Mi nuevo llamamiento

Bueno, he estado en mi casa para dos meses ahora y todo ha salido genial!  He estado mejorando mucho y me alegra decir que tratamiento está funcionando.  (Tengo mucho apoyo aquí en casa para ayudarme).  No es lo que quería, pero es lo que el Señor quiere y prefiero seguir su plan en lugar de mío.  Sabe mejor que yo.

Durante este tiempo la realidad de mi situación ha sido más clara para mí.  Lamentablemente la problema en mi espalda es un poco peor que pensé en el principio.  Yo esperaba que mi enfermedad no fuera tan mala como es, pero lo bueno es que me recuperaré totalmente con tiempo nada más.  Yo debería estar mejor y funcionando dentro de los próximos meses y cualquier otro tratamiento hago despues será para mantener lo que ya he hecho con mi quiropráctico. 

He pensado mucho en cómo voy a terminar mi mission.  A pesar de que me encantaría regresar al campo como una misionera de tiempo completo, he pensado en esta escritura: “Y mirad que se hagan todas estas cosas con prudencia y orden; porque no se exige que un hombre corra más aprisa de lo que sus fuerzas le permiten” (Mosiah 4:27).  Lamentablemente, no tengo la fortaleza necesaria para ser una misionera de tiempo completo.  Pero también pienso en una otra escritura, “Doy a los hombres debilidad para que sean humildes; y basta mi gracia a todos los hombres que se humillan ante mí; porque si se humillan ante mí, y tienen fe en mí, entonces haré que las cosas débiles sean Fuertes para ellos” (Éter 12:27).  El Señor sabe lo que necesito y me da fuerza cuando estoy débil.  Sinceramente estoy agradecida por esta oportunidad aprender y sé que esto es lo que el Señor quiere para mí.

Entonces ¡ahora tengo otros planes!  Hay muchas cosas que hacer en la iglesia y si no puedo trabajar en Chile voy a hacer algo diferente!  En Noviembre comenzaré una misión de tiempo parcial para Family Search en el internet y trabajaré de mi casa mientras termino mi tratamiento.  Estoy emocionada para terminar mi misión y estoy agradecida para saber que el evangelio es para ellos que viven y para los muertos.  En verdad, no es lo que imaginé hace un año cuando entregué mis papeles misionales y definitivamente no es lo que quise, pero debe ser lo que necesitaba.  El Señor me ha bendito más que merezco.  Estoy tan agradecida y me humilla para servir a Él en su obra gloriosa para sus propósitos eternos, no importa lo que sea el servicio.

Quizás no tenga yo que cruzar

montañas ni ancho mar;

quizás no sea a lucha cruel

que Cristo me quiera enviar.

Mas si Él me llama a sendas que

yo nunca caminé,

confiando en Él, le diré: Señor,

a donde me mandes, iré.

Sé que es verdad, y iré donde quiera porque esta iglesia es verdadera y la obra es de Él. 

Con much cariño,

Hermana Wood

A Different Call

Well I’ve been home for almost two months now and things are going great!  I’ve been improving quite a bit and I am happy to report that treatment is going well.  (I’ve got a pretty good support team here at home to help me out).  It isn’t exactly what I wanted, but it’s what the Lord wants and I would rather follow His game plan than mine.  He’s a much better coach.

As I’ve been home the reality of my situation has become a little clearer to me.  Unfortunately my back problems are a bit worse than I originally thought.  I had hoped to be a little less broken and battered than my x-rays suggest, but the good news is that I will make a full and complete recovery all in good time.  I should be up and running within the next few of months and any additional care after that will be to maintain the work I’ve already done.

I’ve given a lot of thought as to how I am going to finish my mission.  As much as I would love to return to the field as a full-time missionary, I am reminded of this scripture: “And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength” (Mosiah 4:27).  I unfortunately do not have the needed strength to be a full time missionary at this time.  But I am also reminded of another scripture, “I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).  The Lord knows what I need and He gives me strength when I am weak.  I am really grateful for this opportunity I have had to learn and I know that this is what the Lord wants for me.

With that being said, I’ve got some other plans!  There are lots of things to be done in the church and if I can’t work in Chile I will do something else!  So starting in November I will begin serving part-time as an online Family Search missionary from home while I finish up my treatment.  I am so excited to be able to finish my mission and I am grateful to know that the gospel is for both the living and the dead.  Truthfully, it isn’t what I imagined a year ago when I turned in my mission papers and it certainly isn’t what I wanted, but this must be what I needed.  The Lord has blessed me so much more than I deserve.  I am so grateful and humbled to serve Him in his glorious work for his eternal purposes, whatever that service may be.

“It may not be on the mountain height

Or over the stormy sea,

It may not be at the battle’s front

My Lord will have need of me.”

I know that is true, and I will go where He wants me to go because this church is true and the work is His.

Lots of love!

Lexie

Home...

Well, here I am at home!  One year earlier than I thought I would be.  It has been so hard to leave Chile and I will miss it so much.  Not for the food, not for the beautiful scenery, not even for the fun wood chopping, but for the people I loved and for the work I was doing.  It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but the best thing I could have been doing.  I was blessed with so many tender mercies from the Lord and I got to share my testimony of the Savior with some of God’s beautiful children in Chile!

I have talked to my doctor and he has a great plan: Get me healthy again!  I will be in AZ for at least the next three months working on that.  There will be some ups and downs, but everything is going to be fine.  My muscles might ache, my head might hurt, and my hands might be a little bit shaky, but everything will work out how God wants it to work out.  When I am finished with my treatment I will try to return to the mission and do whatever the Lord wants me to do, wherever he wants me to do it.

This week I got a letter from my companion Hermana Zortman.  She and I were together our first four months: First in the MTC, and then out on the field.  She is one of the best missionaries in the mission and one of the sweetest girls in the world.  She has blessed my life and I wanted to share with you the testimony that has strengthened mine.

