Rain, alligators, and Pocahontas

This week just flew by! Talk about miracles galore!

So we had quite a few adventures this week. For one, we biked a TON
because, well, end of the month equals not very many miles on our car
(we only get about 875 miles a month and our area is pretty big). We
biked to miss Mildred's one day and had such a cool lesson! Awesome
lesson with her! And then the rain just started pouring... Well we
biked home in it and my oh my were we soaked! Haha. Thank goodness
there was no lightning. That's a day to remember!

Wednesday was wayyy cool! We had a District meeting all about inviting
people to be baptized- it's so important! Christ would do it, so why
shouldn't we? We call ourselves Patient Persistent Pests :) haha.
Miracle from that day? We invited 3 people to be baptized!! Back story
of our friend named J: we handed him a pass along card (he was on the
phone) as we walked into a store to talk to our gator Freddie. Well
when we walked out of the store he said "what's this about?", pointing
to the Book of Mormon on the back of the card. At that exact moment
our bishops son, who just got off his mission, was walking down the
street with his girlfriend. They met, we got an appointment for the
next day, and invited him to be baptized April 18!!!! He's awesome.
We'll see what happens, pray for him!

Another cool thing: we were having dinner with Betty on Friday night
and we had planned to give her a baptismal date. Well out of the blue
she just tells her she was thinking of having Brother Darrow (our ward
mission leader) baptize her! We were aghast. Like for reals!? AWESOME.
I love her.

So the mission is awesome. Here in the Florida Orlando Mission, we are
one of the few missions testing out iPads! They're so sweet! The new
Easter video came out a few days ago, because he lives, and we get to
show it to everyone we meet on the streets! There's so much power in
it. Picture this: a busy road, we're biking on the sidewalk, there's a
man shoveling, we stop and show him the video. Despite the cars going
by and the loud noises, the spirit was so strong when he was watching
it. THE CHURCH IS TRUE GUYS.

Testimony meeting yesterday was all about Joseph smith basically. It
was prophesied that his name would be had for good and evil. How true
is that. If you don't have a testimony of him, get one. He was called
of God. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I'm so grateful for this
knowledge in my life.

On a funny note: Jerome's line "I looooove cats." That's the only
thing he said after watching Because He lives hahaha. Annnnd we biked
like 15 miles on Saturday whooo. Saw some awesome old fashioned cars
turned into boats. Way cool, I'll send pics if I can.

Saw my first live ALLIGATOR!

Watch conference this weekend! Happy Easter!!!!!!!! ❤️

Love,
Sister Woolley

P.S. Met a man who was intoxicated last week... Said I looked like
Pocahontas. Couldn't stop laughing. And a member made us take three
servings of shepherds pie. Mom, at least you know I'm not starving!

 drenched after biking home in the rain 

raked for 5 hours and bagged 62 bags of leaves!!

Sunshine and 'gators

Hey ya'll!!

SO this week ended pretty awesome. Talk about miracles!! (my favorite thing haha). We had a Zone Conference on Tuesday which was way fun! Got to see ms Lindy Ludlow most of the day so a shout out to her family :) 

Not gonna lie, I was more homesick this week than I've been this whole time. It can only go uphill from there right? haha. It's just forced me to rely on my Savior so much, which is a huge blessing. And the scriptures oh my goodness. I was writing my testimony of the Book of Mormon (which, by the way, everyone should go do right now it's awesome) and I just realized more than ever what a gift it is for us to have it! It was literally written for our day. When you read it, remember that it is God speaking to YOU. Best thing ever.

Fun fact!! The senior missionaries in our ward (best couple ever) rented a flute for me to use for the month :))) So I played in Sacrament meeting with Sister Jensen on the piano! So fun.

Here's a cool story. We stopped by a less active lady out of the blue and she said it made her day. She told us how much she wants to get herself back to the temple. She's gonna make it happen! yay for the Spirit's guidance.

By the way, every less active we saw came to church the next day!!!!!!!!! 

Okay so Sunday. #miracleday. Betty Hicks, our gator came to church again! Whooo. She's so ready to be baptized :) She's like our grandma out here it's so awesome. Annnnd this lady just walked into church (very brave of her in my opinion) and asked what it was all about! She had looked at Mormon.org and thought she'd check it out. She's so cool!

