Merry Christmas

For those who have never been in Nicaragua for Christmas, just imagine the opposite of the states. They all stay out past midnight, they all throw HUGE parties pulling out all the stops, cranking music, throwing fireworks, dancing, yelling, eating, drinking and being merry. It was really hard to sleep last night to say the least. And we tried to get home early to avoid any weirdness. To a Nica this time is awesome, however to a white dude it has been strange but I have adapted to the new customs.

This time next week I will be completing my first and possibly only full year outside of the United States of America, that is weird!

This week we baptized perhaps the easiest convert ever, the most faithful member I have ever met in my life, and I am not kidding this man is more consecrated to the work than most missionaries, Juan Rizo´s son named Samuel. He turned 9 this Thursday and got baptized. We taught him, which made it easy because his father had already taught him everything and he counts as a convert baptism.

The kid is awesome, I have seen very few people that have been more pumped to get baptized in my mission! So that was nice.

My new comp Elder Melenciano is awesome, he is never negative and loves talking trash to Nicas playing soccer, even though he is terrible at soccer, but he doesn't care! He is awesome we are pumped to throw some fuego here.

Love you all Merry Christmas!
Elder Morrison

Navidad

First off I am sitting now writing next to my new companion Elder Melenciano, he is a good friend of mine. We have been in several zones together and we both a very enthusiastic to be together and are confident that we can see many miracles here in Matagalpa. Elder Jimenez my old comp just got changed to a different area here in Matagalpa.

I also heard some good news, several some of the investigators I was teaching in Leon have been baptized! I miss Leon, it was such a special time for me there. It is where I truly learned the importance of this work and the true significance of my calling. And now I have been greatly blessed to come full circle, to be here in Matagalpa where I began and put to use my ever-deepening profound faith and respect in my calling as a representative of the Lord.

Last change flew by despite the struggles we had in our area. I was very thrilled that the last week of the change we were able to baptize Belkis, the daughter of a recently activated member Rosa. Service was the key, just acts of small service made all the difference in the world for this family. We were able to get their trust and then bring to them the beauty of the gospel in their lives! I learned once more the importance of the saying "People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care" this is true, knowledge without love has no effect on people.

This time of Christmas is so incredible because we are blessed with so many opportunities to serve. So please follow the initiative of #lighttheworld

I love you all Merry Christmas and Stay Classy,
Elder Morrison

Running through the 6

Hey everyone,

Well this week was one to remember, because I got to go to Ocotal, and that was fulfilling! I realized a lot of things, one was how privileged I am to be able to go and serve in a place like that and help to establish the church. It was really special to realize how amazing this work is and how blessed I am to be in Nicaragua. I worked like a mule in Ocotal and it was a very trying time, but when I returned it reaffirmed and strengthen my love for my Heavenly Father and his perfection wisdom and power.

I remembered how through those 4 and a half months I grew so much, learned so much, and strengthened my testimony there. I miss those times, in a strange way, when I would kneel down and beg with all my heart because I felt it was way too hard for me to bear and I couldn't go on. Obviously I could and I did continue on, thanks solely to the grace of my Savior.

As for Matagalpa I am super frustrated in certain aspects and really hopeful in others. Truth be told we have not had a ton of success and I am annoyed by that, but we have been working hard and trying to just do what is right and we are starting to see little miracles that keep us rolling along and I am very hopeful for the future here. I love Matagalpa, it is such a blessed place and the Lord has been hastening His work here and I am just trying to keep up!

One of the people is Belkis, she is a young girl and we have been working with her family who is a mix of less active members and non members, her mom was really shut off, but we have been able to get her trust and even activate her through acts of service. And she gave the ok for her daughter Belkis to be baptized! When we first showed up the mom wouldn't even let us come in, or teach, but one day I carried her firewood for her and another day I washed her laundry for her and played soccer with her young children, and now she is super happy and is coming to church!

I love this work and am super pumped for this next week! I love you all so much and hope you are all doing well!

Love,
Elder Logan Morrison

My feet smell bad

I saw a sloth this week, with a baby, that was neat, yeah they are slow. In Spanish they are literally just called a Lazy (Perezoso). I saw it in La Dalia, a little town outside of Matagalpa. We had to go on a terrible bus ride, a 2 hour long ride standing in the heat with a bunch of people eating greasy smelly food. But we threw down some serious fuego where we found a lot of really cool people for them to teach and baptize. This week I am going to help out a couple of missionaries in an area where there are wild monkeys, that should be cool!!

As for my area, it has been an uphill battle. A lot of unkept commitments but we will not give up so easily. But one good thing we have been able to establishe a good relationship with the Stake President.

