Contact Information

E-mail: amy.woodland@myldsmail.net

May 25, 2015 (Pictures)



The Jersey Shore house is actually in my area!!!
Went to the Board Walk!

May 25, 2015 (iPads)

Family!

     So a lot has happened this week.... 

  1. First things first. WE GOT IPADS. So that is weird... Also, I only get to use it for like 6 weeks... haha So I won't really have a lot of time to get used to it. But they are fun to use. It is nice to have them so we can show people videos and pictures. It helps make things more interactive! Our mission is moving up in the world! 


     2. We had an incredible lesson with Mike and Robyn on Tuesday! We finished teaching The Gospel of Jesus Christ and after it was over we invited them to be baptized. We were a little hesitant about inviting them because they aren't married yet and they would either have to get married first or stop living with each other. But the Spirit was SO strong in the lesson and after we asked Robyn broke down in tears. She and Mike looked and each other and then Mike high fived her and said, "Let's do this"!! WE WERE SO EXCITED!!! Mike then said that he had some concerns though... We were both a little bit nervous when he said that. He said that he knows they have to be married before they are baptized and they are both willing to do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MIRACLES PEOPLE. MIRACLES. We talked about how our Bishop can marry them and that this can be very simple! They are both very excited!! It was one of the coolest lessons I have had my whole mission! (:

     3. I am now 21 years old and that is super weird! I had a good Birthday! The members were super sweet! I didn't really tell anyone that is was my birthday and everyone got mad at me for that... haha But everyone surprised me! We had dinner at a members home and they bought an ice cream cake! It was so nice of them! Mike and Robyn bought me an "Alex and Ani" bracelet and it is so pretty! They also bought us cheesecake! Our Bishop and His wife made cake too. It turned out to be a great day! (: The people took good care of me! 




     4. We got a Senior Couple FINALLY!!! Their names our Elder and Sister Ross and they came from Payson, Utah. I don't know if they know any of our family... I haven't actually asked that yet. They only lived in Payson for a year though before coming on a mission. They lived in Wyoming for 40 years before that. We are so stinking excited that they are here though! This ward really needs this Senior Couple! 

     So that was about the majority of what happened this week! It was definitely an eventful one, but also I really good week! It starts the beginning of my last transfer which is a really weird feeling! I am excited though to work hard and have fun this last transfer! Thanks for everything you guys do for me! I hope that all of you have a great week!!!

LOVE YOUS TO THE MOON & BACK!! WE GOT THIS! 
Love, Sister Woodland


May 18, 2015 (Picture)

I liked this shirt... hahahaha 

May 18, 2015 (God's Love.)

Heeeeeeey.

     And just like that another week is over. Nothing crazy happened this week, which is always a good thing. (: haha We have been spending a lot of our time this week trying to help the people we are teaching to progress now. We realized yesterday that the way we will be able to really do that is by using the ward. Which is something we are kinda struggling with right now. But we are makin plans to love these people to death....(: haha So hopefully that will work. I have realized on my mission how important it is for members and missionaries to work together or things just don't function like they should. I have seen the moments on my mission where we have really worked hard on functioning together with the Ward or the Branch and so many miracles come from it. The times when we try to do it all by ourselves everything tends to fall apart... President Hinckley always talked a lot about how members and missionaries can work together. He said, “The process of bringing new people into the Church is not the responsibility alone of the missionaries. They succeed best when members become the source from which new investigator are found." So that is what we have felt like we need to do now. So I am super excited to see what we can do to work better with this ward so that they want to work with us as well. I'll let yous know how it goes next week! (:
     We got to have a lesson with a lady who is partially less active yesterday. She told us that she doesn't know that God loves her and asked us why it would matter to return to live with Him again when she doesn't even know that He loves her personally. I got to share a cool experience I had a couple of weeks ago on Fast Sunday. I didn't really know what to fast for because I couldn't really think of anything big that I needed to help with. As I was studying in the morning I felt like I should fast to know that I was a Child of God and that He knew me personally. I think it was the first time in my life that I have actually plead with God to know that I, Amy Woodland, actually mattered to Him. It was the coolest experience the rest of that Sunday. I never had a big neon flashing sign tell me that I am a Daughter of God, but the whole Sunday I had an overwhelming feeling of peace. I felt soooo much comfort that day and I just knew that God knew exactly who I was and that I really did matter to Him. I was able to testify to this lady that God really does know each of us personally. He might not show us that He does with a big sign, but if we really have the desire to know He will always help us feel His perfect love. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I am a Daughter of God and that He cares about me personally!!! (: 
     So other than that this week has been a good week. I seriously love the people here so much! I'll be honest, South Jersey is kinda weird, but I love it! haha I will be so angry if they move me next week... haha I don't feel like they will, but you never know! Crazy things seem to always happen over here. (; 
     Sorry that this email is so short. I don't have much to say this week, but I hope that yous have a great week! 

