Happy Thanksgiving

Hi,

We finally got a new Ward Mission Leader. We were so worried about who it was going to be, but it is the 2nd counselor in the bishopric, they did some changing and now Brother Krein is our WML. Pretty happy about that. 

Oh and no, I'm not getting transferred...still in the same area, with the same comp.

We were going to drop Brother Pyle this past Saturday but then he canceled the appointment. Now we are like “what the fetch do we do?”  That whole situation has been so confusing, we are pretty sure we have had 2 confirmations now to drop him and that we were making the right choice to do so and for some reason now we are like what the? Anyway that is a looong story. We will see what happens.

We ate with the Tongans this week, The Afolau's. I really love them. Brother Afolau told us about the Tongan culture. Whenever we go to their house, the table is FULL of food, and we are like whoa. Holy.  But he said "in Tonga, they always wait for the missionaries to come. And give ALL they have to the missionaries, but really it is not for you, it is for the person you represent.  We do it for him.  We always tell you to eat more, eat more, because in Tonga, they don't eat the left overs, they have their own meal and whatever the missionaries don't eat they throw out to the pigs and dogs. They don't eat the missionary food"  He got all emotional about it, it was such a cool thing that he told us and it meant a lot to me, I'm surprised I wasn't in tears (weird I know.)  

Hope all is well on the home front, hope you all have a good Thanksgiving as well!

Tokoua Morgan ('Sister' in tongan! sweeet!)

Slow week...a little snow too!

Hey everyone,

I feel like nothing has happened this week. It has been so slow.

We got dropped by Francine...psh. I was so ticked. She ran into the elders that found her and told them all about what a GREAT lesson we had with her and that she was excited for our next appointment, then she canceled it, then went MIA, we FINALLY get in contact with her and she was like “yeah I've read your book and I don't want to do the lessons”. What the crap? I HATE THAT. She even SAID she felt the spirit and that she was so excited to learn more and we had her on date and this happens. EVERY  TIME. What the fetch. Annoying.  People’s dumb agency!

Then we have this less active we are teaching, Bro. Pyle. He calls us like 20 times a week sometimes haha.  He will tell us how much we are helping him and all that. Lately we have been way more straight up and bold with him. He doesn't like that very much and Sister LeBaron makes ME talk to him because she is convinced that I'M their missionary and just what they needed or whatever, which is cool, but at the same time it's not just my responsibility to teach him. Anyway.  So his goal is to come back to church so he can go through the temple.  I have been here for like 3 and a halfish months now and he has been to church like twice. He has some disabilities, and always makes excuses. Perhaps I'm not very compassionate, but the thing is I don't think there is an excuse and we pretty much…well I pretty much flat out told him I was done with his excuses. and so last night we were on the phone with him for like a half hour asking him why he didn't come to church and I told him if he doesn't keep his commitments we can't teach him because that is just how missionary work - works. Anyway he probably hates us...he'll get over it. SO frustrating. Sister LeBaron and I were like so irritated and I was like okay...contention drives the spirit away so we have to go.  hahaha, I didn't say that but we really did have to go because we were right in the middle of daily planning and were not even close to being done...well we hadn't even started yet so I was like we have to go. But oh man I just wanted to start yelling and screaming at him to just get his butt to church. Oh my flip. Geez. JUST GO TO FREAKING CHURCH!  Okay? AHH!!

So that got me to thinking. there are some people in our ward here that are in wheel chairs, one person has Cerebral Paley and can't even move or speak or do literally anything on her own. BUT SHE STILL comes to church EVERY week.  She even comes to the activities. So what is your excuse?  Life is hard for everyone. Everyone has their own cross to bear.  However, it doesn't mean that someone's life is harder than someone else’s.  I have issues that might seem easier to someone else, but for me it is the hardest thing ever! Or visa versa.  There is no excuse. I don't understand all that everyone is feeling. But that is why we have a savior. Nothing we go through will EVER be harder than what Jesus Christ went through. FOR YOU. We descended below all things, and overcame them, so we can too. Don’t make excuses, just try your best to keep the commandments.  We will still be judged, how I don't know, because thankfully I'm not (and none of you are) the judge. Leave that to the lord. Help others as best and you can, and help yourself the best you can to learn and grow all that the lord intends. Obviously we need his help, but we CAN do it. Don't make excuses, and don't justify. Just work hard and do the very very best you can!   Go to church.

We had Zone conference on Saturday. Elder and Sister Snow (from the seventy) came and spoke to us. We had to prepare a 5 minute talk so he could randomly pick one of us to give it and then critique us. Luckily I was not chosen, but I started preparing my talk the second we found out about it like 2 weeks ago. haha I was ready!! But he spoke about public speaking and improving our teaching. He was like what happens when the sacrament program falls through? Who speaks? The missionaries! Well guess what happened in my ward on Sunday. Coincidence? Geez.  So Sister LeBaron and I had to give a talk about revelation and stuff, it really wasn't that bad, but I was like you have got to be kidding me. OF COURSE that happened.  hahahah! 

