Letter home 6-23

Dear Family,

Thanks so much for the email! It was really fun hearing about everything that has been going on. I'm so glad the visit with Grandma and Grandpa went well! The sister missionaries look sooo fun!! I'm so glad you guys love them. :) It's so hard when you get close to members and have to leave... but having that relationship with the families is one of the best parts of being a missionary. That's so awesome you could get so close to them. :) Thank you for sending the lyrics to that song! I really loved it. :) And I really appreciate all the hope and I guess perspective check? Your emails give me. Sometimes I know I'm way too hard on myself... I guess it's one major way Satan gets to me sometimes. So thanks for all the support and everything :) I'm definitely doing better! I can see myself growing stronger and happier and more confident... hopefully more into the person Heavenly Father wants me to be. It's slooooowww, and I still have so many weaknesses... but such is life, growth takes time and effort! So it's all good. :) 

It has been so cool having you share your experiences and testimony with J!!  Thanks for taking the time to answer his questions and help him. That has been so cool having you involved in missionary work and in the people I'm teaching! You are an amazing missionary! :D :D

I'm so excited for the oregon berry jam! Haha, that sounds delicious. That does remind me though - do you have any tips on losing weight, on your mission? Or maybe google some tips? I've just gained like 10 lbs since I've gotten here... which isn't too bad, considering everything we're fed... but I want to get back in shape again. Especially since we work out every day and are just on bikes now, in 110 degree weather. Hopefully I'll lose weight and get in great shape this summer :) 

The pictures of Isaac and Jacob were hilarious! Their hair... haha, that sounded so fun! Hannah dancing, listening to Styx... that was just so awesome :D I love you guys! 

Thanks for looking into the colleges!! I appreciate it so much. I honestly have no idea what to do... George Mason sounds cool, is it pretty expensive though? I want to go where there's plenty of LDS people, so either DC area or out West would be good.. probably DC or BYU Idaho. I've even thought of Arizona State University, which sounds way fun, but I don't think I would want to be that far from family haha. I'm so happy Dexter and Brittany are (maybe) waiting until I get back!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D Can you believe it's in a year?? The past few months have flown by... it's so crazy! Speaking of which, do you have Brittany's address? or email address? I would love to write to her!

This week has been so cool!! We had zone conference and it was AMAZING. President T told us the coolest new program the church is making!!! It's for spanish speakers, but if it works, it may end up spreading to english and other languages. Their starting the pilot/experimental program in July. So basically, missionaries getting called Spanish speaking are going to have an online tutor start teaching them spanish 6 months before they enter the MTC... when they go in the MTC for two weeks, the tutor will teach them there. Then while on their misison, the tutor will work with their trainer (a normal missionary called to train the new greenie) for the 12 week training program. After the 12 weeks are done, the tutor will continue to check up with them every month for the rest of their mission. In their last two months in the field, the tutor will start teaching them every day again - just training them how to ease the transition going home - school applications, dating, ect. Crazy huh?? Then when that missionary gets home, he/she will become a trainer, if they want to, and will be the tutor for a new missionary. Isn't that so cool??? I guess the church is focusing on making the home a MTC, so one way their doing that is by trying out this program. I'm not spanish speaking, but I was so excited to hear about it!! Who knows, maybe when Isaac goes he will be involved in it? It's so cool to see the new exciting things that are happening.

We had a really cool lesson with C. She's not on date yet, but she came to church and is reading from the Book of Mormon, and we've seen her hope grow so much. She actually looks a bit happy :) She wants to continue growing and learning in the gospel. She's on a really good path right now and I know it's going to bless her and help her find peace and happiness, and hope. We love her and I just really, really hope we can help her, and that she'll be strong and continue. I have faith that she will!

We had the coolest doorstep lesson! So we have a list of members of the ward called the B list, which is basically a list of people who are so less active that we're not sure if they live there anymore. So we went by one, and it turned out he didn't live there. But a man answered the door named T. He is so cool! He just got out of prison, and just wants to make changes in his life and come closer to God. He was telling us that he's changed a lot, and he used to be an angry person, but he isn't anymore. He really wants to follow God. We showed him the Because of Him video, and he loved it! After we showed it to him, he said "That reminds me of a poem I wrote". He then rapped a poem he wrote that was like 2 or 3 minutes long, and it was sooooo powerful. It was all about his relationship with God and how God has helped him change his heart, and what he wants his future life to be like. It was amazing! He is pretty much golden. Our member who was with us asked him "Have you ever been baptized ina church before?" He looked at her sadly and said "No... I haven't. But I want to!:" It was soo cool, ha. He is golden!

