.....and THEN (December 16, 2013)

ok MERRY CHRISTMAS! Oh shoot....not Christmas yet.

 

IT IS FOR ME! Since I didn't have a comp I just happened to (literally) happened to be at EVERY. WARD. CHRISTMAS. PARTY. we had here at our building, it was AWESOME. 

 

THEN we had this Stake Concert thing this past weekend that we invited like a crap load of people to....caroled around and gave out invites. 

THEN.................................went to the concert....................it was like wow....really....go..ood.....they had an ORCHESTRA that was all volunteers from the Stake....and they were putting on the MESSIAH. So yeah-like the hardest instrumental parts ever......put on by a volunteer orchestra/band.....MOST of which were middle school students learning their instrument for the first time......

Ok ok and THEN they put "sing-along" on the invitation...so all of our investigators are thinking like "ok....Rudolph and Jingle Bells....."

NOT Rudolph and Jingle Bells...

like grab your score and sing-a-long to "Rejoice" recicitative???

UM.

AND THEN we are sitting in the back, and this random like BRASS BAND appears on the stage and starts playing so you can't even hear ANYTHING but you're supposed to sing along.

AND THEN.

Sister Harris passed out.

Had to call an ambulance.

She was too stubborn to go to the hospital.

Woke up out of her like over-whelming spirit comma and saw all these missionaries that used to serve here that were here for the concert and was like "oh! my babies!!" So the EMT's were like..ok yeah she has brain damage.

THEN had to explain "no, she just thinks that these finely-dressed white people are her CHILdren.

 

AND THEN ended the week with.....................GETTING A COMPANION!!!! Sister Beuchert. Served around her back in Topeka so it will be FABULOUS! She's great and so excited to finally not have to rover around the zone because its dang EXHAUSTING!

But yay, Merry Christmas!!!!

Oh ya, and Judy sang in the choir. IMAGINE.

I know.

 

OK LOVE YOU ALL BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Love,

Sister Murray

 

SHOUT OUTS:

SAMUEL DAVID ROSEN! letter. so classic.

MARCHELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL finally got it after Indian Jones adventure tracking it around the mission. THANK CHU

Sis Reeves. LOVEDIT!

 

Boots and Cats. (December 11, 2013)

Where.To.BEGIN.

 

FIRST off....well this week we had a bunch of meetings and exchanges so I was in my own area..........like never. So THAT sucked...but other than that things were swell.

 

So for MLC's this month one of the trainings they want us to give was being more consecrated to the work....so President came in and acted like he had just gotten this letter from the first Presidency about the influx of missionaries and having to cut everyones missions down by 6 months starting Jan 1st. I didn't buy it for ONE second considering he is the WORST liar of all time (which is a good thing..........aka cant keep a secret EVER we know things like waaaay too far in advance haha LOVE IT) ANYWAY Elders were like freaking out, he let it go for like 1 minute and then started laughing. Cover blown.

 

ANYWAY fast forward 2 days when we are all doing our Zone Trainings, he sent out a VOICEMAIL for us to use which was way better because you couldn't see his face.  SO my Zone Leaders decide to spice it up bought like those tear drops that make you cry?? Made me play it when we're doing our "Housekeeping" items at the beginning of the meeting while they rubbed their eyes with the stuff...hilar since Elder Lee's started like burning his eyes?? and Elder Page is just like so over-loaded on tears people are like whoa what the. Emotional.  --- OK WHOLE ROOM GOES UP IN ARMS. Sisters are like bawling, some Elders are crying??? And the ZL's made me swear I would not give up "da jig" until they said. OMG painful. I had to put up my folder to not laugh because I was like UM WHAT THIS IS SO MEAN.

So- disaster strikes when 2 of the other zones SENT out the voicemail the night before the training to really freak people out....missionaries started texting EVERYONE members started telling their parents back home....got out in Utah...parents are calling the mission office like cray? SALT LAKE IS CALLING!?!?!

