Hey everyone!
So yesterday I had my final Zone Conference and just as
usual, it was amazing. Exactly what I needed to hear to keep me
pushing strong these last 5 weeks. We also were able to watch the "Meet
the Mormons" movie before it comes out and let me just tell you all....................I
LOVE BEING A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS! That
movie is so powerful and truly shows how much the Restored Gospel of Jesus
Christ will bless anyone's life no matter who they are
or where they came from! Go check out meetthemormons.com
to watch the trailer and to learn more about the movie!
This week we honestly had one of the coolest lessons
I've ever had on my mission. If you all remember our super awesome Member
Missionary, Sis. Dixon (a.k.a "How's that working out for ya?") she
set up ANOTHER appointment with us to teach another one of her coworkers. She
gave us a little bit of background on him and said that he doesn't believe in
God, he's been going through a super difficult time lately, and is just
gradually watching his life crumble to pieces. So we went in & just truly
listened to the Spirit to know what we needed to teach him. We started
talking about God and asked him why he has never believed in God. He talked
about some difficult experiences he had and how those are proof that God
doesn't exist because God would never allow those things to happen.
Again, Sis Dixon brought up another "How is that working out for
you?!" point, but stated it in a more "scientific" way for him
so that he would understand better. Basically, she asked him if he has never
known there was a God & has never put forth the effort to "test the
theory", then how can he truly prove that there is no God? And again, I
just sat there with my jaw on the ground. I love that lady!
But as each of us shared our testimonies about God and how
we have come to know Him through prayer, you could literally watch his
countenance change. The major turning point though was when we watched the
"Hope of God's Light" mormon message with him.
(/video/mormon-messages?v=3701964025001) After the video I asked him what his
thoughts were as he watched it. He said that basically that guys story is
exactly the same as his. So then I asked him, "Then what is the
main difference between you and him at the end of his story?" He sat
there for a minute thinking about it and then had a major lightbulb moment.
"Happiness......he's truly happy & I'm not". Then we asked him
what he needs to do then so that he can have that same happiness and he
immediately replied, "Pray".
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHSLIUDSFLIUSDFYHISDJHLSDIHF At that moment
my heart almost exploded out of my chest the Spirit that was in that room was
SO powerful! It was amazing to see his whole countenance change as we taught
him the importance of having a relationship with his Heavenly Father. He
commited to pray and and according to Sis Dixon, when he says he's going to do
something, he means it. It was truly an amazing experience to help someone
discover the True source of happiness that will completely change his life.
I love being a Missionary and helping God's children to come
back into His arms! It really is the most amazing feeling in the world. I love
it with all of my heart & I love this Gospel!
xoxo Sister Morgan
Sister Mekena Morgan's adventures in the California San Diego Mission
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
How's that working out for you?!
Hey everyone!
I think I just realized that I start most of my emails by saying something along the lines of: "Well, this week has been another miracle filled week!" I think I'm just running out of creative juices and I don't know how to say it in any other way after 17 months of miracle filled weeks.... Sooo since I AM a Missionary, looks like the only other creative way that I can think of is by using the scriptures! :)
"25 Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ.
26 And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying:Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.
27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.
29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men." -Moroni 7:25-29
So there you go! Christ LIVES. Angles still minister unto the children of men. [a.k.a Missionaries :)] And Miracles still happen! But ONLY through faith and by asking, seeking, and knocking. There's that phrase again. Heavenly Father MUST be telling me something because I see that phrase over and over and over again every single day as I study out of the scriptures. Looks like I need to apply it even more so then we can continue to see even MORE miracles every day :)
So this week we had some really amazing lessons! On Tuesday as we were emailing last week, one of our Members called us and told us about these amazing experiences that she has been having as she has been opening her mouth and sharing the Gospel! As she's talking to us she's like, "Sooo Super Sisters, do you think you could swing by my office tonight at 6:30 and have a lesson with one of my friends?" OH YEAH! It was way cool. Definitely SUCH a spirit filled lesson.
This woman had been struggling a lot with her marriage and stress from work and realized that she had been completely leaving God out of the picture. As we were teaching her we kept talking about how she can strengthen her relationship again with God. As we talked about prayer she seemed really iffy about it. When we asked why she said that if she started praying then her Husband will look at her and say that he doesn't know who she is anymore. It kind of took me back for a second because I didn't quite understand what she meant by that. But then I realized that she was viewing prayer as just an outward action to be seen by the eyes of man. But as we taught her we helped her to realize that prayer is just a HEART to HEART conversation with God. That it's not a show that we put on so other people will think that we are being religious. And because it comes from our hearts, it doesn't CHANGE who we are, because that is already who we are! (and her husband should love her because of her heart NOT because of what kind of stuff she does. but that's a whole 'nother conversation).
As she expressed other concerns about prayer our Member said the most insightful and simple thing I think I've ever heard in a lesson. As her friend was trying to justify not praying she said, "Well, how's that working out for you?!" Boom. Roasted! It was seriously this huge light bulb moment where she realized the things she has been trying to do to help save her marriage and the little faith she does have in God, really just weren't working well at ALL for her. She realized that she actually does need to change in order for things to get better or else it will just continue to go down the tubes in a negative cycle.
