One happy M&M

How was your week? Did you find anyone to teach? Did you get your package?
This week was pretty good. We got snow but it didn't stick for long.  Ethan is still 
LOving school, even Mr. Scott's class, if you can believe it.  He is really into the book series, The Rangers apprentice. There are 12 books in the series and he is on number 11. He hasn't read all of them in order. When he finds them at the library he reads them. The silly kid falls asleep reading them and wakes up at 6:00 to read some more before school. He even gets up that time on the weekends.
Hope had a talk in Primary today. It was on missionaries. She practiced all week and today she would hold the pictures but not talk into the mic. So I got to give her talk. Never thought that would happen. She always talks about wanting to talk in the mic. Guess she decided it was scary.
Dad brought home light switches from work and has started installing them. They all hook up wirelessly to a computerized box. And are programmable . They are kind of fun to play with.
The Morrow's oldest son had his mission farewell today. He gave a great talk. He is going to North Carolina.
Have a great week,.
Love ya, Mom

Things are going Great here, transfer news came and i am staying in the same area but i am getting a new companion, it will be my first African companion, so we will see how it goes. i hear he is a great guy though.  we didnt really find anyone to teach but we still have 3 families that we are teaching so we have been putting a lot of time with them and also with the RCLA's. The Camera made it along with the rest of it!! The camera is really nice, and does a really good job, i figured out that if i have the setting on high it takes really high quality pictures that can fill up the 16g that you sent me in about a 8 min video or about 500 pictures haha. but let me tell you OH how i miss American FOOD!!! its so good!!! The district and zone are having a big thanksgiving dinner tonight with TON of other people and so i am hoping it will go well. we are having turkey and lots of other food as well. cant wait to fill myself up to the point of exploding :) Just kidding haha. I know Ethan likes those books, its a good book i read all 12 of them. they should be making more of them as well. i kinda did the samething as he did. I thought that Hope would talk with no problem but i guess i was wrong, oh well. Sounds like dad is getting the toys, thats cool. well nothing really special happends in the end i work in sorry to say but thats not my choice, the most fun i get is working out, and blasting people when they are being stubborn haha. Hope everything is going well. Its strange to think that i am 6 months on my mission!!! thats crazy!

*I am assuming that RCLA means Recovering the less active-mission talk. -Traci

I also go to see a solar eclipse here it was awesome it only happends once every 100 years or so i got lucky to see it :) 

 Thanksgiving dinner

Mission zone elders

we did also did a fire side and it was kind of funny but it went really well we blind folded the people and they all had to find there way to a spot without looking and then told them that its about just as hard to find the LA people and to bring them back to church but its there job.

* LA (less active)


Hey Elder,

I hope this finds you in good spirits and loving the work.  I want you to know what a good example you are setting for your younger brothers.  Every time Parker prays he includes you, and today at the dinner table he prayed for the people in Africa as well.  I was very touched.  He misses you more than you could know.  Hope is also always asking when you are coming home.  We have to remind her that you are going to be gone for a long time.  Today she asked if you were always going to be in Africa, and we promised her that you would come home when your work was done.  These are moments that tug at a parent's heart strings in both directions.  Pulled one way towards being so grateful for a faithful son, and pulled the other way because his siblings miss him so much.  You are a special servant of the Lord.  Always remember that.  

Bryson Morrow had his farewell address today at church.  He's going to North Carolina and enters the MTC on December 4th.  He gave a great talk and took most of the time.  He is a little older so you might not know him.  We also had a baby blessing, so it was standing room only in sacrament meeting, even with chairs set up to the back of the gym.  Talk about a big ward!

On Wednesday, I am going to the doctor to have procedure to take out a filter that was installed when they found I had blood clots in the hospital.  It's been in longer than they would have liked, but it should still be a straight forward procedure.  

So Thanksgiving is this week.  We're headed up to Teri's house in Morgan.  You remember making that drive I'm sure.  You mom has a special service project planned that is meant to bless the lives of those whom you are serving right now.  I'm not sure if it's meant to be a surprise so I'm not saying what it is just yet.  I'm not sure if Thanksgiving is a thing over there, maybe not, but even if it isn't I hope you take some time to reflect on what you have to be grateful for.  I'm sure you could come up with quite a list.  

On the top of my list is a son who is serving the Lord.  I know I have not always been a great example of what the gospel should be about, but I thank Heavenly Father every day for whatever other influences you have been blessed by to put you where you are today.  It's something that makes my heart swell every time I think about it.  

I hope you are eating well, staying hydrated, working hard and obeying the mission rules.  If you do these things I know you will be blessed.  Know that we pray for you daily.  Please send more pictures when you can, especially ones with you in them.  :)

Love, Dad

i dont know if i want to send pictures of me in them haha. no to be honest i dont really have very many pictures of me just other stuff. Things are going well it sounds like. it also sounds like you are bringing home the toys now thats cool. Well not much has happend here but all is going well i did see the eclipse here that only happends 100 years thats cool. i get a new companion on wednesday and thats about it. sorry to make this short but i dont have much time.

