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!!!!!!!!

Hotter than Heck!!!

What has happened this week? Well, we had a zone conference. That was pretty sweet! We had a lot of heat. Not so sweet, but hey, it’s Mexico so it is just going to get worse! We are talking like nothing below 95-90 degrees anymore. Then one whole month and a half of it not dropping below 105. Yeah, we are going to cook eggs outside. 

This week was really good! We have found some really good investigators. The problem is that they just can't make it to the church for one reason or another. One of them has the excuse that his wife is already 9 months pregnant and is just waiting to go to the hospital. What kind of sorry excuse is that!?! Ha-ha, no we understand that one but we are just on the verge of people changing their lives here!!! They NEED to go! We are definitely going to be working on that one this week.

So this week I was on an exchange with one of the Elders in my district. We had stopped in a bakery to buy a little snack because, well, we are 19 year old kids. We get hungry. Anyway, we are waiting in line to buy the bread when the lady in front of us looks at us a minute and says, "Don't worry, I got you" and she pays for our bread. Wow that stuff never happens in Mexico! We think, "Obviously we need to talk with her to find out if she is a member or something." So as we are walking outside she pulls out a bag of apples and gives us three. I am not going to lie, it completely took me by surprise. So we started talking to her and getting to know her. No, she is not a member, but her mom was a member before she died and her brother-in-law is a member and has the missionaries over frequently. That's how she knew who we were. With a little more digging and prodding we found out that she usually does not get off the bus at this area because she still has a ways to go before her stop, but for some reason (prompting) she got off at this stop. She expressed that she liked to walk because she didn't feel so alone when she was walking. Who knows why she decided to go into the bakery (the Spirit does) but that’s where she ran into us. I then had the opportunity to bear testimony that it was not a coincidence that she got off where she did and that she was in the bakery at the same time we were. It was a great experience! She didn't give us her address because she is not usually home, but she said that she would talk with her brother-in-law and find out more.

I also had the opportunity to strengthen my testimony of the power of the Spirit to change the hearts of people. We met Norma a week and a half ago when we went to visit some less active members. We gave her a lesson and at the end we extended the invitation to baptism. She resisted because she was Catholic and that she had her religion and that we should respect that. We said something along the lines of "we do, we just want you to ask God if this is true, nothing else." She accepted to ask. 

We went back this week and found that she had completely changed. She wanted to talk more with us. She even expressed the desire to attend church with us to see how things go in our religion. She went from being closed off to having the Spirit soften her heart and accept change. She even is changing the only time that she can see her dad to accompany us to church! She is really making progress. 

I know that the Spirit has the power to soften hearts when we let Him. I know that this gospel and this message bring more peace and happiness than any other thing in this entire world. And this peace and happiness is not just for an instant, like the things of the world, but for eternity. We have what the world needs. We should not judge or think that anyone is beyond the saving power of Christ or the influence of the Spirit. Something that our mission President told us is that if we don't have faith in "them" then how can you expect them to have enough faith to change? "Them" for us means our investigators. "Them" for everyone else means everyone else!! Every single human being on this spherical rock we call earth has the Light of Christ. Their hearts CAN be changed. They CAN receive an answer. We aren't teaching anything new, we are just helping them learn about things they have forgotten. By the power of the Spirit, everyone has the ability to be reminded of these spiritual things. I know that with all of my heart, every fiber of my being, nothing and no one can ever take that from me. I have been reminded of where I came from and who I was. I want to help others remember as well and remind them of the greatness that was before? 

I hope you all pray for guidance and for chances to have missionary experiences. Pray for opportunities and then open your mouth. Too many times we ask for faith to know what to say. It is better to put that faith into action and open your mouth and see what the Spirit puts into it!!!!! I hope you all have a great week. Happy Memorial Day or whatever day you Americans are celebrating up there!!!

-Élder Morris 

Hard Work Pays Off!!

Hey! 

So this week was pretty dang good! We had an investigator tell us that he has received an answer. We have found people who are ready to change their lives. Things are just looking better!

