Mud Spa

Hey guys, this week was a great one!! My comp and I aren't sick anymore and we got right back to work this week. We also had 2 baptisms..two little kids that are cousins and they were so excited! Their parents are inactive so having their kids as the newest members of the church will help then hopefully. 

this week was a lot better than the last one. And this will be my last week in this area because I will have changes next week..and I am so excited for that! I have learned to love my comp but I am ready for something new. And also just as I am getting to really love my  area and the members...i have to say bye to them. Out of all the crazies here I have made some really great friends. 

This week we had a lot of chicken friends that wanted to come into our study sessions in the morning. Literally every morning at the same time when we are studying in walk 3 chickens into our house!! I have to run out with a broom and it scares the heck out of em...then they leave me alone haha. I always walk out screaming, this is not your house, we arent even neighbors!...it sounds a lot funnier in spanish haha. 

Also sundays we go eat with a family and they live in the mountains. It has been raining a lot this week so we had to walk in the mud...I had nice ish shoes on so I decided instead of slipping in the mud I would just take off my shoes and go barefoot...I got some crazyyy looks and comments but I felt like I was at the spa haha. Then I borrowed some bright blue crocs and used them for the rest of the day. no shame. it was fun!

I hope all is well down there! The family is officially moved to Utah...adios AZ! But dont worry I will definitely road trip down there to say hi to everyone :) I love and miss you all!! Have a great week!

Hermana Woods :)

Hey Jazzie is Human!

hey everyone!! I feel like I havent written in forever..and its true cause I think that its been about 3 weeks. Last week I was reallyyyy sick and the weeks before I just wasnt feelin it. Honestly, I am struggling here a lot. I feel like I have learned all that this area had to teach me and that I am ready for something new. I only have 2 transfers left so I dont know how changes will work out, but we will see. 

I have reallly learned the power of the atonement this transfer. Its really nice to know that we have someone who unserstands us perfectly and that no matter how hard our trials are there's always 2 people the know us and love us and are always there. I am so thankful for prayer that helps calm me down when we are in a not so fun situation. My comp and I have had a few rough patches but things are getting better. 

This week we had interviews with President Bowler and I learned a lot. I love my mission President and his cute wife! Now i only have one interview left then I am back to the states..its crazy how that happens. Im a little baggy but I want to finish my mission strong and happy. I really have enjoyed all of my mission, my 4 areas, my 8 comps and my testimony is bigger than ever so that is great. Ive learned how to get past the road bumps and keep on crusin. 

The craziest thing that happened in these last weeks is that we helped an investigator wash her clothes cause she had  a ton...but it started pouring rain!! like I have never seen before. Remember people. we handwash our clothes here and there wasnt a roof to protect us. So we were washing the clothes with rainwater, it was sweet cause we didnt een have to rinse again hahaI think that maybe it was because of this that we got sick haha but our investigator was happy and so were we! 

Also we had the first baptism in our ward since January wooh hoo! His name is George, and hes a hippie and so rad! It was for the other hermanas, but it was still sweet. 

I love you all so much! Thank you for all the support and the prayers, I can feel them! I hope you all have a great week!!

love, hermana Woods!

heres some pics of my animal friends!

Realllyyyyyyyy Sick

hey mom! I just got on to tell you that Im alive. I have been reallyyyyyyyy sick for the past few days in my bed but I got permission to leave and write you today real quick. I am a little better now. I think that its either dengue or a really bad flu. Im on a rice and banana diet haha. but all is well. I love you!!

Just for Family

This day she wrote personal letters to our family. No group email

The Escapee is Back!

Hey team! Things are going better than the last week. its interesting how that happens, but it always does! we are seeing a lot of progress and working really hard. My comp and I get a long great and she is finally opening up and is so freaking funny. We just laugh all day long and its great. ALSO Leslie decided to come back from Costa Rica wooh hoo!! 

So once again, I can say that God answers every single little humble prayer. Last week when lesie left we still went to her house to visit her mother in law and the little kids. We decided to pray and ask that Leslie would come to her senses and come home and she did! They are still planning on getting married and she will be baptized soon. God is a God of miracles. 

