August 25, 2014

“Somewhere out on that horizon, out beyond the neon lights, [I know I’m getting closer, and my home is in my sight].”

Okay, so I had to change the Eagles’ lyrics a little bit, but what do you want from me? I only have six weeks left.

We had a good final week of the transfer, but unfortunately we weren’t able to baptize the people we were planning on baptizing because they still have problems with coffee. But we will keep working with them. If we had baptized again, Elder A. and I would have had a transfer of excellence. Oh well.

The coolest thing that happened this week was the sealing that I went to. The D. family was a family that Elder W. and I baptized in my first area, a year and three months ago. I had never seen a sealing before, but it was the most satisfying thing I have ever done as a missionary. As I watched the family kneel around the altar and be sealed for time and eternity, all of the pain, frustration, exhaustion, and rejection of the mission that I have experienced over the last two years all faded away, and I knew that it had all been worth it. After they had been sealed, C. (the mother) came up to me, smiled and said, “Thank you for never giving up on us.” (The first couple of times that we visited them, she hid from us.) Then J. (the father) shook my had and said, “Remember, it was you and Elder W. who started it all. Thank you.” It was an incredible feeling, and it took a little while to fall asleep later that night because I was trying to comprehend the greatness of what had just happened.

Turns out, Elder A. is going to be transferred. He is going to go from junior companion to district leader. He is a fantastic missionary, so it didn’t come as a surprise to me. As for me, I’ll just stay here in Neópolis, but I won’t train. Only two elders came in this transfer, so only two elders out of about a 100 will train. Elder R. will be one of them, which is good because he wanted to train again.

This morning I awoke feeling a little different. I knew that I had just started my last transfer and I knew that I would finish my mission here. It’s weird to think about. No more transfers, no more new areas, no more leadership positions, no more companions, etc. After six weeks, that is it, no more. It was an exciting but also kind of sad feeling. I’m more than ready to go home, but I have grown to love my companions, the members and recent converts so much that I don’t really know how I will react when I no longer do what I am doing. But at the same time, it’s all right. I have done my part, and I have always given everything that I have, so I will be able to finish knowing that I gave my all.

I’ll try to take a couple of pictures like the ones requested, but this week I have a pretty cool set of pictures to send you. On Saturday, Elder A. and I hiked Mount Itacolomi and took some pretty sweet pics. See my other email.

So that is about it for this week. I’m “coming up around bend,” as CCR likes to say, and I’ll be home before I know it. Just lower the head and power through. Let’s see if I can get a few more baptisms out of it.

Love you!

Elder Morris

August 18, 2014

Happy Party Week!

I’m glad to hear that your birthdays went well and that you were able to leave the daily routine for a bit to enjoy yourselves. Your anniversary is next week, right? (The 30th?) More fun to come I suppose.

We had another good week here. We had another baptism on Sunday. We have been teaching S. (age 45), the man we baptized, for almost two months now. Many years ago everyone else in his family was baptized, but he didn’t want to at the time. For a long time he had been searching for “the truth” and “a greater purpose” but never found it. He has struggled with depression and other related health problems for a while, but when we found him and began to teach him he started to improve. Specifically in the last three weeks I have seen a huge change in him. The way he acts, looks and talks shows that the gospel has enlightened him. Even his countenance, his literal countenance, has changed. His face emulates a light, where before there was only darkness. It has been a great experience helping one of my Brazilian brothers come to the truth and happiness found in the true church of Jesus Christ.

I haven’t gone to the sealing yet. I’ll do that this week. I’ll make sure to send pics.

I’m going to have to cut this email short because we have to cut our hair before lunch, so we gotta run, but things are going well here. The Lord is blessing us, and we are doing our best to just work away the days.

Love you!

