Week 4 in the Field

September 15, 2015

                                   

Everything has been so fast. I feel like I have done quite a lot so far and realize that I still have 21more months! (TRUNKY! Jok lang!). I have to go to Dumaguete today so that is why I’m emailing early. We will be having a random Zone Conference with all of Negros Island missionaries. I'll be back to Toboso in three days.

There are a lot of fun things happening here and a lot of nice Filipinos to talk to. I honestly cannot wait until I can bring my friends and family here and to show them around. It is beautiful here and the culture is so interesting! We have huge fruit trees in my backyard here - haha. We have many (MANY) dragon fruit trees, banana trees, a papaya tree, guava trees, and an atis tree (weird Filipino apple thing). All of which are bearing fruit which brings up my next point: When you freeze half of a dragon fruit and eat it like it is ice cream after a long day... PRAISE BE TO THE LORD! I'll admit that even the dragon fruit here doesn't taste like anything but it is still nice to carve away at the frozen flesh.

The bananas here are actually good! Bananas at home don't compare (sorry Murica). We take them, fry ‘em in butter and coat ‘em in sugar.... SO TAMBOK RIGHT! But alas it is pretty good and being that it is fried, reminds me of home. The other fruits are in development. They aren't quite ready yet.

I saw a Jeepny drive by with two goats standing on top of it...weird! Two girls crashed their motor cycle into a store (IDK if I had already shared that). It was funny. Almost died again on the motor cycle cab thing. Christmas trees are up here as well as singing Christmas hymns in church. I am truly loving it here and I love actually having a Cebuano conversation. The gift of tongues is manifesting it as I have already had dreams in Cebuano haha and I can now get my point across without further confusion! Oh that great day when I return and dili estorya sa english (don't speak English)!

All is well here and the work is now starting to carve itself out. We are now having many meetings each week with the ward -  PEC, BCM, WCM, etc. I can see that by the time I am transferred out of Toboso this place will be better than when I arrived. As far as the investigators go...Eh it is good. We teach more less-actives. They understand our message and I know they believe but they are so stubborn! Mainly because they are offended... that's actually the main big reason as to inactivity here. I will share later my belief on inactivity.

We have a gator whose name is Ernesto. Imagine Grandpa Fry but a little more brown, less swearing, and actually willing to learn about our message. He came to church the other week and it made me so happy to see him but he hasn't come to church lately and he says it is because the Apostasy doesn't make sense to him. There is a tricky subject for you now. How do you convince a Catholic that there was an apostasy? Better question, how do you do it without an argument? We have here a RM (a bit older) named Brother Dodong. Now Brother Dodong will tell you that a bear craps in the woods. If you aren't doing your job he WILL get on your case about it and he won't spare any feelings. He is wise in scripture and in doctrines. He also cooks well and apparently is very funny. And we had this guy with us to teach Brother Ernesto. Well I honestly felt like we were trying to argue our way in proving our points that an apostasy did happen. I wasn't so sure what was happening during this leksion, pero I learned a new way of how to teach people. Most peeps learn by the spirit and by their feelings of the spirit before and after the lessons. Others need to see the doctrines and to be convinced. Well I have learned nga Brother Ernesto is one who needs to see the doctrines in the scriptures to be convinced, which in return makes me feel kind of bad because this isn't true conversion. It is convincing with the words of men and not the spirit of God. We’ll see how this goes because I know that he has felt the spirit in our lessons and I know that HE knows our message is true. Maybe he just needs a bit longer to be prepared by the Lord.

