Óla!
So, I got transferred. It really bites. Everybody was saying goodbye to Elder Almeida, (it was nice to know ya etc.) and then I ended up being transferred.
This was a pretty strange last week her in Camaquã. We found some really great people and taught some good lessons. We went to São Lorençco do Sul on Thursday for a district meeting and then we were going to go on splits plus Elder Almeida needed to do a baptismal interview there. During out district meeting Elder Dos Reis (pronounced Dose Hays) started to complain about a lot of pain he was having, it got so bad that we gave him a blessing and then took him to the hospital. To make the story a little juicier I will include that he threw up a few times in the three minute walk to the hospital and we had no idea what was going on. Finally we decided that Elder Capistrano and I would go back to Camaquã and we would go work and then come back for the baptism and to end the companion exchange in the morning. We had a good day of work and I enjoyed working with Elder Capistrano, we taught a great lesson about The Plan of Salvation. Then i got a little worried when i went to call Elder Almeida and our phone was having problems. But we went back in the morning anyways. To make a long story short. Turns out Elder Dos Reis has kidney stones! OUCH! Too much soda pop, not enough WATER! Poor guy. Glad I drink a bunch of water (thanks for instilling that in me mom)
Before i get to my sentiments about being transferred, we got a letter from Presidnet Swenson today. He met our ´soon to be´ new Mission President. President and Sister Castro from Paraná (a starte here in the south of Brasil) will be our new Mission President couple in July. I still have another four months with President and Sister Swenson but I will be SOOO sad to see them go. My mission will be split just about down the middle with the New President. I know it will be great but it will be hard. President and Sister Swenson are just such incredible and special people. Oh, President and Sister Castro will also be bringing 3 of their kids with them so they must be fairly young to still have a few with them at home that will join us here. Cool.
So I am going to try to keep this short but really I want to get out there and spend my last P-day here with the members here. Last night I prayed and told The Lord how much I love the people here and that I really wanted to stay if it was His will, but that I trusted Him; still I was really bummed... more than bummed, I was downright sad when I got the call today. After my first transfer here, honestly I could have been transferred and it would have been just fine by me I struggled pretty hard when I got here. But in this last transfer I have just grown so much and learned so much how well The Lord knows us and puts us exactly where we need to be. I have really developed that charity and love for the people here and the Branch and I just want to do all I can to help them and it just breaks my heart that I won´t be able to watch over them and serve them and share The Gospel here anymore. I think of all the progress we have made here until now and I am so happy, but I also know we are just at the begining and there is so much more to do. Letiçia still needs home teachers, and we are just starting to get the members to teach people with us, and we just found some great people to start working with, and Paulo is just starting to pray everyday. So how can I leave them when there is so much left to do? It is hard. I know Elder Almeida will continue to be great here though (please continue to write to him ) and he will be training here. He has really helped me to learn a lot, I will miss him ha even though somtimes I tell him I could punch him in the head. Anyways, this all seems very random but basically I love Camaquã and I will be sad to leave a place that I have grown so much in.
I will be transferred to somewhere in Porto Alegre (dangit, I was hoping to pass the year mark without every going there ha) I will let you know about my new area and companion next week.
Com Grande Amor!
´Seu Filho, Irmão, e Amigo
Élder David F. Morgan
Monday, February 27, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
10 months, oh my goodness.
Oi!
So today I have reached 10 months since I reported to the CTM in São Paulo. That kind of freaks me out. Weird that a whole year ago I was taking phone orders for flowers saving up money and getting ready and trying to spend as much time with people as I could. It doesn´t seem like a whole year has passed. Mission Time-Warp.
Hey! So Shaun is going to BYU! I bet Keith is pleased with that, ha one of his brothers ended up being converted. Congrats to ya Shaun. Also something that freaks me out. Little brother going to college.
