Elder Anderson Visits Poland!

Bryton didn't write an email to share with everyone today, but I wanted to share a couple of pictures and a post that were on the "Poland Missionary Moms (and Dads)" Facebook page. I spotted Bryton in the pictures right away, can you? :)  He looks so happy!

Elder Anderson visits the Poland Warsaw Mission! "Today is going to be a historical day for Poland!" "It is one of the hardest missions in the whole world - the twelve only send the strongest and the best missionaries to Poland...I know because I assigned you!" Apolostic blessing was given! Elder Anderson asked that the missionaries stay for the members meeting - "Cancel your train rides home I want you to stay for the members meeting!" - the office elders and missionaries had to scramble to figure out how to house 60 missionaries - they ended up staying in the apartments of elders, sisters and senior couples as well as the mission home! "Regardless of where you are it is never going to be easy - it is always hard. We aren't here to talk about what is hard but to talk about what we do and what we are going to do now!"

I will also share a bit of what Bryton wrote in his short email to me today:

"Mom, The existence and activity of our dead in our lives is something that is so real as the oxygen you just breathed! I will need the helped of mine and their relatives for them to be prepared and ready to receive this gospel, so will you all please do all that you can to get to the temple to perform the ordinances that I will send back to you. I have my companion in on the project and I believe that great purpose for which I have been prepared from the foundation of the World is about to start. I need your help and I need the help of them on the other side.

Sorry for being so deep into the work and focused only on the mission and this great work. There will be eternity and many other opportunities for us to talk and catch up. like for example next week ;)"

The Spirit of Truth

I had another cool experience with one of our investigators we were teaching this week. He was a little skeptical of the living prophets who communiate with God idea and had asked if I had ever been in the presence of the prophet and i had kinda forgotten about the cultural celebration of the boise temple when President Monson and Elder Bednar came. But as my memory was sparked it was if the spirit had completely ignited within me and I felt the spirit sooooo strong  just as I had from that moment in the past when I was in his presence and it stayed with me strongly for most of the night! He was speechless and felt a change in atmosphere and said he really wanted to feel what I had just felt. It was really neat to be able to be a vessel of the spirit and have that experience from my youth to back me up and share the beautiful news of the Restoration of God's church in full. It is seriously such a giant blessing that the meridian temple will be dedicated soon! The spirit will be so strong there.

Make sure you guys are getting in contact with that spirit and try to remember those moments even write them down, because then when you're doubting later or are in a hostile venue, or are losing your focus, you will remember those moments that you FELT for yourself the truth of this Gospel. Those feelings are from the Light of the World. They were and are real. Christ is truly the prince of peace and will always engulf us with his spirit if we take his name upon us, always remember him, and keep the commandments. He lives and I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Elder Wood

The Family

This week we had the opportunity to meet with multiple families and teach them how the restored truths of the gospel bless, strengthen, and bind families together in love and unity. Last night was really great because we met with a couple and discussed the Restoration while their 17-year-old daughter was on a trip out of country. They expressed concern for her safety and development as well as their desire to find God and his real truth. And it was amazing to see how simply testifying to them that God has blessed us with living prophets and apostles of God today on the Earth and that they together can come to find out the truthfulness of this Restoration of all things by reading the history and interaction with God of 1 family and their posterity from The Book of Mormon. They said they would start reading together that night. :)

I can't really explain how much I have truly learned about the family we came from, why we are here with a family on Earth and what we are supposed to do and the family we all have a chance to live with after this life. God truly is perfect and created a perfect plan for his children, He spoke to all of us and revealed a giant part of that plan and it's purpose in A proclamation given by his Prophet on Earth at the time, Gordon B. Hinckley in 1995. It is called The Family: A Proclamation to the World. I encourage you all to read it tonight in your free time with the whole family or family Home evenings and discuss the importance and divinity of it. I testify that those words and that Statement of Truth is directly from the mouth of our Loving Heavenly Father. Ask him about it and he will confirm it to you personally. You will feel it from feelings of  "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  meekness, temperance" (Galatians 5:22,23) for by this spirit and "by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."(moroni 10:5)  I promise that is true :)
Elder Wood

Pictures compliments of the Pawlik family in Mielec, Poland :)
Starszy Wood's new companion, Starszy Hansen
My 11 year old daughter Brooklynn said that one of her friends is a cousin of Starszy Hansen!

