"As now we serve..."‏

Hello!

Things are going well! We are trying to try to try to baptize this 10 year old in a re-activating family named Dustin. We're cutting it close right now but just trying to get things done and find people prepared for baptism. I often have found myself in ruts on my mission, as I suppose can be normal in life from time to time. There have been times when I have caught myself going through more motions and less purpose. Specifically I am referring to the power of prayer and problems while tracting. To often I find myself talking to Elder Hancock just about "fun and good stuff" while we are walking down a street trying to find souls to bring unto Christ. "Fun and good stuff" aren't bad things but they can be distractions if we're not careful. In general conference, in April (I think) there was a talk given about a herd of cattle not going where they were supposed too. After searching for the lost cattle, they were found standing under the shade of a large tree. While "shade" is not at all evil, it can certainly be a distraction from getting to where we need to be. Great story! I just need to remove some distractions and just talking about "stuff" and start exercising some serious faith here! Anyway! Time is ticking! Elder Hancock as agreed to work all day on my last P-day! Hurray! We'll email and stuff for his family's benefit and let him get some groceries but then we are off to work! I am grateful to have made it this far, and gratefully it is just the top of the first peak so that I can see the next and continue climbing, no stopping! LOVE YA!


Mom, thank you so much for this email. You can be grateful and rest assured that all that I needed from this email was the powerful re-assurance that I am loved. Not that I doubted but that I needed to be reminded. I already do have some plans for when I come home. I'm going to get on lds distribution and order a box of 40 Book of Mormons! Exciting! I will write my testimony in a good number of them, and figure out what needs to be done to teach Chris and get him baptized, and then continue to go out with the missionaries as often as possible and supply them with Book of Mormons! Then I will repeat. I think 40 Book of Mormons, every month, or every other month will keep my missionary minded and excited to help the Elders! That concludes my plans for when I return everything else, well I'm not to concerned. I'm not mad about coming home, I am sad, but will do as I must and make missionary work the primary focus of my life as I serve in all other capacities I may be called too. I am excited. My motto for life is this.. "Once a missionary, always a missionary!" The only reason things would not turn out how I would like in regards to my focus on missionary work would be if I had chosen to forget what the Lord has done for me here. If I turn away from daily personal study, and give no focus or attention to my callings and responsibilities.. If I return home a "boy" like you said those other guys had. Sadly when I read that I was able to think of a few missionaries in this mission who I could easily see saying such immature things... But anyway, thank you for this wonderful email mom! I love ya!

Oh and when I saw those pictures I remembered something President McConkie once told us, he said, including himself: "We truly do not understand the fullness of the things that we are doing right now."... It was cool to hear him say that because of course he knows exactly what he is doing and is called to do at this time, but he was saying that there is something more happening to us that we cannot yet see.. When I looked at those pictures, it was clearer than anything; we are a celestial family. Anyway, I love you mom!

Much to do!‏

I love being a missionary! Emailing is kind of fun cause it helps me review my mission and myself. I do love the work! We are at the final four weeks of the transfer so I have been pondering on something to have myself work harder and harder as well as help the district. So tomorrow at our District Development meeting we will be starting the Elgin District Final Four! Basically it is to encourage personal accountability to the work and a constant, daily, measure of our attitude and effort put forth for the work, to help us have fun and work harder! So I'm going to work on that now for a quick second before we head out! Anyway love you all!

Love the gospel

Wow! This has to be one of the best emails I have ever received! I have been around so many members.. truly a mission prepares a missionary to become the best member they know how. I wish all members would do the missionary work you guys did! It is the most pleasing and satisfying feeling to do missionary work. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, "The most important thing for an adult non-member of the church is baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." When we had our leadership meeting in the previous weeks and President Mark McConkie spoke he quoted that over and over and said, "The most important thing for an adult non-member of the church is baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. -There is nothing more important, not marriage, not family, not careers, not education; there is no more important thing in their lives to do right now than to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!" POWERFUL! Before he told us this 'quote' he said, "I am going to quote a scripture that you have never heard, now listen carefully..."

One thing I have learned from Sister McConkie recently is that in order to spread the gospel, members don't even have to be friends, or even 'protect' relationships. In my own pondering this past week I came to realize this important truth: As a missionary you meet many people, it is no coincidence that I or Elder Hancock speak with anyone. This is because Heavenly Father is perfectly aware of the things taking place in the lives of every single individual in Elgin. When we knock on the door of someone Heavenly Father knew perfectly that day that his servants would knock on the door of this particular son or daughter. He wants more than anything (Moses 1:39 of course) to teach every single one of his children on earth the gospel through his chosen servants. So when his children hear the truth it is because they are suppose to! One day, as they stand before the Lord he may be able to say to them.. On August 3rd, 2010, Elder Hancock and Elder McMurry introduced you to the truth for the very first time at your home on your doorstep during your life on earth, they were my servants and were meant to tell you about my gospel that very specific day (as important as the event of baptism, is the event of being first introduced to the gospel). Likewise the Lord placed those 4 individuals in your path on absolute necessity of their first introduction to the Lord's truth and gospel!

Isn't that exciting! Now, this is Elder McMurry doctrine, but it seems right. If eternity is all about the truth, the gospel, the only way of ordained divine existence, than naturally, angels must attend the children of God when they receive their very first introduction to the truth and to what their existence is meant to be about, divinity and eternal progression! It is a marvelous, miraculous and recorded event, when God's children are offered and presented with the light of life, and the full truth of Jesus Christ!

Oh boy! Isn't the gospel so refreshing! YUP! You're right it is the epitome of refreshment! It is repentance and the power of Christ unto salvation! It means more to me than anything to me now as a missionary..Anyway! What would be coolest, is that if you have their addresses, go to Mormon.org and refer the missionaries over there, the simplest way that seems non-intrusive would be to just have the missionaries "knock into them".. but that's if we're a little fearful, the best way is to have the missionaries stop by and to specifically use your names! These are a little rough but I'll try and remember.. this is rate of baptisms that Elder Holland (I think) discovered...

"Baptisms per.."

1/1000=1 baptism out of 1000 missionary contacts
1/400=baptism from 400 media referrals
4/80=baptisms from using the name of a member among 80 individuals who know them
6/8=baptisms for those taught in the home of member

Awesome huh! If all members would invite and teach their friends in their homes! Woohoo! The second coming might just come quicker! Anyway! You just got me re-excited about missionary work for the day! I love you and appreciate this super uplifting email! You and dad rock! So my suggestion: send the elders or sisters to their homes WITH the book of Mormon that contains your testimonies, and that will help them see that, "The most important thing for an adult non-member of the church is baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints."

LOVE YA!

Hello with pics...

Hey everyone. I can't think of much to write. We are going to be working harder than ever. Our goal is to feel dead at the end of each week but then to keep going the next! Our goal is to baptize! I love my mission. I have experienced so much and it has all changed my heart. I love being apart of the Lord's work in this way. Welp I really can't think of a whole lot to say.. I explained to Elder Hancock that this past transfer, his first, I have showed him a lot, and how to do missionary work and that this transfer I would show him how to be a leader now that he knows how to do the work in some ways. He is great! He has changed so much since his first week! He never complains and is always ready to go to work when I am! It's wonderful that we can make sacrifices and work together! Sorry this email is short..! I love ya!

Another Week!

Well, things must move forward I suppose! We had interviews this past week, it was an important interview for me to have with president. I know in most all of my emails and journal entries I only mention the most positive and uplifting things, things that will for the most part bless my family and others somewhere down the road. I say that to make the point that missionary life is often pretty tough, rewarding and worthwhile, but also tough. I have had some tough times in the past couple of weeks and so it was important for me to sit and receive council from President McConkie. I love him, and sustain him and he gave me some instruction on what I need to be doing so I have had some time to ponder on that. We often have difficulties because of others, life, and unfortunately most often ourselves. I have had difficulties because of my own shortcomings which have caused me great difficulty in recognizing my potential to be and become a better missionary! So with that said, I am ready to improve and become the best that I can be! I am grateful for the Atonement and for the restoration that helps us understand the very need of it!