Matagalpa has been a stake for a little less than a year, and it has had some growing pains, and the missionaries before didn't work that much with the President, but Elder Ward and I have been able to gain his trust and we have been able to put into action some plans that should bring a lot of success and get this place bumping once again.

This week however I only got to work in my area 1 day, I have been so busy because we had Consejo de Lideres this week (interviews) and I had to go work in two different areas helping other companionship's, so my area has been suffering a little bit, but this should be a good week.

Elder Ward before Matagalpa was in Ocotal, I was there with him, and President gave us two permission to go to Ocotal to baptize some old investigators that are finally getting baptized, which is awesome! I miss Ocotal, even if it was my refiners fire! 

Love you all a bunch 

Stay Classy, 

Elder Morrison

Milk toast

This week was a week of work and then some, and Sunday was a very good time. I worked my tail off looking for investigators with a member where I had the opportunity to be rejected, that was fun. Then I missed a bus, even more fun, then I got to church late, even more fun, and didn't get to take the sacrament, even more so. But I decided to go to the other wards sacrament meeting, and I got there early so I sat down and prayed and meditated for quite some time. And I will never forget how powerful that moment was for me when I partook the bread and water. The feeling that overcame me was indescribable and powerful. I felt the holiness of the Lord overcome me and the humility of the Savoir, likewise I felt the peace and joy that comes with sanctification through the Holy Ghost.

I am very pumped for the weeks to come, I hope and expect to have more success, we got turned down a lot this week. In our mission we invite many people to baptism, generally on the first time we meet them, it is the number one reason we are very successful, and here in Matagalpa many people accept it but a very small percentage complete with it. It can be very frustrating because these people are so non committal, but at the same time they are so sweet and kind that you can't really be mad at them. But for reals though sometimes I wish they would be more direct and mean about it, they have like 10 million ways of saying no without saying no.

Since Nicaragua is the 2nd hottest place in the universe, behind the sun, we will not be having snow for Christmas. So, our mission president is still calling it a white Christmas because we want to baptize a bunch of people dressed in white!!

I seriously love helping people get baptized, I have yet to see a sad person as they come out of the water! They are always smiling and very very happy! And in order for the whole world to feel that joy, all of you Mormons out there had better #lighttheworld Those videos are powerful!!

Love you all so much Love Elder Morrison

I love Matagalpa

Well this was quite the week of a lot of work!! I really enjoy life here in Matagalpa, it is cooler here, my companion is from the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean and was freaking out because he could see his breath! Haha I was dying. We had to get out early in order to bring investigators to church, so at 5 o' clock in the morning we were already out and about with members trying to get our investigators to church!

We are teaching a lot of people and preparing a lot of people for the month of December! And we are super motivated and pumped to see many miracles in our lives and more importantly in the lives of those we serve! I have been talking with Elder Ward a lot here and we are both so sad to be on the downhill part of our missions, 7 and a half months are going to fly by! Seems like just yesterday I was up here in Matagalpa on my first night in the mission flying up these mountains trying to (and unsuccessfully) not fall on the little goat trails between the houses here!

We have been teaching one family in particular that are really awesome! We are hoping they can pull through and we can be blessed with the opportunity to baptize them. Shout out to Lynda Spencer, the mother of this family is really blessed because she has 3 teenage boys! They are a really neat family and have strong desires to be united and blessed by God.

Being in the North of Nicaragua where I was for the first 9 months of my mission, I forget how kind the people are, and how flaky too!! It is really frustrating sometimes but I had a cool experience this Sunday. I was mad because every body bailed on us and so I said a little prayer of desperation asking for guidance and then I looked out and a rainbow was coming down on a neighborhood in our area and I felt that that is where I should focus my work on, so now we got a couple of people getting ready to be baptized that live there!!

Love you all Love Elder Morrison

Matagalpshkies

Hey everyone, I hope you all are enjoying your lives. Just know that it may not be as good as mine!! Yes it was a tough and challenging week and we have many things to do and improve, but that is awesome because I love improvement so much!

My new comp is very charismatic and it adds up to a lot of success. Couple that with Matagalpa and we are going to do some special things here!! I seriously love this place. As a companionship we put over 25 baptismal dates this week and found almost 70 new investigators!! Which is pretty cool, and the ward here is strong and so willing to help. I hardly even have to ask for their help and they are offering it!! I know that it will not always be sunshine and roses here, and some days will be hard but that is fine, I am prepared for it!!

In this ward there are 2 companionships, the other Zone Leader Elder Ward, and we are trying to break the mission record together of 24 baptisms, a record that was set here in Matagalpa in this very area. We will see which of the 2 companionships can do it!!

