That's my dyslexia coming out in sticker form

 Welcome one and all to Sister Morrison's latest weekly email. 

The miracle is that some of you still read these things. I think me and one of my companions have figured that I've been out for something like 60 something weeks now. That's a lot of emails. And most of it is just fluff. I'm actually not quite sure what I even talk about in my weekly emails. Sometimes I feel like I can't type fast enough because I have so much to say and other times, I do run on sentences like this one to take up space. Honestly, I always have run on sentences. I don't know how to English anymore. Sometimes we'll be praying or talking to someone and I have to do it in English and my brain can only come up with the French words for it. I spent a solid 5 minutes trying to remember the word for Atonement the other day. It was annoying but also kinda cool! Who knew I could kinda learn another language. Woohoo! 

This past week was fun. We went to the Bishop's house for sacrament meeting this time and let the Elders go to the ward instead. We have to share a car with them, so it can get pretty awkward when there's something we both have to get to. Unfortunately, we can't ride together, and we can't get rides from members yet. So, we have been going to Church because the Elders can give themselves the sacrament and all that jazz. The Bishop and his wife are very very nice people. They are originally from Portland, so we got to talk about how much we missed it and how beautiful it is over there. This part of Maryland is also very beautiful too, so the ride out to their house was magnificent! Lots of cornfields and horses! Really nice! And they have this tiny little dog that got super excited when we came in and was so soft and loveable. He jumped right up on my lap and snuggled in. So precious. 

Miracles this week! Tatiana, our new one texted us this week asking how she could go about getting baptized. It was certainly exciting for me! I love it! Even though she's not fully there yet, in terms of knowing what baptism is and means and why it can't just be any ole Church. But we tried hard in our most recent lesson to help her out. We dropped off a Book of Mormon so she's on her way. She's got that eagerness and desire that we love to see! Pray for her this week! 

Alma 31:5

《Et maintenant, comme la prédication de la parole avait une grande tendance à amener le peuple à faire ce qui était juste — oui, elle avait eu un effet plus puissant sur l’esprit du peuple que l’épée ou quoi que ce fût d’autre qui lui fût arrivé — Alma pensa qu’il était opportun d’essayer la vertu de la parole de Dieu.》

Câlins et bisous, Sœur Morrison 

Onward and Upward 

Que Dieu vous bénisse 

Sorry we're really bad at taking pictures so please feel free to not look at them. Also, my hair is a mess

Oh, also I made chicken meatballs that were really good. 

I'm gonna kill you Ethan. You just sneezed blood on me

 Bonjour mes amis! 

Another week come and gone. I can't believe that August is already half over!! Crazy how times fly, ya know? 

Speaking of time, he and I aren't on speaking terms so if you see him send a dirty look. He's being rude. 

Anywho. This week was actually kind of fun. First of all, we went on a hike today which was absolutely wild. Pics to show at the end of this. Turns out my entire district (who are not all featured) are a bunch of nerdy guys. They were playing video game soundtracks and talking about different games and levels. They could actually recognize what game and level and every event in the game based on one music track. They talked about Minecraft and Assassin's Creed (apparently, it's a joke??) and a few others but I have nothing to say or add soooooo.....oops. we had fun and that's all that mattered! Plus, I got to see and talk to other people! 

And speaking of, we actually got to go to Zone Conference in person! We wore masks for four hours, but we survived! I was with 25 other missionaries and it was so wild. Only one other set was from my actual Zone. But it was nice to see some familiar faces. I saw a couple of Elders I had served with and they were just the same as always. And there were two Sisters I knew and that was awesome! It was awkward to "catch up" because we had to stay 6 feet apart when talking or being with one another. Interesting for sure! But we talked about patience, love, and enthusiasm which is always great. My Mission President is on a kick right now. He loves hope and enthusiasm! He's a positive and upbeat person by nature and so he loves to be with people and float around talking to everyone. He's taller than I thought he would be. He's been my Mission President since May 1st and I'm just now seeing him for the first time. Crazy crazy times! 

