More baptisms! Woohoo!

This truly is the Lord´s work. Once again, we spent a lot of time looking for houses, and the week ended with baptisms and confirmations. I don´t have pictures (My camera battery is officially dead...I¨ll let you know what kind it is next week if it would be possible to send a new one), but we had six people in white! Liza and her twin daughters, Analía (who I baptized) and Anayeli are now members of the church. They have such strong testmonies, and the YW President (President Burger´s wife) surprised us by giving them full scripture sets and Personal Progress manuals. She also gave all that to their sister Silvia, who is going to need a little more time before getting baptized. Delfina keeps coming to church, so we just need to get the marriage plans ready! Also, our Zone pulled some miracles and we had nine confirmations yesterday--that was also great!

But after that...we don´t have absolutely anyone. ALL of our extra time has been house-shopping. It isn´t easy here in Paraguay, where directions, contact information, and business negotataions are pretty informal. One cultural thing I don´t know if I mentioned: They always wear flip-flops. Even when doing construction or moving jobs. It´s pretty funny. And the only interesting news about the house is that we found some "hippies", for lack of a better word, (one is from Minnesota) who showed us their house where they do Reiki Therapy. Seems like pseudoscience mixed with religion and massages. Interesting experience to lighten up a day of non-spiritual work. We just have to remember that what we are doing is important. Just glad I am not in the office where they do things like this every day, haha.

The Kellers (the senior couple) are amazing. They are working with the District President to reignite the home teaching program. Most people give a lot of excuses as to things that have already been tried and don´t work, but we still have to keep trying! District conference is this weekend, so I am excited to see how things start to change.

We sang "Teach me to walk in the Light" and "Love one another" (there is an incredible EFY type CD that has two singers, one of whom I think is Freddy Ashby singing those two songs, which is why we chose them). And I just got out of choir practice. Elder Brown put together a 30-person mission choir for a conference we will have next month with ELDER CHRISTOFFERSON! I´m pretty excited. The practice went very very well. Right before that was the Leadership council, which was also great, as always. We have to do the training THIS Friday because next week is transfers (that´s when Elder Leishman goes home), so I'll let you know the details about what we are teaching and how it goes. President Agazzani was pretty direct about how what we teach should be exactly what we heard today or we´re like the people who created the Great Apostasy, haha.  So I´ll talk more about how both went next week.

We did also have our primary program...not quite as organized, but still spiritual. Elder Leishman is very focused for having so little time left. He always talks about how happy he for the experiences he has had, and how all the challenges were worth it. My two suit pants are the hot ones, and I have one left that I brought (the washable ones) and two that I have found. (You can find ANYTHING in old apartments--books, clothes, personal care supplies...) So I´ll be fine. I did hear about that missionary movie, and I will be interested to see it. It´s great to be a missionary, and every member can participate!

-Elder Morgan the Older

My mom found this picture on a Missionary Mom Facebook page... Elder Morgan's zone, taken sometime this summer

Wonderfully exhausted

Well, this week was insane. It started Monday night when the assistants called us to do exchanges the next day, and I finally got to work with Elder Brown! We had planned to go do house inspections, a new assignment from the mission which is a huge workload in this Zone. So we had to move those to Wednesday and Thursday. We also had to help the sisters in our ward move, and I learned that it is not a good idea to do that in church clothes. Elder Brown and I were already tired. We went out to visit the Castro family, who had given us some unclear doubts about why they didn´t want to come back to church and baptize their 9-year-old daughter. But when we arrived, they didn´t put up any fight at all. It was great! The service was very nice, and two other nine year old girls (one from the sisters, and one from another branch nearby called Eusebio Ayala) were baptized. It shows that the parents need to take a bit more responsibility, but salvation is salvation. I was also very impressed by the fact that all three mothers (none of the inactive fathers came) mentioned that their daughters had made their own decision. The best part might be that the one we baptized is named Milagros--miracles in Spanish. And it truly was.

Elder Brown tried to do the same thing with Emilio, but he is as stubborn as ever. We also ran to look at that big house, but no go. We have had to spend most of our time looking, and we have a deadline of THIS Thursday now! The two missionaries who are coming are going to be Zone Leaders in when the zone splits. 4 Zone Leaders, 2 Sisters, and 1 Couple in the same branch will be crazy. Luckily, we have been able to keep visiting the Melgarejos, who keep progressing, but aren´t sure if they are ready to take the step of faith and get baptized this Saturday. We´ll see what we can to do help them tonight.

