Animados- February 11, 2015

We are pretty excited here in Bella Vista. We have had an interesting week with a few problems in companionships in our zone, but all of that has been resolved and we are hoping to finish the transfer well. We were excited with Edwin Reyes and his baptism, but we were thinking about postponing it for the 28th. But on Saturday we had a lesson with him where we watched the video of the conversion of Wilford Woodruff, and he said that the 21st was his day. So we were pretty convinced, then in Sacrament Meeting he got up and shared his testimony about how he feels like his life has completely changed. He said that he always wanted to be an example in his life and now he has realized that the "Mormons" that arrived to his door have brought him what he has always needed. So, it looks like we will have a baptism on February 21st!

In sacrament meeting, I was able to share my testimony as well. (Dad challenged me to do it every fast sunday of my mission, and I am good so far) I had studied about Christs trip through Samaria where he goes and is by the well and he asks the woman for water. And he also talks about the water that HE could give HER. It is really interesting how James E Talmage talks about it in Jesus the Christ, and I also put my own twist on it. I feel like a lot of times as members of the church and as human beings we see something who is hungry or thirsty and we are not afraid to go help them. Someone gets hit by a car and the whole world goes and helps them. They dont have anything to feed their children, the whole world gives them food. That is not a bad thing, it is really a great thing. But I have learned that we can compare that to the example of where if we give a man a fish, we feed him for a day and if we teach him to fish we feed him for a life time. We give fish all the time to help them out and to comfort them. But that is a really temporary feeling, and something that doesnt last. When people need the LIVING WATERS and the BREAD OF LIFE, or the fruit of the tree of life in them, we get embarrassed or we get scared. We say that maybe another time we will talk about the blessing that we have recieved and invite them to enjoy the same happiness that we have. But that is what we need more than anything. Satan really wants us to give that out a lot less than food or water. We need to help others, but one thing is that TRUE CHARITY is shown when we give them what is most important to us and what we know that they need more than anything. 

The Gospel is true. God lives and He wants us to be happy. The one and only way to have an everlasting happiness is through His gospel. Thats why he gave it to us. Lets share it with everything else!! Then and only then will they and we be truly happy. 

I love the mission! I am so happy. Thanks for everything!!

Love,

Elder Murphy

1. We helped a family start their house and we had to transport cinderblocks. and help them mix cement and stuff. It was great!

A Solid Week- February 4, 2015

Sometimes being assigned as a leader is kind of stressful, like this week, but everything turned out great. When the missionaries need your help, they go look for you, but when they dont want your help EVEN IF THEY NEED IT, they don't accept anything. A few missionaries this week have needed our help with things and we were afraid of the worst that could happen, but it's all good. Everything here in la Zona Bella Vista is all going well. 

So this weekend we had a Carribean Area conference which was AWESOME, and it was a great opportunity to restrengthen the testimony of how inspired the leaders of this church are. Elder Wilford Anderson, Sister Oscarson, Elder Jeffery R Holland and President Boyd K Packer all spoke, along with Presidente Bueno of the Santiago Sur Stake here before they began the broadcast. It was a really eye opener, and I loved a few things that President Bueno said to the stake. He said that if in our homes we want to begin a gospel based culture in the home, we need to keep the Sabbath day holy. If we don't, we can begin a church based culture, but that is completely different. It is a little bit sad to see the misunderstanding of a few commandments, but I am sure that the more that we keep the commandments, we will be blessed and God will make us prosper. Also, he said that if we do not arrive to church on time, it will be very difficult for us to feel a sincere spirit of revelation and adoration during the Sacrament. He is a really great man, like 32 or 35 years old, and he is helping a lot here in Santiago. 

But, we didn't have any investigators or any less actives there! It was a little sad but that is OK. Edwin said he didnt know if he felt really all that comfortable going without knowing people, and Gabriela's husbands little car was getting fixed in the perfect time where they needed to go. Roberto was going to go, and just never showed up! We are not too sure what was happening but my companion went by on Monday on an exchange and Roberto explained to him. 

I am trying my best to get an organized file of all my studies and my knowledge and stuff like that. Here on the mission it has been really really difficult to keep up a Study Journal. BUT we will see what happens, I got a binder and i am going to try and organize what I study and stuff like that. I think that it would be even better with an iPhone, iPad, or a computer, but I will have to use what I can for now. 

I HOPE THAT YOU ALL ARE READING YOUR SCRIPTURES!! Sometimes we say that we dont have time but, come on, it says that in them is ETERNAL LIFE!! Do we not want that? Is that 2nd or 3rd on our priority list?? To receive the eternal life we have got to get to know God and His Son, and how can we know them if we don't go out to read the very books that they inspired to be written ABOUT THEM?? We have got to read. Bethany!! Especially you. 

Love you all!! I hope that you can all keep working hard and doing the right thing. 

Elder Dallin Murphy

Picture:  Teaching Javi from La Yaguita his english!! 

Consecration- January 28, 2015

Wow, its a pretty great blessing to be a missionary. We have been seeing a great progress in Roberto, Gabriela, and Edwin. 

