Hey Everyone!
I hope that everyone is doing well back home. I guess the wedding and reception went well for Zach and Juliana. I didn't get any pictures though, hopefully you took pictures! I would love to get some more family pictures. I'm sorry Zach to hear that you have been sick. I hope you get better. Pioneer day was this last weekend, I was sure not to forget. We had a ward activity here in our ward that day. It was fun, we did some little games and relay´s. I enjoyed it, but my legs are still sore from doing jumprope and squats for the relay race. I guess I´ve gotten a bit outta shape. I'm only good for walking, walking, walking.
Today we went to the stake center and played soccer with the Elders from the zone and some members from my ward. It was alot more fun than I thought it would be. I'm actually not that bad at soccer. I just got out there and played like it was football. All the skinny latin kids kept their distance from me for the rest of the game! haha. I headbutted one pass from my companion and it almost went in the goal! I was pretty impressed! hahaha. Last week after having gotten to the sector, I began unpacking my clothes and books. But there was alot of junk on my desk, so I had to clean it all out and arrange everything. So in the cleaning process I found one of those little hacky sack style "stress-balls" that you squeeze in our hand. And so I started playing with it. -off track but- A few years ago at the thanksgiving dinner at the house, Aunt Florence´s car had a tire low on air, so I went to fill it up so she could go home. As I was filling up the tire I noticed that the wires were showing and it began to bulge. The thought crossed my mind "I wonder how much longer this tire is going to last, it looks like its about to pop." and as "pop" crossed my mind, it did just that! A big of a scary experience, but you would think that I would have learned my lesson. So, as I was playing with this small anti-stress-ball, I looked and noticed an unnatural bulge. The thought again crossed my mind, "wow, I wonder how hard I can squeeze this thing, it looks like it about to...." And of course, it popped! Anti-stress-balls cause a very stressful situation when they pop. I had some sort of a powder/sand mixture ALL over me! Those things look pretty little, but they pack ALOT of powder. But all is well, I think I have it all cleaned up now.
This week we had a neat experience in a lesson. We are teaching a few Haitian people here in our sector. There are 4 Haitians that live in the house we are visiting. Edmón, is 20, his friend Shamushka also 20, Noel 29 and his wife Marimar. All of them are here as refuges, all of them lost their entire families in the earthquake. In Haiti they speak French and Creole. So the lessons are a little bit slow, Edmón knows some spanish, and Shamushka knows some English. So little by little we explain, they read from a French Book of Mormon, and then they discuss amongst themselves in French/Creole. Everytime we get to their house, they open the door with GIANT smiles, there is no handshaking from the men, Edmon and Noel, they go right in and give big hugs! They live under very humble circumstances, a small block house, with only a couple of plastic chairs to sit in. But they always try to give us something to eat after lessons, most of the time an apple or a banana. They have passed such trials, and are still passing through difficulties, they don't know the language here, work for probably $15 a week. But they always have a smile on their face, and always want to learn more. It has been, yet again, another humbling experience for me.
I am getting used to the sector here. I no longer have to ask my companion which bus takes us where, nor which street the investigators live on. Its a really dry and hot area. I wear sunscreen everyday, here directly on the equator the sun hits hard! I imagine all of the time, this must have been what Jared lived in for 2 years in Chile! Im grateful for the green and beautiful parts of the mission I have been in. haha
I love you all and thank you so much for always writing! Oh, my Stake President´s son served in the Pocatello Idaho mission about 4 years ago, he served in IF, Firth, Pocatello, and a couple other areas I cant remember. Pretty neat! Love you all.
Elder Matthew Morris