So  I have realized is how much sense the Book of Mormon makes. When you follow the stories and the "who's who", the story line makes so much sense and makes it very difficult to believe that Joseph Smith "made it up". I have finished Alma now and am on the final home stretch to finishing the book again and I hope by the time I have finished studying it I can truly testify that Joseph Smith was called and ordained a prophet of God like all LDS members should. As I continue to teach and to share our beliefs they make so much sense to me.  It makes sense to me that God created all through His son Jesus Christ; that we are the children of a kind and loving Father in Heaven and he sent us here to be cut off from his presence so that we may choose for ourselves the master whom we will serve.  He wants to communicate with us and by doing so he calls and ordains prophets to teach us. When Jesus Christ came even His own PEOPLE rejected him and chose to follow Satanas. So God took his church from the earth until the world was ready again to receive his Gospel once more. And here we are! A prophet has been called and we have received another witness of Jesus Christ that has NOT been translated may times and tampered with – The Book of Mormon. Oh how much sense it makes when you study the belief -  when you get a Book of Mormon, a highlighter, and study the book! So far, I can testify that The Book of Mormon is true! That through a prophet we can know all the mysteries of God because He wants us to know! Families can be together forever and I will never settle for anything less.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect; the people are not. If you have any concerns regarding the actions of members just remember in the book Moses 1:39 "For behold this is MY work and MY glory- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (emphasis added). This is Christ's church. God's church not the bishops or your neighbors church but Christ's. His doctrine is perfect. Mans doctrine is not perfect. Study the words of Christ and those whom He appointed and you will be directed. I know this to be true and leave my testimony in sa ngalan ni Jesukristo, Amen.

I hope all goes well back at home! Take care ya'll! Amping!

-Elder Morris

My Daily/Weekly Routine and Other Events

September 9, 2015

Maybe I should start this by sharing my daily/weekly routine… Every day, Elder Noprada and I buy three pieces of fried chicken from Sister Marzan (a ward member who is very nice and reminds me ALOT of Aunt Erin lol). We travel and teach with a member present and his name is July. He is very nice and has been a member for 2 months now.  Every P-day we give our laundry to these ward members who do it for us for 200 pesos. Every Sunday night we go to the Libre family’s house for FHE; they are considered "datu" (rich) because they have a nice house AND a car (not many peeps own a car). There we teach a lesson and receive brownies:) Makes Sundays a little more special:))) We do what we do to support the members in their businesses.

This last week was a long one...that went by fast - haha. I did the unthinkable....I ate balot (baloot)...The rotten duck-fetus thing still in an egg shell. Mine was 18 days old which is the oldest you normally buy them!

I received a love letter from a (crazy) lady on a bus! That was weird...

All the kids LOVE the American! Everywhere I go I hear "Hey Joe!" Joe is what Filipinos call white people and yes it is meant to be racist and insulting. Last fast Sunday, Noprada and I went to the ocean to pray at the start of our fast (because it is that close) and when I opened my eyes a huge swarm of kids were right in front of me! So we played some games and took some pics:)

The missionary work is going great! I am becoming better at my Cebuano and can understand just a little now as opposed to none earlier. The investigators are great. We teach a lot of less-actives. We started teaching this older man named Ernesto. He is Catholic (everyone here is Catholic btw) and he came to church the next day after we taught him. He didn’t come to church last Sunday so we went to his house on Tuesday and talked with him/ taught a lesson. We had a very good lesson and the spirit did touch his heart. He had told us that he hasn't received a witness yet and when I testified about Joseph Smith the spirit flooded the room and he was brought to a state of happiness that can only be described as conversion. He came up to me right before we left and thanked me personally. I felt really good that I was able to teach and testify by the spirit.

I also mentioned about another investigator named Gabriel. He just decided to come to church after we talked to him on the street. In the past 4 Sundays he has come 3 times and each time we teach him, after church, he is happy and WILLING to learn! He walks 3 hours one way to get to church and to me that is a person who actually wants to learn about religion— a dedicated investigator:)  If all goes well he is to be baptized at the end of this month.

I got Elder Noprada into Magic the Gathering. He asks me each P-day to play:) I am also asked each other day to cook some fried chicken because apparently I cook good fried chicken. Last Sunday we mixed it with BBQ sauce just like General Tso.. that one brand that Costco sells and it is good. Many times we are far from the house and we need to go home but there isn’t a bus... so we walk! We walked for about an hour last night, got maybe 2/5 of the way home before a bus saved us at 10 PM! We are requesting for bikes.