Elder Morris

August 11, 2014

Well . . . that . . . just . . . sucks. I can’t believe that I missed Boston by two months. TWO FREAKING MONTHS and I would have watched my favorite band of all time play at the USANA. Que bosta. I’m totally jelly. Look, I don’t know when they will be passing through Utah again, but I saw that they have a show scheduled for October 9 in Tokyo. What do you think, Dad—want to catch the first plane out of Salt Lake with me to Tokyo the day I touch down in Utah? I’m totally gone.

Well, while y’all were rocking, I was baptizing. We had another baptism on Sunday. Loislaine (yeah, like Lois Lane from Superman; I’m on a roll here baptizing Brazilians named after famous Americans) is someone who has kind of been a member for a long time but wasn’t. Apparently she was baptized 8 years ago, but there are no records that this ever happened. And if she was baptized and not confirmed or if she was baptized, confirmed but never recorded on the records of the Church, in the Church’s eyes, she is not a member. Whatever the case, now she is officially a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Boo yah, we are still rolling.

As we all do, I have my highs and lows here regarding what happened, but work helps me to keep focused. Having a baptism to focus on every week really helps, and I feel that it is God’s way of helping me to finish strong. My time is winding down, and I know that soon I’ll be home. I’m very excited, but I know that eight weeks is still eight weeks. I’ll get there soon.

I am going to go to the temple tomorrow. That should help me as well, and here in a bit I should be able to go to the temple to watch the sealing of a family I baptized in my first area, so that is exciting. All in all, I’m doing all right.

My comp. is great. I would love to finish my mission with him, but the president might have me train. But who knows—I’m going to talk to him about it this week.

Anyway, that is about it for me this week, I love you all. Stay safe, keep pushing forward.

I’m just going to “Walk On,” and I “[Won’t] Look Back.”

Elder Morris

August 4, 2014

Well, another week down and another investigator in the water. Sunday night we baptized M., a 15-year-old kid who is B's friend (the guy we baptized two weeks ago). He was resistant the first time that he was taught by Elder A. a couple of months ago, but now, out of nowhere, he decided that he wanted to be baptized. We are teaching his mother and grandmother as well, both of whom have a lot of potential (M's mom cried at his baptism). So here in a couple of weeks we are planning on baptizing them too. The Lord has been blessing us with lots of people to teach and lots of baptisms this transfer (we have got one or two baptisms lined up for next Sunday too). This is a fantastic area for me to finish my mission in.

One thing I couldn’t help but comment on this week is that I just wanted to say how grateful I am for the family I have. Every day I teach dysfunctional families who bicker, fight and separate over either little, stupid, immature things or huge family problems (cheating, etc.), and I just can’t help but be grateful and happy for the family and life that I have. So, Mom and Dad, thank you for everything. Thank you for the happiness you have given me, and congratulations on the family you have created.

I’m totally jelly that two months before I get home, my favorite band [Boston] is touring in Utah. Make Michelle film “More than a Feeling” for me. I want to hear how they sound. Take lots of pictures too. I’ll do the best that I can to be there in spirit..

I’m happy that I am here in this ward. It is a great ward in a great area, and I’m with a great companion. I am pretty sure that Elder A. will be transferred (he is more than qualified to be senior companion now) so I’ve got one more comp waiting for me. We will just wait and see. But for now we are just going to keep working and keep baptizing.

I love you all. Stay strong.

I understand about indecision

But I don’t care if I get behind.

People livin’ in competition

All I want is to have my peace of mind.

Elder Morris

July 28, 2014

Good morning:

I’m happy to hear that Sister Wright has been keeping in contact with you. She has been calling me regularly in order to help me along the way. She has been a very good “mission mom.” I feel the lack of family at my side, but Elder A. has been my brother, and Sister Wright, my mission mother, so I’m doing all right.

Thankfully, the Lord has been blessing us with a lot of work and baptisms, which have been helping me to stay focused. We baptized again on Sunday. I have found that it only hurts when you stop moving; in other words, while I have been busy working and thinking about and focusing on baptisms, I haven’t allowed myself much time to grieve. The antidote that I am trying to utilize is distraction. I’m honestly doing the best that I can to just not think about what has happened, and I’m reserving these thoughts for when I come home and will be close to my family. So far, I have been able to scrape along. Only ten more weeks left.