I also had my first bike crash this week, haha. We were biking into the church for zone meetings - which means the zone leaders and a bunch of missionaries were just getting out of their car... and my bike slid off the sidewalk, and I totally catapulted off. It was soo embarassing!! Luckily I didn't get hurt, just a scrape on the knee, but it was embarassing haha. Hopefully it's my last crash too :)

There's also another funny thing. There was this man J we taught a while ago. He's so funny! He's a hilarious older man. We first walked in, and he had this picture of a gorgeous glamorous 20 something year old woman on his wall... he told us it was his girlfriend, who had just gotten engaged to another man, but he still had her picture up on his wall. We thought it was so sad and kinda funny. Well, we had this BOM lesson where we just boldly laid it out to him - what the BOM is, what it's purpose was, ect. And we thought he didn't like it. But we gave him over to the elders, and he's been reading! I guess he's been progressing super well, and is probably going to get baptized soon. Anyways, he has told them a different story about his girlfriend every time... how she is a hairdresser and does everybody's hair, how she saw him reading the BOM and said that she is actually a mormon, all these funny stories... well, he came to church Sunday and loved it! He fit right in! And we loved having him there, he's funny haha. But he told us his girlfriend couldn't come because she goes to another Christian church now... it's just so funny. We think his girlfriend is imaginary haha, and he always tells these stories about her. It's hilarious! But he's a really awesome man, very smart and very goofy sense of humor. So it's awesome!

J is doing great! I can't wait for her baptism. Next week is transfers... I'm hoping I stay. I think Sis D is probably going to leave, she's been here forever. But I'm going to miss her if she does! Anyways, we'll see what happens. But J is solid - she goes to yw on her own, and is going to girls camp, and pretty much goes to church on her own now too. She's so amazing. This past week we skyped K in from Hawaii, her sister, in on a lesson, and it was so cool :D

I've also been teaching so many people on line, which has been amazing! I'm teaching a lady from Fiji, a young man from India, talking to a few people from Africa, and Jo from the UK. It's so cool!!! Facebook is on fire with missionary work right now! It's so exciting.

Well, thanks for the emails and everything :) Love you guys! And I do have one question. Do you happen to know if medtronic has a way to send insulin to you? Apparently one elder whose diabetic does, he has insurance from the military though... but I was wondering. Because then I wouldn't have to rely on a doc for prescriptions. My insulin is getting low, and my last doctor was soooo sketchy... he refused to give me any prescriptions I needed unless I came and saw him again. I have my next appt in 3 weeks, so I'm just hoping and praying that doctor is better! So hopefully it should be fine. But just wondering if you could look into it? Thanks so much for having them send the medical records and everything, I appreciate it :)

 

Love you guys!! So glad you liked the letters. :) Your the best. I'll talk with you next week!

love,

Sister Whitney Morris

The mission president's devotional with J! we took a picture in the same place as when we went with Karen. it was funny. 

 

 

(This is text from a letter Whitney wrote home this week. Too good not to share! :) <3
June 16, 2014

Dear Family,
Funny story... I didn't have time to write some stories home so I was just sitting down to. I took down the box I keep my letter writing stuff in, which is a package I got from you, I looked on the side, and there was handwriting!!! Saying the pics mommy glued on were ones you're duplicating. :) That is so fun!!! how did they go? I would love to see pictures! I also loved the letters I got. It makes me so happy to think of you all reading this together after school. I can totally picture it!


 Hannah, Adam, I'm so sorry this year was hard (at school). I love that our families can be our best friends! Our families ARE our best friends ever!!! that's why Heavenly Father put us here in them. :) And that's why He wants our families to be eternal, in the temple. I think first, because to go to the temple we need to be living worthy-we need to be following the Savior. when we live worthy and follow Jesus Christ, I know that's when we and our families are happiest! And of course Heavenly Father wants our families to be together in the temple too, because that means that happiness and love and friendship will be with us forever! and we will feel that completely and perfectly, even more than in our imperfect state right now. Just imagine that. :) It's amazing! And I am SO GRATEFUL you're my family!


This week had been so awesome. It's been hard. Like I said, I think I hit my lowest point yet last week, which wasn't too bad, but hard, yeah. However, one of my favorite scriptures in Ether 12 talks about how the Lord gives us weaknesses so we may be humble, and when we are humble and turn to Him, he helps us be strong. I love this scripture. Recently I have felt weighed down because of my weaknesses. Standing in the grocery line today I realized that other peoples weaknesses don't make them less valuable or loved to God. That means my weaknesses don't make me less valuable or loved by god either. He loves each of us, and every soul has worth in the sight of God. However, He wants us to try and overcome that weakness and be strong -and the only way we can do that is through the Savior.


