APRIL 16, 2018

Week 46

Tough news and Tender mercies

"In God's Eternal plan, salvation is an individual matter; but Exaltation is a family matter."

Those who read last weeks post, know Mickey's Grandpa was given months to live and we had to break that news to her. 

This week, the situation became more serious. Two days after the news, all of his children felt prompted to make their way to his bedside and it was time to give the President another update that Grandpa didn't have months, but only days to live. We would stay in very close contact and continue to send updates.

Mickey and I requested a final phone call with her Grandpa and the President agreed. On Thursday, with most all of Grandpa's children and a few Grandchildren by his side, I was able to call Mickey and she was able to speak with her Grandpa one final time. It was a very sweet and tender moment for her and for our family. 

Afterwards, Mickey and I were able to talk a bit longer and she was able to share an experience with me where the Lord confirmed to her His will for Grandpa. It was emotional and my heart went out to her.  I was grateful she felt the Lord's mindfulness in this scenario we were experiencing.

That same evening, Grandpa was given a Priesthood blessing by his eldest son, Kevin.  In it, Grandpa was told that his mission in this life was complete and he had done everything he was sent to do and now, he was needed on the other side to continue his work.

Grandpa passed the following afternoon.

Again, another update was made to the President. ...only this time, Mickey was actually on her way to the President's house to make cookies that had been pre-scheduled. (Tender mercy in and of itself!) The President would be able to break the news in person and comfort her in a unique way. Obviously, this was an emotional experience and Mickey has had moments of ups and downs just as the rest of our family has, but she remained strong and the Lord is watching out for her.

Below, is a portion of what Mickey wrote in her email to me:

"Thank you for your sweet email today. I hope you know that I am grateful for all of your efforts to keep me informed and up to date. I am grateful to be blessed enough to have you in my life." 

"I have struggled [and because of that] I don't feel like a good missionary. I don't know why. I really am trying my hardest to accomplish all that I can. And now, I'm worried about home. But I'll be fine. I'm just going to keep trying." 

"It was a good week in all aspects. I felt the comfort of my grandfather after his passing, which gave me the force I needed to accomplish all that I did this week. I am really trying to work hard and give my all to this work, even though this week was tough on me." 

"--A tender moment for me was Friday Afternoon actually. The whole morning I had been singing "I feel My Savior's Love" without knowing why. When I arrived to President's house and he had shared the news with me, my heart almost jumped in joy for grandpa. It was strange, I was actually happy. (: Of course I shed a few tears, but they weren't sad. We were able to make cookies with them and later I was able to play piano in their house. Normally, I don't ask. you know I don't like playing piano for or in front of people so it was a shock that I even asked. I went in, sat down and while playing I had never felt more comfort at the piano. --I ALWAYS feel comforted at the piano because of my love for music, but this time was even more special. I felt grandpa smiling and dancing sweetly to the music I played. ♥ it touched my heart more than ever to know that I will always be connected to grandpa by something that I love and cherish so dearly already. He's a special man, and I know that he's happy."

"I know his funeral will be beautiful, and I know Grandpa will love every single musical number that is shared. ♥ - I also must say that one of the most tender moments for me on the phone call with grandpa was when Brae said "Mickey, I played the Violin for grandpa yesterday." I think my heart skipped a beat. We all know how happy music makes him. ♥"

"I loved getting to talk with all of you. I miss you all dearly. Just know that I haven't looked forward to seeing someone(s) more in my life. ♥" 

"I've found myself at the piano every day this week, trying to comfort myself with grandpa's love. It's been my piece of courage for the week, especially when I needed it most." 

"A random pic from my companions camera."

"The sweet sisters I live with."
AKA: The Comforters!

"My Favorite Flower"

"We got a new bunk bed this week!! Luckily our elders are the BEST and came over to put it together."

​"Tender mercy -- I had a REALLY good tomato this week."

"We had matching dresses with an entire family this week! I also sang a Solo in Sacrament meeting."

"This morning on the way to Church (for our emails)"

"​Fancy foods in Tahiti."

♥♥

APRIL 9, 2018

Week 45

Tough news and a move

For those that know our family on a very personal level know that we have been occupied with several events that have kept us pretty busy and close to our family. I will disclose some details of those events in the next couple of posts.

This week was a particularly hard week. 

...Little did we know, the next would be harder. 

Sunday, April 8th, Mickey's Grandpa was admitted into the hospital for serious dehydration. In a matter of a very short period, he was unable to keep any food down and was losing a lot of weight...like 2 pounds per day. His doctor took him in for an immediate exploratory surgery.  Long story short, Dr. Kim found out Grandpa had a blockage, three large masses and TONS of cancer throughout his abdomen area. There was really nothing they could do, ....it would be a matter of time before the cancer would take him.  They sewed him back up and calls were made to all his children. 

