Ola!

Óla!

Okay, gotta get started.

I had an interesting week. I just don´t remember it (SUPRISE!) but I will try to go through what I can piece out as being part of this week and worth writing about.

 

Monday we always start off calling the zone leaders in the mission for, what I think is called Weekly Call in Report in English. We follow up on the progress of the zone, see what the challenges are and what is going well, for us to be able to help them, and also to be able to pass on for President Castro what is happening in the mission. Honestly I had an experience of inner conflict and trying to get my heart in the right place this week during this process of calling. One week I call for the leaders here in Porto Alegre, and the next week I rotate and call the zones outside of the capital, including Pelotas.

 

When i called Pelotas, they are having a great success there, and The Lord is blessing them very very much. Including in the area where I passed in Princesa Isabel. When I got there the zone was really in a jam and The Lord helped us out a lot and the missionaries really got to work and things were picking up, but it was hard. In the end we helped the zone out a lot, but now the work is exploding! The Lord is showering out blessings. Sadly instead of being happy, I complained in my heart (suggestion, thou shalt not whine) wondering why when I had worked SO hard there and for quite some time, that when I was there, we hadn´t received such blessings, and that when I leave, without breaking a sweat there is a load of blessings for the new missionaries. I felt jelous, hurt, selfish, and like The Lord had let me down, and also I let thougths in that, it was my fault, that all of this could have happened all along if I had been better. Sure you can say things about being in The Lord´s time or The Lord´s will, or that I helped prepare and plant seeds etc. But honestly, that doesn´t help too much. To make what could be a very detailed report, shorter I will get to the point. I prayed for help and that The Lord would help me be happy for such good things happening in a place that I love and with people I love, but usually, He just gives us the means, He doesnt just hand us what we want. The Spirit helped me to grasp one thought about what I had learned with all of time there. Cool, that a missionary will get to an area and already have something waiting for him there but what will he learn with that? I learned to be diligent, to work hard, and even though something doesn´t go right all at once, to keep pushing on. I learned to take a lot of no´s, and to react to dissappointments by still being happy and positive. I had the time to work with a lot of great missionaries and to learn with them, especially my companions, I learned to be a better leader, and The Lord made it clear that, it is HE who allows us to be blessed, that I have the privilege to serve, I am the one gaining here, I´m not paying some great favor to God here, He is giving me the blessing and privilege to serve Him, and that we missionaries, are just the tools, it doesn´t matter how good I am, it is He who does the converting. If the Lord was going to use His best tools, he could call on any number of angels to do what he needs, and would do a much better job than any of us, what a blessing to serve The Lord, and He gives us great blessings in return for our service.

 The Lord is looking at the big picture, and knows what I will need in the years ahead in my life, and sometimes he witholds what we want at the moment to give us what we really need, or transfers our blessings to another person we love who is needing it. I hope I did okay summing it up, and passing on more or less the really important lesson, if not, ask me more about it later someday.

 

Tuesday we were going to travel to Bagé (way far away) but we ended up not going because President Castro needed to work on the transfers for next week, but on Wednesday we went to Pelotas to go on exchanges with another companionship there. It was fun and neat traveling with the whole Castro Family ha, they went to Jaguarão on the  frontier with Urugay, and we stayed in Pelotas. I worked with Elder Martin that day. We had a great experience together, it was a sweet day, but we taught a lot, he was able to ask a lot of questions ( he has five weeks in the mission field) but we spoke in 

Portuguese the whole time so he is already speaking very well and teaches way good. I was really impressed, and I feel jealous of how much time he has left to be a full time missionary. I love going on exchanges, we have a goal to do two every week. We do a lot of training, and practices, and we talk a lot with the other missionaries, but nothing substitutes working along side someone to show what you are trying to teach, and to learn with them.

Thursday night, President Castro showed us the transfers for next week before he went to São Paulo for a mission Presidents Conference. At nine thirty he read an email that he needed to bring daily planers for last transfer of a few zone leaders and also stories from the mission about members inviting people to come and see how the church is. So we got home and called all over the place looking for these true stories and also trying to find planners for him to take the next morning, so he rewarded us with letting us see the transfer early :)

I also went on exchanges with Elder de Almeida yesterday! It was actually a really long kind of crumby day that nothing happened, but I liked just being with him again. There was a crazy girl following us around though, it was nuts, she keeps showing up everywhere

Today, we and the secretaries. Elder Gomes and Elder Demars went to The Temple. It was nice to go again, I feel like it was really fast though. I really enjoyed it but I feel like I could have prepared a little bit better to go. I love being there though. The Temple is  lot like going on a mission. Sometimes we go on a mission but don´t let the mission experience enter into us, I have similar feelings about The Temple, but also it doesn´t come all at once, you need to go a lot.

 

Today Helena is going to be baptized! She is so special and really converted, a person of very simple but profound faith. I will try and send the pictures of her baptism.

It was neat the Sevanir invited her and that they will be going to church together, one strengthening the other. It is the best way for sometime to remain active in The Gospel, two entering in together.