We baptized B. and J. last week, and we baptized N. this week. B. and N. are family members of a recent convert. We have been working with this family since I have been here, and they have been supplying friends and family members for us to teach (we will baptize a reference of theirs next week). J. is the 11-year-old son of an inactive family that we are reactivating. His baptism has helped with that. I have really been liking this area. It’s calm, the members are great, and it’s close to Porto Alegre, so I won’t have to travel much at the end of my mission.

I’m hoping that Mark can come back for my homecoming, and I would love to hike the hot pots with you guys. I will add that to my list of things to do when I get home.

Elder A. and I are getting along really well. He was trained by Elder S. (a guy from my group, a good friend and one of the best missionaries in the mission), so we are able to work effectively together, which is really nice. He has already been in this area for three months, so I imagine that I have one more companion waiting for me. We will see.

That is about it for now. I’m doing all right, and I hope that everyone at home is too. I love you all and I pray for you. I’m almost home.

Love, Elder Morris

July 21, 2014

[On July 12, my oldest brother, Chris, was killed in an accident. As this has been so hard for all of us, it is especially hard for Michael, as he is away from us. Prayers for him are greatly appreciated.]


Another wave of pain has washed over me. As I sat and read details about the funeral, the obituary and discurse that were offered, reality came crashing down, once again, over my mind. For a little while I was able to pretend that nothing had happened, I pushed reality away from me, not accepting it. I stayed extremely busy this weekend, teaching and preparing people for baptism, and this helped me to keep my focus turned away from the tragedy at home. But as I read your words, Mom and Dad, I see now that it wasnt a dream, as I had hoped and falsy created in the inner chambers of my mind. 

As I said to you while skyping, I dont believe that the magnitude of this has quite hit me yet and I dont believe it fully will until I am at home. I only have one other experience to compare this with, and that would be the passing of Michael Frost. When Michael died, my life, my day to day, changed immediately. Our interaction happened at a daily basis, we talked, texted, hung out, etc. so the immediate affects where big. Here in my mission, my external life and actions have remained the same since Chris passed. I am still doing the same thing and I am still thousands of miles away from everything. My communication with him was limited to email, which we exchanged on a monthly basis. So, it is hard for me to understand, to comprehend, exactly how I will feel when I return, when he is not there waiting for me in the airport. 

I pushed through the week, literally pretending that it didnt happen; that it was a story or that somehow it wasnt permanent or a big deal and that in one way way or another Chris would still be there when I get back. But now I am beginning to realize that, in regards to this life, it is permanent, that there is no respawn or way of going back in time, and this frustrates me and makes me feel powerless to help the ones that I love. 

I am working as hard as I can, honestly more because of the fact that I want the time to pass than the desire to help people. I just want to be home. I feel like I am living in a state of irony because I am here, working to ``save´´ people while back home my loved ones arent being ``saved´´ but, quite on the contrary, are dying. I feel like it is some kind of sick joke that I am being forced to live in. 

Putting aside all of what happened mentally, emotionally and spiritually, the week was a successful one. We baptized two people and had many investigators at church. Thankfully I have something to focus on: baptisms. The harder I work to baptize someone the less time I have to think about what has happened and it helps me to remain stable. 

Elder A. is being a good companion to me as well. He has spoken with me about how he felt and what he went through when his father died. His father was also taken unexpectedly and he has expressed his insight on the matter. He has been helping me. We talked about it a lot for the first three days after the incident but since then I havent wanted to. Its easier, for now, to not talk about it and to just work. 

I am doing the best that I can to keep going. I really, really just want to be home but I know that God has work left for me to do here so Ill endure to the end the best that I can.

