Phoenix Bird is Flying Home

Hey y'all!

I'm on my way H O M E! 18 months ago y'all I had not the slightest clue what journey I was about to embark on. During my time out, I have learned quite a lot. Every moment in the field & every person I met was my opportunity to exercise faith in God. I had no idea what they needed to hear or how I could help, but I assure you He knows every single one of us by name. He called me to serve, He inspired righteous men to know where I was to serve, and He inspires President Grayson who prayerfully considers each missionary & where to place them. 

I felt most humbled as I bounced back and forth from the energy of a new missionary and one who was soon returning. I felt as though I was going home and coming out 4 times! I believe God's hand is in all lives, but I am certain his hand has been active in mine. 

There were many times during my journey I felt peace and joy because I knew my Savior was walking right beside me! And what I have learned through personal experience, I hope to always remember. God is eternal & so are we. He never leaves us alone & He does not want to. When I felt most confused and frustrated, it was then when I looked up toward our Father in Heaven that brought me closer to Him. Through His love & guidance, I have come to love & understand Jesus Christ a little more each day. 

I am grateful for example, which helps me understand.

I am grateful for many people, who taught me how to turn to God.

I am grateful for opposition, which leads me to my Savior.

But above all, I am grateful for Jesus Christ who came to the earth to experience all we would and more. Though Christ was sinless, He understands the struggles our mistakes and the mistakes of others cause us to feel. 

He is our mediator, and I testify that He is mighty to save.

I love y'all, I appreciate the support & responses you have given me throughout my mission. I look forward to seeing y'all soon!

Love, Sister Morrill

Brace YoursELVES, 7 More Days!

Hey y'all!

The time is come! As of Friday I have served for 18 months!

This week Gabriel came to church, this is 3 weeks in a row! Its crazy we met him in the Walmart parking lot hahaha. He is awesome though and has such incredible questions! We also met a woman who practices the Muslim faith and has a desire to read the Book of Mormon!

On Saturday, we had a lesson with Gabriel over Facebook and it was so wonderful! Y'all technology is such a blessing. During our lesson, Sister Whitworth asked him if he has ever gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom in the dark. He said yes and then smacked his hand against his head to demonstrate his experience haha. What a perfect example of how it feels to fall into an apostasy! He is reading the Book of Mormon every day and praying about baptism on the 5th of January! We also found out from our Ward Council he went out with the YSA twice this week! The ward has seriously embraced him and we are so grateful. We are having dinner at the Bishop's home with Gabriel and the YSA on Saturday :)

Last Monday our Bishop called me and invited me to speak on Sunday. He said he wanted me to speak in regards of the First Presidency's Christmas devotional. Specifically how I gave my life as a gift to the Savior- because that is what he feels I have done. I thought about how my life could even be considered a "gift" to a divine being. But I felt the Spirit and I definitely sustain him so I happily agreed! I tried to prepare all week, but Sunday morning I recieved a clear impression about what I spoke about. When I decided to become a covenant KEEPER. I later learned the Stake President and the wife of a member of the 70 attended. It was pretty cool :) the Stake President shared a scripture that came to mind while listening. Omni 1:26 :) 

And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.

I have a 3 hour layover next Monday, so I think I'd like to write y'all my final testimony then!

Have a wonderful week!

Sister Morrill

Coker Sprang Forward!

Hey y'all!

I hope y'all had a wonderful two weeks, I apologize for not writing last week. I was transferred last Tuesday from South Carolina, right back to South Carolina! Sister Whitworth and I white washed into Coker Springs :) She is from Southern California and I love her! We actually served in the same district when I was serving in Cochran.

We had a fun week :) From what we understand it has been a couple of months since Elders last served here and Sisters haven't served here for a while. Swainsboro, my first area, is actually in the Augusta Stake!! So I am happy to be back here because this stake is incredible. The members share the gospel left and right & I love the Spirit I feel here :)

This area is a little different, we are sharing a car with the Elders haha. We switch off weekly, so we walked a lot this week(We tried to bike, but thats a story for another time).

