I ate a little fishy fish with eyeballsss!

Hello family!!

Another start of another week! We went to the temple on Thursday! That was awesome and it was a beautiful day :) so cool I was at the temple that I drew a few months earlier!! I went on an exchange with Sister Saunders! She’s the blonde one in my picture. She is so fun and awesome and helped me sooo much with the language and we talked to soo many people. I think it was her blonde hair! hahaha, we witnessed so many miracles. A man on a bike knew we were the missionaries and wanted to talk to us and go to our English classes again. Another lady waved us down and asked us for our cards! We gave them our Mormon.org cards we have and talked to her for a long time. Really good experiences!

We had a lesson with a new investigator that has been coming to English class for a while. She came to church and we taught her and she said yes to the baptismal question! holy cow is she prepared! Her name is Gloria and she’s about 14. It’s just amazing to see such young people questioning which church to join!  She’s the same age when Joseph Smith had the same questions!!!! so cool.  She is so sweet.

I am not very good at this language...  The ward members help me a lot when I ask for their help and they are so willing.  Sister Kim is a super member and is just so amazing; she’s in my food pictures!!! haha she served a mission in Temple Square! I heard all about what they do there and they are such hard workers!!! Constantly talking to people and on their feet!!!

It’s getting colder..... Yesterday was the first rain, so now its downhill from here!!! haha im staying warm! Hopefully it won’t get any colder ;).We have one other investigator named Sunny. She is so sweet and is older. She is just so smiley and nice. She is interested and we will teach her tomorrow.

It was difficult getting used to things the first week, but I’m adjusting. 

Prayer has been my favorite activity. It is a time to meditate and have a conversation with the Lord.  Even though sometimes I don’t feel like he is there, I just have to be patient and have faith in Him and when the time is right, He will help and will comfort. I have had those experiences and I’m so grateful to have noticed when He has helped me. My testimony has grown of my Heavenly Father so much and I seriously can’t do any of this by myself. I love you!!!  Keep in touch and Happy Thanksgiving!!

라 이 트 자 매

사 랑 합 니 다!!!!

I ate a little fishy fish with eyeballsss! its was soo gross hahah but i had to do it!@!!!

they talk so fast and I can’t even catch one word they say!!!!!

So, this week has been one of the craziest.  Opening an area has its challenges to say the least, but it is getting better and we have an investigator to teach tomorrow!  It was scheduled when I go on exchanges with the sister training leader, so that’s a big huge bummer:/, but I will hopefully be able to teach her Thursday.  Her name is Sunny!  I love that a lot of Koreans have English names!  It makes it soo much easier for me. We've been making a lot of our goals and my companion says that I am a blessing to her!  Wow, that’s a compliment.  Maybe there wasn’t as much success in her last area. But honestly, I get so lost in the land of Korea sometimes!!!  People look at me like I’m crazy for even speaking to them.  I just focus on the nice ones, they’re the ones prepared for us anyways right??  It’s hard to bond with some of the ward members especially when they talk so fast and I can’t even catch one word they say!!!!!  I get along with the youth and younger adults, they help me with Korean and they are so cute! 

We had English class for service and it was amazing!  I felt like I could be the real me and talk to them in normal English!!!! yayy!  They are so nice and took us out for hot chocolate afterwards!  I placed my first Book of Mormon last week!!! It was amazing and I did it all by myself:)

I made fried rice today:) Thank you family for teaching me how to cook :)))) it is nice to have a homemade meal that I’m used to.  Chinese food here is not Chinese.... hahaha people ask me what my favorite food is and I can’t say Chinese because it’s just not the sameeee!!!!

We watched a broadcast for stake conference yesterday and they talked all about not shutting the door of your heart to your family and they talked all about the importance of families and unity, I really enjoyed it and related it to missionary work and how I can help my brothers and sisters of Korea to come home and feel the love that we and our heavenly father have for them. We have an amazing message and I try to be more Christ like every day and be the best person I can be.  I love you!!!!!!!!!!  Thank you for everything!

p.s. Tell Annie good luck for meee!!! She will do great!!!

Sister Wright

The language is like gibberish to my ears

Family!!!! 

I finally made it to Korea! I never thought this day would actually happen. It is kind of crazy that I’m here out all on my own with my companion. I’m so used to having teachers and leaders all around me but now we are out here in the real world! The last day in the MTC was super emotional saying goodbye to our favorite teachers and fellow district. It’s hard leaving people you have spent 24/7 with and experienced so many challenges with. 