I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week!!
Love Elder Morrison

Lengthen your stride

I realized how incredibly true the phrase "Whom the Lord calls, He qualifies" is, and it is quite impressive. For example, my situation here in Matagalpa. So far  on my mission I have been able to be a part of...

1. Reopening an area- did that in Jalapa and again in Ocotal.
2. Helping a fallen Zone- did that in Leon.
3. Bringing Matagalpa back up to its potential- I saw that potential when I started out here, I know now what needs to be done to help this place rise up again.
4. Establish the Church in Matagalpa- this is done by unity with church leaders, something that I was taught a lot about in Leon. Currently the church attendance is less that 400 in the whole entire stake. I know by my experience in Jalapa how to help the small branches.
5. Work with a Dominican comp- Dominicans, in my experience, have been hard to get along with, but when you learn to get along with them and understand them, they are the coolest people, super dedicated. My new comp is Elder Jimenez, he is a really good missionary and I am pumped to work with him!!

There were a lot of changes today, Elder Ward, my old ZL in Ocotal, is my fellow ZL here. Although we are not in a companionship together, he is with Elder Davis and I am with Elder Jimenez!!

Likewise I killed Elder Reinoso this week, in two days he will be on the beaches of the carribean in The Dominican Republic, dancing La Bachata, which is a really awesome type of dance and music from the DR. We baptized a lady this week, she is super humble and sweet, Elder Reinoso had been working with her for a long time and finally she got dunked!! Such a cool experience.

Other than that I just got to roll up the sleeves and put on a smile and work my tail off!!

Love you all so much,
Exitos esta semana,
Elder Morrison

Started from the bottom, now we're here

Well on October 24th 2016, I left Matagalpa on a bus to Jalapa. 1 year later, after 5 companions, two sons (missionaries I have trained), a handful of converts and a bunch of wonderful miracles, memories and friends later, I have come back.

I left Matagalpa last year after a week where we baptized 15 as a zone, this week the zone baptized 2. When I was here the first time I was a brand new missionary that could hardly speak Spanish, now I am fluent. Back then I was trying to learn all I could from my leaders, now I am the one trying to act like I know what I am doing!! Truth be told, I am still trying to fake it till I make it. But I am just as pumped to be here as day one Elder Morrison!

It makes me realize the miracle of the mission. That the more I lose myself trying to help others, the more I find myself and progress. I have realized 2 very encouraging things!! 1) I have grown a lot 2) I have yet much more room to grow!!

There have been times on my mission when I come home and kneel down and I have just had tears coming out before I choke out the first words of my prayer. Times when they have been tears of pain and anguish, or joy and consolation, or any number of reasons.

This week I have ran into many of my old friends!! And when I see the less active youth I drug around with me, now sending in his mission papers, or seeing a convert of mine who has recieved the Melchezidek priesthood, I am overjoyed and I know that all my efforts in trying to pay back my Lord have been worth it. But I will never be able to pay back my Savoir. I am grateful to be the unprofitable servant.

Unprofitable because I know I can never repay back the debt that was paid by my Savoir in a Garden called Gethsemane and a hill called Golgotha. His sacrifice was an infinite and eternal sacrifice, because he considered me worthy of his blood, and likewise all of us worthy.

I heard a quote the otherday that I loved, "The best decision I have ever made was sacrifice something I loved dearly to the God I love more, he has never forgotten me for it" I testify of these words, God has not forgotten me because I have sacrificed much, although very little to what he has sacrificed!

I love you all, and I hope that you have find success this week!!

Love Elder Morrison

MATAGALPA, I'M BACK!!!

Well of all the weeks I have had on the mission, this week stands alone!! Friday night Elder Rush and I are planning two baptismal services and after that I fell asleep. Elder Rush wakes me up and hands me the phone saying its my mission president and he wants to talk to me. So I am all disoriented and Presidente Poncio proceeds to tell me that I AM GETTING EMERGENCY TRANSFERRED!!

He told me the zone leaders in another zone fought! (it happens) and their zone was doing terribly, and that I was being sent to diffuse the situation and raise up the zone again!!!

SO I AM WRITING FROM MATAGALPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM IN MY OLD AREA WHERE I STARTED MY MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!!!!!!

And oh buddy I have some work to do!! This place is a shadow to what it was a year ago!! 

