Week 29 - Curacao

Hellooooo!

Great week over here in Curacao!!!

A couple of fun things about the area that we work in: it is by far the hardest area in all of the ABC islands, and we contact (try to introduce themselves to strangers) all day every day, which basically means that we stand out in the HOT HOT sun all day and yell into peoples houses. How we are not discouraged? I have no idea, but we have been able to have lots of amazing experiences like you all read about last week. But it has been an amazing week. biggest thing of all i think is that ALBERT FINALLY CALLED US THIS MORNING!!!! we were smiling like IDIOTS. it was so exciting. I looked at the phone and I was like, "who's Albert?" and looked at Sister Cole, and then we both realized, and Sister Cole was like, "ANSWER IT." hahahaha it was awesome. He is sooooo cool!!!!!!!!!!!! God is good, people!

Anyway so first off i just want to say a happy happy birthday to Deb V.!!! I love you!!! Thank you for being such an amazing primary teacher and an incredible member of the Woodbury clan! 

So one of the coolest things that happened this week was with an investigator named Guido. I honestly haven't been too sure about him up until our last lesson with him. We pretty much implored him to pray about Joseph Smith in the last lesson that we had with him and he did it! He knows he's a prophet! But not only that, his girlfriend doesn't really love that he is meeting with us. He told us that he explained to her that he knew Joseph Smith was a prophet!!! WOWWW! so cool. She was telling him that we use a different bible but he explained to her that we use the bible, but we also use another book called the Book of Mormon. we hadn't even taught him about the Book of Mormon yet but somehow he explained to her perfectly. that was just so cool.

As well this week, Romeo fed us! It was soooooo good. He is one of the most firm recent converts I have ever met. He received the Melchizedek Priesthood yesterday and he is just soooo happy.  just got called as a missionary work leader in the branch which is awesome because he is a great missionary and is really good with missionary work. he helps us SO much.

Last piece of huge news, Denitza and Rodolfo came to church!!!! wow they are awesome. they have been taught for suchhhh a long time and have only been to church once so that was a huge step for them. they are so awesome and they are progressing so much. I love them so much. I love all of these people so much!!!! other than that not too much has happened around here. we have been blessed with lots of spiritual experiences while contacting so that has been amazing. Major tender mercy from the Lord, because we do that  A LOT. I hope you are all doing well and i love you all soooo much!!!! Please be a missionary this week and share your testimony like Guido did!! :)

love,

Sister Woodbury

 

 

Week 28 - Curacao

HIIIIIII!!!!!! WE HAD A GREAT WEEK!

How is everyone doing??? Life if soooo good over here, or just as a missionary in general. So good. This week was FULL of amazing spiritual experiences. Bur first of allllll... HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CHASE AND KIM!!!! I LOVE YOUUUUUUU!!! You're amazing!

So this week we had so many cool experiences. We first had one really really cool and spiritual lesson with a couple named Denitza and Rodolfo. That was truly amazing. The lesson was about faith and it was just amazing. The spirit pretty much enveloped that place. I really don't have any other words to describe that experience. Just know that it was incredible. We were all on the verge of tears. I walked away with such a strong testimony that Jesus Christ is always there for us and we just have to have faith in Him.

We also had an AMAZINGGGGG contacting experience! So, normally when we contact, we stand out on the street. Everyone here has fences around their houses and they don't usually have doorbells, so you have to yell in. Well we were contacting during the day and we really didn't contact anyone interested at all. The only person who we were actually able to contact for a little bit was this woman from the Jehovah's Witness faith who REALLY wanted to contend with us. that was fun. honestly we felt like we kind of wasted our time because we didn't meet anyone even remotely interested. We went back in for studies and lunch and then went back out in the evening. We went contacting again on the same street. We were yelling into an apartment complex but nobody came out! We walked over to the mail boxes to try to figure out how many apartments were included. Where we were standing, you could see the parking area. There was a man standing in the parking area talking with someone. He waved us back, which is definitely not a thing here. We were so confused haha! We went back to talk to him though, and he began introducing himself. He said "yeah I know. i saw you talking to someone else on this street this morning". He honestly didn't sound too happy with us to be completely honest, but then he said "I was on my knees this morning asking for health, guidance, and knowledge. God sent you to me. Do you have a message for me?"  We. died. I was smiling SO big. We had tried contacting that apartment complex exactly one week earlier but just received a huge rejection. then we came back a week later to recontact it, and little did we know we found someone totally being prepared.  It was so amazing. He plans on coming to church next sunday. His name is Albert! He also actually read the entire pamphlet, which is another thing that never happens! It was so incredible.

