i am getting a little tired of rushed emails...sorry about that. but at least we´ll get to talk through SKYPE next monday!! woo hoo!!
basically, this week was full of learning opportunities. the training sisters came to our sector, and were with us for 3 days! we went on splits and were able to accomplish SO much! it was truly a week full of miracles. we found three new families to teach, and set up a bunch of visits for the following week. while with the hermanas, i learned some really valuable lessons from my heavenly father:
i need to trust in HIM in all things. i can´t let my happiness depend on anything other than the manner in which i am living the gospel of jesus christ. if i am being obedient to the commandments and to the constant promptings of the spirit, the lord promises JOY. if i am not happy, even though i´m living the gospel, it´s likely becuase i have lost focus, and have begun to les myself STRESS TOO MUCH about details that i can´t control. i have committed to focus more on what the LORD thinks of me and my efforts, and always do my best to love and serve him, and sincerely love those who he puts in my path
i want to live my life in the manner of the savior. i want to serve as he served, love as he loved, teach as he taught, have perfect hope as he did, endure trials without complaint, understand and do the will of the father....i want to follow his example, because the more i am like him, the more i can find happiness, bless others, and when the time comes to end this life, feel one day as enós describes:
26 And I saw that I must soon go down to my grave, having been wrought upon by the power of God that I must preach and prophesy unto this people, and declare the word according to the truth which is in Christ. And I have declared it in all my days, and have rejoiced in it above that of the world.
27 And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father.
i love this gospel, and i rejoice in being able to testify that the savior was born, that he lives, and continues to bless us every day. i want more than anything to live in peace in his presence after this life, and i KNOW that it is possible through this, and only this gospel, which has the authority to help me get there.
merry christmas, loved ones :) i hope that you all can feel the love that the savior has for each one of us personally.
hasta pronto!
hermana wright
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
December 10, 212
HIGHLIGHTS:
our investigator, fernanda, is getting baptized this sunday!! she´s already received all of the lessons, and is super excited for the day to finally come! she has a strong testimony of the book of mormon, and has been able to make connections to her personal life from what she reads. she says, "i try to put myself in the place of the person it´s talking about, and it makes it all the more real to me..." how awesome is that! she´s a really sweet, humble person, and i know she´s going to be a great addition to the branch
we have been focusing on miracles lately, and we`ve seen MANY this week! on wednesday every single one of our plans (and back-up plans) failed, and we were left a little confused as to what to do. we stopped for a moment on a street corner and thought about it, when all of a sudden it occurred to us to visit an investigador, silvia, who has had a baptisnal date before, but has been unable to meet with us because of her work schedule. we went to her house without calling or anything, and there she was! she`d asked her boss to be able to go home early because she was super tired, but was super happy to receive us all the same! we reassured her that all was well, and that she could still prepare to be baptized in the coming weeks, and she accepted! it was clearly a miracle that came after MUCH perseverance through trial, and through listening to the spirit. i`m so glad the lord loves us enough to try us and help us grow and depend more on him.
this week we were able to focus a lot on temples and the miracle of eternal families through faith and obedience (see moroni 7:26-29) i love the temple and the blessing to be able to be in the heavens with my family forever and ever. i love this gospel!
read (for the second time!) an excellent talk by elder uchtdorf called ¨the merciful obtain mercy" that i want to share with everyone, and i hope that you will all please read it! i learned about the need to forgive, and that the only way to truly achieve it is through the pure love of christ!
sorry i don`t have time for more! love you lots!
hermana wright :D
our investigator, fernanda, is getting baptized this sunday!! she´s already received all of the lessons, and is super excited for the day to finally come! she has a strong testimony of the book of mormon, and has been able to make connections to her personal life from what she reads. she says, "i try to put myself in the place of the person it´s talking about, and it makes it all the more real to me..." how awesome is that! she´s a really sweet, humble person, and i know she´s going to be a great addition to the branch
we have been focusing on miracles lately, and we`ve seen MANY this week! on wednesday every single one of our plans (and back-up plans) failed, and we were left a little confused as to what to do. we stopped for a moment on a street corner and thought about it, when all of a sudden it occurred to us to visit an investigador, silvia, who has had a baptisnal date before, but has been unable to meet with us because of her work schedule. we went to her house without calling or anything, and there she was! she`d asked her boss to be able to go home early because she was super tired, but was super happy to receive us all the same! we reassured her that all was well, and that she could still prepare to be baptized in the coming weeks, and she accepted! it was clearly a miracle that came after MUCH perseverance through trial, and through listening to the spirit. i`m so glad the lord loves us enough to try us and help us grow and depend more on him.
