Life is Gooooodddd!

Hello everyone! All I can say is that Life is Goooddd! I finally feel way comfortable here and I love the details in everything. I love that I get to drink water out of a little bag every day. I love how pretty my area is and how green/rainy it is all the time. I love that I get to help make baleadas and learn songs in spanish every friday. I love taking the sketch busses and talking to the workers that collect money. I love how people still whistle at me on the streets and instead of walking away, I give em a picture of Jesus. I love that I only speak in Spanish now and that I even dream in Espanol..I love Honduras and my mission!!

This week we were really busy! We made a goal with our zone to have 20 baptisms in our district and 40 for the month. We are doing a zone fast for 40 days (everyone takes a day a week) and we're reading the Book of mormon in one change. We are setting our goals high so we can start making more project and start helping people with their lives!

We are hopefully having a baptism every weekend this month and we have one for Saturday! His name is Enrique, I don't remember if Ive talked about him, but we're great friends. He's a grandpa and always wears a white sombrero. He wants to get baptized but has to stop drinking coffe, we are praying hard for him and need a miracle! His son Luis is also taking the lessons and reading, he had a lot of challenges, but he has faith!

I taught English class this week!! I thought we for sure weren't gonn ahave anyone come, but 8 people showed up and it was a miracle! We did introductions, and taught the alphabet. I decided that I really do want to be a teacher when I get home, I LOVE it! I had my own whiteboard/classroom and everything. but funny thing, I actually have to know Spanish to teach the English class haha it's super fun and a good way to sneakily show people the church and invite them.

So there's this car that always drives around with a loud speaker announcing activities in Santa and announcing fruits and random things they sell in the trunk bed. It's always a guy on a loud speaker like the ice cream man and i always say to my comp "Hermana, Yo Quiero hablar on the speaker and dice 'Libros de Mormon, tarjetas de Jesucristo, nosotros tenemos la verdad, tenemon clases de Ingles Sabados a las tres (that's my fave to say cause it rhymes haha) Iglesia is a las nueve domingos tambien, Tenemos bendicones en nuestro iglesia" cosas asi haha. One day I WILL get on that speaker. 

hmm what else to say. Oh bugs bugs and more bugs! I must be eating too many samitas (sweet bread with sugar on top...my literal favorite thing in the world right now) haha but I guess my blood is super sweet. I have about 20 bites and yesterday I turned into a ninja and killed 10 yesterday, on contact, it was sweet! I use bug spray like perfume, anti itch cream like lotion...and still get attacked haha. but as always, life is good!

Love and miss you all tons! Thanks for all of the prayers and support, I seriously can feel it. I complete 3 meses on Wednesday wooh hoo! Fin, Adios!

bummer, I have a ton of pics this week but this computer is broken again :( Lo Siento for being boring..

Hermana Wooooooddddsss!!!

Sister Missionary or SIster Jungle Chick?

Hi everyone, this week was an adventure once again!!! The answer to the question in the heading is Sister Jungle Chick haha. I seriously love it here so much. It's rainy season so every day we are just soaked head to toe! Last night was absolutely insane. I wish I could've taken a video, it was like a hurricane pretty much. Pouring rain harder than I have ever seen and lightening, thunder, all that good stuff. but like I've said, our house is at the verryyyyy top of the hill so we had to run up these hills (which turned into MASSIVE rivers of 2 feet deep at least) it was the craziest thing of my life, and so much fun!!

This week we got to go to the temple again, but with investigators! It was sweet!! we brought Michel, a girl who's 14, and an abuelo (grandfather) named Enrique, who is my bestie! It was so sweet, and the spirit was really strong. I got to sing again with another hermana and we just got up and sang Señor te Necissito and it turned out well. I also walked into the doors of a baptism and they announced to me unknowingly (and now  hna Goods will give a special musical number) happens all the time haha but its fun!

speaking of music...I accidentally told the branch prez that I could play the piano so I played the piano for a branch conference. It was on a keyboard and oh r}so rough. The meeting started an hour late so I was playing hymns for an hour straight!! My piano is absolutely awful, but by some miracle, it was alright. I love my little branch! We finally got up to 109 people at church, so that was a miracle.

This week there was a huge fiesta in santa Lucia and there was a dance in the main park. Hermana Rodriguez started to salsa in the street and I wanted to go over and start dancing with the people..but missionaries aren't allowed to. I had the idea to dance with someone and give them a tarjeta (a picture of Jesus or the temple) but we just decided that would not be the best idea haha. Also with the world cup going on here, it's always a fiesta!

