June 27, 2012

Hello!!!!

So I was able to upload some photos before zone conference at the senior sisters apartment. It was so great to go back to San Pablo! It kinda felt like I was going home. I cried a little and I don't even want to think about what it is going to be like when I come home to my real home. I might be just a tad emotional. :)

Zone conference was so so great. It gets better each time we have it I think. Sister Peterson is SO WONDERFUL! Karen told me to love my mission president's wife the most and it really isn't hard to do. She gave an AMAZING talk about giving our all and charity. She started by talking about the things we might be holding onto that are keeping us from grasping the iron rod with both hands. And that we need to let go of somethings and just give our whole hearts to service. Then she said something that really hit me and I don;t even remember the context of it but she said, "It's not because we don't have faith in God, it's because we don't faith in ourselves." I have thought a lot about this statement over the last few days. I have faith in God, but I struggle a lot having faith in myself. Believing that I can accomplish all that is required of me and not feeling inadequate is usually a daily struggle. Missionary work is hard. Being a latter-day saint is hard. Choosing to live the right way almost always requires more work, but it is worth it. I love Elder Holland and how he says salvation isn't easy, it wasn't ever easy for the Savior so why should it be easy for us? (or something close to that...) Being here in the Philippines on a mission I have learned so much about the purpose of life. It really is just to grow and learn and try our best to become more Christ like and return to our Heavenly Father, with our families. And the way we do it is through Jesus Christ. That's the basics and when I focus on that and helping others to realize that, everything is crystal clear to me. I am so grateful for this mission. The more I learn the more I realize I will never be able to give back what has been given to me.

| love you all and thank you all so much for your support!

Love,

Sister Morton

#1- My favorite family from San Pablo- Bishop Guerra (the one who past away a couple of weeks ago) is on the left

#2- View of Bundok (mountain) Makiling from Alligator Lake..... No one can tell me if there are actually alligators in it.....

#3- View of Makiling from my area in San Pablo. I always wondered what was on the other side.... it's CALAMBA!

#4- Zone P-day: Hiking to Mud Springs on Makiling- This is the jungle I spoke of in an earlier email

#5- CABUYAO ZONE

#6- Inside a jeepney- the little hanging sign is how you know where it's going

#7-Coolest location of a basketball court I have seen so far

#8- Mud Springs- Smells like Yellowstone in the jungle. Makiling is an inactive volcano=hot springs

#9- One of the poorer parts of my area- You would never guess there is a huge mall just a five minute walk away.

#10- UNGGOY!

#11- JP Rizal Statue, Pinoy National Hero- He was born in Calamba and this statue is near our apartment.

#12- I'm obsessed with clouds and sunsets....ESPECIALLY here in the Pines! SOBRANG MAGANDA!!!

#13- Jayson.... He LOVES me! Ha ha. The first time I came into the area he grabbed my hand and walked me to our LA's house that he lives by and he does it whenever he sees me coming. So CUTE!!!

#14- So we have a little entry area that has a gate with a big lock on it. So when you lock your keys in the house you can't unlock the gate lock. I told my comp we were like zoo animals and she started acting the part :) It was funny for the first 30 minutes of our two hour captivity while waiting for the zone leaders to come.

#15- Elder and Sister Fleming from the MRC- So sweet!

#16- Lake Laguna

#17- MANILA TEMPLE! I hope I get a chance to go in before I go home!!!!

THERE were no photos attached to email, sorry!