So Sunday I hop on a bus heading for Matagalpa from Leon, and 3 hours later I roll into Matagalpa. I wait for a while for my new comp to come get me and... nothing. So then I think WHY wait. I remembered where the house was so I hop in a taxi and go there. After talking to old friends, some members, where they tell what has been going on, shows up a missionary and a young man, Julito. Julito is a youth I activated and like one of my best friends!! And he sends in his mission papers in 2 weeks!!!! He gave me a big ole bear hug!! I love that guy. Seing your converts defend truth and participate in church is awesome!! I had the blessing to be passed the sacrament from a convert of mine, that was blessed by a convert of mine, and have 1 convert pray for the sacrament meeting, and another give a talk!! ALL in one Sunday!!

As for Leon, we baptized and confirmed two really sweet converts, Benigna who is 75 years old and Selenia, whose cousins are converts of mine! I am gonna miss Leon, definitely enjoyed my time there. 

Literally when I entered in to Matagalpa I cried a little bit, I was so happy.

Love you all, my new comp is Elder Reinoso who dies (goes home from his mission) in a 2 weeks, he is a Dominican (KLK).

Love,

Elder Morrison

Another week

Well, another week at the grindstone, and all week was just Work Work Work Work Work. That is about life now.

Unfortunately we were unable to baptize this week. So ya know, anywhere else that might be fine but here it means you need to repent... haha. I love this country for that.

BUT we have hope for a better day, a better week, and a better eternity. It helps keeping things in their rightful order and perspective!!

Lately I don't know if y'all remember about a young sick boy named Paulino, well turns out the young man, his mom and one of his sisters are members!! Likewise, his younger brother, his brother in law and his other sister want to get baptized!! So cool right?! They are so elect. We are working with him and his family. And truthfully I realize our work is the small part. I realize that Christ has already shouldered their load, and mine.

I do not know everything...  yet, I hope to someday. It won't be in this life, but it will come. I do know the Church is true, its power is that of God. I learned a beautiful little nugget the other day, in Revelations John wrote of a light, a candle, and a candle stick. The Light is Christ and the candlestick which holds up his light is the Church. The Church is not made of of walls and buildings but of the Saints of God. We are the bearers of Gods eternal and hopeful light. Such bearing of light is done through our testimony of Him, our Lord and Savoir, our King and Our Friend Jesus the Christ.

Love ya all!!
Love Elder Morrison

Mes De Milagros

This was such a normal week I can't even begin to tell y'all about how normal it was. It wasn't bad. It was so good because every week here is a good week and every day in the mission field can be a successful day because we all have been given agency. Salvation is a choice, and exaltation too. Likewise our success as missionaries is based on our decisions and our dedication to the Lord and His work. It doesn't matter if we are rejected or if a baptismal date falls through, if I can say that I gave it my all then I can say I am a success. Now that can be used as an excuse too, and excuses are the worst. To me if a baptism falls through for the same reason twice and I didn't try to correct my error, then I have failed. The first time I do not fail if it was a simple human mistake, but if I do it twice then it is a mistake and I have failed because I wasn't dedicated enough to try to correct my mistake.

For example on my guy Jose, we tried so hard with him and worked and worked and worked. Finally we got him up to two days before the baptism and our District leader came to interview him but he just wasn't there. Turns out he was talking to his old Pastor. He still receives us but doesn't want to repent or be baptized.

Or another time this week we went to baptize a girl. One time we showed up for her interview and her father kept her all day, and her mom was livid because he didn't bring her home (her parents are separated) until several days later. So she was not able to be baptized this week too. What a bummer!

But this next is a new week, new people to meet, lessons to teach, and even people to baptize!! I love this country, the people are so receptive and kind and the Lord is blessing us and His servants with the right amount of opposition, heartache and triumphs to allow us to keep growing!

I love my Father in Heaven, before in my life I never really thought of Him as much, but I love Him, and am so grateful for Him and His infinite wisdom, love and power. He knows who I am and what I need, and He is blessing me richly here serving His children, my siblings, here in Nicaragua!

Love you all,

Love Elder Morrison

Are you junking me??

Yeah so conference came, that was neat. AND I BROKE MY PR FOR INVESTIGATORS IN CHURCH, we got 15 baby!! It was so fun, we have been working so hard with so many awesome people and it is so nice to seem them progress little by little unto baptism!!

Perhaps the most impactful thing I heard this week was on prayer: Someone once asked President Eyring how to make their prayers like they were talking to a friend, and he said that it shouldn't be like if we were talking to a friend, we are talking to GOD. It is a privilege to pray and we should do so with much respect. Then he told of how Elder Neal A Maxwell would pray. Neal A Maxwell would go into a dark room, dressed fully in church clothes, kneel down without supporting himself on a chair or anything and would wait until he felt worthy to approach God in prayer.