this week we were able to focus a lot on temples and the miracle of eternal families through faith and obedience (see moroni 7:26-29) i love the temple and the blessing to be able to be in the heavens with my family forever and ever. i love this gospel!
read (for the second time!) an excellent talk by elder uchtdorf called ¨the merciful obtain mercy" that i want to share with everyone, and i hope that you will all please read it! i learned about the need to forgive, and that the only way to truly achieve it is through the pure love of christ!
sorry i don`t have time for more! love you lots!
hermana wright :D
December 3, 2012
i feel like it´s been quite a long time since i´ve been able to write calmly and thoroughly about the goings-on of my week...and unfortunately this week will be no different. my comp and i are running behind schedule, so we had to cut our internet time short to be able to get to our first appointment on time...sorry to be so neglectful, loved-ones! the most important thing to know though is that i am happy. i truly love sharing the gospel with others. i love seeing the difference a smile or a relatively short conversation about the savior really can change someone´s day, and lead to even bigger changes further along. i love that the lord is changing ME. i love that i can literally say that i am a different person than who walked into the mtc that first day. i have learned too much to be able to express. and i don´t mean knowledge gained about the church, or the doctrine necessarily, but the kind of learning that come from experiences, that changes on one from the inside out. i´m hopeful that in these 5 months that i have left here as a missionary in chile that i´ll be able to change, through the process of repentance, into the daughter of a heavenly father that i came to earth to be. it´s an awesome process of self-discovery that only comes from submitting yourself to the lord, and letting him refine you in a way that only he can, into the person that he knows you can become. i love it. it hurts sometimes, but i am so grateful that he loves me enough to teach and change me.
also, great news: juan cisterna got baptized and confirmed yesterday! he was SO excited. he was talking all week about how he just wanted sunday to arrive already! the service itself turned out really well, and his mom and cousin were able to attend, and they loved it. we´re excited to be able to teach them more frequently as well. the next step for juan will be to receive the priesthood, but the elders already set an appointment to teach him this week, and he´ll have an appointment with the branch president to be able to receive it on sunday! i´m so excited for him, because i see how happy he is, and how sure he is of his decision. that´s what this work is all about!
we´ve also seen several miracles in the branch itself. the members are more warm in their interactions with us, the sister missionaries, and are more willing to help us overall. as we´ve made a concerted effort to serve and show our love for them, they´ve responded extremely well, and we are able to feel a lot of support. also, as we´ve visited less-actives, many have come back to church, and we are literally starting to fill the sacrament room! the attendance this week was 78, and only 6 weeks ago, it was 50! i´m loving the changes that we´re seeing, and i feel so blessed to be able to play a small part in it.
also, completely un-related, but in case you were wondering, the relief society is basically exactly the same here in chile. it makes me laugh every week. the president is a little chubby, and is the most warm, loving, sweet woman on the face of the earth. but she also has a bit of a mouth, and is good at spreading the word, if you know what i mean. we also have a little table with a tablecloth, and don´t worry, fresh flowers in a vase every week! it´s so great. i love that the church can be so similar anywhere you go, no importa the culture.
i can´t believe that i completed THIRTEEN MONTHS yesterday. i´m officially one of the "oldies" among the hermanas in the mission at this point. speaking of which, my trainer, hna miller, goes home this week! she´s in the mission office in concepción for a few days, but she´ll be in the states on wednesday! how quickly the time goes. i can´t believe it´s been almost a year since i got here in chile. i´m old.
also, i want to share with the world: i´m officially sorry for being so neglectful! i´ve recieved many lovely letters and awesome packages, and i haven´t been able to share my gratitude as i´d like to. honestly, my free time is about 1 hour a day, in which i need to write in my journal and tidy the house. on p-days, we have between 11:30 and 6 to get everything done that we need to, and it´s super hard. sorry for so many excuses, but i just wanted all to know that i truly appreciate the care and concern that you´ve shown for me, and i hope to be able to make time to respond personally. thanks for being so patient :)
bummer, out of time. i didn´t get a chance to load fotos today, but i´ll try next week.
