A Most Interesting Week

Well family and friends...this week was definitely one of the most interesting.....of all of the interesting weeks.... 

As far as the investigators are going. Alvaro is getting baptized this Saturday! He is the most adorable 11 year old you will ever meet. He is obsessed with Ghost busters and speaks his only little language. So teaching him is extremely interesting. His dad is a member but waited to get him baptized because he is a special needs child. 

Maria is doing well. The last lesson we had with her she just kept talking about how she wasn't sure about Joseph Smith or Thomas S. Monson. She loves to study and consequently spends more time on the pamphlets we give her (and the Gospel Principles and Teachings of the Presidents books someone from church gave her) than on the Book of Mormon. I said, "Can I help you with that?" And she said 'yeah'. And I reached over and took ALL of her books and pamphlets that she brings out to every lesson, except for the Book of Mormon. It reminded me of the talk about SIMPLIFY! All you need is the Book of Mormon!!!!!!!!!!! Our mission president consistently encourages us to study only from Preach My Gospel and the Book of Mormon. That is all that we need! Yesterday at church I got to sit by her during sacrament meeting (because hey! Sister Erickson plays the piano!!!!). I had my arm around her during the meeting, answering questions, and such. At the end while everyone was leaving, we just talked and I got the chance to bear strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. She is very concerned with leaving behind her past roots and traditions....which I do not blame her for. The good news is that literally EVERYONE in our branch was catholic at one point. 

(BY THE WAY MEMBERS ARE SUPER IMPORTANT!!!! ***small rant time*** Please don't think that welcoming a person (member or not) into the ward means having them stand up in Relief Society to introduce themselves...or even waving when you get to church! Please do not short cut fellowship! Our salvation is very much related to how hard we work to help other members/investigators/ non members stay on the path! Talk to them....get to know them....TRULY CARE about them! Get their phone number! Bring them flowers. If you don't know at least one of the names of the investigators your missionaries are working with...then PLEASE find out before next Monday. The reason most investigators don't come to church is because they only know the missionaries. These people are NOT just another person....they are your brothers and sisters. DO NOT let anyone new come to church without having a conversation that is more than just hi, how are you! "We will attain our exaltation in the celestial kingdom only on the condition that we share with our father's other children the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ and observe the commandments that will enrich our lives here and hereafter." President George Albert Smith **small rant over**) 

She is literally my best friend! I love her so much! She told me at the end of our talk that "You were what I needed, thank you!" 

Still haven't been able to have a lesson with Al, but we scheduled a 'for sure' appointment with him....next week. Oh well. 

I just LOVE these people so very very much! That makes it all the harder when they don't show an interest or lose interest in the one thing that will bring them the closest to God. 

Thank you so much for all of your support!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a great Week!!!! 

Hermana Wright

Still in San Jacinto (YEAH!!)

Sad farewell with H Clarke

I am still in San Jacinto (YEAHHH!!!! *sigh of relief) I love it here. I am no longer companions with Sister Clarke. She went back to Rialto 4th (we were both trained by the same person in the same area...so she is just going back to her first area) I have Sister Erickson, from Centerville, UT she is the SWEETEST! It has been a little hard to transition just because I was so used to Sister Clarke....but it will be great. Sister Erickson has 3 months in the field (so I am follow-up training). Our companions literally just switched places...

This week was pretty good....mostly pictures though. I don't have a lot to say because it's been a blur of changes and transitions..... 

 
Our first day together, we were able to set a baptismal date for Mariah!!! YEAHH!!! She is going to be baptized on the 14th and she came to church this Sunday! I love her so so so so much! 



Maria was also able to come to church, but this time she wanted to try English.... I am still a little broken hearted. But we will see which she likes better. If she chooses English, then we won't be able to teach her anymore! But the language doesn't really matter, just that she gets to hear the gospel. 

