So I don't know how President did it, or why. However he actually managed to find some one in the mission with less time, baptisms, and experience than me, and now he is my comp. Elder Medina has 3 months in the mission, and he was in Catacamas for the first 3. It's a pueblo where the church is basically persecuted. So he didn't get a lot of chances to teach or learn how to contact. However here he is. He may actually be the only missionary here who knows a little less then I do.
So basically I just have to tell him like 10 times a day, "I'm sorry" and "I have no idea what I am doing." I feel like I am starting the mission over. I haven't had time to wash clothes for a week now and I spend every free minute I have making plans, calling people, and getting everything filled in and organized. Yesterday was so stressful I thought I was going to have a panic attack!
Good Part: Elder Medina is super patient with me, a really great missionary who loves to work hard, and we are both learning's tons together. We have his first baptism this Saturday (a mom and her daughter, which is also a challenge because I have no idea how to baptize some one, or the paper work, or the baptismal meeting or anything so I am literally just praying for revelation cause he has never baptized before so we both have no idea how.) However the part that almost makes everything okay? HE SPEAKS THE ENGLISH! Yesterday I had a headache so bad I thought the Lord was ready to take me. I had just finished the hardest high stress week of my life and even the idea of continuing on was to much to handle. My body went into self destruct mode. However God prepared a way for me to make it. My comp just came up to me and said "How are you" in the most beautiful English ever. I just went off in English venting and letting my brain relax from my Spanish stress nightmare! It's now my perfect stress remedy.
Elder Medina is from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, The city is divided into two districts, Comayuguela, and Tegucigalpa. He literally lives 20 minutes in a taxi from my house. He knows our stake president as a friend, has friends in our area, we see people he knows in the street, and he has a relative that we eat lunch with on Fridays. Its basically as if I was called to serve from Ivins to the "St. George Bloomington Utah Mission." no joke that close. I know the scriptures say that you can't be a prophet in your own land but hey, here he is. (PS, from our back porch, cause we live on a huge mountain, you can see his chapel that he went to church in, and the district that he lives. His house is covered in trees. It is super distant, but hey, you can still make it out.)
So my baptism this week will be very special. It will be my first contact to water baptism. Her name is Ericka, and her daughter Kathy. Ericka loves the church and reads the book of Mormon every day. However she couldn't come to church because she had to make tortillas to sell to feed her kids. When the members heard about it they all did this thing where they all went Saturday and bought twice as many tortillas from her so she could go on Sunday to church. To see her progression has been such an amazing experience. However despite the miracles of her changing her life and the members helping yesterday was the counter Satan attack!!!
So she had to go to church yesterday to get baptized this Saturday. So all Sunday morning we got stuck in "an all talk" stake mission work meeting. So we were finally delivered from that I literally ran to the members house who was supposed to take her in a car. However his tire was flat! On top of it all? It was raining cats and dogs! The rivers in the city yesterday started to run there banks, and the river is currently washing away houses left and right here. (PS the city is in a state of emergency from flooding, forgot to mention that small detail. Don't worry about me or my area its called "king of the mountain" for a reason.) My comp just sat down defeated and depressed in the house completely soaked from the rain and said "what do we do? She can't go in this rain with her children and she doesn't have rain gear." I said "shut up and get your umbrella."
I took every jacket, cardigan, umbrella, and towel in my house and marched to her front door. She was standing in the door way and yelled "wheres the car?"
I yelled back over the sound of the pounding rain "I have bad news."
"I cant go in this!" she said as she realized the car wasn't coming.
I responded "if i have to carry you and your daughter it doesn't matter to me, your coming to church and your getting baptized I packed them with clothes, gave them my own umbrella, and off we went.
They still have my jackets and my umbrellas, but I am grateful for the miracles, and I am also grateful for hard work, and how even when the streets turn to rivers, the church is true. I hope one day these people realize just how much I love them, and what I am willing to do to see them happy.
