love, serve, teach: Letter home April 7th 2014

Dear Family,

Thank you so much for the emails! I'm so glad things are going so well at home. I love you, and I love hearing from you. You make my day every P day (: Your examples and testimonies are ones I think of often, and strengthen me and inspire me. Thank you! (:

Wasn't General Conference incredible?? I loved it as well. That is so awesome that E. was able to watch it! I am so excited to hear that he's going to read from the Book of Mormon (: That book is going to change his life! That is so exciting!

I also saw Isaac's facebook status, and I could like it on fb because it was a beautiful testimony, centered on Christ, so I did (: That made my whole day (: He is so amazing. Each and every one of the kids is so amazing! I'm so proud of each and every one of you guys. (: Isn't it amazing the difference it makes in your life, and in you, of feeling the Spirit and just having that faith alive in your heart? It's the best feeling ever!! And I know it transforms us into way better people than we could ever be by ourselves. I am so grateful for Heavenly Father and His plan so that we can have this happiness and peace from the gospel, and even more to look forward to in the future. (:

That's great about 'some of your sister's! I thought of them, and also of our family, especially during the Woman's Conference. I'm so grateful that through the Atonement of Christ, families who have had challenges and discord can be fully healed. I hope, and just know, that as we each follow Christ we'll be able to have that blessing completely someday. I believe it and hope for it, and look forward to it. (:

That's SOOO exciting about the sealing papers!!! Wow! That's so sad they got lost in the mail, but so exciting that they will actually go through now! Gosh, I wish I could be there, but that's okay. Palmyra is going to be so beautiful, and inside the temple being sealed as a family for forever... it makes me so happy that I can't express it. (: You better send me so many pictures, and a beautiful letter all about it! Every single detail! (:

That's great you saw Captn America too! Surprisingly, I am feeling perfectly fine not seeing it (: Amazing huh? Haha, being a missionary is the best! Even better than watching Captain America (;

Well, this past week has been great!! I just found out I'm getting transferred... literally. Usually they call the night before and tell you, so Sis R. and I were sitting anxiously before bedtime for the call... and no call came. So, we figured we weren't getting transferred! Then this morning, we went to pick up the other sisters, and on the drive there Sister S. asked "So, are you guys ready to be transferred?"

WHAT??? Haha, turns out both of us are leaving! It was crazy. I am so excited, but also so sad. Maricopa has been AMAZING. I love the people here. I love the ward! They are so wonderful. <3 I love T. and L. and each of the people we're teaching... I'm going to miss them so much. And I'm going to miss Sister R! She is so funny. We are SO alike, it's almost scary. We finish each other's sentences all the time, and have so much fun together, and also have so many spiritual experiences. She has been such a wonderful example, friend, and inspiration to me. I love her!! So it's sad we won't be together anymore. However, we have both decided we are going to marry rich husbands when we get home, and travel to Mexico, Virginia, and Brazil... which, funny enough, I REALLY want to do now. I love the Spanish language and culture. So we will have many more adventures in the future. (:

But, as of Wednesday, we will be leaving Maricopa :( It has been the best adventure of my life these past few months. I will truly miss it!

Let's see, except for that news... this week has been awesome. I have just felt so happy. Tuesday was fun, we went to a sketchy restaurant named "Pollo Loco" for lunch. It was there that I tried my first... octopus quesidilla!!! Yum!! Okay, not so yummy haha, I would not eat it again. But it was fun.

We met a man this week, and Sis R. taught him in Spanish. It was really neat. He's going through a divorce and having a really hard time, but we were able to share the gospel with him - well, she was, and I could smile and support 100% everything she was saying - and we made an appt. with him to have a lesson, to pass him over to the Spanish elders. That was really neat.

We also had a wonderful lesson with T. and L. and C. They are SO AMAZING. I wish you could meet them! They are so fun, and have just such pure spirits. They both want to be baptized!!!!!!!!! And they are going to visit a few other churches this week and next week so they can be! Sadly we won't be here... but we're going to get permission to come down when they get baptized. That will be the happiest day of my life!!! I cannot wait. I just love them, and love their faith, and I am going to miss them!!

