Estoy emocionado!!‏

Hey there family and friend faces!! I'm being transferred to Harrison Park, Derby so I really don't got much time! But I wanted to shout out the joy of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of le Latter Day Saints. Oh BOY It is just so utterly fantastic. Aren't you just so excited???? I'm beaming from ear to ear right now!

This pics an oldy but, just reminding you where I still am! (sort of…)

We got to teach YWs the Importance of the Restoration today. For the first time I felt like I took heed to Bednar's urge to "get out of the way" and let the Spirit teach. We had them study in groups different points of the first lesson, you know, Heavenly Father reveals His gospel in every dispensation, Saviors earthly ministry and atonement, and the Great Apostacy. Then Sister Prince and I taught the first vision and it brought in a powerful spirit as always. And then coolest of all we got an amazing Priesthood Leader Brother Sant to be "Bob" the investigator and had the girls roleplay with him bearing testimony of the Restoration. It got me so stinkin re-excited again to be a member of this church!!!!

Seriously guys think about this. Think about the revelation and direction and simplicity and profound doctrine and closeness to God and priesthood power and humility and knowledge and purity and covenants we have! Oh the gifts of the Restoration just go on and on and on and I think my favorite (not that you could REALLY choose one thing) is the hope and peace it brings. Knowing our Father in Heaven is SO present in our lives, guiding us everyday, orchestrating our life so we are hit with character-building trials and inexplicable joys and reliefs is just a wonderful, beautiful thing. Wow. I am so proud of my God and my church.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!! You all are really just so stinkin fantastic. And I love all my great friends too. THANK YOU for keeping me posted, and I'm sorry I don't always respond, P-days are really just that, preparation days and sometimes I wish we had extra time to actually communicate more but it ain't always so. Know that I LOVE YOU dearly!!

Give someone random a high five today, I DARE YOU! Smiles and happy weirdness are true medicine magic. Hahaha... and that's the gospel of Sister Murphy. Adios!!

PEEPS...

Our dear President Bell has asked us to email him a weekly experience of faith. For some strange reason I struggle with this sort of request... I can't ever seem to remember a specific experience that includes looking back, applying, and affirming how faith saved the moment! I feel like my faith is more like a building, being built brick for brick, line upon line, with nothing pivotal or extreme, just small gentle moments. However! I feel inclined to find something anyways...

I've been told numerous experiences of others interacting with a thin veil during their Genealogy efforts (looking back). And so as I sat down at the computer to start my two hours of family history work I thought perhaps I should pray to be guided as I "turned my heart to my fathers" to find them! After my prayer I worked and started to feel a stirring... nothing huge like my hand possessed to guide the mouse haha, just a simple stirring in my heart, or, excitement really, to connect with my ancestors. After an hour and a half I found a Calib Madison, who didn't have a spouse linked or any specific dates. I decided to check out a census for him in 1850 and I FOUND HIM! And found he had MORE siblings than Family Search had recorded, and then I found his tomb stone in Nebraska and he was buried with his WIFE Drusilla! And his name was instead Caleb C. Madison, and his work had not been done AT ALL and his wife has all of her work finished save for the sealing because no one knew of her husband!!! I about freaked out and I feel the adrenaline and almost teary eyed just thinking about it.... 

I guess I really did have quite the faith building experience. I know I am being influenced to complete a great work, and I am thoroughly delighted to have found dear Caleb, my first ancestor I found ever. I cannot wait to do their temple work (unless someone gets to them first, I don't feel right reserving their work for years just for my behalf)!

This week was utterly AMAZING!!! My comp and I just absolutely loved zone conference and EASTER and #BecauseOfHim video was so stinking good. My faith has been building like crazy, the atonement changing me slow and steady, my weaknesses being broken down, and my brain FLIPPING out at finding a live cockroach squirming on our green shaggy carpet this morning. YIKES!!! He is now being sterilized and preserved in a top-notch plastic cup under a HEAVY pile of pass-along-cards. Perhaps we shall give him a name. Sister Prince says we will call him Folly ("a mistake" she explained haha).

Watch "Because of Him!" Read PMG and build up yo testimonies. Come on, Saints!! Stay constantly converting to this amAZING gospel because it is the truth and it is special and it is fantastic and it is changing the world!! And pray these great Kansan winds don't blow me away to Oz! Thank heavens for biking shorts all day err day haha.