I just know that Jesus Christ lives. I feel his goodness and His love in my life. As I follow Him, I am happy. He is my rock and He is my friend, my dearest friend. I never feel alone when I feel his spirit near. When you feel alone, so your best to feel the Spirit and remember sometimes Heavenly Father lets us feel those things so we can have compassion and empathy for others, like Christ, when He finally had to feel all the pain and sorrows alone, so He could know how we felt. How unfair that was, and yet He did it for us. I love my Savior. I know I want to follow Him all my life. and serve Him.


Guys, this gospel is incredible! I always knew it, but I have never seen it so clearly in others lives. Transformation people make is real. Miracles happen every day when a persons faith grows, or a persons life and heart is changed because of the atonement of Christ. I truly hope you all get to serve missions one day, or get to see this in your own lives, or the lives of your children and family and friends. It's remarkable! Life is wonderful! Men (and women) are made so they can have joy.

 

Well, I was going to tell you some stories but that letter took a serious note. :) The spiritual part of the mission is the best part. <3 It's what keeps you going, and it's where you learn and change the most. I hope I'm a much better person when I get home. I wonder what changes you'll see? And what changes I'll see in you? I hope and I know that they will be good ones!


It is getting so hot here. The Elders here in our ward - one of them is Elder A, he's so funny! Booming voice, he reminds me of Adam. :D Anyhow, we share the ward with them & 1 other set of elders. Well, this past week, elder A. was biking and his front wheel came off! He hurt his wrist and has a gnarly cut on his face and had to get stitches- it was so sad. Anyhow that happened and so Sis D. & I had to give them our car so we're almost 100% on bikes now. Crazy huh?? It's over 100 every day. It hasn't really bothered me though, being a wimp in the cold has finally paid off. :) Although your body gets so hot that when we put on a cardigan for church (we have to wear them for meetings) the cardigan felt wet because it was so much cooler than our bodies! haha.


Luckily we have awesome ward members who come with us, so they drive us around. Our ward mission leader is so awesome! he's in his 60's and his wife was baptized a few months ago. He was in the Special Forces in the marines and served in the Korean War, and used to be a boxer. He's so awesome!!! Every time he hears good news he always yells "outta sight!" haha. He makes us laugh. I love the people here. We also started teaching a lady who is the mother of a navy seal. She used to be homeless and now lives in a house with another family with almost nothing. It's so crazy here. There is drugs, alcohol, poverty, petty & violent crime everywhere. You wouldn't believe the stories and experiences people share with us. it's heartbreaking. But it's amazing to see how there are people like K & J who grow in this environment but still live clean lives even without the gospel. We taught J. the law of chastity last week and she told us how her friends at school listen to yucky rap music that is so degrading to women, and she always feels so uncomfortable around it. It was amazing to see how much light she already had. :) She was so prepared.


Which reminds me, there is this Awesome lady in our ward named Sis. T. She's from Samoa and has the most AMAZING family. And is so strong. She came out with us one day and we were talking about women and the priesthood. She said one day a woman came up to her, wanting her to support some program or whatever that would empower women. Sis. T. said "Oh no, you've got the wrong woman." The lady asked "Why?" Sis T. said "Because I am NOT weak!"

I LOVED that! It's so true! Women and men are amazing and complement each other.


Well, this is a super long letter, haha. I just love being a missionary. :) And I love and miss you guys a ton. Your support for me being a missionary helps me not miss home. Thank you for that! :) 
I love you guys. You're the best!
#Bestfamilyever #familyswag #family4lyfeandbeyond
#likemygangstalingo? #dontloseyacool. :) Hahaha.


Love ya! Love, Sister Whitney Morris.

#gosomewhere #ghettobirds (helicopters, usually police looking for people.) Did I tell you at stake conference the police came after looking for someone? Apparently they heard a wanted man was going to be there -also a few days ago we came home and there was a "ghettobird" circling our apt. like 5 cop cars, then 4 or 5 normal cars drove up and undercover cops jumped out of them and ran to the scene. We don't know what happened, but it's crazy here, haha.

 

#youladieslooksexyonyourbikes #merrychristmas (these hashtags are things people have said to us)

 

*Also, I may or may not have a blossoming love for Chihuahuas -the mean ones are awful but the nice ones are sooo cute.  I guess Maryvale is famous for having hordes of them, haha.


Our ward is so funny! All different cultures and old people who are sometimes racist and tease each other all the time. Also quite often you'll see groups of teenage couples dancing in their front yard, practicing for quincaneras. It's so fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Letter home June 16

Dear Family,

 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD!!!!! :) :)

and...

