February 4, 2013

he other day when i told a taxi driver my name, he said, "ALL RIGHT pretty blue eyes!!" and if i hadn`t heard it the first time, he made sure to repeat it at least 7 more times. 

yesterday we greeted a woman that we`d met and shared with at her door for a few minutes the week before. when we asked how she was doing, she first said. "good, good." but immediately admitted "actually, i`m just OK. i have diarrhea." uhhhhh. it was pretty awkward, but things like that have happened so many times here in the mission that i think i`m getting used to it. chileans are just so honest!

on our way to the mall today (where we do internet) an older man approached my companion and i and confessed that he was a less-active member. we talked to him a bit and as we tried to say goodbye, he mentioned that he had a gift for guessing people`s age...in springs...as in, how many springs (yes, the season) they have. he said, because of the beauty of my eyes, i must be 22 years old (good guess!)...but he then added, "that`s a lot of springs for someone like you to still be single!" WHAT? not sure how to react, i smiled, thanked him, and my companion and i continued quickly on our way. i love these priceless experiences i``m having. haha. life as a missionary is great.

speaking of life as a missinary, this last week has been especially strange in the sense that i can really FEEL that things are coming to an end. it`s a terrible, ugly thought, because the last thing i want is to be trunky, but i can actually feel the difference in my body and mind in terms of tiredness. also, my companion and i have the same time in the mission, so we`ll be ending together, and we have to be very careful not to let ourselves get distracted with what is to come after the mission. i haven`t lost in the least bit my drive nor energy for the work, and love what i`m doing more than ever, but i can feel more at this point the opposition working to tire or distract us. this morning, though, i read a couple of scriptures that helped a lot:

2 corintians 4:6, 8-9, 16-17

6 For God, who ^acommanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath ^bshined in our hearts, to give the ^clight of the knowledge of the ^dglory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

 8 We are ^atroubled on every side, yet not distressed; we areperplexed, but not in ^bdespair;

9 ^aPersecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not ^bdestroyed;

 16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the ^ainward man is renewed day by day.

 17 For our light ^aaffliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and ^beternal ^cweight of glory;

even though my body may be tired, i experience a renewel EACH DAY as i pray, search the scriptures and preach my gospel, am obedient, share my testimony with others, serve, and repent. i am also reminded that every moment of tribulation will bring a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. i know that this life is my time to prepare to meet god in the heavens, and that he is shaping me into who HE knows and needs me to be. i love my heavenly father for his patience as i make mistakes, and his confidence in me that i can overcome my weaknesses. as it says in MOSIAH 24:14, I know that christ is with me in my afflictions, and will ease the burdens on my shoulders.

i love this gospel. i love you , family, for SO many reasons, and am so grateful to have you. don`t give up. this life is about PERSERVERING and ENJOYING the journey. ¡vamos!

les quiero,

hermana wright

February 11, 2013

this has been a week of self-discovery. i`m not sure if you`ve ever gotten so caught up in a project for school or work, or become obsorbed in something someone asked you to do...i feel like that`s happened to me. don`t get me wrong, i LOVE being a missionary. i truly do. i`ve just had some experiences lately that have made me realize that in all my efforts to obey, to learn, to love, to help, to serve, to progress, i`ve been STRESSING myself out, and have become very impatient with myself. i`ve lost sight of my own potential, and that my father in heaven is helping me get there, but that it`s a PROCESS. 

this morning i read the talk "forget me not" by elder uchtdorf, and was touched once again by these words:

"god wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but he knows that it is a long-term goal. he wants us to become perfect, and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. it`s ok that you`re not quite there yet. keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself."

somewhere along the line i forgot that IT`S OK TO MAKE MISTAKES! that`s part of the plan! that`s WHY the savior came to earth, to atone for those mistakes and make it possible to progress and reach my eternal potential. but that`s the thing: i have an eternity to figure this out! my companion remindde me the other day that if i had to fix all of my imperfections here in the mission, what would be the point of life afterwards? i`ve got a lot to fix, but i`m not alone. i`ve got time. the lord is patient. these words were in my head all week: "be still, and know that i am god"

i know that my father loves me, and that he will help me through this process. i love the gospel. the mission truly is fun, when i remember to RELAX and ENJOY it!! DUH! 

