November 26th - Fog Days and Food

Dear Family,

I'm sorry I am not going to email super long today. My week was pretty good. I ate an amazing turkey dinner for Thanksgiving and I have been having an awesome time here in Visalia. I will be staying here another transfer so another six weeks. It is getting pretty foggy here and it's pretty cool. I ate at this indian place too that was pretty cool. I love you all and wish you well. 

Love, 

Elder Murray

Nov 19th - Moses and the Red Sea

Dear Family,

This week has been pretty good. 

Alright, this is going to be a little long winded. Tuesday we had a great day. We had a lunch with some people that we are teaching and taught them about the Word of Wisdom. We taught some people that night.

Wednesday, we had our weekly Costco lunch and taught some more people. It was pretty good. We went to the other Elders' house for dinner and they cooked some stuff.

Thursday was the day that explains my subject line, and it will be a story. I have had some practice telling it, so here goes. The morning of November 15th, we did our studies then we called the other Elders and we said "Let's go to A&W today for lunch. The other Elders didn't really want to because one of them was feeling pretty sick, so I told them that if he drank three mugs of rootbeer he would be healed. That was a little blasphemous and I would pay for it later. Right after hanging up the phone, I squatted down to pick something up and my pants ripped really bad. It was sad because it was a pair of the new ones you had sent me recently that had been really worn down from biking. But after ripping my pants, I remarked that my pants had ripped like unto when Moses parted the red sea! Well after that, we went to A&W and the story only gets better. I drank three whole mugs of rootbeer in order to back up my challenge and didn't feel very good after. We went to try a potential and we knocked the door but afterwards I felt a rumble down under and said "I can feel the floods coming. I think that the Red Sea is about to close back up on the Egyptians." So we began to bike, searching for a restroom. We were in an area that had literally no bathrooms so I started to panic. I keep biking anyway but it came to a point that I couldn't hold it anymore. I hoped it would only be a fart but the entire Red Sea crashed down upon the Egyptians in my pants... I stopped for only a second to ask my companion what I should do for I had just pooped my pants. We continued searching for a bathroom and I saw a small outhouse in the distance. I went towards that but quickly realized that it was inside a fence in school grounds and I couldn't risk jumping it and getting caught on camera. So I went to the Jimmy John's right next door. The bathroom  was only for one person so I had to lock the outside door. I then had the other Elders bring me pants, but they took an hour long to get there. So I sat in the bathroom in Jimmy John's for an hour during lunch rush listening to the high-school kids outside. It was horrible and glorious all at the same time. My underwear was soon after burned. I was scared but blessed with a story that I will tell throughout my whole life.

Friday was a good day. We biked to a city that was almost 10 miles away to do missionary work because we needed to go out there.

Saturday we had a priesthood dinner and we did some more teaching. 

Sunday we had church, and I got to wear my new suit which was really awesome. We had a practice that night for a float we are going to be in, in the Candy Cane Parade.

Today we are going to the Sequoias and I am pumped! I am wearing a reindeer onesie with two other Elders. 

That was my week! I love you all and will miss you for Thanksgiving, but that's okay. Missionaries leave their families to bring other families together for eternity. 

Love, 

Elder Murray

Nov 12th - Zone Conference

Dear Family!

This week was good. As for business, I had to buy a sweatshirt and some shoes today from Ross because I somehow lost my other athletic shoes and I needed a regular sweatshirt because I have been way cold lately. Other than that, I get to pick up my suit today and I am excited to receive Christmas gifts pretty soon here. I don't need anything else right now. I'm doing pretty good. I have some concerns about future money problems but not to worry Elder Murray will figure it all out. I'll explain to you why in a sec. 

First of all, Tuesday was a good day. We taught some people and did missionary work. We went out teaching with one of the counselors from the bishopric that night.

Wednesday, we had exchanges with Elder Pasikala and Elder Pendleton. I went with the later and we had service so we finished fixing that roof out there. I am still biking a ton, which is good but also not good for my pants because my legs get bigger. 