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!!! :) :) :)

You guys are THE BEST, and I hope you have the best days ever!!! Kids, I hope you spoil them!!
I'm so glad you had fun with G&G! Those pictures looked like a blast :D  Thanks for having D. over for dinner, too!

I loved reading about your insights from PMG! They really inspired me and lifted me up. I'm so happy you're reading it!!! :) The Book of Mormon challenge pics and posts were so great too!!!! You guys are awesome missionaries! 

 

That's awesome you could message J. I have been teaching him - I don't know how open he is, but he said he read the first chapter! Hopefully it's planting some seeds. I know if he reads and prays, he'll gain that testimony from the Holy Spirit. I hope and pray he does, and that all our investigators do ha. 

 

I'm so excited for your sealing next month :) That is coming so fast!! I can't wait. <3 Oh, and thanks for taking care of the blog (: I'm not quite sure what the rules are... we'll have to see! The letter I sent should be the name and address of the doc in Arizona, that I sent in the mail. That was his info! Hopefully it comes - or came? in the mail already! I sent it last Monday. 

 

Also thanks so much for the package!!! I LOVED the sock monkey, the skirt is SO cute!! And funny story about the cd - I love that cd!! I remember listening to it in New Jersey and it helped me a lot :) So funny story - l opened the cd, and freaked out, and was telling Sis D about it - and she asks... "Wait... whose it by?" I tell her, and it turns out the singer is her aunt!!! How funny is that?? She's also from Oregon, and we were born in the same hospital in SLC... how weird is that?? Haha, it made me laugh :D So thanks! I also loved the letters from everyone :) Those are always my favorite part!

 

Well, this week has been awesome! I think I hit my lowest point so far, like the past two weeks. It was soooooo hard. I felt so stressed, overburdened, pressured, and just irritated and impatient. It was so hard. But I hit my bottom, and since then - especially the end of this week - I have been coming back up. It's amazing. :)

 

 I think I just finally realized that I needed to turn to the Savior in everything, and not worry about things that don't matter.

 It's funny - during my whole mission, half the time I am absolutely nervous or scared - whether it be in talking to people, training in district meetings once in a while, etc. There are many things out of your comfort zone as a missionary! 

 

Well, in the past I've always just sucked it up and done my best, and done it anyway. 

 

This past week, I've still felt nervous... but I've found that the words and the things we do in lessons have started just coming out naturally. I still feel so nervous the whole time, and often don't know what to say. But I open my mouth, and the Spirit guides me and helps me know what to say, and it just comes out! And it's coming out better than it has my whole mission! I am so grateful!! 

 

This week has been awesome. The greatest thing this week, or the most exciting thing, that has happened is online proselyting!! We've been using facebook for missionary work since the beginning of my mission, and it was going well... but I didn't really know how to use it. I would just message current investigators or post uplifting thoughts or work with members. However, there are some missionaries that have been teaching people from all over the world, and some of those people - like in Africa and other remote areas - have been getting baptized! Well, our zone leader - Elder D (he's from Argentina) is a pro! He taught Sis D and I how to use facebook to find people! So I've started finding and teaching people online. Right now I'm talking to J, and then a lady who I'm not sure where she lives, but she speaks Fijian and limited english... and then a young man from India. It's so cool!! And so exciting! I'm still learning how to use it, but it's so exciting to learn, and to use it more efficiently to do missionary work. I am so excited :D 

 

J is doing awesome. She had a very difficult family time the last few weeks, and now wants to wait until K gets home to be baptized. So she'll be baptized on July 12th... after transfers. I really hope I'm still here! But she's so solid. She goes to yw activities on her own, and church, and we brought her to a mission president fireside last night, which she loved. She's doing awesome. :) 

 

We also started teaching a lady named C, who has come through an awful, awful past. She's trying to get a divorce right now from a scary man, and trying to keep herself and her children safe. It's soo heartbreaking. But we started teaching her, she felt hopeless and lost and so sad. She still feels this way I think... but even in our second or third lesson with her, we have started seeing small rays of hope enter into her attitude and into her life. It has been so humbling. She came to a baptism on Saturday, and felt the Spirit. She wants to fill her life with more positive things, and it's amazing to see her be able to have hope. We are inviting her to be baptized on July 19th tonight. We will see how it goes! Please pray for her!

