Monday, October 31, 2016

Happy Halloween Y'all!

Happy Halloween y'all! I hope all of you are enjoying the candy and costumes, just be smart and safe and look out for clowns (apparently there's a big clown scare down here, I'm not sure but it's kinda funny to me) anyway, here we go!
This week was a good one, we were able to do some service digging a French well for a member, and we helped move a members house into a shed, pretty good stuff.  Me and Elder Harmon are doing well too, he's an awesome missionary, I'm glad I'm with him, I'm supposed to be training him, but he's teaching me so much too! On Saturday we had exchanges with the Huffman Elders and I got to go back over into Huffman with my old Comp Elder Hansen! It was fun being back in the country for a bit, I miss it out there. After me and Elder Hansen talked with a member we went over to another members house so Elder Hansen could cook his and his dads famous award wining chili for the cook off, he got every kind of pepper in Walmart and threw it into this crazy chili, it was great! It even won the award for the spiciest chili, haha! All the missionaries, except Elder Hansen, were judges for the cook off along with brother McBride, who is a professional chef, it was fun tasting everyone's chilis, even though I have no idea how to judge food, I thought they all tasted good! 
I hope y'all have a great week, if any of you are going through a hard time, know that the Savior is here to help. Seek him more in your life, and I can promise that you will immediately see a difference in how happy you can be. Remember Elder Nelsons talk this last conference and strive to be joyful! I sure do love y'all, but I love the Lord even more than that, have a great Halloween y'all! 
Love,
Elder Murdock 


Elder Murdock and Elder Harmon cooking Omelets

Elder Murdock and Harmon at Five Guys
Elder Hansen's Chili


Monday, October 24, 2016

Another Week in Texas

Hey everyone! Sorry, I don't have too much time to email today, so I need to keep it short, I'll get right to it! 
This week we had our zone conference, we got to hear instruction from President and Sister Drake, along with the Assistants and other leaders, they all taught a lot about faith, and how we need to use it and have in our missionary work. A lot of what I got out of it was that I am really needing to dedicate myself more to this work, just get all in! 
We also had stake conference yesterday and on Saturdayon Saturday we really tried to get people out to the evening adult session, we went to all the investigators we had and tell them where it was, and even set one up with a ride from members to take him, and still no one came to the evening session! Oh well, thus is mission life :) But he talks in conference were amazing, Elder Tillman of the 70 came to speak, and he just testified of the truthfulness of this gospel over and over again! He went from one point to the next, about the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, and testified the heck out of each point of doctrine, it was powerful, and made me want to work hard for a testimony like that one day! 
I hope all of you out there are having a nice time being alive, we are all here to have joy after all! I hope y'all have a joyful week, 
With big old Texas love, 
Elder Murdock 

Election Sign in Texas

The Zone Leaders had sone extra suits.  Elder Murdock said they are a little big, but he could
save them for when he is a high priest!

Monday, October 17, 2016

Another Week In Texas

Hey Everyone! I hope that all y'all had a good week and that you were able to feel the love of the Savior in some way, and that you were able to share it with some one else, because that's what life is all about! 

This week for me and Elder Harmon was a blast, we started it out by knocking on doors, then we knocked on some more doors, then biked in the rain, and knocked on more doors! Elder Harmon thought it was a blast though, he's just way excited about this work, no matter what we are doing, which helps me keep the blues away too! On Friday things got a little more exciting though, we had our zone meeting over in the Kingwood Stake center, which went really well. One of the segments was by Brother Salmon, who is an institute teacher over here. He pretty much just opened up the scriptures in the Old Testament and blew all of our minds! He's a really good teacher, and it just got me pumped to go out and start teaching people out of the scriptures more, especially the Book of Mormon. We also had exchanges with Elder Hansen and Elder Souza on Thursday and Friday, Elder Harmon went out and had his first taste of the country in wacky ole' Huffman with Elder Souza palooza while I stayed in Atascocita with my good buddy Elder Hansen! It was a little strange biking around with him again, it felt like we were back in Baytown! But we had a blast, Elder Hansen is still one of my favorite people. 

Well, that's about it for this week, Elder Harmon and I are still looking for some peeps to baptize, oh, fun little tid bit, today marks the year anniversary of my first Baptism, Thomas "Skip" Alger! On a bit of a sadder note, I found out a while back that he had passed away a few months after he was baptized. But, now that a year has passed he can finally have his temple work done, so that is something to look forward to. I'm just grateful that I was able to be a help for him in his life and that I was able to get to know him. I hope each and every one of you strive to live the way the Savior has asked to, each day. I know that as you do, you will immediately feel peace flow into your life like a river. There is not one thing that He is not able to help, to heal, and to succor. He's been through it all and more, so just turn to Him! 

I sure do love y'all, but I know the Savior loves you even more, I know this is where He wants me and because of that I'll be doing my best to serve Him.
Love, 
Elder Murdock
True to the Faith







Monday, October 10, 2016

Greenie!

Hello everyone! I sure hope yall have been having a great couple of weeks. Sorry I wasn't able to send an email last week, the day was hectic, going to Kingwood for transfers, saying goodbye to Elder Niemann and other Missionaries that I knew, and getting a brand new greenie straight from Provo... yeah, last Monday was nuts! 

Some more big news, the mission split the Atascocita area in two, so now there are missionaries that serve out in Huffman, which means they stole our car and most of our investigators, too! But it's all good, I don't mind being back on my bike, me and Elder Harmon (the greenie) are having lots of fun biking all day. The new Missionaries that are serving in Huffman are Elder Souza and Elder Hansen, the same Elder Hansen that was my companion back in Baytown! he's the district leader now, and its been great to be serving around him again, he's just a great guy! 

A little back ground on the new guy, Elder Harmon: he's from West Jordan, Utah, is the second of a family of 5, he's been to Europe a few times for a folk dance group that he was a part of. He's an absolute ham! We are already getting along really well, he is just so excited to be here serving, and is ready to bear down and go to work. I can already tell that this is going to be a great couple of transfers!
As for whats been going on in the area, its a little wonky now that we have less people to focus on, but that just means we can give more attention to the investigators that we had in the Atascocita area. Its probably the smallest area I've had yet, but there are tons of people here, as well as some amazing members to help out, so it should be good!

That's about it for this week, sorry I wasn't able to give some thoughts on conference from two weeks ago, to keep it brief; it was amazing, I felt the spirit, and my favorite talks were Elder Bednar's and the one which told us to be "Ambitious for Christ". I know that as we stay ambitious for Christ, we will never go wrong. I love you all, I love this church, I know that Christ stands at the head of it, stay close to him y'all, He wont let you down!
Love, 
Elder Murdok
True to the Faith

Elder Harmon and Elder Murdock

Got caught in a rain storm!


Monday, October 3, 2016

Training a New Companion

Elder Murdock sent a short email today saying he will be training an Elder Harmon and staying in Atascocita.  He is excited for this adventure.  He will miss Elder Niemann and appreciated all he learned from him.  Life is good for Elder Murdock in Texas!

Last Picture with Elder Niemann before he goes home.

Elder Harmon