I killed a gigantic spider this morning. The thing was as big as my hand. After dousing it in pernephorin it ran into a corner and died:). Cockroaches are everywhere here btw. They fly and bite. They too are fun to douse in pernephorin! Lizards are still everywhere as well, more often than cockroaches. Elder Noprada doused one in the chemical and It FREAKED OUT! I felt bad for it. Dogs are more common than humans here. There are tons of the four legged friends and they are pretty casual with people. The people here don’t really like dogs so much.

My tummy still feels awkward. (Probably because he ate the balot egg!)

It rains a lot...

Things are great and I am loving it here! When we climb the MOUNTAINS (not hills) to teach, I can over look the many green hills and see the ocean in the back ground. It is exactly as President Gordon B. Hinckley states "controlled chaos". The driving is chaos yet no one crashes. The houses have no address yet everyone knows where everyone lives. The food here...wouldn't be held up to American standards yet we still eat it - haha. With all the interesting quirks of this land I still find it to be an interesting place to live and I can't wait for what is to happen in the upcoming weeks.

Email me with what is going on back home in Murica! I want to know if anything big is happening.

- Elder Morris

My Personal Testimony: Message 1

September 2, 2015

Today I would like to expound just a little on an old prophet whose name is Abinadi. We all know this man when he stood in front of King Noah and testified that King Noah was wicked and taught false doctrines. Abinadi called him and his priests out and didn’t hesitate to call them to repentance. In Mosiah 11: 20-25, we hear from Abinadi as he predicts the people will be placed in bondage. The king doesn't like this so he throws him in prison. Then in chapter 12, the priests of King Noah contend with Abinadi and try to batter him with scripture in which Abinadi defends himself quite well with the help of the spirit. In chapter 13 he begins to teach the 10 commandments. 

Now we all know that King Noah killed Abinadi and didn't accept the word of Christ but what stands out to me most is that twice did Abinadi prophecy of his own death. In Mosiah 13: 3 he states "...God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time." also in 13:9-10 "But I finish my message; and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved. But this much I tell you, what you do with me, after this, shall be as a type and a shadow of things which are to come." We see here that Abinadi knows that he will die by preaching and nontheless that he knows he will die by fire! He knows and taught that the wicked will suffer an endless torment of fire and he states that what happens to him will be a shadow of what is to come (fire to the unrepentant sinners). He knows he will die because of his teachings...so why does he continue?

We learn in Mosiah 17: 2 why Abinadi taught the King and priests. Alma! Alma was a priest of King Noah and he believed on the words which Abinadi taught. It is through Alma that we have this story (Mosiah 17: 4). We all know Alma to be a great man and through him countless people were brought to the light of Christ. To my understanding, Abinadi didn't see what Alma did so he never got to see the fruits of his labors and sacrifice, but through him thousands if not tens of thousands (if not more) of people came unto Christ.

The point behind this is that we may not see the result of our works right away. We may never see our results at all! But this shouldn't stop us from doing our job. Every member a missionary! Bring others unto Christ through your example and as time passes you may convert people and SAVE THEIR SOULS! Study the story of Abinadi AND look at the fruit of his labor.

I know these things to be true and close this letter in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

-Elder Morris

Week 3 Down!

September 2, 2015

(It isn't as fabulous as Las Vegas but it will do!)

I have now been out for almost 3 months; in the Philippines for 4 weeks and Cebu for 3 weeks. So it rains a lot here... All of my clean pants and shoes are all muddy now. The rainy season is starting to pick up. If I could send you videos I totally would because we are hiking through jungle and muddy mud ALL. THE. TIME! I have also grown a new love for sugar cane. It is harvest season here for the sugar cane and so there is a lot of the stuff everywhere! You just reach down on the road, pick one up, and bite off the bark and wala! -  you got yourself a sweet road trip snack. 