God Bless,
Elder Morris.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Como se Dice "Moving again" 4-19-2010
I spent six weeks in Campamento and got thrown all the way across the country to Otoro. Now I have only spent six weeks in Otoro, and received a change again. When I showed up the Elder there had really nothing going. In Otoro I had two families, one married, and got the area ready for a whole load of success and baptisms. While my comp slept and cooked. I studied, made calls, and organized everything to maximum level of efficiency to be successful out there in Otoro. I worked myself to death preparing to get the area baptized. I helped raise the ward attendance to a record high, and was just doing work. So I was hit hard when I was asked to leave, and go to a companion that many have said I would need to "be very patient and careful". So basically now I'm here, back in the city. My new area is Monterrey and it's in an area called Toncontin. I was excited to come to this zone because they have been baptizing like crazy! So that is what I focused myself in on. Sure I was leaving three families to baptize, but I was sure this new area would have at least one person I could finally get to the water... God has other plans.
Again I have shown up to an area wanting to say "what have you been doing the past six weeks!!!?" And at least my last comp who was responsible for the last wreck just let me take over and fix it all... However this is going to be different...
Oh, and about the baptisms? There are four people super positive for baptism, that only have to be taught... well funny story. Last night I found out while going on divisions with another member of the bishopric that where these people live is not our area, and its not even our ward.
So in less then 5 days I am in for it... I am struggling at the moment. I guess God knows I can do it. I am just practicing the skills that I have been learning on the mission. Focus on the good, and smile! I am back in the city! and I may one day actually get the chance to baptize again.
Lots of love, Elder Morris
By the lake in Otoro
In the banana trees
Sarah and famalia
Cool apartment color pass the Pepto Bismol
Again I have shown up to an area wanting to say "what have you been doing the past six weeks!!!?" And at least my last comp who was responsible for the last wreck just let me take over and fix it all... However this is going to be different...
Oh, and about the baptisms? There are four people super positive for baptism, that only have to be taught... well funny story. Last night I found out while going on divisions with another member of the bishopric that where these people live is not our area, and its not even our ward.
So in less then 5 days I am in for it... I am struggling at the moment. I guess God knows I can do it. I am just practicing the skills that I have been learning on the mission. Focus on the good, and smile! I am back in the city! and I may one day actually get the chance to baptize again.
Lots of love, Elder Morris
By the lake in Otoro
In the banana trees
Sarah and famalia
Cool apartment color pass the Pepto Bismol
Como se Dice "Pictures" 4-11-2010
I was doing some thinking. Pictures are worth a thousand words, and in case no one told you, its a couple more thousand south of Mexico. Here's a novel.
So give this first picture to every young single women you can find! I basically don't think I have ever looked better!
This is Elder Morales and I, we had to take our shoes off to cross the river. The President of the branch lives a mile up the hill on the other side.
This is in Cokelan, they used to do lots of baptisms out here in the lagoon behind the waterfall part. Now people just use it to shower.
Con amor, Elder Morris
So give this first picture to every young single women you can find! I basically don't think I have ever looked better!
This is Elder Morales and I, we had to take our shoes off to cross the river. The President of the branch lives a mile up the hill on the other side.
This is in Cokelan, they used to do lots of baptisms out here in the lagoon behind the waterfall part. Now people just use it to shower.
Con amor, Elder Morris
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Como Se Dice "Looking up" 4-5-10
Things are looking up. Me and my companion are doing great together. At first we hardly got anything done. Once everything got worked out my intense networking and social skills and his scriptural knowledge and teaching skills make us a good team. So I get us there, on time, with a member with a plan to teach, then he does the rest. Last night I brought a financially struggling mother to tears of how I felt the spirit fill my heart and mouth and pour out to her word for word what God needed her to hear. It was a beautiful experience. I was able to listen to my self and feel the Lords love for me, what I am doing, and how hard I am trying. As I have been doubling my effort the Lord has been doubling my success, tripling my hope in the future and making me happier then ever. I am ready to do my part harder then ever. With this new found faith and action I am doing things I never thought I could.
Elder Scott Wayne Morris.
Elder Scott Wayne Morris.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Como se dice "There is nothing" 2-22-2010
So in all, the sick drama is over. I feel amazing health wise, however its been back to the trenches faster than I can catch my breath, with a whole new set of prepared challenges and trials for me to learn from. But hey, that's life on the mission.
So, fun factoids. The virus I hosted is called "ganga." Well in Spanish, and it sounds super exotic and cool, so I officially have "I had ganga once" on my resume of cocktail party stories so there is the bright side for that one.