There was a TON of good things from zone conference.  Sister Snow talked about gratitude and not having the "Ill be happy when..." attitude.  I am so guilty of that, not gonna lie. Just WANTING to be on a mission has been hard, but I'm trying to see what a blessing it truly is (because it REALLY IS!) to be on a mission. Some people don't get to serve one, whether because they chose not to, or they are restricted by something. Missions are flippen hard, but there really is SOOO much to learn and gain, things you won't ANYWHERE else.  For me, I was like well “I wish my life was going THIS way or THAT way” or “I could be doing THIS or THAT”, but noooo I'm here on a mission. Go figure.  But I know that it will be so worth it. Which reminds me, go read President Uchtdorfs talk called "forget me not".  He talks about "forget not to be happy now" and not waiting for the golden ticket. Go read it!   President Taylor talked about conversion and how we need to have a place for the Holy Ghost in our hearts.  How we build the kingdom of God one by one. I forgot my notes, I was going to share more with you but I forgot them...sorrries!

hehe then Sunday night we got to eat dinner with the Powers family. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. They are so fun! They just adopted a little girl, and she is just so funny and witty, you think she was a teenager, but she is like 5. Geez. Brother powers was trying to get her to open her mouth wide so he could squirt the spray Redie-whip stuff in her mouth and she was like ‘no it tastes bad”, and so he put some on her finger for her to try and she was like “no, no”. And he put the nozzle to her mouth and she was like “no that's enough”. hahahah I wish you could have seen it because it was so much funnier than it sounds, plus I'm a bad story teller.. anyway so Brother Powers is like okay well we will see if Sister Morgan can do it and show us that it isn't that bad so I was like “okay!” And then I was like “wait are you for real?”  And he was like “yes do it!”  So I did and everyone was like in shock or something.  They were like”that was the best!!” See missionaries are people too! hahahaha.I guess I got lots of brownie points with that family for doing that. I have done that before in my life but I don't get what the big deal was hahah. But it was a fun night with them.

Also, our Iranian friend is with some other missionaries. They have baptized tons of middle eastern folks...they are like the Iranian whisperers.. hahahaha  but they have some converts that can speak his language and all that so it will be good for him.

Now we have no one on date for baptism. Boo!

I think that is it for now. 

Miss you lots, love you dearly.

Adios.

4 Months Out

This is probably going to be the shortest letter ever.

I can't remember hardly anything this week. It was such a blur and not the best week. I got to be on some meds that reacted interestingly with me...soo...I'm sure for my companion it was hilarious.

We dropped a lot of our investigators this week. It is just super frustrating when they don't progress or keep commitments.  I feel like it is always the same thing and so of course I think I am doing something wrong.  We did find some new gators this week too though.

Yesterday we went to visit a less active member Denise. We just ran into her one day forever ago and we just stopped by whenever after that. She was always home and she has 5 dogs that I just absolutely love. Anyway, we were debating on when to see her because our schedule was crazy and she is moving soon (so freaking sad...) and so we wanted to see her as much as we possibly can before she leaves. So we went over yesterday and we knock on the door. We heard a lot of commotion inside and people saying "oh great who's here?" and her boyfriend/husband thing (I don't know the relationship) answered the door and was like “oh…” so then he turns to say something to her and we hear rather loudly "ARE MY MISSIONARIES HERE? IS IT MY MISSIONARIES?" and she comes out and is just so upset and crying and was like “I'm so glad you're here! I'm so glad you're here”. And she gave us hugs and told us why she is upset and I guess one of her friends is really sick and in ICU and they don't know if she will make it.  So she was like “we have to say a prayer”. And “this is perfect timing and I'm so glad you're here”. I guess before we showed up she was telling her guests that they couldn't be upset and sad and that they had to put good energy out for their friend, and then we showed up and so I guess that proved her point hahaha at least that is what she took it as.  God doesn't do random.  

With our other less active, Bro. Pyle, he really struggles coming to church. It is so frustrating because he will call us and tell us how much we help him and what a good lesson we gave and all that, but then he doesn't gosh dang come to church!  Da flip?  So I was all like I don't know what he needs to be taught. And last Sunday we called him before church to get him to come and he was like I don't feel up to it.  For some reason Sister LeBaron has made me the one in charge when he calls. He likes to talk for like 20 minutes on the phone during our daily planning, but anway, I talked to him and was just like “you know what? I'm done babying you”. I didn't say that to him but I was bold. I was like if you keep doing all the things you've done you're going to get the same result every time. I tried to teach him about faith and how we have to CONTINUOUSLY nourish it.  Or it dies. No matter how strong your faith is, if you neglect it. It dies.  And I was like you HAVE to come to church. And he was like I need to pray about it. And I was like no. you don't.  You already know that it is a commandment so of course the answer is going to be yes. Get your butt to church!  My goodness.  I was a lot nicer I promise. But the thing is - there should NEVER be an excuse as to why you can't fulfill a commandment.  Well I guess there are few good excuses, but even then there is a lady in our ward that can't even move, she has cerebral palsy and she comes to church every week. EVERY WEEK. She comes to activities, she comes to everything. And she is just happy to be there! There is no excuse. Go to church.

to cousin Jennifer - I wear my gloves and scarf alllll the time and I LOOOOOVE them!!!! thank you!!!!