Thursday we had Zone Conference which was pretty crazy. We got some crazy news. We are now supposed to be finding from 5-7 every single night which means we will no longer be fed at member homes for dinner. Which means we will be cooking for ourselves from 4-5 now. I know that this will be a true blessing to the work but am not so sure about what it will do for my health so please send me a recipe book as soon as you can. I bought stuff to make spaghetti this week so we will see how that goes. We are being given $35 extra dollars a month now for food, but it still makes me concerned for my money. Real food is a lot more expensive than quick stuff to tide us over. I'll be fine, I just have to adjust. Plus Elder Murray is gonna learn how to cook, woo hoo.

Friday we did more missionary work and I can't remember if we did anything really special. 

Saturday was more of the same. We just did missionary work and contacted and knocked and taught and it was a good day. I am getting tired of bikes. 

Sunday we had sacrament. My companion spoke and he did a really good job, so I am proud of him. We had breakfast with a member that day as well, so we were fed well with our last member dinner and a breakfast. I shared my testimony as part of my ward mission leaders class in Elders quorum. Then we went to teach with one of my favorite members named Alejandro Leal that night. He went to Davis High in 1999 so he might have gone to school with one of Dad's siblings I am not sure.

This week was pretty great. I love to hear from all of you so please if you get the chance to write me, do so. Have a fantastic week and live the Gospel!

Love, 

Elder Dave Murray

Nov 5th - One Legged Pervert

Dear Family,

Hello! I am still doing well out here in the Central Valley, living it up and doing missionary work. As many have questioned, I did receive the packages last week. I got one from Mom with much-needed white shirts and some Halloween stuff and one from Grandma with some more Halloween goodies to rot my teeth. I'm sitting pretty right now, with not a whole lot of needs. For business, I am kind of ticked that after fixing my back tire last Monday, my front tire is now as flat as a roadkill skunk, which means I will be doing more bike repairs. This week was action packed, so I will get right to it.

Monday night we had an FHE with a family in our ward here and invited one of our friends, but he bailed last minute so it ended up just being us and that family. It was really fun though. We drank some cinnamon tea and ate some cookies which were very tasty and had a great message about the Savior. It was weird to be on the other side of the teaching. I brought a pumpkin that I was going to carve but never got around to it so I left it over there. Hopefully I will have a chance to get it soon. 

Tuesday was Trainer/Trainee so we went to Fresno for training. It was cool to see everyone again and to hear some advice as a trainer. We had a good lunch and then went back to our areas to work for the night. 

Wednesday we had a regular day up until like 6:15 pm, when we had to stop working. We all went to this member's house where we played games and had fun until it was time for us to go home. I made it a Elder Murray tradition to absolutely destroy the other missionaries in Catan by beating them really bad, which now makes it a two holiday streak, repeating Fourth of July. We ate pizza and had root beer which was cool.

Thursday was the only normal day that we had all week, so we just worked and tried to see people and it was a good time. It was the first time we have not had dinner in Visalia so we went to Wendy's together.

Friday was a crazy day and it will explain to you the title of my email. We had some studies in the morning and then went to a service that the Elders from the English ward had with a man who needed us to help him move out of his apartment. He lost his leg a couple of months back, because of something, so he has some trouble getting around. Well, we rolled up to this apartment and went in and the place smelled like poop and he had this pitbull in a cage in there with a totally ripped up floor thing underneath. The place was a mess and the crowning feature was the man's mother who was sitting in the corner swatting the legit hundreds of flies that were flying around in the corner. It was strange, but it only got weirder. We started to move this stuff into his Uhaul truck but the whole time this dude was talking crap about his wife that he was divorcing, and how he was moving to Cebu in the Philippines because there are quote "19 million single girls there." This man was 53 and he was telling us about how he hangs out with 19 year olds. He was a straight creep, not to mention he kept making suggestive jokes and talking about his friend that is a transgender. Well, the service ended up taking like 6 hours because this dude had us move all his stuff into a storage unit and then from there move his crap out of another storage unit into this new one. The only good part was that he bought us pizza afterward. I honestly thought it was really fun because I love to have adventures and this was certainly a mission adventure that I will not forget. My description of the experience does not do it justice you had to be there to understand the true magnitude of weird.

