I look like a sad piece of steak

Let's just say, it's been a weird week. Some weird quotes came out of this week. 

Hope you all had a fantastic President's Day weekend! 

So the first of my fantastic news! My brand-spanking-new companion is Sister Wood! She comes from Southern California in a little town called Hesperia. She is an amazing piano player and it's so fun to hear her play! She really understands the music and creates beautiful stories out of her music. Music is the language of our souls I think. Anywho, she is crazy awesome and already is so comfortable jumping in and testifying! We're both so excited to see how this transfer goes! 

Fun story: Once upon a time I carried around a dead man in my car. No, I'm not kidding.

Okay so back story: I was invited to sing Amazing Grace at a member's husband's memorial this Saturday. Easy peasy. We went over to her house to finalize the program and she asked us if we would take a box to set up at the church for the service. Just display items. An old flag, a hat from his years of service, a few odds and ends. Whatever. Basically, I thought nothing of it. That is until we got to a meeting that night with our Elders Quorum President and we began talking about the decor for the memorial service. Suddenly it occurred to me....."Was her husband cremated or buried?" I asked. He replied with a fatal, "Yes. Why do you ask?" I then immediately sprinted from the room saying "no no no no no" and retrieved the box that had been in our backseat all day. You see folks, I had noticed a cute little jar painted like an American flag in the bottom. I, in a subconscious effort to spare myself, had thought nothing of it. 

And now I came to the full conclusion that I indeed had been carrying Arthur in my car all day. 

What makes this story worse (or funnier, depending on how you look at it,) is that we have to keep him in our living room until Saturday. Every night I pray that Art stays happy and content with his little jar. 

And that is just a taste of my poor companions first week in the mission field. We've certainly had quite a few laughs. We've had doors slammed in our faces, a couple of crazy lessons, and more than a little confusion as I've been faced with new challenges. Being a trainer is not exactly how I expected it to be. It's better in a lot of ways, but that's mostly due to how amazing my companion is! 

As for the French.....oh la la. J'apprends plus, mais mon français n'est pas bien. Mais pour cela, je sais "Je puis tout par celui qui me fortifie," (Phillippiens 4:13). Je sais Dieu est notre Père céleste. Ils nous aime. Nous sommes ses enfants! Grâce à l’Expiation du Christ, nous pouvons être tellement heureux!! 

I hope you all have an amazing week! You are all in my prayers and heart. Thank you for your continued patience, love, and compassion! Please continue serving the Lord! 

Love, Sister Morrison 

Onward and Upward 

Que Dieu Vous bénisse 

"Don't tell me you've never had goat sloppy joes!"

I rewrite my intros at least 7 times, and somehow I always end up with nothing good anyways. I think I need a system. 

This week was absolutely fantastic and I wish I remembered any of it. Wouldn't it be nice if my brain worked properly? 

If I start with the most exciting news, do you promise to read the rest of my (most likely short) email? ...... I'll take that as a yes! 

TRANSFER NEWS: 

Came as an absolute shock to many, and no surprise at all to most. Definitely a bit perplexed myself. 

Anywho.....I'm.......staying in Woodstock!! And......I'm......training a new missionary!! And here's the real kicker....I've also been called as a French speaking missionary!!! 

I will definitely be needing lots and lots of prayers from here on out! But I'm so excited to see the Lord's hand in my life even more with this added responsibility! And you better believe I'm bearing my testimony in French when I get home. And probably in my emails as soon as I learn Gospel-related words. 

As far as the work goes, we are just accelerating! As a Zone, we have found over 25 new people to teach in a week! We tend to not focus on numbers, but that is a huge deal because our usual average has been 8-15! And for those of you who aren't aware or have it differently, the end of a 6 week period usually has much lower numbers, so for us to find so many people is truly impressive! The Lord blesses the faithful and diligent! 

I am so sad to be saying goodbye to Sister Beus, she has been an absolute blessing in my life! By far, she has taught me the most about loving and being loved. I'll miss her sweet nature and her humming Primary songs around the house. 

