Week 77: Elder Bednar visits Campinas (Virtually)

Drink your veggies.

Monday- I am grateful for how I hear Him and being a missionary.

Tuesday- I am grateful for quality lessons, trying new things, smoothies, happiness, and The Book of Mormon.

Wednesday- I am grateful for smiling, The Sun, eggs, and very random holidays.

Thursday- I am grateful for the Earth, hugs, change, and french toast.

Friday- I am grateful for Elder Bednar, feelings from The Spirit, and hard days.

Saturday- I am grateful for testimonies, writing, and Faith.

Sunday- I am grateful for Baptism, The Sacrament, The Plan of Salvation, prayers, and Agency.

Another week down.

This was a HEFTY last week of the transfer.

We had a very random split with the zone leaders. It was very good to see some other missionaries and learn from others. It was a good switch.

We had many lessons fall through but also some good quality ones.

Conference with Elder Bednar

We've been focusing on the Book of Mormon during our lessons because I LOVE the Book of Mormon. So we've been starting at the beginning with many of them. AND I realized that honestly, if all I could do as a missionary was read the Book of Mormon with our investigators and they would gain a testimony and progress. That's only a hint at the power of daily reading The Book of Mormon.

I've had some real good personal studies this week and I can't even imagine now not having a full hour to study the scriptures every day. 

I was very blessed this week to have a mission devotional with Elder Bednar and 2 area 70~s. It was a spiritually enriching 3 hour devotional that I hope I never forget. We learned about praying as an agent primarily! But really the best part was that it wasn't a talk that he and his wife gave. It was a study they did with us taking our thoughts and ideas and building on them. Then the whole last hour was just us asking him questions! So cool and good.

P.S. There is a whole other level of AH when an apostle calls your name and you weren't expecting it.

Diego and I

We did lots of Facebook finding this week.

We had a powerful testimony meeting as a Zone, good stuff.

Sunday was quite the adventure. We had the baptism of our friend Diego! The area was 50 minutes away but we didn't realize that. We thought it was our area that is only 15 minutes away....

So happy!

So, when we hopped in our UBER and after about 30 minutes was like huh we might be late. Well we were smarter than leaving just 15 minutes before the baptism, we left an hour early.

 

So, after a very beautiful countryside, Sunday morning, Crazy Brazilian driver, 50 minutes in the car we arrive. We get out and there's not a church in sight. We were lost. WE called the bishop and after about 10 minutes of HUH and then 5 minutes of walking we find the church with all the wonderful members waiting for us. Well, all 5 of them of course. It worked out quite nicely though and no one worried that we were late because our friend was still getting changed! WIN!!!!

The baptismal service was 30 minutes late but excellent and very simple. I'm very grateful to have gotten the chance to baptize Diego! He also got the Gift of The Holy Ghost and then 20 minutes later, the Priesthood! To top it all off we had a little Sacrament service right there after everything else. It was all smiles and happiness all around. Diego even had that newly baptized convert happiness appearance. I love that.

Another beautiful 50 minute drive home :)

Me, Diego and Elder Bassett

Well, our Sunday took another turn. Our bishop died from Covid. It was super quick and we are all still just huh. Prayers would be appreciated for his family and the ward!

I'm doing good :)

I'm being transferred whoop whoop!!!

Elder Bassett, Diego, his wife Aleesee and me

Elder Bassett, Diego, Bishop, me and Fabio

Week 76: Breakthroughs, breakfast foods, and breaks for the eyes

 

Virtual Zone Conference

Monday- I am grateful for peace, comforting scriptures, Zephaniah 3:17, and obedience

Tuesday- I am grateful for powerful phrases, breakthroughs, spiritual revelations, The Bible studies, thoughts, and time.

Wednesday- I am grateful for ideas, pictures, testimony, eggs, granola, happiness, and the sun.

Thursday- I am grateful for John 3:16, inspiration, tomatoes, Jesus Christ, and poems!

Friday- I am grateful for reassurance, letters, and communication.

Saturday- I am grateful for Gods plan for me, cleaning, and Jesus Christ's help.

Sunday- I am grateful for The Book of Mormon, food reminiscing, and Sundays.

I found my new favorite scripture. It's in the Old Testament. It's Zephaniah 3:17. Now you can enjoy it too.

I have had a spiritual breakthrough, God is good. It came after much prayer, a fast, talks, and many inspired words from others. It sort of all culminated into a running lesson. Who would've thought.

Do I look like Napoleon Dynamite?

We spent many hours burning our eyes out and receiving headaches. But, God is a God of miracles and we have seen them. 

One moment was a 4th floor, last door moment. The end of the day and literally our very last person to contact that day after at least 20 calls that hour which all went unanswered. Well, our homie answered and he needed a message right then a there because his brother recently passed away! I felt inspired to share John 3:16 and it was just what he, and I, needed. It was excellent. God is good. 

One of our bishops got Covid.

We got told how to do our job again by members, Yay.

Cleaning the church to finally give some service!

I have become addicted to granola, nothing is quite like it. 

We had 12 lessons planned for one day, THAT'S stressful, but only 4 of them went through.