I re-read a book called The Message by Lance Richardson, that Sister Frost gave me after Michael passed away. I would recommend it to all. It short but insightful and helps me understand that Chris is all right and that he is at peace, even though right now, just talking about it, hurts. 

To close today I just want to direct my testimony to my mother. Mom, I know that this is hard, extremely hard and its not something that a mother should ever have to go through but I know that it will be all right. I know that Chris lives, before the mission I believed that there was life after death but now I know it. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that because of Him, all of us will live again. I know that God is merciful, I have seen His mercy in my mission. I know that the family is eternal, not just because of what the Spirit has told me but also logic. I know that the pain will fade but the memory and love will remain the same. I know that God created for us, a plan of happiness and that, as strange as it seems, a part of that plan is death. God loves us, he knows us. We are his children. He will never abandon us.

All of my love,

Elder Morris

July 7, 2014

Happy Fourth of July nada. Elder R. and I didn’t get to do anything other than proselyting. We tried to order a pizza when the day ended, but the guy ended up losing our order, so we went to bed hungry. Major bummer, right? Oh well, next year I’ll be grilling with you, gramps. Nerk.

Yeah, it was a bummer that we didn’t get to baptize C. She is starting to flake out on us now actually, but we were able to baptize her niece this Sunday. Boo yah. We closed Sunday with another week of excellence, so we did all right. There is only one more week in the transfer, and Elder R. and I want to baptize a couple more people this next Sunday together because chances are one of us is out of here. We have got some people with potential, so we will see how things work out. I don’t know what the deal is, but it seems like I never get to stay with my favorite companions for more than a transfer. Lame. There is a chance he will stay, but he has been a zone leader for seven months, so the president will probably release him and have him train. We will see. I hope he stays here though.

As for L's baptism, yes, I actually got to stay and watch it. It was pretty cool. It left me with one of those good feelings that only God can give. As for our travel as zone leaders, we do at least two divisions every week with the elders in our zone, and sometimes we are called to resolve a problem or do an interview last second. I like being a zone leader for the following reasons: good companion, lots of work, and the time passes quickly. There are a couple of things that I don’t like about being a zone leader, but I’ll wait until I’m home to tell you about those things. 

Elder R. celebrated his birthday on Thursday. It ended up being pretty funny. The other elders and I made a cake for him the night before (with help from an irmã in the ward), but during the day three other people made him cakes too (at lunch, at a recent convert’s house, etc.). So by the time we got home we were pretty full of cake, but we surprised him with it anyway and sang happy birthday to him. Because we weren’t that hungry, we decided to have some fun with the cake and eat it without using our hands. So there we were, the four of us with our faces covered in cream when Elder R. decided to smash Elder S's face into the cake. One thing led to another, and before we knew it, we were involved in a full-fledged food fight. Cake was flying, people were slipping, and the memory will always remain with me. (And, yes, we did clean up afterward even though it took over an hour—totally worth it. Nerk.)

The maple and the cream or tarter are still holding strong, but the Brazilian elders in the house like it a little too much—more than the Americans it seems—so I doubt the maple will make it out alive.

I noticed that you guys haven’t been trying to make me get too trunky, but I knew that that line of defense would break before long. I have to admit, it is exciting to be almost done, and with only three months left, I’m pretty close. But honestly, I’m not trunky at all. I’m sure that as time goes on, especially when I enter my last transfer, that the trunkiness will augment, but for now I am managing to stay focused on the work. However, there are some Brazilian cultural things that are starting to wear on me, and I lose patience with those things (dogs, lies, people hiding instead of telling you “no,” —you know, the usual). But overall, I’m doing fine.

Will it be warm enough to do a Moab trip when I get back? I want to bike and river raft a bit before it gets cold. The pics made me jelly.

Anyway, I’ll send some pics and videos now. I love you!

