Week 68: It's beginning to feel a lot warmer

Monday- I am grateful for safety, smiling, happiness, packages, and attitude!

Tuesday- I am grateful for the SUN, being outside, and using time wisely.

Wednesday- I am grateful for cars, health, and HUGE burritos.

Thursday-I am grateful for knowledge, the scriptures, nights, piano songs, and Jesus Christs LOVE

Friday- I am grateful for commitments, the sun, friends, scriptural context, and repentance.

Saturday- I am grateful for Portuguese, prayers, repentance, Disney music, and following The Spirit.

Sunday- I am grateful for The Sacrament, Priesthood service, 40°'s, recognizing my faults, and applying the power of The Atonement.

Gatorade everyone

We were BUSY this week. We packed in a ton of service and got help out in quite a few places.

 

Once again helped out with the house remodel and did some more wiring for an outlet, installed 2 outlets and 3 switches, installed 2 door handles, and did some demolition on a stairwell ceiling. 

We helped out at Habitat and organized a bunch of pallets of flooring.

We had Zone conference and it was alright. I got quite a bit out of it but the whole thing just felt off. I wish I felt uplifted more. There was a BEAUTIFUL piano arrangement by a professional pianist who lives in the stake! It was amazing and brought the Spirit so strongly. I also felt comforted by a connection that I had with Sister Bell about families. It was one of those things where everyone is like huh why did she say that. But, I knew that it was the Spirit working through her to speak and relate to me.

It's very very slowly warming up out here.

My favorite parts of the day continue to be when I read the scriptures with our friends. The scriptures bring so much LIGHT into my life!

We had a lesson with a sweet lady from our ward who spoke Portuguese and it was so good. It felt so good to speak Portuguese again. I followed the Spirit and shared 2 Nephi 31:20, it fit right in with what she needed and it was perfect!

We had a wonderful Sunday and got to go to church in person! It felt good to help with the Sacrament again and I even gave the opening prayer. I love my ward.

It got up to the 40's yesterday and oh boy it was basically Summer. We are ecstatic for the warmth over here.

Love you all and would very much appreciated hearing from you! 

Week 67: No degrees

 

The Zone

Tuesday- I am grateful for testimonies, prompting from the Holy Ghost, and grocery shopping.

Wednesday- I am grateful for pictures, drifting, being warm, and success.

Thursday- I am grateful for Light, the light from the scriptures, and soothing songs.

Friday- I am grateful for connections, communication, and TIME!

Saturday- I am grateful for turn arounds, and the peace of God.

Sunday- I am grateful for instruments, Joseph Smith & Oliver Cowdery, and my household. 

Dinner with the household

Elder Toomey, Brandon, me

Somedays are just weird and that's ok. Something that brought a ton of peace and really saved one of my days this week was reading the scriptures! Our nightly calls with our friend Richard to read from The Book of Mormon and the nightly Bible studies, healed me. I was full of happiness after those 

Brandon is hilarious!

I'm not a cold person. It's been a frigid week and I've spent all of it wearing many layers. I hate the cold.

Opened a portal to........Brazil!

One day this last week was just interesting. The morning was ehh, I just wasn't very happy. Part of it was because Elder Brown and I dropped a brand new toilet and shattered it but that's besides the point. Somehow though the day turned around and by night time I was happy as can be.

Peace out

In our nightly lesson with Richard he said we had a glow about us. It was touching. The Spirit and peace felt during that lesson was outstanding. One would never want to leave it. It was so pure and calming.

Smoothie anyone?

This was a FAST week. And a GOOD week

No news on Brazil but I am quite content where I am, doing what I'm doing 

Week 66: As cold as can be

 

Bowling for P-day

Monday- I am grateful for JOY!, nights, The Book of Mormon and the videos, emails.

Tuesday- I am grateful for being busy, remodeling, technology, Joseph Smith, pictures, news, common phrases, Bible study, lessons in person, and making a fake account.

Wednesday- I am grateful for quiet, calm, Taylor the Tacoma, e-brakes, sunsets, and hints of summer.

Thursday- I am grateful for the scriptures!, my Portuguese language group, and temples.

Friday- I am grateful for stars, temples, responses, and calm reassurances.

Saturday- I am grateful for good laughs, insights, reading the Book of Mormon, snow drifts, yogurt, and water.

Saturday- I am grateful for fasting, ribs, BBQ, and thoughts.

Monday- I am grateful for sledding, guitars, medical supplies, modern medicine, construction, overalls, and hot chocolate.

Working on a house. 

Another wonderful Tuesday, we got to help a member remodel her house! It was like I was right at home. I rewired an outlet, ran new wires, installed door pulls, and hung drywall. I love working with my hands. 

Elder Brown

We also helped a member with her Facebook account. Apparently, she got hacked and she's not very good with technology at all so we came over and made her a new Facebook account and email, all under a fake name so that the hacker can't find her again. Poor lady.

More fun with Elder Brown.

Temples were brought up all the time this week and I REALLY miss the temple. It has been over a year since I've been inside.

