Hey mom!

Hey mom thanks for your emails, I always enjoy them! I sure miss everyone and it would always be cool to hear from them too. I just wanted to write you and say that I love you and am grateful for the wonderful example you have set for me so often! I hope you are doing well juggling work and family and stuff! Anyway I had some cool scriptures I wanted to share with you, I'm sure you could figure out what they are talking about, they are really cool!

President McConkie shared these with us last Zone Interviews:

D&C 95:8-9 (or 89 if I can't read my writting)
Acts 1:3-4
Luke 24:49
2 Nephi 9:41-42
Isaiah 13:1-3

The Office

Hey all! hope everyone's doing well.. i just lost my last email i was writing so you'll have to do without the proper grammar and stuff.. we'll.. I'll try.. so this past week has not been too fruitful but we finally have a baptism coming up the week before transfers! Bradley.. a way cool guy, and a blessing too because he is marrying a member!.. so that's cool!

Well.. there is a reason why the work was not as productive perhaps as it could have been.. and its a story of the legendary mission office.. and attic of names!.. So anyway, Elder Burrows and I were working on Wednesday morning just tracting when we got a call from Elder Moon (senior elder) and he told me that he had a one time offer for me. The computers at the office were having a major problem and so they needed Elder Littlefield (the other biking elder in Sumter, who happens to be a smart computer guy, but also pretty much one of the coolest Elders I've met yet.. way funny normal guy..) to go and see if he could fix the problem.. So they wanted me to go with him. So that morning we headed back to the apartments and went on exchanges while Elder Littlefield and I waited for the Moons (senior couple) to come pick us up and drive us down to the Mission Office in Columbia (about an hour away).. During all of this I had mixed feelings about the subject cause yeah, I happen to know things about computers.. and well, generally If you go to the office you don't really want anyone to know you have some computer "skills".. anyway, at length we arrived and Elder Littlefield went to work and I met the cool senior sisters who work in the office, as well as the current office elders (Elder Robinson from my MTC district is a current office Elder, so that was cool). Anyway I helped out now and then and eventually we were both working on the problem.. we worked all day and spent the night with the office elders at their apartment and then went back to work early on Thursday morning around 8:30ish.. we pretty much found a good solution and had the computers fixed around 9:30 in the morning but then other problems arose and things broke again.. so we ended up working all day again, but got it fixed and stuff.. It was cool to be there but also some of the boringest two days on my mission (office elders have a bit of a different job.. this is why i hope not really to serve there, but if i do i decided i will be one of the best office elders i can and actually get some baptisms..) Anyway the office is a cool place and actually kinda fun, and the office elders have a way cool apartment too... I got to talk with president mcconkie and also help him do some stuff on his computer for awhile (mistake?), also I took the liberty of siting in his chair when it was just us there.. heh.. and as for the attic, well there is an attic in the office that is full of names of missionaries all the way back to like 1993, so that was cool.. i put my name in there.. its cool cause you have to know "the secrets of the office" to have your name up there.. so yeah i went up there and wrote mine down.. and eventually we made it back to Sumter in a car Elder Moon let us drive down and we got home around 8:30ish that night.. so that trip kinda slowed the work down.. but it worked out getting another car here in Sumter because ours just broke two days ago, so we just got it towed this morning and have a new car now so that was a cool blessing in disguises.. anywho! I don't have a whole lot of time.. stinking computer messed up my last email!... well i love you all! And miss you guys too! oh also the weather is still cold here and I'm pretty much ready for that to go.. anyway love ya!! thank you for your emails and for everything you guys do! keep the streets clean.. i guess!

-Elder McMurry

Hey real fast!‏

hey guys real fast! I just wanted to invite you guys to talk to the missionaries this Sunday, and invite them over to the house to talk about the "family mission plan" they should know what that is about but get things running with the Elders and i know they will be so grateful.. take care of them, and tell them about the Hudsons, tell them about the lady.. Renae across the street and what not.. tell them about everyone you know who would be a a good member of the church or who could just learn more.. its so possible to accept the gospel just by hearing the first lesson.. the message of the Restoration can convert by the power of the spirit.. so that is something I encourage you to do.. meet the missionaries and tell them you want to meet with them and discuss the family mission plan! and start going on that! i know the Lord will bless the family like crazy for striving to be missionaries in that respect.. I know you guys are way busy.. but that's the point of making sacrifices and doing things you pretty much don't want to do.. to show the Lord that you care more about the Gospel, then the world in your life!..

anyway just a thought but i encourage you to do that this coming Sunday! or if you have a dinner with them before Sunday tell them about it then heh! love y'all a ton! thanks for everything and mom all i got was that one package from the hintofhome thing (which was AWESOME) by the way! anyway LOVE YA!!! hope you guys are having some fun.. go eat some El Fenix for me! so long! LOVE Y'ALL.. talk to you in April!!

