Elder Ballard Outfits

Old Apartment was the same address as home!

Hey everyone! So life in good 'ol SD is going pretty crazy! Late tuesday night at 10:15 we got a call from the Assistants to the President and I got TRANSFERRED! I'm no longer in my birth area! But its totally fine, I am SO EXCITED to be gone actually haha Just more learning experiences now! But now I am in the best place in the mission.....The Imperial Valley! I'm in a small town called El Centro which is 2 hrs east of San Diego right next to the Mexican border. It is pretty dang HOTT here in Hell Centro...haha but for real. On average it has been around 115 degree's...even at night time. So I'm roasting a little bit but that's why they call it the refiners fire right?


Sweet Poway Zone Shirts!

But I love it out here. The people are amazing. Our investigators are amazing. The work is just amazing! My new Companion is Sister Munns and she is just amazing too! We are super excited though cuz we got a voice mail the other day and we get to go back into SD on the 31st! My Mission President's father-in-law is Elder M. Russel Ballard and he is actually coming to SD to visit them this week! Soooo I GET TO MEET AN APOSTLE TOMORROW! I am soo excited.

Well I feel really bad that I don't have some really cool, spiritual experience to share this week....but I'm still just trying to get my feet on the ground in my new area. But I just want you all to know that I am so humbled to be serving a mission and I just absolutely know that this Church is true!!! Keep praying, reading your scriptures, and going to Church! I love you all!


Poway Elders

Poway Sisters

xoxoxo Sister Morgan

"Book of Mormons" or "Books of Mormon"??

Last week I got to check off a HUGE item off of my Bucket List. As a Zone we went to Sunset Cliffs and I FINALLY got to play my Ukulele at the Ocean! AHHHHHHHHHH I was seriously the happiest person in the world. Livin' the life of a missionary and teaching others about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ through actions, words, and music is seriously the best life ever. Until you hit San Diego traffic.....then its not as much fun.

But c'est la vie! I love it here. And we just found out today that Sister Sorensen and I are staying together for another transfer in Green Valley and I'm officially done with my training! Woohoo! I have a feeling that this transfer is going to be another great learning experience. I can feel that Heavenly Father really needs me to step up my game and continue to help others to come unto Christ.

Well this past week was pretty good, we have met with soo many people here and this area is really starting to understand the Work of Salvation! San Diego is such a culturally diverse place which is one of the many reasons why I love it here. So far we have given out Book of Mormons in English, Spanish, Farsi, Arabic, and even Chinese! Its so cool to see how the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is the same no matter where you go, what you look like, or even what language you speak. The Holy Ghost speaks through a universal language that everyone can understand--LOVE!

But not just any kind of love. Its a pure love that comes from our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. This past Sunday we were asked to teach Sunday School about the Sacrament. So while we were studying for it that morning, I had an epiphany (but more of like the Spirit enlightening my understanding since I'm still pretty ADD in the wee hours of the morning). Growing up we were always taught that the Atonement or "At-one-ment" means to be at one with Jesus Christ. But I was always confused about what the suffix "ment" had to do with anything. So I looked it up in the dictionary and it means, "an action or a process; an instrument, means or tool for an action/process" and all of a sudden it was like -BAM-revelation!!! The Atonement is a continual process and action of becoming one with Jesus Christ! And then I sat there and thought, "Well 'Sacrament' has ment in it too....so what does that mean?" So "Sacra" is a root form of the word "Sacred". So the word "Sacrament" literally means a sacred means of continually becoming at one with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father! How cool is that?! Maybe everyone already knew that, but for Sis. Sorensen and I, this was pretty exciting. Going to church everyone week and partaking of the Sacrament is a commandment from God because it is a sacred means for us to renew our baptismal covenants and to have the opportunity to apply the Atonement in our lives. But its NOT just during Sacrament meeting that we can apply the Atonement in our lives. Its a continual process that must be done every day. That's the beauty of it!! Heavenly Father provides us with so many opportunities to become more like Christ and to feel of His love everyday, its such a blessing that I definitely take for granted most days. But this Gospel is a continual learning process and I know that I can always be forgiven for my mistakes as long as I turn to my Savior and become one with Him! I love this Gospel SO much and we are truly soo blessed to have this knowledge in our lives! And because we have been blessed with it, that means we need to share it with others so that they can be blessed with it as well!! :)