So I have been doing it too, and wow I have been impressed by the results. The reality that God is my Father and He is listening to my prayers is becoming so apparent. Truth be told most nights I fall asleep when praying because I am so tired, but I won't anymore. Likewise, I have found that my prayers aren't necessarily longer or more detailed, but they are more sacred. God listens to my prayer and strengthens me through my humble supplications. I feel more connected to Him.

We should baptize the cousin of our recent converts Naydlin, Marlon and Marjlings, their cousin Selenia. And in a couple of weeks their other cousin. And a couple of people here and there, we just work like horses everyday and my kidneys ache from the work.

Really the kidney thing might be from the heat and literally everybody and their dog here has problems with their kidneys. One of our recent converts kids has 1 and a half kidneys and he is 7. 

Our Foster Child Elder Deere will be adopted to a permanent home, so proud of him, he will do special things in his life as a missionary! He is a super cool guy and we worked him like a horse, and every night we would hang out on our hammocks till midnight or til we fell asleep. It was a junking good time. And tomorrow we are going to the capitol for leaders council where Elder Deere will meet his new father Elder Chinchilla who is the man, he was in Zona Ocotal when I was there. I am pretty pumped for Council because we are always spiritually fed de viaje and we get to hang out with the coolest missionaries in the mission because, shocker, the coolest missionaries are the most obedient and hardest working and therefore leaders!! 

This week Elder Deere and us got to work in his area 4 hours in and yet still his weekly numbers were literally better than missionaries that work ALL WEEK in their area. Why is that? CONSECRATION that's why!! Hermana Poncio told us that 2 consecrated missionaries get done more than 100 regular ones, and that is so true!!

Love you all Love Elder Morrison

Happy Fall

Well transfers came and went, I¨M STAYING IN THE PROMISED LAND LEON BABY!! And Elder Rush and I are still comps and we are going to baptize a bunch of folks this change!! Ya Tu Sabes!!

Seriously so pumped to be here, finally feel like I am hitting my stride as a missionary. Took me long enough!! HAHA, Seriously, I love this place, such a dope area and people. We baptized Suhey this Thursday. It was a really sweet baptismal service and her confirmation was also very sweet. She is such an elect lady. While she still continues with immense problems and junk in her life, not caused by her own actions, time and time again she has testified that through the Atonement of Christ and the Book of Mormon she has been able to feel a strength enter into her life. And though the problems don't blow away immediately, she doesn't either. That firm foundation in Helaman 5:12 is real, and the Iron Rod in Nephi 8, is too. Through Christ we are stronger.

It has been a huge blessing to be God´s instrument in helping her overcome opposition and make such a sacred covenant with the Lord.

I have been studying a lot about covenants lately. I have learned that when a missionary understands and appreciates covenants they will work like caballos (horses) to help others make and keep those same covenants. I have learned a lot, and truth be told I am impressed at the grace of God in making those covenants with us!! Imagine of all the things he could do with His power and presence, and yet He uses it all for US. And the biggest testament of that love and grace and power, is found in our covenants. Just think of the baptismal covenant what we promise:

1. To take upon us His name, which is to be His disciple, His follower.

2. Always remember Him, which is to remember who He is, and what He did, and what He continues to do for us.

3. Keep His commandments which He has given us, simple, just OBEY!!

And with our fulfillment of these three simple things we have so many PROMISED blessings: salvation and the companionship of the Holy Ghost, just to name two quick ones. Truly God is love and grace and mercy. 

All of this for God´s ultimate goal or creation: me, you, our neighbors, all of us. His work is our progress and our happiness, for us to become something more than what we now are. That is why covenants can be hard but never impossible to keep. That is why missionary work kicks my tail every day!! But...

Being in Nicaragua has changed me forever, and I still have a long way to go, and I am so pumped, stoked even, for the next 10ish months. I can't even begin to tell you all how happy I am to be here. Teaching and baptizing Suhey taught me a lot, just like every convert I am blessed to teach and baptize. 

I know this is God´s true church, it has been established and designed with the purpose to teach me of His Almighty Son, Jesus the Christ. Particularly through the Book of Mormon I have drawn close to my Savior every day out here. I know that I am called of God to do His work, to feed his sheep, save his Lambs, to preach His gospel and defend His faith. I know Him and love Him, with all my heart. 

And I love you all 

Stay Sweet, 

Love Elder Morrison

American Hustler

This week was gone fast!! We have so many people to teach we just run from appointment to appointment teaching, and trying to find new people in between. We are just getting stuff done! 

