Happy Halloween from Jalapa

October 31, 2016

Hey everyone! I hope everyone is doing great!!!

Yeah, so this week I learned a lot, because my companion is not Elder Diaz and this is not Matagalpa, where we have members in general. It was a tough week, but I kinda lit into Elder Torres after watching how he works, or lack thereof, and now we are working how I like to work:) And we are finding success after I took over the reins for this area. Now we are catching fire and I am learning and growing a ton. There are a ton of escogido, or chosen people, here that have been waiting for the gospel and have been prepared by the Lord. I was thinking about what Elder Christofferson taught us in the MTC, It is more important to be trusted than loved. Then in an interview with my mission president, he reminded me that if I want to earn trust I need to be exactly obedient and work hard, with Diaz we did so, but I relied on him a lot because he is an incredible missionary and Mata was catching fire.

So here that is my philosophy, work hard be obedient and the Lord will provide investigators and success, because He only lets missionaries He trusts to teach his elect. And it worked. We picked up 40 investigators almost all families, we placed 14 baptismal dates, and we grew the branch here. The week before I came the sacrament meeting attendance was 2, counting the missionaries. This week was 17 with 6 investigators the most ever here in Jalapa. I am learning a lot here everyday. We have a lot of awesome people here that are waiting to hear the gospel, and I am super happy but not content, I don't want to have to be in the branch presidency, I want a member to be. That is my mentality here control what you can, obedience and diligence, and the Lord will provide as He has so many times. 

Wednesday was rough because two of the four investigators they had before bailed, one because of family and the other because when we taught him about the gift of the holy ghost he told us the only person allowed to touch him is his old pastor in Managua... I was a bit annoyed and upset. Then that night I remembered Elder Christoffersons talk and the video about the currant bush. Truly we had been cut down, but I am here to testify here in the mission we are truly almost literally in the hands of the Gardner, the next day we found a ton of people and placed a lot of baptismal dates with some incredible people. It was so sweet and amazing to see.

I am super grateful for Elder Torres, he has changed and risen to my challenge and he is really progressing with me and this whole area. The Lord has been raining down miracle after miracle and blessing after blessing.

Jalapa is gorgeous and the weather is like heaven, the mountains and pine trees are a bit much because I catch myself missing home and daydreaming about elk hunting. Not a bad problem to have.

They don't celebrate Halloween here, although a couple of people were driving like mad men through the town at night with masks on motorcycles (everyone here has a motorcycle) screaming, but Nica culture here in Jalapa is in bed by seven at night. By 830 there is no one out, its weird. And no, we don't not dress up as anything other than missionaries on Halloween. And everyday I give out Books of Mormon. They don't allow us to eat at members houses because of diseases, these people mostly live on dirt floors and are super poor, but SUPER SUPER nice and kind, everyone here is friendly and says hello on the streets and what not. We have a laundry lady. Most missionaries have a lunch lady but not us, there aren't any members here to do it so I eat a ton of eggs, mac and cheese, milk bread, oatmeal and corn flakes with some of the amazing Nica fruit.

Love you all, Elder Morrison

Jalapa

October 25, 2016

Hey,

I hope everyone is good and doing well. I am.

So transfers came, a little bittersweet I had to say goodbye to Matagalpa, which is sad I was loving that place and Edler Diaz and I were catching fire.

They sent me to Jalapa, which is like 20 miles if that from Honduras, up in  the mountains, the area is struggling a bit. Church attendance averages about 4 counting the missionaries. There are only about 20 members here and almost all are inactive. And because it is so far away, disobedience has been a theme among the missionaries that serve here. But I am pumped because I have been given a gift from the Lord, a place where I can pour out my soul and work my butt off and make this place a branch, they need it here. We need it everywhere.  

When I met some missionaries at the bus station when I told them where I was going their response was like everyone else's, kind of a good luck sucker that place sucks. But I decided I don't give a care about what they think, I know with hard work and obedience the Lord can and will work miracles, I am ready and willing to light Jalapa on fire.

Here my comp and I preside over the nucleo which is smaller than a branch, I like it here but I have only been here for a few hours but oh man it is gorgeous, the mountains PINE TREES, it looks like the Ochocos here. My new comp is Elder Torres from the Dominican Republic, he is about 4 foot 10 and maybe a hundred pounds. But he is cool.

My last week in Matagalpa was amazing, we had a big baptism at the stake center and we baptized almost 20 as a zone, sadly two of our people flaked but that is normal here, we still baptized Rosibel she is super spunky and a kinda old but super cool. 

