Hey everyone!
I hope its not just me, but it seems just like yesterday that I was writing home. Weeks go by too quickly, I never really realized that before. But now that only "weeks" separate us, its dawning on me. We had a good week this week. Some very interesting experiences. The first is by far the funniest. On thursday we did divisions with some missionaries here in the Zone, I went with Elder Zundel. Elder Zundel is from Arizona, I'm sure I have mentioned him before, I have been his zone leader for his entire mission. He got to Otavalo the same week as I did when I became Zone Leader, and he has been in my zones ever since. He is a district leader here in our Zone, and a great friend of mine! So this week on the divisions I went with him. We had some interesting things happen. We ate pizza for dinner in our house. While ordering the pizza a block or so away from the apartment a fight broke out between two group of high school kids on the street corner of the pizza shop. When the fight broke up the two groups went in different directions, the cops showed up only to find one of the groups, when they showed up the started yelling through the megaphone and just started hitting kids in the knees with their bully clubs until they all kneeled down with their hands up. It was crazy! Then friday morning we got ready to leave for the weekly leadership meeting we hold in the stake center. My apartment is on the 3rd story of a house, to get out to the street there is another big gate and door below. As we walked out of the apartment the thought passed through my mind, "the keys", but it passed through my mind as the door closed. So we got locked out of the house. I get a bit irritated that I forgot the keys, but decided well, the neighbor lady has another set, tonight when we get back I will have her open the door for us. So we went down the stairs to the ground level gate, bad news... locked. And the keys were in my apartment. The gate is some 14 feet tall with spikes all across the tops, so no chance in jumping it. So sadly to say we were locked OUT of our apartment and locked IN to the building. We tried desperately to open the windows, door, everything for about half an hour, then lost hopes. None of the neighbors were home to open the door below to let us out, we were trapped. So we called my companion and had him start the meeting without us. We hadn't eaten yet or anything. We ended up staying outside the house for a little over 4 hours....sitting....waiting.... We played "horse", only we had no basketball, we used a balled up bar of laundry soap and a bucket, we also played baseball with a gum wrapper and a broomstick. Ya, and I can say I'm an excellent baseball player with a broomstick. After playing those games I got bored and ended up falling asleep on the washer. In south america basically no one has real washers, so I must explain what a "washer" is here. It is about 3 feet tall and some 6 feet wide with a big opening in the middle to pale out water. there are two slabs on concrete covering it on both sides. So I laied my head on one slab of concrete, my waist was stretched over the opening and my legs across the other slab of concrete. And I in fact slept for about 45 minutes, then it started to rain. So it was a pretty eventful morning for Elder Zundel and I. We finally were saved by a member that works in the Church Offices in Quito, he brought the spare key from the mission offices for us, and hour and 10 minutes drive for him.... oops. haha but it was a funny and unforgettable experience. Today we played soccer with the office missionaries and our zone. It was alot of fun. I want to get into soccer when I get home. I really began to enjoy it. As a mission we had 86 baptisms this weekend so President Sloan to reward us, gave my zone permission to go to a place called "Mindo" its a jungle pueblo here in my sector with alot of touristic sights, waterfalls, exotic birds and animals, etc.
I cant wait for General Conference. I love it so much. I cant wait until I can attend it again. I will be there for next April for sure! We are going to do a big "Stake Open House" all day saturday and sunday to invite people into the conference. We are really excited about it. I will have some pictures to send about it next week. Love you all! Have a great week.
Elder Matthew David Morris

Hey Everyone!
