Challenges and Funny Things

August 23, 2009

Hello family and friends.

This week we had exchanges. That’s where you switch companions for a day. I went with Elder Hatch (a Spanish elder) and stayed at his pad. It was lame. The other elders in the pad are weirdos and were acting like I had no idea what I was doing. I was washing my dish once and they were all standing behind me with this ridiculous look on their faces not saying anything. So I was like, "Is something wrong!?" They said "no.... we just want to get some water" and so I said "wow... OK, ‘cause you were just looking at me like I was doing something horribly wrong..." I was thinking, "Geeze you could have just said excuse me for one sec". Anyway lots of weird things like that happened.

It’s really funny to me that they do exchanges with missionaries who are assigned to different languages...its also funny to me that the elders who are assigned to a language put themselves up higher than the English elders.

While I was on exchanges I felt like I did the first two days of the MTC and when I was doing my personal study every little thing that was even slightly spiritual made me want to bawl!!!

I’m sick of people referring to me as a "greenie" and acting like I have nothing to offer. I'm just going to ignore them. I am super thankful for medias (media referrals) because that’s where we get like 90% of the people we see. All of our contacts have come from medias or finding someone on the street near one of our medias. The lord really is behind all of this.

Not to say anything negative about my companion, but its kind of frustrating how he is so "my way or the highway" about things. He isn't really interested in talking about anything that I am really into talking about. Like theories and that kind of stuff. He often says things so matter-of-fact that it kind of hurts. I am very grateful for him though. When I came back from exchanges and walked back into my pad with my own companion, it was one of the most wonderful things I have felt on my mission. It was sanctuary. I am so grateful for my pad and how we have 6 elders in it. Life is so much better like that.

So I was at a fireside on Thursday... and I saw this guy who looked exactly like Bro. Chevrier would if he were a Dominican. LOL! It was sweet... but it also kind of scared me. I liked it. :)

I am very certain that I got called to this mission for two specific reasons. 1. to humble me and 2. to toughen me up. I'm sure you can all gather why from my letters and emails.

Wow, I feel like a machine ‘cause I am already almost through my 4th pen and I have had a loaf of bread a week. I have gone through like 2 1/2 dozen eggs, 2 1/2 cartons of milk, and much more; crazy huh?

On Saturday I discovered that Song of Solomon is not an inspired scripture 1.By reading it and 2.Because Joseph smith said so.

This week we were able to commit 8 people to come to church and 2 people to get baptized!!!!! Only 1 person showed up for church though.... and only one baptism has a date. But she is solid! she will be baptized at the end of September. The guy who came to church is solid too. He is our other baptism, but he doesn't have a date yet. So I’m pretty sure I am the elders’ teacher now. Ha ha...geeze.

So I was really surprised when I got the package. I was really expecting my hoodie to smell like home. I was excited to smell home and remember it.... but no. I smelled it and was all like "WHAT THE!?" It didn't smell at all like I remember home smelling like. Oh well... I'll live... I'm just curious now though... is that what home smells like? or did it change while is was getting shipped?

I love the hair stuff hilly sent me. It reminds me of going to her salon and visiting her and getting hair cuts. It makes me very happy. :) I'm confused though mom, what was she saying to me? Does she not want me to get hair stuff from you? Does she want me to buy my own here in NY?

I'm excited; the weather is starting to change! It feels good to have a cold breeze and rain. It’s such a nice change. For the first time in my life I was relieved that it was raining.

Unfortunately I didn't find a place to play a guitar. Apparently there is another elder in the mission that has a guitar…but I hear it’s a big hassle around transfer time.... :( BTW I am half way through the transfer! Ha ha. I hope I stay in Bushwick one more transfer.

To answer your question about miracles mom, he meant here in the field. I guess he just means how quickly we are getting a "pool" when we were both "blinded in". Meaning we started from scratch; also, because we have found a lot of really cool solid people.

I was eating a PB&J last night and it had a piece of glass in it!! >:( Earlier in the week I dropped and broke my jam jar. Elder Orr was raised not to eat food that that been in a glass container that had been broken because of the risk of eating small pieces of glass. He told me that was ridiculous because this kind of glass breaks into big pieces. I have been very "follow the leader" with him because I don't want to fight him, so I did as he said and ended up biting down on some glass. I didn't get cut or anything, but it worries me that I may have ingested glass during the week.... not to worry anyone.

So some funny things:
A black man came up to me looking very angry and said "go proselytize somewhere else!" and some other things like "you church didn't even think blacks was human!" and the f word a bunch. He kept saying a lot “proselytize somewhere else!" while we just stared at him like he was crazy. Then Elder Orr said while he was walking away "We will proselytize where we want to thank you!" ha ha. So now we say "proselytize" to each other instead of “proselyte" or however it’s spelled. lol.

Another funny thing, Elder Orr dropped his umbrella and a lady asked if she could have his umbrella (jokingly) and he said yeah. And she said, “Just kidding,” then he said, "Come to church with us." She was like "yeah! OK!" lol. We talked to her a bit and figured out that she hasn't been going to church since she was very little. She has two kids and has been considering going to church. Ha ha. So the spirit really did put words into Orr’s mouth.

I am starting to understand the area now... sometimes I think I understand it better than Orr, which is kind of cool. I'm really bad with how things are connected though. I know areas pretty well; I just have a hard time connecting them in my mind. If nothing else I understand north east south and west better. lol.
any way, I have been writing a long time now, so I better email this. I love you all so-o-o-o much!
If I will serve the lord he will bless me in the ways I need to be blessed and, he just might bless me in the way I want to be blessed!

Love, Elder Morris