Saturday, March 28, 2015

Estamos Progresando- March 25, 2015

Wow! What a week! I feel really good. The things that happen are just such big blessings that I love it! We had 6 investigators and 6 less actives come to church, which was just a wonderful sight. I feel like the Lord is just doing all the work because so many good things are happening! We are just trying to do all that we can in order to help these people and they are really happy. When people come to church and then tell you, "I am here to stay!" that is good news! 

2 are Papi Payano and Fernando, who had a good time without going to church and they are just really excited now. Payano used to be a strong leader here in Conani but he has been a little bit iffy right now, but we have worked with him and he seemed really really content in his shirt, tie, and his scriptures there for the 3 hours. Fernando is really excited, he asked to go out and do visits with us and also asked if he could serve a mission (he cannot now because he has a son, but we promised him that he can work here in the work and recieve the same blessings). Life is just moving forward.

We are having great mission coorelation meetings that are helping us a lot. Presidente Infante is just changing everything and he just LOVES THE WORK! He goes out with us for 3 or 4 hours 2 times a week every week! And we are working with now 27 less actives that just need to get loved and helped because at some point THEY FELT IT. But being so far for so long, one needs to remember. And sometimes it is hard. 

WELL!! Love you all. THAT WEEK WAS SO FAST!! Once again, the weeks are going by faster and faster and I really feel like it is too crazy. We are going to enter into Semana Santa and easter and everything. I challenge everyone to read about Christ and unnderstand more about him and just try to get the importance of the great and everlasting ATONEMENT!!

Love, 

Elder Dallin Murphy

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

SEMANA RAPIDÍSIMA!!- March 18, 2015

Wow that week was SO FAST! I felt like last week was really fast, but I am just seeing how these weeks are going like the sand in my hand, you just cannot hold onto it! WOW its just amazing how I am just so happy and loving working in Conani. We are really focusing a lot on less active men, and less active families. This used to be a WARD in a STAKE with 130 to 150 people attending church every week, and now it is a branch in a district with 60ish people attending church every week. SO there is a lot of work to do. There is a man that moved in from Santiago a few months ago that is now the elders quorum president named LORENZO INFANTE. He is awesome! He was branch president out there, and he called as his counselors and secretary 2 former bishops and 1 former branch president. It is just going really well right now.
We taught a lot of lessons to less active this week, but also we tried to focus a little on other investigators. Especially Alfonzo, who is waiting for a new job to get baptized... he is a baseball announcer that supposedly works a lot of Sundays so we will see! He is a man with great faith and we are doing everything. But yeah, we are really excited. I cannot believe that the Lord is so great with us and has helped us so much! we just need to help these people get all that they need in order to get this branch back on its feet.
I don't know what to say... I am just happy family and friends! I love being a missionary! I love everything that we have here. I cannot believe that it is going so fast. WOW I LOVE THIS!!!
Today we went to the firefighters station and got a tour and a class and stuff, it was really fun. Austin was right, those little different things are the best that we can do, I felt really good! THANKS FOR THE TIP!
Dad, happy birthday yesterday. You're just hitting your peak my man, and I love you because YOU ARE THE BEST! I think about how you and Mom helped us so much to become real servants of Christ and how we have testimonies. I know that you were chosen to be a leader in Zion in these last days BEFORE this world was formed, and I know that if I can just try and follow the example that you have set before me, all will be well.
I love this work, I love the Lord. Thanks for everything!
Elder Dallin Murphy
1. Helping someone move! DOMINICAN STYLE!!

2. With Elder Orrellana in the Fire Truck!!

Sunday, March 15, 2015

THE KINGDOM OF GOD OR NOTHING!- March 11, 2015

I love the mission! I feel like those last 7 days that past by right now were the fastest 7 days ever! I feel like I was just emailing! But it was a great week. We taught a lot of people and we could see people changing things. Not too many people came to church, but one of them, Reynaldo Cabas, who is a less active 23 year old, is really excited to get back into things. He wants to make things right with the Lord. Also, he brought his friend and gave him to us as a referral so that we can go visit him tomorrow! But in the branch this week like 50 or 60 come weekly, but we are working on that. (Elder Mendez says that things are going well in Bella Vista, and that Roberto is progressing a lot. We will see later how the others are doing)
Also, we have an investigator that has come almost every week for a really long time named Alfonzo Cruz. He has been an investigator for a long time and knows a lot, but says that he wants to get baptized when he understands everything. We have explained to him that AFTER BAPTISM and when he has the gift of the Holy Ghost is when he will understand a lot more, but we will see. He has a date for March 28th, and he is a pretty fast paced guy in the lessons, asking like 40 questions a lesson. So, we have decided to go to his house and answer all the questions he has about everything! He asks really specific and exact questions, and pays a lot of attention to every word. But, we just need to work with him and he said that lately we have been helping him with a lot of doubts he had about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and the Plan of Salvation etc.
Just as I did a lot in Villa Gonzalez, I have been looking for less actives with my companion from the directory, and we have found a few people that are really excited. We found one family named Waldy and Michel, and we are going to see if we can help them with their relationship. We just need to get Christ in their family and things will get better!
Yesterday we had a meeting with A LOT of members in it. It was our weekly mission coorelation meeting, and they were really excited. Seems like the people here are going to work hard, and we are going to plan a few activities next week to be able to help the members know how to work in the Lords vineyard so that it becomes more comfortable for them.
I am just so happy! I have nothing to complain about. We are walking A LOT and thats just good stuff, its the mission. My time is slowly running out and its really really sad, but we just have got to work work work and leave all we got on the table. God is great and we are his instruments in this carnal state, doing all we can to win this life long battle. I feel great!
Love,
Elder Dallin Murphy
1. Elder Bartholomew and I working to clean out a property of one of the sisters of the ward!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Oh Conani, Conani, Conani- March 4, 2015

It has been an interesting week. So here in Conani, in the district La Vega, this used to be a really strong ward, supposedly, and when the stake of La Vega was put in as a district, it seemed to drop down as a branch and now needs ANIMO or encouragement to be able to become a ward once again one day! That is the assignment that President decided to give me, help this branch become a strong enough unit to become a ward soon. That is how I was working in Villa Gonzalez before, so that is what we are going to once again! Not the exact same, but pretty similar.
We have been looking for a lot of less actives and we have contacted a little bit because in arriving here, there werent a great amount of investigators. There are 2 sides of our area, the rich side and the humbler side, which isnt poor but humbler, and President Rosso, the branch president, has asked us to work on the richer side, since it hasnt been worked on as much as the other part. We are going to do it then, because he is the boss out here. We are going to trust on the Lord because all is possible with His help!
Elder Bartholomew is from Fillmore, UT, and I am his 4th companion. He has about 10 months in the mission and is doing really well. We are going to see how long we are together because they are telling me that I may train my last 2 transfers, but we will see what happens. I am loving it and he is great!
I am really excited to be here. I am thankful for all of your prayers and all that you all do for me! This week in my personal studies I read Alma 33 and I just think about how simple things are in this gospel, and how we just need to take a decision! Moses made the brass serpent so that HE THAT LOOKED WOULD BE HEALED, and it is just as simple today. Just take the decision, look upon the Lord, and obey His commandments. If we think too much the natural man tries to let us know that THIS IS NOT WORTH IT or that WE DONT NEED TO DO THOSE LITTLE THINGS, but those little things are the bricks that build our mansion in heaven.
Love you all!
Elder Dallin Murphy