The ward I'm serving in is also taking off with missionary work! How exciting to be a missionary at this time! They all don't even realize the potential they have to sweep this area as member missionaries! Think of all the people that could be at peace, have support, and partake in sacred ordinances that bring them eternal blessings.... the Lord is hastening His work. Hopefully, we can all keep up! 

I recently had a small epiphany. It's one of those incredibly obvious things that I always knew but I really didn't understand. It comes from a scripture I recite quite often. Philippians 4:13 which reads, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Sometimes I pray and ask God to surround me with His peace and love. Sometimes I pour my heart out and all I expect is an overwhelming feeling of hope. I always hear people saying, "The Lord wrapped me in His arms of mercy." "I was flooded with pure love from Heavenly Father." And so on and so forth. 

Okay, so what does that have to do with that scripture Sister Morrison? 

Let me explain. It has been made incredibly clear to me that I could NEVER have made it this far, on my mission alone, without receiving incredible measures of strength from the Lord. I don't feel a flood of it, but somehow, I always make it through. When I have aches and pains, when I am in a bad mood, or when I feel like all I want to do is curl up in a little ball and sleep, I find myself continually pressing forward. Now that isn't to say that missionaries who go home early didn't have the Lord helping them, because that certainly is false doctrine. There is a time allotted for each person in their service and I am simply blessed to have 18 months as my time in this kind of service. However, with Christ, we achieve all things. You may not be aware of it, it may not seem significant, and you might very well be taking advantage of it simply because you don't know it's there. He strengthens each one of us. He does this because He is preparing us for tomorrow. Tomorrow He will prepare you for the following day. And Thursday He will prepare you for Valentine's Day. (Happy Valentine's day by the way everyone!) He is constantly preparing us for our future. He prepared me for my mission. He prepared my sweet mother to have me as a child, (don't ever think you are impatient Maman, you dealt with little Cassidy haha). 

Anyways, the Lord is constantly giving us strength. To some it is a natural way of life, but we must always remember Who gave us life. Who created these bodies, minds, spirits. Obviously, it was someone who was much smarter than any of us. 

May the Lord bless and treat you this Valentine's week. His love FAR outshines any others. Everything you are and have is a product of that love. Immense. Infinite. Eternal. Pure. True love. It is too much for my heart to handle. I cannot express myself well enough, nor can I explain fully, how deeply and sincerely you are loved!!! (That's three exclamation marks people!)

I hope you all have the bestest week ever! I cannot wait until I can talk to you next week about how amazing my new companion is. I am so excited to meet her! Please pray for us though. The power of prayer is so real! 

Love, Sister Morrison 

Onward and Upward !

Que Dieu vous bénisse 

"I opened the closet and someone was staring at me"

Hey friends and family! 

No one really ever knows how to do intros without being awkward. Hopefully, this suffices. 

So a few of my favorite experiences from this week: 

Haley, a cute girl that we're teaching, is kinda crazy. She doesn't sit still and doesn't remember what we teach her and we've been slightly at a loss about what to teach.  So one night we sent her a children's Bible video and she watched it and loved it! So we asked if we could say a nighttime prayer with her and she said yes! Now every morning and night we ask her if she's said prayers and if she hasn't, we call her and pray with her! It's so awesome! I can just imagine her 5-10 years down the road saying in church, "And the Sisters just kept calling and talking to me and helping me feel loved. They taught me slowly and soon, after I turned 16, I started coming to church, was baptized, and then I decided to go on a mission just like they did! I'm now happily married in the temple to a worthy Priesthood holder."  I know the Lord is proud of her and the progress she has made so far. I love that little girl! 

Next up is our dear friend Nancy! She said that she's adopting us as her kids and she loves us! We've been meeting with her pretty regularly! She hasn't been to church in decades. As soon as we started seeing her, she started coming! Pretty funny how sometimes all people need is a little love! 

We enjoyed a massive dinner pre-Super Bowl! It was a little odd to be out while everyone was inside watching the game, but we were able to see some tender mercies. A few people who were open and willing to have us over, and we weren't even supposed to go to the area we were in! 

