Sun Shiney

Hey y'all!

Another great week here in beautiful Beaufort :) serving in South Carolina has been an absolute treat! I love it here because the sun is always shining and it storms at least once a week. Its a little reminder to me that our challenges & trials are gaurenteed in this life but so is the Saviors light to get through them. Helps me appreciate the better days!

On Sunday I saw the Recruit I met about 2 weeks ago! She came up to me and told me she had a note for me but couldn't get it to the Elders before they left last week. I was surprised she remembered me haha, but I definitely remembered her! I went over to sit by her and after I sat down she apologized for missing church last week. She mentioned she had a really difficult week and regretted missing the opportunity to spiritually recharge. Then she actually thanked me and told me she felt me praying for her all week long (I prayed for her every single day!!) She said it was the strongest on Monday, she said she was walking around with gratitude for everything! Haha she's awesome.

After Sacrament on base we taught the Restoration to 2 recruits and a Private! It was incredible, the spirit radiated so strongly and each of them described how they felt after. One said, "it's pretty hard to find people who genuinely care, and I can feel that you care about us and what your sharing" and another said she felt really light. I know that is true, because I do care & everything good comes from God.

I really do love missionary work because I know there is hope for everyone, no matter who you are or what you've done! I was pondering last night about why I choose to keep the commandments. At first I recognized how much joy comes into my life as I live in accordance to God's plan and the reality of the promised companionship of the Holy Ghost. Then I thought about how I have also seen how much sorrow & bitterness comes from justification and disobedient choices. The scripture that came to mind was "no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God" and the gospel has helped me understand that no unclean person will want to. Where we go after this life is not a punishment or reward, it's a direct consequence of the choices we make today.

I hope y'all are enjoying summer. Keep on shining even when a storms a brewin' ;) I promise you there is light even if you can't always see it,
Sister Morrill

Alma 42:27

"whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds"

Jesus Take The Wheel

Hey y'all!

Time flies when we're serving the Lord & the mosquitos are back in action! Within a 10 minute time span I began to see at least 9 bites forming. Note to self: Bug spray saves happy skin.. I just have to remember to put it on. Fortunately I have multiple reminders up and down my legs :)

Anyways, this week was great! Sister McKay and I were driving and I pulled over next to the wrong home because the house numbers here are backward (at least it seems so), so I figured we could walk and talk to people on the way. When we got out of the car, a car drove super fast past us and began to slow down after a few feet. It had almost come to a full stop when the back door opened and a man jumped out. It looked like something out of a movie, aaaand he stuck the landing! He had a backpack on and looked to me like he was waiting for an uplifting message about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. God always leads us where we need to be :) We crossed the street and began talking to him, come to find out he was pretty upset. He had a 10 mile hike ahead, so we tried to give him something to read along the way. He said he liked to think while walking, so I offered a scripture that he could reflect upon & he accepted. I shared a scripture that occurred when Christ visited the Nephites in America. He asked me to repeat it, and he said he had just read that in Isaiah the day prior. Pretty neat, he wanted to read more in the Book of Mormon so we gave him a copy. 

We got back to the car and had several minutes before we had to head home, so I looked at Sister McKay and told her we were going to play a game. Now no part of me believes that God's work is a game, however I do believe that we are here to invite souls unto Christ & I find the best way to do it is to be bold, prayerful, willing, and sometimes impulsive. The most spiritual experiences for me occur when I submit my will and allow God to lead. So I told her on our drive home we would pull over and talk to the first person outside that God puts in our path. We got pretty close to home before we saw someone, but lo and behold there was a large man walking our way as we came up to an intersection. We pulled into an IHOP parking lot and ran over to him. We told him we promised God we would talk to him and I noticed he put his cigarrette out. We walked with him back to his apartment and talked with him. He was pretty cool and had actually just met the Elders at the grocery store that week haha. 

We walked back to our car and saw a man and a woman by their cars & headed over to them. She was drying his car and he was headed back inside because his break was over. We talked to her for a bit and we invited her to hear our message. She accepted and wanted to learn more :)

I strive my best to imagine everyone we meet willing to accept the gospel because I know we are all children of God. This gospel can bless anyone and will as they come to know it's true and act upon their faith. "Perception is reality!" Something they say on base that stuck with me. 

Sometimes during my study I want a snack and I get up multiple times and its super frustrating because it disrupts my learning but I am a human being so what am I to do right? Well, I was reading in Preach My Gospel and I read 

"Pray to overcome temptation. Yielding to temptation interferes with the Spirit". It's so true! So I said a prayer and let me tell y'all, I had a 100% attention span and no appetite for the rest of my studies. #hallelujah Praying with faith is important, they complement each other. Faith without works is dead, sometimes we just have to take things day by day. 

2 Nephi 9:39

"O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal"

I love y'all! I hope y'all had an awesome Fathers day, always remember you have an incredible Father in heaven who loves you unconditionally. No matter how fast the car you jump out of is going, the type of car you're driving (or drying), or temptation you may be having. He loves your every quirk ;)

Have a happy week,

Sister Morrill

The World Is Run By Those Who Show Up

Hey y'all!