Roberto was only coming to the 1st hour of church and we talked pretty directly about how to be a member of the church, you've got to go to all 3. He is pretty excited. He is getting all the papers together to get married before February 21st so that he can get completely ready for his baptism. He came to church and was going to stay, but then they had been calling him for a while to go help a really sick woman to get better. It was good that he went because the next day she passed away, and he said that he was able to help. It was hard, but he is doing well. 

Gabriela is awesome. She went to church on Sunday again for 3 hours and got out her notebook and scriptures for the Gospel Principles class. We went on Monday night and I was with another companion and she was a little worried since she thought that Elder Mendez had been transferred, but Elder Castillo, that was with me on the exchange, and I did well. We went as well with Alberto Lugo, the 1st counselor in the bishopric, and she said that if we keep going to visit her with him, he would probably convince her. She said that he was explaining things really well, and seems like we will have to keep going with him as well! She said "Neither of you can get transferred before February 28th!!" but we will see because February 25th is the transfer day. 

Edwin is just 15 years old but really has a way of understanding these things that we teach him. He couldn't go to church because he went to Puerto Plata this weekend, but we taught him about part of the plan of Salvation yesterday and he was even teaching us a few things!! Like "it was important for us to go through the veil of forgetfulness because God has given us talents and for us to be able to find these talents and develop them, we needed to search. but if we knew, it'd be too easy." He is so cool!!

Elder Mendez is great. He is from Barahona, which is in the Santo Domingo West mission, and he rocks. He really has a lot of faith and is really smart. He loves the gospel and he is a really consecrated servant of the Lord. Both of us are here to work and only to work. Just to teach and help people to receive blessings!! I love this guy, and he has helped me a lot with a lot of things. he is 6-4 or 6-3ish, but if he is 6-4 as he says, i am growing because i don't feel like he is as big as dad!

Thanks for all you do. God just wants us to give all to him so that he can take charge of what we have. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!! Thanks for everything!!

Love, 

Elder Dallin Murphy

ps BETHANY DO WORK IN YOUR FINALS YOU ROCK AND ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SMART!! JUST DO IT BE CONFIDENT!! ITS ALL IN YOUR HEAD!!

PSS Also Congrats to Isaac Myres and Zack Rusick on your calls!!! YOULL LOVE IT!! When are they going??

Another week older, another week wiser.- January 21 2015

So, this week was pretty normal... But it was cool to see a few of the people progress a little bit more. There is a boy named Edwin, who is 15, that is really interested and really excited about what we do. He went to church on Sunday and is just as excited as he could be! He talks a lot about how he feels like he needs to dedicate himself a little bit more to the spiritual things in the world and we are really excited with him. Also, Gabriela and her little sister that lives with her and Henry went to church as well! Gabriela has already been to church before, a while ago, and she is used to going to church for all 3 hours! How great is that! So, we are just hoping that everything keeps going well with those two. 

As well, we have Jose and Mayi, and Ignacio and Yani who we are HOPING can get a little bit more serious about this things. We cannot decide how fast these people "ripe", in the spiritual prepared sense, but we are just here to harvest the fruits of the Lord's preparation. So, we are HOPING to help them out enough, but we will see what happens. They are really awesome. They want to follow Christ. But still their priorities need a little bit of help. THATS WHY WE ARE HERE!

SO we are just working really hard. I had an interview with President Douglas and he really really loves my companion, and said that during transfers he had us changed, but at the last second decided not to! Why? I dont know. But he said that he felt that Elder Mendez and I needed to be together for some more time to help more people. I take that as a compliment, since Elder Mendez is a real example to all of us, and President sees me as one that can be with him and together we can be a lethal combination (in the most spiritual sense possible). 

Also, President told me that it's sometimes hard to see the change that we have gone through as missionaries since we go day by day, but if I were to take a picture of when I started and now I would be able to see how much I have really changed. I really am thankful that he can see it in me, and I just hope to keep working and keep progressing spiritually. But, all who think about being missionaries, you have to realize that the biggest way to improve yourself is FORGETTING ABOUT YOURSELF and helping others with all you heart! The mission is 100% dedicated to other people and more than anyone to the Lord. Therefore, we cannot worry about how we are doing but more how are the others doing. Pride is the most dangerous spiritual sickness that one can have in this great, wonderful mission work. Watch out for pride!

Love you all! You all are great. I have a lot to improve, but I love the mission! I have never felt better!

Elder Dallin Murphy

Transfers without changes- January 14, 2015

So in this mission, we have a different form of announcing transfers. We get an email with all of the changes in the mission, and we print it out and go to do a zone meeting with the zone and we announce it! Yesterday we printed out the transfers and... there were only 2 changes!! And both of them were in the same branch, La Herradura. So the rest of the zone got changed. But it was all good. That means that I have at least 6 more weeks here in the wonderful world of Bella Vista with my great companion!

