Week 61: I'll be home for Christmas

 

Elder Kimball for Christmas Eve!

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Monday- I am grateful for JOY, football, talks, music, lights, and writing

Tuesday- I am grateful for the radio, caffeine, tacos, Portuguese, naps, gratitude, and selflessness.

Wednesday- I am grateful for Christmas conference, rain, weights, and The Atonement.

Thursday- I am grateful for traditions, mexican food, memories, chats, and health!

Friday- I am grateful for service, plans, My Family, satisfaction, and happiness.

Saturday- I am grateful for new songs, being tired and sure, spaghetti, and smiling.

Sunday- I am grateful for The Sacrament, smoothies, creativity, and calmness.

Monday- I am grateful for emails, differences, organization, and cleaning.

Wowwoowowow we had Christmas conference down in Saint Louis and it was just amazing! It was outstanding. We learned about The Atonement so personally. It was so special. We also did a skit and a white elephant and some how I got stuck with a laser pointer, it was interesting. 

Zone Conference

On the drive home I just felt so full. I knew that this was what Christmas was all about and I felt so happy about it. I didn't need any gift or letter. I just needed to feel The Spirit as I did. I knew that this years Christmas was all that it needed to be.

Me, Elder Toomey, Elder Brown and Elder Zabriskie

Christmas Eve was also excellent because Elder Kimball came over for the day! Love that guy  

My Christmas was excellent. We did a service where we helped another church deliver Christmas dinners. I called my family of course. AND we had a dinner party(ish) with the district. It was a great day.

On Saturday I realized as I was writing in my journal that night, that I hadn't even been outside that day. It was real weird. Weird to see what missionary work has come too since a year ago. 

Whole family for Christmas Eve.

We popped out another epic video idea and it turned out super good, just how we imagined so I'm hyped for that to be posted 

Talking on Christmas day, so much joy from Logan.

Elder Toomey, Elder Brown, and I are staying and so we are getting one more in the house. I'm pretty excited for the next transfer here!

Love,

Elder Morrison

Week 60: Pre-Christmas hype!

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Ready to serve.

Monday- I am grateful for rest, basketball, volleyball, prayers, and help

Tuesday- I am grateful for backups, pullups, memories, waffles, teaching, and my guitar! 

Wednesday- I am grateful for glasses, drugs, SNOW, ice, and planning/goals.

Thursday- I am grateful for learning, birthdays, The Book of Mormon, videos, and The Bible.

Friday- I am grateful for silence, packages, a home, my family, and plans.

Saturday- I am grateful for temples, eternal marriage, service, and telling everyone about church tomorrow!

Sunday- I am grateful for The Sacrament, the Book of Mormom videos, and my guitar.

A good week!

We finally got some snow!! It was really like a light dusting but hey snow is snow. The pond in our backyard is frozen over so that's exciting.

 

Lighting the world has been going good, so that's awesome .

I attempted to make rice and beans like I had in Brazil. It was ehh. Really not that good, edible of course but I've got quite a bit of improving to do that's for sure. It's all a learning process anyways. 

We had Zone Council and uhh yeah it happened. 

We've been reading the Book of Mormon every night with an investigator and its amazing!!! I love that book!! 

Talents abound.

I play my guitar every night. I love it! 

My older brother got married on Saturday and I got to call for a sec and watch them come out of the temple! It was a tender mercy to even be able to experience that much of it. I'm so happy for them! 

We went crazy on Saturday and texted EVERY person in our Areabook with an invite to church on Sunday because it is the come and see one. We got a good amount of responses so that was awesome!

Working on more talents.

We've had many many lessons fall through this week but it's ok, we keep pushing along.

Holidays are real weird on the mission but I'm excited for Christmas! I got robbed of one last year so I'm excited for it this year!

I hope everyone is feeling the light of Christ stronger than ever during these days leading up to the celebration of His birth

Love y'all and would love a Christmas email from you!!

