Estoy Muy bien!

Subject: Estoy Muuuy bien!
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:52

Hey yall!

Mom, Real fast, if you can please check out when we can renew my license. I think it is 6 months before I return or something like that. If you are able please call DMV that would be great!

Wow you met a Limeña that’s cool. If she was sent to the United States and married an American boy her parents have money. If you can ask her what part of Lima she is from that would be cool. That’s the thing about Perú, they think their food is the best in the world and if you say otherwise you are wrong (According to them). LOL. They are very proud of their food and think all we have in the U.S. is canned food and McDonalds. That’s all they talk about is FOOD!

Wow Rob A is doing his thing that’s cool. At least he is doing some things right. That’s nice what Jennifer did with the "2nd Mom" nick name. It’s good to keep up the physical therapy it works.

I was thinking of studying Spanish, Italian and going for my degree in international business but I will give physical therapy a thought. I was really interested in Sports Medicine at one point but not so much anymore. I don’t really want to be a glorified nurse, or a doctor to be honest, but I do want to help people in the career I choose.

The mission is going really well. I'm not only realizing my faults but correcting them with the help of the lord. I realized I have been really hard to deal with since I arrived in Tahuantinsuyo
but I am getting better. The mission is really flying by for me. I only have 7 months left, how crazy is that?! We are working hard and pumping up the members here because they are not too excited about missionary work so we are making a lot of ground there with our energy.

I have a lot of goals left to accomplish before I end the mission and it will require a lot of concentration, so that’s what I plan on doing, putting a lot of focus on what I need to help the area improve. I know if I do that my family and I will be blessed later on. I have more hope for my future now more than ever.

I know that God won’t leave us hanging if we do what he asks of us. If we follow the commandments’ and work hard we can accomplish anything. Keep doing everything possible to accomplish your dreams and don’t be afraid of big dreams. It just takes focus and putting things in their proper place. Keep "pounding the rock" with the Team INA business, reading your scriptures, praying and attending church every Sunday and things will work out fine. There will be trials but you will have the strength required to overcome and triumph whatever problem you might have. Be humble like Christ.

I love you all and pray only for your happiness. I pray that everything is going well with you ALL. Remember that this life is what we make of it!

Love,

Elder Morton

P.S. Annette,

Happy Birthday! I pray that everything is going well with you, Justin, & Brandon. Congrats on getting your Condo. That is awesome you have your own place. Remember that this life is what we make of it! I have a lot of goals left to accomplish before I end the mission and it will require a lot of concentration, so that’s what I plan on doing, putting a lot of focus on what I need to help the area improve. I know if I do, our family will be blessed later on. I have more hope for my future now more than ever. I know that God won’t leave us hanging if we do what he asks of us and if we work hard we can accomplish ANYTHING. Keep doing everything possible to accomplish your dreams and don’t be afraid of BIG DREAMS.

I love you and pray only for your happiness.

Love, Rob

Elder Morton

Miracles can happen!

Subject: Miracles can happen!
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:57:55

Hey yall!

Josh Euer is your home teacher?! I know him! He was my home teaching companion in the singles ward before he got married! He is the bomb! WOW he has a kid now? That’s really cool! Please say hi and congratulations for me. Some of the kids remembered your birthday that’s really nice to hear.

Wow that’s great to hear that Annette and Brandon took the initiative and did the right thing. Everyone apologized and hopefully started with a clean slate and a pure heart. Annette stopped by with a cake and you didn’t eat it all gone, that’s good news!

Justin stopped studying in May? That’s disappointing because that’s really the only way he would be able to have a better future for him and his family (If he ever has one). Dating the underage girlfriend is equally unadvisable. Brian will be down to see his kids for Thanksgiving that's cool.

I sure pray that things do work out for the best with the family in general and we can forget the stupid small things and focus on the things that really matter. If we do that we can progress a whole lot faster in every way.

Justin is going into the military in March. Air Force would be a better option but its his life and he has to make these kind of decisions on his own its part of growing up.

Sounds like Brandon is happier living a somewhat normal life, that’s great!

James has a new girl friend, good deal. James is doing something else for Matt? I pray that it pans out well for him and Matt.

Mom keep up the physical therapy it really works!

Yes I too am pumped to talk to the family on Christmas! It will be my last Christmas in Perú as a missionary! Again I really am learning patience. My comp is studying to be a doctor and he thinks is smarter than EVERYONE. He has to "win" in our conversations so instead of having deep conversations with him I shut my mouth until I have to teach an investigator or do contacts most of the time. Otherwise, I just agree with him regardless of what he says. I absolutely have to humble myself all day, every day so that we can have success and get along as companions, so I am maturing as a person a whole lot right now. I truly believe that every companion we have is for a specific reason, so that we can improve in an area that we are weak spiritually or personally. I have been praying a lot more specifically these days and really I am receiving a lot of strength and well, it seems as though you guys are receiving some blessings as well. Every day I am here in Perú I realize that the mission really prepares us for life in the real world if we really give it our all until the very end. It’s crazy to think of how I was before and how really ungrateful I was. I was really prideful and that stopped me from doing so much more with my life than I could have if I was humble and had more trust in the lord. I say that now because as children of God I realize that we truly are capable of great things, even greater than we can imagine. The only thing is that we need to be more humble and put our trust in the lord and if we do that we are truly unlimited in what we can do.

