March 26, 2012

Kumusta po kayo?!?

SO... remember how a week of two ago I said it was the beginning of summer here and was SO HOT? well I spoke too soon. On Saturday we were sitting in a lesson and I heard thunder- for the first time since I have been here. Now it has rained before, and quite hard my first couple of weeks here, BUT I learned that thunder means it's a REAL storm! OH MY GOODNESS!!! I have NEVER seen rain like I saw on Sat. and of course it was one of the few days I chose NOT to bring my umbrella. HA! I'm really bad at following promptings.... so needless to say I was soaking wet for the rest of the day and I would leave a puddle wherever I went. Luckily we usually just teach on covered pouches or on concrete floors :) It has been cold for the past few days.... no joke. I even slept in my fleece jacket the other night cause the sheet just wasn't cutting it. ha ha. I still love it here though and all the rain has washed most the trash away so that has been nice :)

On a more spiritual note... a real quick one since I only have 4 minutes. This week I realized how even though each one of us has very different things going on in our lives we all have trials. We all have something that is trying to bring us down and something that is there that will make us stronger if we face it with the right attitude and know that the purpose of our trials is to make us stronger, better people. I'm grateful for this experience AND I'm so grateful for all of you!!!

MAHAL NA MAHAL KO KAYO LAHAT!!!!

Sister Morton

March 19, 2012

So another week already.... I swear it seems like I am just going to wake up and I am going to be freezing in Utah like most of you are right now. :)

I cannot even describe this week. I seriously don't think I have ever been this sweaty, tired and just plain exhausted in my whole life, and I don't think I have ever been happier. It's the strangest thing! As most of you know I am quite grumpy when I am really tired, but not anymore. I can't even describe how happy I am. It's crazy how having close to zero time to focus on myself has made me the happiest I have ever been.

Last week we had a "mini MTC" for the youth in our stake and we got to be the teachers. One of our APs gave a talk and he talked about how every single thing we do as a missionary is for someone else and effects others salvation. I have thought about that all week. Everything from doing yoga every morning, learning a language, eating dinner at 9:30 at night and lets not forget all the studying, oh and all the walking, I am doing because I want someone else to be able to be as happy as I am. I want them to know that they have a purpose here on this earth and that they have a loving Heavenly Father that has a PERFECT plan for them. All that we need to do is focus on Christ and when we do this everything else falls exactly where it needs to be. I know that just by reading the scriptures to really learn from them, sincerely praying and going to church we end up right where we want to be. Even though these things seem simple I know they can be hard because it took me a LONG time to figure this out. IT IS SO WORTH IT THOUGH!!!

I love being a missionary. I love this gospel. I love all of you.

MAHAL KO KAYO!!!!

March 11, 2012

Kumusta!?!

This week was great! I had a great birthday, was able to show my new comp around everywhere and then finished the week with a baptism. Not too shabby. The only thing that was just great was the warmth. It's getting really warm (91 F) here because summer is the end of March, April and May. The senior sisters said that we aren't allowed to say the "h" word here... no not that h word even though that is what it is starting to feel like :) ha ha, hopefully that's not to inappropriate of a joke for a missionary email. :)

So Sister Gallagher and I started teaching Nolasco the end of January and he was baptized on Saturday. He is so great!!!! He has some much faith and he has said over and over he just wants to do what the Lord wants him to do. It has been really neat to see his faith and knowledge grow in the gospel. The first lesson after Sister Gallagher left he told my new comp the Sister G and I had been like angels to him. Maybe it is just because we're both white... but it was still really sweet :) It has also been so awesome to see him just jump right into the ward.

I love our ward!!! Church has turned into my favorite part of the week! It is like an emotional rollar coaster ride though. One second I am sad because someone who said they would show up and seemed to be progressing, won't come. Then the next second someone I never expected to come back to church while I am still in San Pablo will walk through the doors. (I know I need to have more faith in those people :) It's really great and church attendance is one of the biggest ways we show our faith. Especially for the people here because it takes so much to get to church. Really. I think about how many times I was too lazy to go and I could have walked to the church in 10 minutes if I walked slow and I didn't even have to walk because I had a CAR. Never again will I complain or skip church.

