WEEK 52!!!

hEY fAMILY AND fRIENDS,

HuMP WeEk! 

Well it has been about a year now since I said good bye to all you. It has gone by fast over all and been one of the biggest blessing of my life. When I left Utah I thought I was making a big sacrifice, but know I see that it is not a sacrifice at all but a incredible privilege. 

I know that God lives, I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, I know that his Atonement is real and that we all have the hope to change, there is hope and it is through Him we can find that hope. He is the Anchor of our souls.

Our investigators are well. Rohelyo our deaf investigator is really progressing towards his baptism and it fills me with joy to see the light in his countenance. As we taught him about the sacrament and the Atonement you could see in his face that he felt the spirit, even though he can't understand anything at church he goes for the sacrament.(It makes me think of my commitment of taking the sacrament and truly having that renewal of the soul talked about in conference). He is a really a special man. We are also teaching a brother named Mark who is fighting hard against his addictions and several others that have a variety of challenges. 

The miracle of the Atonement is that no matter what our problems are,
as we turn to Him he can heal us. It is never to late, no matter how many chances we feel we have lost, He is there.

I love you all and LOVE all the testimonies and spiritual experiences you share with me in your emails. You lift me up.

mahal kita,

-- ELDER MURDOCK

Week 51!

Hey Everyone,

Well I just a second ago as I typed "week 51" it kind of hit me that I have lived here in the Philippines for just a little under a year! Man has time gone to fast. To say that this year has been an adventure would be a big understatement as I have learned so much, experienced the beautiful culture and people here and I have grown in my testimony and my dedication to serve our Lord and Savior. 

I have made an attempt to be overall very positive in my emails and I hope that I haven't given you the wrong idea that my mission has been easy, it has definitely been the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life, but man does all the hard stuff make it even more rewarding. Some of the experiences that I have tried to omit in my emails range from being chased by angry stray dogs nipping at our heels, falling off moving motorcycles, the never ending heat, being lied to several times a day, tough companions, Montezuma revenge and of course the cutting disappointment that comes when an investigator you have grown to love has decided to quite investigating the church.  The purpose of sharing all this is not for pity but to help you understand that all this stuff is part of the missionary experience and has made the sweetest parts of the work that much sweeter! I now have more fully some to understand that with out the bad we wouldn't really appreciate the good of life.

We are finding more and more prepared souls and it has increased my faith in knowing that this work is real, I am blessed to be instrument in this work and a wonder for the salvation of many souls. I absolutely love the Filipinos. They are the most hospitable people and happily allow strangers into their house and to eat at their tables. They for the most part love Jesus Christ. They are humble and have good hearts. They have their weaknesses and flaws but they are the most sincere and real people I have ever known. I thank God everyday that I have been blessed to serve here in the Philippines, God loves his people here and is mindful of them.

 Rohelyo our deaf investigator is progressing to his baptism next month and it made me marvel at his faith to see him walk to church by himself even thought he doesn't really understand anything at church. He was there even though his brother who is a member didn't attend. I have been amazed at the ways the Lord has prepared so that we are able to communicate with him. It has definitely been a miracle.

Last Wednesday we had Elder Bowen of the Seventy visit our mission, he shared a insightful equation for miracles in our life.

Obedience+Works(faith)= MIRACLES! I know that is true. I have seen miracle in my mission and in my life. 

I know that as we are obedient, work and have faith,

God will be merciful to us and bless us more than we can receive it.

Love you all!

Go and conquer!

--

ELDER MURDOCK

Pictures: the surroundings I see everyday

Week 50

Hello Everybody,

I happy to write you all this morning and share the great things about being a missionary with all of you.

This week was great with my new companion, like I shared last week he is from Idaho and is the biggest goof ball which is probably really good for me to loosen me up a little bit. Anyway, we have a lot of fun and are working really hard. The Lord is really blessing us and we have seen a lot of new investigators this week as well as more help from our branch.

We had this lady randomly come up to us a few weeks ago and told us that she was going to church. We talked to her for a while and she said her name was Beth. At first we were not quite sure of her sincerity but we hoped that she would go to church and scheduled an appointment to teach her. To our surprised she not only came to church but she came an hour early and was there before we got there. After the meeting she asked us what she needed to do to become a member of this church, she said, "I just feel a peace of mind whenever I come here!" She has now been to church 3 times and is scheduled for baptism in July. Last week a less active member told us that sister Beth came to her house and invited this less active family to go to church with her. Man it is so true that God is preparing people to hear the gospel, for that I am humbled and ever grateful.

We are still teaching the deaf investigator that I mentioned a few weeks ago. He is progressing and it is amazing the way we are able to communicate with this man. I can feel his strong spirit and know that God loves him as much as he loves you and I. As we have approached the situation with faith that we would be able to communicate with him and teach him the gospel, it has been amazing how every time God has provided a way for us to teach him. Even though he cannot read, write, speak, and doesn't know American Sign language, we are by ways I do not fully understand able to communicate with him though pictures, made up signs and a family member who helps interpret.