family, please find joy in the journey. life`s just too short.

lots of love,

sophia

March 1, 2013

please just imagine more than 200 missionaries set loose in a stadium, left to themselves with a giant rainbow ball, simultaneous soccer and volleyball games, a giant jump-rope, millions of fotos, and much, much more. i felt like a little girl, running in every direction from one game to another, taking advantage of every glorious moment. yes, it was pure chaos, but i absolutely LOVED it. the whole mission was there, enjoying a day of recreation! i would send fotos, but this cyber won´t let me :(

also, some exciting news: i´m training again!!! my new companion is hna león from paraguay!!! she´s super sweet and absolutely loves the gospel. i´m looking forward to seeing many miracles with her. 

ah! no time to write. but i want you to know, i am happy. pretty sure i´ve told you taht a time or two. but it´s true. i love living the gospel. it´s the only way to have peace in my life. obey. receive blessings. be happy. feel loved. what more could i ask.

loved reading mosiah 24:13-15.

chao familia linda. la amo.

hermanita wright

March 25, 2013

well...i`ve got some big news...

this week we have cambios. TWENTY hermanas are coming to the mission. there are currently about 35. yes. this means that he majority of the hermanas will be training. 

and yes. this includes ME! 

i can`t believe it, but i got the news from the assistants on saturday afternoon that i will be TRAINING another sister for my final cambio here in the mission. AH! did they forget that i`m already a "grandma" in the mission? oh and don`t worry, i still haven`t finished training hna leon!! but apparently that doesn`t matter...we`ll be a trio here in los angeles, and i`ll be training both of them at once. not sure how, but should be an adventure!!! naturally, i`m a little overwhelmed, but mostly just excited to receive her and help her enjoy the mission and all it has to offer. i know that alone i`m not capable of this, but that the lord loves and trusts me, so he`s got to help me, right?! haha. no but seriously, i trust that he will guide me and strengthen me to be the kind of missionary that my hijas need to enjoy o the fullest their missions.

these last couple of weeks have been strange, in the sense that i`ve felt like i`m being pulled between two worlds. everyone is asking me how much time i have left. the mission sends me mail of paperwork to fill out, and it`s just not fun. of course, family, i love you. but i`m just not ready to let go of being a missionary. i love too much what i`m doing to say goodbye. the great part is that i still don`t have to, but still, it`s complicated. ugh, hard to explain. but i`m happy here and have set the goal to BE HERE, 100% for the time that i have left. because it`s a long time sill!!!

this scripture hit me hard this week:

ALMA 29:1-3, 6-8

1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the ^atrump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

 2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and ^acome unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

 3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

 6 Now, seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to ^aperform the work to which I have been called?

 7 Why should I desire that I were an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?

 8 For behold, the Lord doth ^agrant unto ^ball nations, of their own nation and ^ctongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he^dseeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.

at this moment, i share the desire of alma...i would LOVE to be an angel, and be able to share with EVERYONE the joy i feel as i get to know the savior better and am obedient to what he teaches me. i also know that when i get home, i`ll want to be a missionary, to continue in this work. the thing is, as it says furher on in verses 6-8, i don`t have to be a missionary to make a difference! i don`t have to be a missionary to share how i feel about god! i don`t have to be a missionary to experience personal growh and help others feel the joy i feel every day. 

we don`t have to have any special calling in the church to be member missionaries. this is something that i didn`t understand AT ALL before the mission. of course, i always heard it, but it just never got to my heart. now i understand that i, as a daughter of god and follower of christ, I can help change the world, one persona  at a time. i know you can do the same. pray to the lord to help you have spiritual experiences. pray for opportunities to share with others. LET`S FILL THE CELESTIAL KINGDOM!!! :)

love you family! until next week, un gran abrazo,

hermana wright

March 18, 2013

well, another p-day with NO time to fill you in on all the juicy details of my missionary life here in chile. some day i`ll have time. i hope. maybe once i get HOME?! 