Love,

Elder Morrison

Week 59: Mission Tour in a Nutshell

Monday- I am grateful for relief, My Mom, my guitar, deals, glasses, connections, priesthood blessings, and FAITH!

Tuesday- I am grateful for completion, hope, treadmills, and news.

Wednesday- I am grateful for the weather, outdoors, fingers, practice, books, reading, and happiness.

Thursday- I am grateful for exchanges, ancestors, pictionary, and compliments.

Friday- I am grateful for my guitar studying, happiness, control, strength, and interviews.

Saturday- I am grateful for technology, ideas, vision, good water, eggs, lessons, lighting, talents, and a bed!

Sunday- I am grateful for instruments, prompts, The Restoration, Christlike attributes, and simplicity.

Survived my 3 day migraine.

The weather has been beautiful and so have the sunsets, it's been simply stunning. 

We've been getting fed quite often and it's so nice to get food from the members!

The mission tour started on Wednesday and it was honestly underwhelming. Nothing's the same over technology.

An Elder in our zone went back out to Africa and it got me really thinking about going back to Brazil. Weird stuff.

Fancy

I've been jamming on the guitar I bought last week, for at least an hour every day and honestly progress has been slow. My fingers are killing me and it usually doesn't sound that good. But that's progress for ya! 

Update: progress is good and my fingers are already getting used to it!!

Learning a new skill.

Had an exchange with the Elders in the house and so I was with Elder Zabriskie and it was a very good time. I felt very uplifted and loved, it was excellent! 

The rest of the mission tour continued to be real chill. Simply one hour meeting for 3 days. It was solid, good stuff was talked about and learned. 

We were able to teach a couple lessons this week but only through some HARD finding. It's a challenge that's for sure.

I spent a lot of time on Saturday putting together a video that will be posted tomorrow! So I hope y'all take a look 

Picture for the wedding.

We had a good Sunday with 6 lessons scheduled!! 4 went through, it was epic.

Love y'all and don't forget what matters most 

Love,

Elder Morrison

Week 58: IDK what to title this

Ramen anyone?

 

Monday- I am grateful for Portuguese, snow, trucks, haircuts, and food.

Tuesday- I am grateful for creativity, ideas, dancing, epic videos, and quality memories.

Wednesday- I am grateful for trainings, videos, and instructions.

Thursday- I am grateful for change, Christmas music, guitars, and dancing videos.

Friday- I am grateful for fire, leaves, letters, dreams, Krispy Kreme, and driving.

Saturday- I am grateful for sunsets, music, cars, SLEEP!

Sunday- I am grateful for SLEEP, fasting, others, The Book of Mormon, & Christmas devo.

New haircut

We got our first snow on Monday and it was very... underwhelming it was super weak and small and none of it stuck and it just like got whipped around by the wind, it wasn't much of snow to be honest. But it was frozen water particles falling from the sky so I guess it counts. 

Walmart security camera

I forgot how cold it gets

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So a bunch of Elders buzzed their heads and President got mad and said it didn't look professional and now buzzing your head is not allowed.

Smoothies and new bluelight glasses

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I went on exchanges over to Decatur with Elder Turner and we had a good time. They have 4 guitars in that house and they are all so good! It got me really motivated to learn the guitar again. We spent the day doing the usual missionary things. Sharing, "The Christ Child" video, studying, and trying to find new people. It was a real good exchange. 

Also Elder Toomey and I were pretty motivated to make a sick video this week because we saw so many other good ones out there and so we did. And we had so much fun making it! It was such a blast!! I love good ideas and actually seeing them come out the way we imagined it.

Leaves upon leaves

We did service for this one dude and he just decided to burn all the leaves that we were raking so we just had a fat burn pile right next to the road. We were feeding leaves into it for a solid hour, it was whack. But, he also asked to learn more about our church and so we set up to teach him next Friday! Should be pretty sweet!! 

