7-25-2016

Dear family

That is one of the awesomest shirts ever! It's super funny to to me because there are so many goats here in the Philippines, just about everyone owns at LEAST one. So I get to see them all the time! I also love the picture of the chicken... the sad part is that a chicken could probably make a better President that some people... ;)

You guys have no idea how many stories I have that I can tell... the problem is that there is only one hour to be able to send them, so one day I'll just have to tell them in person. But for now they're being written in my journal :)

It's been so awesome to hear about how the week has been for you guys, it made me laugh especially in hearing about Primary and how you've been handling that... I don't think that there are many people who can deal with little crazy kids than my mommy :)  (Here's a Tagalog word: makulit... it basically means like rowdy, crazy, energetic... like that!)

That was such a powerful poem that you sent to me, and it is so true... I feel like that is how the world is and very well describes what it is like with the Atonement. I notice especially that it wasn't until after he had done all he can that the Lord sent down a rope, I'm sure that the Lord would have enough rope to just help everyone out of the hole. (He does have all that power) But we can only use that power if we ourselves are doing all we can to access it :)

Now... for this week...

 I am honestly amazed at how fast this week has flown by, it feels like just yesterday I was sitting down to type and send the most recent happenings here in the Tayug area! This week has been fun and full of interesting moments, too bad I don't have time to send everything! xD

So first off I suppose is that we will be having a baptism this Saturday for our investigator, D! It has been so fun teaching her because she honestly just soaks up the gospel like a sponge... what a unique and fun experience this is to be serving here!

We will also have the interview for E this coming Saturday, for some reason all he really wanted was to wait until August for his baptism... which honestly confused us, but I suppose that that was his choice, we have just been working around what is best for him! However, I am so happy to have been helping to teach him because it has been some 3 years of being taught by the missionaries but for some reason hasn't progressed until just recently! And he came to church again this last Sunday :D

Sino pa? T family! This is the part member family that I have been telling you guys about and they are really really receptive to the gospel. They've been coming to church too, which is super fun because this is one of the nicest families that I have met here :)

My crazy story for this week is that we had to drop one of our investigators because she quite basically asked me and my companion on a double date and when we explained why not she just kept forcing us... and then told us that she is "forbidden" to come to our church unless we first get close to her, needless to say though we learned though family that she is kind of crazy. it does hurt though that we had to drop someone for that sort of reason, but that's just the mission rules :)P

And earlier we had a Zone activity here at the Tayug chapel! We all got together wearing our Zone T-shirt (because the shirts here are cheap enough that we can all buy them) and played Rugby! The reasoning is that our Zone Leader, Elder L, is from New Zealand and all the Filipinos wanted to play something from another country... so we played Rugby (two hand touch, since real rugby can be kind of violent...) but it was so much fun :D

ps- I am so out of shape, hahahahahaha... I need to start running or something!

I love being a missionary so much, and right now I am so grateful to be here and serving for the Lord!

Love you guys so much,

Elder Morris

ps- The foresty pictures were when we went proselyting in this totally forest area which was so fun!

I also had the opportunity to eat DRAGON FRUIT. Which is probably the most delicious fruit on this planet xD

And the picture with the guinea pig just has a funny story... we were teaching an investigator and his kid comes in after the lesson with this guinea pig and we of course just ask to hold it. Soon after that picture was taken, Elder A got peed on by the guinea pig and had to work the rest of the day with it looking like he peed in his pants! It was pretty hilarious xD 

7-18-2016

Meron akong magandang buhay! (I have a beautiful life)

 

 

 

 I'm really happy to have heard all about life and how that's going! Haha, when you have to take a cold shower, just remember that that is literally my every day life here... but at least it feels good to take cold showers here! xD Mommy... I absolutely refuse to answer the question if I wipe with my hands or not lest y'all get blackmail on me!!!!!!!!

I'm happy to hear that Jacob has pretty much picked up the butchering animals job... so that's really fun :D Thank you for telling me that story about Dexter, I'm so glad that things are starting to work out for him... it's really a blessing and it will be well! :) It's so fun to hear how Hannah is and the ballroom dance class, that sounds like it's really awesome! CONGRATS Hannah on winning first place! :D

Adam... you've washed the bracelet I gave you, right? ;) If not... I suggest that soon or else it will become SOBRANG MABAHO (super smelly).

