Week 105: The Final Email

August 13, 2018

Well looks like this is it! I will be home on Thursday and still can't believe it! It had been such a great experience serving a mission, I am so glad that I chose to come out here to serve the Lord. There are so many things I will be grateful for from my mission but just to list a few: I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to see the gospel change peoples lives, the many ways that I have changed as a person through Jesus Christ, the strength that has been added to my testimony, the people I have been able to meet out here, the fun times I have had, gaining a stronger love of studying the scriptures and praying, and the list could go on! 

I will just finish off by sharing my testimony with you all that I really do know that living the Gospel is the happiest way to live, I know that the Lord wants to bless us so much and that He loves us. I know that there are prophets once again on earth and that the Book of Mormon is true. Most of all, I know that Jesus Christ has come and suffered and died for each one of us. Worthy is the Lamb!

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Morgan

My District

A Tongan dinner that Elder Talanoa taught me how to make, Taro, Plantains and Chicken Noodles

Week 104: The Weatherfords and a Unique Young Men's Activity...

August 6, 2018

Well hey everyone! Things have been great over here in Colorado this week. Can't believe how time is flying. This week some of the highlights were being able to do service at a Fair and Rodeo in Castle Rock, having a great lesson with the Weatherfords and then just being able to work hard in the service of the Lord!

The Fair and Rodeo come to Castle Rock every year I guess and they have a big rodeo and carnival for a few days. We were "greeters" which meant that we just talked to everyone and asked if they needed anything or directed them to different places. We got to see the mutton busting event which was awesome. 

The Weatherfors are doing really well. They are some of the only people we are able to regularly meet with and they are so awesome. They also love us so that is fun. We read from the Book of Mormon with them and they have been reading and praying everyday this week. They are working hard to prepare for the temple!

Oh also for a young mens activity, Elder Talanoa taught us all how to clean up a chicken! They eat everything in Tonga. He said if you don't get the guts when they kill a cow or chicken in Tonga then you are missing out haha. So we ate to heart and the stomach and Elder Talanoa ate the "noodles" (intestines), that was a little too much for me though haha.

Elder Talanoa Teaching How To Clean A Chicken

Jonah with the finished product!

Other than that we have been doing a lot of door knocking and trying to find some people that are interested that we can teach. It is funny because now I kind of just expect people to drop off the face of the planet after we have these awesome lessons with them. Like Jarrett and Kristina we haven't had any contact with after some amazing lessons with them haha. But I am sure they will come around someday soon.

Things are going well though, can't complain! Hope everyone will have an awesome week and keep the commandments!

Love,

Elder Morgan

Week 103: Life is Good!

July 30, 2018

Hey everyone! This was another great week with a lot of great stuff that happened. Elder Talanoa was sick most days of the week in the afternoons so I got to catch up on some devotionals and mormon messages. 

The Weatherfords are doing really well! We had another lesson with them and they are going to be getting their patriarchal blessings soon. Bishop interviewed them so they are ready to go. Next step will be to help Brother Weatherford get the Melchizedek Priesthood and then for them to go through the temple and be sealed. So things are going well there. 

This week we had some training for some service that I am excited for in the upcoming week. It is for the Fair and Rodeo that will be in Castle Rock. So we will be taking tickets, greeting and working at the information booths. That is going to be next weekend and should be a lot of fun!

Other than that we didn't do too much because Elder Talanoa was feeling sick most days this week, bummer but it will be better next week. Still just having fun out here and loving the work. Nothing to complain about. I definitely feel like the Lord has been opening up my eyes these past few weeks and helping me become more mature and to learn more spiritual truths so that is great too. Life is good!

I got to play the accordion at some service we do at a donation place

Love,

Elder Morgan

Week 102: Tristan and Brooklyn's Baptism and Final Zone Conference

July 23, 2018

Hey everyone! This was an amazing week! We had Zone Conference, a few sick days and a baptism. So it was a great week. We also found some awesome people to teach.

Zone Conference was great as always. We talked about faith in Jesus Christ and how we missionaries and members need to have more faith in Jesus. It was really uplifting. We also talked about different ways to find new people to teach. Also there were some updates to Preach my Gospel. One of my favorites is that the term "investigators" is no longer what we use. Now we just say "people we are teaching" or "people with interest." I always thought saying "investigators was super weird so I am really glad they changed that. Then at the end of Zone Conference I gave my departing testimony and that went well. 

Then Elder Talanoa was sick for a few days so we were in the house and I read lots of scriptures, watched lots of mormon messages and just chilled out. 

The highlight of the week was definitely the baptism of Tristan (9) and Brooklyn (8) Carboni. Their Dad baptized them and it just went really well. Somehow, I ended up conducting the baptismal service which was pretty fun. Then on Sunday they were confirmed and I was able to confirm Brooklyn and that was really cool. It was an awesome baptism!

Other exciting news is that we got a referral for this guy named Jarrett and he is so cool! He is 29 and he never been very religious but wants to learn more about what we believe and wants to commit to living it if it will help him. He doesn't believe that Jesus is divine and our Savior yet but we had a really good conversation about it yesterday. More to come on Jarrett.

Great week though and I am loving the work out here, thanks for all the support!

Love,

Elder Morgan

Week 101: 31 Days Left...Baptisms of Vera, Tristan and Brooklyn, and more people to teach!

July 16, 2018

Well man this was such a great week! We found a lot of people and just had fun doing the Lord's work. We also got some great news that Vera from Falcon ward is going to be baptized on this Saturday, and I might be able to go to it!

