Sleeping spiritual giant

Ni hao! 

How's it going? Great I suppose! This week was good, just full of service and party planning/party plan realizations and spiritual experiences. 

So last p day, we were on our way to the store to do our shopping for the week, and a really nice older man starts talking to us, turns out he had a pretty crazy story! He is about 70, German but living currently in Tonga and on vacation here alone. When he got here he got super sick from some boat mold and it caused his lung capacity to go down to 29%! Thus, he is not fit enough to fly on an airplane. He explained that he had to pay so many hospital bills and hotel rooms that he was totally out of money. He is not a member, but had been talking with the missionaries in Tonga and assisting church in Tonga with his wife, who is a member. He asked us if we could help him find a place to sleep, so we tried the hospital and some hotels and the hostel but had no luck, and eventually found him a room with one of our very charitable members, the Poisbeau family. He just asked them for one night, but they let him stay for 3! How incredible is that?! So much charity in these members. 

Also we had an awesome branch BBQ! This was the surprise baby that the sisters left us before they left: that we were supposed to plan and throw the party for the branch. Turns out that planning a party is pretty stressful but also pretty worth it! We invited everyone to bring their friends and we actually had a super good turn out! Two really nice families came and they had a really good first exposure to the church. The power of member missionary work is to huge though! Instead of trying to kindle a great relationship that permits a person to feel the Spirit while screaming over cars and construction, you can kindly talk to a friend in the comfort of your own home about something that can change their life and let them realize who they really are. Do you understand the importance/awesomeness?!! The St. Nazaire members are really making some great efforts to do this and its coming along! There is SO much potential here, we just need to unlock it! That'll be the plan for this week, awake the sleeping spiritual giant that is St. Nazaire. 

Make a difference for somebody this week! I love you, talk to you soon! 

Elder Wood 

Bonjour! 

This week. What even happened this week? I know a lot of hard work happened that's for sure! Before I forget though, 

4 Rue Pierre Mendes-France

44600 ST. Nazaire

France

Voila my new address! 

This week though we got some exciting news, coming in August/September of 2014..... Ipad's in Western Europe!! What? I never thought I'd be in the mission field when this happened, but it's here everyone, we're getting ipad's. Which means that Sister Wood will probably get one too?! I have no other news than that we have to buy them ourselves, but we also get to keep them after our missions, and that's basically it. I'll probably tell you a little more in weeks to come, when I find out haha. 

Also this morning we went to see a partially submerged retired submarine! That was super cool! The Harris', the missionary couple here, who rock a ton, took us! It was the first submarine to break through the ice in the North Pole, so that's pretty cool! There are a lot of things to do like that here because St. Nazaire was a huge naval base for France in both world wars I believe. I will attach a photo. 

 As far as work, this week was really good and really hard! I love it here and there is so much potential in our branch and just in the city in general, but for some reason I just feel like you have to work a lot harder to keep things going how they need to be! In a couple of instances on my mission I've felt like we were just given blessings and things were relatively easy, but here, it's like I have had to take everything I've learned so far from those successes and experiences and put them to the test. Honestly this week was a challenge! But on Sunday night when you just get to reflect over your week for a minute, it feels really to good to be able to have made even a little difference in the lives of some of Heavenly Father's children. And we did get to make some differences this week.  We taught our ami Y yesterday and he kept saying "This is all the same stuff I've learned in the Catholic church, what was even restored?" From there we just got to talk about everything, what happened to the prophets? The apostles? Why did revelation stop and nobody wrote scripture after the bible? Where are the temples? Why aren't people obedient to commandments anymore? Just tons of stuff to show him that the church is here again! And it was super cool to see him start asking himself questions and being a lot more open and curious. Also we are focusing on less actives this transfer and have seen quite a few of them start coming back to church already! They all have a their own difficulties and everything, but it's such a blessing to see them act in faith to overcome those. Just a ton is going on! And we're going to keep fighting to help everyone have the blessings of the gospel!

I am super happy though and being a missionary gets better and better every day! We've gotta run and do our shopping but I'm stoked to get your letters and I love you guys! Have a missionary experience this week! Bisous au revoir! 

Elder Wood 

  The "swardfish" submarine

St. Nazaire

Bonjour family!

