11-28-2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Family,

Mommy, I LOVED hearing about your trip!! And the pictures are sooo beautiful! The Redwoods look incredible... and I absolutely love how happy you look. You look amazing, inside and out. :) I'm so grateful you went on that trip! It sounded like a lot of healing happened. It's incredible how times like those can bring the family together again. I'm so grateful you could have that experience. Dad and the kids, hahaha, your comments and statuses were hilarious!! I loved the farm animals revolting since their captain Mommy was gone... especially how the ducks were always watching hahahaha. You guys are hilarious! :D I love our beautiful farm in Virginia. WOW, Valerie's house was stunning! Her home reminded me of a lot in Gilbert. It's amazing what you can do to a home, even with not much money. I love our brick home in Virginia :) It would be fun to come home and decorate it more. That's so sweet you could see Uncle Asa too! <3  Thanks so much for signing me up for Adopt A Soldier! It's really cool - I got his info and description today, and he mentioned that he is Christian, and a little bit about himself. Perfect segway into mentioning I'm serving as a missionary! I think it was meant to be! Thanks so much for doing that! I'm also so happy you all had a fun Thanksgiving! I am SO excited for Randi to come out and move in! :) I love her!! And it was fun to see the table spread... . It was fun seeing pics of the elders and Shannon and Dexter and Britt! You guys all look so great! Jacob looks so old! And Hannah looks BEAUTIFUL. Holy cow! I'm so glad you all had a fun time, especially in the hot tub! Fancyy. :) I loved Peter's modest buttoned up shirt haha. He's so cute! And so is Adam! 

Well, there's not too much to write about today, since p day was on
Wednesday. But it's been a good week! It's funny, a member was sharing
their testimony and they talked about how sometimes life is like a
wheel. There are times where everything seems to be going right,
better then usual, and your at the top. Then it circles around, and
things go wrong, and your at the bottom. Luckily we know there must be
opposition in all things. So we can have faith and know that no matter
what, with the Savior things will always get better. It's really been
a good week, we've been working so, so hard! And things haven't
necessarily gone wrong, they've just been more difficult haha. But I
have faith that the wheel will circle around again and things will go
better this week :) We've been working really hard to get members out
with us this week. We had a funny experience where we asked a recent
convert to come out with us. Well, she showed up happy and excited to
go - along with her 9 yr old daughter and nonmember cousin (who was in
her pajamas and slippers, since she just rolled out of bed to come!)
Haha so we went around trying to find people home to teach, with our
little caravan in tow... It was a little scary because she was a crazy
driver hahaha.It was funny to hear about you being scared of Mel's driving in San Fransisco, because I literally thought I saw my life flash before my eyes! My only faith was in the missionary protection haha, it was so scary.  So after a few houses we decided to just ask if we could teach them a lesson at the church. We did, and it ended up being
a great lesson. It's funny, the cousin was in a band, and so she loves
music. She listens to the hymns every night, and her favorite is "how
lovely was the morning"! Because of how it makes her feel. We taught
them about joseph smith, and she said she doesn't want to get
baptized, because she is working to become a bartender... But it was
still a good lesson, and I think someday she'll get there. So that was
a funny experience :)

L. got baptized this week!! That was so wonderful! She got
baptized with a lady who the Elders were teaching who we share a Ward
with. This week their investigator - M L- had us all over for
dinner, all the missionaries plus L and her kids. It was the
sweetest dinner! It was like an early Thanksgiving, just so so cozy,
with everyone talking and laughing. I absolutely loved it! It's funny,
M and her husband were married in Mexico but they weren't sure if
that was valid here. So the Bishop came and married them right after
dinner to make sure, and then the next day they were baptized! It was
awesome.

L had a really, really rough week. It's crazy how the adversary
just attacks before people get baptized. We had the saddest lesson
with her. She was so, so stressed out, and we were in the middle of
teaching, when all of a sudden she stood up, put her wallet in her
mouth, called out her sons name, and fell on the ground and had a
seizure. It was so awful. We didn't know what to do, so we just stood
there while her son helped her out. When her seizure was done she
explained to us how she struggles with those, especially when she's
stressed. It was so so humbling - her left arm and left leg don't work
well, and she just talked about how her physical struggles were
sometimes so hard that she just wanted to quit. She works so hard to
just survive, she has so little. They sometimes go dumpster diving or
collect cans to get money for food and lights. But she told us that
she knew her kids still needed her, so she needed to continue for
them. It was so humbling. She is probably the most hard working, happy
person I have ever met. It was incredible to see how strong she is,
especially when she is faced with all those challenges, and she is
still happy and wants to help others. She is incredible. So she was
baptized Saturday, and it was such a wonderful baptism. She wore her
shoes so she wouldn't slip since she has a hard time walking, and she
held her wallet in case she had a seizure. (The Bishop and WML were all okay with it.)

