Hey family! How was this week for everyone?! I hope everything went well for everyone. Sounds like the baby blessings turned out well. I didnt get any pictures from anyone though. Oh well. This week was a pretty good week for us here. We had zone conference last wednesday. It was great. Today for preparation day we went and got pictures developed, bought some food and such, then we went and had lunch and have just had a relaxing day. I honestly cant think of any story or anything big that happened this last week. Well, in my interview with President Sloan on tuesday he asked me how long I have been here in Esmeraldas and when I told him I was going on 7 months now he was a little shocked. So he told me I will more than likely get changed when transfers come up again. the first week of november are the transfers, there is a group of 26 missionaries arriving from the MTC, some 18 gringos from provo and another 8 latins from the mtc in columbia! Its crazy for me to now see alot of my friends from the mission who are now going home. I cant beleive how fast the time goes by out here.
Well I'm all outta stories for this week. You are all in my prayers and thoughts. Write back soon! Love you!
Elder Matthew Morris

Here's a few pictures...
1st- the investigators that came to conference, Carlos his wife Anabel, their daughter Veleria and little baby girl Chelsey. 2nd- cute little Valeria!

3rd - the English room for General Conference4th - a REAL LIVE TONKA truck!!!!

WOW! What a great general conference!! Full of spiritual uplifting messages. Something I never noticed so much before my mission is how EVERY one of the talks is applicable to ME, and to MY life! They all were great talks and I cannot wait till we get the Liahona of November. This last week was such a great week for me. We had a good trip to Quito, the DL training meeting was very spiritual, I was able to learn a lot there, dinner with the Sloan´s as always GREAT FOOD! Chicken enchiladas just like mom makes back home! Then we got back from Quito and Thursday was a kinda sad day, my one year mark. I cant believe and don't want to either, that the time has gone by so fast. But then Saturday and yesterday were great days with the general conference. We had an investigator family come to the conference yesterday. The wife is ready to be baptised and have a calling, shes just not married with her husband yet, but he came to the conference yesterday morning, and so we visited them last night and he has had a change of heart! Hes even willing to get married now!!!! I cant describe how happy I felt to see them as a family at the conference. I with one of my other companions contacted this family, and I have seen them progress soo much! From a broken family with a drunk husband, to a family unified and full of love and patience! There's no wonder why the first principles that we teach in the message of the restoration are those of, ¨Our LOVING Heavenly Father¨ and ¨The Gospel message BLESSES Families¨. I cant even describe the happiness and the love and sheer joy I have felt in this last week. I love my mission. I hope you all were able to feel the same spirit this week as you saw or heard General Conference. I would love to hear from you all and how conference was for you.
I am sure glad to hear about the baby blessing coming up! PLEASE take pictures and send them to me by mail to put in my scripture case. Some of the family as complete as will be there. Pictures of Gramma, magnum, the little babies, etc... Thank you all! I love you and miss you. Keep moving forward, you wouldn't realize how many of the members and investigator alike down here CONSTANTLY pray for the families of ´Los Elderes´.
Elder Matthew Morris

Hey everyone!
This week was a good week. We have had some really neat experiences to be honest about it. I don't have time today to tell them though. We only have a few minutes to write. I am going to Quito again today for a leader training meeting. I will be leaving just after lunch and probably get there around 9:30. It's kinda fun to go back to Quito. I don't know if I ever mentioned it while I was there in my last sector, but that house I was in is where all of the traveling missionaries sleep, so every time I have a meeting to go to, I get to go stay in my old sector. I think I will visit a couple of convert families there after the meetings. All and all I'm doing well. Good health, good spirits, I'm just dandy, haha. No really though, I love it here. I'm still in the Esmeraldas, but I figure its cause there are still people waiting for me here. One thing I am extremely excited about is conference this week. DON'T MISS OUT! I hope to receive a letter from each one of you next week giving me a report of which of the sessions was your favorite and which talk impacted you the most. I'm already calling it that Elder Holland is going to give a spiritually packed talk that I'm going to love.
Zach sent me a couple of letters this week with pictures from 8 mile canyon....wow thanks a lot Zach....no, I loved them really! I can't believe how beautiful the mountains and everything are back home. It's a whole different world back home. But no worries, I love being here and being part of this work. Thank you all for your letters and everything. Hope to hear from you next week.
Elder Matthew David Morris

