A deer and a hiss

This is how to make real Sopapillas form South America!! Eat your heart out Mitch (Elder Morris).

Sept 30, 2013

For the past two weeks we were not able to email back and forth with Sister Morris as there was a glitch on the church email system. We received her emails 30 min to 8 hours after she sent them and she did not get any of our emails. Thanks to a sweet family, the Hendershot's, she was able to email us from their home AND she received permission from Pres Richardson to email us on Tuesday after the glitch was fixed. This is a compilation of the two days. I asked her if she was able to see the General Relief Society Meeting on Saturday, I told her I cried when the Sister Missionaries started singing and I saw her best friend, Sister Sarah Naylor……

Mom- We did get to see the Relief Society meeting! We watched it at the church and there is actually a really funny story that goes along with that. So we were watching it in the chapel and all of the sudden I see SARAH!!!! I started to choke up and all the sudden yelled out, "That's my best friend!!!!" And then I broke down in tears. Of course, just like you. Then I got embarrassed but luckily all the ladies in my ward are awesome so they all laughed at completely understood. I cried every time I saw her and when she came on screen I told Sister Boman, "I guarantee Tammy (Sarah, Sister Naylor’s Mom) and my Mom are bawling right now." I was obviously right.

Monday: We had an awesome P-Day. President cut down our study time and gave us an extra hour on P-Days now!!!!! AWESOME!!! Perfect time to go on the mission. ;) We went to Sister H house and Sister Boman ordered a Vera Bradley bag for $69.00. She was about to order it and I said whoa, whoa, WHOA. Let me work my discount magic. Sure enough I found a $15 off coupon plus free shipping! I was a hero!!! Ya Mom, doing you proud....even on the mission.

                                       

Tuesday: I was having more struggles with my Salmonella at the beginning of the week. I was not throwing up anymore but had diarrhea constantly. I was up all night and got about 2 hours of sleep. But that did not stop me! We had to go to Lavale (about 50 minutes away) for district meeting. So we are headed on our way and we pass this deer that is splattered across the street. It was the worst one I have seen, and there are a lot here. Anyway, about 30 seconds after we passed the deer, all of the sudden we hit something and I start to hear a hissing. We couldn't see anything and so we didn't think of anything. As you can now assume, about 30 seconds later our car started to freak out and so did I. (I actually was really calm.....I was very impressed.) I knew right away we had a flat tire and we pulled over. We got out and looked at the tire and sure enough it was a goner. So we called the appointed people and got it taken care of. We waited for about 40 minutes until someone was able to changed. Then we drove 50 miles per hour to Lavale, (TOOK FOREVER) and got to a Sears. As they looked at the tire to find out what had happened and you would not believe it...A FLIPPIN' DEER BONE POPPED OUR TIRE. Was this a joke??? No. It was ridiculous, but we laughed. :) Now, Sherry (our car) has a new tire. Part of the miracle is that the man who put the new tire on told us that we were very lucky that we didn't get seriously hurt in an accident as the tire should have exploded at the speed we were traveling on the interstate. Oh, the blessings of being a missionary.

Wednesday: Today was a miracle day for us. We had received 2 media referrals and were super excited because these were people that actually wanted to see us!!! The first person we called was a total dud and DID NOT want to see us. We were pretty sad. The second one said she just wanted a bible, so we went to drop one off.  We headed to her place and when we got there we knocked and knocked but no answer. Just as we were going to leave, a car pulled up and a lady yelled out, "What do you want!?" We ran to the car and asked her if she had requested a bible. She said yes and we told her who we were. SHE TOTALLY WANTS US TO COME BACK. It was super awesome and we are so excited to go see her! We hope she will be a new investigator. :)

Thursday: More complications from the Salmonella, but it is ok! We watched 17 miracles with one of our Recent Converts and it was so awesome! It reminded me how easy a mission is compared to what the pioneers went through to get here. I hope I never forget that.

