Week 32- Rat wars

Hey Family and friends!

I hope you are all enjoying the nice weather in the states cause it is SO hot right now here in the Philippines! We are right in the middle of our dry season and it hasn't rained all transfer! I am getting a really nice tan though, sure you are all jealous of it! It's really funny to see the reaction of Filipinos when I tell them that in America we pay money to become tan, here they spend a lot of money on lotions and soaps to make their skin more white. It really shows that we want what we don't have :)

So as you have heard we have an on going battle with rats in our apartment. It has been gross, but on the brighter side it is kind of funny in some ways. One day this week, I woke up to rats again, but this time it was in between the screen and the window right next to my bed. It managed to chew a hole in the screen and was trying to get out of our apartment. It was so big, almost as big as a cat. My awesome Filipino companion took my flip flop and just started hitting the rat. Man those things are tough, it didn't do much but after about 15 minutes of smacking the poor creature we managed to kill it and put in a plastic sack out for the stray dogs. Sorry for the graphic details hahaha.:) We also have been putting poison in our apartment to kill them and it has been really effective, as the smell of decaying rats has been lingering in our apartment. All is well, I haven't seen a live one since! :) But I occasionally hear them crawling above the ceiling.

Enough about rats, I am excited to tell you all about the good stuff that is happening in our awesome area!

 We are teaching a young couple whose names are John Rey and Roda. They are so awesome and are so hungry for the truth. Every time that we teach them they have so many questions and read the Book of Mormon assignments, their faith is amazing and they recognize the Holy Ghost teaching them the truth. 

The best part about it all is the amazing support of the members especially in fellowshipping and helping them feel welcome at church.

That is honestly one great talent of Filipinos, being a friendly and kind people. I really appreciate how much love fills the sacrament hall. It may be really noisy, with people talking and children running around, and we may start 25 minutes late, but the spirit is there because of the goodness of the people.  The greatest part is the investigators feel welcome which is honestly most important. 

I am so glad that I have the opportunity to learn from a happy, kind, and selfless culture and for the wonderful people I have to work with. God is blessing us with great and prepared investigators and I know that he loves each of them dearly as he loves each of us. 

I know that the Savior is Jesus Christ and he is the Son of God. I know that the Book of Mormon is from our loving Heavenly Father. He really loves us and knows our needs, I pray for all of you!

tandaan mahal kita!

ELDER MURDOCK

Week 31

 Hey Family and Friends!

This week we were blessed with a really amazing baptism of one of our amazing investigators! It was an amazing experience and one of the most powerful baptismal services I have been to so far on my mission. JR is so converted and the best part of it all is that he really told us that this not the end of his journey but the beginning. I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to be apart of his conversion process to the Gospel.

The crazy part of it all was finding a place to hold the baptism, as the water pump in the chapel here in Padapada was broken.It all worked out the way that it was supposed to and we got permission to hold it in Santa Ignacia so we all loaded up into a jeepney and traveled to Santa Ignacia for his baptism. The water was way low because they forgot to fill the font until we got there and the water had a nice yellow tint to it but regardless it was wonderful and I could feel the Holy spirit as my companion baptized him.

This week we were blessed to teach this really nice man named Reynaldo, His story is kind of unique and was an interesting example of a member opening their mouth:

When we went to his door for the first time he let us in without a word, which only happens when we meet pastors of other faiths who like to bible bash or when we find the miracle golden investigators. He told us that he used to work next to the temple and a member gave him a Book of Mormon. He at first had a lot to say and wasn't really listening but as we shared his attitude began to change and he listened and asked more questions. The most amazing part is he came to church!! Most investigators here in the Philippines will commit to almost anything but never follow through. But the great things is he is really interested and came to church yesterday!

This man is a true seeker of truth and it is amazing to see as he is recognizing that the message of the Restored Gospel is indeed true! He has investigating many different religions but told us that he still fills like he is missing something, We testified that what he was missing in his life was the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I know that the message I share everyday is true and I know that it has real power.