I love small and simple reassurances from The Spirit. They teach me things. I've been noticing that when I take a second to be calm and think about what Christ has done for me, I will gain more.

Best companions yet! Elder Brown, Toomey and Ross.

I've been working on the Christlike attribute of knowledge and it's been pretty good! I'm always thinking about the scriptures and trying to learn more. In my spare time I read the scriptures even more and it is so rewarding.

Keep working on those muscles.

 

Saturday was another great day of service and some really good lessons. We read the Book of Mormon with 2 different people that night and it is so powerful. It's truly why I am out here. We also had some really good laughs at these 2 different lessons which is always good.

Baby it's cold outside.

We got dumped on with snow and boy oh boy people here do not know how to drive in it.

We had the Choose Hope devotional and it went well! So much better than last time! 

Honing in my cooking skills.

YUMMY!!

We finally had church in person for the first time in like 3 months! It was good to be back but I still miss the good ole days real bad.

Unfortunately, no new news about heading out to Brazil. I'm staying hopeful and working on my patience.

Richard and Linda

We had the busiest day ever yesterday but it was also the best day. We had 2 service projects. One setting a toilet and installing door handles. The other was sorting through old medical supplies. Then we went and played guitars with a member. Then we went sledding and had hot chocolate. We ended the day with teaching our buddy Richard! I love him and his wife! It was so busy but so good. I love my job.

Playing guitars

Transfer news came and the whole house is staying together. This is the best household I've had my whole mission. We have the best times together and I'm so grateful for another one with them all!

Sledding

Love y'all and I'd love to hear from you!

Week 65: A Heart Warmer

Monday- I am grateful for relaxing, guitar, reading, and safety.

Tuesday- I am grateful for doors, lemonade wings, sanitizing, and good days.

Wednesday- I am grateful for fresh snow, guardian Angel's, The Book of Mormon, and card games.

Thursday- I am grateful for produce, circle k, sandwiches, talks, feelings, and the temple.

Friday- I am grateful for sleep, videos, languages, and Facebook.

Saturday- I am grateful for good plans, powerful verses, Bible study, reminders, and positivity.

Sunday- I am grateful for talks, new days, food, and ongoing jokes.

You ever just have an outright GOOD day?

That happened to me on Tuesday. Everything was just so good that day. We had service in the morning, a good comp study, a language call, and then went to a restaurant. It's a wing place and they are just now completing it. We helped them sanitize EVERYTHING and put up their big front sign, and they paid us in wings!! They were the best wings of my life and they had a "lemonade" flavor that was quite amazing, I can't even begin to describe it. We ended that excellent day with dinner and Facebook videos. Those days are just gifts from God 

We had Zone Conference this week and it was especially good. Everyone gave good trainings and I felt the Spirit teach me more about chastity and virtue, as well as developing Christlike attributes! 

Me and Elder Ross

But all during our conference it was snowing buckets. Inches of super soft fresh snow. Well, I was going to Decatur after for an exchange and we were driving and the roads were as you could imagine, terrible. They were snow packed, icy, and just downright dangerous. Well, Elder Smith thought he had slowed down enough to turn right onto the freeway ramp and so he turned the wheel. The car turned and then stayed turned and we floated right off the road, down the hill into foot high weeds that are next to just about all the freeway entrances. Well, it was all really crazy and terribly smooth. We didn't hit anything and just floated down the hill and came to a stop. Well, we started thinking about what to do next when one of the elders just said hey why dont you just drive out. 

Somehow we just drove right out of the huge ditch and up the little hill to get onto the freeway ramp. It was absolutely insane. We were in a Corolla, in a foot of snow with another foot of weeds. Going over huge holes and we just went through the whole field, floated up the little hill and were on the on ramp that we originally intended to be on. Just absolute madness.

I know we were protected by guardian angels. 

On the rest of the drive we saw 5+ vehicles down in the ditch or off to the side of the road stuck.

Me, Elder Toomey, Elder Ross, and Elder Brown

It was a good exchange, we made a Facebook video and played card games. Among other good things of course.

It's been over a year since I've been to the temple, oh boy do I miss it.

My comp and I did quite a bit of finding through Facebook this week and good quality hours of service. I am grateful for both

I love my household, we have so much fun together.

Here's a heart warming story:

Before we headed out the door to church yesterday I looked at my keys and felt that I should bring them. I wasn't driving that day so it was just a little odd to bring my keys but I grabbed them. I felt a calm feeling that I might need the oil vial on them. 

We had our sacrament with the other missionaries in Springfield and there was a Sister who was having a really bad migraine. Everyone of course looked to me.

I felt the Holy Ghost prompt me to ask her if she would like a blessing.

 

She accepted, another Elder used my oil vial to anoint, and everyone agreed that I should give the blessing because I knew of the pain she was feeling. 

I knew the pain she was feeling but the Savior knew ALL the pain she was feeling perfectly. That was very evident to me during the blessing. I walked away from it feeling different.

It was a special blessing and it warmed my heart to give a blessing similar to what I have received. 

Jesus Christ knows you perfectly. I know that.

Love,

Elder Morrison

Got to watch Addi give her Farewell talk, technology is awesome.