lots of love,
hna wright
also, great news: juan cisterna got baptized and confirmed yesterday! he was SO excited. he was talking all week about how he just wanted sunday to arrive already! the service itself turned out really well, and his mom and cousin were able to attend, and they loved it. we´re excited to be able to teach them more frequently as well. the next step for juan will be to receive the priesthood, but the elders already set an appointment to teach him this week, and he´ll have an appointment with the branch president to be able to receive it on sunday! i´m so excited for him, because i see how happy he is, and how sure he is of his decision. that´s what this work is all about!
we´ve also seen several miracles in the branch itself. the members are more warm in their interactions with us, the sister missionaries, and are more willing to help us overall. as we´ve made a concerted effort to serve and show our love for them, they´ve responded extremely well, and we are able to feel a lot of support. also, as we´ve visited less-actives, many have come back to church, and we are literally starting to fill the sacrament room! the attendance this week was 78, and only 6 weeks ago, it was 50! i´m loving the changes that we´re seeing, and i feel so blessed to be able to play a small part in it.
also, completely un-related, but in case you were wondering, the relief society is basically exactly the same here in chile. it makes me laugh every week. the president is a little chubby, and is the most warm, loving, sweet woman on the face of the earth. but she also has a bit of a mouth, and is good at spreading the word, if you know what i mean. we also have a little table with a tablecloth, and don´t worry, fresh flowers in a vase every week! it´s so great. i love that the church can be so similar anywhere you go, no importa the culture.
i can´t believe that i completed THIRTEEN MONTHS yesterday. i´m officially one of the "oldies" among the hermanas in the mission at this point. speaking of which, my trainer, hna miller, goes home this week! she´s in the mission office in concepción for a few days, but she´ll be in the states on wednesday! how quickly the time goes. i can´t believe it´s been almost a year since i got here in chile. i´m old.
also, i want to share with the world: i´m officially sorry for being so neglectful! i´ve recieved many lovely letters and awesome packages, and i haven´t been able to share my gratitude as i´d like to. honestly, my free time is about 1 hour a day, in which i need to write in my journal and tidy the house. on p-days, we have between 11:30 and 6 to get everything done that we need to, and it´s super hard. sorry for so many excuses, but i just wanted all to know that i truly appreciate the care and concern that you´ve shown for me, and i hope to be able to make time to respond personally. thanks for being so patient :)
bummer, out of time. i didn´t get a chance to load fotos today, but i´ll try next week.
lots of love,
hna wright
November 26, 2012
well family and friends, once again i find myself with too little time to express all that has happened within the last week! but here´s the low-down:
on monday i bought 4 new skirts and a blouse for a total of 12 dollars...i love chile
i´ve been super sick (with a cold/sore throat/) for the last week, but it seems like i might finally be getting better!
our investigator, juan, is 100% sure that he wants to get baptized THIS SUNDAY!!! we are getting everything ready for the service, and are so grateful that he understands the importance, and is eager to make changes in his life, and become a member of the church of jesus-christ. super exciting.
news from the mission: it looks like i´ll be coming home two weeks earlier than planned...the assistants let us know that those in my group will now finish on may 7th instead of the 23rd. i´m not too happy about that. i would love for it to have just been a rumor, but unfortunately i think it´s true.
lesson learned:
Repentance is one of the first principles of the gospel and is essential to our temporal and eternal happiness. It is much more than just acknowledging wrongdoings. It is a change of mind and heart that gives us a fresh view about God, about ourselves, and about the world. It includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments.
repentance is the only way to make the changes necessary to enter the celestial kingdom and rest with god in the next life. it´s hard, but SUCH a blessing in my life. i love that he wants to help me be more like his son.
ugh, time´s up. i love you, and promise to write more next week (how many times now have i said that...i´m going to make it happen!)
hermana wright
on monday i bought 4 new skirts and a blouse for a total of 12 dollars...i love chile
i´ve been super sick (with a cold/sore throat/) for the last week, but it seems like i might finally be getting better!
our investigator, juan, is 100% sure that he wants to get baptized THIS SUNDAY!!! we are getting everything ready for the service, and are so grateful that he understands the importance, and is eager to make changes in his life, and become a member of the church of jesus-christ. super exciting.