It has been another really great week here in Tayug! We're still working hard and trying daily to invite others to come unto Christ... and bit by bit we are seeing success! Hopefully coming up soon on the 30th we'll have the baptism for D and hopefully for E too! We're still trying to work with E though to resolve his concerns...but he did come to church last Sunday! :)

Something else that has been really fun is the fact that we have discovered just how fun it is to be a missionary... and sometimes awkward xD So for example, this week we taught this 40 year old woman who for some reason likes to ask very personal questions... needless to say we didn't go back there! I mean like first visit and her questions were like "what's your first name" "where do you guys live (Like... EXACTLY) and could I visit there" "do you guys have Facebook" and just a ton like that. It was really kind of an awkward lesson but we survived. But I guess there are always people like that in the world xD

Anyway, just last night we were coming home and waiting for a tricycle because that's just how we travel here in Tayug. And this man drives up and offers us a ride on his motercycle to the church, of course we tell him no because that's bawal. But then he laughs and tells us that he had been drinking and then drives off into the night.... so I pretty much hope that this guy is safe. AND THEN we got home to our apartment and there is someone being arrested like right across the street! So yesterday was a really kind of crazy day!!!

What else could I write about? Transfers are coming up and we're pretty sure that the other missionaries here in Tayug are going to be pulled out and I'll be left with an area twice as big... but I don't really know that. Though if that happens, it would mean that Elder Alayon would become my next companion... which would be pretty cool :)

Anyway, life is good... I'm loving being here on my mission. Every day is an adventure and a day to remember!

Y'all take care, I love you guys so much! I'm honestly so grateful to have you guys as my family!

Oh... and Mommy I just got a text saying that my package is at the mission office!!! So I think I'll finally get it next week or so :D 

~Elder Morris

ps- The crazy kids are from the T family... a part member family which we have been teaching for a few weeks now! They are what we call "Bangad" which is Illocano for crazy... it's fun... I've been learning some things from Illocano, which is just one of the hundred or so dialects here in the Philippines!

 

 

 

 

Heyo! Sorry this is kind of short because the internet in our whole town had been out quite literally all afternoon and we need to go out proselyting soon... so I don't have a ton of time to share! I loved to hear all about how the week has been for you guys and even though you claim it to be a normal week... it's still so wonderful to hear about all of it :) What you said mommy just made me laugh... you said about riding out some storms just to "Say that I have done it" and you'll realize why later in the email when you read my food adventure for this week >:) 

I'm sorry that you had to go through that with the whole teacher council thing... don't worry... I still hate doing roleplays!!!!! I know exactly what you felt so don't worry... just remember that you didn't get the calling because you're already perfect at it! It's another spot in life where you get to grow and improve and get better!

I did hear about the whole "Black Lives Matter" protests and stuff actually through the members... and I don't have time or reason to include how I feel about that here, besides... to me it's just another sign of the times before the second coming!

So anyway, this week has been awesome... I have pretty much entitled this whole week... parang baboy ito. IT'S KIND OF  LIKE PORK... but anway, this week was actually really awesome! It was our relentless week and I really have tried to be relentless this week. So the first news is that E himself delayed his interview for another week… which is really discouraging because he’s SO CLOSE. He's our investigator who had been consistently taught for the last 3 years and wasn't baptized because he was "special case" and didn't come to church super often. (Like I said... they HAVE to come to church 3-4 times in a row to be baptized) But recently he had really been progressing so hindi ko alam kung anong nagiging hadlang niya... I don't know what his obstacle has been. But in the other good news, D is going to be baptized on  July 30th! She's practically a member already, and that is a really awesome... it's so great to be a missionary because you can really see the light that comes into one's life due to the gospel of Jesus Christ! So that’s coming up pretty quickly! Her and a part member family that we are working with are really preparing for a baptismal day! What else?

I wish that I could say in the least that this work is easy or that I have the hang of it… let’s be honest though, this work is hard… but by far the most rewarding experience that I have ever had in my life  It’s not even that bad anymore because we are now in the rainy season! What’s really funny is that the rain here is almost like a clock sometimes… almost every day in the afternoon it rains… and sometimes it just rains like all day. But it’s fun, I’ve only gotten soaked once so far… but that’s a story for another time xD I don’t even need a fan to sleep now! That’s a pretty awesome blessing! Sometimes the rain can be really really heavy here and we take cover in someones home or underneath a waiting shed until it lightens up!

OH…. So I have a pretty awesome story for the title of this email. It doesn't take a genius to realize that it is in fact about food...so what is the strange food that I have had the chance to eat this week? Cow tongue? Chicken Intestines (hahaha..... already done that one ;))? The ear of a pig? Nope.

Dog.

I ate dog.

It was actually not that bad tasting... kind of like pork... but chewier and no fat ;)

However, I don't think that I'll do that again... it was kind of just something so that I can say that I've eaten dog before! BAM.