It was amazing! And to top it off, this same member set up ANOTHER appointment for us to teach ANOTHER one of her friends this week :) LOVE IT.
We also had our lesson with our fasting miracle family who came to Church and that was again, AMAZING. I love when Members friendship and invite their friends to learn more. It makes everything SO much easier to help their friend develop a stronger foundation with Christ. It is so humbling to see how God is truly furthering HIS WORK and that He is placing all of these people in our paths for a reason. That was one of the main things we kept testifying to Adrian as we met with her at her friends house. That it was NOT by accident that they randomly met each other at LA Fitness and became friends. God places specific people in our paths for a reason. And that reason is because He trusts US to help them to learn more about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I'll end my email this week with a quote that has been keeping me pushing strong my mission. He is talking about Nephi, one of the first prophets in the Book of Mormon. We always think of Nephi as "I will GO, I will DO" & someone who was so obedient and faithful to the Lord's commandments. As you read it, think about how you can develop stronger faith in the Lord and strengthen God's trust in you.
"Faith did not come in the moment when Nephi needed it, nor did God's trust in Nephi. He earned that great faith in God's confidence by courages and sustained labor in the Lord's service" -Henry B. Eyring "Be Ready" 2009
Opening our mouths and sharing the Gospel is a commandment from the Lord! As you show the Lord that you are willing to keep that commandment and open your mouth, even if someone doesn't accept your message, YOU are building God's trust in you. So then when someone who is ready to hear and act upon your message comes across your path, God will trust that you will open your mouth and share "the good news" with them :)
xoxo Sister Morgan
I think I just realized that I start most of my emails by saying something along the lines of: "Well, this week has been another miracle filled week!" I think I'm just running out of creative juices and I don't know how to say it in any other way after 17 months of miracle filled weeks.... Sooo since I AM a Missionary, looks like the only other creative way that I can think of is by using the scriptures! :)
"25 Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ.
26 And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying:Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.
27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.
29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men." -Moroni 7:25-29
So there you go! Christ LIVES. Angles still minister unto the children of men. [a.k.a Missionaries :)] And Miracles still happen! But ONLY through faith and by asking, seeking, and knocking. There's that phrase again. Heavenly Father MUST be telling me something because I see that phrase over and over and over again every single day as I study out of the scriptures. Looks like I need to apply it even more so then we can continue to see even MORE miracles every day :)
So this week we had some really amazing lessons! On Tuesday as we were emailing last week, one of our Members called us and told us about these amazing experiences that she has been having as she has been opening her mouth and sharing the Gospel! As she's talking to us she's like, "Sooo Super Sisters, do you think you could swing by my office tonight at 6:30 and have a lesson with one of my friends?" OH YEAH! It was way cool. Definitely SUCH a spirit filled lesson.
This woman had been struggling a lot with her marriage and stress from work and realized that she had been completely leaving God out of the picture. As we were teaching her we kept talking about how she can strengthen her relationship again with God. As we talked about prayer she seemed really iffy about it. When we asked why she said that if she started praying then her Husband will look at her and say that he doesn't know who she is anymore. It kind of took me back for a second because I didn't quite understand what she meant by that. But then I realized that she was viewing prayer as just an outward action to be seen by the eyes of man. But as we taught her we helped her to realize that prayer is just a HEART to HEART conversation with God. That it's not a show that we put on so other people will think that we are being religious. And because it comes from our hearts, it doesn't CHANGE who we are, because that is already who we are! (and her husband should love her because of her heart NOT because of what kind of stuff she does. but that's a whole 'nother conversation).
As she expressed other concerns about prayer our Member said the most insightful and simple thing I think I've ever heard in a lesson. As her friend was trying to justify not praying she said, "Well, how's that working out for you?!" Boom. Roasted! It was seriously this huge light bulb moment where she realized the things she has been trying to do to help save her marriage and the little faith she does have in God, really just weren't working well at ALL for her. She realized that she actually does need to change in order for things to get better or else it will just continue to go down the tubes in a negative cycle.
It was amazing! And to top it off, this same member set up ANOTHER appointment for us to teach ANOTHER one of her friends this week :) LOVE IT.
We also had our lesson with our fasting miracle family who came to Church and that was again, AMAZING. I love when Members friendship and invite their friends to learn more. It makes everything SO much easier to help their friend develop a stronger foundation with Christ. It is so humbling to see how God is truly furthering HIS WORK and that He is placing all of these people in our paths for a reason. That was one of the main things we kept testifying to Adrian as we met with her at her friends house. That it was NOT by accident that they randomly met each other at LA Fitness and became friends. God places specific people in our paths for a reason. And that reason is because He trusts US to help them to learn more about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I'll end my email this week with a quote that has been keeping me pushing strong my mission. He is talking about Nephi, one of the first prophets in the Book of Mormon. We always think of Nephi as "I will GO, I will DO" & someone who was so obedient and faithful to the Lord's commandments. As you read it, think about how you can develop stronger faith in the Lord and strengthen God's trust in you.