We had alot of service projects this week. We helped one member start packing up to move. She lived in Brazil for almost ten years, and she gave us some t shirts in portuguese. Way cool! We also helped A. make tamales. That was so fun. She's such a hard worker, getting her GED and working so hard to help her family. She also said she wants to start coming to church. (: So exciting!!!

We also met a coptic Christian egyptian man on the street. That was really cool! He wasn't too interested in learning about the restored gospel, but he told us a bit about the trials they've faced as being Christians in Egypt, which were crazy. He also spoke to us in the
language they speak, which is copic? a mix of Hebrew and a Greek language... that was really cool. I'm always surprised what a diversity there is of people living here in AZ. I love it. (:

It has been an awesome, awesome week. Also, of course, Conference was amazing. We watched one session with T. and the D. family (his best friend's family) and that was so fun! We had hot dogs beforehand. The talks were amazing. My favorites were probably Elder Holland, Elder Uchtdorf's, and Pres. Monson's, of course... as well as the one about the truck needing the wood to obtain traction, and how we need heavy loads sometimes to gain spiritual traction.

I loved Elder Holland's because what he said was so true. But something major I learned from that talk was always being bold in our testimonies and teaching true doctrine. Especially in being loving, and courteous, but defending our beliefs, and never condoning sin. That can be scary to do sometimes. But they need to hear it. I also loved Pres. Uchtdorf's, about being grateful, and having a grateful heart. I also loved the one about needing loads for spiritual traction. I loved this, because a trial in my mission which sounds very silly, is waking up early every day. You never have a day to sleep in, haha. So, silly enough, this is a load that I feel. But I loved his talk because I know those loads are necessary to help us move forward spiritually. Waking up early every day has mainly just helped me feel the blessing of being obedient. I never sleep in a minute past 6:30, not ever. I guess some of the blessings are having time to work out, and being alert during studies. But most of all, it's helped me have confidence and become a more consecrated missionary, because I am being exactly obedient in that rule. So, that's a small thing. That talk applied to many other aspects of my life as well. But that was a neat thing I learned.

Yeah, it was an awesome week. I love this gospel. I LOVE being a missionary!! It is the best thing EVER. Honestly. I would sacrifice everything all over again, to come serve.

I am so excited your going to be studying Preach My Gospel!!! Seriously, I want ALL of you to! And tell me what you learn from it. Please! :) That would be so awesome to hear that every week. Preach My Gospel is one of the best books, and has so many incredible teachings and guidelines for each of us. One thing that has helped me is not feeling like I have to do it... go ahead and find parts that sound interesting to you, and read those first. That will help you get more into it :) When you force yourself to go from beginning to end and get bored, you just lose motivation to do it. Unless you feel inspired to go from beginning to end... whatever your heart desires. But I can PROMISE each member of our family, that as you read Preach My Gospel, you will feel the missionary spirit! Your testimonies will grow. And you will become a greater servant and disciple of Jesus Christ, to help all of God's children return to Him. It's the greatest work ever, and you can be a part of it!!!! :) It's so exciting!!

Well, I've written a novel, but just a few funny moments this week:

- I was helping a less active move her couch, and her chihuahua BIT ME IN THE LEG. I'm serious. It didn't hurt too bad, hardly at all, but it was crazy... hahaha.

- Sis R. and I were talking about license plates (the things you talk about while walking finding people every day...) and I told her how mine used to be Eagle76. She said "wow, that's cool! It sounds like a secret code name!" The conversation escalated, and we began trying to figure out a secret code name for her. I said "Hm... how about something cool, like... Falcon99...."

She turned and looked at me, and said thoughtfully, "How about something more like... Hello Kitty?"

Hahaha, it made me laugh. She's so funny (: She loves everything pink, with bows and sparkles and hello kitty, even though she hates cats. It just made me laugh.

Well, love you guys! It's been an awesome week. Next week I'll get to tell you all about my new area... crazy!!

Love you!! (:

love,

Sister Whitney Morris

Hillbilly teeth... you cover your teeth in pink starbursts for gums, then make yellow teeth. We were laughing hysterically. I would highly recommend it if your in the need of a silly moment or a good laugh (: haha, they make me laugh (:

A family we taught in our ward. They brought out a surprise bday cake and sang happy birthday for me (: They are such a fun family! I love their kids we're teaching too!