Those that know Mickey well know she has always had a special bond with her Grandpa. I struggled to know how we should break this devastating news to her so I did the only thing I knew how to do: pray for inspired counsel. 

It was close to 9 PM her time when I felt a STRONG prompting to let Mickey's mission president know what was going on. He thought it was best to tell her immediately, so he made the call. Obviously, she was in tears. She was able to receive an immediate Priesthood blessing and was given wonderful care from her companion and roommates. She was able to remember her good memories with her Grandpa which brought comfort and even some laughs.

The next day was P-Day and obviously, we were both anxious to converse. The President gave Mickey special permission to message me so we could discuss the situation and answer any questions she may have. Of course the were many.  The Dr. told us Grandpa had months to live so obviously it was an emotional time. Mickey displayed strength and made the decision to remain on her mission because that's what Grandpa would want her to do.  I was SO proud of her for choosing to follow thru on her commitment to serve the Lord and her ability to find the good despite a hard time. I told her she would be greatly blessed for her willingness and sacrifice. Many prayers would be said in her behalf for strength and comfort.

Here was her week:

"Corosol -- It's a fruit, which was surprisingly sweet and tasty." 

"​I've turned into a cat lady. HA I just felt bad that there were so many cats without food so I'd give them our leftovers."​

"OH. we moved this week! Unfortunately there is only air conditioning in 1 room. Fortunately, WE HAVE AIR CONDITIONING!!!! And the fact that it's only in 1 room gives us an excuse to have a sleep over every night. (: I LOVE our new house. It's a duplex that is super cute and CLEAN! (which is a change from the last house..):

"Members give us enough food for a family of 5.. every time."

"Cold showers are never an enjoyable thing, especially when they're unexpected." 

"I'm the mom of our house. -Who would have thought a mission would literally prepare me to be a mom?""

"I got the death-call this week! I will OFFICALLY be headed home AUGUST 23rd to the St George Utah airport. - Flight plans should be here in about 1 week. I had mixed feelings about that call. I Love it here, and I'm definitely not ready to leave."
♡♡

APRIL 2, 2018

WEEK 44

No shirt, no shoes...no problem! (:

 I hit a new LOW this week.. I road my bike without shoes, and I walked around the grocery store in my SOCKS!!! 

"No shirt, no shoes.... no problem!" (:  

(hey, make that the title of this weeks blog!) haha (: Because it never is a problem. 

​Tender mercy! I watched General Conference on this little tiny screen with quiet speakers. I had always seen pictures of people doing this, but never thought I'd have the opportunity or the need to do so. Now, here I am in the middle of the Pacific watching conference like the Locals. (in English..)​

 My favorite talk was David A Bednar.. About meekness. I truly feel this conference was surely about the the importance of the Prophet, but also too, Christlike Attributes. 

We (my companion and I) were able to watch ALL sessions this conference.

I've forgotten my plaque twice on my mission! The first time was when Gary Stevenson (General Authority) came, and the Second was the day we did interviews with President Fox.. Don't judge me. He simply said "Breath, Sr Wright. It happens."

I did braid all of the sisters hair in our house that day though, so pictures were necessary. 

 I GOT THE EASTER PACKAGE! (: 

Thank you thank you thank you!

I mean, clearly Braelynn knows me best.. (; hahah 

I LOVE this toy and so does EVERYONE else! You can't look at it without smiling. 

​I took all of my toys and Easter candy to the church on Sunday. While we were waiting for the second session to start all of the kids ran wild and ate my candy.. Haha It made me happy to see them so happy. 

Funny story, I've always told other people that I'm going to adopt 12 dogs and never have any kids, but I think that they know the real secret and that I surely DO want children. ​How could you not!? I mean they're adorable!

              You can't tell me that I don't have some of the COOLEST missionary pictures in the world.. (;

^^ Just in case you can't tell - that's a Stingray about to go over Mickey's cute little feet!^^

 ​Vahinerii-- The SWEETEST little 3 year old girl. Her mom just got baptized in February and we are waiting for the approval of her dad so that her older sister Ravanui can get baptized. She's always LOADED with energy. She climbs all over us, takes our plaques, ​she's always looking for something in our bags and I LOVE HER!

♥

 This is Sr O'Hara and I laying down on the road after our 90% incline hike last week.

Literally whenever you hear cars going up this road, it sounds like the engine is about to give out. I loved it though.

Sr O'Hara and I did a P-day activity with Erick (an Ami De L'eglise). 

