Council & Changes

We found out today that my companion is going to be an Assistant! I am very excited for him. He really has changed in ways I did not expect, and I know he will be a good leader there. He is ecstatic; this has always been his dream. I don't know who my next companion will be yet, but I hope it is someone who is excited to work hard. I need someone obedient and positive. We just found out that José Olavarrieta will return to his former calling as Ward Mission Leader! I heard great things about him, and we already planning activities to get this ward excited about missionary work.

We just got out of my second Zone Leader's Council. That is always a spiritual experience. We talked about improving our vision as missionaries and leaders (including helping our District Leaders catch that vision), baptizing people who will have a ripple effect (Alma 22:15-26), inviting everyone we can to progress toward a baptismal date, and understanding the power and authority of our call to build the kingdom of God. I don't know if you have heard the story of the 3 stonecutters; it's pretty common here.* One says he is cutting stones, one says he is gaining $X.XX per day, one says he is helping construct the House of the Lord. We studied a lot of scriptures, and I think Doctrine and Covenants 6:8-13 is my new favorite. A lot of good things for the Zone training, which I will have to do next week with a new companion. That will be a fun challenge if he is a new zone leader and was not in the meeting. I also met Elder Wilding there, who is the grandson of The Fraziers. (If I had a dollar for every person whose grandparents live in that ward....)

One piece of bad news. We won't be able to baptize Diego. The rule is officially that we cannot baptize someone who does not live in our ward boundaries. I had suspected that, and it makes sense, even though he attends church here with the Grau family. If a member does not attend church in their own ward, they cannot pay tithing or have a temple recommend. In other wards, they cannot be a legitimate, covenant-keeping member of the Church of Jesus Christ. Pretty important.

Things are not so great with the rest of our investigators, either. Some are hard to find and some know that what we teach is true but are unwilling to let go of their old ways. Life is hard, and I know change makes it harder, But we have to help them see that this gospel really will make their lives easier overall. I´ll give more name-specific updates next week when we see who is progressing.

I am not sure what I will do will all the extra money. This month it will be for dry-cleaning (my suit, pants, and a few ties REALLY need it) and Herbalife shakes. Hermana Agazzani suggested we take multivitamins, and those Brazilians I mentioned last week work for Herbalife, so they get us special offers. Not that important, but we´ll see how it goes.

Great to hear about Daniel and BYU! I was also hoping for a mission announcement...but that will come. Say hi to President Webb, Brother Crandall, and everyone else in the ward/stake for me. Sounds like there are a lot of tough times, but I know that all those people you mentioned are firm in the faith and will have the Lord's help with them.

I am not sure why, but this last week felt very, very long. This coming week we´ll bring a lot of changes, and I always try to have hope for the future. I have had a couple dreams this week that I was back home, and both times I wanted to be back in the mission. Really, I love it here. I would not want to be anywhere else. But I know that anywhere else, I--and each of you--can give my heart & soul to the Lord and build his kingdom. Awesome.

-Elder Wesley Morgan

*I have heard this quote before in a talk by Spencer W. Kimball: "There is the old story you have heard so many times of the question asked of three builders of St. Paul's cathedral in London. 'What are you doing here?' The first one answered, 'I am working eight hours a day.  I am putting in time.  I am earning my living this way.' The second one said, 'I am putting brick on brick and I am building a structure here.'  The third, when asked, raised himself to full stature and said, 'I am building a great cathedral.'"  As this is a famous anecdote, it has probably been spread around and the versions vary a bit.  Still a great message either way! 

These pictures were not sent by Elder Morgan, but by Jose Olavarietta, the guy from Paraguay who visited our family here in Orem recently.  We're not sure what the pictures are or who the family is, but these are the most recent pictures of Elder Morgan in action!

 

Busy, busy week

It has been quite the week. February 14th marked one year since receiving my call! I tried both figs and blood sausages. We went to a couple museums last week about the history of Paraguay. And, most importantly, we are trying to teach as much as we can.

