February 23, 2015 (Pictures)

I am as white as can be.... hahahaha

Went to Ellis Island again... I love this place!

It started snowin like crazy! 

February 23, 2015 (Faith)

Hey my people.

     So it has been another quick week. And I honestly cannot even really remember what all has happened. We are still working on finding more investigators. We were able to find 1 new investigator this week and she is from Haiti. Surprise! haha She is very nice and was very willing to let us come inside and talk with her. She came here with her sisters. So it is just her and her two sisters and a cousin that are living in the United States. Their parents are still over in Haiti. Every time we learn about someone's life over here and all that they had to go through to get to the U.S. it breaks my heart. These sweet people have really gone through some really tough times. Being a missionary is a very humbling experience. Especially since I have been able to serve in some really poor places. Just this last Tuesday we got to go on an in zone exchange. Our zone leaders got to pray and choose where we went in the zone and who our companion would be for that following 24 hours. I got to stay in my area and Sister Egan came with me. She is the girl that worked at Gemini with Jamie!!! Yep. She is in my zone. She is so awesome. We are a lot alike. I loved being able to go on that exchange with her. I learned a lot from her. She is struggling with a lot of the same things I have and still do struggle with so it was such a neat experience talking with her and letting her know that if I could make it this far so could she! Anyway that was off topic, but we were planning on Tuesday night and I had this feeling that we should go see one of our members here. I called Sister Jean-Louis to see if we could come see her on Wednesday morning and she agreed. Sister Jean-Louis is also from Haiti and she has been a member for a little over a year now. She is an incredible woman. She is raising a son basically all by herself and he is 18 years old now. S. Jean-Louis has been through SO much in her life, and yet she has the strongest faith. When we went over on Wednesday morning I was just expecting to share a scripture with her and see if there was anything we could do for her. I had the feeling to ask if she had any food. (I do this a lot because I am good at prying into people's lives...) She kinda just shook her head and told me to come and look. Really the only thing that she had in her house was a frozen ham. So we made some phone calls to our Bishop and the 1st counselor in the Relief Society and we were able to get things figured out so she could go to the Bishop's Storehouse. It broke my heart to see this incredible women have to go through so much. She works so hard and has such strong faith in the Savior. It is so incredible to see that even though she is struggling, the Lord is ALWAYS going to watch out for her as long as she is doing her part. She has seen so many miracles happen in her life and I know that it is because of her faith. I have been thinking a lot lately about why Faith is the first principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Really faith and trust is the essence of everything we do in the church. Faith is such a basic principle, but when we have even just a tiny mustard seed of faith we will be able to experience spiritual growth. We aren't asked to know deep doctrine and we definitely aren't supposed to understand everything in this life. That is why it is so important that we focus on the small and the simple things in life. Just like it says in Alma 37:6-7 , "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls." When we try to understand absolutely everything it can make us doubt and even question our belief. And that is why faith and trust are so essential in the Gospel. And honestly it is nice to know that we aren't supposed to know everything in this life. So we just need to keep moving forward with faith. (: I thought that was SO cool that you shared that with me in your email Dad. I have been really thinking about the small and simple things of the gospel all stinkin week. I love that quote by President Hinckley, "You have not failed until you quit trying." What a wise and amazing man President Hinckley was. It is so true. We are always going to fall and be tried and we are constantly going to have trials in our lives, but if we keep moving forward with faith, even if it is tiny baby steps, we can achieve great things in the end. And that is really what this Gospel is all about! (:
     We are going over to see one of our less actives tonight. He got shot a couple of weeks ago... Maybe a month or so ago. He was shot in the chest at some club and has been in a Coma for a while. I honestly was praying so hard that he would make it through so that we could go over and shake him and tell him that this is God letting him have another chance to come back to church. I really love this less active and I am so excited to finally go see him and I am so grateful he is doing okay. So crazy... I feel like some of the things that people struggle with over here are things I never had to hear/know/deal with when I grew up. It is so crazy how different life can be depending on where you grow up and how you choose to live your life. Once again... Thanks goodness for the gospel! (:

     I am glad that things are going pretty good back home. I will keep Uncle Dayle in my prayers and that everything goes well with his radiation! I hope everything goes well with moving Grandma Woodland into an Assisted Living as well! I will keep all ya'll in my prayers! (: Thanks again for everything you do for me!!! I hope that you guys have a great week!

