óla!
Yup, I´m twenty. Really, birthday was a pretty average day, we got home and planning took FOREVER, so I didn´t even do anything special that night, but I had a quiet present opening session and was thrilled over the stuffed monkey to now cuddle with on a nightly basis. I am wearing one of my new ties today too, it works to replace a few of the silk ones that have gotten wrecked in the freak thunder storms we have been having, I am always grateful for the rain that cools us down though, even though it is a pretty mild summer so far. I got lots of happy birthdays´ from members and the people we taught that day, so I felt special, and I enjoyed all the little email notes too, thank you all very much. I felt surprisingly at peace with the passing into the next decade of my life, and then very frightened when I realized I only have to live twice as long as I currently have and I will be forty...
Elder Almeida´s birthday was yesterday. I wanted to make a cake for him, but again, oven is busted. I felt really sick all that day too, didn´t sleep well at all the night before because of it, but I tried to stay positive not to ruin his day ha. Again, things like presents etc. not really traditions he has from his family, so all my attempts to celebrate his birthday were a little awkwardly received haha, I would like to meet his family someday. We were also going to make tacos at our lunch appointment, I even made special Morgan ´yellow stuff´ and then it did´n´t work out. Oh well, maybe another time. It was a good day though, and we started teaching a really great new family, they even asked us if they could visit church, but unfortunately they will be traveling for two weeks and we won´t be meeting with them for awhile. Sadly the father had to leave suddenly over a work situation during the beginning of the lesson and came back right for the end, so we left the pamphlet with him and invited him to read it to learn more, read The Book of Mormon, and to pray about our message.
Also! I bought myself a birthday present. When getting my last hair cut, and then watching E. Almeida get his, The man was just passing a machine over our heads and I thought, ´I could do that´ so, when I found out how cheaply I could by a pair of clippers here, I bought a pair and gave myself a haircut. I am actually SUPER excited about it, and it turned out way good; even in the back haha.
Also, we had an investigator at church yesterday, a man (who was clearly not COMPLETELY in his right mind) stopped us on the street last week, started talking to us about The Book of Mormon. He had found it in the trash and started to read it, found it interesting and asked us to come by and explain more. Ha, I am pretty sure part of his youth was passed with using quite powerful drugs, so having a conversation with him is quite interesting ha, but he understands well and is very creative too, when we were giving a lesson to the members on Sunday about how they can share The Gospel with their friends he gave a lot of good insights too. Also, when he told us how to find his house that has no address, he told us just to ask people were John of the Big Knife lives. or John Machete. I am looking forward to knowing how he got that nickname.
The work, honestly is still the same, I hope the lesson we gave to the members will help them have missionary experiences and have a desire to share The Gospel, THAT is going to be what makes the difference in this area.
We just started a new program in the mission called ´operação Salvação´ (operation salvation if you couldn´t tell) Ha, it´s basically just something to help us get fired up and creative, but is the standard council for missionaries too, and trying to focus on working all of us together in our districts and zones.
We made what is becoming our bi-weekly trip to Pelotas for leadership training. Us junior companions went to another room with Sister Swenson and we talked about training for new missionaries for a few new Elders and Sisters who showed up. Then I realized afterwards that the whole thing was in Portuguese and so they probably didn´t understand too much, ha oh well, it was fun.
That´s about it for the week, Lot´s of love. I started thinking a lot about Humility and Gratitude, and prayer this week. I will refrain from giving the same thoughts that I feel sure I have already given.
I love you all, take care. Do something selfless and kind today, even if it seems awkward to make the extra effort, I promise it will be worth it.
Elder David F. Morgan
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Oi!
Oi!
So great to hear about Louie going through The Temple! Please send him a grand congratulations from me.
So this week was rather interesting. As far as teaching goes, not our most shining week. We had service projects that ran amuck. We helped a less active member move. Luckily she had a nephew and his friend helping too. You know the guy who does the show ´Dirty Jobs´? Ya, I´ve got him beat by miles. Pretty much we moved her and the twenty- thirty rats living in the very poorly cared for home, thank goodness she will be getting out of there.
We also helped a member put in his tile floor, mixing concrete etc. It was nice to do a different form of work, I also got super sun burned, it has been heating up a bit here. Ha, last night we were teaching a lesson and it started raining SUPER hard again, ha we basically waded home, but it´s nice and dry now again.
I had a realization about listening this week. I think something that many of us lack (myself included) is that we all are so preoccupied with what we want to say, that we forget to listen and actually respond to who we are talking to. Let´s all get out and listen a little better.