Open

I do not have much to say. We are teaching a cute couple with a two year old daughter and while the husband has already read half the Book of Mormon and felt the spirit, the wife is still a little skeptical about the whole idea and the idea of change. Keep her in your prayers to feel the peace of the spirit testifying of the gospel's truth and divinity.
Just the thought I had that as I teach people about the truths, authority and power of God restored back on the Earth in it's fulness, it makes so much more sense in the context of the grand scheme of things when it is learned about, accepted, and lived by the entire family. So if you have a family member who is a member of the church, or you used to be active and your family still is, I encourage you to change your thinking and decisions for a moment and view the church from their standpoint and to give further investigation or reactivation a shot with an open heart and mind. Listeny openly to what God has to offer you, to what members of the church or the missionaries have to say.

Moroni 10
3....receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

I testify that is true. Whoever you are, you will find out more then you ever dreamed of comprehending if you follow the wise recipe of receiving answers from our Loving Heavenly Father. This church is true. I promise.

Elder Wood

It's about time i send some pictures of our transfer.

1. Our house, we occupy the bottom from and basement. best missionary apartment in the mission! ha

2. Elder Toone the day after going to the gym. 

3. The street we live on and Elder Toone, from Alaska. 6 foot 5 inches. They are right, everything is bigger in Alaska.

4.We had a dog for a night. We named him bardzo. Then we found his owner the next morning.

gotta run more next week.

Miracles have not ceased

I salute you, whomever has opened this email. It means a lot when one reads about my experiences what I have to say and then ponders upon it. The things which I make mention to are true. For it is an account of my happenings sealed with my testimony.

Today, something miraculous happened. We have been trying to make contact with a less a active member and his family that use to be a strong member from the states so that we could visit them and inform them that we now have a meetinghouse in Mielec. But literally this guy was invisible, until we were shopping at TESCO (european equivelent to COSTCO) in the foreign food section debating on whether we should buy some mexican cheese queso dip when were heard this "random" lady behind us say," That's the best you'll find around here, it's a Delicacy, if I were you I would buy it." Surprised and chuckling at the comment we turned around and talked to here right then and there for like ten minutes. In the middle of the conversation she started talking about her husband and we had this weird feeling about the convo, I asked what his name was. It was him!!!! It took everything inside of us to not begin laughing and jumping up and down screaming in front of her like we had just won the lottery or found the buried treasure. Instead we calmly told her the situation, she gave us their address and told us we could visit them this weekend. It was crazy! Literally, there were so many things that went into us being right then and there at that exact moment. There are at least 20 underlying factors to why we were not even planning on going to TESCO. Ha but we did and were able to find one of our brothers in the church. Not gonna lie, that was probably the best mexican cheese queso dip I had ever eaten. ;)

I testify that God lives and directs his children today he is so compassionate and caring to lay down blessings right in our laps, if only we could just be as aware to recognize them and be grateful for them. He is a perfect being, his timing is perfect and I believe as well as his sense of humor :)

I wanted to share a passage wit you all and would like you all to think upon it personally in your lives.

Moroni chapter 7
26...And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.

27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?

28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.

29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.

31 And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfill and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.

Reflect back upon the times in your life where you have seen God's miracles and tender mercies. If you can't think of many, ask for some, and keep your senses alert, because you will experience them. For behold, he truly is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I so testify in the name of his son Jesus Christ our Savior who LIVES, amen.

Elder Wood

Pressing Forward with Peace

Recently the work here in Mielec has really picked up. We met a few times with a good friend who finially started taking the missionary lessons after we conquered his boxing training. It was hilarious, so hard, we were so dead but it was worth it cause he is preparing for baptism next month. His girlfriend is pretty interested too! She reads the pamphlets and the Book of Mormon but is too shy to meet with us, she please pray for her :) We started teaching a really cute family  last week and will be meeting with them a few times this week. The dad has already read through Jacob, watched a few sessions of conference, doesn't like the catholic church and really wants to find God so it will be really neat to teach them. Other than that we have a lot of great potentials who want to find out more so we will be busy for sure.
As missionaries we are just about booked everyday now and at times it is hard to focus on each person individually or remember all the tasks at hand, getting meetings set up, planning, continuing to learn a foreign language, etc.... But, lifes the same we are always super busy and always have things to do and we don't know how the best way to balance life is and at times it is hard to press forward through the infinite to-do list. But instead of stress, fear of failure, and anxiety we can all receive peace, strength, and power from our Savior, his Atonement and his Resurection! His power and love is infiinite and he willingly will bless us with it if we just turn to him. Please turn to him, learn of him and accept him just a little bit more in your life this week and on. As his representative I PROMISE you all that you WILL feel a difference and this peace in your life. Please Watch and do what you feel prompted to do while watching. Happy Easter.

Elder Wood
https://www.mormon.org/?cid=HP_SU_9-4-2017_dMIS_fMORG_xLIDyL1-A_