Anadarko, Oklahoma -October 13, 2014

Hey!  

It is hard to believe that my time as a missionary is coming to a close.  I know I have said this before, but I still can't believe how fast these two years have gone by.  

There has been a whole lot that has been going on this past week, so I will do my best to fill you guys in on some of it.  If you have any questions after I'm done you can wait until Thursday to ask them.  So where do I even start today? There have been so many different thoughts and feelings that I have had this past week on top of all of the normal day to day missionary stuff.  

Last Wednesday was by far the highlight of my week in every way possible.  Last Wednesday Elder Tanner and I got to go back up to my old area of Woodward, Oklahoma for a baptism of a couple of people that I started teaching.  It was by far one of the best days that I have had in a long time and it was a great way to be able to finish my mission!  So right before we were leaving to go up to Woodward Elder Birch called us up to let us know that he had talked with Herman and Carolyn the night before and that they wanted to take us out to dinner when we made it up to Woodward Wednesday night.  We made it into Woodward at just the right time to meet everyone at the restaurant before they went in to sit down.  It was really nice to get to go and have dinner with Herman and Carolyn because I have really felt like I needed to contact them in some way and see how they were doing.  So between all 12 of the missionaries that were at dinner I was able to get to sit by Herman and Carolyn and actually be able to talk with them without having to yell over people.  It was great to be able to see them again and see how they have been since the last time I saw them.  Herman and Carolyn are still doing really well!

After dinner was over we all went over to the church up in Woodward.  Everything was exactly how I remembered it.  I was so excited when we got inside the church and I started to see a lot of people that I got to know when I was up in Woodward.  And what made it even better was that they remembered who I was!  I don't think there are going to be very many people that forget that Elder Woodward served up in Woodward.  Either way it was great to see so many people that I knew.  I got to go say hi to Alexa and Lilli before the baptismal service started.  The baptisms went great!  After the baptism we stayed there at the church for about an hour and I talked to the families of Lilli and Alexa.  I don't remember if I told you this before, but Lilli and Alexa's families have become some of my all time favorite people that I met while I have been out here, so I was really excited to see all of them again!  I don't even think that I can begin to describe how excited I was to be able to go back up too Woodward one more time before I came home.  Woodward is by far my favorite area that I was able to serve in!  The entire time that I was up in Woodward I felt like I was back home right where I belonged.  It was weird that I felt so at home in Woodward and I wasn't sure why I felt that way, I just knew that it felt good to be there with so many of they people that I got to know and love in the time I served in Woodward.  The next morning I realized why it was I felt like that while I was in Woodward.  I was reading in Doctrine and Covenants section 18 for part of my studies and I read verses 15-16 where it talks about the joy that we will have with those people that we help bring unto Christ, and it was like I got hit with a ton of bricks.  The Spirit told me that the reason I felt the way I did when I was back in Woodward was because I was with some of those people that I had helped bring to Christ and I was able to feel a little bit of that joy that we will have after this life with those people that we have helped.  The Lord had definitely planned for me to read those scriptures the day after the baptism so that I could recognize what had happened while I was in Woodward.  I have probably read or heard those scriptures in section 18 hundreds of times throughout my life, but it wasn't until Thursday that I finally understood what they really meant.  Since Thursday those scriptures have taken on a new light and they have become some of my favorite scriptures and the most meaningful scriptures to me!  I am so grateful for everything that happened for me last week!  

Well that is all of what I really wanted to share with you this week.  I am excited to see all of you guys this week!  Thanks again for all that you guys have done for me!  I love you all!

Love Elder Woodward