4-17-2017

PETER HAPPY BIRTHDAY- you getting oooooooold hehehe ;) Anyways, it's so good to hear from you guys- this update is really great! I'm happy to hear that D has been found, as well as that Grandpa is enjoying the remaining time that he has :) It made me smile so much thinking about him, even though I haven't really haven't had the opportunity to meet him- it made me kind of sad though, because I feel like I totally have more I could share about being on a mission :)P The only problem is I don't have the time to share everything that happens or everything that I feel- just that Elder L and I have agreed that it is the best opportunity and time in our whole lives!!!

I can't believe how quickly time is passing- Before any of us know it, I'll be an old man xD

Anyways, this week, Elder L and I have just been making strides in the work here in Bugallon- it has really been a great week :D

We had 5 of our investigators come to work this last week, and it was really awesome! I just want to focus on the A family- a part member family that we have been teaching for some time now. They are super cool! I think that I sent something bout them a while ago, but so you know- the mother is a recent convert and had given up smoking (so all her kids are grateful for that because they don't like smoking) but anyways, they've come to church two weeks in a row now.

   It's been really fun to teach them and some of the questions that they ask are just really awesome.

But anyways, this one sister-- Sister A- has been progressing really well, she's the one I told you about who was "special case" until her live-in partner left her some two weeks ago. Which is really tough, but as far as we can tell she's been taking that really well- I don't really know what else to say about that, hahaha.

Anyways, we've been working with an AWESOME member who took us everywhere to people who were taught previously by missionaries and nearly everyone we contacted was willing to listen to the message again :D

I also had a really funny moment in meeting a less active family- So our fellowshipper who had been working with us, told us of a less active family who lived along the highway a little ways down- and so later that night as we were walking along that road (to a different appointment), Elder L stops and says "I think this is where Brother B was talking about, it's right across from the Umanday crossing"- When we approach this house, I'm hit with a big old surprise---- We run into the M family--- Who I totally met in Dagupan because they live in my last ward!! Turns out that Sister Ms parents live here in Bugallon and they come here every weekend! (Her parents are the less actives). It was SUCH a funny and random experience, and then later while we were talking-- They mentioned an Elder who baptized them back in like 1990--and Elder L almost falls out of his seat because that Elder was TOTALLY one of his cousins who served here in the Philippines!! :O

The world got a WHOLE lot smaller xD

Anyways, that's gotta be the biggest bit of this week- we're still having fun- and still roasting-- we woke up one morning and felt like it was kind of cold--turns out when we checked the thermometer, it was 84F at 6 in the morning. AND. IT. FELT. COLD.

Just another week in Paradise, loving it :D Love you guys,

~Elder Morris

Ps- I'll also try to send a video of us learning how to use a Bawut, which is just a top- it's really cool :D

4-10-2017

Well howdy! It sounds like it's been a really crazy week- I hope that D is safe now- that was kind of a scare! But I'm happy as well that Anyways, mommy was able to head out to Utah to see Grandpa again :)

This week we worked really hard to keep finding people and get them to come to General Conference! We were actually super bummed because nobody we were teaching came to the Conference on Sunday morning- but then halfway through on the families we are teaching texted us and asked when the next session was. So long story short, they CAME to church!

One of them, Sister S is really cool and has told us that she wants to become "mormon"... so we're trying to help her out with that by focusing on "Pray to know".

Our Tatay we've been teaching, B, wasn't able to come to General Conference because he went to the marriage of his Neice- but I totally want to share a story about when we went back to visit him this week!---So he didn't come last week because he really hurt his knee- but we were walking by his house this week when we hear him call our names really loud (I mean he was SCREAMING to get our attention) and when we go over there, he happily told us that the day after we taught him...that he was trying to do some work when suddenly he heard popping in his knee and suddenly he could walk again! He told us that he believes it's because he met us and because our message is true- he was SO HAPPY to see us. I mean I wish we could even describe in words just how much energy he had and how excited he was to be taught again! He even told us how we wants to stop drinking and smoking-so next time we go over there we will be teaching the Word of Wisdom.