Apart from that, my only other news is that Elder Leishman and I sang two primary hymns in Spanish, Guaraní, and English yesterday. He never sang before the mission, but it actually went well. There are also some Russians and Germans in our ward who sing all the hymns in german, so we just have quite the mess of languages. Last week we went to the Basilica and saw the Virgin statue. Interesting. We also got to go in the dome above and see the city. Unfortunately, I had camera problems, as I have been having all my mission, so I will have to find another chance to go back and take pictures, though I have to admit that everything Daniel sent surpasses it by far. I also loved getting pictures from everyone!

It is ridiculously hot and humid, but I have been able to find some old pants that missionaries have left, so I don´t have to wear my suit pants except on Sundays (they are pretty thick and itchy in the humidity). I did use my thermals a lot in the winter month(s), because it got very very cold. But now...I don´t know what to do with it. I do have everything I need, and I am thankful for the blessings the Lord gives us, even when we haven´t had much time to work in our area. One other thing we had to do was make the arrangements for a new missionary we sent home today. He was not prepared for the mission in several ways, but I do feel bad for him. Please pray for him, for me, for the house, for the new converts, for the Melgarejos, for us to find other people to teach, and all the other normal things. I love you all and I am so thankful for your support!

House Shopping

First and foremost--the investigators. Of the miracle Melgarejo family, on the 12-year-old twins Analía and Anayeli came to church, and they had to leave early. But they really liked the Young Women´s classes. But we had a great lesson with the family the night before. They had asked about why only we have the authority to baptize and who the Nephites are. Reading 3 Nephi 11 was a great way to answer both questions. They are still getting ready to be baptized on the 26th, as is Delfina, who we are also teaching with the Sostoa family. She is the oldest son´s girlfriend, and they just moved to Ca´acupe. She seemed really quiet in the lesson, but she also loved church. She is pregnant with her second child, so I think she really likes the emphasis on families.

Then the story continues with Emilio. We devised a plan to have him come teaching with us. He got to see how much work it is to find people to teach, and we intentionally visited a lot of less-active families who asked him "Why aren´t you a member yet?!" Some of them are people with testimonies who just don´t want to keep the commandments, which we are trying to use to show him that he just needs to act on what he knows is true. He loves practicing English, though he is fairly slow at learning. Yesterday when we were talking about what he would need to be baptized, and he said he needs to learn more, I said "YOU KNOW EVERYTHING!" That he understood, haha. He´s really fun to have around, but we are just praying so hard that he will get his answer from the Lord and make up his mind to get baptized, maybe even this Saturday.

Not much else to talk about. We did do the Zone training, which was interesting to be doing again. I feel like everything we did helped the missionaries, but we could have explained to the District leaders a bit more of what their role was (they spent a lot of time talking when we wanted more demonstrations and practices). But overall, I enjoyed it.

It will be easier when the Zone splits next transfer, which is now official. President visited a few branches to approve some new houses. We are going to be receiving new missionaries in three of the branches, including ours. So we have to dedicate a lot of time to house shopping. Luckily, we found a great one nearby, which might even be big enough for the four of us. Besides finding a house for the new Elders that will come, we need to move out because there is a single lady living in the beauty salon downstairs. So please pray for us to be able to do that.

There are 13 Zones in the mission, with two or three districts in each. I heard Corbin is a ZL over 40 missionaries which is insane. Here 8 missionaries in a district is the maximum, with no more than 3 districts in a zone. And it is sad to hear what happened in Truman´s mission. I´ll have to write to him and see how everyone is handling it.

As far as your talk goes, I think the best thing I could say is that missionary work is truly guided by the Lord. He will never abandon us if we believe in him. That guidance only comes through preparation and participation. Like Elder Maynes said, you can´t learn how to play basketball by watching the NBA. You have to go out and do it! It´s the same with missionary work. I have learned most everything by making mistakes and trusting in God to help me improve. The other day we had a meeting with our district leaders. They were letting us know what challenges they are facing, and I found the counsel to help them just coming out of my mouth naturally. When we are focused on helping others, not our own desires, the Lord can work through us, and it is the same for every member or missionary who wants to participate.

Well, I wish you luck with your great new temple calling, along with Tony & Jed in their new jobs, Danny with his grad school applications, and Brittany, Heather and Daniel. Thanks for keeping me posted, even with the sad things. I´ve heard that something is happening in Syria...is that important for me to know about? In any case, I hope all is well. Love you all!