To quote Elder Farr, "Give 'em Heaven!" :)

xoxoxo Sister Morgan

"That They Might Have Joy"

This past week was super good! Every day I just continue to learn more and more and I can't believe that I am coming up to my 3 month mark soon! Time just seems to be slipping through my fingers, especially since I have such a short attention span.....haha I may not be able to remember right off the top of my head who we saw yesterday or what we even talked about. But I do remember how I felt. As I reflect back on most of the experiences I've had on my mission so far, the memories that stick out the most to me usually are the feelings or emotions that I felt in that moment.

And let me tell you, I have felt a lot of different emotions since April 17th. Happiness, anger, peace, anxiety, comfort, depression, and so on and so forth as Sister Sorensen would say :)  But the 2 main emotions that I have felt the most have been love and joy. Every time I reflect back on a lesson we had or just a memory of us driving in the car, I have continually felt love and joy. I may have had other emotions that were blinding me from seeing it at the time, but just looking back now I can't even remember what those other emotions felt like. And I know that that is solely because of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Just like the poem titled "Footprints In The Sand", I know that Christ has always been there right next to me the whole time. And on several occasions, He was definitely carrying me. In 2 Nephi 2:25 it says,

"Adam fell that man might be, and men are that they might have joy"

 

I was reading a talk recently by Elder Richard G. Scott titled "Finding Joy In The Journey" where he talked about that verse. He said that God's promise to give us joy is unconditional. But the choices we make and the way we live our lives in order to receive that joy is what is conditional. That they MIGHT have joy. WE have to be the ones that choose to follow God's commandments. WE have to be the ones that pray and ask for His help and guidance. WE have to be the ones that exercise that free agency that we have been so dearly blessed with, in order to receive that fullness of joy. In the footnotes of that scripture it says that Joy is "Mans potential to become like GOD" As we live our lives in accordance with God's will, we will be able to receive ALL that He has to give us. He is standing there waiting to bless us and give us joy, WE just have to be the ones that reach out our hands and accept it. But it's never to late to change our ways and to turn around and reach out our hands. Just like the story of the Prodigal Son; as long as we are willing to come back to Him, and put that faith and trust into action, then we will be able to experience that fullness of joy and happiness and love that He WANTS us to have.

 

 

I am so grateful to be here in Poway serving the people in the Green Valley Ward and I have truly come to see miracles happen every single day. God is our Father. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Christ Lives. And the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is truly the restored Gospel of our Savior and Redeemer that provides us with all the keys to live with Heavenly Father again.

 

 

I love you all!

 

Sister Morgan

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me

This past week was super busy! We had meetings, doctor appointments, conferences, exchanges, 8 yr old baptisms, and 4th of July festivities! I always thought that holidays would be awesome finding days since everyone will be home and with their families...........false. NO one was home. And those that were home with their families wanted nothing to do with us.....so it was not as fruitful as I thought it would be! But we made the most of it and still had a great Independence Day! We had to be in our apartment by 7 pm and do studies, but I can say for sure now that Heavenly Father answers ALL of our prayers as long as they are expressed with an ounce of faith. A couple of days before the 4th we had a lesson with a returning Less-Active and in her prayer she said, "And PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, help these girls to have their apartment on the right side of the complex so they can watch the beautiful fireworks!!" At 8:30 pm we look outside and BAM! FIREWORKS!! It was so fun to watch her little prayer be answered. I almost cried!