I guess that all of those years in boy scouts really paid off. We air dry all of our clothes and in a storm one of the lines broke. When I looked at the ropes somewhere in the back of my mind came Bro. Merrill´s voice when I was maybe 12 or 13 saying: A square knot is used to tie two pieces of rope together. I thought.. man how do you make a square knot again? again Bro. Merrill´s voice: Right over left, left over right. Yup, it worked, I even used it on a shoelace that broke a few weeks ago too. I am pretty much a square knot master now.
We are trying really hard to get the members involved more in the work here, something we are lacking on as well. We invited some members to go with us but our appointments fell through, bummer.
I am looking forward to this coming week, I hope and pray we have a lot of success. I am trying to just smile and just keep happy, I find joy in the little things, I find a lot of moments where I see something funny and am just able to laugh at myself a little bit. It helps.
I guess I am turning 20 this week huh? Ha thanks for all the emails and the cake mix. Our oven doesn´t work but maybe I can make it at a members house during a lunch appointment. Man, 20 when did I get there? I was handed off to give a talk in church on Sunday about council for youth. I was excited about the topic and prepared quickly. I have so enjoyed my teenage years. I thought I would feel really sad about being 20, but I decided I am not gonna fight it and just enjoy it. The talk gave me a chance to reflect on my teenage years, what I would have told myself, what I always heard, things I learned, it was pretty fun. I found it funny that everything I was going to say I had already heard from other people who have counseled me over the years. Wise people learn from their mistakes, REALLY wise people, learn from the mistakes of others. I did a little bit of both. Basically what I talked about was recognizing that as a youth, it seemed like wickedness was happiness and that the Gospel restricts our freedom. My advice was the same that Alma gave his son in The Book of Mormon, "wickedness never was happiness." Anyways, I had a good moment to reflect on my teenage years and I am happy to look back and see that I thoroughly enjoyed it and am grateful for the things I learned.
Have a great week everybody. I will be praying for you. Thanks for all your love and support.
Seu Filho, Irmão, e amigo
Elder David. F. Morgan
So great to hear about Louie going through The Temple! Please send him a grand congratulations from me.
So this week was rather interesting. As far as teaching goes, not our most shining week. We had service projects that ran amuck. We helped a less active member move. Luckily she had a nephew and his friend helping too. You know the guy who does the show ´Dirty Jobs´? Ya, I´ve got him beat by miles. Pretty much we moved her and the twenty- thirty rats living in the very poorly cared for home, thank goodness she will be getting out of there.
We also helped a member put in his tile floor, mixing concrete etc. It was nice to do a different form of work, I also got super sun burned, it has been heating up a bit here. Ha, last night we were teaching a lesson and it started raining SUPER hard again, ha we basically waded home, but it´s nice and dry now again.
I had a realization about listening this week. I think something that many of us lack (myself included) is that we all are so preoccupied with what we want to say, that we forget to listen and actually respond to who we are talking to. Let´s all get out and listen a little better.
I guess that all of those years in boy scouts really paid off. We air dry all of our clothes and in a storm one of the lines broke. When I looked at the ropes somewhere in the back of my mind came Bro. Merrill´s voice when I was maybe 12 or 13 saying: A square knot is used to tie two pieces of rope together. I thought.. man how do you make a square knot again? again Bro. Merrill´s voice: Right over left, left over right. Yup, it worked, I even used it on a shoelace that broke a few weeks ago too. I am pretty much a square knot master now.
We are trying really hard to get the members involved more in the work here, something we are lacking on as well. We invited some members to go with us but our appointments fell through, bummer.
I am looking forward to this coming week, I hope and pray we have a lot of success. I am trying to just smile and just keep happy, I find joy in the little things, I find a lot of moments where I see something funny and am just able to laugh at myself a little bit. It helps.
I guess I am turning 20 this week huh? Ha thanks for all the emails and the cake mix. Our oven doesn´t work but maybe I can make it at a members house during a lunch appointment. Man, 20 when did I get there? I was handed off to give a talk in church on Sunday about council for youth. I was excited about the topic and prepared quickly. I have so enjoyed my teenage years. I thought I would feel really sad about being 20, but I decided I am not gonna fight it and just enjoy it. The talk gave me a chance to reflect on my teenage years, what I would have told myself, what I always heard, things I learned, it was pretty fun. I found it funny that everything I was going to say I had already heard from other people who have counseled me over the years. Wise people learn from their mistakes, REALLY wise people, learn from the mistakes of others. I did a little bit of both. Basically what I talked about was recognizing that as a youth, it seemed like wickedness was happiness and that the Gospel restricts our freedom. My advice was the same that Alma gave his son in The Book of Mormon, "wickedness never was happiness." Anyways, I had a good moment to reflect on my teenage years and I am happy to look back and see that I thoroughly enjoyed it and am grateful for the things I learned.
