Visit to Coyotepec - Message from Elder Oaks

Today for P-Day, we are visiting one of the old areas of my companion called Coyotepec, a more typical Mexican town just North of our area.  We are in a 'hole-in-a-wall' internet cafe that belongs to one of the members here.  Well this week went by really fast and I honestly do not remember what we did.  Although I know it was a good week since I was able to talk to dad Tuesday but the call fell before mom could talk.  

This Sunday was really interesting because one of the people who are part of the stake presidency came and gave a message and it was just a slap in the face (wake up call) to EVERYONE. He said Elder Oaks came to talk to northern part of the DF he talked to all stake presidencies and some bishoprics and said something quite hard to them.  He said the reason why the ''work'' is not progressing like it should is because in the words of Elder Oaks ''You do not have faith''. 

HOLY COW WHAT DID HE SAY??? He said ''You do not have faith''. That's like as if the Savior came down and said that to the people! But it is true; I can see that not many people here are united in the cause to spread the gospel.  Many faithful members and as well as the very less active people say that the members here are NOT united and this is a big problem that I don't think is happening just here in Mexico but all around the world.  

Our goal is to help unite the ward and I have been thinking is to help the church as a whole and help us individually is that we first must strengthen the family.  I recently read a talk from Pres. Benson (in Spanish!) concerning this in the Liahona of 1994 of who knows what month.  

I encourage all who read this email to exercise their faith and not be afraid to share the gospel.  This work is super important and must not be looked over and forgotten.  It truly is the time where members and missionaries (M&Ms) work together. 

I hope everyone is happy and are doing great.  Thanks for cheering me on and helping me. 

Love you all!

Elder Wright

More pictures than words!

 Hermano Arturo and his Daughter Hermana Minerva 

 ward baptism of 8 year old Natalia

 With the Flia. Hernandez

Bautizmo de David

Week 6, but who's counting? Chased by dogs

Today for P-day I think we are just cleaning the house, going to Wal-Mart, and getting some sleep!

Stereotypical dog encounter suspect #1

Stereotypical dog encounter suspect #2

Well, this week was pretty funny because the most stereotypical thing happened to us... We were chased by dogs! Apparently, I was almost bit, so says my companion, but now as I look back at this experience I laugh about it like crazy. 

The only time I see my district are at district meetings cause we can't do things with other missionaries. However, there is this really cool elder from Payson Utah in my district named Elder Colby and we would have been good friends back home cause he goes jeeping as well.
    

We also had 3 baptisms this Saturday for Hermano Arturo and his Daughter Hermana Minerva and also a ward baptism of 8 year old Natalia.  Her family is so cool and I love visiting them and they love us so much as well and can't wait for us to return. (I think those pictures are going to have to wait till next week cause the pictures are on my companions camera because I forgot mine...) 

This coming Saturday we will have another baptism for David, who is 9 years old. We have to teach all the lessons to him since he didn't get baptized at 8 years old.  But he is so cool!  We also received 5 new investigators this Sunday from the members who invited them.  We will meet with them sometime this week as well.  We are working with another family (Hermano Alvaro) they could use your prayers because he needs to get married in order to get baptized.

I don't know much about Alvaro but he really wants to be baptised as well as his kids, but his wife is the only thing keeping from that happening right now; she said she'll get married it's just we are hoping that it actually comes through. It's the culture in Mexico not to get married.  He even mentioned he would move out of his house to be baptized.

I want to talk a little concerning the Atonement of Jesus Christ because I had another experience with it this Sunday when I just felt terrible and hopeless.  I was just not happy all this weekend and I felt really burdened.  I was praying like crazy for help and I didn't know what to do.  When Sacrament meeting started I got the impression to apply the Atonement.  So that's what I did and I literally felt like my burdens were lifted.  I do not know why I did not do this sooner because man was I feeling terrible.  So just know that no matter what is troubling you no matter how big or small.  You can receive the help you need through the Savior.  Well that was my little quick message.  I love you all and I love hearing from you every week. Talk to you all next Monday!

Love Elder Wright

PS. 

How's Zach doing? I haven't heard from him for a couple of weeks.  I still haven't heard from Miguel either.  But Ashlinn recently sent me a nice letter....I heard Zach is just dying of boredom that he even volunteered to read to Sister Patterick's school kids!   I do get to share emails from my MTC district sometimes too - which is nice.

Quinta semana en Mexico - and a missionary's dad's thoughts.

