Dexter gets home this Tuesday. Please feel free to come by our house for a visit anytime after 1:30 pm. We will have ice cream.
The joint Homecoming/Farewell is Sunday July 19 at 1:00 pm. We are so excited to hear from Dexter coming home and Parker heading out to Korea.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
July 6 Week 100 - Bike in Box, End of Mission Finish Strong, Sister Huang, Ryan and Selina, Who have you Become? (not report card), 4th of July Going Away Potluck Party and Miao's Friends from Provo, LI Rui at Church
Well this week has been just another week. I don't even feel like I am going home yet. It doesn't feel real. Sort of just like how I felt before coming to the MTC. It is such a big change that I can't even imagine what it will be like. So I am just enjoying the time here, while I can, and trying not to think too much about going home. My bike is in a box, and I am going to send it using bike flights in just a bit. So coming to the end of my mission has brought some stressful stuff too. Everyone has made a huge deal about finishing strong. So I am really trying not to slack on anything, because lots of missionaries going home here, get sort of lazy. I do pretty good but it is a balance. Ok this week was we had a lesson with Sister Huang. She will get baptized as soon as her husband gets back. So we are fasting that they pass their interview this next week for their visas to come here. At night we saw Ryan and Selina where we talked very long. We also went to the DMV with Tony out of the mission. He passed his test! We are having great numbers for English class right now! The Liangs are coming and they really enjoy it. They are such a solid family. I am glad they moved into our ward.
Thursday we had Mission Leadership Council with President Mullen. It was a good meeting. I really was touched by a quote from a talk. It said that final judgement will not be like a report card, where you add up all the good, and all the bad, and if the good is more you go to celestial kingdom, and if the bad is more then you don't. He said it is not what you have done, but what you have become. I thought it was really meant for me here. As I have been closing my mission, I have been thinking about if the Lord is pleased with how I did. I was counting all the good, and bad I had done. The quote made me realize that isn't what I should be looking at. I should be looking at who I am now. I think I have become better than I was. If anything, I at least feel like I am on the path to become who Christ needs me to be. I am grateful President Mullen shared that.
4th of July we had a potluck/going away party with the Chinese members. It was really delicious and fun. I love all the people here. The Miao introduced me to their friends that live in Provo, and attend the Chinese ward. They invited me to come visit and join their activities, so I will do that.
Li Rui came to church yesterday for the first time in a long while. Glad she was back. I hope that we can get her to come back to activity, she was so solid. Ok that is all. I love you guys a ton can't wait to see you!
-Elder Murray
June 29 Week 99 - Tony and Tina Priesthood Lesson and Baptism, Ryan and Selina, Jiangs and Xiong Dinner, Eastvale Fair Contacting and Fireworks, Final Meals
This week was way too fast, I can't believe it is already p-day again. Things are going pretty good down here in Eastvale, CA. It is hot, but not unbearable. That is fun that you met Amy (recent convert from his mission visiting Provo) for dinner. Thanks for doing that, sounds like she met Elder Dyer's Sister for dinner one night too. She should be getting her patriarchal blessing this weekend right before she heads back to China. I hope in the future you get to meet more of the people I have spent the last two years with! I talk about you a lot with them. I wouldn't be doing all that I am in my life, if my biggest goal in life wasn't to be with you all forever! Can't wait to see you soon! :)
Well this week on Tuesday we had exchanges with the AP's. I was with Elder Andersen. He is a good missionary. He is younger than me mission wise, but he is 24 years old. We had a lesson with Tony and Tina about the priesthood, Tony is excited to receive it and serve others. We then had a lesson with Ryan (the recent convert) and Selina (his wife.) We invited her to be baptized again. She said maybe, but we'll see. She needs to read and pray. At night we had dinner with the Jiangs and the Xiongs; they have become good friends. Sister Xiong rescheduled her baptism for July 11th. I hope it happens, that would be a cool miracle. I am praying for it, but if it doesn't happen I am not stressed. She will get baptized when she is ready. Wednesday I was back with Elder Dyer we saw Louis in University Heights. He is doing well, he is going back to China in August. He will get in touch with the church when he gets there, I just barely sent him the Church in China's contact info. That night we had a good English class. I am excited to be done with those for a while. It is tiring. Thursday we saw Tony and Tina again. They moved to Fontana, which is a poorer area about 20 minutes from here. They are struggling to adjust. Keep them in your prayers. At night we had correlation wtih Brother Miao. It is always fun to go his house for meetings, because they always give us good snacks. All the members are signing up to feed us and on weekend we will have a big party with everyone to send me off. I am excited, but also super sad. I have been spending language study writing cards to everyone. I wanted to ask if we know what phone number I will have when I get back, and I wanted to ask parker to help me make a wechat (Chinese facebook) account so I can stay in touch with everyone. It is hard to leave