news from the mission: it looks like i´ll be coming home two weeks earlier than planned...the assistants let us know that those in my group will now finish on may 7th instead of the 23rd. i´m not too happy about that. i would love for it to have just been a rumor, but unfortunately i think it´s true.
lesson learned:
Repentance is one of the first principles of the gospel and is essential to our temporal and eternal happiness. It is much more than just acknowledging wrongdoings. It is a change of mind and heart that gives us a fresh view about God, about ourselves, and about the world. It includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments.
repentance is the only way to make the changes necessary to enter the celestial kingdom and rest with god in the next life. it´s hard, but SUCH a blessing in my life. i love that he wants to help me be more like his son.
ugh, time´s up. i love you, and promise to write more next week (how many times now have i said that...i´m going to make it happen!)
hermana wright
November 19, 2012
noticias:
the family of our "mamita" is preparing to go to the temple! we´ve made several visits to help them, and it´s really been an incredible experience. it´s helped me remember that this gospel is about progression towards eternal life. i am not here simply to baptize people and make them members of my church...i am here to invite and help others live the teachings that christ has given us, which includes baptism as an essential step toward the ultimate goal: being able to live in the presence of god, to enjoy all of the eternal blessings that he has prepared for us.
one of our investigators, juan, that we´ve met with only 3 times, has committed to be baptized on dec. 2nd, because he understands this concept. he wants to live in the celestial kingdom. it has been such a joy to teach him. he even said, after teaching the plan of salvation, "so, don´t you think we (us as missionaries, and himself) could have known each other before this life? i think we were friends." it was one of the sweetest things i´ve ever heard. and i feel that it really is true.
presidente made a special trip throughout the mission to visit all of the zones for training. he reviewed what we´d learned from elder arnold, which basically has changed A TON what and how we do things here in the mission. next week hopefully i´ll have more time to explain. but basically it has to do with a focus on MEMBERS, and SERVICE.
my companion and i are starting weekly family history workshops in the chapel! the great part is, i don´t really know what i´m doing, becuase i haven´t used the new website much, but i´m figuring it out as i go along. the important part is, we´re getting the work started here in the district!
from my personal study:
quote from "the fourth missionary" - elder corbridge of the 70
"the purpose and central blessing of this life is change. it is to be changed to become more like jesus christ. it is to incorporate into your character the qualities of His character. it is to move from one degree of intelligence and capacity to the next, and from there to the next, until you see god face to face and know him as He knows you. (redemptive change) only happens if you unconditionally surrender your will to the lord."
i KNOW this is true. i love change, and i hope to be more like the savior every day as i hand my heart over to him. i´m hopeful you´ll all do the same, and feel the difference.
sending lots of love. thank you ALL for your letters (although i don´t always have time to answer...i´m giong to do better with that!), for your prayers, and for caring enough about me to read my ramblings every week :) LOVE YOU!
hermana wright :D
the family of our "mamita" is preparing to go to the temple! we´ve made several visits to help them, and it´s really been an incredible experience. it´s helped me remember that this gospel is about progression towards eternal life. i am not here simply to baptize people and make them members of my church...i am here to invite and help others live the teachings that christ has given us, which includes baptism as an essential step toward the ultimate goal: being able to live in the presence of god, to enjoy all of the eternal blessings that he has prepared for us.
one of our investigators, juan, that we´ve met with only 3 times, has committed to be baptized on dec. 2nd, because he understands this concept. he wants to live in the celestial kingdom. it has been such a joy to teach him. he even said, after teaching the plan of salvation, "so, don´t you think we (us as missionaries, and himself) could have known each other before this life? i think we were friends." it was one of the sweetest things i´ve ever heard. and i feel that it really is true.
presidente made a special trip throughout the mission to visit all of the zones for training. he reviewed what we´d learned from elder arnold, which basically has changed A TON what and how we do things here in the mission. next week hopefully i´ll have more time to explain. but basically it has to do with a focus on MEMBERS, and SERVICE.
my companion and i are starting weekly family history workshops in the chapel! the great part is, i don´t really know what i´m doing, becuase i haven´t used the new website much, but i´m figuring it out as i go along. the important part is, we´re getting the work started here in the district!