 

We also had a really cool experience this past week. We went out with your yw president in our ward. Well, we usually ask members if they have a few people - inactive members, nm friends, etc, they would like to go by. That night, she said she felt prompted to go visit a young woman who hasn't been to church in a long, long time. We went by, and knocked on the door, and the mom answered and she was just crying and crying. A few days before her daughter - the yw - had been admitted into the hospital and her mom was so sad. It was incredible to see our yw president comfort her and build her up, and make plans to be a support and a source of love to the daughter as well. It was amazing how she followed the promptings to help the yw in her ward and her family. I know following the Spirit that night helped us to be able to help that family.

 

As you have probably picked up, the people here have the most difficult trials. It is humbling and heavy sometimes. But it's also incredible to see their strength and their faith in God, when they turn to Him. I love it here.

 

Besides those things, it really has been a great week. Some really funny things happened. :) 

 

We knocked the door of a member who they weren't even sure if he still lived there or not. He had a ton of parakeets outside his front door (they have wild ones here! And keep them as pets outside.) Well, he opened the door, and we're pretty sure he was drunk... but when we introduced ourselves, he said "The missionaries!! I am crying tears of happiness!" Hahaha, we talked and set up an appt, and as we were leaving the parakeets all started cat whistling at us.... the guy must have thought we thought it was him, because he yelled out "those are the parakeets!" haha it was so funny!

 

We also street contacted the cutest old man! He was so funny. It was his birthday, and he was turning like 65. He went off on this huge rant about how he hated church because the preachers take all his money.... he asked  if our preachers did, and we said no, that they were volunteers. Then he asked who led our church, and we told him a prophet, and he just went off how that was even worse than preachers. It was so sad, but he was the cutest old man that he wasn't mean or anything... just very, very dramatic haha. Anyways, we left with us telling him Happy Birthday and him telling us not to believe in prophets. You just got to love them! 

 

So yeah, it was a great week. :) I hope you guys all have a wonderful one. I'm running out of time, but I'll write later today, especially for fathers day and Mommy's birthday :) 

 

Love you guys!! :) Thanks for your prayers and love. Talk with ya next week!

 

love,

Sister Whitney Morris

Sometimes people do this here when they get evicted... Crazy huh?
  

  

Sis D got asked to play in sacrament mtg... she plays about as well as I do... hahaha it was so funny. She's awesome!

 

 

June 9

Dear Family,

Thanks so much for the emails! I love hearing about home :) That's so awesome you have such great sisters in our ward!! Do you ever go out with them on lessons? If not, I know you guys are suppppeerrr busy, but I promise you it would be an amazing experience :) And the missionaries appreciate it so much! And it helps the people they are teaching SO much, to see normal people share their testimonies and be their friends. You guys would be awesome fellowships! Actually, you already are, to alot of people!! Great job in your missionary work and all your efforts to share the gospel :) I'm so proud of you guys! Seriously. We have the best family EVER. :) 

Haha I loved hearing about Hannah's admirers.... the adventure begins haha. She won't hear the end of it for years! Wish her luck for me, she IS beautiful and is so amazing. :) I think of her often now actually. J kind of reminds me of her - just so  mature and so smart, and loves Jesus Christ. She's mature way beyond her years! So that's awesome. :)

I loved the pictures of Jacob's room!!! Wow!!! That's the coolest bed ever! He looks so happy and proud too :D And Isaac's Irish Swag shirt was hilarious.... oh my gosh hahaha. Love it. The living room looks great, and wow Virginia looks so beautiful! And the horses look beautiful too, that's awesome you guys can go out riding, even when they buck you off haha. Way to go for getting back on, Dad! :D 

I can't believe I'm 1/3 of the way done too!!! Isn't that so crazy? That's funny the elders there say YOSO, here alot of missionaries say YOMO - you only mission once - but I think YOSO sounds a bit more cool. :) 

Good luck with everything going on this week. I'll be praying! Also, thanks for commenting (on internet posts)! As long as it's gospel related, you guys are good to comment and share your testimonies and everything, as much as you would like :D That's so awesome!

I haven't seen the comments from the posts I posted yesterday... to be honest, I'm a bit scared to actually, haha. It's an awesome paragraph from PMG, about how after centuries of being lost the gospel was restored, but I didn't realize until people started commenting mean things that it probably sounded offensive to them that the gospel was lost... sooo we'll see what sort of comments it brings. Proselyting online is so hard! I'm still getting the hang of it. Some missionaries have had a TON of success, I can tell you many miracle stories of people in Africa and other places of the world being baptized because of missionaries here messaging them on facebook. :) So, I'm just hoping as long as I keep posting and doing my best, it will reach someone! 

This week has been really great. It's honestly been a bit of a blur, so much has happened! 

