This week has been pretty great!
First off I wanted to say that I have been really pretty bad with my money this month and would like to say sorry, I will do better in the future. As for the package with drinks, Yes! I received it and I have been using some of the Propel ones for the electrolytes. I am super excited to hear that my pants are on the way, I have been making due with the other ones I have but it will be nice to have a good pair that fits me that isn't super beat up. Part of the reason I have been so bad with money is that everything is starting to not work or get old on me. I need a new watch because water can get into the one I have a ruin it and I probably need some new shoes pretty soon. One black pair has holes in them, the brown pair is super thin and beat up on top, and the other black pair is still pretty good. I will keep searching the Ross for a new pair that isn't more than like $15. I also have been buying things to work out lately which hasn't helped, as well as I lose a pair of socks almost every Preparation day it seems like. But seriously, I am just fine. I really just need to be smarter about eating out and not eating as much during the day and things will be fine with money. The weather has still been pretty much in the 100's hence the title very sweaty and we got seriously cut on miles this month...thanks Modesto...so we have been doing some biking, I can't really complain exercise is my major stress relief. Sorry that was a very long business part of the email, but I will get to the week.
I honestly can't remember a lot of the week this week and what we did on what day, so I think I will just write about what happened.
We had an exchange this week with Elder Pasikala the Hawaiian one in my video and Elder Yancey his companion. I went with Elder Yancey and they decided that it was a good idea for me to work my area so I ended up leading and having to teach at least two lessons entirely alone which was pretty lame...it really helps to have a companion that can speak at least a little bit of Spanish.
We have had some pretty good dinners this week. Last night we had carne asada which is like one of the typical things you get from Mexicans, but it was super good this time and I liked it. We also had some really good lasagna earlier in the week and some homemade hamburgers which I am sure Mom knows are like one of my favorites. We got to talking about this thing called Moronga which is pretty much like blood sausage that my companion ate in Mexico City and hated, so people in the ward like to comment about Moronga now to him.
This week our ward did youth conference which was super cool because we got to help with two parts of it. The first thing we did was help set up an obstacle course at our bishop's house for them which included running through tires, logs, a balance beam, different size hurdles, a army crawl, and a mountain of hay you had to climb at the end. It was fun but scratched up my legs pretty good. They are very sensitive right now from all the dry skin and the hot, hot weather. I had to buy this special shampoo this week for like 8 dollars that my doctor said might help my skin...I hope it does cause it was a rip in the shorts. Anyways, the other part that we did to help with youth conference was we taught a class on social media and how you could use it to share the gospel which was pretty fun for us. We recited our Missionary Purpose for them and ended up making a purpose for the youth to say as well. I bought candy for that which was another reason for the squandering of my money. I figured that was a good reason though.
After teaching the class, we helped a family move part of a house that belonged to one of their relatives and then ended up going to eat tacos at the bishop's house that they had for the youth. Sadly, we missed all the youth because the move had taken us so long but it was worth it to help out a member and make her day.
This week I have done a lot of thinking on gospel topics. I wrote three pages one night about what the Savior means to me and His big role in my decision to serve a mission. I wrote all that before I found out that a Seventy is coming this upcoming week and wanted us to write a 1 page testimony about the Book of Mormon so I did that as well. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for both of these things and really look forward to sharing my testimony of them with the people that I contact every day. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I know He loves me. A lot of the time, the mission has been really hard. I have gone almost 9 months now teaching the Gospel and not had a single baptism which, as a missionary, makes you question if you are doing things right, if you are really a good teacher or if you did the right thing by serving a mission. I have grown a lot because of this and have to remind myself that missionary work is not about the number of baptisms that you have or the ordinances that you perform but about the way that you touch people and the little things you do every day that make someone smile or give someone a hope for something better. Despite my unsuccessful numbers, I have touched lots of people as a missionary and planted many seeds that I hope will one day grow and the best part is that I am not done yet!!! I can continue helping those I pass by in the streets every day. I love you so much family and I thank you for all of the support you have offered me in my missionary service!
Love,
Elder Murray
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