investigators as well, and contacted a few people.  Nothing yet, but we will keep trying!  Then we met with a family that is all members, but part active and part inactive.  We taught a lesson, and then helped the 17 year old daughter with some questions.  She has a teacher that has started questioning her religion in school.  So, she asked for a Kitab Mormon and some information to help answer his questions and to try to do some missionary work herself!  So cool!  Then we had an english class at a members home that night with several nonmember neighbors to try to make friends and get our names out and do some service.  So that was fun and a good opportunity!  After that it was night and time to go home.

Thursday:  Service was at the park again this morning.  I won't lie, it is pretty boring and is starting to become ineffective because everyone there has already been contacted.  So, we are trying to find a new service project at the moment.  But, there was a group of school students there, so we gave out a ton of passalong cards to them with info about English class.  So hopefully something comes from that.  Later we went to an inactive members' house and taught a lesson about our favorite scripture verses.  They are super nice and cool, so we tried to make Elder Hobbs lead the lesson to practice.  He is a champ and went for it.  Even though he is still learning the language, it is cool to see him trying so hard and fun to see him progress!  Then we taught a new member who is 13 and has been baptized now for 1 month almost.  He is so cool, and seems way older than his age, just in his maturity and knowledge! He is awesome!  We were teaching about testimony and helping him find his own.  He told us that it just came one meeting with the missionaries.  They had met several times already and he liked it all.  But this time, they were watching the "Restoration Through Joseph Smith" proselyting DVD or something, and he said a feeling just came to him that it is all true, and he just knew it from that point on!  So cool! Well, because our appointments were far away, after this it was night again and time to go home.  But a good day!

Friday:  Today we met with an investigator named Pak....  He wants to be baptized but is still having problems giving up smoking and drinking tea.  So we taught him a lesson again on the word of Wisdom and the blessings of obedience.  He accepted a later baptismal date and is trying hard to quit, and has a strong desire, which is cool!  That was the highlight of the day, and I have to move on because I am low on time. Sorry

Saturday:  Today we couldn't find our first appointment's house because he doesn't know his own full address...weird huh.  But that happens a lot actually.  So, we did  a few errands and tried to contact people.  Then we went to the church and cleaned and filled the baptismal font for a member baptism on Sunday.  Then we went and taught an investigator and his family.  They are cool and haven't been taught for a while because they have been busy and we haven't beee able to find them.  But we made it out there and met with them.  They are awesome and want to keep leaning and are not so busy now!  So hopefully we can help them.  Then English and night time.

Sunday:  Church started at 8.  We had both wards so it went until 1.  I had to teach Gospel Principles on Priesthood Organization...in Indonesian.  That was hard but I made it through!  After that we socialized with members to try to make friends, meet people, and get referrals.  Then we went to Pak...(from Friday)  to teach him and follow up again.  When we got there, he had a friend that he had invited to meet the missionaries!  So cool, he's not even a member yet but he is already doing missionary work!  So we taught the Restoration and his friend was really interested and wants to meet again!  Te coolest part was, though, all throughout the lesson, Pak... would keep throwing in stuff that he had learned and bearing his testimony!  It was so cool to see his strength and desire before he is even a member!  Then we went and met with the WML to discuss the work.  He was awesome and totally helpful!  And he gave us tons of good food!  Oh, and he gave us chicken that was cooked so that the bones were soft.  So, we ate the whole bones and everything!  It was weird, but good!

So, that was the week!  So much good stuff, and so much more to look forward to!  

I love you all so much and miss you too, but I don't let it get too bad or I know I am not working hard enough!  But you are awesome!  Thanks again for the package, It is so fun!  I even made a balloon dog last night for fun!  It was like Rufus or Duke, but not quite.  And then it popped... :(  Oh well, try again later!

Glad things are going well at home!  Thats crazy that it snowed already!  Its still about 110 every day here!  SO HOT!!!  But its good, and I am getting a sweet farmers tan!

I love you all so much and love hearing from you!  I will try to get some hand written letters off if i can in the next few weeks too!  Love you!

Love Elder Wood!

p.s.  how bad is MSG for you?

Pancake Master

Hey Hey Hey again!!!