Diego, as always, is amazing. Cecilia Grau had already talked to him about tithing, so he has been trying to save his money more. He said he is already receiving more financial blessings for doing that. I have never taught tithing and had the investigator already be able to testify it. He is great. We just need to get him baptized. I told him I would do it tomorrow if he wants. The only problem is his family, and that is something he has to face on his own. I don´t know if I have ever mentioned Elía Almeida. He is 27 years old and a convert of 3 years who has been off and on in his activity in the church. This week we helped him write a talk, which went great. I felt like a proud parent. Also, he has a roommate named Líder who we have been teaching. He speaks a lot of Guaraní and only understands the absolute basics of what we teach, but he is very happy and willing to do everything. 

One of our biggest miracles was finding the Pavon family. We contacted them a couple weeks ago, but finally had time to visit them. It is a "multi-family" of about 20 people in three or four little houses all next to each other. We have taught about 10 of them so far. They work all day in the sewing factories (just about everyone who is low-income works in one of those--there are a lot), and they tend to drink a lot on Sundays, especially Marcelo and Maria, who were baptized in this ward about 15 years ago. They are great people who really seem to feel the Spirit; and I have a lot of hope that they will change. We didn't have much time in our first lesson, so we were going to do what we often do in short or simple first lessons: talk about Christ (as the Son of God, his baptism, church, and atonement). We read Alma 7:11-12 and as I testified that Christ has suffered for each of our pains, the Holy Ghost was very strong. I decided to invite them to come to church, but they said that they had a baptism this Sunday of one of their babies. I wasn't sure whether to talk about that or save it for the next lesson, but Elder Knudsen jumped right it. We read a scripture in the Bible about responsibility for our own sins and Moroni 8:8-10. They admitted they were only doing it because it was what they had always been taught, and we invited them to pray to find out who needed to be baptized: their children or them. Only two of them came to church this week, but luckily it was the two who were going to baptize their child (who traveled a long way to do it here...). We have a lesson with them in a couple hours, so I hope things go well with that.

We found Rubén again, that kid who was really interested in what we were teaching last week. His family goes in the category of a few families we have had this week who seem to have tough lives because of illnesses, accidents, drugs, or poor living conditions. It is difficult, especially because we cannot to do much to help them temporally. All we can say is that if they have faith in the Christ, come to his church, and live his Gospel, they will be able to find the peace they need, and eventually some solutions. For some of them, that is enough. That reminds me of a couple we found yesterday. They had fallen off their motorcycle and were almost too drunk to remember their names. They were on their way to Luque, which is about an hour away. We did everything we could help them recover their strength so they could take a bus. But honestly, they were like 3-year-olds. They were not in a mental state to make any decisions. After doing everything but physically forcing them to the bus stop, we let them get back on the motorcycle and ride away, swerving all over the street. I prayed hard for them...but I didn't have much hope. Like I said before, there is only so much that is within our power. People suffer a lot here sometimes, but I just need to remember that it is all part of God's plans.

Besides that, it has been a busy week with a lot of baptismal interviews. President Agazzani challenged us last Monday to call everyone and see who they could baptize this week. We had a few people find old investigators that got baptized or are progressing again. Normally, I love doing baptismal interviews. It is a great opportunity to see someone´s preparation and testimony. This was my first time having to call President for permission to pass them, which we have to do if they committed a serious crime or sin. He pretty much left it in my hands to decide if I felt the man was ready, which was a lot of pressure. We also had a Zone Conference, where we learned a lot about how to do weekly planning better (helped a lot). Hermana Agazzani talked about more precautions we can take to be healthier, which we are doing, like putting a little bleach in our water bottles to purify it every night. 

Yes, I would love receiving CD's. I wear my Guaraní tag on my suit.  I am doing great health-wise. And we found out in the Conference that we are going to be receiving 100,000 more Guaranies ($23.00) every month, which is actually a big deal!

One more thing. We did a mini-training with our District Leaders to help them with some of their difficulties. We talked about many things, about the importance of testifying when explaining our purpose, like I mentioned to you last week. I have often found that inspiration I receive is actually for me to share with other people. My favorite moment was when my companion talked about the importance of teaching a short, spiritual first lesson according to the needs of the person. I was so happy! I have been trying to help him with that my whole time here. There is always hope for the future.

