Yello! 10/22/2012

Hey Family!

Hope your week went well.

Our week was very different, but went very well. This week I got sick for 5 days. I got the flu. I felt a sore throat last Sunday, but I thought nothing of it because I get little sore throats every so often. But, in the evening, after our p-day and dinner, we went out with Bro. Wood, our Ward Mission Leader. We contacted P.I.'s (potential investigators) and L.A.'s (less active members) 'til 9:00. We had our rain jackets on, but even still we got soaking wet because it started pouring rain. When I got back to the apartment, my whole body was shivering. I took a hot shower and after I got out, I knew I was sick. All week I had headaches, sore throat, dizziness, nausea, super, super tired and such.

But we didn't let that stop the work from continuing. Every day we coordinated with our W.M.L. (Ward Mission Leader) to go on splits so that our lessons could continue. The ward really helped us out when we needed help. Instead of canceling our dinners they brought us food, they came with Elder Bishop to lessons while I was "babysat". The members wanted me to feel better.

I watched all A LOT of church movies. We have a DVD player in our apartment and we are allowed to watch all church produced movies. So we went to the church building and we took A LOT of movies. The problem is, I have already watched most of them...but I watched them again. I still think my favorite is Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration.

I thought I was feeling better Thursday night so I told our WML and Elder Bishop that I would go to a lesson that night. The lesson was with one of our investigators and it went well, but by the end of that lesson I was drained. I was kinda bummed because I was really hoping I was done being sick so that I could go do the work (missionary work). I missed being a part of it, but I knew that even if I wasn't there the work was still continuing.

By Saturday I got better and I was able to do the work, and it was awesome because on Sunday we were able to have a whole part member family, the Munoz Family, come to church! We even had 2 other investigators come to church as well. It was a great Sunday.

If you guys could pray for one of our investigators that would be great. We are teaching her son, who is totally ready to be baptized. But she is less active (Her mom, the son's g-ma, is super active). The boys mom has always put off her son's baptism because that means she has to be a little more active. At one point, she said her son could be baptized this weekend, but now she wants to have it pushed back. Can you pray that her heart can be softened and that her son can be baptized in the Lord's timing? That would be great. Can you also pray for another fellow and his sister, that we can set a baptismal date with him? Thank you.

Thank you for your prayers.

And thanks for that new mission calendar Meghan! It's AWESOME!

Love,

Elder Morgan

Mom note: On this blog, names of investigators, less active members and others, may be removed to respect their privacy.

Yellooo from BEAUTIFUL Oregon! 10/15/2012

Howdy Family.

So, sorry about not writing you guys last week. I was at the Oregon Coast! It was awesome! It was so nice to see the ocean. I have now been officially coast to coast in the United States. I will be sending pictures soon. We went from Pacific City all the way to Astoria. The sites and views on the coast were beautiful. The Morris Family took us. Sister Morris works at the post office and they had Monday off, due to Columbus Day, so a few weeks before they asked us if we wanted to go to the Coast. We of course said yes. We have a rule that missionaries can only go to the coast after October General Conference until April General Conference...we went the first day we could! The Coast it about 2 hours away so we had to get permission, not just from our DL, ZL, but from President Morby as well.

It was cool because we went to Pacific City where there is this huge rock in the ocean...we took some pictures so you'll be able to see it. That rock was actually in the movie "The Goonies". We also went to the "Goonies" house they were trying to save. It was funny because not only was it "The Goonies House" but there was someone living in the house with a "Star of David" flag and a "Mitt Romney" sign!

We then went to Seaside and visited the ocean there too. Seaside is actually the end of Lewis and Clarke's expedition, and Elder Bishop and I took a picture there right next to the statue saying "This is the end" or something like that. 

We went to a few other places, but there are two more places I want to talk about. We first went to Ft. Stevens, the first place America was attacked after Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. This military fort was cool. This structure was built on the side of a hill in the early 1900's and was HUGE! I felt like this place would be a CRAZY game of "Call of Duty" or a sweet game of paintball. It was really neat. 

We then went to Astoria where there is this "column that you go up 164(or so) stairs that leads to the look out. The Astoria Column was already on the top of the hill. We could see FOREVER! It was cool because Astoria is where the Columbia River hits the Pacific Ocean. I have pictures that I'll give to you of that as well.  

We have had the longest "dry spell" in Oregon in a LONG TIME. But it is over now. It's raining and its awesome! I almost missed the rain. ALMOST, but not quite. I am super grateful we are in a car though. It makes rain a lot easier to handle.

Right now though, I think I got the Flu. I think I got it yesterday. Yesterday I got a sore throat, a headache, dizziness and so on. Right now I am feeling the same way. Today I have been trying to take it easy, but we had to go to downtown Portland, walk around, take the max back home, go run errands, email and such. Even though I don't want to, I think I am going to take it very easy tomorrow. We have some lessons but I night have Elder Bishop go on splits with one of the men in our ward.

Today is transfers so that marks 13 months (and 1 day) as missionary for The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

All is well.

Thank you for praying for a few of my investigators a few weeks ago. I know that helped.

Love,

Elder Trevor A. Morgan

Howdy! 10/1//2012

I want to start off by saying that I have really appreciated the opportunity to be a trainer. I really feel the Lord is helping me grow as a person and a missionary. I have really appreciated Elder Bishop' s "greenie fire". This is not to say that I don't have that "fire" in my to do missionary work. Lately I have been even thinking about missionary work when I am eating, resting, and even dreaming about missionary work and my investigators and less actives I am working with. I just know that being with Elder Bishop, he and I are ready to do the Lord's work and do whatever it takes to make it happen. Through doing the hard things and doing the Lord's work Elder Bishop and I have been able to see the blessing that come from giving are all. Just this week we were able to set another baptismal date for September 27 for Riley Zink. We have a few other investigators with a date or close to it and we are really exited to see the work progressing.