Love, 

Sister Murphy Senior

PS: You can check out my great great extended cousin, Caleb C. Madison @https://familysearch.org/tree/#view=ancestor&person=L88D-LJ4

El día blanco...

HIGHLIGHTS!

     -Tried my first Amish homemade deliciousness: Shoe-fly pie! Made of strait up molasses and brown sugar.     

       Sooo yummy. Purchased at a local Amish quilt fair, so fun!

     -Met a geneology BEAST! She is visiting here from Utah and her shirt said "I seek dead people," and she 

       told many stories of how excited her dead ancestors were in getting their work done. The veil can be so 

       thin!

     -Found many unfindable less actives! We can't wait to bring them back into Christ's fold :)

     -Got my haircut and played Settlers of Catan and bananagrams with some other LAs. Such wonderful ways 

       to proselyte haha

     -And for the big finale, dressed in white for a wonderful day at the Oklahoma City temple. 

We had been urged to pray throughout the prior week for specific questions to be answered and for strength. The APs were there and told us there is a specific power to be obtained from the temple, and we need to recognize it as we leave.

If only I could elaborate on my experience inside the tiny temple. Of most significance, I was in great turmoil as for what to inquire of the Lord and to understand what He expects of me. My mind fought through some serious chaos and found a soft voice telling me I already knew, and need not search further for it... and expectations of God were being fulfilled in so many ways, and the remaining expectations that faltered would be sustained by a brilliant brightness of hope and joy. A smile grew across my face and my heart jumped to observe my fellow missionaries embracing. My testimony felt so sure, and I realized the power I accessed that day was the Power of Purity. What a marvelous power to have! So full of light! I hope it remains, I hope it exudes to those we greet, I hope it hits them hard in the face so they never forget what the Light of Christ truly is and feels like! I feel so honored! And I need to pray every day for that brightness of hope, for I know it does not come from within me, it can only come from the Father!

It was a tough week, but a wonderful one. I hope all of you are wonderful! My sister Mekenna last week said this so well, but please love your neighbors, please be kind, please fulfill your baptismal covenants and "warn" those around you. You can welcome people into Christ's fold in a way that we full-time missionaries cannot. The Lord NEEDS you so very much! And promises that as you do these things He will forgive you of your sins, He will bless you beyond measure, He will exalt you on High at the last day!

I love you all dearly! Thanks for the great support :)

Best,
Sister Murphy Senior

Temple time! 

I moust-ache you to setup my TV satellite 

Conference & Cows...

Happy mooooo-nday to you!! Not only has this week been cow-themed thanks to my companion's obsession with cows, (cow pjs, cow blanket, cow stuffed animal, cow candy dispenser) but it seems it's just been the hot topic with the people of Hutchinson, including license plates stating "EAT BEEF," and not to mention cows offer a great source of delicious local raw milk and yogurt sitting in our fridge right now! Kansas cows yeehaw!!

Oh and of course there's conference, the better and more important of the two. Wasn't it amazing?? There were so many promised blessings, I loved that. There was promised peace and ease if we are grateful amid trial, there was the guidance from our ancestors to make better decisions if we do our genealogy work, closeness to God if we are obedient and trusting, repentant, charitable... and my favorite of all--yoked with Christ if we make and keep covenants. Wow. I also really like Elder Scott's emphasis on sharing the gospel simply and by example. I loved Eyering's urge for us to be mindful of the legacy of hope we can leave behind. And to seal it all up in the end, President Monson's quote, "May we realize how close to us He is willing to come, and how far He is willing to go."

Such a testimony is chilling.

I loved going over it all this morning to pick out what I have need to work on currently and what lessons I need to implement into my teaching. I can already feel the words of our prophets yesterday and Saturday changing me :)

We met two very cool women separately throughout last week. One is a young single mom who bakes pies at a nearby Amish bakery/restaurant. She is very passionate about her belief in Christ and God, and told us about her experience validating this belief. She wanted to find physical evidence to support her faith, and was searching online for something that could have proved our Savior's resurrection. I've never thought about such a thing, I have just relied on what I've briefly studied in the New Testament, and on the words of the prophets. She discovered what we matched to be within in the Bible at Matthew 27:51, "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." As she described her emotion in finding it documented in Jerusalem history online, as literal curtains torn and tattered in the temple, we all got goosebumps. The resurrection is just so... inexplicably profound.

