Sister Morgan: Professional Dog Walker

San Diego Traffic!

Hey Everyone! Hope you all have had a wonderful week!

Things here in Chula are SUPER good! Last P-day we went to Coronado Island and played sports there for 3 hours. It was SO cool to be close to the Ocean and to be able to hear the waves and smell the water :) It was such a fun day and was exactly what I needed! We played football, ultimate frisbee, and a game called "Speed Ball" which is kind of like an accelerated verision of football. It was 3 hours of non-stop running up and down a field! It felt sooo good in the moment, but man.............I sure did feel it the rest of the week haha

Despite being sore and not being able to lift my legs up....this past week was super busy for us and we taught a lot of really cool lessons! When I first got to the area it was right after they had stopped teaching a bunch of investigators because they weren't interested anymore, weren't progressing, or they just vanished into thin air.... So Sister Roberts and I had to put on our "Thinking-Caps" and came up with a bunch of ideas to find some new people to teach. This week we put one of those to the test and it was a HUGE success!

Zone Leaders attacked our door!

We actually picked back up our Dog Walking "business" that Sis. Sorensen and I attempted a bunch in Poway! :) We borrowed 2 super cute doggies that belong to one of our Members and just walked them around her apartment complex. We ran into a couple of women who's kids were playing together and those little kiddies couldn't resist coming up and petting the dogs! :) So we started talking to them about the Church and asked one of them if she would be interested in learning more and she said YES!

So we went back yesterday w/ a member and taught a SUPER powerful lesson! She is from Panama and really connects with the people in the Book of Mormon. After Sis. Roberts recited the 1st Vision, Tachira just sat there and said, "Wowwww!" Most of the time when we tell people about the 1st Vision that Joseph Smith experienced, they really don't quite comprehend that what we are saying. But Tachira understood right away that Joseph Smith saw God the Father AND Jesus Christ in the flesh and as seperate Beings! It was super cool! And the member that we brought along bore such a strong and sincere testimony that was just the icing on the cake! We are going back next week to teach her some more and she has already made plans for the member to come pick her up for church :) MIRACLE!

When I see miracles like Tachira I know that this is not the work of Sister Morgan, but the work of the Lord! It is such a humbling experience to be a tool in the Lord's hand and to watch Him further His own work! This week for Sunday School, Sister Roberts and I were asked to teach the Gospel Principles class about Prophets and I want you all to know that I truly do have a testimony that we have a Living Prophet on the Earth today who is the mouth piece and humble servant of the Lord! I also do know that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and was the first prophet in these latter days to Restore the fullness of Christ's Gospel!

I love you all!
xoxoxo Sister Morgan

Heart overflowing with love

Hey Everyone! This past week has been great here in the land of Chula! Had some crazy adventures that come along w/ being back in the city and close to everything again. Definitely got lost a few times and spent eternity in my favorite thing EVER.......San Diego traffic...... ;) But loving every minute of it here. As i look back on everything that has happened this past week, I can definitely see the Lord's hand in my life guiding and directing us in everything we do! It just continually amazes me how mindful the Lord is of every aspect of our lives and how He truly does love each of us as HIS children! Being on my mission I have truly come to learn how to see the people I meet through the eyes of Christ. And I can honestly say, that I have felt that love for every single person I have met here in Chula! Each and every day these people just continue to amaze me with how pure and kind their hearts are and my heart is overflowing with the love that they have already expressed to me. Have I mentioned how much I love serving a mission? Well, just in case I haven't...........  

I LOVE SERVING A MISSION! 

But for real. My heart has never been so full of joy! So this past week we had some really awesome lessons. There is one less-active family that the Bishop requested that we start visiting more to help the 8 yr old daughter prepare to be baptized. The Mom just thinks we are only there out of "obligation" to teach her daughter "the 3 required lessons".....We haven't told her yet that there is definitely more than 3, but we will get to that point soon :). There are 4 kids total and to be completely honest.........the first couple of times we went over there, I left with the biggest headache EVER. Man, those kids are such a handful! We really had no idea how to teach to these kids and help them to pay attention and actually learn something. But the last time we went over there it was a complete 180 from the other 2 times! We just went in there and loved them. Sister Roberts showed the 8 yr old videos from the Mormon Channel on her Ipad and this girl couldn't stop watching them! It was cool to see her watch some videos about kids her own age and hear her say, "Hey! She likes art and dancing too, just like me!" And then I conquered the 6 yr old daughter.....haha She is the most wild out of the 4, but all I did was give her some one-on-one attention and taught her how to braid Sister Roberts hair. Then as I was fishtail braiding her hair, I seriously think it was the quietest that house has EVER been. It was amazing to just feel that Spirit that comes from love! After I finished braiding her hair, she literally had the biggest smile I have ever seen on her face. Then she proceeded to show me how she was going to sleep on her hair that night so she could keep the braid in for school the next day :). After that we shared a message with them and we left with our hearts over flowing with love again.