On Friday, we went to use the wifi at Walmart and while we were there we kept seeing the same man pass us several times. As we were walking home through the parking lot, a car pulled over and it was him! He asked if we needed a ride, which would make him around the 10th person to offer this week. Southern people are so generous! We told him we were glad he stopped because we actually wanted to invite him to church. His name is Brother Mendoza & he was interested so we left him with the church address and got his contact information!

Sunday afternoon (Sacrament is at 1PM here) we were pleasently surprised when we discovered it was the Primary program! As we were singing the first song, I thought about Brother Mendoza and wondered if he was there. He seemed sincere about coming, so after I glanced around I decided he was either not there or I could not see him. I looked out the doors and saw a man who looked like him in a suit, I nudged Sister Whitworth and she immediately waved him over. I was glad she was certain that was him because I couldn't tell. We were so excited he came!! He seemed to really enjoy the program and even stayed for the following class and the ward pot luck. I think more people introduced themseleves to him than us! Haha it was definitely a great note to end the week on, this ward is so much fun.

I love the play on words in this verse

  
Alma 7:20
"I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round"

I hope y'all have a great Thanksgiving! I love y'all :)
Sister Morrill

Fluffy

Happy November!!

I hope Halloween was good to each of y'all :) We had a wonderful week full of tricks & treats... (candy) corny ;) but really. 

The highlights of last week include watching 2 people enter the waters of baptism!!! Also finding 2 more people who have desires to learn, and y'all they're incredible! 

Cori's baptismal service was on Saturday & teaching her has been such a joy, I feel lucky to have stayed here to be apart of her journey :) After she was baptized she described her feelings in one word, "fluffy" haha! She was most excited for her "baptism by fire" and I think every single individual felt the Spirit fill the room as she was confirmed. Cori is special, honestly her whole family is! And we were so excited to see her friend, Juliet, at her service to support her. We hope we can teach Juliet's family and that Cori will want to come with us! 

On Sunday, Recruit Grizzard was baptized at Parris Island! It was an incredible experience because he was baptized right before the Sacrament and all of the recruits were there to support him! Then he was confirmed after the Sacrament was passed :) Okay but what I find cool about him is that he is from Cochran, my last area! I remember meeting his older brother a couple of months back with Sister Smith! Recruit Grizzard learned a little bit about our beliefs from his girlfriend & her family before coming to training on base! He has been dating the Stake President's daughter, a young woman from Cochran! She is one of my favorite people, she is an incredible member missionary! She recently got her mission call to California. 

We started teaching Recruit Johnson on Sunday and she has a unique situation. She is engaged to a member, Ammon (haha), and has been searching for peace her entire life. Before she came to base she was reading in the Book of Mormon, but when her mom found out she threatened to kick her out if she kept reading. Buuuuut, now she is free to read at her leisure :) She has some challenging questions, but we are grateful because she asks with an open mind. She's just very intelligent haha, but we love every opportunity to rely on the Spirit! Her fiance recently moved to Utah, so that is where she is will return.

We also had dinner with member family yesterday and the daughters boyfriend said he would like us to teach him! He works nightshift, which is perfect for our schedule haha. We are excited to teach him at their home :)

This week is transfer calls, so next preparation day I will know where I will spend my last 5 weeks in the mission! Can y'all believe that??? Ah!

Have a wonderful week... or not, the choice is yours! ;)

Moroni 7:16
"16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God."

Love y'all,
Sister Morrill

Field Is White & Ready To Harvest

Happy Halloween!!!!

I hope y'all are excited for Halloween :) In my opinion, its an opportunity for all to recieve, even those who put forth the least amount of effort to dress up! I speak from personal experience though, considering one year I stayed in my pajamas all day and thought it could double as my costume. (I still wonder if I recieved less candy that year because of my "costume" or the fact that I was around 16 years old?) Anyways.... I find tomorrow is all around a rewarding day for just about anyone willing to leave their house! But as everything else, it will be whatever you decide to make of it!

This week was great! I have been battling sickness and we had Stake Conference!

Since my mom is a nurse and a practical woman, if we were not bleeding or dying then we were fine. I feel like that perspective has helped me overcome many mental challenges and enabled me to become a dilligent minded individual! However, I currently sound like a male and I have no desire to prolong this virus. I started feeling sick Tuesday night, but then I went to Hilton Head for exchanges Wednesday morning! Sooo on Thursday I went to the doctor and I have only two conclusions as to what is happening.

