Does Anybody Know Candle Grove?

Hello again family!

First things first: Is Carter going to Brazil? I thought I saw
something about that on Facebook, and if so, that's awesome! He'll do
great. If not, then it's the Lord's will. He will send Carter where He
needs him to be. The Lord doesn't let His will be stopped by a couple
of bureaucrats from Brazil.

How has everyone in the family been doing? I'm super excited to hear
about people possibly getting baptized! And about you helping the
sister missionaries out!  That's awesome. Blessings come from helping
the missionaries, because they are there to represent the Lord.

Speaking of that, I loved conference this weekend! If I had to guess
what the overarching theme of this conference was, it would have to be
"Quit apostatizing." I had never made the connection that when the
apostles and the first presidency speak, it is really the Lord
speaking. So when you don't listen to them, it is the same as not
listening to Christ. That's why it makes me sad when I see members
that advocate things that the Lord has told us is wrong. Like same sex
marriage. That's the big one right now. Do people think that the
prophets are wrong? If so, they must either think that Christ is
wrong, or that the prophets do not speak for Him. Honestly, if a
member thinks that the Church is wrong about same sex marriage, then
they do not understand what a prophet is.

Sorry if that sounded harsh, but it's true. I just got done reading
the Book of Mormon, and it's kind of scary how many parallels there
are in it to our day. Like, all the parallels. How can nobody else see
it! We're heading for the same end as the Nephites and Lamanites! I
don't know. I'm just trying to do the best I can.

I'm sorry if this email sounds like I'm calling people to repentance.
That's not what I'm trying. It's not my job, because there are
missionaries in Vancouver who are assigned to do that! Our mission
president tells us all the time that one of our biggest jobs is to
call people to repentance. Lots of people don't do it, myself
included, because we're afraid of offending people. But I'm slowly
getting over it. Everyone has to repent, so it's not that big of a
deal to tell people. I loved one of the quotes from this conference:
"Scorn is guilt trying to reassure itself." It's super true.

Speaking of super true, the church is super true, and we truly have
prophets leading it today. I got that spiritual confirmation this
weekend. It's awesome to have prophets again to lead us and warn us of
the dangers that face us, and it's humbling that the Lord would still
send prophets even after all the chances He's given us already. If you
don't know that it's true, pray about it and study the scriptures.

Love,

Elder Jordan Morgan

Jordan's Mom here:  I received this FB message from the Mom of Jordan's companion. Apparently they get along great and all sorts of hilarity ensues--but Jordan likes to scare the pants off of poor Elder Judd.  Heaven help him when "the elf on the shelf" comes around...

Wolverine!

Hello family!

 

Sorry about last week, we were having all sorts of computer troubles.  Things have been pretty crazy this transfer so far. I will attempt to explain:

 

So apparently there's some supervirus going around the midwest right now, and when I got here, my companion had it.  So we were stuck in the apartment for a week, and didn't really get much done.  We call it the VOID: Volcaninc Outburst of Impromptu Diarrhea.  It's pretty awful.  Anyway, we were all worried that I was going to get it, you know, because of the whole "Stay with your companion at all times" thing, but I was like "No, it'll be fine.  I'm Wolverine, I never get sick and I heal super quickly."  But then I totally got sick.  I got over it in a day, because like I said, I'm Wolverine.  The whole family is, frankly.  We never get sick.  It's pretty crazy. 

 

So my new companion is super awesome, and we totally get along.  It's been awesome.  We also have an aweomse mall in my new area.  It's the second largest in the United States.  And you can see the skyline from where we live, including the Sears Tower!  Or the willis tower, whatever it is now.  So that's pretty awesome.  That thing is huge. 

 

I loved the package that you guys sent, especially the quotes!  It was awesome.  I love things like that.  I've already decided that my last words are going to be "Rosebud."  It's going to be great. 

 

So how is everything going at home?  Mom said that you sent a package, so I should be getting that this wednesday.  We have a zone conference then, and that's when we get all our packages.  It's going to be awesome. 

 

So I just realized a couple of days ago that in a little less than three months, i will only have a year left on my mission.  What?  That's insane.  I sort of freaked out.  I was like "Where did all the time go?  Oh that's right, Plainfield ATE IT."  Not that I don't like Plainfield.  I like it a lot, and I want to visit it after my mission.  It just sort of took me by surprise. 

 

Speaking of that, when you're with the same person 24 hours a day, you get the opportunity to talk about EVERYTHING.  This leads to what my companion calls my "stoner moments," since i'm from Washington and we've gone ahead and legalized that herb.  Here are a couple of mine.  He's making a list:

 

(while eating with a bunch of missionaries) "We're all getting older.  AT THE SAME TIME."

 

"I'll never be able to take my fingers off.  Like, they'll always be attached to my hand."