-Elder Wesley Morgan

Rededicate Myself

The English room at General Conference

Well, I loved Conference as always. We only have one investigator who came, Emilio. He is awesome. He comes to the English classes we started (Wednesdays, like Daniel), because he loves learning English. He has been investigating and coming to church off and on for a year and a half. Even the members ask him when he'll finally get baptized, but he doesn't want to commit. We're just trying what worked with Paola--let him know that we aren't going to pressure him, it's his decision, and we'll work hard to help him feel comfortable with it. He came to Priesthood and both Sunday sessions, and he watched them with us in the English broadcast room. I don't think he understood much, but like the story in India (?), I believe he felt the Spirit of it.

Apart from him, we have one other investigator who we were really hoping would come, Cheli. She has also been investigating for a while (a couple months), and knows it's true, but doesn't want to commit for lack of time. We also found a miracle family--The Melgarejos--who just happened to be doing a family night with the Sostoa (members) one evening. They told us they wouldn't have time for conference, but they really want to know more. We're watching "On the Way Home" with them tonight.

Back to the Conference. Like the subject line says, I feel like the theme of the conference was rededicating ourselves to be better. I loved Elder Maynes' talk about treating trials like a Spiritual workout. I felt the Spirit in so many talks I can't even remember, but I do like seeing the recurring themes between conferences. Many apostles speak about the same things they always do, but it's important! Les Miserables was mentioned again, and in the priesthood session someone said the phrase from last priesthood session that I loved--Don´t die with your music in you. It's so true. All that people will remember here--missionaries and investigators--are what I taught them to do. I will leave this country at some point, but if I lift and inspire others my legacy will stay here.

Elder Dube's talk was incredible--exactly what the branches in this city need. Never look back; we still have work to do! It is a branch we are in, and it's actually pretty big. That picture was a group in the Elders' house in Tobatí. There are a couple areas like that--very far away with small branches or groups. Yes, we are Zone Leaders, so we have a lot of work to do. The city itself is very nice near the Basilica (more urban and less Guaraní than Ca´aguazú), but there are some rural parts, too. With Elder Leishman going home, I can also be sure that I will be here for the infamous 8 de Diciembre.

Other little things: Two of the Sisters here are from Nicaragua (Diriomo and Ciudad Sandino), but only one has heard of Juan Sacasa. We got chased by a large, angry turkey. That's a first. The Arnold's came up to visit the Kellers for conference, so it was good to see them again. Our Branch president is President Burger from Germany. He speaks English and Spanish, and all the missionaries go to his house on Tuesdays to eat and talk about progress.

I am excited for the Zone training. This time it will involve a lot of help from the District Leaders, and one interesting thing we will teach is President Agazzani's new way to ask questions. Rather than ask if someone wants to do something, it is often more effective to ask them when or how they will. That was easy while asking which session of conference people would go to or when they will read the Book of Mormon chapter we assigned. It also works with members. Rather than tell the bishop it is his duty to send someone to preside at every baptism, you can say "Bishop, we are planning the baptismal service and we want to know who is going to preside. Will it be you or one of your counselors?" Pretty indirect way to give people a push in the right direction, which they often need.

We have a lot to worry about. But, as always, I love hearing how everyone is doing. I hope you can all apply what you learned in Conference. It really is a great time to be a member of the church and participate in missionary work. There's not much more you can ask for than inviting people unto Christ. Love you all!

-Elder Morgan the Older

New Area; Old Friend

Well, we´ll start off by talking about how my time in Ca´aguazú ended with a bang. After having two decent, but average days, we went to our last lesson with María, who lives with the less-active members. She hadn´t been reading the Book of Mormon much and had some doubts about baptism. The members sort of took control of the lesson, and we didn´t get to talk much. But the most important part was the end when we invited her to pray. She said a very long prayer, thanking the Lord in detail for the blessings of the Restoration. Everyone felt the Spirit very strong, and while they all got up, I kept kneeling, and she did too. I asked her how she felt, what she believed about the church, and when she wanted to get baptized. She said "this month." We were so happy! She is an incredible person, and that was a great last lesson to have with her. In the leadership council today, I was able to find out that she will get baptized in two weeks, and Marta (who I mentioned last week), did get baptized on Saturday--Elder Jessop performed his first baptism.

"I happened to have my camera, and there wasn´t anyone around, so I took a picture of what Ca´aguazú looks like on my last day."

Now for the crazy part. I am in Ca´acupe with a familiar friend--Elder Leishman! I am so excited to work with him. I am still getting caught up on sleep from the travelling, and we work so hard we are always exhausted. The area is gorgeous. We live in the state right next to Asunción, which is called "Cordillera" (mountain range), and it´s true--there are actually small mountains (part of why we walk a lot). We live in the center of town, which is very, very touristic due to the famous "Virgen de Ca´acupe," which is housed in a HUGE Cathedral close to our apartment. I hear that December is going to be crazy here.