I gotta keep this short and sweet because our Pday ends at 4 now..so we can go study! Ill send a pic so you can see where Im at with Jesus the Christ, I love that book! Thanks for everything fam and friends, love you all! have a great week :)

Hermana Woods 

heres a pic of my fave book and flowers but they look like hearts to me. obviously there weren't good pics for the week haha.

Her Favorite Human Is...

Hi mom!! That is so cool about Heather Nicols and that lady that remembers me. I am so thankful to have had the life that I have and the parents who taught me everything that I know. WE are sooooo lucky!! I dont know what we did in the life before to have what we have now, the happiness the gospel, the blessings, but i am sooo thankful for everything. i love you so much!! I will pray for the house, dont worry, everything will work out!! also I am killing my workouts!!!! Im gonna come back lookin sooo good. I started zumba in the nights too :) YAY DAD FOR PRESIDENT!!!!! i am sooooo  happy for that. God answers prayers!! okay this is  I FORGOT TO WISH YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!! tHANK YOU FOR being born then having me haha I love you more than life and I miss you but I will be home. Today starts the day of a tranfers and I only have 3 left wooh hoo!!! good luck with everything this week. I hope that everything works out!! I also died at the video on twitter hahahah I LOVE IT!!! nad josh is giant.....you are so cute. and you are my favotire human. ahhh I ant wait to be with you all the time again wooh hoo!!! XOXOXOX OJAzz

Challenges

hey team, hope that everything is going well! This week was realllyyyyy challenging. But its good to have a week like that every once in a while. Something that I have really learned is that the bad times make the good so much more enjoyable.

So remember how I told you about Leslie..who was supposed to get married and baptized on the 30th? well she decided to run away...to Costa Rica. She left her 3 little kids with her spouse and mother in law..and just ran away because she got mad at her boyfriend. they have lived together for 8 years and for whatever reason she felt the need to drop everything and go. I dont understand these people here. Everyone wants to run away here and it breaks my heart. I just hugged the 3 little kids and cried with them because she said that she is never coming back...I love this family so much and they need some serious help. So mom..if I come home with 3 little kids, dont hate me :)

another investigator, one of our best told us of her brilliant plan she had to run away to the good Ol USA illegally...we calmed her down for a good hour and finally convinced her not to go. She is the one that has 2 twin boys and doesnt have a house. We told her to trust in the Lord, get baptized and she will see blessings. I kind of had to scare her out of it..but it worked!

This area needs a lot of help and so do we! Please pray for the people here, its gonna take an army, but things will get better! On another note, Bessy and Mario got married wooh hoo!!! just 6 months late haha they are getting baptized this saturday.

also we had a culture night and it was so much fun! Ill send some pics of that. Thanks for all the love and support. Until next week :)

hermana Woods!

Team Woods Unite!

Hey family and friends! happy late mothers day to all my favorite moms out there! It was soooo much fun talking to my family yesterday :) I cant believe that was the LAST time. I feel like I have been here for ever, but I haven't felt the time go by at all! I have enjoyed every bit of my mission so far and I am bummed that I have such short time left. Just gotta live it up! 

Yesterday was crazy... apart from being in the ward choir, walking an hour under the blazing sun to eat lunch...forgetting the phone and having to walk back another hour..we get to our house and it was flooding!!! We accidentally left the shower faucet thing on (we had to use buckets of water in the morning cause there wasn't running water) and there was water EVERYWHERE. then we got to go home and let all the stress out by talking to the fam. Everyone looks so old, but other than that everything's normal.

Im still the happy Jazzie that Ive always been. But now I feel like I am Jazzie 2.0 haha. I am learning and getting better every single day. We changed our attitudes about the area and we are finally seeing progress. There are people who are prepared in every area..we just need to find them. Another thing Ive learned it that we need to always have an attitude of gratitude. I could be really sad that we live in a poor area..but i am happier than ever because we are so blessed. One day I swear Im gonna come back here and help these people. 