We got to see Mildred again. She told us she was going to be baptized into another church. Agh. BUT. We just bore our testimonies to her of the church then she asked if we could read from the Book of Mormon-- uh yeah! So we shared some of our favorite scriptures (2 Nephi 31:20 and some of Enos 1). then we were crying and the spirit was so strong and she said she'd pray about which church to join. TBD next week ;)

Okay, adorable. Old man Frank (my favorite) was sick earlier this week so we put sticky notes with scriptures and cute sayings all over his door. When we went to see him yesterday he opened the door and said "my friends!" and gave us hugs (oops haha). He had all the sticky notes on his wall in the house! awwww. My heart melted. We sang Come Come Ye Saints with him and he had tears in his eyes too.

We played the flute and piano for a psychiatrist! (we knew his dad but we had just met him that day.) Well, talk about using the talents we've been given ;)

Sorry this is always so long. It still amazes me that I'm a missionary. I'm so blessed and grateful to be here! I love this work. It's hard but rewarding. I hope everything is going well at home. Keep on keeping on!

Love,

Sister Woolley

P.S. the new easter video "Because He Lives" will be released on Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!! Go watch it on Mormon.org woot woot!

Puerto Ricans, biking, and life

Woah. What a week! The first three days of this new transfer were literally FULL of MIRACLES. Seriously, we'd go to bed at night just in awe about all that was thrown in our path. Things were in full swing for Mildred's baptism and we got three new 'gators at the first house we stopped to tract at. WOOH! Then miss Mildred was hit by some lovely anti-Mormon lies and didn't want to see us anymore.. Seriously? Ugh. So sad. She's now completely confused and the only thing we can tell her is to pray and read the Book of Mormon and to decide for herself where she feels the Spirit. She wouldn't come to church on Sunday.. no baptism. :(

Oddly enough! Both Sis. Jensen and I felt okay about her not getting baptized. I think it was alright because she obviously doesn't have as strong of a testimony as she needs and it's better this happened before being baptized then after. Here's a funny explanation of her - "She's a Jehova's Witness who eats at the Baptist church daily, studies with the Seventh Day Adventists and is committed to being baptized into the Mormon church" Talk about confusion. Ready for the miracle that came from her bailing on our Wednesday night lesson? WE MET OUR NEIGHBORS.

You'd think we would have gone over there earlier... but it was such PERFECT timing. We were walking up the street to see if our neighbor Edwin was home and as we walked by another house (one where we had waved to these people a lot but never talked to) the man, named John, came out and was so happy to see us! We walked up and introduced ourselves and, in his broken English (Puerto Rican), he said "come in come in you must meet my wife and son!". As you can imagine, us missionaries LOVE hearing that. Wow, they are so solid. They loved it all and said they feel the Spirit with us and yay! Also, they have the sweetest cerepral palsy son.
 After a really tough day (super hot, biking all day, doors slammed in our faces) on Saturday we went to their house for a lesson and they surprised us with a Puerto Rican dinner! So sweet. They kept saying "my home is your home. we are family" and they showed us their hammock outside ha.

Sorry this is so long haha.

Today we found the coolest taco truck! So authentic. Super legit. (see pic below)

Prayer miracle! While at the Puerto Rican's house we were showing them a video about the Restoration and it would not work. It was skipping and pausing. So, we said a prayer. The second Sis. Jensen said amen it worked! That was cool. 

I'm just extremely grateful for the Spirit. There's nothing better than being in a lesson and listening for promptings of the Spirit to tell you what to say. Also nothing better than having a 'gator pray for the first time. There's just nothing better than missionary work. It was a tough week but so wonderful.

Thanks for the prayers! Keep the letters coming ;) Look up Mosiah 14:4-5 - I literally share that with everyone. And watch the new video Because He Lives-- SO AMAZING. Have a happy week and remember I'm praying for and love you all. Also, look at Mosiah 10 and think of it in relation to us in the modern day. SO COOL.

Love,

Sister Woolley

Week 8

Guess who just successfully completed her first transfer! And I get to stay here in good ole Leesburg with my trainer, Sista Jensen :) It's been a miracle filled week!

