SO much has happened in the past 3 weeks! It has really just been full of miracles. I am so blessed to be where I am right now with the people here. I'm awful at writing I know, but here's an update of my life (:
Monday evening..dun dun dun..was INCREDIBLE! So Sister Brown and I the previous day had a whole long conversation about how we recognize and listen and follow the promptings for the Holy Ghost because President gave it to us as a question that he would ask us during our interviews with him.
So 2 Mondays ago we were faced with these decisions. We were going to take part of an activity that would not have been the best use of our time, but felt the prompting of the Holy Ghost to do otherwise. I definitely felt it, but I didn't act out of my own fear of conflict. Little did I know that my companion had received the same prompting. She finally voiced and we decided not to take part in the activity. I then said, "I agree, I don't want to one day stand responsible if someone was supposed to hear the gospel right now at this time and I hindered them from hearing the gospel by not making the best use of my time." She laughed, but in all reality, I was dead serious. We immediately made a turn down the street contrary to the way we were going. Like clockwork, our phone rang. Angelica expressed to us over the phone that she had just won her court case and was filled with complete joy as if all her burdens had been lifted. I loved sitting on the other side of this phone called as she explained it because I too knew that feeling all too well. Those moments when finals are over, the scholarship came, you finally finished that huge research paper and pressed submit, etc. she then said, "I know it was because of your prayers for me." Angelica background: we had dropped her because her life became so stressful a couple weeks ago. Angelica then said, "Can we meet this Friday!" In between, bearing her testimony of how the Book of Mormon and prayer has brought her peace.
NEVER IGNORE THE PROMPTING! People are waiting.
This was just a pin drop of the week 2 weeks ago.
We then had interviews with president the next day, but before, we had a specialized training. It was so powerful. Possibly one of the most powerful meetings I have attended as a missionary. It was just our little Zone and President and Sister Russell. The spirit was so strong. The room was filled with light. It touched every corner and every crevasse of the room. Following that Sister Brown and I were asked to role play sharing the Book of Mormon to President and Sister Russell as if they were investigating the church. This was kind of a scary deal haha. Of course I prayed for immense strength that I would do this as the spirit directed me and would know what to say. I had the opportunity to bare testimony to both of them and as I bore I relied on the feeling of the same confirmation I had gotten in the temple 8 months ago. As i bore testimony to President, I looked right at him and his eyes were filled with tears, which filled mine with tears! I love President Russell with my whole heart and I am so sad to see him leave.
As I actually sat down with President and we discussed how the spirit speaks to me, many profound words were shared and my love for our President grew even more. He truly is an inspired man and I'm still mind blown how he always knows what I need (the spirit).
When we ACT, we will always be fully obedient to the Lord, but in order to act, we must first learn how to listen.
Last week we had a lesson with Amanda. She was still very sick and we asked her if she would like priesthood blessing. She said yes! We called the Spanish Elders and they hurried over. Before they got there, we asked Amanda what she had been taught by missionaries in the past. She then told us about her friend who was a member of the church. She passed away a few years ago. We then started to bare testimony to her of the Plan of Salvation, specifically the spirit world. We all knew as she shared some tender experiences that her friend was watching over her. It also became evident that Us knocking on her door, as always, was not a coincidence. The Elders arrived and began to explain more about the priesthood power. It was very clear as we explained the power of priesthood blessings that they are dependent upon our faith. As the blessing began, I just kept thinking, The Lord is going to tell her that He sent us to her. It is going to be the Lord literally speaking to her! Within moments, the Elder told her that we were sent there to teach her. It was so miraculous! The whole blessing was so powerful and God's love for Amanda was extremely evident, which made us just love her that much more, something I had been praying for. As the blessing concluded, the Elders left, and Amanda expressed to us that it was the first time in a long time that she could take a deep breath without coughing. She said as they gave her the blessing she felt hot inside, but had chills at them same time. We chuckled knowing all too well the immense feelings that come from feeling the spirit. Truly the only time you can have hot flashes and chills at the same time. She kept motioning to her bosom. She was burning from within.
The spirit is a really nice friend and He pretty much helps us in every single minute detail of the work, my amazing companion was prompted by the spirit to ask, "Amanda if you came to know these things are true, would you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God?" All anxieties ceased when she replied with a relieving and reverent breath she said, "Yes, I would. Yes." We smiled from ear to ear as Amanda was taking this step to her Savior. I then asked her "do you know that the proper Priesthood authority is on the earth today?" And she said "Yes, yes I really do!" We then set a goal for a date. I honestly hadn't looked at a calendar and I wasn't prepared to have this happen, so I searched my mind and heart and June 23 came to me and it just vomited out of my mouth, which ended up being 15 days away exactly from Amanda's birthday. June 23 Amanda will be baptized by someone who holds the priesthood authority of God!
Church was insane and so peaceful all at the same time. Probably one of the best on my mission. We had asked a member in our ward whose husband is a recent convert if she would walk over and pick up Amanda for church because they are neighbors. When we got to church she had forgotten so we grabbed her and we all walked over to pick her up. It was fantastic. Amanda came in her sweat pants and T-shirt. It just made me so happy. Literally come as you are. Then the Roushs came to church as well! (Back story coming) So I stayed with them and Sister Brown sat with Amanda and our member and their family. During second hour, we taught the gospel essentials class which we picked as Eternal Families for a Sister Roush (backstory below). Sister Roush started to cry as a member in our ward expressed their feelings of this past week of being sealed to their wife of 61 years who had passed away. It was so beautiful.
