3-20-2017

Thanks so much for the update, it's really awesome to hear yet again from all of y'all!

That rat that you killed is SUPER HUGE... I've only seen a few that big since coming out here on my mission- it's a good thing that you mangaged to kill that thing. Ew. And it's so sad that a bunch of those little chicks died... but happy that there were the start of lambs! I think it's funny that I love to hear so much about how the animals are doing--thye're so fun!

So this week was pretty awesome—I think that it was actually a really good week although in all honesty it was fairly exhausting! The big challenge that we had faced was that I wasn’t 100% familiar with the area and so this week was a whole lot of becoming familiar with the area and meeting those people who we can! It was actually a whole lot of fun although lesson wise it was quite tough :P But anyways, Elder L is a really awesome missionary and something that I really have been coming to appreciate is the attitude that he has in setting goals for the week- what I learned is that setting challenging goals sets us up for performance. It’s the whole concept of shooting for the moon and landing among the stars. So that’s really going to be the focus that we have for the area, to make it a progressing area! Part of that is just working really hard, so Elder L and I have rightly named this coming week “knockout week” because we’re going to really push ourselves despite the zone conferences this week!

We’ve also been discussing the zone and have come up with some really good ideas that we feel will help the zone to progress!

We were kind of bummed at the fact that we didn’t really have any investigators come to church, but we aren’t worried about that- because we believe that the success will come  Especially considering that the members here in Bugallon are actually really quiet in waiting for the start of sacrament meeting and though the whole meeting. So it’s usually a really good environment for people to come and feel the Spirit and the truthfulness of this message!

Other than that, we have really just been focusing on finding new people, and this week is really going to be finding finding and more finding! There was actually this one pretty funny story that I think you guys would love to hear about- so of course my companion is Elder L (the one who lives like 5 minutes from Hobbiton) and I learned something super funny about the Elders here in Bugallong—we have to be some of the nerdiest people on the planet! I mean one night we got back and I discovered that all 4 of us just LOVE Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Marvel superhero movies. It had to have been the funniest moment of my week when we discovered all of that!

We’re really excited for this week :D But that’s got to be it for this week! Love you guys so much!

~Elder Morris

PS_ HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH, WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF OLD PEOPLE

3-13-2017

Oh man! I totes remember Ella the dog---that's so funny that you guys just totally adopted that dog xD I cannot believe at all the totally random assortment of animals that are just wandering around the farm out there got sheep, horses, goats, rabbits, chickens, dogs... what else?! It just must be so fun! Anyway, Oakli totally emailed me and told me about that YSA dance in Fredericksburg and how Dexter and Hannah apparantly danced their hearts out, and that sounds so awesome- Thanks so much for the updates, cuz they literally make me so happy to hear that things are still going really happy back home in good ol' Woodstock Virginia!

Well, this week has really been pretty crazy! So I guess the biggest thing that I want to share is that you remember how last week I said that Elder J was my new companion?? Well it turns out that he's been here for 6 months and was only my companion for a whopping 13 days-- earlier today, the Assistants to the President came by and picked him up and took him to a different area. So I officially have a new companion, Elder L! He's from New Zealand and is about 19 months in his mission-- it's so funny because he was my Zone Leader back in Tayug, and now he's my companion here in Bugallon- and we're BOTH ZLs now! Which is totally awesome, it cracks me up because there are two of us foreigners and for some reason everyone is just AWESTRUCK when they see foreigners so we get "hey Jo"d all the time... by like everyone! It was a pretty fun 13 days with Elder J, especially since he helped me to memorize the area so that I can now help Elder L in this area!

This area is pretty nice, it's going to be a challenge though right now to adjust and really get to know everyon- but we can do it :) This last week we taught a new investigator named R R, he's so cool-- I guess the Elders met him like 2 weeks ago while playing basketball and for some reason he was interested by what we were doing and wanted us to come back, so we did and he was SO AWESOME. I mean it was just a really powerful lesson and we could really feel the spirit. It's really cool as well because he's 18 years old and we can tell he's in a very big decision point in his life! So we're going to help him to make that decision!

