Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Finally caught up....five weeks worth of letters.

Sorry about the lack of posts these past few weeks. I've been out of town taking my other kids to livestock shows and fairs. We've had a great time, but here is what Sister Greenwood has been up to for the last month! There are 5 different letters in here...take your time :)
 Malary Writes:
7/7/14
So....we found a beautiful toilet in the middle of a random field while visiting a member. This doesn't need to go on the blog but I knew you and daddy would appreciate it. Hahaha Love it. (Although she did say it wasn't blog worthy...I thought it was funny)
We walked out of a lesson this week feeling the happiest, most loving, abundant spirit. It was a first lesson and he is truly the Lord's miracle. It's amazing to leave from a lesson feeling like I did nothing. That Spirit was the converter, testifier, and teacher. I LOVE IT. This investigator is evidence that the Lord is preparing people and placing them in our paths. We just need to trust in His promises. His whole life the Lord has led him to this point to receive the restored gospel. 

Sister F and I are having an awesome time learning, growing in the light of the Lord, feelin' the Spirit, teaching, finding, and rejoicing. I love being the Lord's servant working in His vineyard! I love you and the family. I love my brothers and sisters in the Lord. I trust in Him. I feel the prayers of everyone and I'm so grateful.

Love you always,
Sister Greenwood
Sister Greenwood and Sister L on exchanges in Pleasanton, TX. Malary says it is a beautiful place full of farms and wildlife.

Sister Greenwood was able to see sister I (her first companion) at a transfer. They were happy to see one another :)

Yes, this is a random toilet....but Mal was right! It is still beautiful :) glad she found such a relaxing and gorgeous place to read!
Malary's letter from 7/14/ 14

What do you have planted in the garden? Pictures! I bet she had so much fun.(I told Mal that Audrey drove through Texas that week on the way to the ADGA Nationals in Kentucky). Texas is awesome. She would totally fit in with all the hillbillies around here. Pleasonton is where she needs to come see!! BeaUtiful. Tell Audrey I miss her too! She'd better email me soon. I need a laugh. Her stuff always cracks me up. Did Brian get my card? I can't believe he's 10! Ashlyn wrote me about the lesson and said she loved it and cried too. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. This is where I'm supposed to be. There's something extremely special and different about the TSAM.(Texas, San Antonio Mission) President Slaughter is truly a man of God. He trusts us, loves us, and teaches us so much. After every training or missionary meeting I feel like my brain is going to explode from all the knowledge. I'm sure Philmont was awesome. I want to hear about Joey's NYLT experience!!! I can't believe he's in high school either! Holy grown up, Batman! Hi Daddy! I'm so happy to hear about FHE and duty to God. It's so important and I never fully realized it before. Tell the Elders hello and thanks for loving my family! haha We are so lucky to have had amazing missionaries. A lot of members around here (and in Cali) don't have missionaries around all the time or hardly feed them. I love eating with members. It's so fun and spiritually uplifting. Good luck with the FHE activity. Investigators and less actives really just need soild loving friends.
So much has happened this past week. I've been in the most spirit filled lessons. There is this elect young man getting baptized July 26th. He has an amazing story that I'll write after his baptism. The Spirit just consumes him. And us! At one point he thanked us for teaching him and blessing his life. IT hit me. I did nothing. It hit me that this is truly the Lord's work. He shouldn't thank me. It's all the Lord's timing. His work, His way, His love. It's so amazing. I've never felt this kind of happiness before. It's a different happy and I love it. So many amazing experiences are happening. I'm so grateful to be where the Lord wants me. Thank you so much for your example and love. I testify to people all the time about my family having the gospel, how blessed we are, and the power of the priesthood in my home. Thank you. I love you so much!! Give everyone hugs for me!

Sister Greenwood
6/16/14


Something that really stood out to me this week was how the Lord is really in the little details. We invited a member of the branch to come to a lesson with someone we are teaching. The lesson went well. Near the end, the member shared her testimony with us. It was so intense. She had an amazing experience of basically feeling her Father in Heaven rescue her from the darkness of the adversary. The Spirit was so strong. It was exactly what he needed to hear too. Afterwards we get into the car and the member tells us shes never shared that before but felt she needed too. The Lord knows our hearts and how to help us. 

