Walk In Faith, Not Of Shame

Hey y'all!

I hope you had a lovely week :)

We certainly did & ended it with the wonderful surprise that I am staying in Beaufort! I feel like there is still work for me to do here, so I wasn't caught of guard when I found out. Fortunately, I have at least 6 more blessed weeks serving with Sister Stacey in South Carolina!

This week we met a returning member for the first time. She is wonderful! When we arrived she immediately came outside to greet us with a huge smile! Haha she is so cute, she is from the Philippines and she always says, "yaaas seester" haha I love it! After we went in and sat down, she began to express her gratitude for the gospel and the blessings she has received from living it. Earlier that morning, I studied about Christ's Atonement, and God's justice and mercy. I thought about how He blesses each of us on condition of our obedience to His laws. She recognized that the gospel has made all the difference after she was baptized at the age of 27. She shared a story, about a boy she nannys, which really touched me. I will share what I remember from her story with y'all :)

Recently she received a 3 page letter from her sister that was full of lies and accusations. She couldnt understand why she wrote such things, but as she responded she noticed she was full of anger. After writing quite a bit, she put it away and decided she would finish later. (I find when I compulsively respond to conflict, I leave no time to understand from heavenly Fathers perspective. I imagine she considered what the outcome of her action would be and subconsciously made that decision.) One day while she was nannying, the boy waved around an inflated balloon with an eraser bouncing around inside of it. He approached her with it and asked her to watch. He then popped the balloon revealing the eraser and handed it to her. He proceeded to explain the eraser can fix any mistakes she has made! She did not want to take it from him, but he begged her to keep it. Still feeling wrong about taking it, she placed it on his desk before leaving. Later on she noticed something in her purse and realized he had snuck it in. She decided to keep it, she really loves that boy, and she knows he loves her.

As she shared her story, I imagined the balloon as each of us when we make mistakes. If we keep inside the shame we feel, eventually the effect will cause us to burst. The eraser reminded me of Christ's Atoning sacrifice. Each of us is entitled to the healing power of it and it is only our humility that will allow us to access its cleansing effect. The best part of her story was how badly he wanted her to have it, for no other reason than that he wanted to help her because he loves her! I think of the picture of Jesus Christ patiently waiting outside the door for us to let him in. If you have any doubt, I encourage you to read the scriptures. How many times is it recorded that the very hour a person turns to Christ, they are healed? No person can stray so far, that they may not be changed.

We discussed agency and the Sacrament and invited her to come to church! She invited us back to feed us real Phillipino food, so we went over last night and y'all she definitely knows how to cook! Last night I experienced a fraction of what it must feel like to serve in another country. She made so much food and kept urging us to "eat seester! Eat more seester! Seester eat!" Haha. 

On Sunday I looked around for a recruit I invited to read a chapter in the Book of Mormon. When I saw him I noticed he was holding the Book in his lap between his hands and I felt so happy. It was so cute! I walked over to him and found out he actually read 2 chapters beyond what I invited him to! Recruits have about 5 minutes of devotional time a day, needless to say I was impressed. Later we taught him the Restoration and I felt the Spirit so strong. There is a love I feel when teaching a person's soul that I hope will stay with me beyond my mission.

We are teaching a 10 year old girl and she is seriously so intelligent. She always has so many questions and we are excited because she accepted November 3rd to be baptized :)

Matthew 8:13

"And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour."

I love y'all! I pray God is keeping you safe, I know He is mindful of you.

Love, 

Sister Morrill

Abiding With Me

Hey y'all!

I hope your week was wonderful :)

We had a great week! Yesterday morning I was feeling less than energized and usually that means something great was bound to happen. We had District Council in the morning and sometimes we will role play teaching or contacting scenarios as a district. One of the Elders asked who would be willing to be the missionaries and all of tired me did not raise my hand. I glanced to my left, where I noticed Sister Stacey's hand practically hit the ceiling. What a blessing in disguise, we scooted our chairs up and one of the senior missionaries and an elder acted as a couple we just met. Sister Stacey asked how they have seen God's hand in their lives and Sister Booren said "child birth". Somehow the "couple" got off talking about when they don't feel God is there. It reminded me of Joseph Smith when he was searching for truth. He realized man's wisdom is confusing, so he sought God himself. We testified of the Book of Mormon and Sister Booren asked how we know it is true. Sister Stacey and I were both silent for a minute, it didnt seem like a scripture or testimony would answer her question. I silently pleaded for God's help, because I wanted to help her. It then occurred to me that she had experienced something too that I could not understand. I asked her how it felt when she gave birth, to which she responded "it hurt" haha. Then she said "well it felt like a warm blanket around me and it felt good because I knew He was there". We told her that was the power of the Holy Ghost testifying of Jesus Christ and that same feeling will occur as she searches for truth. Then we invited the Elder to read Moroni 10:3-5 with his name instead of "Ye" or "you". He chose the name John which was interesting because later that night we had an interesting contact with a man named John.