So, this week has been great!  Different from the last few weeks because all the people around me changed, but it is still great and I am loving the new people!  They are really all really cool and we get along well.  I miss Elder McCleary because he and I were friends from the MTC together, and Elder Kester was super fun and easy going.  But the new Elders are great too.  One of them is brand new to Indonesia, and just came with the group that just got here.  His name is Elder Hobbs and he is from New Zealand.  He is awesome and totally willing to work hard!  Then there is his comp Elder Hendro, who is cool and has actually already served in Solo, just a different area.  Then there is my companion, Elder Ajidharma.  He goes home on Wednesday, which is weird...we were companions for less than a week.  But I guess that is just how it works out.  Which is too bad because he is a stud and a great teacher and really friendly and outgoing.  And he has been really good to kind of sit back and let me try to figure things out for myself and learn how to lead an area, and help me when I need help.  So that is good.  I guess what will happen Wednesday, though, is that I will be put in a threesome with the other two Elders in the house and we will cover both areas together for several weeks.  So that will be good and hopefully will keep us super busy!

So, we are just coming to the end of our P-day now as I am writing this.  We got up and cleaned the house this morning, and then all 10 of the missionaries in Solo met at the church and I cooked pancakes for them all.  It was a lot of fun and they turned out really well, actually!  Everyone really liked them and called me the pancake master...haha.  Then we just kind of chilled at the church for a while and watched Mormon Messages and stuff.  Now we are emailing.  Oh, but I have to tell you something.  So while we were at the church today, the Stake President showed up and asked to talk to me in his office. I asked if anyone else should come, like my comp..., and he said just me.  Whoa, I was a little scared, like "what did I do wrong...are we not supposed to cook here or something, or is there something else...?"  But, what it was is he asked me to translate for a meeting tomorrow.  I guess there is a speaker coming from BYU or something to speak to I'm not sure who about seminary and stuff, and he wants me to translate.  From 9 AM to 3 PM!  I feel like I am not even fluent yet.  But apparently my bahasa is good enough that he thinks I am from just talking to him. I told him I am willing to try, but that I may need some help. He said that is fine, so I asked Elder Giolas who has been here for a year to help me.  So, He and I will be translating from English to Indonesian for 6 hours or so tomorrow!  Holy cow I will be tired and dizzy from all the thinking that will take!  So, pray for the gift of tongues for me tonight if you can!!! I will need all the help I can get! But, I think it should go OK, especially with Elder Giolas there too.

So, like I said this week has been good.  Some big changes and opportunities, though!

Last Monday was a chill P-day and I bought my first Batik shirt.  Its pretty cool looking, but I don't have any pictures in it yet.  

On Tuesday, we met with some members and ate with members and investigators a few last times before Elder Kester left, so he could say his goodbyes and introduce me to people.  And we had a lesson and English class, so that was good.  

On Wednesday, we said goodbyes at 5AM!  Then I went to the other Elders' house and was on splits with them for the day, and went to a few of their investigators.  Then Elder Ajidharma got here , we went and visited an investigator in the hospital and talked with him for a while and gave him a lesson on comfort and stuff.  It is sad, he has no family or friends close by to visit him, so we are trying to start visiting him to help comfort him.  After that, we came home because it was getting later and we had to wait and be home for the 2 other new elders to get here. 

Thursday we had our two hours of service at the park.  Then we visited that investigator at the hospital again.  Then we did weekly planning and study.  Our investigator cancelled, and we needed to get groceries for the new elders, so we went to the store that night after proselyting.  

Friday:  Friday we had a lot of meetings like DDM and stuff that took a long time, so we didn't get too much other stuff done.  But the meetings were good and helpful, and we still got in a lesson and English class, so that was good.

