Welcome to the desert! There are people here that need the Gospel...

Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 11:15:27 -0500
Subject: Welcome to the desert! There are people here that need the Gospel...

Hey yall!

I am glad that you heard back from Giorgio. Those guys and their cigar thing, they make me laugh. Vic’s baby shower that has a funny ring to it, I almost can’t believe it, but it’s true. That’s cool that Vivian speaks two languages. I hope they teach the kids to speak Chinese and English as well. It would be a good advantage for them in the future. I hope as well the hard work ethic will rub off on Vic, he needs it!

Welcome to the military life Chris! It sounds like a blast! I think he will do well as long as he keeps a positive attitude, works hard and is obedient. The kids are growing up fast and so are the old people! Jeff will be 45, how crazy is that! Holla at everyone for me!

I am glad that your health is improving and that you’re seeing results, keep up the good work. If you can send some photos in your next email that would be great so that I can download them and give them to the offices so that they have something for my part in the slide show. They want 5 pictures before the mission, 5 during, and 5 of baptisms. I have the photos during the mission and baptisms but nothing from the life before the mission. Thank you for helping me in this and really all the help I have received in the mission. It has been a great experience for me and you have been a big contributor to that.

As I said I am here in Ventanilla which is a hilly desert about an hour and a half outside of Lima, but it’s panning out well for us because now we know the area a bit more and we have a little help from the members which was needed a whole lot. We will be able to do a whole lot more now, and that takes a load off my shoulders. It goes to show that if we have faith and work, in due time things will work out. It’s crazy to think that my time here is coming to an end. I never thought it would end but all things must come to an end. The only thing that has no end is the family! I am really pumped to work hard so that a lot more families can have their lives blessed by the gospel because this is the work of the lord and I owe him big time and besides that I don’t have time to slack off.

I will bust my butt till the very end just like I did as a bodybuilder! I pray for you guys always and I hope you are doing what you know is right: Read 1 Nephi Ch. 8. It talks about the perseverance. We are in that phase of life right now, persevering till the end of our lives. Keep up the positive attitude, obey the commandments and build the business! Plan for success!

1. Work
2. Family
3. Church
4. Team INA

With diligence eventually it will be:

1. Family
2. Church
3. Team INA

Send a shout out to all my family and friends that I love them and will be seeing them soon!

Love,
Elder Morton

The holidays are here!

Subject: The holidays are here!
Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:50

Hey yall!

The holidays have many surprises to offer and usually they are good ones. I am happy to hear that Annette and you are getting along like a mother and daughter should. How crazy, Brandon is a junior! That’s what two years away from home does, we all grow 2 years older and yet we don’t see it happen!

Girls, we can’t live with them and we live without them. What is a man to do?! I doubt things with Justin will pan out as he hopes because what he feels isn’t love and that’s something I know from experience. The best thing he can do is enjoy her presence while it lasts because things will change a whole lot when he goes into the military. His life really won’t be his and he will grow up and want different things out of life. Honestly I think they should part ways while they still can be friends and really if through the course of his life he finds his way back to her that’s cool.
It sounds like June 2010 will be a memorable one for all of us just about! I am happy that Annette got her condo and that it’s a nice one. I am thrilled to hear that Brandon is chilling out, maybe he is growing up.

I haven’t received the envelope or my package but there probably saving it for Christmas if they have arrived. I too look forward to the Christmas call, to be able to talk to the family once again. I really hope that before I get home we can get the family going to church. It would be a huge blessing for them and it would help a lot in the thing we lack as a family and that is UNITY.

We need to stop holding grudges, being prideful, hard hearted and really breaks the false traditions of our family apart, and start anew. Life is short and the things of the world will pass but the family CAN be eternal! When I get home I will be able to talk more intelligently about the gospel and what living it really can do for us. I will not lecture or force my religion on anyone but I will share with them what I have learned during these two years because I have learned so much and yet there is so much more to learn. I have learned that were here not on vacation but to be tried so that we can progress. It’s not easy to admit that we are the problem when in reality usually we are. These past 2 changes have been really tough for me and the next one seems to be equal because I will be staying here in Lima until January. Sadly it doesn’t look like I will be going back to the jungle but it is what it is, God knows why I am here even if I don’t. If you could do me a favor and send one of those chocolate oranges that they have for the holidays. The ones when you tap it on the table it breaks into slices like an orange I would really appreciate it. Please send it to: Consuelo del Rosario Garcia Quiroz, Jr. Piedraluna, 2515 3ero PisoUrb. San Carlos San Juan de Lurigancho Lima, Perú.

