So Many Miracles!

Happy St. Patrick's Day y'all!

Service at Zielinski's sisters, Elder Dewsnup, Elder Randall, Elder
Lund, Elder Ray

Begging Elder Winter for more miles

Happy Pi Day!   3.1415

This was a truly remarkable week! I could say that every week.. But it's true!

On our Monday morning leadership conference call the assistants challenged us to invite someone to baptism everyday--each companion. So Sister Gillman and I decided to go for it. That night I was able to invite someone fairly quickly, but the time was ticking and we needed to find someone for a Sister Gillman to invite. We were running around knocking doors, but no success. We decided to try a potential investigator on our way home.  We knocked and she answered, even though she had to get out of bed to do so... Oops... at 8:59 Sister Gillman invited her to baptism!!! We saw miracles like that every day this week, and we achieved our goal! We each invited someone to be baptized every day and it felt so good! Most of the people were just at their doors so we didn't get to set specific baptism dates, and not everyone said yes, but we did our part!

Tuesday we started our trade off with the YSA sisters. Sister Perkes came to Hendricks with Sister Gillman and I got to go to YSA with Sister Malm! It was so so so much fun being back in my old area! During our finding time we decided to make it more fun by rating our awkward moments on a scale from 1-10. I think we only got to about a 7 though with a man who was on his porch lifting weights and sweating like none other! Haha, it was fun! That day we also met with my past branch mission leader! He hasn't been to church for a while so we went to see him. It was good! We also went to institute that night! It was great to see a lot of the members I knew!

Wednesday when I got back with Sister Gillman I found out the assistants had a referral for us! They had a woman walk into the church! They taught her the first three lessons before finding out she wasn't in their ward, they thought she lived in our ward, but weren't sure. We stopped by the family history center and looked up her address and we cheered when we found out she was! Her name is Lana and we have yet to meet with her, but we have an appointment tonight and I can't wait!  That day we also went back and taught an 18 year old named Morgan! He is so elect! The sisters before me found him while doing the survey.

Thursday we had our weekly planning so that made the whole week seem to go fast! That night we drove to the mission office to pick up some sisters from Ocala to stay with us for the night.

Friday we had a mission conference in Orange Park! Elder Kopischki of the 70 came! He is incredible! He is truly a master teacher! I was asked to play piano again (which was so fun). And he came up when he first walked in and asked if I could play piano while shaking his hand... It didn't work too well but I did get to shake his hand, and he thanked me for playing.  He started off by telling us he hadn't come with an agenda. That agenda would be set by what we wanted to know. He asked us what qualities we admired about Joseph Smith. He said we need to develop these qualities because we need a generation that creates not just follows in the world. The rest of the six hour meeting (which was only supposed to last four hours... But who is going to complain about extra time with a general authority?) It was opened to  asking questions. He taught us a lot of skills about teaching, testifying, and talking with everyone. He did some role plays with the Assistants. He is a powerful teacher! I know that I want to testify of Jesus Christ every chance I get for the rest of my mission! We also learned tips to better work with members and to get referrals. He talked a lot about the fair cycle. We have to begin to experiment and work--At the end I was able to ask a question too. He gave us some good resources to study up on.  I was continually amazed at his ability to take a question and expound and teach off of it. We learned so much!

Directly after the meeting we began another trade off. Sister Gillman went to Ft. Caroline (her old area) with Sister Case and Sister Mackay came here with me. Let's just say I don't really know the area yet... Haha thank goodness for gps! We had a member feed us at Bono's BBQ then met up with another member for an appointment. The appointment fell through so we walked around the complex to talk to people-- and invited two people to be baptized! It was incredible!

Saturday we had coordination and I was confused on the time so we showed up a half hour early--time to practice lessons! After lunch we went to a baptism the YSA sisters had. The spirit was so strong and it made us want to invite more people to baptism! 

Sunday was wonderful! We got asked to teach Relief Society last minute. Then we taught Sunday School. Then I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting. (Yes that is the order of the meetings) It is a good thing I love teaching! 

So it was really an incredible week! I am excited for this week to go out and tell more people that I know Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. I know that because He lives we can live again. It is through His Atonement I find strength to do tough things and to love tough things. I do love being a missionary!

Have a blessed week!

Love,

Sister Murray

My First Week in Hendricks

It was so hard to say bye to Pete and Amy and also Karen Jones in Arlington.  I
will miss them all!  But there are new great things ahead!

Sister Gillman and I are great at cooking!  mmm... burnt toast!  Haha,
but we do make yummy green smoothies for breakfast every day!

I can already tell this transfer is going to go way to fast!  Sister Gillman and I don’t think we will stay together longer than a transfer-we get along too well already!  We have been having so much fun and laughing a lot... maybe too much (if that is even possible!).  We cover 8 sets of sisters so we are going to be busy staying in touch with them and going on about two trade offs every week.  But it will be fun.  

The work is going great in Hendricks!  We have the cutest 80 year old man getting baptized on Easter.  His name is Brother Zielinski.  His wife joined the church years ago, but it has taken him 30 years or more to decide to join.  Now he is so excited! Just know that it is never too late to accept the gospel!  I was reading in 3 Nephi 24:7 and was reminded that no matter how far we go Christ is always willing to let us come into his open arms.  If i learn one thing on my mission it would be that the power of the Atonement is real.  It is so real that anyone with a true desire can change!  Sometimes we listen to Satan and think we can't, but it isn't true!

