Merry Christmas!
I had a great Christmas here in my new sector in Otavalo. Our Bishop here was kind enough to invite us over to have a big roasted pork dinner with his family. It really made me remember the family dinners back home. With all the little kids running around and the little group of cousins that had to sit at the "little kids table". I felt right at home. I am as happy as I can be and wouldn't rather be anywhere else! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and have a happy new year's as well. Thank you all for your letters and support. I love you and miss you all, but the next nine months will fly by, so I will see you all soon!
Elder Matthew Morris

The pictures are of my companion, Elder Salas and I.

Hey Family!

Well this week was a long week for us. I have only been in my sector for about 3 hours is all. Monday night we went around and did some visits, then on Tuesday we did divisions with some elders in the zone to check up on them. My comp stayed in our sector with one elder, and I went to the other sector with his companion. Then upon getting to the house Wednesday morning we had to pack up for the Zone Leader Council in Quito. So when we got ready we went to lunch then to the bus station to Quito. Meetings all day Thursday, dinner with President and his wife, then we came back on bus Friday morning. Back here in Otavalo Friday we had a meeting with all our district leaders here in Otavalo, the we had to help with an activity. The activity got over late, the latest bus that comes here to Cotacachi from Otavalo leaves at 7, so we missed the bus and had to stay with some elders in Otavalo, not until this morning did we get back to our house! Sad news about the trip to Quito, I'm not sure when, but at some point someone got into my carry-on bag and stole my digital camera, some sneakers and my basketball shorts. Luckily I had my memory card from the camera in my pocket, so I haven't lost any pictures, but sadly, another camera. President Sloan is doing better. He showed us his X-Ray he got from the surgery, the literally took out half of his right lung. He also showed us the big scar the surgery left in his back. Hes really delicate right now. He while talking frequently looses his breath and has to stop and take some deep breaths. The Apostles and area presidency has ordered him to rest within his own house for another 2 months. So hopefully he will get better soon to be able to serve at full strength.

Today for preparation day we played volleyball in the rain at one of the chapels here. It was a lot of fun. This week on the 25th we planned a Christmas party for the zone. We are going to have a Pizza dinner and a gift exchange as a zone! Then one fun activity we have planned for the zone is for the 2nd we are going to climb Cayambe, a volcano here just outside of Otavalo! On the 30th we have Zone conference here. I'm a bit nervous, I have to direct the meeting and with my companion we have to give a ¨capacitación¨, I honestly don't know how to say it in English, I don't think capacitation is a word in English, its like a training meeting. So that's what is going on here for us in Otavalo.

I hope all is well back home. Keep doing whats right. This week I got a package from Dave and Janalee with florences chocolates.....wow.....thank you! then one from Dad and Jeanne with jerky, Reese's, and garments, and as I was leaving the offices the mail got there and just so happened to be I had ANOTHER package! One from Gramma..... homemade fudge..... I cant explain the joy and excitement that I felt when I saw that tupperware full of heaven!!!! Thank you all for your letter and the goodies that I have gotten! J & K, I will let you know when your package gets here so you wont worry. Thank you for the pictures! Love you all!!!!

Elder Matthew David Morris

ps. this week i get to call home!!

pss. the first picture on here is one of the volcanoes here coming into Otavalo, Taita Imbabura.
the second is of the big catholic church here in the city park in Cotacachi, I took the picture from our apartment balcony! ha ha.

Arrived in Otavalo

Hey family
I just have a few minutes to write here. We are in the sector right now. It is a bus ride of about 25 minutes outside of Otavalo. Its a BEAUTIFUL little city here tucked into the HUGE surrounding mountains and volcanos. I don't know if I´ve ever had such a big sector though, well to be honest, I'm sure I´ve never had such a big sector. The two wards here are Cotacachi and Carabuela. It is one big mountain to the other, and everything there in between and all around. I hope you get the jest of it. We met my bishop when we got to the house. He went to Yellowstone a couple of years ago with his family, so I invited him to the house for his next family trip. Kelly Klingler and Bishop Klingler came here to my ward the summer that I got my call. Kelly has a mission companion here in my ward, Elder Tabi. Talking with my companion he let me know a little about the sector. Every Sunday meeting is spoken in Kichwa (not quichwa). And here in our sector, if we contact any Latins, we have to send the reference to other missionaries, we can only teach indigenous! So I have to start to learn the language here. The majority of the people nowadays speak Spanish as well, but all of the old people only speak their native language. So this is going to be quite an adventure for me, I'm going to hopefully learn a lot. Physically and spiritually this is a tough sector. Next week I will hopefully have some pictures to send home in an e-mail so you can all see what its like here.
Love you all!
Elder Matthew Morris