Priceless. TOTALLY worth it...we had the most intense training on "get up and go to work" because people were FEELIN IT!

Except the token Elder when we told them it was joke who had only been out like 6 months was CRUSHED that he still had to serve 2 years.

 

I realized how AWESOME my ward in Lawrence truly was...aka we don't go to Ward Council or anything in this Ward because we really do have a bomb WML so he represents us pretty good.  But i'm telling the missionaries how we used to go to Ward Council every week and then PEC every week too in Lawrence.....and they're like "oh, you mean the Elders went?"

No we did.

WAIT like WE went to PREISTHOOD executive meeting...like every week....and somehow I didn't realize how FULLY awesome that was until NOW!?!?! I mean like...def the only females....like ever....because its the Preisthood....like when is my ordination lets get this rolling.....sign me up for Deacons quorum.... whaa???

 

WHAT am I saying my mind is going like a million miles a minute because ALL I want to do is 1- sleep and 2- go outside and ICE SKATE on the roads. Legit yesterday and today has been so cold that everything is PURE ICE like no snow. Just ice skating rinks everywhere. IT. IS. SO. FUN. I die. It's so bizarre but love it.

 

Helped our Less Active Christy clean out her apartment (she moved so sad) and um wow............well she is a chain smoker so everytime we leave people think we are breaking the W.O.W. because its SO strong in there. But she also is like.........not the cleanest....aka not clean at all. So just STUFF everywhere....like shoved in corners ....like imagine Kendel "cleaning" her room where she just wads stuff up and tucks it in corners?? Yeah like that except adult version. So I just start throwing stuff away I just have to TELL her why she doesn't need it and she's fine. "No Christy....you don't need this cut out Babies-R-Us magazine because 1-you don't have a baby and 2- its from 2007..."

UNTIL.....pull out random rock out of a mug randomly shoved in her cupboard...

"ok throwing this out---"

"NO! that's a keepsake."

"but its a ... rock?"

"Yeah....but its special"................................................-turns around hides in coffee can think I didn't see it-........

Yeah love her.

 

So many classic moments this week...so little time.

I'll end with a few weeks ago right before transfers this lady in the ward NO one had met before called me while on exchanges and invited us to her husbands "concert" at the Church where they had invited a bunch of non-members they wanted us to meet we're like UM YES!?!? What is the concert? "oh it's just like hymn arrangements my husband has done on the piano"

Sold. Me and all the missionaries will be there!

Show up, Elders are there waiting outside the door just like stunned look on their face. Elder Holbrook is DYING so confused.

Peek in.....SO.MANY. COLORFUL. STAGE LIGHTS.

Random digital cameras set up everywhere on tri-pods recording these masterpieces.

(elders) "We've been waiting for like 12 minutes for the song to end to walk in......but it...never ends"

So we just walk in. Awkwardly pick from the 20 empty chairs.....there are like 12 people there....I counted......

"Well...thank you all so much for coming out to DATE NIGHT...."

...............................................................-silence-.........................................

Like slow motion Elders turn around with the most shocked look.

OK SORRRRRY just hold out till this song ends.....

(concert guy) "I wasn't expecting so much time left so I'm just going to improv now on my keyboard...."

cue 23 minute song that somehow includes synthesizer alien landing sounds?? ALL people there are maybe over the age of 95.....except this man and his wife...they're like 50.

HAS THE PICTURE BEEN PAINTED!?!?! I am like crying laughing trying to hold it in because I'm looking at all of these missionaries who are SO uncomfortable wanting to die...but we're sitting right in front of the all the weird digital cameras on tripods recording this concerto that I can't get up and leave.....it's Elder Holbrooks companions last night on the mish EVER......thought this would be a good last huzzah proselyting opportunity......

FINALLY ends...lady gets up to give closing prayer......CRYING over how beautiful this master pianist has just expressed his testimony through song.........................................................................

Non-members didn't.even.show.

OMG ended last transfer off with a bang.

 

LOVE YOU ALL!