 This week we had a lesson with Julio along with a member family. We talked about the way to receive answers because the last time we invited him to pray to find the answer to if what we are teaching is true or not. I was expecting him to say "well I forgot because I was working," or "I just didn't have time" (The favorite excuses). But when I asked him if he had prayed about it he just looked at me and said "yes, I have." I then asked him if he had received and answer. He said that he did. Then he told us about how he had a job to do at work and he prayed for help and he had felt like his mind was opened. He told us that he had to do his work on the computer and he had never had much experience with stuff like that. But when he went to do it he felt like he was blessed with the ability to complete his task. When he gave it to the boss he said that it was super well done and congratulated him. He said that he had a peace and tranquility in his heart. Well folks, as missionaries, that is what we look for! It was a super awesome experience! 

This week we have found 7 new investigators with 5 of them having baptismal dates! Two of them we found visiting less active families. Alejandro and his son Jorge. Alejandro's dad is a member. We talked to them for a while and shared the importance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He and his son, Jorge who is fifteen, right then and there made a promise and commitment with each other and with our Heavenly Father that they would be baptized! For a fifteen year old, Jorge is really attentive and really in tune with the things we teach.

All in all we are working really hard and we are starting to see the results! People, fasting and prayer works! It may be a trail of your faith, but in the end God knows what is best for you. Don't give up and never look down. Keep your head up and look to the Heavens because that is where your answers and guidance are! I hope you all have a good week!!! Sea file!

-Èlder Morris

Great Mother's Day call home!

So, how is life going? Me? Well, if you’re asking. Which you’re not, but I am going to tell ya any ways. This week has been really good. We have been able to find some new investigators and we have been able to increase the amount of people we are visiting. 

This p-day we were able to hike the Cerro de la Silla (Chair Hill) again! It was way awesome! The sister missionaries almost didn't make it but they persevered! Something different than last time was that this time you could actually see a lot of Monterrey. The other time was super foggy and you couldn't really see anything. This time was a lot better.

One of the people that we found this week is named Ricardo. We had contacted his mom a few weeks ago. Her name is Cantalari or something like that. So, when I was looking through the list of contacts that we had her name just stuck out. I threw it into our plans as a backup plan. Our appointment fell and we just passed by the house to see if she was there. She wasn't. But her son was. We just contacted him very briefly and explained who we were and what we do. I had a thought come to me to ask him if he had some time that we could share a little bit more about us and that I knew it could bless his life. I thought for sure he was going to say something like "well, I just got out of the shower so maybe another time." Just getting out of the shower? I know that sounds like a weird excuse to use but I will explain. All he had was a towel around his waist. But he just said, "of course, just give me a minute." So he invited us in and we sat and were expecting to wait for him to get dressed. Nope, he just put a shirt on and then came and had a lesson with us, with only a towel for pants. It was pretty dang awesome! At the end we set a date for baptism and are we going back to visit him this week. 

Yesterday all the elders in our ward gave talks. It was funny because the American elders gave talks on following Christ's example and defending the faith. The Mexican Elders gave talks on repentance and on keeping the Sabbath day Holy. It was definitely a Mercy and Justice meeting. 

Another thing that was really funny that happened this week was that we were making a contact and Elder Luna was talking, all of the sudden he just turns to me to continue on. I thought that was a little weird.  After when we were walking away he turns and says to me "Elder Morris, something happened." I was like, "yeah, we just made a contact." "No, something else." He turns and points to his shoulder. A pigeon had pooped on his shoulder!!! I couldn't stop laughing. It was so funny! We tore up a piece of paper and cleaned it up the best we could. Ha-ha oh man was it funny! 

Well I just want to give a shout out to all the mother's out there! I know that there are some great moms who have made a great impact on my life, but nothing and no one compares to my mom. She has stuck with me through a lot of stuff and I am eternally grateful for the fact that she even still loves me! I wouldn't trade the world for the moments that I have had with her, good and bad. (More good than bad, trust me!) Happy Mother's Day to the best mom out there! And all the other mothers as well. You really don't know how much of an impact you have on your children and how they will be forever grateful for the things you taught and demonstrated through acts of love. 

 Remember that it takes courage to DIE for something you believe in, but even more to LIVE for it! My hope is that we can all take the necessary steps in our lives to live for what we believe. I hope you all have a great week!!! Don't only keep the faith, defend it!

-Elder Morris

What an experience to have Mitch larger than life in our family room!

 View from the Hill Top

 Me and Elder Luna

 Our District

 Cool little cave. Oh and the spiders the size of our hands!