Change someone's life!

Wow, two weeks without writing home is really weird. Sorry about that. Sometimes the internet places are really slow and then just delete the email you have been working on for 30 minutes. But yeah, ni modo Life goes on! Ha-ha I hope I can remember the stuff that has happened.....

Well to start us off, WE HAD A BAPTISM!!!!! Yeah, we did. It is true. Right in the water and everything. I was starting to believe that baptisms were impossible in this area, but now we have evidence that it is possible! Elias got baptized and a lot of his friends and family came. Because of his example, a lot of people are now trying to follow the footsteps of our Savior as well. Ha-ha Elias is pretty great. He teaches and bible bashes others about Joseph Smith and about how he was a prophet and all that jazz. But that just helped me realized that the influence that we have in the way we live our lives has a huge impact on others. Whether we know it or not, we have to be aware that we are being watched at every moment. Every action we make will influence someone. A thought from the Sister Bird this week ties in nicely I do believe. "Daily choices are going to have a great effect for a long time in your life and in the lives of generations to follow." I am going to add "and to the innocent bystanders in your life. Who knows what a "Hey, how's it going?" or a "I like your shirt" or just a simple smile will do. "Behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." So I challenge you to go out there and change the world!!! Or at least change somebodies world! Go "confound the wise"!!!!

In other news, we have an investigator that is progressing super well! Her name is Martha. She is a little bit older, but she is super awesome. She always gives us water when we pass by, and I don't mean just water, but like lemon, mango, and cantaloupe. Okay, so I know that sounds weird, a drink made of cantaloupe? But it is SO freaking good!!! I might buy some cantaloupes and make it this week, just to test out our new blender.... And by new blender I mean the one that has been sitting in the box since I got here, which was about 5 months ago.... Anyways, back from that side street. She is progressing really well. Just a quick little example. She had an open heart surgery a while back. She really can't do much without tiring. But, she volunteered, VOLUNTEERED, to come help us sweep and clean the streets and sidewalks around the church. It is so awesome!! We had a lesson with her this week that was super sweet also. I was on an exchanges with the ZL's and we just finished talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We had given her the homework to pray to know if this was the true church of God, if Joseph Smith was a prophet, and if the Book of Mormon is true. Well, she did all of that and after a little coxing and digging, she came straight out with it. She has received her answer that it is true!!!! Ah, there is nothing like hearing those words come out of a person’s mouth!!! 

Sorry, but we are going to jump back to Elias for a minute. So one day when we were passing by, we saw that one of his friends, who is taking lessons from the other elders in our ward, was sitting out on the porch. We stopped by to see how he was doing, encourage him to keep fighting the temptations to drink, that kind of stuff. Then Elias comes out and we have a lesson with the two of them. The best part of the lesson was when Elias shared his testimony. He talked about how he had had troubles dropping the beers too and how this Gospel has blessed his life. Then for about 20 minutes he went off on how if he was forced from the chapel, he would stand at the door to listen, and if he was forced from the door he would wait outside the building, and if he was forced out of the gates he would still stand there, holding onto the bars because he knows that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ upon the earth. It was probably the coolest thing that could have happened at that moment!!

I hope you all have a fantastic week and are enjoying the summer sun. I know I am, with a whole lot of sunscreen!!!! Keep the faith, change somebodies world!!!! 

-Èlder Morris

Our Zones Temple day. 

I know, selfies are popular here too!

This is Elias, our Superstar convert.