We had exchanges this week, and I had an experience - or other missionaries had an experience - that just woke me up, and made me completely reconsecrate myself and dedicate myself to my purpose as a missionary. Someday I'll tell you guys about it. :) But I can just bear my testimony so strongly that missionaries are happy and have the Spirit with them when they forget themselves and get to work! Seriously, the key to happiness is forgetting yourself and getting to work. I think that's true in anything - just stop worrying about yourself, and worry about other people. Don't dwell in your weaknesses or feeling bad for yourself. Worry about serving and working hard and loving others, and doing what's right. Work hard, and everything else will work out, and life will be happy :) It's the best!

We've had a really good week with J and S. J is doing so well!! Yesterday we took her to the Mesa Temple Visitor's Center with her friend L, and some members, and it was sooo fun! The elders in our ward also brought the cutest family who were baptized yesterday, so we all crammed in the car together and drove up - Sis Dy and I, J, L, our awesome member, the elders, and 4 of the family's sons. It was so fun! Haha, it was hilarious. But we went to the temple, and talked, and it was sooo amazing. They felt the Spirit so strongly! We walked around the grounds, felt the peace and light there, and took pictures, and talked about the meaning of the temple and the things we do there. And then we watched the Joseph Smith movie, which was so powerful. I felt the Spirit so strongly. I know that he was truly a prophet of God. Afterwards we looked at all the different Book of Mormons - they had one in Navajo, which is so cool, because there are many Native American people in our ward - there are people from everywhere! Mexico, the Phillipines, Asia, Native Americans... I absolutely love it. But it's cool because some of them can actually read and speak Navajo, it's amazing to see. :) We talked about it, and J said that the temple felt like home. And L said it felt like what she imagined heaven would be like. It was sooo amazing :) It was such a wonderful experience!

S is also doing well. She's a lady we've been teaching, the one who a cop referred to us, and she's been reading from the Book of Mormon. She loves feeling the Spirit every time we go teach her :) She came to church on Sunday, which was awesome! I was so happy. 

Other than that, this week has been... well, it's been great. :) I love being a missionary. It's so hard!!! I am so weak. I have so many weaknesses, and sometimes I feel sorry for Sister D, because of how stressed out I get. But she is such an awesome companion. Seriously. I can't tell you how many nice things she does... one night I came in and she had left like 50 post it notes all over my bed, just written with different things to lift and build me up. Another time I went to eat my sugar free pudding (we eat that like every day haha) and there was a post it note wrapped in wax paper with a nice thing written on it! I just appreciate her so much. She is so patient and so kind to me. Guys, companions are the best. 

It's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster week. Just feeling stressed, inadequate, and alone. Why is it so hard for me to make friends?? Haha. I'm so awkward... but I'm trying so hard. And when I start feeling that way, I remember that I need to forget myself and get to work. And when I do that, I'm so happy. :) Being focused on the work and on the Savior is what brings the greatest happiness and excitement and peace in this work. I love the gospel. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to make a goal to read the Bible - or at least the New Testament - before the end of my mission. And I love you guys! Thanks for always being there for me. I miss you, but I feel your support and love so much, and I still wouldn't be anywhere then where I am today. :) 

Love you guys! Thanks for everything. <3

love,

Sister Whitney Morris

-Also, thanks for the advice about school! I was actually thinking about that... I don't know what to do. Are most of the schools in DC super expensive? If I don't finish in 4 years, which may happen because of transferring again, I don't want huge student loans for the extra time... and I want to be in a good program, but I still don't know what I want to be doing. Maybe art and graphic design? Definitely photography, but maybe something else more... I don't know what the word is. Profitable? Career applicable? If that makes sense. I don't know what to do with my life! Haha, but yeah. If you could apply to BYU I, maybe BYU, or maybe some schools in DC that would be amazing :) I would loooove going to college in DC... that would be incredible. Anyways. I will definitely pray about it :) and I'm sure when the time comes the Lord will guide me. I just want to have a few different options to choose from. Anyhow, these are trunky topics haha, back to missionary work! Thanks so much for doing that for me. I love you guys!

Us sisters and J and L and C in front of the temple :) it was soo beautiful!

 

 

Driving to Mesa, haha. we were crunched!

 

This one with the little kid talking to me, I love! Because they reminded me of Adam and Peter and my little brothers. It was so fun! :) So I had to send it, haha.

 

a carwash

 

 

Letter home June 2

A's baptism!! It was so wonderful. :) The Spirit was so strong! I love this family!

Dear Family,

What a fun email to read! I loved hearing about Isaac's patriarchal blessing. I think he's pretty special too (: All the kids are. I'm so excited to see what they do and become as they grow up. (: That's funny you asked about D, I actually was going to ask about him too. I haven't heard from him since his first letter. Do you know if he has friends in the ward? It seemed like B. and he were friends for a bit. I really hope he's doing well, and is still reading the Book of Mormon. That's exciting Grandma and Grandpa may be moving to VA too!! That's so awesome! :) It would be neat to have them closer. 