 Love you all!

I Will Not Be Still

The title of this email comes from something I have been thinking a lot about this week. I really try to bear testimony as often as I can (street contacts, lessons, church meetings, etc.), but many times I feel like it does not do much. I am tempted to think that if only I could speak Spanish better or had more experience or something, then it would make a difference. But I read the famous quote by Brigham Young about his conversion (there is also a short church video about it) that says the opposite. A testimony really just needs to be humble and sincere. I also know that we cannot open people´s hearts for them, though we can pray and work hard for that to be more likely. So, I will not let setbacks keep me from testifying of the Book of Mormon, the Savior Jesus Christ, and other principles of the Gospel. The song "I Will Not Be Still" from my last EFY CD describes exactly what I feel.

As always, we have seen many miracles this week. Iván, a young man we were teaching, has been reading the Book of Mormon a lot. It turns out his grandma gave him one and he remembers a lot from what she taught him. Unfortunately, he and Julio (the man we found last week who had lost everything), received double-edged blessings. They were both blessed with jobs they had been looking for! ...and now their schedule doesn´t allow us to teach them. We´ll see what we can do. We have also been looking for every Former Investigator that has not been visited in more than a year and a half. In one case, my companion remembered a house in front where he taught a girl once. She had moved, but as we taught her semi-interested brother, his friend walked by and started asking a lot of questions. His name is Rubén, and I have a lot of hope for him. The Lord definitely prepares people for us to teach.

Mauricio has not been able to come to church because of his work, and we are hearing rumors from his family that he has been doing some bad things. He says he is fine, so I don´t really know who to believe. We´ll see. Diego, the young man who we were teaching with the Grau family, is still awesome. He was planning on getting baptized when he moves out at the end of the year, but we suggested he do it a little sooner ;). We are fasting with him and the family this week so that he can talk to his family about getting baptized as soon as possible.

We have a lot to do helping all the missionaries in our Zone and the members in our ward. But we keep working hard and doing the best we can. From my personal feelings and things President Agazzani has said, I know I am here to re-energize this ward. I honestly don´t know how, but I know it is important that I do it. So, as you pray for me, please pray for that specifically. Our Ward Mission Leader just got released, so that makes things even more interesting. We are going to have to go to a lot more ward council meetings. The mission is a learning experience!

Speaking of members, I don´t think I have talked much about them. Today we are going to eat lunch with the Stefaniu family from Brazil (they speak a mix of Portuguese and Spanish that keeps me on my toes). Last week they gave us lemonade similar to the kind and Tucano´s. They are a wonderful family, and I love telling the missionaries about them. They investigated the church for almost a year, attending church every week. They were only baptized a few months ago, because they wanted to be absolutely sure of what they were doing, along with doing it at a time best for their family. I am sure that tried the patience of every missionary who taught them, but that is part of what we do.

Also, I had my surgery on my toenail. The doctor´s name was Wesley Schmidt (he is the son of Mennonite missionaries). He injected anesthesia, and all I felt was a little pulling as he yanked and cut a piece out of my nail. It is healing over well, and I am walking pain-free for the first time in a while. It is wonderful! 

I do make pancakes (sometimes German), french toast, and scrambled eggs sometimes. I have gained weight because of many factors, but I am trying to eat less again. We eat lunch with members 3 or 4 times a week. My companion´s grandma is from Rosario, Argentina. He is finding out the rest of the information. Also, I have been thinking about Elder Byers and Elder Blanchard. They have both tried to email me, but unfortunately I cannot email them back. I sent letters to them while in Buenos Aires, but I don´t know if they got them. Have you heard anything? Did you say Corbin cannot receive letters? I´d just like to know how they´re doing and stay in contact to some degree.