Welp! We are still working with a wonderful investigator, Nicole Hasty. It is such a tough situation because she just lost her 2 year old daughter about 3-4 weeks ago. She also chooses to not understand a lot of things we teach her. He husband is a less-active member and is trying to help but he also has some difficulties to overcome. We have an awesome appointment tonight with a lady named Sara. We met her yesterday while she was pushing her son in a stroller. She also had a small chicken on the stroller and man I had to talk to her! So we went up and I said... "What you got there?"... funny huh? and She explained it was a chicken. It was I guess really a "chick" or whatever. But anyway we had a great conversation for a few minutes and she was very humble and asked us to come by tonight! We are excited to see her and put her and her husband on a baptismal date! Oh I forgot the other part of the story at the beginning about interviews.. Well during Interviews, Sister McConkie was training on member work and she looked at me and said, "Elder McMurry, were you here when Elder Johnson of the Seventy came?" I tried to motion to here that I didn't want Elder Hancock to know.. I bet she was really confused. Anyway.. I didn't really respond and then she said, "That would have been October 2008, yeah you were there.." Elder Hancock looked over towards me for a second and man.. I felt pretty bummed! Well the next night I told him that I go home next transfer.. He knew I went home soon, but not that soon. Anyway! So much for that! Well. I love you all! Thank you for all your prayers! I think you'll only get something like 8 more emails before I return.. I'm not mad about coming home, I am a little sad, but I will move forward with everything the Lord expects of me! LOVE YA!

"Declaration of Dependence"

This is me at our recent leadership meeting! Everyone signed a "Declaration of Dependence" on the Lord it was a neat meeting!

Too Fast!

I think the way I feel right now is probably going to be how we all feel when were about to move on to the next life.. maybe. Not quite ready, and it all just goes by so fast! Anyway, things are going well! We just finished our 4 day meetings last Friday! That was a really neat experience. Elder Hancock and I wanted to work as much as possible whenever we got back from the meetings even though we only had about 3 hours to finally work in our area. Well each night we arrived back in Elgin we took a 10-15 minute dinner and just went straight to work. That Wednesday I tried my best to apply what I had learned at the meetings and found out through prayer where the Lord wanted us to go that night. I had other plans, but had to follow the spirit instead. As I was riding my bike, for some reason this was an important moment for me as I thought to myself, "Man if I was riding my bike in the other direction towards my plans, I would feel guilty and unsure.." I thought this because I knew through prayer that I was not suppose to follow my plans, but the Lords instead. So we continued on that night acting in faith that these plans, (though they seemed so much less effective) would yield some type of fruit. We were simply being submissive to the spirit. Well we talked with one lead that we had which was cool because that was the first thing we did. Than we continued to follow the plans the Lord had given us, and ended up teaching 3 lessons in a row! The final lesson was a family of 3, they each became new investigators and accepted our baptismal invitation! It was an awesome experience! It wasn't until we returned home and kneeled in prayer that we realized what had happened. We had chosen to follow the Lord instead of ourselves. Even the night before on Tuesday we had a similar experience and found 2 other investigators who are simply awesome! So even though we lost between 16-20 hours of proselyting time, we still had a wonderful week! Elder Hancock doesn't know when I go home, I hope to surprise him at the end of next transfer at the transfer meeting itself. Hopefully he will see from that, that even in my last two transfers I worked hard, and rarely spoke about anything other than the work at hand. That I was never a "trunky" missionary. Well! I love you all! Thank you for your emails and letters! I'll leave you with a cool quote from Elder Ericson! "The Lord will pay as much attention to your prayers as you do."

Thank you so much for being the best parents in the world! I love you both and think about you often! Thank you for the package, I got it this morning! It really meant a lot to me! Well, time is moving forward, way way to fast. We have a baptism scheduled for the 31st! How great is that! A physical birth, and a spiritual birth! That will be cool! Don't forget to send pics of Matt and Jamie and the Baby! Thank you for your awesome emails and letters of love and encouragement, truly, even as a missionary you still need those things sometimes! I love ya!

The Power of the Atonement.‏

Though out my mission to this point the Lord has really provided me with constant opportunities to grow and repent, and progress and become better. The mercy and grace of our Savior is so great, we must be ready for it, and prepared mentally and spiritually to allow it place in our life. Justice on the other hand is just that, just. It has to do what it has to do and there is no room for this or that. Truly the Atonement must be understood, so that we can understand our role in our life here on earth and what our Savior truly has done for us.

I am tremendously grateful for Jesus Christ. I pray that one day, it will perhaps in the eternities become an incomprehensible gratitude, but as for now, I imagine my gratitude for the Savior is measured in what I know and understand about him here.

The other day as Elder Hancock and I were riding down the main highway that runs through Elgin (which happens to run from the Florida Keys all the way to Maine) a car honked and pulled over. This is a pretty normal thing in missionary life. Well we rode up to the window and say a young man driving and his mother in the passenger seat. The one driving looked at me and said something to the effect of, "What's up Elder McMurry?". I felt pretty confused but understood that they must know me, I had to ask though cause I didn't know what to say. After a few minutes the boy driving told me who he was. It was a missionary that was here only a few months ago but finished his mission. The primary reason I didn't recognize him was because he had grown his hair a little longer and also grown a goatee. Well we talked for about a minute and then continued on down the road. It was strange, but I redetermined that after my mission I would continue to look like a missionary, as that has been my plan.

Welp! We are working away. We have an awesome Sister, Sister Canty, on a baptismal date for July 31st! She is awesome! Right now her testimony of the Book of Mormon is intellectual, but that wont stand the tides, so we are determined to help her gain a spiritual testimony by the power of the Holy Ghost. Missionary work is so important, it is the work of the eternities. If we don't like it now, we won't much enjoy the Heavens in the life to come! That is what it is all about. Finally I got my bike tuned up today, it has gone quite the ways past its expiration date, so I got a few things fixed on it today, but not a lot. So! There are big changes coming to the mission. Our mission is starting the pilot program for the rest of the southern states and then there were some other changes as well. Primarily we are now having leadership meetings ever couple of months, in fact we are starting tomorrow. We will be going down to Irmo and will be having meetings for 4 whole days. It's pretty crazy. They start at 1:00pm on Tuesday, and will go till about 5:00pm, then we will head back to our own areas. Then they start on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at about 9:30am and will go till 5:00pm. The meeting will be for Zone Leaders, District Leaders and New Missionary Trainers. So Elder Hancock will be serving in Columbia the next 4 days while I am at the meetings. Starting in May 2011 the MTC will be teaching a new way for the missionaries, so our mission is getting ready for it now, that way it will be nothing new when those missionaries next year start coming. Neat! Anyway I love you all!

Aloha Familia!‏

What an awesome week! I love Elgin! It is such an awesome place to serve! Elder Hancock is doing great and beginning to love the work and have fun! It is a great blessing to be here!