I'm sorry I forgot to get my weekly to y'all last week! This week has been awesome, Sister McKay and I have seen so many miracles together here. I want to share my favorite with y'all though because it makes me laugh.

On Saturday Sister McKay and I went to try a woman out yonder (we drive over 50 miles every day here because this area is so huge). When we got there we realized that we were just there the day before and she wasn't home. We looked around and it appeared the exact same as it had 2 days prior. We went on with faith anyway, parked, and got out to talk to her neighbor who was outside on his lawn.

Neighbor 1:
We began talking to him and he didn't seem too interested at first. His 5 year daughter came running out toward us and began asking me to come see her house and backyard. She was so cute! She was in her swim suit and it was about to storm, she was not taking "no" for an answer. I offered her a picture instead and she said "I want a picture of you" haha she was so funny, but I handed her a picture of Christ and she looked at it and said "who is this?". When her dad told her she gave the picture a kiss and hugged it. It was so sweet :) They even invited us back. But as we walked away I felt like we still had someone to see, so we headed to their other neighbor.

Neighbor 2:
We walked up to the door and knocked, a young man opened the door and kind of just looked awkward. I felt awkward so maybe it was just projection, but I do love awkward situations so it was all good. Sister McKay started talking about eternal families and asked if we could come back when all of his family would be home. He said yes and went back inside. I felt content after that home, even though nothing really happened so we went back to the car. Flash forward to Sunday night, a missionary just returned home from Mexico and we went to her drop in. I was talking to one of their neighbors ( who came to church that day :) ) and a member pulled Sister McKay to the side. She said......

"We're y'all out over by so & so on Saturday?" Sister McKay wasn't sure which street it was so the member described the boy we had met and she remembered him! So she proceeds to explain the part of the story missionaries typically don't see, after we walked away the boy went back inside and resumed playing on Xbox live. He just so happened to be online with the members son. The boy said to him, "I think the missionaries were just at my house" and then described us and the members son confirmed it. Anyways, the member told us how she had just sat down with his mom and she had so many questions and they had such a deep gospel conversation!! The boys grandma was actually raised in an LDS home. Seriously how cool is that! There are so many connections, we are just running around trying to find the links.

On another note, Sister McKay is absolutely wonderful. I love being companions with her because she is so funny and we are seriously polar opposites in every area and it works! I can't believe we are on week 3, but I enjoying every moment with her.

This week I was feeling extremely overwhelmed, as a missionary I worry a lot about how we appear to the community. We are representing our Savior, Jesus Christ, and that is not something I take very lightly! But worrying about things I can't control is lame, so I am trying not to do that. I was reading in Jacob and I came across 2 verses that hit home.

Jacob 3: 1-2
"But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.

O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever"

Even He, who was perfect was accused of sacrilege and blasphemy! Integrity is everything, which is choosing to do whats right regardless of the conditions...

Helaman 5:7
"7 Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them"

I love being a missionary and I share His gospel because it feels good to bear witness of Christ's divinity. Y'all don't have to look like a certain anyone to feel His love. :) or mine!

I love y'all, have a blessed week!
Sister Morrill

1. Pretty views

2. We went crabbing, we caught seaweed

3. This is what it looks like to move a trailer hitch from the middle of traffic

4. Sister McKay :)

5. Our district made a Spanish music video

White Washed Straight To The Sea

Hey y'all!

This week was full of "see you later"s because Cochran is wonderful and I will miss it. On that note, today I transferred to South Carolina! I am serving in Beaufort with Sister McKay! She is from Sandy Utah and this is her last 6 weeks in the mission! She is full of excitement and ready to do work :)

Beaufort is beautiful! The area has not had Sisters since 2015! Prayers have been answered though because Sister McKay and I were whitewashed in together this afternoon! One set of English speaking Elders were pulled out, so now there's one Spanish and English speaking set of elders, a senior companionship couple here, and us. Seriously this area is huge! I smell nothing but miracles, blessings, and a lot of salty water here. There is also a base and the University of South Carolina-Beaufort here, so we will get to work with a wide range of people. I have been wanting to teach on a base since I got here, so I'm even more pumped about that!

I am so stoked to serve here!

Alma 30:7-9
"Now there was no law against a man’s belief; for it was strictly contrary to the commands of God that there should be a law which should bring men on to unequal grounds.

For thus saith the scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve.
Now if a man desired to serve God, it was his privilege; or rather, if he believed in God it was his privilege to serve him; but if he did not believe in him there was no law to punish him."

I will choose God every time!

Yesterday we were able to have a family home evening with a family and an investigator in Cochran. We talked about faith and had a little object lesson. It was so peaceful and I just love when people feel vulnerable and open up. The spirit always testifies of truth!

 I love y'all! Have a wonderful week!

Sister Morrill