Oh how things have changed

Friends and Family,

Morgan's wonderful teacher from the Guatemala MTC (CCM), Hermana Andrea Alverado, is moving to Utah to go to school.  We have the privilege of having Andrea, her parents, and her younger sister, staying with us this coming week.  They are beautiful, gracious, kind, and grateful people.  We are enjoying having them with us and Isaac is really enjoying having the Spanish language fill our home:)  Having them here is helping us feel a little closer to Morgan during this Christmas Season.  Andrea's younger sister, Mariann, translated what Morgan said in Spanish for me:)

Thank you for all of your love and support and for your many prayers.  In a separate email, Morgan told us that she is feeling good and we are so grateful for that. However, after reading about her drinking water in this email, I'm wondering if it will last...

Love,

Shannon

Familia,

 

Ahhh estoy tan emocionada para navidad! (I'm so excited for Christmas!)

 

THE RUNDOWN:

-HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARRETT!!!!!!  I love you so much!

-Shoutout to la Familia Alvarado!  Que emocionante!! Espero que estan muy felices y estan disfrutando el frio de Utah!  Hermana Alvarado la extraño demasiado!  La quiero mucho!  Gracias por todo lo que me enseñó y todavía me esta enseñando! Feliz Navidad! (So exciting!! I hope that you are happy and that you are enjoying the cold of Utah! Hermana Alvarado I miss you so much!  I love you! Thanks for all that you taught me and for all that you teach me now!  Merry Christmas!)

-We almost got in a sticky situation with our investigators and the cops last night, but we're white :)  So we went and talked to the cops and then contacted them before they left all giddy haha it was great.

-I never thought the day would come... but I have started drinking the water from the pila.  Gross huh?  We haven't had purified water for a week so I had no other choice.  Don't worry, I'm using my water filter though!

-I am singing for the Christmas Conference this Thursday, but this time it's not a solo, thank goodness!

-The sister next to me has been singing "Feliz Navidad" for the past hour.  I'm really feeling the Christmas spirit now...........

 

Well it was a good week!  I am still getting to know the area but I am happy! We have some amazing investigators, new and old.  They are SO CLOSE to baptism and we are so excited to be helping them!  We have high hopes for this change.  I am getting along perfectly with Hermana Allen!  Actually, she is an amazing missionary and I know I am going to learn a lot from her this change.  She has a strong testimony and loves the mission.  She will be sad to go home next change.

 

This last saturday we had a Christmas activity at the church and it was awesome!  We spent the week showing the Dadiva video to everyone and inviting them to the activity... and the turn out was AMAZING.  We had 17 investigators at the activity!!!!  That never happens.  At least not to me or Hermana Allen.  They all loved it and felt very welcome and happy!  There was a good spirit present during the messages and pura fiesta despise!! (and then was a party)  Haha there was a dj and the crazy bishop lit huge fireworks!  It was a great night and really helped our investigators feel more comfortable at church and have desires to learn more.

 

I have been thinking a lot lately about my mission, why I am here, and how I have had to change in order to prepare, to start, and to stay.  This Thursday a year ago I received my mission call.  The moment I read Guatemala Coban my world changed entirely.  I had never planned on serving a mission, and now I was destined to die in the jungle, or so I thought ;) 

A year ago I was comfortable and oblivious to what the mission really is.  Now I'm in it and I am grateful for experiences that put me out of my comfort zone, because that is when I grow and learn.

A year ago I was scared of the temple.  Now it seems absurd because I love that place and miss it way too much.

A year ago I didn't give scripture study priority.  I now cherish it.

A year ago I walked by faith and not by sight in following promptings to come on a mission.  Now I know why.

 

I miss ya fam, but I'm glad I'm here.  And I'll get to talk to you in a week anyways :)  cuidense mucho y hasta luego :)

 

NEC

Hermana Llates

Changes Again

Familia,

 

So as Isaac once told me, change is good when you do it right.  I hope I can put that into practice this next week.  Changes came...

 

THE RUNDOWN:

-We hiked a mountain today to an old abandoned church.  Cool pictures to come!  It was a good last p-day in San Cristobal

-There was another earthquake the other night.. didn't feel a thing.  But I did feel the one in the afternoon!  It was sweet.

