Managua

Well this week were the changes, they came a week late due to the political distress, but all that seems to be calming down, which is wonderful. With the changes I was carried on over to Managua, the capitol. What a place. Very big and noisy with a lot of people. I am going to miss my beloved city Matagalpa very much. I love that place with all my heart.

Change is a scary thing at times, not gonna lie, I hadn't realized how at ease and relaxed I was in the environment in Matagalpa. That place was just perfect for me. However, with the change comes growth, so obviously I am going to grow, it may be somewhat uncomfortable but I will be able to grow if I can just "not shrink", if I can just square my shoulders and get to work my last 11 weeks. It will be a blast!!

Today I had Little Ceasers pizza for lunch, who can't tell that it´s not gonna be a good time? I am super pumped to be here in Managua though, I have heard all of my mission of how the members in Managua are just the best and that you can have a lot of success here, so I am thrilled to be here and throw some fire!!

I realize how my days are numbered here in Nicaragua, just 11 weeks and I am home. I wish to make every second of these remaining days and go ham for the Lord this last little bit so that I may be able to give Him an offering worthy of all acceptation before the God I have grown to know and love so deeply.

I am super pumped to be with my new Comp Elder Goncalves, he is from Brazil and I feel like the guy is my long lost brother, he is so cool. I am pumped to work my tail off and learn a lot from him. He is starting his mission and I am finishing, but all new missionaries come with such a new way of looking at things that can really help us out in the Lord´s work. I am pumped to be with him!

Love you all Love Elder Morrison

Pray for Nicaragua

This was a wild week here in the NIC. A government reform in the social security system brought some heavy resistance including looting, arson, rioting, etc. So please pray for Nicaragua. Here in Matagalpa though things are calm and the situation in general has been deescalating, so that is good news. None of the missionaries have been harmed in any way here, the Lord is protecting us, our amazing Presidente Poncio is a wise and inspired man and has taken effective measures to ensure the safety of the missionaries, he calls us his hijitos.

It was a week of highs and lows. Wednesday we committed a family of 4 to be baptized on Friday, right after that lesson I got a phone call from the AP's that they were coming to help us out in the interviews in the Zone, because we had quite a few to do for this weekend. So Wednesday was a thrilling day because with those 4 it meant we had 6 baptisms lined up for Friday afternoon.

Thursday came and the AP's rolled up and we got a lot of interviews done, sadly that is when in the capitol things got a little rowdy.  So Friday morning happens and the family of 4 let us know that the father of one of the daughters that was going to get baptized came trying to get away from the capitol. He is a member of a different denomination and drunk when we got there and he had already convinced them all not to get baptized. Which was a heart breaker to say the least. We have hope though that the family will be baptized soon, just once that guy has left.

Normally baptisms are done on Saturday, however my companion and I received some good revelation that we should baptize on Friday. So on Friday we baptized a brother and his sister, the baptismal service was really special, it was one of the better services I have had in the mission.

Saturday we were not allowed to leave the house from the escalating government resistance, so we played a couple of games of monopoly. But luckily Elder Smith and I had gotten the idea to not baptize on Saturday, which was apparently not going to happen. Revelation from on high baby!!

Other than that life is good, I am safe and sound, bored as all get out being locked up in the house, but luckily we are four normal gringos that keep each other entertained!

Love Elder Morrison

Cuatro Cheles

This week brought a delightful change to the house of the missionaries in Matagalpa. An elder got sick in Puerto Cabezas and was sent home, so emergency changes happened and now in the house we are four United State citizens, aka it has been a good time with a lot of BBQing, guitar playing, free style rapping roasts, alter egos coming out as motivational speeches, and wrestling moves taught. It has been a lot of fun.

As for Elder Smith and I, we are quite enthusiastic about this upcoming week, it should be a good time. We will see if I, at the end of the week, am changed out in transfers. Or if I am here to stay in Matagalpa. In total I have a long time here, and it has been wonderful.