Sounds like everyone is doing well back home. Hunting season, more work, good weather, and another nephew! WAHOO!!! I'M GONNA BE HOME FOR THIS ONE!! Congratulations Mary and Greg, and no dad didn't spill the beans about it. This week was a good week for us here in our sector. We almost didn't have anytime at all actually in the sector, but we had 3 baptisms here. We had a few meetings with the Stake Presidency and with all of the bishoprics, giving training meetings, it was fun and hopefully it will make a difference. General Conference is coming up quick so we want to get all of the bishoprics and members ready so the feel excited to bring their friends and family to church during the conference. I will try to send some pictures of the baptisms we had, this computer wont read the memory card to I will have to get on another one. One of the persons that was baptised is Franklin Borja. He and his sister were baptised saturday evening in the stake center. They are from Esmeraldas, but are living here in Quito for work. We met Franklin about a month ago. We just happened to be passing by when one of his cousins said hello to us on the street. He told us that a few months back the missionaries were visiting them and asked if we could enter the house to visit with them a few minutes. We accepted and began to talk briefly with them. Then Franklin entered the room, he had not previously met the missionaries, having recently come from his pueblo in esmeraldas. When we introduced ourselves as missionaries, we asked if he had the opportunity before in listening to the missionaries and or reading from the Book of Mormon. He eyes then got wide and brought into the room his copy of the Book of Mormon, he had found it in the house upon arriving and had been reading from it. He and his sister are now reading through 2 Nephi. They love the Book of Mormon. Yesterday at church I was able to confirm Franklin as a member of the Church. It was a very special experience for me, he has already shared with us his great desire to in some moment go back to where he lives on the coast and share with his family and those of his pueblo about the Book of Mormon. He lives in a little place called Olmedo where only a couple hundred people live, the only church known to them is the Catholic. I am certain that he will be a lifetime member of the church, dedicated to the work of the Lord.
Tuesday morning of this week we had a service project for the another person that was baptised on friday evening. The lady Patricia is currently trying to open up a little restaurant, so she asked us our help to clean up the place that she is renting now. So we got there and were able to sand the walls, paint them, do some plumbing work in the new kitchen, and I got to build a block sink and table area! It was a blast! Starting out the first coarse of block, kneeling there on the concrete floor the openly thing I could think of were those famous words of dad "on my knees all dang day laying block" and then that sigh.........hahahaha... It was a lot of fun. Service projects are my favorite! It always funny to see the reaction of the missionaries and the members as they see the gringo outwork all of them. They always are pretty surprised about the construction skills and experience that I have.
Well, love you all. I hope everyone has a great week. Thank you always for your letters and your support.
Elder Matthew Morris

Hey everyone,
How is everyone doing? Thank you all for your letters. I'm glad to hear that everyone is fine and happy. Sounds like the weather isn´t very warm now. I wish I could say the same thing about the weather here. Always pretty hot. Oh well, I'm in Ecuador, and my sector is literally on the equator, what more can you expect but sunny dry days?
This week was a good week for us. This evening we are going on divisions so that our district leader can do some baptismal interviews for us. Everyone seems to keep telling me to keep working hard and doing what I need to do, no worries. I know why I'm here, and I love it here. I'm certainly not going to waste any time that Ϩhave left. The best part of this week was saturday evening. We got a phone call on our cell phone, I answered, it was Elder Warr who is currently serving in Cotacachi. Well, if you will remember, back in March-ish I wrote about a lesson we had on the volcano side, in the dark, teaching and translating into Kichwa for a family, well they got baptised this week. So Elder Warr called me to congratulate me. It sure cheered me up to hear that. One day while working on a stone job at the base of the R mountain, as I returned after lunch break I found Zach laying stone on my part of the wall. Well, I wasn´t very happy and I think I kinda lost my temper about it, Zach smiled and just said "get used to it bud, in the mission you will plant a lot of seeds, but you wont get to finish the job or harvest the fruit." Well to be honest, in that moment I didn´t want to hear his parables, and I think it just irritated me more! haha, but now I better understand what he was saying. It has happened to me a number of times now here in the mission field, but either way, whether I'm there or not, I'm just happy those people continued listening, and decided to do whats right.
I wish I could tell you all of my stories in my letters, but I don´t have the apt words to describe my feelings for this work. I absolutely love it. I will have a lot of photos and a lot of stories to tell once I'm home. I love you all, thank you so very much for your letters. I cant wait to see you all again, and to meet some of the additions to the family!