1. Satan hates me and everything else that is good
2. Shawn is searching for truth

So after I got to the doctor, I see a man who I have seen at least 3 other times since I have been in Beaufort. Shawn took my vitals and in the midst of my anxiety I noticed he was very still. He was just sitting in his chair, looking all calm the way I think all relaxed people do. I asked him what he does to relieve stress. He said he lifts and then he asked me if I enjoy running haha. He then swabbed my throat and left the room to check if I had strep. I didn't notice him come back in until I looked up to see him staring at my name tag. He looked up from my tag and said, "What do Latter-Day Saints believe? I grew up Baptist, but I am curious what you believe". Hahaha I was so thrown off, I just sat there for a minute. That was a loaded question, but I boar my testimony of Jesus Christ and a latter day prophet. He seemed interested, but he directed me to the next room. As I waited for the doctor I thought about what I could share with him that may help him. I offered to bring him back a pamphlet, but I didn't feel like it would really help him. I thought about a scripture I could share and realized it is the entire Book of Mormon that has influenced my life, not one single scripture! So fortunately I had a free downloadable card on me. I share the whole story with y'all to emphasize how my desire to understand him lead to his curiosity in what we believe. I felt like it made him more comfortable openning up to me.

I continue to learn the influence our personal desires have on the choices each of us make in life. I have noticed that outward people, more often than not, have desires to do good which in result.. leads them to do good! Its such a simple principle with such a beautiful reward. It feels good to help people!

On Sunday at Stake Conference, I was touched by a talk the Bishop in Hilton Head gave.

Bishop Masse shared a personal experience about a time in his life when he decided to make a change to become a worthy priesthood holder for his family. As I was listening to his story I was moved by the motive that led him to want to repent. His desire for God to bless his son through him became greater than his desire to do what he wanted to do. His selflessness & humility on the Savior strengthened my testimony of the Atonement.

I have seen the cleansing power of the Atonement bless my life and so many lives of others around me. I am grateful for the Sacrament, that each week we may be sanctified by the Holy Ghost as we remember our Savior & strive to become a little better each day!

1 Nephi 11:2

And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what desirest thou?

Have a safe & happy Halloween y'all! Remember your actions reflect the desires of your heart  may your actions lead you to the person you want to become tomorrow 

I love y'all! Be safe!!!
Sister Morrill

Doubt Your Doubts Before Your Faith!!

Hey yall!

I apologize, I mentioned in my last email that I would email tomorrow but I actually had my weeks mixed up. I will be emailing NEXT Tuesday!

I hope y'all enjoyed your week :)

This week God blessed Sister Stacey and I to recognize the importance of fellowship! The Beaufort Ward is incredible, the members are so quick to lend a hand and express their love :) Fellowship is so important because everything is better with good company! Cori is 10 and we were praying for a family to fellowship her and her family. We realized there is a family who lives literally a street right behind them who are awesome! Seriously y'all they read in Preach My Gospel every night as a family! We asked their mom to teach her with us 2 weeks ago. After we arrived we introduced her, but we found out she took it upon herself to walk over several days before our appointment to meet them. I love when people go out of their way to give more than what was asked!

We had plans to see Cori on Saturday at their home, but the mom realized she had a scounting event until 8 Pm that night! So we asked several other members if they could join us and for one reason or another, every single person was busy! We figured that if God needed us to be there, He would provide a way! After discovering just about everyone was unnavailible we decided to go see her alone and try again the next time. 

So Cori lives on a military base here with tight knit security. After several weeks of consistently going there, most of the gaurds recognize us and let us go past. Worst casenario, Cori's mom is always willing to sponsor us on if we have any trouble.. but she went out of town earlier that day for about a week. Sister Stacey and I assumed (assumption was our first mistake) tonight would probably be no different, so when we got there we quickly discovered a gaurd we had not yet met. Aaaaand the road blocks continued on. Y'all sometimes things are beyond our control and we just have to hope for the best. And the best we hoped for! But our hope only led us to the side of the entrance gate to wait. Well there is no greater power than God, so we turned to Him for further guidance.
After turning our will over to His (because I was willing & ready to try to convince this man to let us on) oddly, I felt very peaceful about what was about to happen. I still am not sure why, but the reassurance I felt trumpted the stress I was feeling. I trust that was God because shortly after that the man walked over and said he couldnt let us on :( We told him we understand and drove back. I wanted to feel frustrated, but the peace I felt lingered in my heart. We were concerned about Cori waiting for us, so we texted the mom who lives behind her and asked if she could walk over and invite Cori to church with them. All we know is the next day Cori had a huge smile on her face as she walked into Sacrament with their family.

