Monday October 25, 2010

Dear Family,

    How is everyone there doing? I'm not sure what's going on there because I haven't read the e-mail yet and its only 6:00 AM here, but if I put everything together right it sounds like the opening day of the deer hunt is passed, today might even be the harvest holiday on Monday and Zack's senior football season could be over? Holy smokes the time really passed didn't it, before we know it I'll be writing a letter saying congratulations, Zack you made it through high school; and then I'll be at my one year mark, it is unreal! Well, this week has been a good one, just packed with lessons and walking. The sun is still deciding to beat me more and more every day, but slowly I'm getting used to it. This Saturday we have a baptism with 2 candidates. One's name is Sister Adarna Taylor and Brother Sylvester Larimide. Brother Sylvester really is a converted person. The day I came I was told he was taught every single lesson and even made it to the baptismal interview where he ended up confessing a few things; he had not repented of or mentioned earlier so they postponed his baptism. In a situation like that people will do one of 2 things, they will either think on this one; it's too hard I cannot possibly keep all these commandments any longer and they give up, or they buckle down and realize this is what they want. They realize this will bring them happiness. This is what this Sylvester man chose. Every week this man comes to church and is on time even if we didn't see him for 2 weeks. The guy is there and one thing I respect about him is he's always happy, always! He doesn't have a job and things are tough, but still he's happy, such an inspiration for us who have everything, but yet finding it easy to be unhappy. The purpose of the gospel is happiness. Anyway, something else happened yesterday, we were at church standing up on the balcony because our church is in a building on the 3^rd floor. We were catching some breeze, and all the sudden one of our investigators made me and my companion's day by coming. We see her on a motorbike; her small less than 1 year old child tied in a lapa around her back and then her other little child on the drivers lap holding the handle bars. They pull up with big smiles on their faces and it just made my heart melt to see such great faith. This woman just got left by her man after he beats her, plus the land lord kicked them out of their house which is about the size of Karlee's room; it was for the 4 of them. So, they had to move down to somewhere even worse apparently, and we haven't been able to see her for some 2 weeks. Still, she is able to dress up 2 children and pay to take a motorbike to church by 9 in the morning. I was so happy; she has the cutest little girls. I have a picture with the older one and me, which is on my camera, you will see soon. She's a tiny little girl with a huge rice belly, haha. I love her! Her name is Zinab (Zie-nab). Anyway, in her new area something like creepy and wicked is happening, like every night children in that area are just dying out of nowhere. So, after church we blessed her and her 2 children to be out of harm's way and to have safety, it was a great experience. I know they will be safe and fine. All in all this week was a good one though; it seemed to go by pretty fast actually. Time is interesting, but a consistent thing I'll tell you what. Well, I just got home from town; oh it's a headache to go there sometimes. We went first to get our money out of the bank for this month. Let me tell you about how we got a car to go there. At 9:30 A.M. we were standing there with about 100 other people waiting so, as soon as a poda poda comes you have to position yourself in the right spot or you will never ever get to town. The bus comes and is turning around , people are running across the road to get to it but, they don't open the doors yet, it drives down a little bit, my companion and I had given up by now because really there's maybe 20 seats and about 50 people wanting in badly. So, it keeps driving and finally both of us just take off after this thing, we are running with everyone else in our full priesthood attire and all pushing people out of the way, I just muscled my way near the door and stuck my had in there and grabbed the bus to cut people off from getting in before me, people are pushing, shouting, and yelling, haha! I just started shoving back and somehow made my way inside the bus, they grabbed me and my companion and threw us in the very front so, I rode shotgun all the way to town!! If you want anything around here you must fight for it, there's no such thing as respect because of who you are, whether you are a woman, child, missionary or thug, you pay your dues and fight your way inside. So, we went and got the money, then I bought some things at the supermarket and I took my companion to a restaurant to eat because he just turned "one year" on mission so, we went and had rice and stew there, imagine that….more rice, haha. This has been a good week, slowly I'm feeling like I'm apart of these people, I'm beginning to think like them and act too, I know I will sob the day I have to leave them because I know I'll never see some of them ever again in my life on earth.

