January 26, 2015

What a week it has been. I think I start all of my emails like this, but that statement totally fits the week.

Well, this week consisted of moving into the dungeon. We had to start fresh because nothing was set up for us. We had to spend a good five hours assembling things and getting our apartment livable. We then had lots of correlation meetings with the Elders that previously served in the area. The Mount Baldy ward is a combination of three wards combined. We met with the Elders just so we could figure out if we were teaching anyone and who we should look out for. Turns out we have a few investigators so that is happy. We then spent a few hours organizing, make charts, and planning on how we would best meet the ward. You know me. I loved this part :) The more organization the better :) It has been fun because we are setting up this ward. I get to start a new area book and run things how I want (well...really how the spirit wants). After a day of organization and stuff the next day was Zone Conference.

At Zone Conference we learned a lot about courage. It really helped me want to develop as much courage as I can for the rest of my mission. I was feeling pretty inadequate with my responsibilities, but this zone conference really helped. We are the only sisters in the zone. That was a change for me. It is kind of weird not having any others. It was also pretty weird not being a part of planning for it. It was kinda sad, but I got over it real fast. Well, after Zone Conference we had to run home really fast to grab something and noticed that the key to our apartment had fallen off the key ring. We hunted high and low for about an hour in the snow looking for our key (yes... it started snowing in Eagle River). Turns out we  could not find the key. Super embarrassing. One of the Senior couples in Anchorage had to come and bring us a new one. Fun fact of the day.... we are the only sisters in the mission with a truck. We drive a gray Nissan Frontier. As the trainer I am the only one that is allowed to drive. I am getting real good a learning about four wheel drive and driving on the snow.

The bishop gave us a list of people to see. So, of course we contacted them before ward council on Sunday. We really wanted to show the ward that we are here to work hard. We actually had a super huge miracle. We got in with a less active family that no one has been able to get into for a really long time. We came to ward council with the update that the family might be coming to church. Everyone was shocked. Clearly Sister Strong and I are here for a reason. Church on Sunday was great! The ward is awesome. Everyone is so excited to for sister missionaries. Our dinner calendar filled right on up. That is usually a good sign. Sister B is in my ward who apparently has a sister in our ward at home. Sister B's husband is a non-member. I am really hoping this connection will help Sister Strong and I get in and really start teaching the husband :) I am excited to see the miracles that this ward has in store. We have really just been trying to meet everyone and get referrals. So far the ward has been really good at it.

Well, I think that is all I have to report on this week. Things are good! Things are getting really cold. We are in the negative weather now. Work hard to share the gospel with your friends. It will seriously change your life if you do!

Love you all!!

Sister Morrison

January 21, 2015

Okay. I know you all have been dying to know with what is happening with transfers. Well, this has been the craziest transfer call I have gotten my whole mission. Like seriously. So.. The whole week before I got my call I was not nervous one bit which is totally not like me. In fact, I felt the most amount of peace that I have felt so far on the mission. I started to get kinda concerned as to why I was not stressing out. Well, then the call came. I was a shocker. So here are the details of the call.

1. I'm training for my last two transfers. Her name is Sister Strong!

2. I am opening up a new ward that just got created like a week ago.

3. It's called the Mount Baldy ward (enter all the jokes you can about going bald)

4. I now live in Eagle River in a basement with one window

5. I am in the Chugach stake, that hasn't had sisters in a really long time. I don't think parts of the ward have seen sisters in years.

6. Out of 280 members, 230 are active.  It's going to be tough, but happy!

Well, for the rest of the week. I hate to say it but not a lot has happened due to transfers. We were not really able to teach many people, because of logistics and picking up the new missionaries.

We did get to go on one last exchange. I went with Sister Moore. The sadest thing ever happened. It has been super icy in Anchorage and we were trying to walk up this driveway that was as slippery as an ice skating  when all of the sudden I look down and Sister Moore had seriously face planted on the ice. Her chin was rubbed raw, she hurt her knee really bad and her hand was all torn up from the ice. Maybe it was a sign that we should start wearing ice cleats out? Besides that, it was a great day serving in Anchorage.

Last night Sister Strong and I moved into our basement apartment :) It's pretty funny. The elders that helped set up the furniture call in the dungeon. That name is pretty fitting. For heavens sake we don't even have a door for our bathroom. In fact when I am sitting on the toilet I have to yell to Sister Strong not to walk around the corner, or else she would see everything. So funny!

So, because we are starting this new ward, we have no record of anything or anyone. Tonight we have a correlation meeting with some of the elders that have served in parts of the area before. I am pretty excited to set up the ward and get things up and running. I get to fill out tons of new forms, so that is great. I am really excited to meet everyone. It should be great. I hear we have one investigator family and a single adult to teach. I am pretty pumped about that!