I am also reading Jesus the Christ and it is my new obsession. I am learning so much! I have grown to love the scriptures instead of thinking of it as an obligation. If you have the scrips, read em! and if not...get them. 

I love you all! Thank you for everything, have a great week! 

hermana Woods :)

Mother's Day

Mother's Day! We laughed and laughed and laughed! She is just as funny as ever. She is doing amazing. She was so touched when we told her that you said hi! She is happy, happy, happy. Her sweet companions, all Latinas, love her and call her mom. She is so cute with her companions and fun. It is a joy for them to be working together. She brings light and the gospel to many every day. She takes a shower by sitting on a bucket and pouring water over her head. She teaches people by sitting on buckets in their homes. She is living in severe poverty and learning so many great qualities and life lessons. She is using every talent she ever even sort of developed like the piano and next week she is performing the flute for a talent show! She hasn't picked up a flute since 8th grade. She is also performing a solo in Spanish for the mayor and city council. She sang a bit and it was beautiful. She is not homesick one bit, she has learned her worth, she loves her scriptures and the Lord. What a blessing this mission has been for her! Don't you worry, she is still the same Jazzie, just on an upgraded model!
We Love Her!!!!!

Talked to 100 People!

hey team! Sorry I didnt write last week... Its just because time is going by way fast and I feel like it is always pday haha and I just didnt really feel like writing..but here I am and things are going really well! Its really interesting how that works..some days just suck and are so hard and when I am just about to scream and give up. I say a prayer. God listens. Then we see miracles. Its that simple!

We met so many great people this week. We talked to 100 people and out of them I feel like 5 people will get baptized, but thats how it always is I think. We met 2 little twin boys and their mom and they are so great! They already have testimonies of everything and we only taught them twice, and they went to church. Then we have Leslie who has been needing to get married for 3 months and her husband finally changed his mind and they are getting married and baptized the end of this month woo hoo! We had a family night there on monday, roasted marshmellows and she told us the news! 

We had a general authority come last week, Elder Ochoa hes from the 70 and it  was so great.  he brought such a great spirit there and we learned so much. We are really working on finding the chosen people who are ready to change. our mission is getting a lot better and I love being with hermana Martinez. She is learning really quickly! 

We did divisions this week and I went with Hermana Young, shes one of my favorite gringas! It started pouring rain out of no where so its back to walking through rivers and its awesome! I am also doing insanity so thats killing me but I love it. Oh yeah, and I am practicing playing the flute for a performance that we are doing with the stake..so thats just hilarious cause I havent played that thing since 8th grade...

hmm what else? well yesterday was sunday and we forgot to buy food...so we literally ate just eggs and wheat bread for lunch and dinner...maybe thats why I am getting skinnier haha gotta love honduras. I love this mission!!! happy jazzie. happy mission life. Have a great week! and MOM and family I will see you on sunday. Happy mothers day to all my favorite ladies! 

Love, Hermana Woods

April 27, 2015 Skinnypants

Date: April 27, 2015 at 3:00:23 PM MST

Subject: Re: Great Week!

Dear Family, Jazzie only wanted to write to me and Todd this week. We have challenged each other to go off soda and caffine. She is way ahead of me by about two months. But we are both feeling great! This is the last part of her letter that she wrote. 

okay I love you! also Im Jazzie skinny pants wooh hoo! I HAVE GONE MORE THAN 2 months without coke...thats a huge victory!!! im gonna go by a blender and some protein. I cant wait to go to the temple with you wooh hoo. If you loved me before, youll love me even ,more when I see you in 5 months wooh hoo!!!! xoxoxoxoxo

April 20 On to the next adventure!

Date: April 20, 2015 at 3:51:57 PM MST

Subject: On to the next adventure!

From

Hey team, so here´s the update..my comp left and now Im training again wooh hoo! My comp is Hermana Martinez from Guatemala, she is so tiny that people always ask her if she´s 13..15 if they´re being generous..but shes 21 haha also it doesnt help that I am super tall. The people here have no problem telling me that I´m a giant either haha but I just tell them that I am super normal!