Elder Matthew Morris

One last thing that I forgot to write. This week I received by email my acceptance letter to BYU-I! I'M GOING TO COLLEGE! haha, I will get assigned to a track in the next 3 weeks. Pray that I make it for winter/spring. love you all!
Elder Morris

Hey everyone!
Thank you all for your letters and pictures! Looks like labor day weekend was a blast back home. I didn't even remember that it was labor day. Time just goes by to quick, I was still thinking it was still August. Yes, I did have a good birthday here. The only thing special we did was go to Pizza Hut for lunch. We got a meat lovers with cheese crust, and a chicken bbq pizza, with a big bottle of sprite. It was really good, I will send some pictures. All in all we had a really good week. Even some of the members here remembered it was my birthday and called me, one family had some cake for me, the moms birthday in that family is Sept 4th. We had a few special things happen this week in the sector. Friday, after lunch, we were on a bus coming back to my sector, and a couple got on the bus that I recognized. They saw me and smiled, I knew they were members, but I couldn't remember where from. Well, as missionaries, we aren't really timid to talk to people. So I went over and started to say hi, turns out they are members in Atacames, in Esmeraldas. I didn't serve in their branch, but as district leader there last year I did a number of baptismal interviews and baptisms as well. So, we got to talking about the members there, turns out that they recently changed the branch presidency there. Pascual Mejia, who I baptised September 12th 2009 is now 1st counselor in the branch presidency! And his wife, is in the relief society presidency! They have plans on going to the temple with their kids this month. When they hit their year mark, along with being sealed in the temple, and their oldest son who I also baptised that same day is going to turn in his mission papers. So hearing that filled me with COMPLETE joy, probably the best part of my birthday was hearing that. Another experience was one we had yesterday. We showed up early before church for a meeting with the bishopric and the ward mission leader. When we finished the meeting we walked into the sacrament room to sit in the benches. We before sitting down began to shake hands and say hi to everyone that was there. There was one lady that I didn't recognize though, I figured she was a member visiting from another ward (unwise, I know.) So we went throughout the meetings, and during the second hour a member escorted this lady to our class for investigators and new converts. She wasn't a member. So we sat with her and shared our scriptures and such. After the class we got her direction and in the afternoon we went to visit Ximena in her house. She lives with her husband Manuel, and their little boy Matthew, who yesterday turned 3 years old. So asking how they found the church, she told us a very interesting story. Over 5 months ago they were living in another part of Quito. They had some neighbors that were members of the church, they shared with their neighbors their concern to have a happier family and happier lives. Well, as any good member should do, the neighbors said "if you want a happy family, go to the church of Jesus Christ". Having past some 5 or more months, Ximena and her husband decided they needed to do something different, the words of their neighbors kept sounding in their minds. So they went searching, after about a week of looking daily for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they found our chapel, and yesterday Ximena was the first person in the sacrament meeting, sitting patiently. I honestly don't know how they found the church, its in a business area, about 15 minutes walk, then 10 minutes in bus from where Manuel and Ximena live. But, they found it, nonetheless. They loved how they felt in the church. After the short lesson we shared with them, we left a copy a the Book of Mormon with them, and Ximena offered her first prayer in her life, thanking Heavenly Father for having finally found the happiness she has been searching for.
We are so extremely blessed to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. I know, that as a missionary when we do all that we can, even if we don't find those who the Lord is preparing, they will find us, they are led by the light of Christ, and many times, the words of peace and hope that maybe someone in the past planted in their hearts. This week Gramma Morris wrote in her letter to the Elders of Hibbard 2nd, that it is so important for us missionaries to at least "plant" in the hearts of the people seeds, and principles of the gospel. I know that is true. I love being a missionary. There are great moments, laughs and fun times shared with new friends among the missionaries, but that has no comparison to the feelings one feels when he knows he has been guided by the spirit, and someone is blessed and helped because he followed that impression.