So we had a little bit of a rough week, but not TOO rough. I think I was just a little burnt out. Part of our focus this week in ´Operação Salvação´ is to have members present in our lessons. We made lots of plans with the members and work really hard to make it all happen and we honestly got left hanging.It was a bummer and if I said I didn´t get slightly frustrated I would be lying, but it didn´t last long and I remember all of my own weakness´ and we are all trying, plus things just happen. Our goal was 10 with a member and we made more than enough plans for that to happen. Ha, we ended up with 4. Plus we invited a lot of people to a church activity on saturday and so many people committed to go and then nobody showed up. Members showed up late and the activity was a bit of a bust, but we ate sandwiches that were really good and we had a nice chat with President Florismar. But overall I really feel good because before we didn´t really make much effort to get the members involved and that is really getting turned around and improving these last couple of weeks and I want to keep it going. Camaquã is still progressing very well and I know we will be having great success here in a little bit.
I braved a ham and cheese sandwhich this morning which I haven´t done since I got ruined by them in the CTM. It was good. Don´t have really any funny/random/ or nitty-gritty experiences this week.
Basically, I don´t remember if I have already said this. But something that has astounded me as a missionary is how The Lord knows me so well that he put me in a place and with people that help me learn SO many lessons and be stretched and grown in ways that I didn´t know possible. It hurt at first and I struggled a lot when I got to Camaquã but now I look back and look at how much I have learned here and how much I love this place and the people. I have really grown to love the branch here and the people and hope that I get to stay here (especially with transfers coming up in a week) But as always, The Lord´s will be done and I know he will put me right where I need to be when I need to be there.
Last thought, I remember a very important quote today when I was reflecting upon my mission/ life ha, and it is by Elder Richard G. Scott, I am positive I have already shared it because Jenn sent it to me.
´We become what we want to be, by consistently being what we want to become every day´
Envision who you want to become and set goals and stick with it to become that person, your life's greatest work will be you.
Come Grande Amor
Seu Filho, Irmão, e amigÃO
Elder F. Morgan
So today I have reached 10 months since I reported to the CTM in São Paulo. That kind of freaks me out. Weird that a whole year ago I was taking phone orders for flowers saving up money and getting ready and trying to spend as much time with people as I could. It doesn´t seem like a whole year has passed. Mission Time-Warp.
Hey! So Shaun is going to BYU! I bet Keith is pleased with that, ha one of his brothers ended up being converted. Congrats to ya Shaun. Also something that freaks me out. Little brother going to college.
So we had a little bit of a rough week, but not TOO rough. I think I was just a little burnt out. Part of our focus this week in ´Operação Salvação´ is to have members present in our lessons. We made lots of plans with the members and work really hard to make it all happen and we honestly got left hanging.It was a bummer and if I said I didn´t get slightly frustrated I would be lying, but it didn´t last long and I remember all of my own weakness´ and we are all trying, plus things just happen. Our goal was 10 with a member and we made more than enough plans for that to happen. Ha, we ended up with 4. Plus we invited a lot of people to a church activity on saturday and so many people committed to go and then nobody showed up. Members showed up late and the activity was a bit of a bust, but we ate sandwiches that were really good and we had a nice chat with President Florismar. But overall I really feel good because before we didn´t really make much effort to get the members involved and that is really getting turned around and improving these last couple of weeks and I want to keep it going. Camaquã is still progressing very well and I know we will be having great success here in a little bit.
I braved a ham and cheese sandwhich this morning which I haven´t done since I got ruined by them in the CTM. It was good. Don´t have really any funny/random/ or nitty-gritty experiences this week.
Basically, I don´t remember if I have already said this. But something that has astounded me as a missionary is how The Lord knows me so well that he put me in a place and with people that help me learn SO many lessons and be stretched and grown in ways that I didn´t know possible. It hurt at first and I struggled a lot when I got to Camaquã but now I look back and look at how much I have learned here and how much I love this place and the people. I have really grown to love the branch here and the people and hope that I get to stay here (especially with transfers coming up in a week) But as always, The Lord´s will be done and I know he will put me right where I need to be when I need to be there.