We are in the process of inviting everyone to an event on Sunday night, and we were in an area where we noticed a Sister Bueno lived. We had never met her, but we felt we should go see her. After we got out of the car, we noticed her house had a "for sale" sign and there was definitely not anyone currently living there. We turned to leave & saw a man on his porch across the street. We went over to him and he said that everyone on their street had to move 6 months ago because the owners were redoing the homes. So we asked what his name is and he asked what we are doing. We told him we teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and he was surprised because he didnt know people still did that haha. He hadnt seen missionaries since he lived in Virginia Beach years ago. He asked us what the difference between Latter Day Saints and Mormons are (one of my favorite questions). We explained Mormon was a prophet who lived long ago and because we read out of the Book of Mormon, people gave us that nickname. We further explained that calling us "Mormons" would be like calling people who read the 4 gospels in the Bible "Matthews". He eagerly gave us his number and commented that this is good because he has a lot of questions. 

Alma 1:25

"Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them"

Transfers are next week, so I find out if I am staying or going on Tuesday! I love y'all, have a happy week!!

Sister Morrill

A God Wink

Hey y'all! 

I hope my East Coast people are surviving Florence & all of its disturbances. Fortunately the hurricane dodged Beaufort, but what a warm welcome to the hurricane season!

This week was wonderful! Several experiences come to mind as I pondered what I wanted to share with y'all this week. So last week while Sister Stacey & I were planning we were pondering what we could do to gain more trust from the members here. Two days later in church a member was asked to speak on the tender mercies of the Lord. After she began speaking, I noticed she was glorifying specific people around her who have acted as the Lords hands in helping her since moving to Beaufort. I thought her language was beautifully aligned with how Jesus Christ taught everything for the sole purpose of leading others back to heavenly Father. She transitioned to commenting on how even several random texts from individuals have shown just how aware the Lord is of her. She concluded with an example of one text in particular from the Sister Missionaries. Her husband had been away for something with the Marine base & she was home alone with her 2 little boys for a few weeks. She said one night she had heard a noise that frightened her & she crawled into bed & played the general conference talk "Am I A Child Of God?" By Brian K Taylor. One specific sentence stood out to her that brought her the comfort she needed. The very next day, the Sisters (us) had texted her the exact quote from the talk and she felt an even greater confirmation through the Lords tender mercy. I was in awe, through her recognition of us we have gained so much more trust! We have some wonderful members here. :)

On Friday, after traveling to Statesboro the second time, we had a dinner appointment with a member there who I knew from Cochran. She invited us to dinner with 6 of her college friends, on condition that we wouldnt be weird and we could only share a Mormon Message video. Haha! We agreed. Missionaries go often and some of her friends know that we share a little video before we go and it was getting near that time, so one of her friends actually initiated it. Haha well fun fact about me, I know when God is working through me because I completely forget our game plan and run on solely Spirit. We introduced ourselves and explained how we came to serve a mission. Then I pulled out a Book of Mormon and testified that it is the most special book to me because it answers my real life questions. I shared a recent experience with them that helped me. Toward the end I told them we like to pray with people before we leave, but we like to pray for them by name. Haha y'all, I have never been great with names but I have gotten better on my mission. In that moment, I could remember 1 name and that was the Sister who invited us! I looked at my companion & felt so much confidence that God would bless her, so I invited her to offer the prayer. God works through both of us, y'all, she said every single persons name! They were amazed, I was impressed, and I knew that God had blessed her. Sister Stacey is incredibly faithful. 