This past week we had zone conference and it was awesome! Before the meeting we had a leadership meeting with all the zone and district leaders (our zone conference here is combined between two zones; this is the second time on my mission that I have served in the Ishmeal Zone, or Columbia zone.) While President was speaking with all of us, he stopped for a minute and looked at me and said something to the effect of, "Elder McMurry for example; Elder McMurry is baptizing this weekend, he knows how to baptize!" I felt confused for a second and then thought about Robert of course right away who I was teaching just a week or so before in Mt. Pleasant with Elder Douglas and even back to Elder Esplin. Robert had chosen to be baptized on the 3rd of July so we kept teaching him and began to make preparations for it. Of course then I was transferred and had to say goodbye to Robert, but as I arrived in Elgin I continued to pray for him and that he would be baptized on the 3rd. Well after President had said that I looked over at the assistants and they were both smiling at me and nodding their heads, telling me that Robert was indeed set for his baptism. At that moment I felt like crying, but I didn't, I was a man! Heh. Well... I felt pretty good to say the least at that point. Later during lunch, Elder Ericson, one of the assistants, and I were talking and he told me that President Evans did the interview and said amazing things about it in a previous zone conference for the Charleston zone, and said something like, "We got some good missionaries out there, like that Elder MacMurry!".. Anyway it was an awesome and wonderful day and I found out on Sunday that Robert Keith was Baptized on the 3rd and Confirmed a member of the church on July 4th! Woohoo! Needless to say that was the highlight of the week for me! The Elgin ward is great! We are planning for many baptizms in the month of July! Mom and Dad I got the journal! Thank you so much, you should have seen how excited I was, it is the exact one I wanted! Not much else to report on except that there are going to be changes in the mission. In fact our mission is going to start a pilot program we are learning about on Thursday that will effect the rest of the southern missions! Exciting eh? Well! I love you all!



It was great! Mom thanks so much for the journal! We are pressing on and teaching wonderful people right now. Because of the holiday, the libraries were closed yesterday so we only have a few minutes to email this morning before returning to the vineyard! Mom there is a member of the Elgin ward bishopric, whose mother, was the one that sent the missionaries to pop or gmom, im not sure who sent the email since they use the same address! How awesome is that! And thank you so much for the email about pop and the dyers.. I am so excited to read it!! Anyway! I love you and dad so much! Have a wonderful day!

Love YA!

Elgin!‏

Heya! Well! I am in Elgin! It's a super small city with maybe a population of 4,000. The ward boundaries also cover the city of Lugoff. It is actually a huge area, though there is only one stoplight in Elgin. This is nothing but country. It's awesome! Well my new missionary is Elder Hancock, he is a great kid! So far it has however been rough sailing for him. On our first day we had to stay in after dinner because he wasn't feeling well, though I think it is emotional rather than anything else (that was tough for me, that is only the second time that has happened in one of my companionships my whole mission!). I have been trying to work him as hard as I can and yet, I don't want to kill him especially as he is feeling a little homesick and incapable.. I love him and we are going to baptize a lot of people while we are here! This area is just so awesome! Mom thank you for the journal! I love you all!

Hot hot hot..

Well my time in Mt. Pleasant is at it's end! This has probably been one of the greatest blessings I have had on my mission to serve in Mt. Pleasant. I am continuing to reflect on my life and am striving to hear the Lord and speak more sincerely in my prayers. On Saturday morning it was time for transfer calls. No one finds out if they are getting transferred until the end of the night around 9:30 or so... unless they are going to be serving in a leadership position or as a new missionary trainer. Well shortly after getting up I just had this feeling that I would be getting a phone call from President McConkie. It came to a point where I almost knew I was. I wasn't being prideful I just felt very impressed that I was going to be speaking to President that day. Well, we went to work and I avoided any thought about transfers as best I could, though I probably could have done better.. And before I knew it the phone rang. I took it out of my pocket and the caller i.d. said "I.C.E" which is something president asked all the missionaries to do a few transfers ago which simply means "in case of emergency".. Well anyway it is presidents number.. I looked at it quite nervously and made a weird face at Elder Douglas and said "Hello, Elder McMurry"...and he said.."Elder MickyMurry! I was just looking at your name and thought, hey! That sounds Chinese, Elder MickyMurry..." I just kind of confusingly laughed. He then explained that I would not be able to see any of the planned baptisms in Mt. Pleasant because I would be serving as a District Leader in another area and that I would be training a new missionary.. So I not only feel nervous and excited but pretty humbled. When you get transferred and go training, it means that you are "white washing" which essentially means re-opening/re-newing an area in the mission. This is a pretty big blessing. It is most missionaries dreams to end their mission training a new missionary! I am going to teach him to work, work, work! It will be a renewing experience for me as I gather what little experience I have and put it all to use. I am very lucky to serve the Lord at this time in my life!.... So next week I'll be writing from somewhere else which will probably be my last area.. but maybe not! Anyway! I love you all!

Hey mom! thank you so much for your letter! I am trying to hurry so Elder Douglas can write his family! I love you and dad so much! Tell Taylor I said Hey! somehow... anyway have a great week and I'll be writing you from somewhere else next week!! LOVEYA!

Spanish Moss‏

I remember that G-mom asked me about Spanish Moss my very first Christmas out and I wasn't sure what it was.. but hey! Here it is! Also some pictures of our last P-day. President McConkie gave us permission to ride a boat all the way to Ft. Sumter!

Hello Parents..

Hi mom and dad! There is a little girl across the computer desk from me who just asked her mom, "What are zombies made of?" And, well I just thought that was funny.. Sorry my email was so short last week.. We were heading out to Fort Sumter! I'll see if I cant send a picture or two! I love you guys! So! I had a lot on my mind and wanted to ask a few questions if you guys could possibly maybe find out? First of all, the history of our last name McMurry.. things about the different spelling, things about the first McMurry that was ever a member of the church (Dad?) the McMurry meaning(Son of Murry), and heritage would be awesome to know! Also I would love to see my Priesthood Line of authority!.... Also! Any family history conversion stories to way back when, whether the dyers or the mcmurrys! I would love to read some journal entries of my ancestors!.. And I would love to hear both of your conversion stories(Including you guys Pop and Gmom!)! I know you have been a member all your life mom but if you have a story or journal about when you came to know it to all be true... and if possible.. I know this is a tough request, but I would love a new journal... now the kind that I am looking for is about the size of a book of Mormon in length and width but a little bigger, and is not a hardback but a black leather back (even fake leather is good).. I know that's a lot to ask... I'll send a post card today if possible with the name of the company that made the one that I currently have which I happened to buy at the MTC.. so if you are considering it, wait till you get the postcard from me with the company info for my current journal.. confusing? probably!

I love you!

Reflecting..

I realized something this morning after Elder Douglas and I had our companionship planning session. My journal has been full now for maybe 3-5 weeks now and I simply have not been writing. I started to remember an entry in my journal that means very much to me. As I pondered about that entry I began to feel the spirit very strongly, and I remembered very vividly the experience I had, had when I wrote that entry, I felt the memory of my Heavenly Fathers love for me as I read the journal entry in my mind. And from that very small moment I was given understanding. This is when I realized something, about 4 transfers too late. I love my mission with all my heart. I am doing all I can to make this time count. I have had many tough yet rewarding experience but the toughest I might say has been these past 4 transfers. The difficulties I have experienced here in Mt. Pleasant have come with normal missionary life, the only difference is how I have dealt with them. But anyway, what I have realized was this: To conquer the adversity and difficulties that come with missionary life, I was simply ignoring them and pushing forward. I tried to simply keep working hard and let those things take care of themselves as I got lost again and again in the work. I found this morning that I have not taken enough time to "be still". Elder Holland said that it is our charge as missionaries to "get people out of there ruts and routines, out of there ignorance and earthly little arguments." And yet I was in one, I was allowing myself to be pulled away from the spirit by simply, mechanically going through the efforts of missionary work, and not the blessings of missionary work. What had happened was that I allowed my prayers to become routine and self-centered. That was it! That was the source of the hard times! I have a testimony that it is through the power of prayer that we grow and become better, it is through the power of prayer that we can overcome ourselves and follow Christ will full purpose of heart. In missionary work what greater thing can we teach than this principle of truth: "When we pray with real intent, we will know what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Our Heavenly Father hears our prayers. If we pray, pray, pray, we can know, know know." Words simply can't express my gratitude for the opportunity to be a missionary. It has changed me so much. At the beginning of my mission I thought about what would come next, with things like school, friends, work etc.. For probably the past 18 months of my mission it has been all about taking my mission home with me, being a missionary forever! (And don't misunderstand when I say that, what I mean is that I have my mission rooted pretty deeply in my heart and for the past 18 months it has been a focus from time to time of this attitude, "What can I do to learn and gain more attributes of my Savior, what can I do continually to come home with a brighter testimony a stronger testimony, a missionaries testimony..)