The best thing way we can help any of other brothers and sisters in this world is sharing the Restored Gospel with them, Why should we keep it to our selves? 

I love you all so much! :) 

My invitation for all of you is to go out and share you light! :) You never know whose lives you can change until you open you mouth! God has promised that we don't even have to worry what to say, it will be given to us! I definitely have experienced that many times out here on my mission!

You are always in my prayers!

Mahal kita,

ELDER MURDOCK

This is from the letter that Tyler sent to Mark.  We wanted to include it in his weekly email.

We have rats in our apartment! It is so gross! I had one climb on me when i was sleeping last night and I couldn't sleep after that! My roommates are not good at cleaning up after themselves and so I think the garbage attracts the rats. They are so big! I hate rats! They actually eat them here which is insane to me! :) I wonder what would happen to you if you woke up with a rat on you! hahaha... I screamed and woke up my companion he thought it was really funny.... I hope we will be able to get rid of them soon. Filipinos don't think much of it and are used to them but I sure am not and hate it! :) hahaha just a good story to tell my future kids hahaha...

Pictures: JR's Baptism. I am so tall hahaha!!! :)

Week 30

Hey Everybody

I am so excited to email you this week as there is a lot of really great things happening right now in my mission! We are doing so well here in Padapada and have been continuing preparing Jr for his baptism on Saturday. I am really excited for him and his wife as he will be baptized on Valentines day and will be able to be sealed together in the Manila temple just next year! I cannot with hold my joy for them and the change that I have seen in both of them!

We also this week actually found a wonderful family that has great potential. It was pretty cool how we were guided by the Lord to this family. 

We were just walking along the highway when a van pulled over to pick us up, They were members that were traveling home from the temple. We were relatively close to our appointment but we decided to get in anyway because the couple was so nice. We got in an got talking to them and missed the road we were supposed to take and so we had them pull over and we walked back the rest of the way. As we were walking back to where we should have gotten out of the van I saw a house, We felt like we should try and OYM the house and so we did. When the man opened the door he told us that he was a member but hadn't been to church for many years. His wife wasn't a member and he had 4 kids. They have been really receptive and accepted an invitation to be baptized! It is such an amazing feeling as a missionary to invite someone to follow Jesus Christ though baptism! It feels me with joy to see these people become converted to the true Gospel of Christ. I myself the past few weeks have seen great joy in my life as I have been learning and becoming more converted to the Gospel.

I am learning what really matters and what my priorities are. On my mission I have been discovering who I really am and what God wants me to become. As I have said in past letters it has not been a walk in the park. But it has been in every sense worth it! All the hard stuff so far, the rejection, learning a hard language, adjusting to mission life and the culture has been all worth it for me because the worth of these souls are so great in the sight of God.

I know that each of us our divine sons and daughters of God! We each are of great worth to our Father and Jesus Christ.

I love the experiences that I am having and the joy I have felt. I know that this work we are doing as missionaries both full time and member missionaries is indeed the work of salvation.

I love you all so much and challenge each of you to go out and rescue the one, We are his children and we will have his help, if we ask! 

You all have a great week!

nagdadasal ko sa inyo palagi!  ;)

Mahal kita

ELDER MURDOCK

Week 29

Hello Family,

This week was really great and full of blessings from the Lord.  It has been great to see those blessings and the success that God has been giving us as we have been obedient and humbly trusting in him.

We are continuing to prepare  "JR" for his baptism next week! He is really progressing and so ready. It is amazing to see him and his wife as they are planning to be sealed in the temple next year! 