With that being said, there is opposition in all things. While being on my mission I have not seen the adversary work any harder than he is doing right now. People become busy, or sick, addicted to drugs, or even hit by cars. Its sad to see this happen to people, but I know that these things will happen where the gospel is being taught and accepted. To quote Joseph Smith, "persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, and calamy may defame, but the truth of God will go forth nobly, boldly , and independent,". This is so true. The truth of God is going forth in Oregon City 3rd ward area.

Elder Bishop is doing great. He knows alot about the gospel and what missionaries are supposed to teach. But he is havcing a problem being a simple and clear teacher. Also I feel like sometimes our investigators and less actives feel awkward when he is teaching. In our companion studies we are working on our 12 week program and PMG, but we are really focusing on teaching clearly and simple and even more doing it with love. Love is the most important thing that we can have for an investigator. I know Elder Bishop loves the people we are teaching, but sometimes I dont know if always the people we are teaching can feel that love. Even with this being said, Elder Bishop is doing great. He is kinda slow to do things, but he is getting used to the missionary schedule more and more every week. I am glad to be serving with him.

Love,

Elder Morgan

Helloooo 9/24/2012

Howdy Family! 

This week has been a great week for Elder Bishop and I in the Oregon City 3rd Ward! That being said this week was just another crazy week in the OC.

I don't know if in this email I will be able to portray my feelings about "opposition in all things", but this week was full of opposition, both good and bad. This week Elder Bishop and I were able to pick up 2 new investigators!...all from tracting! This transfer Elder Bishop and I have been able to have a lot of success in finding people. We haven't taught as many lessons as Elder Quinton and I (not for lack of trying, they just cancel). I know the Lord is playing a major role in preparing us and preparing those we find. This transfer we have found 3 super solid new investigators. We also got 9 referrals from the ward members as well! We have been able to gain the trust of the ward, and really have been able to gain the trust of the Bishop. He gives us names of people he would like us to go see about once a week.

If you could pray for the investigators Elder Bishop and I are working with, that would be great. I know that extra prayers for them would really help them in their struggles and as well in the strengths.

We have an investigator who is a great guy. He knows the restored gospel is true. He is 21 and has been taught the gospel his whole life, but only on a very simple level. His parents are less active members, and in fact both of his brothers have become members. His older brother (22) has become less active and now has reverted to smoking, but his other brother is the most stalwart kid I have ever met. He comes out to teach lessons with us all the time. At first, he didn't want to go to mutual and now he loves it, he felt the same way about early morning seminary and now he even goes to that too. This brother will never smoke, even though his whole family does, but they all know they shouldn't.

Our investigator wants to quit smoking. That is the only thing holding him back from becoming a member. Actually that and church attendance. He hasn't come to church for the last few weeks because it is at 9:00 in the morning. We had a discussion on how important church is and why we go to church.

Pray for our investigator that he will come to church and quit smoking so that he may be baptized.

Elder Bishop and I tracked into another great investigator. I think I told you a little bit about him in my last emails. He has a baptismal date set for Oct. 13 but, here is where opposition come in...I have two experiences to share.

1. He really wanted to come to church and we told him we would text him the address to the church building. Elder Bishop and I sent him the text and on our phone it said it "sent". Well, that Sunday he wasn't at church. We were wondering why he wasn't there because he really wanted to come. Well, we had a lesson on the following Tuesday with him. In the middle of the lesson he asked us why we didn't text him the address to the church. We told him and we SHOWED him that we did send it to him. He showed US that he didn't receive it! AHHH. What was cool though, is that he bought a tie to wear to church and he asked us if we could teach him how to tie a tie. So...we showed him after the lesson! That was pretty neat. The spirit was at the lesson, he knew why the Book of Mormon is so important and he was going to read, ponder and pray to know if it is true. He said he felt like everything that we had told him is true.

2. HE GOT HIT BY A CAR WHILE HE WAS WALKING. It has been about 2 weeks since we have met with him. He is on a lot of pain meds so he has been unavailable. No broken bones, no nothing except a lot of hurt.

Please pray for our new investigator that he will have a speedy recovery and that the Lord will answer his prayers so that he may be baptized.

We also found another great family. They are two young parents and they both want to learn more. Their only kid is Brayden and he is awesome. Right now we can only teach the wife because the husband is working very long work hours, usually graveyard hours. He is putting all the Christmas lights up in downtown Portland. Anyway, they are both very interested, but last Sunday we had the opportunity to teach the wife. The family she grew up in was never really religious, but she always knew there was a God. It was a great first lesson about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She told us she had questions answered that she had always wondered about. The Spirit was testifying of truth. She really loved the idea of Joseph going to ask God what church to join, and our invitation to read the Book of Mormon, and to ask God if it is true. She has the real intent, a sincere heart, and faith in Christ. God is not going to lead anyone astray from the truth. She knew that. She accepted a soft baptismal invitation. She knows that she needs to be baptized.

I love sharing Alma 7:11-16 and talking about what the Savior did for us, and then what the Savior asks us to do for ourselves; to use his atoning power to its fullest capacity.

Please pray for this woman that she can receive an answer as she prays to know that the Book of Mormon is true, and that she may choose to be baptized.

Elder Bishop and I are lucky to have as many investigators as we do now. We have about 15 investigators which is truly a blessing. If you could focus on these 3 in your prayers that would be appreciated

I love you guys. Thanks for your prayers for me and Elder Bishop.

Love,

Elder Trevor Morgan