Sister Morris saying her "goodbyes" to the Penza Branch
Monday, December 13, 2010
Fleshy Tables of the Heart
I think I always thought about writing this email, the last one, and now I am writing it, and I don't know what to say! As I look out of the window here of the Internet Cafe and see the people walking around that I have grown to love for 16 months, it really seems unreal that soon I will be ""home." I think that a part of my heart will stay here in Penza and of course another part is still in Saratov, but I can't
express the gratitude in my heart to my Heavenly Father for the opportunity to serve on a mission here in Russia. I have grown to love a people who are kind, warm, friendly, generous and STRONG. As stated in the Book of Mormin we have taught them in their homes, in their meeting places and even on the street and like the missionaries of old, I can say that the experiences I have had are not written on tablets of stone but in the fleshy tables of the heart. I am so grateful to have been able to share the Gospel with these amazing people and help them to know that there is a God. I think that the first principle in the missionary lessons really is one of the most
important-- that God is our LOVING Heavenly father and that He hears and answers our prayers. I can't express the feelings I had when I heard an investigator pray for the first time or explain how they felt after church. I am so grateful to that same Loving Heavenly Father who gave me answers to my prayers, supported me through my miniscule trials and always held me up when I was too tired to go on. I know this church is true and like Elder Holland I will leave my "last testimony" that the Book of Mormon is true. That it is scripture and that we truly can grow closer to our Heavenly Father and know more about Jesus Christ through that book, than any other on the earth. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, that He descended
"below all things" to raise us up above all things. I know that it is through Him and only through Him that we can return to our Loving Heavenly Father and that we can receive ETERNAL LIFE. I know that the only true and sure way to happiness is when we keep the commandments, that we truly will be blessed in all things, in spiritual, physical and emotional. I know that prayer is real communication between our
Heavnely father and His children and that ANY time, ANY place and in any language, He hears and answers our prayers. What a privilege and blessing it is to have such a Loving Heavenly Father who is so ready to always listen, always help and always comfort. I have to say I love a whole lot of things about Russia but I think I will do a quick list of my favorites (this is probably more for me than it is for those reading this email but hey... what can I say...) ***In no particular order
1. GRANDMA'S-- they love you, yell at you and then kiss you-- there's not anything better
2. Strength- they love who they are, they love their country adn they
love their family
3. Marshutki-- magical buses that take you anywhere, really fast
4. CANDY-- Oh they have good candy...maybe I'll share...
5. Podezd's-- each one has it's own character, it's own neighborhood,
and it's own crazy color
6. Members of the church- They know who they are, they know wy they are members and they have a testimony. They also share that testimony and are so convinced in the power of this Gospel adn the saving ordinances. I have never seen anyone more dedicated to going to the Temple than these Russian Saints and I love it!
7. Russian culture-- the dancing, colors and music-- it really is beautfiul
8. Their humor-- I still don't understand all of it but it's really
really fun to joke with them
9. Their love of beautiful things-- I think I inherited this from my Grandma's, but I have noticed in Russia that everything they do at home is BEAUTIFUl and their houses are always clean
10. Their work ethic- they know how to work and work long hours, EVERY
day to support their family.
Well this is a just a start of my list that I will continue to write but I can definitely say that Heavnely Father has blessed me abundantly in allowing me to serve here with these people and with all of my companions. I am also very grateful for a wonderful family. I have been so blessed to have the mom and dad that I have and the
brothers and sisters. They have supported me through everything and have been FANTASTIC writers. All of my companions are amazed when I tell them about my parents and how orgaznied they are, loving, and hard working. I love them and am so grateful for everything they have done for me. As I said, I know this church is true. I know that it will continue to go on and that the church here in Russia is only going to grow. They are a wonderful people and so ready to hear the truth and the good news of the Gospel. I know that we can always receive inspiration from our Heavenly Father and I know that he is at the head of this work. I know that this really is the Church of Jesus Christ adn that He is at the head of the church with his mouthpiece,
the prophet. I love this Gospel, I love the change it cna bring into the lives of people adn I am so grateful for a mission that has changed my life and has changed the way I view people. I love all of you and am so grateful for all of your prayers, love and support. Love,
Sister Morris
express the gratitude in my heart to my Heavenly Father for the opportunity to serve on a mission here in Russia. I have grown to love a people who are kind, warm, friendly, generous and STRONG. As stated in the Book of Mormin we have taught them in their homes, in their meeting places and even on the street and like the missionaries of old, I can say that the experiences I have had are not written on tablets of stone but in the fleshy tables of the heart. I am so grateful to have been able to share the Gospel with these amazing people and help them to know that there is a God. I think that the first principle in the missionary lessons really is one of the most