This week I found the theme and the two lessons I want to learn from the mission, "" It is more important to not shrink than to survive"" and how to truly repent everyday. I can remember the words of Elder Christofferson in the MTC ""The message of Repentance is that there is a Savior"" there is a lot to that.

So I must press forward these next couple of weeks might be rough but that is fine. There is always a trial of faith before the miracle, I kinda didn't appreciate fully what I had in Matagalpa, but I am pumped to be here in Jalapa.

Love you all Elder Morrison

For Repentance and Not Shrinking the Epistle of John and D and C 19 are super helpful to me.

Rain and Jungles

October 17, 2016

Hey every one, 

This week was awesome we baptized one of our investigators, we had one of them that was supposed to be baptized back out because she is afraid of her Grandma who is a devout Catholic, so we are going tonight to talk with her and the Grandma, hopefully it works out, she wants to be baptized she just fears her Grandma more than God, that's all.

So the people are super sweet and kind but really difficult because they do not stick to their word. And one day someone will accept a baptismal date the first visit but then the next day they remember they are Evangelical. And then they try to Bible bash and I have to walk out because you cant feel the Spirit bible bashing, so Diaz and I just don't do it. We say a prayer and then ask them if they want to hear the message and then when they throw a scripture at us, yes I can easily knock it down with another, but I am not here to convince people, we are here to help people learn by the Spirit. Diaz said he has never seen someone be convinced after bible bashing. So we give our testimony and a prayer and go on our way.

One night after doing splits with President Rizo (of a branch here, and seriously one of the coolest Latter Day Saints I have met) I met up with Elder Diaz and Elder Hobbs who are the ZLs and we had to go get Elder Hobbs comp, in another village, so Pres Rizo said he knew a short cut, next thing I know we are in the Jungle at 10:00 at night crossing a river hopping on rocks! But we made it back home, a little late but safe and sound. 

The rain and thunder and lightning storms here are intense. And the streets turn into to rivers of garbage because garbage cans are not a thing here... And because we have a lot to do that by the end of the day my feet and shoes are disgusting and sleep comes easy.

This week the language clicked and now I can understand about 90% of what I hear and speak proficiently, the gift of tongues is real!

I am getting really good at walking. The other day I was on splits with Elder De Leon, the DL here, and the next morning he was complaining on the phone saying that Elder Morrison is Loco because he accelerates up hills. I guess I am getting accustomed to the pace of Diaz!

I hope everyone is doing great! 

Love you all, Elder Morrison

October 10

October 10, 2016

Hey everyone, this week was amazing. I learned a lot, first was that my athletic ability ends at soccer. I am awful at it, but I bought a soccer jersey so I look good, so the play good law should kick in!  As a companionship we have baptized 6 we may have a few more this week!! Here there a a ton of crazy rainstorms with thunder and lightning several times a week. It rains so hard it makes rivers down the streets. I play catch real quick with kids on the street, one day a couple of kids were playing basketball, so I played with them and then taught there family a lesson, but then they remembered 15 minutes into the lesson that they were Evangelical so they shut us down, kind of a bummer but it happens frequently. No football here but a ton of soccer and I learned that I suck at soccer, I have only scored two goals, and one was in my own goal on accident.

We baptized Juan but it was a bit of a mess, literally and metaphorically. Saturday was supposed to be his baptism. He was so ready that he decided to surprise us and show up at the church at 10:00, because he thought we lived there, but we don't. He also went to the wrong church building, because the week before we watched conference at the chapel in Guanunca, the difference between Guanunca and Matagalpa is like West Salem and Keizer. And he doesn't have a phone and we travel by foot and bus here. Long story short we baptized him and confirmed him on Sunday after church he was so happy. In the water he dropped like a rock, Elder Diaz almost dropped him, but hey he was certainly completely submerged!!!

The transportation and communication here suck, drives me up a wall, because I need order, but I know I need to learn to relax and go with the flow. Elder Hobbs who leaves in two weeks and is the other ZL here, and he is a legend, he baptized 24 in one month here in Matagalpa, gave me the best advice, don't become a tourist, think like a Latino and become one. So I just decided to embrace the culture and tell my self that the states are weird for flushing down their toilet paper and not putting it in a basket next to the toilet for all the world to see and smell... We were in a rush Sunday to get one of our investigators to church and we had to take a bus. It was pretty much a dodge sprinter van with over 40 people stuffed in it, miserable ride for like 15 minutes one old lady next to me was giving the driver an earful, it was hilarious.