"Faith did not come in the moment when Nephi needed it, nor did God's trust in Nephi. He earned that great faith in God's confidence by courages and sustained labor in the Lord's service" -Henry B. Eyring "Be Ready" 2009
Opening our mouths and sharing the Gospel is a commandment from the Lord! As you show the Lord that you are willing to keep that commandment and open your mouth, even if someone doesn't accept your message, YOU are building God's trust in you. So then when someone who is ready to hear and act upon your message comes across your path, God will trust that you will open your mouth and share "the good news" with them :)
xoxo Sister Morgan
Pic 1: Sometimes the sound of my voice put's people to sleep
during our lessons....Must be because we are helping them to strengthen their
relationships with God and they become overwhelmed by the Spirit! :)
Friday, September 12, 2014
Keeping Our Eyes Open
Hey everyone!
Wow, can I just say that I LOVE being a Missionary?! Everyday is always filled with so many miracles. & I am so grateful that God is still a God of Miracles! This past week I was reading in Mormon chapter 9 & that seriously has to be one of the most powerful chapters EVER. But there were a few verses that really stood out to me this week and I KNOW they are true because I put them to the test and truly saw miracles.
As recently I have been learning a lot about how to "ask, seek, & knock", these verses just solidified everything that I had been pondering about! Because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He will ALWAYS answer our prayers according to His will. But the reason why I loved verse 22 is because they related that aspect of prayer & miracles to MISSIONARY WORK. We are commanded to go and preach the word, and if we ASK Heavenly Father in the name of Christ for those specific missionary opportunities, with nothing doubting, then Heavenly Father will truly bless us with those opportunities as we SEEK out His Children and invite them to come unto Christ.
So during our weekly planning session on Thursday where we set goals and make plans for our upcoming week, Sis Saedan and I really made some more specific goals and plans to meet our Mission's Standard of Excellence of adding 3 new investigators a week. After our planning session, in every single one of our prayers, we asked Heavenly Father to help us reach that Standard. As we did that and would go out opening our mouths to everyone, Heavenly Father blessed us with so many opportunities to share the Gospel.
The first happened on Friday. We got up and started exercising at 6:30 AM. Sis Saedan wasn't feeling too good so we just decided to walk in a giant loop around our neighborhood. As we were walking down the street still half asleep & with our eyes struggling to stay open, we saw a lady unloading some stuff out of her car. As we get closer we can see that she is unloading some empty boxes. (Side note: Since my companion is Asian I always joke around with her that she needs to 'open her eyes' more & on Monday she even got a fortune cookie that told her she needed to open her eyes) As we walk by Sis. Saedan's eyes "opened" and she was able to see an opportunity for us to do some service! So she asked the lady "Do you need any help?" & the lady turned to us & was like, "Oh my goodness, that would help SO much!" She then looked at us and saw our name tags and was like, "Wow, you are seriously an answer to a prayer!" So we helped her & she just kept thanking us and told us that she had JUST been praying to God and asking Him for help because she was super stressed out and was running late to work. It was cool to see how we were an immediate answer to her prayer! But since we were only in our workout clothes and didn't have anything to give to her we just offered our help if she saw us around & then watched her drive away to work. After studies that day I felt really prompted to go back to her house and leave her a note w/ our number and thanking her for letting us help her.
Then
on Sunday we decided to fast for 3 new investigators and continued to pray for
our goals. Saturday night one of our members texted us telling us that one of
her friends was going to come to church and that we should come say Hi to her
afterwards! So on Sunday we were sitting there during Sacrament meeting and a
lady and her 2 daughters walk in right before the Sacrament and sat down in the
closest seats, which just so happened to be right next to us :) Turns out, that
they were our members friend! We talked with her afterwards and her 2 daughters
are 11 & 9 and they are just the sweetest girls! We explained what we do as
Missionaries and set up an appointment to go and teach her at our member's
house on Wednesday! They stayed for all 3 hrs and it was seriously the PERFECT
Sunday for them to come. All of our Members were just bearing the strongest
testimonies about how the Gospel has blessed their families during all aspects
of life. In Relief Society the Member who invited her friend to Church even
bore a very powerful testimony and by the end, both her AND her friend (and
quite a few of us....) were in tears. It was SO amazing to see how Heavenly
Father truly answered our prayer almost immediately to help us add 3 new
investigators!
IT GETS BETTER. Then RIGHT after church our phone goes crazy and we have 8 messages from a number we don't know. We read them and guess who it was from.....the lady we helped with on Friday! She was still SO grateful and truly recognizes us as Representatives of Christ! She asked us to come back and helped her pack her stuff to move and said that she would be willing to do ANYTHING to repay us for our kindness. So hopefully we will be able to teach her the Restoration and then invite her to meet with Missionaries in San Francisco once she moves :)
I love this work so much and I truly know that GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS. I hope that all of you will never forget that. Heavenly Father is always there for us and always wants to hear from us, even when we feel like we aren't worthy to talk to Him. Don't let Satan blind you! Heavenly Father will always be merciful and loving and forgiving as long as we turn to Him.