Saturday: Here we go.  So today was an adventure.  And a cause of much stress for me!  So, Elder Ajidharma and Elder Hendro were on splits today, which meant that I was with Elder Hobbs, the brand new Elder that doesn't know much yet, like I was a few months ago and still feel like.  So, I was leading completely!  And the problem was, I couldn't get anyone--investigators or inactive members--to answer their phones or to make an appointment.  So, I had to start figuring out what we were going to do.  So, I picked an area on the map and found the names and addresses of all the members that I could that lived in that area.  I didn't know if they were active or not, so we planned a lesson for both and headed out hoping for the best!  We had 6 names to go visit.  We couldn't find the addresses of several, despite our best efforts.  Finally we were able to find one.  I didn't recognize the guy, and after talking to him for a few minutes, I could tell he was very inactive.  He didn't remember hardly anything about the Restoration or the Gospel. So, I taught him the Restoration from the beginning, rather briefly.  Then we discussed his baptism, the feelings he had felt, the covenants he had made, and why Sacrament Meeting is important going along with those covenants.  Then I invited Elder Hobbs to bear his testimony about Sacrament meeting and baptismal covenants, because he had been pretty quiet the whole lesson.  He was great, and totally tried his best.  But, the funniest part was, he started trying to give the guy the baptismal commitment!  He was about half=way through or so before I realized what he was doing and leaned over and told him that the guy is already a member.  We all had a good laugh about it and he took it like a champ!  But we did get the guy to commit to coming to church on Sunday. Too bad he didn't actually come.  But, I felt that the lesson went well, and now I have someone else I can add to the teaching pool.  

Then we found our way to another members' home.  This time she was active.  As we were about to share a brief message, about 10 neighborhood kids showed up with her son.  She invited them all in to "learn with the Elders."  So, that was kind of cool--I taught the Restoration very simply and focusing on God is our Loving Heavenly Father and HOw to follow Jesus Christ to 10 twelve year olds of all different religions.  So that was pretty cool!

After that we were out of addresses and still had several hours left in the day.  So we just started talking to everyone we passed on the street.  Then we went to the mall to proselyte, because oddly enough, that is one of the more effective places to proselyte here.  And I helped (and sort of made) Elder Hobbs go out of his comfort zone and make his very first personal contact in Indonesia!  So that was cool to help and watch him progress and grow!  That pretty much finished our day.  But, that day I gave out 7 passalong cards, which I think is a personal record for me.  So, for how stressed I was, it actually turned out to be a pretty successful and productive day!  And I was definitely blessed, because I was able to do things like finding addresses that I have never done before.  And I understood more in our lessons from what people say than I ever have before, too!  So that was cool!  And It was awesome to really be able to see how much I have learned and progressed in the last less-than-3-months.  And I found out that I can do things that I didn't think it was possible for me to do!

Sunday was good, too.  We went to both church meetings--so 5 hours of church, and then to a baptismal service at the other building in Solo (there are 4 wards here!)  The baptismal service was great, and our Investigator attended that and came to all of church--and brought her 2 daughters!  So that was awesome!  We are actually planning on giving her the baptismal commitment this week, so it was great that she came and liked it!  After that, though, all of our other appointments cancelled and we couldn't make anymore, despite our best efforts.  And it is weird to go proselyte at the mall on Sunday...SO we stayed home and marked up the map with all the members and investigators and updated our ward lists and area book so that we could be more productive in the future.  So that was good!

That is so fun that you were able to meet with Elder Putra and have that relationship!  His family, especially his mom, was so excited about it and told me thank you so many times!  So I think you made her week!  And it was fun for me to hear about it too!  They really are awesome people, and I feel like they are my second family here in Solo!

Oh, and as I am finishing this, I just opened my email from President Donald.  I was feeling so good about things and they have been going well lately...until I read his email.  And now I am super nervous and stressed.  He is making me a trainer come October!  I don't know if I am ready yet!  But I guess I'd better be!  Holy Cow, though, reading that stressed me out a little bit.  Leading one day was hard enough, but doing it for 3 months!  Whoa!  I just don't know.. But I guess it is flattering that he trusts me that much, and I better be ready, because ready or not, here it comes!  So, I guess that is what you could pray for me for...to be ready and prepared to be a trainer already!

Well, enough about that!  I am glad to hear that you are all doing well.   And glad that you have had a pretty good week it sounds like.  Good luck on remodeling the house and stuff!  And too bad the Cougs lost.  I guess its a good thing I'm half way around the world so I didn't have to suffer through watching that happen again!

I love you all and I love hearing from you each week!  It is one of the best parts!  Well, I gotta go, but until next time!  