-Yesterday was the Day of the Devil and everyone cleaned out their houses of old papers to "clean out the devil" and made bonfires outside in the streets and burned piñata devils!  It was sweet and the air was almost unbreathable from all the fires

-Tonight should be super cool too, everyone goes to the center, soaks balls made of cloth in gasoline, lights them and plays soccer with them!  It is perfectly legal to burn whoever and whatever you want, so I was told to walk around with wet clothes.... hope no one has any grudges against us tonight!  Haha oh wait, practically all of San Cris does..

-We opened our stockings!  Thank you mama they were so fun!  Now the question is how to take it all with me in changes..

-The girl on the computer next to me is watching Chucky and it is very distracting......

 

So yeah I was convinced I would be staying in my area this change because I have only been here one change, but we got the phone call from Elder Fisher and he was dying.  " You are NEVER going to believe the changes!"  Hermana Weicks is headed to Baja Verapaz and I am going back to Coban.. With Hermana Allen.  The nurse.  ............................

ok.

wait what?

I think they are trying to tell me something.

 

I will be her last comp in the mission field. Wish me luck folks!

 

Chula, h weicks, and the elders threw a surprise party for me for my 9 month mark!  It was so awesome and made my day!  They sang, we ate, I got baloons taped to me, and baby powder showered.  Chula knows how to throw a party haha :)  I'm sad I won't be here with her for Christmas!

 

We had some crazy lessons this week.  Some good and some interesting.  We showed a video of the Restoration to Asusena and her sister in law Gloria and Gloria got pretty upset and wanted to read every verse in the Bible that talks about the Book of Mormon.   It was interesting though, because Asusena started crying in the lesson from feeling the spirit.  It's funny how we can all be in the same room but feel such different emotions.  If we are open hearted and willing to feel and listen to the spirit, things can be so different.  We have to be willing to humble ourselves and let Him in.

We had an amazing lesson with Vilma, our recent convert, and her parents who aren't members.  She had been reading in 3 nefi 11 so we watched the Testaments.  They watched it with us and the spirit was so strong.  Hermana Weicks and I testified of the Book of Mormon after it ended and it was so special and impossible to hold back the tears.  They are usually very cold and opinionated, but something changed yesterday.  They recognized that the spirit was testifying to them that the message that we share is true.  We gave her dad a Book of Mormon and he started reading it before we left the house!  I hope things progress with them!  We left the house and just looked at each other and said, Wow.  That is how every lesson should be.  It was very refreshing after a change with not so many lessons.

 

Well I don't have much time but I invite you all to pay close attention to the Spirit in your life.  How He guides you and prompts you.  For me it is in a very subtle way, but I am ever grateful for His help.

I love you all!

Go watch the "He is the Gift" video on mormon.org

 

NEC

Morgan

hello december

Familia,

hello december and hello halfway :)  9 months this week and it's all going way too fast.

THE RUNDOWN:

-I keep waiting for it to snow and then I remember things are a little different here..

-the dueña of the casa, we call her chula (we basically share the house with her), had her birthday yesterday.  So her crazy sister came too.  Let's just say she really wanted the canchita to share her tequila with her.  Don't worry, I didn't have any.  But it was sure a party. hahaha

This was an interesting week haha.  Last monday hermana weicks was having a weird reaction to a bug bite or something and her whole leg was very swollen.  She couldn't walk and it kept getting worse, so we ended up staying in the house for most of the week.  Talk about a long week!!  Haha I took advantage of the time and dove into the Book of Mormon again.  I love that book!  I am learning so much and I have to refrain myself from marking every verse.  Did you know it talks about Christopher Colombus or whatever his name is??  And ***SPOILER ALERT*** Nefi totally says what is going to happen in the whole book of mormon in chapter 12.  I had no idea.

Hermana Weicks told me she wants to go home.  We had a good talk and shed some tears.  I did all I could to help her and we got through the day.  I think she is doing better now, but it is hard when nothing is happening in the work.  She doesn't love it yet.  I hope to be a better example for her and help her love it more.  I think we will only have 1 more week together.