LOVE YOUS TO THE MOON & BACK!! WE GOT THIS! 

Love, Sister Woodland

February 16, 2015 (Pictures.)

Got this Valentine's Day card from Barb and Joe. It has our favorite saying on it!!! Man I thought it was so cute!!!

Just hanging out by the Hudson River. SO BEAUTIFUL.

Hudson River

Me and my crazy companion!

A part of our area has just Hisidic jews. It is so interesting. We always want to learn about their religion and why they do what they do.

February 16, 2015 (It. Is. FRIGID.)

Hey Fam.

     I'M FREEZING MY BUM OFF OVER HERE. Just in case anyone wanted to know. It is frigid. First off, it really should just stop snowing. I would really appreciate it. Secondly, if the wind would just stop blowing it wouldn't feel like someone was cutting my skin with little knives. Thirdly, if the temperature could just stay above 20 degrees my bones wouldn't hurt so much. It is supposed to be in the negatives today. Last night it was at 2 degrees and we were dying. Every time we would get out of the car Sister Robinson would scream... hahaha Our Mission President actually sent out a text to all of the missionaries to not be outside and to be smart with the cold weather we are having right now. 

​        ( Just in case you thought I was messin with ya... )

We woke up this morning and it was 65 degrees in our apartment. I think we have really bad windows and doors because the air from outside just seeps right in. I thought we were like camping or something this morning because it was so cold. haha If the heat would just at least work in our apartment things would run a little smoother... I am just grateful we have a roof over our heads! (: I think it is a lot colder this year than it was last year, but it snowed a lot more last year than it has this year. So there are always positives in every situation! 

     This week was another slowish week. But we are working again on increasing our teaching pool. We tried a former investigator and we were able to pick her up as a new investigator this week. She is such a sweet women and she has an incredible desire to help others especially her family. So hopefully this time she will keep the commitments we leave with her. (: I am excited to start teaching her and hopefully her family as well. I love trying to find new people to teach in this area because people are so friendly here. Even if they aren't interested they are still so nice and so willing to talk with us. It makes sharing the gospel a little easier. Everyone keeps talking about me leaving this area though at the end of this transfer. Ugh. That will be a hard day for me if I am transferred. I have fallen in love with this area and these incredible people. But I know that whatever is supposed to happen will and that it will be exactly what God needs me to do. I am just going to work hard and have lots of fun these last two weeks of this transfer and then we will see what happens! I keep joking with Sister Robinson that she is going to be the one who gets transferred and that they are going to keep me here for a 5th transfer... That would be so crazy! I think at that point I would come to terms with the fact that they forgot about me all the way over here in New York. haha Isaiah told us this week that he got asked to be the Deacon Quorum's President!!! He seems a little bit nervous. I think this calling will be EXACTLY what he needs to help him progress more in the Gospel. It has been really fun for me to be here to watch him grow and understand things more and more. He really is such a great kid! 

     I hope that you guys had a great Valentine's Day! And Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Holy smokes you people have been married for FOREVER. hahaha That is so awesome! (: Sister Robinson and I had a fun Valentine's day. I made heart shaped pancakes for breakfast... (I know I didn't know I could make them either... ) and then we went out to lunch! I did get your package by the way! We both loved what you put in it! And thanks for the drugs! (: I also LOVE those heart shaped balloons... hahaha I was secretly hoping that you would send them again this year! I was so excited when you did. They are so great! They bring some excitement into our missionary lives... But it turned out to be a really good day! Just stinkin cold... But what's new... (;

​                                                (Barb found this card. I thought it was so great!!)

   

  Thanks again for all you guys do for me! I am so stinking lucky to have you guys as my family. I hope that yous have another great week! I'll send some snow and coldness your way! (; 

LOVE YOUS TO THE MOON & BACK!! WE GOT THIS!

Love, Sister Woodland

p.s. I am feeling pretty good. The medicine seems to be working! (: HALLELUJAH! 