Love Elder Wood

'Gimana Kabar'nya!?

HEY HEY HEY!!!

'Gimana Kabar'nya!?  (Hows it going!?)

Things here have been going really well!  This week has been a lot of fun again!  And a lot of good hard work!  

Monday--We went to do Monster Burger, but the place doesn't do it anymore! Bummer!  We were so excited for it!  But, since it was no more, we went to a different place and got huge plates of fried rice and ate that instead.  Not nearly as American, but still super good!  Then we watched the RM for a bit. After that we had dinner and family night at our Elders' Quorum President's house.  It was a lot of fun! Family nights here are becoming my favorite meetings because there is always a great spirit and special bond that I can feel, and it feels like I truly belong!

Tuesday we spent most of the day riding around and waiting to get my companion's bike fixed.  So, that was kind of a bummer to have to spend so much time on that and not on missionary work.  But, it was also fun because we were at bike shops, and I like those places.  While we were at one, and I got talking to one of the guys about biking, because we both really like mountain biking.  He ended up inviting me and Elder Kester to go downhill mountain biking around here with them sometime, but they said that our bikes were too bad, so we could borrow their downhill bikes!  It sounded like so much fun, but was a test of my faith and willingness to follow the rules, because we are not allowed to do that because it is dangerous.  But it sounded like fun!  At least I now have good enough language to make friends and get invited to do cool things!  After that, we had a lesson with a new member, then English class, and then the traditional Pak Jon's for dinner!

Wednesday we got a haircut, then rode about an hour and a half out to a new members house to teach his mom and cousin who are not yet members, so that was awesome!  Then we came home and it was already getting late.  So we went to teach another inactive member who we had made an appointment with.  But, he had forgotten or ignored us and wasn't home.  That was frustrating, but hey, it happens!  So we went home and did some good planning for the next day!

Thursday--We had service picking up trash at the park in the morning.  We drank some pretty terrible tasting traditional health drinks that some lady was selling.  They are supposed to make you all healthy with natural ingredients and stuff.  I don't know if they did.  But if you judge it by bitter root taste that is pretty terrible and so bad that it has to be chased by a sweet sugarcane juice, then it has to have some health benefit.  Then we went and ate a huge lunch for 50 cents.  Then we came home, got ready, did our study, then 4 hours of weekly planning.  We have a lot to go over and spend a lot of time going through the area book to find people to teach and figure out what they need.  And we get distracted every once in a while!  but it was good and we had fun!  Then we went to teach an old investigator.  He wasn't home, but his dad was, and he let us teach him.  So we got the first lesson in and taught him the restoration, and he was interested and willing to meet again, so that was awesome!  After that, the day was over and we planned and went to bed!

Friday was Zone Training Meeting in Jogja.  It was fun to go back to my last city, but sadly I didn't see any members there.  ZTM was good, and we talked about planning and working.  President gave us the challenge for each companionship to get 20 lessons a week.  THat doesn't sound like a lot, I know, but we have been really working hard and struggling to get even 10 per week!  So, we are going to really have to figure out how to use our time better and get more lessons in, while still keeping them meaningful lessons that will actually help the people we are teaching!  After ZTM we missed our train home, so we went and did some shopping on Malioboro while we waited for the next train two hours later.  We didn't really  do much shopping, though, but we went to McDonald's and all got a Big Mac meal and Frosty!  SO GOOD!  And my first American meal in like 3 months!  Then we came home and it was past bedtime, so it was straight home and to bed after planning.