But this week I really learned a lot about the Atonement. We had several lessons about it and Relief Society this week was even about it as well. But my favorite thing that I learned was actually a quote from Preach My Gospel. It says, "All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ". We did this object lesson where we hold a glass of water in our hands and ask everyone how heavy they think it is. It's not very heavy, but the longer and longer we hold it up, the more tiered our arm gets. And its exactly like that with the Atonement. The longer and longer we hold those burdens and weaknesses on our backs, the more weak and discouraged we will be. But if we rely on the Savior to support us and use those trials to nourish our thirst, we can be made stronger and the suffer less. No matter what trial we are going through, the Savior will support us. But we have to be the ones to ask for His help. One of my favorite quotes is "Some of our greatest trials can be some of our greatest blessings in disguise" and I know that to be true! Every trial I have experienced on my mission has helped me to grow stronger and to be a better tool in the Lord's hands. In my personal studies I was reading in Matthew 16 and I love verse 24 that says, "Take up your cross and follow me". Then in the footnotes it has a Joseph Smith Translation that says, "For a man to take up his cross, is to deny himself of all ungodliness, and every worldly lust, and keep my commandments". The road to eternal life is not always easy. Sometimes we feel like we can't see very far into the distance. Sometimes we feel like we can't even see the step in front of us. But I know that as long as we continue to push forward with faith and rely on our Savior to direct us, He will direct our paths. I am so grateful for my Savior and not a day goes by that I continually strive to become more like Him.

I love you all! xoxo

Sister Morgan

Slurpee's in the Chapel

This past week it was ridiculously hot here in Poway. I know I don't have too much room to complain since there are missionaries all over the world that have to deal with it 24/7. But when its 98 degrees+humidity and your air conditioning breaks.......its not fun for anyone. But thankfully God knows me soooo well and truly blessed me to live 3 blocks away from a 7-11. If you don't know me very well, here's a fun fact about Sister Morgan. I LOVE SLURPEE'S. Seriously. Best.invention.ever. They saved my life this past week! So on Monday we go get some slurpees and spent our lunch time in the Chapel playing the Ukulele and Piano. As I was sitting there drinking out of my extra-large slurpee cup and listening to Sis. Sorensen play the piano, I realized it was the perfect setting to do some soul searching pondering.

This past week I've learned a lot about how the Lord works in mysterious ways. It seems like the longer i'm on my mission the more mysterious He gets. God is the creator of universes and innumerable worlds and is all knowing and powerful and perfect. He created every single thing on this planet and all of the gadgets and gizmos that our tiny brains invent, that's ancient history to Him. The more I get to know Him, the more I realize I don't know about Him. But what I find to be truly beautiful and comforting is that even though He created more things than we will ever be able to imagine while on this Earth, His spirit children are His greatest creation. He loves each and every single one of us who has ever lived or will live, more than everything. He loves us so much that He created this beautiful Earth for us to live on. He loves us so much that He gave us bodies of flesh and bone. He loves us so much that He gave us free agency so that we will be able to make our own choices. He loves us so much that He gave His Only Begotten Son to suffer for all of our sins and imperfections. He loves us so much that He has provided a way for us to live with Him again and receive all the blessings that He has to offer. And if you think about everything that He has.......that's a lot. Every day my love for my Heavenly Father grows as I understand this Gospel more and teach it. He provided us with a way to live with Him again and it is fully restored and available on the earth today. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the one and only true church that Jesus Christ Himself established during His earthly ministry. It is through this Gospel that we are provided with the tools to live our lives in a way that we can make covenants with our Loving Heavenly Father. What a blessing it has been to be a missionary representing my Savior Jesus Christ and sharing His true Gospel with His lost or struggling children.

I have been so blessed to have had this gift my whole life. Because of that blessing, it is my duty and obligation to share it with all of God's children. And when you think about it, it is actually kind of terrifying to go up to random strangers who don't think they need this Gospel or even need God in general. But that doesn't mean I still shouldn't share this message with them. This week I studied a lot about 2 Timothy 1:7 and how God doesn't give us the spirit of fear. Fear is the absence of Faith. Fear comes from Satan who distorts and distracts us from exercising faith in Jesus Christ. And I've come to learn that the best way to over come fear is through faith. By relying on the faith that I do have. By relying on my God to lead and guide me. It is only through Him that we can overcome our fears and feel of His overwhelming love. I know this to be true and I have experienced it numerous times. But I know that each and every single person reading this can experience it as well. You just have to pray to God and ask for it. Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be given unto you.

With all my love,

Sister Morgan xoxo