February 9, 2015 (Why won't they die?)

Family.

     So this week was a little rough. I guess you have to have a few of those every now and then! haha First things first. We have found 2 more bed bugs since the extermination... HOW ARE THESE BUGS STILL LIVING?! That is a question that I just feel like we will never be able to answer.... hahah Sister Robinson thinks they have 9 lives and I just think these things are mutant. We talked with our Land Lord this morning and he said that he will try to get an exterminator to come back in and spray again to try and get the bed bugs he missed. They really are the hardest bugs to kill. So we washed our sheets and blankets again this morning. We are just going to continue to work our little bums off trying to get rid of these things once and for all even if it takes forever. The next thing is that the weather over here is CRAZY. We woke up this morning and went out to our car and it was raining ice. It was super hard to scrape the ice off of our car windows... Even though I have had a winter here on the east coast I still feel like I am so unprepared for the craziness of this winter weather. I don't ever remember it raining ice last year... hahaha It is a good experience for me though. And don't worry Mom. We are being SO careful! I think it is so crazy that you guys are having such a warm winter! You can have some of this snow! (: Then the last thing was that the sweet Egyptian family that we found last week talked with their preacher person and they asked us not to come back... It was SO sad. They are such nice people and we were so excited to teach them. But they do have two copies of the Book of Mormon and a restoration pamphlet. So the seed was planted! (: We also had to drop one other investigator because he just wasn't progressing and he wasn't willing to read the scriptures or pray or come to church. But I hope that one day his heart will be softened and he will be ready to receive the restored gospel. It definitely takes a toll of my heart when we have to drop someone or they drop us... I am getting really used to "break-ups". I will be pro at those when I get home! hahahahaha Just kidding. Someone told me the yesterday that I have exactly 5 months till I go home. ISN'T THAT SO WEIRD. I had a mini panic attack inside. haha Time is going by so quickly. I feel like I blink and a week goes by... haha Anyway, even though it was a slower week and a little bit of a bummer we still had fun and worked hard. (: We got to end the week at Stake Conference. We had Elder Kacher come and speak to the Caldwell Stake and it was AMAZING. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I love how God answers prayers through other people. But he just spoke as the Spirit directed him and it was so good. He had the primary children go up on the stand and sing a primary hymn about the Savior and they he asked a few of them to say what Jesus meant to them. These little kids were SO powerful. I was so amazed. Elder Kacher said how we all need to become as little children because their testimonies are pure and simple. He then talked about how important it is to be Temple Worthy always. And that if we aren't Temple Worthy that is what the Atonement of Jesus Christ is for. The Savior loves each one of us perfectly and He wants the absolute best for us so He has given us a way that we can receive all of the blessings He has in store for us. My heart is constantly full of gratitude for the unconditional love the Savior has for each one of us. He truly loves us perfectly. I find so much peace in that knowledge. I love the talk by President Utchdorf titled, "Living The Gospel Joyfully". I love the part where he says,

"You are loved. You are dear to your heavenly parents. The infinite and eternal Creator of light and life knows you! He is mindful of you. Yes, God loves you this very day and always. He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits. He loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles. He is aware that you reach up to Him in heartfelt and hopeful prayer. He knows of the times you have held onto the fading light and believed—even in the midst of growing darkness. He knows of your sufferings. He knows of your remorse for the times you have fallen short or failed. And still He loves you. And God knows of your successes; though they may seem small to you, He acknowledges and cherishes each one of them. He loves you for extending yourself to others. He loves you for reaching out and helping others bear their heavy burdens—even when you are struggling with your own. He knows everything about you. He sees you clearly—He knows you as you really are. And He loves you—today and always!"

 Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father love us so much and they want nothing but the best for each one of us, NO MATTER WHAT. I just stinking love that. This Gospel truly does bring us the most happiness and peace!

     Thanks for everything you guys do for me and thanks for all of the prayers! I know that the power of prayer is real. (: I hope that you guys have a great week! 

LOVE YOUS TO THE MOON & BACK! WE GOT THIS!! 