Saturday--Today was awesome!  Long, but awesome!  And frustrating at one short point.  We left the house at 9 and rode to our new investigators house--Anastasia.  She lives like 50 kilometers away.  We stopped at the bishop's house to ask directions at like the 15 kilo mark, and he said it was too far to ride, so he gave us a ride in his car.  We had a good lesson and the Bishop's wife helped a ton!  The investigators daughter and husband were there, too, which was great!  Then we went back to the bishop's house.  Then we rode our bikes in the opposite direction about 35 or 40 kilometers to another new investigators house for a first meeting.  This is the guy from Klaten that I contacted on the bus like a month or so ago.  It took about 3 hours to get there all uphill, and we were tired.  And it was 7:00.  They were super nice and fed us and we taught them the Restoration, too.  They took it well and liked it.,  Afterwards, I invited them to church tomorrow.  This is where it gets frustrating.  When I invited them, the dad straight up said that they didn't want to come to church, but want us to keep coming back there.  It is so frustrating to put in all that effort to go that far, and have them not want to put any effort back in return!  And now I am trying to decide if it is worth going back out there again and see if we can help them know truth.  It is a long ride and takes at least half a day or more, and I don't want to waste my time or their time.  I will have to think and pray and talk to my comp about it.  After that, the ride home was much quicker because it was all downhill.  But it was still an hour and a half or more, and we were a little late getting home.  But, it was nice to get some good exercise and bike riding in!  

Sunday--Church was good.  We had 3 investigators come--Sister Anastasia and her daughter, and another younger investigator.  So that was awesome!  After church we taught the younger investigator all 3 lessons!  Just shortened versions.    Then we went to members houses for food, then we had a family night thing with our Ward Mission Leader.  Like half the ward was there!  It was a party.  We ate and then taught a lesson about member missionary work.  That was good!  Then we went home.  

Today--This morning was awesome!  We cleaned the house.  Then Elder McCleary and I made our pancakes!  They were so delicious!  We made a bunch of pancakes and scrambled some eggs, and I even found some maple syrup at the store, so they were delicious!  Such a good morning!  Then we came here to the church, I opened my package, and we are emailing!

Well, this week was pretty awesome!  But, I forgot one thing.  On Saturday morning we got the call from the AP's.  Everyone in our house is transferring to different zones, except me.  I am the only Elder in my house that is staying.  So I will have to lead the area a little bit.  I am scared to death because I barely know the area, if at all!  But I am also excited for the opportunity because it will force me to learn how to do things and help me grow!   But I will miss being with Elder McCLeary and Kester because we have a lot of fun together!

I got the package today and just barely opened it!  It is so awesome!  Thank you so much for everything!  I haven't been able to read the letters yet, but I have glanced over them a little bit!  Thank you so much!  Haha we were totally laughing at the little games and stuff!  Things I never would have played with before, but that seem so fun and entertaining to me now, and that will be fun to play with with the little kids of our investigators!  Oh, and that Nike "Many are Called but Few Are Chosen" shirt is awesome!  I love it!  I saw it and thought it had to be from the BYU Bookstore or something, but then I saw Nike and read the Email that it is from Footlocker!  That is so cool--Mormons are getting out there if Nike is quoting D&C now!  But it is an awesome quote, and I can't wait to wear it around!  The snacks and treats are amazing!  Oh, and the Crystal light, I didn't even ask for, but the other day was thinking how good those would be, because here it is either plain water or water with at least 2 tablespoons of sugar or more for flavoring.  I am going to get diabetes if I am not careful!  So those will be awesome!!!  And the pictures are awesome!  It is so good to see you all again, and things that are going on...and the little Elder Wood action  figure out and about!  And the new car is pretty sweet!  Spoiled mom!  I kinda miss the mountains, but Indonesia is its own kind of beautiful, and we have seen some pretty spectacular scenery here as well!  And the letters and other peoples' blogs--I haven't had a chance to read yet, but I am super excited to!  So thank you for everything!  You guys are awesome!

So, it sounds like you have been having some fun this week...at least mom and dad have!  That lake Powell trip sounds like a blast!  Bummer about the bad weather, but that sounds pretty amazing and cool, too, to see the waterfalls and stuff!  Thanks for the pictures, those are so cool to see that waterfall right behind the boat!  

Sabrina and Eliza, sorry you didn't get to go!  But hey, school is important!  haha!  And Sabrina, congrats on doing so well in tennis this year!  That is so awesome that you and Allie are doing so well together and are undefeated in region!  Keep up the good work!  I’m bummed I can't watch you play at all!  Eliza--glad things are going well for you too!  Keep enjoying school and making your music videos and stuff!  I want to watch some in 2 years!  

Well, I have to go now.  But I am glad to hear you are doing well and having fun!  I love you all so much!  And thanks again for the package!

Love Elder Wood