I have had the blessing of working with so many people and I am so grateful for the time that I yet have to show the Lord my desire for his work and his glory to be brought to pass! In my short experience that I have had thus far on my mission, I have come to understand the role of the devil is to be, "the great pessimist". He stands idly by all investigators and members alike. I have seen so many humble and pure in heart investigators throw away virtually all hope of being baptized because they listened to "the great pessimist" who persists and thrives and lives in the testimonies of, "you can't", "you don't need to", "you are good enough", "you don't know.", even to the point of, "it really just doesn't matter." My testimony is that we can do it! We must do it! We are perfectly capable of doing it, and it really does matter whether we follow the Savior with full purpose of heart or not!

But anyway I love you all so much. I just wanted to share my testimony of the power of prayer! Let's do everything we can to help people be baptized! Love ya!

Ahola!‏

Hey I don't have really anytime to write! Things are going well
though, as always. I am learning so much from the work and from my
companion! We have transfers in 2 weeks and I really have no idea what
will happen. A part of me feels like I might finish my mission in Mt.
Pleasant, the other part says nope. But that's 2 weeks away so I don't
need to think about that. But anyway I love you all! Thank you for the
pictures of the fam and whatnot!

So I imagine you still have the same computer as when I left.. I think
I put a picture resizer on there. You should be able to right-click on
any picture file and click "Resize" and a box will pop up and you can
just click.. large, medium or small, and choose whether or not to
overwrite the original, but anyway some of the pictures are too big
for me to open cause the computers are SLOW! But anyway, thank you for
the pictures! I will be flying home probably something like..September
16th... but anyway gots to go! love YAA!

Good Times..

Oh mom I love our family! I'm trying way hard not to cry and to hurry up with my emails.. I felt like I needed to write everyone in the family and express my gratitude for them.. our family seems almost perfect to me.. I am so eternally grateful for you and dad.. I would never be here otherwise.. My mission is opening my eyes.. I am eternally grateful for our Eternal Family... Thank you for being my mother. I will never disappoint you! I love you mom, but I am about to bust in tears of gratitude towards my God for my family! I love you I love you I love you!..

Hey Mom, right now I am leaning towards simply flying home, so we can say that that is whats happening.. I'll pray about it and see if that be best.. The only thing is that I want to see all my converts again! And I would love to go to the Dutch Fork ward again for a sacrament meeting.. Maybe thats possible shortly after I am home.. but let's just say I will be flying home!

June

Hi all. It's Tuesday! Time is going by so fast, it's really bummer, but we are working to make all the time we have count! I have learned a lot in the past week as I always do. Robert, is set for baptism this weekend, however there may be a problem with the word of wisdom that we will be re-addressing tonight. If all is good he will go down this weekend, if not, probably a week or two, but surely for sure he will be baptized! I am tired. It is awesome the things we do as a missionary, and frankly as President McConkie would say, it is impossible what we do. I seem to remember one of the general authorities saying something to the effect of, "No other church, no other organization, no other group of people could perfectly mimic the church's organization and the church's missionary organization and have the same success!" Welp I am really pretty tired today! I woke up a lot last night and Elder Douglas was talking in his sleep, praying in his sleep, and making scary noises in his sleep. I find the greatest way to get energy as a missionary is to go to work.. you just can't stop and rest.. when ever I feel tired while proselyting I simply think or say.. "Let's find someone to teach!" Working harder while you're tired often seems to bring back some energy... Weell! I love you all!

Heey!

Hey family, thanks for all your emails! I don't have a whole lot of time today. We are emailing later because we went to downtown Charleston with a couple members and took a carriage tour. It was pretty cool and luckily it didn't rain. We are working a lot with Robert right now. His baptismal date is next week and he is doing great! We found 11 new investigators this past week and it was just a really successful week as far as a good missionary week goes. So last night I called President McConkie and just talked with him for a few minutes and before I said goodbye I asked him if it would be alright to go to downtown and to take one of the carriage tours. He paused for a minute and said, yeah you can do that, then he asked when we would be going and I told him, tomorrow. He paused again and said you might see me there. I laughed but he said "You think I'm kidding?". Anyway we kinda laughed and said goodnight. Well Elder Douglas and I were half expecting to see president and once we got to downtown and sat in a carriage and waited to go on the tour we saw President and his family walk right in front of the carriage and president just looked right at us and waved with a big smile. It was cool. But anyway there's not a lot going on right now we are just trying to teach as many people as we can find. As I have been reading from the Book of Mormon in my personal study my testimony continues to get stronger. I love that book. Well, I love you all! Have an awesome week!

-Elder McMurry

Spiritual Growth!‏

I am learning so much.. These past few weeks have been really interesting. I don't really know what to write about. Yesterday I read from my journal, it made me appreciate my mission even more.. Elder Adams, the missionary I trained, is training a new missionary this transfer! So that is pretty cool! Elder Douglas and I have experience a lot of things. You feel a lot of feelings as a missionary that's for sure.. You simply come to love everyone you teach and it is sad, and disappointing when they don't progress, and choose not to be baptized but you press forward and look for those who will hear the truth! I love my mission, it is passing by so quick! We have prayed and for the moment we feel that the Lord expects us to find and teach at least 2 individuals that will be baptized within the next 6 weeks. We have a name for each of those and are doing everything we can to be led by the spirit to help lead them to the waters of baptism! Welp! Love ya!

Wellily, wellily, wellily!‏

Hey! It was good talking with you guys yesterday! I was honestly doing my best at the end of the phone call to not ask you for referrals and to commit you guys to send the missionaries to someones house.. Shortly after that I realized I totally could have! I am so excited for this transfer! I don't know that I have ever looked at a transfer this way before but I am so grateful! I feel like I have been re-called to Mt. Pleasant and that the Lord expects an even greater zeal for the work than before. I prayed many times that I would be ready for whatever transfers brought and I feel that prayer has been answered! I love being a missionary, there literally is no greater thing for me to be doing in my life at this point in life, and it's funny, as I sit in the library right now, I have the very best book right in front of me, The Book of Mormon.. this library has infinitely less to offer me in knowledge and truth than what these 531 pages have for me right here next to the computer.. Anyway, that was just a cool thought. Elder Douglas and I are both sticking around. The weather is awesome! We have weeded out some tares perhaps these past two transfers and should be able to truly harvest and baptize this transfer! We are both pretty excited about it! I am quite confident the only two things worthwhile in eternity are missionary work, and eternal progression within our families. It's amazing to me that, missionary work truly being my favorite thing, will be apart of my life forever! That's what the gospel is all about. Missionary work. In no way do we do anything other than just that. We all know the quote, "the greatest work we will do will be within the walls of our own homes." Raising children is all about missionary work! You teach them, you encourage them, you help them do what they must in order to be baptized and they enter the temple years down the road and do the same with their children, and it just continues. Missionary work is one eternal round. President Brailsford, the previous mission president said this, "If you don't like doing missionary work, you won't like living in the Celestial Kingdom." How grateful am I for missionary work right now in my life! I know we don't all get it or do the best job at it.. honestly I am a little stressed when I think that I am responsible for helping people enter the waters of baptism and becoming members of Christ's church, when I feel so inadequate of teaching and doing just that. But the Lord always provides!

