July 2, 2014

That is the last time I will talk about going home!! BUT ITS SO CRAZY HOW FAST TIME FLIES!!! It is insane to think that I am one of the ¨old¨ missionaries and I am half way done. ALSO I look at the pictures of Austin at home and I dont believe it. I really cannot comprend that he is in his house, that he is with all the fam! It looks like photoshop. He is a super good man, and has a super white back now, but it is all good because the Lord doesnt look at what we look at but he looks at the heart!! 

It is so weird to think that he is there... but I am super proud of him. He really served well and looks really happy and studly. One word of advice for him- Dont get married before I get back. All the girls will be herding, but just dont do it. DONT DO IT!!! 

This week was so crazy! Wow, It was so fun. So on Sunday the Zone Leaders called me, after I reported the weekly numbers, and told me that we need to put down more baptismal dates. So what have we been doing? WE HAVE BEEN PUTTING DOWN MORE BAPTISMAL DATES!!! It was pretty sweet. I sometimes am afraid of what the may say, but I just need to go out and say it. 

A family came to church on Sunday, and we didnt know who they were so we supposed that they were from the other missionaries´ side. Nope!! They are just a less active lady with her husband (not member) and her 3 kids that were active until they moved from their old ward a month ago!! Now, I dont know if that is something that happens often in the states but I have never seen that before! And we NEVER EVER would have found them because they live way out of the way and we have never even thought about going to where they live. But we met them, got to know them a little, then we went on Monday to their house. She has lived a pretty hard life, as a member and as a mother. But, we are here to help her once again complete with her baptismal and temple covenants!! It is so amazing the miracles that are so real and so powerful in our lives!!

Also, we had a pretty insane experience with Pedro Julio. I am not going to go into details, but when someone says ¨now I am sure that the Church is true¨, it is a pretty amazing thing. He said that he had dont black magic, white magic, and gone to every church. He said that he has even seen the devil, he was so off track. He would go and drink 24 7 and just didnt have any sort of religious or spiritual life. But when he read the Book of Mormon, he began to know. But then with this experience that we had, he came to be sure. 

I love the mission!! It is pretty amazing to see the hand of the Lord in all things, and I am so excited to hear about how the rest of everything goes with Austin´s journey back to normalness. That is so mean to make him watch Dark Knight Rises a few nights after getting home, now he may never understand the true magic of that movie. a wise friend told me-

¨Whenever anyone tells you that you've served enough in the DR, and say "you've given these people everything." Just say "not everything, not yet"¨ 

too true. The dominicans deserve more.  VAMOS PA´ ALLÁ!! 

Elder Dallin Blake Murphy