Hellooooooo! 6/18/2012

Hey there family!

This week has been another great week in Oregon City. We stayed very busy this week. We did lots of service and taught many lessons. There is a 94 year old lady in our ward and she hasn't (and cant, obviously) pick her weeds so we went and have helped over the last few weeks, to help make her house look better on the outside. We don't have much spare time, but when we have an hour or so, we will give her a call and see if we can come on over to help. It was a cool experience to help her. While I was pulling weeds I was thinking a lot about what my friends are doing right now and what I would be doing if I wasn't on a mission. Its summer time, so maybe I would be outside chilling at the pool. Maybe I'd be playing "COD" with my friends. Maybe I'd be watching TV or something. I feel like I have changed. Really not a huge difference because I would still be "Trevor", but I feel like I am more focused on the important things of life, one of them being service to others.

Right now, I don't have a desire to play video games, I don't have a desire to watch TV, or to listen to "regular" music. I don't have a desire to go to the pool. All I want to do is to help people. Missionaries are called to "invite other to come unto Christ". That is what we do. But I have learned there are so many ways to accomplish that task. Teaching, tracting, street contacting are some ways, but doing service, being a good example, saying "hey" to everyone, ...even playing basketball with guys, all are forms of "inviting people to come unto Christ". As missionaries, most people know what we do and who we stand for. If we can serve or teach them, and bring more happiness into their lives, we want to do this, because we know that it is not us bringing them that happiness, but it's the Lord giving them that happiness. As missionaries, we are truly just instruments by which this can happen.

Elder Quinton and I want to do all we can in the Oregon City 3rd ward to help, teach, serve, and love others...members or non-members. We are all sons and daughter of God and because of that we all need to show our love and sincere respect for each other. As missionaries we are called to SERVE. I have just begun to understand what "called to serve" really means. I try to follow King Benjamin's teachings and example from the Book of Mormon, which is, "For behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of you God." (Mosiah 2:17) This statement is so true.

The mission of Jesus Christ was the ultimate service anyone could have given. We are all called to follow him. As a missionary, we are representatives of Jesus Christ, there is no way I can come close to the amount of service he has given anyone, but I can look towards Him, serve anyone I can and testify of His divinity and power. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that God loves us and wants us to return to Him and that it is only through the grace of Jesus Christ by which that is possible. By entering into covenants, baptism being the first, we can feel our Saviors love more powerfully that ever. If we follow Him and use the atoning power of Jesus Christ in our lives, His grace will make up for all of our imperfections that we have, and one day we can stand before God with clean hands and a pure heart and have a fullness of joy for eternity.

Elder Quinton and I share this neat lesson, which we call simply "The Paper Lesson." It demonstrates the life of Christ and faith in Him. We use a piece of paper and we tell a story about 2 missionaries knocking on this man's door. The man says, "I know about you Mormons. You guys come knocking on my door all the time. I've never let you all in but I'll tell you what, If you can make this piece of paper (the old man hand a piece of printer paper to the Elders) into a cross by only ripping it once...I'll let you in.

Now I can't tell you IF the missionaries did it or HOW they did it...that would ruin the lesson. Make sure you remind me to show you this lesson when I'm back home! (Or ask one of the Elders and see if they know it. ha) They might or might not...ha.

In this lesson we talk about How important Jesus Christ is in our lives. He loves us so much. Our Father in Heaven loves us so much "that he gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the World to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17) I know this is true. I know He lives and He loves us.

I love you guys! Thank you for your prayers!

Love,

Elder Trevor A. Morgan