Thanks mom you’re the bomb! I hope you are all well, sticking in there as I am persevering till the end. I hope you remember that your heavenly father loves you and wants the best for you. If you pray, go to church, read your scriptures daily, work hard, build the business and keep the Sabbath day holy you will be blessed in every way you are in need. My testimony of the church has grown immensely and with that I have more joy and security in life and I want that for my family as well. Keep on keepin on! Love you all!

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

Letter from Elder Morton July 06, 2009

Subject: LIFE IS CRAZY SOMETIMES!
Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2009 16:13:07

Hey yall!

I heard about Micheal Jackson and didn't believe it at first. It seemed like a bad joke. It's something that seems like it will never happen, but even the most talented and or famous die. I didn't know Farra Fawscett died, but as you said she wasn't doing well for quite some time. As of now I am good on protein, vitamins, soap, and shampoo for a while. I think I should be good for at least this change. Chris is going to church? Good for him. It's the best atmosphere he could possibly be in. Chris always had a good heart, he just ended up in the wrong crowd for a few years. It's great that Chris has the desire to finish school. His education is of great importance for his future and the more he gets the better for him as a man.

Wow there is dry rot in the bathroom, that will be a tough job. The kitchen floor needs to be replaced too? Man that is crazy.

That is James for ya. I was like that also. Man on that note I'm sorry for how immature, and proud I was. These past few weeks have been a real eye opener for me. I never realized how disobedient I was really until now. The mission is such a big help with young men like myself that need to be more humble, patient and obedient because there is no choice but to be that way or you can't have any success.

Are you serious?! Wow how crazy is that?! Brad Smith is in Santiago, Chile and Zach Zufelt is in the MTC? Man those little ones grow up so fast! How is Elder Cook in Texas? I bet he is doing so well. He was the type of young man I wish I was and pray my kids will be like. I will have to write him a quick note. Yes people can still write me at dearelder.com. I get those every time we have interviews with the president. Once a month basically. Yeah forwarding the emails with photos to my yahoo account is cool.

Speaking of photos is the problem with the I was going t mail you is that someone erased all my photos in Pucallpa the jungle) and a member has a program that retreived all my photos which is awesome. The problem is now here isnt any computers that want to read this disc to burn a CD. I will look around for a place here but I havent had a chance yet because every monday and tuesday we are in a bus for three hours for P-day and another three hours for zone meetings so basically all my free time is spent in a bus, but today we have our p-day in my area so I will look around.

Every day I am here I realize how many opportunities I had and how blessed I was and Wow I didn' take advantage of my blessings at all and for that I'm here, 26 years old in a country that's nothing like Rocklin, CA. I am just now learning things that 19 year old kids learn in the church. Where did the time go? God is so patient with us. I have a year left to work on my weaknesses so that I can be a good missionary and by the grace of God alone I will return home the man I was supposed to be. Pray for me, I will need it!

I love you guys so very much and pray every day that you too can overcome your trials and hard times. Remember to always keep the cammandments and never give up no matter what the adversary says.

I love you all!

Elder Morton

Letter from Elder Morton, 03.23.09

Date: 03/23/09 02:33 pm
Subject: Yeahhhhhh!!

Hey yall,

So basically I sent the bomb letter and didn't save it and the computer went down and I had to switch computers to send this and my time is up so I'll make this short! I got your email and I am happy you are all going to sacrament, I pray for you all and pray that you keep your nose to the grind and never give up!

Hey Ma! I am so pumped about Semajs marriage! Send them my love, I'm sure China is an awesome woman! March 14th is awesome because thats close to my birthday! Now I have even more of an excuse to visit Semaj and my Bay Area crew! Yeah that would be awesome if you sent photos of the wedding and all.

