Week 78

September 23, 2017

Good afternoon everybody,

This week has been crazy, I have traveled from Kingston to many different places this week including downtown, Mandeville, hopeton, Junction, and Port Antonio. The main reason being is to find houses for the missionaries so they can better focus on the work. I also got to proselyte in just about all of those areas this week.

Zone Conference was this week and it was awesome. I learned that many small and simple things bring about the accomplishment of bigger things. Like obedience to a small rule can bring about a great blessing not because your doing just the small thing, but it helps you better obey the bigger things as well.

Well, I gotta get going, I will talk to you all later.

Sincerely,

---Elder Wood

A few pictures of the past week,

First one is me looking towards the Son :) along the coastline of Kingston earlier today.

The second is me helping someone on the other end of the phone and walking down a trail in the dark to go visit an investigator.

The last one is another beautiful view of Jamaica.

From,

---Elder Wood---

Week 77

September 16, 2017

Morning y'all,

So these weeks have been crazy last week there were 17 new missionaries that came in, as well as 6 out of 8 missionaries came to Jamaica from Bahamas and Turks. It was crazy. We have them all housed and where they need to be.

As we have spent less time in our area (due to helping all these missionaries) I have learned to be more grateful for the time that we have been called to serve out here. It really is a special opportunity to focus all of our efforts to the Lord's work. I am grateful for all of you and also everyone that I have been able to meet out here.

Sincerely,

---Elder Wood---

Morning everyone,

 

The first is a picture of me trying to revive the internet at the office after the building was struck be lightning.

The second is the May Pen market that we visited last week.

The third and final picture is our APs (Assistants to the President) hard at work.

---Elder Wood---

Week 76

September 9, 2017

Good afternoon,

I don't have time to write too much right now, my companionship as well as the other office elders traveled to May Pen to bring some elders some supplies as well as shop in the town market.

We have a lesson with some awesome people tonight; Denzel who is a networker for one of the local banks, the Reynolds who know just about everybody in Jamaica, and Andy and his family who is a spiritual giant.

I am not gonna send out an email until Monday due to time constraints but I do hope that the fires die down. Maybe you need a hurricane where the fire is to help put it out, Irma passed by us and all we got was a little rain, but Turks and Caicos where we had some missionaries was estimated to be 6 feet underwater when the hurricane came. No missionaries were harmed, infact those missionaries stayed with us in our house for a few nights before being reassigned to May Pen.

I was able to prepare phones for the new missionaries, but I haven't gotten enough spares to give to the off-islanders while they are here. Its an adventure for them because four elders are sharing one phone.

---Elder Wood---

Week 75

September 2, 2017

In this coming week there will be 17 new missionaries in our mission. We have 85 missionaries right now, so between the ones leaving this week and the 17 coming in, there are gonna be a lot of changes. I realized this week that they all need phones so I am working on getting phones for all the new companionship's, but that's just logistics.

We have been finding and teaching those that God has allowed us to find as he has been preparing them. We are meeting with this large family yard where many of them are members but stopped coming a long time ago, and many others have never been members. We also met some families that have always wondered what missionaries are about. Its been a wonderful experience with all of them. We feel that some are very close to baptism and the rest will be on their way shortly.

I wish you all the best and I will talk to you next week,

---Elder Wood---

First is my companion thinks he is swaggin with those glasses, Elder Kirby found them and gave them to Elder Menlove.

Second is is dropping of our District Leader. Elder Epps, and one of our zone leaders, Elder Callister, in downtown Kingston.

Third is Brother Pryce who joined us for lunch when we ate out. He does office work for the chapels and such for the church on the island.

---Elder Wood---

Week 74

August 28, 2017

Good afternoon all,

I am indeed writing on a Monday, we moved our preparation again for zone preparation day. I should be writing you all on Saturday again at the end of this week. I am continuously getting surprised with things both inside the office and out in the field. I am learning to handle the surprises better.