We've been talking to this lady, Kandi, who is completely against Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but we went to go see her and she was so grateful to have us over! She was struggling and she told us that our visit really uplifted her and gave her courage for the tasks ahead of her. I seriously love being a servant of the Lord. I'm not here to convert people. I'm here to help them come closer to Jesus Christ and see the hand of Heavenly Father in their life and my oh my, do I see it! He's working so hard for you. So very hard to make sure your life is everything you need and deserve. He is so tender and loving! 

There have been quite a few cool miracles this week and I wish I had time to tell you about them, but know that the Lord is aware of you, He is guiding you, and His love never ceases! 

Y'all keep being lights! You make the world a better place and each of you has a purpose! 

Love, Sister Morrison 

Onward and Upward!

"I felt dumb...but relieved..."

Hey y'all! We had a crazy week this week! So I'm gonna break it down for ya into days!

Monday: We didn't have preparation day and we had to go to Winchester because my companions phone broke! It was fun and we got some yummy food and then we zoomed back for a lesson! The lesson was with Danny and Ethel, who I've mentioned before. Danny has said that he 100% believes and agrees with the Book of Mormon and has repeatedly told us his testimony of its divinity, but he said nothing can be "added or taken away" from the Bible. So that's a speed bump. Any advice on how to squelch that concern would be great! (We've already told him about the chronology of the Bible and how it says that in Deuteronomy as well and lots of other things. But he doesn't grasp the concept just yet!) We're working hard with him. 

Tuesday: that was our preparation day and it was lovely! We taught this lady who has a firm belief in Jesus Christ. She was super excited when we said "Plan of Salvation" but she started getting confused when we told her the whole thing. She said it made so much more sense after we explained to her the reason behind everything (the Father loves us and wants us to have every blessing He can possibly give us.) We used the Bible and Book of Mormon hand in hand to teach her these simple truths that we find. I think there's a lot more peace to be had in this gospel and we often forget that "men are that they might have joy" as Lehi said. Lehi was an old man who lived in a tent for a super long time! His sons were constantly trying to kill his other sons and fought with him about everything. He experienced loss and heartache. And yet he still says that we must have joy! Sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy to feel so happy all the time. Is it a hoax? Am I tricking myself? No!! Genuinely, peace and hope that comes from the gospel help us to access the atonement of Jesus Christ and therefore have JOY! I love being happy all the time! I'm so glad of the fact that people know me as the smiling/happy/laughing sister. I want everyone to know that it's source is Heavenly. 

Wednesday: We had Zone Conference! All I can say is that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and he truly guides this church. President Mutombo was just bringing home the fact that we serve because we love the people and we put 100% of our efforts into helping those that need our help spiritually. We are trying to better the world and the best way is to bring the gospel to everyone! I seriously seriously love being a missionary. There is no other feeling that is better on planet earth than helping someone come to realize their divine nature. I love helping people change their nature and come to know Jesus Christ and in turn, themselves. We also talked about how amazing the temple is. I am sooooo excited to come home and see the temple. I want to go inside so badly. It fills me with so much peace. To be able to go inside and pray and read your scriptures or your patriarchal blessing is amazing! Truly, as President Nelson says, "The temple is the crowning jewel of the Restoration." Please do all you can to get there and stay worthy! 

Thursday: We had planning for the week and then we had an AMAZING lesson! The sweet soul we are teaching is Angela. She's had it rough recently. We were able to help her see that there is hope. A number of miracles happened in the lesson itself and post-lesson as well! She had her bookmark on the exact page we wanted to read with her, she has a favorite video that the sisters previously had shown her but she couldn't find it and we happened to show her that exact one! Crazy crazy awesome! The Lord's hand in our lives is perhaps one of my favorite things to notice and be a part of. Angela will be baptized very very soon. So be on the lookout for that special email and pictures! 

Friday: We had a great day of practicing music and meeting people. Lots of amazing people who love Jesus Christ. We even got to visit this old lady who has been struggling to find some hope in her life and we were able to offer her a priesthood blessing because the Elders were close! She did get one and she was surprised by the amount of love God has for her. 