In the zone meeting yesterday I got to talk about the atonement. There is an example that President Muir once did, with donuts and pushups. You all can look up the donuts and pushups on youtube if you want to understand it more, i think its there. but I loved it and Elder Santacruz from Arizona did a bunch of pushups in order for every missionary to have a cookie. A good cookie. Then I compared it to the atonement in D&C 19:16-17 and it really makes a lot of sense. He gives us the chance. He did his part. Now it depends on us! we have to quit complaining and just work! How are we going to tell Him to his face when we go before him and he asks why we didnt do everything we could? The mission is great, and I love it. It is just sad to see a lot of missionaries who just waste their time! Who simply do 50% of what they can. I need to be more humble and love them more, but I am also here to help motivate and help them to become the best servants of the Lord possible. 

This week we didnt have too many people in church, but WOW people are going well. Especially Henry and Gabriela (see last email). Gabriela is taking notes every single lesson with a notebook on her Book of Mormon reading and says that she really likes it! We are working with them to get married and her to get baptized on the 28th of February!

Life is good here. Not much is happening, just that we are happy and working hard. It is crazy to see how fast time runs but we just need to walk faster and work harder because this is the only time life will be so centered on the Savior. 

Love you all!!

Elder Murphy!

Look at the lunch my companion and I made for us two! RICE SPAGETTI AND GUANDULES GUISADOS

Milagros Milagrosos- January 7, 2015

We have had a pretty amazing week. We have seen a few miracles and the Lord has put quite a few prepared people in our path, which is just too great. I love being a missionary!

There is a family named Jose and Mayi, who have a son named Jose Angel, and it is just SUCH a good family. They have a baptismal date for the 21st of February and we are SO EXCITED and they are SO EXCITED as well!! We talked about marriage yesterday with them and Mayi was 100 percent and Jose needed a little bit of time to think, but I am sure he will. They just have a little bit of problems with his work, but Mayi is just so happy and he loves it too. He reads more than her, but she went to church on Sunday (he was working). What a miracle!

There is also a family named Henry and Gabriela, which is a partial member family. Henry is a less active member and Gabriela has gone to church a few times with her Mother in Law. They are really just hoping so much that this is all that they search for in this life, and they are doing everything possible to know. He knows its true, just needs a little help to get reactivated. Who would be better than his wife! They are willing to do what it takes to find the truth and find the happiness that they need in this life. What a miracle!

Henry's sister, Rosy, isn't a member but she lost her son 8 months ago when he drowned. He was the man of the house and she doesnt understand why God took him away. She is angry with Him, and really cannot be comforted. But we have been going and she opened up to us. I explained to her that when I passed for hard times and people told me that they understood what I was going through, I would just get frustrated. She felt that same way, but when I explained that the same Jesus Christ does understand, and that she wants to help us, and that she may not have her son for a wise reason of God, she began to understand. Now she is saying that she feels like this may be what she needs to do. What a miracle!

Also, Ignacio and Yani are progressing well. I love that family! They went to church on Sunday and their 10 year old daughter wants to be baptized! She says it ever time we see them. They are just super great, but with that whole VISA deal its hard to ge them. But they want to be part of this church. They want to participate in Christs church! What a miracle!

Jeremias is a less active who testified of the truth of this gospel and is sure that this is what he needs! He is coming back! And bringing with him a cousin who isnt a member! What a miracle!

Roberto is just as always excited, but waiting on a few papers to get married! WHAT A MIRACLE!

I love this work. I love being a missionary. Next week is transfer week and we will see how it goes, I am hoping that all goes well!

Love you all!

Elder Dallin Murphy

2015- December 31, 2014

WOW, 2015 snuck up on me. I remember yesterday when I got my heart broken by the Zone Leaders in Cien Fuegos when they said that I was being transfered from Villa Gonzalez to Hato Mayor... In February. NOW IT IS JANUARY TOMORROW!! That is just insane. Its been a pretty happy time, Christmas was a lot of fun. Also, we were able to find a lot of new people and help the old ones progress on little bit more. The time moves fast, but I just need to try and move faster! 

This week we were able to put a lot of baptismal dates with people that we have been teaching for a good while. We should have done it sooner, but the past has passed, we are in the present and we just need to act instead of wait. Yesterday we shared about the parable of the 10 virgins with Ignacio and Yani, the family we love so much. Ignacio said that he is in the VISA process to go to the USA, and thats why he cannot get married. With that, theyll change the VISA and then theyll have to go wait 7 more years, more or less. SO we werent too suprised, because there are a lot of people that have that worry, or that situation. Not just with the VISA but EVERYONE. There are some things that we just want to put on hold, We just want to wait to complete with the commandments! We can do it tomorrow but today I am fine. It is kind of hard when people dont understand it, but our job is to invite and exhort, not to compell or force. 

This new year I am putting a couple goals down to be able to finish my mission FUERTISIMO and get on into the normal life FUERTISIMO as well. Some of them are (not in order of importance):

1. DUNK

2. Continue with a constant and efficient scripture study every day

3. Open my mouth and share the gospel with everyone!

4. Live in such a way to be able to say that I am worthy of the blessings that God has promised me. 

5. Learn to develop more of the Christ-like trait of Charity in my life. 

That last one is so hard... for me. The pride is a poison and I just need to think more about others. Its the last step to perfection, and someday we all need to arrive to that point. 

Love you all, and I hope that 2015 goes great for all!!

Elder Dallin Murphy