Jordan Murray : Relative Humidity (April 14, 2014)

Its snowing. NBD.

--Weather Hotline that always has ad's for retirement centers and discounts for Hospitals cause the only people that call that thing anymore are over the age of 75......and us.--

"(Sunday) beautiful day here in Wichita with a high of 78, with winds up to 43 from the North (typical. al.ways.win.dy. try wearing a SKIRT ever.) with relative humidity. Tonight mostly cloudy, light snow, with a high of 38. Tomorrow freeze warning with a low of 28 degrees. Thanks for calling the......"

So yeah. I'm sitting here FREEZING with my SUNBURN I got on SATURDAY when it was NINETY-TWO degrees.......while brushing off SNOW of our car.

Pfff.

Kansas.

Typical.

So this week is literally a blurr. jmurrdablurr style. (ya, went there).

We had 3 exchanges and I don't really know what happened in my own area...and what happened in others.....which made it really hard when we were doing our Church round-up Saturday night....because the days I was here...Sister Runia was gone...vice versa...so it was just all around a confusing time.

BUT we had miracles. The Khim family we have been working with from Cambodia ALL came to Church. (part member family) love.them.

CAROL came to church and gave us all whip-lash with her hee-hawing over getting baptized after seeing the font. "ew, it looks really scary. there's no water. how will i get baptized? it's so enclosed. there's not enough light. HOW WILL I GET DOWN THE STAIRS? will someone drop me? do i have to wear a that suit thing? It would be really special though...but those STAIRS"

BLAH BLAH BLAH woman I'm THIS close to stealing your wheels off and just dumping you in the font.

"Do you really think I would make it over that glass?"

PLEASE pray4her. EVERY NIGHT until Saturday at 10:00 am. AHHHHHHHHH.

Had dinner with this single lady in our ward who is like......a real go-getter.

She feeds us a lot and we're so grateful and she always goes ALL out for us. So i try and help her out by doing the dishes. (She has psycho-analyzed me at least like 4 times cause she used to be a psychiatrist or something-- so she has pegged my OCD-ness. And ALWAYS make sure she mentions it. always.)

So the FIRST time I ate there I did the dishes. Serving the peeps. whatev no big deal.

Next time I come back she's like "NO Sister Murray you can't touch the dishes. just leave them."

WHY I'm like tiny bit offended.

"You don't rinse them off good enough, I'm very particular."

I DONT RINSE THEM OFF GOOD ENOUGH!?!?!?!?!? Do you KNOW who Ruth Brown is!?!?!? Who raised my MOTHER!?!? I don't rinse them OFF good enough???????????????????????

So now I'm major offended. Because i put in my TIME every Thanksgiving washing not even RINSING dishes at Gma-B's because the only thing allowed in the dishwasher is....cups used for orange juice??

But I got over it. Less work I have to do whatever. I'll load.

Next time (i attempt to do the dishes now every time just to get a reaction. Childish. Sue me.)

No Sister Murray.

I am like an EXPERT at rinsing COME ON!

"I don't want you breaking my dishes!"

WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?????

Yeah... last time you broke one of my bowls. Because you loaded the dish washer wrong. Just let me do it.

Loading...not my forte I admit. Ok ok

LAST NIGHT I'm like ok yeah WHATEVER I'll just stack them neatly by the sink and rinse the SILVERWARE literally can't mess that up......until I really just distract myself by talking about family history...look down...mixing bowl that stacked up in sink is now full of water....and its leaking over the side of the sink...down her cabinets....on the floor.....we realize at the same time...no room for recovery...

SISTER MURRAY I SAID NO JUST WALK AWAY...WALK.A.WAY.

I'm like COOL ROOKIE MISTAKE.

So i just started grabbing all the dishes and smashing them on the floor and ripping off her cabinet doors, smearing berries all over white drapes, putting in the forks and spoons in the SAME compartment in the dishwasher. Clean THAT Ms. I-am-the-one-with-OCD.

I'm now only allowed to wipe off the counters.

And oddly this woman really doesn't hate me. She LOVES me??? Asked for an 8x10 picture of me and Sister Runia to put on her fridge. Yeah. #Murrnia

Ok ok, enough about wicked mid-single-adult women who insist on halting my progression as a home-maker.

This is going to be long but I'm typing it all out more for me than for anyone else so sorrynotsorry but top 10 of my mish for sure.

THIS WEEK had the greatest experience on exchanges in Winfield. Little town. Nothing there. Famous for nothing.

LOVE IT. Just opened area for Sisters like 2 months ago.

Driving in to town Sister's like "oh that woman on the billboard is a less active. She sells insurance or something, we NEVER can contact her. It's the worst."

I'm like oh, random fact....moving on.

Next day, LAST hour of the exchange we are in finding mode. Walking down a street and Sister Andersen gets all excited, "there are PEOPLE there, thats Alia's house!! the Less active who is never there!" *crossing street*

Thousands of children/families/family party. Alia's not here yet. She is still at work, she just works down a block on 11th, you can stop by there!

Whaaa?

ok.

So we go over there, we almost chicken out cause we're like this is creepy....? But we go with the "we are new and are assuming you are totally active and will probably give us cookies if we show up at your work" card and go in.

She is on the phone but gets this huge smile on her face talks the small talk for like 30 seconds, we relaize we are hurr to STAY and tell us to wait while she finishes this call.

We wait.

Its awkwardly longer than we wanted. Play with the idea of just pinning our card on her bulletin board and leaving. But prompted to wait it out. Tiny office, no where to run....can only fake read the bulletins on her board for so long......................

FINALLY gets off the phone.

Start talking she's just SO excited, like "cant believe there are missionaries here! I grew up here, used to have the missionaries over ALL the time! Totally bringing me back."

Million inspired questions later about random facts about her family find out they have all moved away to Arizona. And she just went back to visit last week because her Dad just passed away pretty suddenly. She starts crying. Know he's in a better place...

I know, its just so crazy, he had a mormon service and it just brought back so many memories. i've been away from the church for a long time.

Why?

Well I got pregnant before I was married, they almost excommunicated me, it was all handled so poorly, my husband was introduced to the church that way, really rubbed him the wrong way, never went back.

(something we learned from Elder Nash when he visited our mission) "As missionaries we are set apart and called to represent Jesus Christ. As his representatives we want to apologize on behalf of the Church for the way you were treated. The church is perfect, but the people aren't. The Lord loves you enough to send us to you right now to tell you that."

TEARS everywhere. Told her it was no coincidence we randomly showed up to her work after so many years, right after her Dad passed away, know he has a big part in it.

She's like I KNOW! I know, i really need to get back.

See you on Sunday.

It literally was like the best feeling in the world. Can't describe it. We had just had the most revelatory zone conference the day before all about our purpose and getting out of the way and the importance of our calling, how GREAT it is to be a missionary, and here we were, exercising that! When will i EVER get an opportunity like that again, to literally be the Saviors hands in His work. An official representative. We all represent Him as members of His Church, but not in this same way. Being a missionary is unlike any other calling where you physically are representing Him, badge and all.

I don't think it was until that moment I realized WHY all my friends I am going home with are starting to feel the pressure of our time coming to an end, all trying to extend and savor our last stretch as a missionary. I finally get why they never want to go home. I get it! Best months of your life FOR sure.

Kansas is da best.

Love you all.

SISTER MURR

PHOTOS

1. Photoshoot on the way back from Winfield. Straight Kansas ish.