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




Love, Sister Woodland


May 11, 2015 (I'M YO FATHER.‏)

Hey Yous.
     Well flip. It was sooooo good to see all of you yesterday on Skype!! Still super weird that that was the last time I will see you guys until we get to see each other in person at the airport!!! CRAZY. So I have basically told yous everything yesterday, but I will go over some of the miracles we saw this last week so everyone else can hear them too. (: 
     Exchanges were so great this week! Whenever we go on exchange so many miracles always happen... It is all because of these incredible sisters. They are the ones that bring the miracles to our area! For instance, with the sisters’ help we were able to find 6 NEW INVESTIGATORS THIS WEEK!! They found a family! So cool. I just love these sisters so much. I have learned a ton of things from them this transfer. 



     So funny story... I forgot to tell yous this over skype! I was on an exchange this week with Sister Tonga. (that is her in the pic) And we had decided to go contact in Trenton which is a sketchy area... And we all know I LOVE those kinds of areas... (: We found a lot of people there who were interested in learning about the gospel and when we were headed back to our car there was this black guy who told us Happy Mother's Day. Sister Tonga turned to him and said, without thinking, Happy Mother's Day to you too. Right after she said that this guy turned to face us and said, "Happy Mother's Day? I am a Father. Matter fact, I AM YO FATHER." hahahahahahahahahahahahaha We just kept walking, but I really wanted to turn around and say, ummm.... No sir no you're not. This girl is Togan, are you crazy?! But we didn't so don't worry. haha We just laughed and laughed and laughed about it the rest of the day! People are so fun. That is why I love the sketchier areas so much! You just never know what to expect! 
     But on Sunday after church we got to meet with this 26 year old who really wants to come back to church. His older sister came out with us and we were talking with him about the Atonement. As we were talking he told us that when he got up to bear his testimony in church last week he saw his sister sitting in the congregation smiling at him and it helped calm his nerves and he was able to realize that he is loved and he is exactly where he needs to be. Him and his sister started to cry and then he asked his sister if they could hug... OH MY HEART. Here we are, sitting in a tiny little motel room with this man who has made some really poor decisions in his life, he barely has anything right now, and we get the INCREDIBLE opportunity to be there and feel the love that our Savior has for him. I wish I could describe the feeling I felt in that small, humble, motel room that Sunday afternoon. Words just can't even begin to describe how grateful I am to have the opportunity to be a part of this man's process to come back into God's Kingdom! I got a little glimpse that day of just how excited and happy the Savior must feel and be when he sees us use His Atonement. Definitely something I will never forget. 
     I love being a missionary. I love serving my brothers and sisters every minute of every day. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be out here. I just want yous to know that I KNOW Jesus Christ lives. I KNOW that He loves each one of us perfectly. I KNOW that this is truly His Restored Gospel. The Savior really does stand at the head of this Church. I am so grateful for my Savior. (: 
     Thanks for absolutely everything you guys do for me. I know I say it all the time, but I really couldn't do it without yous. I hope that you have a great week!!!

LOVE YOUS TO THE MOON & BACK!! WE GOT THIS! 
Love, Sister Woodland


May 10, 2015 (Mother's Day Call Pictures‏)


May 4, 2015 (Pictures)

Welcome to Ocean County!

SO BEAUTIFUL.