Elder Matthew Morris

"Moon walking"

Hey Everyone!
I hope everyone is doing well back home! I than you all for the letters and the pictures. Idaho is SUCH a beautiful place, sorry Mary, Rachel, and Laura, I cant really share the same words about Utah and California. haha. Well, fall is near the trees will start to change colors, and before you know it, I'm home! Pretty odd to think, I left in 2008 when the trees started changing colors. I'm sure things have changed a lot back home. It will be a big change of culture and everything for me. Dad wrote me this week and let me know that the bishopric already assigned me a Sunday to talk in church, only 3 days after I get home! I dont know what they were thinking. I don´t think I will be used to speaking in English yet, even worse talking about the gospel in English, Spanish church grammar is the only one I know now! Its only a handful of weeks away. He also mentioned that Rachel will be up to visit when I get home. I got a very special feeling in my heart when I heard that. It has been some years now since all of us kids have been together at once. It will be good to all be together. I thank my Heavenly Father every night for the wonderful family I was given. From the amazing grandparents, all the way down to all the little nieces and nephews that are running around now! I love my Family! Even the great cousins I have, UNITED!
Well this week we had transfers in the mission. I'm still in the same sector, my new companion is Elder Zambrano, from Guyaquil Ecuador. We have been buds ever since I was back in Esmeraldas last year. I always hoped to be his companion, I think we will have a lot of fun here in the sector before I go home. All of the missionaries here keep asking me if I'm "tronky" yet. Well to tell the truth, I feel like its time ya to head home and see the family, but its going to hurt a lot to leave the mission. This week I had a dream that I was in my last interview with President Sloan, only days away from going home, and he asked me if I had any last requests. I instantly told him, "let me stay2 more months!", well he got a big smile on his face and pulled out his phone to call you all to let you know I wasn't going home yet. Well, all I remember is that everyone back home was a bit upset with me not wanting to come home. ha ha. No worries, I have already asked about extending more time, but I'm already going to be near to hitting 25 months here, and that's the max. So sadly President cant extend me longer time even if he wanted to. I'm very happy to everyone again. I miss the snow a lot. Before coming here I was told the Ecuador has 2 seasons, spring and summer, well I have come to realize, that's not true. We here in Ecuador have hot, and hotter. Those are the two seasons. There isn't much difference in the two, was is really sunny, and the latter is a bit sunnier.
Love you all, I hope you all have a great week this week! Happy Birthday little Hadley! 1 year!!!!! Love you all, hope to hear from you next week.
Elder Matthew Morris

Hey everyone!
I hope all is well back home. Sounds like the Morris family reunion went well. I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure everyone was glad to¨"sit and look at each other". That's always fun. No really though, I was sad to hear that I missed the Family Reunion, I have always enjoyed them, always great food, and lots of it! This week was a great week for us here. We had some great experiences with new investigators. We had stake conference here this week, 1 investigator came saturday night to the priesthood session, after that there was a baptism, the spirit was strong, he asked us what he has to do to get baptised! He also came with us sunday and loved it as well. His name is Cristian Orosco, he is 24, single and studying in college to be an engineer. He is very intelligent, and loves learning about the gospel. The other neat story is about Franklin, he is about 30 years old, single, from the coast. He lives about a block away from us. He lives with some cousins and friends. A few months ago the Missionaries were visiting the family, but never were able to teach him. Well, the family never progressed and so the stopped visiting. Saturday afternoon as we were going to lunch, Hector, Franklin´s cousin, saw us and told us to come to the house and visit them, we didn't have a set lunch appointment, so we entered the house to visit with them. During the lesson Franklin came out and asked who we were, so we presented ourselves as missionaries and representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ. We asked if he had ever listened to our message an he shrugged and responded no. Then we asked if maybe he had noticed some of the pamphlets or the Book of Mormon that the last missionaries had left there. His eyes got REALLY big, and he ran into his room, then came back with the Book of Mormon in his hands. We asked if he had read it and excitedly said yes. He for the past few weeks has been reading through the whole book. He sat down with us and with tears in his eyes he said, "i don't know who made this book, or where it came from, but i know that its true. everything this book says is true!" as you can imagine we just sat in shock. We didn't know what to say. We asked, well what have you read?, and he began to flip through the pages, Mosiah 5, Alma 32, and a number of other chapters. Sunday morning he with his brother and sister came to church with us, only some 16 hours after having met. He loved church, after the conference he also told us, "I want to get baptised in the Mormon church". I know that I am basically nothing in this work, only an instrument in the Lord´s hands. The Book of Mormon is true and has the power and the spirit to touch anyone´s life, if they read it as Moroni asked us to, with real intent and an honest heart.