Great to hear the Daniel put in his papers! I have been wondering when he would. I also enjoyed the video from Heather. (Editor's note: Heather's baby started walking!) Great birthday presents for both of them, I supposed. Glad to hear their birthdays went well. I sent my birthday wishes, love, and prayers.  I will definitely be excited to read my email in two weeks and see if he got his call.

-Elder Wesley Morgan

P.S. I received my magnetic name tag in Guaraní that I ordered a while ago. It makes me happy, mostly because I can understand it. 

Be Positive :)

So I forgot to mention that I included those statistics about references and baptisms because we have a perfect example of it. Diego, a friend of the Grau family (21 years old) has been coming to church for the past few weeks. We finally taught him, and he said he felt the Spirit. He really wants to find the truth, and we explained how to ask and receive an answer. The next time we taught him, he said he felt that this church was true! He doesn´t want to get baptized until he knows he can come to church every week, which is a struggle with his family opposition. But we are heading in the right direction. He is so smart, especially since he has already been reading and learning a lot. When teaching the plan of salvation, not many people (including members) can tell you what we need in order to have agency (law, opposition, knowledge, ability to choose). Mauricio was excited to have his interview for the Priesthood, but he had to work very late Saturday night and could not come to church. 

Besides them, we have a LOT more investigators, which is great! I haven´t had this many people to teach my whole time here in Amambay, so it is good to feel that again. One of those we found this week because during Elder Knudsen said he remembered findng an alley where he felt there was someone who needed us, and I decided we should go look for it again. It was in an area I had just been to a couple weeks ago during exchanges, but didn´t notice the entrance. There we found Julio, who recently lost his job because of breaking his arm and has lost contact with his family. He said he was in an awful situation and we arrived just in time to help. He already seems happier and has a couple job opportunities. The Lord works miracles! (2 Nephi 26:12-13). We also have Francisco, who seemed very opposed to us because he doesn´t agree with many of our "restrictions" and has a cousin who came home early from a mission. But after talking and explaining why we have those commandments (prophets/restoration) along with the personal blessings we have received, he opened up and says he has always wanted to make some changes, like quitting smoking, and hopes we can help him. Another testament to me of why we shouldn´t just teach the same robotic first lesson each time. We should listen and see what they need, then explain how the Restored Gospel can help them.

Things are improving with my companion. He has had a lot of success in his mission, and with some of the things he does, I often wonder how. Haha, but he does do a lot of things very well, and I am learning from him, the scriptures, and other experiences every day. Also, I just found out his grandmother is named Elisa Arguello! She is a member and has Spanish ancestry...would you be able to find out if we are related?

Another random question: I am always interested in learning about other religions, and there are a lot of 7th day Adventists here. I hear that they are either a branch of our church or have a restoration story similar to ours. But that makes me wonder why they have more members than us. I´d love to know what Wikipedia says about what they believe and where they came from.

The pedometer works a lot better. I now know that we walk about 6-8 miles a day. And Saturday...was the hottest day of my life. But that is okay, I am adjusting! Really, this has been one of my best weeks here. I got to do a baptismal interview for a 17-year-old who already wants to serve a mission. That was a fun experience. We also had our monthly meeting with the Stake President, which I always enjoy. He talked about how we can work more with the ward to help our investigators and recent converts to family history and temple work, something I have always wanted to incorporate more into our teaching. He also emphasized the importance of teaching tithing so that people learn to trust in the Lord and stay active, along with always being positive about our leaders and members here (sometimes a problem in certain wards). He really is an incredible leader. 

So, that is my advice for this week. Be positive! We all have troubles, but if we have faith in Christ, we really will make it through everything and receive more blessings than we can imagine. Sometimes I wish those would come sooner, but I know I am where I am because there are things I need to learn. Thanks for staying in touch. Love you lots!

-Elder Wesley Morgan

Talk to Each Other!

First and foremost, Mauricio got baptized! We had a few problems setting up the interview, but it all turned out well in the end. I also got to baptize Jesús (so yes, that makes me John the Baptist), the 8-year-old son of his girlfriend. Great experience all around! I also loved receiving your package from José. Peanut Butter M&M's and Cinnamon Roll Pop Tarts are two of my favorite things in the world.