And the second woman is a Mormon, she just doesn't know it yet ;) Hahaha, she is part of a church that has a youth group and a youth camp and they basically just do almost everything a typical member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints would do. Her enthusiasm about the scriptures and wanting to read the Book of Mormon was incredibly refreshing. I've got to do more of what Elder Martino of the Seventy taught us K-dub missionaries awhile back: I better get on my knees and pray for this to happen. I am so excited for us to follow-up with her this week!

Gotta bare witness now, I just gotta! This church is the truth. It is the true gospel of Jesus Christ restored in it's fullness, and learning it's truth will literally set you free. I know Christ's great sacrifice is both enabling and redeeming, two words so profound and personal to who I am becoming. I know President Monson, with his love and meekness and long-suffering, is a prophet of God and his apostles are true seers and revelators. I know this gospel is the most wonderfully narrow and true way back to our Father in Heaven. I love this church and I love being a missionary!

Happy Easter! Eat lots of chocolate! Pray and read your scriptures daily! Weekly FHE! LOVE! hahaha

Best,

Sister Murphy Senior

Here's a pic: found a sweet mill in the middle of nowheres! It was a wonderful, beautiful green plains and chilly and damp forests in hidden farms kind of night. And another pic, we got to see a members museum of dolls!! I counted over 30 Shirley Temples, and the member made almost every outfit for every doll!!!

Sister Murphy Speaking...

Good morning :)

This past week was emotional and humbling. The Lord blessed me, beyond measure. We joined as a relief society to watch the Women's General Conference Broadcast. As the opening number stood to sing, some new song I've never heard, the spirit overtook me. It was wonderful to feel Utah again, to see and remember the spirit of home. All of my friends and family back in Utah, know that despite having normal trials that all mankind endure, SLC is a special place with the church standing tall and strong. I read in Matthew 24 that Christ prophesied lightning striking before His coming. My interpretation is the light of Christ will blaze out from His disciples, and I feel Salt Lake is just like that. Lightning of course strikes here in Hutch with our wonderful ward, but it throngs differently in my hometown. Watching conference was powerful, I felt more united and celestial with the world and with fellow daughters of God. THAT is a wonderful feeling :)

I really like how Linda K. Burton said we are and will be called on to volunteer to help our Lord EVERYDAY by serving and loving His children. She asked if we stand each day and cry out, "Here am I! Send me!" I need to remember to specifically take a moment each day to offer my talents and gifts and blessings to God for His hastening the work. That is, after all, what makes each day worth living!!

(Click here to listen to Sister Burtons talk.)

I think the most touching experience this past week was being able to witness a Hutchinson church leader humble himself and apply the enabling and redeeming power of the atonement. Honestly as missionaries and auxiliary leaders we have struggled from the limitations and stipulations of this particular leader. His pride was "tareing" this city, in a way. He stood to finish his wife's Sunday school lesson yesterday, and read from a book depicting a personal story of applying the atonement. As he then bore his testimony of Christ his voice broke, and the Spirit grew immensely. He said Christ is the one and is the only way, he said many beautiful things, and then went on to talk about the difficulties and strife of working in Hutch. He said there are too many less-actives, 400 to be exact, and they canNOT go unfound and unvisited as they have. He said their full-time missionaries are working hard (I cried at that one) and they have need to work along with us. We had hoped for this, but really never anticipated him changing so drastically.

Of course, he is still the stubborn ol' geezer he always has been, but his heart has broken and he is becoming more contrite. It is just a thrill to witness someone being changed by the atonement, especially if it is going to greatly affect and inspire others surrounding.

The western dance o' course was a hoot! The whole week was great and inspiring. We got to visit a ward member and her newly born baby. I can't remember the last time I was able to have a similar experience, and I had been warned that the feeling in the room of such a baby is powerful. I did not anticipate HOW powerful it really was! As I attempted explaining why I was so emotional in their visit, the father eloquently said to me, "you can feel with great assurance that she really did just come from heaven."

I just want to tell those of you that might be needing to hear this, that the Savior really and truly loves you. He loves you so much. He loves you. I know from personal experience that He is ALWAYS watching over you. Everything that happens to you has purpose, and He orchestrates your life so that you might learn the BETTER more influential lessons so that He can lead you to the greater things in life, and build you up to receive untold blessings. Be patient, long-suffering, full of love, and willing to submit to all things that He chooses for you. I know it is all worth it, because I am being changed by Him, because of His Ultimate Sacrifice.

