Snail Mail-One of the stake presidents asked if I was staying healthy.

Dear Family,

Hey thanks for all the Christmas gifts adn the love you sent.  I've been wearing the PJ's and the ties.  We really had a good Christmas despite being away from home.  We went out and splurged some of that Christmas money on ties.  I'm sorry to say, I am the owner of 7 new good-looking ties.  I found a SWEET Black-Watch tie at Walmart that I know you would be proud of.  I gained 10 ties this Christmas season, a pretty good haul.  HeHe

I saw the Campbell's today (p-day)(the ones that live in Pacific Hills).  That was wierd.  They took pictures while we were standing outside Ross.  They'll have already gotten those to you, probably.

Jason Pye will be getting baptized REALLY soon.  His family found out he's investigating the church, so nothing's stopping him now.  A couple of other contactS seem like eternigators (they won't accept commitments or don't have permission to be baptized).  We are trying to work with both situations.

We've been walking a lot lately because of the lack of car and I've been exercising in the morning.  I'm not gaining any weight any time soon.  One of our stake presidents asked if I was staying healthy.  I laughed because I've never felt better.

15 minutes left of P-day and I have to go fold my laundry.  Cya.

Love, Elder Wright

We also had the chance to go down to the lights at Temple Square.

Hey everyone,

We had an awesome Christmas! A lot of the work slowed down Thursday and Friday, 
but we kept it up. We had lock-down Christmas eve night and watched a couple 
movies and played some volleyball. We have another one coming up new years eve. 
We also had the chance to go down to the lights at temple square Saturday night. 
It was insanely crowded but still cool. My email time is up this week but I'll 
send more next time. 

I Hope all is well.

love, Elder Wright

I'll be calling home on Christmas Day, at around 3.

Hey fam, 

One other thing, I'll be calling home on Christmas day, at around 3 or 
so. If i don't catch you at home i'll call one of your cell phones.

RDub

p.s. LOVE!!

I hope everyone has a Merrrry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas all!

ok, so uhhh. The temperature is getting a little warmer than last week, but it 
got all foggy and smoggy in the valley so it feels colder. It's wonderful. Also, 
Neither of us were transferred this week. Which is good I guess, because I can 
spend Christmas in an area that I know. downside. They took our car away. Bummer 
to the max. We're getting really good at walking and biking. We also did some 
tracting last week that actually turned up some good prospects for us. We had 
the opportunity to attend the Draper Temple last week, which was really nice. A 
couple of our investigators are getting really close to baptism. Jason Pye is 
determined to read the New Testament before he tells his family it's something 
he wants to do. He should have it all done before the New Year, then we can 
BAPTIZE him in January! score for the win. 

I think we're pretty well taken care 
of for the Holidays. We have several people's houses we're going over for 
Christmas and recent converts to go visit. We're also getting locked up for 
Christmas Eve night and we'll watch some movies or something. maybe play some 
v-ball. We probably will watch UP. score 2 for the win! We're going to try and 
keep teaching lessons this week even though everyone is super busy and probably 
don't want to see us. I've been away from home for over 4 months now!!! I dont 
know where all the time went. Anywho, It's a good week so far. I hope everyone 
has a Merrrry Christmas!!!

Love,

Elder Wright

I got the package you sent me!

Dear Family,

Hey, I got the package you sent me! Thanks so much!! I'll wait to open all the 
stuffs on Christmas. but I'll wear the scarf like every day this week. I'm 
sending a package home with some stuff in it that i don't need anymore.

Gratzi!!

I have never seen anyone so deathly afraid of the water.

Hey everyone,

It's freezing, and Elder Swanson's license expired. SOOOOOOO... we've been on foot all week. holy cow. I think it hit 7 degrees when we were walking home on thursday night. We surviving pretty well though. I think I had 6 or 7 layers on at one point. And one of our ward mission leaders bought us some cheap boots so we can walk around in the slush.
Transfers are this wednesday, so we think that i'll be transferred out of here. We're not entirely sure yet though. It's just a guess. I dont think I could take another 6 weeks with Elder Swanson though. (he's grumpy in the mornings) My fingers are crossed. I also want an area with sidewalks, because our area has practically none, and we are sometimes walking on semi-major streets. We are going to try and get Elder Swanson a Utah license so we can drive again. We'll see. It may only matter to me for 2 more days.

We had a baptism this Saturday for Cole Carlson. He's a quiet little 8 year old and his family is a little bit less active. Elder Swanson performed the baptism. I have never seen anyone so deathly afraid of the water. He was crying right after his interview because he didnt want to get into the font. It took his family an hour to convince him to get in the water. And when he got in he had a vice grip on Elder Swanson's arm. He was very relieved when it was all done. I had the opportunity to perform the confirmation afterward. I was a little nervous, but I think I did all right.

Work seems to be slowing down a lot this week but we're trying to teach a lot.

Love you all,

Elder Wright

P.s. when you send letters, they have to get to the mission office by saturday, for me to get them on monday because mail gets picked up from the mission office before the mailman delivers the mail.

The President commanded us to watch TV while we were there.

Hey all,

Not much new to report this week. All the days seem to be meshing together. It
has been spectacularly cold though. I haven't been able to feel my toes all
morning. We walk around with 5 or 6 layers on to keep warm. Work has definitely
slowed down during the holiday season, but we are still trying to keep busy. We
picked up a few new investigators, and we have a couple baptisms coming up in
the coming weeks. Transfers are coming up next week on Wednesday so I may or may
not still be around to see them.

I was asked yesterday to perform a baptism for Cole Carlson this Saturday, but I might let
Elder Swanson do it. He hasnt had a chance to personally baptize anyone during the
6 months he's been out. We'll see though.