Well I think the thing that has probably hit me the hardest this week is that two of my companions had to return home due to health problems. I can honestly say that I have learned a lot from all of my companions, but I will honestly and sincerely say that I learned and grew the most with Hermana Wood and Hermana Zanetta. They both had to go home for medical reasons, but they are planning on returning to the service as soon as possible, if possible. My first thought with this was: shoot i´m a danger in the mission. my comps are dropping like flies (alexis do you remember that week haha?). But i´ve decided something: the Lord has a grand work to do here in the south of Chile. He has a purpose here that is much grander than what I understand. Satan will work and work and work, but the Lord will always prevail. Due to unfortunate circumstances the mission has temporarily lost 2 of the best missionaries that it had, but the work will go on and we will do our part. I know that the Lord has a plan for my two sisters (i say sisters because I value them as such) and that with time that purpose will be discovered. I can only pray that they recover quickly and that the problems they have can be solved quickly and effectively. 

With this I have found a renewed desire to work here in Rio Bueno. I´ve realized that I have the privilege to be here in the mission, the privilege to serve the Lord and to help Him in HIS great work. Sometimes I get caught up in the "work" of a mission and I forget that it is a privilege to put on a name badge on my chest every morning that carries the name of my Savior. I´ll work even harder now. I´ll try to do the work that I know my sisters want to be doing here. 

I know the Church is true and that it was restored to the Earth through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that it is only through the gospel that we can find eternal happiness. I know, from experiences this week, that when we really come to understand the Atonement and everything that Christ really did for us, we will develop the desire to share the message of the Atonement with everyone around us. I know that the mission is exactly where the Lord needs me right now. 

Thank you for supporting me in my mission. I know I am so blessed to have such a family supporting and loving me from the states and from their missions. I love you! Until next week!”

LOVE,

Chelsey Zortman

I testify that what Hermana Zortman says is true.  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church.  I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.  I know that Thomas S. Monson is our current prophet today.  I know that The Book of Mormon is true.  It is the word of God and we will find all of the answers to life’s great questions in that holy book.  I know that the Bible is also the word of God.  I know that Jesus is the Christ.  He is our Savior and Redeemer and it is through His Atonement that we can be cleansed from sin.  I am grateful for the covenants I have made with God and I testify that His plan for us is perfect. “All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” Isn't that beautiful?  No matter how weak we are, no matter how hard life is, the Atonement of Jesus Christ will make everything okay.  What a blessing it is to know that, and how important it is to share!

Thanks to everyone for all the love and the prayers.

With all my love,

Lexie

Coming Home to Recover

You are probably stressed and anxious to hear my news this week.  That´s kind of a bummer because what I have to tell you is probably going to make you more stressed and anxious, but please remain calm for the duration of this letter.  EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE FINE.

So, normally if your missionary needs more than 2 weeks to recover from an injury or illness you should send them home to recover.  At home, they can focus on getting healthy, in the field they start getting depressed and stressed because they can´t work and the clock is ticking…Then after they get all healthy at home they come back to the mission and are super studly again.  I talked to President and the doctor and there is a high probability of me coming home for a little while to get better.  Obviously then the bad news is that I am going to need more than 2 weeks to get better.  The good news is I will get better faster at home then I can come back to work!  Coming home would probably be the best thing for me at this point but the only reason I am open to the idea is because I want to work and not die and I can´t work if I am dying...right?

So now you are probably all stressed out and worried.  Honestly...I've been better...but actually I've been worse so it´s okay.  I tell people every day that the gospel of Jesus Christ can heal our troubled hearts.  What kind of missionary would I be if I didn't believe that?  My problems are pretty non-threatening but I have still been blessed to experience the healing power of the Atonement.  It is amazing.  I have been sick on and off a lot the past few years but this time I didn't experience the frustration and anger that I had before.  I am kind of sad obviously because I don´t want to come home, but I really am fine.  I hope you are all fine.  Don´t stress out, don´t worry about me, don´t be frustrated or upset.  Heavenly Father wants me to learn a few things and this time I am finally starting to learn them.  Life is good.

Anyway, I've been indoors all week basically, but that has given me lots of thinking time and I have the GREATEST ANALOGY EVER!  It is how laundry applies to the gospel...

Picture your favorite T shirt.  It is new and clean and fresh.  Absolutely spotless.  But what happens to our clothes when we wear them?  They get dirty!  What do we do to make them clean again?  We wash them!  We take the favorite shirt, put it in the washing machine with soap and water and we wash out the stains.  We are like the T shirt.  We come to this earth clean and spotless, but with life´s experiences and the choices we make we become stained.  We are impure, we are unclean, and we need washing.

God has given us the washing machine:  It is Christ´s Atonement.  Through Christ and His Atonement we can be cleansed from sin.  How do we run the cycle?  Through the gospel of Jesus Christ which is faith, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Baptism is like the water, the Holy Ghost is like the soap.  We need both to wash out the stains.  But what happens if I forget to plug in the washing machine? Without electrical power I can´t start the cycle, and no matter how many times I try the shirt will still be dirty.  Without the Priesthood power of God, we cannot be cleansed through baptism.  The proper power and authority of God is essential for the cleansing process to work.  Without it we cannot fully apply the Atonement because we do not receive the baptism or confirmation in Christ´s name. 

Now, after the cycle has been run and the shirt has been washed, it´s still probably going to get dirty and stained.  So what can we do to keep the shirt clean?  We wash it again.  Who does laundry once in their lifetime?  When we are baptized we make a covenant with God to keep His commandments, to take Christ´s name upon us and to always remember Him.  We renew our promise every week by partaking of the Sacrament.  In return we are renewed and sanctified week by week, we are cleansed, we receive forgiveness of our sins and we have the promise of God´s constant companionship through the Holy Ghost.

Remember that this is your favorite shirt.  Don´t you want to keep it clean?  As children of our Heavenly father He wants us to be clean.  He knows we've been stained and marked, but He has given us a very sacred, very special, and very specific cleansing process through Jesus Christ.  "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."  (Isaiah1:18).  No stain is too deep for the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  Now all we have to do is run the cycle. 

Isn't that the greatest analogy EVER?  I think so.

Well...I need to go now but someone will contact you this week to talk to you about me...sorry I am a problem child...oops:)

I LOVE YOU!

Love,

Lexie

God Loves Us

Hi!!!!!  How are you?   Basically I had a full relapse (back related)...I have been super tired, I have had tingling in my whole body, I have had a headache for about three weeks, and I have even had the twitch.  I have hardly worked in three weeks...I move...slowly...but I move.

The physical therapist has been helping lots.  I don´t have my twitch anymore and the tingling isn´t as bad.  So that means I am feeling better.