Saturday we also did service. We went to help out the man that we usually help that lives out in the country. We helped him fix part of his roof in the garage that the previous owner had let rot out because of an unfixed leak but it was pretty cool. We got to use some power tools and move some stuff. Once again we got pizza. That night we biked to a dinner five miles away and had a really good conversation about Alma 12 when he preaches to the city of Zarahemla.

Sunday was a good day that was also crazy. We had church and stuff like normal and then had a get together with the ward after where we broke our fasts and ate a lot of food. That night though, the sisters' car broke and the engine overheated and it was smoking, so we had to drive out there and help them and then wait for a tow truck for like an hour. 

All in all this week has been a crazy week. My studies have been centered in the beginning parts of Alma recently and I am constantly edified by the wonderful missionary examples of Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah. I love their teachings and how they help us to grow closer to Jesus Christ and the true and lasting happiness that we search for in this life. I love the gospel and the message of hope that it is and urge you all to live it to your fullest. 

To answer a few of your questions that I didn't answer, being a trainer is interesting. It requires a lot more studies and a lot more leading on my part, but it hasn't been too hard so far and my companion is pretty cool. My Spanish is good. It is better than most missionaries and I would say that I am fluent but I still have a lot of room to improve and won't ever stop trying to get better. My ward is really awesome and they actually get a lot done, unlike other wards I have served in. My bishop is really cool. He is a dentist and has really sweet property in the fields. He is white but speaks Spanish really well and the Ward loves him. 

I love you all and wish you the best this week. 

Love,

Elder Murray

Oct 29th - Sick and Tired of Bikes

Dear people who love and support me,

Another crazy week has come and gone here in the great CFM! This week I shouldn't have too much business, other than that I am very thankful for all of your help with getting me new clothes and stuff. I am almost at a year and the old stuff is getting kind of gross. Most of my shirt sleeves are like black. I go to the mission office tomorrow for trainer trainee so I should be able to get all my packages and then I will be all set. I love you all!

Tuesday this week was pretty normal. We tried to contact people and we biked a ton. It was good stuff. I titled my email "sick and tired of bikes" because my current area Visalia is a large area and it is very hard to cover on bikes. Most of the time it takes us like 30-35 minutes to bike to the area we normally work, which is three miles north, and then we have to bike around up there to see people. Also, my back tire has not been staying inflated lately and I am sick and tired of having bike problems that I have to spend my own money to get fixed. This is the way the Lord wants it though, so I have to just keep doing my best.

Wednesday was a little more of the same. We biked and we taught. We had a lunch one day this week with people we are teaching, who are really cool and like to analyze the Bible and Book of Mormon a lot.

Thursday this week we had interviews with President Mackay. Mine was short. I usually don't have too many problems that I can't just work out myself so I don't take too long to interview. Sister Mackay made cookies which are always tasty.

Friday we had weekly planning and the Ward Halloween party which was really fun. It was at our Bishop's house because he has a lot of property. We got to go on this little hay ride with some of the primary children which was fun. They had Mexican food and hot dogs, which I thought was a weird combination. 

Saturday we had a stake service day, so we planted a lot of trees and grass tufts and we had some fun. Something about long arms must help with yard work, cause I have found I am pretty good at digging, haha! After the project, a member took us to get pizza which was really cool so we got fed too. Later that night we were walking because my bike was busted but it worked out okay because we still taught a lesson. 

Sunday we had the primary program which was pretty cute but ended up going on for a pretty long time. We had a really good lesson in Priesthood about charity and it was cool.

Today has been kind of lame. We did service for someone this morning even though it is Preparation day, and we have done a whole bunch of errands. Not the greatest day when we are supposed to have fun. I would like to wish my brother Ben a happy birthday! I can't believe he will be 22. That is pretty crazy! It also means I am getting closer to 20. Have a great week family and keep it real! 

Much Love,

Elder Murray

Oct 22nd - Weekend Vacation

Dear Family!

This week has been absolutely nuts. I have done so much this week. I ended up buying a suit at Men's Wearhouse and got it for pretty cheap. It is getting shipped to the store so it will be here in like 6-7 days. I think I got a good deal on it and kept it within $200. I also just learned that a sister in my Zone has a dad that sells suits and he could have hooked me up, so I was a little sad but who knows? I might do it anyway. I am doing good with everything right now except shirts, almost all my long shirts are ripping at the elbows but you are working on that already so I look forward to getting them. On to my week.