important-- that God is our LOVING Heavenly father and that He hears and answers our prayers. I can't express the feelings I had when I heard an investigator pray for the first time or explain how they felt after church. I am so grateful to that same Loving Heavenly Father who gave me answers to my prayers, supported me through my miniscule trials and always held me up when I was too tired to go on. I know this church is true and like Elder Holland I will leave my "last testimony" that the Book of Mormon is true. That it is scripture and that we truly can grow closer to our Heavenly Father and know more about Jesus Christ through that book, than any other on the earth. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, that He descended
"below all things" to raise us up above all things. I know that it is through Him and only through Him that we can return to our Loving Heavenly Father and that we can receive ETERNAL LIFE. I know that the only true and sure way to happiness is when we keep the commandments, that we truly will be blessed in all things, in spiritual, physical and emotional. I know that prayer is real communication between our
Heavnely father and His children and that ANY time, ANY place and in any language, He hears and answers our prayers. What a privilege and blessing it is to have such a Loving Heavenly Father who is so ready to always listen, always help and always comfort. I have to say I love a whole lot of things about Russia but I think I will do a quick list of my favorites (this is probably more for me than it is for those reading this email but hey... what can I say...) ***In no particular order
1. GRANDMA'S-- they love you, yell at you and then kiss you-- there's not anything better
2. Strength- they love who they are, they love their country adn they
love their family
3. Marshutki-- magical buses that take you anywhere, really fast
4. CANDY-- Oh they have good candy...maybe I'll share...
5. Podezd's-- each one has it's own character, it's own neighborhood,
and it's own crazy color
6. Members of the church- They know who they are, they know wy they are members and they have a testimony. They also share that testimony and are so convinced in the power of this Gospel adn the saving ordinances. I have never seen anyone more dedicated to going to the Temple than these Russian Saints and I love it!
7. Russian culture-- the dancing, colors and music-- it really is beautfiul
8. Their humor-- I still don't understand all of it but it's really
really fun to joke with them
9. Their love of beautiful things-- I think I inherited this from my Grandma's, but I have noticed in Russia that everything they do at home is BEAUTIFUl and their houses are always clean
10. Their work ethic- they know how to work and work long hours, EVERY
day to support their family.
Well this is a just a start of my list that I will continue to write but I can definitely say that Heavnely Father has blessed me abundantly in allowing me to serve here with these people and with all of my companions. I am also very grateful for a wonderful family. I have been so blessed to have the mom and dad that I have and the
brothers and sisters. They have supported me through everything and have been FANTASTIC writers. All of my companions are amazed when I tell them about my parents and how orgaznied they are, loving, and hard working. I love them and am so grateful for everything they have done for me. As I said, I know this church is true. I know that it will continue to go on and that the church here in Russia is only going to grow. They are a wonderful people and so ready to hear the truth and the good news of the Gospel. I know that we can always receive inspiration from our Heavenly Father and I know that he is at the head of this work. I know that this really is the Church of Jesus Christ adn that He is at the head of the church with his mouthpiece,
the prophet. I love this Gospel, I love the change it cna bring into the lives of people adn I am so grateful for a mission that has changed my life and has changed the way I view people. I love all of you and am so grateful for all of your prayers, love and support. Love,
Sister Morris
Monday, December 6, 2010
"The best things happen while you're.... tracting"
Wow! I don't even know what to say! i got soooo many amazing and inspiring emails today! Thankyou! It was so great to hear from everyone and I really can say the Lord has blessed my family! I love seeing the pictures of the kids and just thinking how much they've grown and how great they are doing! It really is a blessing from our Heavenly Father to have such great and strong family relationships.
Jill- I have to say that I had a crazy dream this week, where you were serving with me on a "mini-mission" and all of the other sisters were on a Visa trip and so we were together the whole day and we had to decide where to go, what to do etc. and it was HILARIOUS! I woke up just thinking that wow, that would have been a really bad combination on a mission ;) We saw MIRACLES this week! I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve with my amazing companion and in tis area and especially in our
ward because we really are being able to witness miracles and the hand of the Lord in our work. This week we had some great lessons with members and investigators and have been able to really see a change in many of them. This week was REALLY REALLY COLD, like -25, and so we were able to also do A LOT of tracting. Unforuntaltely, it wasn't always really successful, or shall we say normal... but I mean, who doesn't have
good stories from tracting on their mission? We did get to meet a really really Grandpa who spent about 2 minutes opening the door, when he then just said, "Be Healthy" and then 2 minutes closing the door. Awesome. We had alot of fun and luckily my companion is really easy going and so we laughed really hard.