Things are going really well though. It really amazes me that I get more happy every single week! I really hope that its like that when I get back to the real world. We are opening the area and so we don´t really have a ton to work with right now, but we will this week. We are putting on a performance for the city at the end of May and we started practices yesterday, all the missionaries from my zone are participating, its gonna be sweet! Im the soloist..but Im a little nervous cause I have to memorize the song in spanish and Its reallyyy high, and hard but Im excited! 

News of the week....I ate cow tongue. and it was gross! The little girl next to me quietly whispers to me that it was cow tongue and I just pictured a big ol cow mooing with his tongue all slobbery...not a good picture. So needless to say, I said thanks but no thanks hhaa. On another note, I am teaching the people here how to make tortillas because they have no idea. Everyone still is in shock at the singing gringa who can make tortillas.

I love being a missionary!! We will have a great week again this week, I know it. Thank you for all the love and support. I hope all his well with everyone :) sorry there are no pics today, Ill get on that next week! adios!

Hermana Woods!

April 13, 2015 Better Days

hey team, this week was way better than the last one! And it went by soooo fast that I don't even know what to say haha but all is well! My comp and I are having a lot of fun, even though I think that she will have transfers this week and I will have my 8th companion..I am always changing comps but its great to get to meet new people! so far I have had companions from Arizona, Bolivia, Panama, Mexico, Honduras, Peru and Guatemala. Kinda cool, huh? I love all my companions, they have been so great! Ill keep you posted with who my next one is, next week! But I think that I will be staying in this area. 

I am in Danli and in the middle of the mountains. Its not too hot and its not too cold. There is a lot of poverty here though, so very sad but living right in the middle of it I think that I get used to it. Its the way of life for the people here. And the only way I can help is spiritually, which I think is the best way. Also there are two giant mountains with Crosses at the top so its not too hard to know where I am. My area is pretty small, but its rough because its only mountains and stairs! Its such a different world from the south and the city. But the missionary work is all the same! There are good days, really bad days, and awesome days. I feel like its just like real life too. Thats why I just try to always look at the positive side of things, smile and keep on keepin on! 

the only other things that happened this week are that my comp had a birthday! I made her breakfast honduras style...eggs, beans, tortillas, plateno which is kinda like banana and hot chocolate..yum haha I am so over the food here but only 6 months left then I will be back in the good ol USA..wishing that I was still in Honduras with my little best friends here. 

Life is good, the mission is great and I am happy! Thank you for all your support and if you are reading this, for keeping up with your favorite missionary girl :) here's to another week of miracles! Until next time

From Michelle: These dresses Jazzie and her companion and the kids are wearing are from a school project my friends daughter did at her high school global studies. We helped her make and sent over 50 dresses to Jazzie in Honduras for her to give out to the struggling families there.

Hermana Woods

1 YEAR OUT

Hey family and friends, I am here to announce that I have officially left the good ol´South, Choluteca and hit the mountains! I am now in Danli and its a mix of the city and the south region. Its just like my first area! Just besides that fact that this area is a lot more poor, and its more city like. Our mission has 3 regions and they are all so different from each other. This week was full of so many challenges, but in the midst of them, I got to go to the temple, meet another amazing comp and listen to our beloved Prophet and leaders to be spiritually filled for the next 6 months. I LOVED general conference! And I am sure that everyone who watched it felt the same. 

SO this week I hit my year mark! Wooh hoo!! well...I spent the entire day sleeping because I got really reallyyyy sick. But the cute hermanas here brought me a cupcake and it made everything better! Its been a year full of many things:

A year being Hermana Woods, Boots, and Goods

A year full of drinking out of bags of water

A year full of washing my clothes by hand

A year full of speaking, praying, and singing in only spanish

A year full of making best friends

A year full of helping seeing lives change

A year of only communicating with my family and friends via email

A year without technology, music and iphone apps

A year with studying the Bible and the Book of Mormon daily

A year getting to know my Heavenly Father

A year representing our Savior Jesus Christ.