Side note: I've made 4 loaves of banana bread this week. Needless to say, it's been a good week. Grandma Letha's recipe continues to make "the best banana bread I've ever had." And I've got a order for two more loaves. If you haven't had it, well I guess you'll have to get the recipe or something. It's literally the perfect banana bread. 

You know, this week I just can't stop thinking about how perfect God is. I mean we were created by Him and we try to be more like Him, but He is perfect. More than perfect, He's also powerful. And incredibly, He is also completely loving and forgiving. We were able to do a Live for our area's Facebook page, and we talked about life before earth and life on earth. And you know what? If Heavenly Father has taken the time, energy, talent, skill, attention to details, care, and effort into not just creating us, but also a plan for us and helping us stick to that plan, there must be something pretty dang special about us. I have yet to figure it out because we are literally nothing without Him. But just remember, God is the most Supreme Being. And of all His creations, using all His power, He decided to create you. And if that doesn't help you love yourself, I don't know what will. You are amazing people. Never forget you are worthy of pure love. 

2 Néphi 2:14

《Et maintenant, mes fils, je vous dis ces choses pour votre profit et votre instruction ; car il y a un Dieu, et il a tout créé, aussi bien les cieux que la terre, et tout ce qui s’y trouve, tant les choses qui se meuvent que les choses qui sont mue.》

Câlins et bisous, Sœur Morrison

Onward and Upward 

Que Dieu vous bénisse 

Pics: Behold the Choate Mine Trail hike 

Obviously I should be the center of everyone's attention

 Hellloooo friends and family! 

Might I say how blessed we are. I mean truthfully, I don't know how much more blessed anyone can get. We have this beautiful earth with its variety and life, we have the sky in all its glory and fluffy clouds, we even have people that are all completely unique and special. And we are grateful for the diversity of existence. 

This week was fantastic and interesting. I was invited to give the talk yesterday. As per the usual, someone had stepped down, and us missionaries talk about the gospel day in and day out, so it truly only makes sense to have us as backup. I'm never opposed to it.......until it's my turn to talk. Then, I'm ready to run for the exits. BUT I survived long enough for my studies and notes and the Spirit to take me away and deliver a respectable talk in front of all 24 people. 

I was given the talk, "The Finest Homes" by Elder Clayton of the Seventy. I had fun studying this because it actually pertains to us as missionaries! The whole talk was about how we can make our homes like the temple. Special places where we can let the Spirit reside are important refuges from the storm. So how do we make our homes like the temple? 

#1 Increase the quality of individuals living within the home. The purpose of our lives are to become more like Jesus Christ. As each person takes that journey, the overall quality of the household will inevitably increase. 

#2 Read the word of God every day. Whether it's the scriptures, or talks from our modern day apostles and prophets, it's extremely important that we take time to listen to Heavenly Father regularly. Someone once referred to the scriptures as the "pre-recorded" voice of God. Hence why we should read if we want an answer from Him. 

#3 We should model our homes after the temple, which is the house of God. If we are doing that then our speech, actions, thoughts, and interactions with one another will begin to be more sincere and full of love. The Spirit of the Lord will reside in our homes and help each of us be better at the first two points as well! 

#4 The "finest homes" are places of refuge from the storms of life. A place where we feel uplifted, encouraged, safe, and happy. No matter what happens, the home is one place you should always be able to rely on for strength and support. If you can't make your whole home feel like a refuge, pick a spot! 

The home is an incredibly important place, especially now. There should not be contention, anger, worry, or stress induced. Instead, we should find love and understanding as we express ourselves and learn to rely on Heavenly Father. 

Mosiah 2:22 

《Et voici, tout ce qu’il exige de vous, c’est que vous gardiez ses commandements ; et il vous a promis que si vous gardiez ses commandements, vous prospéreriez dans le pays ; et il ne varie jamais de ce qu’il a dit ; c’est pourquoi, si vous gardez ses commandements, il vous bénit et vous fait prospérer.》

Câlins et bisous, Sœur Morrison 

Onward and Upward!