Good news about Little Semaj, Man 9lbs 8 oz & 22 1/2 inches, he's gonna be a football player! I am in the process of writing Joyce because I have her address but I don't have the complete address of Semaj so I will send a letter in the same envelope to Semaj.
Love & Hello to everyone in Rocklin 2nd & Rocklin 6th.

Much Love,

Elder Morton

Letter from Elder Robert Morton, 02.02.09

Monday, February 2, 2009 7:02:40 AM
Subject: Real quick!

Hey all!

Basically I wrote this long inspirational letter that was my best yet answering all your questions giving shout outs to all you named in a previous letter and more, and when I sent it some error happened and it didn't send and I lost the email completely because I forgot to copy it.

Sorry but I dont have time to rewrite it but please send a shout out to all my family and friends and nest week will be a cooler one. We got two more baptisms this week which was a miracle. Especially considering how much my comp acts like my oldest brother Jeff. This is a test!.

Above all else I love the mission and have a testimony that a mission for a young man in the church is a MUST!

NEW RULES ON THE INTERNET. WE ONLY HAVE 30 MINUTES TO COMMUNICATE AND ONLY WITH PARENTS.

Thank everyone for thinking of me. I love you all and will talk to you soon.

Elder Morton

Letter from Elder Robert Morton, 11.03.08

Subject: Estoy bien! Mas o Menos
Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2008 14:52:47 +0000

Hola Familia mia,

Yes I have had a few brushes with "iffy" chicken and such but I have survived and I am getting used to the food. There really is no way to get around getting diarrea for the first few months but after a while your body adjusts.

So what's with the hospital deal? Your feet, knees and stuff? I will pray specifically for your health to improve. So are you doing well with the business with the eye of the tiger that is cool! Have you shown Jimmie Wilson The Plan yet? Also what about the Minguzzi's?

That picture is all the people from my group minus the Elders who had visa problems such as Elder Hyde, Elder Ridge, & Elder Layton and others. So I will end my mission with the North Americans guys in the picture and the Latinos that have one more month in the field than us because of our (the North American boys) had 9 weeks in the MTC as apposed to the 3 weeks for the latinos. Elder Saenz isn't in the picture but Elder Hurd, Elder Anderson, ELder Ticona, and Elder Vargas are. They all have many more months than me and Elder Anderson is home. Yes Elder Griffin is hilarious, really a good kid.

The baptisms really have nothing to do with me because I can't really communicate fully yet and my experiences in teaching situations because my Spanish is limited however, it is getting better.

Thanks for all your help and great boxes they are much appreciated by me and Elder Saenz.

Send Annette my thanks and love please. I appreciate the good thoughts and love. To my knowledge there isn't anyone who does tailoring but I might ask around to see if one of the members does because I am cheap and really need to be.

Score! I am going to put that sling shot to good use, the dogs don't like missionaries here! I am going to get that CD of photos to you as soon as I can, but I will get it done no matter what.

The Jersey deal is cool, we have undershirts and stuff, especially Elder Saenz! I didn't recieve the email from Rob A but we are under servailence here and one of the zone leaders or something might have deleted it since we're not supposed to get email from people other than direct family not even cousins! I follow orders. I also haven't recieved more than one letter from Rob A either.

In regaurd to letters I am greatful for the attempt honestly I know what a hastle it is to send a letter from here to there so I really feel the love and please send my thanks to those who have written!

Elder Saenz has all your numbers and address stuff so it is up to him, and he will get a hold of you for sure. He has been sent on an emergency transfer because some other Elder did something stupid so he has to leave. Elder Saenz always cleans up others Elders messes. He was a good companion. I will get him his gift so don't worry his new area will be close to the mission office. Yes Elder Saenz will need a sponsor but thats up to you guys. He would probably hang with you guys for a day before he goes to BYU.

Good to hear you and Rob A got the rules and conditions officially settled. Good to hear also that my brother Mike is being cool with the new baby, and seeing to it you & Dad get to see him, he is a good guy.

I take the boxes by hand and ride in a comvie or taxi. Also Please give a big thanks to Elder Ricks for me for the tie if you can. I found out recently by accident that the tie that we wondered about, was from the Elders!

Things are going here pretty well. I am dissapointed that Elder Saenz has to change early but thats how it goes.

Loves you all,

Elder Morton