Today, Elder Morgan dedicated his email writing time (1 hour on Monday) to writing his friends. He wants to share his daily mission experience with you. Unfortunately, he does not know that only half of his email came through, so here is his explanation of the first and most structured part of his day... ENJOY!
Helloooo
from Portland!
I
first have to apologize on my lack of writing letters back. I have been very
busy. I always want to write you all letters on my preparation days (Monday),
end up not getting to it. Super sorry. Please forgive me. We also have
to do all other things that "regular" people do. On p-day (that's a
nickname for our preparation day), that's when I email my family, get my
groceries, wash the car I drive (2012 Ford Fusion!), get my laundry completed,
clean my apartment, and chill and play sports with everyone. Our p-day starts
at 10:00 a.m. because we have studies everyday including p-day from 8:00 to
10:00. Our p-day also ends at 6:00 because we have dinner with some members
from our ward. And to close the end of the day, after dinner we go and do
missionary work until about 9:00. Consequently, I always run out of time to
write letters...so I am writing this letter during my 1 hour of time to email
my family (so I can write this letter faster on the computer)... and I'm
sending this to my family too! So going to do my best to share how my mission
has been for the last 8 1/2 months and update you all on what my mission is and
where I am right now...besides the library I am at right now.
So
let me tell you what the life of a missionary is...
I
hear my alarm clock go off at 6:15 a.m. I am super tired from the day before. I
am physically tired, but I am also spiritually tired. Teaching the gospel makes
a person way tired in the morning. Anyway, my companion and I slide out of bed
onto our knees and say a companion prayer together to start off our day and
then we both say personal prayers. I start working out at 6:30 to 7:00. We then
have until about 8:00 to get ready for the day. (shower, shave, brush teeth, put
on our amazing white shirt, varying shades of black slacks and a very beautiful
looking tie :) I have been trying to eat
more healthily lately so I have a granny smith apple with peanut butter, a
banana, water, and my "Flintstones vitamins." (Thanks mom!)
By
about 7:50 I go to my bedroom to say another prayer to start of my personal
study which starts at 8:00. There are so many things that I can do for my
personal study. My favorite thing to do is to study the Scriptures (Book of
Mormon, Old Testament, New Testament, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of
Great Price) along with "Preach My Gospel: a Guide to Missionary Service."
With using these resources together I can learn about the Restoration of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, The Plan of Salvation for all people, The Gospel of Jesus
Christ, and Christ like attributes (charity, faith, hope, repentance, obedience
and many more) that I strive to make part of my life. I also strive to read
from the Book of Mormon every day. I love the Book of Mormon because I know
that my faith has grown in Jesus Christ because of it. I feel my Heavenly
Father's love for me every time I read it. I know it's true. After every time I
read it..I just feel great!
At
9:00: my companion and I start our companion study together. We start out by
singing a Hymn from our church hymnbook. A little side note, but I always carry
a pitch pipe in my scriptures that my high school choir teacher gave me. I love
it! As missionaries, we sing all the time so I need that pitch pipe. (Thanks
Mrs. Van Slyke!) So me and my companion always start singing a on the right
pitch! After we finish singing we have another prayer together. The person who
didn't say the morning prayer says this one. In this prayer we try and pray for
everyone we are teaching. As a missionary, I have come to love prayer. The
Bible dictionary says, "Prayer is the act of by which the will of the
Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each
other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for
ourselves and for others the blessings that God is willing to grant, but that
are made conditional upon our asking for them." Sudden end to Elder Morgan's email.
So after, praying for every one they teach, the elders (missionaries) review their plan for the day and then set out to teach people. There are three major classifications for the people they will teach. The first group are called, "Investigators." These are people who are not members of the church but have expressed an interest in learning more about the LDS faith, church and/or people. Missionaries also spend a great deal of time "tracting" which is going from door to door and asking people if they would like to know more about Jesus Christ. Not too many people say, "yes," but when they do, the missionaries will teach them. The friendships that come from working with investigators are often very meaningful to both the missionaries and the investigators.
The second group that the missionaries (elders) teach are often labeled, "less active" or "inactives." These are members of the church who are not attending church as frequently as they once did, and the missionaries keep in touch with them. Some of these people don't find time to go to church, but often they enjoy having the missionaries over for dinner, and this keeps them in touch with the church. Missionaries will also look for the opportunity to provide service to the less active members because the missionaries really care about these people, and as representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, they want to share His love with them.
