This week from Hong Kong....

From: Jeffrey Romney Wright
To: Jolene Wright
Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2011 6:58 PM
Subject: Leih Deih Hou!

Leih Deih Hou!
Hello everybody, I hope that you are all having a fantastic week. My week so far has been amazing. I am so grateful for all the opportunties that Heavenly Father has given me to grow. This week, we had an impecable mission tour, it was amazing. This mission is just getting better and better, day by day, second by second. President Chan and Sister Chan are some of the most intune people I have ever seen. They are both born and raised here in Hong Kong, growing up speaking Cantonese and living the chinese culture. They are now in charge of the mission, that is of many different nationalities and of many that come from a mother language of enlgish. President and Sister Chans english may not be the best, they may not speak the most fluently, but i tell you they are truely called of god to serve over the hong kong mission at this time. I have seen and still see to this day the power of tongues working in their lives as they give their all to the lord to serve us missionaries and the thousands of different other ethnicites here in hong kong. The gift of tongues can be given to all of us, and it doesnt havent to be through the words we speak but it can also be through the emotions we express and how we go about doing it. It can be a simple smile and a great hug. Or just the simple look of your body language showing that you are interested and trying your best to understand that persons situation. The gift of tongues is also a power of love. As we walk on the streets day after day, we do our best to share this message with everyone, some days our cantonese or mandrin isnt good enough ( haha sometime my english isnt even good enough ) and they just dont understand what in the world we are trying to say, but the amazing this is, when we show it in our face, and in our body language that we truely love our father in heaven, when we are happy and smiling though matter what, and giving it our all, acting as if this man or women might die tomorrow and giving them the gospel as if it were there last day, they will come to feel the saviors love and more importantly they will feel the gift of the holy ghost. Missionary work is so unquie and so amazing. i love it so much. Right now i dont want to talk to you about any of our investigators but i want to talk about my buddy william, william is in a family of 4, his mom, dad, and little brother. He got baptized at the age of 8 with both of his parents and his brother at the time wasnt old enough. One month after they all got baptized they were offened and havent been to church for 10 years now. About 2 months ago i found his record under my bed. It was a picture from their baptism and it had their address on the back. Two cute little boys and their parents, i felt i had to find them, this was one of the reason heavenly father has put me in this area. I prayed that night asking our father in heaven to give me an opportunity to find william and eventually bring the whole family back home again. The next day we set out, no one was at home, this happened for a week or two, finally, we were finding one day, and most of the time we talk to the younger teenage young men here in hong kong, they love talking to us, and just think its so rad we speak chinese and play soccer and can use chop stix haha, as we were finding a ran into this boy and what was his name.... william... i thought to myself could it be him, and the spirit told me his full chinese name, so i asked him if that was his name it was! he was in a rush and remembered nothign about his baptism or anything about church. he is now 18 years old and finishing up his last year in school, he is pretty shy but a very smart young man. We have been working with him since that day, we see him multiple times a week and he now is fully active in the church, he called me last night and said elder right do you remember when you shared with me and serving a mission, well i prayed about it and i want to go, so he will be starting his papers this week. We will be having our first visit with his whole family this sunday, and hope we can bring them all back( way shortened due to time and my crazy mom that wont stop emailing me haha) . At some time or another we will all be offened by another member of our church, decide today if what that person says to you, will keep you from returning to your father in heaven or make you break the convenants you have promised him you would keep forever. Decide today if you are going to follow him or satan. there is no middle ground. i want to tell you more of the story but i just dont have time, long story short, he told us the day we found him he was going to commit sucide but when we saw him he felt something and the spirit told him see them one more time and than you can do as you want, so he did, william said to me last night as we were playing soccer, elder wright i lvoe you, you saved my life through the powers of heaven and i am forever in debt to you and now its my turn to give back to the lord for 2 years, thank you for being worthy and saving my life, as i talked his mom last night after him she came to the phone bawling telling me the change that she has seen in him. This gospel changes lives. let it change yours. like joan, what more can you sacrafice in your life to come closer to him, it may not needs be your family country and freedom, maybe just cleaner thoughts, daily reading of the bom, simple steps is all it takes. i love you linds keep up the great work! lauren keep smiling youll be here before you know it. mom and dad, i lvoe you guys. stop worrying all is okay! smile~!

Words of Great Wisdom from Elder Wright....

DEAR FRIENDS OF ELDER WRIGHT,
I REALIZE THIS IS A LONG EMAIL MY SON HAS WRITTEN. HE SHARES A WONDERFUL MESSAGE AND A NICE REMINDER. I HOPE YOU WILL TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO READ THE ENTIRE LETTER....

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Jeffrey Romney Wright
To: Jolene Wright
Sent: Thursday, November 3, 2011 3:54 AM
Subject: a week a week a week.