However my trial right now? NO HAY NADA! There is nothing! This morning walking to the bus I just lost the positive missionary attitude and started to vent a mountain to Elder Morales. This morning we didn't have: water (and probably won't till Thursday), clean clothes (because there is no water to wash our clothes), Money (however that's solved now, thanks mom), Investigators, Members going to church (this week was our lowest attendance since I have been here), Food (a cat broke into our house and ate it all), Energy, and everything more! After my vent I realized that I had kinda depressed Elder Morales, so I repented and started to play the count your blessings game. It took us like 20 minutes to get 5, and they weren't very good ones, so the count your blessing game just turned out to be more depressing. However, like always, we just had to talk and joke about the fact we had nothing and have a little fun and our spirits were right back up. Cause it is easy with Elder Morales.
Elder Morales is from Guatemala, and he is just a super hick. His dad owns tons of cows, 200 fighting cocks. He is my newest dearest friend here in Honduras. When I was dying in my bed he was nothing short of amazing helping me through, and is just an awesome, supportive good missionary. He kinda looks like a Bull, and he is just the best missionary ever in my eyes. Even though we are such opposites, we get along perfect.
So right now were just a little dis animated that it just seems the harder we work, less happens. Its kinda of a hard thing to deal with, but this week we have re covenanted ourselves to step it up into hard work and do things that neither of us have done before. Like running door to door, asking people if they want to get baptized during door contacts, finding only families, crazy stuff like that. So we will see if we can finally catch some luck here in Campamiento.
Con Amor,
Elder Morris
ps. This Friday I am going to complete 6 months in the mission! How crazy! Time is flying I cant even believe it!!! I feel like I have so much to do and no time before I go home! Guess I´ll just have to step it up even more!!
So, fun factoids. The virus I hosted is called "ganga." Well in Spanish, and it sounds super exotic and cool, so I officially have "I had ganga once" on my resume of cocktail party stories so there is the bright side for that one.
However my trial right now? NO HAY NADA! There is nothing! This morning walking to the bus I just lost the positive missionary attitude and started to vent a mountain to Elder Morales. This morning we didn't have: water (and probably won't till Thursday), clean clothes (because there is no water to wash our clothes), Money (however that's solved now, thanks mom), Investigators, Members going to church (this week was our lowest attendance since I have been here), Food (a cat broke into our house and ate it all), Energy, and everything more! After my vent I realized that I had kinda depressed Elder Morales, so I repented and started to play the count your blessings game. It took us like 20 minutes to get 5, and they weren't very good ones, so the count your blessing game just turned out to be more depressing. However, like always, we just had to talk and joke about the fact we had nothing and have a little fun and our spirits were right back up. Cause it is easy with Elder Morales.
Elder Morales is from Guatemala, and he is just a super hick. His dad owns tons of cows, 200 fighting cocks. He is my newest dearest friend here in Honduras. When I was dying in my bed he was nothing short of amazing helping me through, and is just an awesome, supportive good missionary. He kinda looks like a Bull, and he is just the best missionary ever in my eyes. Even though we are such opposites, we get along perfect.
So right now were just a little dis animated that it just seems the harder we work, less happens. Its kinda of a hard thing to deal with, but this week we have re covenanted ourselves to step it up into hard work and do things that neither of us have done before. Like running door to door, asking people if they want to get baptized during door contacts, finding only families, crazy stuff like that. So we will see if we can finally catch some luck here in Campamiento.
Con Amor,
Elder Morris
ps. This Friday I am going to complete 6 months in the mission! How crazy! Time is flying I cant even believe it!!! I feel like I have so much to do and no time before I go home! Guess I´ll just have to step it up even more!!
Come se dice "He Lives" 2-17-10
So I basically caused a medical emergency and a zone wide relief effort, "Save Elder Morris Day" It's a huge story so I might as well tell it.
So for two weeks I have been super sick, with a very wide variety of symptoms that I have only just identified and now things make a lot more sense. So here is my medical history:
1. I had a cough, and when I came to my new area here in Campamiento, it started to get worse. Since I had cold symptoms for a long time (like three weeks) I called the mission doctors and expressed my concern. They told me to drink lots of water and take some ibuprofen.