 

Love,

Sister Murray

 

PICS:

 

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  1. It's like a "thing" to decorate your planner which I'm SO not in to.... but this Hispanic Elder has made it like his calling on earth to decorate everyone's ever....his latest creation. #dying

 2. JUDY knit the Zone Leaders matching ties per request...so we matched for Zone Training....pretty much sums up our relationship.

 3. Our investigator Jaclyn came to our Christmas party with her FAM and oh how obsessed I am with all of her 3 million children...this is Shayla and Lai-Lai age 5 and 4 and they taught me the most hood-rat like hand slapping rhyme in the WORLD videos too big or I would send it.

 4. Mama Harris BEST.EVER. She'll kill me that I sent this but SO CLASSIC.

R-Kansas (November 4, 2013)

OK BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE.

I just rigured something out. There are all these references here to this thing "R-Kansas" like R-Kansas City, R-Kasnas River etc. etc. I'm like "huh....that's a stupid name."

NOT.

Just looked at a map........its ARKANSAS RIVER, ARKANSAS CITY, but since we live in KANSAS they pronounce it Ar-Kansas

Im like HOW MUCH DO I LOVE YOU PEOPLE RIGHT NOW??

Best.

 

Ok we have a pretty cray day so sorry this will suck.

 

OK EVEN WORSE just ran out of time because we had some visa waiter whos got their visas so we have this tradition where we wrap them off and say "ship me to Brazil" so we had to do that and I must say mine was the BEST!

 

So more next week I KNOW I SUCK.

Next week is transfers and I'm staying here #perksofPrezbeinginyourward

but my comps are both leaving me! SO AH

 

OH we went to the Temple!!! IT WAS AMAZE LOVED LOVED LOVED everyone within the sound of my voice GO to the Temple for me because WOW SUCH A BLESSING to be able to go!!!

 

LOVE YOU ALL

mucha mucha mucha (my comp is learning Spanish MORE on that next week)

love

me.

 

JEN STRINGHAM YOU ARE THE GREATEST sent Mama Harris a Temple pic and it is ON HER MANTLE IN THE CENTER.

MOTHER everyone LOVESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS you. the Conference notebooks are PERF brings me so much joy when everyone whips it out in a meeting i'll take pics!

 

PICS.

1.JUDY GRADUATING FROM TAEKWANDO SCHOOL #rofl

 

2.Cleaning out a HORSE stable from cobwebs #nightmare

Yo Mama's a Jailbird (October 28, 2013)

Mama Harris.

IN JAIL.

went.to.JAIL. LIKE LITERAL JAIL.

 

omg omg omg OK FROM THE TOP.

 

Refresher: she is the 78-year-old woman who calls us her "chill-drun" and is a quaritkan (quarter African but really she looks black??)

OK so her REAL kids disowned her when she started meeting with the missionaries so thus adopting the entire mission as her own family (literal). Like she's already given me things from her house....like from her will........WHAT THE. #loveit

SO she goes down to Texas (Dallas--where she is from) to try ONE last time to make contact with her kids.

O btw her bestie is a 78 year old man named Ferrell who lives in Dallas. and they are NOT in love. #secretlytheyareiSWEAR but they talk all the time.

 

Ok so we ship her off, gave her some Etta James CD's for the car ride down she DIED (she loves her) don't hear from her for a few days........(not normal)

Wake up to a call "YO MAMA IS A JAILBIRD!!!"

 

Turns out Bonnie and Clyde aka Joann and Ferrell were walking up to her kids house, they call the POLICE and tell them that these people are STALKING them (don't mention it is their MOTHER) they HANDCUFF HER Ferrell is somehow face down in the DIRT.... HER WIG FALLS OFF (she's basically bald) ......Ferrell is using a WALKER yet somehow these policemen are WRESTLING them!?!?

#onthenews

MADE THE 10:00 DALLAS NEWS! like replayed 3 different times.

GOT A LAWYER to get the video taken down (which we were HEART BROKEN over because I am dyyyyyying to see it.

