General Epistle the Twenty-First

Good Morning!

Let me tell you all about Sam and Matt. They are husband and wife (Sam is the girl) and they were a referral from a member in the ward next to ours. The member, Lori, met Sam in class at college this past semester. They got to know each other and became friends. Lori would even hang out at their house, which is in our area. She is preparing for a mission, and so would talk to Sam about religion. Eventually, she invited them to meet with us, the missionaries.

So, we met with them and Lori on Friday. It went amazingly well. We were there a bit long (2 hours)  but there were many questions for us and much interest. Sam's sister, Alicia, came in about half way and had questions and wanted to know more. Lori bore testimony when prompted and was very involved in the conversation. We gave away a copy of the Book of Mormon to everyone and invited them to church. They had to miss this week for something with their family, but next week they'll be there for sure. Matt works with a few Mormons, and he said that one you could tell was a really good guy. The other seemed to be obsessed with money. It's amazing what others notice about members, so we always have to be the example of a disciple of Christ.

We have set up to go back on Sunday after church for dinner with them and Lori! Hooray! This is such a perfect example of how things can work when members get involved in the work of salvation. We will be inviting them to baptism this next lesson if they have been reading and praying.

I know I've invited you all to watch the videos and broadcast before, but the website again is HasteningtheWork.lds.org. Please take time to watch the videos and pray about people you can reach out to to share the gospel. You never know but you will find a Sam.

This is an exciting time to be a part of the Lord's work. The Lord is preparing people more than ever to receive the message of the Restoration of the Gospel. The question is, are we prepared to receive them?

Here are some suggestions to help your families prepare to share:

-Read and study Preach My Gospel Chapter 3.

-Watch the Hastening of the Work Broadcast.

-Create a family game plan, as Elder Gifford Nielsen talked about this last conference.

-Pray each morning and night as a family for people by name and opportunities to share with them, whether they are nonmembers, less-active, or new members.

-Then, go and Do It! Planning is fine, but without action, it is nothing more than hopes and wishes.

There are two main motivations my companion and I recently discovered for anything we do in the gospel: Love and Faith. I invite you all to read chapter 12 of Ether and study it out. Faith and Love motivate us to act on the doctrines we know are true and practice the principles.

Love is the motivation behind all Heavenly Father does. He loves us and wants only the best for us. He does not want us to feel guilty or afraid. He gives us hope, faith, love, and charity. He will give us what we ask in righteousness. Remember the story President Uchtdorf told of the man on the cruise ship? There is so much the Lord has promised us. Our obedience will bring the power to accomplish His will. 

There are still a few days till Christmas as I type this. I hope we can take the time to reach out to others in ways we haven't before, ways that will uplift and inspire and encourage. God is Love, and He loved us so much, He sent His Son to atone for our sins and suffer our pains. Let us remember Him this season by reaching out in love to others.

I love you all. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Be of good cheer and may love and joy fill your hearts and your homes.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Elder Murdock

General Epistle the Twentieth

Hello, all!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas season. We had a stake Noel Concert last night. It was good, and the Spirit was definitely felt there. They sang an awesome song called "Betelehemu". You can check it out on YouTube. There were also some group and solo pieces that were great.

The night before was our ward Christmas party. That also went well. It was rather short, but the food was good and there were some people there we didn't expect to see. It's so wonderful to see the Holy Ghost working in the hearts of people during this time of year. 

I don't think this epistle will be very long; we have to go soon. However, I want to share with you my testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is our Savior. No matter the choices we've made, no matter the pain we suffer, no matter our station in life or the circumstances we find ourselves in, He loves us. Jesus Christ felt in the Garden of Gethsemane all the weight of eternity. He is the only One who knows exactly what you go through each day of your life. He knows perfectly how to run to your aid, lift you, and eventually, exalt you. He does not give up on us, we give up on Him. 

If you have felt alone, abandoned, or afraid, rely on His strength. Do not wallow in the pain of the past; Satan would have you believe that, since you've been there before, you may as well return to past pain. Don't. Keep an eye focused on what can be, what is ahead, and what the Lord has promised to those who truly love Him and desire to follow Him. 

My testimony is that Jesus Christ lives. He stands at the head of this great work to save the souls of all mankind. He is our Maker, our Redeemer, and the Hope of all the world. If you have forgotten that or have long ignored it, then my invitation, prayer, and hope for you is that you will remember how merciful the Lord has been to the children of men, even from Adam until now. He has always reached out in love, even when that love required Him to chastise His people because of their choices. All he has ever done for us in this world has been done to the purpose of saving and exalting us. His whole purpose truly is to bring to pas our immortality and Eternal Life.

So again, rely on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is there. He is real. He is your Hope and mine. Pray to the Father in the name of Christ, and He will hear you. 

I love you all. I know this work I'm engaged in is the greatest of all duties and privileges available to us. 

Merry Christmas. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Elder Murdock

General Epistle the Nineteenth

Hello, everybody! (Hello, Dr. Nick!)

We got to go to the temple this week! I love going there, because it usually recharges my spiritual batteries and helps me keep going. For some reason, I didn't feel as recharged as I normally do, and I have since been kind of moody. However, it's Christmas time, so I'm trying to remember that and get excited.

Speaking of Christmas, I hope you all were able to catch the Christmas Devotional last night. It wasn't just the First Presidency speaking; they asked other general authorities to speak, too.

This is a truly wonderful time of the year. We get to celebrate the birth of the most important person to ever live: Jesus Christ. We not only focus on his birth, but also His life, His Atonement, and His death. We celebrate the fact that He has overcome the Fall, allowing us all to live again with the Father. We celebrate that the small babe in Bethlehem became the great Exemplar of all men, and the Savior of the world.