Elder Morris

June 3, 2014

Oh, that’s right. I forgot that this week is the Fourth of July. Bummer. Once again I will miss a classic American holiday. I guess Elder R. and I will have to do a little partying of our own. I wonder if they sell fireworks here.

This week we were all set to baptize a woman named C., who was a referral from a member family who lives close to her. She went to church last week, and we taught her everything. The only difficulty she has is with smoking. She only smokes one or two cigarettes a day, which is very little. She didn’t smoke Friday, passed the interview and was set to be baptized. We went back Saturday morning to make sure everything was cool, which it seemed like it was. We then returned at 6:00 that night just to check up on her. When we got there, she said she didn’t think that she should be baptized on Sunday, but she never told us why.

For an hour and a half we read scriptures, bore testimony and used the techniques of our Xeque Mate program, but it didn’t work. Finally she told us that she had smoked a cigarette 10 minutes before we had gotten there, and that is why she didn’t want to be baptized. One stinking cigarette. So that left Elder R. and me very frustrated. We spent an hour and a half in her house just for her to tell us that she had smoked. So our baptism fell through. Major bummer, mate.

But on a happier note, Friday night I did an interview with a young man named L. in another area. He was all set to be baptized and everything went well, but then Saturday morning the missionaries (Elder A., who was with me in Canela) from that area called me and said that L. didn’t want to be baptized anymore and that they wanted me to “dar um jeito” (make it happen) with him. So I headed back to Mathias Velho to do an emergency interview. I invited L. to the chapel and I sat down with him in front of the full baptismal font, and we talked.

He told me about how he didn’t think he was ready to be baptized because he didn’t think he would be able to keep all of the commandments (not because he has a problem with anything but he thought that he had to be perfect). I didn’t really know how to explain to him about the difference between perfection and striving to do your best in a way that he would understand, so I said a prayer and just started to talk. As I was talking, words that I hadn’t planned on using started to come out of my mouth. I just kept talking, not knowing what I would say next but knowing that I was being guided by the Spirit. In the end, L. looked at me, smiled and said, “All right, let me see the baptismal clothes. I’ll go change. I want to be baptized.” So, even though we weren’t able to baptize in Rio Branco, God helped me help the Elders in Mathias Velho to baptize.

As for the two guys we baptized last week, they were confirmed on Sunday, so that was good. To answer your question, I now have 21 weeks of excellence. That means I just need 3 more to meet my goal. Almost there.

I dig the pics from the Venture trip. They brought back memories. I can’t believe that Sam is now at that age where I was. (We did our trip before I graduated, to answer your question). Crazy how time passes.

Well, I’m honestly going to have to run. I’ll send pics and video here in a bit. The time on the Internet passed really fast today. But I love you all, and as Michelle informed me today, I now have less than 100 days to go. Que bênção.

Love to all!

Elder Morris

June 23, 2014

June 23, 2014

Good morning:

By the picture you sent [of snow on the mountains last Tuesday], it looks like we are both enjoying a rather wintery week, although thankfully, this morning wasn’t too cold.

Well, after the week before last’s porcaria, this week turned out rather well. After a month without baptizing, Elder R. and I were finally able to bring down two batismos Sunday afternoon. A couple of weeks back, T. and M. (cousins) contacted us on the street and asked us about the soccer games that the ward always has at the chapel. We invited them to come play, and they did. Last Sunday we took them to church and this week their parents (who progress slowly because of their work schedules) signed their baptism form so they could be baptized. So, after a very unsuccessful period of a few weeks, Elder R. and I baptized two people and got the week of excellence. Que coisa boa. It was like a breath of fresh air, and today I can rest satisfied.

So, yeah, I’m feeling much better now.

I’m totally jelly about the concert. I love America [the band], and I really want to see them again too. I still can’t believe that I will miss Boston by six weeks. I'm counting on that concert you promised me.

I liked the quote you sent me from Matthew Holland [below]. It is totally true, and many times on my mission I have felt those same pains, but with only three months left to go, it gets easier. After all, I’m about to leave that tunnel. I can already see the light.