Family and friends, how are you? Are you smiling? If not, did you know it is a lot easier than to frown, statistics have proven it, so please do smile as you read this email.

Missionary work isn't just sharing and talking and telling people about the message, but it starts with the message you put out. People watch you daily, you never know who is watching you, but please let it show in your face!
You don’t have to tell how you live each day;
You don’t have to tell if you work or play;
A tried and true barometer stands in its place—
You don’t have to tell, it will show in your face. …
If you live close to God and His infinite grace—
You won’t have to tell, it will show in your face.

4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with asurety bhope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which chope cometh of dfaith, maketh an eanchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in fgood works, being led to gglorify God. ( Ether 12:4)
"Faith is a gift of god bestowed as a reward for personal rightesouness"
Develop your faith and see what you can do, in your life, your house, your childrens life, and all those who are watching you unknowingly.


" A testimony is to know and to feel, conversion is to do and to become."

Sister Joan is from the phillipines, is in her mid-thirties, has one son who is 12, and one daughter who is 7, and a husband that has adbandoned them and m.i.a. She came to Hong Kong with a dream, a goal set. She came here to support her children, to save enough money for each of them to be able to have the education she didn't have, so they would not have to continue to live the way they did. Not thinking of herself, she left the phillipines, leaveing it all behind, her family, friends, culture, freedom, and two children with tears in their eyes wonder, " if they will ever see mommy again." As they departed her motivation to conqueror these goals was stronger than ever. She talked to her children for the first few months in Hong Kong via skype once a month on her only day off, always with a prayer goodbye asking that, " God would keep them safe until the next time." As time went on Sister Joan lost sight of these goals, made friends and entered into the temptations of the world. On her holidays she was no long going to the local computer lounge to chat with her kids, but to boarding houses and bars, gambling and drinking all of her savings away. She found happiness in this because its all she had and knew she could have. She was so far away from home, she did not have her family and friends to guide her and remind her along her way. On September 25, 2011 she has a holiday, so she got in a taxi and was going to meet up with her "chika chikas " to go to the boarding house to play cards ( gamble ), by this time its been a few months, and shes getting good, starting to win, with a smile on her face and thrilled to go dominate she got out of her taxi at "World Wide" to transfer and get on the train to go more south to meet up with everyone. But before she made it to the train an obnoxious big white guy, name tag and all stopped her, asking her, probing, but yet inspirirational questions, she kindly declinded telling him she was not interested. After 20 minutes of talking and bearing testimony and invites to go to church ( because it was about to start in one hour ), this missionary finally concludes by saying a simple but yet to her, powerful phrase, " Sister God knows who you are and where you are going,Hhe is always watching you, and is very aware of you, YOU are his daughter." And she went on her way to find her friends and hit the bars. After 20 minutes, I came around the corner to find Sister Joan waiting for me, she said, " Elder I'm ready to have a tour of your church, you told me that God was watching me, you really scared me, lets go please." We got on the train system and headed back. Myself, my companion, and Sister Mary ( the most powerful phillipina member here in hong kong ). We walked in the church and went up to the first floor chapel where we sing and partake of the sacrament, explaining this room to her and all that we do and what the sacrament repersents,Ii had a feeling to sing " I am a child of God" to her. Which is kind of weird to do with just us singing. I ignored it and put it aside, but yet it came again even stronger than before. So I asked if we could sing her a song, as we sang this childrens primary song, tears ran down her face, she could feel the love of Christ and Heavenly Father in her life. She felt the spirit testify to her that she has made it home again, and that she was truely a daughter of God and he loved her. This helped remind her why she came to Hong Kong, remembering her children, friends, family, and goals that she had set. She eventually listened to all of the lessons and last sunday she came unto the waters of baptism and is now the newest member of the island second ward. She texted me this week, and said, " Elder wright, God put you into my life for a reason, you helped remind me of my life ambitions, and goals, you not only helped me come unto Christ, but you helped my family, today at work was honestly the first day I went to work with a smile on my face knowing I too can have an eternal family, you gave this to me, thank you." This brings great joy to me, to see that through the atonement she was forgiven of her sins because she was willing to stop her bad habits, and humble herself and repent. Daily repentance is key to daily happiness. If we aren't repenting every second of every day, than we will never be able to recieve that eternal happiness God wants us to feel in this life. We don't need to be on our knees to repent daily, but we can always just have that constant prayer in our hearts asking for forgiveness and having a desire to change. The church has over 52,000 full time missionaries serving around the world. Preach my gospel has helped us become better teachers, to find needs, resolve concerns, and find more effective ways to teach our brothers and sisters. We are the best of the best. Unfortunately most of us full time missionaries spend most of our time, trying to find people to teach rather than doing teaching itself. I view all the full time missionaries as an underutilized teaching resource. If you and all members did more of the finding for all the full time missionaries and freed them up to spend more time teaching the people we find, great things would begin to happen. We are missing a golden opportunity to grow the church when we wait for the missionaries to warn our neighbors and brothers and sister, instead of doing it ourself. It should be with great earnestness that we bring the light of the gospel to those who are searching for answers the plan of salvation has to offer. Many are concerned for their families. Some are looking for security in a world of changing values ( sister joan ). Our opportunity is to give them hope and courage and to invite all them to come with us and join those who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lords Gospel is on the earth and will bless their lives here and in the eternities to come. The gospel is centered on the atonement of our Lord and Savior. The atonement provides the power to wash away all sins, to heal, and to grant eternal life. All the imponderable blessings of the atonement can be given only to those who live the principles and receive the ordinances of the gospel, - faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Our great missionary message to the world, to everyone, us included, is to be invited to be rescued and to enter the fold of the good shepered, even Jesus Christ. He isn't asking much of us, if we truely know that this message, this church, our prophet, the book of mormon is true, then nothing should be holding us back to share this with everyone. If you know these things are true then you would be doing all you could to share it with the world to hear. It's up to you. Member support is needed, we need you members, the work is so much more effective when you are involved. Please help us, thats not only from me, but from our Father in Heaven, you covenanted with Him, you would be a missionary, you would fight the war, you have a tag inside your heart, you have the light of Chirst, you have this gospel, share it, be who he needs you to be, " He is watching you." Lindsay have fun, jersey is so lucky to recieve such an amazing servant of the lord. YOU ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST AND NEVER DOUBT THAT> FIND THOSE THAT ARE WAITING FOR YOU< TALK TO EVERYONE. Love you all. Smile to change lives. Smile because you are a Child of God. Repentance and prayer are the key to a happy day, start each and everyday with these two things and continue to do them through out the day and you will be happier than you ever have beeen.!!! SMILE LA!