Street view from Google Maps - his area near church bldg.

Well this past week we didn't do much because my companion got sick and I got a terrible headache this past Wednesday but we feel better now. 

It rained a lot the past few days but I don't get cold at all at least not yet..... Well I've been really struggling the past few days as well, especially yesterday!   I felt like just quitting and going home and stuff cause I really wasn't happy at all! I dunno how to explain really, except yesterday I just was not happy.  It kinda feels like I am not getting anywhere and ya, I dunno, I was upset and slightly angry at my companion for a comment he made that really offended me; and, conference was only in Spanish so I had no idea what was being said and two years still feels like an eternity.  I'm trying hard to overcome this but with a companion that will be going home in 5 weeks, it is kinda hard -- still these two years is literally 10% of my whole life so far--

I write to my mission president every Monday ( I report how the area is going, how my companion and I are getting along, how I am personally, and what miracles there were) and let him know that we get along for the most part it's just when he makes those comments I get really ticked.  Anyway, I didn't mention that I felt like quitting, I just think that I wasn't happy yesterday.

Well we now have a projection of 8 baptisms this October because we lost 2 investigators who decided to stop listening to us and one investigator we had to move her baptism to the first week of November because she is not able to attend church this coming Sunday but she'll get baptized that is all that matters cause she REALLY wants to get baptized.  The baptism of her mom Maricela really touched her and pushed her to know that this is the true church on the Earth. 

Well since not much happened this week I am not sure what to write about for this letter and I can't talk about Conference since I didn't understand any of it since it was in Spanish ;) so I think I am just going to write about Mexico and what kind of goes on during a normal day. 

random street in Cuautitlan Izcalli

So of course we walk a ton here in Mexico but when we have to go somewhere far in a short amount of time we have to take these vans called ''combis'' which are some of the sketchiest things on the planet since there are no seat belts, a ton of people cramped together, most of the time the driver is crazy and speeds and swerves in and out of traffic, and there are speed bumps the size of Mt. Everest.  Sometimes I am gripping what seat I have as best as I can to feel somewhat secure on the short but scary drive to where we need to go.  Also when it rains the streets turn into rivers and the combis almost look like boats.  The water on the street reaches up to almost 5 to 8 inches of water some places more than that. 

El 'tianguis' in Cuautitlan Izcalli

My church building is almost a half hour away from our house and we have to walk all the way there in our suits so you can imagine that we are dying of heat on Sundays.  Everything is so cheap here so I've already bought two really cool superhero shirts (Superman and Aquaman) for only 6 bucks each at a place called Tianguis(?) I have no idea how to spell it but it is a flea market that is in our area every Tuesday and sometimes we check it out to see what's there. 

El 'tianguis' in Cuautitlan Izcalli

Well I am not sure what else to talk about Mexico but if there are any more questions I'll gladly answer. Love you all I'll talk to you next week about our baptisms this weekend! :D

Elder Wright

(pictures extracted from Google searches - no new pics from Elder Wright this week!)

Missionary Dad's thoughts: 

It is important to explain that some of Elder Wright's letter to his family was comprised of an email dialog that he and I communicated back and forth; I incorporated it into this draft while trying to maintain it within the context as it was shared.   Please note that while some of it was expressed as a personal conversation between father and son, it is not my intent to show any lack of decorum or propriety by doing so.   I simply feel impressed to share it with you - primarily to accurately illustrate how Elder Wright is doing and to help you focus your prayers on and for his behalf, and to exemplify the unique challenges that our young missionaries face when they enter into the mission field. 

I think often times we hear about the testimonies, the adventures, the humorous moments, the miracles, and how wonderful missions are (and they really are wonderful!), but we don't always hear about the personal struggles, adversity, and the trials that our sons and daughters face while on their missions - of course, they all have them and in varying degree of severity! Perhaps they don't always tell us what's troubling them, but then again, maybe they do and we fail to share it with others...  (I'll admit I had my own reservations at first) 

Despite adversity and trials being a normal part of missionary life, and albeit a very necessary part; I think as parents we fear that by sharing these personal details we somehow discredit their righteous desire to serve and exhibit their debilities.  It pains me terribly to know of that my son is struggling and I can't be there for him.  It troubles me even more to think I might doubt his strength to endure them because I know he has never been faced with such a hard task before him.  But I have a tremendous amount of faith both in him and in the love our Savior has for him, for I know with certainty that as he learns to trust in the Lord he "..can do all things in Christ" (Phil 4:13). He will be strengthened to do whatever our Heavenly Father requires of him. I know that his faith will proceed the miracle; first the test of faith then the miracle. I have learned that the way we react to our trials can oftentimes help strengthen our faith which can prepare us for the blessings.  So I candidly share these thoughts with you, in part, because  I think that without knowing what goes on between the lines of our missionary's letters all who may read them may fall short of witnessing the full grandeur of the blessings that will surely follow.  