I know this is where the Lord wants me. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for Sister Strong and me. We will start meeting everyone tomorrow :) Whooo hoooo!

Love you all!

Sister Morrison

Sister Morrison is training Sister Strong in Mt. Baldy

All the trainers and trainees

Sister Morrison and Strong at the Anchorage Temple

January 12, 2015

Well hello.

What a week it has been. Thankfully I am alive and back in Anchorage.  Get ready for story time! So Wednesday morning Sister Ogden and I were dropped off at the airport to do exchanges with the sisters in Juneau and Sitka. At 2:32 we boarded the plane. Right before we were supposed to fly out they made an announcement that due to weather we may not be able to land in Juneau. They said that anyone that didn't want to go could get off the plane. Nobody even flinched, so we totally thought we would be fine. They went on to tell us that all the other flights that day had landed. So.. our first layover was in Cordova. That was happy! It was beautiful. Our next layover was in Yakutat where they proceeded to tell us that they were not going to even try to land in Juneau due to freezing rain on the runway. They told us that we were flying straight to Seattle, Washington. We started freaking out because we are not aloud to leave the mission. We called our mission president and he told us to fly to Seattle. We got there at about 9:30 and were able to re-book a flight back into Juneau the next morning at about 7:00. We figured that we would sleep in a hotel for the night, but nope. Our mission president told us to stay in the airport. We bought a Seattle t-shirt to prove we were there. The airport started dying down until there were only about 10 of us there. We decided to find a bench to sleep on. Sadly, all of the benches were a nightmare! We could not sleep at all and to make matters worse...at about 1 am they decided to do airport construction. That basically said goodbye to sleeping. Sister Ogden and I pulled an all nighter and boarded the plane back to Juneau that morning.  By that time our hair was insanely greasy, we smelt bad, and we were exhausted! We then landed in Juneau at 9:45 and had to be to a meeting at 10:30. We were waiting for our bags to come off the plane and out came Sister Ogden's, but mine was not there. I had to report a missing bag and they told me that it would probably come in on the next flight. So.... we quickly ran to the sisters apartment and showered. I had to borrow everything of Sister Ogdens. We then went to the meeting with soaking wet hair. We went throughout our day... I'll talk about the day later. It was 8:30 pm and my bags still hadn't shown up. I had to board my plane to Sitka in 20 minutes. The last flight came in and my bags still were not there. The airline told me it wasn't their fault for losing them because it was due to weather and that they would not reimburse me. I was so tired and I started to cry saying "I don't even have a toothbrush!" They then told me that I could buy the bear necessities. We then boarded the plane to Sitka. We landed at about 11:30 pm. The next day was great. I'll talk about that later also. We stayed for the day and I finally got my luggage at about 12:30 pm. The next morning we flew back to Anchorage, but not without its struggles. We had to be at the airport at 3:45 am. We were standing in line at the airport about to go through security when all of the sudden my blood sugar dropped. I went pale white and immediately had to lay on the benches. The Sitka airport is super small so of course everyone is watching Sister Ogden try and shove sugar down my throat. The attack lasted for about 45 minutes. I almost missed the flight because I literally could not even stand up to walk through the x-ray thing. Oh well... at least I made it. Well, we then landed in Juneau and told us all to get off the plane. We were like what? They then told us we had a 2.5 hour layover because of the lack of flight attendants. So lame. We finally made it back to Anchorage at about 11:30. It was a crazy adventure.

Well... back to the beginning of the week. For P-day we walked out on the frozen ocean. It was super cool and fun! Wait until you see some awesome pictures.

We were able to teach K and her less active boyfriend the Restoration. The last time they were taught it was about a year ago. It was a great refresher. We challenged them to read the Book of Mormon everyday. They agreed! That was happy!

Juneau was just fantastic! I got to see several of the people I love so much. One of my favorite things was seeing R. Since I had left she had gotten baptized. I am not kidding when I say that she is completely different. The spirit just radiates from her. She is kind and so happy! It was the best thing ever to see. The day with Sister Lind was awesome. I got to see J, the one that told me that I looked like I was from under a rock.. she is dying. It was super sad to see, but I was happy to say goodbye. I got see and recommit S, an old investigator to start coming to church. That was awesome. I got to have dinner with the L's and lunch with the S's. That was great to see them! There was also a Relief Society activity I got to go to. Seeing everyone was just what I needed. I love the people of Juneau so much.

I was with Sister Guerra in Sitka. Sitka is beautiful. We got to do service at a bear habitat. Folks. I fed bears! It was the best. We were not able to see a lot people...oh... I did play the piano for old people at a retirement home. Mom... you should be proud. All of that piano practice has paid off. It was a fun day in Sitka.

