Week 76 - Aruba

Hola!! Bon dia tur hende (good morning everyone)!!!

We had a wonderful week here in Aruba, like always. We had lots going on and we have been BUSY. We currently have 20 investigators which is A LOT, especially for this area. Because of that we have been SUPER busy and booked everyday. Luckily we are still managing to find time to contact, One day this week we had EIGHT lessons. It was nuts. And we weren't late for a single one! God is really blessing us and we are just doing our best to follow His will!

Anyway....... I'll start from the beginning... We had Zone Conference this week! My very last one before I go home! :( I cannot believe I go home in 1 MONTH from today. Sooo surreal to me.  At zone conference I taught, sung with the sisters, and gave my departing testimony! Here on the islands the "zone" conferences are more like district conferences so everyone gets to participate a LOT. Its so fun! It was a wonderful "Zone" Conference. I know i am repeating myself but I. LOVE. THE. BAIRDS. SOOOO. MUCH. Oh my goodness. They are SO good for the members here too!!! They will be having us working a lot more with them! We are now allowed to go to one activity a week with them which I feel like is going to help a TON! He also says it doesn't matter what language is being spoken!  Before it was strongly suggested that everyone in the branch needs to speak only Papiamento.  But, not everyone can speak it!  Especially those who don't have their papers here...like the Venezuelans.  It was really dividing the branch, and now he is saying that it doesn't matter!  SO AWESOME!  President and Sister Baird talked to me about a problem that some of the members here were having....that some in the branch don't feel like those who are here "illegally" should not have temple recommends and callings. He told me that he talked to President Gonzales of the 70 about the problem, and President Gonzales told him what the brethren (Church leadership in SLC) have said!  He, quoting them, stated: "this is not the kingdom of the world, this is the kingdom of God." I was practically squealing when they said that. It is sooo true though!!!  WE as humans have created boundaries and visas and all of that. God doesn't really care!!! Exaltation is way more important than whether or not you are an illegal on a tiny island in the Caribbean because your own country is in shambles.  Awesome.

OH!!! a couple other policy changes that i am THRILLED about!!! WE CAN HIGH FIVE AND FIST BUMP! finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! President Baird is really focusing on ministering as the Savior would, and he said he just can't imagine the savior going up to someone who wants a high five saying "I ONLY GIVE HANDSHAKES". SO TRUE. We are all really excited about that.   Also..... get ready for it.... We CAN WATCH THE BEST TWO YEARS (movie)!!!!! And Johnny lingo! And whatever we can find with the Church logo on it. SO. EXCITED. We already talked to a recently returned missionary here in Aruba and he is getting us a copy. SO EXCITEDDDD!!!! And my companion has never seen it so i cant wait to show her!!!

I hope you are all doing well on the Book of Mormon challenge! I want to hear an update of how everyone is doing! 32 days left (I'm pretty sure)! It has been sooo cool to see God's hand in this challenge. The chapters that I read this week are exactly what an investigator needs in that moment of their lives. Just so cool. PLEASE KEEP IT UP!!!

We are teaching SO MANY KIDDOS!! Holy cow! A list of their names: Xeaqion, Adrian(girl), Geonn, Jacksi, Britany, Sebastian, and Estefani. Craziness!  Xeaqion and Geonn were friends but they got into a fight. Hahaha these kids. We showed up right after it happened and talked with them and said a prayer because they were really mad. So funny. I love them. SOOO CUTE. Anyway, Margarita, Ramona, Nieves and Veronica are all doing well. I don't have enough time to talk about ALL of them, but just trust me hahaha! Amanda is so awesome! This last week she went on wiki and looked up Joseph Smith. Usually when we hear that we get nervous because there is SO much misinformation on there and we have lost some cool investigators that way.  Well not Amanda! She said "eh, it wasn't very interesting to me. Not very important or relevant anymore." So. awesome. she didn't care at all. I have NEVER had an experience quite like that XD Leo is doing awesome as well! We had an awesome lesson with him about the first vision and everything, and he totally understood perfectly about how there can only be one true church on the earth and that is it. So awesome. He also told us that a while ago he tried going to another church with one of his cousins. He said he went a few times, but it didn't really do much for him. Then he said that now ever since he started coming to "our" church he has been noticing such a big difference in himself. He says he wakes up in the morning with thoughts that he never could have thought of himself, and that they have to be from God. He has SOOO much potential. Its nuts. This gospel changes people! He already calls it "our" church and its so fun to hear that haha! I really do know that this is the true gospel! It is that "one faith" that is talked about in the book of Ephesians in the bible. "I love this perfect church", as Leo says it. He knows it's perfect, and so do I! The people within it may not always be, but the doctrine is 100% pure. I love life as a missionary.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love and miss you all! :)

-Sister Woodbury