A funny story from this past week was when I was driving in town and stopped at the stoplight and I realized that the eclipse was taking place. I stuck my head out the window and looked at it, not the best idea, but I did get a glimpse of it.

We have met some wonderful people this past week. We are working on preparing them to enter the waters of baptism, I will update y'all more on Saturday.

Well, my time is up, so I will talk to you all later,

---Elder Wood---

Week 73

August 19, 2017

Morning all,

This week has been crazy, we decided on Wednesday to shutdown a house in Linstead. It was crazy to clean that house. My companion also helped some sister move out of their house and into another one on Thursday, meanwhile I was making trips to Courts for furnishings and to Yallahs to pick up and drop off an elder that needed his eyes checked.

I am also learning the importance of a statement made by the apostle Elder Hales 

“When you cannot do what you have always done, then you only do  what matters most.”

I am beginning to understand that quote a lot better. I know that what matters most is living and then sharing the gospel. It will provide those who live it with joy throughout the eternities.

I wish y'all the best,

---Elder Wood---

I realized that I didn't take any pictures since Monday so I decided to take some pictures of the office of chaos. Everything is suppose to have a place...guess I must have been dreaming when I saw my desk clean a few days ago :P I will include more in the coming emails about whats going on.

---Elder Wood---

Week 72

August 14, 2017

Good afternoon everyone,

You might be wondering why I am emailing on Monday. We had an amazing zone conference with Elder Alonso. I was also able to setup the audio for this as well as connecting in the off-Island missionaries. That was an amazing experience. We are also trying to close the mission office by 4 o'clock everyday in order to better go out and proselyte. It is a different work load but it allows us to better fulfill our responsibility as missionaries.

(At the time that I am writing this, my office is being pillaged because I have the storage room attached to mine and it is preparation day.)

I continue to study and increase my spiritual strength and power, I hope and wish that you all do the same.

Talk to you Saturday,

---Elder Wood---

Greetings,

So this week was adventurous. First picture is of a sound board that we used for zone conference.

I will explain more about that in the upcoming email.

As for the next two, the other office elders, the ones who run all over the island for me, got ahold of my computer and left a few extra pictures on it so here you go.

The last one is a picture of a fountain that we always pass on the way to the office.

  

---Elder Wood---

Week 71

August 5, 2017

It has been an adventurous week these past few days. We realized that some missionaries are about to get to the island and we don't have a place for them to stay. Don't worry, we got it worked out.

While I have been here in the office I have realized how vital it is to not only use the time that we have been given as missionaries, but to use it well. Since we spend so much time here in the office, we don't get to go out as often as we used to be able to. It makes us desire to serve our fellow men. I will turn to our Heavenly Father to help me figure things out, because without Him I wouldn't know what to do in the office, or as a missionary.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and use it well.

---Elder Wood---

So, I woke up and I went to make my egg sandwich for the morning and I realized that the loaf I had frozen wasn't sliced. It wasn't a different brand, it just wasn't sliced.

We also visited the APs this morning and they told us that they had 9 gallons of ice cream in their freezer.

Here are some other pictures that we took while we were exploring houses. We didn't get these houses, but we did look at them.

---Elder Wood---

Week 70

July 29, 2017

Evening everyone,

It is indeed the end of the week...Also the end of the month. I have been doing a lot of paperwork recently and I am glad that only one person has to worry about the housing for the missionaries. 

Transfers also happened this week. We drove up to Ocho Rios and picked up some sister missionaries. That was a fun trip.

I have also learned that if I try to "find" time to read or study, I won't find it. I need to "make" time for it, to show our Father above how important it is to me.

I love you all and wish you a good week,

---Elder Wood---

Behold!!! my lair!!!!

This is where I spend a lot of my time right now. I am trying to reorganize it so we actually know where stuff is.