I love you all!
xoxo Sister Morgan
Wow, can I just say that I LOVE being a Missionary?! Everyday is always filled with so many miracles. & I am so grateful that God is still a God of Miracles! This past week I was reading in Mormon chapter 9 & that seriously has to be one of the most powerful chapters EVER. But there were a few verses that really stood out to me this week and I KNOW they are true because I put them to the test and truly saw miracles.
9 For do we not read that God is
the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is
no variableness neither shadow of changing?
10 And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.
19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.
20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.
21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.
22 For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;
10 And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.
19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.
20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.
21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.
22 For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;
As recently I have been learning a lot about how to "ask, seek, & knock", these verses just solidified everything that I had been pondering about! Because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He will ALWAYS answer our prayers according to His will. But the reason why I loved verse 22 is because they related that aspect of prayer & miracles to MISSIONARY WORK. We are commanded to go and preach the word, and if we ASK Heavenly Father in the name of Christ for those specific missionary opportunities, with nothing doubting, then Heavenly Father will truly bless us with those opportunities as we SEEK out His Children and invite them to come unto Christ.
So during our weekly planning session on Thursday where we set goals and make plans for our upcoming week, Sis Saedan and I really made some more specific goals and plans to meet our Mission's Standard of Excellence of adding 3 new investigators a week. After our planning session, in every single one of our prayers, we asked Heavenly Father to help us reach that Standard. As we did that and would go out opening our mouths to everyone, Heavenly Father blessed us with so many opportunities to share the Gospel.
The first happened on Friday. We got up and started exercising at 6:30 AM. Sis Saedan wasn't feeling too good so we just decided to walk in a giant loop around our neighborhood. As we were walking down the street still half asleep & with our eyes struggling to stay open, we saw a lady unloading some stuff out of her car. As we get closer we can see that she is unloading some empty boxes. (Side note: Since my companion is Asian I always joke around with her that she needs to 'open her eyes' more & on Monday she even got a fortune cookie that told her she needed to open her eyes) As we walk by Sis. Saedan's eyes "opened" and she was able to see an opportunity for us to do some service! So she asked the lady "Do you need any help?" & the lady turned to us & was like, "Oh my goodness, that would help SO much!" She then looked at us and saw our name tags and was like, "Wow, you are seriously an answer to a prayer!" So we helped her & she just kept thanking us and told us that she had JUST been praying to God and asking Him for help because she was super stressed out and was running late to work. It was cool to see how we were an immediate answer to her prayer! But since we were only in our workout clothes and didn't have anything to give to her we just offered our help if she saw us around & then watched her drive away to work. After studies that day I felt really prompted to go back to her house and leave her a note w/ our number and thanking her for letting us help her.
 |
| Keeping our "eyes open" for opportunities to share the Gospel! ;) |
IT GETS BETTER. Then RIGHT after church our phone goes crazy and we have 8 messages from a number we don't know. We read them and guess who it was from.....the lady we helped with on Friday! She was still SO grateful and truly recognizes us as Representatives of Christ! She asked us to come back and helped her pack her stuff to move and said that she would be willing to do ANYTHING to repay us for our kindness. So hopefully we will be able to teach her the Restoration and then invite her to meet with Missionaries in San Francisco once she moves :)
I love this work so much and I truly know that GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS. I hope that all of you will never forget that. Heavenly Father is always there for us and always wants to hear from us, even when we feel like we aren't worthy to talk to Him. Don't let Satan blind you! Heavenly Father will always be merciful and loving and forgiving as long as we turn to Him.
I love you all!
xoxo Sister Morgan
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Puzzle Pieces
Hey Everyone!
Can you believe that it is already SEPTEMBER!?! This is unreal how fast time is flying! I feel like I was just sitting at this computer yesterday emailing you all. My Mission brain is definitely getting worse and worse and WORSE! I can't remember any song titles or friends last names, let alone usernames & passwords as I'm having to apply back to school....yuck.
Yesterday my lovely companion and I went and ate some good 'ol Asian food at Pei-Wei and I'm almost a little freaked out about how inspired my fortune cookie was......."All the puzzles in your life will be understood within the next year" But in order to explain why it freaked me out, let me back track a little bit.
On Wednesday and Thursday we did MTE's (Missionary Training Exchanges). We spent 3 1/2 hrs each day listening to instruction from our Mission President and his Assistants. One of the main topics they discussed and taught us was about how to "ask, seek, and knock". We see that phrase SO many times in the scriptures & it makes you wonder why it is so important to Heavenly Father that He has to keep repeating it over & over again? President Schmitt related it back to receiving personal revelation. The only way for us to know of spiritual truths is through the Holy Ghost. But in order for the Holy Ghost to confirm something in our hearts, we have to have a question or a solution in our hearts for Him to even confirm & guide us! So the only way for us to receive personal revelation (the only way to receive answers from God) is by ASKING Him through prayer, SEEKING for His answers through the scriptures or in our day to day lives, and KNOCKING by acting on the answer through diligent obedience & faith.