Saturday! The Elders had a baptism! The man had been taught for a very long time and he told them he would never come to church and never be baptized. And yet there he was. Beaming like a little ray of sunshine and absolutely overjoyed by the opportunity to come even closer to his Savior. He leaned over to one of the Elders after he was baptized and confirmed and said "If had known it felt like this, this good, I would've done it 8 months ago!" Such a happy day! And I had the privilege of singing at his baptism with my companion and two members from the ward. I'm so blessed to have this sacred ability to sing. Again and again I am reminded of the divinity I have and each one of us have as I sing. So much is communicated through music. I love it!

Sunday is of course the Lord's day. We also got to meet with one of my new favorite families in the ward. Both of them have dry humor and it was too good! I was laughing so hard! The more I get to know these members, the more I come to love them. I'm so blessed!

Sorry if this seems rushed! I'm a bit out of time! But I love you and I am constantly praying for you and thank you for your prayers. May God bless you in your efforts. 

Love, Sister Morrison 

Onward and Upward!

"Use your cabesa bro!"

Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of what can Sister Morrison remember from her week!

Let's begin with some sweet lessons. The first was some of our good friends, Danny and Ethel. Basically we went overdetermined to teach them a full lesson, and they actually listened this time! We were able to teach and testify of the Restoration of the gospel and invited them to read the Book of Mormon! And they actually did! Danny was comparing the Book of Mormon with the Bible. There's a lot of awesome similarities that really just show that God truly is the same yesterday, today, and forever! The second lesson we watched the Restoration video. They actually have even been to church twice! It's fun to help them understand how the gospel can bless them beyond what they could imagine. 

Last Sunday I got to sing with one of the Young Women in our ward. We sang "Our Savior's Love" and my companion accompanied us on the piano. It was so cool! It's awesome to share my testimony through music. Honestly, I don't know a better way to communicate my sincere love for my Savior. I know I've said that before, but I really mean it! It's so wonderful to be able to be a conduit for the Spirit. 

Some sweet little old lady named Ginger took us out to lunch a couple of days ago. She was sad that we were so far away from home. It was so nice! Everyone in the shop was just flabbergasted that we hadn't seen our family for so long. I think one of the old ladies almost cried when I said "I haven't hugged my mom in almost 7 months."  I've been so cared of so well out here. Y'all don't need to worry. Members and nonmembers alike. 

Anywho, sorry this is short. I hope y'all have a fantastic week! Much love and many prayers! 

Love, Sister Morrison 

Onward and Upward!

"I think you're one of the 3 Nephites. A Nephite-hata"

Hey y'all! 

What a crazy week it's been! Filled with miracles and amazing tender mercies. 

First things first! This past Sunday, we had not one, but TWO General Authorities visit our little ward. Elder Bennett, a Seventy, and Elder Calderwood, our area Seventy! Plus our Stake President joined us! It was truly a revelatory experience and I've got lots of notes that I wanted to share, so buckle down. 

The first hour was crazy! We ran in, the strap on my dress broke, two of our friends magically showed up, and the room was filled with the Spirit. 

The first message we got was from our Stake President. He told us that we need to follow Nephi's example and ask the Lord to soften our hearts so we can go and do when the Lord asks us. This was especially awesome for me as a missionary because I am constantly asked to go and serve the Lord. It takes a lot! I'm constantly giving and giving and giving. It's difficult to imagine not loving everyone that I meet and serve with, and nearly impossible to think that we could have a hardened heart and get anything done with true power and authority. Just like how we should all be prepared at any time to go to the temple! Always be prepared to go and do, as the Lord directs!

The second message came from our area Seventy, Elder Calderwood! He talked about the names for the Plan of Salvation. The Plan is something that we talk a lot about as missionaries because it offers us so much peace and hope! It truly is just strewn with absolute pure love from our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. There are a number of verses and names I want to list, and then I'll talk about my favorite one! 

1. "The Great and Eternal Plan of Deliverance from Death" -2 Nephi 11:5

2. "Great Plan of Redemption" -Alma 34:31

3. "Plan of Mercy" -Alma 42:15

4. "Plan of Happiness" -Alma 42:8

And my personal favorite....