All this on Ferrell's 78th Birthday.

 

Anyway kids came to bail them out cause they were like oh....yeah that was our Mom #oops (even though they TOTALLY knew) seriously PSYCHOS

 

Anyway....had to get worse until it got better....? because they are on speaking terms and are now coming for Christmas.

 

But her and Ferrelll went to see the Dallas Temple and this returned missionary from Uganda took them on a little tour (she is IN LOVE with him)

(Talking on the phone with her)

"Oh mmmmyyyy!! Baby iss beautiful! I'm lookin up at thu Cathedral...the steeple! Why iss Joseph Smith up there blowin on a horn! .....juss beautiful....you know he the most handsome man in the whole world? the most.handsome. I just love that Joseph Smith......."

"--No, no Mama that is MORONI he is an angel.....not Joseph Smith...although yes yes he is handsome......yes second most handsome after Jesus........."

 

HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE HER. Seriously people she LOVES mail from anybody, so SEND HER A LETTER. With pictures. She keeps them all in an album .... so funny.....never even met half of these people but she acts like they are her family.

 

OK Judy story of the week:

When she told us about the time a big man tried to steal her FANNYPACK. (old man gruff voice mixed with German accent) "Hey lady--give me your fanny pack"

OMG tears. of joy. I wish I had it on FILM...but I don't. So instead you can have the picture that is displayed huge on her wall of her graduating some sort of Taekwondo competition.

Also .....told us this random fact that in the German language they have an extra set of thousand zero'ed  numbers called "Milliarde"....."I've written it into Jeopardy six times and they won't use it!"

 

So we start reading the Book of Mormon with her (somehow the other Sisters didn't tell her Jesus came to AMERICA .....so she died over that and we resurrected her faith)....so we're reading in 3 Nephi about the "turning the other cheek" ---shes full of fun facts as she pulls out "well actually the Greek translation SHOULD have been 'turn your cheek and back hand them' *doing the motion*"

"...........hmm....um actually..........no."

 

We started teaching this lady who lives in a REST HOME. I know.

So we are on exchanges and this sweet sweet Sister just loooooooves to pray. Like every prayer before lessons ANYTHING ...........like 5 minutes long. not.lying. at one point we are just praying real quick before a lesson.....next thing you know 5 minutes later she is STILL praying....we are late......"and now i'd just like to thank thee for our testimonies...let us ponder on how we can build them...nurture them"

HOW ABOUT BY TEACHING THE LESSON WE WERE SUPPOSED TO 5 MINUTES AGO.

But really. LOVE HER.

 

So Sister Marathon-Prayer is with us teaching Ramona RestHome.  Her roommate who hates us because she is Jewish comes in and throws Ramona an ice cream sandwich (this is the room they share in which has a POSTER on the door saying "DYRYT--did you remember your teeth?"

Thank...you...Alice....?

So she tries eating it to be nice without her teeth in...its melting all over....we're like lets just end with a prayer REALLY QUICK because your sandwich......its melting.....

"I will say it..." -Sister Marathon-Prayer #nevaaaa

23 minutes later.....I peek my eyes open (OK OK YES I AM AN APOSTATE MISSIONARY we're over it) and there is Ramona.... like sneaking bites of her ice cream sandwich....I will forever have that image engraven upon my brain for an instant pick me up. So classic.

 

Lastly a less active who is like GOLDEN (if she hadn't been baptized 4 years ago...and then forgot!) she is so sweet....a chain smoker......and also forgets her teeth on occasion.......

Go over for lesson "I'm so sorry.....but I think i'm going into a sugar comma....."

Oh...ok.....we'll just read...?

Look over- not sure if we she is like King Lamoni and we just killed her with the Spirit... or.....? #sleeping

"We'll let ourselves out then......."

 

LOVE YOU ALL! you bless-ed bless-ed chiiiild.

 

Love

Sister Murray

 

SHOUTOUTS! so.much.love.