So we're teaching Enrique's son names Luis and he has a problem with drinking, coffee, smoking, etc. the other day went to his house and he had his hand behind his back. And in spanish I said, show me whats in your hand, I know you're hiding something Mr! And it had a cigarette in his hand. he gave it to me and we put in on the ground and stepped on it. We said, muy mal hermano Luis, tenemos un importante leccion por usted ahorita! vamos!! and continued on to teach his a lesson haha it was great. 

I love the people here and I am so thankful to be on this adventure! Thanks for all the love and support. I can feel your prayers!! Hasta luego!

Hermana Woods :)

ps I went to the temple with my famila this week!! haha thanks mom for the cutouts ;) the other pics is of last night after the crazy rain and of Michel!

RollerCoasters and Cows

hellooooo everyone! This week was quite the rollercoaster, but it ended well! Here's my journal entry headings just to give you a taste of the week.

I Love to See the Temple!

Hna Woods and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Honduras is Heaven!

Pork is a no-go

Holy Cow!

Zone Conference...Im a missionary!

So we got to go to the temple this week, that's miracle #1! It was so great. I love the temple!! When we pulled up, fireworks went off and I just like to think that they were for us Everything was in Spanish..but I was still able to feel the peace and spirit that was there. I love that the church is exactly the same throughout the entire world. It is so true!

I got food poisoning this week...not fun. and I accidentally told a creepy old guy that I would marry him...right after we taught this family that we always do and usually its great. but the little boy kept hitting me with a toy car, head butting me, and swearing at me! I kept saying: muy mal, no no no. but he just thought it was funny. it was NOT funny haha. That was the day I got sick so hna woods was not a happy camper. 

We are teaching this other family who I absolutely love! They live in the tiniest little house and are so humble, they love having us over. We met them the first week and they all have baptism dates but have a hard time getting to church. (So does everyone here..) but we are working on it. We had 2 people come to church this week, that's another miracle!!

The other day we walked out of our door and there was a cow RIGHT in the doorway. Just chillin there...its our neighbor, hes great. but I was so scared!! I just said Holy cow!! and moved on.It was also pouring rain! as Its rainy season, so every day we just get soaked. and go through rivers basically. It is such the grand adventure!!

Oh yeah, I met 2 gringos in the grocery store this week from England, they were great! Its a funny story..they thought that we worked there because of our badges, so they asked hna Rivas where the hummus was...but she doesnt know english, so she searched for me in the grocery store and I went up to them...to explain that they dont hae hummus there, we're missionaries and we live here! then they helped me pick out hair dye haha it was great. 

one more thing, I sung at zone conference and an investigator meeting with 300ish people. I got up and was sooo nervous, which was weird for me. but I sang in spanish Yo se que vive mi Señor. The english part was good and the spirit was strong. I love the people here, and I love getting lost in the work!

Thanks to all who write me and support me, I can really feel it! I love you all and miss you tons! ps cant send pics this week because the ciber is closing in 3 minutes :( lo siento. Adios amigos!

Hermana Woods!

Ready Set Go!

Hellooooooooo everyone! Im gonna start off with a quick little story. Ready, set, go! So yesterday, after church..which we finally had someone come with us!!!....but after church we had nada. NADA. no appointments, nothing. So we decided to go discover other parts of our area thats far away. So we start walking, and walking, and hiking, and walking for a good 40 minutes down hill. We ended up in a residential, gated area, and by a soccer field. so we couldn't do anything...then realized we had to hike back UP the mountain! we decided to take a short cut and ended up in the FOREST. legit, the forest!!! we were so confused and SO lost haha it was great. talk about an adventure!! so after 2 hours of trecking, and not talking to anyone, we finally made it back to the main road. 

I have 5 minutes and they're closing the cyber cafe. This week was good!! It went by insanely fast!!! Honduras is so much fun. adventures every day. I love it here!

I MET AN AMERICAN from TEXAS this week!!!! WE were hiking up the mountain and I heard ...only 73 steps to go... and I thought, could it be? an english speaker?? so I ran up and said AHH hi you speak english!!! and we had a nice chat. We met with him later that week and it turns out he retired here and mines for gold...how fun! and he gave me some gold!! It was fun teaching in English and the spirit was really strong. 

time to go! I love you all and miss you tons!!! Fin adios!!

