Temple Cleaning on P-Day

So the Provo temple has been closed for the next couple weeks for cleaning. Since it's my p-day today, two of the districts in my branch got to go and help clean the temple for some service. It was pretty great! I was excited before we even got there! When we found out what we were doing it was even better! The sisters were going to help with a chandelier and the elders got to clean lockers. There are some perks to being a sister missionary!

The sisters got to clean the huge chandelier in the celestial room! It was awesome! Each individual crystal was taken off and cleaned then placed back on the frame. I got to help with the reassembling process. It was so incredible to see the fine details on it! The crystals are all chained together by small gold bows. They are so delicate and you can tell the attention to the details that had to go into it. 

Temples truly are the house of our Heavenly Father on earth!

When we were just about to leave, the workers told us that they were going to light the chandelier up for us. All 5 of us laid on the ground directly under the chandler when it lit up. It was beyond beautiful. 

We joked that putting it back together was like decorating a Christmas tree. I would take that experience over a tree any day! I loved that I got to serve my Father in Heaven so directly by cleaning His house. 

​ When everything was said and done the workers surprised us by taking us into the bride's room. It was sooo beautiful. That experience made me so excited about my decision to be married in the temple. There is no place on earth that I would settle for besides my Father's house. I won't because I know that I cannot get back to Him with any other venue. His path is straight and narrow and I'm sticking to it always. 

This was the best way I could have spent my time today. My Father in Heaven has given me everything and I was able to give a little bit of it back today. I have the next 17 months to continue to try to show Him my gratitude because I know there is no way I could ever fully repay Him. ​

Strength from Prayer

I read about prayer in the Bible dictionary today in class. The part that stuck out the most was "Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of pray is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them."

​ I have learned for myself the power of prayer. I have gained so much strength through pleading with my Father in Heaven for aid. I have learned that asking for help is not showing weakness. Weakness comes from not admitting its presence. Those who are truly strong are those who admit their weaknesses and bring them to the Lord to be made strong. The strength that comes from our Father in Heaven cannot be obtained any other way. ​

Our Father wants to helps us. Let Him!

Charity: The pure love of Christ

When I think of something being pure I think of completeness, whole, unblemished, and perfect. That is how Christ's love is. It is in no way conditional on our situations, obedience, or wholeness. Christ's love in infinite. Christ always wants to, and will be, there for us. He is the ultimate example of Charity. 

Moroni 7:47-48 "...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..."

What a beautiful blessing! I am not expected to develop charity on my own. I just need to strive to follow Christ, then I will receive Christ. Even in my endeavor to follow Christ I will be aided. All I have to do is my best and accept the aid of my Savior. 

Attributes of Charity:

-suffereth long

-envieth not

-seeketh not her own

-kind

-not puffed up

-not easily provoked

-thinketh no evil

-rejoiceth in truth not evil

-beareth all things

-hopeth all things 

-endureth all things

I've been trying to work on all of this attributes daily. I invite you all to make daily goals to work on one or two of these attributes. I know that the blessing you will receive from following our Savoir's example will bring you more happiness than you can imagine. 

Amou Vocês!!!

Sister Wright

Moving Day at the MTC

So yesterday we found out that we were being kicked out of our room. Apparently, the MTC is closing down our building so they can do construction for next semester. We had to be out of our room by noon today. With six sisters packing up everything they own and moving it clear to the other side of campus, you can imagine the chaos.

Last night we were all a hot mess! We were packing like crazy trying to fit everything into our suitcases. It's inevitable that you will accumulate stuff here. Care packages take up quite a bit of space. It was a reality check for us because we realized how much space we really don't have to haul all our stuff down to Brazil or wherever the heck we're serving. At this point, none of us know because well... visas. Also we didn't even have any of our books because we leave them in our classroom since that is really where we live.

We received a great blessing this morning. Some of the Elders from our district came to help us with the trek to the other side of campus. I am so glad that they did! It would have taken forever without them! We  ended up having to take two trips and we had 11 people helping. Unfortunately, I don't think all of our stuff is going to make it out into the field.

