short letter...sorry friends, but it´s just how it works

Familia,

Are you guys reading Preach My Gospel like Elder Ballard asked us to read in General Conference? If so...what are you learning? If not...get going on it :)

I have learned a lot in these 7 months as a missionary. But one thing that I have learned is to really appreciate the repentance process. All growing up I heard the work "repentance" a million times. But when I was a little kid, it was more of a castigo or a word super intense. When I got older I realized that it wasn´t something super bad or super horrible. But only now on the mission am I really learning that repentance is simply another word for change. It´s a principle that I´ve learned to love. And I am still learning to love it. Because it means we have a chance to change, to become better, to learn and to grow, and to improve. I make so many mistakes, every day. But God has given me the chance to learn and grow and improve, por medio del proceso del arrepentimiento. And that´s something amazing. 

We went to the temple and it was amazing...as always. 

The truth is, not sure what else to say this week. 

Love,

Hermana Wright 

Hamburger meat and Ataco

Familia,

I had some complaints from the fans, and I had a little extra time Sunday night, so I wrote a longer letter. Not sure if it´s better quality, but it´s longer ha. Hope this suffices. 

First, I´ve been asked, how am I doing? As I often write about investigators and experiences and less about me. Well...overall I am doing really well. I am happy overall and I am doing my best to become the daughter and the missionary that God wants me to be and I´m working each day to get the most out of this mission. So I´m happy in general. In these moments right now, if I´m completely honest this change has been hard.  These last couple weeks especially have been a little rough on me to be honest, but I´m praying for strength and knowing that chances are we´ll have transfers in 3 weeks. 

Baptism of Bryan. Go team go. We´re working with his step dad Carlos now. His mom is a member that recently just became reactivated.

 This week I was gone in Ataco working with two companionships of Hermanas there. First, I was with Hermana Lucero and Hermana DeLeon on Tuesday. In general, sometimes these interchanges are just kinda blah. And lots of times I wonder if I´m helping anyone at all. But I just pray and try to do my best and follow the spirit and I know it will all work out. Other times, the interchanges are answers to my prayers and amazing. I guess you win some and lose some. Day one in Ataco was just kinda blah. But day two with the other hermanas was an answer to my prayers.

Around 8:40pm on Tuesday we went to visit a family that has some members that are menos activo (less active). We walked in and sure enough there was just a giant cow´s leg on the table and he was cutting up all the meat to sell. Totally normal, don´t even worry about it. There were another two legs behind him and there were about 6 people just hacking away at the meat. It smelled awful, but was quite the experience to watch them cut up this cow. It made me never want to eat meat. 

But that only lasted for about 15 minutes. Once we left I was craving a nice juicy hamburger. 

Then on Wednesday I was working with Hermana Garbett and Hermana Escobar. At one point they asked me if I was ever close to getting married at one point in my life ha...so that brought up the whole fact that I was engaged once. They wanted to hear the story so I gave them a very shortened version at night before we went to sleep. To quote Hermana Garbett: "You were engaged...and now 

you´re on a mission..." I just laughed. Yep. 

We also had a cita (appointment) with Diana (one of their investigators) and Elder Flores came with us to the cita with Diana to tell his conversion story because it is similar. He is a convert hace 2 anos (a convert of 2 years). He was in charge of a group of jovenes (young people) in his church before he met with the missionaries. He was the leader of these jovenes between 18 and 30 years old. And he said that he even told them lots of time, don´t go to the Mormon church and stuff like that. Well one day he went to church with a friend that invited him and after started meeting with the missionaries. Well within a few weeks he had prayed and received his answer that yes, this church was true. So sure enough he made the decision to get baptized even though he was a leader and in charge of these other jovenes from this other church. Well next thing you know he started inviting all of his friends to church and within the next year and a half 18 of those jovenes from the other church were baptized and joined the church. Yep, that´s right, 18 of them. And then they all started inviting their friends, and when Elder Flores started going to church it was a little branch. Well now the asistencia (attendance) reached over 300 people and they split it into two wards and it´s grown like crazy. A bunch of those kids are on missions like him and it seriously is the coolest story. He literally brought 18 young adults to the truthfulness of this restored gospel and the joy of this message. How cool is that? I was just amazed and it was neat to hear the story from him and see the joy and happiness as he told it. Legit.

This week we´re going to the temple! I´m stoked. Go team go.

Aside from that, not sure what else to say, except I love you lots. 

Thanks for everything familia. 

Love,

Hermana Wright 

Transportation in El Salvador. Classic!

