Shalom family and friends,
We are getting to the very last few days... I will be home this Friday and today is my last P-day. I'm excited to be home but, low key, I think I already have post-mission anxiety.
This week was an interesting one. We had a good P-day last week but woke up pretty sick Tuesday morning. We didn't do much besides studies, cleaning, etc., but were back at it Wednesday.
Thursday we had Zone Conference which was my very last one! I enjoyed it and my favorite topic was the subject of prayer. President Merritt shared something that President Nelson shared at their Mission Leader training last July. It was something to the effect of this: "I feel that it is very important that you pray daily in your closets on your knees. Because this is not your work, it is His". The thought of him sharing that in a room of Mission Presidents, their wives, and all the brethren was really cool. President Merritt says their MTC was like a "Mount Sinai" experience. That and everything else shared about prayer hit me pretty hard because I've honestly been thinking about it a lot recently. I've tried to make more time for prayer, but the evenings and days go by so fast that they often feel rushed. It felt like that training in Zone Conference was specifically for me, to give me a little more resolve to make a greater effort to pray meaningfully. Since then, my prayers have been improving.
I'm having good experiences out here! One highlight was on Friday as we went into the City Heights Library for some Language Study. As we were walking in we saw a Haitian lady and her kids and just said "Bonswa!". Everytime we do that they are surprised to see some white kids that speak their language. She almost immediately said that she wanted to meet with us and we will be meeting with her soon. That was pretty cool!
In case you heard about Hurricane Hillary, do not worry. Thursday we got news that the hurricane was on its way from Mexico. Back then it was growing in intensity and over the weekend it became a Category 4 hurricane which is pretty severe. We as a companionship were pretty excited to see what was going to happen. We also were really thinking that our Zone Conference was really inspired because the mission office had updated all of our 72 hour kits just then. I also thought it was about time that the people here learned some humility, and it would be kinda cool to go through a hurricane. As the weekend went on we got a feeling it wouldn't be as bad as the news was putting it out to be, but we wanted to be cautious and prepared just in case. We hoped for the best and prepared for the worst. Saturday night we were told there would be "catastrophic" floods, power outages, and high winds and that we should stay off of the roads unless we need to drive. We got ready by packing some additional go bags and clothes just in case. It was supposed to be cloudy/rainy Saturday and Sunday, with the worst of it being Sunday night. Some church meetings in our mission were canceled (including our Creole group), but we still went to church at 9 for our English ward. The day went on, and it was a rainy day but honestly not anything more than that. Last night we went to bed pretty disappointed that it didn't live up to our expectations. But at least we are all safe, dry and healthy.
Well, as stated earlier, I am nearing the end. This is my last weekly email!!! In honor of the near completion of my mission, I want to introduce all of you to a special project I have been working on. To start, I want to share a quote from my Week 1 email entitled "Hello There" which was sent on September 11th, 2021 while I was at the Home MTC:
"A couple of days ago, I got this song stuck in my head from Nacho Libre. I don't know why, because I haven't seen the movie in years, but it's like the intro song when he's a kid. I just could not get it out of my head and so I looked it up. It's called "Religious Man" or "Hombre Religioso" and I actually really liked the lyrics. I am sorry, if that's not righteous [or complying with Missionary standards], I have not read through the whole Missionary handbook yet, but I felt the lyrics passed the test. I did honestly feel the spirit while it was playing. The lyrics go: "I am I am, I am I am, I think I am, I thank I am, I'm glad I am, I'm proud I am, A real religious man". Those lyrics kinda helped me feel like "Yeah, I'm a Religious Man", not to mention the song is kind of a bop. But I would say those lyrics kind of represent how I'm feeling right now. I would actually love it if I could have this song playing in the background like when I'm shaving and getting ready, putting my name tag on, etc. But go listen to it, because it's great."
As that song began to play through my head I had an idea that I thought was pretty cool: What if I made a video of me getting ready and going about my day as a Missionary while this song was playing? Almost like a movie scene or opening. That idea stuck around, and now, almost 2 years later, the project has come to life.
This video is dedicated to my Grandma, JeNeal Wride, who passed away about a month ago. I talked about her a few weeks ago when she died and shared her obituary. She really was an amazing lady. I think of and miss her every day. She was one of the biggest supporters of my mission in many ways. She emailed me every week, sent packages for both Christmas's and my birthday, bought a lot of my mission clothes and supplies, and I even stayed at my grandparents house for the online MTC. Throughout my whole life my Grandma has been close. It hurts that she won't be there when I get home, but I'm grateful for the strength that comes from the gospel, and I look forward to seeing her again.
I am now pleased to present to you this project titled "Religious Man - Elder Hyrum Wride". Enjoy.
This 2 year mission has, to this day, been the best and most foundational experience I've had. There has been great joy and experiences, wonderful people, and change. I am a little better of a person! But I look forward to the bigger and better things to come.
Again, my Homecoming will be at 9:00 AM this Sunday, August 27th. The address is 9575 S 3100 E, Sandy, UT 84092. Not sure if there's a zoom, but let me know if you'd like the link and I can find out.
My friends, the gospel is true. The truthfulness of this church is very clear to me. I believe and love the Savior with all of my heart, and I hope that it is never over for me. I love you very much and am grateful for your love. Thanks for the adventure!
- Elder Wride
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