The fact is missions are difficult!  And for some more so than for others; but none are without their unique challenges or desafios.  This weekend while speaking with my father regarding the missions his grandchildren are currently serving, and then briefly touching upon my mother and his recent missionary service, he recounted a comment from one of his friends from the Stockholm Sweden mission where he had recently served and had previously served as a 19 year old over 50 years ago.   

While in a large church gathering, my father's friend over heard a comment from a mother of a missionary, confessing to another mother "My son's mission in Stockholm Sweden is really hard!" 

Having a close tie to the Stockholm, Sweden mission, my father's friend felt obligated to respond and said something to the effect "Really?  I think you have been misinformed; Sweden isn't a tough mission!  It's one of the easiest missions!" 

The look of bewilderment on that mother's face had to have been priceless! 

He continued "The food is great, the streets are clean, crime rates are low, and the living conditions are top notch!"

To which the mother timidly interjected "...they don't have many baptisms!"

His friend then jokingly replied "Oh, you mean the people!  Yeah, they are hard!"  

Contrasting my mission that I served from 1991 to 1993 in the Dominican Republic to my father's mission in Stockholm, Sweden in the early 60's and then later returning with my mom  for a second mission in 2008/2009 - someone on the outside looking in could easily say my mission was the toughest!  The heat, the humidity, the lack of running water and electricity, the dust, the mud, the torrential rain, the mosquitos, the bucket showers, the huelgas (localized strikes - civil unrest), the loud noises, illnesses, new foods, thin mattresses on cots, and all the walking were just some of the things that were presented as challenges.  Of course, I had to learn to deal with the differences, both in culture and environment, but those seemingly difficult things became almost non-existent once my focus turned from within to those around me. 

However, in comparison, what actually made my mission difficult and what also made it so wonderful, life changing, and special was learning to love as the Savior loved.  Whether in Boise, Buenos Aires, Santo Domingo, or Stockholm ultimately what makes missions hard is learning to have a Christlike love for everyone (see John 15:12,17).  Once I truly loved the people I loved where I was!

Having charity, or the pure love of Christ, doesn't come easy.  One of the reasons that it can be difficult is because we must live in a day and age of failing morals, wavering beliefs, and in a world that teaches different values than what Christ had taught.  The pressures of the world are staggering and can be more so on a young man who had never ventured very far from home before.  As our Savior pleaded on the cross to our Heavenly Father He prayed, “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14).  He continued in the next verse saying “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil”

Being a missionary is a great example of being in the world, but not of the world.  Something that we all should strive to live by.  Elder Wright, in his short time being on his mission, has already been witness to much wickedness and even dangerous situations; enough to make the faint hearted fear.  But, he has also witnessed the happiness that the gospel of Jesus Christ offers to all that embrace it.  He stated in an earlier letter recounting one of his distressing experiences.  "Later that day the scripture where it talked about forgiving everyone and let Christ do the judging came to my mind.  So I prayed for <individuals> as well that they may one day come to know about the gospel so they can be forgivin and no more hurt the lives of any other person."  This account alone tells me he has felt what it feels like to love as Christ loves which will help him overcome the trials that living in Mexico may present him with.

A short while back, our local bishop challenged my family and everyone in our congregation to finish reading the Book of Mormon by the end of the year.  It happens that my reading this week is in the last section of the book in the book of Moroni chapter 7... a great lesson on Faith, Hope, Being Meek, and Having Charity which may sum up all of my thoughts.  In Moroni 7: 44-48 Moroni talks about one cannot have faith or hope if he is not meek, and if he is meek "...he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity. 

45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

I know that as Elder Wright develops his love for those he serves and serves with, he will find that his mission will also be wonderful, life changing, and special.  The time that he recognizes that he has left won't seem like it is long enough to do what he has to do.  As part of the fatherly advise I gave my son, I challenged him to forget about himself and lose himself in the work.  It's this father's prayer that he learns this simple truth: that “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35).

A missionary dad.