We were guided a couple of weeks ago to a really awesome family, they are so kind and sincere with us. The other day the mother of the family stopped us on the street and introduced us to her friend and told her friend to go to church, adding onto her invitation she said ¨We went last Sunday and that is where we are going to stay.¨ Those moments and comments just make the work so worth it.

Truthfully it has been a bit of a trial lately, frustrating to give everything you got and feel you have come up short. But when you truly consider it all in the grand scheme of things, those moments of success lacking are big fat blessings that the Lord has given you. They are times where you truly learn who you are. The Lord truly does bless us and watch over us.

Elder D Todd Christofferson said once, "In times of distress, let your covenants be paramount and let your obedience be exact. Then you can ask in faith, nothing wavering, according to your need, and God will answer. He will sustain you as you work and watch. In His own time and way He will stretch forth his hand to you, saying, “Here am I.”"

He is there, He does listen and He is in charge. We are blessed to be able to know Him. The power of the covenants we make within the church is truly the power of godliness, they allow us to have heaven´s aid whenever we need it. They provide us the perspective necessary to endure and the power sufficient to save us.

Personally I am excited to enter into the gauntlet of my last 12 weeks in the mission. I am really excited for what is to come following the mission as well. ¨Have your head in the stars but keep your feet firmly planted on the ground¨

Love you all
Love Elder Morrison

TEMPLES!!

Funny story, so after a quite incredible general conference where our new beloved Prophet Russell M. Nelson, stepped in and hit the ground running! And it was awesome. Including the many changes made one was of particular importance in Nicaragua, a temple was announced in Managua Nicaragua, likewise in Salta Argentina, where my dad served his mission! The news was amazing here!

Unfortunately I was not present to hear the announcement live. I was in a taxi traveling to a small community outside of the city to interview some people for baptism. During the ride I received phone calls from two missionaries telling me that they announced the Temple. I told them to call me Thomas, but I will not believe it til I see it. 

And I saw it when I arrived to the small chapel in the community and I cried out of joy. Knowing that figuratively I have helped lay one brick out of millions here to get a temple, I feel very happy to know that there will be a temple in Nicaragua.

There were many embraces and tears shared in the chapels all around the country. People literally jumped for joy when they heard that there would be a House of The Lord put in their country. Personally I was bummed to have missed the big moment but the joy was felt the same.

Likewise, two new apostles were announced and ordained, only a week and a half ago I did meet Elder Gong, one of those two new apostles. I was happy to sustain him.

The interviews Sunday afternoon turned into a quite exciting trip. After closing the baptism we grabbed one of the last buses out to Matagalpa, but the bus was so full I was hanging out the door with my companion, when a rope from the bus grabbed his missionary plaque and flipped it off his shirt. Quickly he jumped off the bus while it was in motion, I grabbed a 20 cord bill from my wallet and gave it to the chauffeur, and jumped off as well. Unfortunately I jumped off facing backward and was almost unable to keep the momentum from making me fall over backward, luckily I switched into free safety Elder Morrison, and was able to back pedal out of it smoothly. We quickly recovered the plaque. But that being the last bus meant we were stuck in the middle of nowhere. So ssshhhhh, don´t tell anyone but we had to hitch hike home in time to assist in the baptism and confirmation for another companionship in Matagalpa. Luckily the culture in Nicaragua is that hitch hiking is normal and safe. Truthfully Nicaragua is a safe place, even the drunk people are super friendly.

Just living the dream in Nicaragua!

Today as a Zone we had a BBQ, and I treated the whole Zone to classic American Hamburgers. Most of the Latino missionaries complimented me saying it was better than McDonald´s which is about as close as it gets for them here. A couple of weeks ago we decided to buy a grill and I have been making some mean meats lately, steak, chicken, burgers you name it. We have been grubbing here in Matagalpa.

Love you all

Love Elder Morrison