We are studying chapter 5 of Preach My Gospel, as a mission right now and my testimony of the Book of Mormon keeps getting stronger and stronger! I remember when I felt for the first time and recognized my testimony of the Church being true when I was a Deacon, I taught the lesson that Sunday in class, Bryce and Kevin were there, and most importantly Brother Pindar, whom I will never forget, it was because of him that I have always understood what happened that day. But when I received that witness at 12 years old, many truths of the restored gospel were included with it, including the Book of Mormon and everything that went along with "Church". I found for myself however, the testimony of the Lord bear witness to me that the Book of Mormon was indeed true years later, when I was 16 (I didn't doubt it was true, but I had never prayed to find out if it was) when I, like Joseph, knelled and prayed in faith, nothing wavering. Since that day, the pillar of my testimony was permanently sealed, never to be broken. It has however been continually fortified.. an almost infinite amount of pillars are there supporting the Book of Mormon, and I seek more as oft as I can. No matter what happens, or what offense I may receive, if all pillars were to fall (which they will not), there would be a firm, steadfast and immovable pillar at the very center, that will not, and cannot fall and upon that pillar are the words of the Lord that he spake to me by the power of the Holy Ghost that day when I was 16 years old!

Ah! I love the gospel! Anyway ya'll are the greatest! I think of you often! Thank you for all of your prayers.. I truly have felt them each! Love ya!

"...come off conqueror..."‏

I pray that I might!

This transfer has been tough stuff! The baptism fell through with James. It is rescheduled for this weekend, he just doesn't understand the Gospel quite yet. Our goal is to teach him everything he needs to know this week. He is a very different person. I've never met someone quite like him on my mission. We pray that we will know what to say, how to say it, and when to say it! Deirdra, one of our other investigators.. We dropped her the other day. We love her and want to see this great change in her life, but after all that she knows to be true, she is struggling to act. She has great problems with her family and marriage right now and those things are greatly effecting her. She also just loves the missionaries and knows that I might get transferred soon so has decided she doesn't really want to talk right now. We told her shortly after teaching the Plan of Salvation, that when she was ready too, she could just call us. It was a sad and confusing evening. She will be baptized, but not as soon as we were expecting. Braxton and his mother haven't been to church in forever. His grandma died and his mom has a lot of emotional things going on, though they told us they were going to be at church they just didn't make it. I love everyone. I am so blessed to serve all of these great people but it sure is tough when loved ones struggle and in the Gospel. The Peterson family is still coming to church all the time. We love em'! The "only" hold back is that the mother, is waiting on her husband, Brother Peterson, before she gets baptized. Yes Baptism ought to be a family affair, however, when you know, you know, sometimes you lead the rest. Brother Peterson has been reading from the Book of Mormon a lot. He is so cool! He says he hasn't had an answer yet as he has prayed about it. He really enjoys church! Man it would be really cool if President McConkie came and visited our ward! That would be sweet!

We had interviews with President last Tuesday! It was a humbling and ennobling(?) time to spend a few minutes talking with President for only a few minutes. He gave me a charge to work even harder and said, "All remarks that are said about you are always good.".. "Time and time again I have had you recommend to me for leadership."..."[The Lord] needs your talents for training or what have you.".. To say the least I felt good, nervous and unsure about what may come about from this conversation.. and I hope that I might be able to serve the Lord even a fraction better than I strive to at this point.... But that was a good experience. I sure do love President McConkie. What a blessing it was to serve in the office and to speak with him often. One of the first things I will never forget that he said to me while I was working in the office was something to this effect.. "You sure are sober minded for someone so small.." Or at least something similar.. he enjoys talking about how short I am. I love him! Anyway! The work will always go on.. and I strive to be apart of it at times before my mission, I am humbly a part of it now on my mission, and I will always yet be apart of it after my mission! Once a missionary, always a missionary! love ya!

A Special Witness Handshake!‏

Hello! I hope everyone is doing well.. I am sorry this letter will be pretty short!

On Friday night while talking with one of my zone leaders he told me that he had just spoken with the assistants and that we were going to be having a "mission conference" (well that's what I called it) the next day! And that we would be having it with Elder Neil L. Andersen! Needless to say there was lots of excitement and we made plans to drive all the way down to Columbia in the morning to be there by 9:15 in the morning.. That meant waking up an hour earlier.. so 5:30am.. but that's nothing.. It was an awesome experience.. Elder Andersen is an awesome man! He joked and laughed and smiled constantly.. He had fun just talking with us! It was great.. Oh and we all shook his hand! That was an awesome experience.. I felt nervous just waiting for him to walk into the chapel.. But I learned a lot out of the Book of Mormon as I read from it while we waited.. So that was a great blessing and I will always remember that day! The work moves on! We are having a baptism this weekend! WOOHOO! He is a funny/interesting guy and I love him.. I find that I love all of my investigators.. I just want them all to be baptized! So that's my plan! I learn a lot.. all the time.. and I suspect I'll keep learning things.. Anyway I love you guys and have really felt your prayers.. LOVE YA!

Blue Angles and Lost Keys..‏

Time moves by way to fast! Elder Douglas and I are teaching A LOT of people and it is awesome! We have 6 right now that are very capable of being baptized.. They are all so awesome.. A great family of 3 that we are working with.. the ward loves them everyone fellowships them and they know the church is true! It is awesome! Another that we are teaching is the son of a member, and the mother was inactive at the time he grew up so he was never baptized and has a lot of difficulty in his life. He is in his 40s and just wants change and peace in his life.. He is awesome so we are working closely with him. Another lady that we are teaching is really struggling.. She knows the church is true, she knows the Book of Mormon is true, and every time we see her she makes great progress and has good fellowshippers, but she doesn't come to church or quite understand the importance of coming to church. Every time she makes great progress she faces great opposition. It's tough because she has already had a witness of the Holy Ghost that these things are true, but she still is reaching out looking for more.. so that's her struggle but we love her and her family.. and the last of the six is James Johnson. He is great! He listens when we teach and comes to church all the time, he is getting baptized on May 1st! The Gospel is perfect! I am so grateful for it.. So this past week was interesting as they really all seem to be in missionary life.. but we came off conquer and had a blast! It started on Monday..

We were in the process of moving to a new apartment yet again because our previous one was really smokey because the person beneath us smoked and so we began to smell like smoke and people began to notice it at church and well we just smelt way bad.. So over the past 3 weeks or so we have been getting prepared to move into a new apartment in the same complex. Finally on last Monday we got to move almost all of our stuff but didn't quite finish. We had at this time the key to both apartments. On Tuesday we had a district development meeting at the church (it was great!). And Elder Douglas and I were going to just be working in the area so we didn't even go back to the apartment. Well at around dinner time we came speeding in on our bikes to the apartment and our ride for our dinner appointment was there so we just locked our bikes up and rode with him to dinner.. Well after dinner we made it back to the apartment and Elder Douglas asked me if I had the keys.. I looked at him and laughed a little thinking he was joking while realizing I didn't have the keys.. So I had lost them.. we did however have a key to our old apartment which did not have our beds or clothes or really anything in it, though it did have a couch and our area map and stuff.. so after praying we made some calls and went out almost the rest of the evening just trying to find out where the keys could be. We stopped at the church and couldn't find them, that was a big bummer we thought for sure they would be there, but we couldn't find them.. Anyway we got back to the apartment without the keys and didn't have much choice but to call another member and search some more. So we went out with Brother Moody around 8:30 trying to find the keys.. It was really important to find them because it had a key to the church on them.. so that was bad news.. anyway we still could not find the keys.. We got to the old apartment.. which was pretty much empty and planned for the next day and I slept on the floor and Elder Douglas on the couch, after all it was my fault the keys were missing so it seemed only fair.. We had no blankets but I did have a South Carolina flag so I used that.. Elder Douglas used his suit coat.. it was probably a pretty funny site.. Anyway. For our early morning exercise, we just put our ties back on and suit coats and rode our bikes for about an hour and a half just trying to find where the keys could have fallen.. never found them.. We went to the management office at our apartment complex which was now open and finally got a key to our apartment and that worked out good, we got to eat and get ready for the day... That night we had missionary correlation meeting and as soon as we got there I saw the bishop outside and went to him and said.. "Bishop, we have some bad news, we have lost our keys which also had a key to the church building on them." He kind of smiled and told me to describe the keys and said that they were in his office on his desk and that someone had put them there and he didn't know whose they were..

