Service Makes Life Better

well, i've reached the point on my mission where i put straight baby powder on my face, because it absorbs all the sweat. ;) that's something i never would’ve done, under any circumstance, before coming to the amazon. i thought it was ingenious, until one day, the elders looked at me funny and told me my face was "whiter than normal." ha.

pasto ["pasture"]

this has been a week of service! among the various activities we did were gathering corn kernels from the street so that some ladies could feed their chickens and make a chicha drink, praying with kevin when we found him on the street (then helping him find his lost motokar key for 20 minutes), helping a woman knock mangoes out of a tree with a long stick (tender mercy they didn't fall on my head) and inviting her to church, and finally, picking up a woman's food stand when the most insane wind came howling (even perú knows it's october – sppooooky).

my fav member, jessica. we are all tired. :)

but, we weren't the only ones lending a hand and making the world a better place this week. one morning, i awoke to "hermanas! someone's at the door for you!" that's a rare occurrence, but it's even stranger at 6:19am! a member had come to deliver a bucket of mangoes for us. :) the lord also blessed our less-active members and recent converts to be able to go to the temple with the caravan next wednesday (pray for them to be safe on the 18-hour bus ride). two less-active families we've been working with are getting sealed. and, remember pierro? he's going to do baptisms for the first time. :) i'm so happy for them!

what's this fruit?

sometimes as a missionary – just kidding – every day as a missionary, you run around trying to make it to all of your appointments, and many (if not all) of them fall through; sometimes every single one. that would've made this week very discouraging if we hadn't served and been served! i have such a strong testimony that service makes life better and makes us more christlike! one night, my comp (hermana pac) observed sadly "wow. every 'cita' ["appointment"] fell through. it wasn't a very good day, was it?" i replied "hermana, did you feel the spirit today?" ("yes," she said.) "then, today was a good day!" :)

love you all!!!

hermana wood