I am learning a lot about my shortcomings.  haha sometimes it's rough, but I think it's a sign that I need to make some changes.  I am at the point where I can talk to the people even though sometimes I still sound stupid.  So I don't have excuses there.  I have been thinking about the effort I have given, and what the Lord expects.  I definitely need to change some things that I thought I was doing well in order to meet His expectations.  We all do, really.  None of us are perfect.  We fall far short from perfect every day.  Some of us notice the gap that we need to fill and try to fill it.  Others notice it but don't do anything to change and to be better.  Others of us can't even see that we need to make an effort to please God and truly be His sons and daughters.  I have thought for some time that I was in that first group, but the more I learn, the bigger the gap seems.  I have a big gap to fill.  But I know I can fill it with the Lord's atonement building, lifting, refining, strengthening, and carrying me.  I am so grateful for Him and for my Father in Heaven who allowed Christ to atone for my sins and shortcomings.

Pray for Mario and his family please.  We hope to have his family baptized this saturday.

I love you all!

No Empty Chairs

Morgan

  **whoa almost forgot my name there

Beautiful Days

Family,

Dang, always making me emotional with your emails haha.  I love you all so much.

To answer your questions:

No, it is not the same parasite that is not clearing up.  I have tested positive for 5 different kinds of parasites.

No, it doesn't stop me from working.  I just have a lot of nausea and cramping.  One day I couldn't work half of the day but I got sick of sitting in the house so we left.

I have no idea how I am getting them.

I'm good :)

THE RUNDOWN:

-Sorry boys, but I got the cutest kiss of my life the other day.. on the cheek from a 2 year old girl as we were leaving a lesson.  I died.

-Every day since the day I got here I have checked my shoes for bugs before putting them on.  Good thing I never got tired of doing that because today I finally found a big spider in my shoes.  That would have been a fun surprise if I hadn't checked first huh?

-As we were walking down the street a few days ago a little girl opened her door as we were passing in front of her house.  When she saw us her eyes got huge and scared to death she ran back inside yelling "MOOOMMYYY!!"  I don't know if they're scared of Mormons or white people.  Maybe both?

Wow so much happened this week!  I don't really know where to start, so sorry if this is a confusing letter.

We started the week pretty happy.  We went looking for a less active member that we had an appointment with.  As we called "Buenas!"  outside the gate, his mother in law came up to us..... yikes.  She started yelling and spitting her orange all over us telling us to stop wasting her time.  I was very nice to her but after she was done yelling she stormed back inside and I was left with my jaw clenched and tear filled eyes outside her gate.  As we walked away trying to joke about it, it was everything I could do to not break down.  I felt like a little kid in that moment, just wanting a hug from someone who didn't think I was of the devil haha.  Later in the day we had a lesson with Alexander, a new investigator.  He was so nice and really cared about us, who we were, and what was important to us.  As he closed with the prayer and prayed for each of us and our families, I felt like my Heavenly Father was telling me that He knew what I was feeling and that this was His way of helping me grow, but more than anything, that He always wanted me to feel loved.  I felt like I was finally getting that hug I was desperate for.  He is so good to me.

We have another investigator, Asusena.  She can't read, she doesn't understand very well, and hasn't been to church in a very long time.  After teaching the restoration, we were talking about the importance of going to church.  She was coming up with a million excuses like how she had to go to the market, she had to be home to watch the house, she wakes up late, she has to make food, she is waiting for a sign from God that it is time....... my stubborn side came out and I just gave her sincho.  I was not going to accept no for an answer.  After telling her that God is still there, He is still important, and His commandments still exist even if we don't pay Him any attention, she was still coming up with excuses.  She thought about it for a minute, and declared that nope, there would never be time for her go to church.  Feeling a little defeated, I started thinking that we might have to drop her because she wasn't willing to progress.  I just told her it was a matter of her faith and asked if she was willing to show Christ that she had faith in Him.  She stops and everything is quiet for a minute.  Then she asks, "It starts at 9?"  "Si"  ".......ok i'll go."  WHAAAAT!!!!!!  Haha I was so happy!!  My comp didn't know what was going on the whole time but when I told her Asusena was going to go she started freaking out too.  And she went on sunday! Granted, we passed by for her in the morning and we all ended up being an hour late to church.. but she went!  It was amazing.