It was a good experience as I realized that we need to have that kind of faith and motivation to find new investigators.. to pray constantly to be disappointed when it's not where we would hope it to be and then to move forward with ideas and prayer of where it could be. We needed more faith in finding investigators similar to the faith we had in finding the keys.. However even after all we did to pray, and act and work to find the keys we never did find them and instead they were simply handed to us.. Likewise, and I have a testimony of this, in missionary work you can do everything possible, pray, act, work everything.. and yet the true investigators who will be baptized are always handed to you by the Lord.. Not one person in this great work was ever baptized because the missionaries found them.. They were baptized because they were ready and the Lord prepared a way for them to meet the missionaries or other members of the church!

Other things that were interesting was that the Blue Angles were here on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday making all kind of noise in the sky. It was pretty much awesome! They flew over everywhere doing cool stunts and tricks.. we worked in down town Charleston on Friday and it was almost interrupting the missionary work cause they were SO loud; flying only hundreds of feet above parts of the city.. maybe 2-3 miles off the ground! It was awesome! And another interesting thing.. We were invited about 5 times into this home where a lady and her son were.. we told her we cant because she is a single woman.. she was a little bit drunk.. So we refused to go in.. she insisted on feeding us and we really felt bad for her 8 year old son who was probably much more mature than his age.. we went to their patio where we could stay outside and in public and tried to teach them both as we were given an entire case of chicken.. we ate some and politely listened and taught some gospel principles. The family needed help but she would not let us enlist members of the ward to help her move as she was being evicted the very next day and had no where to go.. That was sad and strange.. But anyway!

I love and miss you guys and hope you are all doing well....!



You Inspire Me!


Mom, thank you for your awesome letter and pictures! You guys look great! I love and miss ya! I am so excited that Rich comes to church! Ahh! That is just so cool!! Yeah back in January I guess it was. I was a little stressed and had some anxiety going on so that's what the bill is about I met with a doctor there and talked with him about how I was feeling! Dads glasses look cool! It's funny being a missionary now I really think a lot about priesthood holders appearance and I love how dad ALWAYS wore suites in my memory growing up, and I remember his olive green suit he always wore.. that was a good looking suit! I think you can tell a priesthood holders commitment by what they wear to church. I remember the red shirt you got me when I was 18.. and how dad didn't want me to wear it on Sundays.. Man! Was that wisdom in him or what.. He's gunna be a bishop one day! I am grateful for a father who understands the priesthood! And of course a mother who understands it just as well! I have the best parents ever! LOVEYA!

What a week!

Howdy! I hope everyone is well! I am loving life as a missionary so I am expecting that the Celestial Kingdom is going to be a blast because it is ALL about missionary work for our families! Elder Douglas is my new companion as of 2 weeks ago maybe.. I think I forgot to mention that. We are moving into a new apartment again today, because are current one is super smokey and people notice it at church, it's kinda funny! Elder Douglas and I are expecting a baptism this weekend and just as the ram in the thicket we know the Lord will provide, however, we have to search the thicket with all of our heart might mind and strength for that to be so! The weather here is great! I am learning a lot from Elder Douglas though this is only his 3rd transfer he is an amazing missionary! I love the scriptures and learn a lot from them each day I study with real intent, desiring to know more! That's the key.. I learned from Elder Burrows, if you want to have a good personal study in the morning you have to have a desire for whatever it is that you are studying! I love my leaders! I love the district. This is a district that knows our purpose "Our purpose is to bring souls unto Christ, by helping them receive faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end! My purpose is to baptize!". This might be the most difficult work one can be apart of but it is probably the most rewarding as well! One thing that I have learned today is that we are blessed by the Atonement because of the great understanding it gives us and the desire we receive from it to be obedient, to be safe, to be loved by Christ and to love Christ. The Atonement is not simply power over sin, but power to become perfect through Christ. How exciting is that? As a missionary you often think: "If people would only read the Book of Mormon, even one page and pray about it in faith they would know by the power of the Holy Ghost that it is true!".. I imagine those beyond the veil might think or say something similar of us all: "If they only knew what the Atonement would do for them!".. Anyway I love and miss you all! Expect good things!


Thanks for the update mom! That's pretty sad news! I will keep Dustin in my prayers..I got an email from Bryce, it was depressing.. I don't understand the whole marriage thing.. It frustrates and confuses me. But I'll get over it! I was just bummed to hear that.. weird huh? Welp we are working really hard here in Mt. Pleasant and are expecting a baptism this weekend. We don't know who it will be, but we are expecting it to be! Sometimes the strongest faith is found in expectation. Joseph Smith didn't know what the answer would be when he prayed in the sacred grove, but he expected an answer! I am loving the work as always.. I get depressed when I think of a time that this specific full-time service ends, but hey! It doesn't have to end. I am going to keep a list of all whom I am blessed to help come unto the waters of baptism even after my mission! I expect to continue to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to be the very best member missionary period! So I asked President about the extension in my missionary report to him, and haven't heard from him yet but will find out at interviews! Thanks for the picture of G & P! I was thinking about them the other day and man, I love them, I can't think of life without them! Man, what if they had never become active in the church? The people blessed by Ben in Mexico would have had to wait longer to hear and accept the gospel, as with Arizona and Idaho and now South Carolina.. not the missions alone but all the Temple and family history work they have done and do, as well as their service as missionaries! We have a great heritage! I hope Pop keeps a journal cause I'm gunna wanna read it one day! I have a great plan for journals after my mission! I am going to compile my journals from before my mission into a small book by typing them all up. Then I will have another book compiled of all of my mission journal typed up as well as my study journal.. and then I will have another book made of my after mission life to the point of getting married.. (or whatever that's about).. and then my first 5-10 years as a parent and then another book about the next 5-10 years as a parent.. and they will be neat and nice and when I die, I will have a stack of like 10 books easily readable for all my future generations! Cool huh! Journals are important, I am learning that. I want my family in the far off future to be able to see my life and who I was and stuff! There are websites I think you can use to type up and have bind into books whatever you want.. And I'll send a copy of my mission journal to President McConkie, and my bishops and stuff.. I'm just way excited about that.. That is a goal I expect to be fulfilled after my mission! Anyway I'm gunna write the fam! love ya mom!

Happy Day after Easter

Yes! I got the package! Thank you so much it was such an awesome surprise and more than I feeling of hunger to eat all the candy I felt genuinely loved! Not that I hadn't felt that before, but I know you didn't send me candy because you knew I liked candy, but because you were thinking about me and love me! Thanks my wonderful mother! Conference was awesome and awe inspiring as always! Unfortunately I realized that it just might be my last in South Carolina.. Mom, can you send me a picture of G-mom and Pop? I want to show it to some members of the ward here and ask if they remember them! Anyway.. I love you and dad and have been thinking about you both so much..! I love you!

Spring!

The weather is getting better here again! It is pretty nice. It just rains like crazy here though, but that's alright, that's when you feel like a real missionary! I'm interested in seeing how different the ward is nowadays.. Yeah life can be tough, certainly while you are serving the Lord with your all, in any calling.. I hope things go better for you guys and no one gets sicker.. I am looking forward to this next transfer! Change is such an important part of life, we just need to always have a firm desire and determination to change.. President McConkie explained it this way..