Exchanged!

Hey Family

Just wanted to get a quick letter home this morning. Yesterday we received changes in the mission. I figured I was going to stay here in my sector, as I only have one change here. Well I got changed! I'm going to be leaving here in about an hour to go to my new sector. I'm going to Otavalo! I have two wards and they are both Indigenous wards in the country. So Sunday meetings will be held not in Spanish, but in Quichwa. So maybe I will be learning my third language down here. I'm a little bit nervous about the change. I'm going as Zone Leader there. I have really loved being district leader these last 5 months, but now I'm feeling a bit nervous. Pray for me. My new companion is Elder Salas from Mexico. Hes a good missionary, he was one of my Zone leaders when I was in Esmeraldas. The other day I was talking to a missionary about how I wanted to get out of Quito, I don't really like big cities. Its gonna be a pretty big change. Otavalo itself is probably comparable with Idaho Falls in size, but I'm outside of the city a ways into the country. So I will be eating some REAL interesting things. The Otavaleños eat a lot of grubs, cui (over sized hamster), every part of the cow that you can think of, and whatever else they can get on a plate. Im not sure if I will get to write more later today. The unique thing about Otavalo is that preparation day is Saturday for the missionaries. So from this week on I will be writing home on Saturdays. So you´ve gotta get emails out on Friday if possible. I have a package in the offices waiting for me, not sure who its from. Friday I have a leadership council here in Quito so I will pick it up then. Well I'm not sure what else to write. My bags are packed, I think my companion and I will go to breakfast right now and then head out to catch a bus! Love you all! Tell Laura Kay that I love her and she is in my prayers. If she has a minute have her write me a letter so I can get one to her.

Elder Matthew David Morris

Hey everyone!
Well this week sure was a rough week. No worries, I´m doing well. It was just one of those weeks where nothing at all worked out and all of the people rejected us. Its alright though, at least I have some funny stories to tell when I get back home. To be honest about it our whole district here had a really rough week. But these are the moments when the weak ones fall or get stronger. I know that the Lord is trying our faith, to see who we are really in this work for. Like it says in Ether 12, the blessings come AFTER the trial of our faith. When we hit the ´walls´in life, we need to keep pushing forward, its a surety the the Lord had the blessings waiting on the other side for us.
Last night was the Christmas devotional by the 1st Presidency. Really good messages, I decided I´m going to go to one of those devotionals when I get back home. Today one of my zone leaders and I went to the mission offices. My companion stayed with the other zone leader which is sick right now. So elder Tripp (Cedar City) and I had a fun morning there at the offices chatting with the missionaries there. We did some brown nosing to a missionary couple there, the Rose´s from Roy Utah, they decided to invite us for dinner this Friday, and make us homemade x-mas candies. We had been telling sister Rose how much we miss the homemade candies back home, especially how much I miss Gramma´s x-mas fudge! So we have dinner plans this week with the Rose´s.
There's a lot of birthdays this month between friends and family. Grandpa´s was yesterday. I like thinking about grandpa every now and then. Him and uncle Brian both. It helps give me a lot of motivation in the tough times. I know that they are both involved in the work where they are as well. Happy birthday this week Jeanne. I hope that all is well back home. Sounds like its been COLD. North winds and bitter cold at night. Wow, I miss that cold weather and snow. But time´ll be up before I know it. I just know I love it here. I couldn't imagine a mission to be any better! Love you all! Thank you for the letters and prayers.
Elder Matthew Morris