"Veni, vidi, vici" Now on to Carthage!

Hello Everyone!

So I have been moved up to Carthage! So far it is awesome up here! They have a HUGE ward up here! There are like 150 people compared to Rome's 60! I missed having a big ward.....not a Utah sized ward but still a big one for out here. All of the work that we do is on the Army Base up here, Fort Drum. It is so awesome to see the miracles that come from members when they are actively engaged in missionary work! They seem to give us referrals almost every day it seems like and they are always so solid!  It is weird getting used to a new area. I don't know anyone's name yet and I feel like I am lost 99% of the time. Our apartment is pretty nice. We have our own washer and dryer! Plus WE HAVE A GARAGE to park in!! No more scraping ice off of the inside of the windows!! yeah you read that right.....when it hits -20 or less at night you get to scrape the ice off of the inside of your window too. We haven't had any huge snow storms or anything, I feel like it hasn't snowed in a very long time and winter is already almost over. I guess it is a good thing cause this way I don't miss snowmobiling as much haha. I am happy that prayers are being answered and that my dad and little brother are being watched out for! I wish I could remember more to write about, I have just been trying to take in so many things these last couple of days it's hard to even keep the days straight! My new companion's name is Elder Reynolds. He was actually companions with Elder Cosman right before Elder Cosman came with me. He is an awesome guy! This is his last transfer too so I get to kill him and send him back home to Arizona haha. I hope everyone is doing good! I love and miss you all!

Elder Morgan

I'm Leaving Rome!

Hello Everyone!

This week is transfers and I am leaving Rome! I am being transferred up to Carthage. It is crazy how in just 6 short months, you can come to love an area and the people in it. I loved serving in Rome and I learned so much here. Now the lord has chosen to move me to a new place and I cannot wait to start teaching people up there! It sucks that I am leaving Elder Cosman though. We have become best friends and he is going to be hard to replace. 

Other than transfers, this week has been a little slow. We had a Zone Training Meeting on how important the Gift of the Holy Ghost is for us as well as our investigators. Without the Holy Ghost, trying to do Missionary work would be pointless. No matter how much I think I know or how good I think I teach, the Holy Ghost is the only one who can truly bring people to a lasting conversion. Conversion is a funny thing, it doesn't stop when we are baptized and confirmed. But we can always become more converted to the Gospel no matter who we are or how strong we think our conversion is.

Sorry for the short letter but I don't have a lot of time today. Lots of things to pack and tonight is the only time that I have to do it. I love and miss you all!

Elder Morgan  

It's -20° outside...

Hello Everyone!

It has been a pretty good week! We were able to teach a lot of our investigators. It is so amazing to see how their lives changes as they progress and follow through with commitments we give them!  There were two days this week that we weren't supposed to go outside because it got below -20 and there is another cold day on the way! I hate having to stay in so hopefully it only gets done to -15. I just have to say to a couple of you, I still have not worn a sweater under my suit jacket! And it's not ever going to happen haha :p

For some reason I have a target painted on my back for giving talks in sacrament. This week I got to speak on how we are given strength through being obedient. It was something that I had never really thought about before. While preparing for my talk I came across D&C 130 : 20-21

 "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."

It strengthens my testimony of the love the our Heavenly Father has for us. To know that he had blessings set aside, from the foundation of the world, to give to us when we are obedient to his laws. 

I hope you have all had a good week! Thank you for your prayers and support! I love you all!

Elder Morgan

Happy New Year!!

Hello Everyone!

Happy New Year!! I can't believe that it is already 2015! I can't believe that this is the only full year that I get to be a missionary! I have so much that I want to do and so little time to do it! I hope that you all had a fun, safe, healthy holiday season!

So this week was a little bit slow. We were only able to teach a few people because everyone we usually teach was gone visiting family, sick or has been sick so it has been really hard to meet with people. But the lessons that we have been able to teach have been awesome! That is probably my favorite part about being a missionary is teaching, not just normal teaching, but teaching with the spirit. The lessons are so much better in every way when they are lead and directed by the spirit! I love it!

 

 

We also got to go to a Utica Commits game.....It's an AHL hockey team. We had an investigator take us on Saturday night! It was so much fun! I don't know if it's because I haven't seen any sports in months or what but I was getting way into it haha. It didn't help that my comp is Canadian and they eat breath and sleep hockey.

 

 

I hope that you all have a great week and have made some good New Year's resolutions that you can stick too! I love and miss you all!

Elder Morgan

 

Merry Christmas

Hello everyone!

I don't have much time today so this will be pretty short. I hope you all had an awesome Christmas! I loved getting to see my parents and Mike and Megan on skype! Hopefully I'll get to see a few more of you next time! Christmas here was so crazy and busy! We tried to make it to every less active and members house that we possibly could and saw a few of our investigators as well. I'm pretty sure that just about every house that we stopped at had something for us to eat or take home to eat later. I hope I never have to eat that much food again in my life. Being a missionary puts a whole new spin on Christmas. I got to focus on Christ and all that he has done for each and every one of us! I pray that you all to feel the spirit of Christmas as we celebrated our saviors birth this year!

I love and miss you all,

Elder Morgan

 

 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

Hello Everyone! and Merry Christmas!

Sorry I am on a day late, we were just insanely busy yesterday and didn't get any time to email!

This week has been pretty awesome! We have mostly been sharing the story of Christ's birth with everyone that will listen to us. It has been an awesome experience and I have been able to feel the true spirit of Christmas as we have been sharing it with others. Being on a mission has definitely made me think a lot differently about Christmas. I am able to focus on the birth of our Savior and what a gift he is to each and every one of us!

For all of you that thought it would be super cold up here.....it so far hasn't been cold what so ever! There has just been lots and lots of rain, and we have gotten very very wet. The other day was one of the nicer days that we have had so we thought that we would try walking around in our area instead of using our car. We came out of one of our investigators homes and it was down pouring! On our walk back to our apartment my companion was talking about how his companion last year would drive through puddles and spray people as they were walking. Not 10 seconds after telling his story, a HUGE dually truck....with a trailer....drove by and covered us with a good 8 foot wall of muddy salty water!  We were soaked to the bone! I couldn't help but laugh hysterically because of the timing of his story.

I hope you all have an amazing Christmas and I can't wait to see some of you when I get to skype home! I love you all and I hope you get the chance to share the Christmas spirit with someone!

Love Elder Morgan

Service With a Shovel and a Smile

Hello Everyone!

My companion and I had an awesome week this week! I am still a little sore from all of the shoveling that we did this week, but we saw so many blessings from doing it! We had lessons with people that have never let us in before and we were able to get in a couple extra lessons with the ones that we have been teaching!

I thought that I would miss out on all of the Christmas stuff that we usually do at home but, I was wrong. The Dupont family is taking us with them today to go out and cut down a Christmas tree with them today! The ward here is awesome and they are taking very good care of us for Christmas this year!

We had a Zone Conference this week and it was pretty much how we can be instruments in the hands of the Lord and how we can be the instruments that he wants us to be, not the ones that we want to be. They gave us about 20 minutes to find a quiet room and read our patriarchal blessings and to really look for strengths that we have been given. It was the 1st time that I have really gotten to pray about and read just my blessing.  There are so many things that I have been missing! It is so humbling to see what the Lord see's not only in me but in all of us, and what potential we can truly reach when we WILLINGLY  heed to the promptings of the spirit and become the instrument that he needs us to be!

I hope that everything is going good at home! I love and miss you all and hope you all have an amazing Christmas!

Love Elder Morgan