End Soon

Well.... I'm not really sure what’s wrong with me, but it turns out I'm an uncontrollable speaker. Last week I was assigned to speak in church. So yesterday morning Elder Gibbs says to me, "Hey, aren't you supposed to give a talk in church today?" And then I say "Oh no! OH NO! I forgot!" So we go to church and it turns out that it is High Council Sunday and I am the only other speaker. So I ask the high councilor what his talk is on and he tells me hope and says if my talk isn't good that he will have nothing to build off of and will be forced to tell everyone that there is no hope (it was a joke, but he was serious about building off of me. He knew I hadn't prepared so he suggested charity). Well I talked about charity. For 25 min, Ii talked about charity... I don't know how I did it. I made a list of scriptures and quotes I wanted to use and that was what my brief outline consisted of and somehow that kept me talking for 25 min! Well... I saw some people starting to not pay attention anymore and that's when to my left on the pulpit is slipped to me a note. Simply and hastily written, "End Soon" . I laughed out loud. Everyone knew what happened. I then finished the quote from PMG that I was reading and then bore my testimony and sat down.

I felt sad cause the High Councilor is one of my favorite speakers and probably my favorite member. (I gave him another reason to not like me, but I still look up to him just the same) he is from Brooklyn and is a very entertaining speaker. He is very relatable and down to earth and I love his point of view. I saw his notes. He had a page or two of notes. I had a list of 8 scriptures and quotes with no notes. He talked 10 min and connected with everyone really well. I spoke 25 min and they had to get me off stage with a Sheppard’s hook. LOL. I don't understand why I did it. Truth be told, I wanted to hear Bro Mansuetto and really only expected myself to talk for 10 min max. But this time and the last time and the last work shop I have given have all been extraordinarily long! I can't be stopped, I'm a monster!

People told me they liked my talk and a few people said that they really appreciated it, but when I brought up the length and how i didn't mean to go so long they had nothing to say to that to make me feel better... ha-ha. It was then confirmed to me that it was too much for them. Ha-ha. Well... I'm not sure what is worse, to be know for talking too long or to short. Anyway; let’s move on.

As far as progress with investigators, right now we have no progress. We do however have many referrals, so we have a lot of work to do with that.

The young men here got in a bunch of fights last Tuesday and that has caused some drama. The weather has been overcast and misty but warm. We have had some rain storms.

We helped a lady move who used to live here but has been in Toole for the last year or so (she didn't like it there and moved back. lol). Well we moved about half her stuff into the house and then she discovered that the bed didn't fit up the stairs. She had us put all the stuff back into the truck and then the next day move all her stuff into another truck for her to take it to a temporary apartment until she finds an apartment here in the Bayshore ward later. So we will probably end up moving her again. lol. Her son though is really cool and at a cross road right now in his life and wants to come back to church possibly. So we will be working with him. I'm excited for that. He likes missionaries a lot and is our age.

I'm trying desperately to get a flame under this area. It’s been consistently underachieving for like 2 years. It’s been very difficult cause I am very tired. We have a lot of potential however, and I'd like to go out with a bang. I'd like to do what it takes to at least get the numbers up here. I want to get the ward acting like a ward, even if it means they don't like me because of it.

We had a great zone conference this week. It was my last zone conference.... so that was weird. But I really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. It’s cool to have my MTC companion in my zone finally. We went our whole missions apart and now we are ending our missions in the same Zone. There was a really awesome video we watched of President Holland in the MTC. He gave an amazing talk that apparently left all the missionaries in awe and they didn't leave the assembly hall until they were asked to. It was all about being a disciple and how once you are a missionary you are for life; that when Christ calls you, it is forever. He talked about Peter and the apostles and how they went fishing after Christ ascended and he came to them and told them that he meant it when he told them to drop their nets. Anyway, it was really powerful.

Elder Mitchell and elder Smith were telling me that there is a lot of great stuff happening in Huntington. They have some people progressing to baptism and the Hollisters are being fellowshipped. The new investigator we got the week before I left apparently keeps asking about me and telling them that we had a really good link and an understanding. I agree, he is a really cool guy. Andras, I hope he progresses and is baptized. He is so cool.

We had a great meeting with Jack (one of my favorite members here in the ward) and he inspired me and got me thinking. He also helped me to justify a career in music because that would be a residual income if I signed my contracts right. He also got the inventor inside me awake again. It’s a little frustrating to me how all my interests don't seem to work together. They are on separate sides of the working field. Anyway, I don't need to worry about that right now because I've got plenty of time for that when I get home.

I just want to have tons of success but it seems like there is so much opposition. All I know is God is in control and I need to rely on him. I am week but he is able.

Have a great week everyone.

-Elder Samuel Austin Morris