here, but I am planning to keep in contact with everyone. Friday I was on exchanges again. We had a lesson with Shell and her friend Hank. Shell commented on how good a teacher I had become. We also contacted a referral that Sister Jiang gave us. Her name is mao yin yin. They are so golden. It was crazy. They came to church yesterday and when they were asked to introduce, they basically bore testimony of how good they felt here. They are probably going to get baptized. I invited that day, but she said she needed to feel it in her heart. I think she has felt it now, so next lesson we will try again for a date. :) Saturday We had Tony's baptism!! He was 20 minutes late which was stressful, but it was all good in the end. In the afternoon we saw the An family. They were nice, but he really doesn't want to change his ways with tea. He does want to donate money though, he is very well off, and has a custom built cell phone. They are feeding us lunch this week too. These next two weeks, I will probably eat nothing but Chinese. At night we went contacting at this big fair thing that Eastvale puts on. We talked to a lot of people and lots of members saw us and thanked us for coming representing the church even during the supreme court decision. To be honest no one even talked to us about that, but the members were glad to see us. We were trying to get out, when we ran into the Liang family. They were happy to see us there too. They are so solid and awesome. They came to Tony's baptism that day. Well by then it was 9:00 already and the firework show started. We ran back to the car and we got in at 9:34 really sweaty. Sunday we had a good day at church. President Mullen came, and met some Chinese members. We had a good night of contacting people in the streets at dusk. The weather is perfect at that time, and their are great sunsets. I will miss that about CA. Ok I love you all. Thanks for the money. I will buy a suitcase today! Love you! -Elder Murray
Well this week on Tuesday we had exchanges with the AP's. I was with Elder Andersen. He is a good missionary. He is younger than me mission wise, but he is 24 years old. We had a lesson with Tony and Tina about the priesthood, Tony is excited to receive it and serve others. We then had a lesson with Ryan (the recent convert) and Selina (his wife.) We invited her to be baptized again. She said maybe, but we'll see. She needs to read and pray. At night we had dinner with the Jiangs and the Xiongs; they have become good friends. Sister Xiong rescheduled her baptism for July 11th. I hope it happens, that would be a cool miracle. I am praying for it, but if it doesn't happen I am not stressed. She will get baptized when she is ready. Wednesday I was back with Elder Dyer we saw Louis in University Heights. He is doing well, he is going back to China in August. He will get in touch with the church when he gets there, I just barely sent him the Church in China's contact info. That night we had a good English class. I am excited to be done with those for a while. It is tiring. Thursday we saw Tony and Tina again. They moved to Fontana, which is a poorer area about 20 minutes from here. They are struggling to adjust. Keep them in your prayers. At night we had correlation wtih Brother Miao. It is always fun to go his house for meetings, because they always give us good snacks. All the members are signing up to feed us and on weekend we will have a big party with everyone to send me off. I am excited, but also super sad. I have been spending language study writing cards to everyone. I wanted to ask if we know what phone number I will have when I get back, and I wanted to ask parker to help me make a wechat (Chinese facebook) account so I can stay in touch with everyone. It is hard to leave here, but I am planning to keep in contact with everyone. Friday I was on exchanges again. We had a lesson with Shell and her friend Hank. Shell commented on how good a teacher I had become. We also contacted a referral that Sister Jiang gave us. Her name is mao yin yin. They are so golden. It was crazy. They came to church yesterday and when they were asked to introduce, they basically bore testimony of how good they felt here. They are probably going to get baptized. I invited that day, but she said she needed to feel it in her heart. I think she has felt it now, so next lesson we will try again for a date. :) Saturday We had Tony's baptism!! He was 20 minutes late which was stressful, but it was all good in the end. In the afternoon we saw the An family. They were nice, but he really doesn't want to change his ways with tea. He does want to donate money though, he is very well off, and has a custom built cell phone. They are feeding us lunch this week too. These next two weeks, I will probably eat nothing but Chinese. At night we went contacting at this big fair thing that Eastvale puts on. We talked to a lot of people and lots of members saw us and thanked us for coming representing the church even during the supreme court decision. To be honest no one even talked to us about that, but the members were glad to see us. We were trying to get out, when we ran into the Liang family. They were happy to see us there too. They are so solid and awesome. They came to Tony's baptism that day. Well by then it was 9:00 already and the firework show started. We ran back to the car and we got in at 9:34 really sweaty. Sunday we had a good day at church. President Mullen came, and met some Chinese members. We had a good night of contacting people in the streets at dusk. The weather is perfect at that time, and their are great sunsets. I will miss that about CA. Ok I love you all. Thanks for the money. I will buy a suitcase today! Love you! -Elder Murray
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