I went to the chiropractor and he told me pretty much what I already knew.  One leg is shorter than the other, my shoulders are misaligned and apparently I am just one crooked, unstable mess.  Of course I am a crooked, unstable mess!  I am 5´11" and I live in Chile where the tallest people come to about my shoulder.  Ok that is a lie, but still...I also carry the word of God around with me all day and that is pretty heavy...

I am keeping my President informed, don´t worry.  I call his wife like every other day... we are basically BFFs...

It has been a hard three weeks, I will be honest.  But I am fine.  I mean, I am in pain, but I´m not angry or frustrated or dying.  Obviously I want my mommy to come give me a big mommy hug, but that is probably the hardest part.  Lots of people are really nice to me.  The mamita lets me stay in her house so my companion can go out and work.  My companion is an ANGEL and I don´t think you could even pretend that I am "training" her at this point.  She is a stud, and she is helping me a ton.  And the zone decided they wanted to fast for me so I have been receiving lots of love.  Probably WAY more love than I deserve, but how can you say to someone, "Stop loving me."  That´s just stupid.

So...the good news...My physical therapist has a Book of Mormon and he is going to read it.  Haha, yeah, that´s right, best missionaries EVER.  Actually I was doing my therapy so Hermana Núñez is the best missionary ever.  But I pretended like I wasn´t finished so she could keep talking so I helped.  Haha, oh...God loves us...A LOT.

We have basically lost all of our investigators...That´s kind of a bummer.  I never understood the concept of "War in Heaven" until my mission.  It makes a lot more sense.  It also makes sense why there are so many war chapters in the Book of Mormon.  Because we are fighting a war right now!  Doesn´t that just blow your mind?  Anyway, I was praying for a miracle this week.  We haven´t had an investigator in church for 3 months...we have done everything we can to have investigators in church...so this Sunday the little granddaughter of a member came to church.  We have taught her one time, but we did absolutely nothing to help her come to church because she doesn´t live here...You might all think that doesn´t count, but let me just reiterate that God loves us A LOT.  And he really does answer prayers, but it is almost never in the way that we want.

I am doing good, I promise.  I will be healthy soon.

Love you all!

Love

Lexie

Sick But Still Okay

How are you all doing?   I don´t feel good, but lots of nice people are taking care of me and I have been blessed with the nicest, most patient companion in the world and I love her and she is nice:)  

I am not able to chop wood, but the good news is my companion has become an expert in both wood chopping and fire building so we are not quite as freezing in the mornings...I am so proud:´) except the wood is wet again, but we are working on that...

Anyway, what else can I tell you?  Oh last night I had kind of a weird dream.  I was in Southern Chile knocking doors to teach people about the amazing restored gospel of Jesus Christ!  (That is not the weird part) and I knocked one door and Beisha Hernandez came outside...then I asked her if her family was home and she was like, "Yeah!" and I went inside and started teaching the Hernandez family.  Weird huh?  I was dreaming in Spanish by the way...So now you can tell Brother Hernandez that I apparently am really excited to come home and speak Spanish with him.

I haven´t been working a lot this week but the Lord has blessed us with lots of tender mercies.  First:  Since we can´t go out and visit people all the time we are writing them little notes jammed pack with spiritualness.   We went by one of our investigators that hasn´t answered his phone for the past month and left him a note with a plan of salvation pamphlet.  Then we called him two days later and actually got a hold of him and we have an appointment with him and we found out that he has been having a hard time and this just happens to be the perfect opportunity for him to hear about the restored gospel...It is amazing how the Lord is preparing some of these people and how the Lord is helping us to find them and help them.

Some of our members invited their neighbors over for a family home evening with us and we had a great lesson and they really liked hearing what we had to say.  I think the members liked taking part in a lesson like that too.  Afterwards Hermana Núñez and I felt like the sisters in the District videos that have perfect lessons with members so that was fun.  Also one of our contacts that we have been trying to visit for a month called us the other day while I was stretching my back and said she really wants to talk to us.  She hasn´t been able to yet because of work, but this week she is going to take a day off from work so we can come talk to her.  We´ve also got more members bringing their friends over for us to teach!  We are excited about that.  It is really nice that people are bringing investigators to me because I can´t go out and tract:)  Ah, the tender mercies of the Lord.

Well, that´s all I´ve got for now.

I love you all LOTS!

Love,

Lexie

Being a Missionary is Cool!

I am being an awesome missionary.  Well I am trying to be anyway...

We went by one of our investigators this week for our appointment and she wasn’t home, but we talked to her husband.  He said his wife was at the hospital with their niece and her baby because the baby (3 months old) was super sick and they weren’t sure how serious the problem was.  He asked us to pray for them and we said a prayer right there, told him we would keep praying for them, and we felt prompted to say we would fast for them too.  He was really grateful and it was AWESOME because we haven’t had a chance to teach him yet.  So we fasted and one hour after we finished our fast the investigator’s husband drove by us in his car, stopped, backed up so he would talk to us and told us the baby would be leaving the hospital that day.  Then he thanked us again for the prayers.  It was a testimony to me that God really does know us.  He knows what we need, He knows when we need it, He listens to our prayers, and He answers them.  He loves us.  He wants to bless us, and He wants His children to know it.  And so He sends missionaries to spread the beautiful message of the restored gospel to people who need it whether they think they need it or not.

Being a missionary is so cool!  It is crazy...I am a 19 year old gringa and I sit down with a bunch of Chileans and listen to their problems and then somehow the Holy Ghost touches their hearts and lets them feel that God loves them...it is sweet!  I don’t even do anything...

Anyway, that is the most exciting thing that happened this week.  We are working really hard with all the less actives.  President Hinckley said it doesn’t do any good to baptize the whole world if nobody stays in the church...so that is our focus right now.  The majority of less actives have testimonies and they know the church is true and all the ones we’ve been able to visit have plans to return to church someday...now we have to convince them that some day is TODAY!  Wooo!  It is fun.  We have a program where we give them an assignment and tell them we need them, then they are supposed to accept and come to church and keep coming back to church and then all their nonmember family members get baptized.  Want to know something cool?  It works:o  You just have to get over the first couple of road blocks...The thing is we tell them that we need them, and it is true, and they feel it, and then they have a desire to come and serve the Lord.  Take care of your less actives!  

Well, that is all I’ve got this week I think...I love you TONS...I think my letters sound scatter brained...do they sound scatter brained?  I don´t know.  I like it when you email me and write me letters:)  It makes me happy:)  

LOVE YOU!