My new companion !!!  Hermana Erickson
She is from Centerville, UT

Al is doing good but we didn't get a chance to teach him at all last week. Our awesome YM president said that he would take the young men to meet him for mutual on Tuesday !!! YEAHH!!!! He will be getting baptized sometime at the end of November or Beginning of December. YEAH!!!!



New Roommates - H Lewis (12 months in mission)
and H Romrell (still in training)

Old Roommates

I am so sorry that there isn't much to tell. Things are good! Thank you for all of your prayers for myself, my investigators & my area.

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

I hope you guys have a great week!!!!!

H.  Wright

Transfer Week

Well family it is transfer week, and we still don't know what's happening. So you will all have to anxiously await my email....

Thanks for the 'favorite things' package!

This week was both eventful and awesome. Maria came to a baptism with us and really liked it! She is so awesome! She wants us to give her more pamphlets because she loves learning so much. She has come to church the last 3 or 4 weeks!!!!! That is super big! I am confident she will be baptized this next transfer! She is so funny and has the most interesting personality. I am pretty sure we are best friends.

This week we had 12 progressing investigators, that is more than I have ever seen in the history of the area, at least for the past year. We have two people on date for baptism and Maria  is DEFINITELY going to be baptized. She is so so so awesome.

 

I love you so much!!!!!  Hermana Wright

It's cooling down!

This week went from the 100's to 70's....woohoo !!!!!!  Now I understand why there is human life down here!!!

*  I went on exchanges with Sister Hamblin in Borrego Springs. That is the lowest part of the mission and is only 1.5 hours away from the border.  So that is where the pictures come from. I learned a lot about lessons to learn early on the mission from Sister Hamblin because she leaves in a week. She gave some good advice. Some of which includes things like, making my prayers more sincere and studying more effectively, ESPECIALLY from the Book of Mormon!

*  We had 3 investigators come to General Conference!!! Maria (the one we met at an inactive members home), the guy from Spain we met first transfer...super cool! and Alvaro, the son of Hermano Sandoval.

*  This week Al (grandson of an inactive member) told us that he received his answer that baptism is for him. He is 15 and has had some really hard struggles.  He is SOOOOO awesome!  He loved our plan of salvation lesson and asked 1 billion deep doctrine questions and said lots of things like, "So does that mean that if my body is pretty buff, then my spirit would be too?"  When we asked about his friends, he said, "I don't really have best friends. When I walk down the hall I get lots of high fives and all of these girls try to hug me."  He is SO cool!  We asked him last week about baptism on the 7th and he said 'Yes'.  It is now even more confirmed!  YEAH!!!!

*  Going into General Conference I was hoping for some insights into helping people recognize answers to their prayers...low and behold, the last talk in the first session was a GREAT help! It was all about prayer. It was a witness to me that Heavenly Father does answer our prayers.

* We have been teaching a lady named Sister Flores who has not been active for a really long time, but she has come to church the last 3 Sundays !!!  After the Saturday sessions of General Conference we had a lesson with her and talked about the Tree of Life.  She has had a hard time understanding it in the past. The lesson helped her understand it much better. Guess what they talked about in one of the talks in the Sunday Morning session (which she went to)?  The Tree of Life!



Sister Navarrez. She use to be a professional singer.
I got her to sing while I played the piano and she
sounded GREAT!

I just want to bear my testimony about the Book of Mormon.  It is the most powerful thing I have ever encountered. I PROMISE that diligent and sincere study WILL bring miracles into your life.  Just the act of faithfully reading a couple of verses a day will demonstrate the faith power needed to work miracles.  It happened in my life, it can happen in yours. ANY problem, and I mean ANY problem can be sorted out, made light, and handled through the Book of Mormon! Have faith that it will work! Even if the doctors say that you will never get rid of the pain, or the teachers say you will never pass, or if people around you say that you can't break your addiction because you are too far gone...the BOOK OF MORMON BRINGS MIRACLES !!!! Please Please read it !!!!

Things are going really well here! I am excited to see what the next transfer will bring these great people here in the San Jacinto Branch !!!

Love you guys !!!!

Hermana Wright