Love, Sister Woodland

p.s. I am so glad you guys got to go to Richy's baptism! That is so awesome! Makes me so darn happy! hahaha

February 2, 2015 (Pictures)

Just washing all day everyday!

The elders made us brownies this morning because I think they could tell yesterday that we were stressed out of our minds... hahaha

It snowed a lot here....

February 2, 2015 (WE ARE BED BUG FREE.)

FAMILY.

     Well it sounds like things are going great back home! Holy smokes. That is so awesome that Megan has a job after she graduates and that all of that stuff is working out for her benefit!! Congrats to Mallo on getting excepted into BYU-Idaho! I knew she would...(: And then little Bryce man is attracting all the ladies with his incredible basketball skills... What a stud. It is a good thing he has had 3 older sisters to help him out! (; Man. I love getting emails where so many good things are going on! I am so happy for all of you! You all better have a party! 

     This week has been one of the most crazy/stressful/overwhelming weeks I have had in a really long time! I had no idea that it would take soooooooooo much work to get rid of bed bugs. I really hate them. We ended up having to get an exterminator and he came on Saturday. But we had to wash EVERYTHING in our apartment. And I mean absolutely everything. It took soooooo long. Luckily the land lord let us do our laundry for free because we would have been broke if we would have had to pay for it. I cannot even tell you how many loads of laundry we had to do. Then after we washed everything we had to put it into garbage bags and double bag it. We weren't allowed to take our laundry back into our apartment until the guy had finished exterminating the place. It didn't really click to us that when you put things into garbage bags right after they come out of the dryer they get extremely wrinkled... And then we realized that not only were they really wrinkled, but everything was SO staticy! We were getting shocked up the wazoo hahaha So that was basically what we did allllllllllllllllllllllllllllll weekend long. I never want to see a bed bug ever again. hahaha So the next time by companion asks me, "Sister Woodland, Is this a bed bug?" I am just going to say no without going over and actually looking at it. If you just don't face the problem it won't actually exist, right? hahaha (; So yep. I feel like that was basically what this last week consisted of. Lots of bed bug killing. But our apartment is FINALLY back in order and it feels sooooooooooooo good! I laughed and laughed and laughed at your email Mom. I figured after I sent that email last week about the bed bugs that you weren't going to let me go inside our house without changing out of my clothes. haha Shoot. Too funny! Sometimes you just have to laugh at a situation because if you don't laugh you'll probably cry. So Sister Robinson and I did a whole lot of laughing this week. I am surprised we haven't gone crazy yet! But things are good now so we are going to be just fine! (:

     Even though we had a lot going on with the bed bug situation we were still able to get out and work as much as we possibly could! God definitely blessed us sooooo much this week. I think He knew that we were so stressed out that we was like I'll just help them out a little bit more than usual this week because we found 7 NEW INVESTIGATORS. 7. New. Investigators. Can you believe that?! Because I sure couldn't! haha I still have no idea how that happened, but I am super excited about it! We started to teach this really awesome family! They are from Egypt and they came here only 5 months ago. They are soooooooo nice. They are Coptic Orthodox. Which is something I have never heard of so we had to ask some of our members here so we knew how to start teaching them. They have never even heard of our Church before. Which is so crazy! I feel like I haven't met very many people who have never heard of "Mormon" before. So we are going to need to start at the very beginning with them! They are seriously some of the nicest people I have ever met! They are so welcoming and so friendly! We have a member in our ward here that speaks Arabic so he is going to come out on a team up with us this coming Saturday! We are super excited. Jackie was able to receive the Gift of The Holy Ghost yesterday and she is doing so awesome! Things really are moving right along over here. God will always keep His work going even when crazy things come up! I am so grateful for that! It is a testimony builder to me that God really is in the details of this work! 

     Things are now going great and I am super excited to now just solely focus on the work and on our investigators! (: Thanks for your examples to me and for everything you do for me! I miss you all so much, but I am so grateful for this opportunity to be out here. Even when things get a little crazy! Remember to keep sharing the gospel and helping those missionaries out over there! (: 

LOVES YOUS TO THE MOON & BACK!! WE GOT THIS! 

Love, Sister Woodland