We have two baptisms lined up for this week, Suhey and Jose. Suhey is a wonderful and tragic story. But through the gospel her life is turning around! She has had so many trials and continues having them, but she told us the most sincere testimony of the Book of Mormon. She said of how when things get a little too stressful, sad or depressed she says she just feels a comfort and strength from it!! I love the power of the Book of Mormon. It truly just brings in the spirit of Christ into our lives.

We have been teaching Jorge Luis, a young man of 22 years, and he is an alcoholic, we have been working with him and he was clean for a week. Then he got drunk one night and got tossed in jail. That was a bummer. He is probably one of my best friends. We met him when my old comp tried to pick a fight with him because he was bothering us. Now we are trying to get him to turn his life around.

Truthfully I have learned a profound sense of gratitude on my mission for my wonderful life. When I see Jorge Luis, and think of how blessed I have been, it just gives me the biggest desire to serve and help him so he has a normal life, not a life of addiction and sin and sadness. Luckily for the love of our Heavenly Father he has sent His Son, gave us His gospel, and has given us the Book of Mormon that teaches us of His Son and His Gospel.

Love you guys so much, 

Stay Sweet, Love Elder Morrison

What's good?

Hello,

I love Leon! I just want to die here (in mission terms that means finish the mission). Probably won't but yeah this place is just the best. I mean sure 90% of the population here worship idols of Mary, and are very rude, but still I LOVE THEM. It makes this place unique. I absolutely love serving here though.

This week as we were in a zone meeting I was reviewing the phones of some of the missionaries and found that they were calling their friends in other Zones, so I walked into their district meeting absolutely livid, but when I went to open my mouth I didn't yell or throw a chair like I wanted to. I just walked in and testified of how sacred their calling is and how that when they pull garbage like that they live below their privileges as missionaries and lose my trust, the mission presidents trust and the Lord´s trust. I told them how much I loved them and how I wish they knew how incredible this opportunity of the mission is.

Truly the mission is a miracle worker, the old me would have thrown a chair at them! Haha, but it was one of those moments when I realized that I truly am no better than them, we all have our mistakes and the best thing is to move on and get better.

Love you guys so much, excuse the short email I got very little time!!

Love Elder Morrison

The Peanut Farm

This week was just the best!!

We were able to baptize and marry Wilber and Eugenia. Which was quite the adventure, so many days and hours praying and fasting helping them get through their problems, and boom! They done got baptized this Saturday!!  A family of gold for sure!!

We didn't realize how pilas they were until Friday. Eugenia came to the church like normal for the lesson but she forgot the papers for their marriage in her house, and we needed them!! So we decided to go with her to her house to get them. Now we were teaching them in the church because they told us that they lived far away, however, we didn't realize how far!! We hopped on a bus and then at the last stop we got off..walked through the neighborhood... off the beaten path and into the wilderness where we hiked for several HOURS. 2 Hours of walking through forest and field. Fields of peanuts that surround Leon for miles and miles. It was a journey, it is such a beautiful place!! I was in awe at how cool it was!!

The elect of God find a way to get it done! They have made that journey at least twice a week during the week and once for Sundays. They live so far away it blew my mind, but they did it! They are very converted to the gospel now. I felt it such an honor to be a part of their conversion story,  truly wonderful people that have blessed my life so much. In the end I know that they weren't coming because I was such an amazing missionary or anything like that. They came because they knew by the spirit that the message we bare is the TRUTH. They are pumped to go to the temple in a year and become an eternal family, and the members here have helped us so much, so I know they will be able to complete with that goal.

In other news: this week I fell asleep on the ground after companion prayer at night, we were so tired from working so much!! The night before I fell asleep in my shirt and tie at 11:00. We were able to proselyte for a total of 70 hours this week! And we saw the results!!

I bought a headband off a drunk man for 16 cords, because the headband was really cool. Because Leon is in the finals in baseball and this town is bumpin'!! 

Love you all, and loving life, 

Love,

Elder Morrison

Stoked to be in Nicaragua!!

Hey world,

Sometimes on the mission I feel like I am still just beginning, other days I feel like I leave tomorrow, no matter what I always just end up deciding to try and work just a little bit harder. I decided that I could always work a little smarter or a little harder every day. I decided to quit measuring my success in numbers a while ago. Something my old comp taught me (some missionaries use that as an excuse to be lazy), but he taught me that success is measured by two big factors 1. if you feel the spirit and work in union with him 2. if you improved from the day before.

Let me tell you the results are impressive. And as a natural side effect I find my numbers and successes are growing. Progress is after all God´s work and glory, progression unto perfection and immortality unto eternal life. So if we can sincerely say we are at least a little better than what we were the day before, we are successful.

