29 Sep 2008

Hello Family of mine! Well i have some really great news for you. I am going to be serving in the city of Liberec. I am going to be serving as district leader there follow-up training Elder Hatch. I am soooo nervous!!!!!! I am excited though, it is going to be a great learning oppourtunity for me.
Comments about Olomouc and note to his mission president: Well this has been a very successful transfer for me. I feel very satisfied with what has been achieved. Not all of the goals I set were met but there were definitely my focus and from that focus I have seen success. I am pleased to say that I am leaving this area with more potential then when the transfer started. There are very strong investigators in the area and two baptismal dates that I feel confident in.
There has been a lot of growth in this area of the mission. Now we are just making our way into maintaining that growth and getting these new members involved. I'm really excited for this transfer that is about to begin, but all at once nervous. I've already got some good ideas about things that I want to see happening in the district. I have never had this kind of responsibility before. But I am looking forward to doing the best that I can as District Leader of the Liberec district. I know that I have been called to this position by the Lord and I know that I can rely on him to help me and fill in the gaps. I know like in 1Nephi 3:7 that the lord giveth no commandment…save he shall prepare a way. So I know that there is a way by which I can accomplish the task at hand. I have a feeling that there will be a lot more prayer involved in this next transfer.
Thank you for the opportunity I have been given.


My whole world is going to change her in a little bit. I am so excited for it though. wish me luck family.

It sounds like the US is having a little bit of trouble. Ill be sure to pray for you all there in georgia. Take care of yourselves.

Setting goals is what helps us to move forward in life, even when we aren't sure that we can accomplish them. The road that leads to a goal is where we grow the most, not neccessarily the end result.

I love you all for loving me and watching out for me.

you one and only son
Morgan

Mission pictures

01 Sept 2008

Ahoj Rodino! I love you all sooo much, the Lord has given our family so many blessings that it is just amazing to me. Missionary work seems to be everyody's life right now in our family. We truly are blessed to have all been able to visit the temple and take out our endowements.

Missionary work has got to be one of the most difficult, emotionally painful, and physically and spiritually stressful things that I have ever done. Yet, I get up every single day ready to do it again and again, and I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Sure it is tough, and there are days that I feel like I am not up to the task, but the joy and energy I get from those little successes is so satisfying that I just have to keep trying everyday to find more of them.
We had on the plan this past Wednesday to go out and find a new investigator in the park closest to us. We had prayed for the guidance to know where to go and we both received the inspiration that we should go to that park. We were walking through the park keeping our eyes and hearts open to receive that individual who had been prepared by the Lord. We made it all the way through and were circling back without any success from the people that we had spoken with. It was proving to be very difficult, a trial of our faith. We were getting close to being out of the park when we saw a man eating a rohlik that he was dipping into some sort of tuna salad stuff. We said hi and told him that we were missionaries here in the Czech Republic, volunteers for our church. He looks up at us and says, "Please, sit down", we look at each other and then take a seat. We commence to discuss why were here and what our message is. He listens and agrees but expresses some concern. As we are talking with him and resolving concerns, our branch president walks up out of nowhere and says hi introduces himself and invites this man to English classand to family home evening and to church on Sunday. He says that he thinks he can do that because he has those days off. It was amazing! Then, like some superhero, as quickly as president showed up he was gone again, leaving us with a much more comfortable and prepared investigator…needless to say, we set up another meeting with him and got his number! As we have reflected on this contact we have realized just how prepared he really is. It is interesting to see how well the Lord knows his children, and knows what each of us needs in order for us to progress in life, and in the gospel.
The work is moving forward, struggling here and there every now and then, but in the long run it is pushing forward. Being a missionary is such a satisfying work. I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve.

Thats a really cool experience i was able to be apart of!

Heres the ?'s

Questions:
1. Did you ever get the package? not yet but i probably will this week because Wilding is going to praha for his visa

2. Your birthday is coming and I wanted to know if you need anything? Black socks that are nice and solid, that wont wear out too fast
I know you want to buy some things there - that is fine but I would like to send a little something
so if you can think of some things from home you would like, let me know.
A. Black socks that are nice and solid, that wont wear out too fast. Maybe some really soothing music that is sacrament appropriate, like pretty piano renditions of some really great songs

3. Did you get a package from the Primary here? no i didnt.

4. Do you get letters from any other people? Shelby and kailey

5. Do you need any socks or pants? socks, thats probably it i like pants they have here better
6. Anything you want us to send? music, yummy foods, pictures of the wedding

i love you all take care

thank you for being wonderful

your son,
Morgan

16 September 2008

Hi family thank you for keeping me updated on everything i love to hear the little things that are going on at home. Im excited about my birthday but what you are sending sounds like it'll be great im really excited for the Triple combination. if you could do the cover in a dark brown leather that would be really neat. oh and you dont need to put my name on the cover but if you could put it inside that would be better. you all are awesome i love you so much.

