No, I'm not getting transferred, transfers are next week. Ignore the subject line until later. But holy moly it feels like it's been forever since we last had a preparation day, but it is finally here! And it feels like forever since we last talked. Kind of didn't even realize that the new year came because it was just like any normal night when we went to bed and felt like any normal morning when we woke up. Crazy how a mission does that to you. Christmas barely felt like Christmas as well. Maybe it's just because I'm getting older and everything feels the same to me. I don't know. The only real difference lately in the weather is that is has been about 10 degrees all week long, and Friday and Saturday are supposed to have a high of 5 degrees, so it's gonna be cold. Luckily we aren't right next to the lake like I was last year, but we are going on exchanges with the Assistants on Thurday and Friday and guess where they live? Yep, right up by the lake. Hopefully it isn't super windy, but it is always windy up there so praying I don't freeze this week. But over the weekend it will be warmer in the 30's, so there's something to look forward to. Just gotta make it a couple of more days.
Since the last time we emailed, quite a few things have happened. We got a referral for a guy named Rodney that we have started teaching. He kind of lives in an insane asylum, but it's a little bit better than an insane asylum. It's a normal apartment complex, just everyone that lives in there is a little crazy, so that's why it's a few steps above an insane asylum. We met him and taught him the Restoration and have met with him a few times since then and he has been doing really well. He was really excited to read from the Book of Mormon and learn more, but hasn't started reading yet. But he is going to. The first time we went over to his apartment and he let us through the four locked doors to get to his apartment, we had no clue what we were getting ourselves into. Didn't know if we were going to make it out alive or not because of some of the people in there. Not trying to complain about them, but it was a strange place for sure. Rodney that we are teaching has schizoaffective disorder, so sometimes he hears voices in his head, just not when we are there teaching him. He's a really good guy though and is doing well.
We've also been on quite a few exchanges since last week, and they were all super good! One we were out tracting for almost two hours but it felt like we barely talked to anyone because everyone that answered the door was super nice and we were able to talk with each of them for a little bit. Taught the Restoration at the first house that answered the door and gave them a Book of Mormon, gave another Book of Mormon at the next house we went to, just a super successful day tracting in Youngstown. And the missionary that I was with was awesome and I love him haha. Such a good guy and super fun to be around. Then on Monday we had exchanges again and had an awesome experience. There was a member from a ward in Virginia that was visiting her aunt who just had surgery for New Years Eve and her aunt who isn't a member of the church agreed to getting a blessing. It was in the sisters area over in Pennsylvania, but we were able to go over and give her aunt a blessing. And so it was in Pennsylvania, so I got to go there! And something weird that everyone says out here is instead of saying Pennsylvania, they just say PA, so I was over in PA for a few minutes. And then later that day is when the real cool experience happened. Elder Klinglesmith and I were planning earlier in the day for both of our days since we were going to be on exchanges that day, and I had picked somewhere out to go tracting for the time we have for that each day. It wasn't anything special, but then all day I kept feeling like that wasn't where we were supposed to go. So when it got time to go tracting, I told the missionary that I was going to be with that I didn't feel like we should go there, and then we picked a different road out to go tract on. Said a little prayer about it, and then off we went into the 10 degree weather bundled up like the Christmas Story boy. Not really, but just about. We had just started tracting and nobody was really answering the door except for one guy after about 5 houses, but not anything with him. So then I turned to Elder Hales, who I was with, and asked him if he thought if we just asked people if we could come in for a few minutes to warm up if people would let us in, because we were both pretty cold. So the next person that answered we decided we were going to try it. Knock on the door that had a table in front of it so we didn't know if they even used that door or not, but a guy came to the door and so I asked him if we could come in to warm up, and he thought about it for a sec, and then said sure and opened the door and let us right in. Didn't think it was actually going to work, but it did and we were right on in there. Then he pulled out the chairs at his table and told us to sit down and then he just walked out the room and left us there after we talked for about a minute. So there we are just sitting there, not really sure what to do at this point. His wife was in the kitchen cooking, so we just walked back a little and just started talking to her about what she was cooking. Turns out she was cooking gumbo and after a little bit and getting the recipe to her gumbo which she had never made before, she said we could try a little bit. So then, after being let in to warm up, we ended getting a little bit of gumbo which I have never had before, and it was AMAZING!!!! Probably the best food I have had since being in Ohio, and it was the first time she had ever tried making gumbo. We talked with them for a little bit more and they said they were trying to find a church that they liked in the area but weren't going to one specifically, and we were able to give them a copy of the Book of Mormon and the church address and they were super awesome and super receptive! So hopefully we are able to see them again soon and hopefully they read from the Book of Mormon. And maybe we will get some of the leftover gumbo!! I wouldn't complain if that was the case because it was so good. After we talked with them for a little bit, we had some pizza waiting for us at home from the member that we gave her aunt a blessing, so it was just a good day all around besides the temperature.
We've been getting a bunch of referrals lately and it's been good, but has definitely provided some interesting experiences. Some people aren't too happy to see us even though they request items from us, but we're just doing what we can, and it's working. We have been able to find a few more people to teach, and now that the holidays are over we have been able to start scheduling appointments with people again, so we have a packed weekend relatively speaking. We were also able to do some baptismal interviews over the weekend for some other elders, so that's always a good thing that others are having success as well. On Sunday for some reason we only had Sacrament Meeting because it was really cold and there were a lot of people not at church, so hopefully this next week will be a little bit more normal. Full church, normal appointments again, and the work is moving forward.
Thanks again for all the Christmas cards and packages! Love ya!
Elder Woodward
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