Conference Number 2!

Conference was amazing! Felt more like other conferences before the mission--spiritual, but not world-changing like the last one was with the missionary age announcement. There was still a lot of emphasis on missionary work, which I loved. There was a lot about members getting involved, especially President Eyring's talk in Priesthood session. That really motivated me to keep trying to get Amambay excited about missionary work. We might just print that talk out and share copies of it. In Priesthood, I also liked President Uchtdorf's talk about the 4 Titles all of us have. That really helped me remember the importance of who I am and not comparing myself to others, just to what the Lord expects of me. He mentioned something I have been thinking about a lot. Missionaries, in their enthusiasm to be excellent, often create the idea that there is one type of ideal missionary that we all have to be--a super-positive, hard-working, gregarious, natural leader that makes everyone laugh and always has a plan to get the job done. President Uchtdorf said that we are meant to be different, and it's true! Being quiet or serious is not a sin. Everyone is unique, and they have a unique purpose. Having trials is not a sin either. We don't always have an answer. If we never failed, we'd never learn. There was quite a bit in this conference about being patient with others, especially our children. I loved Elder Christofferson's story about Sarah and  Annie. That inspired me to see the hope and potential in each person. Wish I could put my whole notebook up here, but I know you all received your own revelation and guidance. Those parts were my favorite, as was seeing BYU MEN'S CHORUS! That was a surprise. The people sitting next to me where sick of me saying "I know him!" "Him too!" Haha, I loved seeing Andrew Moore, Ken Kenworthy, Devin Flake, and a lot of other friends from the Choir. It was also a surprise to see Hannah Herring and Kristen Bodine up there! That music, as with all conference music, was wonderful.

I wish we would have had more people in conference. I always say it's kind of like the Brass serpent. Anyone could watch it and know that the church is true, but it is so hard just to get them there. We did have one surprise. Fermín is one of those investigators who wants to accept Joseph Smith as an inspired man and the Book of Mormon as a true book but not our Church as the only true one. That happens a lot, but he came to a session! We'll see what it did for him. Diego was also there, and we found out that the Stake President got special permission to baptize him here, mostly because of the opposition from his family and the friends he has in the ward. It was a mess getting all of that figured out. I am happy for him, but it would have been easier if he had just attended church where he lived right from the start. I've learned my lesson the hard way, and we will be sure to change that in the future.

Other notable occurences. Iván, a 19-year-old investigator, surprised us by teaching US a lesson. He had (finally) been reading the Book of Mormon and wanted to read the whole chapter to us. That warmed my day. I think I have also mentioned the Pavón family? They are still progressing slowly, but Hector, their cousin, is doing great. We were worried when he said he had a pregnant girlfriend (he's also only 19), but after teaching the Law of Chastity he said he would make plans to get married. He's awesome. The testimony of Giuliano, less-active guy who has been coming with us a lot, also helped out. He said something I want to teach more often--that they shouldn't feel bad for doing something they didn't know was wrong. That's why we have the Atonement. I also received a great idea while on exchanges with our District Leader Elder Dominguez. An old man said what many people say to us "It's so nice that you are preaching the word of God like Jesus said we should. My church needs to do more of that." I decided to give him 2 Restoration pamphlets so he could participate in sharing the gospel, and he was very excited to share it! I will do that more often--with investigators and contacts. We'll see how much other people can help us spread this message. Also, I would still love an answer to my question from last week--how do we help people who are too worried about this life to care about what happens in the next?

The Zone training also went great. Everything we taught was from what we heard in the Council with President Agazzani. We started off with the story of "La Piedra de la Sopa." I think I vaguely recall making "Stone Soup" in elementary school...but I never really got the point of the story. In any case, we bought real vegetables and meat to help the missionaries participate actively and see that every person has something to contribute. The rest of the training was about how all of us can be leaders, especially for the members and other missionaries. We are trying to change the way we do district meeitngs to focus more on what the missionaries need to do that week to help their investigators progress and to get them to commit to do it! I know that will help us have more success this next transfer.

That's all the news I can think of. Really, I am feeling great and loving what I am doing. Being a missionary is an incredible opportunity, and I will keep sharing the gospel for the rest of my life. Trust in the Lord, talk to him as much as you can, and share what you know with His children. I love you! 

-Elder Wesley Morgan