Sister LIndsay headed for the MTC....

From: Jeffrey Romney Wright
To: Jolene Wright
Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 8:56 PM
Subject: This Week in Hong Kong

This week has been fantastic! Prayers have been answered, investigators are slowly progressing, the area is starting to pick up, thousands of miracles, and an opportunity to serve the Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. I have been able to loose myself even deeper into the work and it has brought so many blessings to everyone. Of course when we have all these great blessings in our lives, we are bound to have trials, challenges, unresolveable questions, and hard times.. but we tend not to focus on those when there are bigger and better things to focus on... such as ways you can help your brother or sister, heavenly fathers sons/daughters, continue to progress so that one day they too can return to his presence and live with their families for eternities, or ways that you can serve your companion or ward members, ways you can bring the lost sheep back unto the fold, or ways you can strengthen your own testimony! As the world gets more and more corrupt we sometimes loose our way, not knowing where we need to go, whats our next step, how do we keep going with all thats upon my shoulders, and we come to ask, is any one going to help me? You may feel like you are alone, and nothing is going your way, and you just don't understand why, because you are keeping the commandments, you are doing all that you can to follow in our Saviors footsteps, but yet so much is going wrong. You may come to ask why? I know that has been a question in my mind this past week. I have come to ask why, why Heavenly Father, why did you give me this trial? But what I came to learn, yet again, is we are never in the right to ask him why? We need to ask, Heavenly Father, what can I learn from these hard times, can you give me more patience to overcome and come to find out for myself why you have given my such trials? I learned when I asked these questions to myself and my Father in Heaven he did answer me and he answered through the most odd ways, through investigators, through street advertisments, and so many other ways. I promise you, if you take time in your daily busy schedules, and just ponder what He has given you at the end of each day, you will come to see the blessings and miracles of everyday. You will go to bed knowing that your Father in Heaven is aware of you and is concerned about you. He knows who you are. He knows your desires and ambitions. I still haven't heard conference yet, due to the fact that I was teaching lessons all day, so I'm still looking forward to watching and listening to it. Conference is very special to me, and I really just can't wait to hear what the Lord has in store for me to hear and do. Conference is a time to change, It is time to become better, time to find ways to become who He wants us to become so we can continue onward on the iron rod. Recently I have read a lot of talks about Lehis Dream, I have read it in the Book of Mormon several times and come to really understand it. There have been articles about it in the past 4 liahonnas, and they talked about it several times last conference. I encourage you all to read it, I commit you all to read it, find out where you are, and where you want to be going and don't just " cling onto it " but " continue pressing forward " reach that tree and don't be ashamed, never doubt. Keep smiling and loving life!
To my sister that is going into the mtc this coming week! Are you excited? Nervous? Just about every feeling you could possibly have all in one, that makes you want to vomit, cry, laugh, scream, and just pass out? Well, let me tell you, thats normal. Haha, the first few days there are hard for everyone, but just believe what every one tells you, JUST WAIT UNTIL SUNDAY, the mtc is amazing, if you go into it with a positive attitude you will absolutly love your time there, you will grow so much, and you wont want to leave, if you think you are going into a prison then thats exactly what it will feel like. It's all about the attitude. You are going to be the most amazing missionary ever, Jersey doesn't know whats about to happen. They are in for the shock of their life. Remember that He calls upon the weak, despised and unlearned to go from nation to nation and thrash them with his spirit. It's up to you to thrash. Companions they can be hard, but like the mtc, its all about your attitude. If you are positive, then you will just have to most amazing mission ever. Go into the field with the smile on your face and come out with the same smile. YOU Lindsay are a Daughter of God and He has a brilliant plan for you and just you. There are so many that need to hear your testimony, share it with everyone. Be who He needs you to be!!. I love you so much and am so grateful for your example to me, you really will be the best missionary. Sister Wright, we both have the name tags now and it's up to us to thrash the nations! Love you Sister Wright, keep smiling and loving every second of every day. Love Elder Wright. He calls and he qualifies. Love you! Love me.

