Exchanges, Training & the Power of a Sneeze

Dearest Family and Friends: 

This week was full of eventful things....a few highlights to update you:

* We had to move Mariah's baptism to the 20th....but she is still going strong. She is so prepared it's not even funny. In our last lesson she asked if Hermana Clarke could come back for the baptism. I almost cried.  If you all don't already know....I miss that Hermana a lot. 

 *Did exchanges with the Hermanas in Palm Springs. And Sister Ipson stayed with me in my area. If you have been an avid follower in my blog, that name should ring a bell. Yes I got to be with my dear old Rialto buddy for a day. She is doing great with Hermana Ramos and they are working hard. 

*I went to MLC (Mission Leadership Council). IT WAS AWESOME!!!! Since it was the first time it was a little stressful....but it was so great. We talked about being ON FIRE to share the gospel. We talked about what that would look like and how to become like that. There is a lot more that I could be doing....so we all know what that means....repent and be better. So we are working on finding-talking with everyone and asking for referrals 100% 

* We finally got to see the Rodriguez family after 5 billion years. They are so awesome and we taught them the Plan of Salvation. We had come by the night before to have a spontaneous lesson but they couldn't meet with us. They told us how impressed they were with our diligence and never forgetting them. So they set up a time for us to come back the next day. When we got there the Mom had read the Plan of Salvation pamphlet and basically taught it to us. We asked them to be baptized, they didn't say yes or no. We are going back on Thursday to follow up though. I love them SOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!

*When I was on exchanges with Sister Ipson we were walking in this senior citizen apartment complex. We saw a lady cleaning up from the big yard sale they had and we offered to help. Her name is Blanca and she made me feel like I had no muscle. Maybe it's because she could lift the dresser by herself the whole 50ft we carried it without setting it down. But in the end she invited us over to share a video about Jesus Christ the next day. When we went over she said she was busy, but that we could come over on Monday. She said she would bring her other friend too. When we asked for referrals she gave us 3 people right off the bat.....it was so cool!!!!!!!!! 

*Also today, just now, when we got out of the Grocery store we were walking to the car and I sneezed. Some lady said 'Bless you!' and we started talking to her. Her name was Gloria and she kept telling us how we made her day. It was so cute.....so if you don't know how to get someone else talking, sneeze and they will say Bless you.....and look at that...they've already started the conversation! 

Well folks.... I wish there was more to share and tell, but that is it. I love you all! Have a great week. This week is Temple Trips...YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Hermana Wright

Alvaro's Baptism and other Great things!

Had to be home by 6:00pm on Halloween!

Hello family & friends!
Things here in San Jacinto have been relatively the same. It feels different only because we've been listening to Christmas music in the car. Also....we started November-- which is one whole month closer to Christmas!!!!! YEAH!
Interesting/ Highlight Moments:

*I forgot to tell you all, but last week we got the strangest call during Companionship Study. It was the Assistants to the President (AP's). They said "Hey Sister Wright we have your sister training leader assignment..." My heart literally almost came out of me. The first thing I thought was that I had a dream about this a few days earlier. So, turns out the AP's forgot to tell me at transfers that President called me to be a Sister Training Leader over the Palms Springs area. I cover two companionships (one Spanish and one English).  I just get to go on exchanges with those companionships during each transfer.



*This last week we went on exchange with Sister Peterson (been out for 1.5 transfers) and Sister White (been out for a year). Sister White and Sister Erickson stayed in our area and had a great exchange. Sister Erickson was so pumped when I got back. She got a great confidence boost because she was paired with someone who knew less Spanish than her. That is part of the reason I chose for her to stay. Sister Peterson and I had a great chance to talk about the different ways to do missionary work. She has been a little concerned because she has to adjust to all of these new ways to do missionary work. I hope that she got the idea that missionary work simplified is just love. You don't have to have the same approach at every door or with every investigator. If you treat them like a real person then your approach SHOULD be different every time. She is trying too hard to be the best missionary she can be and she is doing such a great job. We had a really great time. 



*Yesterday we found a less active member named Manuela. She has not been seen by anyone from church for almost 7 transfers. We have knocked on her door probably 50 times because the members keep asking what happened to her. A couple of weeks ago the English sisters were walking and Manuela went up to them and told them that the hermana missionaries were looking for her. The sisters told us that she pulled out a wrinkled, signed paper dress that Sister Clarke and I had left on her door in July. She had been carrying it around with her since then. So last night when we knocked and waited she opened. I literally almost cried with joy. We had been walking and a lot of our plans had fallen through. I said, "We should try Manuela...." WOW! It was such a miracle. She is so awesome and we are going to be best friends forever. That is literally what I told her.....:) She is so so so so awesome! 

*On Thursdays we do service at Braille Institute (where blind and partially blind people go and basically take classes to relearn how to do things). We help out in the ceramics art class. I literally Love those people SOOO MUCH! They know us by our first names and they have to recognize us by our voices. My favorite thing is when they do recognize us and they remember who we are. Lots of times they call us "the girls" or the "the Mormon girls". Last week I was helping a woman named Margie (just turned 100). She was having a really hard day and started to cry when I asked how she was doing. She was having some family problems and didn't really want to talk about it. So we went on working on her project. When it was time to go, I told how awesome she was and gave her a hug and she kissed me on the cheek and teared up and said thank you. It really touched my heart! What a sweet lady!!!! I love all of the people there. Hopefully I will have a picture to show you in the next couple of weeks. 