Friday: Today's highlight was our dinner with the C family. It was SO MUCH FUN! They are total country-folks and the stories they told us were SO FUNNY! You can totally tell the difference of people from Utah and here. But honestly I love that people out here are just themselves and they don't worry about impressing everyone else. Sometimes I feel like some people at home need to learn that lesson. We watched the Mormon Message video called "Good Things to Come." by Elder Holland. He's totally my favorite speaker. He talks about how he can see his younger self struggling and just wishes he could say "Don't give up. The road gets easier, it will all be worth it." I wish my future self could come tell me that too. But I know that it will all be worth it in the end, and that keeps me going. It is a lesson for us all.

This week has been full of ups and downs, but if anything I have growing faith in the work that is going forward in not only Hancock, but all around the world. I am so proud to be a missionary at this time, and I cannot wait to hear the words of the prophet and apostles next weekend! It's like Christmas as a missionary! Please continue to write me, the letters keep me going!

Oh, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! You are the greatest Mom I could ever ask for. I love you to the moon and back. Always and forever.

I love you all!

Sister Morris

P.S. Transfers are on Oct 9^th. I do not know if I will be staying in Hancock or if I will be training someone as a greenie of six weeks. My Zone Leader told me I might be training, I hope I am able to stay in Hancock. So if you write me, mail it before Thursday or I might not get it if I am transferred. I will know more by Monday. You can always email me at madison.morris@myldsmail.net

Got Pork???

Sept 23, 2013

To those left out of the greatest adventure ever....
ALOHAAAA!!!!!! Oh the perks of having a Samoan bishop. :)
Well everyone, after this email y'all are going to be wondering if somehow good ol' Sister Morris who is serving in the depths of the Eastern-South somehow got transferred to Hawaii. DO NOT WORRY. I am still here. BUT, this week we had our Stake Luau and it was AWESOME!!!!! Anyways, I am getting ahead of myself as that was on Saturday....so lets back it on up here.
I hate to start a letter off on a bad note....but I have some bad news....I AM SISTER JOB. I have gotten an illness every stinking week I have got here, and I have about had enough of it. What is it this week you ask? Drum roll please....SALMONELLA!!! It's not a fun one. Trust me. I have had it since Friday night-and they say that it will last till about early next week. And by last I mean the throwing up, fever, diarrhea, and stomach cramping. BUT! Does that stop good ol' Sister Morris!!! NO SIR! Have I stayed in ANY of those days??? NO SIR! Do I plan on coming home? NO SIR! Do I want to?? NO SIR. Does President just laugh at me and call me the 7 illness sister? YES SIR. Does he love me and laugh at me all the time? YES SIR! Did he promise me he wouldn't send me home as long as I wanted to be here because I have shown him what a hard worker I am? YES SIR! Anyway, onto bigger and better stories!
On Wednesday we had our New Missionary Meeting so we had to drive in to Fredrick (about an hour away). We didn't know how long it would take us to get there so we asked the senior couple in our ward. This was NOT a good idea. They informed us that it would take an hour and a half. So, as responsible Sister Missionaries do, we left 2 hours early...and arrived an hour early. SO, as REALLY responsible Sister Missionaries do, we stopped into McDonald's to get some breakfast. As Sister Boman drove around the building she asks, "Do you want to go in or just the drive-thru?" Which I quickly responded with, "We have time, let's just go in." At this point we are driving right up to the speaker and hear the lady say, "Welcome to McDonald's, what can I get ya'll?"
*PAUSE*
Now, any normal person would just stop the car and say, "Sorry we decided to come in, thanks though!" BUT, Sister Boman is not a normal person. Neither am I, hence the reason we are best friends. So, what does she say you ask?
*PLAY*
~Car continues to roll past the window as you see a young, vivacious dark-haired beauty stick her head out of the window comparable to a scene from the T.V. show Psych~
(We have determined we are Shawn and Gus. OF COURSE I AM GUS.)
As we roll past the window Sister Boman yells out, "TRICKED YA!!!!!!"
Yes. We are Sister Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Pray for us. When we finally stop laughing our guts out, we go dared to go inside and enjoy a delicious meal. The meeting was awesome and I able to see a lot of my MTC district friends that I have seriously missed so much. Especially Sister Chavez who looked adorable as ever.