The prince of theives‏

Hey all! I hope everyone is doing so way good! I am doing well.. the work this last transfer has been difficult.. not much progression at all with investigators but there is some! We have hope for some baptisms early March.. I would love one this weekend though.. hopefully we can get one! Elder Burrows and I get along great but that can effect the work a bit.. laughing a lot and stuff.. We pray and work hard though. Not really any cool stories to share unfortunately.. well we do have an investigator who we were told by a member friend of his that after sacrament meeting he felt/heard a voice say to him, "..you are going to be a Mormon.." so that is cool we are really excited for his baptism next month.. (hopefully this weekend!) Being a missionary is hard work.. but very rewarding.. I love reading Bryce's emails keep sending them.. I wish I could serve with that guy.. he sounds like one of those missionaries I want everything to be just like. Sumter is an interesting place.. yeah, it is. I am at a point I don't know if i mentioned in my last email, but a point where I am just way excited to see what the rest of my mission holds! I don't really like the idea of one day not being a missionary.. I cant imagine not wearing my name tag.. That is going to be a tough day.. But! I'm not focused on that! A lot of my converts are being punks lately.. at least 3 are pretty much inactive.. and at least 1 of those 3 still has a good testimony, but man church attendance is so necessary for our eternal progression! I cant imagine ever choosing to just skip church.. it is really that important.. we just don't understand why all the time I suppose. Well.. I've had some thoughts about the ROTC when I get home.. we'll leave that at that, heh. In my personal study lately I have just been jumping around in the Doctrine and Covenants.. namely around sections 128-131.. there is some amazing stuff there.. also section 93 is pretty cool! I love the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.. at times I do feel that the veil is thin and I can see and recognize things that I couldn't before but only for a brief moment.. Always read your scriptures.. always pray and always go to church! These are the three things that turn a recent convert into an amazing convert.. its so simple.. and we as members make no exception! Well.. I love you guys! sorry this is another boring email! Oh and let me add that Kyshauna is an amazing convert.. for being only 11 or so, she sure is awesome, I found out on Saturday that she is reading in the Book of Mormon and is already in Words of Mormon.. not only that but she likes the book of Jacob.. how cool is that! I can see her serving a mission at temple square or something one day! I am so stoked to see people I helped teach and what not in another 2 1/2 years and find out how well they have progressed! Oh and Bec! I wanted to say thanks a million for your package, I ate all the candy and use that other stuff! That was really nice to get that! Thanks for caring! .. as for the subject.. I think that was the name of the sequel to Aladin. And as always thank you Ben and Sarah for your emails so often! Oh and kudos to Tyler for taking care of Bec and being cool!.. and finally I wanted to say good luck to Kyle on his mission! If I had any advice for him it would be to not be like the other missionaries at the MTC... (i.e. rowdy..).. I know he will love his mission! So far this has been the best 6 months of my life for sure! I wish time wouldnt go by so fast.. I have had depressing dreams of being home and not having taught or baptized many people.. and man.. I hope when the day comes, I will have taught and baptized all that I was sent here to!

Love you all! Happy Monday!

-Elder McMurry!

Hallo!‏

Hey all! I hope things are going well. yesterday was presidents day so thats why I didnt write.. I dont really have much to say.. oh i guess i do have a cool story of something that happened last night.. I dont have a whole lot of time as far as i know right now, but anyway heres what happend.. so elder burrows got pretty sick on sunday and we went in early cause he was really sick.. anyway.. that followed p-day too.. and so we went on exchanges yesterday night cause i wanted to go out and do some missionary work.. so i went out with elder jensen and we took our bikes.. anyway we headed to one appointment at about 6:15 and that didnt really workout.. so we headed off in the other direction for awhile and it got way dark.. and we met with a part member "family" for a little bit.. then we headed down a kinda dangorous road (for biking on late at night that is) cause its mostly a country road, but there was a good amount of traffic, anyway elder jensen was in front of me and he had a light on his bike (mine was dead cause i need to get new batteries), and so i dont have a light and i guess i was following perhaps, a little too close, i dont know.. but anyway as we are going down the road, i hear elder jensen say something like.. "whoa.. dead.." and at that point it was really to late for me.. i can hardly see as it is but infront of me on the ground i see this darkish blob (no idea what it is).. and i totally slam into it like.. hitting a cinder block on your bike and right as i begin to make my way over the handle bars.. im thinking.. "i just hit some roadkill or something.." and i fly like right into the road and i see headlights coming up behind me and im thinking.. "wow i could die right now.. is this really happening.." (it was more comical probably than im making it out to be..) but anyway so i hit the ground and my bike to and im trying as fast as i can to get up and get out of the road.. and i back away a little bit and then drag my bike off to the side and try to figure out what just happend.. and it turns out i totally hit a dead deer with my bike.. once i kinda figure out what just happend, i moved my bike off the road, and this lady had stoped right behind me after i hit it.. and asked me if i was ok and stuff.. and asked if it was a deer.. and i said yeah, and she said okay be safe out here and drove off.. so that was a super weird experience.. i got elder jensen to take some pictures of the deer with his camera.. and ulgh.. it was really gross.. and i had some blood on my back tire/wheel too.. but anyway kinda a cool story cause now i can tell people i actually hit a deer on my bike.. anyway the night was kinda slowed down becuase of that..and i scaped up my hands just a little bit.. but yup. that was a fun event.. i always worried about falling into on coming traffic while riding my bike or walking and stuff and, that pretty much went right through my mind that i might get hit by a car as i was crashing.. but it all turned out for the better... and by that i mean a pretty funny story. and my bike is fine..

