Week 36 (8/23/10) Email to Mom and Dad

Hey familia!

     Not a whole lot to report here. Nothing really exciting happened this week. I really enjoyed the tape, it was good to hear your voices. I also really enjoyed getting the pictures. The laser pointer was kind of a weird, but fun thing to get, I thought it was a pen at first. I don't think I have ever seen a laser so powerful. It is fun to have at night because it scares all the cats and dogs, especially cats. Some cats are afraid to cross it so one time I put it in front of a cat and it turned to run and then I pointed it on the other side and it stopped. Then I pointed it in circles around it and it was too scared to do anything. I didn't point it again but it was too unsure to do anything but stay in one spot. It is also good to shut up the dogs. The dogs bark but then when they see the laser it scares them and they back off and keep quiet. Its kind of a handy tool!

     Gabriel called me yesterday to let me know that he is doing good and that he recieved the Melchizedek Priesthood yesterday. He was excited. Speedy wasn't too happy that he called but oh well! We're playing pádel with Elders Maxfield and Henrie, and Gabriel on September 6 no matter what. I told Speedy we can do what he wants today but we are playing pádel on week 6 sí o sí(no matter what). Gabriel has it all planned out with reservations at the courts in Varela. I'm looking forward to it.

     I can't believe how fast time is going. Time is going fast this transfer. Time goes faster the harder you work. We are working hard every day, but it doesn't really feel like we're getting anywhere with our work. I have some good ideas for the ward but I'm saving them til after Speedy 'andale andale arriba arriba's his way out of here so that I will have more control over how well they work. My first idea is to do a class for the ward members based on member missionary work. They always say that every member needs to be involved in the work but a lot of people don't know what to do, how to do it, or they have fear about doing it. I want to do a weekly or every other week class for whoever in the ward wants to come so we can help them be more involved and be more confident about doing it. We can teach them some things from Preach My Gospel, from the scriptures, do practices and activities. I know that for me before the mission, I didn't really know what I could do and I did have some fear about doing it as well. I think this way we can help people to get more involved with the work, get them animated about doing it and in the process it will generate more work for us as full-time missionaries. My other idea will work a lot better if we can get this going. My other idea is an idea I got from one of the teachers in the MTC that went to Mexico on his mission. It is called Finding and Baptizing in Multitudes. In the Member Missionary class we could talk about this and facilitate the members in making it happen. The way it works is we set a date, probably a Saturday and the more members that  can participate the better. We all meet at the chapel, split them all up into 'companionships', plan out their routes with them, do a quick debriefing, say a prayer and send them all off to knock doors and give the people brochures and ask if they would be okay with the missionaries passing by to share a message with them about Jesus Christ, take down the names, addresses, and times to pass by. This way it would make it so we don't have to clap as many houses and when we do pass by the houses we are invited. The members would be excited to be able to participate in the work first hand. I guess they had a lot of success with it in the mission of the MTC teacher. I'd like to try it. While all the people are out working for a couple hours my companion and I will be making lunch in the chapel for all of them to come back and eat. I'm hoping it will be able to happen. This ward has a lot of people that want to help us but there isn't really much for them to do other than share with their friends. This will be a good place to try it out. We'll see. Speedy says its time to go so I gotta go. I love you guys! Thanks for everything!

Love, Matt

Week 35 (8/16/10) Email to Mom and Dad

Hey Mom and Pops!

This week was a lot better at least the last few days have been. Today was pretty boring but I think next week we're going to meet Elder Maxfield, Elder Henrie, and Gabriel in Varela to pádel it up! I got the second package today and I loved getting the pictures. It was weird seeing the Florida pics. I was looking through them and they were all pics I had seen and then when I got to the Florida ones it was like what in the world? It looks like you guys had a good time! Our family rocks and it always will. Yeah! I still haven't listened to the tape yet but I'm looking forward to it. When we got off the train here in El Jagüel 20 minutes ago, the first ciber we came upon was closed and Elder Tronzales tried telling me ya fue, perdimos-oh well we lost email this week. I was like oh no not so fast Speedy. We're looking for another ciber I'm not just skipping email like that. I'd like to send some pics but time is really tight with Speedy. This week won't work but I'll try next week. Its nice having a good buddy former companion in the mission. On Sunday nights we have to be in the pench an hour earlier so Maxfield and I talk on Sunday nights. Its good to hear how he and El Cruce are doing and just have somebody to talk to. Elder Maxfield's a good guy, we had some good times together. I'm doing a lot better, that first week was pretty rough. I know the area and the people a lot better and I'm feeling more comfortable here. Thanks for your emails, the packages, your love and your support. I love you guys lots.

Love, Matt

Week 34 (8/9/10) Email to Mom and Dad

Hola!

