Hello From Monterrey

Hello my family,

Well, this week went by quick! Christmas is the best!!! I love the Christmas season, especially in the mission field. It was a great week! We had two investigators come to church yesterday! Okay, I will tell you about them, since you asked so nicely.

Ruby talked with us on the street. She is looking for peace in her life after having had a long series of sad events. She had a brain hemorrhage, I think. She has had some serious family problems and she is looking for a little peace and tranquility in life. Well the Gospel has that for you!!!! She has come to church twice and will be baptized soon.... when she comes three more times.

Then there is Esteban. He is awesome!! He is 16 and is super prepared. He also has attended church 2 times and he is also coming to play soccer with us today. He is so cool. When we were talking about baptism he was all on board. When we invited him to be baptized he had such a positive outlook on life. He paused and thought about it for a moment and then said "Yeah, let's do it. Let's do it. I want you guys to help me get there. Let's do it." It was pretty awesome to say the least. 

So that is what happened this week. Christmas was awesome! Being able to talk to my family was awesome! I don’t know why, but I just wanted to talk to them and no one else. I think Christmas time is definitely the most difficult time of the year. There were some pretty loud parties around our neighborhood so I thought it was going to be hard to sleep, but with the bike, the stress, and the exhaustion, I slept like a rock. It was pretty great. Washing clothes is tough sometimes when all you want to do is sleep. But we found a laundry place by our house so it is going to be worth the extra little bit of money to have some more free time in the week. I love being so busy that you don't know what to do. It is awesome. We have some really great people that we are teaching and there are some great things happening here in the little city of caderanch, I mean Cadereyta. Ha-ha I hope everyone had a safe Christmas and that you all enjoy the snow!!!! 

Elder Morris

Feliz Navidad from Mexico!

Hey Family,

Well, this week was nuts. The weather is great. It is really nice but I hope this is the last Christmas I ever have without snow. It just is not Christmas without snow. Anyways, let’s get this started.

On Sunday I had to give a talk, I was "volunteered" to talk on the 21 of December. Basically the Christmas sacrament meeting. I was thinking about one subject then when I went to write my talk I felt it wasn't the subject that I should talk on. Then after writing another talk, behind the pulpit I felt like that wasn't the right message either. I just decided to wing it and go with the spirit. It was a pretty bomb talk if I do say so myself. I had some people crying and I had a lot of people quote me in the later classes

When we went to visit a less active members that attended church on Sunday, the mom told me that she cried during my talk and that it really touched her. I was just like "Hey people, we all know that that is not from me, nor could it have come from me. Don't give me that much credit." It was really cool though. Just sit there and let the Spirit guide what you say. It is good to be prepared and ready when called upon, but it is infinitely better to be able to follow what the Spirit directs. I think that when we do that, we learn just as much from the Spirit because it teaches us through our own thoughts and words. It feels like it should be called teach-ception or something like that. You teaching while being taught. It is a great feeling. 

Well, this week is Christmas!!!! ¡¡¡Feliz Navidad!!!! I know that CHRISTmas is an awesome time to think about the family, friends, and most important, Christ. All this Xmas crap just makes me want to puke. I hope that we are all giving this season the respect that it deserves. Don't take the CHRIST out of CHRISTmas. We put too much into material things above our Savior in these times of Christmas. DON'T DO THAT. That is why I love #HeistheGift so much. HE IS CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, now that I got that out. How great is the time when we feel the Spirit of Christ so fully in our lives? It is something really special and I think that we take it for granted too much. It is only one time per year that this season rolls around!! I hope that I will never stop feeling this type of spirit and happiness. I hope you are all safe and are enjoying this care free time. Spend time with the family. Share your spiritual experiences. Be the person that you know that the Father wants you to be. In these things, we find the true happiness. In doing this, you find the true spirit of Christmas. Love you all, be safe!! Be happy!! Be Mormon!!! Be sarcastic!! Also, be positive, that helps. :)

Elder Morris

Some of by buds at the Christmas party

More Christmas party

My best bud Nick. Friends forever!

My new companion Elder Milara

My Zone

Short, but sweet.

Hello FAM!

We are super busy so I don’t have much time to write. First things first. I will not write next Monday. It will be on Tuesday the 23. That is when our party for Christmas is. It is only half the mission but it will still be fun!

This week was a little tough. We worked super hard to plan well, find new people, and to set more dates for baptism. We went around like crazy trying to find new people; contacts, futuros, antiguos, todo; and we were able to find some new people. We had a couple days that were tough but on Saturday we found some really chosen people and we scheduled lessons. We were sure that at least some of them would be coming to the chapel, but no one came. So we just got busy working. We contacted like crazy yesterday. It was great!! We contacted 35 people and families and have 22 addresses so we will see what happens. Mom I found a Nativity scene for you.  I am going to bring the Nativity home with me.