Anyway hope all is well.. its ok for anyone to write me too.. so if anyone ever feels like it.. email me... also mom i only got one package i think.. and it was from becca.. i dont really remember any other packages this month. love yall.

(sorry for bad grammer.. in a rush)
-Elder McMurry

This is a sentence.‏

(Mom and dad could you let me know what my credit card is looking like.. not horrible i hope.. if so.. im sorry.. i ask becuase my suit is falling apart! the one i bought at JC Penny is like terrible quality! Maybe it was just the tailoring job but man alive it is just getting destroyed.. so i might stop by the mall today and see if they can do anything for me, cause this suit will not hold up.. but i wont spend any money right now unless they have a sweet $50 suit that fits perfect... but thats just hoping heh.. also if you are wondering about my other suit.. will the pants got torn.. and i just need to find someone who can sew it up!)

Hey all! I may or may not have about 6 minutes left when writing this email.. we'll find out. I hope everyone is doing well, I am doing pretty grand myself. Thanks always for the pictures and emails.. keep em' coming! This past week has been way tough for Elder Burrows and I.. really not alot has happened AT ALL.. which is pretty bad. But I know we will have a more successful week this week! I don't have any sweet stories.. well I did flood the washer for like the 4th time in the past 3 transfers.. ulgh.. we're getting a new one though.. umm also we knocked on some crazy guys door and while we were attempting to comunicate with him, a little farret tried to run out the door.. it was weird but funny.. aside from that not much is going down.. i am eating better.. ish.. but still kinda fat.. eeh.. ill get to a biking only area soon enough and loose it all.. also my ear ach may be coming back which is weird.. i hope not though, ear achs/infections are SO annoying! well... dang i really dont know what else to talk about.. we do have an appointment with a cool coupel tonight so thats exciting. But yeah thats pretty much all i got for ya! love ya.. sorry for the way boring message! hope everyone is well!

-Elder McMurry

Champions and Championettes..‏

I bid you hello! Hope that all of yous is having a good-o February! Things in Sumptown are going good! Oh, yeah I am still in Sumter...It's cool though! I'm excited for this transfer again with Elder Burrows, we get along swell. So we have decided we will get at least 5 baptisms this month! Yay! Exciting right? Yup. Thanks all for your letters and stuff, and congrats to Matubal on the marraigeing! Well I wish I had some way sweet stuff to talk about I only have about 10-15 minutes at the moment.. This internet is megatown slow!

I have had some amazing experiences though.. there are things you experience as a Missionary, that no one will ever experience in their lives.. feelings you could never feel and understandings that you could hardly grasp.. I noticed this last night as Elder Burrows and I were walking down a long country road in the dark and cold.. with trees on both sides of the road and pretty much zero houses.. The wind was blowing.. stars were way easy to see, and the Moon had some fog barely covering it up.. It was a sweet moment.. walking in perhaps otherwise "dangerous" places where you only feel comfort and maybe some understanding of your calling as a missionary.. there is a quote we say as a mission every morning.. its a quote by Bruce R. McConkie.. and it starts with.. "I am called of God, my authority is above that of the Kings of the earth.." .. It is a strong statement and something that really adds protection to missionaries.. though i know missionaries are not invincible, I also know that perhaps, that authority really pertains more then people, and laws, but nature too.. I feel that we really have an added measure of protection.. we actually get to see and be and experiences cool places and beautiful places in the Earth sometimes when we are on the Lords errand.. And because we are truly on his errand, there is a sense of authority you truly feel at times.. just like last night.. it's a feeling kinda like.. "It really is okay to be here, in this environment right now.." (in the country in the dark cold, near woods 'far' from some civilization).. (and by the way we were out there for a reason.. to see a media referall)..

but anyway that was just one cool experience this last week.. We do meet a lot of people.. I remember reading bryces last email and thought about that "feeling sorry/sad for people" who wont accept the gospel and you know.. i know what hes talking about.. there are some amazing people who need to simply read the Book of Mormon but refuse!... It really is sad.. we met a guy a few days ago who talked on and on to us, but when i Invited him to check out the Book of Mormon, he said something to the effect of "No, I wont... I could lie to you but I wont".. I don't understand.. there is nothing to lose by reading the Book of Mormon! I'll close with a cool thought that came to me by the Spirit while teaching someone this past week..

We are not just another church.. We are not just another church, (do you know why? hear is why -->)because we have the Book of Mormon, and that makes us Christ's Church.. Without the Book of Mormon, we truly are just another church.

I know that that is true and I'll leave you all with my testimony that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is back on the earth today! I know that and bear that testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

-Elder McMurry