Start Of Something New - December 12, 2016

"Covered bridges are cute! And so are we!"

Hello and Happy Monday Friends and Family! Today's emails come to you from snowy Montpelier, Vermont, or as I now lovingly call it Vermonpelier! I don't even think I can properly express to you all how great this last week and Montpelier is. This is meant as no offense to anyone from the last areas I've served in. I have truly enjoyed my time in all of them too and knew I was called to serve there when I did. But this last week I have already had the coolest experiences and know that even though it seems kinda weird to have me spend my last six weeks way out yonder in Vermont, it is truly where the Lord needs me. Even the thing I was most nervous about, serving as a Sister Training Leader, has been resolved and I know I was called to help the specific sisters here in Vermont. And my companion Sister Clegg is super cool. We reference High School Musical a lot. Like, we are blasting Donny Osmond Christmas music as we email, obviously she is pretty cool. But I am just so excited to end my mission here and do some great things with what time I have! Ok, now that I have sufficiently bragged about Montpelier, Donny Osmond, and Sister Clegg, I will tell you about some of my adventures up here in the Green Mountain State!

So Tuesday I left Saco and went to Manchester, met up with Sister Clegg, and came up to Montpelier. We hit things off pretty well and we took some time in the evening to share #LIGHTtheWORLD. Vermonters are really cool. They are exactly like what other missionaries had told me they were like, a lot like Mainers but different. They are eating up #LIGHTtheWORLD which is really fun. And Sister Clegg and I have lots of fun so, like I have said, this transfer is going to be great. Pray that we can find ten new investigators through our efforts!

Wednesday we had district meeting with our newly reorganized district. Because they had to close Lamoille to sisters, we now have the Lamoille elders, Montpelier Elders, us, and both sets of the South Royalton Sisters (full proselyting and senior sisters). We are going to have a lot of fun. We also have an investigator in her 20's so we were able to attend the Montpelier Institute at Norwich University library. It was weird being in a college library 1. because I was dressed as a missionary so everyone stared at us but 2. because everyone else was in National Guard gear. But institute itself was cool. The instructors gave the students and us each a pair of Darn Tough Vermont socks so we felt like real Vermonters.

Thursday we had some time to find and we got two new investigators! I had to pull out my inner-Sister Mann but I talked to this guy walking by named Joey as we were looking for a referral and we asked if he wanted to see the #LIGHTtheWORLD video and he said he had a friend that would be interested because he is more "religious" so we went with him in this apartment building to meet his friend named Larry. We ended up teaching both of them in the hallway about the Book of Mormon and invited them to continue to learn and they both accepted! So we now have Joey and Larry. We are excited! And Thursday was full of more meetings because that's what leadership partially means: meetings.

Friday we did weekly planning and I got to meet the one and only Brother Sypher from the South Royalton ward. He is so sweet! He reminds me of a Vermont Brother Bernatche! But we got to meet him and speaking of South Royalton, all the sisters in the stake (so us, SoRo, and the Burlington Sisters) got to help at the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial in helping guests feel welcome and showing them #LIGHTtheWORLD which was super exciting! I have always wanted to serve at a church visitor's center and I wouldn't say I was perfect at it but I really enjoyed the experience. Life goal unlocked! JSM! JSM!

Saturday we took the morning to make invitations for church services on Christmas because a member of the mission presidency promised us if we invite everyone within a half mile radius to the church we will have people there. So we are going all out and I got to use my design skills to make an invitation styled after #LIGHTtheWORLD and tie candy canes to them. Pray for success there! We also went to #LIGHTtheWORLD with some members at a local nursing home in Berlin. That was pretty fun and reminded me a lot of my time at Southridge Nursing Home in Saco. Saturday was also the ward Christmas party which I enjoyed.

Sunday we had church and I continued to get to know the members here. Besides that we taught a member and her dad was listening to Music and the Spoken Word in the background, so we were way pumped. Like I said, I love it here in Montpelier. I hope you all are as excited for Christmas and new opportunities as I am. I love and miss you all and pray you have a good week!

Love,

Sister Wright

Mom asked Sister Wright to send home some pictures for our family Christmas card

"Comp photo for the Christmas card we want to make"

"We love our fiber optic tree." I asked where she got the tree and she only answered, "The apartment."

"Our district!"

"Cool candid shot"

 "Us and the elders pose like 90's rap stars"

"Our companionship food"

"Covered bridge!"

"We didn't expect the camera to go off"

"Nativity at the JSM" (Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial"

"Day three of selfie a day"

"The donkey Annie at the JSM"

"The JSM!"

"This is the weird things snow does"

 "We saw deer in our bishop's neighborhood"

"Cool cemetery"

"We like to catch pictures of the Capital building"

"Another attempt at the Capital"

"Pre cut invites"

"Church invitations for church I made based off #LIGHTtheWORLD"

"We honestly have no idea what a Christmas gram is. All we say is, 'What's a Christmas Gram? I want one!"

"The tree!" Mom sent the tree to her

"This photo was originally from June but at the time I was only serving with Sister Ritchie. Sister Mann, Sister Lescarbeau, and Sister Clegg are all in this photo near me! Crazy!"

"We are doing a selfie a day. This was last night."