Then that night we went and saw the B/H family who we just love and adore.

Sister Boman, Me and A, she was baptized the week before I arrived in Hancock.

The rest of the week we really just prepared for our Stake Luau! Now, things here are not like things in Utah. When you do a Stake activity, the whole stake doesn't really help, haha it's mostly just the ward that is put in charge. Now, whose ward do you think that would be? Of course, mine. So the H family (Now keep track here....) Who are the bishop's (Ah-Loe) parents-in-law and who is really President H (1st councilor in the Stake Presidency) were in charge for almost the whole thing. So we got to spend a lot of our week with the family putting together the food. OK. If you would have told me that I would be wrapping a pig in banana leaves, and stuffing it in pillow cases, then putting it in a big pit to cook during my mission, I would have laughed. BUT ALAS I DID! It was awesome. After a hectic night, the food was all prepared and all the meat was in the pit ready to cook and get pulled out the next day.
Well, the next day(the day of the luau) rolled around and as always the H family pulled open the pit and checked the meat....IT DIDN'T COOK. Here we were with over 40 things of pork, and not one of them were cooked. We called every member of the ward and started sticking pigs into ovens spread over 3 states! Luckily, I can say that all piggies were cooked and the meat was delicious. There was lots of fun, dancing, and even a special treat from the Elders (Elder Matthews, Dunn, White, and Senior Couple Elder and Sister Dittman) in our ward who preformed the Hauka!!! It was so awesome!


You guys, it's so stinkin' great out here. Life is great, my companion is great, and the gospel is SO FLIPPING GREAT! Don't ever forget that!
I love you all! Have a wonderful week!

Sister Morris

Favorite Quote: "If with every action we took we thought: 'Is this going to effect my eternal perspective?' There would be a lot less hurt in our hearts."

Favorite Moment: a little background....Sherry (Scary Sherry, Bianca is toast, Psych fans) is our 2012 red Corolla. Yes, we named our car. You wish you were as cool as us.

*Right after we washed the car*

Sister Boman: "Sherry, you're looking goooooooood."

Sister Morris: "Seriously, Sherry. If I were a boy Corolla I'd go: VROOM-VROOM."

"Sometimes God brings us to the lows of lows, so that he can lift us higher."

Sept 16, 2013

HEY YA'LL!

Yes, I am becoming a hillbilly. I never thought the day would come, but here it is. Am I terrified that I now speak with a southern twang and use words like "ya'll" and say things like, "Let me alone!"? Yes. Do I care? No. I fit in here. haha! I know that I say this every single week....but I cannot believe another week has gone by! It always seems like I get to Friday and go, "Wait....wasn't it just Monday?" oh, the joys of being a missionary.

Well friends, let me tell you something. Missions are hard. I don't just mean yard work for 4 hours hard, or even an 8 hour shift at the hospital hard. I mean HARD. Everyday my alarm goes off, and I swear I just crawled into bed. I fall into the car after every stop we make, and I pray that I make it to the next day, and somehow I always do. These first few weeks in the mission have been some of the hardest times in my life. I have had a sinus infection, a REALLY bad case of poison Ivy/Sumac (see picture below), and back issues.... my Mission President has started to call me "Sister Job". hahaha He's the greatest. The stress had gotten to me on Friday, and I was ready to jump on a plane back to Utah. BUT miracles happen my friends. I testify that they do.

After a mental breakdown on Friday, our Sister training leaders called to inform us that we were going to be going on exchanges the next day for 48 hours. If you don't know what an exchange is, it is when two companionship switch one companion for another for 48 hours.  I went out to Martinsburg, WV and served with Sister Swisher! She is amazing!! I love her to death. I had already known quite a bit about her because I stalked her blog...yeah I know I am a major creeper.....she got over it. haha ;) But really we taught 9 lessons in 1 day!!! Can you believe that?! Well you should because it really happened. At one of the houses a woman stopped me in mid-sentence and said, "Sister Morris, how do you know that what you are telling me is true?" WOWIE. Talk about a good question! I thought for a second, and replied with something like this: "Sister S, I know that this gospel is true. I feel it every second of everyday." I proceeded to tell her of the "adventures" I have gone through out here, and finished with, "I know that my Heavenly Father would never put me through all of this if there wasn't a purpose for me out here. I know that he's there, and I know that he cares."