One of my favorite members from Coban is Mildred.  She was baptized 2 months and 11 days ago and I played the piano at her baptism :)  She loves leaving with the missionaries, is 22, and is so sweet!  Turns out, she is dating one of the members in San Cristobal and went to church up there last sunday.  I freaked out when I saw her and it was a lovely reunion because I never got to say bye to her.  She agreed to come up to San Cristobal and help us with our lessons one day!  It is an hour away in a bus!  She is so pilas and I am so grateful for her help, because the members here... well aren't quite as dedicated.  It was amazing to have her help and see her testimony grow every time she shared her experiences with her conversion.

Wow I still have so much to share about a cute family that MIGHT be baptized this saturday, a crazy funeral I went to, and a great district meeting, but I have no time left.  TO BE CONTINUED.

I love you all and I am so grateful for your prayers, fasting, and efforts to keep me well.  Family, friends, neighbors, everyone.  I love you all so much and your prayers are felt and appreciated.  I have the best support system in the world :)

This week I am grateful for you all and for beautiful days.

No Empty Chairs

Morgan

Worlds Worst Keyboard

Familia,

So yeah I am using the worlds worst keyboard, so I will probably spend more time sending pictures than writing.

Thank you for the pictures you sent-

Lily's princess dress!!  haha I'm dying.

Mama, are those flower pants i see??  rockinit. Tell Hannah Barlow hi and i love her!

Porter is a dang cutie freak..

Cute picture of all of you and the Caten family. Aw love the Catens.

THE RUNDOWN:

-I HAVE PARASITES AGAIN!  woooooooo.... round 6 and I'm dying.  The nurse is mad and wants to send me home but I protested enough to stay for now..

Me and Hermana Weicks

Legit she is mad haha. The last time i got a parasite she threatened to send me home the next time.  Well now I got another one and i DONT KNOW HOW.  I quote her text she sent me.. "But Hermana Yates.... you have GOT to be careful what you are eating.  You are one of the missionaries that has had the most parasites of anyone in the mission.  It is going to give you lasting health problems if you are not careful."

The problem is I don't eat weird things.  I don't know what to do anymore.

-We went to the zoo today!  Pictures to come

-I finished the Book of Mormon. :)  Love that book.

Well I just realized I don't have anything to say really.  Haha I'm happy, sick, and working!  It has been really pretty the past few days and it is a nice break from the bitter cold.  We are finding new people to teach and I hope things pick up soon.

Touching the monkey

I love you all so much.  Be safe and be happy and don't forget to read your Book of Mormon.  Go read it right now.

NEC

Hermana Yates

Still Alive

Familia,

So I don't have a whole lot of time but I'm doing good!  Things in this area are.... coming... haha.  We hope to help this area improve because things here.. well let's just say there is room for improvement.  And we get to be the ones to help. WOO!!

 

I just am so happy to be here.  I am grateful to be sharing this gospel.  It is so true that when you share the gospel, your testimony grows.  When you testify of what you know to be true, you find a deeper conviction as you are testifying.  If you are looking to strengthen your testimony, read the scriptures like crazy, then SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW.  Just open your mouth and do it.  If you are worried about what others might think or are worried you will damage a friendship then you might need to sort out your priorities.  This gospel is perfect.  It brings happiness.  It brings hope.  It brings eternal life and salvation.  Shouldn't we want our friends and family to enjoy the blessings of this gospel too?  They're not just temporary blessings.  It is our responsibility to share what we know so that they can be happy for eternity.

 

So let's get started, ya??

 

Ok.  I love you all.  Be happy and be faithful.

 

NEC

Mo Rae

Joyful...we found them

Familia,

Waffles with my new comp

Hombre, cómo están?? Estoy tan feliz pero con FRIO!!! esta haciendo bastante frio aqui pero alli vamos.