I can also say that the good ol' fall count is coming back. I fell 3 times in one day... where is Sister Stolyarova when we need her?! The roads are really really slick here and so I find myself always telling my companion to slow down (who is used to roads here) and holding on to her like I'm 5. I asked her last night if maybe today (P-day) we should just find a sled or something and then she could just pull me. We'll see")
Wednesday night we had a really sweet experience. We have been visiting with a lady here in the ward who is fighting with cancer. I have to say that it has been a very solemn and humbling experience to watch this spiritual giant in my eyes, to lose strenght every day. It really brings me back to the time when my grandma was fighitng with cancer and I can honestly say that I have never felt the love of the savior more real and powerful than in these few minutes with her. we were able to sit with her for a couple of minutes and hear her sweet and strong testimony about how God lives, how he loves us and how He always will ove us. That His hands are always outstretched towards us and that we can always realy on His redeeming and loveing power. It
was so sweet to be able to hug her and know, that through the Gospel and the saving ordinances, this POWERFUL Spiritual Giant has a great and magnificent work in the future. How grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father and for knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. I know, without a doubt, that there is life after death and that we will be able to be with our families. How grateful I am for that knowledge. Thursday we also saw a "tender mercy" of the Lord. After calling everyone we could think of, to set up a lesson, we decided to pray and just see what we could do. We continued our day, continued to work and do everything we could to set up a lessona dn about 5 pm, an investigator called us and asked US if we could come and teach her at
6! WOW! The Lord blesses and loves his missionaries. In our district we have been praying non-stop to see MIRACLES in Penza, and I can testify that they are occuring. I am so blessed and amazed to work with these amazing missionaries here and see the changes that are happing in Penza as we continue to do the Lord's work. I love you all and I know this church is true! Thanks for your testimonies, your prayers and your love. The "tender mercies" of the Lord are upon us all and God loves us. Go and be someone' Spiritual giant today, and I know you too will see miracles. This is the sprint to finish!
Sister Morris
Jill- I have to say that I had a crazy dream this week, where you were serving with me on a "mini-mission" and all of the other sisters were on a Visa trip and so we were together the whole day and we had to decide where to go, what to do etc. and it was HILARIOUS! I woke up just thinking that wow, that would have been a really bad combination on a mission ;) We saw MIRACLES this week! I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve with my amazing companion and in tis area and especially in our
ward because we really are being able to witness miracles and the hand of the Lord in our work. This week we had some great lessons with members and investigators and have been able to really see a change in many of them. This week was REALLY REALLY COLD, like -25, and so we were able to also do A LOT of tracting. Unforuntaltely, it wasn't always really successful, or shall we say normal... but I mean, who doesn't have
good stories from tracting on their mission? We did get to meet a really really Grandpa who spent about 2 minutes opening the door, when he then just said, "Be Healthy" and then 2 minutes closing the door. Awesome. We had alot of fun and luckily my companion is really easy going and so we laughed really hard.
I can also say that the good ol' fall count is coming back. I fell 3 times in one day... where is Sister Stolyarova when we need her?! The roads are really really slick here and so I find myself always telling my companion to slow down (who is used to roads here) and holding on to her like I'm 5. I asked her last night if maybe today (P-day) we should just find a sled or something and then she could just pull me. We'll see")
Wednesday night we had a really sweet experience. We have been visiting with a lady here in the ward who is fighting with cancer. I have to say that it has been a very solemn and humbling experience to watch this spiritual giant in my eyes, to lose strenght every day. It really brings me back to the time when my grandma was fighitng with cancer and I can honestly say that I have never felt the love of the savior more real and powerful than in these few minutes with her. we were able to sit with her for a couple of minutes and hear her sweet and strong testimony about how God lives, how he loves us and how He always will ove us. That His hands are always outstretched towards us and that we can always realy on His redeeming and loveing power. It
was so sweet to be able to hug her and know, that through the Gospel and the saving ordinances, this POWERFUL Spiritual Giant has a great and magnificent work in the future. How grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father and for knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. I know, without a doubt, that there is life after death and that we will be able to be with our families. How grateful I am for that knowledge. Thursday we also saw a "tender mercy" of the Lord. After calling everyone we could think of, to set up a lesson, we decided to pray and just see what we could do. We continued our day, continued to work and do everything we could to set up a lessona dn about 5 pm, an investigator called us and asked US if we could come and teach her at
6! WOW! The Lord blesses and loves his missionaries. In our district we have been praying non-stop to see MIRACLES in Penza, and I can testify that they are occuring. I am so blessed and amazed to work with these amazing missionaries here and see the changes that are happing in Penza as we continue to do the Lord's work. I love you all and I know this church is true! Thanks for your testimonies, your prayers and your love. The "tender mercies" of the Lord are upon us all and God loves us. Go and be someone' Spiritual giant today, and I know you too will see miracles. This is the sprint to finish!
Sister Morris
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