Well, Im STILL here in Esmeraldas. So if I stay here through this whole change, I will have been here for 7 months! Oh well, I will just keep on keeping on! I am excited to still be here for general conference. I hope each and every one of you have made plans so see all of the session, saturday and sunday! Dont say, well I can just read what it said when in comes out in the ensign. You dont feel the same spirit as when you really HEAR the talk being givn. Especially for Laura and Chance, I challenge you to get tickets to at least one of the conferences. Dont let little Hadley be an excuse to not go. Take her with you, she will be fine. Anywho, now that I went off on that tangeant. Im excited to still be here. Today we havent really done anything. We helped the hermanas move into a new house that we found for them last week. Any ya, we are waiting at the bus station right now for the new elders in the zone to get here. My companion is still with me in this sector, so we will just keep working how we have been!
I hope all is going weel back home, hunting season is RIGHT around the corner! Funny story, last week laura sent me a picture with chance holding little hadely while reading a magazine, upon seeing the picture, the magazine imidiately drew my attention and I forgot about the baby girl! I think it was a Eastman´s magazine, there was a picture of a big buck with an article about Colorodo Bucks! So I was studying up a little bit, but there was something obstructing half of the article, then I realized it was little Hadley! Oops... Dont worry, I still brag her up to everyone I see. CUTE little girl! Its a good thing shes got a couple bigger cousins to watch over her. So im kinda short on stories for this week, but I wish you all well. Love you and thank you for your letters and support! Every little lettewr makes a world of difference!
Elder Matthew David Morris

Hey everyone,
I think this week was the first time in the mission that I was glad for monday to get here. We had a good week this week, it just wore me out for some reason. I have been taking ibuprofen just to be able to sleep at night. I have decided that the mission, reason is not something easy. But this is the best time I have have spent in my life. I cannot beleive that im almost half way done. The time has FLOWN by! Its good to hear that Mark and Kyle are doing so well. They really will be home in no time! General conference is just around the corner! WAHOO!! I love general conference now. I assume that next monday I will be in bus going to my new sector. I have been here in Esmeraldas a good time now, and transfers are just around the corner. One of the assistants to the president is from rigby, we actually met at a high school dance before the mission, but anyways, I told him where I would like to get sent, so we will see how it works out for me.
Yesterday was an eventful day for us. I got to give a talk in sacrament meeting AGAIN, only this time they let me know a couple of days in advance. I enjoy giving talks now in fact. But during priesthood meeting, one of the members had a seizure. He used to be a bishop here, one of the most humble and faithful members I have met. About 5 years ago he had a brain anurism and to this day cant talk much at all. Yesterday during the lesson he had basically a seizure. It got everone pretty scared, I was trying to calm them all down, it worked somewhat. So we carried him out of the chappel and waved down a taxi as quick as we could and they took him to the hospital! It really puts into prospective the importance of being prepared. He is married with five little kids. After all of the comotion we also went to the hospital and when we got ther he was awake again with some IVs. He should be back in the house by now. One of those crazy moments that catches you off gaurd eh?!
The good news of this week, we had a baptism. The hermanas also had a baptism, I got to baptise their 3 converts as well as ours. Having as much time as I have here, I have gotten to know the most part of the investigators and members in the other sectors as well. It was a great experience. The pictures im sending home, are 1st- our disctrict here. 2nd- My companion our convert, David, and I. 3rd- The converts from the hermanas. 4th- At the baptism, converts, their family, and us the missionaries! I hope you all anjoy the pictures! I hope all is going well for everyone back home as well. Love you all! Especially those little nephews and neice of mine!!!!!
Elder Matthew David Morris

Hello everyone,
Wow, I am tired. The sun really wears you out quick, thats for sure. I still cant figure out how the time goes by so fast. This last week I turned 20, completed 5 months in esmeraldas, 11 months in the mission, and 12 years since my baptism! And LAURA HAD A BABY!!!!! I still remember her and I chasing each other around the house fighting, then mom and dad making us hug and say sorry after! She used to pinch and scratch! I wont ever forget that, and neither will the scars! haha, I am really excited for her and Chance, I got to see a picture that laura sent me, CUTE little girl. Its gotta be that Morris blood in her. Im really glad that all went well with the new little girl and that shes good and healthy. I hope that little caleb and cole Matthew keep growing up strong and big. They´ll be good little cousins for little Hadly. Now Zach just needs to get on the ball and get married! No just kidding Zach, its alright, as grandpa once said ¨dont worry... you´ve still got time¨ but really zach, chelsey has let me know that her friend likes you alot. I dont know how things are there anymore, its been a while since Chels wrote me about that.
It just wierds me out to see pictures of everyone, and see how much everything has changed since I left, the time has been so short, it feels like everything should have just frozen. Being in a climate of eternal heat makes one really forget about the month, its all the same here. One thing that I do know thats comming up..... hunting season..... that sence is just in the blood. Even the Ecuadorian wind is calling me. But until next season for me. Let the big bucks get bigger for me.
This week on my birthday we just happened to have Ward Counsil, I guess the bishop knew it was my birthday, so after the meeting they had a cake ready for me and they sang happy birthday and all. It was really neat. I didnt take pictures, my batteries were dead, but we got some pictures on my companions camera, I will probably send them home with a dics of pictures soon. It wasnt like the rest of my birthdays, but thats alright, Im just glad to be here. I really just love my mission. I have really fallen in love with this city, the ward that im in, everything here.
I hope that all is well with everyone! Thank you for you letters and support!
Love you all!
Elder Matthew David Morris!