Sadly, two of our investigators said they were coming to church, but decided not to come at the last second. Hopefully, they will come this next Sunday. We get transfer calls on Thursday. It should be interesting to see what happens. I only have 2 transfers left. Oh speaking of that ... I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU GOT MY FLIGHT INFO. HOW SCARY. I don't want it to end...

Love you all!

Sister Morrison

Standing on the frozen ocean

Frozen Ocean

Eating moose pasta

Time to feed the bears!

Zone standing on the flats

Trying to get some shut eye at the airport

January 5,2015

Happy New Year! I know what you are all thinking. Did Sister Morrison get to stay up to ring in the new year? Nope. I did not.  In fact, we had to be in at 7 on New Years Eve. Our mission had a little radio show where every zone wrote a song/rap/poem. Our zone totally won the song writing completion! It was the best. The show was over at about 8:20. I decided that I would take full advantage of the sleep that I could get. I went to bed at 8:40. In Alaska no one does fireworks on fourth of July because it is too light outside, so everyone does them New Years Eve. With the potential of me waking up from the noise. I put the fan in our room on full blast, put some ear plugs in my ears, and went as far as to  put a head band over my ears so they wouldn't fall out. It was a nice peaceful night of sleep, until about 5 am when my body thought it was time to wake up. That was lame, but I woke up to a beautiful 49 degree morning. Okay, don't get too jealous. It only last one day. It has gotten really cool here. We are averaging about 10 degrees during the day.

This week got to meet with the Robinson's and plan out Missionary Leadership Council and talk about sister's needs. It is always fun working with the Robinson's. Missionary Leadership Council was a success. We talked about living the abundant life. You should all read the talk written by President Monson. Sister Ogden and I trained on attitude and dealing with companions that may not have the best attitude. I think it was a good refresher for me. Isn't funny how sometimes the person that learns the most from a training is the teacher? We were able to discuss mission needs and were trained by the President.

Okay, we had an awesome lesson with C and.....drum roll please...her husband B. We have never had a lesson with B, so that was really awesome. I was really nervous at first because we had planned on teaching the word of wisdom, and they both have problems with that. I was nervous teaching that to B since he didn't know much else about the gospel. I was trying to think what else we could possibly teach them, but nothing was coming to me. I then felt the spirit confirm that, that is what we needed to teach. It was incredible. The spirit was so strong, and they both committed to live the word of wisdom the best that they could.  Even B who knew nothing else about the gospel! It was a mighty miracle.

We went on exchanges with Soldotna sisters. That was fun having Sister Farmer come up with me for the day. She is an incredible missionary and a powerful teacher. This week we are going to Juneau and Sitka for exchanges. Oh man o man am I pumped!!! This is going to be the best.

Sadly, all of our investigators and less actives bailed on us at church. Nothing worse. Looks like we are going to work a lot harder this week!

Love you all! Keep spreading the gospel and looking for missionary moments.

Sister Morrison

P.S. I hit my 15 month mark. scary!!!!!

Missionary Leadership Council

Zone at the Temple

Celebrating the New Year with Sister Ogden!

December 29, 2014

Hello Hello.

Let me first of thank everyone for making my Christmas so special. Thank you for all of the packages and treats. Sister Ogden and I were so excited for Christmas morning we woke up at 5:45 and opened presents before our zone's morning workout. It was a fun morning, but I am definitely excited to open presents with you next Christmas. It just isn't the same without your fam. It was great skyping on Christmas. Oh man was that happy!!!!!!!! After skyping we were able to teach a little old less active lady and then go and play games at the mission home for a couple of hours. We then had Christmas dinner and were able to contact a few people so that was happy.

Well, we had some success with our investigators this week. Talk about a Christmas miracle. The first was C. We realized that she had nothing for her kids for Christmas. We were able to contact the ward and they were able to help out and provide Christmas for their family. Secret Santa traditions are being carried to Alaska :) We then had a powerful lesson with her about faith. We read the Book of Mormon with her that brought a special spirit. Her and her four kids came to church on Sunday. Happy Day.

We were able to contact a former investigator named K this week. She let us in and we were able to teach about our purpose in life. It was a great lesson. We commited her and her less active husband to church on Sunday. Her less active husband dropped her off and she came all by herself. By the end of the third hour she was bawling because she felt the spirit so strong. She made a comment in Relief Society that she had been avoiding church for too long and she is ready to come back. She said everything at church was just what she needed to hear. Sister Ogden and I are super happy!

This week I had an exchange with a brand new sister missionary. Her name is Sister Bangerter. I think I traumatized her. We went to a less actives house that just had surgery. Turns out she has a vacumn pump in her incision, kinda like the one mom had. The lady showed it to us and Sister Bangerter went white as a ghost and almost passed out. Thank goodness she didn't. Later that night we went to Olive Garden with some members in our ward. They own the funeral home, so we rode in a hurst to dinner. It was pretty funny. It was a good exchange overall. I love the fire that new missionaries have.