It has really been the best year of my life! I have so many more experiences ahead of me in these last 6 months. These next few will be full of challenges, but I am ready to take them head on! I have the worlds best support team. I have Jesus Christ by my side. What else do I need? I love it here and I wish everyone could have an experience like this! 

Thank you for all the love and support, here´s to a better week and more  miracles! Until next time :)

Hermana Woods!

heres pics of a giant nametag that I found. A pic of us at conference with my mom Hermana Rodriguez, she goes home next week and we are sooo sad about it! 

Trust In The Lord With All Thine Heart: Transfer to a new city tomorrow

Hey friends, I have to live by the scripture that  I put as the heading. The elders just called me to tell me that I have mini changes. Tomorrow I will be leaving this area, all the work that we have done here and going on a new adventure to Danli, some where I've never been before. Its 7 hours away from here. I have to go home and pack right now. I am so many mixed emotions, but more than anything I am super bummed! I have to trust that I am going there for a reason and that I will see miracles in that area too. I have loveddddd choluteca so much. I ave been here for 6 months so it is hard to say goodbye. I feel like I am leaving my house again..

This week was great though, I learned sooo much! We did divisions with our leaders and we are helping our investigators really progress, even though now they are out of my hands I hope that things keep going well with them. 

This week I hit my year mark and I am so excited! I am happy with the work that I have done and I know that I still have a lot more to do. I gotta run and go pack and try to say by to my family here. Thanks for the updates and supports. Please pray for Hermana woods this week a little extra hard. Here's to the next adventure!

Hermana Woods :)

Fear Factor Honduras

Hey everyone, things are going well down here! This week I feel like we were in real life fear factor. I have eaten some crazy things here, but this week tops them all! So we went to an inactive family's house to have a family night and we planned on making baleadas, its just tortillas with beans and cheese. but when we were making them the dad says "hey in the mean time, heres some meat, its beef..." so I ate it with a tortilla and it was really good! Then later I said thanks and that I loved it and he tells me that is was Guasalo.....translation

POSSUM! what the heck?! Hermana Woods ate a possum this week....crazy huh? Its even more weird that I liked it. There's always a first time for everything huh? I seriously almost passed out when he showed me a picture of what is was..i wish I got that on film..

Other than that, this week was great. we are on fire again!! I love being with Hermana mamani. we are seriously laughing all the days long and we have made some great friends here.

theres not really much else to say this week. But all is well! Don't worry about your missionary in Honduras :) I am so happy! Love you all. Thank you for the support! heres some pics of my best

Do Good Be Good

Hey everyone, here's an update from your favorite missionary in Honduras! Sorry I didn't write last week, I just wasn't really feelin it and there wasn't a lot of news. Transfers were this week but I didn't have them, so i will be staying here another 6 weeks in Choluteca...the hottest city in the world I think. But Im gettin some sweet missionary tan lines so its worth it. I love being with my comp. We lost the swing of things this last week but we know we are together for a reason and we will see a lot of miracles this change.

The funniest thing i would have to say that happened is that i am now unofficially the Ward pianist..well keyboardist. There are two ladies that play the piano as well but they always get there late so i end up having to play. The thing is that we also always get there after the meeting starts because we are literally running around getting investigators. I am not kidding...last week we ran 10 blocks to get to church, we had 3 investigators with us and when we got into the chapel we felt like we had just finished a race haha then i run up to the piano to see that the sond has 4 flats...yes i  just play with my right hand haha. for those of you that know, I only know 4 songs on the piano...adele, Taylor Swift, and the first two lines to Jon Schmidts songs hahah. but fearlessly I plunk out on the keyboard and it seems to be a hit.

heres other big news for the week! Remember Bessy and Mario from San luis? They are a family that hermana Torres and i taught back in November, but they finally got divorced!!! Its a real miracle. They will be getting married this month and she will be having twins! I am so excited that I will be here for all of that. Im not in the same área, but we are really close. I LOVE seeing how this góspel changes people{s lives. This is the place to be right now! Even though it is really hard and some days I still feel like quitting, all is well.