Anyway.  I think that is like all I remember. So I hope you are all healthy and well.

Love you all.

Adios. 

Almost 4 months out

Ok first off, I am on some meds...and not really working that well with my brain, so if there are an extra amount of typos or this doesn't make sense...very sorry. I'm doing my best! Reading, typing and writing is hard so we will see how this goes.

So this week, our zone leaders had a huge push to get people on date for baptism. We invited 4 people and 3 of them said no, and then one of them, yesterday - Francine, she said yes! So sweeeet!! We have her on date for Dec. 6th. I really hope we can help her progress. She is so flippen awesome and already knows how to feel or recognize the spirit and she is like there is something missing with the other churches and their pastors. Anyway she is so awesome.  

This weekend we did exchanges. I stayed in my area again with Sister Fitt and it was awesome.  We had a weird experience though with drunk guys hugging my companion and kissing her on the head and stuff and I was SUPER uncomfortable and praying my guts out that Heavenly Father would help us get the heck out of there. He would block our way with his big dogs and tell us we weren't leaving. But then his dogs moved and he just glanced over the other way and we booked it out of there!  Creepsters.  Poor Sister Fitt. I think I am mean to them when they try to do that crap. I don't giggle or say thank you I'm just like I'm a missionary. This is my message. Then they don't really care about me and they pick on my comp haha, well... I'm not here to flirt so...sorry.

We did this huge service project on Saturday. This guy’s house was literally overgrown with black berry bushes. They were literally on the top of his house and going through his windows and stuff. We planned 8am to noon but got done at like 10:30 am so that was awesome. We were supposed to have opportunity to get lots of new investigators, but none of them showed, and Tom (the blackberry home owner) didn't really care much for us teaching him. Drats.

We met with Herb this week, he is pretty awesome. That was on Sat. during exchanges. It was a chaotic lesson but an awesome one. We took a member with us and Herbs sons came in and sat in on the lesson and asked a ton of questions. At first I was worried that one of them was being too pushy for my member but man she was SOLID. She was so awesome the way she answered the questions and things. Later I told her I hoped she didn't feel attacked and she was like "of course not, he just really wanted to know!" and I was like-you. Are . Legit. But I was teaching one of the sons the restoration while our member was teaching Herb something in the BOM and Sister Fitt was like uhhhhhh hahahah it was way funny.  The son’s left for a second and came back out and was like “You know what? Do you have one of those books? I'm curious now!”  So we gave them both a Book of Mormon. And I asked them to read 1 Nephi 13. It talks about the bible and why we need the Book of Mormon...well another reason why we need it. You should read that chapter. It’s good! So that was INCREDIBLE. 3 potential baptisms there and they are so fun to teach, it can be overwhelming because they use fancy language and things and I'm like what the heck, speak English. What are you saying?!  But they are very kind and respectful. I love them tons.

I got to go to the doctor this week and that was just great. They don't really know what the fetch is up but at least it is not like life or death haah. But I got to try all sorts of meds this week and that has been an adventure.  

Halloween...it was weekly planning and we were not allowed to proselyte.  Well they told us not to, but some missionaries did. So we were like “what are we allowed to do!?!?”  Some told us not to go out after dark, some told us not to go out at all unless to set appointments. But we had fun..sorta. haha.

Franciiineee!! She was a referral from the zone leaders. I'm just so flippen excited about her. I know I already mentioned her above...at least I think I did…anyway. She was so awesome. We used some analogies in the restoration and she was like OH! yeah!! That makes so much sense I LOVE that analogy, thanks for sharing that. She just seemed so excited about it. I am sometimes hesitant to get excited too because last time that happened we got dropped. But I am so excited for Francine. She has a cool story too that she shared with us. She is a 45 yr old super sweet black lady that makes food that smells good. hahah.  She was so cool to teach. She has already been baptized twice in some other church, but she didn't put up that argument with us when we invited her and put her on date, which I'm glad, but now I hope she doesn't think she can just be baptized whenever she wants. But anway...she is legit.

I don't really want to type anymore. Sorry for all the typos. I think that is it for now.

Love ya!

Thanks for sending me pics of Halloween costumes and things they look fun!! I hope you all have had a good week.

Love ya.