As I was sitting there soaking it all in, I had SO many "light bulb!" moments that illuminated my mind. But I know it was because I went to that meeting with questions in my heart! I realized how often I only halfheartedly ask Heavenly Father questions. My prayers used to be more like "Please help us to know what to do at this time" "Please help me to be better". But now I've seen God's hand even more in my life as I instead say in my prayers things like: "Father, what would Thou have us to do at this time? Would Thou have us to go see_____?" "What do I need to work on so that I can be more Christ-like?" "How can I better teach ____ about faith?"
As I have started doing that I have truly gained SUCH a strong testimony about how Heavenly Father is just WAITING for us to ask Him things & how sooo many blessings are dependent on us asking, seeking, and knocking. I feel like Heavenly Father is putting so many of the "Puzzle Pieces" of my life in order. On top of that, we even taught the Mia Maids this past Sunday about how our lives are like "Puzzles" but how Heavenly Father has provided us with a road map that helps us to put the right pieces in place (i.e, The Gospel of Jesus Christ, having a Modern Day Prophet, etc)
I just LOVE how Heavenly Father connects all of the dots together in my mind! I honestly have no idea what I would do with out! As I'm digging my heels into the ground trying to slow down these last 2 months, Heavenly Father is teaching me a lot about how I need to better trust in His plan & in His timing. I need to trust that He knows EXACTLY where each puzzle piece belongs & that at some point in the future, I will have a better understanding of why each piece has it's certain place.
I hope all of this makes sense, I feel like I just had a mind explosion on the computer haha But at least I know it makes sense in my mind and that Heavenly Father is truly teaching me so much!
I love you all!
xoxo Sister Morgan
Can you believe that it is already SEPTEMBER!?! This is unreal how fast time is flying! I feel like I was just sitting at this computer yesterday emailing you all. My Mission brain is definitely getting worse and worse and WORSE! I can't remember any song titles or friends last names, let alone usernames & passwords as I'm having to apply back to school....yuck.
Yesterday my lovely companion and I went and ate some good 'ol Asian food at Pei-Wei and I'm almost a little freaked out about how inspired my fortune cookie was......."All the puzzles in your life will be understood within the next year" But in order to explain why it freaked me out, let me back track a little bit.
On Wednesday and Thursday we did MTE's (Missionary Training Exchanges). We spent 3 1/2 hrs each day listening to instruction from our Mission President and his Assistants. One of the main topics they discussed and taught us was about how to "ask, seek, and knock". We see that phrase SO many times in the scriptures & it makes you wonder why it is so important to Heavenly Father that He has to keep repeating it over & over again? President Schmitt related it back to receiving personal revelation. The only way for us to know of spiritual truths is through the Holy Ghost. But in order for the Holy Ghost to confirm something in our hearts, we have to have a question or a solution in our hearts for Him to even confirm & guide us! So the only way for us to receive personal revelation (the only way to receive answers from God) is by ASKING Him through prayer, SEEKING for His answers through the scriptures or in our day to day lives, and KNOCKING by acting on the answer through diligent obedience & faith.
As I was sitting there soaking it all in, I had SO many "light bulb!" moments that illuminated my mind. But I know it was because I went to that meeting with questions in my heart! I realized how often I only halfheartedly ask Heavenly Father questions. My prayers used to be more like "Please help us to know what to do at this time" "Please help me to be better". But now I've seen God's hand even more in my life as I instead say in my prayers things like: "Father, what would Thou have us to do at this time? Would Thou have us to go see_____?" "What do I need to work on so that I can be more Christ-like?" "How can I better teach ____ about faith?"
As I have started doing that I have truly gained SUCH a strong testimony about how Heavenly Father is just WAITING for us to ask Him things & how sooo many blessings are dependent on us asking, seeking, and knocking. I feel like Heavenly Father is putting so many of the "Puzzle Pieces" of my life in order. On top of that, we even taught the Mia Maids this past Sunday about how our lives are like "Puzzles" but how Heavenly Father has provided us with a road map that helps us to put the right pieces in place (i.e, The Gospel of Jesus Christ, having a Modern Day Prophet, etc)
I just LOVE how Heavenly Father connects all of the dots together in my mind! I honestly have no idea what I would do with out! As I'm digging my heels into the ground trying to slow down these last 2 months, Heavenly Father is teaching me a lot about how I need to better trust in His plan & in His timing. I need to trust that He knows EXACTLY where each puzzle piece belongs & that at some point in the future, I will have a better understanding of why each piece has it's certain place.
I hope all of this makes sense, I feel like I just had a mind explosion on the computer haha But at least I know it makes sense in my mind and that Heavenly Father is truly teaching me so much!
I love you all!
xoxo Sister Morgan
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Best Birthday Ever?
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| San Diego Sunsets=tender mercies from the Lord! |
My Baby Seesta just left for school in Hawaii this week & after looking at her pictures.........I really feel like the Lord needs me to go visit her after I get back. :) Guess it has to happen!