I don't know where to start. This past week has had potential to be my hardest yet. First off it has been a hard adjustment to a new area. Its hard getting to know a new area. In El Cruce all of the streets were numbers. We covered from calle 1 to calle 31 one way and 100 to 123 the other way. Here the streets are all names and the streets aren't a good old basic grid. Its also hard because its all new faces. I don't, or at least I didn't know anybody here. Those aren't that hard though, those are adjustments that will be pretty quick. The hardest part is my companion. He is very difficult. Very difficult. It has been a long week. He is a good missionary and a great teacher but he can be very frustrating. He is very obedient which is great, obedience is important but the way he acts about it is just too much. He acts like I'm bad and he's got to put up with my disobedience even though I feel like I am doing a really good job out here. He also walks like a thousand miles an hour everywhere. Last night when we got back to the pench my shins hurt so bad I could barely walk. I don't think I've been so tired in the mission yet and it doesn't even feel like we're doing any really good work. I like to just walk like a normal person and talk to people we pass but he says we don't have time for that it makes us too late. His style is just so much different than what I am used to and comfortable with and he has just been shoving it down my throat. When I ask him questions about anything he never gives me the right answer at first, he likes to stretch the truth, he thinks its funny but it makes it hard to believe what he says is the truth or if he's just trying to be funny. I don't really feel like I know him that well. He doesn't like to talk as we walk down the street because he says it is too distracting from the work. Its ridiculous. Mike Mortenson, one of the guys I went to high school with was his companion two transfers ago and he told me it was going to be a rough transfer for me. I didn't think it was going to be that bad and it wasn't that bad for the first few days but the last couple days have been pretty bad. I'm trying hard to do my best to be happy and keep a good attitude, its just hard sometimes. I just have to remember that I'm out here to serve the Lord and to help the people here feel the joy that comes from being part of the Church of Jesus Christ. I'm also doing my best to just love my companion as Christ would if he were his companion, because I think thats really what he needs. Its hard but I'm hanging in there.:)

My last few weeks in El Cruce with Elder Maxfield, we were focusing on getting inactive families back to church and we didn't see a lot of success with it but he told me on the phone that they were seeing some good success from our efforts. I miss working with Elder Maxfield. Those were two good transfers with him. It still feels like that's my ward, I'm just away for work for awhile. I also talked to Gabriel on the phone last night for ten minutes and it was really good to talk to him. It made me feel a lot better. When he realized it was me on the phone he was like WOOOOOODSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEEEEAAAAAHHH!!! He finally found work fixing computers and they called him this week to be the ward secretary-less than two months after his baptism. He is also set to get the Melchizedek Priesthood this month in stake conference which is really quick. We're hoping to get together and play some pádel with Elder Maxfield and Elder Henrie. We're all in except I have to convince Speedy Gonzales to do it. Its like in A Goofy Movie when everyone knows Max's dad is taking him to see the Powerline concert except his dad. There is no other way I would rather spend a P-day so I'm hoping we can do it week 4 or 5.

Thanks for all of your love and support. I love and pray for you all!

Love, Matt

Week 33 (8/2/10) Email to Mom and Dad

Me voy a El Jagüel, o sea, ahora pertenezco al barrio de El Jagüel. Es un gran cambio y voy a extrañar my hogar en El Cruce. Transfers are in and I've made the move to El Jagüel. My new companion is Elder Gonzales. Leaving El Cruce was a hard deal. It was my home. I feel like a fish out of water all over again, but I know I will adjust quickly. It was kind of a strange deal because the Elder I replaced here, took my place in El Cruce. Last night we went to Hermano Cardozo's house so I could say goodbye to him, his family, and Gabriel. It was hard and I cried like a baby. I love those guys-I always will. Its hard to say goodbye to the people you love, but it is in these moments that feelings and emotions that are often hard to express are felt the strongest. It was a very bittersweet experience. It is rare to feel such joy and anguish at the same time. Those are definitely people I will be visiting after the mission. Elder Maxfield and I were truly so blessed to be a part of the conversion of Gabriel. He is an amazing person and it has been amazing to see how happy he is to begin his journey on the path Christ showed us. Bueno, so now this puts me in my second area with my third companion. My companion is very enthusiastic-perhaps too much so. I have heard he can be hard to deal with. I'm willing to give him a good chance with a positive attitude and do my best to love him so we'll see how it goes. I have heard from a lot of people that El Jagüel is a hard area but like I said about my companion, I am ready to give it my best with a good attitude. I'm kind of glad I had a hard companion to start me off, because it really has prepared me for whatever lays ahead. I learned a lot of patience and I learned to love more like the Savior did. I want to do the best I can to be the best companion. I am really happy to be here and the time is flying. I can't believe its already August. I know the Book of Mormon is a true book of God and that it contains the true, complete doctrine of Christ. I know that families can be together forever and that this is the only way that that is possible. God is our father and he loves us and wants us to be happy. Así es.

Les quiero!

Love, Elder Woodside