2. The day after I called I was blessed with the worlds most violent diarrhea, and my cough was still getting worse. The diarrhea continued all that week, but I was still able to leave and work for the next two days. The mission doctor said the best course of action would be water and ibuprofen
3. So two days after the diarrhea I actually felt fine, just annoyed at having to randomly run into homes and stores and demand a bathroom (many a close call) however. I woke up the next day unable to lift my intensely hot and tired body from the bed. I had a fever of a 103. I called the mission doctor. she asked if I had been drinking lots of water and taking my ibuprofen. She then re prescribed the same. (turns out some where in the mission doctor manual it says "all missionaries are liars, so when they have symptoms of dying just prescribe water and ibuprofen till they stop lying and get back to work.) However she later called back and decided to get me on some antibiotics for the next week. 21 pills of amoxacillin that I had to take three times a day, with water and ibuprofen of course.
4.My temperature remained roughly above a hundred for the rest of the week, and I could only be given the power by the grace of God to leave. For example in the morning of Thursday I couldn't stand, but God blessed me with power to leave and do a baptism for the sisters. The second I got back to the house I almost passed out. Bless the miracles.
5. Recap: 103 temperature, violent diarrhea, swollen tonsils, and no energy. Keeping up?
6. I was spiritually inspired to stop eating the food that the people who provide dinner were feeding us. Within 24 hours the diarrhea was gone. They are really poor, so I don't even want to know why the food was toxic.
7. Fever continues to trouble doctor. And despite there best efforts with ibuprofen and water, it's not working. They prescribe me the "bomb", and a stronger antibiotic. the "bomb" is the medicine they give for parasites, or tape worms. I have never heard words spoken with less confidence than when she said "well... I believe there are no side effects...".So I was ready for the worst. Also the new antibiotic looked like something a horse would have to take. It was huge!
8. Fever breaks, but now a new problem. I still have no energy, and am forced to stay in the house cause when ever I walk to far I get light headed and start to pass out. So I am forced to bed rest, and the more time I am spending in the house the worse I am getting. Also I had received a yeast infection on top of my swollen throat. She admitted that she had miss diagnosed me. That I didn't have any bacteria that was bad in me, so since she gave me a mountain of antibiotics to eat, I there was no bacteria left good or bad nothing to fight the yeast. So its kinda like strep throat, but so pain full I couldn't eat or drink with out crying in pain. The doctors conclusion... Drink more water and ibuprofen
9. When I woke up Monday unable to sleep, in pain, I called her and let her know I am coming in and she is going to the hospital cause I can't breath well, eat or drink. So she was going to have to deal with me alive now, or dead soon.
10. We get to Teguciapala, and for some reason I already felt better It's like the further I got from my house the better I felt. The doctor listened to my lungs and the first thing he said was "you have an allergy"
Are you ready, the break down:
Our next door neighbors cook with fire, and ash just rains down into our house because of it. I wasn't getting better with my cough cause I was developing an allergy to sleeping in raining ash. Hence coughing more
The neighbors food then started to give me diarrhea.
Then I contracted a virus. One of those exotic ones that kill white people, thus the 103 temperature and no energy ever.
So the virus made me to tired to stand, which meant laying in my bed breathing in ash and smoke, making the allergy and the cough worse. The virus eventually died, but I was getting worse because I was in constant toxic exposure.
Once the virus was gone, my allergy had made me to tired to leave, thus making me spend more time dying in what was causing me to die, thus making me worse.
Because of these symptoms I was given the antibiotics, which gave me a yeast infection in my mouth making it pain full to eat.
Once we connected all the dots, President lovingly struck into action. Within 12 hours of the diagnosis I was in a new house, in a whole different part of town, smoke free and beautiful. That's the miracle of missionary work!
Moral of the story: When your sick, ibuprofen and water. That ought to do ya.
So now that you have my entire medical history here is the good part.
I am saved, recovering and happy. I have left to work today for the first time in two weeks,and it feels so good to be doing the work again. I can now drink water, but can only eat yogurt and ice cream.
However please know that I am fine. I can breath again and I am taking tons of allergy medicine to keep my air ways open, and pain killers for the infection.
