Letter home April 14, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Family,

 

 

WOW!!! Congratulations on the sealing letter!! Oh my goodness, I can imagine - or can't - just the feelings you all had as you received that in the mail. I am so excited, beyond what words can say (: I am so grateful everything is slowly closing the loose ends of all the hard times we've had. That is so exciting. I can't wait to hear more about it (: You'll have to keep me updated for how things with the family go as well.
Our family is so awesome (: I also loved Adam's prayer moment, that was sooo sweet. And that's so funny you brought the lamb to the beach! I was sorry to hear about the poor baby lamb, but I know it's in a better place... that sounds like such a fun trip (: Have fun at the beach!

 

As for me, this week has been so sad, and also amazing. We said goodbye to so many people I love so dearly, all of the people we could... we couldn't see everyone, but we could see the ones we probably spent the most time with. Leaving Maricopa was really sad, but we saw some incredible miracles the night before we left. 

The first miracle was our lesson with T.! Sis R. and I went in prepared to say goodbye, and make plans with their member family to take them to other churches so they could prepare to be baptized. Well, before the lesson started, it came up that we were leaving, and it was soo sad. T. started crying, Sis R. started crying, and I felt like crying inside.... But we told them that we would be there when they got baptized. L. then told us that they had news to tell us... Their dad had both given them the go ahead to be baptized!!!! It was the most amazing moment of my life, and that's when I started crying. We set a date for May 3rd, and it was probably one of the happiest moments of my life... And will be until the day that they are baptized (: it was so incredible. I am so grateful to be a part of their lives, and that Heavenly Father was able to lead us to them and help them receive those blessings they wanted to much. It was incredible.

After that lesson, we went to try and visit R. one last time. She is the woman who we found and taught under pretty miraculous circumstances, but we haven't seen her because she has been in Phoenix for the past 2 weeks helping her daughter, and she broke her phone so we couldn't contact her at all. Well, we knocked on the door, and she answered!!! She immediately was so happy to see us, and wanted us to come back the next day to teach her, and begin preparing for baptism again. We were able to get a phone number that the missionaries could contact her at and immediately set up an appt for the new missionaries to come visit her. I was so happy to see her, and we were able to get a picture with her too, which I was so grateful for. I am never going to forget her, or T. and his family, or the wonderful ward in Maricopa. I learned so much. That experience changed me for good, especially being Sis. R's companion. She is so obedient and so spiritual, and was such a source of strength and comfort to me. I miss her too! But the feelings of gratitude outweigh the sadness of leaving them, and I know I will see them again. I love the people of Maricopa.

Well, with that experience, I could hardly wait to see where I was getting transferred to. It's so funny, the Lord sent me to Sis R's old area, roommates with her old companion!  I am SO excited to be in Phoenix. We are in Maryvale, which is basically the inner city, ghetto for lack of a nicer word, part of Phoenix. It is SO different! I feel like I'm in a foreign country. There are 16 spanish missionaries in our zone, and only 4 or 6 english. Crazy huh? But I absolutely love it!!! We have talked with so many people on the street, and they are so much more willing to talk with us and hear what we have to share, I think because they are more humble. We have had some incredible experiences. My new companion is Sister D, and she is so fun!! She is very smart, but is so down to earth and jokes around alot. She is an incredible teacher also. She's only been out 3ish months, and I've been out almost 5 now (crazy!!!) but I feel like she has been out for years already. I am so excited to be serving with her!

There is so much amazing potential in this area! My first weekend here we had a baptism, of a girl my age named J. She is so funny! She comes from such difficult circumstances... The missionaries started teaching her in January,  but at first she wasn't really interested at all. Then her mom passed away a few weeks later, and then she turned to the gospel, and has since made so many changes in her life. She is incredible. She jokes around so much, and uses all this gangster lingo that Sis D understands, but I have no clue what she means at all, haha... but then she has moments where she shares her testimony, or how the gospel has changed her life, and has changed how she views herself and her future. Those times of her opening up and sharing those experiences with us have changed my life, and have  been some of the most powerful moments of my mission. Anyways, she got baptized this past week, and it was amazing! We also had a stake BBQ, and that was a great experience. The ward here is amazing! They face so many challenges, and carry so many burdens that I have never even been exposed to before. But they carry them strongly, and are so diligent and are so energetic in the ways that they serve the ward. They are truly incredible examples to me.  We take so much for granted. I think that is something this area is definitely going to teach me. It's opening my eyes to alot of things, and it is just so humbling.

 

It's kind of a bit hard transitioning too. I miss Sister R, because she was so obedient, clean and tidy, fun, and just accepting. We were so much alike, it was almost scary! Sister D is INCREDIBLE, and I love her. We live with the sister training leaders, and they are also amazing. Their really awesome missionaries and are super funny. But it's just so different. They joke around a ton, and I'm more on the reserved, serious side (sometimes...) and so it's just going to take some adjusting. It's a bit lonely when you don't feel understood. (: BUT I know I am not here for me, I am here to work and to serve! And I know it's always hard at first in times of change, so over time it will be great I'm sure. But that is what I'm going to do, love and work and serve! Even if other people think I'm a weirdo  because I don't understand gangster lingo yet, haha. By the end of this transfer I will be pro at understanding it (: I am going to love this ward, love this area, love my companion, and love my zone. There is truly so much good in all of them, that I am determined to seek out and focus on so completely that all the negative things just disappear. I know I'm going to love it here! It will be the best transfer ever. We have another baptism this week, and another baptism next weekend, so that is exciting! The work is really moving along here quite quickly. I am so excited to be here. There is also tons of super cool graffiti everywhere, and lots and lots of unique people. I wish I could tell you all about it (: 

 

 

But just know how much I love the gospel. During this time, I've turned to my Savior, and my testimony has grown so much of His Atonement. I have seen how following him changes lives that before would seem dark and hopeless, and He changes it into lives filled with light, and truth, and hope. It touches my heart and humbles me. I know that this gospel is true. 

 

Gosh, I wish I could tell you everything, but that will have to do for today. 

 

I got the GPs and Easter package. Thank you so much!!! I loved the letters, especially how Peter spelled out "hashtag missionary swag". Those are the highlight of my day, and I put some of them up on my wall to remind me of you guys and to make me smile (:

 

Love you all!! Have fun at the beach, and pray for us!! (: Also good luck reading PMG, let me know how it goes!!

 

love, Sister Whitney Morris

Sis D and I, and cool graffiti in Phoenix!!

 

 

 





Sis R and I with T, L, and C



 

Me with R!



 

And the A's, our members we lived with. I love them!! 

Sis D and I being hosts at the Mesa temple for the pageant :) It's like the Hill Cumorah pageant, for Easter We also get to help out with the Easter pageant!!! We get to be hosts, and talk with the hundreds and hundreds of people who come. It is so fun :D I'll write more about it later!