But THANK YOU everyone for all of the birthday wishes. It is crazy to think that I'm already 23 yrs old. But I can honestly say that the 22nd year of my life was hands down THE best year of my life! And after the crazy day that my 23rd Birthday was, I'm excited to see what new adventures are yet to be in store for me!
I guess it all actually started the day before my birthday, on Sunday. In Sacrament Meeting, our Bishop's son gave his Homecoming talk as he just recently returned from his Mission in the Philippine's . He had a lot of visitors and friends come and before the services started, a guy wearing some running shorts and a t-shirt asked if he could sit down next to us. Assuming that he was a friend & visitor, I introduced myself to him hoping that we could possibly add a new investigator. But, it turns out the guy is already a member. He was just in town for the weekend for a work trip and forgot to bring his church clothes haha So Jake goes on to give his talk and tells a story about this amazing family that he helped into the waters of baptism. They would ride their bikes 8 miles to church every Sunday & despite having coffee and tobacco addictions, they were fully living the Word of Wisdom only a week & a half after learning about it. Next month they are planning to enter into the Holy Temple and be Sealed for time and all eternity.
It was definitely a tear jerker and as he was telling the story I just kept thinking about how I wish I could have an experience like that before I go home. After the talk the guy that was sitting next to us leaned over and said, "Sisters, can I tell you something? That was an amazing talk that that young man just gave. Every homecoming talk I have ever heard has been amazing. It's so uplifting to hear stories like that family who accept the Gospel instantly. But let me tell you Sisters, as a convert, most of the people you are teaching & meeting right now just aren't ready to receive the Gospel at this time. My wife & I definitely weren't. We had the Missionaries coming over for years. We would feed them dinners, have them over for Christmas, but still just kept going to our old Church. But what truly helped us to become ready & finally accept the Gospel was all of the faithfulness of every single one of those Missionaries. If they gave up on us, we would have never been prepared to fully accept the Gospel. Just know Sisters, that you are impacting so many people's lives through your faithful service. Thank you for serving a Mission!"
About half way through his story he already had me in tears. The Lord truly placed that man in my path & inspired him to sit down next to us and talk to us because what he had to say was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. But it didn't stop there. Even the lessons in Sunday School and Relief Society were the Lord speaking DIRECTLY to my heart. As we went home and sat down for lunch, I just felt like I was on Cloud Nine. Heavenly Father had spoken directly and specifically to me through His inspired children & it was the perfect introduction that I needed to my birthday!
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| Elders made me a B-Day Cake & wore ties to match the frosting & sprinkles :) |
We were walking through the park waiting for our car battery to get fixed and stumbled upon this guy named Randy. He asked us about our favorite verses in the Bible and I told him that 2 of my favorites were Romans 1:16 & James 1:5. I just automatically started bearing my testimony about how Heavenly Father truly hears & answers our prayers as long as we pray with sincerity and actually intend to act upon the answer he gives us. Turns out Randy had met with Missionaries before and had even started to read from the Book of Mormon! He is a smart guy and knows his stuff, but it was amazing to see how much his testimony was lacking a foundation. He has gotten so caught up with knowing all of the crazy and deep random doctrine that he doesn't even fully understand everything because he has no foundation to build off of.
I started to tell him about the story of the Fire and it turns out that he had also lost his house in the wildfires here in 2007! It was such a powerful moment for me to bear my testimony about my experience to someone who had experienced the same type of life changing event. I could relate EVERYTHING directly back to him & was truly able to bear my testimony about the Book of Mormon & Eternal Families [JUST like how I had prayed for]. I also basically straight up told him that he needs to finally pray sincerely & with real intent about the Book of Mormon. And I PROMISED him that if he did so, then he WILL receive an answer of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. That all of the confusion will be swept away and that he will be able to see clearly the path to eternal life that Heavenly Father desires for him to take. As I was bearing my testimony I could just feel the Spirit so strong and I truly took a second to cherish that moment. With tears in my eyes, I bore him my testimony straight from every fiber of my being & heart that I KNOW the Book of Mormon is true and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints IS the Lord's kingdom restored on the earth once again. He promised me he would and even told us he will go to his Saturday services so he could come to our Sunday meetings :)
To top off my day, we saw THE most beautiful sunset & then got a call from one of our Recent Converts. Earlier that day we decided to drop by her apartment while she wasn't home and sticky note her door with some scriptures and to let her know how much we love her. As I talked with her she was just in tears because our sticky notes were exactly what she needed at the perfect moment. She had had a rough day and had already started crying in her car before she walked to her door and saw our sticky notes. Then she felt awful that she totally forgot to wish me happy birthday and all I could tell her was that her phone call just made my 23rd Birthday the best I've ever had. Knowing that I was able to serve someone and help them to feel the same love that I have felt for the past 23 yrs was hands down, the best feeling ever.