THE OCEAN. (:

And my companion. (:

May 4, 2015 (MIRACLES.‏)

Heeey.
     It has been a week full of miracles and a week full of surprises! You think I would start getting used to all of the surprises and the craziness of mission life... But I just can't seem to get that part figured out yet... haha It always works out in the end though so I have stopped worrying too much about the crazy things that do happen. 
     I'll start with the surprises of this week... There actually was really only one big surprise this week and it happened on Friday. We were at Mission Leader Council and President Taggart pulled Sister Quinlan and I aside and told us that we would be going on an emergency exchange with a companionship of sisters that we are over. We had already gone on exchange with them last week, but they aren't doing well together and they are struggling getting along. It has been a pretty big ordeal and so I have been on exchange with one of the sisters for 3 days now. We are going to be exchanging back today after emails, but we have to sit them down and make them "talk it out" with us there so we can get stories straight. I think that this exchange really has helped them both. Now hopefully it will go well when we all talk this through and they will be able to get back to missionary work and loving being companions! I have lots of faith that it will. (: I am so grateful for the companions that I have had. I have loved each one of them and I feel so blessed to have been put with each of them. But this emergency exchange was definitely a surprise and was definitely out of the blue. So I haven't been with Sister Quinlan for 3 days AND we have another exchange tomorrow. haha I don't have time to sleep or think things through! hahaha I was thinking though that this is a tender mercy. Being so busy and having to keep my mind focused on the sisters and so many other things has really helped me not think about going home! haha (;
     This week has been such a great week though! We are finding so many people to teach and seeing so many miracles happen. First things first... I got to hold a chicken this week. So, that was fun. (: I also got to FINALLY see water!!! So I took a bunch of photos... hahaha 





     So, I want to share with yous what happened on Sunday. It was kinda crazy because I haven't been able to really meet the ward because we have had conference after conference after conference... So this was my first Sunday in this ward since I have gotten to the area! Everyone was so confused though because Sister Quinlan wasn't with me and so many people thought that me and the sister I am on exchange with got doubled into the area... haha I got to finally meet the members and get to know them a little more though. Which was so good for me because I love working with members! Our investigators, Mike and Robyn, came to church yesterday and they LOVED it! Fast and Testimony Meeting was SO powerful and both Mike and Robyn were crying as people got up and bore their testimonies! They are seriously so prepared. I know that the spirit was testifying to them that this is the Lord's true church. Then, a man walked into sacrament meeting a little late and got up to bear his testimony and talked about how he has been inactive for years, but that he is ready to come back!!! AAAAHHH! (: I was so excited. He is 26 years old and has been in prison, but he is ready to put his life back together. I am so excited for him. I always think about how God and the Savior must feel as they watch someone like this guy come back into the Kingdom. I cannot even begin to comprehend the love that our Heavenly Father and our Savior have for each one of us. SO EXCITING!!! After church was over I felt like we needed to stop by and see a less active earlier than we had planned. As we were driving into the apartment complex there was a car that was pulling out. The guy in the driver seat waved at us and I instantly knew that it was one of our investigators named Raymond. We have been trying to get in contact with him since I have been here, but he was never home and he wasn't answering our phone calls. He backed his car up to ours and we rolled down the window. I basically yelled at him... hahaha I was so excited to FINALLY meet him and that we were able to FINALLY find him!!! He has still been reading from the Book of Mormon and he still wants to meet with us he has just been super busy. He is in his early 20's, but he is the sole provider for his family so he works 2 jobs and is very busy. Plus, he hadn't paid his phone bill so that is why we weren't able to get in contact with him over the phone. We were able to set up an appointment with him for this Tuesday and his little brother Dondre wants to learn as well!!! MIRACLES. It has been an amazing week. My motto for this week was Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." And that definitely happened this week. With the surprises that happened and the business of the week I knew that I had to just trust in the Lord. He would help me know how to help our area and the sisters. I am so grateful that we don't have to EVER go through this life alone. I am so grateful that Jesus Christ lives and loves each of us perfectly. (:
     So that was basically my week. It was crazy, but SO AMAZING. Miracles really do happen every single day. I am glad your week went well too! That is awesome that Ann got married! I CAN'T WAIT TO SKYPE YOUS NEXT SUNDAY!! I feel like that came sooo fast... haha I almost forgot about it... (; I will call you on Saturday to figure out the details. Thanks for everything you guys do for me every day! I miss you guys like crazy. 9 weeks... can you believe it? 