Well, I was all excited to see what changes happened in the Zone, and there were not any. Somewhat of a surprise. Most everyone is new in the area, but there are some companionships with relationship issues. We had to do exchanges twice this week with companionships who could not work together. Both were a lot of fun for me and the missionary who I brought to work in the area. The first one was more difficult, and when we all got back together, those Elders took a couple hours of talking and planning to finally resolve to work through their differences. I really learned the importance of communication. We need to get to know our companions personally so that they can trust us, talk to them about our problems rather than letting them explode inside us, and encourage them when they need help. Apart from an unforgettable testimony of communication, I also understand why President Uchtdorf gave a talk this last Priesthood session about how Priesthood service can be one of our greatest joys. Helping people overcome the difficulties and realize their full potential can be a wonderful thing.

Also, during one of those exchanges we had an incredible lesson. We asked what they were expecting from our visit, and they just asked about what it is that we do. We explained the importance of this message, our schedule, and that we have challenges and difficulties just like everyone else. That really got them to open up. They talked about so many questions they had always had about why they could never make enough money or why God made their daughter so sick. We briefly testified of the plan of Salvation, and you could see that they felt the Spirit and power of this message. It was exactly what they needed. I look forward to teaching them again, and I hope I can continue to teach like that. I have kind of hit the 6 month wall I have heard about. You get into a way of doing things the same way every time. I still see a lot of missionaries who never got through that. That lesson reminded me that I need to keep improving how I teach, improving my Spanish, trusting the Holy Ghost, and changing what I teach to fit each investigator's needs.

Also, even though we have a small area, I am learning that there are always more people to teach! We just need the faith and diligence to find them. I thought of this when we found an alleyway that led to a lot of little apartments. We were climbing over makeshift bridges/stairs to get to them with a little boy who was showing us the way. If we go back, I will try to take a picture or two. The mission really is an adventure. 

To answer your questions, as Zone Leaders we are usually transferred less often, and I have a strong feeling I will be here for a long time. We are actually going to cut our hair today at a cheap place near our house, which costs $3. I am keeping a good journal, though I am quite busy and don´t always write a lot. Heather asked about how church is here. It is pretty similar, just smaller (Primary is usually just two separate classes, for example). We use the Lorenzo Snow manual and the other materials that you do. I hear often that no one in the States uses real scriptures anymore (ipads, iphones, etc.), so we don´t have that here yet. Oh, and I get to give a talk in two weeks!

One more thing, Preach My Gospel says we need to ask for references from EVERYONE; which we definitely do (that's our one thing we actually do well every week). But I haven't asked for references from my family yet! Haha, so if you or anyone reading this know anyone who is going to be in Paraguay, let me know. It sounds ridiculous, but if a girl here knows Tyler Woolley, anything can happen. In all seriousness, I hope you are helping the missionaries by sharing the gospel. I am sure everyone reading this has someone they know who they could talk to about the gospel. The statistics for this area go from 1/2000 getting baptized if the missionaries find them on their own (ugly number), to 1/3 if members teach their friends with the missionaries (2/3 if the missionaries meet them in the house of the members). I like that number A LOT more, and I hope the members here, there, and all over the world can catch the Spirit of missionary work and share the joy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their fellow brothers and sisters here on earth. God loves us a lot, and we should tell everyone we can! 

Love,

Elder Wesley Morgan

The Future is as Bright as Your Faith

Well, there is a picture of our missionaries getting ready for the Zone training. As always, it didn't go exactly as I planned, but I felt like it went fairly well. Most meetings start off with having everyone talk about how they did the last month, but seeing as December and January have been hard months for everyone, I decided to change it to be more positive. We had everyone say 5 things they are doing well, 5 things their companion does well, and 5 reasons they know the Lord is with them. It was a great opportunity to compliment ourselves and our companions (two things we do not do often enough). The other great part was at the end when we sat down and read Mark 10:17-30,35-45 to talk about making sure we have really left everything behind and are focused on the mission. You could really feel the Spirit there. We also talked about the importance of being worthy of personal revelation, the new standards of excellence, our "Vision, Goals, Plans"  for the month, and practiced inviting investigators to be baptized while also explaining what they'll need to do to prepare (attend church 3 times, learn 5 or 6 more lessons, etc.). We spent a little too much time on some of those things and didn't get to talk about what may have been the most important--understanding what baptism really is so we work hard for these people to receive the incredible blessings (not just for numbers). But we learned a lot of things we can improve for the next time.