"My 'new' companion, who is shining my shoe for the Leadership council."

We also have a lot of rural parts in our area and in the zone. It is a very large zone, with 24 missionaries, two of whom are the other senior couple in the mission, The Kellers from South Carolina. Of the 11 normal companionships, FIVE are sisters (up until now I haven´t met that many sister missionaries) and SEVEN are trainer&new missionary. It´s a young zone, and it used to be part of the North mission. Some of the missionaries are serving in groups, which are even smaller than branches. It´s the biggest zone in the mission, so we travel a lot, but it will probably be divided next change. So there is a lot of work to do!

"My new, small apartment. We live right on a busy street, very close to Burger King and the Basilica."

Other exciting news--there are a lot of new and young leaders in the mission (2/3 of the missionaries in our mission have been out less than a year), so President decided to invite all of the district leaders to the Leadership Council, not just the zone leaders. So that was quite the adventure, coordinating travels with Elders Valle, Farroñay, and Bravo. They are all great, and I will talk more about them as time goes on. It was great to see old friends at the council, including Elder Brown and Elder Cuases, two of my best friends in the mission, who came with me and are the two assistants!! As always, we learned a lot in the council and are going to keep improving the way we work.

"Elder Herrera, an El Salvadoreño who was with me in Ca´aguazú and is now a Zone Leader."

I am also VERY excited to here that things seem to be going well back home--Tony getting a job, Brittany´s comical letter, and Daniel seems more upbeat and experiencing a lot of the missionary life I am used to. As for Pumpkin...I am not surprised.*

 I feel like I have sent a lot today, but I have bit more of fun things. On Saturday the missionaries from Tobatí baptized a lady in a wheelchair. They used a metal chair in the font and two people. It was complicated, but very spiritual because you could see how much patience and faith she had the in the missionaries. Then Bishop Jorge Gomez from my first area randomly showed up to sacrament meeting here (he was baptized here), so I got to find out how everyone is there. Talking to missionaries at the council I also got up to date on just about everything in my old areas. Amancio, whose brother I baptized in Amambay, is finally getting baptized. And that family of 5 kids in Costa Bonita who broke my heart because their dad wouldn´t give them permission? He left, and now the mom is going to get baptized with her kids! 

Life is great! Love you all!

*Our 18-year-old cat had to be put to sleep.  :(

The Pursiut of Happiness

Man, it has been quite the journey here in Ca´aguazú. This is the end of the training program, and I feel like Elder Jessop is ready for anything. He has learned a lot and will keep learning through the challenges and opportunities ahead. And Marta, the girl who had been coming to church, finally committed to get baptized next week. So he´ll finally have his first baptism! With whoever his new companion is.

It has been a very emotional week for me. We had intereviews with President Agazzani, and I talked to him about how I can do baptismal interviews better. He said something about how this experience as a district leader and trainer would make me a better Zone Leader "if" I got the opportunity to do it again. And he called me yesterday to confirm my suspicions. I don´t know where I am going, but I am sure wherever he sends me, it will be a joy to keep serving other missionaries while participating in this work.

I am really going to miss living with these three missionaries. Elder Johnson has been very focused his last week, and they helped a great family get married and baptized on Saturday. I also got to do exchanges with Elder Moffet, which I enjoyed a lot. We talked a lot about what we want to achieve in life as missionaries, husbands, and fathers. That day encouraged me to keep working hard in spite of the obstacles. Like I said, it has been a tough week, realizing how hard I have worked in this area and how fast the time has gone. 

I love watching "The District" videos, like most missionaries, and this week it really impacted me. I realized how great God´s plan is. Every missionary is different. We have had different experiences to prepare us for the mission, and we will continue to be put in situations specifically tailored for our needs and personalities. That´s why it´s stupid to compare myself to others. God has a different purpose for them than for me. It wouldn´t make sense for us all to have the same missions with the same results. The part of the mission that is most incredible and difficult to understand is that we are here to learn. Obviously, I will get to the end of my mission wishing I could start over with my knowledge and experience gained, but that´s exactly the point! My primary objective was to gain that knowledge and experience, not the external results. God has a plan. This all hit me pretty hard yesterday as we were watching those videos and I was wondering why the mission is the way it is. I realized that all missionaries have similar difficulties (companionship issues, investigators who face peer pressure, fallen appointments, etc.), so I can never complain about having hard situations. No one has an easy mission. But at the same time, my mission will be unique and especially for me. I wrote about five pages about this in my journal yesterday, and I don´t think it can have the same impact on those who read this as it has on me because of the weeks and months of experiencing and thinking about the mission. Just know that I now realize why my mission has to be the way it is. God´s plan is perfect and I am so grateful to be a part of it.

