Week 21: Maos De Dues

So sad to say goodbye

Love this family and my companion for 1 week, Elder Tapia

Elder Brockbank

Monday-I am grateful for packing and recognizing my experiences here in Brazil.

Tuesday- I am grateful for communication, mercy, and thoughts.

Wednesday- I am grateful for God and all he gives me.

Thursday-I am grateful to be on an airplane.

Friday- I am so grateful to be home with family and to have seen my friends.

Saturday- I am grateful for driving, Cafe Rio, and construction.

Sunday- I am grateful for social media, structure, and Portuguese.

HEFY Friends in the airport

Well as I'm sure most of you know, I am home now. I am still a missionary and am supposed to chill in my house for the next 2 weeks. I was told that HOPEFULLY I will get reassigned within these 2 weeks, or at the end of the 2 weeks, I don't know anything for sure yet.

My travel experience was not a good one and consisted of a lot of ups and downs with emotions, it was pretty weird. 

Also the other day I was helping my Dad work on the basement and thought, "Whose idea was it to send all the missionaries home for 2 weeks and then send them back out, like how is that supposed to help me?" The good news is that I am very grateful for where I am right now and the blessings I have.

I still have some regular structure to my day which is always nice, but for the most part I am just supposed to use my time wisely doing productive things. So I am excited for these weeks and will be grateful for them.

It was very sad to say goodbye to the members that I have grown so close too and the investigators we had that were in progressing.

Soo many missionaries

So new rules are that I can chat with my friends one hour per day, soo send me a chat on hangouts and we can catch up. obrigado meu amigos.

Also I'm tempted to send a whole email in Portuguese and just let you guys translate or whatever because I love to speak Portuguese now.

Every single car in Brazil had a sticker that said, "na maos de Deus" and that is pretty significant to me now because it means,"in the hands of God".

The good news is that all this is in Gods plan and I am grateful to be His missionary and in His hands during these very strange times.

Jesus loves you, and me too.

LOVE 

ELDER MORRISON 

Who is sitting at his house in Lehi Utah.

Flight to Brazil

Made it home

It is freezing in Utah.

Week 20: Whirlwind of emotions

Monday-I am grateful for my friends, prayers, and change. 

Tuesday-I am grateful for Come Follow Me, the news, AC, reading, and leading.

Wednesday-I am grateful for preparing, my difficulties, and turning to prayer.

Thursday-I am grateful for the smell of the rain, and the answer to my prayers-struggles-difficulties-and worries.

Friday-I am grateful for reading, weeding, and cleaning.

Saturday-I am grateful for rejections, the stars, and the sunset.

Sunday-I am grateful for news.

Cleaning the house

My new comp is Elder Tapia from Chile and he is from the same group from the CTM, so we have the same time on the mission. This also means that we are both pretty new missionaries.

The start of the week was difficult, new comp, leading the area, no one wanting to talk with us because of the virus, and not feeling like I knew how to do things.

Gorgeous sunsets

Well the call came Friday morning for us to stay at home. It was pretty strict. We cleaned our house so well that day, it was great.

Saturday was kind of normal but we couldn't go into anyone's house and so we visited tons and tons of investigators and well I got one message out of it. I'm happy with the one message though, we did our best. 

Fatima's family. I am going to miss them.

Sunday was weird and we went into social isolation so its not like we are quarantined, but like we cant really talk to anyone. I don't really know what's happening but it's all good.

 

This week has definitely been one for the books and I have struggled through it. The things that have kept me going are prayer and fasting, I am so grateful for those 2 things.

Supplies I don't need any more.

The members have been very very gracious in bringing us food for lunch everyday and even for dinner when they felt that we needed it! Our little fridge is very full and I am very grateful.

Our mission finally got smartphones! I don't know when the missionaries will actually get them but it should be soon, I can't wait.

Got news last night that missionaries not from Brazil are getting sent home and then reassigned, our leaders called us and said that we were going home and going to get reassigned but then they never said anything more and no details this morning either. I'm just going to take news as it is and keep on going.

Coming home Wednesday meu amigos, love you all. Stick to the important things and you'll be alright!

Love,

Elder Morrison

Week 19: The Blessings

Handstands in the street

Tuesday-I am grateful for working, coconut flavored biscuits, and being grateful.

Wednesday-I am grateful for writing down what I am grateful for everyday, pudding, and teaching.

Thursday-I am grateful for the true church of Jesus Christ, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and for my spiritual sensitivity.

Friday-I am grateful for a living Prophet, revelation, time, and my body.

Saturday-I am grateful for peace, laughing, and safety.

Sunday-I am grateful for Agency, the Spirit, understanding, The Philippines, attitude, and the Sacrament.

Gorgeous vistas

I am so grateful to be able to write what I am grateful for everyday, it has truly changed and helped me. I have been happier, no complaining, and simply grateful. It has helped me to find the good in everyday and actually be grateful for the things around me. I think more positively and appreciate my blessings.

The rat is back.

Well the world is ending and the second coming is knocking at your door, so repent y'all. hahaha joking. 

I had a wacky dream where I forgot that America existed and that English was a language that I knew how to speak. 

The change with Sundays was pretty groundbreaking for us and I am very grateful for a living prophet. This week was crazy for me. I went from freaking out about home and if everyone is ok to just submitting to focusing on the now. 

Chillin' in the heat with baby Melanie

We administered the sacrament to 4 separate houses on Sunday and it was so sweet. I gave a talk about missions and was an absolute mess the whole time, oh well. 

