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