So, yeah, the World Cup is going strong down here, and because of that we have to say in our house sometimes. It gets dangerous, apparently. In fact, today we will have the whole day as P-day because there is a game tonight. Que bênção.

Anyway, I love you!

Elder Morris

Matthew Holland quote:

"If now, or in some future day, you look around and see that some peers seem to be progressing more rapidly than you are with the language and discussions; if you ever feel passed over for leadership positions; if visa issues send you north when you were called south; if well-meaning actions somehow lead to disaster with companions, ward members, and mission leaders; if, after months of emotional and devoted teaching, a golden investigator leaves a copy of the Book of Mormon on the porch and refuses to answer the door; if an unexpected illness holds you back from service far longer than you anticipated; if news from home brings word of financial setback and mortal mishaps you can do nothing about; or if, day after day, you simply feel like a bland and beaten background player in a mission drama made for the happiness of others, just know this: many such things were the lot of one of the greatest of the Lord’s prophets at the very moment he was being led to the stage of the single most triumphant thing to happen on this earth since the events of Golgotha and the Garden Tomb nearly 2,000 years earlier."

June 16, 2014

June 16, 2014

Good morning,

First of all, I hope that you had a fun Father’s Day. The letter that I sent came from my heart, and I hope that both of you, Mom and Dad, understand the love and respect I have for you. Sounds like you had a fun day. 

Well, I have to say that this week was quite a trial for Elder R. and me. We worked very, very hard and gave everything we had in preparation to having a successful Sunday with several baptisms, but everything came falling down in the end. In the beginning of the week we had five baptisms marked for this Sunday. Two of them moved out of nowhere, and we have no idea where they went. One of them gave up (the girl I told you about), one of the mothers didn’t let her daughter be baptized, and the other one went to a party Saturday night and stayed out until 4:00 a.m. So she didn’t go to church, and then she left with her family for the day. All five baptisms came crashing down last minute, and this left Elder R. and me rather frustrated.

I even called the president and asked him why things like this happen. He gave some good advice and reviewed with us some things about opposition and trials and it helped a little bit, but I’m still frustrated. Elder R. and I said to each other last night, “Well, I hope that my family was blessed a lot this week because we sure as heck didn’t get much out of it.” So, if something special happened this week or if some prayer was answered, maybe it was because of our sacrifice here. Who knows?

Other than the trials, we are having a fun time at least. I like what Mom said: “It’s great to hear you’re in a fun foursome again, with two of the MTC group to bring you back to the beginning as you approach the end.” They are great guys and, as I have said before, I have a great companion, which is the secret to a good mission, even when the times get tough.

I had an interview with the president last week, and I asked him what he thought about me staying in this area for one more transfer. He said he can’t promise anything, but he will see what he can do. I have been transferred so much that I would like to settle down for a little bit in an area and create some friendships with the members so that I can start baptizing their friends. We will see what happens but either way, at most, I’ve got one area left.

I’m glad to hear that Grandma and Granddad are getting better and that Mom had a good, safe trip. I hope that this fall I’ll be able to visit all of the gramps again. What are the family’s plans for Christmas?

Tomorrow I’m going to go to the temple for the first time in almost six months. It will be really nice to sit and talk with God in the celestial room. I feel like I need a little bit of a spiritual kick-start to carry me through the rest of my mission.

I have to admit that I am really tired. The mission age is getting to me. I woke up half dead today. “And you know it’s getting stronger, [I] can’t last very much longer, [I’m feeling stoned]” (Joe Walsh). Nerk. But “I’ll make out somehow, son”

Anyway, I’ve got to run. Hopefully, next week there is a picture of someone dressed in white attached to the email.

To answer your questions: the weather isn’t too bad; sometimes it rains like heck, but today is fine. 

Love to all!