    Love your son,

    Elder Wood

Monday October 18, 2010

Dear Family,

Hey how is everyone? It's not even six a.m. yet, I'm writing letters now because I'm not going to have time later today at all, we are going to the beach! I'm excited because normally our P days I just brook clothes and write letters and then maybe play a little football. This P day is with the whole zone. I'll be seeing all the fellow missionaries today. This week was good, no baptisms for us till Oct 30 then 2 or maybe 3. On Wednesday we went back to the young boy I baptized house and taught him and I gave him a CTR ring you sent me. You should have seen the smile on this boy's face. He was so happy to receive it. We helped him put it on and everything. Then yesterday at church he came up to me first thing and shook my hand and I could just see he was trying to show off the ring, haha! It made me happy to see this boy so happy because when met him he just wasn't fully happy and now his entire life has changed because of this gospel, it's so amazing. So, anyway besides that the heat is getting crazy like miserable, I'm dying out here, haha! I wear the 100 SPF on my ears and nose, and I sweat all of the water I drink out of my body every morning as I proselyte. If I can get through this dry season I can get through anything. It's so hot, like sometimes we will be walking and I'll reach down and feel my bag and it's too hot to touch so, I just can imagine what it's doing to my skin. It's brown anyway, my arms don't burn anymore they just get dark. Anyway, I have realized there is a time for everyone with the gospel, you can teach someone and teach someone and teach someone and they will not agree to accept it for anything. Then you drop them or get transferred and something happens in their life, maybe someone dies or something or sometimes things just stop going well for them and all the sudden they are like okay, this really is true, I want to get baptized. Seriously everyone has their time. This week has been good, really, I've had a good one, we are getting very close with the people and I'm thinking I will be here a long, long time but, it's really good. I love these people. I don't want to leave them. There weren't any crazy stories this week, the average things happened but it's just everyday stuff, so it doesn't seem crazy anymore. When you come get me though I'm sure you will have big eyes looking around just like I did but, it will be awesome. I'm so pumped to take you guys around after my mission is complete, I know its way far off but it's at least closer to us now than when I left in April! So, our plans for today is, at 8:15 we are getting picked up by the assistants or the Neves, and heading over to #2 beach on the other side of the city, to play on the beach, it's gonna be fun, I'm excited. Then we'll come back and Ill email you guys, I'm not sure what time. Then I'll come home and wash and we will go out to FHE with a family or someone in one of the 2 branches. Then come home, go to bed, and begin another week. I think P days are my most exciting day? Really though I love every day. There just isn't much change but it's a good thing I love this gospel or this work would be impossible. The Creole is still coming, I'm trying to improve everyday but its small small coming, it just takes time and patience. I sometimes forget that these people have lived here their whole lives and have been speaking it their whole lives; that's why they speak it so well and I've only been here 6 months so, I need to be easier on myself but, I just want to be able to speak it better. Keep hanging in there and thanks for being the examples you are to me and the love you show. I will see you soon! Take care and talk to you on Christmas day!

