Faith Precedes Miracles Mitch's letter 6/26/14

Yes I’m still alive! Yeah we went to the temple. The ZL's didn't tell me anything until Sunday night. So not my fault!!! I hope you guys are having fun on trek! If I don't hear from you, well I guess I understand. Ha-ha

This week was good. We are getting the members into the work more, so that is good! I love having lessons with the members. It is so much better, the spirit is a ton better, and the people are so much more responsive to someone they can relate to. I don't have much time, but I just want to relate a story from this week.

People often think that their church is true because they have had some spiritual experience, or their faith was tried and confirmed. So that leads us to the question, does God answer prayers of other faiths. Do miracles only happen in the LDS church? Let me share an experience. We had had an investigator who had told us to stop coming by. Well he was drunk at the time so I didn't give his denial any relevance. We passed by and got him set on the right path and renewed his determination to quit drinking. When we taught him again, something miraculous had happened. He had gone in to update something with his records and they told him that he had had the wrong birthdate his whole life. So they changed everything on his record. All of the debts, all of the penalties, all of the unsavory parts of his record were erased. He literally has a clean slate, in every sense of the term. So, again, do miracles only happen in the LDS church? Of course not!!  People of the LDS church aren't the only ones that see miracles, receive personal revelation, or have their faith confirmed with things from heaven. God loves us and his works are brought to pass by faith, not by religion. I mean, our church is the only true church on the face of the planet, but that doesn't mean that only we receive blessings. So no, blessings don't just come to members of the church, but to ALL of his faithful children.

Well, that’s about all I have this week. I hope you all have a great week. Keep the faith and work hard to see the hand of the Lord working in your lives!!

-Élder Morris

Our trip to the Temple, always a great experience!

I think I'm cooking from the inside.

Elder Garcia and me.

10 months down-Happy Fathers Day!!!

June 16, 2014

So, one week more until it is officially 10 months. That is a little nuts... but there is no use in wishing for time to slow down so I'll just have to go with the flow!

This week was really good! We had Elias come to church again. He is really making progressing! His outside porch is a hang out spot for all of his buddies. One time we had a lesson with Elias and two or three times during the lesson some drunk friends passed by to use the bathroom. They stopped and listen for a couple of minutes but then the need to use the bathroom would overcome their interest and they would leave. Before leaving, every one of them would "exhort" Elias to listen to us because we really were messengers of God. It was pretty awesome. Elias tells us that every time we are in his house that he feels so good with us. He feels "liberated and energized" (his words, but obviously in Spanish). He is changing his life, and not only his but others too. He has already shared most  of the Restoration story with his friends. He has told us about a neighbor who needs help. This is a man who not only listens to the gospel, but lives it. With him, it isn't a matter of if he will be baptized, but when.

Things have also changed a little with this transfer. My new companion is from Utah, but he has darker skin than most of the Mexicans here. It is pretty funny cause all the people talk to him as if he were from Mexico, but he still has a hard time understanding. Then when he talks they all just look at him and are like, "Where are you from again?" It is super funny. He has 6 months in the mission field; he is a convert of a little over a year and a half. We are going to start killing it in the little area of Infonavit! We have on baptism soon and hopefully more on the way!

Well, Father´s Day was yesterday so I am just going to give a shout out to the best father known to the human existence. Anyone who knows him is well aware of the kind of work that my dad does. He gets up hours before the crack of dawn, day after day, and spends long hours on his feet.  Have I ever heard him complain in my 19 years of life on this earth? No.  Even when we did the addition onto our house, he would get home at 3 or 4 and go straight to work finishing the downstairs part of the addition. I don't know how many hours we spent working on that area, but never did I hear him complain about how he had just spent almost 12 hours at work and now he had 3 more to do at home. Not even once. And his work is not only in his job. I don't know how many small projects he has volunteered to do for the people that have asked (or that my mom has volunteered him for). He has been the perfect example of a hard worker. He has always gone about the work he does with efficiency and quality. There were countless times when I did something half- heartedly and he would not accept anything less than the quality that the job deserved. He would always tell me to "Work smarter, not harder." So all in all, I am sorry if you never had Chris Morris as a father because you will never fully be able to comprehend all of the love, sometimes tough love, all of the skill, all of the guidance, spoken and unspoken, that he has showed to our family. In short, I have the world's #1 Dad. Dad, I don't know how to say everything that I feel in my heart, but just know that without you in my life I would have been lost from the start. Thank you so much. I love you.