We did service for the Zielinski family this week.  Now whenever I see a fern I want to go rip it out of the ground!  We had both sets of Elders in our ward and Elder and Sister Winter.  (Elder and Sister Winter are a senior couple.  Sister Winter is over the medical side of the mission and Elder Winter covers cars and iPads).

There are a lot of fun connections in this ward to the Arlington ward.  That has been great!  Our ward mission leader is the best!  His name is Brother Cano.  Sister Chappell and Sister DeSpain actually reactivated him and his wife last year!  I heard a lot about them from her and even met them a couple times.  We came with Sister Chappell to a baptism of someone she had taught here named LeAnn and now I get to see LeAnn every Sunday!  (LeAnn lives with the Cano's).  I love this ward!  And the Bishop is amazing!  He set up a time to give me a Bishop's blessing (we normally get a blessing when transferred to a new ward) I didn't even have to ask!  And I got asked to speak next Sunday!  I am excited to get involved so soon!  

I am looking forward to meeting with a woman named Brittany this week.  Sister McCook and I met her in  WalMart  on a P day and gave her a Book of Mormon.  We reassigned her to the Hendricks sisters so now I get to go see her!  I am so excited!

It was a fun and good week, but there's not a whole lot to share.  Oh, I guess y'all will want to know more about Sister Gillman!

Sister Gillman is from Myton, UT.  She has two sisters and a brother (who married Krista Whittle).  She will be starting school at USU this fall.  She has been on her mission for 14 months and served in St. Johns, Ft. Caroline, and Hendricks.  We have a lot of fun together--making up songs, taking pictures, making...or burning... food, and doing great missionary work!  It's going to be crazy covering 8 sets of sisters, but I am excited for this transfer!  

I love all y'all!!!

Sister Murray

No Unhallowed Hand Can Stop the Work from Progressing

 After an amazing MLC Sister McCook and I were talking to President. All of a sudden he told us, "with that being said, I'm closing down your area." I wish someone would have been in the office with us to take a picture of the shocked looks on our faces. I’m sure they were hilarious! President didn't even crack a smile though. He then went on to tell us he was calling Sister McCook as a Sister Training Coordinator- she will be in Mandarin 1st with Sister Kloepfer! He then told me I would still be a sister training leader, but I would be going to Hendricks Ave ward.  There are fewer sisters in our mission now so rather than having STL's in both zones my new companion and I will be over the sisters in both the Mandarin Zone and the Jax East Zone. It was so hard to wait until the transfer call Monday to tell anyone.

Reasons I'm excited for this transfer:

1- I still get to work with all the sisters in the Jax East zone, and now I get even more amazing sisters to

     work with and serve.

2- I love the Mandarin Zone! Also, This will be my third ward in the Jax East Stake! (Arlington, YSA, and

     Hendricks) 

3- Sister Gillman is a super sweet sister! We got to know each other a little bit at the Book of Mormon

    Musical. Fun fact: her brother was in my home YSA ward, and I never got to know him very well, but

    he married a girl I grew up with--Krista Whittle. So that was a fun connection.

4- Whenever I go on trade offs with the sister coordinators I will be going with one of my past

    companions. (Sister Kloepfer and McCook).

5- I will get to go on trade-offs in two of my past areas--YSA and Arlington (which will be taken over by

   Sister Bowers and a trainee)

I could go on, but unfortunately packing has taking much of my time and I don't have long to write. I am so excited to work in Hendricks though and so grateful to be able to stay close to my Jax East Sisters. 

Here's my new mailing address:

1564 Arcadia Dr 

Apt 517

Jacksonville, Florida 

32207

This past week was super busy--but I'm not really sure what we did! Here's a couple updates for y'all though.

We decided we needed to hand Marc off to the Elders. He was getting creepy... So the Elders get him!

We did get to teach this amazing part member family--the Cooks. The parents just decided to come back to church after 15 years of inactivity. Their fourteen year old daughter wants to be baptized so this week we went to their house and taught them! They told us the 25 year old son was baptized... At age 5... So we will do some detective work on that. We believe he will be getting baptized with his sister, which is so exciting!!!

We had some wonderful time with our recent converts. We taught Thelma a lesson then she came out teaching with us. We even got to go out to dinner with Thelma and Veronica which was the best! 

MLC was great! All of the district leaders came this time. We talked about using our digital tools effectively, and we also established mission rules. It was so great! This Wednesday we had our zone meeting where we gave trainings off of MLC. President and Sister Craig came and did an extra training for us after the meeting about allowing our mission experience to change us for the rest of our lives. I am so grateful for all I am learning and becoming on my mission. I truly do have a front row seat to the Atonement working in people's lives. That is an opportunity I will not have in the same way again. I also see the Atonement working in me. 

After zone meeting we received our new iPads. They are beautiful! I am so grateful for the tools we have been given to help the hastening of God's work progress. I've been thinking this week for my training about how my purpose: "to invite others to come unto Christ..." Ties into God's purpose which is explained in the following verse: "This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." ( Moses 1:39) It truly is amazing that God allows us to take part in his great work. And as Joseph Smith so perfectly stated, "no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing." I will miss my dear Arlington, but the work goes on and I know I have been called to Hendricks by my Heavenly Father! The work continues, and I am excited to see what miracles are in store! 

I love all y'all! Have a blessed day!

Sister Murray

PS   Our area isn't completely closed.   It's just not a STL area anymore. Sister Bowers will be there training!