Well, this week has been AMAZING. I even wrote a spiritual list and a funny/cool things that happened list for you guys. (: So here it goes haha.

We've started teaching J, K's younger sister, and she is soooooo incredible. Oh my goodness. We have had the most amazing lessons with her! She is so prepared, and is so ready and excited about the gospel. The Spirit was so strong when we taught her about Joseph Smith, and about Jesus Christ's Atonement. When we taught her about the Book of Mormon, we taught her and testified to her about how important it is - how, with the witness that the Book of Mormon is true, ew can also know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. Her face was filled with happiness and excitement and almost wonder! And with a huge smile on her face, she said "I can't believe I'm holding it in my hands!" It was the most amazing moment. :) The Spirit was sooo strong.  She is going to be baptized on June 14th, and we are so excited! She also came to church for the first time yesterday, and really wants to go to girls camp!

We taught her one lesson earlier this week, and then on Wednesday morning we got this text from K that said "I don't know how I did it, but I somehow convinced my younger sister (V) to sit in on the lesson today!!" We were so excited!!! V is also amazing. She's 14, and has been meeting with the Jehovah's Witnesses for a long time. We had a really awesome lesson, and she felt the Spirit so strongly :) During the lesson, she told us that she's grown to love the Jehovah's Witness lady that has taught her, but she didn't feel a connection to the religion. She had actually met with her a few hours before our lesson with her, and she said the whole time it just didn't feel right. She said she had always wondered why K and J were so happy and so excited when they got out of our lessons with us, and she said now - as we had taught her and talked with her - she knew why. She felt the Spirit, and she is also so ready and so prepared :) She soft committed to baptism, so today we're going to invite her to a baptismal date. We'll see how it goes! :) It was so cool, when we taught her about Joseph Smith we asked her if she believed that this could happen. She told us yes, she believed it's true... and that when we shared the First Vision with her, she had this feeling that she couldn't describe, but that it felt so true. The Spirit was so strong then too. It was amazing. :) I don't know if you guys have watched The District videos on the mormon channel, but every time I teach them I feel like we are in one of those. It's sooo amazing!! I love being a missionary!! And I honestly feel like I was sent here to Phoenix, just for this family. I know K is going to be a friend for life. :) She just left to Hawaii for two months, and I was sooo sad! We miss her! But teaching J and V has been INCREDIBLE, and I just love them all so much! I feel like I was sent here just for their family. We are helping unite their family in the gospel, one sister at a time. :) Haha.

It was so cool because the last lesson we had with them this week, we walked in the door, and their 10 year old sister L and their two cousins were sitting on the couch... V and J had told them all about us, and had invited them to the lesson that day. It was an awesome lesson, the Spirit was strong then too, and I know they felt it! The gospel just keeps moving forward!! 

We've also had some really amazing goals set this transfer. Pres. T has invited all of the missionary companionships to baptize this transfer. It's amazing, because we have seen so many miracles. Our zone by itself has doubled the amount of people that they've put on date for baptism, just in the past two weeks. All the missionaries were assigned a specific companionship to fast for and pray for, and it's really increased the Spirit and the unity in our zone. It's just such an exciting time to be here. :)

It's also super exciting in the ward... with the new elders, we've been meeting with the bishop and our ward mission leader and putting together new ideas and ways to help the ward in their missionary work. We're really focusing on changing their.. perspective. Our ward is AMAZING. They support us so much! I absolutely love them. Right now, in general, there's a perspective more that the members come with us to drive us, and to help us find and teach. We are trying to change that perspective, to where we are going with the members to visit their friends and help them teach. It's super exciting. The bishop asked us to start teaching a class every Sunday, based on Preach My Gospel and a book Elder Christofferson wrote, to help the ward members get excited and have that perspective of hastening the work. It's so exciting!! I can't wait to see what happens!!!

We also had some super funny and cool moments!

I ate my first elote this week, which is a corn on the cob cooked, with mayonnaise, cheese, chili powder, and lemon juice on it. Surprisingly it's superrrr good, although they usually put too much mayo on. So with almost no mayo, it would be delicious :D I love the food here! Tamales, elote, horchata, enchiladas, carne asada... it's so yummy.

We got super cool Phoenix t shirts last transfer, and I sent some pictures. :) The whole zone has them. 