Matagalpas baseball team is one game away from heading to the championship, every time they win the whole town goes nuts, this Sunday they had a big game and so church attendance was way low!!

I went on splits all day with Elder Williams who was my comp in the MTC, that was fun, he is doing good, he knows a ton of words and his grammar is very good, but he talks like a computer, me not as much, my accent is pretty good, I found that the less you pronounce it the more they understand. We had an absolutely amazing thunder and lightning and rain storm, we have about two every week.

My body is adjusting to this place I sweat like a pig, because of how daggum hot it is. But I am loving it, days are flying by quickly and I am getting better and better everyday at being a missionary, I am actually starting to feel like a missionary now. I decided someday I want to be sent to Puerto Cabeza because Puerto is awesome. The place is dangerous, with witchcraft because the people are straight Lamanites, and you have to take a two hour flight in a four passenger plane to get there, and a ton of other weird things that are making me so desirous to be sent there, I have heard all the missionaries that go there love it, I pray that I will get sent there, but that probably means I wont get sent there... but hopefully I get to go, because the zone is like a family and when you go there it is for an extended period of time.

 I cant really joke around in Spanish yet, I haven't really laughed in awhile til the other day I was with Elder Perry on splits, he is super cool and he may be my companion next change because I think Elder Diaz will be AP, anyway he had a gordita (nice way of saying chubby lady) ask him to return after two years and marry her. After we walked away I starting crying I was laughing so hard. Then later a musa (hussy) asked him the same thing because he is white and just the natural way he talks is flirtatious, he gets so mad when girls flirt with him it is awesome.

Loving it here, more and more every day! Hope every one is doing great!! 

Love, Elder Morrison

2 MONTH MARK

October 3, 2016

 2 MONTH MARK,

Today is exactly my two month mark. Part of me feels like it has been the longest two months, but then at the same time it feels like yesterday I was walking into the MTC, and when asked my name I said Logan Morrison, and my teacher said ¨Logan doesn't exist anymore, you are Elder Morrison¨

The first week and a half here were a bear. but now I am loving almost every second, its still hard, but sooo good too. Sometimes its the small things that keeps me going happily, like hearing 80's music, which they love here, or teaching a fire lesson and the people are moved and touched by the spirit.

One of the best things this week was when we were on splits, I was up in one of our areas and all of the investigators were flaking out or not home. Coming down the mountain I was mad, Elder Rojas was with me and he is short so he was running to keep up with me. I was mad so I said a quick prayer in my heart, no sooner had I finished when I had the prompting to stop. I hit the brakes Elder Rojas almost hit me, I turned and saw a lady sitting in a house, I started talking to her, turns out her husband just lost his job and they were in a tough spot. I asked if we could come in and share a message of hope with the family, they have a two year old boy who is a pill. They said sure, like almost everyone we can get  into all the houses, I asked if we could say a prayer, so we did. 

Then we gave our quick pick me up message and set a baptismal date and gave them a Book of Mormon. At the conclusion with the whole family I asked if I could say the prayer. I really tried hard to pour out my heart and love them. I asked to bless them with a job.

We left feeling good. The next day we returned the wife lit up when she saw us and told us her husband got a job and she knows it was because of our prayer, they still aren't super sure about baptism but they are reading the Book of Mormon and praying so its only a matter of time, nobody can deny the power and truthfulness of that Book when they read it with a sincere heart.

General Conference was great, I have 20 pages of notes from it. But there are a couple of things I would like to share that I learned.

1. the fruit of the tree of life in Lehi's dream is forgiveness, through the atonement, for that is the grandest act of love ever.

2. When we keep an eternal perspective we find more purpose and joy in our lives

3. I love the fact that families are sealed in the temple for time and all eternity, I can't and can wait for that day when I can, in like 10 years, haha

Love you all, this week has been super awesome every day is way better, and I am enjoying it more and more.  

I miss the MTC a lot it was such a cool experience, with awesome guys, but I am starting to enjoy it here a ton too, for different reasons. This week flew by, but seemed long because I really have made a big change this week.

And seriously this week was soooo awesome! I am loving it, every day is a little bit better and I enjoy it more. This week has been a hundred times better.

The food here is great we are well fed, the produce is great the avocados and bananas are divine.

Every night I am out like a light before I hit the pillow but now I am to  the point I am excited for the next day and I wake up happy.

We baptized a young boy this week, and we have more set up for next weekend.

Love Elder Morrison