Dear Family,
Good morning! How are you all? I miss you guys like crazy. I can't believe March starts tomorrow, it's really amazing how hot it is here right now. March is the very, very hottest month in the year here. So I just have to bear it, there's no way to avoid it. In middle April or so the rains will start coming, once in a while and then we will enter our second rainy season! I don't know which one I like better, dry or rainy season. This week no one came through by our apartment so last week's letter is still with me. I will just put them together to save a stamp. Tuesday we had something we just started, called district training. The Zone leaders teach us during it and then after we all split up in our areas and go and practice the things we have learned. I went with an Elder, he's from Nigeria, he will be going home in may so he's basically finished but, I had a great day. We have begun to do something that's been given to us as counsel from the first presidency. At the end of every lesson the head of the family or the person we are teaching offers a kneeling closing prayer. It's something I questioned at first, but I've come to see the sacredness of prayer and by kneeling it shows God we are humble. If possible we try and go inside so that we don't do as the hypocrites do, but if it's not possible we just do it right where we are and it's something I've really come to enjoy. I've learned so much myself as we have become to implement these new basic fundamentals into our work. I've come to see that God can answer us through 3 things. 1. Prayer 2. Book of Mormon 3. Church attendance. I always asked myself why I never had a vision or dream or a "wow" experience to tell me this church is true but, I've come to realize I've been answered all along, my own answer coming through the Book of Mormon. Every time I read it I'm happy and at peace with myself, I feel like there's great hope for the future, I can't describe it but I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true, so my companion said his answer came through church attendance, when he went he said he knew our church had something. So I'm just trying to see how all of this can be applicable when I get home and I've seen it.
I'm still trying to recover from the football last Monday. I really didn't even feel like I ran or even did very much but, this whole week I've been so tired, I've never slept better in my life than I did this week it's very hard to get out of bed in the mornings. I can't just do like I used to and dress quick and lay back down, haha! By the way, is Zack still professional at the? Haha. This upcoming week is going to go by like crazy. Tuesday we are proselyting and also Wednesday then Thursday we have to wake up and be at the bus station place by like 5 to take the bus to Freetown. I'm gonna be so tired. I'm not 100% sure if we will be doing anything with the Kissy chapel so I'm not sure if I will see people I know, like my people from Kissy. They said that we will reach Freetown around 11 or so and from like 1-3 we will be receiving instructions from different missionaries on the fundamentals of preach my gospel, then we are watching the movie called "How to train a dragon"? I'm guessing you probably know that movie? One newer missionary said it came out before he left so I'm sure its not a new, new one. Anyway that night we are just eating together as a zone and then Friday is the zone conference either @ Kissy chapel or @ Hillstation or Belliar Park, I'm really not sure, but elder Dixon is coming, I'm so excited and so we will have that zone conference and then Elder Dixon will be interviewing every single one of us just like Elder Cardon did. I'm pumped of course, nervous because he's and area 70 but, I read something this week that made me calm, small. It said, if we are not comfortable in front of very righteous men and women here on earth how will we be comfortable in the presence of God? We will shrink before him. One time president Roggia told us the same thing, he said if you can't even look me in the eyes how comfortable will you be in the presence of the Lord? Look at the people you feel comfortable or non-comfortable around and maybe it will show us we need to change some things or improve ourselves in such a way that we would be comfortable in front of them, just something to think about.
I don't know if I told you guys but, I'm currently reading the New Testament for my personal study. I'm learning so much from the student manual I'm reading with it. Today I'm learning about the pre-existence and like for-ordination and the rest. Since we are part of Israel, it means we made some choices in the pre-existence that were more righteous than others therefore we are enjoying the blessings that come from this inheritance and the crazy thing is there are many of us that are throwing this inheritance away, following after and chasing the vain things of the world. But we will all stand before God to be judged of what we have done with this inheritance Romans 14:12. I'm really starting to love the New Testament with tons of insights and stuff. I'm also in Ether of my Book of Mormon reading so I will be done with the Book of Mormon very soon. I want to read it again with the student manual that is when I am finished with Jesus the Christ. As for the Old Testament, I want to read it, but I'm not sure I'll have the time here on my mission but, I may try and start it.
Yesterday I gave the lesson in Elders quorum and it was on the talk in the November Liahona from the prophet. I believe from the priesthood session on the 3r's of choice. It's easier to be obedient 100% of the time that 98% of the time. If we break the Sabbath day once for something, how easy will it be to make exceptions to other things, telling ourselves that everyone does it or my circumstance is justifiable. Anyway, it went very well and I learned tons by teaching it. I'm really starting to get excited about learning everything in the church from the counsel from the apostles and prophet to deep doctrines taught. It's exciting and makes me realize that I seriously know very little about this church, the door to salvation. I love you all!
Love Elder Wood