from my personal study:
quote from "the fourth missionary" - elder corbridge of the 70
"the purpose and central blessing of this life is change. it is to be changed to become more like jesus christ. it is to incorporate into your character the qualities of His character. it is to move from one degree of intelligence and capacity to the next, and from there to the next, until you see god face to face and know him as He knows you. (redemptive change) only happens if you unconditionally surrender your will to the lord."
i KNOW this is true. i love change, and i hope to be more like the savior every day as i hand my heart over to him. i´m hopeful you´ll all do the same, and feel the difference.
sending lots of love. thank you ALL for your letters (although i don´t always have time to answer...i´m giong to do better with that!), for your prayers, and for caring enough about me to read my ramblings every week :) LOVE YOU!
hermana wright :D
November 12, 2012
hello world. first of all, BIG NEWS:
MY COMPANION AND I HAD "EMERGENCY CAMBIOS!!!" don`t worry, it sounds a lot worse than it really is. basically all it means is that we had a change in the companionship before the actual date of changes. SO, my old companion, hna del castillo, is now 4 hours to the north in concepción, the previous sector of my NEw companion, hna rangel. the whole process was a little crazy, because we had a meeting with the zone wednesday morning, and right after, the assistants called and informed us that there would be a change in our companionship, immediately! we had to go to the house and pack her bags, and she was to get on a bus to the north as soon as possible. i couldn´t believe it! neither one os us was expecting it at all. of course, my comp was super sad, because she`d been there almost 6 months and wasn´t going to be able to say goodbye to anyone! but really there wasn´t much time to think about it because we had to get to the terminal to pick up my new companion. crazy! we went with the zone leaders to the terminal to send of hna del castillo, and came back to the sector right away. it all happened so fast that i´m still trying to figure out how it all happened! but my new companion is AWESOME, so the adjustment hasn´t been very difficult at all. she´s columbian, and has spent her whole mission (6 months) in the central and northern parts of the mission, meaning we´d never met before because i´ve always been here in the south! but she´s a lot like me in her way of thinking and her work ethic. she is super focused and has a very impressive testimony, and más encima loves to laugh and enjoy the mission. needless to say, we get along great. in these last few days together, we´ve seen so many miracles! a 17-yr old boy, juan, who we met a few weeks ago, has decided to be baptized, after talking to him twice! he loves the way he feels when he listens to the message we share, and he even came to church yesterday (alone!) and LOVED IT. he said it´s unlike any other church he´s attended, and loves that one can express themselves and interact and learn from others. he´s really sweet and sincere, and very receptive to the spirit. we´re really excited to keep teaching him.
other news from the week:
last monday i learned how to make bread in our mamita´s house! from scratch! like a real chilean! it was so fun. i´ll send pics next week.
on hna rangel´s second day here, we encountered a few surprises: as we were crossing a field, we found ourselves 3 feet from a huge dairy-cow, a giant slug on the sidewalk, the jaw of a large animal (most likely a cow), and a dog´s leg!!! just in the street...no big deal. welcome to the campo of chile...haha
a nice old lady gave us a dozen eggs, so i walked around a whole day with 12 eggs juggling around in my backpack...made it home safe and sound!
well, i´m out of time, but the scripture of the week, 3 nefi 11. i know that christ will come again, and that he wants us to be prepared, which is why he has given us his gospel. i know, from personal experience, that it is the only way to truly be happy. i love this gospel, and couldn´t be happier to be sharing it with everything here in chile.