I too love you all! Thank you for listening, and thanks to those who've responded. As Sister Hinckley says it best, "OH how we NEED each other!" I love you all!!!

Best,
Sister Murphy Senior

Hutchinson Forever!

Howdy parddners! Just preparin for the western dance good ol Hutch bout to put on come Fridee. Got to break out the old horse feathers and leather dance booties.

Wait what is the term horse feathers used for? Violins? Eh, sounds westerny to me.. Well HEY! So this past week was totally great! I parted with my dearest companion Sister Christensen which is STILL a major heartbreaker... but we've lived apart for over twenty years, and know we will one day reunite in style! My new comp is super great, she loves to yodel! Sister Prince is obedient and committed and I'm thinkin it's gonna be an amazing transfer! Just like my sisters Chlo and Ken are staying in their areas for so long, I feel like I must have unfinished business here and I gotta figure out what I can do for my Heavenly Father to make up for what I didn't the last couple of transfers.

We ended up teaching a less active of whom we had a profound, sacred lesson with a few months ago, but hasn't displayed any interest in changing, just needed some reminders of his bad behaviors. Well Saturday night we randomly felt impressed to knock on his door again. He was his usual humored and confusing self, and we had to heighten our discerning skills to note which strange comments to respond on and how to relate it with the enabling power of the atonement he is so needing to apply. Surprisingly (well, not so much knowing the Holy Ghost is on our side ;D), he admitted in response to the condemning scriptures we chose that he will be held accountable for his poor decisions and the way it has affected his active wife and children. He also committed to quit drinking coffee (a start to the many addictions), and to read a verse in the BOM daily. He seemed genuinely committed.... and I'm just twitterpated!!! I love the man so much, and Sister Prince and I feel so strongly he is needed to become active in our ward, he just needs to learn by trials of his faith. So pray for Brother Waters if you don't mind!! And our four people on date: Denise, Jeffrey, Angela, Selene. And for our area to keep progressing! Thanks :)

I love watching the emerald grass (not city. I have yet to find Oz) pushing through the ground and livening up the long stretches of Kansan fields. I can't wait to see miles of sunflowers and more bunnies hopping around and families playing outside just waiting for us to scoop em up into the fold of our Savior! I feel collected, I feel humbled, I feel adequately inadequate, I feel excited to keep on being a missionary and just LOVE being obedient and involved in this community and applying the atonement!! I'm just excited! I feel as alive as the gorgeous yellow flowers springing from our yard! 

I can't believe my family is all sprawled out, not a single one of us is in Utah! I hope all is well, I feel like my email is super boring this week, but I'm just in this great progressive mode I think, feeling so strengthened by God, on a nice leveled energy track of work. Thanks for the emails!! I LOVE YOU ALL A BUNCHES!! Keep prepping for General Conference coming up, SO EXCITING!!!

With spirit,
Sister Murphy Senior

Luck O the Irish...

Top o the mornin to ya!! Gotta say the red-headiness has CERTAINLY brought some sweet luck this past week. It was victorious and glorious! My comp is so absolutely fantastic and I'm sad to watch her go to STLville this new transfer but I'm super excited to get a new sister to green this place up!

I want to thank everyone that has so kindly mailed me letters and things! Aunt Lorie and my grandparents, the Relief Society and various great women, some fantastic friends from my old YSA ward and my sweet sweet family. I love you all so dearly and every letter brightens up my whole transfer! I am sorry I delay in response, we have so little time to write letters here! Email is so wonderful for that reason, it is easier and more conversational and I just love all that can email me. Thank you thank you!!

I don't know what is going on in most of your lives but it all seems crazy and challenging but the church is growing so strong and the doctrine is so simple and true. It is great to have such powerful protection and guidance from our Father and Savior! I'm a be short today cuz we gotta prep for new transfers coming up! I love you all and hope your day is lucky ducky!

Best,

Sister Murphy Senior

Mosiah 3:19

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man, and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a little child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

"And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior

shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue and people."

"And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children, only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent."