We went out with a member named Sis R, and she's sooo funny!! I love her. She's an older single lady, whose never been married, and who is so smart. We just love her. She always says the funniest things too.... we were going to visit a lady named Joy, and we always pray in the car before we knock any door. In her prayer she said the normal things "Thank you that we can be serving, ect... and then she said "Please bless us to have joy as we visit Joy". Hahaha I don't know why, but it made me laugh so hard... she's just so funny (: 

Another day we were talking with the elders in our ward, Elder A and Elder F. (Elder A is from Sugarhouse! SLC!) Anyhow, we were having this intense conversation, and suddenly over the intercom we heard Sister M - one of the sisters we live with - singing a song in chicken noises over the intercom.... it was soooo funny! We all just cracked up laughing, hahaha. She sang it for a long time too... it was so funny.

We were also out with another member who I LOVE, and I think she was having a hard day :/ It was sad. But it was so funny, because we were driving... and it was crazy!!! We pulled out of an apt complex and she started driving on the wrong side of the road, directly into oncoming traffic.... and then at the end of the night, I leaned over to give her a hug, and I opened my eyes and saw that the car was slowly moving backwards.... she had left it in reverse and didn't even notice! It was so crazy hahaha.
 

There's also this hilarious lady named Sister D. She's part of this AMAZING family, their son served his mission in England, and Sis D is so sassy! She's so funny! Anyways, during dinner the mom was telling us how her dog had been chewing on her shoes. Sis D said "Ohhh snap! If a dog every chewed on MY shoe, I would grab that shoe and woop his bum with it!!" She said it so sassy, we were all dying haha. It was so funny. Last week she told us that my nametag freaked her out every time she saw it, because Morris is her maiden name... so we always joke around with her and say "Yeah, that really freaked me out". It's just so fun. I love it here. :)

Well, there is one more thing - I've been thinking, and I think I may want to transfer to BYU- Idaho when I get home, or BYU Provo. I LOVE SVU, and the East coast, and I reallllyyyyy don't want to leave it... but it's just so small! It would be nice to have more friends nearby, and just more people in general. Plus it's cheaper, and has really good art/graphic design/photography programs. So I was just wondering if you guys could apply for me? I think I can write the essays when I get permission, but it would be nice to get it started now, so I could be accepted for next fall. What do you guys think? I'm praying about it, but trying not to think too much about it, because we're really focused on mission work. But it's something to think about :)

Well, I love you guys!!!! I loved the pictures, and I'm so glad everyone is doing well. Also, I don't know if I ever thanked you for the package with the garments and journal. Thanks again for those. :) 

Ooh, we also had a baptism this weekend - A. He's so cute! I love him and his family. Their Navajo, and they have the coolest traditions from their culture. A is just the perfect example of being meek and kind like a child. :) He's just so fun too, haha. It was a wonderful baptism. :) 

 Love you guys! Talk with you next week. :) Also, read Alma 26! I was reading it this morning, and the joy Alma describes I relate with perfectly!!! And I know you can too. :) I especially love when he talks about how hard he worked, and then at the end, he says behold the number of your sheaves! And then he talks about how the sheaves - the people he taught - were safe from the storms, and were in the Lord's hands. It's the best being a missionary. :)

Love you!!

love,

Sister Whitney Morris

P.S. thats funny you think it's weird to write Sister Morris hahaha... I was thinking of calling myself Whitney last name, and it was soooooooo weird!!! Funny stuff :)


This girl is awesome (: she got baptized in March and comes out on visits with us all the time!

 We got these super cool t shirts last transfer! A sister missionary we roomed with designed the pattern. The back is my favorite (: it's a Phoenix for Phoenix zone!

 (A zone is the group of missionaries that cover a bit area. Ours covers North Phoenix. Their divided up into districts, and my district is the 2 sets of elders we share the ward with, plus another set of sisters. It's awesome (: we live with the sister training leaders who are Spanish speaking, and one of them is Sis L! She was one of the sister training leaders in Mesa when I first got here, and we were roommates then too! She helped me out a ton, and so I was so happy when she got transferred here!

Las fotos de Phoenix y A's Baptism

Also the palm trees and shoes on the phone lines... those shoes are EVERYWHERE!

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures with K before Hawaii!!!

Also V, she's the one on the bottom left between K and I, and then behind Sister D is J. They're so awesome :) I love them!

 

 

Us with J's nieces and nephews :) Their the funniest, and cutest, kids. I love them!

  

Pics with us and J :)  She just moved, and I'm going to miss her! She's so awesome!

 

 

 

 

More pics with A and P and N :) Missions are HARD WORK and sometimes you are exhausted!

 

 

 

 

Also sis M doing a Mexican selfie. She's hilarious. She's the one whose super good at making chicken noises, haha