Last thought, I remember a very important quote today when I was reflecting upon my mission/ life ha, and it is by Elder Richard G. Scott, I am positive I have already shared it because Jenn sent it to me.
´We become what we want to be, by consistently being what we want to become every day´
Envision who you want to become and set goals and stick with it to become that person, your life's greatest work will be you.
Come Grande Amor
Seu Filho, Irmão, e amigÃO
Elder F. Morgan
Monday, February 13, 2012
Great Week. They CAME!!!
Óla! So pretty much we had a way great week! The work here in Camaquã is really getting better and starting to progress, though there is still much more work to be done I am excited about the progress that is being made. Also, advice for future missionaries: There is a direct relationship between how completely exhausted you are and how happy you are. Be sure to give enough of yourself to be completely tired all moments of everyday therefore guaranteeing for yourself the maximum amount of happiness possible. (Also, this happiness at times only comes after a few weeks of SUPER hard work, but is very worth it)
In other words, I am super tired, but happy. The nice thing about Camaquã and being out away from everything, that for any kind of conference, reunion, training, we must travel by bus, it provides for good nap time.
So to answer why the subject of the email is THEY CAME: There is a less active family here that has been in my mind from the first week we have been here. Valmir and Jossara. We eat lunch with them every week and I even used there computer on Christmas to talk to you all. They have been active members of the church for 20 years and have served at teachers, advisers, and presidents and who knows what else. They are great. It bums me out that the last few years that have stopped coming to church. I have been praying about them a lot and I haven´t been able to shake them from my mind since we have gotten here. This last Thursday at lunch with them (after they travelled for about a month) they showed us pictures of their travels and then pictures from when he was the Branch President here. It just got me thinking so much, the branch seemed to have so much life when they were there. When we were giving a message the next thing I new I was talking very openly about them coming back to church and what steps would be needed to make this happen and that we really needed them there and they needed it even more. We invited them to go to Stake Conference and he said they were already going to be in Pelotas and they we would see them there. I prayed A LOT Saturday night. At conference, I looked around and didn´t see them, and we got there before anybody. Suddenly halfway through the conference he sent us a message talking about the speakers and that he was the young men´s president of the man who just spoke, he then thanked us for having invited them. When we stood to sing the intermediate hymn I saw them near the back of the hall. My heart soared! I was so happy they came. Now I just hope we can get them to church this next Sunday at regular meetings!
Wow, so basically there is lots of things to write this week that I feel I won´t have time.
So at our training last Friday a sister missionaries called over to me and told me she had to talk to me. (oh great right?, ha just kidding) When she was looking through the mail she saw some of my letters and noticed I was from Medford. Turns out she just got her visa and had been serving in the Medford 8th Ward!!! What?!?! She asked me if I knew the McClures and showed me a picture of her with them! Ha I let her know that I know the McClures super well (mostly from many nights sleeping on their couch) and that Jared is one of my best buddies! She also mentioned a bunch of other families (Bennions, Hokansons, Zimmer) and said that Bro Russell is the best ward mission leader of ALL TIME! So that was kind of a neat coincidence.
We met a really great family this week and started teaching them. When we finished and invited them to read and pray about The Book of Mormon the mother told us that she would but then she said ´but I already believe in everything you´ve just taught us, I can feel it here ( pointing to the heart)´ I was so stunned I didn´t even know what to say. We knelt in prayer with them and they all offered great prayers and we marked a baptismal date with them. Sadly our next appointment fell through but we hope to get back there soon!
So ´Operação Salvação´is going super great too and there is a lot of fire in the mission right now and we are working really hard. The week wasn´t perfect we had days where everything seemed to go wrong, but I know we were doing our best to do our part and serve The Lord.