Last Wednesday was Elder Swanson's birthday. We got a call from our Assistants
to the President that morning and they asked us if we could come to the hospital
for the morning and watch an elder that had gone through surgery. Elder Swanson
was a little disappointed that he would be spending half of his birthday cooped
up in a hospital room, but that all changed when the assistants told us that
president had commanded us to watch TV while we were there. It was a nice little
birthday present to watch some looney toons.

One of our investigators, Jason Pye, is completely ready to be baptized, but he
comes from a baptist family, and he cant find the courage to tell his family.
It's been a little rough the past couple of weeks for us and for him. He knows
exactly what he needs to do and we as missionaries are trying to keep him
progressing, but we're running out of commitments to give him. We hope he will
take the step soon, and we have been praying for him continually.

Love you all,

Elder Wright

PS Thanks for the Recipe(s) I'll use it soon!

PSS I dont need much for Christmas. maybe just some ties and some nice walking
in-soles (size 10 1/2)

PSSS We have lots of Christmas parties, one of which was Nauvoo themed. PICTURE!

All I know how to make is Egg Sandwiches and Fried Rice

Dear Family,

I got the package right after I emailed. Thanks for all the food. Send more cookable food and recipes. I'm starting to cook more, but all I know how to make is egg sandwiches and fried rice. Those are starting to get a little old. Send some recipes for like pasta sauces or something. I know this is weird but I don't have time for snacks throughout the day, but I need some good meals throughout.

Tell Ken I'm so glad he decided to be baptized. It's investigators like him that we love. We also had the same problem at Kinsey's baptism with the water level. It went alright. We're just working now to get the rest of her family active.

If you could send me Glenn's mission address and email address that would be really awesome.

Tell Ricey not to freak out. Driving is awesom but don't DIE! And tell Remster to keep practicing trombone and piano. I practice a little every P-day and I wish I could just play a few hymns.

I spoke in sacrament meeting yesterday and I actually went OVER time. That was weird.

It's also starting to get chilly around here. It's not getting above 50 at all. I'll be sending home a package next week of a bunch of stuff that I won't ever use again on my mission. I keep collecting random stuff and I have to keep my posessions low because I have to fit it all into my suitcases.

Love Elder Mijo

God works in mysterious ways.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Ok, this week was kinda slow because of turkey day and the BYU-Utah game. We 
didn't have many lessons because a whole bunch of our investigators were out of 
town, and the rest really didn't want to talk to us anyway. We did find 3 new 
investigators this week which was a big bonus for us. All three are 8 years old, 
and they should be baptized in a couple months at least.

Our district decided to spice things up on Thanksgiving by having a pie eating 
contest throughout the whole day. We had two dinners (bleh) and then we ate as 
much pie as possible on top of that whenever we were offered any (BLAH!!). Our 
companionship hit 21 pieces by the end of the day. I will never eat another 
piece of pumpkin or key lime pie ever again. I wanted to die. 

On a more spiritual note, We were going by one of our referrals on Saturday, and 
they weren't home, but when we got there a guy drove by and told us to go to his 
friends house next door. We went by and talked to him for a little bit and he 
said he would be interested in taking the missionary lessons. It was really cool 
to see that even though we couldn't get a hold of the person we came for, someone 
else was put in our path. God works in mysterious ways. We as a companionship 
are working on our faith to find and teach, and we are praying each day for our 
investigators.

I'm enjoying every minute of my mission (besides the pie). I miss you all and I 
hope to hear from you soon.

With Love,
Elder Wright

The Reward for Obedience is Faith

Hey all,

This week was pretty awesome! We had a baptism on Tuesday for Kinsey Anderson.

She was the first investigator I've had the opportunity to teach from start to finish.

She is really smart and I know that she will stay a strong member of the church. We also had Zone Conference this past weekend and I learned a whole bunch from President Laney. The quote he used was "The reward for Obedience is Faith" We are striving to be be obedient to all the commandments that have been given us as missionaries, and as members of the church. WE must apply a principle, by taking those leaps of faith, before we gain a testimony of the power of obedience. We also had some in-depth discussions about Agency, and how we have the ability to choose right from wrong, and how there must be opposition in all things. We are still working with all of our investigators to get them to church, but some of them seem to be fighting against it. We think one of our investigators, Maryann Hanson, has had some anti-Mormon influence in the past, so she is scared to even step foot inside of a church building. Jason Pye though, is our golden contact right now. I'm sending a few pictures. We found a member with a leg lamp. We couldn't help ourselves from taking pictures. I'm getting along with Elder Swanson alright. I don't think I could take 3 months though. I'm crossing my fingers for next transfer.

Love,Elder Wright!

Winter has officially arrived.

Hey everyone,
The work is going as usual around here. On Saturday we decided to walk to save driving miles. We were going about the usual business when, at about 11:30, a blizzard hit us while we were on the opposite side of our area. We continued walking until about 3 inches of snow was on the ground before we were finally able to teach a lesson. Winter has officially arrived. We plan to do lots of snow shoveling for the coming weeks as part of our service. 

We also have a baptism tomorrow for Kinsey Williams. This will be my first baptism that I have seen start to finish, and I'm way excited for it. We also have a 40 day fast going on in both of our stakes right now. One family in each stake takes a day to fast for missionary work, and think about potential investigators for us to teach. Not much has come out of it yet, but we believe our efforts, and the efforts of the members will pay off in the long run. 


We are working our hardest to gain the confidence and support of the members in our area. Other than that, not much to report for this week.
Love,
Elder Wright

I spent mine (Halloween) cooped up.....watching G-rated movies.