I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY & I truly am cherishing every moment that I have left here in San Diego.
xoxo Sister Morgan
Pic 1: Elders made me a B-Day Cake & wore ties to match
the frosting & sprinkles :)
Pic 2: San Diego Sunsets=tender mercies from the Lord!
"Are you J-Dubs?"
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| I love SD Sunsets! |
I am still just LOVING things here in Rancho Bernardo. Our ward is HUGE. Seriously. It's the biggest ward in all of SoCal...so I definitely have a lot of names I'm trying to cram into my brain. After serving in 4 other wards, I really feel like my brain is overflowing with thousands of names! But it's not too much for this ADD Sister to handle :)
This past week was super good though! On Tuesday night we had a pretty cool miracle. We went to go hit up a certain town home complex to try and see a few less actives before we started making our way home. We had a lot of success actually finding people at home! Around 8 we got back into the car to head over to a different area that is closer to our house. [oh yeah, I think I forgot to mention that we are living at a Member's house! It felt SO weird at first, but after hearing all of the kids yelling at each other as they were getting ready for Church in the morning, it definitely made me feel right back at home :)] As we started exiting the complex we drove past a town home of a Less active that we had tried a few days before but weren't able to get a hold of. I looked at Sis. Saedan & asked her if she wanted to stop and see them. I could just see the wheels turning behind her eyes and at first she was like, "No, it's okay. We can try them another day.
But then not even 15 seconds later the Spirit prompted BOTH of us that we needed to go back & knock on that door again. So we flipped around and went & knocked on their door again. As we sat there for a second I started to get distracted by a moth that had gotten stuck in a big spiders web & watched as the spider made it's way towards the helpless moth....then all of a sudden I heard someone say "Hi!" but when I looked at the door, it was still closed. Then I realized that it came from behind us & it was actually one of their neighbors that said hi to us as she was putting her trash cans by the curb. As Missionaries here in SD, it is soooo rare to have someone say hi to you first, especially when we hadn't even stared her down, smiling! So we turned back to the door & knocked a second time as I continued to watch the dramatic scene go down between the moth and spider. Sometimes I just wish people could record Missionaries @ their doorsteps because all of a sudden the moth broke free from the web right before the massive spider was about to make the kill & it decided to fly RIGHT towards my face! Naturally, I freaked out & could hear the lady by the curb making an inaudible comment behind me. Once we realized that the family wasn't going to answer the door, we turned & the lady across the street asked, "Are you J-Dubs?"
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| Happy Happy P-Day Faces! |
I just love being a Missionary. It seriously brings me so much joy & I am SO grateful that I have such a loving Heavenly Father who is truly watching ovehttp://www.mormon.org/me/G0HF/GeoffWalker
r me continually. We had so many tender mercies this week! A few of those tender mercies have actually been the opportunity that I have had to hear my recent converts bear their testimonies with such a powerful spirit! On Sunday we had a Mission President's Fireside in Chula Vista and we were able to go to it since my companion plays the piano so lovely :) And I am SO grateful she does because I was able to hear my RC-Erin, get up in front of over a hundred people, and bear her testimony about her conversion to the Gospel. It was seriously a tear jerker. Also, I found Geoff Walker's Mormon.org profile and it just makes me SOOOO happy as I read it! Here's the link so all of you can read his AMAZING testimony as well :)
I am so grateful for everything the Lord has done for me & I can't even imagine what my life would have been like if I never served a mission & met all of these amazing people. Heavenly Father is SO mindful of us! I hope each of you can recognize His hand in your lives this week & will feel of His love and MY love for you as well :)
xoxo Sister Morgan
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Answers to Prayers
Hey Everyone!
So this past week has been pretty interesting.....I was pretty bummed to transfer out of Pacific Beach and go to a new area for my last 2 transfers. I was so nervous about it that Sis. Cazares woke up in the middle of the night to me having a legit "Sleep Prayer" where even sub-conscieously I was asking Heavenly Father that everything will go well with transfers & even closed in the Name of Jesus Christ.....haha
But thankfully I can say that Heavenly Father is SO mindful of me & even hears my prayers that I mumble in my sleep :) This past week has been AMAZING as I was transferred back to good 'ol POWAY in the Rancho Bernardo Ward (which is right next to my 1st area-Green Valley) & i love it, love it, LOVE IT! I can literally say that I have spent my whole Mission on the outskirts. I started @ the very top of our Mission in Poway, went out to the very East to El Centro, from there went to the very south next to the Mexican Border in Chula Vista, to the middle west next to the ocean in Pacific Beach, back to the good 'ol north of Poway! (If you look @ a picture of my mission, it might make a little bit more sense haha)
Starting my 2nd to last transfer of the Mission has truly been an eye opener! It is so crazy to come back to a familiar place and see familiar faces but what's even crazier is to see how much I have changed! It has been such a humbling perspective to have and I am SO grateful of how mindful Heavenly Father has been of me. Since I have come to RB I have been able to see SO many answers to prayers that I forgot I had even asked for & my heart is over flowing w/ love as I see& feel how much Heavenly Father loves me. I also realized that if everything had gone according to "my plan" for when I first even started my mission papers, I would have gone home last week. But the Lord taught me patience and had me leave on my mission 3 months after I had planned to go. It was difficult for me to accept then, but now I am seeing that there is a very specific reason why Heavenly Father asked me to wait. He needed me to be here, in Rancho Bernardo, at this very moment in time. And I am SO grateful that His plan is a million times BETTER than my plan!
