Week 75: Same Old Stuff and the Pug - July 16, 2019

Elder Wright sent pictures-yay! He doesn't remember where this hike was, but said it was actually a few months ago.

Hey Family,

Hello everyone! There definitely isn't much happening here, as you can tell by the title, so this email is probably going to be very brief. Things are going well here, other than some small cleanliness issues in district's apartment, but I won't go into that. The one thing I would say that is notable is the pug that I saw this week. At the FHL (Family History Library), there was a patron who was spending time on the 3rd floor, but every once in a while she would come down to get lunch or a snack or something like that. Anyway, she had a service dog with her, specifically a grey pug, and it was a sight to behold. This pug was so chubby, I just loved it. In most other cases, I probably wouldn't have cared as much, but being on mission does weird things I guess. The best way I could describe the pug is being a sausage-accordion thing with legs. One of the senior missionaries got a picture of it and they will be sending it to me, so be ready for that. I hope you all have an amazing week!!

Till Then,

Elder Wright

Nick's mission "family"- This means Elders who have trained other Elders and have been companions with other Elders, etc. Also, yeah, the guy on the far right in the front row couldn't be there when they were taking the picture so they had another guy stand in for him and then photo shopped his face on! Haha!

Week 74: Seeing Familiar Faces - July 9, 2019

Hello everyone! Not too much is different, but there have been a couple of interesting occurrences. For starters, my companion and I got some Five Guys burgers, so that's really cool. My family was in Utah this last week and there isn't a Five Guys nearby, so they decided to do something cool for us. The more interesting thing, though, is that I got to see my former bishop! It was really cool to see him after over a year, and I'm glad to hear that he's doing well. Also, I got to see none other than the prophet ... sort of. You see, my companion and I had to work at the FHL (Family History Library) on Sunday, so we went to another ward to take the sacrament, and it turns out the ward we went to had Pres. Nelson in attendance. No, I didn't interact with him at all, but it was still cool to be there. Other than that, not much else is new. I hope you all have an amazing week and remember to keep the spirit with you!

Till Then,

Elder Wright

From mom: just to clarify-we kept all of the mission rules and didn't see Elder Wright. We just dropped off his food at the mission office.

He also told us about his Fourth of July when we chatted. The church offices and libraries were closed so he had the day off. He was able to hang out with the other missionaries and played some games. That night all of the young elders in the mission gathered at their nearby church to watch the movie Hidden Figures.

He said that on Sunday he and his companion went to the chapel for a sacrament meeting different than their usual one because they had to spend time working at the Family History Library. They sat down and looked up on the stand and there was Pres. Nelson. Pres. Nelson didn't speak, but it was announced that he was presiding at the meeting. We're guessing that it was Pres. Nelson's home ward because other young elders have seen him there before too.

President Russell M. Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Week 73: I Helped Santa Claus - July 2, 2019

Our former bishop (Mike Tomlinson was our bishop when Elder Wright started his mission) and his family bumped into Elder Wright at the Discovery Center in the Family History Library. We were so excited that they texted us pictures!

Hey friends and families! Not much has really happened since that last time I emailed (I've forgotten the amount of times that I've said that). If there is one thing that I would like to talk about, it would be that on Saturday, I was able to help Santa Claus! Okay, okay, it wasn't really Santa, but the guy was old, had a long white beard, slightly heavy set, and was wearing read. He even gave me a candy cane afterwards! Anyways, I helped him and his wife print out a fan chart, which is something that we do in Discovery, and after that they left. Other than that, things have been the same here. I'm still in the same district, the same zone, and with the same companion. We will have most of the 4th of July off, so shenanigans will probably ensue, but you'll probably have to hear about that next week. Anyways, have a great week and remember to read your scriptures so that you can receive blessings.

Till Then,

Elder Wright

Pictures with Bishop Tomlinson and Elder Fillmore

Carrie Tomlinson said, "Mike says he's never heard him talk so much in his life! He was so bubbly and energetic."

And Mike texted, "He looks so good! And so confident! What a great experience! He looks so happy! He was so excited to talk about his experience! So cool! My heart is so full! You should be very proud! He has changed for the better! The shock on his face was incredible!"

We also got this text from some random strangers from Chandler who were visiting the Discovery Center. It's a good week!

Week 72: Manti, Olympians, and Transfers - June 25, 2019

Hey Friends and Family! As you might have guessed from the title of this email, a few things have happened/are coming soon. First things first, my mission got to go to Manti to see the final Manti pageant. It was really interesting to see this final performance, but at the same time it's obvious why they are retiring it. The dialogue is old and the information is a bit outdated, not to mention the amount of protesters around the place. We didn't get back till the next day at about 1 in the morning, but we got to sleep in so that's good. That evening, though, we had the opportunity to meet Noelle Pikus-Pace, an Olympian who is a member of the church. She won the silver metal in the Skeleton during the Sochi Olympics, and needless to say, it was pretty cool. I know it might not seem like that big of a deal, but I had a great time with that fireside, especially when her husband spoke to us.

