Travel, Temple, and Baptisms... oh my!!

August 26, 2015

We left Toboso bright and early for Cebu City last Wednesday morning. We had my first mission conference where Elder Haynie spoke. He is the area Seventy here in the Philippines. It was a good meeting and good to see all the missionaries here on the Negros Island. I met up with my previous MTC companion, Elder Gali there and we spoke about how our first week went and it was really good. I can see that he is happy here out on his mission and that makes me happy to see him happy :) We also got to go to the Temple in Cebu. This means that I got to go twice in one week ;) which is almost unheard of because my mission is a full days travel from the temple.

(The Cebu Temple! It is small but NINDOT!)

Coming home, our ferry was cancelled. We planned to take the 10 a.m. ferry but had to take the 1 p.m. boat and we didn’t get back to Toboso until around 7 p.m. We left Cebu at 7 a.m. and didn't get to Toboso until 7 p.m. The funny thing is if you look at a map, Toboso is less than thirty miles away from Cebu yet it takes us normally 9 hours to travel one way! The American freeway systems... VERY HELPFUL! Oh and it also costs us 1000 pesos of out biweekly 4000 just to travel to Cebu and back! 1000 pesos is about $25 bucks which isn’t a lot in USD but when you live off of $200 a month...$25 is kind of a lot haha!

(On the boat going to Cebu from the Negros Island.)

Last Saturday we had a baptism. A recent convert of ours and a great friend, July, baptized his younger brother who is about 10-12 years old. This Saturday I will have the opportunity to baptize a new convert, Maya. I cannot wait for my first baptism! I know Maya will be blessed throughout her life because of her choice :) 

(July and his brother... and me and my companion!) 

 (Got to play with the baby chickens at Maya's house :) Chickens! Om nom nom!!)

Many great things are happening here. I would like to share a story about this investigator we have named Gabriell. We FTE'd (Find the Elect [street contacted]) him and asked him to come to church. Well he walked three hours one way from his house to the church and there we taught him the first lesson! He then walked three hours back. He showed up the next week as well; walked to and from totaling 6 hours of walking! He is very receptive to us. What is amazing to me is that his religion is this Filippino christian religion that here is a cult and was founded by a former LDS member who left the church to be the prophet of his own church. We are not allowed to Gabriell's house because of this cult and the fact that I'm white...they'll kill me! So for him to come all this way, away from his culture to learn about mine is a testimony to me. If he comes to church the next two weeks he will be eligible for baptism which is great! 

Yesterday I ate this food...it was good! It is called sugar cane - haha! It is harvest season here so there is the stuff everywhere and so we pick up a stick, rip off the bark, and chew the sugary liquids inside:) I also got to eat this fruit called rambotan. It looks like a small dragon fruit in which you rip off the outside shell to reveal this clear white center in which you eat that. it is very sweet and I love it! 


All is going well and I wish the best for you all back at home! Starting next week I would like to send an additional email with a teaching about a doctrine that I have learned about - ie: D&C 93:29, worldly vs godly things, sons of perdition, etc. If you do not wish to receive this second email just let me know sigi? (ok?)

I wish the best for you all back home and I pray for you every day! May the Lord be with you as you go on throughout your days!

- Elder Morris

(Saw the moment and had to take the picture!)