MOTHER!! pullin through for the win GOT THOSE CONFERENCE BOOKS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!changingourlives OBSESSED and got the picture AND got my skirts! THANK YOU THANK YOU

ok whoa. PETI TAYLOR!?!?! #loved THANKK YOU!!!!

TOLLMANS!?????????????????? loved loved LOVED

JEN!!!!!!!!! loved your updates!!! so much to respond to!!!

SUMSIONS!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!! can't believe you are so Holy with TWO missionaries....LOVE IT

S. Reeves! Loved the update.

SMASHLEY PACK!!!!! NEPAL!?!?!? DONT DIE I think you are there now....so UPDATE ME

Wi-Cheetah (January 6, 2014)

WUD UP.

Still in Wichita. 6 degrees outside. NBD.

 

A few New Years Resolutions for me:

 

-DO NOT buy another Pinata............................(its President's birthday tomorrow and Sister Bell's on Friday..............our Zone Conference is tomorrow......................................so YA SOME PINATAS WERE PURCHASED. big deal. They were on SALE how could I resist??? The Assistants were like .....wait WHAT did you buy!?!?!? #forcingthemtoincludeitintheconference #UPDATES2COME

 

-Become a professional stalker. Our investigator in the wheelchair Carol FELL on Wednesday and was on the ground for SIX hours until she threw something to make the phone fall and called 911............BUT to us....she was ignoring our calls. So finally showed up at her house.....the door was all banged in...mail hadn't been checked....million unreturned voicemails.......and it LITERALLY was like Sherlock Holmes like whole scene played out in my mind of her falling....EMT's breaking down door..no one to get her mail....a few phone calls later found her at the hospital. I'm like WHO AM I??!? I'm AWESOME! SIGN ME UP ROBERT DOWNY JR. 

 

-Begin a new Key Indicator called "Lessons taught to Nurses against their-will". We've been to the hospital like every day since we found Carol because POOR LADY I think she got a concussion because she couldn't remember any ones number so she was like trapped at the hospital with out ANY ONE knowing because she couldn't get a hold of anyone. ANYWAY first time we visited her she was all dressed trying to leave because she didn't want to be there anymore...asked me to steal a wheelchair in the hallway and she would pull out her IV's while we were gone.....haha DYING. But she has a staff of like 40 nurses because she is CRAZY so every time one walks in "YEAH SO ANYWAY about that Book of Mormon how it is ANOTHER TESTAMENT OF JESUS CHRIST!".........."Ask us again how you get to the Celestial Kingdom?" #WINNING

 

-Enter a circus.....................or become a Wizard. This poor member who is young married couple...pregnant....was trying to move in and paint her new house all by herself because NONE of her friends would help. So went over....on exchanges with Sis Browning (native American from Provo went to Timpview! LOVE HER...shes like a real life anime character, like FACIAL EXPRESSIONS EVERYTHING) NEVER PAINTED BEFORE EVER....so like....lots of coaching involved......we are painting a STAIRWELL. yeah. Kill me. 1920s house. Steps are like 3 inches wide because apparently in the 20's they all had size 1 feet. So we get to the top where the ceiling is really high and the stairs....are....not? (following?) and we can't reach....tried to balance a stool on one of the steps...almost died.....................only one solution. "Sis. Browning get on my shoulders." Like what I was thinking I will never know......last time I had someone on my shoulders was maybe.....................................like 4th grade...in a pool......soo.......................................like swerving all over the place trying to figure out how the heck to balance....anime character on top freaking out flinging around a paint brush....can't really respond to any questions being asked by pregnant house-owner because can't get air laughing so hard...........Spirit is real and somehow amidst the chaos we look up and the wall is painted. #champions

 

-Become a professional maze-maker....? Had Zone Training on Friday. Wichita Zone (our neighbors) had like this unbelievably choreographed music video with a zebra head they showed at their training last month?? So we could NOT be one upped so....like so many games and activities included this month..and it was AWESOME. But we decided to do a maze on the stage........(talking about goal setting and seeing the end at the beginning to make a plan with goals etc.)........................most intricate maze we could make with chairs, tables, and chalkboard...velvet curtains.......pitch black..... tiny little key chain flashlight colored in with sharpie only thing they could use.......................................chaos. Just running around with butterfly nets trying to contain all of the commotion....make sure no one DIES falling off of the stage................................but I'd say we made our point pretty clear. PLAN ahead.....by planning ahead your maze.