A little more esperanza

Familia,

Story from last Monday..."we left our house today at 6pm to go down to El Espino, a colonia q ue queda un poco lejos (a colony that is a little far away). Well we  waited for the bus for almost 15 or 20 min. And finally it came and it was PACKED. Literally, there were people packed as close as possible until the door. Well that didn´t stop us, we HAD to be on that bus. So we jumped on. And when I say jumped on, I mean I put my feet on the low step that barely hung on and the guy who collects money grabbed on behind me. I was literally smashed up against a couple of Salvadorean men and hanging out of the bus. There were a couple people inside that grabbed my arm because I had nothing to hold onto, so that helped me stay inside. Ha. First, I haven´t been that close to a man in a while. Second, it was hilarious and I was laughing a lot. Third, it was a great adventure. It was quite the ride. Imagine, I´ve got both my feet on the lower step of the bus, I´m smashed up against a random Salvador man face to face, I have about 3 people grabbing my arm inside the bus to keep me from falling out, and I´m basically hanging out of the door of the bus, and then the best thing happened...Enya came on and started playing on the bus. It was perfect. And hilarious. And I just wish I had it all on film. But I think that´s what I´ve learned about life...some of the best memories and moments just never can get captured. You just have to enjoy them. And then write about them. And then read later to remember how awesome it was. 

This week I learned a lot about la esperanza (hope). And I´m in the process of repenting. I´d been studying a lot about faith and working on increasing my faith, but I think I forgot about hope. In preach my gospel it says esperanza (hope) is "una firme confianza en que el Senor cumplira las promesas que le ha hecho, y se manifiesta a traves de la tranquilidad, el optimismo, el entusiasmo y una perseverancia paciente." (A firm confidence that the Lord will fulfill the promises he has made, and it is evident through the calmness, the optimism, the enthusiasm and a patient perseverance). The past few weeks I´ve felt this huge stress and pressure. And the sad thing is I really let that stress and pressure affect me and make me not be myself this past few weeks. While I´ve had faith and been focusing on that, I forgot about la esperanza. Which as we all know we can´t have faith if we don´t have hope. I had an interchange that taught me this hope. That I need to have faith and diligence and work hard, and then I need to be positive, optimistic, and leave the rest up to the Lord. And I forgot that these last couple of weeks. But I got some good advice from my broski (thanks Nate) and this interchange really taught me a lot. And I´m feeling more like my positive, enthusiastic, optimistic self and ready to move forward and be better. Just a reminder...have hope.  

Sunday Skype when the sound
refused to work.  Frustration!

Thankfully we got to try again this
morning.  Monday was successful
although the sound was a little rocky, but
at least we had sound.  :)

It was great chatting to you familia. Sorry Nate and Trev that we couldn´t talk for longer and we only have a smidgen of time. But it still was super nice to at least see your faces and say hi for a bit. Thanks for your love and support and prayers. I have the best familia ever. 

Love your buns,

Hermana Wright

PS I didn´t take photos this week, so no fotos. But you got a video chat, so that´s better anyways.

A stroll in the park...

Familia,

It´s official, the rainy season has begun. And to be honest I´m pretty excited about it. Why? Because it means there are going to be a whole lot more adventures, it won´t be as hot when it´s raining, and who doesn´t love to play in the rain? My hair is going to be a lot more wild and frizzier...but what else is new? I never could tame the mane before anyways. 

Bautismo de Jovi

Rain & our new comp

Wednesday was changes. And while Hermana Dominguez and I didn´t have changes ourselves, we received a newbie. We are now training and in a trio. Her name is Hermana Ortiz, she´s from El Salvador and she´s waiting for her visa for her mission to Mexico, so she decided to start here while she could. She´s sweet, but walks super slow. So I´m trying to learn patience and love her ha. Cause sometimes it just seems like more of a stroll in the park for her. Silly silly. 

Last Monday we made pupusas with the familia Pimentel. It was my first time making pupusas. It was fun, and it did not seem that hard, but in the end after eating them, the pupusas weren´t that delicious. They were just okay. I think I need to practice my pupusa making skills so when I get home I can make delicious pupusas. That´s my new goal. 

This work is great. I´m more determined than ever to work like a crazy person this change to do everything I can to help others feel the power of this message. 

I love you guys a lot. I´ll talk to you in a week it seems like...kinda weird that Mother´s day is already here. I guess that´s why I don´t have much to say. Talk to you soon.

Love,

Hermana Wright

PS Nate, I will improve my letter writing next week. Thanks for the suggestions :)