To get sick on a mission is a really hard experience. You realize that time is so short on a mission and it is being wasted, and all the good you could be doing, and all the people you could be helping. It was a hard faith crippling thing to go through. One part of you is "I'm so sick, I just need to recover" and the other is "where is my faith? I should be able to get over this with missionary power and faith alone and go to work." But I learned a lot, the primary things being this.
1. God is in control. Whenever we find ourselves in the refiners fire we just need to remember who the refiner is.
2. I know nothing. When I was in the house giving up the ghost, the zone leaders had come over to interchange, so my comp could go see how are investigators were doing. I expressed to Zone Leader Elder Payne that I was upset. "God sent me to Campamiento to work here, so why isn't he letting me" I said. He prophetically responded "how do you know that?" In reality I don't know what Gods plan for me is, but I know I am a part of it, and I will do what ever he asks. Even if that includes me getting sick. I will always remember the feeling last night, after the move was finished, I asked God in prayer why this had all happened. All this fuss and time lost, and pain. I was upset and sad. He sent me the most overwhelming feeling of comfort, and the words in my heart that let me know that through it all, it was what he wanted and that I just needed to keep doing my best. He was proud of me, and just needs me to get back up and make it happen.
3. Gods hand is in everything. Even though I was really sick, God was still God, and took care of everything. So many miracles have happened outside while me and my comp where just dying in my house. Him of boredom and me of my carnival of illnesses playing "Host vs. Sick". So many things worked out, and I didn't have to be there to solve the problems. I have been so busy on my mission working my tail off to fix everything for everyone else, that it was so touching to just lay back and watch my whole zone come pack me up and move me out in a matter of hours,and the President who loves me enough to make it happen. I really am grateful for this opportunity to learn more, and become a better servant of the Lord. It was a day that even though I had been the one giving service, "I got served!" (ooooohhhhohohoh!)
So in all, I´m learning more all the time even when that means laying in a bed breathing smoke and feeling my throat swell up. I am out of the toxic environment, and from the grace of God improving rapidly. Thanks for your prayers, and I have gotten so many letters this week I can really feel of every ones love. So Thanks to everyone.
Servant of our Refiner,
Elder Scott Wayne Morris
pss this email is huge!!! and probably super boring... sorry.
So for two weeks I have been super sick, with a very wide variety of symptoms that I have only just identified and now things make a lot more sense. So here is my medical history:
1. I had a cough, and when I came to my new area here in Campamiento, it started to get worse. Since I had cold symptoms for a long time (like three weeks) I called the mission doctors and expressed my concern. They told me to drink lots of water and take some ibuprofen.
2. The day after I called I was blessed with the worlds most violent diarrhea, and my cough was still getting worse. The diarrhea continued all that week, but I was still able to leave and work for the next two days. The mission doctor said the best course of action would be water and ibuprofen
3. So two days after the diarrhea I actually felt fine, just annoyed at having to randomly run into homes and stores and demand a bathroom (many a close call) however. I woke up the next day unable to lift my intensely hot and tired body from the bed. I had a fever of a 103. I called the mission doctor. she asked if I had been drinking lots of water and taking my ibuprofen. She then re prescribed the same. (turns out some where in the mission doctor manual it says "all missionaries are liars, so when they have symptoms of dying just prescribe water and ibuprofen till they stop lying and get back to work.) However she later called back and decided to get me on some antibiotics for the next week. 21 pills of amoxacillin that I had to take three times a day, with water and ibuprofen of course.
4.My temperature remained roughly above a hundred for the rest of the week, and I could only be given the power by the grace of God to leave. For example in the morning of Thursday I couldn't stand, but God blessed me with power to leave and do a baptism for the sisters. The second I got back to the house I almost passed out. Bless the miracles.
5. Recap: 103 temperature, violent diarrhea, swollen tonsils, and no energy. Keeping up?
6. I was spiritually inspired to stop eating the food that the people who provide dinner were feeding us. Within 24 hours the diarrhea was gone. They are really poor, so I don't even want to know why the food was toxic.