 

There is also another family that we visit almost every single day that has truly found a special place in my heart. They are all members, but struggling temporally and spiritually. We are trying to help them develop a habit of daily scripture reading as a family, so when we go over there all we do is continue reading from where we left off in the Book of Mormon and read a few more chapters. The Mom is also using this as an opportunity to learn how to read in English, so it takes a little while to get through each chapter. My first day in Chula we visited them and they had just started reading the Isaiah Chapters in 2nd Nephi......woof. Those are difficult even for me to understand! So at first we were just trying to read through them super fast, but every day after we read it just amazes me how much they understand and learn from Isaiah! Their testimonies have grown so much in the little time that I have been here and even my testimony of the Book of Mormon has been strengthened! Even from the Isaiah chapters we have learned that if you have an open and humble heart, no matter where you are reading in the Book of Mormon, you WILL recieve answers to any question or problem you might have! The Spirit of the Lord is truly the greatest Teacher! Every time I go into that house my perspective on life is completley changed. Last night when we visited them, with tears running down her face, the Mom told us how much she sincerely loves us and how much our visits and reading the Book of Mormon have truly strengthened her during one of the most trialing times of her life. It was such a humbling experience and I left that house again, with my heart overflowing with Christ's pure love.

 

I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to serve my Father in Heaven and to be a Representative of Jesus Christ. One of the best parts about being a Representative of Christ is that you get to feel/experience a tiny portion of His love for ALL of His brothers and sisters! Even with that tiny portion, my heart is overflowing with His love. I can't even imagine how large His heart is!

 

I LOVE you ALL and I am so thankful for the love that you have shared with me! Have a wonderful week!

xoxo Sister Morgan

Living Up to My Potential

Hey everyone! So this past week has been pretty great! It was super hard to leave the Valley........a lot of tears and dreaded goodbyes.....but I know that I will see a lot of them again!

Sooooooooo where in San Diego is Sister Morgan now?????? I'll give you some clues

• I'm in a large Family Ward
• My area covers some pretty large Lakes
• I'm about 30 mins away from the Mormon Battalion and the San Diego Temple
• I have been able to see a lot of previous companions and friends that I haven't seen in forever!
• I get mail EVERY WEEK
• I'm still just as close to the Border as I was in El Centro
• My Ward is pretty famous to Missionaries...........it's where they filmed "The District 2" (training videos for Missionaries that has also become a reality TV show on BYU-TV)
• My Ward is the Otay Lake's Ward....

Can you guess it yet??

I'm in CHULA VISTA BABY! Woooohoooo! Back in the Citayyy! And I love it here! My companion is Sister Roberts who is actually my Grandma (she trained my trainer Sis Sorensen) and I get to kill her off this transfer! (Translation: She ends her Mission at the end of this Transfer!) She is super awesome and I'm excited to help her end her Mission w/ a BANG. (Thankfully, she isn't trunky!)

It's SUPER weird being in the same area as the District! For those who have never see it before, go check it out on BYU-TV online! I have already taught one of the Part-Member families that was part of the show and that was super fun, I love them! Our Ward is young, super missionary minded, and great fellowshipers! Everyone I have met so far I have already been able to feel Heavenly Father's love for them. It is an amazing feeling!

Sister Roberts and I at the MoBat!

So this week has already been pretty eventful. We took one of our investigators to the Mormon Battalion and watched the Joseph Smith Restoration video with her and had a really powerful lesson. Then 2 days later we went back to the MoBat and she brought her kids along for the free tour! They are a wonderful family and I know that the Lord has truly been preparing them to receive this Gospel!

San Diego Temple!

Also today, I got to do something that I have been dreaming about for 8 MONTHS! I FINALLY was able to go to the House of the Lord and be spiritually rejuvenated and strengthened!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, being in the Temple is seriously the best feeling ever. Over the past few months I had been studying the scriptures and reading some pamphlets to help me remember what Covenants I have made in the Temple and I am SO glad that I did! Today as we went through I understood so many new things and I truly felt the peace and comfort that can only come from the Spirit of the Lord. I have gained a whole new appreciation for the Temple and I will never take it for granted again!