un gran abrazo,
hermanita wright
MY COMPANION AND I HAD "EMERGENCY CAMBIOS!!!" don`t worry, it sounds a lot worse than it really is. basically all it means is that we had a change in the companionship before the actual date of changes. SO, my old companion, hna del castillo, is now 4 hours to the north in concepción, the previous sector of my NEw companion, hna rangel. the whole process was a little crazy, because we had a meeting with the zone wednesday morning, and right after, the assistants called and informed us that there would be a change in our companionship, immediately! we had to go to the house and pack her bags, and she was to get on a bus to the north as soon as possible. i couldn´t believe it! neither one os us was expecting it at all. of course, my comp was super sad, because she`d been there almost 6 months and wasn´t going to be able to say goodbye to anyone! but really there wasn´t much time to think about it because we had to get to the terminal to pick up my new companion. crazy! we went with the zone leaders to the terminal to send of hna del castillo, and came back to the sector right away. it all happened so fast that i´m still trying to figure out how it all happened! but my new companion is AWESOME, so the adjustment hasn´t been very difficult at all. she´s columbian, and has spent her whole mission (6 months) in the central and northern parts of the mission, meaning we´d never met before because i´ve always been here in the south! but she´s a lot like me in her way of thinking and her work ethic. she is super focused and has a very impressive testimony, and más encima loves to laugh and enjoy the mission. needless to say, we get along great. in these last few days together, we´ve seen so many miracles! a 17-yr old boy, juan, who we met a few weeks ago, has decided to be baptized, after talking to him twice! he loves the way he feels when he listens to the message we share, and he even came to church yesterday (alone!) and LOVED IT. he said it´s unlike any other church he´s attended, and loves that one can express themselves and interact and learn from others. he´s really sweet and sincere, and very receptive to the spirit. we´re really excited to keep teaching him.
other news from the week:
last monday i learned how to make bread in our mamita´s house! from scratch! like a real chilean! it was so fun. i´ll send pics next week.
on hna rangel´s second day here, we encountered a few surprises: as we were crossing a field, we found ourselves 3 feet from a huge dairy-cow, a giant slug on the sidewalk, the jaw of a large animal (most likely a cow), and a dog´s leg!!! just in the street...no big deal. welcome to the campo of chile...haha
a nice old lady gave us a dozen eggs, so i walked around a whole day with 12 eggs juggling around in my backpack...made it home safe and sound!
well, i´m out of time, but the scripture of the week, 3 nefi 11. i know that christ will come again, and that he wants us to be prepared, which is why he has given us his gospel. i know, from personal experience, that it is the only way to truly be happy. i love this gospel, and couldn´t be happier to be sharing it with everything here in chile.
un gran abrazo,
hermanita wright
November 5, 2012
wow, what a week. first of all, glad to know that maine still exists after the big storm! everyone was asking me if i was from new york, and when i told them that i was from the atlantic coast, they all started panicking and saying that i might not have a home to go back to. luckily, i know chileans and how they tend to exaggerate...and i also felt a calm reassurance that everything would be ok. glad to know that i was right, and that you are all safe and sound!
on thursday hna del castillo and i went to my old sector in temuco to spend the night, because we had a conference with elder arnold (of the 70/area president!) early friday morning.
on thursday night, i got to direct the choir practice...yep, i was asked to prepare the musical number for an apostle! it was pretty nerve-wracking. not to mention I SANG A SOLO!!! i never thought i would do something like that, but i had to do it...i HAD to overcome the fear. and i did it :) we sang "nearer, my god, to thee" in spanish, but i sang the first verse solo in english. it all turned out really pretty, and brought a great spirit to the meeting.
from the conference, more than anything i felt a great LOVE from my heavenly father. i had come to the conference with several issues that i was unsure of how to resolve. i had prayed to know if i was doing enough, and if the lord was pleased with my effort, and i received a resounding "YES". of course, i have a million things still to work on, and i learned a lot from e. arnold in ways that i can put into practice to improve, but god knew that, more than anything, i needed reassurance. and because he loves me, i was able to feel it.
in the days that followed, however, i was faced with the greatest trials that i have seen in my mission. i prayed and prayed and prayed for help, and did everything i knew how to try and resolve the situation.i felt alone. i felt rejected. i felt helpless. i felt weak. but of course, god had never left my side. i was reminded of the sacred experience of the prophet, joseph smith::
15 After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.
16 But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
as i ponder the experience of joseph, it calls my attention that his greatest trial came when he was being the most righteous - he was in the very act of praying to god to know which of all the churches was true, with a sincere desire to do the will of god. as he did so, he was surrounded by affliction, and attacked physically and mentally. next, it stands out to me that it was "in the very moment" when he thought he couldn´t take any more, in the moment of "great alarm" when he was ready to surrender completely to the enemy, it was THEN that the light of god rested upon him-it was until then that he was delivered, and received the glory of god the father and jesus christ.