Something else that happened this week is that Elder J got bad LBMs and so we couldn't work until the afternoon because he felt pretty sick- I felt kind of bad for him, we think that it came from some bad chicken. The good news is though that he is better now and has transferred to a new area :D

Other than that, we expect to be having a pretty fun week and are really going to be finding new people to teach :D

Love you guys so much,

Elder Morris

ps- Happy Bday Dad! I hope you and Mommy both know that when I get home--- I'll just call you Tay and Nay xD

 That one pic is Isaw- or Barbequed chicken intestines.... delicious :D

3-6-2017

• Mar 5 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHH.... that made me so homesick. Not because I miss you guys ;) But because Styx is going to be performing at the State fair! Just my luck hahaha... if you get to meet Todd Sucherman by any chance (their drummer) please tell him he's my idol XD Just be sure to take a million pictures if you guys go.

But anyways, other than that! I'm doing fine :) It's so awesome that y'all got to hear about the different Filipino foods and stuff... in case you wanted to know, those chicken intestines on a stick are called "Isaw" and are SUPER GOOD--They have got to be one of my favorites here in the Philippines! And also, that article was SO AWESOME--that guy is so cool :) I can't believe he's been doing that for 6 months!! It's a good thing though you guys gave some stuff in return for such kindness!

Anyways though, my week has been pretty good! I think the absolute biggest news is the fact that I got transferred this last Tuesday! So welcome to my fourth area, Bugallon!!! It's a lot like my first area with a LOT of fields and not a ton of people (what a contrast from Dagupan, the biggest city here in Pangasinan)- but do you want to know something super awesome that made me happy?

So hopefully y'all remember how I was assigned in Tayug almost 6 months ago and had a baptism where I baptized this girl named D... so it turns out that she's actually FROM Bugallon (where I am now) and the FIRST day that I got here, we went and taught her family along with siblings who were also baptized by the missionaries here before me! So that was really sweet... and then on Sunday we go to church and during the testimony meeting she gets up and bears her testimony. Which made me so happy because what I see is that there is a soul who is on the right path in this life and even though it's only 6 months in the long picture... I feel like it was just a testimony to me that this work IS true and I'm actually doing a little bit of good to this crazy world!

Other than that, maybe I should share some of my new companion- His name is Elder J and he's from Washington state, he's 20 months into his mission and is really funny! I feel like him and I have kind of similar senses of humor, which is going to be really fuN! However, I think he should be transferring in about 2 weeks considering the fact that he's been here for some 6 months now---it;s going to be kind of a rough transition, but I feel like I"m going to have a TON of fun!

I'll have to tell more about it next week, as I don't have too much time left now to email!

But I love you guys so much, see ya in about 8 months or something like that! :)P

Elder Morris

• Feb 27

Haha, thanks so much Dad for that update! (I just feel like it was taking forever, so it was good to have that update-haha!) But anyway I'll go ahead and send this to Mommy as well, so this is totally just my weekly email :D It's so funny that that turned into a missionary moment phone call! A missionary moment while on the phone with the bank-that's pretty awesome! Who knows? Maybe that call is going to have some sort of change on him and turn out to be a really awesome thing for him--

Dad, it actually really impresses me how much you've been changed and converted by the gospel of Jesus Christ and I just want to let you know that it's really an inspiration to me to keep working hard because I know that the seeds I plant in peoples hearts may one day grow and sprout (even if it takes over 10 years hehe ;) But really, it's so awesome!

That rice "soup" that is my favorite is called Lugaw- it's way delicious! It actually surprises me because there are so many ways to eat rice! There's sticky rice (which is a desert), rice "soup", fried rice, normal rice, and many many other ways! xD But the food here is actually really good! There hasn't really been any weird foods recently--we actually eat a lot of Chop Suey that we buy from a member nearby and eat that with rice- #supa delicious!

