8-22-2016

Dear Family,

Wow, it sounds like it's been quite the week :) I can't believe all the things which have happened back home! First off, no I havent had the opportunity to talk to the eye doctor yet... but I'll inquire this week about all of that, and hopefully I'll be able to see things okay in the next few weeks :)P I can't believe that my birthday is coming up so soon... it feels like just yesterday I was having my 18th birthday, but I'm almost 19 which is starting to make me feel old. Though lets be honest... I'm not old, not until I reach 40+ (cough cough MOM cough cough DAD)

It makes me smile to hear about the political petitioning that you guys did... for one, that you guys are an active part in the politics, which is amazing... and 2 that you guys got a taste of the missionary work in most places other than here. Because the Philippines culture is basically a "you can't say NO to someone" which makes it really easy to share to people... we just have to make sure they are interested and not just listening because they can't say no to people xD If anything though, doing something like that I feel does take courage, to walk up to someone and just talk to them about something that you believe in and can help them... in the face that they might say no or that they might reject you or be rude. THAT is courage ;)

It makes me so happy to hear how life is going, and I know that things will all work out... just keep doing your best :) I hope that things go smoothly for Hannah and her transition to college and the farm is doing very well and that things are looking up for Dexter! I do feel as if the Lord is blessing you guys so much and I can see that in the weekly emails... so that's really awesome :)

Anyways though, You guys are the BEST.

I don't think that I could personally be happier than I am this week :D My first and biggest and happiest bit of news is that we have 3 investigators who are going to be baptized this weekend! The 3 cousins are children of less active members who we have been working with for the past 3 months or so... they've passed their interviews and will be baptized this coming Saturday!!! I feel so blessed for helping them into the waters of baptism for 2 really huge reasons: 1 being that of course they enter into a covenant with our heavenly father and 2. it's a HUGE potential spot to help their less active family members come back into activity in the church!

It's just been a whole lot of fun to be teaching them, for the first like 2 months they were the shyest people that I have ever met... but within the last few weeks they've really opened up to us missionaries and seem to really be enjoying the gospel!

What else? We had our Zone Conference this weekend which was really awesome because I learned so many things that I can apply into this weok here in the Philippines :) Like for one thing which really put things into my perspective was when two sisters gave a workshop entitled "Don't Sleep Through Your Mission". I realized even deeper this week that time here on the mission is really limited and that I should be sure to be making the best of every day that I can!!!

Anyway, this week should be really busy... Elder A and I have felt that we have an area to really be focusing on... the bayan (town) of Natividad which is pretty far from Tayug and has NO investigators or less actives but we feel has great potential. So this week we will have splits once or twice there in an attempt to have investigators there and then within the next few weeks to try and get a sacrament meeting service in one of the buildings there. But I'll keep y'all updated on that, it should be pretty awesome :)

Anyways, I'm just so excited to be here in the Philippines and more than ever I feel like I'm actually being a tool in the Hands of the Lord to help bring people unto Christ through the principles and ordinances of the gospel!!

Love you guys!

~Elder Morris

(Ps_ you wanna know a crazy type word in Tagalog?! BINABAGABAG. Which you use when talking about regrets. Binabagabag ako dahil sa aking kasalanan. Which roughly means "I'm regretting because of my sins") or another one nakakatawa (funny)

Pss- I also found this super cool looking moth the other night... it was pretty sick :D

Psss- Y'all see the white drink on the table?? That's sweetened PIG MILK... which is actually really delicious ;)

PSSSSSSSSSSSS- I FOUND BIGFOOT IN THE PHILIPPINES... I call him... malaking paa. (big foot)

8-15-2016

Hi Family!

Haha, hopefully today or tomorrow I will go into the nearby optometrist and inquire if I could get glasses and the exam and all that stuff here... I don't think that it should be too much of a problem! Well, i don't think I've riden in a Jeepney since last week... here in Tayug there are only really tricycles. Which is really interesting, so we ride trikes or walk everywhere! (when taking trikes I basically have to be carefully because a lot of them try to make us pay a lot more because we look rich xD) But that's our life... I'm sure you've seen pictures of the tricycles... they kind of hurt because they're made for people with Filipino height... not 6 foot tall people xD

Anyway, I am happy though to hear that life is still being really good for you guys, I LOVED to hear about the yard crawl and with the visit from Grandpa and Grandma. What probably made me the happiest was hearing about the farm and those adventures, I'm happy to hear that things are improving with the animals and even happier that the boys have taken over completely my butchering job. It's so funny how in the world so many people are so grossed out by that but then there are people like my family who it's kind of just a part of life xD

Anyway though, I hope that things keep getting better and that things keep being happy :) I loved hearing about how life is for you guys :)

Something that a member said this last sunday for some reason had really got my thinking... we all know that in the last days war is to be "poured out upon all nations" and something that they said got me thinking. That as well as it might be the literal bloody wars of guns and weapons... but I think that it also includes the wars that occur on other fields. In words, in opinions, in actions. I mean think about it! I'm sure there are more court cases and arguments now that at any other time in the world... the political field might as well be a battlefield. So that was just interesting, some thoughts on the last days prophecies :)P 

This week has been just another great week here in the Philippines, it's been kind of an interesting last few days because it's been raining literally all day... but that's not bad at all because it makes the sleep here SO nice because it's kind of cold at night :D 

It's been a lot of work, but I'm so grateful to be here in Tayug... because I feel like there really is a reason as to why I am assigned here :) My companion Elder A is really awesome, though he doesnt' speak a lot of English so it's always language study as we're walking and talking... trying to always use the other language. But it's so fun, we meet a whole lot of cool and fun people here!

