October 30, 2018

The weeks are flying by!

This email is probably just going to be all over the place so sorry about that in advance. I just love the members here so much they are so enthusiastic about the gospel and so willing to help us with teaching people and to let us come teach them in their homes. Sister beck is just one of my favorite people ever! She's always pumping us up :-). So lots of things have been happening with Mary in Vienna, it's crazy how many obstacles pop up when someone is on the path to making their first Covenant with God. Mary had been really sick the past few weeks and just wasn't even able to call us back but sister back finally got ahold of her and was able to ask her if she wanted a priesthood blessing and she said yes so Thursday we are able to go over Mary got a priesthood blessing. The next morning she texted us first thing and said that she is feeling so much better! Miracles! So then we got to teach them lots and on Saturday we got to teach them about tithing which is always the nail biting lesson haha 10 minutes before the lesson sister Beck said that she wasn't going to be able to make it and so we were freaking out a bit. But the lesson went awesome, Mary said that she feels guilty that she hasn't been paying tithing haha the explained that she doesn't need to pay tithing or fast offerings till after she's baptized. That night they were so excited to come to church and Vienna was telling us all about this new skirt that she had :-). So the next morning at church we are waiting by the doors for them but nine world around and then 9:05 and then 9:10 and they still work there we were so confused. They didn't get back to us till Monday and they told us how Mary's mother-in-law who lives 40 minutes away had fallen in the night and they have to drive out to help her. And so they're having to drive out there a lot and we aren't able to meet with them but we know that God will provide a way for us to teach them the lessons that they need to before November 17th!

 I had a cool experience hurting the scriptures this past week I was reading in second Nephi about the prophecy of the Book of Mormon being delivered to someone who has much learning and them saying I cannot read a sealed book. I felt doubt come into my mind but I wanted to know that this was a true prophecy and not just something written by a man I remembered moroni's promise. I prayed and asked for another witness that these things were true and as soon as I prayed I recognized something in the chapter heading. It said to compare the chapter to Isaiah 29...another witness haha. It was such a simple thing but it just meant so much to me in that moment and really helped me as weed later on went to teach Kate ( that Mom that we had met in the past) about moroni's promise. We really focused on how when we read we need to have faith that these things are true and push out doubt and that's when we will receive a witness of the truth.

 I know that the Book of Mormon was really written by the people of ancient America and translated for us by a prophet of God. I know that reading it brings out of power into our life and a greater determination to do what's right and to do what's necessary to keep our family strong. I love it so much!

Love sister wood