LOVE YOUS TO THE MOON & BACK!! WE GOT THIS! 
Love, Sister Woodland


April 27, 2015 (So. Many. Meetings.)

Hiiii

     So that is super scary about G-ma Chris. That lady better be careful! I am glad that she is doing better now though. I will definitely keep her in my prayers! You people better be careful over there... (: Time just keeps moving by so fast. That is crazy that the school year will be over soon. It is also so crazy that everyone is so grown up now. When did all of this happen!? It is so weird for me to think about sometimes... haha It'll be fiiiiinnneee though! It is all good in the hood... WAIT I'm not in the hood anymore... (; 
    So this week was definitely a busy week. I feel like we have spent SO much time just driving around in the car. We have had a TON of meetings this week. And to make it a little harder we are the South part of the mission so it takes us a good 2 hours to get to Morristown for our meetings. So it basically just ruins the majority of our days when we have meetings. I am tired of being in the car. We have to go to Morristown one more time this Friday and then I think we are okay for at least 2 weeks. (: hahaha But despite the many meetings we were still able to work hard and have a good week. We have been focusing this week on getting our area more organized so that we can implement all the things President Taggart wants us missionaries to be doing. So we were able to get things figured out so that we can move forward and see success with some of the new changes that have been made. President Taggart is definitely an inspired man and I am grateful for all he and his wife do for us! (: I just want to talk about this man and women we are teaching right now. I just think they are so amazing! They seriously are such a miracle. We had Regional Conference on Sunday and it was broadcasted in English in the Stafford, NJ Chapel, which is about 40 minutes away from where we live. We wanted Mike and Robyn to come to church this Sunday, but it is always hard to get investigators to church when church is farther away than usual. But they told us that they wanted to come! We asked them if we could get a ride with them because we have used so many miles this month driving everywhere. They were more than willing to take us. Plus this way they couldn't not come to church because they were our ride...(; haha But it was so cool on our ride back home after the conference was over. They both learned so much from it and they were so grateful for being able to go. It was so cool for me to watch them interact with other ward members. Mike was fellowshipping the ward instead of the ward fellowshipping him... IT WAS SO AWESOME! They are two of the nicest people I have ever met and they are ready to find what is missing in their lives. The only thing right now that would be holding them back is that they need to get married. But it was a miracle because on the ride back home we were all talking about what we had learned and they were both asking so many different questions and one of the questions they brought up was what it meant to be "sealed". We were able to talk about it and the spirit prompted us to let them know that in order to be baptized they have to first be married and they can just get married civilly and then a year after their baptism they can have the opportunity to be married for time and all eternity not just til death do you part. You could tell that is what they both really want. They want to do things the right way. AAAH. I just stinking love teaching Mike and Robyn. Mike reminds me so much of Grandpa Chris. (:
     This week has been really good. We got to go on our first exchange with the sisters for this transfer. It went pretty well. We are over 6 sets of sister missionaries which is more than usual so this transfer is full of exchanges! haha It will be good! It will help keeps things busy. (: Just hopefully I won't get too exhausted... I love going on exchanges with the sisters though! I learn so much from them! We are going to be working on putting more of our investigators on baptismal date this week. Which will be good! Things keep moving forward here. This is definitely God's work and He is in the details of it. I am so grateful that He is because we couldn't do this without Him. (:


It is finally starting to look like Spring! <3

     I hope that you guys have another great week! I will keep yous in my prayers. Thanks for everything you do for me! I appreciate it soooo much.

LOVE YOUS TO THE MOON & BACK!! WE GOT THIS!
Love, Sister Woodland


April 20, 2015 (Pictures)

More Bike Riding!