                Love your son,

                Elder Wood

Mom and Dad, How are you guys? I hope my last letter got to you. I promise I will do everything in my power to write you some kind of letter every Monday, I know its nice for both of us to get letters. I didn't get any mail yet this week so. I don't have any questions of yours to answer so, I'll just tell you some things. My P-day's are nice but, so packed. This morning my companion and I woke up at 5 a.m., we went in and worked out for an hour, then I brooked clothes for a while, then I came in and wrote a some letters, and then we had companionship and personally study. I will have to clean the bathroom still today and then I will come email you. I'm very excited. Sierra Leone is crazy, nothing resembles or reminds me of home other than the constant rap music playing everywhere. In the mornings you fight for transportation, you literally run around the other side of taxi's and box people out to get transportation. We've had some very upset people once because this guy we know saved a car for us and these girls were MAD! I couldn't understand much of what they were saying but, I heard them say "whiteman" is all. Anyway, the people are very kind and the members of my branch treat me with love and kindness. Some of the hills we hike everyday are crazy, I feel like I do when I'm hunting with you pops. We eat rice in the morning, we don't really take lunch, sometimes we will get bread or I'll take some jerky or something, then at night we buy chicken and mango's or pineapple, and really besides that I don't eat much else. I've had potato leaf stew with rice and cassava leaf stew with rice. I love the cassava leaf stew. When we walk, if we get thirsty you stop and by a bag of water called a sachet and drink it quick. We live off $3.75 USD a day so, you have to be smart. We also use that to buy soap for washing and to pay someone to take the garbage out and things. I met a man from Utah the other day who was here on business. It was so crazy to see him, it felt weird because there are no such things as Americans here. Please keep sending dearelder letters they get here very fast and it really helps get me through the week. When I tell people we have a farm our size they cant believe it and they are totally amazed. Wow, I'm so proud of it though. We don't waste a second of any day and it's helping to learn to work even harder, It's incredible what you can get done in a day. I'm gonna help so much when I get home from my mission. I realize now how easily I could have helped out so much more! One of my favorite scriptures is 1 Corinthians 13:11. It talks about becoming a man. I love that scripture so much. This is how you say it in krio: "Da tem we mi na nin pikin (child), na pikin tok bin de na mi mot, a bin de ondastand leke aw pikin de ondastand, a bin de tink leke aw pikin de tink; but naw we a don big a don don wit pikin biznes." Pretty wild, huh? haha. Its actually not as hard of a language as it sounds. It's like English turned upside down. I know this is clear in the future and yeah but, are you guys wanting to come pick me up? If its possible it would be amazing, you will die when you see this place. It'll be a once in a lifetime opportunity so, if you could it would be so cool! Plus you would have to get shots and stuff so, it's just something I'm wondering. This church is amazing, the spirit truly is a gift and I'm learning to recognize it more and more. I've promised myself that when I go home and get a calling in the church, I will do everything in my power to magnify it. In so little time we can do so much to help out our leaders. I can see how nice it would make our jobs if just one or two people were dependable. One thing this mission has done for me is put everything into the eternal perspective. When you are living a great life doing what the Lord wants, then its so exciting to learn about the 2nd coming and things. I'm so excited I cant tell you how exciting it is to learn about eternity and all these doctrinal things. I love discussing about these things. Three years ago if you would have told me I'd be in Sierra Leone, sweating my guts out, preaching the gospel to everyone I see, I would tell you, you were crazy. But, its odd now, you can actually find peace in the struggle, If you put things on that eternal perspective you can easily with God's help get through anything. I love the church hymns, I love conference, church magazines, the Book of Mormon, and every little thing about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I appreciate you guys so much and I'm so happy you are my family. This morning we were talking about if we got to choose our family in the pre-earth life and we were given agency. So, honestly for me I think that we chose the family we were placed in, I know I chose you guys and even though I don't remember it, I'm sure there was a reason why I chose you guys and now I'm starting to see it more and more at how good my decision was. How lucky I feel that I get you for all time and eternity as long as I keep my covenants and endure to the end. I now see why you did some of the things you did and said some of the things you said, some things I said to myself, "I'll never do that to my kids!" But now I honestly can say that I want to be the parents you were to me. I know I'm gonna be doing many of the same things you did for me. Thanks for always supporting me no matter what I did and pushing me to want to be great. It made the transition to missionary work so much easier for me than a lot of lads. I hope one day you will serve a mission together. The couple missionaries out here have so much fun and love each other so much. They love us, they don't say it but, I can just feel it. As long as you stay strong in the church and close to the Lord, everything else will work out and if you have an eternal perspective, it's so easy to deal with hard times. I say this every letter but, thank you for all you do for me. Your my eternal family and I'm thrilled to say that! There is no end after this life so, we need to do all we can while on Earth. I'm doing good, you don't need to worry about me. I know the Lord will bless us more than we can imagine. I hope the farm is doing good. Tell the kids and family hi and I miss them. Hope all is well.

Love,

Elder Wood

Hey guys I am finally in freetown. We took an ecowater taxi across the bay it was wild. Ihave some amazing pictures, but they said just get on and tell your family you are safe! we had dinner with the Mission President Squires and his wife! I should be able to email monday. I dont have time to read any emails cuz everyone has to use the computer but Ghana is hot, so hot I'm sweating like crazy you cant believe it. Tell everyone hi and I cant wait to get a letter holy smokes. Talk to you monday!