7. Fever continues to trouble doctor. And despite there best efforts with ibuprofen and water, it's not working. They prescribe me the "bomb", and a stronger antibiotic. the "bomb" is the medicine they give for parasites, or tape worms. I have never heard words spoken with less confidence than when she said "well... I believe there are no side effects...".So I was ready for the worst. Also the new antibiotic looked like something a horse would have to take. It was huge!
8. Fever breaks, but now a new problem. I still have no energy, and am forced to stay in the house cause when ever I walk to far I get light headed and start to pass out. So I am forced to bed rest, and the more time I am spending in the house the worse I am getting. Also I had received a yeast infection on top of my swollen throat. She admitted that she had miss diagnosed me. That I didn't have any bacteria that was bad in me, so since she gave me a mountain of antibiotics to eat, I there was no bacteria left good or bad nothing to fight the yeast. So its kinda like strep throat, but so pain full I couldn't eat or drink with out crying in pain. The doctors conclusion... Drink more water and ibuprofen
9. When I woke up Monday unable to sleep, in pain, I called her and let her know I am coming in and she is going to the hospital cause I can't breath well, eat or drink. So she was going to have to deal with me alive now, or dead soon.
10. We get to Teguciapala, and for some reason I already felt better It's like the further I got from my house the better I felt. The doctor listened to my lungs and the first thing he said was "you have an allergy"
Are you ready, the break down:
Our next door neighbors cook with fire, and ash just rains down into our house because of it. I wasn't getting better with my cough cause I was developing an allergy to sleeping in raining ash. Hence coughing more
The neighbors food then started to give me diarrhea.
Then I contracted a virus. One of those exotic ones that kill white people, thus the 103 temperature and no energy ever.
So the virus made me to tired to stand, which meant laying in my bed breathing in ash and smoke, making the allergy and the cough worse. The virus eventually died, but I was getting worse because I was in constant toxic exposure.
Once the virus was gone, my allergy had made me to tired to leave, thus making me spend more time dying in what was causing me to die, thus making me worse.
Because of these symptoms I was given the antibiotics, which gave me a yeast infection in my mouth making it pain full to eat.
Once we connected all the dots, President lovingly struck into action. Within 12 hours of the diagnosis I was in a new house, in a whole different part of town, smoke free and beautiful. That's the miracle of missionary work!
Moral of the story: When your sick, ibuprofen and water. That ought to do ya.
So now that you have my entire medical history here is the good part.
I am saved, recovering and happy. I have left to work today for the first time in two weeks,and it feels so good to be doing the work again. I can now drink water, but can only eat yogurt and ice cream.
However please know that I am fine. I can breath again and I am taking tons of allergy medicine to keep my air ways open, and pain killers for the infection.
To get sick on a mission is a really hard experience. You realize that time is so short on a mission and it is being wasted, and all the good you could be doing, and all the people you could be helping. It was a hard faith crippling thing to go through. One part of you is "I'm so sick, I just need to recover" and the other is "where is my faith? I should be able to get over this with missionary power and faith alone and go to work." But I learned a lot, the primary things being this.
1. God is in control. Whenever we find ourselves in the refiners fire we just need to remember who the refiner is.
2. I know nothing. When I was in the house giving up the ghost, the zone leaders had come over to interchange, so my comp could go see how are investigators were doing. I expressed to Zone Leader Elder Payne that I was upset. "God sent me to Campamiento to work here, so why isn't he letting me" I said. He prophetically responded "how do you know that?" In reality I don't know what Gods plan for me is, but I know I am a part of it, and I will do what ever he asks. Even if that includes me getting sick. I will always remember the feeling last night, after the move was finished, I asked God in prayer why this had all happened. All this fuss and time lost, and pain. I was upset and sad. He sent me the most overwhelming feeling of comfort, and the words in my heart that let me know that through it all, it was what he wanted and that I just needed to keep doing my best. He was proud of me, and just needs me to get back up and make it happen.
3. Gods hand is in everything. Even though I was really sick, God was still God, and took care of everything. So many miracles have happened outside while me and my comp where just dying in my house. Him of boredom and me of my carnival of illnesses playing "Host vs. Sick". So many things worked out, and I didn't have to be there to solve the problems. I have been so busy on my mission working my tail off to fix everything for everyone else, that it was so touching to just lay back and watch my whole zone come pack me up and move me out in a matter of hours,and the President who loves me enough to make it happen. I really am grateful for this opportunity to learn more, and become a better servant of the Lord. It was a day that even though I had been the one giving service, "I got served!" (ooooohhhhohohoh!)