at least to not leave you hanging on the baptism from last week:

i met daniel when i first got here to los angeles, becuase he`s the nephew of 2 recent converts in the ward, and he`s been living with them, so we see him every time we go. a few months before he`d been receiving the lessons, but by the time i arrived he`d apparently goten bored or lost interest.when we went to visit he would always say hi, but whenever we invited him to stay and talk, he said he was busy and went to his room until we left. this happened for about a month. 

one day our district leader asked about him, becuase he`d attended church several times with his aunt and uncle. long story short...our district leader met with daniel, and daniel decided that he`d give it all one more chance. he began to listen to us, and within a few days he had a baptismal date for march 16th. we didn`t see him for a week or so because i was out of own, but when he got back, he was super excited to listen, and progressed super quickly. he had his interview on friday the 8th for the next weekend, but when he came out of the room, he said, "i`m getting baptized tomorrow!!" it was a surprise, but he was totally ready, and there was no need to wait! it was a little stressful to get things ready, but totally worth it :) 

next week i´ll send fotos.

scripture of the week:

alma 24:14

14 And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our^asouls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the ^bplan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations.

con amor,

fifi

April 23, 2013

i love the mission. it`s FULL of adventures!

a few highlights:

• on sunday all of the missionaries in the zone came to our area to visit the entire list of members (everyone on the ward directory that isn`t active) to see if they`re still within the ward bounds, and if they want to receive visits to be able to return to the church. it was such a great experience for all involved. the bishop and several other members attended to be able to go on splits with us, and they all left super motivated to participate in missionary work and help the other members return to the church. it was all such a miracle. a big boost that we really needed.
• yesterday we had return and report in conce for hna horan this time. i have gon to conce so much in these last 2 months, it`s crazy. but it was great to see president and receive some suggestions in ways i can improve as a trainer, and help my hijas prepare themselves to be training in the coming months (on the day i leave, TEN more hermanas will be arriving in the mission!! this place is FILLING with hermanas, and i LOVE it!) it`s such an edifying experience to be with so many of these new missionaries, to feel their excitement for this work, and to know that the lord really does trust us, no matter how little may be our experience, to go out and preach his gospel throughout the world. 
• both of my comps are sick (they had to go to the hospital yesterday) so i`truly do feel like a mom taking care of my 2 daughters, but we`re able to keep working at least for now. with lots of prayers and blessings of health from the elders, i know that we`ll be able to continue in the lord`s work.

from my studies:

i was truly impressed this week by what i learned from the STIPLING WARRIORS:

 alma 53:20 And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for ^acourage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

 21 Yea, they were men of truth and ^asoberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to ^bwalk uprightly before him.

at this point, not only in my mission, but in my LIFE, i am striving to be exceedingly valient, and be true AT ALL TIMES to the covenants i`ve made. i know taht i have been taught the commandments, and i hope every day to be able to walk before god without shame, knowing that i am making my best effort to do his will and happily live his gospel. 

i know that the savior died for me, and that he truly did take on the sins and sufferings of this world. because of this sacrifice, I DON`T NEED TO SUFFER if i TRUST in him, have COURAGE, and REPENT when i make mistakes. 

this plan of salvation is so perfect.

love, 

hermana wright

April 15, 2013

hola familia,

i can`t believe another week has gone by already. the time really is just slipping through my fingers. it`s a pretty unpleasant sensation, but i`m learning to accept it, and enojy every moment for all it has to offer. 

this week has been my week of HUMILITY and PATIENCE. we aren`t seeing all that much progress in the sector, and it`s been pretty rough on the three of us. we keep working just as hard as ever each day, and maintain a positive attitude, because there`s nothing to gain in being grumpy or ungrateful. instead we`ve talked a bunch and have set goals for what we can do better in the coming weeks, and we know the lord will help us find more success in teaching more of his children.