It has been my pleasure and privilege to be a missionary, AND I AM SO PUMPED FOR THESE NEXT 10 MONTHS that I got left!!! I feel my testimony and relationship with my Redeemer growing every day.

We had a beautiful experience, a younger couple had been passing through some trials. He had had an accident at work and fell and destroyed his spinal column. He has slowly been deteriorating over time, but we offered to give him a blessing and it was so powerful and spiritual. I was on a companion exchange with an Elder that has been struggling with spirituality and he had tears running down his face after he finished the blessing. That Elder is a large Hawaiian man with a big heart, and he expressed so much love and gratitude toward that humble little family.

Experiences like these can only be had when we are working in the Lords work. Truly striving to bring others unto Christ, truly helping them develop faith in Him to allow them to be resurrected unto immortality and eternal life. The ultimate miracle of the gospel is our progress unto eternal life. Such a miracle that me, and all of us, have such value in God´s eyes, that He would send His Son to complete a perfect and eternal atonement that allows such unworthy creatures to be able to be the benefactors of the blessings of the gospel (in their infinite entirety!!).

I love you all and I am so stoked to be here in Nicaragua!!

Love,
Elder Morrison

I'm on a horse

Now excuse the title, I did not ride the horse, that would be disobedient. But my favorite bolito in Leon robbed one of the thousands of stray horses here and rode it through the streets so happy, whipping it trying to get it to run, but it wouldn't. But he was yelling victory cheers and looking like the most accomplished man this side of the Mississippi.

About my new comp, Elder Rush, he is a stud. We have been motivating each other to get better and work harder and we are seeing a ton of miracles and getting stuff done!! He is from Utah and played football and rugby, he is short and strong and fast, a true muscle hamster. We get along famously.

One of the families we are teaching and will be baptizing shortly had a son that got sick and what not, so the mom asked us to visit her and bless her son in the hospital. We went and the lady that shared the room with them had a little 5 month baby that was also sick so we gave the baby a blessing too. Upon finishing the blessing we realized the mom was crying and we found out that 2 days later she was packing her bag and dressing the baby because he had a miraculous recovery and was being discharged, she told us that and that this week she was going to come to church with us. After the blessings we left to go get food for our investigator, we entered the hospital with food when the cutest old Grandma called us over and found out we were from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She told us that she has been a faithful member for 45 years (she is like 90 years old) and now she is sick and needs a blessing and she wants it now!! So in the lobby of the emergency room in Leon we gave that little Grandma a blessing. Afterward she thanked us and told us we were angels sent to her by God.  It was such a sweet experience. 

All three of those people have been discharged from the hospital as of today!! Yay for the power of God and healing!! 

And Friday night we got a call from a long time investigator that he wanted to be baptized Saturday, so we baptized Freddy!!! He is a super humble man and has a strong testimony of the church and we are very pumped for him and his decision to make such a sacred covenant!!

We told him we would have to go to the other side of Leon to be baptized and he said he didn't care, he'd go to heaven or hell to be baptized!! So coool!!

Due to the work and heat, I don't think I have sweat more in my life than in Leon. I am seriously so hot!! Not even football daily doubles touches the amount of heat here!! Luckily the water is clean here and I am PARASITE FREE (for now). So normal bodily functions for the time being!!

Love you all very much we are seeing the hand of the Lord in our labors every day, this has been definitely a top 5 week of the mission!! 

Love Elder Morrison

Enjoy the freak out of it

Well, that title is my theme, enjoy the freak out of it. I decided that today as I sat in the bus station. (A bus station in this country is a big open area with thousands of people yelling, selling, and tossing garbage, and yelling more, and honking horns and CHAOS).

Why? Because it was changes, and Elder Wilkes, my comp, left Sunday because today he had to fly to Puerto Cabezas, at the same time killing my dream of going to Puerto Cabezas myself. And so I stayed and had to plan out by myself how I was going to send and receive about 30 missionaries to all parts of this country. And it was extremely stressful. Then I decided something. Enjoy the freak out of it.

This week was really good, we got stuff done. We have been helping a family get married and baptized and we have had a ton of wonderful obstacles (mainly with city hall, which just imagine city hall in the states, only with people 2x more grouchy and technology from 1977). But the family are such elect souls!! They walk over one and a half hours to get to church, and she has read 300 pages of the Book of Mormon in 3 weeks. Pretty neat.

Because Elder Wilkes left I am now with Elder Rush, he was in Matagalpa with me, his trainer was my first DL, and he is a stud. He was in Puerto Cabezas before, so God is definitely mocking me because I want to go there so bad.