And next week in my new area? I´ll keep working to invite other people to come unto Christ. This gospel is so powerful, and it can change lives better than anything, but it can´t do anything for anyone until they decide to accept it. And as I just explained, I am still in the process of understanding God´s plan. It´s all part of the "pursuit of happiness." That phrase is starting to mean so much more for me.  One fun thing--I found two missionaries (who are now married to each other) who served with Jessica Harmon´s dad. I don´t know if I´ll get a chance to tell him, but if he reads the blog or you are in contact with him, let him now that Elder Dandaluz (Uruguayan) and Sister Lopez (Paraguayan) got married. 

I´ll have to give more details when I get back. I have so much to tell you all when I get back, and truly, the greatest part about being a missionary is the man I have become as I just trust in God and let him use me in his work. Daniel mentioned Tennis Shoes among the Nephites the other day, and I also thought of it relating to the mission. I remember that there is a part where one of them goes back in time and his dad is surprised to see him come back a grown man. I may look very similar when I get back, but I can promise you I will be a new person on the inside. I really feel like I have come to be a better priesthood holder, teacher, and leader, and I am so grateful to be a missionary.

-Elder Wesley Morgan

Miracles on the Horizon

Well, this week was LOCO. I had more lessons with a member present than ever before and we didn´t find anyone who became a new investigator. There are several reasons for that.

1. We had the open house (I attached photos) in the chapel. That was really spiritual for the few people who came. As in many wards, there is a small percentage of members in this branch who do all the work for the rest of the members. I do wish we had more support from them. We did find a few miracles in the open house. Once again, we got to teach in front of the baptismal font, and there was a girl who asked us, "I was baptized in another church when I was 14, but I want to be a member of your church. Do I have to get baptized again?" Golden!

2. In preparation for the open house, we had some less-than-efficient meetings with the members. We also had to go to the church one morning and empty the font with buckets because the pump broke. Luckily my companion is the Hulk and we got it done in record time. I also lost an entire day doing interviews for other missionaries in the district who finally found baptisms but live very far away.

3. I realized how little time I may have in this area, and I put everything towards baptizing someone before the end of this training. I really want Elder Jessop to experience the joy of having a baptism, but it is all according to the Lord´s will. The assistants were doing exchanges, and one of them told us something that really helped me. He said that there are some missionaries who need to baptize often or they won´t work hard or be excited. There are few missionaries who will keep working hard with a positive attitude even when the results won´t come.

That made me feel really good, and I have been trying to invite so many of our investigators to get baptized this week or the next. I have to realize that it is their choice, and we have been praying with them and for them so that they can get an answer. My biggest hope is Clementina, the mother of my convert Paola. She believes the church is true, but isn´t completely sure. We shared the story of Peter walking on the water to help her with that, and she will keep praying to receive an answer. Other than that, we have been trying to visit so many people, and now we just have to wait and hope God grants us a miracle this Saturday.

Also, as part of the 12 week program (which Daniel is also doing) there are tasks to complete every week. For example, the new missionary has to learn to teach certain lessons or techniques. This week he had to take the initiative in everything. That led to many awkward pauses and long lessons, but as always, he is learning fast. 

One interesting person we are teaching is Miguel Bogado. He is a member of a church with a very long name--"Israelites" for short. They have long hair, beards, and the women have to wear veils and dresses, because they believe in "the restoration of all things." That part sounds familiar, haha. But they treat it as being very strict with the Bible. He even believes that the sun revolves around the earth. Surprisingly, he is very open, and he obviously knows a lot about the scriptures. We are just trying to help him realize that the Restoration happened through Joseph Smith. He likes the Book of Mormon, so I know if he keeps his heart open he´ll see the truth.

Alma 7:15 was a scripture that our Zone Leaders shared in the training. I do appreciate your comments on my letters, because I can´t see how you react to these stories. I´ll think about Christmas requests and keep praying for all the members of our family in need. My Mission President´s letter thanked me for my positive attitude in spite of challenges and shared the quote "They key to success is consistence." (Or is it constance? Or being consistent? AH! I don´t know English*). Well, I hope all is well.

Love you all!

-Elder Morgan the Older

*Consistency ;)