 But she was just glowing and so happy, and the members here love her... Especially our Ward
mission leader. He baptized and confirmed her, and it was so, so
powerful. For the baptism sister S and I sang 'beautiful
savior' from the children's songbook - the alto, soprano, and then the
descant part at the end. It was so beautiful! Sister S has an
amazing voice, and the Spirit was so strong. It was a wonderful

baptism. L is so sweet - in the lesson after the one where she had a seizure, we asked her what relieves her stress. She told us singing hymns. So we just sang hymns with her for about 20 minutes. By the end, we could see so much happiness and less of a burden in her eyes. She's so cute, afterwards she gave us a tape recorder and a cassette tape, and asked us to sing and record a tape for her of us singing so she could listen to it. So we're going to do that. :) It was the sweetest thing! I just love L. 

It was a little bit of a rougher week - our golden investigator, F, dropped us. He's the college student whose really involved in the knights of Columbus. He was so golden, he felt the Spirit so strongly, and he was loving the Book of Mormon! But he texted us and said he couldn't meet with us anymore, because he is Catholic and he can't change that. :( We think it's because of his family and friends. So that was really sad. But we still pray for him, and hope the seeds we planted will remain in his heart, so that one day they'll have a chance to grow again. Our lesson with L, the amazing kid from Mexico, also fell through... but we're hoping to see him again soon. It's been a crazy week! But we've seen a lot of miracles, especially with L. Sand R are doing great. They are the sweetest people I've ever met. They are soooo quiet, and shy, so it's so hard to figure out how much they are understanding. But they are keeping all their commitments! Most of the time when we ask them a question, they say "it makes me feel good" or "it makes me feel happy". So it's always a golden gem when they open up a little bit more. This week we taught them the Word of Wisdom, and they both committed to live it. S said she would go home and throw away all her coffee. It was so cute, she turned to R and asked him "It's going to be hard for you to quit tea, huh?" He turned to us with the hugest, brightest smile on his face and sparkling eyes, and said "No!" Haha, they were soo willing to just keep every single commitment! It is incredible. They are so quiet, but they have a sincere desire to follow Christ, and they read the Book of Mormon together every night. R can't read, so S reads out loud to him, and he repeats after her when they read together. It's so sweet how they help each other. So they are reading together every night. It was awesome, we asked R when are some times that he feels the Spirit. He got another bright, bright smile and said whenever I read the scriptures. It was sooooo powerful! I know when we read the scriptures, it doesn't matter how much we understand or if we learn anything newly profound or new - simply reading them and pondering them brings the Spirit so powerfully into our lives. Even if you've read it a million times before. That's something I'm learning today - it doesn't matter how much of it you read each day, what matters is if you take the time to read and think about it, and have a spiritual experience in the scriptures each day. That's what creates and builds faith and testimony. So that was a really sweet experience. 

We had some really great experiences at church too! It's been crazy - we haven't had church for two weeks, because of stake conference and the temple dedication, which was beautiful. Pres Monson and Pres Uchtdorf spoke. It was such a special experience. :) So this Sunday was our first at church for a while. It was amazing! We have 6 hours of church every Sunday since we cover two wards, and sometimes it is looong haha. At the end we often feel like we've been hit by a bus... especially because this week, they asked us to teach both gospel principles classes. It is so hard! As missionaries, we are always prepared and ready to teach a lesson out of PMG. But a lesson in the gospel principles manual is hard, because we don't really have the time to prepare, and it's not really something you can just wing it. But somehow the Lord helps us and it actually worked out really well. We taught about the Atonement in the first ward, and had a wonderful lesson. Alot of the recent converts shared their experiences of feeling the Atonement in their life, and it was incredible. S and R were there, they actually attend both ward's services every Sunday. So that's been fun :) But in the second ward was the incredible part. They asked us to teach literally 3 minutes before class started.... but it turned out at first only S and R were there. So we decided to share the 20 min Joseph Smith video, and then talk about Joseph Smith and the first vision after. Right as we were about to start, this couple came in who we've been teaching. He's been less active for a long time, and she isn't a member. They were just barely married and came back form their honeymoon in Mexico. They randomly came to church, and sat in the class... and it ended up soooo powerful. We watched the film, and testified of Joseph Smith, and talked about how we can have a sacred grove experience. The husband shared his testimony of before his mission when he first felt the truthfulness of the BOM and Joseph Smith, and talked about how even though his life led him far far away from the gospel, that knowledge somehow always pulled him through, and now he is coming back to partake in the gospel. It was sooo powerful. He read Moroni 10:3-5 with us, and as he read he started choking up because that's when he received his answer that it was true. The Spirit was so strong! I know his wife definitely felt it, and afterwards she walked up to us and said she wanted us to come visit her when they get back from their next trip. Her husband said for dinner, but I could see in her eyes that she wanted more then just that... I know the Spirit truly touched her heart, and I feel like she wants to learn. You can just feel it, when people are thirsty for the gospel or for the Spirit. So that was so powerful. :) 