Also I am a grandma in the misión now! My daughter (Hermana Arango) is training now and her comp is Darling! I now have 2 daughters and a grand daughter, it is so much fun! things are going well here. Wearin out my shoes and getting sunburned are my new favorite hobbies. Thanks for the support. Love and miss you all!!

hermana Woods :)

heres a pic of me making tortillas...my favorite hobby and some cute puppies that i found!

Jazzie Teaches George Bush

hey team! This week went by even faster than the last....I dont even know what to say. I feel like I blinked and then it was over. We worked harder this week than I have in my entire mission. We honestly didnt waste even a little bit of time and I am really happy with the progress we are seeing. Its not to say that the mission is perfect yet, but I am to the point where there is just so much more good and fun than sad times. wooh hoo!!

Today we spent our pday with our favorite family of grandparents here. We hang out with them when days are hard and I always have my hammock to come to when its just way too hot. But today we decided to climb trees in the morning...my comp has a passion for it..who knew? I guess thats what all the little kids do in Peru. she made it almost all the way to the top. I made it half way then got scared haha. Now we are cooking lunch here too so I gotta run and help soon. 

My friend that has crutches went to church again and he was so excited to be there. He calls us Elders...and every time we correct him he just denies the fact that we are just hermanas haha. Also his name is George and this week he was telling me, and screaming that his name is George Bush...thats about the craziest he got this week. but he is changing his life step by step.

I think we are going to have a miracle baptism this week!! his name is Moses and he is so great. We have been teaching him for 2 weeks but he used to go to church with another member family. he loves the church and wants to get baptized this week so he can go to the temple. It would be a miracle! Please keep him in your prayers.

The work is moving forward and so are we. I am learning more and more every day and I love the mission so much. Time is flyingggg and I only have 7 months left to enjoy it while I have it. Thank you for all the support and love. love to all my favorite fans haha have a great week :)

love, Hermana Woods

Feb. 16th last week

hey team, this week flewwww by again. I honestly havent had a more challenging, rewarding, difficult, successful week on the misison. It is hard to explain but everything was an adventure this week. I have decided that God really does give us the added strength that we need and love for the place that we are in. I love Honduras so much...but if I wasnt a missionary, I dont think that I would so much. It is so hot, the people here are crazy and lazy and the food is gross.

But I love that I was called here, I look beyond that stuff and only focus on the good. I love finding the people who need the most help, the people who live in broken families, have addictions, teenage pregnancies (this week our investigator that was supposed to get baptized next week..we found out that she has a husband of 45 and she is 15-..and that is normal here. so sad) and things like that. Every single person here is loved by our Heavenly Father as much as he loves me. For the reason alone, I love the people here! I have learned so much on my mission and I will continue to do so as time goes on. I only have 7 and a half months left so time to get goin!!

We had Zone conference this week and the first half was rough..our misison as a whole isnt doin so hot right now so we got hit hard with obedience lectures, dats and all that. but then after lunch we had a surprise and we got to watch Meet the Mormons! Our president gave us all popcorn, chocolate and a soda and it was great! They love us and we are ready to hit the ground running. }

Everything is going well here! We went to the beach today and I am veryyy sunburned, but thats what life is like here in Choluteca. I love it here! Thank you to all of my friends, and fans. I love you all so much. go team Woods! have a great week, I know I will :)

love, Hermana Woods

here are some pics! my camera works again, yay!

Miracle Week

hey friends and family, what a week!! things are goin great here in Choluteca honduras :) although it is veryyyyy hot..... We are finally seeing progress, and even though the baptisms arent comin yet, we are seeing people's lives change for the better. I have a story to share with you all today!

so first of all, I want you to all meet my friend George. he is a less active member that hasn't been to church in 6 years. We met him when he was walking with his crutches about a month ago when we were on our way to church. He says "hermanas Elderes, I am a member and I want to go to church today. Let's go" After talking we realized he was a little bit drunk..but he still wanted to go to church so we all went.