Dear Familia,

My email home didn't go through again.  I don't think the email system likes me very much.  I'll try to do my best in a snail mail.  It's sounding like you guys are having a blast with the Halloween Holiday.  Mine wasn't nearly as fun.  I spent mine all cooped up in a Stake Center watching G-rated movies.  And, playing volleyball, that was way worth it.

Tell Remy I want to hear his trombone skills when I get back and I want Ricey to show me how to play tennis.

We had a really good week; we taught a lot of lessons but not so many people showed up to church.  That seems to be our theme here.  One of our new investigators, Jason Pye, is progressing really fast.  He has been going to church for 4 months and has read the whole Book of Mormon.  He just has to get a testimony of Joseph Smith and then he said he would be baptized.  He's going to see the Joseph Smith movie at Temple Square tonight.  One of our other investigators, Kinsey Williams is ready to be baptized on November 17th.  He mom just gave permission for her to get baptized and we're way excited.  

Some other investigators are moving a little slower.  Zach & Colby Pike are some boys whose parents aren't very responsible themselves, so we're struggling to get them to church on a regular basis.  Fortunately, the ward is more than happy to help out whenever possible.  Majerle Morgan is a 12 year-old who has wanted to get baptized for a couple months now, but her dad wants her to wait until she's older.  Her testimony though is A LOT stronger than anyone else her age and stronger than all of the less-active folk that we talk to.  It really amazes me to see so many people admit that they are less-active, but then say they still have a testimony, but do nothing about it.

We also have an investigator, Craig, who is living with his less-active girlfriend.  He said he wanted to be baptized, but he has to move out first or get married.  The only problem is his girlfriend doesn't want to make nay sort of commitment and neither are going to move out.  So,it's just at a dead standstill.  Those are our main investigators right now.  We're hoping to pick up some more this next week, but we'll see.

Elder Crowder was transferred Wednesday.  He's a Zone Leader in Sandy now, which leaves me and Elder Swanson here in Cottonwood.  I think my companion is excited to finally be in a leadership position (senior companion), but I won't let it go to his head.

I'm doing my best and I'm working hard.  I hope everything is going well at home.

Love, Elder Wright

P.S.  I'm totally making fried rice this week!  It's going to be delicious!

P.S.S.  Thanks for the stamps and the cards too! 

We totally exceeded our goal for how many lessons we taught.

HOLA!

I cant seem to keep track of the weeks here. They are just flying by. This week we totally exceeded our goal for how many lessons we taught. It was crazy because they all seemed to pop up at the last minute without warning. We also picked up a new investigator who has been going to church for 4 months and has already read the book of mormon cover to cover. He doesnt want to accept a baptisimal date yet, but he knows he will be baptized sooner or later. He just has to get past some family issues first.

We had some pretty dismal church attendance though. Halloween parties kept people up late so they didnt get up in time for church, and one of investigators sprained her ankle on the way to church. I may or may not be in this area next week because of transfers, but we'll see. Maybe President Laney will have mercy upon me and leave me here so I can actually stay in an area for more than 4 weeks. On the other hand, I do like moving around a lot, because I get to see how other missionaries work and what is effective (and ineffective).

It got really chilly last week, and we were walking around a lot all bundled up in scarves and sweaters. We had missionary lockdown for halloween and we all got put in our zone buildings for the night. Apparently, people dress up as missionaries on halloween and do stupid stuff, so they lock us up so we are all accounted for. We got to watch a few movies, like Monsters vs. Aliens, and Rocketman. For comedy deprived missionaries like us, it was amazing. We also got to play a little bit of volleyball without nets :( and frisbee. It was a nice break for us all.

Thanks for sending the gloves, they are going to good use. Please send pictures of what's going on at home!

Love,
Elder Wright

Snail Mail-I'm hoping the "weak things become strong" thing kicks in....

10/26/09

Dear Family,

Hey, I included most of my life and the goings on around here in the email. My companions are running out of money so I've been spotting them a few bucks here and there.

We also spoke at sacrament meeting yesterday. I like took 5 minutes and the other two took 15 minutes each. It was fun....I still don't like speaking.

I'm hoping that "weak things become strong" thing kicks in here soon. I also picked up a bike on the side of the house that some missionary left behind and got it fixed up for free by a bike shop. Then I got a helmet from a stake centers lost and found. So, we're saving driving miles by biking. It's cool, at least until the snow hits.

Don't miss me too much. ha ha.

Love, Elder Wright

As we love the people around us, their hearts will be softened...

Hey Everyone,

This week has been a little rough on us. We've been working hard but it seems like everyones appointments are falling through all over the place, and everybody that said they were coming to church, didnt come to church. We've been trying to find meaningful things to do with our time.

I think we're going to resort to doing service for less active members in the afternoon, and visit investigators and referrals in the evenings. My companions have been together for a while and I have to do whatever I can to stop them from bickering like a married couple. I think they will get split up during transfers next week but I'm not sure if I'll be staying or going.

Our landlord is also a little bit annoying. I think he sees us more as his children than missionaries, because he keeps giving us new rules to live by every day. We try to pretend like we arent there so he cant give us more chores to do around the house.

We also had an exchange with Elder Epps in our District and I learned so much from him. He is definitely a veteran missionary. He taught us about sacrifice and Christlike love. As we give more and more, Heavenly Father blesses for our sacrifice, and as we love the people around us, their hearts will be softened towards our message. That was the brief summary of what he taught us. I'm trying to apply it as best I can so I can be a better missionary.