Tuesday was transfers so I went to Fresno and found out that I would be staying with my two favorite elders in almost the whole mission. I stayed with Elder Griffith from Wyoming and Elder Passey from South Carolina. We saw a squirrel get hit by a car in front of us and it was wounded so Elder Passey yelled "Grab it!" We pulled over and stuck it in our trunk after putting it out of its misery. We then transferred it to our BBQ grill and continued to work until the night was over. We had a crazy dinner right after that with this super strange family that had animal-fluid stained carpet in their home and some six cheese mac'n'cheese that had goat cheese in it. It was quite the adventure. I was working in a YSA so we went to the Fresno State Campus to meet this recent convert that they are teaching. After that, we tried some people then went home. We proceeded to skin the squirrel that we had caught and salt the hide. It was a very adventurous day.

Wednesday was pretty crazy too. The elders in Fresno live in this missionary house that has literally all of the walls signed by missionaries that have passed through the area. I got to sign the wall later that night but during the day I got to go to the temple with all the other trainers and ended up split driving a mission car. Which means I was in the car all by myself for a couple minutes which is unheard of in mission life. That night we went to this snow cone place called Pelicans which was pretty good and heard these two YSA girls tell us all about their drama. It was a weird way to do missionary work for sure. We also talked to these two foreign exchange students at our dinner that night. They were pretty chill. One was from Brazil, so he reminded me of Ben. When I was in Fresno, I made a new quote, and it inspired the title for my email. "Why does this feel like a weekend vacation?"

Thursday was also a crazy day because I got to meet my trainee. His name is Elder Butler and he is actually really pretty dope. I got lucky. We had dinner that night and then biked all over the universe. Once again I am on bikes because they took my car. All the car crashes lately are making Salt Lake take our cars or something, which stinks for me. 

Friday, we set up for a wedding reception and did some weekly planning, then we went out to this party that someone in our ward tries to have for less actives every month. We played Loteria and it was really pretty fun. 

Saturday, during the day, we went out knocking doors and this lady was finishing up with a garage sale and had a free mini Christmas tree. We were walking but that didn't stop us from picking the tree up and taking it with us. It actually helped us reconnect with someone we had talked to in the past who came out of his house and said "I thought I saw a floating tree." It was pretty cool. Now I have a Christmas tree in my apartment. That night we went to the wedding reception and said hi to a lot of members which was cool.

Sunday, we had a lot of meetings and a baptism in our ward so the whole day was pretty much church but it was really cool. Someone we have been working with for a long time came to church for the first time since he was like 13. My week was crazy! I hope you got a kick out of this email. I love you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Murray

 

Oct 15th - Elder Dad

Dear Family,

This week has been a pretty good week. We have transfers tomorrow and I will be training a new missionary from the MTC! I am excited but also very nervous at the same time. I ripped one of my shirts yesterday when I stretched my arms, so it is good to know that new shirts are coming my way. I think that it would probably be best if you just sent me the same brown shoes I have so I don't have to spend extra money and take time to look. The only bad thing about Elder Murray's life right now is that I am feeling sick, but I don't have time and can't afford to stop working, so I won't. Hopefully I get better soon.

This week I got to go to a baptism for 5 people from the stake that turned 8 which was pretty cool. One of the kids was from our ward.

We helped an elementary school set up for a carnival that they were having which was western themed. That was pretty fun. I got to carry a big bale of hay and set up some games and stuff. 

We had dinner this week with both the Stake President and the Bishop which was pretty cool because I haven't actually had dinner with either of them since I have been here.

Not a whole lot else happened this week. One night a lady took us to this sushi place called Healthy Japan which was some pretty good food. Seriously I mostly just did missionary work this week with the usual lot of planning and visiting people.

I was excited to study some of the general conference talks this week and listen to the words of our living prophet and his apostles on the earth today. I know that the church is true and that we have the real teachings of Jesus Christ on the earth. I am sorry if my email was not super great this week, I am not feeling so well. I love you all have a great week.

Love,

Elder Murray