So, it has been a fantastic week! I've been focusing on becoming a more consecrated missionary, and being "green" again. Once you've been on your mission a while, it's easy to get into the routine, and not depend on the Spirit anymore. I remember my first day in the field, my trainer brought me home for lunch, and I remember sitting inside, hearing people in the apartments outside, and thinking "Why are we in here?? We should be outside talking to them!" I just had so much fire and excitement to testify and put everything into the work. I want to have that new missionary fire again, and keep that throughout the rest of my mission. It's funny, in studies I've decided to just spend half an hour in the BOM and half an hour in PMG, and just studying with the hard copies instead of my ipad. Just doing that has brought the Spirit so much more into the work, and I feel that fire coming back, and it is THE BEST FEELING EVER! :) I LOVE being a missionary. I love this work. I know this gospel is true! Joseph Smith was truly a prophet of God. The Book of Mormon is true, and is the convincing evidence that this is Christ's church on the earth today. I know we can have a sacred grove experience, just as Joseph Smith did, when we desire to know, and we choose to kneel in prayer in a spiritual environment. I read 2 Nephi 4 this morning, and there's a verse that says "let not my strength slacken because of my afflictions". As missionaries, we have a lot of afflictions - exhaustion, work, fear, rejection. I love how Nephi prayed that his strength wouldn't slacken, but that he would continue to have that strength and that happiness and fire in his heart, despite the afflictions he faced. That's something that really helped me.

Well, I love this work. I love, love, love being a missionary. I love putting my tag on each day and being a representative of Jesus Christ, of Him. It is the greatest blessing of my life. I came on my mission knowing it was the right thing to do, because God answered my prayer and told me to do it. I have to come to learn on my mission that I serve, because of the fact that "because I have been given much, I too must give." The gospel is the most priceless possession of my life. The Lord has given me so, so much - my warm home, my family, comfort in sadness, strength in trials, meaning and purpose in a sometimes confused and lost world. What more can I do then to share that with others? So that they too can be comforted, can be strengthened? I know that that's one of my purposes in life. And I know losing myself in that is where I will gain my life, just as Christ taught. :)

I love you guys. Thank you so much for being such an incredible family. I know this gospel is true with all my heart. <3 and I love you!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

love,

Sister Whitney Morris <3


Snapshot of cultural celebration, the cute costumes I talked about last week

 

 

The Gilbert temple in a dust storm!

 

 

And our MLC picture this transfer. Can you find me? :) Play Where's Whitney... haha, I'm in the middle by Hermana D in the red dress. :) 

 

 

 

 

L's baptism :)

 

 

 

 

Froyo in November in an open air ice cream shop :) #onlyinAZ

 

 

My cute study desk and pic wall

 

 

Bro and Sis A and L. He was the best ward mission leader I've ever had!! I seriously LOVE them. They feed us every Wednesday. Bro A has the sweetest, strongest testimony I've ever seen. <3 I love, love, love them. I seriously love South Phoenix. It's the greatest place ever!

 

 

 

And a weird hairy cactus!! And cool cactuses! I never knew there were so many different kinds!

 

 

 

Oh and Sister S with froyo too :) I love her!

Also! Could you please update me on registering for George Mason and BYU? I feel VA is right, I just want a backup in case one of those colleges don't work out.. if they reject me or something. Please keep me updated :) I know BYUs application is due really soon. I can write essays and stuff if you send them to me! love ya!