Hello Everyone!!!!

I have less time to write today so sorry this is short!!! Buuuuut, this week was really good. We have an investigator named Yair who is going to get baptized this week! WOOHOO! He is 11 years old and is the pioneer in his family. He was nervous that his dad wouldn't give us permission for his baptism BUT the spirit definitely helped us out and his dad signed the form! :) The plan is for him to get baptized this Friday. He is already talking about where he is going to serve his mission. :) I am so blessed to get to work with him!

Also, we had a great contact this week. One morning we went to talk with a woman at her work. Hermana Van Wagenen and I had given her a Book of Mormon a while back but hadn't been able to return to talk with her more. Sooo, Hermana Gimenez and I went to talk with her buuuut she was working and said we would have to come back another time. BUT there was a 18 year old girl there too. We started talking with her and eventually asked if we could share more of our message with her. She said YES and so we had a lesson with her. We gave her a Book of Mormon and have a return appointment. :) It really was just amazing to me how the Lord puts people in our path. We went to talk to someone else but ended up meeting an amazing girl named Loli! :)

Weeeeeeell, have to go! This was a great week and I am looking forward to an even better one! Love you all!!!!!! :D

Con amor,
Hermana Lindsey Woodfield

Hermana Woodfield and Hermana Gimenez . . . . . Missionary Stalkers : D

Hello loved ones!!! I hope everyone had a great week! :) Hermana Gimenez and I had a good one with cool experiences! :)

Soooooo, one of those experiences definitely had to do with stalking. Hahaha, we definitely stalked someone so that we could talk with them. Here is what happened. With we were walking towards a lesson at a recent convert's house with a wonderful member named Cielo when a 14 year girl walked past us from behind. SHE WAS SMOKING. AT 14 YEARS OLD. I freaked out a little about this and Cielo plainly told me that many people start young and that she had started when she was 13 years old (she hasn't smoked now for about a year!). So this girl kept on walking but we felt like we needed to talk with her. We followed her for a ways to find out where she lived but she just kept on walking and walking and walking. Poor girl even looked back a few times at us...who knows what she was thinking. Haha, anyways we didn't want to contact her from behind because that is a little awkward so Cielo came up with a plan. We ended up speed walking past her with my map in hand ``looking for a street``. We then turned around and asked her for directions and then talked to her about the gospel. :) It was beautiful. hahaha

Another cool experience- yesterday we had about 10 minutes after a lesson before we had to be back in our home. We said a prayer for help to know where we should go contacting with our time to find someone who Heavenly Father had prepared. After the prayer Hermana Gimenez said she felt like we should go down a certain street- so off we went. A little ways down we saw a couple outside of their house and went to talk with them. It. was. amazing. :) A contact of gold! The man was sincerely interested in what we had to say! He was asking us questions and at one point even asked us if we were going to leave him anything to read. Hahahaha, we talked to him about the Book of Mormon and gave him one. And they said we could return this weekend. Wow- the power of prayer and the Holy Ghost. :)

Weeeeeeeeeeeell, love you all! Things are going great! Hermana Gimenez taught me how to make homemade hamburgers today. :) Have a great week!

Con amor,

Hermana Lindsey Woodfield

A break from the heat

Hello! I am happy to report that this week we have had a wonderful break from the heat! It has rained about everyday here. I am good with that! I would rather be trudging through the mud then slathering on sunblock every time we leave someone's house. The only thing with the rain is that it is harder for people to come to church. The past two Sundays it has rained and our attendance was low. We are going to work super hard this week to help the members and investigators to come to church and partake of the Sacrament RAIN or SHINE. No importa if it is raining. Every single one of us still needs the strength and protection we receive in the chapel! :)

I don't have a lot of time to write but this week was really good! I want to testify that Jesus Christ lives and that Heavenly Father knows and loves each of us. There is no way I could be doing this mission without the strength and help I receive from my Savior Jesus Christ. Just the fact that a lot of the time people here can understand me and I can understand them is a miracle! I am grateful for the opportunity I have to be with Hermana Gimenez. It is fun to learn some of the Argentinian traditions and customs from a native. Also, I now LOVE mate cocido. We are not allowed to drink mate here but we can drink mate cocido (haha, there is a difference). Hermana Gimenez made it for me the other day and it is wonderful. :)

Right now we are teaching a wonderful couple who are waiting for a previous divorce to come through and then get baptized! We also are still teaching Andrea. She is so great! We need to work more with her dad and get his permission to baptize her. We have also been teaching an 11 year old boy named Yair. He is great and wants to get baptized but we want to make sure that he is going to persevere and stay with the church first and isn't just going because it is nice right now. But he has a great testimony and likes our visits and it is going well!

I am very blessed! I love being a missionary and having this wonderful experience. Thanks for all of the love and support!

HAVE AN AWESOME WEEK! :)

Con amor,

Hermana Lindsey Woodfield

I learned to make empanadas today!!!!

The finished product! Que rico!

A NEW COMPANION! A WEDDING! A BAPTISM! WHAT A WEEK!