 A month passed by and he was hard to find. We decided to visit him on Saturday and when we got there he was passed out on the floor of his adobe house. We thought he was drunk but it turned out that something horrible happened. Someone stole his crutches, then another guy came and stole his money ( he had quite a bit because he is poor and always asks for money, he also has a backwards knee and the other one has big screws in it) It broke my heart to see him like that, we decided to share a message with him and say a few prayers as well. The spirit was really strong in the lesson as we talked about how the Lord sometimes teached us lessons the hard way. he promised to put his life back in order if someone would lend him crutches. We left the house and kept hm in our prayers all day and tried to find crutches. the night passes and we passed by to take him to church in the morning in a truck..but he wasnt home, we thought he had gone to the bar. Much to our surprise, we walked into the chapel and who was the person seated on the front row? GEORGE! With a pair of crutches...how did it happen? I don't know, but what I do know is that God is a God of miracles. i am so thankful to receive his help day after day. George is one of my great friends and its because we look at him, not as an old drunk guy but really as a child and son of God, which he is. 

The mission has really opened my eyes and changed my perspective. I see people differently now, and it's amazing. I love serving and i love helping people. I am so sad that I will be home this year and it will all end one day. So I am enjoying this precious time while i have it.

There were other great experiences this week but those will just have to wait. We met a ton of new people and families. I am learning every day and I love my comp. life is good. thank you for all your prayers and support, I can feel them. Also shoutout to my mom and Aunt Jennifer for the birthday packages! now I dont walk around with broken shoes :)  I love you all, have a great week!

Hermana Woods :)

New Comp and a GREAT BIRTHDAY

Hey everyone!! Thank you soo much for the birthday wishes and love. It was a great day! Well actually a really normal day..but all is well. We ate about 6 different times that day and we couldn't work the next day cause it made me sick haha so don't worry, I got well taken care of! We didn't have a baptism though..it fell through and I am still very sad about it. Satan just gets people sometimes...but we still have hope!

So changes were this week and I am staying in my area yay!! I LOVE my new comp...I always do but this one is really special. We were in the same zone when she started the mission. Her name is Hermana Mamani, from Peru. Up until now, every comp I've had has been from a different country, cool huh? We were sitting next to each other when they announced us as comps and we jumped up so excited! also...she's from a tiny town so she only eats fruit and get mad when I eat chocolate and coke..so the diet has officially begun! wooh hoo!

Today we had to take a surprise trip to the city...so I'm in Tegus right now and we have to go to take a 3 hour bus ride back to the south. My comp is getting glasses...not a fun Pday but thats okay! We are learning a lot and meeting tonssss of people now.

Also my ward mission leader (my BFF) he's a grandpa but we are seriously besties..anyway him and his wife surprised me with a chocolate cake on my birthday so I was the happiest girl ever! They don't have chocolate cake here...just 3 milk cake haha. Thank you for the love and support, I felt it this week. Have a great one!! 

Love, Hermana Woods! :)

Happy Birthday Jazzie!!!

Hey family and friends! Guess who is the birthday girl this week...Hermanaa Woods, sopresa!! haha I cant believe that I will be 20..I feel so old! I have done a lot of thinking this week and I am learning so much. I feel like I have hit my peak as a missionary. I now take things more seriously, love the people even more and hope I teach as Christ himself would want me to.

I was looking at my shoes this week that I have used for 9 months basically everyday and they are really worn out. So much so that it hurts every time I wear them, and at first that bothered me but now I am glad that it does. Any normal person would just look at them and think they're a worn out pair of shoes, but they are more than that to me. Because I have done so many things in these pair of not so cute missionary shoes... I have seen miracles, watched lives change, cried from feeling for these people, walked to many doors who have rejected us and even broken my foot in these shoes. I am so thankful for all that I have gone through so far and what I have ahead of me still.

This mission is full of amazing experiences! This week a sweet lady in our ward passed away. I was asked to give a talk at the funeral..I am not sure why they picked me, I honestly didn't know the lady, but I was honored to be a part of this day. I talked about the Plan of Salvation and how much God really does love us. I felt the spirit so strongly as I shared this message of happiness to a room full of people with tear filled eyes. I cried for these people as well because I genuinely feel a deep love for them. I finished my talk with a hymn by singing I need thee Every Hour and Lead Kindly Light and I felt the spirit so strongly. I know where that sweet hermana is and that she is better off where she is now. And that families really are together forever!