 

HAPPY NEW YEARS. Ended off the week being punked by the DL who came to dinner with us at Judy's on Saturday............nightmare. I started WWIII when I told her E. Budge LOVED grean beans coked in vinegar with fake bacon bits so to give him double. Told me as we were leaving that her cat had worms and was rubbing its butt all over my purse..............................................................................#sterilization

................#stillnotsureifhewaskiddingorserious.....................................................WEGOTWORMS (Dumb&Dumber quote....CANT RESIST!)

 

YAYY 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounded like the cabin was a total FLOP!!! jk. Felt like I was right there with you reading all of the goals!! LOVED IT! Forgot my journal because I was going to send you my bad habits I burned and Goals I set on new years but next week!!

 

LOVE YOU ALLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Love,

Sister Murray

 

SHOUT OUT: (singular)

SMASH!! Loved your letter YOUR MOVING TO THE PROMISED LAND aka BIBLE BELT!! I have so many missionary tools for you to apply. CANT WAIT.

 

PICS:

 

1. REAL LIFE- all the hospitals here are owned by this Catholic company......yeah........#parkedthere

2. Wild and Crazy New years party!!! ............................... #10:03pm

3. Dinner. Judy is holding the wormed cat. VOM. JONATHON your new husband is Elder Budge...he is the blonde. <3 BETROTHED.

4. Joss's betrothed and the anime at dinner. CURDLED MILK. expired Oct 1........"whats in this pie Judy?"........."2 cups of milk".............................#unisongag

NEW YURR. Last of 2013 RIP (January 4, 2014)

1.       How was your Christmas?  What did you do after caroling? 

After Caroling, visited some peeps, had dinner with this curazy family! But it was awesome....read some nativity stuff totes the most christmas.

2.       Who are these investigators you had lined up to baptize? Hadn’t much about them yet.

We had Jaclyn and D'Juan (little hoodrats) but it was a bunch of investigators in our zone that i did exchanges with so had taught them a few times!!

3.       Are you warm enough when you are out and about?

TOTES warm enough. We are spoiled and have a full time car since we are STL's so NOT a prob. We try and walk as much as we can when we're out and about but the weather here is ridiculous, 13 degrees christmas eve, 56 christmas day. CRAY.

 

Ok. Questions=answered.

Well, LOVED talking to ya'll christmas!

• Went caroling= GREATEST. we all went in the mission van....literally just like attacking people. Like freaky polygamist van pullin up to your front door. Missionaries falling out like cockroaches in a wall (but the good kind....). FREAKED some people out, but also had like the MOST SUCCESS EVER!?!?! started at the gas station fillin up, one elder had a uke so he played and people LOVED it, literally all of us got at least one new investigator (went to everyones areas) and just found like CRAZY!! It was so great.
• Elder De Leon was driving, almost ran over a puppy. Picked it up. Car drives by, "what is that"? "puppy." I'll take it! "ok." SOOOO Elders basically stole a puppy and then GAVE it to a random person!?!?!? #weactuallyfeelsogiultyaboutit #crap #nocollar
• Felt so creepy in the van, drove by someone walking on street, slowed down and STRAIGHT UP GAVE OUT CANDY FROM A VAN! #fulfilledourdreams #insta-creeped
• Christmas day brought Carol to our dinner appointment, she's in a wheelchair...........didn't realize that this persons house is like split level, stairs everywhere......so she's like pull me up backwards..............overestimated my strength..........almost killed her.....goes flying forwards....luckily angels and Sis Beuchert were there to save her but WOW. Merry Christmas......#oops
• On the way home (got crazy unique permission to drive her) this is a nice car...do you take it drag racing? #shes68 um.....no. Yeah...we did that in highschool..it was fun. SO nonchalant...WUT.
• JUDYS BAPTISM so much opposition right before ALWAYS. this time it came in the form of a 1 pound thing of yarn.....knotted up. Night before baptism. COULDNT. EVEN. GET. A. WORD. IN. "no- have to un-do this" CRAZY contention...somehow we are like SO tangled in yarn...everywhere...stupid cats rolling around in the stuff we un-did AHHH.
• BUT SHE GOT BAPTIZED
• it was awesome.
• Inapropes all over. BUT SHE DID IT! pics to come. GREATEST DAY EVER.
• Sis Harris's friend gave her a blood pressure cuff for Christmas (which she was totes not happy about) but i LOVED it. greatest christmas ever. #florencenightingale #tookmybplike40times #pluseveryoneelses

