The Only Way

As I drove away, I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. All the memories came flashing through my mind. Necochea was full of joy, light, & change. I have been so blessed. I love those people. I love those sweet branches & the members. The companions that I was lucky enough to have. & the friends who we taught, watching their lives change as they hear about the restored gospel. Hurt my heart to leave it all. You just get so close to the people. 7 months of my mission spent in that little city on the beach. I could go on & on & list all the beautiful things I got to experience there, but that would make this email miles long. To make things short, I miss it already & I know that one day I'll be playing volleyball on the beach in Necochea.

My time with Hermana Gomez was special. We got along from the very beginning. She is a hard worker, dedicated, & so loving. We only got to spend 6 weeks together, but it was happiness. We had so many sweet moments together as we taught some amazing people & watched the little changes. I will miss her too.

As we went to say goodbye to our friends, it was the sweetest. Marina cried, & Ryan was on the verge of tears. They made us a sweet Moroccan dinner to send me off. Then, walked us home, even though we live one block away. Pure. Ham has been texting me all week not knowing that I can't respond. I will miss them.

Maria & Mauro & Lucia were the sweetest to me. They bought me little gifts & it melted my heart. Maria & I always sang together & so she bought me a music note necklace. Lucia bought me a set of the cutest blue earrings. It was so special knowing them. I am blessed.

Cristian was pure. He has been taught by the missionaries for 8 years. Never got put on a baptismal date, this time around he accepted, as his situation changed. He is so ready. He explained to us that this time it feels different. I know it will be such a special day when he steps into the waters of baptism.

That last day, we passed by a reference that we had passed by quite a few times already. It was going to be the last time, & finally someone came out. A mom & her daughter. We told her we were looking for Rodrigo & she was shocked. She was like, "oh I love that you're here, he needs this. Come in." So we went in & found the brightest little family. Began to teach them about the Book of Mormon. They all just seemed amazing. The mom especially, "this makes total sense. I love this." It was sweet & as we said the closing prayer they asked us to come back. Such a happy ending to my time there.

We got a call from President on Tuesday afternoon. I received transfers. Off to Olavarria! I have had this city on my mind for quite some time now & so it just felt perfect. It's a cute little city far away from the beach. He told me my companion would be Hermana Hoopes! That was the happiest news. Her & I got to the mission together. When I went out to Santa Rosa, my first area, we lived in the same apartment. We didn’t understand anything, but together. She is such a sweetheart & makes me laugh every two seconds. I am excited to learn from her.

It was a long trip to get here. Left Necochea at 8 p.m. & went to Mar Del Plata. All by myself. Luckily we texted the sisters that picked me up before I left because they thought they were gonna get me the next day. So when I got there, they waited for me. We went to their apartment & slept until 5 & went back to the terminal. Took a bus at 6:30 a.m. & was with Hermana Lopez, my companion from Villa Mitre. We slept & talked the whole way & when we got to Olavarria nobody was there to get us. We didn't have the chips in our phones & so no service at all. Connected to some wifi & called the sisters. Finally got to my new apartment & they left us there so they could go finish all the goodbyes. Hermana Lopez & I were companions again for the day!! Our time together was full of the spirit, again. Just so naturally. I love her to death & felt like she was an answer to my prayers.

I have been able to meet so many beautiful people here already!! Sweet Isabel who is on baptismal date for Saturday. She is 12 years old. We went to help her with some last preparations for her baptism. She is so ready. As she prayed, she said, "Thank you because the missionaries came by & for my baptism. I am so happy & excited." Oh how pure it was. Yesterday, she was filled with a bit of nervousness for the change & we were there sending her texts to help her understand the way she feels. We have all the prayers going up to heaven for this sweet little girl.

This week has been full of the funniest things. A cat climbed all over my head because my companion decided to pick it up. Our apartment flooded this morning & so now it's being fixed. We took pieces of bread from the members house & got onto a bus with 80 people staring at us. I lost my plaque, until I found it. A cat got hit by a car & I screamed. My companion falls almost every 2 seconds. I bought food for a homeless man. I got yelled at by a member because I didn't say hi to her because we came late to church after looking for friends, but they came so we were happy. & a thousand other things that I can't remember right now. 

As I did my studies this week, I learned so many beautiful things. I'm reading in the middle of Alma. This gospel is so simple & so pure. We must not get lazy because of the easiness of the way. We cannot lose sight of the spiritual things. At the same time, I studied in the new preach my gospel & read about how important scripture study is. It is one of the biggest blessings in my mission to have this time set apart for me.

"The scriptures enlarge our memory by helping us always to remember the Lord and our relationship to Him and the Father. They remind us of what we knew in our premortal life. And they expand our memory in another sense by teaching us about epochs, people, and events that we did not experience personally. None of us was present to see the Red Sea part and cross with Moses between walls of water to the other side. We were not there to hear the Sermon on the Mount, to see Lazarus raised from the dead, to see the suffering Savior in Gethsemane and on the cross, and we did not, with Mary, hear the two angels testify at the empty tomb that Jesus was risen from the dead. You and I did not go forward one by one with the multitude in the land Bountiful at the resurrected Savior’s invitation to feel the prints of the nails and bathe His feet with our tears. We did not kneel beside Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove and gaze there upon the Father and the Son. Yet we know all these things and much, much more because we have the scriptural record to enlarge our memory, to teach us what we did not know. And as these things penetrate our minds and hearts, our faith in God and His Beloved Son takes root." D. Todd Christofferson

We must act in our faith if we ever want to have a testimony of these things. We were not there, but we can know it happened by the power of the Holy Ghost. The only way is through prayer, reading the scriptures, & going to church. It's what we teach the most to these people & what we are doing as well, knowing that it is the only way. So read your scriptures. It will bless your life forever.

How much I love you all & I pray for you.

With all my heart,

Hermana Morley <3