We did a lot of service this week because a family is moving to a house right next to where we are staying so they enlisted us to help move all the heavy stuff. It was also really cool because and awesome family from the San Luis Valley came up to Denver for a concert and were able to take Elder Talanoa and I out for lunch. It was great being able to catch up with them.

Tristan and his sister Brooklyn are getting baptized this Saturday and I am pretty excited for that. Brooklyn wants me to confirm her so that will be real cool to do. They are such a good family and it has been fun working with them. 

The Lord definitely provided a lot of people for us to teach this week. We found a lot of really solid potentials who we have return appointments with that I am really excited about. Then we also got this referral for Jarrett, who lives in some apartments in our area. So we stopped by and he invited us in and we talked to him about the Book of Mormon and the church and Jesus and he said "I've been interested in learning about mormons but I don't just want to learn about it, I want to be a part of it if it is something that will help me in my life." And we said we could help him with that! So we will be meeting with him this week as well. 

Anyways things are just going really well and I am loving it out here! Just keep on keeping the commandments and everything will work out!

Love,

Elder Morgan 

Funny Story....Warning...not for the faint of heart and bunny lovers....

So one of the days this week Elder Talanoa and I are coming in for lunch after we went tracting for a couple hours, and we have always joked about getting a rabbit or squirrel to eat because in Tonga, Elder Talanoa would do that stuff all the time. So on the way home, Elder Talanoa grabs some rocks and says he is going to go get us a bunny to eat in the backyard. So I go out with him and he finds a rabbit and nails it in the side but it didn't die, so he goes and grabs a stick and throws it at the rabbit and then goes and grabs it and hits it in the head a couple times and kills it. Then we just had a dead bunny and I am cracking up and just like what the heck just happened?!?!?! So he then shows me how to get all the hair off and gut it. So now it is in our fridge, and we are going to cook it today hahaha. Ya it was quite the experience. He wants me to come to Tonga with him really bad and was saying that this was training for what we will do in Tonga haha.

Week 100: 4th of July Breakfast, Daunte's Baptism and Surviving a Bike Accident

July 9, 2018

Hi everyone! What a great week! It was pretty dang busy, actually probably our busiest week since I have been here! With the 4th of July, transfers and all the other stuff going on it went by way too quick. 

Transfers happened on Tuesday and I got Elder Talanoa back. It is just like old times. It has been nice to not have any awkward first couple days with a new companion because we already know each other so well. Couldn't think of a better companion for the last transfer!

4th of July was awesome! We started off with our ward's breakfast and I got to cook Aeblskivers! They are this little Danish pancake ball thing that are pretty good. This guy in our ward, who is super cool, apparently cooks them every 4th of July but was out of town, so he trained me how to make them. It turned out pretty well! Then we went to this park for a celebration for a little bit, then to a couple BBQs and got to watch some fireworks from our window in the house. It was a great day! 

Cooking Aeblskivers for 4th of July!

This week we got to teach the Weatherfords and Tristan again and they are both doing really well. Love them to death! We also helped out this part member family with some service around their yard and they are awesome! Things are going well in the area!

A definite highlight of the week was the baptism of Daunte! He is Frejia's cousin who lives with her down in Alamosa. Daunte sat through all the lessons that Frejia went through and he is so awesome! He turned 8 and has an aunt in Castle Rock so was baptized up here. So I was able to be a witness and stand in the confirmation and see a lot of people from the old area. It was so fun to see them all again. I was with Elder Nelson for most of the time down in the Valley. He is up here in my district, so it was awesome to see them with him here too.

Elder Nelson, Frejia and Daunte

Daunte's Baptism

Frejia and Elder Nelson

So a couple nights ago we were riding back home on our bikes and are going down this good sized hill. Elder Talanoa was in front and thought that he missed the turn. So he slowed down and started to turn around and went right in front of me, so I slam on the brakes and skid into him at probably 25-30 miles per hour and did a front flip off my bike. I slid for a little bit and I saw my bike flying through the air and land 5 or 6 yards in front of me on the handle bars and seat. All I got was a small scrape on my elbow and no bike damage or anything. Elder Talanoa's back wheel got bent too. All things considered, we definitely had some angels watching out for us to come out with that little damage! Pretty cool!

Anyways hope everyone had a fun week!

Love,

Elder Morgan

Surprisingly this was only my second or third time seeing weed plants here in CO, so I asked if I could get a pic with it haha!

Week 99: Last Transfer!

July 2, 2018

Wow what an awesome week! I am loving it out here! Another transfer has come and gone and now. Elder Niu is being transferred and my new companion is none other than Elder Talanoa!!! I trained him in Alamosa almost a year ago and now he will be finishing off my mission! Can't believe I am starting my last transfer and I am so excited to be with Elder Talanoa for it. He is a really funny guy so we will have a lot of fun together.

Jonah and Elder Niu

This was just a great week though, we are having lots of good stuff happening! First off, the Tristan and his family are doing so well! They are the family who was inactive for a few years and is now coming back to church and getting Tristan baptized. They are so cool and there are a few new things on them. So they have decided to push up Tristan's baptism to the 21 of July and also they will baptize their other kid, Brooklyn who is 8 years old! So that is awesome and I am really excited about that. 

The other exciting thing of the week is the Weatherfords. They are so cool! We go over weekly and help with their family history for a bit and then teach them a lesson. They really like us and always give us a bag of candy before we leave haha they are pretty much another set of grandparents. They are shooting to go to the temple soon though, so that will be awesome!

Anyways things are just going great and I am loving it out here! It was so hot though, one of the days this week it was 105 out, man that was hot but it was still a good day. Alright hope everyone has an awesome week and keeps the commandments!

love, 

Elder Morgan