I love the atmosphere of service here at the MTC. I wish it was something that would be cultivated more. There is always more that we can be doing to lightened others' loads. As we are in tune with the Spirit, we can more easily recognize those instances. I know we are where we are because our Father in Heaven designed it that way. We are meant to meet the people we do for a reason. One of the purposes our Elders are here was to help us with that not so pleasant move. They are also here to teach us about true, selfless service. We can learn and help each other so much. I know that and our Father in Heaven knows that. He's pretty smart. He knows what we need, always.

I know that one of the best things that we can do with our time is serve others. Look at Christ's mortal ministry. He was constantly serving others. I know that in order to follow Christ's perfect example we must continually serve others. As the Holiday Season approaches, I invite you all to find ways to serve others. The best present that we could give Christ as we celebrate His birth is to serve others. Get out there and be the Lord's hands!

I think my favorite part of this experience was seeing one of the Elders carry my dirty laundry. What a stud! haha

Be Faithful: Full of Faith

"Faith is a principle of power." ~Preach my Gospel pg 116

Faith allows us to return back to our Father in Heaven. It is an enabling power. We cannot obtain the highest degree of glory in God's kingdom on faith alone, but it's the first step toward it. Through faith, we are inspired to take action to become more like our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. It's faith that leads us to taking advantage of the Atonement, thus enabling us to return to God's presence. 

In Mark 4:35-41, it tells the story of Christ sleeping on a boat caught in a storm. Beforehand, He had told the men on the boat "let us pass over unto the other side." It was His will that they went out to sea. Even though it was the Lord's will, and He was physically with them, the men began to panic when the storm came. In the end Christ calmed the storm. 

How many times do we panic when on the Lord's errand? I know I have more times than I care to admit, just in the MTC!

As a missionary, I am doing Christ's work daily. However, though it is less obvious, we are all here on His errand. We are here to follow God's plan, the Plan of Salvation. While here, we have the opportunity to be the Savior's hands. How cool is that?! He trust us, imperfect beings, to do His work. To do the work that He would do if He were in our position. This is what it means to be a representative of Christ; to take His name upon us. That is the covenant that is made at baptism. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we do our best to follow our Redeemer's perfect example in our daily lives. 

So why do we feel discouraged when we do His work? I know I do because I feel inadequate. However, I know feelings of inadequacy and fear are not from my Father in Heaven. They are from the adversary. He does not want me to do my Father's and Lord's work. Whomever the Lord calls, He will qualify! What a beautiful promise! I know that I can avoid these feelings completely by accepting the help of Jesus Christ. I am just like the men on that boat. I can always have my Savior right here with me as long as I live worthily of His Spirit. He is waiting to help all of us. 

I invite you to be full of faith for our Savior, Jesus Christ. Eu sei que ele é nosso Salvador e ele ama todos pessoas! Seu evanglho é verdaderai. Seguire seu perfecto examplo. Ele vai ajudar voce!

Patience and Portuguese

I learned through study this week that learning is a form of personal revelation! How cool is that?! Man, I have received  a lot  of revelation this past week!

​In my personal study, I have decided I am going to develop Christ-like attributes. I started with diligence. This week I worked on patience. I have always considered myself pretty patient, but once I arrived at the MTC, I realize I was sadly mistaken. I've really struggled with not becoming frustrated with myself and others. I don't lash out, but my thoughts need some work. I had no idea how I could change my way of thinking. I knew that I could go to the Lord with my challenges, but I need to do some work, too. How am I going to learn if I don't put in some effort? I began to think about why Christ is so patient. I know I have given Him plenty to be frustrated about with the way I act. Christ is the ultimate example of patience. He lived and died for us all. He knows how to comfort us and we know it, yet we don't turn to Him because of our pride. He patiently extends His hand toward us and waits until we choose to accept His help. 

Just love each other!

So how can I become more like Him? It's a lot easier said than done, but I have learned from experience that love and service cure all harsh feelings. My district did a testimony meeting a few days ago to increase the love we felt toward each other and it did the trick! When we begin to see others as individuals that do things for specific purposes we are more apt to loving them. I have been praying to see others the way my Father in Heaven does and my love and patience for them has increased because of it. 

It's felt like an uphill battle when it comes to learning Portuguese. Learning a language is hard work! In the first couple of weeks I questioned my ability to learn the language. I am doing so much better with it now because I put aside those feelings of inadequacy and just did the Lord's will. It works miracles! I have learned that Heavenly Father makes us weak in this life so we can become mighty like Him. The weaknesses He gives us are blessings. Meu Portuges este nao bom mais nao importante. 