LOVE

Lexie

Waterproof Coat Improves Quality of Life

How are you all doing? I am good.  Except my fingers are cold and it is hard to type fast...noooooo!  It has been sunny this week.  Which means it has also gotten colder.  It makes it really hard to get out of bed in the morning when it is 4 degrees (Celcius) in the house.  Because then I have to get up and start the fire with our green wood that some very inconsiderate person sold to us.  (I wanted to use a different word there but it didn´t seem appropriate as a missionary). It might be because I am a gringa, but I think it is because all of his wood is terrible...he sells green wood to the other missionaries too.  Argh:(  The good news is I bought a wonderful, warm, waterproof coat for...140 dollars I think.  It is AWESOME.  AND WATERPROOF!  Did I mention it is waterproof?  Lots of coats say they are waterproof and aren’t actually waterproof but this one is.  

It is getting hard to write to you people in English.  I have to translate some words in my head from Spanish to English...sigh...But when I am frustrated I talk in English...it is funny.  Yesterday at church we called one of our investigators to confirm that he was coming to church and then he told us he wasn’t coming and then when we hung up I started mumbling about the excuse that he gave and Hermana Núñez was like, "Uh, Hermana Wood?"  And then I realized I wasn’t speaking Spanish...sigh...

This week we visited one of the members who was one of the first to join the church in Puerto Varas.  His wife died a few months ago (the first funeral we planned) and he’s been in Santiago with his daughter ever since.  And now he’s back and he is living with one of his grandkids who is not a member and who has received lots of missionary discussions.  I wanted to go and teach the plan of salvation and subtly find out when his grandson is home so we can come teach him.  The problem is this beloved member is practically deaf and there was nothing subtle about it.  The good news is I think all of Chile must have heard us teaching the plan of salvation and we’re expecting all kinds of new investigators to show up at his door:)  Then he came to church 2 hours early and we had just finished up with a meeting and he wanted to wait in the room with us...how do you tell a near deaf man that you can’t be alone with him while there are other very spiritual and important meetings going on in the room next door?  We didn’t...we just took a really long bathroom break...poor Hermano:(

Brett, I AM SO PROUD OF YOU RIGHT NOW.  You can put that on the blog mom...everybody should know Brett is a genius...in Calculus...We´ll pretend the World History thing never happened;) I am practically in tears. (Editor’s note: Brett scored 5 on the Calculus AP test—highest possible.  He scored 2 on World History—2^nd to lowest possible.)

Ok bye I love you:)

Love,

Lexie

Inspired Piano Playing

Well, this week we had another funeral.  I played the piano for like an hour.  It was very nice and everybody felt the spirit which is really good because the majority of the people there weren’t members.  My companion and I left and she turned to me and she was like, "Ah, that was awesome the spirit was so strong the whole time you were playing and now everyone is going to get baptized!"  Ok she didn’t say that last part but that is what we both want:)  I also played in church on Sunday and everybody loved it and some people cried.  I like making people cry.  Is that okay?  They are crying for a good reason...I think it is okay.  Except I feel like somebody has to cry now for me to feel like I did a good job on the piano...But if they don’t cry does that mean it was awful or are they crying because it was awful?  I don’t know.

It has been cold and rainy here.  I need to get a warm waterproof coat...that doesn’t cost 300 dollars...Hahahaha....oh...sigh...I am just always cold!  Mommy would DIE here in July.  If you ever go to southern Chile mom, pick December.  Cold weather and a ridiculous number of dogs?  Not possible for you.  I hate dogs.  If you think I am adapting to the large number of dogs you are wrong.  Our neighbor’s dog chases us and barks at us when we are trying to get into our house.  Then I swing my umbrella at him and he runs away.  One day I would like to hit him but that would not be very Christlike and I have to be good...

Well that’s it for today.

I love you LOTS!!!!

Love

Lexie

Missionary Work is Fun

Dear family,

I can’t believe it.  You ALL wrote to me.  I am so proud:´)  I almost cried.  Ok I didn’t almost cry but I was very very very happy.  Now you will all probably fail for the next three months until I give you another lecture.  Sigh...Remember that ENDURING TO THE END is a fundamental principle of the gospel.  You have to do it or you won’t be able to receive the kingdom of God.  I feel like that should be pretty big incentive for you to all write to me...

Good news, I realized this week my fire building skills do not stink, it really is the wood.  We bought dry wood and now I can start a fire in 5 minutes instead of one hour.  Yeah!!!!  My firewood chopping skills are continually improving you’ll be happy to know...

Anyway, things in Chile are pretty good.  Hermana Núñez is a stud and is a baptismal invitation machine.  Nobody says yes, but that’s besides the point.  People here are interesting...Like all people are I guess.  A lot of people invite us into their home and ask us, "What are you doing in the south of Chile?  How do the people receive you?"  And I am like, "Um, you are the people..." And then we teach them and try to make them realize that they need the gospel and then we leave and come back later and they tell us to leave them alone but that they have lots of respect and wish us luck...sigh.  Then other people listen and their like, "Yeah, if you tell me Joseph Smith was a prophet, heck I believe it."  And then..."But, I’m not going to change my religion chicas..."   Uh...okay?  Not a whole lot of commitment sometimes.

I watched the Work of Salvation broadcast yesterday.  IT WAS AWESOME.  I liked it.  Not that I don’t love tracting all day in the cold and rain, but I am in agreement that there is a better way.  Nobody wants to let a dripping wet gringa into their house...and that’s if they made the effort to open the door to let all the cold in the house.  Oh, missionary work:)  It is the best.  I like being a missionary.  It is fun.  We saw our recent convert walking in the street and she was like, "Look at how healthy I am getting!"  And started jogging down the street :o  I was in shock.  Seriously, it is a miracle.  She is 67, but everyone thinks she is 80.  Maybe now everyone will believe that she is 67.  She is so happy:)  Her husband won’t ever walk up for the discussions but she does:)  

Well, that’s about all I’ve got.  Love you all LOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Lexie

Grrrr...Wet Wood Doesn't Burn

Hi family!!!!!!!

How’re you all doing?  Good I hope.  I have funny siblings. You all write me the same thing every two or three weeks:  "Dear Sister Wood, Sorry I am a bad brother/sister and this letter is short I will write more later."  Out of curiosity what exactly is your definition of "later" and what is your plan of action to improve?  Come on, you are all returned missionaries for crying out loud.  What happened to your daily planning session!