I know that our Father in Haven is mindful of our needs. Lately I have been feeling pretty down, due to the fact that I'm nearing my mission and the sector that I got to here, well to say, it wasn't in the best of shape as far as having people to teach. Well, I know that when we press forward with faith, despite the difficulties, Heavenly Father will put everything in its proper place, and all will work out for our benefit.
I hope that you all have a great week! Happy birthday Mom and Mary! I will be thinking of you both lots this week! Love you all
Elder Matthew Morris

Hey everyone!
Yesterday was a great day here in Pomasqui. We have had a pretty rough week here in the sector, but yesterday was a good day. We were able to find a few new people to teach. People who were needing us. Its pretty sad sometimes when we find new people and we see their living conditions, and even more, when we see how they are spiritually. There are so many people here that are lost, the feel that they have no purpose in this life. But it is a great feeling to be able to answer all of their questions and doubts. Many times people have so many questions about life, about religion, that they haven´t ever been able to answer, then we come along and show them all of the answers. Its such a great blessing to have this gospel in our lives. The world is running off the tracks, there are so many bad things happening, so much evil and wickedness, but as Elder Holland taught is his talk from conference Oct. 2009, we have the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, which is "Security for the Soul". I know that the Lord can respond our prayers through the scriptures, and we can find what we are looking for. I have been able to personally experience it, and I know that it is true.
I have such mixed feelings in this position I am in now. I miss you all so much, especially Magnum, and I am excited to meet the new generation of twerps in the family, but it is going to be so sad for me to leave this place. I don't know how it will be to not have rules on studying the scriptures minimum of 1 hour a day. The real world isn´t going to give me time for that, it isn´t going to give me much time for anything! I love being here,and I love the people here. I hope and pray that Bishop Klingler has a calling ready for me when I get home. I love this gospel so much. I feel sad for having lost so much time in High School in things that weren´t of worth to me. Sorry Jared and Zach, I was just stubborn, I should have listened to you a bit more. I do know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ. I know it. I love "la obra misional", there is nothing so heart wrenching, yet so satisfying as that of helping someone out, helping families stay together, seeing someones progress and transformation to a new person, a new way of life. Sadly the family I taught in Otavalo that was to get baptised today, couldn´t get work off today, so they got baptised Saturday evening instead. I was not able to be there, but I called by phone and was able to speak a couple of minutes with them. There are no words that describe the feelings when a family like them, that was on the verge of divorce, having four young kids, now is on a new track, making plans already to go to the Temple to be sealed for time and all eternity. And all because one day my companion and I decided to say a prayer in the street and knock on there door. They accepted a return visit, but it wasn´t until the 5th return visit that they let us in to share with them our message that we promised would bless them. I love this gospel. I know that families can be together forever. I know without any doubt that the Book of Mormon is true, and my testimony of it cannot be broken down, by that same testimony, I know that we have the Priesthood on the earth, that we have a living Prophet of our Loving Father in Heaven.
I miss you all, but at times I think it would be better if I just missed my plane home to stay just for that much longer. haha. Thank you all for your letters, and I hope that everyone is doing well.
Elder Matthew Morris