Well I will wrap it up. Lots of love, I pray for you. I know The Lord is mindful of his children and blesses them. Just thought of another really cool experience but you will have to wait until I get home to hear it.
Also, The Book of Mormon really is true, I know it, without a doubt. It is a blessing in my life.
Com Grande Amor
Élder David F Morgan
In other words, I am super tired, but happy. The nice thing about Camaquã and being out away from everything, that for any kind of conference, reunion, training, we must travel by bus, it provides for good nap time.
So to answer why the subject of the email is THEY CAME: There is a less active family here that has been in my mind from the first week we have been here. Valmir and Jossara. We eat lunch with them every week and I even used there computer on Christmas to talk to you all. They have been active members of the church for 20 years and have served at teachers, advisers, and presidents and who knows what else. They are great. It bums me out that the last few years that have stopped coming to church. I have been praying about them a lot and I haven´t been able to shake them from my mind since we have gotten here. This last Thursday at lunch with them (after they travelled for about a month) they showed us pictures of their travels and then pictures from when he was the Branch President here. It just got me thinking so much, the branch seemed to have so much life when they were there. When we were giving a message the next thing I new I was talking very openly about them coming back to church and what steps would be needed to make this happen and that we really needed them there and they needed it even more. We invited them to go to Stake Conference and he said they were already going to be in Pelotas and they we would see them there. I prayed A LOT Saturday night. At conference, I looked around and didn´t see them, and we got there before anybody. Suddenly halfway through the conference he sent us a message talking about the speakers and that he was the young men´s president of the man who just spoke, he then thanked us for having invited them. When we stood to sing the intermediate hymn I saw them near the back of the hall. My heart soared! I was so happy they came. Now I just hope we can get them to church this next Sunday at regular meetings!
Wow, so basically there is lots of things to write this week that I feel I won´t have time.
So at our training last Friday a sister missionaries called over to me and told me she had to talk to me. (oh great right?, ha just kidding) When she was looking through the mail she saw some of my letters and noticed I was from Medford. Turns out she just got her visa and had been serving in the Medford 8th Ward!!! What?!?! She asked me if I knew the McClures and showed me a picture of her with them! Ha I let her know that I know the McClures super well (mostly from many nights sleeping on their couch) and that Jared is one of my best buddies! She also mentioned a bunch of other families (Bennions, Hokansons, Zimmer) and said that Bro Russell is the best ward mission leader of ALL TIME! So that was kind of a neat coincidence.
We met a really great family this week and started teaching them. When we finished and invited them to read and pray about The Book of Mormon the mother told us that she would but then she said ´but I already believe in everything you´ve just taught us, I can feel it here ( pointing to the heart)´ I was so stunned I didn´t even know what to say. We knelt in prayer with them and they all offered great prayers and we marked a baptismal date with them. Sadly our next appointment fell through but we hope to get back there soon!
So ´Operação Salvação´is going super great too and there is a lot of fire in the mission right now and we are working really hard. The week wasn´t perfect we had days where everything seemed to go wrong, but I know we were doing our best to do our part and serve The Lord.
Well I will wrap it up. Lots of love, I pray for you. I know The Lord is mindful of his children and blesses them. Just thought of another really cool experience but you will have to wait until I get home to hear it.
Also, The Book of Mormon really is true, I know it, without a doubt. It is a blessing in my life.
Com Grande Amor
Élder David F Morgan
Friday, February 10, 2012
Wish I knew more country music. But not really.
Oi!
So once again the week has passed super fast and most of it has already fled from my memory.
Funny story. It starts in Simões Lopes. When I was with E. Palandi, we passed a house one time and he said, ´hey let´s knock here, it´s the same number as my house back home. (#370) It was a funny coincidence that is my number too. A few days ago, Elder Almeida said the same thing, ´hey lot´s knock here, it´s the same number as my house at home. ALSO #370. Whoa! What are the odds?