even with the difficulties we`ve been facing, there`s still plenty of experiences that make me smile, and that make me SO grateful to be here, now, as one of the lord`s servants. just a few simple examples:

• one of the less-active members we`ve been teaching expressed her desire to be sealed to her family in the temple! when we asked her what she liked most about being a member of the church, she said "being mormon is being part of an eternal family. it`s what i want more than anything." i was so blown away by the phrase, and was reminded that i too, want to be with you,  my family, for the eternities! 
• D&C 130: 2 And that same ^asociality (the family) which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with ^beternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.
• i know that an eternal glory awaits our family, if every one of us is willing to do our part and FIGHT against all opposition. i know it will be worth it. 
• this week two young men from the ward, david and felipe, accompanied us in several visits, and in a stake missionary activity, and in a ward mission activity!! they`re only 13 and 16 years old, but they LOVE the church! they seriously cannot wait to be missionaries, and it`s just so inspiring! i was so touched by their enthusiasm and sincere desire to help in the lord`s work.

on thursday we`ll be having am mission conference with the WHOLE mission in concepcion becuase elder zwick of the seventy is coming to speak. apparently he was presidente martinez`s mission president back in the day. i`m super excited to be able to hear what he needs from me in my last few weeks here in chile. there`s still so much to do! so many people to help!

with that said, i`m off to work. love you!

hermana wright

April 29, 2013 - the last letter home

a couple weeks ago my companion (hna horan - the newer of the 2) told me a story about when she was teaching a lesson about tithing with her companion in the mtc. her companion speaks basically NO spanish, and was able to participate very little in the teaching process in general. but in this lesson when hna horan was testifying of the need to pay an honest tithe, her companion chimes in randomly and says "dios nos ama", or "god loves us." it`s a great concept, but it had very little to do with what they were talking about in the moment. i love missionary life. it`s such a humbling adventure...hahah. the point is, i have a million things to say and very little time, so i hope that something comes out making sense...

just in case you were wondering, we experienced another GIANT MIRACLE this weekend. it`s a long story, but to sum it up, here`s what happened:

• on wednesday we received a phone call from the zone leaders informing us that president had prayed and received specific revelation that there was at lease one person prepared in each sector that could be baptized this past weekend...woah! when we got the call, we began to think about who it could be, and almost immediately were led to kathy, a 15-year old who has been investigating for almost 2 months now, but hasn`t been able to get baptized because the mission suggests waiting until they are 16 if their parents aren`t members. we then prayed about it as a companionship and felt very strongly that we needed to help kathy make the decision to be baptized, and that very weekend, becuase she truly was prepared.
• we visited her and taught her about the plan of salvation, and the necessity to be baptized in order to receive the remission of our sins, as well as the gift of the holy ghost. she was a little shocked about the date being so soon, but she prayed and received peace from the lord, and wanted to be baptized on sunday (her mom wouldn`t have been able to attend on saturday)
• we talked to the bishop and the assistants to get everything in order, and spent a ton of time with her over the next few days to help her feel prepared, and to share with the family and help them understand the step she was taking, and want to learn more themselves. her parents are super receptive, and we expect them to progress quickly as well. 
• the service was BEAUTIFUL, and i managed not to cry too much, knowing that it would most likely be the last baptism of my mission. i just felt so much JOY for kathy, and to see the way the ward welcomed and loved her.
• i was reminded that this gospel is truly beautiful. there is so much happiness to be experienced.

my companion (hna leon) shared this with me this week:

 Mosiah 2:41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and ^ahappy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are ^bblessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out ^cfaithful to the end they are received into ^dheaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

president also told me in his weekly email:

hermana wright, BE HAPPY, AND ENJOY what is left of your time here in the mission.

this life is meant to be full of joy. i know that the only way to obtain that joy is through being obedient to the lord`s gospel.

well, time to go. love you lots and we`ll talk more soon :)

hermana wright