Well, here we are in St. Nazaire! This week was just out of control! Whitewashing is super crazy and pretty hard, but we were blessed this week for sure and saw some cool things happen.

First of all, St Nazaire is just an awesome place to be. It's kind of like Radiator Springs+Huntington Beach+France all mixed together. It's really small, and there is just one road where everyone does their shopping and everything else, and it's right on the coast. Our apartment is probably a 5 minute walk from the beach! Also they build cruise ships here. They are now in the middle of building the world's largest ship! Pretty cool, eh? But the most hoppin' part of St. Nazaire is the missionary work. We were left a little bit to do by the missionaries that were here before us, but not much! The first day we got here we just got to the apartment, dropped off our suitcases and went outside to contact, and the first guy we talked to became a new investigator! It was super cool and we were able to teach a few lessons in our first week which was awesome. And the branch, they are so great! I think I told you last week that there was about 20 but there are actually around 40, and they are super motivated to do missionary work! The second counsellor in the branch presidency is a convert of 2 years and he basically runs the show and it's super impressive, and our branch president is from outside of the city and has a farm, so he speaks hillbilly French! He's super fun to talk to and a super great leader.

​Last night we had dinner with the Poisbeau family. He is French, she is African. The conversation somehow turned to "bou bous", which are traditional African clothing. I said "I've always wanted a bou bou" and bam, she whips out 2 and gives them to us! Behold:

​​

Also, this is my companion! Elder E, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He is in his 6th transfer, likes physics and maple syrup and loves serving the Lord. We're gonna get some stuff done here!

It's gonna be a challenge here but I'm up for it! I really like it and I've already learned a lot and I'm just excited to see what the Lord has in store for us. I love you guys! Have a great week and I'll talk to you soon. :) 

Bisous

Elder Wood

4th of July

Bonjour! 

This was one wild week! I kind of felt like Dwight and Jim when they were the party planning committee because we had to plan a 4th of July party for our branch this week! Why celebrate American Independence in Belgium, you ask? Because everybody loves America! Even though Belgium did beat us in the world cup, tons of people came to the party! We played football (real american football!) ate pancakes and hot dogs and had a line dance. Needless to say it ruled! And the best part was that there were tons of non-members there, even the guy sitting next to us on the bus showed up! Luckily though we have 4 sister missionaries here, so that's

 probably the reason it was so good.  I just wanted to talk to the ami's and play football, so it worked out pretty well :) 

Then on Saturday our awesome friend Guy André got baptised!! It was probably the best baptism i have even been to because all the members that have helped him out were there and the spirit was super strong as he was baptised and testified of his life and conversion afterwards. It really is the same feeling for me though every time I get to see a baptism, that this is just whats supposed to be happening! Its not always some big huge magical thing but its a fulfilling sense, just a pure joy that comes from having helped someone come unto Christ. I got the opportunity to confirm Guy André a member of the church on Sunday! It really was a huge blessing for me and I'm really grateful for it. He really is going to be a huge addition to the branch here, he is really active already and wants to have a calling and get engaged, it was just so cool and such a blessing to teach him! He will definitely be a friend for life. And the next crazy thing iiiisssss....

Im getting transferred again!! SO nuts!! I completely expected to stay here in Liège, but I'm going to a little city called St. Nazaire in France! Its along the Western coast of France, its really pretty and there is a little branch of 20 people there. It will be a lot of firsts for me! My first 2 man apartment, my first small city, smallest branch I've even been in, and first time with a Canadian companion Elder E, and the first whitewash I've ever done! White wash means instead going in to a companion that knows the area, we will both be going in at the same noob level not knowing anything about the area! It sure will be an adventure and i am super excited! Im not zone leader anymore either which will be another change. So much new stuff!! When i found out i was super shocked but also i just got this feeling that it was for a reason. I have no idea what the reason is, but i know there is a really good reason i need to go to St. Nazaire. We're gonna get some work done! 

The last couple days have been full of surprises! And tonight and tomorrow ill be saying lots of goodbyes, kind of like Carley!! (Whom I love and am so proud of by the way) Missionary work is the best thing ever! I know Christ lives and that He leads the work today. It's not an act, it's just real life and real Eternal life that we're working towards, and what a crazy privilege we all have to be a part of that! I really love my mission :) I'm so happy here, and I'm going to be so happy in St. Nazaire and Carley in going to be so happy in Portugal!!