I'm looking back on a week that I would consider very successful. Another child of God was brought into the fold. Mila was baptized and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost. She became the newest member of the Olomouc branch. I am very excited to begin working with her as a member and really focusing on strengthening her. Mila and Vladimir are both members of the church now, and that means our new focus is preparing them to go to the temple and receive those blessings. I am truly excited for them. The Zone Conference was a good experience for me. it gave me a lot of strength and new motivation in the work. I heard some things that I want to strengthen in myself and also some things that I want to put into action. Let's end this transfer on top.

Our questions for Morgan -
So did you get to do the baptism? I did It was amazing!!! but i like watching people get baptized just as well as doing the actual ordinance.

take care of yourselves, oh yeah we're going to a castle today so i will send pictures of that next time . tell whitney that i will send her a letter in the mail with some pictures.

Have a wonderful week, you one and only son

elder nowland

8 September 2008

Hello family, im glad that im able to write today because a lot happened, most of which is in the voice file but here are some of the things i told president:

I think this week has been one of the most successful weeks of my mission but I truly feel like it has been the most stressful and difficult to date as well. We worked so hard this week, and with that I am very satisfied and pleased. Our aim has been to meet all the standards of excellence in an attempt to start raising the levels of success that we can have as a companionship but also to raise the success that we can have as missionaries in general that are in this mission. I know that it is possible for the number of lessons taught a week, the number of baptisms a transfer, for these things to go up. But I have come to the realization that these things will only begin to go up as the level of our individual conversion goes up. I realized this week that I am not as converted to this gospel as I should be and can be. By that I mean that I still need to increase my understanding of key principles of the gospel. The main one that I feel I need to increase my understanding on right now is the Atonement, and its affect on my life. I truly feel that as missionaries and all of mankind begins to understand the atonement better and how it helps each of us individually, that there will burn a fire within, and not just a fire of heat but a fire of unquenchable light. I believe that we can culminate within ourselves a fire so bright that no darkness can over take it and no spirit can doubt its truthfulness. I know that, that is what Christ had within himself, that is what the prophets have, and the apostles, and the wonderful men and women have that lead and guide this church. So I am on a journey to find that fire of unquenchable light. I think Sister Slovacek hit it right on the head, it's that 220 volts. I need to plug myself into that 220 volt socket.
Wonderful things happened this week. We had a final prep meeting with Mila for her baptism. And then on Sunday she had her interview and passed and we are now planning for her baptism, it is going to be so amazing! Vladimir and her will be able to have an eternal marriage in the temple! What a great blessing for them. (she asked Morgan to baptize her - he told us this in his voice file, he is a little nervous but extremely humbled and honored that she asked him)
It has truly been a wonderful week. It took a lot of hardships to get there. As I reflect back on this week I see the blessings that come from the test of our faith. The Lord will give blessings to those who are faithful and endure to the end. I know God lives and watches over us. What a great time to be a missionary.

Questions and such:

1. Did you get your package yet? yes i did Woop Woop! thank you for that. i am most appreciative. The shirts and food are awesome! and so is the cook book.

ok and you all have been asking what i would like for my birthday and such. Something i realized i could use is a small desk calendar that i could use for planning and such. something big enough to write in and look at. but also compact enough so it can set on my desk, so i dont have to hang it on the wall or anything, that would be really nice. it doesnt have to be fancy, just functional.

The main thing that i would really like to have is the czech triple combination made smaller. We have the averagely large size triple but it is a little too big to carry everywhere. I have heard that it can be done, that some businesses can shrink down the page size and then bind it for you but i havent taken the step to do it just yet. I havent looked into the price but it would probably one of the greatest souveniers i could have from my mission. I would like to do it sooner than later because i would like to study from it and mark it up and stuff so im going to look into it here if you want to look into it there that would be great. i have talked to a lot of people about it and they said i could do it as long as i dont try and sell it. Which i wouldnt so that is what i would like to do.

I love you so much, i didnt respond to whitney yet because i ran out of time but ill get to it next week. take care Family

you one and only missionary son,
Morgan