Week 102 and most likely the last letter......

Family and Friends,

What an unforgettable week!

I honestly just don't know where to start with this letter.

It is hard to explain how I feel knowing that this wonderful journey I have had here in this beautiful country is soon to be over.

I honestly don't want to leave. But as I feel it coming to an end I know that Heavenly Father has other things for me to do,

I think it is interesting as I am having similar anxieties about going home as I did about two years ago with coming here and serving a mission in a land I didn't know. 

Sometimes the unknown is scary but I really believe that as we do our best to follow Christ we will always be on the right path. Just like he said ,

 I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.  

I also really like what President Monson simply said to all of us this past General Conference "If we choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice" I know that is true!

This week was full of simple miracles, I have never seen an area in my mission progress so rapidly and in such a short amount of time. When Elder Guia and I came to this area, we had no investigators and almost all of the members of our branch lived far away from the area which we were assigned. It is was miraculous how the Lord put people in our path to teach. 

One woman that we found was Sister Teracita. When we first met her she told us that she had been taught my the missionaries on and off for about three years. she had never been to church before because she was afraid of the disapproval of her husband. We have invited her for 4 weeks now but every time she told us she wasn't ready. We prayed really hard for her on how we can help her and we decided to invite the Relief Society president and the branch president and his wife to come with us to teach her. The lesson was powerful the testimonies of the members electric, miraculously she committed that she would come to church. We still were a worried that she would get cold feet and not come so we went to the nearest member who happened to be inactive for many years and asked that less-active sister to pick up Teracita. I was amazed as I saw both of them walk through the doors of the chapel! I couldn't believe my eyes it was a miracle!

Teracita says that she is excited to come this week as well. Thanks be to the Spirit which directed us to do and the great members here that supported this work and made Sister Tercita feel welcome.

We are also teaching the Figueras Family, They are amazing!

We just happened to meet Bro Figueras on the street. We have taught their whole family and they are reading the book of Mormon. I see Bro. Figueras becoming a bishop, Sister holding a calling as well, Their two little boys going on missions and their daughter marrying in the temple. It is just exciting to think of the blessings that come to all of us as we live the gospel! There is nothing like it. There is no other way to true and sustaining happiness!

Well time is short, I love you all, I will try to email next week but no guarantees because I am not sure if we will have time as I will be involved in career workshops for all the departing missionaries

If this is my last letter, I hope you all can feel my great love and respect for all of you. I give to all of you my love!

ELDER TYLER B. MURDOCK

--

 35 Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being,even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.

 36 Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this ismy life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and myredemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is thename of my God, who has been mindful of this people,who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lostfrom its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be thename of my God, who has been mindful of us,wanderers in a strange land.

 37 Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful ofevery people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, henumbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are overall the earth. Now this is my joy, and my greatthanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my Godforever. Amen.

Week 101!

Hello family and friends!

I don't really know how to start this letter but I think I will start just by saying a very big salamat (thank you) to my Heavenly Father and all of you!

I just finished looking though all my pictures of my mission to help put together a slide show for all of the departing missionaries. And I realized how blessed I have been on my mission. The Lord has truly had his hand in my mission. Everyday has not been easy, but everyday I have learned valuable lessons and though the good times and the bad I feel I have gotten closer to my Savior.

I would like to thank you for your emails. For your prayers, for your support. You helped me in ways I don't believe you fully know. All of you!:)

These next two weeks will be the best ever!

We have been blessed with so many great investigators who are making commitments that increase their faith in Jesus Christ!

One family we found last week told us they have started reading the Book of Mormon together as a family and recognized that they felt peace when they read it. 

Another Sister and her daughter have decided to come to church this week with their cousin who is a recent convert. They too are reading the Book of Mormon!

Being a part of this work bring just such great joy!

Mahal ko ang Pilipinas! Hindi ko makalimutan ang mga tao ditto.

(I love the Philippines, I will never forget the people here)

--

ELDER MURDOCK

WEEK 100!!!! :)

Hello Family and Friends!

This week was great in Santa Rosa! We had a lot of great things happen!

We have been blessed this week with finding scattered Israel! The Lord has truly been with us as we found 11 new investigators this week! We have been keeping ourselves busy! :) 

One thing that I have marveled at my whole mission is that right after things get difficult and we feel like giving up, if we keep pressing forward that is then the miracles happen! I have seen this pattern my whole mission. I get to an area and things are challenging, we don't have many investigators or just things don't look promising. It reminds me of what it says in the Doctrine and Covenants, after great tribulations come the blessings. I believe this is an eternal principle that applies to all of our lives!

Bro. Ronald (our investigator) and his his wife Judy( Member) announced this week that they are getting married! This means that brother will be baptized this July and that just makes me so excited for them! They are amazing and have great faith. Bro. Ronald even is quiting his job so that he can keep the sabath day holy. That is a huge sacrifice because it is very difficult to find a new job and with his small family to provide for he is really showing his trust in the Lord. I appreciate and marvel at their faith. I love them so much.

Well I don't have much time, I just want to end this little letter with my thanks to all of you, I love you very much and I want you to know your faith strengthens mine. Now is the day to shine!

mahal ko kayo,

 signing out

ELDER MURDOCK

Week 99

Hello Family and Friends!

What a week!

I am so grateful that I am blessed to be missionary!

This week was a bit stressful but good all at the same time. There were times that I could clearly see all the great things that were happening and the blessing the Lord was giving us and there were times when we had to dig a little deeper. But in the end it was good! I am saying this just to be honest that missionary work is not always easy but very rewarding. 

Some of the great things that happened to us were pretty much just running into people that have been taught by missionaries before and willing to be taught again. It was incredible. We had some really spiritual lessons this week and found some of the elect children of God.