MURRAY CHRISTMAS HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014 AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HAVE SO MUCH AT THE CABIN YUH LIL WEIRDOS!!! Have chest bumps galore, lots of tradish's, and FINISH THE PUZZLE! I HAVE FAITH IN YOU CYNTHIA!!

 

LOVE YOU ALL SEE YA ON THE FLIP!

 

xoxox

Sister Murray

 

BUCKLE IN:

SHOUT OUTS! so ridiculously blessed I am spoiled rotten. LITERALLY. LOVE YOU ALLL SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!! BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!!!

MOTHER- ALL OF THE GIFTS!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO GREATTTTTTTTTTTTT!! loved loved it ALLLLL

STRINGHAM/DIANA- THE SKIRT!?!?!?!? LOOOOOOOOOVED!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU

BOHANNON- that necklace!! SO PERFECT! i love it!! wear it all the time!!

BRUMMER- YOUR WHOLE PACKAGE!! LOVED LOVED!! so excited to get home and read your BOOK THANK YOUUUUUUUUU

BURDGE-AHHH THE SKIRT IS SO CUTE I LOVE IT THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! LOVE YOU!

SUMSION- AHHHHHHHHHHHso great to hear from your cute missionary's LOVE YOU THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING

HAY HERNAN-BRAD-YUH KIDDIN ME!?!?!?! TOO.NICE. LOVED IT ALLLLLLLLL wore your green sweater THAT. DAY. THANK YOU LOVEEEEEEE YOU

NASH-CUTEST CARD EVER.

G. BROWN- YOU LOOK SO GREAT! LOVED THAT CARD!

BOB n BEV-THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATES! have so much fun in Palm Springs LOVE YOU

COLLINS- CUTEST CHRISTMAS CARD EVER!! LOVED IT!!! THANK YOUUUUUUUUUU

ENGEBRETSEN- LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!

GRACE!- DYINGGGGGGGGGG/every sister missionary here dying over all the invitations! THANK YOU THANK YOU LOOOOOOOOOOOOVED

WESTON-THANK YOU FOR THE CUTE CARD!! LOVE YOU BOTH!!!

SMASH PACK- UM!?!?!?!?!?!?!? YESSSSSSSSSSSS made me want to go to where ever the heck you were so bad!!! SERIOUSLY LOVE YOU THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!

KRUEG'S CHRIS. (December 23, 2013)

Yeah. Mr. Kerugers Christmas. HAVE YOU SEEN THAT!??????????????

Investigator Carol. How much do I love her!?!

Showed up and gave her a bunch of Christmas DVD's (ps the office Elder in charge of supplies, $$$$MONEY$$$$$ he ordered like 3 million different Christmas video selections to give out when we go caroling!?!?!?! champ)

ANYWAY after passing out probably like 300 million copies to random strangers telling them how AWESOME this vid is--come back to Carols later she had already watched Mr. Kreugers Christmas and was like "want to watch it with me? I'm dying to see it again" we had never seen it so we're like sure?

