Faith in Fasting

Mama,

Thank you for your letter! It's so great to hear about back home! Good luck with school! I can't believe you're almost done! The church service in Twi is still the same...I haven't really picked up on a lot of things but I do get good time to ponder and read the scriptures during it. 

I really liked what you said about how even if we don't see immediate success we are always planting seeds. Sometimes I feel like we are planting the seeds more then we are gathering the harvest. But that's okay. Transfers are on the 19th. We will find out on Saturday what happens. Some people are already being transferred to Winiba, the new part of our mission, including Elder Barr! He's becoming a senior companion!

My ponderizing scripture this week is 1 Nephi 7:12 "Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him"

Sorry I don't have time for a weekly email this week. Please just know that I've been praying for what I need to change to be better and as I was pondering in Sacrament meeting, I had a strong impression to be kinder to Elder S and other missionaries, both in words and actions. As well I decided to fast this last Sunday for help in our area and guess what?! A guy brought his friend and his wife to church who seem to really be interested in our message and are so happy we are now meeting with them. I call it "Faith in Fasting". Remember there always needs to be an action to our faith. The plane has to drive before it can fly! (if that makes sense)...Know that I love you and miss you! I'll be sure to write my weekly email first thing from now on!

Love Elder Morris!

It's so good to hear that things are going good back home! I'm glad y'all made it home safe back from Utah and that y'all had a great time spending it with family! Teachings are going well. Pretty much the same as the last few weeks-slow and no one is really progressing but here with the new year I think it will get better!

So crazy story for this week!

I forgot what day it was but my companion and I were walking in our area and we passed a group of kids playing next to a well/septic tank with 3 holes going down into it. When all of the sudden I heard a little girl scream and then all the kids ran away. I looked at my comp and he had a crazy expression on his face like. So I look over and see a little girl looking down into one of the holes of the septic tank then I heard another girl screaming. So I ran over and dropped my bag and looked down into the hole. One of the kids had fallen into it! 

I told her to calm down and that we would get her out. My first thought was "oh no, she's going to have to swim" so I was preparing myself to jump down to save her. Just then she stood up and the water wasn't all the way up so as I began to put my legs into the hold to drop down and get her out, this man runs over and pushes me out of the way yelling NO! The next thing I know he is jumping down in there. (I guess he didn't want me to get my clothes dirty?)  He grabs the little girl and I laid down and reach my hand in to grab her. She was barley able to reach but after she grabbed my hand I pulled her out. (It felt like Batman in the first movie when he saves that man from falling off the cliff hahaha) then we had to pull the man out. Afterwards the man kept saying " God bless you!" and I could tell he was very happy that we were there to help. 

I've been really excelling in my Book of Mormon reading this last week! I went from 3 Nephi all the way to Mormon! I love the part in 3 Nephi when Jesus Christ is visiting the Nephites. After reading it I just can hardly wait for the day that I get to meet Christ!  It will be the coolest thing ever! I just imagine giving him a big Texas-sized HUG!!!

For those who don't know, I have a "ponderizing" a scripture each week! Meaning I choose a scripture to 80% ponder and 20% memorize. It really helps me look closer at the meaning of scriptures. This week my scripture is 3 Nephi 12:16

"Therefore, let your light so shine before this people, 

that they may see your good works 

and glorify your father who is in heaven."

 

Everyone has the light of Christ within them. As we live righteously, obeying the commandments of God, and continually doing "Good Works", we will be able to share the greatness of the gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone. How I wish I could go back and share it with all my non-member friends. I pray they will be willing to see for themselves the greatness of this Gospel someday. The blessings we receive are so great, and they come according to our faith. Faith without works is dead! Trust in the Lord that as you do His will, He will reward you.

It is my testimony that the Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses individuals and families. I've seen it in my own life and within my family. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It is another testament of Jesus Christ. All who read it, wanting to know the truth of it can know for themselves. I encourage those who don't yet know for themselves to find a Book of Mormon and start reading. Pray for understanding of its words. Your answer will come!

I love and miss everyone! May God bless your lives with this new year.

and as Elder Cameron Bailey puts it... Moroni 8:3(read it!)