Have a great week everybody. I will be praying for you. Thanks for all your love and support.
Seu Filho, Irmão, e amigo
Elder David. F. Morgan
Monday, January 16, 2012
What A Week
Oi!
Hey everybody!
´Funny story´ today we called the same locksmith for the third time (not my fault this time) for reasons that will remain a mystery until we meet again. Pretty much we are single handedly supporting that mans´ family.
So what happened this week. We made what now seems to be becoming our weekly trip to Pelotas ha. Elder. Godoy of the first quorum of the Seventy (who is actually from Porto Alegre) came to visit our mission. It was REALLY neat. What always seems to amaze me about General Authorities of the church is how they seem to be so light spirited yet simultaneously reverent. Elder Godoy was definitely like that. He talked about our purpose as missionaries and also talked about WHY we are sent to our specific mission, but he said that REALLY we get sent to a Mission President and his wife. That there are lessons that we need to learn from them that The Lord sends us to them to specifically. I found it interesting, I had never really looked at it like that. P.S. the woman/youngish lady next to me keeps glancing over at me awkwardly. Coming back, overall. A VERY spiritually enriching experience, it put some more gas in the tank and I felt uplifted. Gosh, seriously, she looks over her every thirty seconds, it´s freaking me out.
We discussed that we are here for three reasons, Salvation of others, to build up the church, and to save ourselves. I tried to take good notes but I was just REALLY intent on listening that I forgot, not too unlike me.
Oh, I didn´t get transferred, ha I guess nobody got their visa, from what I understand, two Argentinian elders will be joining our mission though.
Saturday it rained, ALL day, got soaked, changed after lunch. Got soaked again, ha. umbrellas do nothing.
We are having some difficulties actually getting people to COME TO CHURCH.
It is nice knowing I will have a whole transfer here again, we will be trying some new ideas and refining what we already have to be even better. I am happy to be here. I am trying to really pour out my heart at night to The Lord and focus on others, but I feel so tired that I don´t seem to manage to think about anything, my mind seems to drift so easily during prayer and I hope He knows what I am feeling in my heart than the words that come, because sometimes I am sure they don´t make sense. Basically, life as a missionary is good, Camaquã is presenting new challenges, and armed with The Spirit, there isn´t anything we can´t do.
com grande amor
Seu Filho, Irmão, e amigo
Elder David F. Morgan
Hey everybody!
´Funny story´ today we called the same locksmith for the third time (not my fault this time) for reasons that will remain a mystery until we meet again. Pretty much we are single handedly supporting that mans´ family.
So what happened this week. We made what now seems to be becoming our weekly trip to Pelotas ha. Elder. Godoy of the first quorum of the Seventy (who is actually from Porto Alegre) came to visit our mission. It was REALLY neat. What always seems to amaze me about General Authorities of the church is how they seem to be so light spirited yet simultaneously reverent. Elder Godoy was definitely like that. He talked about our purpose as missionaries and also talked about WHY we are sent to our specific mission, but he said that REALLY we get sent to a Mission President and his wife. That there are lessons that we need to learn from them that The Lord sends us to them to specifically. I found it interesting, I had never really looked at it like that. P.S. the woman/youngish lady next to me keeps glancing over at me awkwardly. Coming back, overall. A VERY spiritually enriching experience, it put some more gas in the tank and I felt uplifted. Gosh, seriously, she looks over her every thirty seconds, it´s freaking me out.
We discussed that we are here for three reasons, Salvation of others, to build up the church, and to save ourselves. I tried to take good notes but I was just REALLY intent on listening that I forgot, not too unlike me.
Oh, I didn´t get transferred, ha I guess nobody got their visa, from what I understand, two Argentinian elders will be joining our mission though.
Saturday it rained, ALL day, got soaked, changed after lunch. Got soaked again, ha. umbrellas do nothing.
We are having some difficulties actually getting people to COME TO CHURCH.
It is nice knowing I will have a whole transfer here again, we will be trying some new ideas and refining what we already have to be even better. I am happy to be here. I am trying to really pour out my heart at night to The Lord and focus on others, but I feel so tired that I don´t seem to manage to think about anything, my mind seems to drift so easily during prayer and I hope He knows what I am feeling in my heart than the words that come, because sometimes I am sure they don´t make sense. Basically, life as a missionary is good, Camaquã is presenting new challenges, and armed with The Spirit, there isn´t anything we can´t do.
com grande amor
Seu Filho, Irmão, e amigo
Elder David F. Morgan
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
It always happens twice
Oi!