Today is transfers, and I am happy to say that I didn't get a moving notice. I know, crazy to think that I'm happy that I'll be staying in Discovery, but I've honestly been having a great time there, and I know that it's because of Heavenly Father's blessings that I've been able to enjoy this experience. Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful week and that you remember the blessings that you've been given!!

Till Then,

Elder Wright

PS: Pictures!

PS: Elder Wright also told us about helping patrons with The Chinese Experience with the iPads at the Discovery Center at the Family History library. Pretty cool!

Week 71: Block Party & Birthday - June 18, 2019

I'm forever thankful to my awesome cousin Rachel who delivered a birthday cake, ice cream, and candy to Elder Wright's mission office!

Hello friends and family! Okay, so on Saturday the FHL (Family History Library) hosted a block party that took place on the west side of Temple Square, so you know what that means, right? It means that I had to help out with all of that craziness! It wasn't that bad, actually, mainly because I got to help out with the scavenger hunt thing that we were doing. My companion and I were the ones responsible with watching the lockers that held the final post card for the hunts and help out with the patrons if they are having trouble with finding the combination. It was really exhausting because we were standing the entire time, but in all it was very enjoyable.

As for other things, yesterday was my birthday! I'm now 21 years old, and I'm so glad that I got to celebrate it, since I almost wasn't able to because I thought I would be working all day that day! I had a wonderful time playing games with other elders and having wonderful cake and ice cream that evening. Shout out to all my friends and family who helped with getting the gifts to me, by the way. Anyways, I had a wonderful time and I'm looking forward to the times to come. All the young elders here will be going to Manti on Saturday to do a session at the temple and to see the Manti pageant one last time before they stop doing it. I hope you remember all the wonderful blessing that God has given you! Have a fantastic week!

Till Then,

Elder Wright

The cars from the BYUtv show Relative Race at the FHL block party

PS: Also cool, Kraig and I got to talk to Elder Wright via video chat at the Rome airport for Father's Day. Technology is such a blessing!

Week 70: Sunday Discoveries - June 11, 2019

Elder Wright didn't send home any pictures, again! So I stole this screenshot. Notice the "Fore's Tax Service" pen. Our whole family enjoys using Papa Fore's business pens. I saw Elder Wright grab his pen to write something down while we were chatting and had to take a picture. He also told me that he did a service project at the Humanitarian Center last week, and had another amazing Book of Mormon Class with President Fenn. They studied Jesus Christ’s sermon at the temple in Third Nephi.

Hey everyone! Not much is different here (yet another point for the number of times I've written that). Everything is still the same as before, but I will say that it hasn't been rainy like it was a couple of weeks ago. One thing that is interesting that happened, though, was that I got to serve in the Discovery Center at the Family History Library on Sunday, because now that the FHL  is open on Sundays, that means someone has to staff it. It was surprisingly busy, with lot's of tourists coming in wondering what we do there. It was okay overall, but I would say that it would probably help if they were to get more people to be there to staff it. As for spiritual stuff, one thing that I learned from Come, Follow Me was about how exactly Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are one, and how we can be one with them. It's not that they are the same person, but rather that they are so in-tuned with one another that they work perfectly together, as if they were the same person. We can do this as well when we have unwavering love for our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and each other, and we can both receive blessing and help others receive them as well. Anyways, that's about it for this week. I would like to say that next Monday, June 17th, is my birthday, so I'll have to tell you about that, even though I'll be working at zone for the entire time. Remember to follow the spirit and have an amazing week!!

Till Then,

Elder Wright

Week 69: Adjusting to Discovery - June 4, 2019

I got this surprise text from Nick's Aunt Lana last Friday. She and Kraig's brother Kevin ran into Elder Wright at the Discovery Center!

Hello friends and family! I don't really have much to say since last time I emailed you all (probably because it's been less than a week since I last wrote), so this will email will most likely be brief. I'm currently doing better than I was last time, at least when it comes to being in Discovery. I'm learning how to do all the different parts of the zone and how to help patrons, and in all I'm getting more of a grasp of the things I'm supposed to do. Other than that, things are pretty much the same here. Hope you have a wonderful week and remember to keep the Spirit with you!!!

Till Then,

Elder Wright

PS: Me and my companion taking silly pictures in Discovery