 

Wow, this is kind of turning into a long email. I actually had more to say too, ha. I had a really good study last week and I really wanted to share a little bit. Anyways, I love you all so very much. Honestly I am not TOO anxious to see ya haha but I love you lots. Ha I already know who my next companion is. Another from Rio de Janeiro, way spiritual, it will be good. 

LOVES

Elder David F Morgan

Cachoeira

Don´t have a lot of time to write today. 
Monday to Thursday is a complete blur, I am pretty sure I wrote down what happened in my journal, which I am just managing to get a hang on again. Ever since we had a two week division in Pelotas, I haven´t been able to catch up, and then the first few weeks here were super hectic. 
Thursday we went to the only district in our mission. Cachoeira (Waterfall) We held a training there with the missionaries in the zone about weekly planning.  ( SOOO inspired, a lot of missionaries hate it, but I love it!) I am so grateful to have learned to be more organized and to make goals and plans here as a missionary. I am stil not the neatest person in the whole world haha, but I am doing much better. I clean up a lot. 
Anyways. It was my first time going there. It was great. After the training I passed the day with Elder Amorim, one of the zone leaders in the area. He is a good guy, really committed and works hard, very optimistic as well. We taught a great family and talked to a lot of people in just a few hours of work. 
Yesterday we took a trip back to Porto Alegre, it was nice to travel with Presidente and Sister Castro, I think I am going to use that time to ask a lot of questions. He is really fun, but has a reverent happiness, he uses many moments to teach and I enjoy hearing his council. Sister Castro is just a joy, always smiling and she talks really fast because she speaks in Spanish half of the time, especially when she is with President Castro. 
Last night we walked A LOT and taught Helena about The Sabbath day, she is really progressing well, it astounds me! Elizabete is going to be baptized here in about an hour! WOOHOO! 
Today we went on a tour bus through Porto Alegre, I hope you enjoyed a few of the pictures. I will try to send more later. It was funny being in normal clothes. 
I gotta get off now. But just really quick. We are teaching a really great couple, but because of hard times they ended up on the street. Daniel and Pricilla. She is five months pregnant! We are doing everything we can to help them out, please keep them in your prayers. As well as my friend Elder Amaral. He has had some really rough times in the last little bit of his mission and this last week found out a family member (VERY close) had been shot and killed. Please keep them in your prayers. 

I have been learning a lot with the scriptures and had some really great learning with The Spirit about prayer. I will try to share what I learned next week. 

Love,
Elder David F Morgan

Zone Council, Divisions, Old Friends, Type 1

Óla! 

Hey there. 

So on monday we had a good day. We spent most of our day in a meeting, and then out of a meeting (which was an extension of the first) we taught a lady here in the office and then went back to our meeting. I don´t really remember what we did that night haha. 

We had Zone Council on Tuesday. It seems like we just had the other one, so weird how fast time goes by. We gave a training on my first day for the trainers and the new missionaries showing up, but this was my first time for the leadership group of the mission. I felt a little humbled because I felt like anything I said, anybody else in that group could have, plus we didn´t have too much time to prepare and go over what we were going to talk about, so it was hard for me to feel " in tune" or on the vibe with Elder Singelo. Plus i am not really used to giving training at all. We tried to pass some of what Elder Bednar had taught to us. It was interesting to have a moment when President was inspired to modify a little bit the practice (role playing) that we were doing and it made ALL of the difference. I love President Castro. 

I went on a division with Elder Amaral this last wednesday. It was great to be with one of my really good friends on the mission again. He was my companion for only six weeeks, but it seems like six days. But, he was assaulted on his first day that he left that area and it was pretty heavy, he hasn´t really been the same since. It was good to talk to him, and I could tell that as we talked that it helped him out a bit. I feel honored that he trusts me and opened up a lot, I also had a lot of things on my mind to talk to him about, he is really wise and a great guy, his opinion means a lot to me. 

I learned the importance of being an example, and being a hundred percent all of the time to help lift others. 

I went on exchanges with another companionship in a close by area. Eldorado do Sul. I stayed with Elder Barros in his area. He is really calm and a spiritual giant. It was great to be with him. We didn´t have to much sucess during the day. Just one lesson, but that was really good. Ha but during part of the lesson I was having a really hard time keeping my eyes open. The Lord works in misterios ways. I prayed for help to stay awake and asked what I should do, and an odd idea came into my mind,.. yup, I started descreetly yanking leg hair to get myself to wake up a bit. Weird, but effective. 

I can´t remember why I put "type 1" in the title. Oh, now I do. So we had a specialized training yesterday, or at least we were going to. I felt really bummed, we got to the office running, and we were getting things ready, and me and my type one brain (has anybody seen my keys?) forgot a few important items behind that made it pretty hard to get our training rolling. We ended up having to improvise a LOT (okay but it wasn´t completely my falt) and we are going to have to do the training again another day. I felt really dumb for having for forgotten. I am going to have to make a list to help me remember the things that we will need when we have meetings. 