I'll cut it off here so I can get some packing and shopping done before tonight! I love you guys and I'm super grateful that you are my family. Have a great week and I'll talk to you soon! 

Love, 

Elder Wood

Murica v Belgium

Howdy ya'll! 

How's it going over there? Pretty great I hope! I'm super stoked to get the package you sent! That'll go along quite nicely with all the other exciting crazy things that are going to happen this week! 

This last week though was really good. Not a ton of really exciting things happened but a ton of little things happened all week that added up to some pretty cool experiences. I think the Lord was just trying to teach us to be lead and be patient this week. Everytime we prayed to know where to go or what to do, we didn't really get answers, but everywhere we went we found and taught people! It was super cool but I was kind of confused about it for a couple days but then I re-read one of my favorite Preach My Gospel quotes from Elder Oaks on page 101. It's long so I wont type it all out, but it says basically that we cannot expect to be guided in everything. Sometimes either choice is acceptable to the Lord, and it's just up to us to use our best judgement and go for it! He gave us a brain for a reason, right? We gotta use it! We are just expected to do what we think is right and try to do the will of the Lord, and He will make things happen and use us as tools, whether we recognize it or not. That was a valuable lesson for me to relearn! 

Also this week there is going to be a couple conflicting events. #1. Belgium vs. America in the World Cup. Seriously, what are the chances of this happening?! I think its really awesome, but also people are pretty crazy towards us anyways, so I'm interested and nervous to see how they will react after the game! Win or lose, it'll be exciting. #2, the 4 of July! The day we celebrate our Independance (may I remind you that my companion is English?) We have planned a rockin' America Party for our branch and we've been inviting all our ami's and everyone is super excited, but then the game just ends up being 2 days before the party! Haha we're just praying that everyone in Belgium will decide to be really good sports this week. #'Merica

The last unconflicting event that is going to happen this week is that our great friend Guy-André is going to get baptised on Saturday. I don't know if I've told you about him, but he is one of best investigators I've had on my mission! The only struggle while teaching him has been that I had to step up my teaching game so much to actually bring him anything because he was so prepared! He's from Burundi and is working on his doctorate here. He already participates really well in the ward and is super excited to have a calling and progress the Lord's work! I feel like if he was a bit younger we could slap a badge on his chest and send him out because he loves people so much and he especially loves Christ. I'll send you some photos next week!! 

And voila, that's about all! Things are just climbing here and I really love it. Being a missionary is the best! I love you guys and hope you get some chances to share the gospel too :) bisous! Go America! 

Elder Wood

World Cup Mania

Howdy family! 

Glad to hear you're home safe! Mexico sounds like a pretty crazy place. And speaking of crazy places, I will start by telling you what happened last night here in Liège! As you know, the World Cup is going on right now. I feel like it's not that big of a deal in the U.S., but in Belgium it's lyfe. They won their first game last week and it was relatively crazy in the streets, but last night was so much crazier, and we got stuck right in the middle of it! We were knocking some doors by the church, when at about 8 o'clock the neighborhood all erupted at once because Belgium had beaten Russia. Everyone ran out of their houses and got in their cars with their Belgian flags and started speeding around the the streets, honking and hanging out the windows screaming, "Allez les Belges!!" (go belgium) This was in a pretty quiet neighborhood, so we were a little surprised, but we had no idea what was going on down town where we live! There was like a mile of traffic, every car honking its horn and being driven by a drunk person and everyone either standing on top or hanging out the window waving their Belgian flags, and between us and our apartment, there were thousands of people screaming and kicking soccer balls in the air and all the other crazy stuff you do when your country wins a game. So we start making our way through the crowd, and a large group of people surround us and paint our faces with Belgian flags! They were really nice, and I have to say it was pretty fun, but really surprising, especially in missionary mode when all you can do is nervously sing "The Spirit of God" and let them paint your face! But we looked a little more pro- Belgium with the face paint, so we made it through the rest of the crowd and into our apartment safely. Then we all moved our mattresses into the quietest room in the apartment to try and sleep through the party outside that lasted until late into the night. It was so wild. My only fears are if they win again or if they end up playing the states, but we'll see I guess! 