I am so happy and truly LOVE being a missionary! All this talk w/ my companion about her mission ending has truly put things into perspective for me. This week I reach my 9 month mark! I have thought about the person I have become so far on my mission and it truly amazes me to see how much I have grown. But then I look at the person/missionary that I know I can become and I realized that I still have a loooooong journey ahead of me. This week in our Zone Meeting we talked about Living up to our Potential and I know that there are a lot of things that I can improve upon. Goal setting is a skill that I still lack, but I am starting to realize how important it is! But I know that through the Lord I can become the person that He knows I can become and that has provided me with so much faith and hope!

I KNOW this Church is true. I hope you all have a wonderful week!
xoxo Sister Morgan

Final goofy pic w/ Jeremy & Jared

"Everything looks more elegant with a tie!"

Hey Everyone! Hope you all have had an awesome start to your new year so far. I know that I have! On New Years Eve we had to be in our apartments by 7 and study some certain scriptures so that was pretty fun. At 10:00 pm Sister Blair and I popped open a Martinelli and toasted to the new year! We tried to go to bed at 10:30, buuuuuuuuuuuuut our neighbors definitely had other ideas.........So I probably didn't fall asleep until 1:00 am. Gotta love waking up at 6:30 every day!! :)

But its okay cuz New Years Day was SUPER boss for us! We recontacted this one kid who met w/ the missionaries 7 years ago when he was 11. Now he's 18 and we had a really good conversation about Who God is with him. He kind of just feels that God is just someone that people make up in their minds to help them feel better. But we gave personal experiences and testified that God is our Loving Heavenly Father Who has a body of flesh and bones and then Sister Blair asked the super inspired question, "Can we meet with you again and help you to strengthen your relationship with God?" and he said, "Yeah, I would really like that!" WOOOOHOOOOO. I love being a missionary, it is so amazing to help people strengthen their relationship with God!

Jeremy & Jared's New Ties!

This week we also had some more lesson's with Jeremy and Jared and those were hilarious as always! We finally had to teach them about Tithing and Fast Offerings and our favorites of all the commandments..........Law of Chastity and Word of Wisdom! The boys haven't really had "the talk" yet so we mainly just talked about treating girls with respect and "See No Evil" "Hear No Evil" and "Say No Evil". It was pretty interesting but I think they got the idea haha But it just amazes me how much these kids understand! After we taught them about fasting Jeremy said, (in his adorable lisp) "Excuse me, before we go on....I would like to say that Heavenly Father fasted from His Son for awhile because when His son was on the Earth He couldn't have Him" AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhsdlfjkhsdoihsfdljkfhsdkjlsdfhlkasjdfhajsjsdjgjdsabkljhlsdih TOO CUTE! I always learn something new from those kids and I am SO grateful that I have been able to be apart of their lives. Jared turned 12 on Sunday so for his birthday and baptism we bought him and Jeremy clip-on ties because normal ties choke them haha We had to postpone their baptismal date till Jan 25th because of scheduling problems, but that's okay. Just a few more weeks for them to prepare!

Soooooooo I guess that leads to the "Big News" of the day. Sadly, I won't get to be at the boys baptism........got that dreadful call this morning saying that I'm getting transferred back into Saaaaaaaaaan Diegoooooooo! Definitely a bitter sweet moment for me. I have spent the past 6 months out here in the Valley and I have truly come to love this place and the people with all my heart. I have experienced so many things out here that have truly changed my life FOREVER! As I look back on my time here, I can truly say that I have seen God's hand in my daily life hastening His work. Out of everything I will ALWAYS remember:

1. The amazing Spirit that was felt when Andrew bore his testimony right after being baptized
2. Walking into the FHC and Elder Scott telling us about Crystal's experience in Institute where she asked "What do I need to do to be baptized?"
3. Teaching Crystal the Word of Wisdom and in her opening prayer she said, "Thank you for sending the Sisters to come and teach me about the Word of Wisdom (which, by the way, I'm already doing Sir!)"
4. Watching the tears of pure happiness run down Crystal's face after she was baptized and confirmed
5. Watching Crystal bear her Testimony this past Sunday and seeing how much she has grown since her baptism and the many answers to her prayers she has received! (which btdubs, she's preparing to receive her Patriarchal Blessing soon!! Wooohooo!)
6. Reconnecting a Less-Active w/ one of his long lost childhood friends, who just so happens to be one of my extended relatives! (and MAJOR tender mercy of the day-today in Walmart as we were checking out this family just happened to come right behind us in line and I was able to say goodbye to them and give them my contact info! God is SO great!)
7. Saying a prayer in the middle of a parking lot during a rain storm and being guided by the hand of the Lord to find a less-active/part family member who's address we DIDN'T have!
8. Feeling prompted to go down to Calexico to try and contact some names off of the Ward list and finding Yolanda, Jared, and Jeremy Cole.
9. Our 2nd lesson w/ the boys and Jeremy saying in his prayer, "Thank you for sending your daughters to come and teach us more about You!"
10. And last but not least..........the true and pure JOY that I have felt as I have been a tool in the Lord's hand to further His work and feel the love that He has for all of His Children!