He took us to the beach where he found a shell, then gave it to me to clean.. 

A picture of the final product is to come! (: 

HAHAHAHA Literally, after 10 minutes of holding the sander I was tired. 

--I'm just warming up for the work I have ahead of me (When I return to work for Brad). (;

MARCH 26, 2018

WEEK 43

BUGS, KETCHUP AND GROWTH!

"Education is the difference between wishing 
you could help other people and being able to help them.

-President Russell M. Nelson

After 1 year on a mission in Tahiti where I sweat 24/7, I wear a bike helmet every day, I don't wear makeup EVER, and the lighting is AWFUL.. I just gotta take a minute to appreciate that I've literally lived in PARADISE where the people are more loving and welcoming than ever, I'm never hungry because literally EVERYONE gives me food, Missionaries are loved by EVERYONE (yes, I mean everyone), I have the most LEGIT tan lines on my feet, and I haven't had to worry about getting ready for the day in who knows how long because people just love me for me, and I am doing the most MARVELOUS work known to man -- Sharing the light and love of my Savior and Redeemer! I couldn't have asked to be doing anything better! ♥ 

I love that Mickey focused (above) on some of the most positive things from her mission. 

However, as I have kept in constant contact with Mickey, 

I know her mission hasn't always been that of sweet smelling roses. 

She sent me some thoughts this week that she didn't want me sharing with everyone, 

but I really think it adds to the Spirit of what she is doing and who she is becoming. 

Missionary (Member or Full-time!) work does not always come easy!! 

It is challenging and Mickey has had her fair share of trials, we know. 

I feel the desire to share a few things she shared with me in a personal email. 

Know that these thoughts are HER experiences 

and are the situations in her life that ARE allowing her to grow into who the Lord wants her to be. 

These are VERY PERSONAL to her, and ultimately, she did give me permission to share what I'd like. 

I share these, because I feel when we see what is REAL for her, we see the Lord is molding her 

- and through example - 

her experiences have the ability to touch our hearts and mold us as well. 

.... Last week, Mickey felt a bit disappointed in herself. 

(Now, please know I say this with a mindful heart that at times, we ALL feel a bit of disappointment in ourselves....not so we can make that feeling worse for her. Trust me, she was hard enough on herself!) Mickey felt that last week she didn't have a positive attitude in doing her work with exact obedience 

- which she felt really guilty about. 

(Again, isn't this like ALL of us at times?!) 

Mickey decided to speak to her companion about it and TOGETHER they were able to re-adjust goals and go about their days with a positive outlook and give all their effort to the work at hand. 

Guess what?! 

Mickey said, "It WORKED!! 

Starting Tuesday, our schedules were filled to the brim! Just the little change in attitude made all the difference. We were so busy helping ward members and being with Ami's that we didn't even have time to get all our studies done every day because by the time we arrived home, 

we were so exhausted, that we just went to bed." 

Also, with hitting her one year mark, 

Mickey did a lot of reflecting on the things she has learned. 

She said, "The natural man in me may have compared myself to others in seeing if I've learned what other returned missionaries have said they've learned. 

I couldn't help but feel good for the efforts that I have put into the travail missionnaire 

but I also couldn't help but be a little disappointed in myself for all of my faults. 

I thought back to every moment where I learned something from someone else and where I really LOVED my mission and I will have to say that in every one of those moments, no matter how amazing or how hard, 

I can truly say that I was giving my ALL. 

Now that I have been out for one year, I know that I cannot get lazy." 

You may remember last week where Mickey described a prayer that was given by her Mission President. 

She described it as sounding more like a blessing. 

He mentioned there were still many souls who were waiting for Mickey to share the gospel with. 

She has a deep desire to continue with the work and even go on with a little more "pep" in her step to share the gospel and grand, glorious message. 

"I need to do it with ALL of my heart!" 

She doesn't want to regret the last few months of her mission because 

the one thing she would regret is not giving the mission her all. 

"I WILL give my all!" she said. 

Perhaps the most important lesson Mickey told about was the following:

"I learned this week the importance of not focusing on me. 

Actually, I was complaining about something last night and Elder Bayart said, 

'Maybe if you're unhappy it's because you're focusing more about yourself than you are on others.' 

...it hit me right to the core, but he's right. 

I need to stop focusing so much on me, maybe then I'll be more happy."

She was going to try that this week.

...now, if you are like me, 

you see a lot of learned messages and wise counsel within Mickey's vulnerable moments.  

...and really, isn't that what this life is ALL about? 

Learning. 

Growing. 

Forgiving ourselves. 

Serving others.

Moving forward despite our weaknesses.

and

Learning to give our all in becoming like the Savior? 