One part that was a bit discouraging was when we went to go pick up our new investigators to go to church and none of them were able to come. So we went to church just a bit disappointed. But as sunday school was starting and I was conducting I happened to glance outside and I saw them walking into the meeting house! I completely forgot what I was doing and just smiled. The brother who came to church had told us that he couldn't because he had work and literally works 12 hours a day everyday and has very little pay. He told us that he has been praying very hard that he could come to church and a miracle happened, his boss that before said no, let him come to church yesterday and take sunday off!

He told us that he reads the book of mormon during his break time at work with his co workers!

Good things really do happen even though sometimes things don't happen the way we expect or want them to!

You all have a great week,

I love you all

ELDER MURDOCK

Week 98

Hello Family and Friends!

I don't have much time and because the keyboard here at this Internet shop is broken and super annoying to type I may have to keep this short. It reminds me how in the book of Mormon the prophets talk about how they can't write it all because of the awkwardness of their hands. You got to love Filipino computer cafes! haha.

This week I got a call from the mission president who told me I would be released my last transfer as a zone leader and that I would be called to be trainer! This is the third missionary I have bee able to help train now and I am so grateful that I have been given this special opportunity. I know I need the Lord's help in this sacred trust and responsibility,

we are both new to the area so it has been a challenge getting around and finding the investigators the previous missionaries left, but we have had so much help from the branch and the Lord. It has been incredible.

I often have forgotten the past few day that I will be joining you all shortly and that has really been a blessing as I have focused my attention on helping my new companion Elder Guia and the people here. Elder Guia is really great and really anxious to learn. He is also from Mindanao which is weird as most of my companions have been.

Well I know this is the work of the Lord. I also know the Lord helps us everyday as we ask Him and let Him.

I love you all!

ELDER MURDOCK

Week 97

Hello Family and Friends!

What a week! It was so great. 

I think part of my good mood is just that I just finished talking to my family, they are the world to me and I love them so much. It was so great to wish my mother a happy mothers day even though I am here on the other side of the world over 8,000 miles away. I am grateful for modern technology!

As I have said before it is super hot!! One day this week we were walking down the streets here in Bulaon when we decided to go inside a tindahan store to get something cold to drink, when we came out immediately there was man who came up to us and spake perfect English and asked us if he could buy a book of Mormon. I was speechless. We taught this man and we found that he had a old friend who is a member who lives in a different place. He also is a college graduate which is rare to find someone educated willing to actually listen, but as we taught him he really did listen and asked some very great questions. It just was kind of a cool experience I thought I would share with you, it just built my testimony that the Lord is really preparing souls to accept his gospel. We truly are just the instrument.

Bro. Michael is  a member who got baptized last month and just received the Aaronic priesthood yesterday. The miracle about it all is that as he has been praying that his family would be able to accept the gospel, his wife has started listening to the missionary lessons and has decided to be baptized along with Bro. Michael's sister and his niece! It has taught me that the Lord really does answer our prayers and soften hearts.

As we were teaching Sister Edna, Bro Michael's wife. I remember getting the prompting from the Holy Ghost to ask her how does it make her feel that she is a daughter of God. Her reply taught me as she said with conviction and through tears. " I don't have doubts anymore" The spirit filled the room and that was the turning point to where she knew what she needed to do and had the faith to do it. It is hard to explain how it feels to witness the Holy Ghost change hearts.

It is breath-taking.

Well I now start my last transfer in the mission. It is weird but at the same time exciting!! I feel confident that I have done my best and will do my best to endure to the end and enjoy to the end! I love this. I am at the same time excited for my future. I am not sure where the Lord will take me, but I know that as I follow Him He will take me on the path of eternal bliss. Things are not always easy but He is in control if we keep His commandments!

I love you all,

ELDER MURDOCK  

Week 96

Hello Family,

I had a great birthday week! 

One of the member families here surprised me with a cake and ice cream! Another family made me pancakes! It was one of the first times I have had pancakes on my mission because they are not very popular here. It was delicious!

Another thing that has been going on here is political elections! It is crazy to see all the posters and signs and cars driving around with really loud music. Elections are done differently here and it is interesting. 

It has still been so hot, but we are working hard. It is funny, I shower and get in my nice clean proselyting clothes and then I walk out the front door of our apartment and the heat just hits us like a wave, already drenched in sweat! It is so worth it though.

The Lord really does guide us to those that are ready to receive the gospel.

We had a great experience this week that strengthened my testimony of that.

We had been praying for weeks that we would find more new investigators when last Sunday one of our members brought their new house help to church. The members were really good to her and made her feel welcome and she wore a smile the whole time she was inside the chapel. I could tell she was feeling the Holy Ghost all throughout the classes and sacrament meeting. We gave her a Book of Mormon and taught her that night. It was a particularly spiritual lesson. The next day she went back and visited home which is in a different province. When she came back a few days latter she told us that she had brought the Book of Mormon with her and read it. She then bore testimony to us, that she knew that it was true and the Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. She then shared about her relationship with God and that she had asked God if it was true and she believes that is it is the word of God.

I was filled with gratitude for the Holy Ghost which teaches truth. The longer I have been out here the longer I have grown to believe how little my personal role is in the conversion of these people. I believe that I will not say or teach anything that will convert these people, but it is what they feel through the Holy Ghost that helps them become converted!

Our role is to be a clean enough vessel, that the Holy spirit can work through us. The Holy Ghost is the senior companion.:)

I love you all so much,

mahal ko kayo. Huwag niyo po makalimutan na tayo ay Kanyang mga kamay! 

ELDER MURDOCK

PS. A shout out to my neighbor and "ka-ward" Bro. Brody Wells for recieving his mission call to The Philippines Angeles mission! Where only the finest serve and the best mission in the whole wide world! we will have to talk went I get home in a few weeks~!