-Élder Morris

Lunch at my apartment, we have air conditioning!!

I made Spaghetti, not as good a Dad's but mighty tasty after not having pasta for 9 months!

So this week was pretty much great. Apart from the sun and the humidity and the walking and the rejection and all that jazz that is inherently part of the life of a missionary! But you don't even notice it when you have at least one person intent on following the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This week we found one of those people named Elias. He told us that he has been feeling like something has been holding him back. The way he described it was that he felt like someone was holding his arms behind him while he tried to go forward. So he has struggled in his work (he is a carpenter). He has felt de-motivated, (I don't even know if that is a word. I don't think so) and a little depressed. He said he has been praying to find a solution, to find something to help him get rid of these feelings. Well, there we were, sitting in his living room, the answer to his prayers. It was really one of the coolest things to see him change in the space of a half hour or so. He really was all bummed out at the beginning and by the end he was like getting up and pacing and was just full of energy. The way that the spirit was working through us and the way it was working in him was something that I'll never forget. What more is that he came to church yesterday!! NO ONE comes to church after just 2 visits!!! And to think that we knocked on his door looking for someone else. What a coincidence..... PSYCH!!!! There is no such thing as coincidences in this life especially not in the mission field! Right now I am just feeling really grateful for the chance I have to help him find the peace that he has been looking for. 

Well, in other news, I am getting a new companion tomorrow. That is going to be interesting, but it can't be worse than the other transfers. I probably won't be training, I will already know the ward, and I will get to keep my investigators!! Things are looking good! Ha-ha 

Remember that there are no coincidences. You are who you are, you are where you are, and you're doing what you're doing because that is the Lord's plan. Never forget that he knows what is up better than you ever will and to listen to the Spirit to follow HIS plan, not yours. Well, that is about all I got for this week. I hope you all have a great one!! 

-Élder Morris

My chocolate bouquet from home!! mmmmm

I may or may not have dropped my appointment book in some water.

A lady that we met on the street thought we needed more ties. 

Remember where our Blessings come from.

Holy cow, it is already June! Where did the time go!? I would have never guessed that it was June, apart from it being like 95+ every day! It really is the most intense heat from the sun I have ever felt. I have been in hotter temps but the sun is scorching!!! Me and my companion are going to put a pan out to try and cook an egg.... I hope it works.

Well, nothing much happened this week. It was pretty slow. We found some new investigators but we also had to drop some really good ones. It is always tough to have to drop people that you are sure that they know this is the truth. But that is what agency is. Getting over that fact and just looking at all the good stuff we have in our lives helps get past all the crappy parts. (Excuse my language) ha-ha

But we still have some investigators who are progressing well, just getting them to come to church is tough. We are continuing to work with them to help them realize the importance of partaking of the sacrament and of all the blessings that are found in the church. Once they realize that, they aren't going to want to miss a Sunday!

Something that my grandma sent to me really made an impact on me this week. That we should not only remember our blessings but also from where they come from and why. They come from our Heavenly Father. He loves us enough to reward us for even the smallest things, the smallest victories. Why? Because we have obeyed his rules. We are here because of Him and we live because of Him so really it is simple. We should live FOR Him as well. And sometimes we get blessings for nothing. Or we receive blessings we don't deserve. Why?  Well, simply because He loves us. He loves us and sometimes He doesn´t need a reason to bless us. People will do a lot of stupid things for the ones they love. (I think that is from Hercules or something.... Pretty deep stuff. J

So for me, when life gets rough, I want to be able to look at the infinite blessing that I have received, both the ones I deserve and the ones that I don't, and where they came from. I never want to forget and I never want you all to forget that He is there. He listens, He cares, and He isn't silent in these days nor will He ever be silent. Look to His words, His prophets, and look at His blessings He has given you. I know that He will help you realize the good things just like He has helped me.
Have a fantastic week!!

-Élder Morris

Elder V after he had his wisdom teeth pulled. We made him wait before we hit the streets! Ha-Ha

Elder Nay enjoying luch, no really.

I know what your thinking......BIMBO! Really   GOOOOOOOOAL!!!!!!!!