I love principles and reason as much as the next logical individual, but I believe if we were created to understand everything immediately we would be deprived the blessing of learning. Learning how to trust people is difficult, but learning how to trust people with God is much easier.

Ether 12:6

"And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith"

Via con Dios (Go with God)
Sister Morrill

Y'all, He lives!

Happy Monday!!! 

Our preparation day has been moved back to Monday. Next week should be my last week of emailing on Tuesday!

I hope y'all enjoyed your weekend! The weather here is beginning to feel like fall :) Breezy & cool, just how I like it! 

As you may know, President Nelson invited women everywhere to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year in Women's conference. When he first invited us I honestly excused myself from the deadline because as a missionary, I have even less time than an individual who is permitted to study at their own leisure. I have since repented from my poor justification haha, especially considering he promised that God will help those who accept the invitation. As with every invitation from God or his servants, he extended a promised blessing which admittedly is what softened my heart and persudaded me.

President Russel M Nelson:
"I invite you to read the Book of Mormon between now and the end of the year. As impossible as that may seem with all you are trying to manage in your life, if you will accept this invitation with full purpose of heart, the Lord will help you find a way to achieve it. And, as you prayerfully study, I promise that the heavens will open for you. The Lord will bless you with increased inspiration and revelation."

There is no greater promise to me than direct & personal guidance from our heavenly Father, who knows what we need! My testimony has since strengthened, I know that God lives and speaks to us through a modern day prophet who leads and guides Jesus Christ's true church. This gospel is the way for lasting healing in both soul and body! Ours is the privilege of learning to let Him heal us.

We taught Cori about the Restoration on Saturday and I felt like we were teaching the lesson rather than her. As we were about to share the First Vision, their doorbell rang and it was Juliet! My first thought was how the adversary always seeks to interrupt, but when both Cori & her mom got up I took it as a tender mercy from God. I turned to Sister Stacey & asked her if she felt like we were really teaching to Cori's needs, she didn't feel we were & asked what we should do different. I was not sure haha, but God has a fine reputation of guiding us. All I could think to respond was, "follow the Spirit" and when Cori sat back down I thought about the purpose of our message. We want her to feel the blessing of a modern day prophet. I remembered the invitation President Nelson extended to us from Saturday night and felt we should share it with her. I noticed her eyes really focus as we shared his additional invitation.

"As you read, I would encourage you to mark each verse that speaks of or refers to the Savior. Then, be intentional about talking of Christ, rejoicing in Christ, and preaching of Christ with your families and friends. You and they will be drawn closer to the Savior through this process. And changes, even miracles, will begin to happen." 

We boar testimony and shared how important family is to us! We testified of God's capability to do anything & as we excercise faith in Him, He will keep His promise to us. I don't know what miracles God has awaiting, but I do know I love my family with my whole heart & He will bless them through my commitment to Him. She seemed to sit a little taller in her chair and said, "I am going to do that too!". She caught us off gaurd! Haha, this is a girl with pure desire & heart. I noticed her mom teared up, I felt the Spirit testify to me the power of love in a home. She ran upstairs and grabbed a clean copy of the Book of Mormon to begin highlighting, so we invited her to begin that night! She is awesome!