I like the story of Joseph in the bible. Wherever he went, things just always worked out and The Lord was with him, he had lots of faith, never complained, and the Lord was with him. 

I think I need some positive energies, (always with the negative ways Moriardi!) gotta think of some hopeful and righteous things! 

I have been learning a lot about the study of the scriptures and its importance. I know fairly well the story of the scriptures, but the doctirnes, and principles, I haven´t even gotten to the surface to be able to scratch. I would write more, but I am going to try and take a quick power nap! 

Loves

Elder David F Morgan

Fiji?!?!?!

Óla! SAYWHAT?! 

Ha, I just see Shaun walking around in a grass skirt and a white shirt and tie. That is so dang exciting! I can´t believe it too, but seriously, without words, that will be so exciting and who speaks fijan? We had a missionary in our ward from Fiji right? Congrats to you Shaun, we will have about a month and a half together before you leave. Man, I am so excited, I am sure I will be telling everyone where you are going. Ha, my heart gave a great leap when I read your email. I am so grateful for the blessing that The Lord gives us to serve. I can promise that you will be richly blessed. 

Wow, I don´t really know what to say now haha. Man, but thinking about you leaving makes me sad thinking that my own mission is winding down, it passing by so fast. I always tell people that growing up in the church, I never doubted that someday I would be a missionary, I always wanted to be. I could have prepared better and clearly there are always things that when you finally have a good perspective you can´t go back (the importance of following the teachings and councils of Apostles and Prophets and the commandments, they protect us from regret) but, like I was saying. Growing up, everything in my life was focused on being a missionary someday, every Sunday school lesson, priesthood meetings, everything. Now that it would be coming to an end, I don´t know what to do...Ha, it is like the end of The Princess Bride, Inigo Montoya, spent so much time in the revenge business, that afterwards,he doesn't know what to do with his life. I love you all back home very much, but honestly the thought of going home, scares me to death and makes me really sad. Ha sorry. Wow, I just got really happy and very sad all at the same time. 

Well, another wonderful lady that we are teaching will enter into the waters of baptism today. It is so interesting her life's story. She was REALLY rich, traveled all over the world, lived in Europe, the United States, in the north east of Brasil, huge house, swimming pool, she left it all behind and started a new life here, has a little tiny apartment and is so at peace with her life and so willing to follow The Lord. Ha she is already inviting all of her friends to visit with us and to go to church with her, we are teaching her neighbor Helena that as a baptism marked for the end of this month. It is so great to see people excited about The Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

We had a little less success this week that we had hoped for, but we are working way hard. I still don´t like getting transferred because I have to get to know the area and I don´t contribute as much as I would like to, but I just don´t what streets are close to others, plus I have five weeks to learn the whole area and eveyrthing to do here in the office to be able to teach my next companion.

Our ward mission Leader here is way great. Marcio, he is really dedicated, and really works hard to keep the people who are baptized integrated with the members of the church and strengthen the people who are getting taught. I will be sure to take a picture with Elder Singelo here soon to send to you all. He is great, full of energy and gas still to work hard until the end of the mission. I am grateful for him and for the work that he does. 

The other day we went on exchanges with the missionaries of Medianeira, (where I served two areas ago with Elder Alencar) it was great to walk the area again and be with Elder Capistrano there, a missionary that I have known for awhile and that is a good friend of mine. We taught a wonderful couple that they had talked to on the street. It was a great lesson, they accepted the visit of the missionaries because there relationship is basically being held together by the fact that they have children together. I was so pleased to tell them with ALL the surety of my heart that The Restored Gospel when lived and applied blesses immensely the family and that they would be blessed. They were really receptive and I could tell that The Spirit was working in them. 

I didn´t get to see Alex and Adriana there, but I saw Josiane and also Jorge and Vitor that I taught and baptized there. 

It is REALLY hot here, I was melting this last week. Ha, Elder Singelo is trying to lose weight and I am trying to gain ( if you thought I was skinny before, I lost a bit here from always being on the run and I got a sick in Medianeira and I couldn't manage to eat much and I never managed to recuperate the weight that I lost there) so he is helping me eat a lot.

We are really trying to find new people to teach here, being down town a lot of the people we talk to are from all over the city, or the state, so we are struggling a bit to find people that we can actually teach, but for sure The Lord will lead us to them as we seek diligently. 

On the day of transfers a missionary gave me the address to a couple that are members that haven´t gone to church in a long time. It took us awhile to get there, but all yesterday we had planned to go there and we weren't getting around to it. An appointment fell through, and we remembered that we needed to go there still, but we were really far away, either way, we started in that direction. It was a little hard to find the apartment, but when we got there, Catia, this sister in the ward, started to cry and tell us how she and her husband had gotten into a fight that morning and that she had prayed so much that The Lord would help her, and then we got there. Like I have said before, there is nothing better than knowing that The Lord used you to answer someone's need, or someone's prayer. She is really humbled and desirous to go to church again and live The Gospel. 

Well, that is all I have time for. I love you all so very much! Please pray for us to be able to find people to teach. 

Com Amor

Elder David F Morgan