 

"What if we got a fog machine for the car?  Then every time we opened the doors, it would be like 'fwoosh.'"

 

"You know what the best super power would be?  If you could launch your head off of your body on a spring, like a jack in the box.  I bet that would really freak people out." 

 

I don't know if I was always like this and I didn't talk to enough people, or if there's something in the air in Illinois, but it's been super fun.  My companion doesn't believe me when I say that I'm almost 22.  He thinks I'm really a little kid stuck in an adult body, Big style.  And he thinks that it's unfair that I got better faster than he did, because he eats pretty healthy, and the other morning I had Skittles for breakfast.  This is truly the life. 

 

I hope everything is going super well at home.  A mission is awesome, don't trade it for anything.  So many memories!  Like, so many. 

 

Elder Jordan Morgan

Aha moment

This week has gone by SO FAST.  It's ridiculous.  It's because we've been super busy.  We're trying to spend all of the time we have where we're not teaching investigators in members homes doing finding lessons with them.  Finding ought to be done through the members, because that's the way to do it.  Sometimes missionaries will get into that Superman way of thinking and be like "I'm just going to go out on find people on my own."  That is a huge mistake, especially because this often turns out to be hours and hours of tracting.  I'm sorry, but I do not like tracting.  It doesn't give people a fair chance to actually hear our message, and when they open the door and see us standing there, their minds are flooded with untrue stereotypes that cause them to immediately close the door.  Finding should be done through the members.  I've been pushing it really hard, because for a bit, the missionaries and the members in this ward weren't unified.  They got along just fine, but there wasn't a lot of unity on the missionary work.  And when there's a problem, the answer is NEVER to just ignore it.  You try to fix it, and if you can't, then you either find someone that can or move on.  But don't ignore problems.  

We've seen some fantastic people become reactivated in our ward!  It's been awesome.  I love serving a mission.  And I'm glad I came home early.  I was not ready to go out, and I was going out for the wrong reasons.  I am confident that I would not have had the sorts of experiences I'm having now, had I gone out the first time.  Also, something crazy I realized: So I've obviously been called to where I need to be.  I have reasons that make me 100% sure of that.  So if this mission is where I'm supposed to be, then why wasn't I called to it in the first place?  I always struggled with that.  But I received an answer: This mission didn't exist when I got my first call.  This mission was about 1 year ago.  Doodoodoodoodoodoodoodoo.  (That's the Twilight Zone music.) But yeah, that was pretty intense.  

Things have been going great out here.  The summer has been really mild.  That's because I brought all the good weather from Washington out here with me.  I keep telling everyone that's thinking about moving to just move to Washington.  It's simply the best state.  

Send pictures!  PICTURES!

We don't have a ton of time today, so I'll be ending the email here.  This work is truly the work of The Lord.  

Elder Jordan Morgan

"Chester Macaroni"

This week has been pretty good. We had a ton of finding lessons with the members this week.  We're working on getting the ward and the missionaries united on missionary work, and we figure the best way to do that is by listening to the same person: The Lord.  So we've really been pushing revelation and been getting the members to commit to seek revelation on what they can do to further The Lord's work.  It's been great.  

So our super awesome recent convert had an amazing story to tell us this week.  So he was the non-member in a part member family, and no one ever thought he would get baptized, but then he totally did and now he's on spiritual fire.  Anyway, his wife had a really strong prompting from the spirit that they needed to move to Utah, even though she didn't have a job lined up, or a home, and he would have to quit his job.  But he totally supported her, and the family left.  They found a house, and she found a job, but he stayed here so that they woulnd't have a break in their income.  In the time he was here, he was living with his boss.  Anyway, last week their house in Utah kind of burned up.  Not all the way down, but enough that they couldn't live there anymore.  And then on sunday, he came and told us that they were actually going to stay in Illinois, because the guy he was living with offered him the vice-presidents position at his company!  He compared the whole experience to Lehi fleeing to the wilderness, which it pretty much was.  Everyone he knew was like "What on earth are you doing?  Don't quit your job, don't move when you don't have a house down there, don't leave if you don't have any plans!"  And now look what happned.  He's going to be making a ton more money than he would've had they not even left for Utah.  It was pretty crazy.  And I'm super excited, because like I said, he's awesome.  

Also, I need to tell you about another one of the stress dreams I've been having on my mission.  I'm sure you can relate.  You know, those dreams where you wake up and your just so relieved that it was all a dream?  Actually, I have two:

1. I dreamed that elder Rowley and I were companions.  I love elder Rowley, i was in the MTC with him.  Anyway, I dreamed that I took the car by myself to Meijers (It's like a ghetto Winco), and started buying fireworks.  Then all of the sudden, I was like "What am I doing?  Where's my companion?  Why am I buying fireworks? I need to get out of here!"  I looked around for a place to put the fireworks, when all of the sudden I ran into my mission president and his wife, followed closely by elder Rowley, who was crying.  I was relieved when I woke up.  