We had 45 lessons total scheduled this week, that is absolutely insane. What is more insane is how much actually happened. Which was 10, 10/45 how crazy.

Our one friend Diego continues to prepare for his baptism this next week and I am so excited for him! Our other friend with a baptismal date is still going to be baptized but maybe not this week. He's been SUPER busy. He's awesome though.

Wowzers I've already been here a month, that's NUTS!

Week 75: Dates, Drops and Heavenly Help

 

Green pastures, and golden light

Monday- I am grateful for family, dreams, eyes, walking, and microwaves.

Tuesday- I am grateful for primary hymns, rain, adventures, and progress.

Wednesday- I am grateful for compliments, The Love of God, baptismal dates, and VIEWS.

Thursday- I am grateful for entertaining conversations, youngins, and funny BYU devotionals.

Friday- I am grateful for our 5 lessons, humility, UTAH, improvement, and APRIL 24th.

Saturday- I am grateful for fervent prayers, my angels, and the feelings of The Spirit.

Sunday- I am grateful for the sun, Sacrament, Jesus Christ, hard times, and The Lords will.

Elder Bassett and I out in the wild.

We had an excellent pass off lesson and taught the Plan of Salvation. The actual lesson was just all over the place but at the end, when we bore our testimonies, we were touched deep in our hearts by the Spirit. The Love of God was undeniable. That's what I live for.

We listened to quite a few good talks this week that have brought deep thoughts and needed laughs.

We have been sharing President Nelson's conference talk with our members and talking about the 5 points he talked about to grow our Faith! I love talking about that talk so much!

Looks like the midwest

It's been cloudy and rainy and sunny. Just splendid weather honestly.

Lessons have been going well, we had many fall through as usual. BUT, we set 2 different friends on the same date for the 24th of April! I'm so excited for them! They were both just gifts dropped right into our hands from a member and then some sisters in the US. Each is very accepting and ready to learn! It is so cool to have people so prepared for baptism and a huge blessing!

My bracelet from Taryn broke.

We were walking on the street, as missionaries do, and this dude in a car drove by and then waved us down. He skirted his car over to the side of the road got out and started preaching to us about how the world is terrible, no one follows God, and the scriptures are just being thrown out the door. He's not wrong. Weird guy, only in Brazil.

I finished The Book of Mormon and The New Testament this week! I love the scriptures so much and reading them every day has grown my love for them exponentially. They truly keep me grounded on The Savior and His Atonement.

Get in your daily exercise folks.

Continuing to work with all 4 of our areas continues to break our minds as we try to keep it all organized. Mas tudo bem.

I had a profound thought that I am realizing more than ever as Ive honestly had a hard time coming back to Brazil. Harder times bring greater blessings, aka happiness. Therefore, I am grateful for my hard times because in the end I will be more happy because of them.

I miss Service 🙁

Email me and let me know how you are doing! I want to hear from you!

Week 74: Missionary Holiday

Lime Drink

Monday- I am grateful for technology, music, questions, and general conference prep.

Tuesday- I am grateful for personal integrity, myself, conference hype, streets, random dogs, limes, dictionaries, and cooking!

Wednesday- I am grateful for stars, computers, lists, and perfect weather.

Thursday- I am grateful emotions, personal study, planning, and tiredness.

Friday- I am grateful for inspiration, The Prophet, The Atonement, and good Friday, miopic.

Saturday-I am grateful for cement weights, headphones, computers, conference, conference in English, the temple, and peace, and my guitar!! 

Sunday- I am grateful for conference, humility, The Resurrection, walking, temples, grace, panqueca, Easter, and health.

Rooftop lookouts

We had a dog, out of nowhere come and just start walking in front our door for like an hour. My comp put some water out for him because he thought he was thirsty. That was a mistake because when we went out to walk around the dog followed us around the whole city running around in the street, barking at other dogs, and just being weird. We came back home and closed him out of our house. A couple minutes later we heard, some soft taps at the gate, it was the dog. We left again and the dog followed us and, miraculously, the car shop next to the shop that we were going to had the owner of the dog!! So weird and random. A miracle.

This is Brazil.

We had at least 5 lessons scheduled every day this week. We TRY to teach all the day long. Just over half of our lessons fell through so at least we are on the upper half percentage!

We contacted a BUNCH of people and had meetings with our 4 wards. 

We've been sharing the Restoration Proclamation with the members and it's been so good to read that document so often! It is powerful!

Gotta keep working out

Conference and Easter were powerful. Conference is basically a holiday for missionaries! It's the best. I'm proud to say that this is the first time I've gotten through all of conference without sleeping. I was actively listening to every. single. talk. 

It was powerful. I felt so full, happy, and grateful afterwards. It was what I needed during this hard transition.

French toast for Easter

Conference made me miss temples. I miss the temple more than anything else.

I'm doing well out here, we have so much to do and not enough fresh eyeballs to stare at screens. We go on good long walks, exercise, and play the guitar to heal the burned eyeballs. 

My MP and missionaries who came in with me.

The weather is kinda cold, like 60 degrees, that's weird for Brazil.

Let me know how you are doing!

President and Sister

Love you all,

Elder Morrison

Easter Treats for us.