"Learn to Laugh"

From: Jeffrey Romney Wright
To: Jolene Wright
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:53 PM
Subject: "Where you are it is always good weather, ALWAYS"

There is in the mission field the tendency to be discouraged. Sometimes a missionary will tell me, " I have had just a miserable day. Everything has gone wrong, and I am discouraged. It just isn't going to go right. I feel very depressed." Should that be you, I would say, " Well, I am glad to hear that. At least I know you are normal.! DId you know its not either normal or healthy to be on cloud 9 all of the time?" -Elder Packer

Some would say that I ( elder wright ) am happy and on cloud 9 all of the time, but this week has showed to me that I am compleltly "normal," haha. It has been a long week here in West Point. Walking 6-10 miles a day, on the streets for 9 hours straight with no chance to have a break, sweating from every pore, in 100% humity, and maybe if we are lucky by the end of the day having a chance to talk to 1 person ( not always positive ). This definitely will get old really fast. But on monday as I was walking, a familiar story came into my head, and as I walked on the streets I just died of laughter. I was thinking of one of my favorite talks. I want to share a part with you now, that helps me to keep going, each and every day of my life. " Have you ever seen an angry driver who, when someone else makes a mistake, reacts as though that person has insulted his honor, his family, his dog, and his ancestors all the way back to adam? Or have you had an encounter with the overhanging cupboard door left open at the wrong place and the wrong time which has been cursed, condemned, and avenged by a sore headed victim? THERE IS AN ANTIDOTE FOR TIMES SUCH AS THESE: LEARN TO LAUGH. The next time you're tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable!" -Elder Wirthling. So lets recap a few incidents in which I had to use this fantastic antidote in my life this week. 1. Lets start with monday, we had district meeting from 1130-1230 and than Elder Chang and I had finding planned for the rest of the day. That means we would be walking the streets for at least 9 hours. Well, the end of the day came and we had a great day, then I thought I would talk to one last person before I went in for the night, try and give him his salvation and what not. Well, instead he gave me his cup of boiling hot coffee which indeed stained my suit ruining it. laughed. 2. Going up to my previous area of service trying to help those missionaries recover recent investigators that have left since I left. We had a lesson with me and the new missionary, well the investigator, my best friend, called me that night and said he will never in his life see that missionary again. Laughed. ( broke my heart but I know Heavenly Father has a plan for him. Right now I am not sure what it is, nor is he ) 3. We had a typhoon this week and were locked in our houses for a full 24 hours, no food, no water, laughed 4. I was walking down the stairs as we were finding in my last suit that I owned. Slipped and ripped the pants all the way from the crouch down to the ankle, that was a fun hour walk home, laughed. 5. A man thought it would be funny to spit in my face, laughed 6. We were contacting a lady who is from Hong Kong. I'm talking chinese and she says in chinese, " I don't understand english. " Well mam I'm speaking chinese! LAUGHED. Those are just a few of the many incidents I had an opportunity to use this antidote in my life and I'm so grateful for it. The joys of a mission. These are all perfect moments that I had an opportunity to grow close rto many h.f., because I could have reacted in so many different ways, but where would that have got me? This journey out here is an emotional rollar coaster and I am so grateful for it. Through each and every trial, we are able to learn so much and continue onward on the path of righteousness to return to our Father in Heaven again. A mission is the most rewarding thing, yes, there is a lot of trials and hard times, but when you focus on the blessings of a mission its then that you will start to love your time out in the field. When you truely love the people with all your heart and are willing to do anything for them, it's then that you are fulfulling your purpose as a representative of christ.