Love, Elder Wright

An Email from President Laney

THE CHURCH OF

JESUS CHRIST

OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

Utah Salt Lake City South Mission

8060 South 615 East

Sandy, Utah 84070

October 22, 2009

Dear Brother and Sister Wright,

What a pleasure it is to have your son, Elder Rudy Wright, serving with us in the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission while he waits for his visa to clear so he can report to the India Bangalore Mission. I hope you enjoy the attached picture of Elder Wright and me.

He is happy and in good spirits and we look forward to getting to know him as he serves in our mission. We will be happy to have him here as long as is necessary.

May the Lord’s choicest blessings be yours.

Sincerely,

G. Steven Laney

Mission President

Snail Mail Rec'd 10/23/09-We were definitely humbled this past week...

10/19/09

Hey Family,

I totally had this sweet email written and then when I tried to send it, it got deleted and then I was out of time. I hope this will be good enough.

We had a couple of rough days last week. We got a little prideful after we picked up 4 new investigators in one week. We were definitely humbled this past week after all of our appointments started to fall through and people didn't come to church. All of our investigators that had baptismal dates fell off date, one even came down with the swine flu. It just goes to show how much our faith and reliance on Heavenly Father determines how much success we are given. Faith was definitely what we worked on most this week. We are also working on keeping up our study and diligence. We've slacked off a bit in those areas, be I know that if we pick it up and use all of our time effectively then we will be even more blessed for our work.

We did a lot of service this week for an inactive sister in the area. We helped her move to a smaller home in a basement of a member's house. It was a little frustrating when we were helping her and all her friends that showed up to help us were all drunk and decided to stand around to watch each other spin a basketball. Fortunately, they weren't there the second day. Since we helped so much, the sister has agreed to let us teach her two unbaptized daughters. Score!
That's all I got for this week. The time is flying by.

Love, Elder Wright

Snail Mail Rec'd 10/17/09-The Mission is Teaching me Lots

Hey Family,
Not much to report on this week besides the normal stuff in the email. I learned how to solve a Rubik's cube from my companions. I got my own today. he he. The mission is teaching me lots. Tell Remy I can't tell Aunt Susan to send the trombone. Pops, I expect the backyard to be finished when I get back. Thanks for sending my patriarchal blessing. And for the snowflake. Got to go!

Love, Elder Wright

We picked up 4 investigators this week.

Hey Everyone,

This week was really great. We had Zone Conference and had some great training 
from president Laney and the assistants. After October General Conference we're 
required to wear suit coats all the time. I picked up this awesome three piece 
suit from the mission office that surprisingly fits really well. It isn't 
entirely mission appropriate because it's gray, but my other one is getting 
cleaned my a member of the ward so I get to wear the new one for a couple of 
days. Bell-bottoms though ha ha.

We're moving out of our apartment this week. The one we're in right now is a 
little run down. We literally have a 10x10in. kitchen sink and a toilet that 
overflows for no apparent reason. We're moving into a house in the area that is a 
little better equipped for us. We'll be sharing the kitchen with the homeowner 
though, but that's alright. We get a DISHWASHER!!!

One of the people I was teaching down in Draper was baptized this week. Danielle 
Harmon. She's 14 and has been attending church for a couple years and attending 
seminary and everything, but her parents weren't willing to let her be baptized. 
I got to go down for the baptism on Saturday after we had a baptism here in this 
area. 

As for the work, It's going alright. We picked up 4 investigators this week, 
which was really great. Some of our investigators are looking great, and others, 
not so much. Parents get in the way A LOT. A lot of people have fallen into the trap of only believing the Bible 
to be scripture. They cant wrap their mind around more than one testament of 
Christ. We also have some trouble with getting our Investigators to Church. They 
have lots of fellowship and people going by Sunday mornings to get them to 
Church but some just cant make the commitment.

We also spoke at church again yesterday in one of the wards. My companion Elder 
Swanson wasn't really aware of the clock and went 15 minutes overtime. There are 
a lot of nearly dead/newly wed wards up here. The youth is a little nonexistent 
in this area. We also got fed lasagna 3 nights in a row. gah. not. cool. One of 
the guys in my district in the MTC lives in this area and I'm gunna try and stop 
by to say Hi. Some of the houses in this area are GINORMOUS! I think our house 
could fit in some of the garages. Also, the ward mission leaders house. it's 
insane. there are like marble walls, and stone crown molding, and life sized 
marble statues. We're planning to ask for a tour some time. It's crazy awesome.

I hope you're enjoying life at home.

Love,
Elder Wright

Snail Mail Rec'd 10/10/09-Missionary work is a million percent more effective when the members get involved.

10/5/09

Dear Family,

I'm working hard. I have to adjust all over again to a new area here in Cottonwood, but I'm up to it. I pretty much asked President Laney to be transferred in a round about way and he moved me. We don't have quite the luxury as we had in Draper, like a racquetball court and two bathrooms, but I like it.

We went tracting two days ago. Totally pointless in Utah. One guy just told us to leave because he didn't want to hear it. Missionary work is like a million percent more effective when the members get involved. Also Ward Mission Leaders need to be active because if they aren't, all relation between the ward and the missionaries die.

I got both letters you sent. I think the first got mixed up in all my transfers, but it's all settled now.

Send some gloves, maybe mittens, and thermals. Those black ones that I used for skiing were pretty good. I got a good coat from the mission office so I'm good there. Peace out.

Love, Elder Wright

I'm glad I could learn from them, especially patience and anger management.