Have a great week!! 

Elder Morris

Things are a little different here

This week was good. It is cold here and rainy, so you get really dirty on a bike in the rain. My whole back was wet and muddy from the rain, but wet and cold doesn't have any effect on the work of salvation!!! Well, it does, but you just have to choose to be happy in your circumstances. This week went by really fast and we had a lot of assignments to do. It was pretty good. We had leadership council where we talked a lot about what the mission needs and how we can help the missionaries live up to the potential and the standard that the Lord expects. It is tough out here in Mexico, but it isn't impossible. Matthew 19:26. We have a lot of goals and high expectations. We have a lot of rules and sometimes we don't understand why. But we need to do all we can to obey the commandments of our Father so that we may be worthy and ready to receive His many blessings. We don't understand why and we might question the reason for it, but we just have to humble ourselves and know that for us now or in the future, it will benefit us. 

I hope you all are sharing, liking, tweeting, Instagram, and whatever else is popular these days to share the #SharetheGift initiative! We only have 17 more days until Christmas and only 22 until the end of December!!! Get going people!!! 

Oh, something crazy happened. We were coming back from exchanges, what usually takes 30 min to get to our area by bus took 2 hrs. There were some people protesting in the highway and blocking it off so we had to take a detour to get to our house. EVERYONE else and their dog went this other way too. But, that was a nice chance to take a quick nap. Then we saw some military trucks. The police here aren't like the police in my other area. Here they just have a turret in the back of the truck. Then another truck had a guy with the biggest sniper rifle I have ever seen. We see police helicopters all the time. Crazy stuff goes down out here. But we are protected. So that is good. 

Well, I hope you all are feeling the Christmas spirit because it IS the Spirit of Christ. I hope all is well and that everyone is staying safe. Have a great week!!

Elder Morris

New area, new ride and new responsibilities. I'm lovin it!

December 1, 2014

Hello my family and friends.

I have a bike!!! And it is great. My butt doesn't agree with me and my legs don't either when I am climbing one of the MANY hills in my area, but it is great!! I love it! 

So, starting over, I got transferred to an area called Cadereyta. It is the second farthest area away from the Mission Home. It is pretty rural with a lot of industry around us, we have to use bikes, and we get to wash clothes by hand. I love it. My new apartment is the nicest I’ve had so far. I actually have hot water! We have to take a charter bus to get to the mission offices and that takes like an hour and a half. This area is great! I am so happy to be here. My new companion is pretty good too. He is from San Diego. We are killing it in the area! For example, we just had a baptism!!!! I know, one week here and I already had a baptism. Let's just say that I am just that good and it had nothing to do with the other missionaries teaching him for a couple months. Ha-ha 

What else is new? Oh, we have to do exchanges twice a week with all the elders in our zone and with the assistants. It is going to be pretty dang crazy! There is one area that is another hour farther from our area. We go out there and do splits with them. I go with one companion while my companion goes with the other. It will be great fun! We go out on splits every Tuesday and Thursday and make the trip to the Mission home once a month. We have a member who owns a taxi who delivers packages and mail to us then we deliver it to the other missionaries when we see them.

Okay, so the church is doing a special campaign for Christmas. He is the Gift. El es la Dádiva. I didn't even know what Dádiva meant. But it means gift. This video is awesome!!! I absolutely LOVE the video. They even bought time in Time Square to show it!!!!! I just can't get over that video. (I just barely watched it again) So, I encourage all of you to watch it. Really think about what CHRISTmas is all about. Toys and presents are good, peace and good will are great, and Christ is the best. This Christmas, discover the Gift, accept the Gift, and Share the Gift. By so doing, you will be sharing the first and ultimate gift of Christmas. 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

I love you all, have a great week!! SHARE THE GIFT!!!

Elder Morris

My new companion Elder Connelly

My new ride!! Love it.

The study area.

The Kitchen area. I know mom, I could have cleaned up first!

Bedroom

The river that runs through our area. 

Packing my bags!

Well this week was nuts!  I wouldn't mind if all the weeks left in my whole mission were like this past week. It was a roller-coaster. (Of course only the good though) First, on Monday we get a call telling us that our convert of only 2 weeks, Martha had just died. Then we have all of her family more seriously investigating the church; a family of 5, a family of 4, and her husband. They all have been sitting in on the lessons. Martha was the most prepared and had a testimony of the church. We also find 2 other new people that seem prepared. The family of 4 of Martha's family came to church this past Sunday! Last night we received a call that our other convert of 3 weeks, Ramiro got robbed and stabbed.  To top it all off, I am getting transferred out of this area. I am torn in two. Part of me wants to stay more than anything and the other part says "Yeah, 9 months, I'm good to go."