The Roush family! This is the best story ever known to man. One of the most incredible miracles I have seen. Backstory: the Central Point Zone Leaders for some reason had our mail for like 3 weeks..first off, they aren't our ZLs and second, how did they get our mail? The answer is the Lord! Wait for it..so about two weeks ago the ZLs dropped this mail off at our apartment while we were having Comp Study. Almost immediately after they got there, they received a call saying that someone needed a blessing. We left our apartment after them and realized that their car was still at our apartment complex. Perplexed we texted them and asked why they were still there. They then said, "the coolest thing just happened! We will call you later and p tell you! Turns out, the family (the rouchs) that needed a blessing lived in our apartment complex! Their father was living on his last breath. They were able to lay their hands on his head and peacefully let his spirit leave and enter the spirit world. We then went over and got to know their family. They have been less active for years and now want to come back to church. We have been visiting them and have an incredible love for them! To see them at church was pure joy for us. We have been teaching the younger children who have not yet been baptized.
Last week we taught them about the Plan of Salvation with sidewalk chalk. It was so wonderful. They understood it so perfectly and it was very tender to feel of the peace in their hearts to know where their father was and that he was watching over them. They decided last night that they also want to be baptized as their father and mother are by the priesthood authority of God so they can live eternally and forever as a family. They will be baptized in June 17 (:
This week has been one of miracles and also so much work...I came in every night exhausted. Last night we had to sync our area books at the church before we went home and the week hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't stay standing. I ended up on the floor and couldn't move.
We had so many lessons this week. It was back to back. Until this weekend because everyone seemed to be out of town for Memorial Day, but I'm all reality it was a fantastic week.
As for the crazies of this week. Our Former investigator, Sarah, got evicted from her house this week and called us because she wanted help from the church. We let her into the church and she had 5 dogs! (Ok, we probably shouldn't have done this, but we thought, ya know, What would Jesus do?) our bishop is the transient bishop so we called him, but he wouldn't be able to get to us for two hours and we couldn't just leave her there, so we all gathered in a little room (meaning sister Brown and I, Sarah, and her five dogs) These weren't any normal dogs either. They were nasty. I almost had a OCD panic attack, but I stayed calmed. After getting Sarah food and water, we had her in a room for 2 hours, so what did we do? That's right. We taught her for 2 hours. She had a lot of questions and it wonderful to bring her comfort through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
*pets are gross*
Also, we OYMed this man one day named Lee. He's African American and he was wearing a skirt. (It was a super hot day and he said he could wear a skirt if he wanted to his friend who was making fun of him, he thought it was less hot and told us about how men used to always wear skirts hahaha) It was the MOST interesting OYM (Street contacting) of my WHOLE MISSION! We gave him a restoration pamphlet and he immediately started telling us how Jesus wasn't actually white and gave us some no existent bible references as to why Jesus is black. He said his hair was like sheep wool and patted his own hair. It was quite great. We had a great time with him. We bore testimony to him and he wants to meet with us again as we pray and seek for answers to his questions. We can do that. He's pretty awesome.
Our meeting with Amanda this week was fantastic and she came to church again! She is set and ready to be baptized! We had a beautiful conversation with us about the Atonement. It was incredible. She opened up to us about her life and experiences. It was heartbreaking, but absolutely wonderful to know that we have a Savior who has overcome all! The spirit was strong and powerful. There is an incredible gift that comes with being a missionary. We truly come to know the heart of so many people. They tell us their life stories and we get to know their deepest feelings. I believe only religion and our Savior can provide such tender feelings and open hearts.
We also met with our favorite family twice this week! Once for family home evening and then they fed us dinner and we watched the Restoration movie with them. The Roush family holds such a special place in my heart. Max is hilarious. He's 4. But he's a brick. At dinner we hadn't said the prayer yet, but he put the orange in his mouth and said I'm not going to chew it until after the prayer and showed us all! And then he all had blue mouths because we ate blue cake with blue frosting. They are wonderful and they are like my family away from home.
This week, I also had some great conversations with Heavenly Father on my knees. They were very much directed towards my Savior. The spirit prompted me that I know my Savior, but that I need to KNOW Him, as if He were standing right next to me. I decided this week that for the rest of my mission I am going to start a personal, deep, intricate study of the Atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ. The Atonement is so complex, but I want to understand it more. I crave it. It will take a lifetime of Study, so I better get started. I encourage you all to do the same. We can never know our Savior too much. He is the Center of this Plan! He is the reason for all! Because of Him, we are alive, we are filled with joy, we are who we are. Because of Him..who are you? What does life mean to you? What can you do? How do you feel?
I love my Savior.
The past couple weeks have been incredible and the Lord is very good to us and to all His children. My heart swells knowing how aware our Heavenly Father and Savior are of all of us. They are so aware.
Love you all!
Sister Morgan 
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