10/5/09

Dear Madre,

A lot happened this week, I spent the middle of the week on temporary transfer to Sandy, with Elder Patterson. (Granite and Granite South Stakes) Then I was on companion exchange for a day and served in the Midvale south stake. And THEN when I was supposed to get transferred back to Draper, I pretty much asked if I could stay in Sandy. They told me no, but they did switch me. I'm now serving in Cottonwood with Elder Crowder and Elder Swanson. They are much more chill than my previous companions in Draper. I think President Laney knew he stuck me with some hard companions and he'd figured I had suffered long enough. It was all a good experience though, and I'm glad I could learn from them, especially patience, and anger management. They also taught me obedience to the extreme. Elder Manjarrez would yell at me if I got to bed at 10:31...

Anywho, after all that, I'm serving here in Cottonwood. It's getting way chilly and it snowed a little bit last week while we were walking to the stake center. I'm starting to buckle down for the snow. Of course, it rained on General Conference weekend. I really enjoyed President Uchtdorf's address on Christlike love, and I went to the Sunday afternoon session and heard Elder Holland's pulpit pounding talk on the Book of Mormon. That was really cool. I was about 20 feet from all of the apostles! Missionaries got really good seats. We recieved 3 new investigators this weekend, all with baptisimal dates for the 24th. Anyway, I'm outta time.

Love, Elder Wright

Snail Mail Rec'd 10/3/09-They make fun of me for getting a water...

9/28/09

Dear Family,

Mail was exceptionally snailish this week. I didn't get any this week because I got switched over to another zone. I don't think I'll be here for very long, but I wish I could stay for at least one transfer. The area is a lot smaller so we can actually get stuff done when we have to walk. We went to 4 Fast and Testimony meetings, Wooooooo....

I'm trying not to spend money, but Elders Lugo and Manjarrez like to go to Applebee's and....it isn't cheap. They make fun of me for getting a water and half a salad. And, I make fun of them for spending 20 dollars a piece. I'm trying to be frugal. I get another check probably Thursday or Friday so don't be alarmed if my account is looking a little low.

Pops, I got some active culture yogurt today, but it's not a cheap little venture. I'll try to keep eating it, but it's not that good either....I'm also keeping my journal daily which is tough with so much to do before bed, ie, flossing, mouthwash, athlete's foot treatment etc, etc.

All the bishops know I'm somewhat new because my shirts are still crisp. I had Chinese food today. Utah Chinese food is disappointing. Hot and Sour soup was pretty much Sweet and Sour. I practically live off the Jimmy Dean B-fast sandwiches. So good. I made eggs this morning. And, I got a bunch of scripture study supplies. Life is good.

Love, Elder Wright

(On outside of envelope: P.S. It's snowing 9/30)

This week was pretty cooooooool.

9/21/09

Hey Madre!

This week was pretty coooooool. I dont remember a lot of it... It's all becoming the same to me. We have 7 Investigators though, they all have baptismal dates for october, which I hope I can see some of them. It looks like I'll be in SLCS for a while though. I dont think many elders are getting into India right now. The last two sets of missionaries going to India have been waiting for a couple months now and I'm not sure if any are getting in at all. They told us to prepare for Christmas in Utah. At least I get a white christmas though haha. On Halloween we have lockdown, and our zone gets to watch movies cause there isnt much productivity that night. Same for Christmas. I also get to go to Conference next week, which is way sweet.

I'm on a temporary transfer right now with Elder Patterson. His companion was getting really sick so I'm replacing him until he gets better. We're in Sandy, and Elder Patterson has only been here 4 days so we are both trying to figure out what is going on in the area. We stopped by some Bishops and Ward Mission Leaders yesterday to try and figure out what we can do in the mean time. I feel that once I finally get used to the area I'll get moved back to Draper. It's a little pointless to get to know any of the members or investigators here when I'll be gone in a week. Elder Patterson is really cool though. I dont want to say he is better than my other companions, but uhhhh... he's a lot better than my other companions. He doesnt treat me like an idiot and actually answers questions I might have. I also get to sit in the front seat of the car! That's probably the best part of the whole thing. ok, maybe not, but i definitely like companionships a lot more than tricompanionships.

Love,Elder Wright

PS I think your snail mail got lost or delayed or my Zone leaders forgot to pick it up because I didnt get any. Peace.

Snail Mail Rec'd 9/25/09-I'm getting better at tying a double windsor knot

Dear Family,

I have like zero time this P-day. I got most of this week in the email. I'm also sending pictures. I hope you like the red-tailed boa pictures. That's as close as I've decided to be to one.

Tell Remy he can play the trombone if he can get it from (aunt) Susan and takes good care of it. Let me know if he actually starts playing it and I'll tell you how to take care of it. It might be a little big for him....I'm getting better at tying a double windsor knot. I don't think I told you but my stopwatch magically started working during the MTC, but I still haven't had anything to use it for yet, ha ha. Keepin busy.

Love, Elder Wright

my bed

Whenever BYU or U of U play, nobody answers their doors.

9/21/09

I've been here three weeks now. We had our first babtism on Thursday, Joshua Edge, he was 9 years old and we reactivated his family in the process. We have several babtisms in a row coming up in October. It's Elder Manjarrezs' last transfer, so it'll be a good way to go out, with 4 or 5 babtisms. Sometimes we watch some of the LDS movies like the Testaments for lessons, and I'm starting to be able to quote them pretty well after watching them only a ferw times.

I guess one of the hardest things about this mission, is college football season. It's riduculous. Whenever BYU or University of Utah play, nobody answers their doors and everyone cancels their appointments with us. When BYU beat Oklahoma state, it seemed like everyone thought the missionaries needed to know. People would be driving by as we were tracting and stop to tell us. We dont really tract though, we have maps of all the neighborhoods and we know who is and who isnt a member.