AND MANY, MANY, MANY, MORE!!!!!!!

 

I can't get over how happy I am to have served my mission in a place that I can frequently visit and NOT have to rob a bank to do so! The Imperial Valley will always have such a special place in my heart and I thank the Lord every single day for the opportunity that I have had to serve out here! I definitely WON'T miss the awful, disgusting heat, but I can truly say that I have been able to experience the "refiners fire" out here in Hell Centro! Now that I have all "the sin burned outta me" I can go back to San Diego and be the tool that the Lord needs me to be. I'm excited for this new adventure and for the many miracles that will follow! I know that the Lord is preparing people right now for me to find and teach and I can't wait to see what He has in store!

 

I love you all and I'll let you know next week where my new area is!

xoxoxo Sister Morgan

The Great Commandment-Love the LORD!

LOVING the photo-album my family sent me!

Hey Everyone! Wow, the end of 2013 is finally here! This past year has definitely been one of the best years of my life. It has flown by WAYY too fast, but as I reflect back on it, I have truly enjoyed every moment of it!

But this past week was pretty good! It was AWESOME to talk to my family on Christmas and hear their sweet voices! We had a great Christmas and spent it with some wonderful people. By far my favorite part of the day was volunteering at the Salvation Army and helping to serve lunch to the homeless and less fortunate here. It was so amazing to see how many Christ-like people there are in this community and to see so many families give up their Christmas to serve God's Children. Sister Blair and I were assigned to serve one table that was full w/ about 15-20 people. Every time we brought out a tray for each person they all just genuinely thanked us and had the sweetest smiles on their faces. One man from our table came up to us and said, "I knew the moment that you girls served all the Women first that you had a Mother who raised you right! THANK YOU for your service!" It was such a tender moment that I'm not going to lie, brought a few tears to my eyes. So THANK YOU MOM for raising me right and teaching me how to serve others through your own example :)

Christmas Eve w/ Jeremy & Jared!

But this week was FULL of service and it truly taught me about the true meaning of Christmas! We spent about 5 days helping one family pack and move and I couldn't think of a better way to spend this Christmas Season. On the day after Christmas we took a lunch break w/ this Family and just sat on the ground, used boxes as our tables, ate Little Caesar's Pizza w/ the door open, and the warm sun shining in. DEFINITELY one of those moments where I thought to myself, "I'm in California?!" It was again, another one of those tender mercies that truly helped me feel the love that the Savior has for all of His children.

During this time of the year I have spent a lot of time reflecting on some things that I can do in 2014 to come closer to my Savior and become a better missionary. Then I read this talk by President Ezra Taft Benson titled "The Great Commandment-Love the Lord" https://www.lds.org/ensign/1988/05/the-great-commandment-love-the-lord.p18-19,27

As I read it I thought of the things that I have put higher on my priorities list in the past than loving the Lord and it truly made my heart ache! There have been so many times where I would just come up w/ excuses to not stay for all 3 hrs of church, or to not read my scriptures, or to not pray, or to not go to Church activities, etc. I have realized that there is NOTHING in this world that should ever interfere w/ our love for the Lord and keeping His commandments. And that includes work, school, homework, recreational activities, addictions, and even pure laziness.

I totally understand that its not easy to keep all of God's commandments and that during this life we have many things that consume our attention. But I love what Pres. Benson promises us.

"When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or dropout of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities."

For me, that says it all. When we put God first, He ALWAYS blesses us and helps us to have even more capacity to accomplish the demands of life. I invite you all to think about these things and prayerfully apply them in your life. I know that for me, it has truly helped me to change my perspective on the rest of my mission and will help me to come closer to my Heavenly Father.

I love you all and I hope that you have a wonderful week! Talk to you next year! :)

xoxoxo Sister Morgan