Enduring to the end,

Elder Morris

June 8, 2014

“You can see your breath, your nose is cold, the [heater don’t work], the pipes are froze, it’s winter, [freaking] winter.”

Yeah, although good weather comes around once in a while during winter in Canoas, every morning now it is pretty cold—nothing like Utah yet but cold nonetheless.

Well, Elder A. headed out last Tuesday, and he is actually serving in an area where I have already served: Venâncio Aires. I will miss him, but I think I lucked out with my new companion. My companion, Elder R. from Tennessee, started the mission with me and is from my MTC group. We were companions for two weeks in my first area when his companion went home a little early to start college. I’ve know him since day one, since he lived in the same dorm as me in the MTC. He is a super cool guy. We have been friends since the beginning and I’m excited to be working with him here. Also, Elder Ro., who is also from my MTC group (Brazilian) and his greenie companion, Elder S., are splitting the area with us. So it’s pretty cool. There is nobody weird, we are all friends and we are all trabalhadores.

This week was, as Elder R. and I concluded, a “test of our faith.” One of our baptisms fell through and the other one went to the other elders because, after the division, she lives in their area. Also, one of the people that we want to baptize next week didn’t go to church on Sunday because he hurt his knee. Besides this, on Tuesday I had stomach problems, on Thursday I got super sick with a cold and had to sleep all day (I’m better now though), and this week I also got bit by a dog—twice. Crappy week, right? But we kept on working and at 7:00 p.m. Sunday we met a friend of a member who was going to be baptized a few months back but wasn’t because her stepfather didn’t let her. But now her stepfather has separated from her mother, so she will be able to be baptized next Sunday. It’s an eternal principle that I have learned here on the mission that if you endure to the end (end of the day, week or transfer, etc.) God always blessed you with success.

I liked your high school story. Even though it has only been three years since I graduated, it is strange how fast the time has passed. Three years ago last week (June 3) Ben and I threw a party at his house, and the whole class was there. Everyone stayed up until 2 a.m. eating, laughing, playing games and messing around. After everyone else hit the sack, Ben and I stayed up talking until 5 a.m. We talked about future plans, girls, mission, etc. It’s weird to think that so much has happened since then. I can’t believe it has passed so fast.

I hope Mom is enjoying her stay in Phoenix. I imagine that it’s hotter than poop. I’m sure that Grandma and Granddad will be grateful for her help and will enjoy her company. 

Anyway, I’m going to wrap it up for now. We have to send in a relatório. Say hi to Grandma and Granddad for me, Mom.

I love you!

Elder Morris

June 2, 2014

Good morning:

Well, transfers are in and Elder A. is out of here. Bummer. But we both saw it coming, and he has been in this area for a long time, so there is nothing we can do about it. I really have enjoyed working with him though. He has been my favorite companion and, as he informed me last week, I have been his favorite as well. We got along perfectly, and we are already planning on visiting one another after the mission. 

We weren’t able to baptize anyone this week. The person we were preparing “fugiu” (fled). We were teaching a woman named M. and she has already gone to church and was excited about the baptism, but then this week she disappeared. She doesn’t pick up when we call and she is never at home when we swing by. Our theory is that a relative spoke badly about the church, so she doesn’t want to learn more. And what is super annoying about Brazilians is that instead of just telling you that they don’t want to be visited anymore, they hide and pretend like they died. But I’m used to that by now. Só vai.

I’m glad to hear that the grandparents are recovering. But as you said: “When your mother and I lose our parents, then she and I will take their place as the grandparents of the family. When did we get so old? It makes us sad, but it’s all part of the plan of salvation.” I have thought about that for a long time—ever since I was a kid, I have worried about the day when our grandparents would leave us. The love that I have for them is great, and I just hope that the good Lord continues to bless them for a while longer.