Anyway, I am good.  I mean, I could be better, but I could be worse so it’s kind of just a nice equilibrium.  Except I have a confession.  I am kind of angry at the man who sells us firewood.  He was like, "Ah, don’t worry hermanas the wood is dry."  The wood is NOT dry.  I have burned my fingers more than once trying to start a fire and it isn’t from the fire it is from the water that boils off the wood...I feel like that is just stupid.  We should not have water sizzling off the wood.  How is the fire supposed to start if it has to fight against all that water!  It doesn’t.  Ok it does but it takes me forever.  I probably look like a smoker now because my fingers are yellow from burning them so much.  By the way Dad, yes I really chop wood...I chop wood like every day...How else do you think I start the fires?  Also, I am not dumb and I am very safe with the axe.  Okay one time I chopped off one of my toes but it’s okay because I walked to the clinic afterwards:)  Haha...just kidding, the mamita drove me.

Anyway, I like hearing about all the funny things at home...plastic on the stairs, a lazy little boy who is not waking up to go swimming, what you ate for dinner.  I love my family you are all awesome:)  Yeah for my awesome family!!!

Oh, I remember another question Dad had about whether or not I can communicate with Hermana Núñez or not.  I hope you realize that my other companion didn’t speak English either...so yeah...I have been communicating for the past two months...but I still have to draw pictures and grunt when I want something sometimes.  Haha, just kidding.  I may not be a pro with the language skills but I am a trainer so the Lord gives me extra help.

I am so excited for Dominica!  She will be great.  Also, I sent a letter to Liz and Sarah about 3 months ago and it never got to them...because I got it last week.  Can someone communicate to them that I love them?  It would be nice.  Maybe you can make Alex do it and tell Alex that I love her too!!!  Hi Alex!!!!  I love you!!!  Do you like Costa Rica???  I am sending you a beautiful letter but it probably won’t reach you until October...

Love,

Lexie

1st Week as a Trainer

You probably want to know about transfers.  I got my new companion Hermana Núñez.  She was born in Ecuador and has lived in Spain most of her life but she does not have a lisp thank heavens...sorry Dad...She lives in Madrid.  She is 19 and has been a member her whole life and has two older sisters one a returned missionary and one currently serving.  We are getting along great and both of us are learning lots.  The spirit is so ridiculously strong between the two of us.  She´s got all the fire from the MTC and we pray like every 10 minutes together because she doesn´t know what´s going on and I only kind of know what is going on...okay sometimes 30.

This week has been pretty eventful.  Lots of emotions go with being a missionary... Graciela our recent convert is doing really great.  She feels so happy and it makes me so happy.  We are finally starting to teach her husband now and I feel like that is just huge progress because before he said he didn't even want her to keep visiting with us.  The problem is he doesn't live the word of wisdom and he is a lot healthier than his wife so we might have a hard time convincing him he needs it too!

Right before transfers one of our "golden" investigators said she didn't want to keep visiting because she’s not going to get baptized.  Then another family we've been teaching told us the exact same thing...except they both scheduled return appointments so I am still very hopeful.  It reminded me of something very important though: We are at war.  We are at war with Satan and every time we find receptive and prepared people he is working just as hard as we are.  We have to treat every one of our investigators like the precious and valuable souls that they are and we can’t give up on them.

Yesterday we visited one of the less actives and his wife (not a member) was in the other room on the phone.  We explained that we couldn't be alone with him and she had to come into the room or we could come back later.  He said no..."Don’t come back, don’t call me, I told you my wife doesn't want to sit in on the lesson and right now she’s talking to my son and it is a very important phone call, if you don’t have any trust in me I don’t want to have anything to do with you etc. so just leave."  So we did.  We were outside the gate and his wife ran out to call us back.  Turns out she had wanted to go to church that day but things got in the way and she wanted to talk to us because she felt a need to do so.  When her husband told her what had just happened, we explained the need to be obedient and she said, "I agree" and let it go.  I am awfully grateful for these tender mercies of the Lord.

It is getting super cold here.  It hasn't been raining the past couple of days but that actually makes it colder.  My fires have been so lame too...sigh...I really need to be more awesome...Today I am going to chop lots of wood so I don’t have to do it at 9:30 at night and I can’t see anything...

Well, that’s about it for today...keep praying for me:)  I LOVE YOU!  

Baptism and Healthy

Lots of good things happened this week.  First, one of our investigators got baptized!   Wooo!  It was beautiful:)  I cried.  Okay, tears didn’t fall from my face and I didn’t make any weird gasping noises but it was a silent cry like Karrie Beckstead does.  Anyway, Graciela is the little abuelita that quit smoking and that had a dream about me that I was dressed in white and blessing her like a Catholic priest.  I love her she is so funny:)  Her baptism was so awesome.  She said it was the best day of her life.  The other sisters had an investigator the same day and we had tons of support from the ward.  It was sweet!  I will try to send a picture if it will work.  All my other pictures kind of got erased...

This week President called...I am going to be training. I finished my training this morning...and I am going to be a trainer on Wednesday...Agh!  That is scary.  My companion is from Spain. A few extra prayers for me would be pretty awesome...also a few extra for my new companion...

This week I have learned a little bit about the nature of prayer.  We always say that specific prayers receive specific answers but sometimes we don’t fully apply that principle.  First, we’ve been praying to find more families and we’ve been finding more families.  Second, one of our investigators told us she can’t believe Joseph Smith was a prophet and she’s not sure that listening to us more is going to change that.  We left and said a prayer in the street and she called us 10 minutes later to schedule an appointment.  I am grateful for these little tender mercies from the Lord that shows us how to be humble while enabling us to do the work.  Pretty cool stuff.

Being a missionary is so cool...and nobody got sick this week!  Did I mention that?  It was a week of health...almost...one of the other sisters was sick, but nobody threw up.  Thank you, Dad for letting me know to wash my hands...unfortunately God has given us all our agency and I can’t help it if nobody else does.  Alex is funny.  In her letter she told me if I wasn’t on my mission we’d be in Alaska...but then she said South America was way better than a non-contagious state...she has a way with words right?