Someone else we had brunch with said, tender mercies are just a wink from God. I loved that, I imagine heavenly Father winking at everyone who looks up to Him in their time of need & Him saying, "don't worry, I've got ya!". Haha in so many words anyway.

I love y'all! Have a great week!!!

Sister Morrill

Well Seasoned

Hey y'all!

I hope y'all are prepared & safe in case a natural disaster ever comes your way. Always better to be safe than sorry! We evacuated to Statesboro this morning and after Beaufort lifted the evacuation we drove back. 

Anyways, this week we had exchanges! It felt odd to me to lead our area, usually the missionary being trained will lead her second transfer. But that's okay! As always, God knew what he was doing. Earlier that week, I had a dream about a man named Ted. It was so strange haha I woke up around 2 and went back to bed. When I woke up again at 5 I completely forgot his last name, so I grabbed something to write "Ted" on & then went to bed again.

Curious me decided to check our area book for a man named Ted. Sure enough, there was one in there! We planned to see him Wednesday night, so we went to go see him but he was not home. As we walked down the trailer park, I noticed a man outside & all of me felt very awkward so we kept walking. I had this overwhelming feeling that we needed to talk to him, so we turned back & walked over to him. He looked like he was cleaning his car, but when he saw us he stood up and walked over. We asked him if he knew his neighbor Ted & he didnt. So we asked him what his name was & introduced ourselves. When we asked him if he has a belief in God, he told us he has a soft spot for religion. Realizing that was not the word he was looking for, he corrected himself with sour*. Haha, we asked him why & he told us something about the way he grew up. Then he told us he does believe in God though! He has been through the 12 step program 3 times and hopes he doesn't have to go through it again. Woo! Open window for conversation, I asked him what his favorite step was & he said 9! 

Step 9 is to make restitution. He said he loves it because its important to make things right with other people, including ourselves. I loved that because that really is so important. It reminded me of the unique message we share with the world, how God has restored truth through a modern day prophet. He was awesome! We were about to leave when he invited us back! He said if we couldn't find Ted, we could come back & see him. He would even help us find him! People are awesome. We asked if we could follow up with him about the pamphlet and he said absolutely. :)

The next morning Sister Going & I had about 40 minutes before our ride came, so we prayed about where we could go. We felt good about a family down the street. We got in the car & when we got about half way there, a car passing us kind of stopped. I rolled down my window & she asked if we knew where the apartment manager lives. Seriously two days before then, a different man asked us the same thing! When he asked us, we went inside to write down the address but when we came back out he had already left. Funny enough, I had a feeling I should keep the note and it was sitting on our desk. We told her we could give it to her, so she followed us back and when we came back out we found out she actually lives right next to our church building. We invited her to church & she wanted to come! She is looking to move next to us :)

On Friday we followed up with the man by Ted. A woman answered the door, she told us that he had read the pamphlet several times! She came out at that point and shut the door behind her. We talked with her and she really wanted to read the Book of Mormon! We shared our favorite scriptures with her & she invited us back :) she was super sweet!

On a less spiritual note, this week I experienced an "unpickled" pickle. Not entirely sure what you would call it. I left some cucumbers in my water bottle over night & ate one in the morning & I now know what a pickle without salt, vinegar, and whatever else goes in the jar tastes like. It was missing the flavor, but the texture wasn't too bad. 

I wonder if that is what it would feel like when we are ressurected if we haven't kept the promises we make with God in this life?

Not too bad, just completely missing our flavor. #Illpass 

Luke 14:34-35

"Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." 

I love y'all! Be safe this week.

Sister Morrill

Solid Ground on a Higher Plane

Hey y'all!

I hope y'all have had a happy week. 

We had a Mission tour with Elder & Sister Christensen and Elder & Sister Gerard, two of members of the 70 and their wives. We had a wonderful opportunity to hear each of their testimonies & enjoy the spiritual feast from the words they shared with us. I was struck with an overwhelming feeling of peace from the Spirit they brought with them. I admire each of them because they spoke from their heart to us. The compassion they expressed toward each other & our comments edified us & allowed the Holy Ghost to teach me. Another testimony builder to me of the importance of charity & unity. 

