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