But to top it off, Heavenly Father has blessed me to have an
amazing companion that I have been praying my whole Mission to have! Her name
is Sister Saedan and she comes from the beautiful country where my Dad served
his mission, THAILAND. She is the happiest person I have EVER met and we are
just having an absolute "BLAST-A" serving the Lord together. She has
only been speaking English for 5 months now but you wouldn't even be able to
tell by all of the funny jokes she cracks! Every night for the past week I have
been finding myself falling asleep with a smile on my face & I can't wait
to see all of the MANY miracles that this transfer will bring!
Ever since DAY 1 in RB we have been seeing miracles. My first night here we decided to go contact a Potential Investigator before we headed back to our house. Her apartment looked completely dark & empty. We decided to ask one of her neighbors who was sitting outside smoking a e-cig if he knew if she still lived there. Turns out she has been gone for about 2 months now. But we ended up staying and talking with him & had such a spiritual experience! He's 23, has had a super rough past, and has lost all faith and hope in God. Since he is the same age as both of us, we were able to relate to him & bear the strongest testimonies to help him recognize God's hand in his life. We showed him a Mormon Message called, "Hope of God's Light" and it was crazy how similar his story was to the guy in the video! This kid has just been living and breathing negativity & had absolutely no hope for this life. But we just kept bearing our testimonies & by the end he had a completely different countenance. He had a real smile on his face & the light of Christ in his eyes. He even agreed to let some of the YSA missionaries stop by again :)
Have I told you all lately that I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY?! Because I truly do with all of my heart. I am cherishing this time with all that I have & I am so grateful for everything that Heavenly Father has blessed me with.
xoxo Sister Morgan
So this past week has been pretty interesting.....I was pretty bummed to transfer out of Pacific Beach and go to a new area for my last 2 transfers. I was so nervous about it that Sis. Cazares woke up in the middle of the night to me having a legit "Sleep Prayer" where even sub-conscieously I was asking Heavenly Father that everything will go well with transfers & even closed in the Name of Jesus Christ.....haha
But thankfully I can say that Heavenly Father is SO mindful of me & even hears my prayers that I mumble in my sleep :) This past week has been AMAZING as I was transferred back to good 'ol POWAY in the Rancho Bernardo Ward (which is right next to my 1st area-Green Valley) & i love it, love it, LOVE IT! I can literally say that I have spent my whole Mission on the outskirts. I started @ the very top of our Mission in Poway, went out to the very East to El Centro, from there went to the very south next to the Mexican Border in Chula Vista, to the middle west next to the ocean in Pacific Beach, back to the good 'ol north of Poway! (If you look @ a picture of my mission, it might make a little bit more sense haha)
Starting my 2nd to last transfer of the Mission has truly been an eye opener! It is so crazy to come back to a familiar place and see familiar faces but what's even crazier is to see how much I have changed! It has been such a humbling perspective to have and I am SO grateful of how mindful Heavenly Father has been of me. Since I have come to RB I have been able to see SO many answers to prayers that I forgot I had even asked for & my heart is over flowing w/ love as I see& feel how much Heavenly Father loves me. I also realized that if everything had gone according to "my plan" for when I first even started my mission papers, I would have gone home last week. But the Lord taught me patience and had me leave on my mission 3 months after I had planned to go. It was difficult for me to accept then, but now I am seeing that there is a very specific reason why Heavenly Father asked me to wait. He needed me to be here, in Rancho Bernardo, at this very moment in time. And I am SO grateful that His plan is a million times BETTER than my plan!
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| I LOVE my new Thai friend! :) |
Ever since DAY 1 in RB we have been seeing miracles. My first night here we decided to go contact a Potential Investigator before we headed back to our house. Her apartment looked completely dark & empty. We decided to ask one of her neighbors who was sitting outside smoking a e-cig if he knew if she still lived there. Turns out she has been gone for about 2 months now. But we ended up staying and talking with him & had such a spiritual experience! He's 23, has had a super rough past, and has lost all faith and hope in God. Since he is the same age as both of us, we were able to relate to him & bear the strongest testimonies to help him recognize God's hand in his life. We showed him a Mormon Message called, "Hope of God's Light" and it was crazy how similar his story was to the guy in the video! This kid has just been living and breathing negativity & had absolutely no hope for this life. But we just kept bearing our testimonies & by the end he had a completely different countenance. He had a real smile on his face & the light of Christ in his eyes. He even agreed to let some of the YSA missionaries stop by again :)
Have I told you all lately that I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY?! Because I truly do with all of my heart. I am cherishing this time with all that I have & I am so grateful for everything that Heavenly Father has blessed me with.
xoxo Sister Morgan
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