So this week was great! Last Saturday I had the opportunity to baptize 12 year old Rezamia. She is a very sweet little girl and very receptive of our teachings. As I was leaving the font, Satan snuck up behind me and pushed me down! I tumbled to the earth in a big heap of... American. I whacked my shin on a door and that hurt... a lot! 

 (Elder Noprada and I with 12-year-old Rezamia)

The teaching is going great! I have been able to speak Cebuano very well lately and I have noticed that the harder I pray for help with the language the more loose my tongue is. I’ve had the chance to do splits with other missionaries and as I talk with the foreign missionaries I have come to learn just how hard it was for them all to serve a mission and the things that they went through to be here. We as first world missionaries are asked to pay for our own missions because a lot of the foreign missionaries come from poverty; they are in no way able to pay for themselves so the church provides for that. I have met loads of missionaries whose families disowned them because of their desire to serve. Almost all of the missionaries here have only one parent too due to death of a parent either before their mission or who died while they are on their mission. I have no idea what it is like to lose a close family member and I in no way want to lose one especially while on my mission so I commend those who have lost someone they love while on their mission and stayed. It takes a lot of faith to continue in your calling. 

I almost died too (at least I thought I might).  Elder Noprada and I sat on top of the motor cycle cabs they have here and the guy drove really fast over muddy roads and I was honestly scared that I was going to fall off and maim myself! My hand was stiff and pure white from clenching onto the roof of the vehicle for my life! 

(Yeah....looks fun with all the real danger and opportunity of DEATH!!) 

The bananas here are VERY SMALL! Smaller than my finger! They are sweeter here and are nice when you fry them in butter and sugar :) Tambok ako haha! (I’m fat). I’ve also had many times where we get to spend time with some members and have fun (as well as teaching them) PARTY-PARTY! 

 (Yeah, you probably though I was lying about the bananas!)

It has been a long and great week! I am enjoying my time here and I cannot wait for my future adventures and lessons learned! I wish the best for you all and good luck in all you do!

Love your Elder,

Elder Morris

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!)

I...Am...Alive!

August 18, 2015

What can I say? Where do I begin? Lets start with Manila.

We arrived at midnight here and everybody in my group of traveling missionaries was dead tired - haha. The city smells very weird. The food is...rice - haha. The Manila Temple, which is right across the street from the MTC, is very BEAUTIFUL! We did not do a session there because it is under construction but we got to walk around and it is gorgeous! We then woke up at 3:00 a.m on the 12th to fly to Cebu. I talked with this catholic guy and this non-religious girl the entire flight and we had a great talk. I was not able to discuss much about the church because they were devout to their own religion but I was able to make two friends:) The missionary purpose is "Invite others to come unto Christ". Even though I wasn't able to convert them or even get in a lesson, I was able to extend the invitation to come unto Christ which is mas importante! 

I met President McCurdy and his wife. They are very nice people and remind me a lot of uncle Brent - haha! I feel as if I was able to connect easily with the president and that our relationship will extend far beyond our missions (not just because he lives in Twin Falls XD). On my birthday, the day we arrived in Cebu, we got to go through the Cebu Temple! We got to do a session and what can I say? What a blessing to do so on my birthday! 

I was assigned my new kauban, Elder Noprada, at the Presidents house which is RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE TEMPLE! He is very nice and as dedicated to the work as I am:). He is a Filipino from Manila and he has been out a year. He sings very well. We were then assigned to our area, Toboso, which is 30 minutes away from the furthest mission from the mission home on the island of Negros. It took us 9 hours to travel to our house and I was VERY tired and a little sick. We have to drive to Escelante (the furthest mission) to do our shopping, have our zone meetings, drive the sisters to places (me and akong companion don't drive but we drive with the ZL). Me and my companion walk EVERYWHERE! oh and take the bus if there is one . 