Well time is up....

MAHAL KO KAYO LAHAT!!!!!

Sister Morton

March 4, 2012

WOW! Thank you for all the birthday wishes!!!! I can't believe I will be 28 tomorrow!!! Crazy. This week was also kinda crazy. My companion was transfered and I got a new companion this morning- Sister Rombaoa! She is SO NICE!!! We've only been companions for a couple of hours so no pics yet, but she is by far the smallest companion out of the 5 other companions that I have. Yup I'm averaging about a month a companion. Ha ha! But seriously I think I was her size in 2nd grade. I'm excited for this week though. There is always an adjustment period with new companions and I have been in that phase since Sister Gallagher left. Needless to say, I am excited to get working with her!

So I have been doing a lot of thinking this past week. Last week it had been two years since I decided to start going back to church and really figure out if the church was true, and now I am a missionary. I really loved the talk last conference about climbing up the mountain and taking breaks to look back at the view and how far they had climbed. I realized this week that I have spent my whole mission so far looking up at the rest of the mountain I need to climb. I have been so focused on trying to become the missionary I want to be I haven't been enjoying the view and looking back at how far I have come. I did this week though and it's been so incredible. I honestly cannot believe the change in my life from 2 years ago, even just 6 months ago, and even in the last month. It has all been because of one person, Christ. When we focus on Him, not only does everything work out perfectly, we can be happy even through our roughest weeks. I am so so grateful for my mission and to be able to learn and most importantly apply so many important things to my life. I am so grateful for the relationships that I have been able to create and the ones I have been able to strengthen. These have been my biggest blessings. Most importantly I am overwhelmingly grateful for the relationship I have been able to create and strengthen with my Savior, and see lives change when they draw nearer unto Him. I love you ALL! and I am so grateful for all your love and support!!!!

MAHAL NA MAHAL KO kAYO LAHAT!!!

Sister Morton

Febuary 27, 2012

Hello!!!!

What a difference a week makes! :) This week started out kind of rough. I was sick, my beses friend went home and they dropped me off in a new area with new investigators and less active members, a new (and by new I mean different :) apartment with a new companion, and there was not any toilet paper in the "new" bathroom. It seriously was a traumatic flash back of my first couple of weeks in the Pines and that adjustment is pretty high on the list of "things megan NEVER wants to do again. ever." ha ha. BUT after a couple of days and and a normal temperature and my stomach going back to what i now call normal for it, :) I realized how far I have come in the 3 months I have been here. I can actually understand and speak Tagalog MUCH better than I could, I wouldn't call it every good yet, but progress is progress. AND the coolest thing- I'm learning how to rely on the Lord more and more every day. Missions are amazing.

I am so grateful for this experience. It's like progression on warp speed. Ether 12:27- It is happening. and I am so grateful. I prayed for my mission to be hard, and most days I wonder "ANO SA MUNDO was I thinking?" ha ha but I am so grateful for this experience I have to learn and grow. I am even more grateful for the opportunity I have to see the Spirit help people change their lives. It really is a miracle.

Time goes SO FAST!!!! Next month it will be my sixth month mark, I will have only a year left til i'm home, and I'll be 28!!!! CRAZY!!!! If the rest of my mission goes as fast as the last six weeks did, I feel like I'm going to be home in like four days ;) The last transfer was so great!!!! I learned so so SO MUCH and I am so grateful for Sister Gallagher. She is amazing. I miss her, but all the things I learned from her are really coming in handy. :) My new companion is great. Her name is Sister Villasis and she is from the southern part of the Pines. She has such a fun personality and loves to tease. She is a really happy person and a strong teacher! I am excited to spend the next 12 weeks with her. :) President Peterson told me not to come back to the next transfer day because I have been to every one so far. So we will see. He might change his mind and miss me. ha ha.

Well I hope you all have a fantastic week, and you read your scriptures :)

LOVE,

Sister Morton

Oh... PS.... we went hiking up a mountain today for pday and i'm pretty sure there is no word for switch back in Tagalog, because we hiked STRAIGHT up a mountain. no joke, and every time I hike i remember how much I don't like hiking ha ha, BUT the jungle is awesome :)