2. I dreamed that I was companions with elder Linford, an Elder in my district at the time.  He's super nice.  Anyway, we were at the mall, but it looked like Evergreen, and we got in a fight.  It was so bad that I wanted to be alone, so I went to the bathroom, but right before I opened the door, I turned around and swore at him, and a bunch of people heard.  Then while I was in the bathroom, two ward members were outside, and they had the following conversation:

"Did elder Morgan just swear at his companion?"

"I think so, but it's ok."

Then I ended up on the front page of the newspaper because of it, with the following headline: 

"Servants of the Lord, or of the devil?  Mormon elder swears at his companion!"

Then my mission president was like "You've ruined the work in the area!"  I woke up and I was like "Oh my gosh!  Every time!"  

Do you know a Russel family back in vancouver?  Kayla and Jenna Russel?  Because they live here, and Kayla went to Evergreen, and Jenna was living about 10 minutes from me while I was home from my mission.  They know the Carnahans and the Muellers and the Babbs.  Pretty much everyone.  It's pretty crazy.  

One of the less active members we're working with has the greatest cat ever.  His name is Chester Macaroni, because he's orange and bendy.  And super fat.  But that's ok, because it makes him super chill.  He's an orange tabby cat.  I'll make sure to get a picture with him before I leave the area.  

I have a cool story about why iPad's super helpful: We were talking to a less active sister in the ward, and I had to use the bathroom.  When I came back, my companion and the member that came with us were having a discussion about what happens to stillborn children.  The less active sister (who is AWESOME, by the way. She's like my grandma in the field.)  had a stillborn child years ago, and she said that no one in the church has been able to give her a definite answer.  All of the sudden the spirit took hold of my memory and put it to good use, and was like "You've read this in the Handbook 2: Administering to the Church."  So I looked it up on the iPad in like, ten seconds, and read it to her, and she received spiritual confirmation it was true and started crying.  So yeah, the iPad's are totally part of hastening the work.  

I hope you enjoyed the pictures!  And send more puzzles! Did you get my email about the maze puzzle?

Elder Jordan Morgan

Me with Fo, the sunflower.  The planter and the soil were gifts, but I bought the seed.  I love her like I would my own child.  We're also about to go do service, which explains the normal people clothes.

Me, beholding Fo's beauty...

Releasing balloons into the air with a really nice message and our phone number attached.  We call it "sky contacting."

Q & A

Hello again family!

I will start by answering questions that Mom has sent me.  It's tons easier to answer questions that to actually think of things to write.  I'm excited.  

[Is it hot and humid there?]

Yes.  All the time.  It's disgusting.  Every morning, walk out onto the porch, take a deep breath, and say out loud:

"Man, I am so glad I live in Vancouver, Washington."

Seriously, it's the Garden of Eden up there.  

[Are you getting along with your companion?]

Yep!  We just had transfers.  It was super sad seeing elder Sorenson go, but it was his time.  He was excited, but nervous to go home.  And it probably didn't help that I kept finding him articles about marriage in the Ensign.  

Elder Seastrand is my new companion.  He and I were actually in the same district last transfer, and we've been on exchanges before, so we get along.  He just bought a bunch of Pokemon cards today, so that was awesome.  

[How is the ward treating you?]

Pretty good.  The problem is that they had a bad missionary a couple of years back, and everyone remembers him.  So it's hard getting them to trust us.  But we have several fantastic families in the ward that are willing to do a lot to help us further the work.  

[What keeps me firm in the Gospel when I experience doubts and challenges?]

Several things.  Diligent scripture study is a big help, as well as prayer.  I also try to always remember the spiritual experiences I've had in my life.  Satan is really good at getting us to forget the things that built up our faith in the first place.  I ask God to help me remember the events in my life that have developed my testimony, and that helps a lot.  

Not much has happened this week. I got to see elder Rowley from my MTC district and talk to him about this business idea elder Klake and I had in the MTC.  He's totally on board.  Good thing we don't have to worry about that for a while, but still, exciting! 

I also figured out that Slenderman is real.  He's Cain.  It all makes sense.  

What kind of car did you get?  I want pictures!  Also, i'm working on taking more pictures, so expect some of me next week.  

I can't think of much else to say.  We have a couple of investigators that are progressing, and we're excited about them.  The biggest thing that has helped me with missionary work is genuinely caring about the people you serve.  That's a big one.  All our investigators are awesome.  

I hope everything is going well back home!  I keep thinking about Spongebob for some reason.  You should watch another episode for family home evening.  Maybe the one where he rips his pants.  Or the one where they deliver the pizza.  Or the marching band one.  Or the one where Patrick helps Spongebob pass his boating exam.  Those ones are all awesome.  