There are missionaries who work hard everyday and whether they have success or not they come home each night with an attitude of "The day happened the way it was suppose to.. we worked hard, so we'll just keep working hard and go with the flow.. if we find people, we find people, if we don't, we don't.."

That sounds like a good missionary but that is a missionary that relies on "Fate".. we are not to rely on fate and "just let things happen", we are to "make things happen".. We are not fatalist, we are facilitators of faith. Two very different attitudes.. one lets whatever happen, the other makes everything happen.. So we are not to come in each night "content" with the day.. but having made things happen that day.. we are to come in grateful and ready to improve and make more things happen!

I just thought that was cool, so I need to be careful with my attitude sometimes and not just be content with what happens, but to really do my part as a missionary and make it all happen.. that is the power of faith!

Anyway, please send pics of Easter! Pictures are great! I will send some next week! LOVE YA


Hey all! Transfers are here and I am staying in the great Mt. Pleasant! Elder Esplin is however, gonzo! Thats ok though.. I will miss him.. I have learned alot from him! Man I love my mission! I know that this is where I need to be and I am grateful for it! We had 11 non-members at church yesterday! Only 5 were our investigators (for now), but it was great. We saw alot of miracles and blessings yesterday and it was just an awesome day! We are planning for 5 baptisms this next transfer and I know we can do it! Keep me in your prayers, I love my mision! I continue to serve in a leadership position and that can be difficult at times but I really do enjoy it and am grateful for it, and am excited to improve at it! I have really come to better understand the Atonement and repentance and revelation these past few weeks in my personal study and am continuing to learn alot! Anywho! I am so excited for General Conference.. Like always, it is probably one of the most exciting times for a missionary.. to have your investigators see what you have been testifying of! I have learned so much from general conference on my mission than perhaps ever before! Anyway.. again! I love ya'll!

Heey...

HELLO! Mt. Pleasant is great! This is such an awesome place! I love to serve here.. it can be really tough quite often, really cause of the rain and the temperature. But things are going well. We have some GREAT investigators! Truly awesome.. Transfers are coming up next week and I've been feeling a little bit like I might be a gonner from Mt. Pleasant, but at the same time I can totally see things staying the same! We haven't had any baptisms just yet unfortunately but that's alright we are building a great teaching pool for the month of April! HURRAH! The weather is kinda sorta warming up here, but often rainy and windy.. But man I am so blessed to be biking in a place that is flatter than flat! The new library that we go to is pretty far away these days and its actually an old house.. like maybe the size of Gmom and Pop's house but they turned it into a library. I've seen the Church that Gmom was baptized in! I will get a picture when I can! There are a few people in the Mt. Pleasant ward that I am sure knew Gmom and Pop.. So if I could get a picture of them back in the day that would be really cool! Anyway! Times running out! LOOOVE YALL!

Monday..

Hey no time to write! Love ya.. we had a busy day, and go to a
different library now.. Anyway love ya! Things are going great! I will
possibly be asking president tomorrow about the extension! I love you
guys! Have a great night!

Where does the time go...

Hello! We are writing today because we moved into a new apartment on Monday and didn't have anytime to write! I hope everyone is doing well.. The weather here is finally warming up! I am continuing to work hard and learn and grow. I don't have a lot to talk about but I love the work!

Man! That is so exciting! I love when families get baptized! That is cool that you will be teaching primary! President McConkie said that after he returns home he fully expects to serve in the nursery.. His point was that it never really matters what your call is, don't aspire, just go where the Lord puts you! He also said it is a blessing when you don't always have the same stewardship responsibilities that some other callings call for, and at the same time he said that it is a blessing to serve in those callings.. All callings are blessings, none is more important than the other! Mom I had a really cool study about repentance yesterday! It was awesome.. I was reading in Alma 5 and learned that "a change of heart" is perhaps, not really the fruit of repentance, but a seed of repentance. Alma talks about how when we are in sin, we have the chains of hell around us but as we repent, we experience a change of heart, and awake unto God. Afterwards once the repentance is 'complete' in that thing, THEN you receive a "mighty change of heart", not simply a change of heart, but a mighty change. I drew in my notes three different hearts:

1. A "chained" heart
2. A changed heart
3. A mightily changed heart

It was a good study! I love personal study! That is something I will definitely take home with me is a love of studying the gospel daily!

You'll have to tell Zach and Sadie I said happy birthday! Welp! Love you!

Aloha!

Howdy Family. I have about no time to write.. sorry! I just wanted to say I love ya and miss you all! We have a cool 9 year old yet again that should be getting baptized in the next couple of weeks.. as well as a cool 13 year old.. and hopefully a way awesome couple that a member family is working with! Missionary work is the best! Love y'all!

Hey MOM..

Hey mom! Just wanted to write you and tell you how things were going! I am doing good.. I am a little harder on myself at times then I should be but I am doing fine! Elder Esplin and I are teaching a lot of people and that adds to my happiness.. The work can be really tough and demanding at times but it is always rewarding and a blessing to have people to teach and we have a lot of wonderful people were teaching right now. I have set some goals this week to become more focused and better prepared to help our investigators enter the waters of baptism, and we are confident that we will baptize at least 2 people this month. I have been learning a lot about myself these past two transfers and it has been such a good thing learning more about, about who I am. Bishop Jarnagin sent me a really awesome email last week that. That was really nice of him, I guess Elder Pearson of the 70 came and spoke, but it was a good email. He talked about the power we can have in our lives when we realize who we are and talked about the power of being able to say "I am..(a servant of the Lord, a child of God...)" and the power of commitment in the words "Will you...". I've reflected it on it a lot and am so grateful to be a missionary! I am far far from perfect at it but I am learning. Once we have learned one thing we go on to learn another. Once we have learned another thing, we go on to "..come off conqueror!" But I just wanted to write you and tell you how I was doing and thank you for all your prayers! I love you!

-Elder McMurry

OHHH

Man am I tired. This weather has been crazy and the past few days it has finally been up in the 60s! It has been really nice but today decided it wanted to rain. I am learning a lot! I was going through a lot of trails the past couple of weeks, with the exception of an awesome baptism, but last night in prayer I felt a large relief knowing that the trail is at its end. How great is prayer?

Here in the great Mount Pleasant we are teaching A LOT of people right now which is a blessing! Man I can't get over how tired I am all of the sudden... Well, I suppose that's about it, I just might fall asleep... Love ya!


A THOUGHT...

Hey Mom and Dad, I don't know how this would affect you guys, and I havn't talked to President about it yet, but I would really like to try and see if I can extend my mission for at least 6 weeks. This would mean I would come home in October rather than September.. I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about it.. I don't know if its even allowed anymore. I was planning on asking President at our next Interviews meeting which I think is at the end of march.. But I wanted to see what you thought and felt about it.. Anyway! I love you!

Heya!

Welp! Transfers are here and Elder Esplin and I are sticking around! We had an awesome baptism last Saturday! An awesome 9 year old named Braxton. He's great. I had the oppertunity of confirming him and it was a very spiritual blessing. The work continues and the weather is way cold. I'll send some pictuers in a minute! Well I love you all and hope everyone is doing well. I don't have alot to say like I normally do.. but LOVE YA!


Some cool pictures from our special District Leader Conference.. unfortunatley my eyes are closed in one of them..

Hello!

Hey! So we got the new email address thing, so I will be writing from
"andrew.mcmurry@myldsmail.net" now.. Any mail sent to my old address
will automatically be sent here. Neat'o!

Things are going great! We will be having Braxton's baptism this
weekend! I am excited! He is a cool little kid! The Mt. Pleasant ward
is awesome.. I wish I had some more to say but can't think of much!
Love you all!