Dear Family, Well I'm finally here. Gosh I miss you guys. That was so hard leaving you all. Well after I got to New York, me and four other American Elders went and got something to eat, then boarded the plane, There I got my first taste of being a minority. About 15 whites and the whole rest of the plane was blacks. That plane ride was so long! I fell asleep two times for like 30 minutes. So about an hour sleep in 26 hours! We got to the airport in Accra. (which is said like this: uh-craw) Ghana. We found our luggage really easy thanks to mom's puppy dog bandanna's she put on my bags. I've taken a few pics and I will send them with my next letter. Please send it to my address in Sierra Leone cuz I'm only here at the MTC till 2 weeks from Tuesday. Oh actually 2 weeks from Wednesday. You guys don't understand how humid it is here either. I mean I'm completely drenched in sweat all the time. When we first got here we talked to the mission MTC President, President Froerer and his wife. The African companions came much later in the day though. We played basketball for like half an hour but, none are very good, they haven't ever played. Anyway, of course I had to try and dunk the ball on a fast break and caught my thumb on the rim and ripped it open a little. (Send a pic with my next letter) but, don't worry mom, sister Froerer gave me a band aid and neosporin. There are 6 white and 14 black elders. We are all from western U.S. and they are from all over. We have elders from the following places: Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Uganda, S. Africa, and Kenya. My companion is Elder Sarpong. Hi is from Accra, Ghana. He has been a member for two almost three years and he is 25 years old. He's very upbeat and appreciative about every little thing. He said he usually slept on the ground outside at home. He is the only one in his family who is a member and I can tell he cares about me a lot by the way he treats me, he is a very special guy and I think about how much I have that I take for granted at home. It's crazy how happy these people are. They are so excited about the gospel, It's amazing. There are no air conditioners in our room but, a fan is all. I've had a cockroach and a lizard in my room already, haha! But, anyway, the MTC is good, I wanna just get to Sierra Leone cuz I know it will go much faster. I'm not gonna lie, I was extremely homesick for the first two days, I've never spent more time on my knees praying and asking for help. I can tell you the power of the priesthood is real and that I've used it many times already to put Satan behind me. He is working on me very hard getting me to think negatively and worry about home but, I've had the spirit comfort me like you can't believe, letting me know everything is okay and will work out! John 14:27 read it. I think I've read it 20 times already and it's been four days. I have eaten some pretty weird stuff. I took a picture of one of my breakfasts! So, you will get to see it when the time comes. I'm talking in sacrament meeting next week. Please send letters! I feel so isolated from the world. It would be amazing to hear from you all. I'm getting used to the climate a little bit, really using those hanky's. I'm going to the temple Wednesday and this couple from South Jordan are on a mission here with family history and all our names are pretty much done so I told her about Ryan, our cousin and she's probably gonna email you and confirm it and stuff, because I'm going to the temple this Wednesday and the following Friday and I really wanna do his work! Anyway, I wake up at 6-ish, Shower, personal study 7-8, breakfast 8-8:30, some type of meeting 8:30-9:30, then class from 9:30-12:30, 12:30-1:00 is lunch, then companion study 1:00-2:00, then study 2:00-3:00, then exercise from 3:30-4:20, dinner at 5:00, class from 5:45-9:00m then planning till 9:15, snack at 9:30, write in journal and scripture study till 10:30 and lights out! This is the first day we could write letters so don't be mad it took so long. I wear my sandals all the time too so, that was a good idea. But wow, you can't believe the humidity it's a joke. The 1st two days of my mission were probably the two hardest days of my life. Mainly having to leave all you guys and McCall. Miss ya guys like crazy. I feel like I've already overcome the world and it's my 3rd day. Its crazy cuz at home you get so distracted that you take God's love and the Holy Ghost for granted but, now that I'm out here I have no other choice but to rely on him. The poem "Good Timber" has helped me a ton in reminding me, that the person who never had trials and had to fight and never dealt with anything hard, was the person who never became anything. Yes, I'm struggling these first couple days but, when I think about the kind of person this is going to turn me into, I find challenge and joy in the struggle. Things are awesome. I cant wait to get to Sierra Leone and actually teach. I really hope all is well and tell everyone hi for me. You guys have got to come pick me up in 2 years cuz this place will amaze you. I'm learning lots but, still getting into things. I hope I get your letter mom! Make sure it's okay with grandma Beck if we do Ryan's name. I hope I told you everything about the climate and culture that I know of. Ask me anything you are curious about next letter. It's amazing how the gospel is the same no matter if you live in Ghana or good 'ole P-town. My companion loves all my American candy but, I love sharing with him, he's so grateful, and tells me I'm a very patient person because his English is so hard to understand. I know that this will be the hardest two years of my life but, it also will make me the husband and father I want to be and will lay a foundation for my life. Miss you guys like crazy and keep me in your prayers. Tell Grandma and grandpa Wood and Cavanaugh hi and enjoy your air conditioning and dry air! I'm actually getting used to it! Love you all, write back quick, PLEASE! Love your son,