Holy moly...what happened this week????? Hahaha, I feel spiritually and physically exhausted! One of the most intense weeks of my life just happened people. Hahaha, where do I even begin?! I have had some of the most scary what-in-the-world-am-I-doing moments and some of the most JOYOUS moments this week.

First of all, I have a new companion!!!! Her name is Hermana Gimenez from Entre Rios (I think that is how you spell it), Argentina. She is 17 years old and a mini missionary! And she is awesome! LOVE HER! It amazes me that she is 17 years old and serving the Lord as a full-time missionary for 6 weeks! What was I doing when I was 17 years old?? She also knows quite a bit of English. Such a blessing! We only talk in Spanish and it reallyyyyyyyy helps that a lot of the time she is able to understand my mistakes and help me know where to fix it. I have already learned a lot! I am excited and grateful for this opportunity to improve my Castellano.

This change in companions has also brought the scarier moments. I am now the one who knows everyone and who should know how to do things. The responsibility can be a little overwhelming at times but I know I am growing and learning and becoming more of the missionary that Heavenly Father wants me to be. I need to trust in the fact that He has a plan for me and has prepared a way for me to do this. I know that my Savior Jesus Christ is walking every single step with me and if I put my trust in Him, He WILL lead me through everything.

OKAY OKAY OKAY! CLAUDIO AND NELLY ARE NOW MARRIED AND BAPTIZED! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Yep, you read it right!!!!!!! My dear Claudio and Nelly! Gosh, I just love them so much! Friday morning Hermana Gimenez and I went over to their house early and helped Nelly prepare for her wedding! We straightened her hair and braided it and did her make-up. And she was excited to wear her new dress and jewelry. :) Then we took a taxi to this official building place where they got married! Marriages are pretty different here. It was pretty short and simple but awesome! We went into a room where they sat down at a table with a man and two witnesses. The man said some words, they signed their names andddddddd boom! Married! Then we went outside and tossed rice at them as they walked out. :)

Later we went and visited them and helped Emeli (wife of their son Lucas) prepare to give her talk for their BAPTISM. Saturday, the very next day, they made a sacred covenant and entered into the waters of baptism. Words cannot describe my feelings. They just don't. I have visited and loved these two wonderful people for three months now and I was IMMENSELY blessed to be able to witness their baptism. And man! What a baptism service!!! The two neighboring branches also had baptisms and wanted to use our church building soooooo we had a combined service. FIVE people were baptized. There were a bunch of missionaries and members there giving love and support. I felt like I was going around like a crazy person beforehand helping out with the programs, baptism clothes, music....and then there was just peace as I watched them get baptized. Lots of tears and hugs were shared. :) It truly was a sacred experience that I will never forget.

Soooooooooo, yeah. Quite a week! Lots of changes, lots of growth, LOTS of Spanish....haha, and memories that I cherish. Oh my dear loved ones, I am grateful for my mission. I am grateful for this life! We are so blessed to have the opportunity to live on this earth and grow and experience so many things! I hope and pray that every day I am a little bit more like my Savior Jesus Christ. I bear testimony that He lives. That He suffered and died for every single one of us and He knows how to help us and guide us every single day. The greatest peace and joy truly come from Him. I invite every single one of you to strengthen your relationship with Him. Let Him help you! Life is SO much better when we use the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Love you all! Have a great week!

Con amor,

Hermana Lindsey Woodfield

Final moments with Hermana Van Wagenen...trying hard to keep in the tears! So grateful for my time with her :)

WEDDING OF CLAUDIO AND NELLY! OH MY GOODNESS THEY ARE MARRIED!

AND BAPTIZED THE DAY AFTER! CLAUDIO AND NELLY! OH MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT! I just love them :)

With my awesome new companion-Hermana Gimenez and a great member- Cielo

Welllllllllllllllllllllll, change is in the air . . . . . . . .

Hola everyone! I can't believe that another 6 weeks has come and gone and transfers are here again. I remember the last time I was superrrrr nervous that Hermana Van Wagenen was going to leave me and then STOKED when we found out she was to stay for another transfer. I am really grateful that I got to be with her for 3 months. I have learned sooooooooo much. Her example and love has impacted me in many ways. And now she is really is going to leave me. She leaves tomorrow to go train another blessed missionary. And our cute Hermana Hernandez leaves today for the mission home to receive her trainer tomorrow (maybe it will be Hermana Van Wagenen!).

As for me....I am staying in my beloved Capitàn Bermùdez!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!! I love it here. :) And I am getting a mini missionary for my companion. This is someone who will only serve for 6 weeks (one transfer) to see how it is. She is from Argentina. I am super stoked to have someone from this great country help me out with my Spanish and the culture. I am kinda nervous that she will be expecting someone who already knows Spanish and how to do everything. I still feel like I have so much to learn but I know that this is God's plan for me. I have faith that I am supposed to be with this wonderful Argentinian companion who has desires to serve the Lord. I really am excited to love her and show her the joys of missionary work. I just need to put my faith in the Lord and His power to help me with my weaknesses. Let the adventure continue!!!

Hahaha, I am grateful for this wonderful and crazy time in my life and every experience that it brings. Missions truly are an experience of a life time! Love it!