5. "The Plan of Restoration" -Alma 41:2

Whyyyy is it my favorite? Well! Not only do I adore Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the gospel, but it's also describing the way the Atonement works. Jesus Christ's power is able to restore us. As it says in Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." 

What a beautiful way to describe this perfect plan? Jesus Christ is the plan!! Through him and his sacrifices, we can accomplish all things which our Father has laid out for us! I'm am beyond grateful for that gift and for the knowledge I have. The plan is a gift. 

The next speaker was Elder Bennett of the Quorum of the Seventy. He was phenomenal! Truly the Spirit just testified of the love and faith he has. He spoke with such power and authority! He brought with him messages from the Prophet, who expressed his love and appreciation for us being such unified disciples of Christ. It is such a blessing to be counted among these faithful saints, even for a short while! Elder Bennett said, "He loves you, he is proud of you, and is grateful for your service." He reminded us that there is no greater joy than helping others come unto Jesus Christ by being a missionary. He also counseled us to "Do our best to live the gospel, and repent when you don't." He says, "The Church is not a museum where you look at perfect Saints. It is a hospital where we all go to be better and find love and healing." He promises that God IS proud of our efforts and He is so very grateful that you're trying!! He knows you aren't perfect, so stop feeling bad that you aren't. You are not inadequate! You have value and add so much more than you know. Your faith is much stronger than you think!! One of my Young Women leaders once said, "it's not that you need to be perfect, but that you keep trying." And that has stuck with me ever since. I often set extremely high expectations for myself, and then when I fail to meet those standards, I feel useless and discouraged. Over and over this week, Heavenly Father has reminded me that I am enough. He has prepared me the best way He could (which is the absolute most perfect way) and if I trust Him, then I should feel satisfied with the work I am doing. And when I don't do what I should it's okay. As Elder Bennett reminds us, "He atoned for YOU. Infinite and intimate." Jesus Christ allows us to "go about doing good" joyfully! 

The entire second hour we discussed the new questions for the temple recommend interview. It often feels like the checklist is so long, but truthfully, the gospel of Jesus Christ is simple and revolves around love. 

Think about these questions that our Stale President asked us:

-What is your journey of faith? 

-What has allowed you to grow deeper in your testimony of Jesus Christ's atonement? 

-How do I know I'm forgiven? 

-Is there anything that Heavenly Father would not do if it would benefit His children?

I know that obedience can bring happiness, but exact obedience brings acute and everlasting joy! A covenant means a willingness to walk, follow closely, or walk with! Are we being true to our covenants? Please continue turning to God. Always! Repent and never stop! Elder Bennett said he repents hourly! No one is exempt from sin, but Heavenly Father knew that. That's why we have Jesus Christ! We all need saving sometimes. 

One thing that I thought of when he was talking is "Missionaries may have the authority, but every member has the responsibility to be a missionary." That means we need to minister to all! What an exciting and blessed work! 

Also, on Tuesday it snowed and snowed and snowed. I wanted to take pictures, but as an unfortunate and classic Cassidy move, I dropped my phone and lost it in the few inches we got. My entire district, bless their little hearts, rallied to my aid and we spent a good 6 hours looking for the darn thing. No luck! It got harder as it got darker and I was almost just gonna say, "Forget it. I'll find it when the snow melts." But then I decided it'd be better to say another prayer. I had already said multiple, but there are never enough prayers, so I said another one. And, just as before, I felt great peace that it would be totally okay no matter what happened. It may sound silly because it's just a phone, but I use it for studying, planning, communication, recording, etc. so it's pretty essential to my work as an organized missionary. After the prayer, we renewed our search, but as I began to think back on the events leading up to the loss of my phone, I remembered another place that I could have dropped it. We all, (my Bishop and his family had joined us at this point,) ran over to search. Lo and behold, not 30 minutes had gone by when my companion triumphantly shrieked and held up a snowy, but fully intact, phone. It actually was still at 60% battery life, and thus far, I've detected no water damage. Blessings eternal! God really truly is good, y'all!