Last night we witnessed a tender mercy of the Lord. It gets dark here (night time dark) around 6:30. We were walking home at 8 and we were 4 miles out from our home. The buses had stopped coming and no cars we up and about. We had began our walk home when a light came from behind us. A caravan was coming. We waved our hands hoping there would be a bus or jeepney. A truck stopped and offered us a ride. We got in the bed and was able to see who had offered us a ride. It was a caravan of the Filipino Army! We rode home with the Filipino soldiers... Of all things to help us after a very long day and to save us from over an hour walk through the bukid (jungle/ forest/ wilderness etc) was the army. Interesting. 

Speaking of the army, when we were in Manila, we got to go to the American WW2 cemetery there. There were, to take a guess, about 10000 graves there and it was all very well kept. I found a couple graves of Medal of Honor recipients. What a great honor to receive. 

We hardly eat here. We are out and about A LOT (I wonder why?). I'm not hungry BTW... The food is, to say the least, plain. We don't eat a whole lot and nor do the people here eat a lot. I have taught many lessons in a bamboo house; one room, no water, no bathroom, no kitchen- just a fire pit outside, and this is the condition of just about everybody I have taught. I have already been here for one week and the lessons of humility, gratitude, and selflessness have been made manifest to me. Many people live here and the have NOTHING! yet are happy with their families. I never really understood how third world the Philippines really is!

We as Americans and first world people truly do not understand what we have been blessed with. To take a WARM SHOWER is a blessing! To have a toilet that flushes and (sad to say) to NOT have to use a pail of water and a hand to "clean yourself" is a blessing from God himself to us. To have an oven to bake bread, a pillow to sleep with and, for here, a fan to blow while you sleep are things the people here in my mission do not have that sadly even I have taken for granted. We have to specially buy the water that I drink as well. I have yet to meet one investigator whose teeth aren't rotting out of their head. To meet a family who doesn't share a single bed, a father whose job ISN'T to drive the pedicabs and transport people --- these people have what a first world person would consider to be NOTHING, yet they are happy with what they have, they do not complain about a thing, and their families are happy. The Filipino families consist of more than just the bana ug asawa and their kids. Friends are a huge part in families here and they are respected as such.

I have learned so much from one week here. Hopefully over the next 22 months I have left I can implement these humble Christlike attributes into my life so that when I return home I can be very thankful for what I have and never complain about any living condition I may live in. Trailer parks in the middle of nowhere America are more blessed than what I am currently living in and the conditions of those whom I serve, yet I see what is important. Families, your friends, your religion, protection from the elements- these are all things that matter most in our lives. As you, my family, continue on your lives just remember this, worldly things have NO priority over the Godly things. 

In my house we have many lizards roaming around. They eat the bugs that never seem to leave! We have a gecko in our house which is very loud, mouse in the kitchen and roosters EVERYWHERE! The Filipinos love cock fights. It smells funky here but hey? that's alright:) Every morning I go outside to the water well, draw up buckets of water, carry them into my house and bathroom and dump them on me. This is how I shower here. Same thing for the use of the restroom --get water and dump it down the toilet to flush. A very fun process haha. 

I love it here and the people are very nice. I can tell that this is going to be the best two years of my life! I wish the best for you all! You don't need to worry about me here on my mission, like I promised in my farewell talk "Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow. Set me free to find my calling and I'll return to you somehow". I promise that I will return safely! 

Never take anything for granted and love everybody that you see! When you lose yourself in the service of others you are able to forget your own pain and be able to bless the lives of others. Strive to serve because this is the best anti-depressant that I have found! I know this to be true.

I love you all!  

-Elder Morris

(This is a picture of my area! Very bukid right? A very convenient thing I have and a lot of people here have are the handkerchiefs to wipe away your  sweat! I sweat more than anything else that comes out haha (ewww!) 

I love you mom, dad, Hannah, Nick, Regan! I wish the best for you!)

An Update on the Book of Mormon Given During the Flight to Portland

(A post by  Zac's Mom) 

On August 13, 2015, I received the most wonderful personal message on Facebook. It was from the individual who sat next to Zac on the flight to Portland (and her daughter). Zac had planned to give out a Book of Mormon on his flight to the Philippines, and was so excited that he succeeded on the first leg of the trip. It was busy and chaotic, so I didn't get to hear the details of how or who he gave it to .... until now. 