I didn’t know that the Andersons were moving. That is a bummer. I really like Brother Anderson. We had a lot of good times together in Young Men, including that campout you mentioned. What is funny is that just this week I told Elder Araújo about that time how you played Boston to wake us up (we were telling funny stories one night). He found it amusing. Elder A. also has good taste in music, and sometimes when we are walking down the street I catch him whistling “Wind of Change,” by the Scorpions. I think we were best friends in the pre-existence.

But yeah, that is about it for now. Next week I’ll fill you in about the new comp and whatnot, but until then I’m just going to “carry on.”

Lots of love,

Elder Morris

May 26, 2014

Happy Memorial Day to you and P-day to me:

This week was a good one, well at least an enjoyable one. We weren’t able to baptize anyone (the person who we were planning on baptizing had to work Saturday and Sunday, so it didn’t work out) and Elder A. got kind of sick this week, so we weren’t able to work as much as we wanted to but we did a great deal of talking and laughing. And although my time here with A. will be a short one, as with many other transfers and companions, it will be a memorable one.

This is the last week of the transfer, and President Wright came to our area to watch the stake conference (with Elder Ribeiro from the Seventy), so he was able to tell us a little bit about what will happen next transfer. Elder A. is going to be transferred and Rio Branco will be split, so there will be four missionaries living in the house here next transfer. It seems like just when I’m getting comfortable things always change. I’m really going to miss Elder A., who is probably the best missionary that I have ever met. I have learned a lot from him and I plan on perpetuating our friendship through the eternities.

Stake conference here was super good. Elder Ribeiro is a great speaker, and although he spoke for more than an hour, he held our attention through all of it. He told lots of great stories and invited everyone in the stake to help accelerate the missionary work. I really enjoyed the conference.

Honestly, I don’t really have much more to say. Other than that a kid who threw a rock at us when we asked him if he wanted to be baptized like Jesus was, the week was rather normal. It is starting to get colder though, and I fear that the Brazilian winter won’t let me get off so easily.

I love you and I hope you enjoy the warm weather because I’ll be freezing my buns off in about a month.

Love,

Elder Morris

May 19, 2014

Hello:

Well, we had another good week. We baptized two people on Sunday and got another week of excellence. This is a pretty good area, and the members have a good relationship with the missionaries (thanks to Elder A.). The transfer is going to end in two weeks, which is a bummer because that probably means that Elder A. is out of here. That’s what happens though. It seems like I’ve been thrown around a lot and had a lot of companions, my favorites always staying with me for only six weeks or so, which is also a bummer. I would like to say longer with Elder A.

So this week we had a really cool experience with one of the people who we baptized. His name is B. B. was actually already baptized one time in the Church but was never confirmed, so the baptism ended up not counting. The reason why he wasn’t confirmed is because he got annoyed with the missionaries because they were pressuring him a lot to be baptized, so after he got baptized he said, “All right, there I did it, now leave me alone.”

Six months later we saw him on the street and invited him to go to church. He showed up at church on Sunday, and we marked to go visit him. We taught him about the Book of Mormon and asked him to pray about it, to know for sure if it is really true and if this is the path he should follow (including being baptized again and receiving the Holy Ghost). He accepted and said that he is looking for guidance in his life and wants to know what he should.

When we returned to his house on Tuesday, he told us that he had prayed about the Book of Mormon and felt peace in his heart. He then randomly opened the Book of Mormon and read the following passage from 2 Nephi 32:5: “For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things that ye should do.” He then explained to us that he knew that God was telling him to, again, enter in by the way (baptism) but this time receive the Holy Ghost, and that, because of this, he will be guided to know what to do. He asked us when we would have the next baptismal meeting, and we said it would be Sunday. He said, “Great, count me in.” And the rest is history.

Here everything is “tranquilo.” I’m in a groove and going strong. To celebrate our baptisms, Elder A. and I are going to make a churrasco for lunch today. I’ll send you pictures of it next week. (Yes, be jelly, be very jelly.)

That about wraps it up for me.

Same time next week,

Love,

Elder Morris