One thing that I am learning lately from the scriptures and from the Spirit is how to truly be happy. Sometimes I get so focused on my weakness, my short comings, and my problems that I started making it about me instead of those I was teaching. I start to forget why I am even out here really, to serve! I realized I was falling into one of Satan's traps and that I should be focusing on others needs and becoming a more self-less disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of selfless service and never used his almighty power to benefit himself. One thing that I read that really hit me hard this week was:

"Come unto me all of you that are heavy laden and I will give you rest, Take my yoke upon you and learn of me and you will find rest unto your souls, For my yoke is easy and my burden is light!"

We can make a difference and find happiness as we lift others up and forget about our own problems.

As we forget about ourselves and serve that is when we will become disciples of Christ!

I love you all and know that as we forget our problems and serve, we will find peace and happiness in helping others.

I pray for all of you and am so grateful for your continual support and emails! Remember CPR- regular Church attendance, Prayer and Reading and studying the scriptures! 

Mahal kita

ELDER MURDOCK

*pictures: Me and my companion Elder Bayani with JR and his wife Gerolyn and a ward missionary.

A picture of a nepa hut or tradition Filipino house, most people live in a bit nicer and stronger houses but this kind of house is common where I am assigned.

Week 28

Hello Family!

I sure hope that you all have a great week! 

Lately things have honestly been pretty slow with finding those that are prepared to receive the gospel, but that is not slowing us down in our efforts to find! We are determined to find those that are ready to receive the fullness of the Gospel, Our message is the best thing they will ever hear their whole life, so why be selective on who we share it with? I won't stop until everybody has heard it! :) 

This week was pretty great as we have been having a lot better support of our members which is really great! Two weeks ago I gave a fireside to our ward under the direction of the bishop about working with the missionaries. It was really successful and it is really been fun to see the fruits of it. We have gotten a lot more referrals and have been able to have more people work with us which is so crucial! I am so grateful for member who are excited about the gospel and are willing to serve along side the missionaries. 

It is so cool to see the ward function so well here, the bishop is amazing and the ward members serve each other so sincerely, that is one thing that I really admire about Filipinos is how they are serve with their hearts and are very kind and loving. 

It is so  powerful when we have a member to work with us and to see the difference that it truly makes. I encourage each of you to find someone to refer to the missionaries! You can do it and you will be so blessed as you share the gospel with others! Even when we live in places where it seems like everyone has heard the gospel! I promise you that God will put people in our paths if we are willing and prepared to receive them! I want all of you to know that each and everyone of us makes a difference! God has given us our own individual missions and has equipped us with the talents to fulfill them!

 Sometimes it is hard to press forward , but there is one thing that can always can keep us going, God loves and because he loves us he is aware of our needs! He will not abandon us and nether will His Son, Because he has engraven us on the palms of his hands! Trials make us who he wants us to be.I know that the gospel is true way! Jesus Christ is the source of all hope and all peace and that God will never abandon us. 

I love you always!

ELDER MURDOCK

Teaching to every creature!

Week 28- Progress

Hey everybody!

I am so grateful for you all! I love getting all of your emails and all of the support that you all give me as I am clear out here across the world! This week was a week of progression both for me as an individual and for our investigators as well! So here is how it all went down:

 Earlier this week I felt so inadequate and like my effort was no good, I was comparing my teaching skills to those of my more experienced and well trained senior companion and was crippling my confidence. I was feeling really tired of doing my very best and feeling like it wasn't enough. i did a lot of praying and a lot of reading the scripture but I was feeling really discouraged and frustrated that my area wasn't progressing as well as I thought it should. It took a few days but I realized that most of my problem was that I was focusing on my weaknesses and not on what God can do with me as I allow myself to grow and learn from my mistakes and 'learn line upon line'.  