Chile is awesome...it has been raining a lot lately...like every day...and getting colder...The good news is I am staying in Puerto Varas and it’s not too bad here.  I am getting really good at building fires.  You would be proud.  Ok, I cheat and I use petroleum sometimes but you would too if all your wood was wet.  I am also losing feeling in my fingers because I burn them so often...but it is worth it when the wood catches:`) Sigh...I’ve got to get better at chopping wood now.  It is hard when it is raining and dark...but I can do it!  No worries.  

Okay I’ve got to go. I love you all loads!

Love,

Lexie

A Week of Flu

This week I thought would be normal.  Hahaha, sigh.  Then I woke up at 5:30 on Tuesday morning and threw up.  That was fun.  It was even more fun when Hermana Arias threw up.  Haha...oh the flu.  Tuesday morning I was lying in bed and all the sisters came over to do splits and all the Latinas were freaking out and analyzing my symptoms and saying "That’s not normal!  That’s not normal!"  And then they said, "Oh well at least she knows where the clinic is."  I’m sorry...if I am healthy enough to walk a 1/2 mile to the clinic, there is no way I need to go to the clinic.  Anyway later Hermana Zortman came into my room and talked some good sense about how I had the flu and even though having a fever and throwing up is not fun, it is normal when you have the flu.  I love that woman.  I thought I was better on Saturday, but I threw up again last night so clearly I am not better...sigh...

I did get to work a couple of days this week.  We knocked on the door of one house and this little old lady answered the door.  She was hard of hearing so this other guy came to the door and we were trying to introduce ourselves and the man was shouting at the woman and the woman was shouting at everyone and it was funny.  "They’re Evangelicos!" "No we’re from the Church of Jesus Christ..."  "What? They’re Catholic?"  "No they’re Evangelicos!"  "No we’re Mormons..." "I’m Catholic!"  "They’re not Catholic they’re Mormons!"  (Angry face from the woman.) "She doesn’t want anything from the Mormons, she’s Catholic..."  Oh funny stuff.

Well, I don’t think there’s really a whole lot to report this week since I have been indoors all week...Except we are having a baptism this Saturday!  Our little abuelita:)  She is funny.  There was a baptism last week from the elders and we took her to that and now I think she is a little worried about getting dunked into the water since she is 67 and delicate but she will be okay.  Besides ever since she stopped smoking she’s been getting all kinds of exercise so she’ll totally be ready for the dunking action.

Well I hope you are all being good...I love you LOTS.

Love,

Lexie

Winter is coming to Chile

This week it got cold and I got sick because we didn’t have any firewood and I am from Arizona.  I was a little bummed about that because it makes me feel so weak...

Good news.  Our investigator came to church sober:D  And she hasn’t smoked for days.  I think it must be hard for a little old woman who has smoked for most of her life and understood very little about God and His plan to change and learn so much and so quickly but she is.  I’m so proud of her.  

This week we performed service because we are trying to get this AMAZING family to come to church with us.  They furnish buses so they work at home and they have to work all the time because of the way deadlines work and it takes a long time to rebuild buses...So this week I helped furnish a bus.  Cool huh?  I do a lot of cool things on my mission.  I don’t think I’ve even told you about all the cool things I do...I mean other than normal stuff like knocking doors and preaching the word of God...Let’s see...I told you about the funeral, the Chilean hospital, did I tell you we built a cabinet thingy for a TV stand?  And we teach English classes...and now there’s the whole refurbish a bus factor...I don’t know I think that’s most of it.  Fun stuff. I learned how to chop wood this week!  Now I just have to learn how to start a fire with wet wood...I was trying to start the fire and there was one piece of wood with giant drops of water sizzling off the top...sigh

I love how every day is really hard, but no matter what the Lord sends us his tender mercies.  Of course some days are harder than others but no matter what happens there is always something good that comes out of every day.  Although, I am a little worried the Lord is going to test my patience by sending me farther south for the winter...

Anyway the language is coming along, slowly but steadily.  At least I think so because my Enlsih is getting worse.  Soon I won’t be able to say anything it will just be a horrible mix of Spanglish.  I am sure God has lots of fun listening to my morning prayers.  This week I’ve been reading in 1 Nephi and learning all kinds of good stuff.  For example, 1 Ne 2:18 Nephi "cries unto the Lord" for his brothers.  I don’t think he is praying for protection or comfort (although he could be); he is praying on their behalf that their hearts might be softened as we all do when someone we love is making bad choices.  I really love the answer of the Lord.  "Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and be led to a land of promise."  And then he says Laman and Lemuel will be cut off for their rebellion.  I don’t know, but I imagine that isn’t quite the answer Nephi wanted, and I doubt it offered him loads of comfort concerning his brothers.  But that is what he got and that is part of God’s great plan.  We can receive all the blessings of heaven but those blessings are conditional.  I’ve met a lot of broken families on my mission.  Sometimes the problems are big sometimes they are small but they are always hard.  That is the beauty of the Atonement.  All things will and can be healed through Christ.

I love being a missionary, I am learning so much.  The scriptures are just so full of light and knowledge!

Okay...I think I am done...I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Lexie

I Called Home!

Lots of exciting things happened this week.  The most interesting thoughts that crossed my mind were:  "Oh my goodness, I am running to my cabaña in a foreign country in a skirt with my gringa companion to look for the legal papers of my Peruvian companion who is in the hospital."  Who would have guessed my first time rushing to the emergency room would be in Chile?  Not me...Fortunately the hospital is pretty close and we found all the important papers that we needed and my companion is doing super duper.  She has a "preexisting medical condition" but I am not exactly sure what it is and like I said she is better now so there’s not much else to say about that.  Except that I was scared.  She had to take a rest obviously this week so we went on splits with the other sisters in the zone.  It was good practice to be in a normal companionship with only one other person.  Although I had a little bit of separation anxiety without Hermana Zortman.  Haha, just kidding, but seriously I have never been a missionary without her and transfers are in three weeks!  What am I going to do??

Anyway, this week we got to call home!!!!!  As you all know obviously.  I was in the call center waiting for Hermana Zortman and Hermana Arias (for their 5 minute confirmation calls) and this guy started talking to me.  First he asked me what university I go to.  I told him I didn’t understand so he repeated the question and then I tried to explain that I am a missionary and then he just rolled his eyes and asked me in English where I am from.  Then I told him from the U.S. and then he asked me what university I go to again...so then I said I went to BYU but I am not in school right now because I am a missionary and then he rolled his eyes again and just asked me what I studied...I don’t think he understood the whole missionary concept...But we also think he was drunk so it’s okay.