She looked at me for a very long time. I was scared of the silence....LITERALLY SCARED. ( We all know how well I do with silence....thanks Mom.) But the spirit told me to wait, just wait. So I did what I was told, and I waited. As tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheek she said to me with a strong yet gentle voice, "You will do more good than you will ever know. Satan has drug you through all he can to get you to quit, because you will change lives. Not just one or two, but lives. Those people you help will find the truth again through you, and there is nothing more terrifying to him than that." Man, did that hit my soul like a ton of bricks. Heavenly Father knew what I needed. He knew what would shake me and say, "Don't give up my child."

Joseph Smith said, "Sometimes God brings us to the lows of lows, so that he can lift us higher." How true is that statement? I hope that someday I can thank my Heavenly Father for the trials he has given me. Not exactly for the poison ivy.....or the back spasms. haha. But for the chance to get dragged so low that the only way to be lifted up off the ground was through him. Everyone, this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. We have a Savior who loves us more than we will ever know. We have a Father that wants nothing more than to hold us in his arms again, and to look at us and say, "Welcome Home."

I love you all and wish many blessings and love to every single one of you! Thank you for all your emails and letters, please be patient with me as I try to write all of you throughout the week!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Sister Morris

Favorite Quote: Used in letter 

"Sometimes God brings us to the lows of lows, so that he can lift us higher."  - Joseph Smith

Favorite Moment:

Sister Swisher singing to the CD:

*Sister Morris turns off the music*

Sister Morris: "Sister Swisher....do you hear that sound? It's like a dying whale...."

Sister Swisher: "I don't hear anything..."

Sister Morris: "Here, let's turn on the music and see if we can hear it again."

Sister Swisher: "AH!! I hate you!! You're fired!"

Here's a picture of some of the poison ivy I got, this is my arm but it is all over....they now think it might be poison sumac because of how large my sores are. This picture seriously doesn't do it justice as this is after 4 days of being on steroids.

We are also now being referred to as the "LDS Girls". Pretty much one of the funniest notes we have gotten so far.

I am so glad that through all the trials she had these past two weeks, she has not lost her sense of humor!! She told us that she even has sores on her face. She is a trooper!!

If you would like to write Sister Morris, her address is

Sister Madison Morris

54B West Main Street

Hancock, MD 21750

Thank you to all who have written and brightened her days. Her emails brighten ours. We are so grateful, may the Lord bless you for your efforts!!

Momma Morris

Knock on that door, someone's salvation is at stake!!

Hello everyone!

Wow! Another week in Hancock, and another one down. I swear they move fast out here! I can't believe I have already been on my mission for almost a month! It's crazy! I love it out here and am so grateful to be here!!

On Friday we got to go to the D.C. Temple and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! It was a very cool experience for me as I know that most missionaries only get to go once during their missions, and usually it's the day they leave. I felt so blessed to get to go within my first 2 weeks on the mission! It was so amazing and I ached to go inside. I never realized how much I would miss the temple.

First things first....WE ARE HAVING A BAPTISM!!!!!! I'm taking her to the waters, kids!!!!!!! ;) Just kidding, just kidding. Well, kind of.  Her name is H, and she is seriously the sweetest girl ever. She is 14 years old, and has decided that she would like to be baptized! She is an amazing girl, we were able to take her to the temple with us! It was such an amazing experience. We went on a tour with her in the visitors center,  she loved it!  When we  saw the Christus we asked her, "H how do you feel?" She simply responded, "Happy. Really, really happy." It was such a simple answer, but the words meant so much as you could see how much she truly meant it. It's amazing to me to see how much the gospel can change someone's life, how unhappy people are when they don't have it. It makes me feel so blessed to have been born in the covenant and makes me wonder what I did to deserve that blessing.

