June 8, 2015

Hello all! Things are going well here in Show Low. 

Here is a rundown of my week: 

Monday, June 1: P-Day. Went to the YSA Branch FHE that night. Also went to DQ to meet a potential referral, but he wasn't there. Instead I got free food!

Tuesday, June 2: We taught a part member family about praying often. We also gave everyone a chance to bear their testimony. They are all almost ready to be baptized, and in that lesson we talked about eternal families and the temple. The spirit was very strong. I am grateful for our Heavenly Father's plan of Happiness and that we can all live with our families for eternity. I'm grateful that in the temple, we can be sealed with our family for eternity. For dinner, another part-member family took us out. It was a Mexican Grill called Lacaons. It was so good. I had a Chicken Chimichanga and Fried Ice Cream. Then we had game night with the YSA Branch. I tossed a Frisbee while I was there and it felt so good.

Wednesday, June 3: Time started to feel like it was moving faster. I was starting to get more comfortable with people. We had a district meeting where we talked about how to do better at finding people to teach (ride your bike & ask for referrals when you shake someone's hand) and we discussed how to adjust to missionary life. We also talked about have a booth at Show Low Days (it is a festival for the city of Show Low). We had missionary night with the YSA Branch and while we were out I taught a less-active member the Plan of Salvation. That day we also made some visits to people with the family ward mission leader. It was also my first time giving a blessing to someone I hardly new. It was a unique experience!

Thursday, June 4: We had to drift from our normal routine for the next few days because of Show Low Days. At 9 a.m. we went and set up for the festival. We hung signs, ran electricity from the generator, and helped vendors set up. After that we met with a potential investigator who wasn't very receptive to the Book of Mormon. That's okay though! I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and teaches us eternal truths and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With the Book of Mormon and the Bible, we can learn exactly what God wants us to know in this life. And as we pray, read, and study the Book of Mormon, our testimony can be strengthened in modern-day prophets and the church (see the last two paragraphs to the Book of Mormon Introduction). Also during my studies that day, 1 Nephi (First Nephi)  chapter 3 stood out to me. It teaches a lot about trials. I encourage you all to read it. I got burned being out side today and I think I'm starting to get more tan.

Friday, June 5: We studied then did our weekly planning. We setup our Show Low Days booth (we had tables with Book of Mormons and other proselyting materials). Then staffed it. We then went to teach a lesson to a women who's boyfriend is a member. I extended an invitation to baptism and she accepted! The spirit was again strong. We returned to the apartment to do more planning, but then went to dinner (it was with another part member family and we ate ribs and baked beans and cherry pie). During dinner it thunder stormed and rained really hard. Afterwards, we went over to Show Low days to help cleanup/close down our booth and drive the elders, who had been out in the storm, home. I also learned more about hope and trials that day. I know as I hope in the things that I know are true (the atonement, eternal life, promised blessing, priesthood authority, the Book of Mormon, etc.) I will be able to better endure through trials. Trials may not go away, but Heavenly Father will help me endure through them.

Saturday, June 6: This was the first day of my mission I forgot to write in my journal. We started the day by putting our booth back up, then went to breakfast at the Stake President's. Then my companion had a meeting. After that we staffed the booth then went and did some service. One part-member family is doing their own home improvement, so we are helping extend their patio. We have prepared the land and tomorrow we will go and finish the project. I got mail that day (thank you to all who sent letters) too. In the evening we manned the booth for another hour, rode one of the rides at the festival, then clean up our booth.

Sunday, June 7: We woke up at 6 a.m. to help vendors clean up their booths. We then studied and had a lot of church meetings. In the evening we helped the seminary teacher recruit students to enroll (they do released time and the deadline for enrollment with the school is fast approaching). I felt sick a lot of yesterday unfortunately.

That was last week! Thanks for your love and support!

-Elder Morgan

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LDS VOCABULARY

P-Day (Preparation Day)

Missionaries write emails, do laundry, grocery shop etc.

FHE - Family Home Evening

Monday evenings have been set aside for families in the LDS church to spend family time together. No church meetings are scheduled on Mondays. The exception is YSA wards where young adults get together and socialize by doing service or playing games, etc.

Stake President

An ecclesiastical leader in the LDS Church. 

Seminary
A daily religious education program for teenagers in the LDS church. Classes generally meet for 50 minutes each week day.

Released Time Seminary
Students may enroll in seminary during the school day. Seminary replaces an elective or study hall period. A seminary building is located next to the school and students have permission to leave the school campus for one period and go to the seminary building where they will attend their seminary class. This program is generally offered in areas where there is a large LDS population. (Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, parts of Washington, California and possibly more.)

*Early Morning Seminary
In Virginia, where Elder Morgan is from, most LDS teenagers attend seminary at a local church building at 6:00 a.m. before school. The church also offers an online seminary course and home-study seminary.