" I thnk a friend is someone who will alays be around you whenever you face challenges and difficulties in your life, to give you a hand and being sincere and trust each other anytime" -19 years old
" I thnk a friend is a kind of support, there will have so many happen in everyones life and can share the things with friend no matter happy or unhappy" -45 years old
" friend means to me he or she will be nice to you and want to stay with you through thick and thin, no matter what happens, they will love sharing their feelings with you and you with them" -22 years old
"I think real friends understand peoples situations, they trust each other. They are like family outside of the homes, to me sometimes friends are one way Jesus Christ will show his love to us because no body can survive in this tough world with out family but because we don't always have families Heavenly Father will put friends in our paths as we go to work, church, and school. Its just one way Christ shows his love for us." -17 years old
"Somebody you treat like family" - 19 years old
"Friends mean the world to me, really. Sometimes like family. I feel so relaxed and comfortable with him or her. No need to pretend. ALways so friendly towards each other. I can do what I want to do and say what I want to say and he or she will always support and love me. They wont ever judge or critize me or my opinions. We really love each other and we both know it. We are always there for each other." -21 years old
"The ultimate friend to me is Jesus Christ " - 6 years old
DnC 121: Thy friend will stand by thy side
Ex 33:11 Lord spoke unto moses...as a man speaketh to his friend
Job 42:10 pray ye for your friends ( pray ye for your enemies for one day they will be your best friends )
Proverbs 17:17 friend loveth at all times
27:17 Iron sharpenth an iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend
John 15:13 That a man layeth down his own life for his friend
What are you willing to do for your friends? I was given a chance to do a sharing on friends.. so I asked a few of my friends and above are the answers that I have recieved. What does it really take to convert our investigators, friends, families, loved ones, collegaues, class mates, and people we see as we walk on the streets? Of course the gift of the holy ghost, without we can not do anything and there will be no conversion. But how can we make them feel more comfortavle so they can feel the holy ghost easier, faster and stronger? Through our relationship with them... they are not just numbers to us as missionaries, they are our best friends from the pre-exsistance! They are waiting for us to find them again. These are our best friends and Heavenly Father is and has been preparing them for a long time. When we see them, we need to do the best we can to help them remember us, one way is through sharing our testimonies with them because it will bring all unto their remembrance. Through our testimonies they will hear bit and pieces of their own testimonies they once had and still have! Friends are so important in this world. As a missionary I have come to realize the importance of friendship. A lot of missionaries come out into the field and want to get the highest numbers, set records, and beat everyone elses numbers. I have come to find out for myself thats a bunch of bull crap. That is not why we are here. We are here to find our best friends, to love and support them through their lives. Sometimes, they don't need to be taught the gospel day after day, sometimes all they need is your example. Sometimes all they need is your friendship. Thats where conversion starts with some people. Everyone is different but as I was flipping through the childrens hymn book I came across a song, I'm not sure the melody or tune of it but the lyrics hit me. I will share them with you now. "1. I'm much to young to go abroad to teach and preach the word of god, but I can show I know it's true, quite simply by the things I do. 2. The people in my neighborhood will judge the gospel bad or good by how I act at work and play, and not just on the sabbath day. 3. I'll take my friend to church with me, where I will act with dignity, my revrence and my happy face will tell him its a sacred place. 4. In EVERYTHING I do he'll see I am what I profess to be, Then when the elders find his door, he ll say " come in and tell me more. " Sometimes through our actions in our daily lives people are being converted and can feel of the holy ghost. Learn to laugh, and love everyone for who they are. Be the friend someone needs you to be. This email is all over the place, but remember come what may and love it. Hong kong is great now that we are allowed out of our apartments again haha! love you all and keep up the great work!

Hello from West Point, Hong Kong

From: Jeffrey Romney Wright
To: Jolene Wright
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 8:48 PM
Subject: hello