This week was really good! We definitely saw a huge miracle and blessing on Sunday. A few weeks ago we fasted as a companionship to do better with contacting and for our menos activas (less active members). These wonderful people seriously break my heart! There are so many AMAZING people who have testimonies but are not showing their faith through church attendance. They are allowing themselves to miss out on blessings and protection and it is really sad. There are a few families that we have been visiting in particular. They haven't come to church in years and KNOW that they should.

We received a wonderful answer to our fast on Sunday when we walked through the doors of the church and saw Hermano and Hermana C standing in the hallway. THEY CAME! And then our dear Hermana N arrived in time for Sacrament Meeting. We were blessed to see three less active members come to church!!! :D YAY! Our ward mission leader told us that this should feel as if there was a baptism. Definitely a great feeling to see these precious children of God at church renewing their baptism covenants! :)

Well, love you all! Thanks for all of the love and support. I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the peace and happiness it brings into our lives. Jesus Christ lives!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Woodfield

Claudio and Nelly!

Carballo Family!

Emeli, Lucas, and Kids :)

Home-made empanadas :) one of the best things ever made!

Hermana Raquel and her daughter Giselle. LOVE THEM SO MUCH. They feed us every Friday, give us rides in their car, her husband is an AMAZING ward mission leader, and Giselle knows english. :)

Lunch with a wonderful member family!

Handpainted gift from Hermana Neder!

Some of the sweetest and most amazing kids! Tean, Moraina, and Abby! kids of Lucas and Emeli

Companions!

Familia Montes!

At district meeting

My sweet new ride...hahahaha :)

Bautismo!!!!!!

Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALEJANDRO WAS BAPTIZED ON FRIDAY! AND CONFIRMED ON SUNDAY. PEOPLE. ONE OF THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE.

It seriously was soooo awesome!!!! We arrived at the church about 45 minutes early to set up for the baptism and there was Alejandro. Just sitting outside in his nice shirt and tie waiting and ready to go. And it was his birthday! What an awesome experience!!!! And a recent convert, Lucas, was able to baptize him. Our ward mission leader told us that Lucas was really nervous so Thursday he went over and practiced with him in a pool. Hahaha, it just warms my heart thinking about it. :)

Alejandro's Baptism!!!!

It all went really well! The door to the font was locked and we didn't have a key so we improvised and sang hymns for awhile until the key was found. It was really cool though. We JUST finished the last verse to ``How Great Thou Art`` when the door opened and the baptism went on. I definitely felt the spirit so strongly when Alejandro came up from out of the water. Hermana Van Wagenen, Hermana Hernandez and I all were crying while we were waiting for him to change afterwards. Definitely a special and touching moment for all! I just kept thinking that another precious soul has been brought that much closer to God. Love it! I am so blessed to be here and have witnessed that. I know with all of my heart that the Lord has prepared him and the Holy Ghost has been teaching him and we have just been His instruments here. So blessed. :) Afterwards we all celebrated with torta (cake like thing) and sang happy birthday!

This has been an amazing week. We are blessed to have some new investigators! Get this- we were walking away from a great lesson with Claudio and Nely when randomly we run into a member from a nearby ward. He asks us if we have time to go visit a friend of his. Off we go to a house a few minutes away where they answer the door, let us in, and we have a great lesson. The mom was crying when she was telling us about some of her experiences. She has a great testimony already and says she is going to read the Book of Mormon. It just amazed me. The Lord is in the details! Found a member who had a friend who could meet with us at that exact time. So great! :)

Andrea and Family









I am learning so much here on my mission! There are hard times and hot days but so many blessings!!!!! I have a new found immense gratitude for cold showers now. :) Haha, but seriously, I love my mission and am forever grateful for what the Lord has done for me and is doing for me. I know He loves and knows me personally and loves and knows each of you personally as well! Have a great week! Blessings and miracles are everywhere!

Con amor,

Hermana Lindsey Woodfield

My companions - Hermana Van Wagenen and Hermana Hernandez

Ice Cream with the Young Women of the Capitan Bermudez Ward!!!!

With Hermana Cruz (from Nicaragua), Hermana Hernandez (from Honduras), and Hermana Ospinal (from Peru)

Hello loved ones!!!!! :)

Sorry- I don't have much time today.

We have a new companion! :) She just got here from the Guatemala MTC and is from Honduras. She is way cute! And she definitely helps Hermana Van Wagenen and I to speak in Spanish. :)

Update with investigator Alejandro- the plan is for him to get baptized this Friday!! :) He has a lot of faith- I love it! He even came to the church on Satuday to help clean. And this Friday is his birthday. What a great birthday present- baptism! Eternal salvation! :)

I love something that Nelly said in a lesson this week. She said that she understands now why she has trials. That before they were just hard things but she knows they have a purpose now. I love this! The gospel gives us such peace and reason to everything!!!

Sorry again that this is so short. I hope you all have a wonderful week! Thanks for all of your love and support!!!!! :D Jesus Christ lives and can and will help us with everything!

Con Amor,

Hermana Lindsey Woodfield