This is the way it's good to be nao bom a falar portugues or any other language when you're a missionary. 

1) People pay close attention to what you say when you don't speak very well

2)The Spirit rushes to your aide

3) People realize that your message is important because you are willing to look foolish to deliver the message

You can and will survive any trial that the Lord gives you. He knows you can do it! We're living proof of it! 

Eu sei que Joseph Smith restando o evanglho de Jesus Cristo a Terra. Eu sei que a Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santo dos ultimos dias e verdadera com todos meu coracao. Joseph Smith ve Deu, nosso Pai Celestial, e Jesus Crist, nosso Salvador. 

Meu proposito e convidar as pessoas achugadem-se as Cristo! Amou Jesus Cristo. Ele vive e mortar para mim e voce. Ele quere todo pessoas voltar par ele. Ele falou com nos por Espirito Santo. Ouve-O!

I know that Jesus is the Christ and He is the ultimate Christmas gift. I invite you to think of something you can gift Christ for Christmas and share it with others! 

 christmas.mormon.org 

Merry Christmas from the MTC!

Pictures from the MTC

First Weeks at the MTC

So, Sister Wright has asked me, her Dad, to update her blog while she is away.  She has sent me what she wants posted for this first entry while at the MTC:

Enjoy, Travis

I am almost two weeks old now!  I can't believe how much time has flown since I've been here.  The schedule is pretty rigid and rigorous. We work so hard.  I don't even have time to think about what time it is!  All the days seem to meld into one another.   My sense of time has been seriously distorted!  In itself, that has been a blessing because the Spirit has helped me to focus on the work instead of other frivolous things.

When I first arrived at the MTC, I really struggled with the language (obviously), sleeping, and eating.  The stress was overwhelming and not being able to sleep or eat just added to it.  I tried my best, but I couldn't overcome them.  I could not comfort myself.  When I arrived at that point, I realized that something needed to change.  That something was me.

Those who know me well, know that I love to overwork myself.  It's like I seek out stress sometimes.  I always am able to handle those situations.  I wasn't able to this time.  I quickly arrived at the conclusion that I needed help from my Father in Heaven or the MTC was going to eat me alive.

I started praying for peace and assistance many times a day.  It didn't change things instantly, but gradually I was able to calm down, eat, and sleep!  I 'm happy to report that I sleep through the night and fall asleep almost instantly when I get into bed!

I know that I was blessed by my Heavenly Father!  I can prove it by the amount of Portuguese I know.  Languages are not my forte, but through the gift of tongues, I am able to adequately pray, bear my testimony, and have simplistic conversations.  I have only been studying Portuguese for 12 days! If that isn't a testimony of the power of the spirit, I don't know what is.

Many times I have felt very inadequate to be teaching God's children in Brazil. I know I'm not going to have a firm grasp on the language by the time I get down there, so why did God call me there?  Honestly, I don't know why Heavenly Father wants me in Brazil.  However, I do know that He needs me there.  This is my Father in Heaven's work.  It's not Janika's work.   He will use me to touch the hearts of His children that no one else can.  He has a glorious plan for me and although I don't know most of it, I must trust Him.  My Father in Heaven knows what He is doing.  "I'll go where you want me to go dear Lord."

Though I am inadequate, through the Spirit, weak things will be made strong.  Our Heavenly Father never asks us to do something that we cannot handle.  Never.  My Father in Heaven knows that I can and will learn Portuguese.  My heart is full of gratitude and love today.  I feel that consistent peace that the Spirit brings.  I need that peace.  We all need that peace because there is no other way we can obtain it.  The peace of our Father in Heaven cannot come from any worldly source.  I invite you to draw near to God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.  They love you deeply and want to aid you.  Let them!

I also invite you to pray for the missionaries.  They need it.  This is a difficult work.  It will bless them tremendously, but it will also bless you.  I testify that once you received the blessings that accompany drawing close to the Lord, you will never want to be without them.

Eu sei que a Irgeja de Jesus Cristo Dos Santo dos Ultimos dias e verdadera!  Eu sei que Deus e Jesus Cristo amorao nos.  Eles desijao nos orar.  Joseph Smith e um profeta de Deus.  O liuvo de Mormon e verdaderd.

Amorao voces!

Sister Wright