First off, Mildred is still SUPER excited to get baptized and it just lights up our day when we go over there and she gives us huge hugs. As annoying as missionaries are, it's nice when people enjoy our constant presence haha :D

So Frank. Aww Frank Wells. I believe I told ya'll about that old man we met while biking? He's 82 and just the sweetest man. We stopped by the other day just as he was leaving to walk his two dogs and so we got to walk with him! Yay. Sister Jensen had never walked a dog before so that was exciting. He told us all about how he met his wife (who passed away not too long ago) and we could tell he just really enjoyed our company (**cough cough** the spirit). We went back on Sundayto help him take down his old Christmas decorations. Nothing can outweigh the feeling of when he looked us in the eyes and said "I'll never forget you". I just about lost it! And then we sang "I Stand All Amazed" to him and well, then I started crying. Solo for Jensen!! hahah. The Spirit was so strong, we're just praying he'll pick up the Book of Mormon and find interest. Going back Thursday!!

The Elders had another baptism on Wednesday that we sang at again-whoohoo! Then we went to dinner with a Jewish man. He was funny. The restraunt though... not exactly missionary appropriate :o

If you're looking for a laugh:

My comp and I talk about this a lot. WE ARE SO AWKWARD. Seriously. Guys, where did my social skills go? hahah oh the life of a missionary. It's awesome :)

I've learned SO much about humility this week. The Lord is changing me into who he wants me to become. It's cool to see. It's hard to go through. But there's nothing better than being one the Lord is working through to touch others' lives. Seriously. This work is awesome. This work is true.

Pictures! The Elder next to me is being transfered  so we had to take pics haha. We've got Utah State, University of Utah, BYU!!!!, anddd she's thinking UVU haha. They're fun:)

Here's my old man Frank. He's literally like a grandpa, so sweet!

I love you all! Keep the letters coming! I'm praying for ya'll <3

Sister Woolley

 Walking Frank's dogs 

"Only in the south"

First baptismal record sheet! The baptism is on her 2 month mark! 

Week 7

Well this week just flew by! Filled with ups and downs and TONS of miracles.. like seriously, I'm still in shock :)

It wasn't a normal week 'cause having P-day on Tuesday kind of threw it off BUT it was so much fun playing volleyball in the rain with the zone!

On Thursday we had another sister join us for the day while her comp. was at a meeting so that was awesome! She really showed me how to be bold with everyone. Miracle #1- we were in the library and as we were walking out there was a young man sitting at a table. So we went over to him and started talking. One thing led to another and we ended up teaching him the Restoration right on the spot! It was so powerful. We invited him to read the Book of Mormon and be baptized and he said yes! Now.. he doens't have a phone so pray that we'll find him again haha. It was awesome though 'casue one of our gators had just dropped us when we found him!

Friday we got to go on exchanges! That was fun :) Invited our 'gator Mildred (whom we've been teaching since I got here) to pray again about being baptized. NEXT DAY (wierd story but hey, the Lord works in mysterious ways) she had hot chocolate and got diareah therefore couldnt attend her Seventh Day Adventist chuch haha. Which then on Sunday she came to church for her second time and had such a spiritual experience! After sacrament meeting she just sat there and said she knew this was the right church. WE WERE STUNNED. She's getting baptized on the 14th!!! Ahhh! It was so amazing!

So, I'm feeling quite southern :) I had bisquits and gravy for breakfast (not ever the way I eat hahha..) at a service project Saturday morning! Then one of our 'gators gave us molasses cake- so good!

The pictures are of the bird funeral we had last week haha ;) and our lovely Mildred when she told us she wanted to be baptized!!!!!!

This week I'm focusing on really recognizing the spirit when I feel it. sister Jensen and I were going over times we had definitely recognized it this week. Everyone should try it! We can't go through life without Heavenly Father's help so let him help you. I love this gospel and I know it's true. There's no greater happiness than when you tell someone about the Plan that God has for them or that they can see their family members again who've passed away or that there's a prophet on the earth today. Hold on to your faith! It's precious.

I love you all! Stay strong. I hope everyone is doing well <3

Love,

Sister Woolley

Investigator Mildred who is getting baptized March 14th!

Bird funeral :(

 Holding some guinea pigs with Sister Jensen + they are matching 

A lovely valentines package from her sister Heather ;)