On the way home from the temple, we hit a bad accident and were stuck on the interstate for about an hour. Let me tell ya....people do not act the way they do in Utah. They ARE NOT CALM.(hahahaha) People were getting out of their cars, just chilling on the side of the road. So, as missionaries do, we got out of the car and took pictures just to say we did it. ;) 

Oh man do I love being a missionary. OH MAN do I love being a missionary in Hancock. We were visiting a woman and her son. As we walked up to the door we saw a creature laying straight on it's back with something weird going on around the stomach area....as we got closer we realized it was a DECAPITATED Snapping Turtle!! It's belly shell had been removed and the guts were hanging out everywhere!! I can't tell you I didn't freak out....because missionaries can't lie....but I will tell you that I ran off that porch faster than a fat kid towards chocolate cake. It was TERRIFYING, but as any missionary knows, YOU STILL KNOCK ON THAT DOOR. That's someone's salvation at stake!!!  We knock and a man answers. After we talk to him about it and what in the heck it was, he decides to make matters worse by showing us how even though it has no head, no heart, or half it's organs, when you touch it.....IT STILL MOVES. Oh it was the freakiest thing EVER. Well kids, I am here to tell you that yes. This did happen. Now, you may be thinking that the old Maddie would just say, "Adios Amigo!" and to tell you the truth, she probably would. BUT, this is the new and improved Sister Morris....and you know what I did? I put my big kid pants on and I made a new investigator out of him! Yes, you read that right!!! I'm unstoppable!!

But in all seriousness, I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for the people out here in Hancock, they are SO amazing. They have taught me so much in such a little time, I can't express the amount of love I feel for them. Please know that no matter where you are, or what you are doing, you can change people's lives by sharing the gospel. Even if that is just by allowing the Light of Christ to shine through you by being an example of the believers! Anything is possible! 

I love you all and am so grateful for your continuing support! Keep the faith! 

Love, 

Sister Morris

Favorite Quote:

"Before you do something OF the world, do something FOR the Lord."

Favorite Moment:

*Background*: The Bishop of this ward is Samoan and wears a skirt on Sundays. He is a great guy and is super funny. He loves me. 

Brother H (Bishop's Father in Law) to Bishop: "Well, we all know who wears the pants in your relationship."

Sister Morris: "Really? Because last time I checked both Bishop and T are wearing skirts."

Bishop: "HEY. It's nice."

(We received a letter from the Mission President asking that we do not use names of individuals on blogs except the missionaries, hence H and A.)

With H on our way back from the Temple

This is her little sister A. She is 8 and is attached to me at the hip. She made me a little scripture bag out of fabric and hand-sewed it. It took her two hours and it meant so much to me

This is my favorite picture of Sister Boman and I :) I seriously love her, and she is my best friend here. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her. Yes I have a cold...

This is our room....OUR APARTMENT IS HUGE!!! It's way too big for the two of us.

The view from our apartment...another shocking one from the dinky camera :)

Bubba and I at the MTC

 This is how I study.....in style. It's just too hot during the day to turn down the A/C and too cold in the morning, but we have to be in our church clothing.....I make it work.

Life in Hancock, Maryland. Population 1,500 give or take a few...