LOVE

Elder Morris!:)

Christmas Day phone call

We were so excited all Christmas day to talk to Garrett. He ended up calling us around 12:00 our time. It was wonderful to hear his voice. We were not able to Skype because the internet cafe in Ghana is not equipped for that. So, a phone call was all we could do. However, we enjoyed every minute of our time talking to him. He shared several funny things with us about his happenings in Ghana and the huge adjustment it had been with culture, food, and the BLASTED HEAT!!! It's been nearly 95 degrees the past few weeks. He said he had to keep reminding himself that it was December and Christmas time because it sure didn't feel that way. He shared part of the missionary lesson with us and immediately we all noticed that his accent shifted into an African accent. It was awesome! He also shared with us some of the challenges and trails that he is facing with the missionary work there. He was cheerful nonetheless and continued to make us laugh. It was by far my favorite Christmas present just like the past 2 years when we would Skype with Kaden from Brazil. We are anxious to hear how he liked his Christmas gifts and what he actually did the rest of the 2015 year. 

We didn't get a letter from him this past Monday so we are really anxious to hear from him tomorrow!

 BBQ Chicken 

 He was waiting until Christmas night to open his gifts!

I HAD CHRISTMAS DOWN IN AFRICA!!! Everyone go listen to this rendition of 12 days of Christmas by vocal point. Vocal Point 12 days of Christmas

This week I have pondered and tried to apply a lot of Elder Lawerence's talk What Lack I Yet...it has really been on my mind and I have been seeking what the Lord would have me change to improve my missionary work and also just to progress. 

So...wow, another hard week... let me just say it's so hard to find  people who will seriously talk to us out here in the bush! The area is kinda dying. We have a baptism set for January but besides that it's looking rough. Things with my comp...well just small things bother me with him but I'm trying to get over it. I keep telling myself this is all temporary! It's good to have Elder Lewis-Reese (from Minnesota) here in the apartment with me. We talk a lot to clear my mind haha I'm getting use to the area now and not as homesick but this area is just hard. So we will just need to work hard and find people to teach.

I'm so so so happy I get to call y'all soon! It will most likely be in the afternoon when i call. I don't have a set time so I guess just expect it anywhere from 9 am - 3pm...(your time). Elder Reese and I are going to try to fix some fried chicken or cook something nice. We were gonna get a pig and roast it but its so expensive. We only have 40 min to talk...and they are tracking our calls so we need to be efficient with our time. Out here in the bush we can barely find an internet cafe to email but there is probably no skype.

My ponderize scripture this week is Ether 12:4. I can't quote the scripture right now but it talks about faith being an anchor. BTW mom,  I used your scripture from last week for mine as well because it really fit well for how I was feeling. Thank you! (for those curious it was Mosiah 2:41) 

Oh I also found a guy who can make an nativity set (wood carving) out here. Should I get it?? I don't want them to get broken carrying them around the rest of my mission. So I'm not sure what to do.

Sorry this is another short email. Thanks for those who continue to write. I appreciate it so much. I hope you all have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

love,

Elder Morris

:)

Random photos 12/16/2015

 finger slice! Ouch!

Rough first week in the BUSH!

Hey mama! So it's been a rough first few days in the bush.. it's not what I expected at all and I'm really really missing the city. I've felt super homesick actually because of holidays and I think just trying to get adjusted to the new area.

I did get your 2 Christmas packages at transfers and I haven't opened them yet! ha ha. Thank you so so much!! I can't wait to open them for Christmas!

Yes, this is a picture of my companion, Elder Svinurai is my new comp. He's been different then my other 2 comps. He's sort of commanding sometimes and you know how much I don't like being commanded to do things (besides the 10 commandments and other commandments)ha ha ha It's all good though. I'm definitely learning what traits I'm not looking for in a wife from all these companionship's! ha ha ha

My teaching has become better and more smooth then from the first time I tried teaching. Teaching is going good. There's a lot of not so serious people out here as well as some people prepared to hear our message. I'm definitely the minority here in Ghana...just simply by being white.

My living arrangements...well ha ha ha it's TONS OF COCKROACHES everywhere in the kitchen...ugghh-not a fan of those at all!! 

This week I was reading from the Ensign (church published magazine) that conference edition one you sent me. I loved Elder Durrant's talk about ponderizing and I'm going to start trying it this week! I hope you all can join me :) Choose a new scripture to ponderize each week. We can start slow and try to do it the rest of the year. It's 80% pondering and 20% memorizing. So that's something good. 

Something interesting...the church services out here are all in Twi...so i kinda felt like I did nothing for 3 hours on Sunday because I didn't understand a word they said.

I don't have much time this week at the internet cafe so sorry this is a short message.