We had a good week of work, it was REALLY hot, or raining really hard, but that has to mean some big blessings are coming our way.
We went on exchanges with our Zone Leaders this week. so I made yet another travel to Pelotas this week, ha and there will be TWO this week. and probably another the following week as well. My goodness.
Anyways. Elder Nascimento stayed here with E. Almeida and I went to Pelotas with E. Hunsaker.
To be honest, my first impression on E. Hunsaker when I first met him a few transfers ago, was not the most impressive, and I was honestly (though I am ashamed to say it) a little surprised when he was called as my Zone Leader, and the idea of spending the day with him was an interesting one. But, as I thought about it, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and thought that in reality I don´t know him that well and he is probably way different than my first impression and I will more than likely have a great experience and learn a lot from him. I was right. It was great, we worked hard, talked to lots of people, it was a holiday so we didn´t get to teach much; but I really learned a lot from just talking with him and we talked about being missionaries, companions etc. He also is a bit like my first impression which is SUPER red neck ha. He was a little disappointed I didn´t know more modern country music. When you get past Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, or Tim McGraw, I get pretty much lost... but I´m not really ashamed of that.
He talked to me about just being myself and when he prayed I really felt The Spirit strong and I could tell he has great faith.
We starting teaching a great family, that already have had some contact with the church previously, they are a little reserved, but treat us well and listen and ask questions, and I have great hopes for them.
That is about all for this week.
I was reading in The Book of Mormon, stories about other missionaries like Ammon and Aaron. I was impressed with the importance of service, and of always being an example. I also feel inspired as read the chapters of their teaching.
I am gonna go now. Much love, make sure you have a good balance in your life, and be happy.
Seu Filho, Irmão, e amigo
Elder David F. Morgan
So once again the week has passed super fast and most of it has already fled from my memory.
Funny story. It starts in Simões Lopes. When I was with E. Palandi, we passed a house one time and he said, ´hey let´s knock here, it´s the same number as my house back home. (#370) It was a funny coincidence that is my number too. A few days ago, Elder Almeida said the same thing, ´hey lot´s knock here, it´s the same number as my house at home. ALSO #370. Whoa! What are the odds?
We had a good week of work, it was REALLY hot, or raining really hard, but that has to mean some big blessings are coming our way.
We went on exchanges with our Zone Leaders this week. so I made yet another travel to Pelotas this week, ha and there will be TWO this week. and probably another the following week as well. My goodness.
Anyways. Elder Nascimento stayed here with E. Almeida and I went to Pelotas with E. Hunsaker.
To be honest, my first impression on E. Hunsaker when I first met him a few transfers ago, was not the most impressive, and I was honestly (though I am ashamed to say it) a little surprised when he was called as my Zone Leader, and the idea of spending the day with him was an interesting one. But, as I thought about it, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and thought that in reality I don´t know him that well and he is probably way different than my first impression and I will more than likely have a great experience and learn a lot from him. I was right. It was great, we worked hard, talked to lots of people, it was a holiday so we didn´t get to teach much; but I really learned a lot from just talking with him and we talked about being missionaries, companions etc. He also is a bit like my first impression which is SUPER red neck ha. He was a little disappointed I didn´t know more modern country music. When you get past Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, or Tim McGraw, I get pretty much lost... but I´m not really ashamed of that.
He talked to me about just being myself and when he prayed I really felt The Spirit strong and I could tell he has great faith.
We starting teaching a great family, that already have had some contact with the church previously, they are a little reserved, but treat us well and listen and ask questions, and I have great hopes for them.
That is about all for this week.
I was reading in The Book of Mormon, stories about other missionaries like Ammon and Aaron. I was impressed with the importance of service, and of always being an example. I also feel inspired as read the chapters of their teaching.
I am gonna go now. Much love, make sure you have a good balance in your life, and be happy.
Seu Filho, Irmão, e amigo
Elder David F. Morgan
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