Hello Friends!
Wow. Already a week in Maryland! Time sure flies by fast out here. I have been struggling quite a bit, as I fell ill the day before I left for the MTC. I have had to spend a few hours a day sleeping instead of doing the work, and man can I tell you, you feel worse waking up realizing you could have been saving someone's soul. hahaha BUT my companion keeps reminding me that a dead, coughing zombie is not going to convert anyone, so I continue to do what I can and try to recover.
I'm serving in a little town called Hancock, Maryland. The people are so loving and kind, and I am truly starting to love them. Thursday we stopped and chatted with a mother an daughter that live in Pennsylvania. (We are literally 10 minutes away from Penn. and 15 away from West Virginia) Anyways, Molly and Jules are Less Active members that have been away from the church for almost 20 years. We had a nice chat with them and really got Molly to open up to us! They invited us back for dinner, which is a HUGE step in the right direction for them, and we are so excited to see where it goes.
We also had dinner with the Ward family Sunday night. They are an older couple that live on a farm with 400+ Black Angus Cows. Now, as Billy would tell you, these aren't just any cows. They are AWARD WINNING! When we got there Billy was walking out with a cloth wrapped about his hand, and we could tell he was bleeding pretty good. He had cut his hand with a knife and we thought he was just going to get a bandage for it so we went inside. Low and behold he walks in with a plastic glove on the open wound and called it good! It was hilarious to see Sister Boman freaking out about it and trying to convince him to bandage it up.  We ate the hamburgers and to tell you the truth, it's not ALL about the meat, kids. Sure, the award winning cow I ate was great. BUT. Not as good as my Dad's hamburgers but that is my opnion. I'm going to go ahead and say it's all in the preparation. ;)  The Ward family was so kind!
Well, my companion is Sister Boman, and she is seriously an angel sent from on high. This last week has been hard for us because we are trying to walk the fine line between doing the work and letting my body recuperate from being sick. Missions are hard kids, real hard. If you are reading this, before you decide to serve, really think about what you will be doing. A mission is one of the hardest things I have done in my life, but I have learned that it doesn't matter whether or not WE have the strength to do the work, because our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have more than enough. We must rely on him and his grace to carry us forward in the work, and let that be enough.
I am forever grateful for the love of my family and friends, and the prayers that are said in my behalf. I can feel them everyday and thank you for sending them my way. PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING. They help me wake up everyday and press forward in the work.
I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU ALL.
Sister Morris

Spiritual Thought:
"Sometimes life's moments are about seeing how hard you can get hit, and yet still remain standing."

Funny moment:
Sister Boman (to an investigator): "Read right above where it says, "Alfalfa and Omega."
Me: "RIIIGGGHHHHTTTTTT. Wait....did you just say Alfalfa?"



Hancock is 131 miles north/west of Baltimore, takes 2 1/2 hours to drive there from Baltimore.

Sharing more than the Gospel....

Well hello loved ones!

Just another swell week here at the good ol' MTC! Life is still as great as ever, even though being a missionary is far from easy. There is a bug going around our district so Monday morning I was down for the count. BUT. I got the sweetest priesthood blessing from Elder Van De Graaff (one of my favorite elders.) and he was SO NERVOUS. It was so short, but super sweet and brought me to tears. I can't tell you how much I love these boys. I am excited to leave the MTC and get to Maryland, but I can't tell you how much I will miss all my friends.

Everyday has been long, but through my faith in Christ I have had more energy than ever before. I can't tell you how many times a day I think, "Wow. I could never have lasted this long if I wasn't a missionary." My back hasn't hurt ONCE. not ONCE. It's a true blessing. I try to center myself around helping the other missionaries in my district, and I feel like this has really blessed me. Especially the ones that are a little socially shy. I help them study and talk to people. They humble me, and laugh at my jokes. It's the perfect arrangement.

Well, i'm sorry today's email is short, SOMEONE (MOM) took up all my time. But, seeing/talking to my family is really the glue that holds me together. I do everything I do for them, and to make them proud. I love you all, and thank you for all the letters, the elders are still jealous and I'm still Queen of the Hill. 

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

Sister Morris

Favorite Quote: " Never put a limit on the Lord's work. Faith more than Fear."

Favorite Moment: 

Sister Morris: "Elder Van De Graaff, here's a poem for you.: Dear Elder Van De Graaff,.....you look like a giraffe."

Elder Van De Graaff: "One, Rude. Two, that doesn't even rhyme." *Karate Chop motion to the face* "SUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I adore him.

We were able to email back and forth with Sister Morris and ask a bunch of questions. She is sooo happy which brings peace to us. She said that one of the Elders accidently chipped her tooth and she didn't even notice. Sister Morris was able to meet Elder Morris at the entrance of the MTC when he reported. We were able to see her from a distance and waved and said we loved her. She said that she prays every day to see to  Elder Morris (her brother) and so far she has been able to talk with him at every meal. She says that he is so happy and has a 'stud' companion. She said today Elder Morris talked with her for two minutes in Spanish, she didn't understand what he said but was impressed. She was also able to see Elder Braxton Bassett as he entered the MTC, they were only able to talk in passing and that he just said, 'I love you, Sister Morris, I love you!' What a sweet brother from another mother.