The third group the missionaries teach are the active "members" in their ward (congregation); those who come to church on a regular basis. Often, when the elders go for dinner at a member's home, the missionaries enjoy the meal and then leave the family with a gospel centered message which often encourages the members to look for their own personal missionary opportunities.
The missionaries also schedule and devote time each week for community service, and of course missionaries attend church on Sunday. They also have district meetings, and meetings with ward leaders. I'm sure there is more that Elder Morgan would have shared in the other half of his email, but suffice it to say that the Elders are to be home by 9:00 pm and in bed by 10:00 pm and then ready to start again the next morning at 6:00 am. Elders have a little white handbook with guidelines and rules for missionaries. This is where the no T.V., no video games, and more are listed. Maybe another time he will share more about this.
While it would be fair to say that the personal sacrifice of a missionary seems great: giving up home, family, education, computer, TV, a love life and more... nearly all LDS missionaries will tell you the blessings received are even greater, and will last for a life time or longer. This experience most often builds a foundation that will stand firm when the challenges and heartache of life come pressing in. These boys become men as they learn that, "where much is required of the Lord, much is given by the Lord."
To close, I would like to share the words of Trevor's cousin Elder Adam Glover who is returning home from his mission (Mexico City) tomorrow.
Email home from Elder Adam Glover, 6/4/2012
"This past week went really well. It is amazing that
I only have this week left and then my time as a missionary has ended. I
honestly don't believe it. Today we had a zone activity and I was talking
with some missionaries and it just seems like a dream, that it isn´t going to happen. But this past change has been awesome. I have really loved my
companion and have learned a lot from him. It is amazing how the Lord always
knows who your
companion needs to be. We have seen a lot of fruit from our labors and have
worked really hard. Everything is going well with Lucia and Horacio and they
are going to get baptized on Saturday. We are also going to baptize two
little kids, Rosa and Jesus, so it will be a great way to finish my
mission.
But this past week I had a really good week. I did intercambios (swap companions for the day) with the Zone Leaders and it was great. I got to go with Elder Whitlock from my generation (we've been out for nearly two years) and it was great to talk about all of the experiences we have had over these two years. And I also got to be on interchanges with someone from my district, Elder Schultz, and it was great to get to know him more and to be able to have some great experiences with him. I think that has been one of my favorite parts over this past
year, being able to help other missionaries become better through intercambios and district meetings. I really love teaching because I feel as I teach, I learn so much and grow so much.
There are lots of great experiences that I have had over these past two years and I know that I have served with no regrets. Now it is time to finish strong and put the icing on the cake, literally.
But this past week I had a really good week. I did intercambios (swap companions for the day) with the Zone Leaders and it was great. I got to go with Elder Whitlock from my generation (we've been out for nearly two years) and it was great to talk about all of the experiences we have had over these two years. And I also got to be on interchanges with someone from my district, Elder Schultz, and it was great to get to know him more and to be able to have some great experiences with him. I think that has been one of my favorite parts over this past
year, being able to help other missionaries become better through intercambios and district meetings. I really love teaching because I feel as I teach, I learn so much and grow so much.
There are lots of great experiences that I have had over these past two years and I know that I have served with no regrets. Now it is time to finish strong and put the icing on the cake, literally.
Love you guys and I hope that you have a great day and week.
Keep praying for me and for those people that I am teaching."
Currently, Elder Trevor Morgan has five cousins on missions. All of them between the ages of 19 and 21.
- Elder Adam Glover in Mexico City, Mexico
- Elder James Densley in Wisconsin
- Elder Wesley Morgan in Paraguay, Asuncion
- Elder Calvin Kamalu in Kansas City
- Elder Scott Daly in Utah. (Yes, his cousin from Maryland was sent to the Ogden, Utah Mission.)
The amazing thing is that none of these young men were compelled to go. They each made the choice for himself. Not all LDS young men make the choice to serve a mission, and others can't go due to health challenges. Trevor and his cousins have made the choice to serve a mission because, individually, they love the Lord Jesus Christ, and they desire to serve him for two years with all their might, mind, and strength and then return with honor. No matter where they are in the world, these fine young men serve because they love the Lord.
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