Anyways though, my week was super duper awesome! Elder A and I busted our butts in the work and managed to pull out 50 total lessons- which really was a lot, but it was so much fun! We've just been teaching and teaching in trying to help people accept this message and help them to come unto Christ :D

That family we were teaching (the one with like 12 people) weren't able to come to church yesterday because of Stake Conference, which was kind of far from our chapel... but I feel like they will come next week considering I don't transfer or something!

Anyways though, we had a baptism this last Friday for our investigator A m! It was super awesome because a lot of the members came and were super supportive of her and of her mother (Her mother decided not to get baptized yet because she wants to wait for her husband, so in the coming weeks we will be focusing a lot on her husband-) I feel like it was just so awesome because the spirit was there and it was such a special experience!

  It interests me to ponder on the subject on baptism and how it's a covenant between us and our Heavenly Father, and I learned that we promise so much in baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost is the big promise that he gives to us---so we promise that we will follow him through our life, that we'll remember His son, Jesus Christ, and follow his example---and we are promised the Holy Ghost to always be with us, I think that I take for granted sometimes the promise of a constant guide through this difficult life!

But anyway, it was such an awesome week! I really am looking forward to this coming week- I don't think that I'm going to be transferring because the work is really speeding up here in Dagupan!

Love you guys so much, keep being the best! :D

~Elder Morris

Haha, feels like it's been forever since I've heard from you guys! Just kidding- it's so awesome to hear about all that's been happening back home! :) Thanks so much for keeping me updated on all that's been going on- it's going to be so fun to hear about the new lambs coming soon, so are the goats going to be having babies as well too or what?

It's so fun as well to hear about Hannah and Dexter about being able to go to the YSA ward and stuff- that sounds like it's way fun! That would certainly be an awesome place to meet new people and make new friends!

It's so weird to think that everyone is getting home from their missions, like I remember back when I hung out with Jacob I. for the last time before he left! Time has been flying by WAY to fast, and before we all know it-- I'll be... home... *shudder*. As much as I'm homesick and miss you guys... I love being out here on a mission so much! Meeting people every single day and focusing 100% on them has actually been helping me find myself... which is weird. I would never have thought that I would learn so much about myself by focusing on others! 

Anyways, We had a really awesome week this week!

So the first thing that i want to talk about is the day that our district went and worked in the area where the elders have to take a boat every single day that they work out in their area... our in Carael! We all got on this big boat as a group and traveled to the area, it was a ton of fun! (hence the picture of all the missionaries on a boat)

  Elder A and I also had a really awesome experience this week that resulted in us finding 12 new investigators in one day! So on Tuesday we walk by this table where a small group of them were sitting and we just decide to talk to them- one of the guys there told us to come back on Saturday at 6pm to teach him and his family... in all honesty I thought that we would go back and he would either not be there or we would only teach him- so Saturday rolls around and we start to walk out to where we were going to meet him and his family, so it turns out that It wasn't just him who was waiting for us, but his mother, and his siblings, and his nieces and nephews! So there were 12 or so people there who were over 8 and willing to listen... so probably like 20 people overall! I wish that I could express the joy that we felt (and the mild surprise at that)-- so what Elder A and I are really going to be trying to do is helping them to progress and come to church as a family! They seemed so very nice :)

  Also, A M passed her interview so we will be having her baptism this coming Friday afternoon! Expect some pictures next week! I'm super excited for her baptism and then the others who we are trying to work with and help to progress to baptism! 

  I'm kind of worried though because next week is also transfer week, I've already been here for about 4 months so it may be coming time for me to be transferred, or I'll just be here for 6 months like I was in Tayug! :)P But I'm sure that you guys will hear about all of that one of these coming weeks! But for now, enjoy the pictures :D

Love you guys,

Elder Morris