This is Helen. She is the sweetest little old lady. We are teaching her! She is like a grandma out here. She ALWAYS feeds us whenever we come over! (:


April 20, 2015 (JERSEY SHORE!‏)

Hey!
     So I guess we might as well get to the first thing yous are probably wondering about.... I AM NOW SERVING IN MANCHESTER, NJ! I am finally serving by the Jersey Shore!!! 16 months later... That took long enough...(; The area is definitely different than what I am used to, but I already love it soooo much! I really was a little bitter that they moved me so quick out of East Brunswick, but I have realized over these last couple of days that I really need to be in this area with my new companion. I have already been able to learn so much! It actually has been an answer to my prayers because I needed to be somewhere with someone who would help me stretch so that I can continue to grow. Especially in these last few months of my mission. I am so grateful for moments like these on my mission because they really help me understand more fully that God really does listen to our prayers and he really does know the desires of our hearts. And thank goodness for that! Sister Quinlan is my new companion and we are still Sister Training Leaders. She is from Springerville, Arizona. She is a year older than me and she is sooo awesome! She is an incredible missionary! I feel super blessed to be her companion because she has already taught me so stinkin much! Her and her last companion have done some incredible work here in this area! I am really excited to be here and continue to see miracles happen.



  

     The next thing I wanted to talk about is.... THEY PUT ME IN A BIKING AREA! What in the world were they thinking..........................? hahahahahaha JUST KIDDING. Can you imagine me in a biking area? I would die. We just ride bikes on Thursday's so we can save some car miles and talk to more people! I was actually super excited when I found out our area had bikes. I have always wanted to be that sister missionary riding around on a bike wearing a skirt. I had too much fun with it. 
     So this area is amazing. I am already in love with it! The week before I got here Sister Quinlan and her companion felt impressed to knock some doors on a particular street. They found these two AMAZING people named Mike and Robyn. I got to meet them on Wednesday and the lesson was incredible. The spirit was SO strong and you could tell that God had prepared these two people. We got to teach them about the Plan of Salvation and it went really well. They had a lot of questions and the lesson was able to answer so many things for them. In part of the lesson Robyn was talking to us about how one of her family members had passed away and that her sister was telling her about a dream that she had where she saw that family member all in white just waiting in some kind of a waiting area. Sister Quinlan, me, and our team up just looked at each other and the spirit filled the room. We were able to talk to her and Mike about the Spirit World and that before Judgment Day there is a waiting period where we will go. We talked about how everyone will have the opportunity to Follow Jesus Christ. Robyn and Mike were both very emotional in the entire lesson. I love being able to see those people whose hearts have been prepared and who are ready to receive the Restored Gospel. Mike and Robyn are definitely some of those people. And even if they don't accept it all right now, I know they felt the spirit testify to their hearts that what they have been taught so far is the truth... And that is what matters. We were able to find 3 new investigators this week and we are excited to continue to keep finding more and to help those we are currently teach, enter into God's Kingdom! 
     Jersey is fun. (: haha No matter where I go there are always crazy people, but I love it here so much! I feel so blessed to have been called to this mission and to have made the decision to serve a mission in the first place. 
     I hope that you guys have another great week! That is crazy that you got some snow in April... But I guess it is a good thing so you can get some water over there! Thanks for all of your love and support. It means the world to me! 

MY NEW ADDRESS IS: 83 Walnut Street #91 Toms River, New Jersey 08753 (mail me...(; )

LOVE YOUS TO THE MOON & BACK!!! WE GOT THIS! 
Love, Sister Woodland


April 13, 2015 (Pictures)

Just throwin away soooo many beer cans...

I love these kids!


Barbecuing with our Ward Mission Leader and some other members!


This is Sister Hirsch! She is super awesome! 