Sorry if I seemed preachy! I just love the gospel! Have a blessed week!

Love, Sister Morrison 

Onward and Upward! 

It's the cirrrcle of life

Hey y'all!

I was gonna put a quote up as my title that came from someone we met, but then I decided that maybe it was too inappropriate. You're welcome! Just imagine me laughing my head off :)

Wow wow wow! The year 2020 has started off with a bang! Seriously I'm so excited! Every single day this week we've been talking to people who actually want to listen and have been super open to having us back! Apparently our very own neighborhood is golden because almost everyone we talk to is like "Oh man! You guys are amazing! Definitely stop by some time! We'd love to have you back for sure!" Pretty cool huh? We're teaching three of our neighbors and the Elders came a few nights ago and snagged someone else in our neighborhood. Rude, but it's all for the same cause so I guess I'll allow it.  

Alright to recap 2019 for ya:

This was a year of some crazy things. I was in college. I spent months trying to get my paperwork filled out to serve a mission and suddenly it came! I worked for the sweetest families and spent way too much money on dresses and skirts and slacks and suitcases (big thanks to Mom and Renae! Plus all you other amazing people!) I got to spend the beginning of my summer with my family, and then all too soon, I was off! It felt like ages ago, and simultaneously days ago that I was saying goodbye to my family in the airport and giving the last hugs for the next 18 months. I was at the MTC, dying of heat and also drowning in the spiritual ocean there. My testimony and love for the gospel skyrocketed. My determination to bring others to the absolute peace and happiness of the gospel increased tenfold. I then left the safe haven of the MTC and launched into a whole world of slamming doors, crazy (and awesome) companions, strange things of all shapes and sizes, and absolute confusion why people would not want the beautiful gospel! I've had 5 companions, two areas, and over 6 months of joys and sorrows. I have loved every single second of it all! 

The change I've seen in myself is almost as great a gift as seeing someone come closer to their Savior Jesus Christ and enter the waters of baptism and therefore a life of eternal happiness. My friends Nate Berry, Tom Miller, Chris Johnson, and Troy Greene have all accepted this gospel and become members of Jesus Christ's restored church. How absolutely amazing! I'm completely honored and brought to my knees in prayer of thanksgiving to my Heavenly Father for everything He has blessed me with. I came out to help Him with everything I had and in return, He's given me more than I could ever ask for. The Master has crafted and refined me past all I could have ever imagine. Again, I am in humble awe of His divine power and love. 

As I enter into the new year, I'm reminded of the grace and goodness of God continually. He has already blessed us so much. I know that 2020 is going to be a historical year full of miracles! I plan on reading the Book of Mormon as much as I possibly can, working on honing in my teaching skills as a missionary, and being as diligent and obedient as possible. Like my brother always says, "obedience brings blessings and exact obedience brings miracles!" I truly know the truth of this, as I have tried my very best and turned my will over to the Lord. In addition, I would like to work on seeing everyone for the potential they have. My mission president always tells us to "See them in white three times!" (Meaning baptism, endowment, and sealing haha!) I'd also invite you all to diligently study the Come Follow Me manual and study guide, as it is the Savior's words and opportunity for us all to come closer to Him! And of course, in preparation for this historical April General Conference, please don't forget the Prophet's invitation:

"You may wish to begin your preparation by reading afresh Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price. Or ponder important questions such as “How would my life be different if my knowledge gained from the Book of Mormon were suddenly taken away?” or “How have the events that followed the First Vision made a difference for me and my loved ones?”

Select your own questions. Design your own plan. Act on any of these invitations to prepare yourself for sharing the important messages of the ongoing Restoration. As you seek Jesus Christ in these efforts, God will prepare you to receive further light."

I know that this gospel will bless your lives. I know as you put forth the effort Heavenly Father will take those efforts and bless you beyond belief. 

I'm so excited for this year and for all the amazing things that are going to happen. You are all in my prayers and I love you all! Have a blessed week my dear friends and family!

Love, Sister Morrison 

ONWARD AND UPWARD!!!