Anyway, in something a little more spiritual... we had a really tender moment in teaching an investigator who is baptist. She told us that she had prayed about our message and then that Sunday in church it was "answered" when the pastor told them that they can't go to any other churches and then they sung some song about being not moved. So we kind of were taken back because it was straight up like she was going to drop us, didn't want to listen... and then my companion asks if we can just share a little bit with her and we shared about the Book of Mormon! By the end of the lesson, her heart and expression had visibly changed and invited us back and continue to share! So that was a really great moment this week and helped to solidify my own faith and conviction that the Book of Mormon is true :)

So that's all folks, it's been a really awesome week! Ingat po kayo! (take care you guys ;))

~Elder Morris

 

 

PS- I have included a picture of the dog... it was cooked really well! The other is one of my favorite families, the P family...or at least part of the family...there's a lot of them! :D

 

7-4-2016

Happy Fourth of July!!! :D I'm sad to hear that you guys are likely to have rain there... in case you want to feel jealous, just remember that today here is actually really sunny and warm ;) I think that my appreciation for America has actually increased a LOT since coming here to the Philippines because I see the differences in the country and my own patriotism has increased so much :) I would have been so happy to have received my package today on July 4th... but it still hasn't come... to be honest I don't even remember when it was sent! Isn't it so funny how stuff like that just takes SO LONG to make it here? But it's okay, I always tell myself "maybe next week"! Just don't send anything to me in mail for like the last 6 months of my mission since it probably wouldn't get here xD

Anyway, I don't mind being blind because there are some things here that I just prefer not to be able to see.... (example: bakla. Or gay guys who dress and try to act like girls... it's really uncomfortable to have them talk to you :P)

Y'all need to start cutting wood! This is the coming winter will be the first that I won't be able to help you with... time to call on Jacob to fill in for me ;) It's so awesome to hear about your celebration and the animals... how is Sammy doing? I haven't heard from him in a while? :( Is he still preparing for a mission?....is he growing a beard...?

I realized from the pictures how much everyone is growing up... that's so crazy! STOP GETTING OLDER ADAM AND PETER. You both need to stay the two little goofballs forever. 

It's funny that you mentioned my mission call and reading that I would learn the preach the gospel in the T-AH-GAH-LOG language.... we all were laughing about how it doesn't even sound like a language and just yesterday I was reading the Tagalog Preach my Gospel and realized that I can understand this language and actually reflected back to that day and to the first day when I looked at the language and literally everything looked like jibberish xD To be honest though, a lot of the words are still pretty much jibberish and weird to me!!

If you guys want something fun to say.... Pitongpu't pitong puting pato.  (seventy seven white ducks)

Ang umpisa ng bagong transfer dito sa Pilipinas kung saan ang bagong pagkakataon ay nandito sa akin para magbahagi ng mensaheng ito sa bawat tao!! :D The start of a new transfer here in the Philippines where a new opportunity is here for me to share this message to all people!

 This week has been fun, and we've been having a great time and opportunity to find new people to teach!  Even though the heat has been relentless a few times... to be honest this weather is kinda weird. It can literally rain for like 20 minutes the hardest I have ever seen and then stop and all of the sudden be sunny, so that was fun... but here basically starts the rainy season and we've been getting the rain. It's not bad though because for some reason the rain here is really cold...  like the rest of the water.... like the shower xD

Anyway, we've still been teaching E and yesterday was supposed to be his interview. But it didn't continue for the sole reason that our District Leader wants to have his baptism announced in church... which is really sad because now I think E is discouraged and he told us that maybe next month he'll try again. He had his baptismal date pushed back like 3 times now... which is really sad, so we'll teach him and talk to him this week about that. And we will hopefully have his baptism this coming Saturday. Our other investigator is so awesome, D... she's practically a member who just hasn't been baptized yet! This week she'll be going to Seminary with the students here (at like 5pm.... they don't do early morning, SWERTY SILA. (they are lucky!))

I've had a fun time doing OYMs this week and talking to some random people: This one lady wasnt like rude... but it was crazy. So she's sitting here on a bench doing absolutely NOTHING and so I do what anybody would do and talk to her right? Maybe it was a bad idea because she goes on about how she's all busy and like I ask for her name but literally she says she's busy and stuff.... whatttt? I think though that's like only the 3rd time that anyone has done something like that to me when I've talked to them... the culture here is just about that if I were to walk up to someone and ask if I can share a message with them, they'll say yes 9 our of 10 times!

But anyway, this is all kind of random. Sorry xD But it''s really been so much fun here and I feel so blessed every day to be a part of this work! I'm sorry though if sometime there will be a time I won't email at all... rainy season has started which  means typhoons will start too... that'll be fun ;)

This week there has been one thing that I have learned that's really stuck with me... and that is the power of the Atonement and love that comes through the knowledge of the gospel that casts out fear in life. Fear of death, fear of loneliness, fear of man, fear of judgement, fear of the dark! fear of anything.... it's all overcome if we have the faith and knowledge that comes from this message, there is nothing else in this life that can offer that... or even pretend to offer something like that :)

Well, I love you guys so much... and I love America! So enjoy your fourth of July!!! Since I guess it's like 1am there now XD I sent out a letter today... so maybe you guys will get it one day :)P 

Love you guys,

~Elder Isaac Morris

PS_ Sorry for no pictures or the Kamusta video... so I'll be sure to do that this week and send it to you guys next week :)