Bus Contact July 12, 2010

I contacted a bus! You stand in front of like 80 people talking while the bus speeds around at neck breaking speeds and give your testimony and hand stuff out. It was very cool to have done.

Change for the better July 5, 2010

So there is this teenager in our ward who got baptized in February. She is now famous to all the missionaries that have gone through here because they all knew her. She was EMO. Like wrist cutting, devil worshipping, wrist cutting, scream rock EMO. All the missionaries have tried to get her to listen to them, but she would always say crazy things or leave the room. Eventually the right missionaries came and something magical took place. A true miracle. She changed... as simple as that. I have heard the stories of her and can barely believe them. However the scars on her wrist are pure evidence of what she has been through... Well we showed up to give her an ordinary boring lesson when some next door lady came over and chewed her out cause she called some grandma a nick name. She came back in crying and her mom yelling at her and it was horrible. I had no idea what to do so I prayed with all my strength and the spirit guided me.

I don't remember the scriptures I used, or how I said it but me and her both just cried. I testified to her for a good 10 minutes about how happy Heavenly Father is with us when we change. When we don't give up, but focus on making ourselves better people. How change is real and possible, and that how she is an example to all who know her of how much she has changed. She like tells all her friends about the Book of Mormon and the Gospel, she goes to seminary every day. She still has her problems but she is such an example to me. I have my problems, but if she could change, can´t I? I testified to her about all this stuff, and it was like through my own mouth the spirit was helping me to understand that he is ready to help me on this next grand step I am about to take in life.

Todo Cheque!!! (Its all good!) June 14,2010

A miracle happened with Ericka. One day I brought her a book about the teachings of Joesph Smith, and she picked it up and started to read. So you can imagine my surprise when I came to pick her up to go to Church and she came walking out with about 200 limps of cash. She comes up to me with the sweetest smile and with such excitement tells me "look, I have my tithing." I had only talked to her about tithing once about 3 weeks before, and had forgotten to remind her through the whole week to keep track of it cause me and Elder Medina were so busy. Through her own study the Lord had shown her the way to begin her Financial Independence. Also a reference to a man named Jorge. We gave him the book of Mormon 10 days ago. He is currently reading in Alma!!!!! We have only taught him the restoration of the gospel and he is going to finish the book of Mormon before we finish the plan of salvation!!! Talk about elect.

Todo Cheque!!! (Its all good!)

Raining Cats and Dogs May 31, 2010

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.

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

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

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.