Anyways, something that really struck me this weekend in General Conference was when I was listening to D. Todd Christofferson and he talked about the "watchmen"- he mentioned that if a watchman doesn't do their responsibility that the blood of the people are on their hands.

I realized 1-the calling to Apostle or Prophet must be way heavy because they are responsible for nearly 16 million people and are to warn us properly.

 and 2- If I, as a missionary don't do my responsibility--then I'll be held responsible for the things I don't/do do.! It was just really a call for me to keep trying harder every day! :)

Something else that I really want to share is that Elder Joauqin E. Costa is when he said when you receive these things—the Book of Mormon—and you are exhorted to read and ask God if they are true, please just do it!

Because that literally sums up our biggest frustrations as missionaries is when people don't read and ask God and then complain that they haven't come to know if the Book is true or not xD

But anyways, it was a good week- I'm excited to see what's in store for this week :)

Love, Elder Morris

Oh, by the way- I totally got to withdraw the money in my account and we went to Dagupan and got suits made!!! By made, I mean MADE- we went and bought the material we need to have one made and then gave it to a "missionary famous" tailor in Dagupan who has made suits for missonaries for as long as any of us can remember xD We'll go and pick them in in May!

It was awesome :) THANK YOU!

Love much,

Elder Morris

My favorite scripture: Alma 24:27 just because of the phrase  "...thus we see that the Lord worketh in many ways for the salvation of his people."

3-27-2017

Good Day y'all! Even though it's actually night time where you guys are :)P I already asked Elder L if I can move there and he encouraged it hahaha!! I can't believe how soon General Conference is, it's just coming us in like 2 weeks... which is going to be so much fun and very very spiritual! We'll see about how awesome the talks are going to be :D

I can't believe though that it's already about April--which means that Easter is soon as we celebrate the birth, death, and ultimate resurrection of Jesus Christ :D

It's so fun to see all those pictures of the goats and the baby animals that are being born at home- they seem so CUTE- I'm super duper excited to see them ::D It always just super fun how they look like little smiling animals! I'm honestly blown away though at the fact that there is a whole generation of sheep that I haven't even met yet!!!

Anyways though, it makes me so happy to hear about the updates from back home and to hear about how life is going right now for you guys :D Hopefullly this week is going to really be a blast for y'all!

Anyways, This week was really good, though in all honesty it was kind of difficult- it was only hard because that's how we worked-hard! The problem that we had been facing is that the last Elders who were here didn't really find a whole lot of investigators who we can teach regularly so what Elder L and I are trying to do is to build up the "teaching pool" of people who we can visit!

In fact, we met someone this week who we feel has a whole lot of potential, they are the Catinguil family and are really kind. We actually found them because one of the members here told us that this family was taught by the missionaries before but they stopped being visited because the sister has work on Sundays and hasn't come to church yet- but from what we know they really wanted to be taught, and then we visited them and we really feel like they were/are ready to receive us! :)

The others who we visited from previous missionaries are really cool and seemed pretty open to once again meet with and listen to the missionaries! 

The other news is that this week we had a missionary conference with President D, which was really cool- he talked a lot about Lehi's dream and also about how there were 4 types of people that we meet in the scriptures

1-I will try 2-Maybe 3-No 4-I WILL.     That's something he actually suggested that we can teach to people and then ask them about who they think they are! What's kind of hard is that a lot of people here seem to have the attitude of either "Maybe" or "I will [but then dont]", so it's something that could be really helpful in our teaching of people here in the area!

And finally- an update on our companionship- Elder L and I are having a pretty fun time together, although the "hey Jo"s that we get bombarded with are still raging xD But we're enjoying it- in fact it makes it really easy to talk to people because they usually try to talk to us first!!!  And then we just have a really fun time joking around and working in the sun and heat :)P

Other than that, we should have a pretty fun week- so we'll see what's up :D

Anyways, love you guys so much- I hope that y'all have a great week :)

With Love,

Elder Morris

PS-Saw a super creepy Buddha that looks like he is just screaming and scary- it's pretty great :)P