5-4-2015

Dear Family,


Thanks so much for the awesome emails!! I especially loved the pictures of ya'll with the sheep, that lady did an awesome job! My favorites were mommy and Hannah shearing the sheep, and Adam holding the hilarious baby pig haha. Those were soooo cute :) I'm so proud of Dexter! Will you send me his bootcamp address asap so I can write him a letter? It was too bad to hear about __'s struggles this week as well. I will make sure to keep him in my prayers! I hope things work out for the best!

As for us, we have had such an awesome week!! It's definitely been a week of miracles! I feel like we've been working hard, being diligent and doing the best we can, and Heavenly Father is just working miracles in the lives of our investigators. The first miracle is A and J - they are doing AWESOME. We did a whole lesson with her about the Book of Mormon, and she basically shared with us how her testimony has grown. At first she felt scared to meet with us, before we started teaching her, but as she's learned she has come to know for herself that this is the right path for her and her family. It's been soooo powerful to see the change and the light grow in her :) When we first met her in the Walmart parking lot she was so cautious and almost stand offish with us! Now she is feeling the Spirit and has completely warmed up, and has become an awesome friend, and we have seen the changes this is making in her and in her life. It is the most miraculous thing to see! We love her and her family so much!

We also had a super cool experience with a less active family we've been working with. They have been less active for years, and they have a 12 yr old daughter who had a member friend, and now she wants to be baptized. At first we were worried about having her baptized, because we were scared she would lack the family support and we didn't know if she was truly being converted to the gospel. We wanted to involve the family so the daughter wouldn't just go less active after her baptism. Sadly that happens a lot - new members need SO much support and love from the ward! That life change can be so difficult for them, especially when they feel like their doing it alone. Anyways, so this week we had a miracle lesson with them. We basically sat there, while they opened up about different trials their family has gone through. Then the parents told us that they had been thinking about coming back to church, and they started talking about why they wanted to, and the Spirit just entered the room soooo strongly! There was the sweetest spirit there! The whole family's countenance had changed. We invited them to come to church, and they said yes, but they said yes before and hadn't come.... But Sunday morning we got a call from the dad asking what time it was at! And the whole family came!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!! It was SO awesome!!!!! Their whole countenances have been changing, and we are so happy, they haven't been to church in years! So it is incredible to see them making these steps towards coming back :) They are an awesome family, too! We really love them and we are so excited for them!

We also had a super cool miracle! Haha this is a crazy story! So we received a referral for a man who wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon. We went by around 8:30 at night in a prettyyy sketchy apartment complex... Knocked on his door, and he opened up, and he immediately started asking a ton of questions: what was different about the Book of Mormon vs. the bible, what the whole deal was with the prophet Joseph Smith, and if we are allowed to drink alcohol, coffee, ect. We answered his questions, and he was super cool!! As he inquired about the word of wisdom, he said "by the way, I am intending to convert. That's why I'm asking!" He was a really smart, in his early 30s probably, and has been in law enforcement before. Super cool guy! But then the most awkward thing happened in the middle of our conversation! We were standing on the front porch because it was only us and him, so we had to stay outside (mission rules). Well we hear this creepy voice behind us make these really rude comments - "those are two nice girls there! Why don't you take them inside? That's what I would do..." And all these yucky comments! I turned around and there was this shirtless, baggy pants, covered in tattoos guy, with a big ole' pot belly looking at us. I almost started laughing, because it was ridiculous, but then I turned and looked at A - the referral - and he looked really angry! The guy stumbled away, and then A started telling us how that guy is crazy, and he hates when people disrespect women, and told us to be careful, especially in the area, and if anyone ever bothered us to come and knock on his door and he would take care of it. He always answers his door with a gun, (it's a really sketchy area - if I lived there, which I never would, I would too) but he had put it away when he saw we were innocent harmless sister missionaries. But it was cool knowing he was watching out for us! That was definitely a crazy experience! A is SO golden though!! We are so excited to teach him!

We also had a really awesome time going to the temple visitors center with R and L. We went to the Mesa visitors center with them, and that was soooo awesome. :) It was the craziest trip ever.... Haha, last minute our member ride cancelled on us. So we were scrambling around trying to find out who could drive. The zone leaders gave us permission to have R drive us, and they had us look in the white handbook and there wasn't anything against it, so he drove us and L in his black charger! Haha it was so crazy!! We didn't know before we got in the car, but R is disabled - he's in a wheelchair - and he hasn't driven for two years..... So, not going to lie, I said s little prayer that we would make it home alive hahaha. But don't worry, he was a great driver, and we got there and back safe. It was such an awesome experience for them. :) L has been going through a really hard time.... It's a little bit of a crazy situation. So she came, and she gained so much peace. When we first picked her up she was just venting to us, but when we left she was glowing and happy. And R, wow he loved it! He literally absorbs eveything - he's like a giant sponge, picking up every bit of knowledge and testimony he can. He is so excited about the gospel. We watched a movie there about the atonement, then went through the family presentation, and he really wants to go to the temple to do his family history work someday. :) His dream is that the rest of his children will join him as well, and he's working on it! He's so incredible, we're so excited for him! He is super excited for his baptism this Saturday!!!

We had one more super cool experience. So Monday night we were walking out of an apartment complex. We stopped to ask if a family needed help moving. Turns out they had just moved here from Africa! We started talkin with the guy named S, and he asked why we were nicknamed Mormons. We started telling him about the Book of Mormon, and he got SO excited. He loves the bible, and it made him so excited to think that Christ visited the people in the Americas, and that there were more witnesses of Him! He was soooo cool, and said he would try to read an hour a week in the Book of Mormon, and wanted us to meet with him again. Sadly he lives outside of our area, so we're handing him off to other missionaries, but it was such a cool experience :) I've never seen anyone get that excited about the Book of Mormon in a street contact. It was super cool!

It's really been an awesome week, we are working hard and I'm learning so much. Don't worry, I'm not getting trunky. I loved hearing about the elder whose in denial, haha, that's totally what it's like! We always tell people we have been out just over a year to avoid those sad conversations. Missions are funny :)

Well, I love you guys, and I'm glad everything is going well at home. We are working hard and are being obedient. I still love being a missionary. I hope ya'll have a great week! Don't forget to send me dexters address so I can write him a letter! Love you guys! Have an awesome week. :)

Love,

Sister Whitney Morris 

Oh, by the way, Mother's Day is actually this Sunday. :) I'm not sure if we'll be skyping, we've been approved for it but we don't have skype on our iPads now because of the online proselyting training were going through. Could you email me your phone number today so I can have it to call? Expect a skype call or a phone call sometime after 6 Arizona time :) love you!!



I look tired, oh well. Our church bldg!

L and Ross and sister Wright and I at mesa temple visitors center :)

 

Biking. it's in the 100s now!