It's tough on Sundays to try and get to as many of the wards as possible and check up to see if our Investigators are attending Church. about 6 or 7 people this last week said they were going to church, but only 2 did, so we have to push back some of their babtisimal dates until they can come a few times.

On friday we were driving to our dinner appointment and we saw some horses just kinda eating some weeds in someone's front yard, and we decided to help that family round them up. They turned out to be stubborn mules and it took us about half and hour to even get a hold of them and another 15 minutes trying to get them to go in their enclosure. One of them almost dragged elder Manjarrez through a bush, and he lost his nametag which we had to go back and find later. That was our good deed of the day.

It's interesting to see how families play such an important role in the Gospel. Whenever we teach peopel with strong family values, it seems so much easier for them to accept the message we have.The investigators that come from part member families and split homes struggle so much to understand how much our Heavenly Father love us. We are teaching a few 11 year olds, and their parents arent very willing helping us very much, even though their kids want to learn more and come to church. It's definitely a struggle for us to get the parents on board. We're working as hard as we can though, they'll come to eventually.

I'm starting to understand how everything interrealates in the gospel, and the different steps we have to take to come back to the presence of our Heavenly Father. It never really clicked before, but as I study it is beginning to help me understand more and more. As I have been learning, I can feel the Spirit work within me to help me teach our investigators. At first I would rush through and lesson or discussion, but my compnaions are helping me to slow it down and make sure I cover each principle of the lesson. Elder Manjarrez is definitely the best teacher of the three of us and I hope I can teach like he does by the time I leave my mission.

Transfers is this week, and there is a chance I could get moved out of the area, or either of my companions. I would hate to get moved to another area because I just started to get to know the people and the area. I could handle one of my companions getting transferred though... I wont say any names, but I can only handle so much. Tricompanionships are just awkward, and sometiems it's a lot of people to be teaching just one person.

Till next time, Elder Wright

Snail Mail Received 9/19/09-I'm still on the floor, but it's alright.

9/14/09
Dear Family,

This week went WAY quicker than last week. My email I sent covers most of the eventful stuff that happened. I'll just answer some of your questions. We live in South Jordan, bur right on the other side of I-15 is Draper. I'm feeling better now. Last weekend was the pits though. We spent 3 hours in our tiny little basement kitchen for weekly planning and I think my system just couldn't handle it. My first night here we had that double dinner and some desserts just because people wanted to feed us. We also got doubled up for dinner this last Friday. That's really rough especially when the first meal is really good and the second one is straight up terrible.

I'll try to send more pix home, but I don't get a lot of opportunities. I don't think my companions would be very willing to take pictures of me every 5 seconds. I get $128 a month, for whatever. I need to be a little more frugal. I'll get the the next half this week. I shouldn't be needing any extra if I spend it right. I'm still on the floor, but it's alright. I'm sleeping fine. We play racquetball occasionally, but not a whole lot. We're getting kicked out of here in a month so we are asking the stakes for a new place to live. Good job on surfing, ha ha. What choice timing too, at the end of the summer, right at the start of school, ha ha.

Love, Elder Wright

"We have lots of work to do."

I've been in the Mission field exactly 2 weeks now. We have lots of work to do.
Thursday we did some service for an older couple near our house. We originally
planned to wash their windows but we ended up putting some stepping stones in
behind their house. I put those wonderful shovel skills I learned over the
summer to the test. They fed us lunch after wards, which we later regretted. The
grape juice did all of us wonders. On Friday we had 5 lesson appointments set
up, but 2 of them didn't show up and 1 cancelled. Then we had 0 appointments
Saturday so we tried contacting less active members. It was really funny when we
would see people walk into their house after they had seen us coming down the
street, and then nobody would answer the door when we rang the doorbell. I think
that happened 3 times that day. We also have some primary aged investigators,
but it's difficult to get them to church when their parents wont go themselves.
Our hard work paid off though, when we got a really sweet referral Sunday.
Pretty much, this lady has read the book of Mormon, wants the lessons and wants
to be baptized. It's really cool when they just come in like that. All three of
us spoke at one of the wards yesterday. I was given about a 2 hour notice of our
assignment, but I think I did a pretty good job for a talk prepared on a sticky
note. We have one baptism coming up this Thursday and possibly two next week. I
seriously think the hardest part about this mission is remembering everyone's
name; less actives, recent converts , investigators, bishops, ward mission
leaders... I'm keeping up though. My favorite part of my day is my personal
study. An hour a day is not enough time for me to get in all the stuff I want to
study. I hope my visa comes soon, but I also hope that I get to stick around for
some of these baptisms.

Love
Elder Wright

Snail Mail Letter-Received 9/11/09

September 7, 2009
Dear Family,

I'm not sure if the emails are going through, which is a little frustrating, but I'll try to keep in touh as much as possible. I'm slowly getting into the groove of missionary work. We cover the south end of Draper, right on the border of the Provo Mission. We cover 2 of 117 stakes within the mission, the Riverview and Mountain Point stakes, 16 wards in total, and it's really hard to keep track of all the bishops and ward mission leaders. They feed us lots of referrals though, which is really nice. 85% of the baptisms in the mission are member and media referrals which really shows that if members can find the people to teach, the missionaries don't have to waste their time trying to find. We have teaching appointments every evening along with visits to less active members and re-activated memebers. We aren't doing much tracting cause it's a little pointless when half the neighborhood is already members. We go all the way across the valley to the Jordan temple on Tuesdays. I also got way sick on Friday and puked several times, including at a members house. Elder Manjarrez got sick Saturday, and made good use of that Immodium medicine. Elder Lugo is still feeling some of the effects of it.