So in all, I´m learning more all the time even when that means laying in a bed breathing smoke and feeling my throat swell up. I am out of the toxic environment, and from the grace of God improving rapidly. Thanks for your prayers, and I have gotten so many letters this week I can really feel of every ones love. So Thanks to everyone.
Servant of our Refiner,
Elder Scott Wayne Morris
pss this email is huge!!! and probably super boring... sorry.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Como se dice "What is Family" 2-8-2010
Reflections on the family, by Elder Morris
This morning during study I had the strangest emotion of anger, frustration, and overwhelming sadness. I was studying and preparing for my lesson for next Sunday for my young men's class. As young men's president it's what I do, and I like to over prepare and be really ready for this class, so I was reading in the lesson manual. After finishing I nearly threw the stupid book away. All manuals are technically the word of God, written by Apostles and Prophets to help us teach. However, when some papo is sitting in some cushy office writing a lesson about "your family can be together forever" "everyone one should be sealed in the temple" questions like "what role do your mom and dad play working together in your family" and things as such.
I sat there reading this perfect Utah dribble. A lesson intended for educated young men, each with their own pair of scriptures, dressed in a white shirt and tie anxiously awaiting. In this perfect Utah world we would talk about everyone in their family. A mom and dad who love each other with brothers and sisters all born in the covenant together. As I tried to prepare for my kids this lesson I just had to throw the book on the ground and go silently cry and pray in the bathroom.
THESE KIDS DON'T HAVE MOMS AND DADS!!! They don't have enough money to eat, how are they supposed to take a bus 2 days away to Guatemala to get sealed together forever. These kids don't have scriptures, they cant afforded them. Some have the free book of Mormon the missionaries gave their family when they taught them years ago. You know, the thin blue cover book of Mormon? That's all they have, and even if they have it that doesn't mean they have the education to read it. If I asked them if there mom and dad loved each other half would say "who is my dad" because they haven't seen them since they were five or six years old.
I stand in front of these strong young men, and try to relate to them. Its so hard. The other day I asked for bad examples of using your agency. The things they were able to say with such easiness made me realize just what they live in. The temptations that are at their very fingertips all the time are enormous.
I wish I could express to everyone what these kids live in. They come to this beautiful chapel of God and just marvel at how big it is. How my class room (about half the size of one in Utah) is almost the size of their house. How can I tell these kids that "families can be together forever" when this stupid book from Salt Lake City has it all messed up.
A family is not a mom, and a dad brothers and sisters living happily together and Gardening like in the Ensign or cooking together in the church magazines. A Family is a group of people who are trying. They work to keep the covenants of baptism, hope for the best, and persevere through the trials of sadness and poverty knowing there Heavenly Father loves them. I want to let these kids know that their dead beat dads don't matter, cause they have an awesome Heavenly Father, that he loves them more than they can understand, and that I love them and respect them so much for doing what they do. Sure they are few, but they are doing the things they should be. It doesn't matter if they have bothers or sisters, cause their Older Brother Jesus Christ knows exactly what they are going through, and he can help them every step of the way.
Its just so sad. I remember the day that I showed a picture of my beautiful family to Hermana Molina, a sister missionary here. She asked if we had been to the temple, and if I was sealed to them. When I told her yes that sad look on her face almost brought me to tears. She proceeded to tell me about how more then anything she wishes her family was worthy and willing to go to the temple together and make the covenants so they can be together forever. What strength!! She teaches people ever day about the blessings she doesn't even have with her family, but she knows its true, and she knows its possible. So she proceeds to fight every day.
I would like to extend a challenge to anyone one with in the sound of this text. If you have a family just like the Salt Lake City book says, with a mommy and a daddy and brothers and sisters sealed together for time and all eternity I exhort you that this very night you get on your knees and thank God for a blessing that hardly no one in this world has. A house of love. It doesn't matter what that house looks like, or how big it is, just that there is love inside.
If you are not blessed to have that blessing and are reading this, my challenge to you is what can you do to make that happen? to make life eternal in the presence of our Heavenly Father possible with your family?
