TWO MONTHS DOWN!

He sounded great when I got to email back and forth with him today! He loves to hear about Ellerie. Unfortunately my mom did have some problems with the bank this morning! Nate emailed saying he couldn't get money out of any ATM because it said his account was locked and he only had $4 left from last week. Needless to say, both my mom and I were frustrated. She didn't have such a great experience with the bank...they said they had to lock it due to fraud. But they have known since day one that he would be there and he hasn't had a problem until today?! It makes my heart hurt that he was unable to get groceries and the other things he needs for the week!! Please pray that all will be well!! On a better note...we hit the TWO MONTH mark today!! Here is his email...

So this week has been quite the week. I guess I was expecting a better one than last week but that was the complete opposite. I guess everyone has to get knocked off their high horse every once in a while! But oh well that is the life. I know that my heavenly father loves me and is watching out for me no matter what. I know that he has listened to my prayers and is mindfull of ME I know that he answers prays and this week he has helped me so much! I have come to appreciate the Holy Ghost and the comfort and feelings of peace he can give me. I love prayer it is the greatest tool that we have as saints! So this week we got our new branch pres and it is elder thompson the new senior missionary! I know he will do great and will help the branch! Also the two new missionaries arrived so I am not the newby now I just hope that I can be a good example for them like the others have been for me! I have learned that we all can endure trials only through the help of God and as long as we put trust in him and have faith he provides a way for us. I love this gospel so much and continue to learn and love it even more! So also since thanksgiving isnt celebrated here but the branch has so many americans we had an amazing branch dinner and it was so great and a good time to make the branch stronger. I am so greatful to be serving at this time and I know this is where I need to be! So I gave my self a hair cut this week can I say what an experience haha! It looks pretty good might I add and it saves us money so we can eat the last week of transfers not like last transfer where we went the whole week on romen noodles because we had a total of 6 dollars for the week haha we plan to budget better this time we hope. This coming week should be better so don’t worry about me. I will be fine! I love you so much! And love the support that I receive! Oh ya so people here think mormons are crazy the story we heard this week was that we lock the doors on Sundays with people inside and we let huge snakes go inside! What a story huh. People don’t understand we are normal people too! Haha I just wonder what I will hear next. But that was my week. I know it will be better. I now have 2 months down and it is flying by!(somedays). I love you and hope to hear back soon. You are in my prayers and thoughts. I LOVE YOU!!! I love you with all my heart!!

Love your elder

Elder Woodruff!

Pictures from St. Maarten

Zone Conference

Week #6

So this week has been the best week so far! I found out I am in st maarten for at least 6 more weeks and that I am so excited. The thing is that we get two brand new missionaries here so I am not the “GREENIE” any more haha! We also got the new senior couple the Thompsons this week and they are so nice and will be great! The only problem is that they took our car until the Wrights leave in December and we have to walk everywhere! But its all good because that means I can lose some weight and gain muscle so I don’t have any fat! But my legs are so sore and tired but it makes me feel like I am a real missionary now haha!  But this week has been good because on Wednesday it was like the switch flipped and everything was ok and I knew that everything would be taken care of at home as long as I was doing my best here and that the way would be provided for me! I have really gained a trust in the Lord and put everything I have in his hands. I know everything will be ok at home and that things will work out how we want! So this week on Wednesday I also had a great experience! I got to give a priesthood blessing and it was amazing how the spirit works. I don’t know  how good the blessing was but I know that god accepted it and that it will be a good help. I love that experience! So I found a talk by D. Todd Christofferson “as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten” it is my favorite talk and It has helped me so much to know how God works and it has strengthened me so much! Also this Sunday was the primary program. And I remember when I was at home that I hated this time when it was the program because it was boring. But I llearned a great lesson this week that we can learn so much from the simple truths that they tell us. They also sang “ a childs prayer” which is my favorite! And in the end the congregation joined in and the spirit touched me so strong that I started to cry! I couldn’t stop which was bad because missionaries don’t cry! But I knew it was because the spirit was there and I loved that feeling! I love the spirit and this gospel. Also this week we had 2 investigators come to church and I was so happy it was so great! They are progressing well and hopefully have a baptism coming up real soon. The work is coming along great and I love it. I love the mission! So we finished watching all of the dvds that we had in our apartment that are approved. So guess what we started to watch? You guessed it conferences haha! Yes I love them. Even though I never liked conference before. I never knew what I was missing I love it now. This is the best thing in the world! I learn a lot even from the ones way back in 2009 and before its so great. I know you probably think wow he is just realizing this but yes I am and its funny that I am entertained and can laugh from watching conference but it is great haha! Well that was my week I hope to hear from you soon and get letters. I love you so much and want you to never forget that!!!! I LOVE YOU !!!!!! thanks for all of the support. I love you!