We asked her if they are able to weigh her luggage before she leaves for the airport. She said that they can and that a Sister weighed her luggage and was so happy that it only weighed 50 lbs because she thought for sure she was over, that joy was short lived when the companion told her that 50 was in kilograms and it weighed over 100 lbs.

Sister Morris said that if you are writing to her using Dear Elder, Sunday is the last day you can write her that she will receive the letter before she leaves the MTC. She leaves Tuesday morning for Baltimore at 3:30 am. They are riding the Frontrunner to Traxx to the airport. Her Delta flight leaves at 9:56 am. This mother would love to see her but will follow the rules and be obedient, it will kill me but I will be obedient. It is enough for me to know that I get a phone call!!! I can't wait for Tuesday.

We will post her new address as soon and we know it. Thank you to all who write Sister Morris, she is grateful for your love and support, my God bless you for your efforts!!!

Here are some pictures she sent today.....

Sister Morris with her companion Sister Williams

This is my district. From the left to right.....1.) Sister Muirbrook (Max Fillmore's girlfriend, Iowa) 2. Sister Williams, my companion 3.) Sister Randall (Iowa) 4.) Sister Madsen 5.) Sister Chavez (my kindred spirit) Sister Chavez will be service in Baltimore Maryland Mission also.

Sister Chavez and The Elders, missing Elder Larsen. From left to right: Elder Van De Graaff, Elder Hill (back), Elder Spencer (giant), Elder Camoau, Elder Gill (back) and our teacher Brother Clancy.

Sister Morris was able to pick up her brother after Elder Morris received his name badge

It's here, it's here!!! Sister Morris' first email home!!!

Momma Morris here, just received this email and I am on cloud nine!! Such a simple thing as a email can totally lift your spirits. Most of you know that Sister Morris' brother, Mitch is entering the MTC on Wed (Aug 21) so to hear from Maddie, um... Sister Morris has healed my heart until it gets ripped open again in a few days. I really don't know if I could send two of my treasures in this life out into the world without the knowledge that as much as I love them, my Heavenly Father loves them more and will guide them and protect them. I have complete faith that He knows each one of us personally and knows the beginning and ending of our story, they both will do amazing things. They are in his hands and I would not want it any other way! Hugs***

Dear Family and Friends,

WOW. All I can say is WOW. I cannot tell you how crazy these last few days have been on the mission. It really is true what they say, "A week feels like a day, and a day feels like a week." Each day is SO long, but it seriously is the best days of my life. I cannot express how amazing it is to be here around all of these people! The spirit here really is so strong and I know for a fact that this is where I am meant to be.

I have a lot to say, so I am sorry if this letter seems a little jumbled up. Monday (I'm sure she meant Wed.) we had teaching experiences and they were awesome. They really do just throw you into the work, but you wouldn't want it any other way. There is something about having your Savior's name right next to your heart that changes you. I have learned that as a missionary representing Jesus Christ, we have THE GREATEST purpose we could ask for. We are bringing God's children back to him. Could you imagine losing one of your children, and then having someone bring them back to you? What an AMAZING thing that is! <----- That is one word I use at least 50 times a day, no joke. AMAZING. The work is amazing, the people are amazing, EVERYTHING IS AMAZING.

Well now the good stuff. My district is comprised of 6 sisters and 6 elders. 4 of us sisters are going to Baltimore and the other two are going to Iowa. I seriously love all of them. They are so amazing, and I am so blessed to have them. All the sisters live in the same room and we all get along so well. We do everything together, so it's really important to love your district.  Elder Van De Graff and Elder Spencer are my FAVORITE!! They are all 18, so it's just like having 6 Mitch and Braxton's around. haha The two elders I mentioned above and I get along the most. We laugh all the time and I tease them about how unhealthy they eat. It's so funny! I think they are my favorite because they can dish it out as bad as I do. We have a good relationship. They all come up to me and go, "Look Sister Morris, I got an apple today." Then I tell them how proud I am of them.....then they excuse themselves WITH the apple in their hands, and come back with donuts. WAHHHHH?????? I said to them, "Elders, do you think I was born yesterday?! I know what you're doing!!!" They all snicker at me and go on with their meals. I think it reminds me of home and that helps me get through each day. Also they are all between 5' 11" and 6'6", so they like to make fun of me for being so short....I just tell them they are lucky I can't touch them.....I'd kick 'em in the knees! ;) ( I can just here her saying that with her New York accent!)

