How are ya'll?! I miss you so much but am doing great! I'm learning a ton about all aspects of life and feel really blessed. On Sunday we had the opportunity to watch a talk by Elder Holland about missionary work that he gave in the MTC years ago. He said that we needed to stop worrying about "real life" and what is going on at home. He said "This is as close to real life as you will ever get." I've thought a lot about that when I start to miss home and feel like I'm missing out. Last week the BYU football game was going on and we could hear the roar of the crowd several times and it made me miss my old life. The other night I walked past the security booth and the guard was watching the debate and I longed to be home watching with you guys but I think Elder Holland is right. This is as close to real life as I will ever get.
Our investigator is now our teacher and he is awesome. His name is Hermano Miller and we love him! Our three hours with him fly by. The same cannot be said for our other teacher (who we've had from the beginning) so he's a real blessing. My companion and I have started singing together. She sings alto and I sing soprano so it's really fun!
Tuesday Elder Larry Echo Hawk (our friend from the picnic) came and spoke at devotional. He told his conversion story and it was really really neat. He is an incredible story teller. He and his wife are both converts. They both joined in their early teens. He said that he joined the church but was not super interested. But when he was a junior in high school he had a Priest Quorum advisor who could tell he just didn't care and took an interest in him. The advisor knew that Larry loved football and so he set out to be his trainer. They did workouts all year and by the time football season rolled around he was in really good shape (although not a very big guy). When the roster was released he was listed at quarterback and was way bummed because the captain of the team was a quarterback. One week though he was listed as starter on the depth chart going into the weekend. A few days later he turned his head and a ball hit him square in the eye. The doctors worried he might lose his eyesight in that eye so in order to keep him from moving the eye he had to lay in bed with both eyes bandaged for days. He said as he laid there feeling sorry for himself he started to think about a lot of things. He thought about his advisor and the things he had told him about The Book of Mormon. He said he knelt and for the first time prayed that if Heavenly Father would heal his eyes he would read the Book of Mormon for the first time. His eyes began to heal and he returned to the football team on the bench. A few games in though they were playing a big game against a good team on the road and they were losing. His coach came and asked him if he wanted to play 3 different times and finally in the second half they put him in the game. The play call was an option and he said apparently he didn't sell the fake very well because it didn't fool anyone and they were running right at him. He saw one of his receivers down field and launched the ball just as he got hit. He said as he lay there on the ground he heard the roar of the crowd and wondered "Whose fans are those?" and then he saw his teammate celebrating in the end zone. He had thrown a 60+ yard touchdown in his first play. He went on to throw one more and run for 2 more in that game. Later in the year he began receiving visits from well-known college coaches and realized he would have the opportunity to be the first in his family to graduate from college. He ended up going to BYU where he played in every game for 4 years and started his junior and senior seasons at free safety.
However, he said that the best part of the story is that he kept his promise to Heavenly Father. When his eyes healed he began reading the Book of Mormon. He read 10 pages every night and when he was done he prayed to know it was true. He received an answer and knew it was true. He said he continued to read 10 pages every night throughout his life. His talk was such a tribute to the advisor who had helped him and also to the missionaries who shared the gospel with his family. He said that when he bore his testimony to the First Presidency in the temple for the first time he said that "Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be bearing my testimony to all of you in the temple and it would not have been possible without Lee Pearson and (insert name of the other missionary who taught him)." We never know who the people we meet and have an opportunity to influence will become.
Last night we were in the workout room (where my new favorite toy-a rowing machine that you can race other people on is) and the Mormon message about Stephanie Nielson (the lady who was burned in the plane crash) came on. In it she said something about how one day she walked into her closet and she missed her old life. She longed for it. And then she said that she received a calm spiritual reassurance that this is her new life and it is good. "It is oh so good." I realized that if she can find the good in the new life that she has with all the pain that she experiences on a daily basis then I need to focus on how blessed I am to have this new life where I am able to learn and grow, to come closer to Jesus Christ which is the whole purpose of this life. This is as close to real life as I will ever get and I am so grateful for it.
I love you all so much! I cannot thank you enough for every letter, package and prayer you have sent my way. I feel it every day and feel so grateful. You all keep me going because I want to make you proud. I'm giving my very best. Please pray that at some point I will have a personality in spanish! Haha...right now I just laugh! I'm attaching a few pictures. The first is of me and Lyndell! The second is of me mailing the 15 letters I wrote last week. The third is of my district! I love you! Thanks again for everything!
-Morgan
Mama thank you sooooo much for the package!!! It was much appreciated! Thank you for all you do for me! Please forward this email again. I love you!!!!
Daddy I will work on crafting a response for our good friend on the radio.
Kaili, I am so proud of you for studying your scriptures and recognizing God's hand in your life. I know that he does love you and cares about you so much! A letter is coming your way today! Well hey I am out of time so I have to run but I will be writing letters later today!
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