Californian in Kansas: A Broadcast, A Meeting, and Lots of Change

Okay this might be a really long email this week because I was sick last week so I didn't get to send out an email. It's been a while since Ive written one out so I kind of don't remember how haha. A lot of things happened these past 2 weeks but I will do my best to try and remember everything.

I guess I'll go ahead and start by talking about last week. Last week was really crazy we had a ton of meetings and didn't really get to teach that much. On Monday was P-Day so we work only from 6 to 9 those nights. On then on Tuesday we had district meeting, and Zone meeting, so our teaching time was a little bit delayed so we didn't get out until about two or three.

Wednesday was a really awesome day, we were fortunate enough to have a worldwide broadcast for all of the missionaries all over the world. We were able to learn so much from Elder Oaks, Elder Bednar, Elder Anderson, Bishop Waddell, Bonnie L. Oscarson, Steven B Allen, and Elder Nielsen. They are members of the missionary executive committee which is kind of in charge of all of the missionary work all over the world. The main focus for the worldwide broadcast was, teach repentance and baptize converts. It was so amazing to be able to hear their insights, and their advice, about how we can be more effective missionaries. One of the things that I loved the most that Elder Oaks said, was to not skip a step. A lot of times in missionary work we get so focused on just baptism, but baptism is not the only part of the gospel that's important to our heavenly father. A big focus of the meeting was talking about how the gospel of Jesus Christ is a fruition teaching, it is not a series of steps or cookbook of ingredients. So now as a mission, our big focus is not specifically to baptize but to build the faith of the investigators and those that we teach. As we slow down to teach and build faith, we will speed up the conversion of our investigators.

Thursday was a really amazing day also. We were able to have a special MLC a missionary leadership council. With a special guest of Brother Donaldson who is a member of the missionary committee in Salt Lake City Utah. We focused a lot on how to specifically apply the things that we learned during the World Wide Broadcast into our missionary work. This broadcast is completely changing the way that we do missionary work and it was so amazing to be able to receive the revelation and change as missionaries to become better teachers. One of the most amazing things that Brother Donaldson taught us how to use the gospel of Jesus Christ better, to teach our investigators. I will attach a picture of a diagram that he drew out that helps us see the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it helps us get to our father in heaven. It truly is gods plan for us to return to him.

He also showed us how to use the Book of Mormon more effectively in our teaching. In the past we had given our investigators random parts or chapters in the Book of Mormon to read in attempt to help them grow a testimony of it. Brother Donaldson pointed out to us that the Book of Mormon is just like every other book we need to start at the beginning and it really relates specifically to the investigators. The book is perfect. He then walked us through a role-play of relating first Nephi chapter 1 specifically to investigators and boy let me tell you it was fantastic.

After the meeting, we went straight to an investigator's house and taught it the same way that he taught it to a lady name Cynthia. Cynthia was a former investigator of ours who was really awesome but was never able to progress in the Gospel. We decided to go back and to start over with the Book of Mormon. We taught in the beginning and the lesson was completely different. At the end of the lesson she offered prayer and it was one of the most powerful prayers I've ever heard an investigator say. She was in tears and we were also. I love being a missionary.

I also had the opportunity to drive a lot this past two weeks to do lots of baptismal interviews for investigators who are preparing to be baptized. I drove down to Arkansas City two times to interview Martin Pedro Martin a super cool Mexican man that is really humble and ready to change his life through the gospel

Last Saturday was also a real sad day we had a baptism that was supposed to happen. But unfortunately the morning of it fell through because Vivian's mom decided that she didn't want her to get baptized anymore. It was a huge bummer because Vivian is one of the most elect souls that I've ever met in my entire life she is so converted to the Gospel and so ready to be baptized. She now has the goal to get baptized on her 18th birthday. July 13, 2018.

I think that about covers all of the information for last weeks email so I'm going to send this one off and write a new one for this weeks email love you guys see you soon bye!!

Elder Murphy