Love always your elder

Elder woodruff

PS I love you and I will never stop to love you!!

Week #5

**He never hit send on this email from last week but we got it today!**

Hey!

I love you so so so much! This week has been ok! There was zone conference in Guadeloupe and we flew there Monday! It was great we stayed till Wednesday morning and then came home. We have started to go jogging by the beach every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday it is so fun to be able to be by the water and see its beauty even though we cant go swimming! Haha  but yes I love how close we are to the ocean. So Friday and Saturday were kinda hard days for me I have no idea why but it just hit with the homesickness so hard I couldn’t stand it it was rough. But I prayed a lot and I made it through it with the help of the lord! I love prayer so much.  So this week we have to push krystals baptism date back because she hasn’t been coming to church. We are trying so hard to help her in her life and I know that the lord is trying to bless her. We hope that she will have the desire to change because she has told us that she wants to be baptized we just need to help her come to church and want to change! She is gaining a strong testimony as well. This week we met a family named the hodges but I want to just focus on the son who is 26. His name is Angelo! He is a prison guard and he told us ever since we taught him the first lesson he has felt so much more at peace. He even took the pamphlet and read some of it to some prisoners haha which is crazy. He is so cool and I think his family will be interested as well. I love him so much he is the best. So yes we have a lot of baptismal dates but we have the struggle of them attending church so we have to push them back but they should start coming soon and we will see progress very soon I hope. Then we will have baptisms and be bringing others unto Christ. So I have also gained the weight back so don’t worry haha I just hope it is muscle! I love you haha! So I got the letters and I love to receive them thank you so much for sending them! So also you know how when I left I said I would never have to mow a lawn again for two years. I lied I had to mow the church lawn haah ya not so fun!!:) So today is st martins day so I couldn’t send any letters because everything is closed but I wrote them and I will send them this week so they will come. I promise. I love you !!!! so also we have finally been offered to go to a dinner it is awesome. The Maxwell family invited us. I love this family they are like my brother and sisters I can talk to her about anything and she always knows what to say. They are so sweet. I love them. And I love you! I hope that you have a great week and I cant wait to hear from you. I love you so much and am so greatful to have you in my life! 

Week 4

so i have found out that mondays are the best and the worst days i get to hear from you but i also wish i could talk with you longer and it makes it so hard to leave the computer. ugh but oh well mondays are still my favorite day by far. but i was reading in the july liahona! yes that is my entertainment haha!:) and i came across the talk "With god nothing shall be impossible and i challenge you to read it it has helped me so much i love the liahona. I LOVE YOU! 

but also i found out that it is daylight savings time and so now it is 3 hours difference so when you wake up i am ready to go out for the day and when i go to bed you are just eating dinner which is so weird. but the time doesnt change here the sun comes up at 6 and goes down at 6l all year around!

 so i got some letters on wednesday and i loved them keep sending them they make mehappy!

so this week was a little rough wiith weekly planning and homesickness but it got better. I love you so much! also i heard a member give such an amazing conversion story i wish  i had time to tell it maybe at the homecoming:) and yes it rains a lot enough that the roads flood to the doors ot the cars it sucks to walk in! but i am eating healthy next week i will post a picture of the dinner i made the other night it was as good as it looks. it was amazing. i have learned that prayers help a lot and i challenge you to pray often they do get answered. i love being able to pray always. so saturday was probably the longest day i woke up at 530 and started a service project at 7 and we painted a school for 5 hours it was long but worth it. service is awesome> well i am headed to guadeloupe for a zone conference! so have a safe week. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Love your elder

Elder Woodruff