This morning we had a pretty cool experience. We were walking into Wal-Mart & I noticed this man staring at us. I felt slightly awkward, but Sister Stacey didn't seem to notice. As we got closer he turned the other way, but he kept looking back. He finally turned toward us so I smiled to acknowledge him. He squinted and walked toward us and it looked like he was trying to read my nametag. He said, "Are y'all Mormons?" I told him we are Latter-Day Saints. He then asked us if we have a book with us that he could have. Uh absolutely! He is from up North, but he shared with us that is boss is from Utah and some of the other men he works with. He told us they were talking about The Book of Mormon and he really wants to read it. It was amazing! Maybe it was just me, but I felt like he was talking really loud. I couldn't help but smile though, God always has such great timing & I was hoping his tone sprinkled that desire on someone else. 

His desire contributed to my appreciation to member missionary work, I'm so grateful for people who live the gospel and exemplify our Savior in their actions and boldy testify to their friends. I have a list of people to thank for being that example of love to me.

On Sunday, a recruit approached me and asked if she could talk to me. She asked me if I remembered her and our conversation last Sunday. She told me throughout the crucible, a rigorous course every marine must complete before graduating, our conversation replayed over and over in her head. We talked about the importance of praying with real intent. She told me that is what got her through, and she learned the difference it makes when she prays from the bottom of her heart. I felt pretty bad because I forgot we spoke, but I was very grateful she shared that with me. I fail to realize the impact each effort can have because I really don't always recognize the fruit of my service haha. But she was sweet & her gratitude toward me lifted my spirit!

This week someone we were teaching moved..... but we woke up to a text from  her saying she knows the Book of Mormon is true and wants to be baptized as well. We are so stoked for her!

God works everything out, key to our success is many things, one of which is trust. Learning who & how to do that is part of the journey. I'm grateful we have a God who is consistent, He always provides for those who turn to Him!

Mormon 9:8-11

"Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them.

For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?

And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.

But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are."

Have a wonderful week y'all!

Sister Morrill

Still Stacey's Mom

Hey y'all!

I hope your week was full of love & light. Our week was far less destructive than last week!

We had transfers this week & Sister Stacey is stuck with me for at least 6 more weeks!!! She seriously rocks. I am so blessed every single day by her example of humility & obedience. 

On Sunday after Sacrament meeting on Parris Island, we have a short break for the recruits to go to their next class, fill their tanks, & use the head(bathroom). Sister Stacey & I were in the hallway when a girl approached us about several questions she had. We invited her to listen to our message, and she gladly accepted. We went into a room and shared the Restoration with her. When we shared the First Vision she said, "Wow I have never heard that before!" She read out of the Book of Mormon and I noticed her eyes reread the verse and it was very clear to me she was touched by the Spirit. We invited her to share some of her thoughts with us, and she said she felt a chill after reading. We told her that was the Holy Ghost, and the Spirits role is to testify of Jesus Christ & truth. She is so excited to read in the Book of Mormon. She had a beautiful light about her.

Sister Stacey & I biked over 21 miles yesterday to see a woman we are teaching(over 21 because I am directionally challenged & working on it). She is amazing, when we got there she shared with us that instead of going to musical night she felt she should stay home and meet with us. She seemed to be struggling, so we sat down & hoped our message would help her. We began sharing God's plan for each of us, and she asked us what makes Jesus Christ the only Begotten Son? I believed there was more behind her question, so I silently considered what lead her to ask. I asked her if she ever feels like heavenly Father has forsaken her. She opened up to us, and the Spirit was so strong. We shared what Christ experienced in the garden of Gethsemene and testified of Gods love and His gospel. My heart was so full, she is so wonderful.

I was pondering on charity and thought about the amount of love that Jesus Christ has for each of us. That is something I sincerely hope to one day fully comprehend. One instance that strengthens my testimony of His love is the way Joseph Smith describes his experience of the first vision. He says that heavenly Father & Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him by name. So rather than immediately answering his question, they first addressed him by name to express their pure love and validation of him. It does make all the difference to each of us when someone knows us by name. 

I love our Savior so much y'all, I am grateful for this short time I have to testify of Him and His gospel. Change begins with a desire, and if you don't have even the smallest desire you can pray for one. 

Moroni 10:3-5

"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."

I love y'all! Thanks for loving me :)

Have a happy week!

Sister Morrill

One Mans Trash Is Another Mans Obstacle

Hey y'all! 