Speaking of alcohol problems I think our investigator was intoxicated when she came to church...looks like we are going to review the Word of Wisdom concept again...sigh.  I am not sure why Sunday morning before church seems like a good time for anyone to drink actually...but it’s okay we’ll work it out.

Ooo, this week I have been studying 1 Nephi.  Good stuff.  I really like how the first section of the Book of Mormon is all about a giant family divide.  As a missionary I am learning about lots of families that have that problem.  It is really hard for people to watch the people they love make bad decisions and reject the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I think that is why I like 1 Nephi so much.  Nephi and Lehi pray for Laman and Lemuel all the time.  I am sure both of them would have liked for Laman and Lemuel to soften their hearts and come unto Christ and repent and receive all the blessings of heaven.  But the Lord gives us our agency and he can’t give us those blessings unless we are obedient.  You should all go study 1 Nephi.  Oh and go study Find the Lambs Feed the Sheep by Pres. Hinckley.  SOoooooooo good.

Love you all!!!!!!!!

Love,

Lexie

New Apartment

WE MOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh it was so great.  One of these days I will get around to sending the pictures of our old house and the new house and you can see for yourself how wonderful this news is.  The bathroom is twice the size, the shower doesn’t leak or have mold all over the curtain, the toilet flushes the first try, the beds are in the bedroom instead of the kitchen, the tables and chairs aren’t made of plastic and we haven’t had a single slug yet.  And best of all I don’t have to duck every time I want to walk across the room.  Haha.  It is actually really good because winter is fast approaching and it is already cold and wet inside the house and would have been hazardous to our physical health in another week or so.  Phew...

We are seeing some great progress with our investigators.  We talked to one this week who is about 70 years old and is trying to quit smoking.  She said this week she tried to smoke a cigarette and she couldn’t, it tasted awful to her.  I was so excited to hear that!  Then she asked what she should wear to her baptism and it just about made me cry because 2 weeks ago she wasn’t sure she wanted to even continue taking the discussions.  She is so much more alert in body and mind and it truly is a miracle.  The blessings of the Word of Wisdom are so real!  Just picture this: 70 year old woman that has been a heavy smoker all her life, and boom the blessings of the gospel and she is a new woman.  It is amazing.  She is walking faster, communicating better, and altogether just more alert and happy.  Ah:)  She said she had a dream about me last week.  She told me that I was all dressed in white and then she said I started blessing her like a Catholic priest...She is funny...

Our other investigator with a baptismal date is 13 and we had a really good talk with her parents this week.  She has to make a few changes in her attitude with her parents and around the house and show a bit more maturity before they give permission for her to be baptized but I am confident that it can be done.  She is so prepared and she loves church.  She went to church once before we had even taught her and started talking about joining our church right there and then.  And this week she brought a friend!  It was awesome.  She and her cousin who is 9 (who will probably also be able to be baptized soon) were walking down the halls showing their friend all the classrooms and the chapel...it was beautiful.  I love children.  They are awesome.

I am trying to remember other things that happened this week but I didn’t make a list...Oh, someone tell Alex I FINALLY got her letter and I forgive her and I love her:)

Well...I think that cover’s just about everything this week.  I love you all sooooo much!  XOXOXOXOXOXO

Love

Lexie

English to Spanglish

This week Hermana Zortman and I got a new companion Hermana Arias.  She is great.  She is from Peru, she does not speak English, she has been on her mission for 5 months, and she has been a member for almost 4 years.  Isn’t that so cool?  She is also really, really short and has no problems with hitting her head on the ceiling so that´s good news...

Dad wanted to know how I travel.  I walk.  I take the bus when we go to Puerto Montt for transfers and when we eat lunch really far away in Braunau on Sundays but other than that I walk.  Hermana Arias says our sector is huge and has lots of hills.  This is the only sector I´ve ever been in but I am glad that it is huge and has lots of hills because I don´t want to get fat.  Also, I have seen way more Germans since I´ve been here.  This part of Chile is a lot like Europe I think.

Yesterday we were eating lunch at the house of a member and it was super yummy and I ate all the food and they were like, "Here you need more."  And I was like...uh...no thank you?  But it was too late.  They gave me more and I had to eat at least some of it so I wouldn´t be rude.  And then the husband was like, "I know that you missionaries always say you don´t want any more when you really do."  :/  Ugh...And then to top it all off our mamita had a huge meal prepared for dinner because it was her daughter´s birthday.  And I had to eat that too!  It was awful.  I woke up this morning full!  Everything is cooked in oil and salt...but it is soooooooooo yummy so I can´t complain:)

It is getting harder to talk in English...I mean, I talk in English but with Spanish grammar and so now I just don´t make sense in either language...It is sad. And funny...I bet God has fun listening to my Spanglish prayers... Also one of the sister missionaries here is from Santiago and we were talking about how it is difficult to understand Chileans and she was like, "Yeah people in the south have horrible Spanish...I can´t even understand some of them..."  So now I feel better about myself.

This week we found another family to teach!  They are awesome and they have so many great questions.  The head of the house asked us, "How could God ask His beloved, perfect Son to suffer so much for the rest of us?"  That´s a good question right??  I don´t know how much it must have pained God to watch the Savior suffer for us, but I am grateful that both of them loved us enough to create this perfect plan of salvation and redemption.  I am not sure I am really teaching anyone here. I think I am just learning.

I love you all loads and now I´ve got to go.  BYE I LOVE YOU!

Love

Hermana Lexie:)

I'm Beginning to Understand

Dear Friends and Family,

Today I got to go on an excursion!  Isn´t that cool?  We went to go see the volcano and some beautiful spots around the lake and I took lots of pictures and we just got back!  It was fun.  So this week was great as usual.  Except crazy as usual too.  Our trainer got called to be the secretary to the assistants to the president.  It is a new calling in our mission because of the large number of sister missionaries.  Cool huh?  She is going to train trainers and she has only trained once...with us!  And we aren't even finished with our training so she has trained 1 transfer...it is crazy.  But she will be great and Hermana Zortman and I will get a new trainer who will probably be great too.  Except she might not speak English so I really need to learn Spanish pretty soon.