Hey, What's up?

Hope things are going well and that it isn't getting too hot there.

Any baptisms lined up?

Today in church they announced that we have 5 missionaries from our ward out. I could only come up with 3-Dallin will be 4 in December, wonder who I'm missing.

So nothing exciting happened this week.  I did take Hope to get her hair cut. She kept saying that she needed it short Mulan. I was afraid that she would find the scissors again and try cutting it herself.  Her hair is now shoulder length and she likes it.

Today was my last ward conference for the year YEAH! It was our ward. The talks of course were great.  Bishop Gooch talked about how our lives could be like a roller coster ride. Their maybe hard, scary times but there is someone next to you to help you out.  President Spencer talked about our role as parents to teach our children who they are.

Oh, I guess one not so exciting thing did happen this week.  The stake Relief Society was invited to the Spanish wards visit teaching training dinner on Thursday night.  The Stake RS president had offered to talk. Guess what? She thought is was next week and went out of town.  So I hurriedly, while eating dinner, came up with a talk on Visit teaching and the importance of it.  It went well.  It is quit interesting having to stop after every sentence so an interpreter can translate.  All of the women were so kind and thankful. I think I need to brush up on my spanish, so I can at least bare my testimony in their language.

Live life so those who don't know Christ, will want to know him, because they know you.

Love ya lots, Mom

Hey so i have been trying to get on my other email so i could read and email you from there but it has taken about a hour and i still have not gotten on it i think that the church is having issues with there emailing or atleast with mine because i should not take a whole hour to  try to get on it. oh well this will have to do. so i dont really know what you said from your last email so i will just give you fast lay down what has happend recently and what will happen so.

So this is the last week of the transfer i dont know if i will be staying with my same companion he only has 1 transfer left. I do know that i will be staying in the same area though. it seems like i get transfered about every 4 1/2 months which i have no problem with expecially where i am now because it is really hard to fine new people.  My companion is doing great i can kinda see that he is dieing but thats no problem he knows the buisier he is the faster time goes so i dont have to drag him out of bed everyday. Elder Cunningham and i have been working out at a gym every monday, wednesday, and friday and lets just say its a good kind of pain :) We have found a lot of good families that have been learning very fast so hopefully they last a few weeks so we dont have to go finding.....I hate finding...

I am still eating good and i dont think that will stop anytime soon unless transfers come and my next companion doesnt want to do what my companion wants to now. the area i am in is good but i have to walk really far just to get to members houses and also the investigators. we are going to calculate the distance we walk tomorrow. i bet its close to about 15 miles a day. 

I am getting really annoyed with the ZL's here they like to pester me and its getting really annoying, its a good think i have a lot of patience other wise i probably would have yelled at them by now but if they keep doing it and they/I are still around next transfer I probably will yell at them. I hope it doesnt come down to that but i might.

hey so i just loaded i will finish the email on there.

oh zach log on to battle.net and look up the new game coming out its in beta right now its a mix of starcraft, warcraft, world of warcraft and diablo 3 thought you might like it.

Hey sounds like a boring week for you guys, its been the same here.
but like if going well, the gym that elder cunningham and i are going
to is getting us in shape i guess is what you could call it. we
workout every monday wednesday and friday. How ever i am getting very
annoyed with talking on the phone with people here its like they
forget all the english that they know and you have to repeat yourself
20 times. Oh how i hate repeating myself over and over again. but its
worth it sometimes. sorry to make this short but it took way to long
to get onto this email. I am still looking forward to the packages
that are coming the ZL's are going to Kampala next week so i should
get the camera then. all is going well i will type more next time.

Braden,
 How is it going? How many investigators do you have?  Are you keeping your companion going?  Did you get the package?

So about sending packages, Another one is on the way with Christmas gifts and the stuff you asked for.  I was wondering what to hide stuff in and then got a email from another missionary mom that has a son serving in Africa, telling us NOT to hide things inside of food boxes etc.. Another Missionary Mom hide some allergy medication in a stuffed animal thinking that it would make it to her son. Instead, when it was scanned in Africa, they found the pills inside the stuffed animal and thought that they were trying to smuggle drugs into the country and the missionary ended up in jail with his mission president explaining to the police what it really was and why the mom thought she needed to hide it.  Since, that would be fun for any of us, I'm going to just mail things in a post office box and put pictures of Christ on it. Hopefully, they still make it to you.

This week was pretty good, Not much different has happened, well except that Paige put her 2 weeks in at Wingers, I'm sure she will tell you all about it.