We have had lots of meetings last week and more to come this week. We are exchanging with Soldotna this week. Sister Farmer is coming to me and Sister Ogden is going to Sister Dill.

Love you all!

Sister Morrison

Exchanges

The zone put on a Nativity play!

December 22, 2014

Everyone always knows that I am on the countdown to everything. Well, can we just talk about the fact that there are only three days left until Christmas. THREE DAYS LEFT PEOPLE. I seriously cannot wait any longer. Like seriously. I didn't sleep last night. It was lame. I feel like I am a little kid waiting for Santa, but really I am waiting to see my cute family! Merry almost Christmas. Also, another random scary count down.. I'll be home in 99 days. How did I get down to double digits. Ahhh!

Okay, Here are some things that happened this week. I am so sorry I have not had much to report on these past couple weeks. Sadly, people are too caught up in presents, going here and there and stressing too much about money to meet with us. It has been a really slow last couple of weeks. If only people realized the real reason for the season I think our days would be packed full!

Let me start with an amazing miracle. I don't know if anyone remembers R, but she got baptized this weekend! She is lives in Juneau and sent me the cutest email telling me she was getting baptized. Sometimes it just takes a little longer for people to realize the truth. She started taking the lessons in February and just got baptized. Oh man I am one happy camper! Woohoo!

This week we had the opportunity to make blankets for babies that pass away at birth. Grandma Morrison, all of the hours of sewing lessons have paid off. The minute I told people that I had one a quilting scholarship they all backed off the machine and let me sew away. I was one happy camper. I am excited to go and deliver the 30 blankets at the hospital this next week.

We have started teaching a new lesson about the Atonement. Maybe you could all do this for Family Home Evening? Everyone needs a clothes pin. Pinch open the clothes pin with your pointer finger and thumb. Don't let any other fingers touch the two holding open the pin. Have a competition to see who can hold it open the longest. If you feel like you can't hold it any longer take your pointer and thumb from the other hand and give those "dying" fingers some extra support. Now go and read Mosiah 24:14-15 and make the analogy. The Lord is there to be our support. He doesn't necessarily take the burdens away from you, but he gives you the support and comfort you need to keep pressing forward.

This week our stake put on a huge Christmas event for foster kids. Lots of companies donated toys for kids that maybe wouldn't have anything for Christmas. We set up all the presents and then took parents into a room where they were able to pick out a toy for their foster child. It was fun running that station and to see people's faces light up when they realized Christmas would be possible that year. It was a great community event. We were able to hand our "He is the gift" cards and meet lots of non-members.

We went on two exchanges this week. I went up to Colony with Sister Wright for one. We spent a lot of day delivering Christmas goodies for an old couple to all of their neighbors. It was a great opportunity to share, "He is the Gift" and meet lots of non-members. For the other exchange Sister Thacker came to me. Sadly, it was a pretty slow day, but we did see a miracle. We were looking for someone to see and on our ward roster there was new name that came in, so we decided to go and see him. We drove to his address. It turns out that is was a baseball card shop, not a house. Sister Thacker and I were feeling brave so we decided to go in and ask if the man worked there. Turns out that he did and there was another less active that we didn't know about there shopping for baseball cards. The Lord truly puts you in the right place at the right time.

We have been working with a lady that has severe anxiety driving down hills. When we first started meeting with her she was only driving 15 mph down them. We told her that was really dangerous and committed her to driving 5 mph faster the next week. She did it and each week we commit her to 5 mph more. This week she did 35!!!! I was so happy. She uses the Book of Mormon and prayer for strength. It is amazing how happy you can get as a missionary over the smallest steps someone takes to improve their life.

We had our ward party this week. It was called a "Night in Bethlehem." People were supposed to dress up as people in Jesus' time. Sadly, only like 10 families showed up. Thankfully, two were less active, so that was a miracle. Hopefully, the next ward party has a better turn out.

There was a meeting we were in charge of this week. It is called Trainer/Trainee meeting. We meet together with all the missionaries that are in training, or the first 3 months of their missions. We train them and then have a big discussion with the trainers and trainee's separated. We work out problems that they are facing. This time it was my turn to go with the trainers, so one of the AP's, me and President led the discussion. It was so sad to hear all of the  trainees are super homesick. We worked out ways to solve that.

Well, that is it for me. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. Please remember the reason for this Christmas season. If you have missionaries in your home wards please invite them over. I guarantee they will be looking for things to do.

I love you all!!!!

Sister Morrison.

P.S. yesterday was the shortest day of the year. It's light from here on out and I could not be happier!!!!!!!!

Sister Morrison and Ogden matching