One of the streets in front of Elder Morgan's apartment

I am glad you understand why I don't want to be negative in these emails. But I definitely don't want to be fake either. There are some things we are not allowed to say, such as negative things about the culture or our leaders, and we are supposed to focus on the good things our companions do. My companion really is a good leader who knows a lot about how to work effectively and teach other missionaries. Like I said, he is getting a bit tired and robotic. He was really hoping to get the call on Sunday to be an assistant (like I did to be a Zone Leader) because he wants something new and exciting to do. That's not the best reason, and I think that if he is an assistant soon, there are some things I´ll need to help him with as far as diligence, leadership, and teaching by the Spirit (I hope that doesn't sounds like I am perfect...I still have a mountain of things to improve). It's going to be tough, but for some reason I am actually excited. That's weird, because usually I dread hard or uncomfortable things, but I am looking forward to the opportunity to help him change and to really become the leader the Lord needs me to be. 

Entryway of Elder Morgan's apartment

First we are starting with our area. I thought of an analogy a few weeks ago I never shared. I have felt that we are like farmers working with a tractor that doesn't function properly--our area book is very complicated and needs a lot of work, we need to work more with members, and we spend way too much time doing exchanges in other areas. Because our "tractor" does not work, we sometimes do more damage than we do good, but we have to work a certain amount of time each day no matter what, which leaves little time to fix the tractor. Finally, we are improving the way we work, fixing the area book and map, and focusing more on this area. There is still a long way to go, but I do have hope for the future.

Elder Morgan's study area

I have also discovered that I am much happier when I talk to more people--one reason numbers are good when they motivate us to good things. So I am trying to contact as many people on the street as I can, even though most of them live out of our area. That is one of the difficulties of being in the Center of Asunción, but we are giving a ton of references to other areas. One other thing about the city: there are so many people who come on the busses selling things--coke, snacks, cleaning supplies, medicine, etc. There was a little of that in CDE, but it is huge here.

Elder Morgan's kitchen

As far as people go, Mauricio does not want to get married, but he decided to move out so he can get baptized this week. Not the eternal family we are hoping for, but it is a great step in the right direction. The other prospective baptism we have right now is David, whose uncle is a member. He knows pretty much everything, but he is a little different. He accepted the baptismal invitation, and then he started telling us that vampires exist. Haha, we'll see what happens. If nothing else, I sure have a lot of opportunities to laugh here in Amambay.

Elder Morgan's bathroom

We also have Nestor Benitez, a 20-year-old who wants to become active again so he can go on a mission. I had a really spritual experience teaching him lesson 1 and testifying of the importance of what we do as missionaries. We really are here to invite everyone to come unto Christ, and even if it doesn't always turn out the way we want it to, that is a miraculous opportunity.

Elder Morgan's bedroom

We are waiting to get a call about who is coming and going in our Zone, so I am a little anxious. The future is exciting, and I hope I can be faithful and learn through the difficulties so I can enjoy this amazing experience as a missionary.

Much love,

Elder Wesley Morgan

"I got a package from the primary a couple weeks ago with a Christmas tree and some Snickers bars (melted, but wonderful). This ornament was by far my favorite. Makes me smile every time."

"We also had the District activity this last Monday. We went to that Pizza Hut buffet again. And there is a member in Centro who works in a tall building, which he let us go to the top of and take pictures of the city. So these pictures are not of my area, but the part of the city right next to my area. The only difference is that we don´t have a view of the river or quite as many skyscrapers and government buildings."

"Our district!"