There has been a scripture running around in my mind for the past few weeks. It is Jacob 2:18. Before we seek for the treasures of this world, we ought to seek for the Kingdom of God. During this season, it is so very easy to get caught up in the shopping addictions and gathering of that which does not satisfy. We cannot fill the voids in our lives with objects; such voids are only filled by the pure love of God that is given and received during this season.

This is a time to treasure up relationships with friends and family. This is a time to remember what God has given us in the gift of His Son. This is the time to get away from the loudness of the world and focus on the calm. Unfortunately, Satan works his hardest to make it a season of taking, ingratitude, and strife. We see it every time we enter Walmart at this time. We who know the truth should defend our families from the barrage of worldliness. We can do it with righteous traditions, reminding each other of our love for one another, and putting others before ourselves.

One of my favorite Christmas hymns is found here. Though this version does not have the words, the words speak of the promised Messiah. They are infused with a hope that all the hate, envy, and strife in this world will be done away, and peace will reign on Earth. They inspire the listener to rejoice.

"O come, o come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that waits in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel has come to thee, o Israel!"

The Jews continue to look forward to the Messiah that will deliver them. And though he will come to them, He already has come once before. He came and atoned for us. He came and that is why we celebrate.

I know the Lord has come to earth. I know He has completed what the Father asked of Him. I know we have salvation because of Him. We are all blessed by His life, whether we acknowledge it or not. Let us show Him our gratitude by giving of ourselves this season, and not just of our wallets.

I share this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Elder Murdock

General Epistle the Eighteenth

Aloha, all!

 

It is a beautiful 68 degrees right now with sun. Just felt like boasting.

 

This week was eventful. Monday we got to watch "Ephraim's Rescue" at the stake center. If you haven't seen it, I encourage you to do so. It was wonderful and really made me thing about the gift of healing. That was good, since I had my kidney biopsy the next day.

 

We arrived at St. Luke's at about 9 on Tuesday. Our Elder's Quorum President took us. As I was doing registration, a man walked up and introduced himself as a member. His name was Dave. After registration, we talked with him and I asked him to help administer to me. I was really nervous for the biopsy for some reason. He anointed and Elder Barney sealed.

 

They took me upstairs to a semi-private room and stuck an IV in me, putting me on a saline solution. It was about 11 when they took me downstairs on the bed to do the procedure. They did an ultrasound, then gave me some woozy drugs. They stuck me with some anesthesia, but it wasn't fully in effect when they took the actual sample. So, I heard the click and felt the sting. No fun.

 

I fell asleep after they took me back upstairs. Elder Barney pretty much did nothing the whole day but sit there. The nurses kept coming in and taking blood to measure my hemoglobin and iron and potassium levels. They told me we'd be staying the night because my pee was the color of fruit punch and my levels were off. I ate some dinner, then they sent us to a private room. Elder Barney had a hide-a-bed to sleep on.

 

I couldn't sleep. I was having pains in my side where they stuck me. The nurse gave me a narcotic, and it took about an hour to kick in. Finally, I dozed off for about an hour. I woke up, and the pain was back. I fitfully dozed for another two hours before they could give me another narcotic. It took a half hour to work. I slept for another while, and again woke up in pain. Finally, I asked the nurse if I could get up and walk around. He said yes, so I went to the bathroom. I vomited all the water I had been drinking since the procedure, as well as the dinner. However, the sever pain immediately went away. Not long after, I had to pee, and when I did, it was back to it's normal color. I laid down and was able to sleep at last.

 

It was about 8 when I woke up. The nurse came in and said the doctor would be coming in to talk soon. She also said I would probably be staying another night. I kept praying that it wouldn't be so. They kept taking blood every few hours, but the doctor didn't come. Finally, we called Sister Pingree. She sent President down to talk to us and see if he could release me. It was about 4 when he arrived, and by then I was fine except for the normal soreness on my side. The doctor finally came in at about 5 and spoke with me. Nothing was really new. I figured I had declined in function, which she told me I had. She talked about medications, and decided to put me on Prednisone, again. It was another hour before we got out of there and home. I felt bad for President because he had something with his daughter to get to, and he was late.

 

Then there was Thanksgiving. We ended up going to a nonmember's home in Katy with 4 other missionaries. They all watched football and I just sat around. We did play some board games. The food was pretty good. It was okay, but I would much rather have stayed in our area and gotten to know our members more.

 

There were things that happened on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The most notable was that my grandma peacefully passed away yesterday.

 

In the end, I felt this week was a wasted week. We got a few lessons with members, but there really was no real work done. I'm looking forward to getting back to work this week.

 

There has been a lot going on. Among companionship drama, the biopsy, my grandma's passing, the lack of work, and other things, I have felt very stressed out this week. Last night I finally just prayed and told Him that I didn't know what to do anymore. I asked for help and revelation. None came then, but I'm looking forward to this week with hope and confidence.

 

What has been on my mind is the story of the people of Alma. They had burdens upon them, greater than they could bear. However, the Lord did not immediately remove those burdens. Rather, he lightened them, making the people strong enough to bear those burdens. Eventually, He did provide relief, but it was in His time.

 

We all go through hard times. When Frodo said "I wish this had never happened to me," Gandalf replied thus:

"So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

 

So it is. We wish trials didn't come, but all we have to decide is what to do to keep going. Just as I said last week, we must push onward and upward to a better world.

 

I love you all and miss you. Thank you for your prayers and support.

 

I share this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Elder Murdock