I love this gospel so much and I love being a missionary even more! This week we have changes again..so we will see what happens. Have a great week!and eat some birthday cake for me because good cake and ice cream don't exist here haha Love you all tons.

Hermana Woods :)

pics: my rockin sister shoes! and my daughters and I at the beach! we went there today and played volleyball, so fun!!

Damas et Caballeres

Hey friends and family! I seriously feel like I just blinked and now its Pday again...I am just confused as to what happened with the week. But all good things! Oh yeah, I know...we went to the temple this week! We took the 4  hour trip to the city to go and it was so great. It was so nice to feel the peace and love that is there. Its also great cause we take an 8 hour road trip with a bus full of missionaries, so its good bonding time.

This week I wanna talk about 2 girls who are way special, and really a miracle! There is a mom and a daughter, Herlinda and Neidy. Neidy is 16 and we've been teaching them for 2 weeks and she already wants to serve a misión! We seriously love them so much and its great teaching a mom and daughter who are so close, just how I am with my mom. I really do have more family here, who knew?

Also I went to visit Bessy and her family today beacause I just missed them so much. They live in the área over, but I went to surprise them and they were so excited! It wasn't the same cause I didn't have my Hermana Torres with me, but it was still fun. Bessy is having twins!! I told her to name one Jasmine and the other Woods hahah that would be sweet, huh? I love that family!!

Changes are next week and I will have a new comp...again! mine is going to El Salvador for her real misión. We will see what happens with this new transfer, Im feelin that it will be a good one. I LOVE being a missionary, there is seriously nothing better. Thank you for being my friends! have a great week :)

hermana Woods!

classy 5 star bathroom...road trip style. Thats how we wash our hands and flush the toilets haha I just had to share. Then pics of the temple and my favorite family!

Senora Santa

Heyy Team! I seriously can NOT believe that its adios 2014 and hollaaaa 2015. and I have news this missionary girl will be home this year haha yay! But dont worry...Im still not baggy to be home yet. There are still lives to brighten, hearts to touch and souls to save. Speaking of which I have a great story to tell this week!! well with what happened in the past 4 days. miracles still exist!!

So we are opening this area and we had to start from scratch on everythinggg except these 2 sweet, awesome kids named Montserath..Monse for short and Dustin. Monse just turned 13 and Dustin is 10. There are what we say pilas! Which is super awesome investigators who just love the gospel and understand everything. The first time I met Monse, I feel in love. This girl has a heart like I have never seen before. They live in one room and don have anything except eachother. There is a lack of love from the single mom but this girl has it all.

The thing is, is that these kids still faithfully believe in santa clause (WARNING if you are reading this and have little kids that believe...stop reading it to them haha) She wrote a letter to him and put it under her bed..and I said well of course you havent ever gotten a present cause Santa doesnt KNOW by magic where your letter is if there isnt a plate of cookies...you have to send it in the mail! So she gave me her letter and we mailed it...to my scrap book that I will keep forever. All she asked for this christmas was for peace and love in her home, that the kids without presents would get them, world peace and that the people without homes would have homes for that day....how sweet is that!

So we decided to be santa secretly and it was such a joy to see the looks on their face! I have never loved giving a gift more than this night that we had with them. They were overjoyed and I am so happy that they still have the christmas spirit with them! Then they gave a present to Jesus Christ as well. They were baptized two days later!!

This baptism was so special! Monse went first and then wanted to see her little brother so she comes running in and slips and falls and we all die laughing...but she says...it doesnt hurt, I dont feel a thing cause God helped me! then she stood there getting the whole chapel wet and we watched her brother. They really are the sweetest kids and I am so luck to have met them!

Sorry to write a novel today..but some miracles are just worth sharing! I love this work. happy new year and happy 9 months and half way mark to this girl!! love you all tons. 

hermana Woods! aka Señora Santa