"Elder Speedy broke his shoes (which were already falling apart) as we were running to take these pictures. Fun times!"

Press Forward, Saints

I did forget to tell you about a few things about the Council. First, we had to get up early, and while my companion was getting ready I was still sleeping. He said he told me get up a couple times and I responded in my sleep (in Spanish) that I was about to get ready. So this language is starting to become pretty natural for me. There are 11 zones in the mission (5 or 6 in the Asunción area), so there are 22 Zone Leaders. I forgot to mention that one of those is Elder Brown, who, not surprisingly, is in the same situation as me. He has a great companion and seems to be doing very well. One great thing we talked about at there was no longer "teaching" less-actives and recent converts by just sharing a scripture. I don´t know where that tradition came from, but I think most missionaries do it when it is really not effective. We have Lesson 5 (and the other lessons) for a reason. Also, we ended the meeting with the hymn "Oíd el toque del clarín," probably my favorite Spanish hymn. I don´t think it exists in English, but you can check and see.

This week we had interviews with President Agazzani, which was a great experience. I walked in and he said "What are you doing here (as a Zone Leader)?" I laughed and said "I don´t know, you tell me." He laughed and replied, "I don´t know either, but I know that the Lord plays the cards how he wants them." That, along with the rest of the interview, was very reassuring to me that God has important things planned for me. I am here for a reason, even if I can´t see that now. He told me he knows there are people here for me to baptize, and I know if I am faithful and obedient, I will be able to recieve all the blessings the Lord has for me.

Then, after telling him that I did not have many worries about the Zone, we had quite a few problems this week. That week an Elder called and said he wanted to go home. That was surprising because he is one of our best, but he feels like he can´t deal with the pressure. The biggest problem is that his family are not members and are very against him being here. Not being able to call them Christmas was a big blow. We talked to him that day, and he is going to keep working (they had 10 investigators in church yesterday...that should keep him a little happier). We also got permission for him to email his cousin, the one member in his family. There is one other missionary who is talking to girls more than he should and listening to music against the rules. We´ll probably have to talk to him, too. I have never been able to confront or correct people, so that is something I am having to learn.

The toenail is getting a little better, and it doesn´t really hurt unless it hits something. Our apartment is fairly large (I´ll remember to take pictures). It is on the second floor, but our entry way is on the first floor. Every apartment in our building has their own door going outside, which is nice. I guess I do need to give you more details on my companion and daily life. I don´t ever want to be negative, but there are a lot of negative things that happen. I will try to tell you more so I can find the balance between being positive and making sure you know what´s going on. For example, all of my companions, at one point or another, have driven me crazy. I love them, but we do not agree on everything. I don´t want to just complain in these emails, especially since a lot of those problems pass after a day or two. But, as you have seen, sometimes avoiding saying negative things about them...means I don´t say much at all. So, I´ll try to be more open with you. Elder Knudsen is a great missionary who has been a leader for a long time. That also means he is a bored with what he is doing and he is stuck in his ways. We have fun together, but I struggle to get him to see things my way. We are also struggling to have success in this area, which is why that interview with the President was so reassuring. In my last area, we never had a enough time to teach all the people we wanted to. Now I find myself walking around all day wishing we had more things to do. We really need a better way to find people. Knocking on doors, especially in an area as small as this, is not so effective. This really is one of the hardest areas in the mission, and I don´t want to get tired of it like many missionaries do. The members are great, but we are also having a hard time working with them. I did find out that one of the girls in the Grau family, who has cousins in Orem, went to visit them and knows Tyler Woolley! That could also be another sign that I am supposed to be right here right now, because the odds of that are quite small.

The Zone training is tomorrow. I have been studying and preparing a lot for that, so I am excited and I really hope it helps the missionaries work more effectively. I will try to keep you better updated on how I am doing while not being to negative about things. I also like to focus on mission things more than personal things because I am trying to forget myself and work hard. So keep me and the rest of the people here in Amambay in your prayers, because we really do need it. I always pray for the whole family, and I hope you all feel the Savior´s love for you in your daily lives.

Love,
Elder Morgan