Food is also real nice in the valley. The members feed us all dinners. And there are lots of discounts at certain places for missionaries. Gandolfos is FREE and Jamba Juice is 50% off for missionaries. I'm so happy. A member fed us the most legit Italian food I've ever had last night. Oh, and the dry cleaners is free too. The pictures I'm sending are all of the MTC, I haven't taken any of the Salt Lake Valley yet... I'm outta time this p-day. Stay tuned next time for the next episode of Rudy's Mission.

Love, Elder Wright

A beautiful day in front of the Provo temple.

2nd Week in the Mission Field-We have Dinner Appts. Every Night

Now for this week

I'm going strong. We have lots to do and are keeping very busy. We serve the River View stake and Mountain Point stake, the most southern area of the mission bordering the Provo Mission. We get almost all of our contacts from members and media referrals. We have 6 baptisms coming up in the next month and a half, and we also teach some less active members and a few 8 year olds. I'm still not a very good teacher. Elder Manjarrez has been out 22 months and he has lots of great analogies. I also suspect he doesn't like me very much, but we get along alright. Elder Lugo is quiet and get the job done. I got a pretty bad Flu bug on Friday, which put me out of commission for all of friday evening, and then Elder Manjarrez caught it Saturday and Elder Lugo caught it Sunday, which definitely slowed us down. Over all it was a pretty 'sick' weekend... I can also see how missionaries can gain weight in this mission. We have dinner appointments every night, and lots of food places in the valley serve missionaries for free. Monday night we had two dinner appointments and three desserts. That was my very first evening in the mission field. We go to the Jordan temple on Tuesdays even though the Draper Temple is right up the street from our apartment. I attached one picture of me and riley at the MTC but I'm sending the rest home in a letter. Got to go. Dont miss me too much.

Love Elder Wright

(Cousin) Elder Riley (Harper) and I pointing to our respective missions on the

world map in the MTC. Elder Harper has been called to serve in the

Chile Concepcion South Mission.

First Day in the Mission Field-Augst 31, 2009

Hey Mom,
Apparently my email didnt go through last week. Sorry if it seemed like i 
dropped off the face of the earth. The email system seems a little buggy. I'll 
just copy and paste it in. 

It's my first day in the Mission Field. P-day haha.I said goodbye to my district 
this morning and we were dropped off at the mission office. We met the mission 
president and met our companions. I'm with two other spanish/english speaking 
missionaries until the visa comes. Elder Lugo and Elder Manjarrez both from 
Texas. I'm still not quite settled in and I feel out of the loop but it looks 
like I'll be alright. We have lots of appointments tonight and this week. Lots 
of less active members, some referals and a few investigators. We have a car so 
I dont think we have too much walking to do. It also looks like I'll be sleeping 
on the floor for a couple weeks haha. We live in the basement of a members home 
with a kitchen and all. There is a pretty sweet racketball court (I dont know 
how to spell it) attached to the basement.
We're expecting 1-2 months for the Visas to come through, but in the mean time 
all of the missionaries going to India are spread out over the salt lake south 
mission and in Washington. We send email from the family history center here in 
Sandy. The Mission office address to send me mail is:

Utah Salt Lake City South Mission
8060 S. 615 E
Sandy UT, 84070-0522

The mail will be extra snailish because I only get it on Mondays.
I'll be keeping in touch as much as possible. 
Elder Wright

Snail Mail Rec'd 9/4/09-I'm getting my shots today

Hey Mom,

I got the package of cold medicine today. Thanks so much for the vitamins too cause I couldn't find any in the MTC bookstore. I'm sorry if my last letter was a little abrupt. Yesterday was not a good day for me. I guess I'll be feeling more pressure as my mission goes on.

I'm getting my shots today and picking up the malaria pills as well. We need to start taking them 2 days before we leave for India, and for 4 weeks after we get back. Our visas are expected to come in under two months. My branch president is giving me a debit card for a person already in India because they lost it but it's not safe to send in the mail. I broke a plate at lunch one day and Riley raised a fist in my honor. I splattered ketchup all over Elder Hinsdale's pants....Anywho, I have gym, I'll send my address as soon as I find out.

Love, Elder Wright

Snail Mail Rec'd 8/31-My Hair is Not Legit

Dear Family,

This week has been pretty much the same. I'm getting sick, and I lost my voice. I'm just going to have to deal with it and hopefully I'll be over it by the time I leave. Our visas didn't come through, so we are being temporarily reassigned to the Salt Lake South Mission. We leave Monday the 31st. I'm taking it better than most of the district. We're all disappointed, but some of them are angry. We had malaria training and learned how to take our pills when we get there and how to protect ourselves from mosquitoes. Elder Scott spoke at the devotional on Tuesday and shared with us some of his thoughts about how to be a missionary.

Good luck dieting. You should try the MTC Diet. Some of the district is trying to gain weight because they know they need something to lose when they get to India. I gained a single pound during my two week stay so far. I don't think I'll get very far, but I'm trying to build muscle. I play volleyball at gym mostly. There are some good kids occasionally.

We got lessons 1 & 2 down and we're supposed to learn 3 tomorrow and 4 & 5 in the field. We're coming along but it's still difficult to ask questions that investigators can think about.

I'll send an address home as soon as I find out where the mission home is.

Love, (Elder) Rudy (Wright)
P.S. I had to take the bracelets that Ricey made me off.
P.S.S. My hair is not legit so I have to find a new hair style. I get my hair cut tomorrow.

