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