Anyway, so starting with Martha.  Monday was when we got the call that she had died. They do things really fast here in Mexico and so that night was her viewing. We received special permission from Pres. Bird to go. It was a really good experience. When we walked in, it was really weird. Mexico is predominantly Catholic so there were catholic paintings, very catholic paintings, on all the walls. When we arrived the family was in one of the rooms and then the casket was around the corner. I was doing great until I saw the casket. It wasn't Martha that got me, she looked so peaceful and so happy, which she is. It was what was on the hinge of the casket right above her. There were 2 photos. One of Christ in his red robe. It is really famous one, and the other of Christ leaving the tomb. It is on the Plan of Salvation pamphlet. When I saw those 2 photos, I had a huge wave of emotion hit me right between the eyes. I have never felt such assurance of the Lord's plan. Yeah, then the pipes burst and I am pretty sure the family was thinking "¿Porqué hay este güero llorando como niño? Ni aun conozco este joven tan guapo." Or in laymen terms "Why is this white kid crying like a baby? I don't even know this guy!" But it was great!! Then we had a devotional there with all her family. We sang hymns, my companion and I shared some scriptures. The Spirit was really strong and I know, without a doubt, that Martha was there and she was smiling.

So we have been visiting with the family of Martha this week. They pretty much all want to get baptized. Her grandson and his wife have a smoking problem and they are willing to do anything to quit. So I whipped up a concoction (credit to Elder Braxton Bassett. He is the Man) of milk and tobacco. Yeah, they were throwing up in no time!! It was awesome and I found a lot of satisfaction in it. :) But they are awesome. We also visited with her husband and the family of 4, which is the family of one of her sons. They had found something quite unique and wanted us to explain it to them. Read the very last verse of the whole Book of Mormon. What? You don't have a book of Mormon at your side every minute of your life. Oh wait, you aren't a missionary, oops. Don't worry, Elder Morris has your back!! Moroni 10:34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.

Okay, are you ready? That scripture was found in Martha's Book of Mormon . The ONLY THING in her entire Book of Mormon that was highlighted. AND her book mark was still in Alma 7 so she hadn't even gotten to that point yet. Eh, Eh? How’s that for ya? That was really cool. So pretty much her whole family is really excited.

Then last night we get told that Ramiro got stabbed and robbed. Are we cursed? I don't know. But he is coming home today and we are going to check up on him. Poor guy. 

And finally, my time has come. I feel really grateful for the chance that I have had to serve in this area, with whom I have been serving with. It has really helped me grow and learn. I have felt such love for the people, for my companion, and the Lord. It has helped me more than I can express. I am sad to leave, but grateful for the friends and family I have made here. 

I am going to help the Lord hasten His work by working hard, no matter my circumstances. Where, when, and with who doesn't matter. It is how I am serving and in what manner I am loving the people. I am trying to be just the smallest kind of tool in the Lord's toolbox, but I want to be one that is reliable and trustworthy for the tasks that He needs me to do. Have a great week! 

Lots of love and stuff like it,

Elder Morris

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

So, what has happened this week? A LOT!! Too bad I forgot to read in my journal to remember it all.... Eh, oh well, we will see what comes to mind.

We took a machete away from a less active because he told us he has had thought and has tried to take his own life. He was just drunk. We just had to reason with him. He wasn't using it, he just told us that he was having thoughts and had started looking for his machete and then I said "Well did you find it?" and he told us yes and then I asked if we could have it and he said yes and we took it and gave it to a member. We were going to have him come with us all of today but we couldn't find him this morning.

This week we had another baptism!! whooh!! Martha got baptized on Sunday!! That was way cool. All of her family was there and the spirit was way strong and it was great. She got confirmed yesterday and is just a big ball of smiles and sunshine. She is great.

This week I got a big testimony boost on the Spirit of Revelation. The Lord speaks to us in many different ways. He does it in the way that we will acknowledge and recognize. He speaks to us through prophets, the Spirit, others people around us, and the scriptures, just to name a few. This week I had something weighing really heavy on my mind. I was in a place that I don't like to go to and that I don't visit very often. I received some advice and took it and asked the Lord, for what seemed like the millionth time, what He wanted from me. Then I went to work looking, studying, and praying for the answer. It didn't take very long at all. I read a scripture that could not have fit me and my situation better. It was something that struck me and that engraved itself onto my soul. I know that sounds pretty dramatic, but that is how it felt. It was something that was just so precise that you couldn't take it any other way. And then you add it with the Spirit testifying that it is for you, there isn't any way possible to pass it as coincidence. I won't explain what scripture it was or the reasons behind it. Go look, He is there waiting for you. "Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." I hope you all have the chance to receive this type of answer in your lives. Specific questions receive specific answers. Of that I testify. I hope you all have a great week!
Elder Morris

One of my favorite Hermana, Martha

Elder Nay and me.

Happy Halloween, Creepy!