Transfer calls came and whelp I'm chillin' here in good ole Costa E Silva with the rat for at least another 6 weeks. Thought I was going to get sent to another area but not today. My comp is out of here though, so that will change things up a bit.

The work is a little difficult because we have to explain to people that we have meetings in houses now and not the church. We almost met our high goal of making 30 new investigators but we will get em next time. 

Taking one day at a time and remember whats important. Reading the scriptures and praying everyday. 

I am very grateful that we at least get to work.

Helping members get ready for Cornonavirus!

Week 18: Taco Bell and Stroopwafel's

Can I take this car home?

Monday-I am grateful for calling my family, poems, my body, relaxing, and JESUS CHRIST.

Tuesday-I am grateful for Taco Bell, stroopwafels, walking, and the sky.

Wednesday-I am grateful for regular clothes, cake, pools, and simply serving.

Thursday-I am grateful for the stars, The Spirit, knowledge, and making up games.

Friday-I am grateful for safety, Google Maps, and the Plan of Salvation.

Saturday-I am grateful for sleep, basketball, and heavenly help.

Sunday-I am grateful for testimony, advice, and eating. 

Monday-I am grateful for soccer, frisbee, moves, and being busy.

A sunset to say goodnight

I was very blessed to have a burrito from Taco Bell, I was quite speechless.
This one member always asks us what we want for lunch when we have it with her and
usually I just say like juice or something like that. But, this time I was honest and said
that I wanted tortillas so that I could make a burrito and my companion wanted fish.
Well we get to her house and she made fried fish, pretty good to be honest and I
usually don't like fish. But anyways we sit down for lunch and then this food delivery
guy gets here and she brings in a bag from Taco Bell! A burrito for her son and I.
She said that she always gets what the missionaries ask. I felt very blessed. 

We finally got to do a service project and I was dying to do one. It felt pretty weird
to wear normal clothes and I actually felt out of place wearing normal clothes.
Basically I weeded this members pool area and then cleaned the pool. It was nice
to just work with my hands and not have to worry about much. 

We've been given lots of cake and chocolate this week and it honestly makes me
want to go off sugar because they just give it to us so much.

Basketball and Frisbee this week.

We set some pretty high goals for this week because it is the last week of the transfer
and I'm probably being transferred. I'm excited to see what we can do.

Jesus Christ is our Savior and He will help you if you ask Him.

The Google maps street view car passed us 3 times on Friday and we posed for
all of them, even one with a BOM. So hopefully that updates soon and you can enjoy those Haha.

Handmade tie from a fellow missionary in just the right fabric to
help me think of Arizona!

We taught the Restoration to this one young couple this week and this time we switched
it up so that my comp teaches the first part and then I pick it up at Joseph Smith. When
I related the account of the 1st Vision, it hit me so hard, I felt the Spirit so strongly and
just cried and cried and cried. I know with my whole soul that Joseph Smith saw God
the Father and Jesus Christ in the Sacred Grove. 

Had some rough times with my comp this week, but the Lord always answers
my prayers. It's amazing how even in your afflictions you can have comfort. I felt that on a profound level this past week.

Lots of prayers and even more answers.

Love,

Elder Morrison

Week 17: The Parrot's Revenge

I love the babies but can't hold them. So sad!

So many cats, somebody feeds them, why?!

Monday-I am grateful for wisdom, movies, and my determination to do exercises and run everyday.

Tuesday-I am grateful for answered prayers, blessings, success, and tortilla recipes.

Wednesday-I am grateful for recognizing the Spirit, rain, Nutella, and family pictures.

Thursday-I am grateful for "cold", memes, and talking about friends.

Friday-I am grateful for speaking with the Spirit, calm moments, and old American music.

Saturday-I am grateful for cows, progress, and giving BOM's

Sunday-I am grateful for righteousness, cake, and testimonies.

I like frozen ice cream!

I have a problem with ice cream. Brazilians have no problem with taking out a tub of ice cream and
eating some and then just watching it until it is practically melted. This is like a horror movie for me.
The ice cream melts super fast because of how hot and humid it is and so I feel like I need to eat it
all because I don't want to watch ice cream just melt. 

Well folks, my prayers are continuing to be answered.

Elder Rohde and I

My comp and I had a lot of plans for the day fall through and so the only option was to knock doors.
We didn't know where to go and as we were walking I said a prayer in my heart to feel guided on
where to knock to find people who the Lord prepared to hear our message. I finished the prayer and
looked up at the closest street, and felt that it was the right street. No one answered the first house.
The second house we knocked and ended up talking to this guy and his daughter for 30 minutes and
he was telling us how she needs to be baptized because he had been baptized, Catholic, but his
daughter and her brother weren't. We jumped right on that and said that we could help prepare her
for baptism through our messages. She already had a desire to be baptized. We set a date to return
the next day and start teaching. We left and sat down outside the house next door and tried to make
some calls. It started raining like crazy, so we took cover under some trees across the street. The
people that we had knocked earlier came out and told us to come in. We did and asked if we could
share a message right now and they said yes. We taught the Restoration and probably like 5 minutes
into the lesson the rain stopped. The lesson was awesome and she had really good questions. During the lesson I felt this light and realized that God had answered my prayer and even made us go back to the house to teach more. 

Rain is a blessing. 

Our neighbor has a parrot and it talks and it's really annoying and on Sunday morning the parrot was
yelling Grandma like crazy and finally she was like what, and the parrot just kept on yelling Grandma.
It was pretty funny, but also pretty annoying.

Only in Brazil.

I wish I could say that everything was bright and cheery out here, but ya know, sometimes it just ain't.

Love,

Elder Morrison