Like just the other day we got to meet and teach this one family who does their own tailoring from home, like making clothes and getting them fit and everything... so because I still wanted another pair of pants... I ordered some custom tailored pants, which ought to be ready this week (not expensive at all here :)) But I think that I shouldn't need any more new clothes at least for a few more months when my socks are all 'holy' and stuff... which is nice. I'm actually surprised at how much walking we do, which doesn't do to much damage... it was the bench in the home of a recent convert out of bamboo which ripped a big hole in one of my old pants, because of the nails xD

Anyway, I got really sad this week when J (our huge potential investigator) told us literally like 3 days before her interview that she's not actually married but planned to get married after her baptism and Elder A and I got pretty bummed, so it has to be pushed back... but we're trying to help her and her "husband" to plan out their wedding and stuff. But that's kind of difficult.... so divorce here is not actually a thing (they have annulments but that's super expensive).. .which means that they cannot be married again unless their spouse dies or they get an annulment. The thing that they need to do is go to some place and obtain a CENOMAR (which is a Certificate of No Marriage) and then they could get married, so that's what we're trying to help and encourage them to do :)

Anyways, I had a pretty neat food experience... I ate sugar cane like a Filipino this week. So you have you use your teeth to kind of peel off the bamboo like outer layer... and then you can chew on the inside to get the sugar juice or whatever that's called. It was actually super sweet and delicious!

I love being here in the Philippines, to be honest it sometimes seems unreal to me to be on the other side of the world and sharing the gospel... but it's the best calling and opportunity that I've had in my whole life :)

I love you guys so much, I would say that I miss you guys... but let's be honest... I'll see y'all again fairly soon ;) So yes of course I miss you guys, but I'm not homesick... if that makes sense xD

I know that my family is being blessed and cared for because I'm out here serving on a mission :)

~Elder Morris

PS- it rained a lot so we got to check out the flood way here in Tayug... it was pretty awesome :) The nature out here is actually just stunning. I also saw a monkey the other day at someones home... I took a picture, but I'll send that next week ;)

8-1-2016

 Man, I wish that you guys could be here and try all the different foods... the fruit here is always so delicious. Though I learned something really kind of weird this week... they like to dip their fruit (like pineapples and mangos) in either salt or suka (kind of like spicy vinegar) and to me... I don't really like that, I like the fruit without making it taste like saltwater ;)

But there's a lot of good fruit that doesn't need it :)P I'm so happy to hear how the week has been and the you guys have been having time with Dexter! Don't worry you guys, I do pray about you guys and I know that as long as we trust in the Lord... everything is going to turn out for the best :)

I DID get the package this week on Tuesday when the Office Elders came to empty out the other apartment. And I have to say it was the best, those shirts are super nice quality and I think that the journal is going to last the rest of my mission. So thank you guys so so much :) You want to know something crazy? I don't think that Good and Plenty has ever tasted so good in my whole entire life... I mean I don't think I've even had that candy in like 9 months now... thats so crazy! Time is literally just flying by and I can hardly believe that Elder I is going to be getting home really soon :O 

Is it bad that I kind of chuckled at the fact that somehad had the idea of having a fart protest... that sounds like something that I would do ;) #FOL umut-ot nang lakas ;) That means Fart out loud in Tagalog... just saying xD

Anyway though, this has been one heck of a crazy week! So first off is the big news that last Monday for some reason they started transfers a week early and Elder A has officially been transferred to another area. The time with him had been super fun though :) My new companion is named Elder A, it's really funny though now because we're pretty much opposites physically! He's a dark, short, 26 year old Filipino and here I am... the kind of white, tall, 18 year old American. What a companionship xD  But seriously, he is such a funny guy... I don't think that I've met someone who can manage to have a smile on his face in just about any situation. So we get along pretty well.

However, that transfer pretty much messed up our whole week with work otherwise, because all of the sudden my area has literally doubled in size and we have investigators and people all over the place. It's really been a lot of figuring out what we're going to do and how we're going to manage such a large area. So that'll be a whole lot of fun :)

Anyway though, my exciting news is that we had our baptism on Saturday for D and it was such a spiritual experience. I could really feel like she was ready to enter into that covenant with our Heavenly Father :) I feel so grateful to have played a part in her own personal conversion!! The other bit of great news is that we had an interview for E on Saturday and he passed with almost no problem! (Our Zone Leader was kind of concerned with WOW but then we talked about it and he has no problem as herbal tea is okay) Hehe. So that means that this coming Saturday is going to be another crazy day because we have the baptism for E and then the interview for another one of our investigators, J!! Haha, what I had started to realize is that I had been working really hard with Elder A for the last like 10 weeks planting seeds which are growing into amazing fruit. Truly the field IS white and is ready to harvest, all that we need to do is to follow the counsel of Doctrine and Covenants and thrust in my sickle with my might so that I may help people to come into the fold of our Lord :)

Anyway though, I don't really have to much time left to be able to email... so thank goodness that I took a BUNCH of pictures this week! We finally have a Baguio and it rained quite literally all day yesterday... but we walked on this really cool path to get to an investigators home :P I got my feet SOAKED... and I need to buy new shoes. So that's fun ;)

Love yah guys so much,

~Elder Morris

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