Jeeze the plane ride was the longest of my life. It was sooo uncomfortable trying to sleep. haha but I did talk to a lot of people on both plane rides. The first one to Detroit was a less active member and we talked about the gospel and that was a good experience. Even though she has some different stances on the gospel, we came off the plane as good friends I feel. Anyways.. Then I sat next to an American on the plane to Korea and we had good chats as well, He also gave me advice on how to not get jet lagged....idk if it really worked because I was exhausted. 

We took the subway from the airport and were to talk to many people on the subway. It was an interesting start to our new missionary experience! Apparently I talked to some drunken men... Idk why no one told me!  I’m so naive. But whatever, I guess I learn from my mistakes! I just thought they were tired.. We didn’t get to bed that night till 12:30. We stayed at the mission presidents super nice home and slept on our last real beds! I met my new companion the next day(Saturday)!  Her name is Sister Han Da Som, She is from the busan area in Korea and we are serving in the kang dong ward pretty close to the Han River. We are opening that area so there aren’t any investigators and we're starting fresh. 

We met the ward yesterday and I gave a little talk. The ward is super small. There’s about 30-40 active members and a ton of non active members. We have a lot of work to do! ahh. It’s a bit hard because my companion is more on the quiet side and doesn’t talk much..... so I am learning that I have to be the one to try and start conversations... This is super hard especially because I don’t know any KOREAN!!! I say something and people don’t understand.. so this is great! I feel like a buffoon!!!! Anyways, it will come with time a allllottt of studying!  We did our weekly planning session last night and I didn’t realize that missionary work entailed being a super expert at party planning!!! Thank goodness I learned a few things from my momma but not nearly enough! haha How do I get these members to come to activities and help them to invite their friends!? They don’t invite friends to anything or have time to help us out with teaching with members present! Any ideas??? This will be a fun week for sure! lots of hard work! It’s good I was raised by the craziest hardest workers ever! Hopefully I do you proud :) 

I’ve learned this week that I can’t get discouraged. At all. If I do, there is a barrier keeping me from doing my work as a missionary. This work is hard, but if I go about it with a positive attitude then I can accomplish more than I thought. It is hard not being able to be spiritually uplifted on Sundays because the language is like gibberish to my ears, but then I learn to be able to read doctrine and scriptures and uplift my spirit by my own efforts. So I have a goal this week to try to be the most positive I can be and not let the adversary get into my head and ruin me! I hope that makes sense! I love you! I think about a lot of my home ward :) those old memories make me happy and I hope this ward I can help here will be as great as my ward back home! They have taught me so much! I love you all!!!!!

Love

Sister Riley Wright

There was a piece of squid in my soup.  I avoided it at all costs!!!

Oh how memorable that trip was!

Nov 2 Snail mail 

Family,

I would just like to say I love you all!  This week is super crazy.  Teaching investigators, packing, going to Dr. appts every day, going to all different departure meetings, but I’m getting a lot done.  Today actually we taught our investigator about repentance and keeping commandments and how he’d be forgiven and more and more.  My companion was really amazed b/c I just kept coming up w/things to say that needed to be said.  Usually I’m stuttering like a fool!! Haha.  It was an answer to my prayers.  My faith and the Holy Ghost are key to everything & hard work.  It’s just been hard sometimes b/c I felt that I’m the slowest learner, but I’ve learned to accept it and try to work harder,  and the harder I work the more I will grow! 

I have not gained any weight!  Aren’t you proud!?  I feel like all I do is eat and sit though!  Maybe if you are all good, you can have a “chance” card from monopoly and I’ll send you some cool stuff from Seoul.  Maybe I’ll find some cool technology for Remy!  That would be awesome!  You all deserve a nice gift from across the sea!  You are all working so hard and being so nice to me and others as well. 

You might be getting this while I’m travelling to my destination.  We will be so far away, but close in spirit and prayers.  I ‘m getting really excited.  I just need to keep my momentum up the whole time I’m there!  I can’t forget that!  Remind me so I never forget!  I will for sure let you know what area I’m in and who my companion is.  I hope I’ll be able to send lots of snail mail to you just like I have been!  I know it’s going to be crazy but family is important too!  Sorry in advance; an email might be the only thing and then a snail mail every once in a while.  I love you!  You are the best family anyone could have.  You have taught me so much and helped me to understand how to be obedient and a hard worker.  Thanks for pushing me to be better!

Loves and Hugs XOXOXO  Sister Riley Wright

Say hi to everyone for me, I hope everyone is doing well.