So why is it that anytime you (I) do something stupid, it always has to happen AGAIN in a relatively short period of time? With that being said, we called the locksmith again last night. Our keys are nowhere to be found (my back pack is pretty ripped up, probably fell out on the road.) So we showed up at 9 at night last night, used all of are efforts (credit cards, safety pins, branch presidents tool kit etc.) to open the door, nothing. So, locksmith came again, at this rate we will be single handedly sustaining his family/business.
We had a good week. Lot´s of hard work.... lot´s of sweat and dirt. We also had interviews with President Swenson last.... Thursday I think. Also, I had an insight about why President and Sister Swenson seem so awesome to me, it is because they remind me SO MUCH of Brother and Sister Merrill ha. If Pres. Swenson had more hair, I think he would even look like Brother Merrill. So as we all now The Merrills are the greatest, so naturally Pres. and Sister Swenson would be the greatest Mission President couple! It hit me during zone conference.
We only have one more week in this transfer. I am a little worried I will be leaving Camaquã already. President told E. Almeida (and not me)
that he would like to make me a senior companion and to prepare me for that (AHHH!!!) But I know he would also like to keep us both in Camaquã. So basically if enough new missionaries show up I will more than likely be transferred because he told E. Almeida that for SURE he wants him to stay in Camaquã. So basically if enough new missionaries show up I will probably get transferred. So for my own sake I hope a lot of missionaries waiting for their visas don´t get them, but I know that isn´t a very righteous desire., so I will just wait to see what happens and what The Lord´s will is.
Okay, keeping this short, I have already been on for longer than I wanted to. Elder Almeida´s family doesn´t write to him and I didn´t know, so I am going to start cutting my internet time a lot so he doesn´t have to just sit around waiting for me. So if I don´t get transferred the majority of my letters will be way short this next month and a half.
I hope you are all doing great. The Book is Blue, the Church is true.
Seu Filho, Irmão, e amigo.
Elder David F. Morgan
So why is it that anytime you (I) do something stupid, it always has to happen AGAIN in a relatively short period of time? With that being said, we called the locksmith again last night. Our keys are nowhere to be found (my back pack is pretty ripped up, probably fell out on the road.) So we showed up at 9 at night last night, used all of are efforts (credit cards, safety pins, branch presidents tool kit etc.) to open the door, nothing. So, locksmith came again, at this rate we will be single handedly sustaining his family/business.
We had a good week. Lot´s of hard work.... lot´s of sweat and dirt. We also had interviews with President Swenson last.... Thursday I think. Also, I had an insight about why President and Sister Swenson seem so awesome to me, it is because they remind me SO MUCH of Brother and Sister Merrill ha. If Pres. Swenson had more hair, I think he would even look like Brother Merrill. So as we all now The Merrills are the greatest, so naturally Pres. and Sister Swenson would be the greatest Mission President couple! It hit me during zone conference.
We only have one more week in this transfer. I am a little worried I will be leaving Camaquã already. President told E. Almeida (and not me)
that he would like to make me a senior companion and to prepare me for that (AHHH!!!) But I know he would also like to keep us both in Camaquã. So basically if enough new missionaries show up I will more than likely be transferred because he told E. Almeida that for SURE he wants him to stay in Camaquã. So basically if enough new missionaries show up I will probably get transferred. So for my own sake I hope a lot of missionaries waiting for their visas don´t get them, but I know that isn´t a very righteous desire., so I will just wait to see what happens and what The Lord´s will is.
Okay, keeping this short, I have already been on for longer than I wanted to. Elder Almeida´s family doesn´t write to him and I didn´t know, so I am going to start cutting my internet time a lot so he doesn´t have to just sit around waiting for me. So if I don´t get transferred the majority of my letters will be way short this next month and a half.
I hope you are all doing great. The Book is Blue, the Church is true.
Seu Filho, Irmão, e amigo.
Elder David F. Morgan
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
2012
Oi!
Naturally I will be commenting on the new year of 2012 in this email. It seems that the last few years have been those years that I have been waiting for my whole life and it really weirds me out that I am actually living them now. College, receiving my mission call, actually leaving on a mission, 11.11.11, I am also mildly amused by the possibilites of what could happen in December of this year haha, especially in Brasil. Because of the severe lack of education here (not that there aren´t opportunities, but many people stop studying and just start working in their teen years) most of the population´s knowledge comes from The Discovery channel and the news. So the reactions to the impending day will be interesting. Moving on.
It feels like weeks ago that we skyped on Christmas, again, mission time-warp really throws me off. I am not quite ready to leave The Christmas Spirit, and then the New Year has to come in and mess with that. This was a fairly good week, but it was also pretty hard, but this is a mission.
