CHEHALIS, Wash. — Terry and Patty Wood have developed a new personal missionary tool — a 1972 Nova drag racing car with the words "Families Are Forever" painted on the side.
Brother and Sister Wood of the Toledo Ward, Centralia Washington Stake, race the car in the North Pro Street Association drag races — but never on Sundays — and have exhibited it at parades and recently the Southwest Washington Fair where the uniqueness of a family message on the side of a race car brought so much attention that full-time missionaries stood by handing out Church information. In the parades, they even have a go-cart with the same message printed on the side riding along behind the Nova.
"The car and the message are the magnet," said Brother Wood, who is also the car's driver. "The race car brings in the teenagers and the go-cart brings in the kids and their parents."
In fact, during the fair this past summer, some 16 cases of Church pamphlets, booklets and DVDs were distributed and 280 cards were filled out requesting more information. With the permission of the president of the Washington Tacoma Mission, 10 missionaries assisted the Woods.
The car, painted black with the family message in yellow, was the result of an idea that came to Brother Wood in 2000 while he was seeking ways to become a better member missionary. He approached a member of the Church who was not active but who was a drag racer and offered to sponsor his car if the words "Families Are Forever" were painted on the side. He agreed. The car, which reached some 300 miles per hour in five seconds, even raced in the nationals.
"We got on ESPN," Brother Wood said. "They didn't want to know about the car or the driver. They wanted to know about the families are forever (message). When we saw that happen, we thought, 'This is bigger than (we thought)."
The next year, Brother Wood built his own car — one that would never be driven on Sunday. He bought a rusting 1972 Nova car body and rebuilt it into a race car that can go from zero to 110 miles per hour in 12 seconds. It has just under 600 horsepower that you can feel when it starts up with a roar. When the Woods take the car to parades, the crowd yells for them to start it up.
Along with displaying the car, Brother and Sister Wood pass out a cardboard flier with a picture of the car and a short message about the eternal nature of families.
"In the last year, we've given out 6,000 fliers," Brother Wood said.
Getting into the fair last summer was the result of prayer. They had applied three times before, as it was. On the day before the fair began, Brother and Sister Wood stopped at the fairgrounds to ask about entering their car. The next day they attended the fair where Brother Wood prayed he would meet one of the fair organizers. He didn't, but when he went home that night a message was waiting for him on the answering machine. It said, "We have a spot for you."
He went back to the fair and selected a location at the center of the fairgrounds for the race car exhibit.
The next day, all the Church materials they had were gone. More materials were sent from the local missions. It was all distributed. Even a downpour on one of the fair days did not discourage people from stopping at the display.
"You don't need a race car to do things like this," Sister Wood said, speaking of many ways to do missionary work.
"There are a thousand ways to open doors to teach the gospel," Brother Wood added. "We're just planting seeds."