Elder Jordan Morgan

If The Nineth Lion Ate the Sun

Hello again family!  

What is new... The crazy bible basher lady has started to ignore us when we see her.  We think it's a combination of our refusal to argue, us helping her sister find her house, and one of our investigators talking to her.  Make a note: Being Christlike is good.  It only took me 21 years.  Go figure.  =)

So people always ask "What advice do you have for someone who is preparing to go on a mission?"  It's a hard question to answer, because you don't want to say something that is super obvious, like "Read the scriptures." (You should, though.  Read the scriptures.) You also don't want to say something really nebulous, like "Become a disciple of Christ."  You want to give something easy to understand, and practical.  So this week as I was pondering this, I had a flash of inspiration.  Something that really, truly helped me prepare for my mission.  So to all those who are wondering what you can do to prepare to serve a mission, this is the advice I give:

Work in retail.  

I am not joking in the slightest.  A large chain shopping market is preferable.  Lowe's, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Wal-Mart if you're particularly brave.  I can't think of anything I did back home that gave me more practical experience for what the mission field is like than working customer service at Lowe's.  So that is the advice I give you all.  

This week has been good.  Three of our investigators have doing super well.  Like, they're about ready to fall into the font.  It's going to be awesome.  One is a black couple in their 80's, and they are pretty much some of the coolest people out there.  And I've met his mom, who is 99, about to turn 100, so my idea of "old" has been changed forever.  We're super excited for all of them.  Imagine that?  The thing I like most about my mission so far is meeting new people!  Maybe it's because I don't have the internet anymore.  But people are like a human internet!  Does that make sense?  Probably not.  Oh well.  

So I found out that my new companion is Elder Seastrand, who is actually in our district already, and he's awesome.  We've been on exchanges before!  Also, this will be my fourth transfer in Plainfield, which I am totally fine with, because Plainfield is pretty awesome and I love the people here.  We're going to convert the whole city, Dan Jones style.  Or like that episode of the Simpsons with The Leader.  "A Leader Bean!"  

Also, elder Seastrand and I have decided to start every morning by leaping out of the bed at 6:30 and high-fiving in the air.  We just want to get each day started off on the right foot.  It's going to be awesome. 

So has anything interesting happened back home?  We really don't hear anything.  And we're fine with that, because we've learned that the world is an awful place.  Like elder Sorenson was scrolling down on facebook and saw that someone he knew posted the trailer for 50 shades of grey, and everyone was super excited.  Showed me some of the comments people were making, and I was like "We live in Babylon!"  It's alright.  Christ is coming back.  And there's going to come a point where the world is going to need to lean on the members of this church.  

I hope everything is going well, because things are going great here.  I've found out that I'm in charge of what I like, so I'm not worried about losing my personality, or doing anything that I don't like, because I can just decide to like it!  It works super well, you should all try it if you're not doing it already.  I love you all!

Elder Jordan Morgan

The Pros and Cons

This week has been a little bit eventful:

We found 5 new potential investigators this week.  That was pretty sweet.  We teach them tonight and tomorrow.  They're all totally getting baptized.  

The members do feed us really well.  I've become a legend in the ward because I don't eat a ton.  I'm just not a big fan of food in general.  Which is fine, because it keeps me from gaining weight.  Seriously, you look at the pictures of some of the missionaries out here before their mission, and you can hardly recognize them.  

My favorite parts about being on a mission are: 

1. The time goes really fast, because you are really busy.  

2. You get to spend all of your time teaching/talking to people about the gospel.

3. You get to meet cool people and find out more about them. 

4. You get to see really weird things.  Like, really weird.  

5. You get to make some cool friends.  Elder K is one of my best friends now, and we're going to start a business together when we get back from our missions.  

There are more, but I can't think of any off of the top of my head.  

Some things that are challenging:

1. People won't listen to you. 

2. Our ward in particular doesn't exactly trust missionaries.  I guess the ones they've had in the past were a little lacking.  Like the one who, while living with members, would sneak out at night to go spend time with a less active girl in the ward.  And then, after his mission, came back and married her.  That sort of thing tends to make people not trust missionaries that well.  

3. I miss the internet.  The internet is awesome.  I also realize how much fun stuff I had to do back home, and how I never did any of it.  Seriously, i'm never going to even be able to be bored again.  

But my mission has been fantastic so far, and it's only going to keep getting better.  It's weird to think that i've served six months.  And there was a year in between two of those, so it went by really fast.  I'm glad I'm out here.  

I hope everyone is doing well.  It's super great to hear about everyone being super spiritual.  Please do everything you can to keep that up, because it'll be awesome.  I've seen what happens to families that start to relax when it comes to spiritual things out here, and it's not good.  

I will write again next week.  Have fun!

Jordan