I’m scared I’ll crush the Korean’s hands w/my firm handshake!!  I’ll save my handshakes for the Giles family;)

Nov 3, 2013, snail mail before leaving MTC

PS.  Momma, your fun missionary family party sounds so fun!!  I wish I sould be there to taste all the food.  Who are all the families that are attending?  Mmmmm, food sounds so good!  The MTC food is getting a bit old… haha, but not too bad.  I can’t wait to eat some Korean food!  Everyone that I’ve talked to that has been over there says the food is AMAZING!  Maybe I can figure out how to make it and send you recipes!  I’m also excited to cook again.  Fired rice and stir fry and chow mein!  And they will definitely have all the ingredients I’ll need!  Thanks for teaching me how to cook.  I’d be lost without it.  When I get back I want to learn how to make soufflés.. better late than never right?! 

Daddy I think it’s awesome you went for a morning session at the temple.  I feel like the morning sunshine just makes everything so much prettier and better.  I love the temple so much.  As a missionary I’ve been able to experience some really powerful things in the temple.  The spirit is so strong at times, not all the time, but when it does I realize it.  In the past it has been hard for me to notice the spirit or really feel anything.  But the Lord works with each of us in different ways and I’ve come to accept it.  I’m grateful for the moments that I’ve had. 

Remy!  I miss you like crazy!  I saw that picture of when you went on that hike and you wrote in the hikers notebook at the top of the mountain and you said “I’m Remy Wright & I’m an ASIAN!”  Haha.  I loved that.  Maybe when I get back we can go on a hike or go backpacking and we can write our names in the notebook at the top of the mountain!  

Note that Remy wrote

Top of the mountain

What made that backpacking trip in the Tetons so memorable was all the unfortunate things that happened.  I’m grateful for that because now I remember that family trip so well!!  The craziest, longest first hike into camp, Remy getting sick, snow, mom and dad having leg problems, gross curry dinner…Ha ha..Bear encounters, watching bears eat Huckleberries in our camp!  Oh how memorable that trip was!  Thank you family for your wonderful examples to me.  I love you! 

 Watch Monster’s University for me again!  I love Mike Wazouski!  I think that is my favorite movie.

PPS Thanks for all the packages!  I feel so loved.  You are the best!  The cookies have been so delicious and I miss all the baking and deserts!  Thank you for your love and support and love you’ve shown to me.  You make me smile all the time!!!  I love stickers as well!!!  Haha. They brighten my mood.

PPPS  I secretly cast Harry Potter spells at people…Its really fun…  Anyways, Love You!  Talk to you soon.

Love Sister Riley Wright

Tetons trip Ricey tying Remy's shoe

One of many snow flurries

Ricey & Remy 2nd morning

Gross Curry Dinner

Ricey & Remy 

Grand Teton in Background

Taking a break during long 1st day

Our Group 1st day on the Teton hike

He was starving so I gave him my banana.

Hello family!!!! sooo.. I accidentally deleted my draft instead of saving it... haha so I will try to say everything I wanted to! I leave in 6 days!!! It’s crazy and exciting but it also makes me a bit nervous! After being in the mtc for about 9 weeks, it makes me feel like I’m never going to leave here, but I’m going to be gone to Korea in a week!  Wild.  Anyways, yesterday we had in field orientation for Halloween! wooooo.  It’s fairly new and it has classes all day with the missionaries leaving this week. We learned about the importance of making goals first, then making plans and how much more effective we can be through this!  We learned about what we will be doing out in the field, giving advice on how to be the best we can be and working with the members of the ward.  I didn’t realize how much we’d be working with members, but now I see the effectiveness of being able to find investigators through the members of the ward who have been talking to people about the LDS church. That is why they stress and have been stressing even more recently of "every member a missionary". Super exciting and I just want to get to get going on the work!!  I am going to miss my companion Sister Goines.  We have grown a lot together with our ups and downs and learning how to work together, she has blessed my life already with her wise advice when I am discouraged and she picks me back up. The companionships really are inspired. I love the gospel and want to spread the word!  I know there will be challenging times ahead, but I will remind myself that those times are helping me become a better and more perfect person. :) Love you!  Sorry I couldn’t write more!  I’ll write when I’m out in Korea!!!!!

Love Sister Wright

This picture is of Garrett,  He is our personal driver to all the doctors’ appointments.  We go to the doctor almost every day!!  He was starving so I gave him my banana. He ate it while a girl was throwing up in the passenger seat because she had a kidney stone.. hahaha oh what a wonderful place:))

We are out in the outside world of Provo!