Spit Take

Last night at our dinner appointment, Brother Bud Richmond covered in tattoos with a deep and burly voice and a soft teddy bear heart guessed automatically that I was O-Positive. What kind of veteran Kansan man guesses a blood type with such ease?? "Gotta know your type!" He says. He also is O-Positive, so we discussed the painful side-affects our type produces. The gurgling acidity was my biggest complaint, and the moment I said so he got up and came back with his arm extended, waiting for me to accept his gift. In my palm dropped a pill. "Omneeoh-so-prol," he said (meaning to say Omeprazol). "Take it."

Being a "greeny" or "hippie" as my comp calls me gets sticky on a mission when  a member urges you to pop a pill. There was no way out, so I gulped it down. "Now you must know the side affects," Bud informed.

"LET'S HEAR IT!" I said bravely, then began to continue drinking water. He pointed at his brow and he began, "increased hair growth between the eyes.." And I spewed water ALL over the remains of dinner in shock.

DON'T WORRY. I have not grown a Unibrow…..Yet. 

Life here in Kansas is excellent. I was becoming unsure I'd say it, but I feel officially that I never want to leave my mission. I am hooked. I am totally and completely committed and despite thinking about my family and friends often and certainly missing the life there, I just never want to leave Kansas.

Elder David A. Bednar appeared for three hours of surreal Q and A in Wichita. As we retired to bed that night we couldn't believe how emotionally and spiritually exhausted we were, "It all feels like it was a dream!" we said. I was sworn to not share a lot of the sacred information we discussed, but I will absolutely share his incredible tactic in teaching that he hopes we adopt as the hastening of the work full-time missionaries. He brought a near-visible powerful spirit along with him. He shared personal experience and simple, true doctrine. He asked us questions and encouraged us to ask him more and more. He told us we are to never write verbatim what an apostle tells, but to listen for our own revelation; to hear the words and feel the clarity of what the Holy Ghost says that goes unsaid. We could even see Elder Bednar as he listened to our comments and qs, he was hearing what we didn't say and sensing what we would never tell. It was unreal. I can't even explain.

One of my biggest revelations was five simple words, and they came as Bednar spoke of I don't remember what, and my mind was flitting through endless memories of my past. I recalled the depths of my sorrows and the endless support that brought me out of it. Near tears I realized, "I had so much help."

I'm not sure why, but the Holy Ghost needs me to understand the vital essence of a working team. This church is all about help, all about a cluster of members each emphasizing a specialized service and duty. It is so beyond necessary to help someone come closer to Christ, it just cannot happen on your own. Heavenly Father wants a personal relationship with each of His children, and we need it, but it is magnified as He sends his angels to bear us up, both in body and spirit. And so the lesson I am sure I have already bore to you dear friends and family is this: that it is our duty to follow the Book of Mormon each time it discusses the purpose of a "church" in Christ's gospel and to mourn with and comfort and encourage and teach and become edified with EVERYONE within your reach. He said boldly that ward council's these days should aim toward getting together, saying a little prayer, and acting upon the following statement. "There were a great many people that didn't make it to church today. Let's go get em!" Which would entail each auxiliary leader immediately venturing out to visit the lost sheep... wowzas.

Lastly, I am forgetting myself. I am so wonderfully and joyfully forgetting myself and going to work. I love being a missionary. I will never ever EVER stop.

I love you all! Hope your week and spring time has been AMAZAZAZING!

Best,

Sister Murphy Senior

Hellllllo from the flat blustery white plains of the K-dub mission!

We are currently experiencing high wind and a chill of -13 degrees. Giddy-up!!

This week was a super boost week, I can't believe what has been happening for me. Have any of you ever experienced a rut, where you KNOW all that is true and all that is great and you are doing the fancy spiritual routine but for some reason you just ain't got that spiritual high? Don't lie to yourself, I know you all have because it happens to all of us practically all the time, being carnal and all. I'm happy to say, thanks to Elder Martino of the seventy and President and Sister Bell and Sister Christensen my faithful comp and this amazing gospel that I've pulled out and am beaming from ear to ear. I put on my armor today, shield of faith, loins of truth, sword of righteousness hoohah!

And the finishing cred goes to the heroic Elder Antonio Banderas. He is one of the spanish-speaking missionaries in Hutch, and is from Ecuador. For the few months I've known him, he has very much struggled to speak English and has been shoved into an all-english speaking area and it appeared to keep him in a frenzy. Yesterday when we attended just sacrament with only 25 Saints present, he stood and bore his eloquent and incredibly simple testimony of the truth of this gospel. He spoke of his challenge to communicate here, and his life-long dream to serve a mission. The power exuding from the truth in his words was unreal, it burst into that small chapel and stilled our souls. I hope I can one day bear testimony that movingly.