My companion is Sister Williams. She is the greatest, and I am so blessed to have her. She is from Rexburg, Idaho, and turns 22 in November. She is a little more quite and reserved, and VERY hard on herself. I have to keep reminding her of how amazing she is, and how much I love her. (That is my Maddie, always taking care of others) We have been concentrating on exact obedience. There's a quote here that says, "Obedience brings blessings, but EXACT obedience brings miracles." We fully believe that and testify that it is true. We are so strict as a companionship and have been recognized already by our Branch President on how closely we follow the rules. 

Speaking of, we had our first Branch meeting last night. I left feeling spiritually edified, but emotionally broke. In our introductions I had mention that Mitch was coming to the MTC next week and how excited I was to see him. Later on in the meeting we were talking about relations between Elders and Sisters and he (Branch Pres.) turned to me, in front of everyone, and said, "Sister Morris, you CANNOT hug your brother." I died. I quietly replied, "Ok." I turned to Sister Chavez (my saving grace, and favorite sister here) and looked at her with tear filled eyes. The awesome thing about Sister C is that even though we have only known each other for about 3 days, we just GET each other. I just love her to death. I can't even handle it. Anyways I am having a hard time with the whole Mitch thing. Everyone in my district is upset about it, even though it's my problem. Haha they all love me and were not happy when he said that. It was pretty funny because a few of the elders came up to me after and were like, "You should just hug him!! That's ridiculous!" But as I explained to them,  I was blessed that if I had exact obedience, I would have blessings beyond comprehension.....and that's what I intend on doing. I am going to talk to my BP and see if I can set up a meeting with Mitch before I leave though and give him a hug. His worry seemed to be that others would see us and be confused. I'll let you know how that goes.

Before I forget, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much! Don't die on me you, ya old fart! (Her Dad, Chris turn 50 today)

Well, there is so much to say, and so little time.....But I just wanted to say that I seriously love all of you to the moon and back. Thank you so much to everyone that sent me a letter in the past few days. We weren't able to get our mail until today, so as they are handing out letters, I LITERALLY got 10 and everyone was like, "Oh man Sister Morris!!!!! Are you writing yourself?!" HA. Real funny Elders. Please keep the letters coming, I can't tell you how amazing it feels to get a letter here. It makes it a little less lonely. 

I decided every week I would include one of my favorite quotes, and one of my favorite funny moments. (Which is SO hard to do because these Elders keep me laughing all the time.) Well, here they are!

Favorite quote: "Learn the difference between teaching someone about Christ and inviting someone to come unto Christ. There is lies the key to success."

Favorite moment:

Elder Larsen (lanky and very skinny. He is seriously so happy ALL THE TIME. It's a joke. But seriously. The kid is on happy pills....I'm sure of it.)

Elder Larsen: " I JUST LOVE LIFE!!!!!!!!"

Sister Morris: "Elder Larsen, what do you love about life so much?"

Elder Larsen: "Jesus. oh, and Star Wars."

Oh man....I love these boys.

Well  I hope you all have a wonderful week! Keep writing, and if you have written, expect a letter in the next few days!

I love you all!!!!!!

Sister Morris

If you would like to write a letter to Sister Morris you can do it for free at dearelder.com. It is like writing a email to her. If you send the email before noon Mon-Fri, they print it off, put it in a envelope and deliver it to the MTC.  Her Unit # is 159. Mission is Maryland, Baltimore and departure date is 8/27/2013.

After she leaves the MTC you can still use this site but they charge .49 for the stamp and envelope.

THANK YOU to all who have written her, it brings peace to my soul to hear her so happy because you took a moment to write her! Blessing to you all...