Bears Beets Bautismos

Well this was literally the least successful week I have had.

I got really sick with the flu and in a personal interview my President he ordered me to rest one day. So I compromised with him, and took a nap. But after some pills and a drop of consecrated oil and some power of Godliness I am feeling fine!!

However, we did not do well this week. Nothing went our way and I am frustrated and ready to get to work again and work with full health and not half way dead like I was working. We truly worked til we couldn't anymore, but in the end it didn't go our way, which is how missionary work sometimes is.

Our baptism fell threw in a series of crazy events fueled by amazing Catholic grandmas and the young woman just couldn't do it this last week, but with faith she can pull through this week!!

As a side note pharmacies in Nicaragua you can buy any drug without a prescription and even needles to take them!! Which is weird to me but whatever, #plannica.

I feel very motivated to work now that I feel better and to come out on top this week!! It is the last week of the transfer and then we will see what goes down!!

Love you all! And I would like all of you to read Deuteronomy 8, it is powerful and I love it, like I love you!!! Only I love you more!!

Love Elder Morrison

Beach Day!

Hey Hey Hey,

So this week was quite the week, topped of that today Presidente gave us permission to go to the beach for pday! We didn't swim though, that is basically a sin on the mission. And it was awesome!! It looked a lot like the Oregon coast today, cold and rainy, so I was in my element for sure!! haha. I miss the Oregon coast.

Sunday we saw a couple of miracles. We have several investigators that are ready for baptism, just that their family hasn't given them permission yet. And this week we made a huge effort, and the Lord greatly blessed us in our efforts and they will be baptized soon, hopefully one this week. It was a good week, really. Thursday was rough in the morning, we had a lot of opposition and what not, and my comp and I prayed and prayed and prayed about some of our problems. The answer came pretty clear to us: GET TO WORK, and work we did!! And we got stuff done and had a really really good week, despite having two days of meetings and leaving with other missionaries who need some TLC in their areas, haha. Being in a leader position is really fun and I love it, you learn way more than you teach, which is kind of a theme in the gospel. The greatest among you is the servant, lose yourself you will find yourself, etc etc.

Speaking of losing yourself, I learned a lesson from that, I learned what it truly means. I had been trying to give my all, but in the wrong way. I was sacrificing my joy, not my sins and sorrows. I had forgotten what made me me. I had forgotten in my insane desire to be obedient what the first great commandment is, which is to simply LOVE. Something my mother tried to point out to me some weeks ago. I realized this as my comp and I were talking about mountains and elk hunting. Something I love, something that I had forgotten and even though it sounds silly, it put me on a line of thought that helped me remember who I am, those essential facts about me that make me me, and make me an individual and happy!! I love elk hunting, and I love preaching the gospel and I can love them at the same time!! haha

And I love you all,
love, a much happier everyday, Elder Morrison

Meeting Elder Renlund

Hey Everyone,

This week was sooooooo good! I loved it a lot. I enjoyed it a lot, and I learned a lot. Highlighted by my personal 5 second interview with an apostle. Elder Renlund came and gave such a powerful, simple and yet profound message. He had three main points: 1. Thank you. 2. We have the right to know, down to our bones, that our Heavenly Father gave us this call personally, and if we don't yet know that to ask Him and He will tell us. 3. Our mission president is called and unanimously approved by the first presidency and the quorum of the twelve apostles.

It was powerful and amazing, I loved it and learned so much from it. I enjoyed the talk and am excited at the prospect that I have so much to improve on and I have all the best things in the world to use. He also blessed us that the heat wouldn't have as much effect on us!!!! YAAAYYYY!!! haha

The 5 second interview was like lightning, never has anyone looked into my soul sooo much!! And you feel such a calm and powerful loving presence, that is almost tangible.

Love ya all a ton, short on time this week sorry,
Love Elder Morrison

Meetings in Leon

Hey Everyone,

I love you all, I truly do, and I am very much pumped to be here in Nicaragua, it is a blessed place. Work wise this week was brutal. We had no success, which is shameful as "leaders" but whatever, it was not due to lack of a valiant effort, I have learned that sometimes the Lord needs us to change to prepare us for the next step, so he sends us a situation or trial that is specifically designed to help us become what God wants us to be. Time and time again the words have come to my head as I get annoyed, "I am the Gardener, I know what I want to to be." Elder Maxwell teaches us that the "why" questions are better suited as "what" questions. "What is required of me?" "What am I to learn?" I am wonderfully blessed to be in this church that teaches us how to endure and overcome, rather than whine and murmur and turn in. I am very stubborn, but slowly the Lord is getting this drilled into my thick head!! haha. I am super pumped to see what lessons Leon brings me, and what growth I will make as a servant to the Nicas here.

Thursday we had a huge leadership council with all the DL's and ZL's and it was soooo awesome! I saw some old friends from the mission I haven't seen in a while. It was a super spiritual experience! It was so fun and this Saturday we will be seeing Elder Renlund along with the South mission. Elder Utchdorf isn't coming now so Elder Renlund will have to do then... haha just kidding, I am super pumped!

I love this gospel and the Lord Jesus Christ, only by His perfect love and knowledge are things like this brought to pass. I am grateful to be here passing through my refiners fire (that is not only a reference to trials but the extremely intense heat here!!) 10 months has flown by.

Today I had a funny experience, central Leon is super touristy. We were down in the park buying souvenirs and there was a group of white people, I was sitting while my comp was talking to a seller, and one of the girls said, "wow he is hot" about me and I said "thanks", she turned so red. One of the guys with her about fell over, he was laughing so hard. My Spanish is getting good!! So good some people think I am from Spain! But I am proud to be an Oregonian born and raised!! I am going to enjoy being bilingual when I get home!!

My comp is from Napa Idaho near Grandma Debbi. He has a fairly large family, typical Mormon I guess. We love talking in English and we have a lot in common, so all is going well. He has George Strait on his music and when I heard it I almost cried.

Our best investigator is a young teenager named Crisha. Her family are members, but she has not had a ton of interest, until recently her parents separated and she was feeling alone so her aunt brought her to a baptism and she said she wanted to be baptized. She is super super elect. If I had to go back to my high school career I would do one simple thing, share my testimony more. It is a powerful tool God has given us, and sharing it touches people and strengthens us too.

Anyway love you a lot, take care and enjoy the summer there!! We are in "winter" right now it is like 105 degrees with humidity...!!!!! with an occasional thunder and lightning storm.

Love, Elder Logan Morrison