Hello Familia
ok so if this email is short forgive me, this is the third time i will be writing it now...... the comuter is having ´errors´......gooze fraba..... Ok well, im doing well. It was good to hear from home on christmas. It sounds like you had a very very white christmas this year, and from the last couple e-mails from home, itsounds like its only getting whiter. Enjoy the snow for me, be careful, but enjoy it. I sure miss it. BUT someone has to endure through 70 degree weather year round, it is a sacrifice i am willing to make. Today had been and outof the ordinarily sunny day. almost no clouds at all in the sky. so that should mean we are goin to have a BIG rain atorm this evening and probably through the night! I am excided for that. The thunderstorms are like notheing ive ever seen before. Since we are so high elevationwise, the lightning is always right there above us and there is almost no sound delay at all! i LOVE it! This week between new years and christmas has been interesting. Drunk people out in the streets making all sorts of noise all throughout the night, drunk guys passed out n the sidewalks, just step over them, and also drunk fights, at times very entertaining, always makes me feel better about myself. We were leaving the chappel friday afternoon and got stopped by a drunk man on the sidewalk. We talked with him for a while and helped him walk to where he said he lived. When we nocked the door a nice old lady came and we asked her if he lived there and she said she had never seen him before. So we kinda chatted with him about church for a couple more minutes then we left. im sure he doesnt remember any of it, but it was a learning experience for me. He reaked of beer, his arm was cut bruised and bloody, his lips were puffy and bloody. My guess is where we found his on the sidewalk is where he passed out and hit the pavement pretty hard. And then he woke up lost and saw us walking by. It is amazing to see hw many people are throwing their lives away for alchohol. It is very sad to see. He was very very unhappy, i wish we could find him at least half sober and teach him how he can actually be happy again. Thats waht we have as members of the church, we have the ultimate gift. We have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, we know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us, the plan of happiness. Thats waht it truely is, the plan of happiness. I wish everyone we talked to would see that and accept that. it is amazing how this gospel blesses and changes live so much. There is no way that this isnt the true church of Jesus Christ.
We had FHE with the branch president last night, it was fun. We started with a lesson and testimonies, then played a couple little games. the losers of the games had to sing kareoke. I foung out im not half bad of a spanish singer. Especially when compared to the people here, they aret shy about singing even when almost all of them should be. It is just a completely different world. BUT i am actually used to it. I know longer hold my breath when on a bus ride or in a taxi (the drivers here are the craziest in the world, not just a few, but ALL of them). While walking down the street i am used to getting stared down be cause im one of 2 gringos in a town of 50,000. its all just a part of any other ordinary day to me. I love it here. I have really fallen in love with it. The work is a little bit slow because of the fact that my companion is a little preoccupied with some of the members here, but we are pluggingalong and i am really cracking the whip and having sometalks with him, and the members alike. So in time im sure everything will pick up. I guess there´s nothing gonna teach me some initiative faster than having to babysit my trainer. When we make contacts i am the one to start the contact and say the basics, i have come to the knowledge also that my companion is afraid of making contacts and teaching lessons, so i am doing better to bebold and get things going. Sunday for example we were having lunch with a family who has not been to church for a couple of weeks, be fore getting there i suggested to my companion that we use the talks we gave in sacrament metting as a lesson for the family. He agreed, but after the meal he was more contentwith watching tv. Finally i got tired of waiting for him to ask for the family to get togeter for a lesson, so i did it! And i started the lesson, he gave his quick part and it went well. I am getting alot more comfortable really fast with giving lessons, and spiritual thoughts. I am loving it. I am learning alot of lessons and growing so so very much. I have printed off a few different talks by apostles to study and it has been really good. I am just doing great to tell the truth of it. Without trials, how are we supposed to learn and grow?! thats the way you gotta look at it.
Love you all family. sorry i havent sent any pictures yet. its notworking on this computer, but i promise i will get some sent as soon as i can!
Elder Matthew Morris