Week 69

July 22, 2017

Good Afternoon everyone,

This week has been one for the books. On Thursday we decided to role play Noah and the Ark. Elder Menlove knocked some stuff over in the storage room and broke an old sink pipe. For a good 10 to 15 minutes we had water pouring out of that hole. Luckily nothing was really ruined or even damaged (hurrah for porcelain floors). It was indeed memorable though. I would say we had 100s of gallons on the floor on a lot of the office. Yesterday, I also got a phone call telling me that some of the missionaries in an area had no power. I had not yet been able to pay their bill, I was able to fix it later in the day but that was also very memorable.

Something I learned this week is always make time for the scriptures. If you don't, you won't find time for them. I have to make sure I read my scriptures in the morning BEFORE I get distracted with everything else. It really helps the day go better and reminds you of the greater purpose of what you do things for.

I have to get going but you guys enjoy yourselves this week,

---Elder Wood---

So this first picture is of me driving and my companion excellent backing-up skills. (just kidding this was intentional).

The next one is an amazing view of Kingston from the Redhills.

The last one is of Elder Menlove, Brother Hall, and myself. We come bearing fruit.

Week 68

July 15, 2017

Good Afternoon everyone,

This week was a bit different than I expected. When Elder Kirby left the office I realized that I had a lot of organizing to do. Watching over the mission while being the office makes me appreciate what a blessing it is to be able to serve a mission.

Two years with a single focus. Share what you know to be true with others to bring a new light into their lives. I know that this gospel can truly change people's lives like it has changed mine. I look forward to go out and see all the wonderful people I can this coming week.

Also, I hiked a trail this morning, it was awesome seeing Jamaica from that high up. I included some pictures in the other email.

Enjoy your evening!

---Elder Wood---

So earlier to day we went hiking. Here are some pictures of the journey.

The first one is of myself.

The second one is my companion (Elder Menlove).

The last one is a picture of Kingston.

Week 67

July 8, 2017

Good afternoon everyone,

This week flew by. While I do spend a lot of time taking care of the needs of the mission I still get to leave the office often. The pictures in the last email were of myself and my companions catching crabs after we dropped of an elder in his new area, Port Antonio. I even got to eat at the Jerk Place there.

I have learned over this week though that we all need spiritual nourishment everyday. What I mean by that is just like we eat food to fuel our bodies we need to feast upon the scriptures to fuel our spirits. If we don't eat we starve ourselves, if we don't read the scriptures we are hurting our spirits. I experienced this earlier in the week. I was not able to read for a few days in a row and I started to feel its effects of not reading like more negative thoughts and less energy (for me personally). When I realized what was wrong, I was able to start reading again and felt stronger. I hope that you will all be able to continue to grow in spiritual strength and I will talk to you guys later!

Wish y'all the best,

---Elder Wood---

The first two is myself holding some crabs we caught while we were on the road one night. The shop that we are standing in front of is Piggy's, we dropped off a new Elder in Port Antonio and we had to stop for some food. 

Week 66

July 1, 2017

Hello all,

Its weird emailing you twice in a week, but I was able to see everything that y'all have sent me. Thank you so much for all that you do.

I am now in the mission office. I help make sure that the apartments that missionaries use don't get the power shut off and things like that. I am serving with Elder Menlove and Elder Kirby right now.

I have learned that the Lord trusts us with different responsibilities sometimes. He loves us and cares for us and He wants us to grow. I know that I will continue to grow closer to Heavenly Father as I help the mission here. I encourage you all to do the same, whether through scripture study or prayer. Its the little things that let the big things happen.

I will talk to y'all next Saturday,

---Elder Wood---

The first two are some awesome water flowers that we found in one of the paths in Sav.

The last one is myself in front of the Harley Davidson place in Mo-Bay on our way back to Kingston when I got picked up. (Sorry if it looks like I am squinting, the sun was in my eyes.)

Week 65

June 26, 2017

IMPORTANT NOTICE!!! I will now be emailing on Saturdays, including this Saturday. The reason for this is because of my responsibility in the mission office. I will be going there this Thursday, so this will be my last Monday email for a while.