i don`t mean to say that i went through an experience anywhere near as intense as the prophet, but rather that in reflecting on his experience, i was reminded of a powerful example of patience, perserverance, and faith. recently, when i was going through some of the darkest moments of my mission experience, even at the very moment of throwing in the towel because i´d done everything i was capable of doing, it was then that the lord made himself known to me, and answered my prayers, not because he´d been neglecting me before, but because i needed to learn. i needed to depend on him. i needed to be humble and accept the help of others. i needed to be vulnerable. and he gave me peace. he put others in my path to console and advise me. he filled my heart with sincere love and the ability to forgive. he changed my heart, and i found myself delivered.
i know from personal experience that, as it says in 2 nephi 26:15," the prayers of the faithful shall be heard" and as in joel 2:32, "whosever shall call on the name of the lord shall be delivered."
i am happy, hopeful, and prepared to face whatever comes along in the next (LAST!) 6 months of my mission. i know that whatever trial i am faced with will help me to be better prepared spiritually for when christ comes once again to the earth. i know that if i submit my will to the father and am obedient in all things, i will be able to have peace in the second coming and in his presence in the eternities: which is my greatest desire for not only myself, but every one that i meet.
i love you all, and hope that we can all trust that the lord is caring for us, and that he loves us individually and unconditionally.
hermana wright :)
on thursday hna del castillo and i went to my old sector in temuco to spend the night, because we had a conference with elder arnold (of the 70/area president!) early friday morning.
on thursday night, i got to direct the choir practice...yep, i was asked to prepare the musical number for an apostle! it was pretty nerve-wracking. not to mention I SANG A SOLO!!! i never thought i would do something like that, but i had to do it...i HAD to overcome the fear. and i did it :) we sang "nearer, my god, to thee" in spanish, but i sang the first verse solo in english. it all turned out really pretty, and brought a great spirit to the meeting.
from the conference, more than anything i felt a great LOVE from my heavenly father. i had come to the conference with several issues that i was unsure of how to resolve. i had prayed to know if i was doing enough, and if the lord was pleased with my effort, and i received a resounding "YES". of course, i have a million things still to work on, and i learned a lot from e. arnold in ways that i can put into practice to improve, but god knew that, more than anything, i needed reassurance. and because he loves me, i was able to feel it.
in the days that followed, however, i was faced with the greatest trials that i have seen in my mission. i prayed and prayed and prayed for help, and did everything i knew how to try and resolve the situation.i felt alone. i felt rejected. i felt helpless. i felt weak. but of course, god had never left my side. i was reminded of the sacred experience of the prophet, joseph smith::
15 After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.
16 But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
as i ponder the experience of joseph, it calls my attention that his greatest trial came when he was being the most righteous - he was in the very act of praying to god to know which of all the churches was true, with a sincere desire to do the will of god. as he did so, he was surrounded by affliction, and attacked physically and mentally. next, it stands out to me that it was "in the very moment" when he thought he couldn´t take any more, in the moment of "great alarm" when he was ready to surrender completely to the enemy, it was THEN that the light of god rested upon him-it was until then that he was delivered, and received the glory of god the father and jesus christ.
i don`t mean to say that i went through an experience anywhere near as intense as the prophet, but rather that in reflecting on his experience, i was reminded of a powerful example of patience, perserverance, and faith. recently, when i was going through some of the darkest moments of my mission experience, even at the very moment of throwing in the towel because i´d done everything i was capable of doing, it was then that the lord made himself known to me, and answered my prayers, not because he´d been neglecting me before, but because i needed to learn. i needed to depend on him. i needed to be humble and accept the help of others. i needed to be vulnerable. and he gave me peace. he put others in my path to console and advise me. he filled my heart with sincere love and the ability to forgive. he changed my heart, and i found myself delivered.
i know from personal experience that, as it says in 2 nephi 26:15," the prayers of the faithful shall be heard" and as in joel 2:32, "whosever shall call on the name of the lord shall be delivered."
i am happy, hopeful, and prepared to face whatever comes along in the next (LAST!) 6 months of my mission. i know that whatever trial i am faced with will help me to be better prepared spiritually for when christ comes once again to the earth. i know that if i submit my will to the father and am obedient in all things, i will be able to have peace in the second coming and in his presence in the eternities: which is my greatest desire for not only myself, but every one that i meet.
i love you all, and hope that we can all trust that the lord is caring for us, and that he loves us individually and unconditionally.
hermana wright :)
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