I have learned something that is perhaps the way we have power to do things beyond our own power: God is merciful to us as we are humble, recognize our constant need for Him and his help and have complete faith and trust that he will bless us and guide us as we continue to do all we can do.

I am learning that as much as I have perfect love for these people and have pure intentions to help these people come unto Christ, my fears will disappear and I will be able to act and speak by authority from God. In any teaching position if we are more concerned about their needs and not what we are going to say we will be come instruments in the Lords hands. Our fear can turn to faith through our perfect love. I am learning and trying to apply the wonderful principle that perfect love casteth out fear. (Moroni 8)( 1 John 4)

As I have expressed many times in my letters, I love being a missionary! This is true, I wouldn't want to be any where else in the world doing anything else. I encourage anyone who is able to serve a mission, both couples and younger generations.

I love you all,

ELDER MURDOCK

PS. Our mission president, President Clark has asked us missionaries to ask if any senior couples are considering to serve a mission. If you know anybody our would like to serve here in the Philippines Angeles mission. ( the best mission ever :) ) then you can contact me and I will get you in contact with our mission president. thank you.

Week 49

Hello Family and Friends,

This week was transfer week and I got a new companion. He is an American and is from Pocatello Idaho. He is really funny and brilliant and works hard. I am excited as I never thought I would have an American companion, but am a bit surprised as I still feel less than fluent at the language.

We had a great Sunday yesterday and had quite a few less actives come to church which was really great to see. One of them, a brother we have been working with for a while actually bore his testimony and told an inspiring story to the congregation. This man's eyes have gone really bad and he actually had not been able to read anything for years. Once when I was teaching him, I felt a strong impression to promise him that if he started to go to church regularly again that God would heal his eyes so that he could read the Book of Mormon. Always at the end of the lessons, this man would pray that he would be able to read the book of Mormon. So as this man went to the front of the room in our branch, he started telling the congregation that little by little his eye sight has been coming back this past month! It was a really inspiring testimony and filled my soul with joy at the great faith of this wonderful man.

Another great moment of joy happened when I was at transfer point waiting to meet my new companion. I was able to talk to the missionaries that were assigned in my first area in Cabiao.

 I was able to ask them about the Lapuz family that I was able to baptize, and it filled me with pure joy and indescribable feeling that they are super active in the church even though they live so far away from the chapel! It is hard to explain but I read a verse in the scripture that adequately expresses my feelings:

 16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.

God is so merciful. He loves us and loves all his children. All his children are special and important to him. We choose to be his elect by our faithfulness and daily choices. I love this family in a way that I cannot explain. I love this work and the fullness of joy that it brings, it is the work of God.

We have a wonderful new convert here whose name is Bro. Charlie he works with us frequently and also refers pretty much everyone he knows. He always says, "I bet this person wants to become a Mormon!" His energy is inspiring.

I hope that all of us have this same energy in the work of Salvation for our fellow men.

I love you all,

ELDER MURDOCK

Week 46

Hello everyone,

I learned some great things about the Holy Ghost this week that I would like to share with all of you.

On Thursday we taught a lesson of a referral we received from one of ward members. This family is all members but one which is the man that was referred to us. This man's name is Rohileyo and he is deaf, cannot speak, cannot read and cannot write. When we first met this man he just glowed with the spirit and wore the biggest smile.  We used hand signs to communicate with him and try to tell him that we would like to teach him, and by his actions we could see that he wanted to be taught. So we set a time that his brother could be there to translate and we set a time to teach him. We both prayed and fasted that we would be able to communicate with him, and that he would feel the spirit teach him and that we would be able to communicate with him spirit to spirit. We prayed that a miracle would happen, that we would be able to teach him and that he would receive our message.

We came into the lesson confident that we would be able to communicate with this man and it was amazing to see the hand of the Lord and his mercy as we were able to teach a beautiful lesson to him. The spirit of the Lord was so strong, it was incredible how well we were able to communicate with him with just pictures and hand signs. I felt like I was playing charades Restoration edition. It was a miracle how well he understood the message. Both me and my companion do not know sign language, but somehow he understood our signs and even told things that we do not know how he knew. It was nothing short of a miracle. Other then we were not talking audible, I felt the lesson was just like with any other investigator. We experienced the gift of tongues in a unique way, I felt my hands doing things and had no idea what I was doing. It was a really neat experience.

Miracles have not ceased, Jesus Christ is the Son of God! As we exercise our faith in Him, he will show us his tender mercies. I know this is true and am grateful for the atoning sacrifice of our Savior.

I love you all and pray for you

--

ELDER MURDOCK