No one ever said we had to be perfect...but, we are required to do our best. 

I LOVE this girl for her passion in finding ways to become better. 

She continually teaches me and I am SO grateful I can learn WITH her! 

Thank you, Mickey for your continued example - even when we are oceans apart. 

YOU ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB AND ARE TOUCHING HEARTS! 

...Both in Tahiti and in the states! 

Be proud of your efforts, Sister! ♥♥ 

Luckily,

Mickey is in a wonderful ward with members who are really involved with the missionaries.

If you would like to pray for Mickey -

She and her companion are working on finding the people who are really ready for baptism.

You can pray for them to find those who are prepared in their hearts for the gospel.

"-Hey, I learned this week that my companion doesn't like Coconut water! Wanna know how?!?! Well, an ami of ours gave us a Coconut fresh off the Tree but I didn't want to drink it so I gave it to her.. WELL - Bad idea because she didn't want it either. HA It's a little hard to hide from the amis if BOTH of you don't like what they are giving you! (:  Pretty much a good companionship consists of two people who give the other the food they don't like! (: Haha"   

Mickey expressed gratitude for her companion and said they get along very well. 

 "Sr. O'Hara may or may not believe it, but in the last two weeks she's taught me a lot about being "calm".  She's definitely not a stress filled person and she's helped me 

stay calm with all of the unplanned speed-bumps we've come across these past few weeks. 

She's a good missionary. -I've been blessed in that aspect of having obedient companions!"

"Elder Bayart (from France) made my companion and me steak and pasta for my one year mark! (: The poor guy kept asking me if I wanted Ketchup because it was made in America. I finally said "Yes, But Elder Bayart, I AM made in AMERICA!" We all laughed. So he pulled out the Pesto and said I could just eat like Sr Battezatto (Itialian)."

"I was kneeling down to begin a fast when a tear fell, You all know me, I get distracted easily so I looked down to see the tear on my bed and saw maybe 15 little tiny things MOVING. YES. BUGS. I Thought for a second that I was just paranoid so I looked at the res of my bed and saw over 150 of these little tiny worm looking things!!! AHHHHHH My companion took my mattresses outside and she switched it for the other one in our house and I washed the sheets. I felt good until Sunday morning came around and there were MORE!!!!!!! WWWHAT?!?!? NO WAY. Needless it say I didn't actually start my fast.. I may or may not have had an emotional panic attack. -Luckily the elders came over to help out with a different mattress from their house. They said the bugs normally come from dust and humidity (which we have a lot of) -- I took down the curtains that were above my bed and this morning I was relieved to see NO bugs in my bed! I am pretty sure that is where they were coming from." 

"--On the bright side, we are supposed to be moving this week! So Hopefully we'll be in a newer house with OUT bugs and with air conditioning!" 

"Raniha et Ranitea - They are 8 year old Twins who have more energy than I know how to deal with. Haha I LOVE going to visit them though, even if all we do with them is sing a primary hymn." 

"​I FINALLY finished le Livre de Mormon! -It only took me 5 months but I DID accomplish it! I'd even be willing to say that the rumors are true! When you're on a mission learning a language, by the time you finish reading the Book of Mormon, you should be fluent! VOILA! Je parle le Français!! ​I don't love any book any more in the world. Honestly, my testimony of Jesus Christ has grown more in reading it in French than in my native tongue! One verse that really struck me is found in 2 Nephi 4:34. In French is tells us not to place our confidence in la chair and to continually place our confidence in Christ. I've really had to do that this last year, so it's been a GREAT motto! 

I finally arrived at Moroni 10 where Moroni invites everyone, (yes, even missionaries) to pray and ask if the words in the Book of Mormon are not true, and instantly I felt a bunch of warm fuzzies in my heart and said "Of course it's true!" and my testimony grew right then and there. I KNOW the Book of Mormon is the word of God. That is why I am here! I invite you all to do the same. Even if it takes years to get it done, read the Book of Mormon with ALL your heart and pray to God to know if the words it contains are not true! I TESTIFY that God WILL respond!" 

Below: "​Pretty much, there is no way this is real."

Below is Mickey's ward building. 

Below: A very common picture of an iconic piece of art - seen EVERYWHERE in Tahiti.

"Hinano" is actually the name of a white, tropical flower that is indigenous to the South Pacific. 

It's also the name of a beer (hence the bottle cap) and even has a theme song dedicated to the brand. 

It's a complete lifestyle brand in Tahiti and is VERY much integrated into the everyday life and culture of French Polynesia. 

(When we were there, Brad even had to pose with a cardboard cutout of "Hinano" - it was that big!) ;)

"I LOVE YOU!"