Saturday, May 30, 2015

18 May 2015 -- Great Bend -- transfers to Garden City -- Spanish

Buenos dias everyone!! I truly hope you all had an amazing week!!

So transfers are this week and... I'll be going out west to Garden City with Elder Packard! I was honestly caught off guard. I've only been in Great Bend for 7 weeks! But I know the Lord needs me in Garden City at this specific time, just like He needed me here in Great Bend at this time, even if the time was short. And I guess that just shows how short our time really is. It flies by so fast, it's just so important that we make the most of it, because life is too valuable of an experience to rush. I love Great Bend, and even though it's a mostly English area, I feel like I've learned more of the ropes of how to become an instrument in the Lord's hands.

Yesterday, President Smith came to the Great Bend ward and talked about obedience and why. He explained first that obedience brings blessings and happiness and that disobedience brings misery in this life and in the life to come. He talked about the story in 1 Samuel 15, where Saul is commanded to "utterly destroy the Amalekites." Well, long story short, Saul doesn't "utterly destroy" them, but only partially does, sparing the best of the livestock and the king of the Amalekites. Samuel (the prophet) was told by the Lord that Saul didn't completely keep all of the commandments, but only some of them. And when confronted about it and lying about what actually happened, Samuel asks Saul in verse 22, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than to sacrifice..." Saul later explained that he had not fully kept the commandments because he "feared the people". Today, we're constantly confronted with challenges and trials. But when we understand that the Lord knows what's best for us in the eternal long run, we'll desire to do what He asks, even the small, mundane tasks. And the desire to do those things will come from the love we have for the Lord.

We met with the Baumgardner family a couple of times this week and they are definitely seeing a difference from when the missionaries were meeting with them a couple of months ago until now. They can see that they receive more blessings in their lives as they center their lives on Christ and His Gospel rather than not. I know that none of us are perfect at it, but Heavenly Father will send blessings and "open the windows of Heaven" as we strive, try, and choose to become and reach our potential. As we council with the Lord about the potential He has in store for us (vision), we will feel the Spirit more abundantly in our lives as our passion to become who the Lord wants us to be and our power to do so increase.

Yo se que cuando escogemos hacer la voluntad del Senor, veremos mas bendiciones en nuestras vidas y nos acercaremos mas de El. Yo les testifico que cuando edificamos nuestras vidas y familias en Jesucristo y Su Evangelio, no caeremos y venceremos los desafios y tribulaciones que vienen.

I truly am grateful for you all! You're always in my prayers! Have a super cien week! Love you!

Love,
Elder Murphy

Kia Kaha 

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

11 May 2015 -- Great Bend -- Spanish Branch

Buenos dias everyone!! Como lo fue su semana? Espero que fue fantastica!
 
So this week, we found the Reyes family! All they want to do is what God wants for them, because they know that it will help them grow stronger together as a family and will help them reach their potential. It's almost like they've set a vision for themselves and are doing what they can to implement Heavenly Father and the Atonement of Jesus Christ into their lives to change and bring it to pass.
 
This last Saturday, we had Zone training and we really focused on our meeting the week before with Elder Holland. One of the main focuses was having a sense of urgency about the work and loving our mission. We need to OTOI! And just stay "On Top Of It"! And the center of all we do as missionaries is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We are personally changed and are enabled through the Atonement as we help others turn to it to progress and reach their potential.
 
Jacob and Sabrina have been having very powerful spiritual experiences in our lessons as they are taught by the Spirit. They are coming to realize for themselves that when they center their lives on Jesus Christ because they love Him and strive to change, be enabled, and grow because of Him, they will find true happiness. One thing we've really been focusing on with them is acting as an agent instead of waiting to be treated like an object. We all have the power to choose for ourselves, and there is true power in choice. We choose for ourselves whether or not to be productive each day. We choose for ourselves whether or not to be happy and have a good attitude, even when problems and challenges of the world confront us. We all have the power to choose to change and reach our potential. When we choose, the next step we need to take is to act, go, and do. If we have a vision for ourselves and who we want to become, and have a burning desire to become that, then our vision will not just be some words, but will become us.
 
I've been studying a lot about the life of Jesus Christ, mainly His first miracle of changing water into wine. At first, I thought, why change it into wine, when He could just purify the water and make it taste good? But it was deeper than just that. The Savior wanted to show that He can change things. He changed the worst water into the best wine. In the same way, if we put our faith and trust in Him, He can change us into the best we can be: who we have the potential of becoming. I know that as we truly apply the words of the prophets into our lives, we can full access the Atonement.
 
Yo se que Jesucristo vive y gracias a que El vive, tenemos esperanza por lo mejor. El esta aqui en cualquier tiempo y El nos ama no importa que hacemos. Yo se que Dios tiene un plan para todos nosotros y que cuando tenemos una vision, podemos obtener nuestra potencial.
 
I hope you all have a fantastic week! Thank you all for everything! I love you all!
 
Love,
Elder Murphy
 
Kia Kaha
 

Monday, May 4, 2015

4 May 2015 -- Great Bend -- Spanish Branch

Buenos dias!! Como estan? I hope all of you had a super fantastic week!!

So, Saturday morning, we had a huge mission conference in Wichita and  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland visited!! It was such an amazing and humbling experience and opportunity to be taught by one of the Lord's twelve apostles. He started out expressing to us how important this mission is to the Lord and how important it should be to us. He expressed that his mission meant everything to him and that every good and significant thing that has happened to him in the 54 years since his mission have happened because of his mission and what he was able to become because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He expressed that the fundamental way to do missionary work is to just open your mouth and speak. If we do that and allow the Lord to place the words in our mouths, we will be able to change our lives as we lose ourselves in helping others come closer to Christ in their own lives. Overall, Elder Holland told us to be joyous about our mission, but understand how serious and important it truly is. The Spirit that was in the room as he expressed that was overwhelmingly peaceful.

We also had a training by the Assistants during interviews this last week. They talked about having Vision, Passion, and Power! Throughout life, we need to set visions as to what Heavenly Father has in store for our future potential. When we maintain that vision with passion, constantly thinking about it and going above and beyond to realize and become that vision (reach your potential), you'll receive power through the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ to do so. That enabling power is our constant energy source to climb the mountain of life and it comes from the perfect love that our Father in Heaven and Savior have for us. 

As we teach people, I've really been focusing on trying to get them to open their eyes to the vision Heavenly Father has for them. The vision for their eternal potential. (Kind of like Lehi's Dream in 1 Nephi 8). When they see that and strive to reach it, they will do whatever they can to reach it and will allow it to become a part of them, taking joy in trials because they know those trials will help them the most in reaching their potential.

I know that one person can be a multitude. We have the power to choose whether we are going to strive to be a Christlike example or not. I know that we become who we want to become by consistently being who we want to become. And that which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not because the nature of the thing has changed, but that our power to do so increases.

I love you all and I appreciate everything you have done individually to impact my life and help bring me where I am today. Have an amazing week!

Love,
Elder Murphy

Kia Kaha

KWM Mission Conference - 2 May 2015
(Elder Murphy - front row, left-hand side, 2nd from the left)