Come What May

The following account is based on actual events. The Wood kids got Nerf guns for Christmas this year: Eight 6-inch Nerf guns, three bullets a piece.  You may be wondering, “Aren’t you guys kind of old for that now?”  Why yes.  Yes we are; which is why this thing has escalated to alarming heights.  Here is a record of our wars with one another. Day One: Christmas Morning As we gathered around the Christmas tree to unwrap presents we each found a little toy gun next to our stockings.  With a pile of presents still waiting to be unwrapped the shooting began almost immediately.  Dad called for a cease fire, only to get a bullet in the face.  It was Mom. At last firing ceased and we enjoyed a peaceful day until the park.  There we ran around and shot each other to our hearts’ content.  We came to a truce when we saw small children looking for more play space and returned home. Day Two: Civilian Attack When a dear friend ...

“Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (D&C 18:10). When I was a little girl Mom sometimes took me to day care.  One day when she picked me up an irritated caretaker confronted her. All day I had been quiet, solemn, and solitary, so the good woman declared I was sick and shouldn't come back until I was better.  My confused mother took me home, checked me over and concluded there was absolutely nothing wrong.  Considering the woman’s concerns she came to a funny realization: I was unusually quiet and shy for a three-year-old girl and in this case my solemnity was mistaken for a touch of the flu. Even as an adult I find many of those childhood traits present in my behavior.  I have a quiet voice which never seems to project like I think it will, I like people but can entertain myself, I feel uncomfortable being the center of attention, and I am rarely accused of overzealous enthusiasm. As a teenager I sometimes felt quite forgettabl...

“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-34). There are many wonderful people in my life that have done many wonderful things for me.  In recent months I have been the recipient of much love and service.  There are three women in particular who have taught me a little bit about charity. First: My Companion Hermana Núñez had been in the field for two months when my health began to regress.  Life as a new missionary can be difficult enough, and I was her trainer.  Day after day my companion and I slowly strode home to our little Chilean cabaña, walked through the door, and every day she would watch as I crumbled to the...

“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalms 61:2). My last Sunday in Chile shortly after our first church meeting was over I snuck away to an empty room with my sweet companion, sat down and cried.  I was ill, I was stressed, and I was probably going home.  I let the tears flow freely while considering all of the new disappointments that I would have to face.  Somewhere amidst all of my sobbing a concerned young brother came in to make sure everything was alright.  I suppose it must have surprised him to see a young sister missionary sprawled out across the chairs weeping while the other sat patiently waiting for the spell to end.  He very wisely left me in the hands of my companion, but before he returned to his meeting he gave me a little smile and said reassuringly that the sun always comes out after rain.  Less than a week later I was on a plane home with a broken...