Friday, March 13, 2015

9 March 2015 -- Wichita West -- Spanish Branch

Hey everyone! How was everyone's week? I hope it was awesome!
This week completely flew by (as usual)!

So this last Tuesday, we went on exchanges with the Wellington Elders and I went to Wellington with Elder Liechty. It was a pretty normal day, and hey! He even gave me a tie to wear that day! Anyway, we went to a family that he told me they had just started teaching, but who had been taught by several sets of missionaries. We went inside and chaos pretty much immediately broke out. They told me they had a tradition that any new missionary has to have their tie cut off before they'll listen to them. It was so they felt "comfortable" in their home. So, out of love, I let them. Immediately, the mom came at me with safety scissors and started tugging, but nothing was really happening and the son ended up having to whip out his pocket knife and slice it off. Anyway, tie gone, we sat down and suddenly got bombarded by insane questions, almost one right after the other. It was insanity, but through it all, I focused on the basic principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ: faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. After things settled down, the dad stood up and said, talking about their son, "He needs to catch up on his seminary homework. Oh, by the way, I'm Eric Reinhardt. I'm the Wellington Ward young men's president." Yup. They were members. And active. I'd straight up been bamboozled.

This week, I've really been stretched in all aspects of the work. And I have felt an increased capacity of love and of faith in and for both my Lord, Savior, and Friend Jesus Christ and those who I come into contact with. One scripture that I felt has changed my entire perception and outlook on the work and the future is one that President Bell shared with us. It's Doctrine and Covenants 88:67-68 and I might have shared it before, but here it is again: "And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things. Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will."

When we seek to become swallowed up in the will of our Heavenly Father, so many people think that we lose our identity, but in fact, it's the other way around; we find our true identity. We are filled with an almost literal light and are able to take the necessary steps to reach our eternal potential. That light is Jesus Christ. I know that when we apply His Atonement into our lives, we are able to change and become the best that we can be. And that change is most of the time, not one huge, astonishing, ground-shaking experience; it's the small, subtle everyday changes that happen in our lives. We may not see the changes immediately, but I know that if we remember how it was, we'll see ourselves changed and increased in the capacity for light, love, and faith.

I hope you all have an amazing week and keep moving forward! Yo se que por medio de Jesucristo, podemos hacer cualquier cosa que El nos pide hacer y cambiar.

I love you all and I greatly appreciate every email and letter that I receive from you!

Love,
Elder Murphy

Kia Kaha

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