No Morris, No Cry‏

What a weird week.

Don't be scared. I'm writing you all this email right now aren't I?

Well let's do this methodically not chronologically.

The Ocean.
I've at times considered myself not a fan.
But as of late I have to reconsider.
Although I do not acquire a tan,
I feel an intense energy, yea, a real power.

When I stand on the surf and the waves are big,
The foam comes skimming and with much surprise,
It moves me like a coal cart by a mine-pig.
What looks like foam is water that passes my thighs.

Whats great is every misty sweep, noisily but tranquilly-
circulates the sand and uncovers a new treasure each time.
I cant go in it which makes sense and isn't silly;
The rip tide could kill me in my prime.

This week was sandwiched by ocean Fun.
Last P-day Fire Island this morning Montauk without the sun.

The ocean is made of water. This week I was told that when Christ bled for us in the garden his blood ran down into a stream and eventually went through all the stages of the water cycle. Basically the point was that if you touch water you are touching His blood since His blood touched the water. I hadn't heard that before. I never knew anything like that before. But I do know we are baptized in water.

There once was a lady named Grace.
She learned the lessons at a quick pace.
So she was baptized on a Saturday,
And received the spirit the next day,
And now in heaven she's reserved a special place!

YUP! Grace was Baptized! Eugene was baptized too! It was a really smooth baptism and the spirit was great. A very interesting (in a good way) peaceful spirit. It was very clean and there was a beautiful program and I really wouldn't do it justice describing it.

Well the best part was Sunday. Grace asked me to be the one to perform the ordinance to give her the gift of the Holy Ghost. When she asked me I felt very humbled but also it felt right. After sacrament she told us how she felt during the confirmation. she said that she felt peace and that she vibrated. She described exactly how I feel the Spirit when I have very sincere prayers. Vibration! so that was really cool! She knows that she has the spirit and it filled the void (which I told her was the extra baggage that was swept away in the font) she described having after baptism. Wonderful! :)

Eugene's experience was different but just as wonderful and testimony building. The night after his baptism he discovered that there was more disapproval from his family about baptism than he expected. This stressed him out and he felt a very heavy load or burden. when Henry gave him the Holy Ghost and gave him a blessing he felt the burden lifted. Amazing! The atonement in action! The baptism of fire!

Well All is well with them. Eugene told us his schedule this week and literally every night was either a ward event or a YSA event! Only one night was free and that night he said was reserved to feed us and go out to teach with us. :)
Grace is just excited to go to the temple to do baptisms and confirmations (well... probably just confirmations. Ha-ha).

Well, here's what everyone has been wanting to hear me say for a long time, I went to a podiatrist and let him poke me with needles and sticks and cut me with scissors. Now I have a big hole in my toe that is healing nicely into what will be a normal toe. Woot! Here is the dumb part... or at least the only connection I can make to the following random event of terror I am about to describe.

The day I started my anti-biotic the podiatrist prescribed I had some freaky stuff happen. I took the meds at breakfast and then also at about 2 pm. The whole day I had the same food as my companion and basically the same food as the Terryville East companionship. At 7:30 pm in the middle of waiting for Eugen's interview to conclude I became intensely nauseous. The stomach pain was different than I have ever experienced, It was like a tight pressure that was made worse simply by deep breathing. It came in waves-one moment I would feel relatively normal and the next I would feel terrible. I began vomiting. It was so random My companion didn't know how to react. He just starting taking pictures and laughing at the situation (not my pain, my companion is awesome). Well it was getting worse and worse. By this time the interview was over and we had acquired a bag and napkins and I had received a blessing (I only could sit through the important part so no blessing words were given at my request). I waddled hunched over to the car where we began to drive home. I started to twitch and have muscle spasms. Then my arms and chest starting to tingle like they were falling asleep. My companion knew what to do when I told him what was going on - he took me to Stony Brook Hospitals ER. They told me I was gonna pass out if I didn't start breathing right; so I did it. They hooked me up and gave me meds to take away the nausea. It was gone. I felt practically normal.

Then they came in and pushed on my abdomen and I said "Ouch!" in just the right (or wrong how ever you look at it) place. They thought I might have the early warning signs of appendicitis. Well after drinking almost 2 pitchers full of Gatorade full of die they ran me through a big doughnut and concluded I was normal so they sent me home. They were just as confused as I was because it seemed to have no reason or cause. It wasn't food poisoning and it wasn't until 5 hours after my second does of antibiotic. Well to be safe they gave me a new antibiotic and some nausea meds just in case. I still have a weird sensitive stomach and don't feel all the way normal... but I'm fine. Its so weird. They said to go back in if I started experiencing more symptoms; so far I have not. I guess I was just allergic to the antibiotic and it took a while for it to get into my system. The mission is keeping close watch on me. President didn't call home cause nothing ended up being wrong and he didn't want to worry you, mom and dad. but I just wanted to explain all the CVS Pharmacy purchases.

This week was full of completely random events back to back. So many I can't even describe. Ha-ha. but in the end Kiser and I are together for another transfer it looks like, 4 people were baptized, and I fixed my toe.

Love,
--
-Elder Samuel Austin Morris