This week we had a lot crazy things happen, but to be brief, my personal favorite included me biking into a large black trash can right next to a 3 way intersection! I was striped of my pride very quickly.

On a more uplifting note, we met a girl the Elders had referred us to who goes to school in New York. She came back home for a couple of things, but she didn't have anywhere to go and she felt she should ask her ex-boyfriends mom if she could stay with her while she is here. The Elders were delivering a Bible to her neighbor, who was not home, which led them to her instead. We went by to teach her and she was so radiant and full of questions! We went back to share the message of the Restoration, and she asked us if God ever makes mistakes. That was an interesting question that drove my studies this morning. If God is perfect, he can't make mistakes right?

I wonder how often we misunderstand the big picture when things do not work out the way we feel they should. Perhaps maybe the mistakes we make, helps shape and refine others? Maybe that is my optimistic way to view things, but we can't mess up God's perfect plan for each of us. I thought about when Jesus Christ was on the earth, He chose 12 Apostles and gave them His power and authority to carry out His gospel throughout the world. I think to be one of those 12 chosen men, they would have to be striving to be very meek. However, 1 of those men betrayed Christ, and even before Jesus was betrayed He knew that Judas had sold Him for money. In the end, Christ was slain and crucified and completed the Atonement fulfilling His whole purpose in coming to earth. 

 God has a greater plan for each of us & every single one of us is capable of becoming more than who we are today! I love y'all and hope each of you have wonderful experiences this week :)

 Remember, y'all are children of God!

Sister Morrill

Romans 8:6

" For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

And We're Biking

Hey y'all!

This week was awesome! We ended up driving more than we anticipated, so now we are the bike Sisters haha. Thankfully the Elders let us borrow their bikes. But I am a firm believer that biking missionaries are more effective anyway, so I'm counting my blessings!

We had an amazing appointment yesterday that I want to share with y'all, but first I'll share a personal experience.

On Saturday night after a long day of driving (from Savannah to Macon to Beaufort), we got home just in time to get ready for bed haha. I had studied a little bit at 5:30 that morning, but I am not as spiritually strong without my personal study time. So I knelt down and asked heavenly Father to strengthen my testimony of Joseph Smith being called of God. I was reading in My Search for Happiness & it occurred to me what kept Joseph Smith searching for truth.

"A serious, thoughtful boy with a profound spiritual nature, he listened to the respective ministers and sorted out the truth as best he could. At first he was inclined to follow his father and Alvin into the Methodist church. But then he would hear the Presbyterian minister attack the Methodist, and his confidence in the Methodist with wavered. Then the Baptist minister would convince him that the Presbyterian minister was in error. And then a revivalist preacher would visit and persuade him that everyone-except himself- was wrong."

What occurred to me is that he was honestly searching for answers and people continued to tell him what isn't right. Truth doesn't have to be defended, it will defend itself & I believe they fueled Joseph's desire to know even more than when he began. After reading James 1:5, he realized he should turn to God and he did & decided to ask Him instead. I love that so much! Man's wisdom doesn't compare to He who's an all knowing being. Haha it was awesome! Specific questions get specific answers y'all!

So yesterday we had plans to teach the woman we have been meeting with for several weeks. She really is so awesome, and we were able to have a recent convert meet us at the church. We had plans to discuss Family History and Temples, but we ended up discussing reformers and the Restoration. We watched the Restoration and she really opened up so much, probably because the member is so awesome. She related to Joseph because she had gone from church to church for a while looking for what felt right as well. She mentioned that the ultimate sign it was wrong was that each church she went to was attacking someone else and it turned her away. She made the comment that she has noticed we do not talk about other religions or people that way and she loves that. Oh it made my heart so happy :)

We came across a boy on Sunday night who was outside and as we were walking down the street he went inside. We knocked on his door and he asked us who we are, we told him we are representatives of Jesus Christ and he said "Oh! I thought y'all were the Mormons. They always come around here." Haha we told him that is still us, that is our nickname because we read out of the Book of Mormon. Then he asked us to tell us about what we believe and then he asked if it was okay if he sat down and I honestly have never had someone so interested at a door approach. He wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon and we have plans to see him again on Thursday!

Mosiah 2:41

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual"

I apologize for sending a weekly last week, I love y'all & hope you have a happy week :)
Sister Morrill