The week before that, however, was one of the best of my whole mission! We've been so blessed with finding and teaching lately, its been incredible! Our ami's are quickly progressing towards baptism! I just had the impression that everything we did this week was done how we were supposed to do it. Especially with some of our ami's we're teaching. They are so smart! It's like they are all already members because the doctrine just makes so much sense to them, and I often think, "how am I supposed to teach these people? What am I supposed to bring them?? They know everything already!" But somehow, they still learn and progress and it's really refreshing to see these people coming unto Christ. I've also learned how great and blessed of a life we have in Utah! The stories that our ami's share with us are unbelievable. This week I heard stories of people trying to kill our ami's, but somehow they made it out, their families still living in danger while they are here working to save them, poisonings and robberies and people losing every member of their family, and fleeing from war torn countries.  These are people that have really had to fight and struggle to survive and somehow they make it here and they meet us, two young kids wanting to teach them about Jesus on the road. So when we start teaching them, I realize that it's not us who were looking for them, but the Lord. It's Him who needed to heal their spiritual wounds and change their hearts and we are just His humble tools. There really is nothing that can slow this work down! They "hope for a better world" just like everybody, and it's such a great blessing to be able to proclaim that possibility to them. 

Also, this was President Poznanski's last week! It was super sad to say goodbye to them and I'm going to miss them a ton! My favorite thing he ever said was "it's not about what you do but what you establish" and they really have established a great mission here that is going in a great direction. Definitely a bitter sweet moment. President and Sister Babin come in on Thursday!! 

This was a long one! I'm super glad your home safe though and I love you guys! Have a super great week and watch the USA soccer game ;) bisous! 

Love,

Elder Wood

photo 1: Last photo time seeing President and Sister Poznanski!  

photo 2: Belgian pride! Thank you, strangers in the street, for ambushing me and painting my face!

	Jun 16 (7 days ago)

Hola hola! 

I hope all is going well down in Mexico! I can only imagine the amount of Nacho Libre quotes being thrown around. Sometimes before we leave the apartment I say to my companion, "I saw these two bums the other day and I said to myself, 'Lets go teach these guys the gospel.'"

This week was wild! We lost two whole days of working in our area because we went to Versailles for an exchange with the assistants, but we still taught more than our average amount of lessons! It was a huge blessing! One of the reasons we were able to teach so much this week is definitely attributed to the World Cup. Belgian's soccer team actually made it into the top 8 teams in the world! (or so I'm told) and Belge people, like most other Europeans, are super crazy about soccer. So, when you get on the bus, all you have to do it sit down next to someone and say "Hey did you see the match last night?" and voila, your talking! My soccer knowledge has significantly increased, and so has our teaching pool! 

Another super cool thing this week was this guy we met named Guy. He was a referral from our awesome members and we were able to fix a baptismal date with him the first lesson! When we met him he told us that he had seen us several times on the bus and around town and whenever he saw us he felt something and he wanted to talk to us and learn who we were. So when he found out his neighbor was a member he asked if he could learn more, and the member called us right up! During the first lesson, we talked about how families could be sealed forever thanks to the restored gospel. It was really one of the most sweet moments of my mission, the Spirit was really strong and he gladly and quickly accepted the invitation to be baptised. It's so true that people really are prepared to receive this gospel in their lives. And another really cool thing is that these temple blessings will be available for him and his family even sooner than expected, because as of last Friday construction of the Paris, France Temple has finally started!! There won't be anything stopping its progression anymore, and it will be done in 2 or 2 1/2 years! Elder Anderson was just in France when this happened and he told the mission presidents that this is the moment to work, because the Lord is going to prepare this country more than ever to have more people come unto Christ and be able to receive these blessings for themselves. How prophetic, am I right?! In the next few months a lot of things are going to change for the missionary work in France and Belgium, and I'm so grateful that I get to be a part of it! 

Be safe in Mexico! Don't get too sun burned and have tons fun! I love you guys! Adios! 

Elder Wood 

photo 1- the Englishman and I at a cool lookout stop of Liege! 

photo 2- huge flowery staricase leading up to the cool lookout spot

photo 3- voila

bisous!