Anyway, I love Leon and missionary work. I love my Lord Jesus Christ, I know he is my Savior and Redeemer. I know He lives and loves each and everyone of us. I know that He truly did complete an infinite atonement that allows each and every one of us to become one with God and be the benefactors, one day, of life eternal. I know that in this life we, through this atonement, can be joyful in this life and peaceful too.

Love you all very much!
Stay Sweet and Enjoy the Freak out of it,
Love Elder Morrison

One year down, One to go

Hey so today for pday Presidente Poncio invited all of the zone to come and eat lunch, cooked by Hermana Poncio, at his house, unfortunately upon arrival my camera died. But his house is GORGEOUS. And the food was divine. We have a really vacanal zone we get along great and we baptize because we work hard, but party (missionary style which includes singing on the bus hymns accompanied by a guitar) harder.

We had the grand miracle of baptizing three this week, Naydling Maryeling and Marlon. They had been waiting for months for their parents to let them get baptized and finally they got it!! Naydling has been going to seminary for a while now, which is awesome and Marlon is already saving up for a suit to go on a mission!!

The baptismal service was really neat, they wanted to do it in the morning. And it was very special and beautiful.

This week we are planning on marrying and baptizing a couple that is really cool, she has read 200 pages of the Book of Mormon in 3 weeks. Truthfully is a huge testament that as missionaries we do not convert nor prepare, it is the Lord. We have a grand and amazing calling, but we must always remember that we are but instruments and we depend completely on the Lord for everything.

I read something comical the other day. An old general authority when training people always told them "Don't forget rule number 6"

Naturally they ask, "Well what is it?"

"Don't take yourself so darn seriously."

Then they ask "Well what are the other 5?"

To which he would say, "There are none."

So, I try not to take myself too darn seriously, but instead I try (try) to stay humble and kind. And be a "polished shaft" in the quiver of the Lord.

I yet lack much polishing but I am striving every day to be the best I can. I love missionary work so much, because it truly is the work of the Lord. And I can't think of anywhere else I should be.

Shout out to my Uncle Jace, he told me something in a letter that I got early on in my mission that I took to heart. That the Lord doesn't need me in the work, but that I need the work. It is a truly purifying and edifying experience to be here.

Love you all very much, 

Stay sweet, 

Love Elder Morrison

ONE YEAR MARK!!!

Well my zone Zona Leon is victorious!! We had the great miracle of baptizing 37 children of God, which is the new all time Leon record for a month. That is more than the last 3 months combined. In February Zona Leon literally baptized 3 with 24 missionaries, and with 18 missionaries we baptized 37. Which is awesome because next p-day we get a lunch with Presidente Poncio and his wife, we will be eating some Guatemalan food!!!

Our two mottos: "Bears Beets Bautismos" and " You have only to believe if you wish to achieve."

We as zone leaders first off got blessed with some awesome missionaries, and even better District Leaders (the motor of the mission). Then we focused on breaking the mindset that Zona Leon doesn't baptize. We tried our best to be unified in our goal which was to baptize 37 people, then we worked like caballos to get 'er done. And we got 'er done! Now we are the highest zone in ALL OF NICARAGUA and one of the highest in all of Central America.

Preach My Gospel says Pride is Competitive, so I still gotta work on that!!

As a companionship we were able to baptize two kids, Hazel and her older brother Christofer. They are awesome!! Super elect, from a humble family but for their confirmation Hazel got a dress and Christofer got a white shirt and we gave him a tie! They were both super pumped and already get along famously with the youth here.

We have had a lot of success amongst the youth of Leon, mainly because they haven't fully committed to their parents or grandparents religious traditions. Very cool.

I love the simple truths of the gospel. One day this week we contacted a man who was very confused on one simple thing: God. He first said that God is a spirit without shape or form, and that he was one being, the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost, and that the Father sent the Son to do His work, and that we like God have bodies, but he has no body. but.... he contradicted himself like 20 times in 50 seconds, even though he was a devout church goer and had been forever, yet couldn't get his story straight.

Gotta love apostasy.

Speaking of which, p-day we went to a giant cathedral (IT IS HUGE) and it was cool. We went inside and looked around at all of their relics and idols and what not, very impressive, then we went on top of it and got to see the many Volcanoes that surround Leon! There are quite a few of them!! I still prefer the Temple, the temple has such a power that can echo through a family for generations without end! It has such a profound peace and when I enter I feel such a sense of belonging. I felt very off being in a Cathedral, not quite the same feeling truth be told.

Love you all.
Love,
Elder Morrison