New Year´s Eve was fun, we passed it with the ex- branch president, and his family. Basically talking, eating REALLY good food, I am always bummed that i didn´t eat more the next day. I really feel like I am rambling. Basically I am super tired (more that usual) and trying to remember what happened this week. I am always a fan of fire-works, I was suprised at how many there were here, it seems like the whole sky was lit up in any direction. I wished we could have gotten on our roof to watch, we would have had a perfect view.
Also, I decided I am going to be a lock-smith someday. We don´t have the key to enter the stairway to our apartment, so we just have to keep the door slightly open, we (I) accidently closed it this week, and we kindly paid the locksmith a `to remain a mysteriously handsom price´ for 2-3 minutes of basically using a hairpin to open a door. Seems like a good pay to work ratio to me.
Also, I laughed inside all week, because on Christmas, and New Years Eve, everybody went to the beach, and on both days there was a freak temperature drop and it rained all day long. Also it rained for the last two days straight, but we don´t have water in town today... I am trying to figure out how that works out.
I am pretty excited for this week to come. We found a few really good people this week with a lot of potential and who were excited to learn more so, I am looking forward to getting back to visit them now that the holidays have ended. One of the biggest challnges so far here in Camaquã is that we teach a great lesson and then never manage to meet with people again, we are hoping and praying, and working, to change that cycle this week and make some good progress.
I guess I need to make some New Year´s goals, I was thinking about that a lot this week, how even if we are ahead of the crowd, if we become lazy or content even with our current rate of development we will fall behind again. I think that happend to me a little bit, and I am going to make some good goals and plans to accomplish them this week. I encourage everyone to do the same if you haven´t already,
Just a reminder to remain in the Christmas and Holiday spirit a little longer this year, be kind, be forgiving, be patient, be generous. I love you, take care.
Com Grande Amor
Seu Filho, Irmão, e Amigo
Elder David F. Morgan
Naturally I will be commenting on the new year of 2012 in this email. It seems that the last few years have been those years that I have been waiting for my whole life and it really weirds me out that I am actually living them now. College, receiving my mission call, actually leaving on a mission, 11.11.11, I am also mildly amused by the possibilites of what could happen in December of this year haha, especially in Brasil. Because of the severe lack of education here (not that there aren´t opportunities, but many people stop studying and just start working in their teen years) most of the population´s knowledge comes from The Discovery channel and the news. So the reactions to the impending day will be interesting. Moving on.
It feels like weeks ago that we skyped on Christmas, again, mission time-warp really throws me off. I am not quite ready to leave The Christmas Spirit, and then the New Year has to come in and mess with that. This was a fairly good week, but it was also pretty hard, but this is a mission.
New Year´s Eve was fun, we passed it with the ex- branch president, and his family. Basically talking, eating REALLY good food, I am always bummed that i didn´t eat more the next day. I really feel like I am rambling. Basically I am super tired (more that usual) and trying to remember what happened this week. I am always a fan of fire-works, I was suprised at how many there were here, it seems like the whole sky was lit up in any direction. I wished we could have gotten on our roof to watch, we would have had a perfect view.
Also, I decided I am going to be a lock-smith someday. We don´t have the key to enter the stairway to our apartment, so we just have to keep the door slightly open, we (I) accidently closed it this week, and we kindly paid the locksmith a `to remain a mysteriously handsom price´ for 2-3 minutes of basically using a hairpin to open a door. Seems like a good pay to work ratio to me.
Also, I laughed inside all week, because on Christmas, and New Years Eve, everybody went to the beach, and on both days there was a freak temperature drop and it rained all day long. Also it rained for the last two days straight, but we don´t have water in town today... I am trying to figure out how that works out.
I am pretty excited for this week to come. We found a few really good people this week with a lot of potential and who were excited to learn more so, I am looking forward to getting back to visit them now that the holidays have ended. One of the biggest challnges so far here in Camaquã is that we teach a great lesson and then never manage to meet with people again, we are hoping and praying, and working, to change that cycle this week and make some good progress.
I guess I need to make some New Year´s goals, I was thinking about that a lot this week, how even if we are ahead of the crowd, if we become lazy or content even with our current rate of development we will fall behind again. I think that happend to me a little bit, and I am going to make some good goals and plans to accomplish them this week. I encourage everyone to do the same if you haven´t already,
Just a reminder to remain in the Christmas and Holiday spirit a little longer this year, be kind, be forgiving, be patient, be generous. I love you, take care.
Com Grande Amor
Seu Filho, Irmão, e Amigo
Elder David F. Morgan
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