Hey, its me Elder Wright and I can't tell you how happy I am to email you today. We have just been having a blast in this new area, but we have had our challenges. Coming into this area, the previous elders did not have any investigators, or recent converts, or less actives that they were actively visiting and teaching, so I knew that Elder Chang and I had our work cut out for us. West Point is a very special place, a lot of construction, thousands of high rises and billions of people, as well as, all these great worldly features. This place has had a horrible reputation for missionary work. When I got told I was moving here, many said, " oh good luck Elder Wright, that place hasn't had success for a long time ." " that ward is awful and doesn't help with the work at all. " Many other negative things about the area, and every single time I heard that, it just put a huge smile on my face because I knew the Lord sent me to this area to change what everyone thinks of it. To involve the ward in everything, to develop a strong relationship with them, to find investigators to teach, to bring less actives back unto the fold once again, and to make this place have a nice little ring to it when others get called to serve here! We will be having a baptism for a young man named Benjamin next week, and he is so excited. Benjamin is special, he did research on the church, and found out for himself that it was true through our church online website and other articles and then came to the church and found us missionaries. That shows to me that the Lord is always preparing people, and then on the other hand, other people need to be prepared and thats my job. I have recently come to the conculsion while talking to other missionaries and friends, that the key to missionary work is the members. We can find all day, knock on doors for hours, make calls day and night, and of course we will find little success, but the real work starts when members start doing the work and inviting us to become a part of their friends conversion. Prophets for generations now have said that missionary work is NOT effective unless the members are invovled in the work. Are you involved in the work? Since realizing that the last few months of my mission, I have made a goal to visit and talk with, be friends with, every member in my ward. I did that in my last three areas and great success came from it, and it was so easy to schedule the members and I thought it would be just as easy here in this new area, haha boy was I humbled. They would say, " elders we will see you on sunday and that shall be enough for us. " Same thing call after call, finally we got to the point where we just dropped to our knees and fasted with the Lord, to find a way that we could get to know our new members and friends. The next day we called again, and since that day we have visited over 15 families and have 6 more families to go! Miracles! We have had several referrals and made some great new friends! This area is changing slowly, but its changing. A normal day for us right now is to wake up do exercises, studies, and than from 1130am-10pm we are contacting ( walking down and up the streets ) the days are long, hot, and at times we want to give up, but a talk always comes into my head whenever I think I have it too tough. That talk is from a recent conference talk from President Eyering, he talks about a time in his life when he was sad and discouraged and wanted to give up and them he thought about the savior and what he did for all of us, and the words came to his mind, " REMEMBER HIM "... wow, it gets me every time. He could have given up so easily and yet he didn't and nor shall we. There is never a circumstance in which we need to give up, as hard as things get, and as sad or as discouraged as you get, you can never give up. The Lord knows exactly how you are feeling at all times, just talk to him and have the paitence he needs you to have to overcome this trial or hard time. The work is great and how blessed am I am to be here in hong kong today. I never want to leave. my time is going by too fast. I love it here and all my new best friends I have made. I am so glad Heavenly Father gave me this chance to meet them again, because I know they were my best friends in the pre exsitance and they've been waiting for me to find them again and I've been waiting for them. I love you all and remember Alma 13:24. " Your smile might be the closest thing that someone will feel of the saviors love " SMILE TO CHANGE LIVES."

Week of surprises and greatest news ever!

From: Jeffrey Romney Wright
To: Jolene Wright
Sent: Thursday, September 8, 2011 3:00 AM
Subject: Week of Suprises!