Alvaro & Monchis

 *This last Saturday was Alvaro's baptism!!!!! It was adorable!!! Alvaro is such a cute kid and his brother Lehi (aka Monchis....don't ask about the nick name....that's just what we call him) also got baptized. They are the special needs kids that we have been teaching. When Monchis got baptized and they tried to get him out of the font he kept saying, "wait, wait, wait, let's do it again."  And before they could stop him he went back under and started trying to swim. It was so cute!!!!! Alvaro is such a good kid! He finally smiles back when I smile at him from the stand. 

 

Baptism of Alvaro & Monchis

*We got to teach Lucas on Saturday because we were in a trio with Sister Romrell (Sister Lewis went to another baptism in Yucaipa). Lucas is the most adorable old man you will ever see. We have been trying to finish the Plan of Salvation with him for the past 7 lessons. But, we run out of time because he asks all of these random unrelated questions. Finally I just told him that he would be able to see his sister again and live with her forever. He paused and told us really sincerely how he liked that and felt good about it. HE IS SO CUTE!!!!!!! He couldn't find his regular reading glasses so he had to use his prescription sun glasses to read. :) We wanted to give him a baptismal date goal but he told us he was leaving for Mexico for 3 months. He doesn't know when he's leaving, so hopefully we will figure something out. 

That's it folks. I love all of you! Have a great week! 

Happy Birthday to my dearest Sarah, Olivia & Grandpa Wright, !!!!!!

Love,   Hermana Wright

Ward Halloween Party

 

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 

Good things coming!!!

Our apartment in San Jacinto

Good things coming!! Well this week was good....kind of a rough week as far as lessons taught, but no complaints. I am just going to put as much down as I can remember. 

Funny Moments:

*While driving down one of the streets in Thousand Palms at night, I saw a sign that said "Hay Tacos". I was super confused and I said out loud "Hay Tacos? Why would anyone make tacos out of Hay???" and Sister Clarke, who had not seen the sign was like, "That's super weird".  About 30 seconds later she said "HAY tacos" as in "There are Tacos (in Spanish...)....hahahah.

We laughed really hard. Apparently I am not as fluent as I thought. 

*Had a lesson with the most interesting, cool couple ever. Part member family, they don't speak Spanish (so I am not sure why they are in the Branch). We sit down and they are making us dinner....so I try to start up a conversation by saying "So, tell us about yourselves! We don't really know you guys all that well!" To which she replies "Oh, no, lets save that for dinner".......gladly sister Clarke had it under control and laughed it off.........hahaha it was really uncomfortable because that basically eliminated ALL conversation until after we had dinner on the table. 

 * Had dinner with the Torres family....they are AWESOME!!!!!!!! Hermana Torres was telling us about some problems she's had in the past with people who don't obey the Word of Wisdom. Talking about the smell of tobacco, she said that it smelled like 'squirrel'. We all paused for a second, super confused, until someone said, you mean 'skunk'? We laughed for like 5 minutes.....

Little Miracles:

* Got out of the car to visit an Inactive Member, and the first person we see comes up and talks to us and the conversation goes like this:

Him -  "Hey I've seen you guys before, my name is Jose. Do you guys have a card so I can have your number? My friend has been having a hard time, so maybe I can have two cards."

*We have been giving out LOTS of Books of Mormon. We have determined that is one of the best ways to find out if someone is being prepared. If you give them a Book of Mormon and they don't accept, they aren't ready.....We followed up with a lot of people to whom we had given a Book of Mormon, to see if they would let us come in and tell them more about it.  Two of the random strangers we had given books to had read!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT!?!?!? 

*Stopped by to see a Potential Investigator who we met 6 weeks ago. She wasn't home, but we started talking to this teenager (classic example of "eat, drink, and be merry"....side thought, it has been one of the hardest things to get teenagers to care about spiritual things.....this mentality of eat, drink, and be merry is so engrained in their minds its nearly impossible to help them see the importance of the gospel...to be continued). We offered her a Book of Mormon, as per usual, and she told us she would take it but probably wouldn't read it. She did, however, let us show her the video 'Because He Lives'. We sat down to watch it, and 3 other teenagers came out and watched it with us. One of them, named Eva was really into it. She asked for our number and told us to come by on Sunday.  Super cool.....we talk to everyone because you never know who you can affect. Even if the original person you talk to isn't interested....

Cool rainbow...

* In the same house a few days later, we went to try to re-find the potential investigator and found her!!!!! Yeah! We had planned to teach her the Restoration, but instead she asked us every question that the Plan of Salvation answers. So we obviously started in on Priesthood and Auxiliaries.......hahahaha Just Kidding....no, we taught her the Plan of Salvation. She was really into it, especially the part about Repentance. It was one of the moments where I realized that she was someone that I am on my mission for. She had lots of concerns about Repentance and we really just talked about how it is a blessing to repent. 

Love you guys!!!!

Thanks for all the support!!!!!

Love,
Hermana Wright