This upcoming week we are going to the temple for a session which I'm so so excited about because I love the temple and I don't have to worry about anything else while I'm there!!! 

LOVE AND MISS YOU MAMA!!

your baby boy,

Elder Morris

Transfers and I'm going to the "BUSH"!

WOW WHAT A WEEK!!!

So I don't even know where to start!

So yes the packages made it and I'm so grateful for them and everything inside!!! I started tearing up when I was opening them!! I love y'all so much!!! My birthday was actually really good! We taught a few lessons during the day and then we went to a members house (Rhoda) and she and Elder Z cooked dinner for all 6 missionaries and we had a small party at her house. We even had cake! It was a lot of fun!! 

Transfers are tomorrow and I'm headed to the BUSH!!! The city is called Asamenkese so you can look it up on google maps. I'll put up the Christmas stuff you sent once I'm at my new apartment. I've been told if you go out to the bush you typically stay there for a while. I know that around DEC 18 we are going to the temple so if I don't get the Christmas packages tomorrow, I should for sure get them at the temple. Oh would you mind sending candy canes in the package?? the mint and sweettart ones :))) I miss those! ha ha ha

So we learned about Harmattan this week and...it's here!

Definition:
The Harmattan is a dry and dusty wind blowing northeast and west of the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between November and March (winter) each year. It is considered a Natural Hazard. On its passage over the desert it picks up fine dust particles The dust in the air can severely limit visibility and block the sun for several days it is comparable to a heavy fog, this effect yearly cause airlines millions due to cancelling and diverting of flights.

This is what it looks like:

Yeah so I'm trying not to take so much dust into my mouth each day but as you can see from the picture, it's pretty much a given that we are inhaling all that dust! The good part about it is that it has brought some cooler weather with it so that's nice! And because I'm going to the bush it should be much cooler! haha lets hope!

At Christmas time I'll probably end up calling home instead of Skyping..:/ (which I guess is normal for this mission). I should see President Hill tomorrow at transfers! Can't wait! We found out about the new mission president. His name is President Snow (he's the one that's a 70) He'll be coming the first week of January.

We saw 2 big tender mercies on Thursday! First one was once I woke up and began working out guess what happened...it started raining!!! Let me just say how happy I was for that rain!! It hadn't rained for a long time so I was very grateful for that! The second one was as we were walking that day, we went to visit on of our investigators and when we started to walk back to our house (which was pretty far from where we live) I realized that I left the phone at her house. So we had to turn around and walk back to her home. When we started to walk back I said to Elder Z "man what if God sent us an angel to pick us up in a taxi and take us back to the house. (we were going home for lunch at the time) we laughed...then we arrived back at the lady's house she said "let me call a taxi and pay for you. its too hot to be walking that far!" It was a tender mercy and how grateful I was!!!

Thank you again for the packages and for all the letters I've received!! It is such a blessing!! Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes this week!!

So going to the BUSH will be a whole new experience in its self! I feel like I'm just starting my journey even though I've been out 3 months already. I'm also officially done with my 12 weeks of training!

Okay here is the crazy story of the week!! It's a good one ha ha ha

So we were riding our bikes to a bike shop to get Elder Z's bike fixed. First let me preface, there are always funerals or weddings going on in the middle of the streets here. So there was a funeral coming up so I got off my bike to walk because I thought it would be polite. As we're passing, the DJ called me over and wanted to greet me. Just then this old woman starts walking up to me and she started hugging me and crying asking for 1 cedi... "please just 1 cedi" well then she hugs me and started to cry or that's what it sounded like, then I start feeling her hand going into my pocket!!! hahahahahahhahahahahahhaha I grabbed her arm and threw it out. (in my mind I was thinking what the heck). We turned and went on our way but that was very interesting this week! The people think that missionaries are rich. I promise you we are no where close to being rich!!!! We live on 50 GCD a week which is not a lot. It's about $13.06 in US dollars.

Anyway I'm looking forward to this new journey coming up!

I love and miss everyone!

As you go throughout the week try to make note of the tender mercies of the lord and write them down. You'll begin to see just how much the Lord is in your life and you'll also know God is truly watching over all of us!!

LOVE Y'ALL!

ELDER MORRIS!

 All 6 of us eating at Rhoda's 

 Yum...fresh salad

 Thanks so much Momma for the birthday package!!

I loved dumping them out!

Love my new bracelet that this local lady makes

Texas y'all 

'Merica, Brazil (for my bro, Kaden) and GHANA!