One thing I know is that I will do things a whole lot different when I get home! I’m not saying I was bad but I can do a whole lot more with the knowledge and testimony that I have now of our purpose in life than before, that is if I put to use the things I have learned here to use in my life there in California. You too can do the same and if you do miracles can and will happen! I love you all and pray for you all. Please send my love to all of the family and loved ones!

Love,

Elder Morton

I am good and my week went well!

Subject: I am good and my week went well!
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 14:01

Hey yall!

Wow 18 already! That's great you had a good time at Danielle's birthday and everyone was nice. What’s this world coming to?! It goes to show that ANYONE can change for the better! That’s cool that Mike will come by for your Birthday and by the way although its early.
...HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

The kids are bringing their girlfriends for Thanksgiving Dinner? That’s cool; at least it won’t be a lonely Thanksgiving!

Weight Watchers is not worth the money in my opinion because you don’t learn how to lose weight in the real world using normal food. It’s an expense that you don’t need right now.

I don’t care what the place looks like when I get home I only care that you guys are good in spirit and in health.

I really am learning that God blesses us according to our obedience to his commandments. If we are lacking in blessings we need to look at what we are and are not doing and if we are honest with ourselves and we are lacking in certain blessings its because were not following a commandment exactly as we should, in other words were "Half assing it" somewhere. All the blessings we can receive start with having faith or in our minds then it travels to our heart and that feeling results in an action. If we want something better we have to do something better.

I know what type of life you want and in order to get it you can't do the same old thing. Now the thing we must always remember is that were here not on vacation but to be tried. We will always have trials and problems but the difference is what we do with these experiences; do we learn from them and become stronger or do we doubt and think "Poor me my life is hard?"

It's like the story my companion shared in sacrament meeting yesterday: There was a dog lost in the forest looking for shelter. He was far from home and came across a huge, abandoned house. He found a door and dug his way into the house and found that in this house there were other lost dogs just like him. He was happy that now he wasn’t lonely anymore and got so excited wagging his tail and started to play with the other lost dogs they got excited just like him and started playing with him wagging their tails too. He spent the night in the house and the nest day left satisfied and said to him “Wow this house is a great place I will come back some day. Now there was another lost dog that was annoyed and really upset because he was lost. This dog found the same house and entered and found other lost dogs like him and got even more annoyed until the point he was growling and they growled back be barked at them with anger and they responded with the same anger he wrestled with them and fought and they did the same. He spent the night there and left dissatisfied and left the house thinking to himself¨" I will never come back to this house again" As he left he saw a sign above the house that said " The great house of mirrors" Think about that and apply it. I love you Mom, Dad and all!

Love,

Elder Morton

Estoy muy bien!

Subject: Estoy muy bien!
Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 13:57:40

Hey yall!

Thanks Mom for always thinking of me and doing all you can to make the mission a little bit easier. I am sure the box will be awesome for my companion and me. And without a doubt it will make Christmas a little more like home. I am good on vitamins and shoes and I have about a month or two of vitamins that I haven’t used yet so that’s good and my shoes are fine. I could use some inserts because one of my dress shoes I have walked the padding away, but I can buy those here.

Yes Saturday was Halloween and there was a strike against Halloween in my area by some other church and it was hilarious! People in masks with signs that say "No al Haloween".....they can't even spell right what they are picketing!

That’s good to hear that James is softening up a bit and Chris is helping out still. Don’t worry physical therapy is like that but as you said it will get progressively better. Wow you tore your Achilles tendon and the doctor thought it was gout? No wonder you had so many problems, that’s a whole lot more serious than gout!

The changes were the 21st of October and he was scheduled to stay with me here in Lima but there was an emergency change and he went to another part of Lima and I received another companion which is a really chill guy.

In regards to what is going on with your older children. It's not your loss it’s theirs. I don’t know what their deal is, there is no excuse for the way they are treating you. I realized yesterday that stubborn is another word for prideful and that’s what it seems like, if they don’t change soon, they will die miserable, lonely, old people.

On a more positive note I am really enjoying the mission and how we can really redefine ourselves to be more like Christ. It’s funny because in the real world we do so many things and yet spiritually we don’t progress much and in the mission we basically do the same things every day and yet our spiritual progression can be huge if we choose to.

The mission is going by so fast its crazy. I realize more profoundly every day how much God really loves us. He has patience that’s second to none with us as his children. I mean really, he tells us over and over again what it is we need to do to receive blessings and be eternally happy and how many times do we disobey him because its hard or inconvenient and what does he do, he tells us again and when we do what it is we were told he blesses us in a big way. If only as brothers, sisters, and or parents, we could be more like him how different the world be It all starts with us. We don’t need to change the world because that’s impossible but we can change ourselves for the better and our world will change.

I pray that you all, in one way or another are finding more faith in Christ and more confidence and value in yourselves as children of God because you are capable literally of ANYTHING. I hope also that you are finding more courage to share your testimonies with others starting with our family because they need the gospel in their lives especially at this point in their lives. When I get home I want to do my family history and temple work for our ancestors starting with my uncles. I love you all and pray the best for you. Please send my love and let all our friends and family know that I think of them and am praying for them every day.

Love,

Elder Morton