Then later that night we street contacted a lady named Evelyn! I told her my niece has the same name haha! (Love you little Evy!)  She didn't end up living in our area but contacting her was still so amazing. When we told her we were missionaries, everything changed. She had to catch the bus so we just started walking with her to the bus stop but we were talking to her along the way and she told us that she is going through a really hard time right now in her life and she has been looking to know God more. She really wants to come to church as well! She knew God sent us to her and she is soooo excited to learn more! That was amazing.

And then just yesterday we had one more really cool experience. We had only been contacting (again re-contacting road) for like 5 minutes when we yelled into a little apartment behind a house (there are a lot of people here who own really nice houses and then just have one or two apartments in the back). The door was open so we were really excited because that meant someone was home! We yelled in and the lady immediately started waving us back. Super weird. Then we walked back there and start talking to her.  We said we have a beautiful message for her that will bless her life and she let us into her house and cleared off her couch so we could sit down! we were all standing around her table and just asked if there was anything we could help her with and she started bawling, cupped her face and said "Dios te mandó hoy" which means "God sent you today".  Wow! Turns out she has been going through a really hard time. She said she has been praying and praying. This lady, Sandra, has SO much faith. So much. But she even showed us a message she sent to someone on facebook THAT morning asking to be in their prayers. Truly it was an amazing experience. She had gotten home from the store like 10 minutes before we got there. Everything was just so perfectly lined up. We were able to be in the right place at the right time  A LOT this week. The other cool thing about that experience with Sandra was that before we left home, we asked that we could contact into a lesson, which is something we never ever ask for and is also something that has never happened. I KNOW God answers our prayers. He wants to help us and all we need to do is ask Him!  Truly an amazing week full of amazing experiences.

Also the Parr's came, the new senior couple here in Curacao! They are awesome and so kind! We cant wait to serve with them! But anyway, that is about it this week! I love and miss you all so much and i hope you have a great week!

Sister Woodbury

***As you can see, she received our Halloween package...early!***

Week 27 -Curacao

Hiiiii friends and fammmm!!! CON TA BAIII????

WOW has my Papiamentu (the language of the ABC islands) gotten a work out the past 3 weeks. I am actually forgetting Spanish a little bit because I have literally only been talking in papi. Weird haha! The branch here is just sooo helpful with learning these languages though! I had the opportunity to share my testimony in front of the branch in papi on Sunday and so afterward I bolted to this member named Aldrich (or something like that to help/correct me and he said he didn't have any corrections for me! that was weird and fun! He said he was listening for mistakes but could find any! WOOOOHOOOOOO!! Slowly but surely getting the hang of this thing. Hallelujah. God is real and is very helpful when we ask Him! Just a fun fact for you!

But I just want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BIG BROTHER CHASE. I love you more than words can describe!!! Hope you have a good day! 

But so anyway, tbh, this week wasn't super eventful.. I have a new companion!  A little greenie (brand new missionary)! Her name is Sister Cole! She is from pretty much all over the world because her dad is in the airforce. They have lived in so many cool places. Pretty cool stuff! I dropped off my little nugget sister Burrup at the airport as well! I will be seeing her for zone conference in two days hahaha! This mission. So funny.

But mainly what we did this week was contact. a ton. it has been a lot hotter than usual so it has been really funnnnn!!! Truly it has, that was sincere. Haha we havent really found too many people who are necessarily interested buuuut I have really gotten to practice my papi so that has been good! We have actually met a lot of incredible people, but the issue is that those people NEVER live in our area. Always in the elders area. so lame. but that's okay :) we got to find them!