We also had a sacrament service in Negril yesterday. We had 32 people there! it was amazing. The story behind this is that Negril used to have its own branch (church building) but slowly people stopped coming instead of reaching out to others. The branch has been closed for nearly a year. The place where they have to go now in Sav which is over an hour away. It was amazing to see all those people gathered together. I hope that they will continue to grow stronger and help each other so they can get a branch out there again.

I will continue to work hard in Sav and I am eager for the new challenges that await me in the office.

I will talk to y'all later!

---Elder Wood---

This first three are pictures of a Sacrament service that we had in Negril. More on that in the main email.

The last one was what I thought to be some cool looking clouds one evening.

Week 64

June 19, 2017

So, I think there was a miscommunication about transfers. I did not move with everybody else when transfers happened. I will be moving at the half transfer so I can be trained by the current Financial secretary. I am still in Sav and helping those here come unto Christ more. Also there is a mission home which is where the mission president lives and then there is the mission office which is where I will be "living". And then we will still go out and visit with people in the evening.

Alright, now what I am interested in from reading your emails. A 3-D PRINTER! You now have a 3-D printer!? I want some pictures of all of this summer vacation mayhem going on. Both of the trips that are happening (also the printer) and what you guys look like.

For our branch's father's day gift was cologne. I thought it was pretty funny.

This week was pretty interesting. We spent a lot of it inside because somebody got sick (which was me). It gave me some time to reflect on what we have been working on and to converse with the Lord more and more.

I am so glad that you guys are staying busy physically and spiritually. Don't forget to take a step back and breathe every once in a while. :)

Big up yourselves,

---Elder Wood---

These are some pictures of what has been called the "Legend Wall". I am still not 100% why it is around nor how you qualify to get on it.

Week 63

June 12, 2017

So much to write in such little time!

Well this past week we were able to learn how important it is to be loving. When we show others that we care they will act not because you told them to, but because they want to be happy like we are.

As I tell everybody out here, we aren't here because we are being payed, because we are not, but because we love all of you.

That's why I am out here and why I serve others, because I love them.

---Elder Wood---

This is a picture of a cool clock that we helped fix for a member and her husband. It opens up and does a little dance every hour.

The moon was big and orange the other night. I don't think I got a very good picture of it though.

A picture of the back of my companion's head. He was suppose to take a picture of me with a lizard dangling off of my ear, but a he wasn't quick enough and the lizard got away.

Week 62

June 5, 2017

Hello All,

It has been a very fun week. We chopped a yard with machetes. That was hard to do because you had to keep the machete sharp. We travelled from Negril all the way to Belmont on Saturday. We also talked to a mad man that was on a loop.

But all of this doesn't even begin to describe the amount of Joy I have when we visit and help others grow in the gospel. Even if it was just a phone call, or surprise visiting somebody you haven't seen for a while. It is so rewarding to be a missionary. As for the rest of you, keep reading the book of Mormon, if you haven't been reading it, start now. I know that Heavenly Father will show you the way.

---Elder Wood---

I have found some old pictures that I haven't sent before.

Myself and Elder Shafer helping pour some cement for a house for an investigator in Negril. (about a month ago)

Followed by a beautiful sunset.

Week 61

May 29, 2017

Well, the rain wasn't as bad this week, although, I left my shoes out to dry on the porch and I forgot about them, this morning they were drenched again. Maybe they will dry out one day.

As for this past week, I learned that just because you are doing something, doesn't mean that it is what you should be doing. Looking back on this week were stayed busy, but we weren't too effective. Luckily, we are able to change and do better, we are never stuck in the same spot. God wants us to keep moving forward, even if that means baby step by baby step.

I love all of you guys, and I hope that you have a fantastic week,

---Elder Wood---

This is the view that we have outside of our study room window. Sometimes I like to pretend i am in the Amazon jungle.