I am excited to report that only through the grace of God I am up to Mosiah chapter 4 as of this morning :)

One more highlight of our week occured at the home of a woman named Michelle. She has previously been taught by Elders, but wanted women to teach her. When we came she mentioned she wants to feel greater peace in the world, we promised her the peace she is searching for can be found as she reads in the Book of Mormon. We began to share our message with her and she abruptly stood up and walked to her front step just outside of her home. She was then standing directly across from where we were sitting. She reached her hand in her pocket and pulled out a cigarrette, flicked her thumb across her lighter, and took a deep inhale. I felt sad. I thought about how uncomfortable unrighteous motives feel in the presence of holier subjects. She has her agency, but I wondered how God could change the atmosphere & rid her of her desire to smoke. I thought about how the understanding of our identity can change a person. Individuals who understand their infinite value and worth, as children of God, seem to aspire to a more righteous & clean life. We stood up and asked if we could sing to her! She agreed and lowered her hand to listen and as we sang not once did she raise it back up to her mouth. The Spirit was so strong! We sang I Am a Child of God to her. When we finished, she touched the lit end of the cigarette to her railing and tossed the remains over the edge. What a blessing!

I love God! I am grateful to be a messenger of His holy work. I know He loves y'all, it is no wonder He blesses me with such incredible miracles to share. :)
Thanks for supporting & loving me!

Mosiah 3:17
"17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent"

Have a happy week y'all! 
Sister Morrill

Ps. Please enjoy this picture of Sister Stacey & I during our hurricane lockdown until 4pm on Thursday :D

Curiosity Lead The Cat ;)

Hey y'all!

I hope each of you feasted on the words of modern day Prophets & Apostles at General Conference!! I certainly did and I am stoked about the changes unfolding in The Church. I believe centering gospel teaching in homes is critical for individual growth and strengthening families :)

On Wednesday morning we went to a card making activity with the Relief Society. We were expecting to meet a woman we are teaching there, but to our surprise she was already inside with everyone else. She was so interactive, we didn't have a chance to talk with her haha! On our way out, I felt prompted to share an experience we had the previous night. Which I want to share with y'all too, because the humility of a 10 year old girl inspired me to become more meek.

On Tuesday night last week, we went over to Cori's with intentions to teach her about prophets. As we went in we noticed a new face. Cori's neighbor friend Juliet was over and decided to stay because she wanted to learn with us. We invited the Spirit with a prayer and encouraged them to be open about any questions they have. We asked them if there was a prophet on the earth today, would they want to know? Juliet immediately responded, "I believe there is a prophet". Her knowledge of the role of a prophet impressed me, so we asked her what she would want to ask the prophet if she met him. She said, "I would ask him how I could know when God is talking to me". Seriously y'all, I looked at this sweet girl and felt God's love for her consume me. We invited her to listen to the current prophet this weekend with that question in mind. She also asked if it was bad to pray for "bad" people. I was processing her question when she began sharing the concern she has for her uncle. She said he has been to jail but she still has hope for him. It reminded me of Enos, a wicked son of a righteous man. His father taught him the right way growing up, but Enos rebelled. Eventually Enos's heart softened, and because of his father's dilligent teaching (and I imagine consistent plead with God) he became a righteous man :) She also asked if it was heavenly Father or Jesus Christ who died on the cross. Her questions were so simple. I shared with Cori's mom how often I supress simple questions because I feel I should know the answer. She laughed and agreeingly nodded. No wonder God commands us to be like children.

So we shared this experience with the women at the card activity and invited each of them to come to conference with a specific question. Afterward I realized why God wanted me to share that. The woman we teach does not ask us questions and she prefers us not to ask her questions either. Her responses differ from "yes, no, I dont know, mmm maybe" haha. We have been trying to figure out how she learns for quite some time. The following day, we had an appointment with her at 3:30 and she welcomed us in. The first question she asked was if we believe in Christening children. My heart was so happy because she felt comfortable enough to ask a question! We turned to the Book of Mormon to answer her question and read Moroni 8 with her. Last week, she told us she fell asleep during General Conference in April because it bored her, but we encouraged her to come again anyway. She politely declined, but on Saturday afternoon she texted us and asked us what the difference between the morning and evening session is! She even watched it from home!!! 

Much like Juliet, I too have hope for everyone. I know it was the love and hope others expressed for me that helped me recognize the love our heavenly Father has for each of us.

Jacob 2:8
"And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul."


I love y'all! I hope you recieved further instruction on how you can improve & feel Gods love throughout your week as you apply it :)

Sister Morrill