Familia!

Salutations Family! Things are going great here in the North.. part.. of South Carolina.. Though I actually have very little of an idea of where I am on a map right now. Somewhere near the ocean is really all I know for sure. Well let me tell you, callings are tough!

I never knew that I would actually have callings while on a mission. I didn't know that was a part of missionary work! Serving as a district leader, over 4 companionships (including my own) is a responsibility.. President McConkie has taught that we are "Bishops of our Districts".
Recently for the first time in the mission we had a Leadership Conference, where all of the zone leaders and district leaders met. We were given packets created by President McConkie which out line in about 15 pages, the reality and divinity of our call as District leaders. We now are being held more accountable and are expected to serve in a higher capacity then perhaps some district leaders before had thought. President taught that we as District leaders are the backbone of the mission.. It is an enjoyable and difficult calling making sure I am doing all that I am called to do and then going beyond the mark as well. Anyway just wanted to say that hard work can be hard work that's for sure..

Well about 2 weeks ago after talking to one of my Zone Leaders, he encouraged us that even though we were working hard, that we could add faith to that and pray for miracles. I thought pretty hard on that as I got ready for bed and thought at some point, "Of course! We might be working hard but our hard work won't help us baptize as much as the Lord would help us baptize." So I committed Elder Esplin and I to pray for miracles the next day.. That afternoon we received a phone call from a non-member telling us about how she was concerned for her sister who just lost her 20 year old daughter and her unborn baby to a violent crime. The phone call somehow made it to our phone because her sister(the one who lost her daughter) happened to be a member of the church and she wanted us to check on her and see what we could do. We finally made contact with her after a couple of days and have been helping her become active in the church again. She was actually baptized in the Dutch Fork ward about 10 years ago but went in-active at some point and moved to Mt. Pleasant and her church records were never received here. Sister Nelson(the one who lost her daughter), the in-active member who was going through all of these difficult times has a son named Braxton. Braxton is the man! We're teaching him right now and the miracle is that he is nine years old and wants to be baptized! 3 of the Southern states had stake conference with a broadcast from Salt Lake yesterday it was awesome. Anyway we taught Braxton and his mom right after the meetings and showed him the baptismal font and committed him to be baptized next weekend and he accepted! It was such a spiritual lesson and his mom bore her testimony and looked at him and said "I [remember] what it felt like when I was baptized, and I want you to have that too, ok?" Every time his mom talked he looked at her and smiled so big! I have a testimony that miracles happen when you pray for them! Anyway, that was just an awesome story I wanted to share! So things are going great!

Pictures

Not much time to write.. Hope everyone is doing well! I love Mt. Pleasant, It is awesome here! The work continues on! Hey I never knew Blake Giles served his mission here in South Carolina.. Does anyone remember Blake? If it's the same person, which I am pretty positive it is. He totally served his mission here. Weird huh? Well anyway, stay cool everyone! Love ya!











Elder Esplin is 19.. Funny huh?

Popcorn and Email

Hey mom! Thanks for writing me! You are the only one that did other than Kevin Clark and he just wanted to tell me hes getting married.. Why does everyone have to get married? I don't think I want do the night classes thing at all really.. I guess we can just figure out the school thing when I go home... Anyway. Not much time to write, Going to Fort Sumter today on a Ferry! Love ya.. Feeling kinda sad today for some reason, perhaps I am just tired.. it's funny, the only thing that will make me happy is going back to good ol' missionary work! LOVE YA! TONS!


Things is up...

Hey family. Hope everyone is doing great! Elder Esplin and I are working hard. Mt. Pleasant is great. Don't really have any cool stuff going on with the exception of missionary work. But I love ya!

Some Pics...

Elder Adams never knew when my birthday was.. Instead I just kept telling him about how "Short Slacks Season" comes around every 6 years in the mission and that November 12th was the day, you could finnally wear short slacks.. I'm sure he didn't believe me but when my actual birthday came around I took one of my old suits that didn't work anymore and made "Short Slacks Season" happen.. It was pretty funny.. When he got out of the shower that morning I just walked passed him and we laughed for a bit..








Forgot to mention! This is Justin Locklear! One of the newest members of the Church! He got baptized on Saturday!! Woohoo! Had 3 Baptisms with Elder Adams.. I guess we must have been doing something right!







Heres a picture of my district! I know I look kinda weird my suit looks funny, but anyway, this is my District, most likley the biggest district in the mission right now.. 8 missionaries! It's funny/cool and probably wont last long so I had to get a picture before they changed it.. I have never been the district leader for more than one other companionship, now I have 3 companionships.. its crazy! Two of Elders are my zone leaders, its weird but I hold them accountable each night during phone calls too becuase zone leaders are now apart of districts in our mission..










It was freezing cold outside so we thought a Pizza would probably be the best thing we could eat for dinner..

Hiking Mt Pleasant

HEEY everyone! Hope things are going grreat! I am having a blast in my new area serving with Elder Esplin. He is pretty cool and a really good missionary and hes only been out one transfer, so I am his second companion. I am serving in Mt. Pleasant/Downtown Charleston! It is awesome here! Not a single hill. We are working hard and trying to get to know the area and find people. We are working with an awesome family, the Peterson family. Their oldest daughter was baptized in October, now we are just trying to get the rest of the family on board. The weather here is pretty cold. I've been using ear muffs and a scarf and two layers of gloves. We walk a lot, it beats the cold and we are doing alright finding people so far. I know a lot is going on back home, all I can think of is the words to "Count your blessings.." and also "Faith is powerful..", That's a song I just made up, but you can bet its probably really good, cause hey! it's true! Well one highlight so far is that I got a letter from Matubal! Probably the most heart lifting letter ever! That and I never hear from that guy.. Congrats on the baby! (you can remove that if its a secret).. Welp! I'm gunna get going so Elder Esplin can write his family.. This library here is kinda gross and stinky, just so you know.. Love ya!


Well.. It sounds like something great is going to happen! In missionary work every new found family, new investigator and baptism is preceded by weeks, days or even months of no success and really hard times.. Every trail ends with an amazing blessing! So just look-up while the world looks down and everything will turn out awesome!

Hey Team Family..

Yo! Hope things are going swell for you all. It was awesome talking at you on the phone! Last week we would have emailed but the library was closed. Anyway! Transfers are here, and I am leaving the Lake Murray.. It's weird, just as weird as it was when I was transferred out of Columbia.. But anyway, I have been called to serve as a district leader yet again, and whats really cool is that Elder Adams is taking my spot as district leader.. unfortunately I can't really say that it is because I trained him well, it's really just because he knows how to do missionary work. I didn't have to train him much at all.. So I don't know whats really going on as always with transfers but we will find out on Wednesday. These past two transfers have been pretty strange for me but we still worked hard and had success! In fact we had an awesome miracle baptism last Sunday, the 27th! It was a great experience and the Spirit was so strong.. His name is Rodney Rittenhouse, in fact, I mentioned them on the Christmas call.. anyway, they were just visiting with family who were members so Elder Adams and I took it upon ourselves to try and teach them for about a week and a half.. Only Brother Rittenhouse got baptized, his wife just wasn't ready yet. But it was still great, he is 68 and actually has a hole in his neck that he breaths through but the baptism went well anyway! We have a baptism this weekend too! His name is Justin, a really cool guy with a less-active wife. He will be baptized most likely into the Dutch Fork ward.. which is strange, but they have family there.. I was asked to speak at the baptism but since I'm getting transferred I'll have to ask president if its possible for me to go.. If not, that's ok, just so long as he gets baptized I'm happy! Anyway love you guys, its super cold here, at least it is when you are on a bike all-day but we continue to work, work, work! Love ya!





I really liked the mug in the appartment and found the sunglasses too so I needed a picture..