Also, good news...we might move!  It is a small chance, but we will see.  I would love to move...sigh.  Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful to be living in a house with a roof over my head and running water...it would just be cool if we had a higher roof and the water ran a little less all over the floor:)

This week I had a wonderful opportunity to witness the gift of tongues in action.  During one of our lessons with a family there were lots of very talkative people talking all at once and I had a really hard time following a lot of the conversation.  At one point the mom turned to me and started talking and even though I normally have a hard time following everything she says, I knew exactly what she said.  She said they have let missionaries from other churches in before, but with us she just feels more calm.  Her son had been asking questions the whole time and he had never done that before.  I think she really likes that.  I told her those good feelings were the spirit telling her our message was true and I think as we have been teaching this family she is really starting to understand that more.  I have been struggling with understanding people a lot this week, but I also know that when I need to understand, I will understand.

So dad asked what we eat here.  Well, we eat a lot of rice, potatoes, meat, a lot of soups, and salad.  Except the salads are usually just tomato or lettuce covered in oil and salt so I am not sure how healthy it is.  We don’t eat a ton of seafood here in Puerto Varas but I hear the closer to the ocean you are the more fish you eat.  We are by a lake so we only eat the fish from there...Anyway, yeah...I don’t know how well that answers your question.  The biggest difference I think is how much oil and salt they dump on everything.  It is yummy, but I might also be fat when I come home.  I can’t decide...I am doing better on my push-ups though!  This morning I did 42 man push-ups...you would all be very proud.  Although, in all honesty my nose did not touch the floor.  That was too gross...but they were still good push-ups I promise.

I was studying a few things this week that I want to share.  So in Mark 5 it talks about the woman with an issue of blood who touches the robes of Jesus and is healed.  Jesus immediately felt "that virtue had gone out of him."  Virtue means power or strength here.  I am guessing then that to heal and to bless was more exhausting than we might imagine.  And yet the Lord healed again and again.  After being tempted by Satan angels were sent to minister to Him, at which point he probably could have used the ministering of angels, but he sent those angels to John who was cast into prison.  After the death of John the Lord probably wanted some time to be alone.  John’s death was gruesome and sickening and I am sure the Lord mourned not only for his beloved cousin, but for the wickedness of his murderers.  And yet with infinite compassion he continues to minister to the sheep of His fold and feeds the 5,000 and teaches and loves and ministers to His people (Mark 6)  There was never a moment in his mortal life in which he acted with selfishness.  He continually turned out in love when we as the natural man would turn in.  And the greatest manifestation of his love is His infinite and eternal sacrifice.  The Lord begs the father to let the bitter cup pass (Matt 26:39), but he humbly submits to the will of the father and drinks.  At any point He could have said no.  He could have changed His mind about being the Savior of the world.  He certainly wasn't going to but sometimes we forget that Christ had his agency too.  And after suffering for the sins of all mankind, being beaten, betrayed by his own apostle and nailed to a cross He cries "My God my God why hast thou forsaken me."  No one understands the feelings of abandonment and pain more than the Savior himself.  He really truly knows our pain.  He really truly can heal our troubled hearts.  He wants us to be happy, just as our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy.  How painful it must have been for God to withdraw His presence from His beloved, perfect Son.  "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."  

Love,

Hermana Wood

Spreading the Gospel in Chile

So the news for this week:  First, not too many calamities with the apartment this week, but we are still looking for a new apartment to rent.  We were talking to the zone leaders about it and now they feel bad so they are going to stop procrastinating and find us a new apartment.  We didn’t even exaggerate that much...we just told them about the ceiling, and the slug, and the bathroom, and the giant hole and the towels we shove in the cracks of our door to keep the wind out, and the general lack of space...hopefully that didn’t sound like complaining.  I mean, at least we have a house.  That is a blessing.  I’ve got to be honest though...I have cried twice my whole mission, once at the MTC and once out in the field and both times were about people I love who are making bad choices...I got really close to tears this week because of the bathroom...And then I realized how dumb that was so I started laughing instead.  I really like Sister Hinckley’s quote about how you can either laugh or cry and she laughs because crying gives her a headache.  It gives me comfort:)  

Now for the good stuff:  We have a couple of investigators this week that are really progressing and we are helping them get ready for baptism next month!  Our little old lady is trying to quit smoking and she got a priesthood blessing and she is physically and mentally better every single day.  It is a miracle.  I seriously didn’t do anything.  A bunch of other missionaries prepared her years before for the one day that she would be ready to change.  How cool is that?  Then we taught a lesson to the family of one of the teenage girls we are teaching and I had nooooo idea what was going on for the second half of the lesson, but apparently it was fabulous and we are hoping the rest of her family comes to church with her one of these days.  There is this one area of houses with all these ridiculously receptive children and they are all so excited when they see us and they introduce us to their cousins or aunts or parents and it is awesome.  Our dream as a companionship is to build Zion in that little neighborhood.  Every Sunday there will be a swarm of people walking down the road for church.  Sigh...I am so excited.  And then since they are all family they will probably all go to the temple together!  Oooo that will be cool too.

I try really hard to not let dogs and cats distract me here.  We were contacting the other day and I was shouting in the ear of a lady at her door and her dogs were barking so loud and she told us to go away because her children we studying and the dogs were distracting them...and then I was just like, "Uh, and why do you have so many dogs exactly?"  Then one day we were talking to an investigator outside her gate and there were a couple of wet muddy dogs fighting over who was going to jump on me and I was trying to listen and smile and pretend that I was perfectly fine, but the thought still crossed my mind that I should hit them with my umbrella...Sigh...cats aren’t bad until we get inside for lessons and they try to crawl into my bag...

I have met a lot of people that have someone in their family making bad choices.  It is sad.  I really liked the talk by Elder Cook this conference about agency.  We knew before we came to this earth that people would abuse their agency, but we also knew the atonement would cover all of it.  Agency is essential for our progression but it also causes pain.  I imagine that when Satan and his angels were cast out of the presence of God there were people that we knew and loved.  They were our brothers and sisters.  They included 1/3 of the host of heaven.  That must have been hard for us and even though we probably didn’t comprehend the pain and sorrow God felt, I am sure we mourned with Him.  God doesn’t want to lose any more of His children.  Not everyone will accept the message of the restored gospel, but great blessings are in store for those who do.

I love you lots, I’ve got to go now!

Love, 

Lexie