"Hello Rachel! You do not know me, but I see that we have common friends in Chris and Emily Hansen. Perhaps they live by you in Lehi? They used to live by us in Layton and are dear friends of ours! (They are our neighbors!!)

I am writing to let you know that my daughter Hannah and I had a wonderful experience sitting by your son Elder Morris on his flight to Portland last week. He told us that you were all on that flight as well and about the fun surprise it was for him! So cute!

It was by no accident that Elder Morris was seated by us on that flight. My daughter is absolutely terrified of flying! We are also members of the Church and when we saw so many missionaries boarding the plane, I told her that there was no way that our plane was going down! Best life insurance ever!!!

Your son is truly the Lord's servant and teaches by the power of the Holy Ghost. He was quoting scriptures and sharing messages from talks as they pertained to our conversation. He told us that in the MTC he was told that 20% of the missionaries would do 80% of the work and 80% of them would do 20% of the work. I know which camp he falls in. He is so well prepared and has such a light about him! Our discussion was so powerful and the Spirit was very strong. My sweet daughter was totally calm the entire flight and gained a lot of strength and understanding from the message that your son was teaching.

Elder Morris shared with us a little bit about his life story after asking questions about us and our family. When my daughter discussed some of the issues she was struggling with he would tell us about something from his past that she could draw strength from. He shared with us his triumphant story of his track career. About the moments of disappointment after training so hard and then not being able to compete because of injuries. Talk about enduring to the end! How rewarding it must have been his senior year to take 1st place in the state in the 200 meter dash! He was so cute as he relayed the story. He said that he didn't want to seem boastful, but he wanted to illustrate a point; that when we go through times of struggle, Heavenly Father is preparing us for something good. He's molding us and making us stronger. It was powerful.

Another topic of discussion was depression. My daughter suffered from a pretty severe case of that last year. He was very open and shared with us his story. There were times when all 3 of us were in tears. He was able to get through to Hannah in a way that nobody has been able to so far. I know that he will be an amazing missionary to the people in the Philippines, but I have to tell you, fresh out of the MTC he was an outstanding missionary to a daughter of God who needed to be uplifted and strengthened. His effect on her has been profound. If for no other reason, Elder Morris' willingness to serve the Lord has greatly blessed the life of my daughter. He said that in the MTC they were challenged to read the Book of Mormon with a specific purpose, or to have a specific question in mind and search for answers to that question. His was, "How do I get over my depression?" He pulled out his copy and showed it to us. He had highlighted scriptures and made notes in the margins that taught about having joy, peace, strength...etc. He is a very wise young man. He only made it to chapter 5 in 1 Nephi which is too bad because it was all very insightful. He gave this copy to Hannah and\ challenged her to read through the rest of the book and continue the process that he started. He wants her to sign her name under his in the front cover and then pass it along to someone else who is suffering from depression so that they can find strength in the scriptures as well. He also taught her that it is when we serve others that we find our greatest joy.

At our Young Women's activity this week I was sharing this experience with the girls. Afterwards, one of my Mia Maids came and talked to me. With tears in her eyes she told me that she hadn't really felt like going to our activity that night but she thanked me for what I shared and said that that was exactly what she needed to hear. Your sons words and example are blessing the lives of people he hasn't even met. When Hannah finishes reading and marking up his Book of Mormon, she will pass it onto this darling  girl.

If you wouldn't mind, Hannah and I would love to get Elder Morris' address so that we can send him a letter expressing our gratitude to him for that day. You must be thrilled to see him at this point in his life! He is well prepared, the Spirit is with him, and he is intelligent and kind. He is going to do great things and bless the lives of many. Thank you for being a wonderful example in his life. It was apparent in the things that he shared with us how much he loves and cherishes you.

Sincerely - "

My heart was warmed and my eyes were wet by the time I finished reading this message. I am truly grateful for who Zac is and what he is so rapidly becoming. I'm so grateful he can be part of the good in this world.