THE RUNDOWN:

-An incredibly drunk man kissed my hand the other day. I gave him a word of wisdom pamphlet and told him not to drink anymore.

-Our neighbor who cooks food for us gave us blood to eat. Yes, turkey blood. I couldn't do it. My comp and elders fisher and hernandez ate it and almost threw up.

-Today I was standing up on the bus to go to coban and the bus went over a bump and I caught air... and smashed my head on the roof hahaha. Ouch. It was a little awkward.

- I leave the house in 3 shirts, a sweatshirt, a jacket and a rain jacket, 2 socks and i am FREEZING!!! HELP ME!!!!!!

WHAT A WEEK. I think I say that every week but dang. Okay where to start.....

Starting the week was a little hard. We don't know anyone here and we haven't been able to find a whole lot of people yet. My companion was still recovering from a bad start to the mission and was honestly ready to go home. I told her she can't though :) A few days ago we had a lesson with a member named Jesus. He is 92 years old and fading fast I'm afraid. He is so awesome though and I love talking to him when I can understand his mumbling. We got a whole lot of awesome advice from an old, tired, experienced, wise man.

He told us we need to do things joyfully because we want to serve the Lord, not just because we want His help. I love the word joyfully and it reminds me a whole lot of Mosiah 24 -go read it.He reminded us of our purpose in this life.. 3 Nefi 27:27. Go read it. All He asks us is to be like Him. He gives us the way to do so. He gives us the scriptures, revelation, prayer, repentance. It should not be a sacrifice to do as He says and live how He asks.This man is an example of a convert truly converted. He was receiving missionary lessons when he was 50 years old and was baptized. As he was crying, he told us how much he regrets not looking for God before because he feels like he lost so much time. He has such a strong testimony though. He never thought he would be able to stop smoking, drinking, and using bad language, but the day the missionaries invited him to do so, he never did it again.He told us that we need to knock on every door with so much faith and hope. Some people may not have been ready to accept the gospel before, but now they can be. He was one of them. He gave us motivation and a pick up that we needed after a long week.

That Halloween night something very interesting happened. We were walking to an appointment and both of us started feeling very odd. We expressed that we felt weird and something was wrong. After talking about it for only 3 seconds I had the most overwhelming rushing feeling go from my head to my feet, stopping me in my tracks. Something saying, STOP. DON'T KEEP WALKING. TURN AROUND. I couldn't take another step forward. We immediately turned around and went straight to the house. We don't know what was waiting for us down that road but I am glad I didn't find out. That was the strongest influence of the Spirit protecting us. We got back to the house and dropped to our knees and prayed to feel comfort and peace in the house and were so grateful for the protection we had.

Then fast Sunday came. We were so ready to fast and receive blessings in this area. We had talked to our district leader, Elder Fisher the previous night about how we wanted to find a solid new investigator. Someone who would really progress. He said he would pray so hard for us and we were definitely praying for it as well. He promised us we would find that person that Sunday and he wanted a text message when we found them. So after church we set out determined. We went knocking and knocking and knocking...... and knocking............... and knocking...... Every house we were so convinced that they would be the ones. "This is the house!! Esta casa! Vamos a encontrar los escogidos aqui. Estoy segura." Nope. Next house.. nope. It was then 6:30 and we hadn't found our person yet. We found another street and I decided we should use the name of a less active who lives close to find out where they live and to find new people. We chose a random door and knocked. A man and his wife and cute kids came to the window and asked us how he could help us. We asked if he knew the less active, and turns out his wife knew. They helped us find the house and then we asked if we could share a message with them. They let us in!!! We were so stoked! A family!! It was a good lesson and they are super pilas. As we left the house we tried to walk away calmly.. but as soon as they shut the door behind us we started yelling and jumping around and hugging so happy! We also might have started singing "There can be miracles! When you believe!" haha first thing we did was send a message to elder Fisher.. Found los escogidos :) His reply.. I have been waiting for that message all day long. Yeah it was pretty dope.

We learned a lot about listening to the spirit this week. And the power of prayer. And the power of fasting. I love being una misionera.

Love you all to death. Read your book of mormon right now if you havent yet today.

NEC

Morgan