April 13, 2015 (Too many emotions for my heart to handle)

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey.
     So I honestly don't even know how to begin this email... So many crazy things happened this week and I am still trying to wrap my brain around it all. I can't even remember everything that happened because so many traumatizing things went down... haha 

  1. So the beginning of this week was pretty normal. We have been working with our investigators and all of them are doing really well. That is about all the news I have on them... haha Things are definitely progressing, but it is just going a little slow. Cody is trying to quit smoking right now, and he is doing a great job! Especially with having a person in the house who smokes INSIDE. They really have got to get rid of that man... Other than that everyone is doing good!
  2. On Thursday we did our weekly planning and transfer planning because it is the end of the transfer. Sister Pexton felt like she was probably going to leave and I was so convinced that I was going to stay because well... Why wouldn't I? I thought that I would have a normal last couple of months and that East Brunswick was for sure going to be my last area. I seriously was so convinced that the last time I would have to pack up all of my junk was when I was going home. ahahahahahaha JUST KIDDING. Heavenly Father probably thought that it was sooo funny that I was so sure that I was staying... And the crazy thing about this all is that "doubled out calls" come on Thursday's. So when Thursday was over we knew that we weren't going to be doubled out. THEN Saturday rolled around and we were out teaching and we had just contacted these two men and it was an incredible lesson! They had so many great questions. Right in the middle of the lesson our phone buzzed and I quickly looked at it and saw that it was the Assistants. So once we had finished the lesson and were back in our car we called the Assistants back. That was when they told us that we needed to prepare our area to be doubled out. I was so mad... haha Sister Pexton was asking him a bajillion questions trying to figuring out where we were both going and if we were going to stay sister training leaders or go back to being normal, but they wouldn't tell us! We asked them why they didn't call us on Thursday and they told us that they had just received the revelation that day... The Assistants kept apologizing to us... hahaha That stinking phone call was so hard for me because I have really started to love this area and I was so sure I would get to stay here for my last two transfers! I hate leaving areas.... I still have so many mixed emotions about it all... I was so not prepared for this!!! I have to keep telling myself that this is what needs to happen and that I am needed somewhere else. There is always a reason for everything... So it is going to be just fine! (: haha So I will let yous know next week where I am and who my new companion is! 
  3. The last crazy thing that happened this week was also on Saturday.... haha Saturday was such an emotional day! We have been working with this less active who has struggled with an alcohol addiction for most of her life. She had been doing so well and had been sober for about 8 weeks. We were going to teach one of our investigators in her home, but she stopped answering the phone and she wouldn't answer the door either. Sister Pexton and I were getting a little worried about her so we decided to text our investigator who is friends with her to see if he knew where she was. He told us that she was being attacked by Satan again.... so we went over earlier on Saturday morning and she actually answered the door this time!!! She was seriously a mess and there were beer cans everywhere. She was so drunk. It was super hard to see her like that. She was saying crazy things and doing crazy stuff so we decided to call our Bishop. While we were waiting for the Bishop to get there Sister Pexton distracted her and I dumped out all of her beer. I had to do it super carefully because she would have killed me if she knew that I was dumping out her alcohol... haha Our Bishop finally got there and helping me find any other alcoholic things that she was hiding. After we helped clean things up a little the Bishop told us we could go because there was nothing we could do to help her when she was so drunk. It seriously broke my heart into a million pieces. We stopped by yesterday to see how she was doing and to say goodbye. She had gone out and had gotten more beer... She was more sober yesterday so we could actually talk with her. She is going through a lot right now and she has to make the decision to stop drinking and get help. No one else can do it for her. She understood that, but said that she isn't ready yet... We just love this less active sooooo stinking much! So I hope that everything will go well with her and especially with this whole "doubled out" thing... It was a little stressful with everything happening all at once. Too much for my heart to handle! 







So that was basically what my week consisted of. I am sad to be leaving this area and to be leaving all of the incredible people I got the opportunity to work with! I know that wherever I go next is going to be amazing as well... I might have to keep telling myself that today and tomorrow! (; haha No... It is all going to be just fine! I know that there really is a reason that this is happening and I know that the sisters that will get doubled in here will be exactly what this area and these people need! I am glad that Meg's Graduation went so well! I loved seeing the pictures! You all are SO STINKING BEAUTIFUL/HANDSOME. I also loved seeing pics of Mal's last High School dance! Things seem like they are going really well back home! I always love hearing that! I hope that you guys have another great week! I will fill you in on all the crazy details of transfers next Monday! (:

LOVE YOUS TO THE MOON & BACK!!! WE GOT THIS! 
Love, Sister Woodland