On base Sunday, a graduate brought his new born baby to church. It was the cutest thing ever. His wife had the baby while he was in training. That weekend was the first time the baby and dad met. He was beaming with joy. In our class for trainees investigating the class, we taught the 10 commandments. We got to the last one; don't covet. A trainee raised his hand and said he had a kind of deep concern. He had just received a Red Cross notification saying his wife had miscarried. He heard that baby cry in church and he told us he felt jealous. He started to cry. He even told us what they had named the baby. Mom, I've never felt my heart just break like that. But the best part? Christ can heal all wounds. I am so grateful for the plan of happiness, mercy, and salvation our Heavenly Father has. Sister F testified that his baby was still his, that he lives, that through the gospel of Jesus Christ and the restored power of Christ that his family could be together forever. It was a powerful experience. I'm so grateful for my knowledge of the plan of salvation, my testimony of the restoration of Christ's church on the earth, and the healing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 



Sister Greenwood
6/23/14
Hello my lovely mother! I knew it would be quite crazy in the Greenwood life with fair and camps. Tell all the kids hi and I love them very much. Sister F and I will be staying another six weeks here! Yay! I heard David's farewell talk was amazing. I can't believe he's leaving already. Tell the Friebe family hello for me and wish David luck.
In studies this morning I read in Alma 37. I think it's verses 14, 16-17. The Lord trusts us with His sacred truths. He trusts us with the restored gospel, the priesthood, and amazing blessings from covenants with him. He will always keep His promise. Always. I finished reading the Book of Mormon about last week and started over again! This time I am highlighting promises. There have been so many blessing this week. I'm sending a bunch of pictures too. I know Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. I know with all my heart He is my Savior. I know that the power of Christ is on the earth used by worthy men to blessing God's children and to have a part in the work of salvation. I know that God the Father and Jesus Christ chose Joseph Smith to be the prophet. I know that I am loved by a saving love beyond anything I can imagine. I feel little sneak peeks of heaven every day. Love you so much!

Sister Greenwood
Brother and Sister Clark, full time senior missionaries in Mal's area. She absolutely loves these two!

Companions :) Sister G and Sister F

Beautiful young ladies :)

I love this girl!!! Sister Greenwood in a field of flowers!

Soldiers of Christ 2 Timothy 2:3  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Zone transfer picture!
 6/30/14
Hi Momma,

FUN!!! Fair looks the same. Sounds like the family dominated! Go Greenwoods!! I love the pictures. There are firework stands everywhere. Apparently they lift the firework ban for the 4th. It's going to be crazy!!! Sister F is so great. She trains me hard core. She truly is making me a better missionary. There are going to be a lot of sisters coming in next transfer so I got to be ready just in case I have to train. Our area is amazing. The Lord is truly in every detail. The way we've been working with the branch on base is so amazing. There are so many progressing and new investigators each week. For the singles branch San Antonio Stake, the area is ready to harvest but we just need to find them! We have been biking a LOT.  

We are so busy. It starting to get really hot too. People tell me just to wait. It's going to be so hot and humid. Whew... Two experiences I want to share with you real quick. So there's this trainee on base that is a member and he's been coming to the progressing investigator class with a nonmember wingman. I've noticed a night and day difference from the first week he came in to now. Before his countenance was dark and sad. Now, the Spirit is radiant in his countenance. It's amazing to see the Spirit just shinning through him! I can't even describe it well. He is graduating this week so we were saying goodbye to everyone. I told him the change that I see and how bright he was. He smiled hugely and handed me a letter saying Thank you. After they left, Sister F and I read the letter. It made my soul soar with joy. I can't even describe the feeling. The letter was short and simple.  He's changed. He's happy. I'm going to keep that letter forever. The Savior knows us!!! The gospel of Jesus Christ is real.

Another time this past week, we stopped by to see a young single adult we hadn't met. His mom answered and he didn't live there but she was an active member and let us in. Long story short, she broke down crying about her challenging life and wayward children. She confided in us. First she grabbed Sister F for a hug and cried. Then she and I hugged and she sobbed into my shoulder. I've never had someone cry into my shoulder like that before. She shared many spiritual experiences with us. She is a strong woman of God. But it helped me see how we can do exactly that to our Heavenly Father. We can cry into him shoulder in prayer. He longs to wrap His loving, accepting arms around us. We can feel, see, and know the Savior's love. Christ has already gone through her pain, our pain, everyone's pain. It was a huge testimony builder for me. 

 The Book of Mormon: Alma Chapter 5 
 "And again ask, were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming loveAnd say unto you 
that they are saved."
"And now behold, say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced change of heart, anif ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, woulask, can ye feel so now?"

Yes! I feel it now. 

Love always,
Sister Greenwood
Some of her pictures are getting corny :)
And that concludes my catch up session of Mal's blog!!!