Also, we taught this really amazing amazing girl named Kim from Jamaica! I am not sure if i wrote about her before but honestly that lesson we had with her this week was really cool! We taught the restoration and everything really clicked for her and she asked so many good questions! It was awesome!

So sorry i don't really have more for you today but just know that life is good and missionary work is the best :)

Pasa bon dia!!! (have a good day!)

Ami ta stimábosoooo!!! (I love youuuu!!!)

Sister Woodbury

PS...Finally finished this book! :)

Week 26 - Curacao

Hellooooo!!!

I hit my 6 monthaversary a few days agoooo! So weird! It has been a great week with lots of craziness like usual. Soooo here in Curacao it is pretty much all Papiamentu. My papi is getting QUITE the workout! Its rough but fun and the members here just want to help! Romeo, a recent convert, and Yvonne are so willing to help and I am so eager to learn so it has been really fun. I have learned a lot already! Curacaolanians are really honest so they don't hold back haha! I love it though because I can actually learn!

I met the person who translsated the Book of Mormon into Papiamentu! That was cool! He is nice but honestly he is kinda less active... He is coming back though :) So we have been teaching this guy named Boyci (I have NO idea how to spell his name) and he is really cool! He has a baptismal date for October 7th! He is progressing well and I have high hopes for him! as well this week we had to say goodbye to the Scotts :( That was a SAD day. They have been the most incredible missionaries ever and I truly just love them both so much. This mission won't be the same without them and they are just so loved by all of us and especially by the branch here in curacao! We were actually in a lesson with a less active and he said "I miss Elder Scott" randomly, the day after they left! It was really sweet and just goes to show how much of an impact they left on these people.

So on Tuesday I contacted this INCREDIBLE person named Roy. He lives in the Elders area but he is so cool. He has had a hard long life and I actually teared up as he was telling me about it. It was such a spiritual experience though because we actually went to visit someone else, but we couldn't teach her, so we ended up talking with him and two others.  Sister Hardy was talking to one while sister Burrup was contacting Roy's friend Karen who is actually a less-active from Venezuela! And I talked with Roy, one of the reasons why we needed to be in a trio for sure. I was able to teach Roy and wow he is amazing. I read him a verse in the book of Mormon in Alma 5 and he said he wanted to read that and so I left him with that chapter and invited him to church, and he Came!! He and Karen came to church and he said he read the chapter and loved it. He kept telling me as i was contacting him that he was a lost sheep and he is really searching for God right now. It was just a really amazing experience to know that God puts us right where he wants us.  Also, a lady named Mourine called us and asked where our church was out of the blue! That was cool!  We went to a lunch appointment at a members house a couple of weeks ago and she was there, but she left before we taught the lesson. She was nice but not very interested at the time, going through a lot. Then, she just calls us up and then comes to church and loved it! So amazing! We are hoping to teach her soon but her family doesn't really want us coming by so we will see if we can!  Also DARíO WAS BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was so sad that I couldn't attend but I am just so happy that he got baptized. He is truly so amazing and I love him with all my heart.

We also had Zone Conference this last week and that was really good! It was about the atonement of Jesus Christ. So good!  We also talked a lot about the Priesthood and I just wanted to thank my Father and my brothers for holding the priesthood. I never even realized what a blessing that was in my life and how blessed i am for having righteous priesthood holders around me my entire life. Thank you so much. I am so beyond grateful for you and for all of the many blessings i have received from you being able to hold the priesthood!  I love you!

Also I never thought about this before, but Sister Egbert taught us about what a sacrifice it was for Heavenly father as well. While His son was suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane he had to turn away his head, even after His son called out to him. He loves us so much that he had to let His son suffer through that. I was also thinking about the atonement this morning, and I realized that if Jesus Christ sinned or transgressed one time, just ONCE, then atonement wouldn't have worked. We sin all day everyday and we have repent constantly, but he was and is completely perfect. So amazing. I am so grateful. I truly love all of you so much and I hope you have a great week! Be a missionary and share the gospel! 

Love,

Sister Woodbury