This picture that I have attached to my email this week, catches my attention for many reasons. I have walked past this tree for about 6 months wondering what I could relate it to when teaching lessons, due to the fact it is right outside of our chapel building. I have seen this tree go through a lot in it's life, at one time it was a massive beautiful green tree, thick at the stout and very abundant of life. It has now been tappered down and given a new start, it has embraced the unbearable humidity and heat of Hong Kong, the tropical storms and thunderstorms that come during this summer season, it has handled the coldness of the winter, yet it still stands strong not willing to give up. Not willing to call it quits because of the worldly cicurmstances in which we all live in. It's been through it all. Time after time it has been cut down, ( or humbled ) and has started all over again, relying on the lord at all times knowing through him anything is possible. When you are humbled, do you see it as an opportunity to re-start and grow up all over again?How amazing is that, that Heavenly Father loves us so much, he will find ways to help us come closer to him. I get humbled daily out here in the field. Whether it be the language barrior and them yelling at me saying my sounds and tones sound like a 2 year old, or it be my companion telling me that I need to calm down and take it easy, or my favorite times are when I am able to humble myself and recognize that I need to change ( yeah.. daily). Happens often when I read the scriptures or words of the prophets. We need to find time each day to humble ourselves, see what we have done wrong, and find where we can improve for the next day. Heavenly Father doesn't answer prayers if thou art prideful! I was recently reading a general conference talk and loved it when he said, " If you want to talk to your Father in Heaven, you need to pray, BUT if you want your Father in Heaven to talk to you, then you need to read the Book of Mormon." That is so powerful. Another article I was reading, talked about Brigham Young, one time in paticular he was having a very difficult trial and he said this of it, "When I came upon this trial, all I could do was ask our father for more patience and I continued this until I myself could figure out why I have been given such an amazing time to grow and learn." When we come upon trials in our life, why not ask Him for more patience to grow and learn in that time instead of asking why..why did you give it to me, let us ask, can I have more patience so that I myself can find the answers? This tree could also represent many more things, it could represent the fact that we all will make mistakes in our life and will continue to make them and that Heavenly Father will keep forgiving us according to our desire. We could relate it to the restoration in several different time periods of the church and right now its not as big as it was back in the day it's small, strong, and unmoveable. As I walked by the tree each day, there was always something that would spark into my mind and that is, there is something common among all mankind and that is we will all at one time or another in our lives, have trials, unanswerable questions, unsolveable concerns, and we just won't know what to do. At times, it destroys our faith and our testimony, but let us be like Brother Young and instead of asking why, lets ask for more patience.
This week I have left my area of Tai Po and Tai Wo, it has been the hardest thing that I have done up until this point in my life. I love those two wards, especially Tai Po. I have come to love them as family, been able to grow with them and learn with them, what a blessing it is that Heavenly Father has given me, to be able to serve his children in this part of the world. I will miss them terribly and never will I forget them and all they have taught me. In sacrament meeting, a lot of the members got up and with tears in their eyes were able to share with me their testimonies and sense of appreciation for all I have done in this area, the young men especially were so grateful. It was a way that I could feel and hear Heavenly Father saying "thank you Elder Wright, for all you have done here, but it's time to meet more of my sons and daughters and do the same as you have done here." It was a bitter sweet moment in my life, but I know that this call is of Heavenly Father, so the time has come and gone by so fast, and Heavenly Father has new plans for me. It's time to open a new chapter in my life of fourtnante events. I have been moved down to the island, about 1 hour and 45 minutes away from my previous area. They are on complete opposite sides of each other. This is one of the busiest places here in Hong Kong, and wealthiest. I have heard it is a very difficult area but the ward members are amazing. Therefore I am beyond excited to serve here. My new companion is Elder Cheng from Hawaii! He has been serving for about 6 months now and is a little shy, but such a stud. I am so excited that Heavenly Father has given me another one of his marvelous sons to serve with. Companionships are so important and with out unity and being of one, we are nothing to the Lord, so I am so stoked to be ONE and as it says in dnc ( he calls unpon the weak and unleard to thrash the nations by the spirit ) well, Westpoint needs to prepare themselves because we are getting ready to thrash ( with smiles on our faces of course )!! I am thrilled and ready to go!
On to the best news, my sister, Lindsay, has here by been called on a mission to serve the Lord for 18 months of her life, calling upon his children to repent and partake of this wonderful, life-changing gospel message. She will be leaving on oct 19, 2011 for Morristown, New Jersey. Sister wright, you my dear beloved sister are going to be an IMPECABLE missionary. There are so many people that have been prepared for you and are still being prepared, they are waiting to see that smile and hear of your testimony, prepare now to give your time, your thoughts, your actions, and 100% of you, to the Lord. He's counting on you during this time to forget yourself and go to work. It puts the biggest smile on my face knowing that she will be able to feel of the joy and happiness that I feel of right now. Serving is just amazing, you can't really describe the feelings you have while serving a mission, it's just ahh so great. I am so grateful for you Lindsay, and the constant example you have given me, you really are amazing. So willing to give yourself to the Lord, for others it's hard to do. But you are special, Heavenly Father has a smile on his face right now, because He knows whats awaiting you out in New Jersey and He is so grateful for you and all missionaries. Thank you Linds.
Lauren, start preparing now to serve a mission! ... And remember, right now don't worry what other girls and boys think about you, it doesn't matter. What matters the most is what Heavenly Father thinks about you. He loves you so much and is so aware of you and your concerns. I love you so much, don't let the little things people say to you get you down, just ignore them and brush them off, it's hard, but like it says in proverbs 3:5-6 He will direct you, He loves you and will lead you so that you too can receieve eternal happiness. Remember during these times that you always have Him, when you feel along pray, talk to Him like you would me, your best friend. He will listen and He will answer! Love you Lo! SMILE!
Proverbs 17:17, 18:24. Doctrine and Covenants 6:36

Beyond amazing....

---- Forwarded Message -----
From: Jeffrey Romney Wright
To: Jolene Wright
Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 5:47 AM
Subject: Weekly Yehhh