Elder Martino taught of Alma and Amulek. He said the latter HAD to be a less-active. It makes sense when you read of the premise of their story, before Alma even went back to Ammonihah. The sermons they passionately presented and the power of the spirit was incredible, and Martino helped us to understand how IMPORTANT member missionaries are. We are so greatly encouraged to have more than half of our lessons with a member, active or not. They have the ability to recall their testimony deep within and relate with the investigator more profoundly than any missionary can. Plus the spiritual satisfaction God blesses us with post-missionary efforts is awakening. Alma knew that when he nurtured and blessed Amulek, and invited him to teach along his side.

I hope that all of you are considering this opportunity, to not only bear witness in daily conversation, but to tag along with full-time missionaries. We need you so desperately! Don't be afraid! Don't feel inadequate! The Lord calls the meek and weak to do His work because they convey a modest testimony in a more powerful way than any scriptorium ever could!

My mom-comp Sister Smartt and I caught up at the conference and she told of me of Elder Nichols, the missionary that changed so many lives in Lake Shawnee Topeka Kansas. She said they talked on and on, the Hills and various families, of the impact he made. AND HE IS MY FRIEND!! I couldn't believe it, so this is a shout out to my good friend Max back at home. You left a legacy here! It's got me thinking about legacies... not Eliza Walker style, but the opportunity we each have, to produce a Godly influence on others.

We had three on date for baptism this past week, and lost them within days. Satan is working strong against us, it takes a village to baptize a soul and we are determined to improve our teaching skills and to boost this ward up in order to do so!

I hope all of you have kept warm both inside and out! I love you and hope you are all doing well and hanging tough! You are all so amazing, I am so grateful to know that I have such an incredible bunch of family and friends back at home to return to one day. You are all so precious to me and I pray for your spiritual growth and love!

Best,

Sister Murphy Senior

PS: Happy belated birthday Grandma Payne!!

Everything in life can be applied to & taken care of by the atonement...

The sun had come out tomorrow and it was gloriously warm! Yay for pre-spring time! The temp will take a nose dive, again, (KS and UT weather are probs total besties) and we can't wait for the sun to torch our souls again come next week. Woohoo! We played soccer all P-day and I just love running around. God was so kind when he gave us legs :)

SO we had crazy experiences last week, again. I'm at last embracing the fact that full-time missionary work is just plain crazy and so roller-coastery. I feel it is like the white coaster at Lagoon because it feels teetery and rickety at the beginning but it gets so powerfully fast towards the end and I wonder why I ever worried we wouldn't make it! And I shout WOOHOO because that same heart fluttering is just so HG! Dually it is emotional because my weaknesses are coming out all unfriendly-like and I'm totally vulnerable to not just my companion but to the world and it is so cool because I feel like Paul in 2 Corinthians 12: "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me...for when I am weak, then am I strong."

So when I'm negatively affecting my surroundings and feeling prideful or wanting control or utterly discouraged, or mourning for the struggles of others, which I feel often, I fall on my knees and just give it up. This is such a sacred lesson and I feel strange putting it into a mass email like this but I feel deeply it is something I must share with my dear family and friends. You, all of you... everything in life can be applied to and taken care of by the atonement. It is so difficult yet so simple. The total highs are thanks to the atonement, the total lows are reaching for it. I hope so much that you are applying that! This is the good news THIS is what we share!!! That we can survive and hope and make it because we know Christ died and lives for us!

I wish I had a particular story to share... I mean we had a lot of good laughs and stuff but there wasn't anything all that iconic. I guess this moment was awesome. "crunch crunch crunch" we heard above and looked to find a ravenous hawk settled on a high tree limb, picking at it's freshly caught dove. The poor prey was nearly as large as the brown hawk was but was being flung toward us in bits and pieces as the hawk devoured. The six of us missionaries with our half-eaten subway sandwiches watched, mortified. After the hawk wiped his beak on the nearby branches and fluttered away, the wind kindly delivered the feathery remains to our doorstep.

Hoohah Kansas city life! Hope you are all doing great and stuff! Hope to hear from you maybe! Love you loads!!!

Best,
Sister Murphy Senior