Elder Toomey and I burning those leaves.

On Friday Krispy Kreme made chocolate glazed donuts and boy oh boy those were amazing. 

Elevator selfies

We drove to Saint Louis and all over on Saturday. We were driving for over 5 hours that day, pretty whack. It was rough on me.

Christmas devo was excellent!! I felt the light of Christ and hope y'all did too!

Love,

Elder Morrison

Week 57: Mountains to Climb

Working hard

 

Monday- I am grateful for cars, jokes, My Family, email, and voice recordings

Tuesday- I am grateful for choices, opportunity, laughter, and lightheartedness.

Wednesday- I am grateful for interviews, posts, messages, thoughts, and guidance of The Holy Ghost.

Thursday- I am grateful for constants, Thanksgiving, sunsets, and calling my Family.

Friday- I am grateful for comps, sleep, new days, and happiness from gratitude.

Saturday- I am grateful for Walmart, smoothies, "The making of The Christ Child"

Sunday- I am grateful for sleep, reading, the sunrise, The Spirit, and good jams.

Doesn't everyone wear boots with running shorts?

We have been teaching soooo much about Prayer, and I love prayer! Talking about it so much helped me to remember to improve my prayers. Sometimes I don't focus during my prayers and my thoughts wander. But I have been doing my best to focus entirely on praying when I do pray.

Our teaching pool went to trash this week and just about all lessons fell through and yeah it was weird. We taught our homie Jack like we do every night and he's on date for baptism but he wanted to get baptized this weekend all of a sudden so we set up an interview and then failed it. But hey he is gonna get baptized eventually. 

Driving a truck.

I found some straight jams today and it was super sickk. I love some good jams. Also it's real Christmas music time so get hyped for that.

Oh right, there was Thanksgiving. We had a good time and a TON of food and I got to call my family so that was rad as always. 

How many missionaries can fit in said truck?

Also, I completely recognized how much happier I was because of doing President Nelson's give thankschallenge. It was so great and I'm grateful for His revelation.

I love sleep.

Welp message me so that I can feel not so bored. 

Soo much food!

Hope y'all had a good Thanksgiving.

Love,

Elder Morrison

Week 56: Abraham's Birthplace

 

Tuesday- I am grateful for half marathons, relating, and My Family.

Wednesday- I am grateful for freedom, familiarity, and phones.

Thursday- I am grateful for cute ponds, lesson prep, and Walmart.

Friday- I am grateful for gratitude, rain, contacts, and technology.

Saturday- I am grateful for examples, my piercings, mud, running, good weather, and music!

Sunday- I am grateful for all the elders in the house, windows, boots, and chalk.

Welp, I got transferred to Springfield, Illinois. which is Abraham Lincoln's hometown and really the only cool thing about this place.

I live in the 'mission mansion' with another companionship who are the Zone Leaders, one of them being Elder Brown!! It's weird living with him again but also so so great! My comp has been out 4 months, Elder Toomey, and is super sweet! We get along well. 

Welp we got put into lockdown again. This is like my 3rd lockdown with Elder Brown hahahah but anyways it's kinda hit us all hard.

Illinois is stupid flat btw,  send pics of the mountains!

A lot of our lessons have fallen through lately and we actually have 3 people on date right now! So that's sick. All the people are pretty old tho so they REALLY like to talk. 

We spend a lot of time contacting people as usual and I haven't seen any part of town except the church and uh Walmart, so we don't get out much which is pretty sad.

Nevertheless, the work goes on and so do we. It's good out here.

I have loved President Nelson's challenge because I love being grateful.

Living with 3 other elders has been a party and I'm really grateful for them!

I came to the realization this week that the mission has officially made me weird. Send help. I can't remember what normal life is like. I only know what being a missionary is like. Help.

Tell me about your Thanksgiving plans!

Love y'all 

Keep being grateful 

Elder Morrison