I know this church is true. I know God gave us families as the greatest blessing of all, and I know they can live together forever through the convents we make in the temple of our God.
With all my love and thanks with all my heart for my wonderfully complete Salt Lake City Manual perfect family,
and en el nombre de Jesucristo, amen
Elder Morris
This morning during study I had the strangest emotion of anger, frustration, and overwhelming sadness. I was studying and preparing for my lesson for next Sunday for my young men's class. As young men's president it's what I do, and I like to over prepare and be really ready for this class, so I was reading in the lesson manual. After finishing I nearly threw the stupid book away. All manuals are technically the word of God, written by Apostles and Prophets to help us teach. However, when some papo is sitting in some cushy office writing a lesson about "your family can be together forever" "everyone one should be sealed in the temple" questions like "what role do your mom and dad play working together in your family" and things as such.
I sat there reading this perfect Utah dribble. A lesson intended for educated young men, each with their own pair of scriptures, dressed in a white shirt and tie anxiously awaiting. In this perfect Utah world we would talk about everyone in their family. A mom and dad who love each other with brothers and sisters all born in the covenant together. As I tried to prepare for my kids this lesson I just had to throw the book on the ground and go silently cry and pray in the bathroom.
THESE KIDS DON'T HAVE MOMS AND DADS!!! They don't have enough money to eat, how are they supposed to take a bus 2 days away to Guatemala to get sealed together forever. These kids don't have scriptures, they cant afforded them. Some have the free book of Mormon the missionaries gave their family when they taught them years ago. You know, the thin blue cover book of Mormon? That's all they have, and even if they have it that doesn't mean they have the education to read it. If I asked them if there mom and dad loved each other half would say "who is my dad" because they haven't seen them since they were five or six years old.
I stand in front of these strong young men, and try to relate to them. Its so hard. The other day I asked for bad examples of using your agency. The things they were able to say with such easiness made me realize just what they live in. The temptations that are at their very fingertips all the time are enormous.
I wish I could express to everyone what these kids live in. They come to this beautiful chapel of God and just marvel at how big it is. How my class room (about half the size of one in Utah) is almost the size of their house. How can I tell these kids that "families can be together forever" when this stupid book from Salt Lake City has it all messed up.
A family is not a mom, and a dad brothers and sisters living happily together and Gardening like in the Ensign or cooking together in the church magazines. A Family is a group of people who are trying. They work to keep the covenants of baptism, hope for the best, and persevere through the trials of sadness and poverty knowing there Heavenly Father loves them. I want to let these kids know that their dead beat dads don't matter, cause they have an awesome Heavenly Father, that he loves them more than they can understand, and that I love them and respect them so much for doing what they do. Sure they are few, but they are doing the things they should be. It doesn't matter if they have bothers or sisters, cause their Older Brother Jesus Christ knows exactly what they are going through, and he can help them every step of the way.
Its just so sad. I remember the day that I showed a picture of my beautiful family to Hermana Molina, a sister missionary here. She asked if we had been to the temple, and if I was sealed to them. When I told her yes that sad look on her face almost brought me to tears. She proceeded to tell me about how more then anything she wishes her family was worthy and willing to go to the temple together and make the covenants so they can be together forever. What strength!! She teaches people ever day about the blessings she doesn't even have with her family, but she knows its true, and she knows its possible. So she proceeds to fight every day.
I would like to extend a challenge to anyone one with in the sound of this text. If you have a family just like the Salt Lake City book says, with a mommy and a daddy and brothers and sisters sealed together for time and all eternity I exhort you that this very night you get on your knees and thank God for a blessing that hardly no one in this world has. A house of love. It doesn't matter what that house looks like, or how big it is, just that there is love inside.
If you are not blessed to have that blessing and are reading this, my challenge to you is what can you do to make that happen? to make life eternal in the presence of our Heavenly Father possible with your family?
I know this church is true. I know God gave us families as the greatest blessing of all, and I know they can live together forever through the convents we make in the temple of our God.
With all my love and thanks with all my heart for my wonderfully complete Salt Lake City Manual perfect family,
and en el nombre de Jesucristo, amen
Elder Morris
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