Que Dieu vous bénisse 

Mon adresse:

200 Caraway Rd Apt 2B 

Reisterstown, MD 21136 

I just swallowed a chunk of lemonade

HEY GUYS! This week has been absolutely wild. 

Let's begin with transfers. 

The Assistants came to pick us up in the van and they were over an hour late getting there. Then Sister Whitcomb and I had to say a real sad goodbye. I'm gonna miss her so much. She really became a soul sister to me, and we already have a billion and a half plans for our post-mission reunions. And our other roommates, but especially Hermana Trapp because we know each other super well now and we came out to the mission at the same time. Anywho it was sad and there are some pictures at the bottom to make you sad too. 

Additionally, transfers actually took place in the evening. "But Sister Morrison," you might ask, "isn't that prime time for missionaries to be finding God's elect?" Indeed, you may be right. I don't plan these things. We got a huge influx of new missionaries, so us oldies got pushed back to the evening. We loaded the van sometime around 7:30 pm and took off to go drop something off to another area and finally, we started off in the direction of my new home. A few hours in the van swapping crazy mission stories, laughing about the good ole times, and teasing each other later we arrived. It was actually the very same building that I arrived at when I met my trainer, Sister Morin (who also just finished her mission and is home now.) So that was a little trip down memory lane. It was past 9 pm when we arrived, so we scrambled to find my stuff and get in the car. I was pretty much beat. After we got home, I unpacked a few dresses that would wrinkle if I left them in there overnight, grabbed my jammies, and hit the hay. Unfortunately, my hay wasn't hay at all, it was an air mattress that I was graciously loaned because they don't have a bed for me right now. It's one of those big fat ones, so I don't even touch the floor! 

Needless to say, that was the strangest transfer to date. Grand adventures in the life of a quarantined missionary. 

And of course, I can't forget to update you on my companions. <-- Yes, there's multiple. I'm in my first trio!! Honestly, it's super nice! Their names are Sister Swann and Sister Im. They actually arrived here together the same time that Sister Whitcomb, my last companion, did! It's been really good! We went to an Asian market for groceries, (one is Japanese, and the other is Korean,) and we got some pretty interesting food! I'm always up to try new things. Also, don't eat butter honey chips. Pretty nasty. Also, apparently beans do go in dessert. (Just red beans so far.) 

So yeaaahhhhhhhh. Life is good! Apparently on Wednesday President Nye is going to have a meeting with us to discuss how we get to move into "Phase 1" of quarantine. Woohoo! Progress is being made people! Prayers are being answered! 

"...the Lord looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7). Obviously, this scripture is talking about not judging others, but I also wanted to relate it to how the Lord views our efforts. Oftentimes, the things we do or say go unnoticed. Hardly a day passes without someone in my life makes a sacrifice for me or my family. I don't always know or give gratitude. I think we as humans expect acknowledgment if we are trying. And it's hard to have the motivation to continue when no one is seeing you. But the Lord looketh upon the heart. He sees your desires even when you don't think you're trying hard enough. When we don't meet our own expectations, it can be so hard to feel that we are enough. 

But if your desire to improve and come closer to Jesus Christ is there, I promise that Heavenly Father is so proud of your efforts! He sees your heart and innermost thoughts and feelings. (That's a good thing.) 

Anyway, you are enough. That's what I'm trying to get at. 

Jacob 3:1

《Mais voici, moi, Jacob, je voudrais vous parler, à vous qui avez le cœur pur. Regardez vers Dieu avec fermeté d’esprit et priez-le avec une foi extrême, et il vous consolera dans vos afflictions, et il plaidera votre cause et fera descendre la justice sur ceux qui cherchent votre destruction.》 

Câlins et bisous, Sœur Morrison 

Onward and Upward 

Que Dieu vous bénisse 

Mon adresse:

200 Caraway Rd. #2B

Reisterstown, MD 21136