Temporarily Re-assigned to SLC South-Week 2-Email

Hey Mom,

I'm living the big life here at the mtc. We got our flight plans this week, which would have taken use through germany then to India, but... our visas didnt come through, so we've been temporarily reassigned to Salt Lake south mission... Hopefully we wont be there for long. Some of the guys were really upset about it, but I think I'm handling it alright. We leave monday the 31st. It's only 3 days away but it seems like forever here. I cant wait to get out and the time seems to slow down as we get closer. Elder Scott spoke to us at the devotional on Tuesday. He spoke on how the Spirit can help us if we rely on it to teach. He left some pretty powerful words with us as he left and it just made us all the more anxious to get out of here.We had malaria prevention training yesterday, which was pretty intense. We're supposed to take our drugs every day, and for 4 weeks after we leave our missions. We also have to use lots of mosquito netting on the apartments we stay in and insecticides on all of our clothing. We went to the temple this morning and did sealings. We also ate at the cafeteria there which was sooo much better than the food we eat at the MTC. I'm still handing out candy and snacks every night to get rid of all my junk food that I cant eat. Being sick is definitely slowing down my system and i'm way tired by the end of the day. I should be over it in a week i hope, but it's still frustrating me to death. Last P-day of the MTC. I'll let you know my address when I find out.

Love, Elder Wright

"Hey Mom, this is your son, Rudy" About 5:45pm

I received an unexpected, but approved, 1 minute phone call from Elder Wright at about 5:45pm tonight saying that his Visa really hasn't arrived and that what he sent me in the mail was only his flight plans. Apparently, the ambassador to India is holding up the missionary visas so their wait is indefinite. In the meantime, he and his companion will be serving in the Salt Lake City South mission which incorporates Sandy and Draper, Utah until their visas are approved. Two of the elders in his district, also going to Bangalore, were sent to Washington state to wait it out since they are both from Utah. He mentioned that he sees cousin, Riley Harper, every day. And that he really doesn't need anything, he's still working on the candy we sent him. He sounded very upbeat despite the news and told me numerous times that the call was about to end. I just ignored him and kept talking. So, I will update the blog with his next address as soon as he sends it to us. Thanks for all your support and keep the letters coming through dearelder.com.

Max

I Got My VISA!!-Received via Snail Mail on 8/26/09

8/20/09

I got my VISA!! I fly to San Fran on the 31st, then we fly to Frankfurt, Germany, arriving at 10am the 1st of Sept. Then fly to Bangalore, India arriving at 12am on the 2nd. That's some long plane rides.

PEACE!

1st Email---"First Week"

8/21/09

Hey mom,

First week at the Missionary Training Compound. I finally get one day to take a break from all the busywork. We spend all of our time in a tiny little room underground and teach ourselves the lessons and learn teaching skills. Our days usually consist of 3 different things: class, food, and gym. There isnt enough gym time though. sad day. Even P-day is filled up with things to do. Laundry time is pretty much the only break we get. The food, has been described as disgusting, abombinable, and an abbhorance by the elder sitting next to me. Just to name a few of the better qualities. I can usually subsist on cereal for 2 of the 3 meals. I miss real food. My companion is pretty cool. Elder Hinsdale from Georgia. He's a little quiet but he has his funny moments. Our district is probably the most fun of all the districts here. When we're at the cafateria people look at us like laughing is against the rules or something. There are 6 of us going to India and 4 going to San Diego. Elder Powell who was in some of my classes at BYU is in my district and we share inside jokes from time to time. My teaching skills are getting better every day, and we've gone to the Referral Center a couple times so we get used to talking to real people. Teaching the fake investigators is really cool, but my companion and I are trying to find ways to realate the Gospel to the Hindu belief because that's what we will be doing the most of in India. We're going to be getting our flight plans here pretty soon, and we'll find out if we're going to India or if we will be sent somewhere state-side first until our visas get approved. I'm one week into the MTC and about a week left. CRAZY. The weeks go by so quick but the days take forever. If you can, use dearelder.com cause it's free while i'm in the MTC and really quick. It'll also be way more reliable while i'm in India but not quite as fast as conventional mail. I'm outta time, so I'll give you an update next week.

love, Elder Wright

2nd Snail Mail Letter-Received 8/24/09

8/20/09

Dear Mom & Pop,

I've adjusted to the MTC life pretty well so far. The newbies came in yesterday and I feel like a seasoned veteran. I got really sick from our roommates though. I'm finally getting over it. Send more Zicam cause I went through my whole bottle and they don't sell it here. I appreciate the extra anti-diarrhea medicine. I'm sure I'll need it sooner or later. I couldn't even dream of eating any of the candy you sent without getting more sick. I don't even have time to eat it. I got it Monday, so the Kripies were a little bit like Rice-cakes but the district is still eating them. The temple food is about 300% better than the cafeteria (Refer to Ricey's letter). There is also no time to do anything here. Every second of the the day has something planned, including P-day. I have 1 1/2 hours to write any letters I want and 1 1/2 hours to have my laundry done. And 30 minutes every morning to shower, get dressed and be in class every morning. I'm slowly adjusting to the sleeping schedule. Gym is a nice break in the middle of class time. I play volleyball most of the time but I might start running a bit.

I'm learning loads already. We're learning lots and lots of teaching skills and how to ask questions and how to convey each message just right. We're still on lesson 1, but we're going super in-depth. I'm only a week in, but I'm pretty much halfway through the MTC. I think I learn lessons 3, 4 & 5 on my own in the field. The MTC just teaches missionaries how to teach themselves. It's kinda weird too. I like to learn. I started color coding my scriptures. And I do memorization in what little free time I have. Weird. Anywho, lunch & laundry time.

Love, Elder Wright