Your favorite Hemana

This is what I wrote Jazzie and asked her questions to answer this week. These are my questions and her responses.

MOM HI I LOVE YOU!!!!!

1. What is your companions name and what city is she from?

Hermana Rodriguez from La Paz, Bolivia. 

2.How long has she been out? 

8 months as of this week!

3.How are you communicating with her? 

In only spanish! She is the best! Seriously she is hilarious and has so much patience. and is always smiling. we get along GREAT! and I get to teach her english too.

4.Are there other sisters who you live with? 

2 hermanas live in the same apartment complex, theyre great too.

5.How many people are in your district? 

I think 6, but were always with our zone. I love them!! we always do stuff with them on Pday and every thursday a lady cooks for us after meetings

6. How is your Spanish coming?

Im fluent basically...its great!!

7. What do you eat all day?

Oatmeal, for lunch we cook chicken, potatoes, carrots...string cheese hha dinner is oatmeal again. somedays we get to make pancakes. and I eat saltines with honey and peanut butter haha. on the streets they have palletas which is frozen leche and cocoa...ots heaven! and only 50 cents.

8. What did you sing on Sunday?

I have no idea haha. TOmorrow we havea huge zone conference and Im singing with hermana snelson Be Still My Soul because its not in teh spanish himno. 

sorry to be short I still jave to read and reply to 20 emails in 30 mintues ahh. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!! 

Doing the Chicken Dance

have been here for 2 months!! wooh hoo!! today is a fiesta!! we went to this sweet place where there was a giant overlook of all of Honduras basically, and a statue of Jesus..and I have sweet pics but this computer is ghetto (like everything else here) so I can't send pics :( sorry everyone! Thanks for all the letters and support. I love you all tons!

Honduras is crazy! It's seriously an adventure everyday. we had a lesson this week and there were 4 chickens walking in and out of the house. I had to keep my feet off the ground and focus really hard because I was scared that they were going to eat my feet haha. I was trying so hard to focus on the lesson, and you know, spanish..but it was challenging I tell you! Did I ever tell you that our neighbors were cows? well they just disappeared...so I think that they've become someone's dinner now..It is quite sad. 

So on Friday we didn't have any appointments after 7 so we met up with the other hermanas in our group and we helped cook baleadas. (yes, i eat the food here, and oddly enough I crave it!) It's just a tortilla, frijoles, queso, huevos, and some sauce. but they are good! so we just laughed out heads off and cut up bananas, and I taught my hermanas enlgish, it was sweett!!

Last night we were at a members house and they were watching The Voz Kids (The Voice, but it was for kids...kina self explanitory) but it was so funny! The niñas were so talented so i just had to listen. I kept thinking about our X factor audition experience and about how when I'm home (Lil and Kal this is for you) I'm gonna teach you spanish and we might have a chance at making it on the spanish singing show haha. You down?

speaking of singing, I wanted to tell you about La Iglesia! It is NOTHING like church at home. nothing. we have church in a building that's a school. but more just like a shack. It's supposed to start at 9..but Honduras standard time...so it starts at 9:40. Yes, worse than Mormon Standard Time haha. then we sing..Everyone sings SO loud. like MTA loud, but not as good sounding. like, everyone is so so tone deaf and screms at the top of their lungs, so it's quite the opposite of spiritual music. Haha also, we sing EVERYWHERE. with my compañera, on the street, we'll just walk up to people and ask to sing a hymn. It's so funny, like I always laugh (because it sounds awful) and it's just awk. I'm glad I'm in another Country cause it would be sooo weird in America haha. ALSO there is a little puppy that's always at church. I don't remember if I told you last week. But he comes in and out of sacrament. And we have class outside, so he joins us for that too haha good times. 

Okay, so last night! we were wayyyy up in the mountains with a member family and it started pouring rain like pouringggg. our house was a good 20 minutes down the hill. no light, we had to run, it was sketch. but I prayed the whole way, realized HOW COOL my dad did this exact same thing (If you don't know his story, he would love to share it with you) but anyways, I felt totally calm and it was great. I was exhausted before,but I iterally feel like angels were carrying me and helping me run, I'm being dead serious. It was sweet!!!! The church it true and we are so protected!!!! I feel safe here too. So if y'all ever worry about me, don't cause I'm safe and happy!!

I love you all tons!! Have a great week!! Sorry for no pictures :( Adios!

Hermana Goods (W isn't in the honduran spanish alphabet hhaa)