Today, I went to the Spanish speaking ward for ward conference.  All of us non-speaking spanish people got to wear head phones.  A man there interpreted what was being said and we could hear it in english. It was pretty interesting.  Their Bishop spoke on paying tithing and to pay more fast offerings and they would be blessed for it.  Then President Spencer got up and spoke in English and a man stood next to him and translated into spanish.  He also spoke on tithing and being blessed. Then we went to Sunday School and the man conducting looked at me and the other councilor and asked in spanish, if we spoke spanish. I replied no. So a sister came over and sat by us and interpreted the lesson for us.  When it was over, the same man asked if I or Jennifer would say the closing prayer. I told Jennifer to go ahead.  It was then that I realized that we stood out, there where lots of men from the high council there and they didn't get an interpreter or asked to say the prayer.  For the last hour the RS sisters and the Elders had a combined meeting. President Bunnel taught a lesson on missionary work and how we as members can help the missionaries.  Yes, he speaks spanish, but I understood bits and pieces of it. Guess I need to brush up on some spanish. 

Hope loves the movie Mulan, a you know, today, she decided she wanted short hair like Mulan and actually cut pieces of her hair. I got mad at her and she cried herself to  sleep. I haven't looked too closely to see what damage she has done. But she may be getting a hair cut tomorrow.

Hope also, set up a picnic for the whole family out side Saturday. She did it all herself(mostly). She needed a cooler with ice to keep food cold.  We all went out to her picnic and laughed and thanked her.  We ate, cookies, grapes, donuts, frozen hot dogs (yes, right from the freezer), and a can of vienna sausages.  YUM! She had also poured every one a glass of water and taken them out in little baskets.  Good thing that the weather was actually warm. Could you see us having a picnic in our winter coats and gloves?  Yes, Hope keeps us on our toes around here.

The gospel is true and changes lives for the better.

Keep on trucking.

Love, MOM

Hey everything is going well here. I am still keeping him moving haha but hes not that bad most of the time i dont have to push him. Sounds like that family had some fun haha.  Sending the christmas package with christmas pictures is probably not the best idea in the world seeing how they will know its a christmas present but oh well hope it makes it.  i didnt get the other package yet it must not have made it it here. the ZL's are going down at the end of this month so it should be there by then.  It sounds like your going to have to keep a close eye on hope for now on hehe. shes a funny girl. elder cunningham and i ahve been going to the gym here and have been working out really hard, i come back really sore and tired but recover enough before we have to go and teach.  we have also been eating a lot more healthy but thats need if you work out the way we are. sounds like you have been really busy lately.

LOL Braden, I said Christ-not Christmas.

Pictures-finally

Dear Elder Braden Erickson,

How has your week been?  Have you found any investigator'?

This was a good week for us.  First, I had Dad help me empty out all of the boxes that were in the garage.  We found some pretty funny things since they are from 8 years ago.  The funniest thing we found was your old retainer!!! Yes, it was in a box.  How it got there, I will never know.  I remember tearing your room apart trying to find it when you lost it. It must have been inside something and then fallen out during the move.  We found toys that are going to the D.I. and stuff for the trash.  The second funniest thing is, we found your 24 hour emergency back pack.  Wow-it was very old. It had pull ups in it and dried wet wipes.  I'm sure the food was very gross. We tossed the whole thing.  It wouldn't have helped anyone in any emergency.

Halloween was fun and laid back.  Dad's work had trick or treating for the younger kids, so I took Parker and Hope over, after we helped out at Parker's class party.  The kids just walk from cubicle to cubicle and collected candy fast.  Hope's little bucket she brought filled up quickly and soon she was putting her candy in Ethan's pillow case.

I didn't think that Hope would care about going trick or treating around the neighborhood. Boy, was I wrong. Dad took her up and down the street and she loved every minute of it.  Then when Parker went later, when it was dark out, Hope wanted to go again.  I bought her a girl pirate costume to wear for the halloween party we had.  Ellie next door is afraid of the scary mask.  Hope was fine with the idea. She liked the costume so much that she wore it for halloween.

Today, we had a Tea party. Hope set it up at the kitchen table and invited everyone. We had punch, milk, fruit loops, chips and bread and butter. For some reason, we had to have lit candles. It was pretty funny.  After, Hope told me that she wanted to hold a candle in her hand. I had a long talk with her about fire and dangers. I then went to the bathroom. When I came out, there she was holding a lit match. Oh MY Gosh! I can't let that girl out of my sight now.  She got a stool and found the matches and lit it herself. She was very proud of herself! Now, I'm going to have nightmares about fires. 

Jacob Squire get his mission call to Thailand. He leaves in December.

Keep up the good work. We are proud of your service.

Love, mom

Hey speaking of containers you should send me the one that i use now before my teeth start to go in every which direction again in the next package you send i have not recived the camera yet but it might be here today the couple missonaries have gone down to kampala and are coming up with the packages so hopefully it is there! i will find out around 8 Pm here or in other words 10am for you guys. 

Wow sounds like hope is turning into a danger girl.

thats funny that you found all that stuff .

 Can you believe this is with a point and shoot camera? WOW

Killin mice in their house.