Hey it's Elder Wright, and I am doing beyond amazing. Today was just one of the best days I have had at the temple since being here in Hong Kong. My summer missionary asked if I would do baptisms for the dead with him, we regularly as missionaries are not allowed to do this. So I sent my companion up to do an endownment session and went forward with my summer missionary to go ask if I could join him. The temple president said because no one else could do it, that I would be able to go with him. We were able to give so many of our ancestors this wonderful opportunity to accept this gospel into their lives. As I was baptizing Brother Yihm ( benjamin ) the spirit was so strong, and as I took him into the water, every time I was able to witness the smile on the persons face up in the spirit world and feel of their love and how grateful they were for worthy members to be able to give them this blessing that would now allow them to enter into Spirit Paradise. It just made me really remember how important the work that happens through out temples in the world really is. For the past year and a half I have done an endownment session everytime and as each time comes and goes I seem to get more sleepy and sleepy every time. But today was special. I really came to realize the importance of this work. Therefore I remember why I was doing this work, and who I am doing it for. We represent them, do you remember your first time, the feelings that you had? The spirit that burned strong with in the chambers of your heart? That's what we need to feel everytime, as we do it for them, their first time. What a blessing it is for us, to help these celestial beings keep progressing on their way. Sometimes we forget why we are here, what we are to do, who we are to become, and how we can accomplish all that Heavenly Father has in store for us. Let us remember we are down here on his time, to represent him and do all that we can to help our brothers and sisters, his children, to prepare to return to him once again. He is counting on us. He is counting on YOU!
This week has been just fantastic. Miracle after miracle, has just come into our lives. We first of all, have the most amazing summer missionary, I'm so grateful for the opportunity Heavenly Father has given to the young men and women here in Hong Kong to be able to serve with us, full time missionaries, not only does it give them an opportunity to grow and learn, adapt to the missionary life, but 100% of the time it molds us missionaries into powerful, effective tools in the Lords hands. I have learned and grown so much with each summer missionary I have had and I love them all so much. The youth here in Hong Kong are unlike any other youth in the world. They are so strong. All of them are the only members in their individual schools and not only do they stand strong, give impecable examples of christ like love to all, THEY INVITE ALL TO COME UNTO CHRIST, they share their testimony, they aren't scared of what others think because of how new the church is over here, they know that EVERYONE needs an opportunity like they had to partake in this heavenly message. They know that if they dont give it to them no one will, that in the afterlife their friends, classmates, family members, work collegues, and others will come up unto them and ask them why didn't you tell me of what you had in your life? They don't want that, and they know how to share their testimonies. I just love the youth over here and am so grateful for all that they have taught me, it really has had a large impact of my life.
This week we have had one large miracle that I would love to share with you. So I want to share with you all the little miracles that lead up to this large, life- changing miracle. To start, I have my toes, my finger nails, my nose, my eyes, my sight, sense of belonging, my own personality, my health, fresh air to breathe, the book of mormon, this amazing gospel message to share with all, a man named joseph smith, my savior, redeemer and brother, Jesus Christ, my Father in Heaven, Thomas S. Monson, other church authorities, other missionaries through out the world and here in Hong Kong, music, the bible, the restoration, the plan of salvation, my house, my food and money, and so much more. All this leads up to the amazing miracle that I have to serve here in Hong Kong, to serve right now in Dai Po and Tai Wo. About three months ago as I served with Elder Palfreyman I remember a night in paticular that we were contacting on the streets, getting rejected and rejected and rejected and went home miserable and happy, including every other emotion that comes with rejection feeling like failures to our Father in Heaven. We gave out a lot of materials that night, but did not recieve any phone numbers or names. Well, on monday night I got a call from a member saying there is a young lad at our church right now that has a pamphlet with your name and number on it and wants to talk to you. So Elder Wu, Benjamin and I run to our church thinking who could this be. We get there and the first thing he says is sorry. We were all so confused why he said that. So we go inside to give him a tour of our beautiful chapel and to continue to talk with him. He says 3-4 months ago when I saw you I was having a horrrible day, I wanted to die. You gave me the plan of salvation pamphlet and your number, you made me laugh because your chinese isn't that great and you are funny. Sorry I rejected you then, but I've prayed liked it taught me to in the pamphlet and God told me this is what I need in my life. So we have been teaching him every day for a week now, he will be baptized in two weeks. It showed to me, that there will be a lot of rejection in our lives, whether it be in missionary work, or our real jobs, our children or schooling, there will be rejection. But it's always for a reason, it's apart of the plan, and Heavenly Father has promised us, if we continue onward ( endure to the end ) then He will continue to guide and bless our lives beyond our wildest imaginations. I know that heavenly father is there and he is aware of all of his children. He loves us all so much and just wants the best for each and every single one of us, what if I wasn't worthy that night and today, would KAY still be alive today? Are you worthy to represent him and to help those in need? What does endure to the end mean to you? How can you better your life so that it's more pleasing to our father in heaven? HE IS COUNTING ON YOU>
All of my investigators are doing great, I love them all so much and would do anything for them. They are what is keeping me going, they are the reason I am still here today, they are my inspiration, my motivation, my drive, they are what keeps me breathing from day to day. What is yours? How can you keep developing your testimony? The best proven way is to SHARE it with others. You may feel inadaquate to share your testimony thinking, " its' not strong enough," or " my testimony is not worth sharing, it's really just too simple and not complex like all of the other members of my ward or stake. " I promise you some one right now in your life is counting on you to share your simple testimony with them, they need to hear it so they can know how to keep progressing to recieve an eternal family and return to live with him again. My area is great, I have now been here for almost 6 and a half months, it's really long, at the same time it's amazing. I have gotten to know my members on a very close relationship and have been able to gain their trust in missionaries and have a desire to help and love us. What a joy it is to work with them. My comp and I are doing great. It will be interesting to see what happenns with move calls in 2 weeks. I love this little guy, he has just improved and become the most amazing missionary ever. All my recent converts and investigators truely are my life right now and I love them. I know that this work in which we are doing is that of what the Lord has in mind of us to do. I know that he calls upon the " weak and unlearned to thrash the nations with the spirit ," because I am weak and I am unlearned, but at the same time I know with the Lords hand in my life, I can do anything.