OMG.

OMG

FIRST of all. THIS WAS MADE IN THE LIKE 1900s????? And you watch it and you sit back and think, "wait....................WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?!?" Like literally. what.even.happened.

One moment guy from Its a Wonderful Life is conducting the MoTab choir.....next thing you know Farrah Fawcett and her cronies are dancing around a Christmas Tree on temple square....then this ADORABLE little blondie steals the baby Jesus from the nativity set....................and its over!?!?!?!?!!?!?

Anyway...even after ALL of that.

I STILL CRIED.

It's so tender because mainly I thought about all of the people that REALLY WILL have a Christmas experience like that. No one at home. All alone. Happiness at the mercy of random carolers.  ALL OF YOU GO FIND THOSE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!! breaks.my.heart.

IN OTHER NEWS.

Crazy week full of crazy amounts of snow BUT ended it off with Presidents Devotional last night.

Judy.

Comes.

The beginning is set for recent converts to bear their testimonies but since the weather, cancelled church and time change of the devotional they just kind of "time is yours" thing for the recent converts who were invited there to speak, but no set order.

After two incredibly powerful testimonies.

JUDY STANDS.

my heart DROPS.

Eyes go directly the Assistants like MAKE IT STOP but Elder De Leon just gives this look like ....wait....should I stop this???

But too late...........

My heart is in KNOTS because we have like 5 SOLID investigators who are on the verge of baptism already have dates but Satan working incredibly strong on our mission because we are trying to hit our Noche Blanca goal and we are THREE SHORT!!! so everyone is like ON EDGE this is the MOMENT that is supposed to seal the deal.

"My name is Judy Mills, and I am NOT a member of this Church. I grew up in Germany where I didn't know anyone who wasn't Catholic. Came to America and........"

all the same stories how she went to this Bible College that changed her life converted her to Christianity. Great story....but doesn't convert people to the restored truth.

She is bringin the house down because she is just funny by nature talking about how she is one of God's spoiled rotten little brats being able to go to the Bible College AND THEN

"........and it was the greatest thing I could have ever done in my life, second to meeting the missionaries and deciding to be baptized in to the Latter Day Saint Church this Saturday at 11:00 am if you want to come."

TEARS. The Assistants are just like grinning at me, Zone Leaders texting me off the hook, District Leader trying to get my attention wondering why we haven't had an interview yet, BUT I DIDNT EVEN CARE.

Because in that moment, my heart was so full of love for HER. It's like the flood gates had opened and she FINALLY felt the power of the Spirit, and she recognized it, and WANTED it!

SURE she did it a little backwards, aka we are SCRAMBLING to try and make it actually happen on her self-proclaimed baptismal date, and yeah we went over to go over the baptismal questions the night before with her and instead she fed us SHRIMP stir-fry!?!?!?!?!?! but I knew in that INSTANT as she bore her testimony with her fanny pack that no matter HOW crazy, the Lord wanted HER in His Church. He NEEDED her to receive that ordinance, he was aware of HER and HER needs, and most importantly He loved ME and HER and the whole ROOM enough to let us experience a MIRACLE.

BLESSINGS!

so much more I want to say but LITERAL CHAOS as a Sister is leaving to go home today and we are all over the map.

BUT WHO CARES!?!?! I'll talk to you soon! AH!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

SO MANY CHRISTMAS SHOUTOUTS I AM WAITING UNTIL NEXT WEEK BUT I FEEL SO SO SO SO INCREDIBLY LOVED BY ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU 1 MILLION TIMES THANK YOU FOR BEING THE BEST FRIENDS AND FAMILY LITERALLY IN THE WHOLE WORLD. Or the Whole KANSAS WICHITA MISSION WORLD! LOVE YOU!

Love,

Sister Murray

MERRY CHRISTMAS=pictures of Judy. My sweater she made me. Her in overalls. her and her cat that she calls a different name every day and her bike.