As I took a step back and be humble enough to let the Lord consecrate my efforts it was amazing to see the difference in my teaching. I show more love for my investigators and was able to teach with more clarity and with more spiritual power, I was able to ask the investigators inspired questions that helped us understand their concerns better and helped them recognize the truth. I was amazed to see the difference as I let my weaknesses fall in the hands of the Savior. We have seen miracles in our area of people that God is truly preparing to receive the gospel. Here are some examples;

We are teaching this really awesome guy named "JR".  His wife is a member and is less active. We have been teaching them for just a few weeks and it has been amazing to see his change as at first he was really hesitant to meet with us and had a drinking problem, but now he has completely stopped drinking and has gone to church every week with his wife since we taught him.  He is planning to get baptized on February 14th and it is really cool to see his wife return to the church with him, it is really been a blessing to teach them.

We are also teaching this 16 year old kid named Jervin and he is really progressing and really wants to gain a testimony, it has also been really cool to see the holy ghost change his heart as he at first also didn't want to listen to us.

I would like to give a shout out to all those that are struggling with seemingly unbearable trials, I know that Christ has walked your paths of sorrow and will always be at your side. I know that although in the moment it seems as if it is too much to bear, those trials administer to our well being and give us the experience we need here in mortality, I know that all trials are possible to overcome through the enabling power of the Atonement of Christ.

Here on the mission more than another time in my life have I seen him exceed my own capacity of talent and ability and I know it is because of Him and because He lives!

You all have a wonderful week! I pray for you!!!

mahal kita!,

here are some pics as I know that I have been so bad lately at sending pictures. Here is me out in the 'bukid'  or the country which is virtually what my whole area looks like.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

-- 

ELDER MURDOCK

From the proud mom--We as a family create a "Vision Board" every year.  This helps us see our goals
and our "vision" for the year.  We love making the things on our board happen!  Tyler sent me this picture of
his Vision Board and I thought it was so great!  Can you tell his focus?!  He is such an example to me!

Week 27- Reassurance that he cares

Hey everybody!

This week was pretty great as I got a new companion! His name is Elder Bayani and he is really cool!! A funny thing is that his name in Tagalog means hero so everybody calls him Elder hero. He is really awesome and is an amazing gospel teacher so I am excited to learn from him!

This week although had its ups, also had quite a few times of rejection. I met this American man who was really rude and started ridiculing our believes and sneering at my testimony. It was really frustrating. I wanted to argue with him but then I had to catch myself and realize what I represented. We also had a disappointment with one of our really progressing investigators who told us she didn't want to be taught anymore. It was so hard as I knew that she knew it was true and that the spirit testified to her of the truthfulness of our message. It was so heart breaking to watch her use her agency in that way I really thought she would be baptized. I also met this lady who told us that she didn't understand why we walked all day in heat and tried to change what others believe, she said there is one God right? So why does it matter what church you belong to? She was pretty rude and refused to hear what we had to say it was not fun! I hate Satan just saying!

Although there was times of rejection, there also have been great times where I have seen the Lord's hand in things. One time we were looking for the house of a less active and we ran across a different house with a lady that had the first name of the lady we were looking for, we started talking to her son and found out he was a former investigator in a different area but moved away and lost contact with the missionaries. He was excited to see us and wanted us to teach him. It was a small miracle that was a great reassurance that God is there and he cares.

We also found a different family through miraculous means, we were just walking down the street and we saw this kid and he waved to us, so we went and said hi to him and he told us his Dad was sick so we asked if he would like a blessing. As we went into their little bamboo hut and met this family I felt the spirit hit me like a wave. We taught this little family and after the lesson the wife told us that she was a member and was baptized many years ago but hasn't gone to church for many years. We gave the father a blessing and left.  I felt peace and gratitude that He keeps sending us little tender mercies and lifting us up.

I know that He is watching over all of us. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. If we follow the example of Nephi when he was tied to the mast of his ship, as his wicked hard hearted brothers refused to repent, and thank the Lord always and not murmur to Him in our trials-- we will be blessed with peace and understanding that comes with trusting in his judgement more than our own worldly understanding. The atonement is real and is the power that which we can do all things!

I love you all! I pray for you everyday!

Mahal ko kayo!

ELDER MURDOCK