last week in mtc!!!

Hi everyone!

I only have two more days then I leave for Iowa! I am so excited! I have already paccked and sent boxes to Iowa full of books and letters. hehe. I am just doing my last loads of laundry at the MTC. SO symbolic I know.

This was a good week. Highlights included: going shopping outside of the MTC in Provo! My companions and I got special permission and we got an excort. I think she was annoyed with us because we went to too many stores. But I found nice walking shoes for Iowa and a nice blue skirt and matching jacket from Sister Missionary Mall. Wahoo!! It was kind of weird for us to leave our "bubble" at the MTC. People like to stare at missionaries with name tags on at the stores. Wednesday will be culture shock for sure leaving here for good.

Sunday was my birthday! I am the big 21 now. Good times. Thanks for the cards and presents in the mail! I waited and opened them all Sunday morning. I felt like a little girl, wearing my pink birthday tiera my mom sent me while opening my cards. My companions dared me to wear the tiara to breakfast in the cafeteria and ofcourse I obliged. I got some stares but lots of "happy birthdays!" The day got better because we got to participate in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple dedication. It was a special few hours for us missionaries to listen to the Prophet and Apostles dedicate the Temple!! Sunday night, as a district we cut my birthday cake (gluten-free! thanks mom) that my special diet cook had made for me and we opened up the rootbeers Dad sent me (thanks dad). It was so fun! My district president (who reminds me of Bompy) and his wife along with my class sang "Feliz Compleanos". Wahoo! Then to top it off...that night at the fireside, Elder Holman and Elder Clegg from my class sang at the fireside in front of all the missionaries! My class got to sit front row right in front of them. I was so stoked because they have beautiful voices!

Today has been a bit stressful. Going to the Temple was a relief because there isnt one in my mission area...but we will travel occasionally to the ones surrounding Iowa. Everyone from my class (including my companions) leave tomorrow morning except Elder Holman and me. I will have one day with my new companion, Hermana Hadley..she is one of my roomies.

Wednesday at the SLC airport I will see my mommy and at the Phoenix airport I will see Daddy, Heidi and Tommy (my district president said it was ok!) I am so excited! Then once I get to Iowa my mission president will be there to greet Elder Holman and me. He is happy we are coming! He e-mailed me and said he is counting down the days for us to arrive. He gave me permission to see Nanny and Bompy in Iowa if the timing fits. Thatll be cool!

This will be a crazy week of adjustment to a new home, companion and environment...but I know Heavenly Father will be there to help! Thank goodness I am not alone in this work. My third companion is the Holy Ghost! :)

I love you all and hope to hear from you soon in Iowa!

-Hermana Murphy

caitlyn this week!!!

Hi everyone! 

So this week was pretty sweet. lets see...same old same old. lots of studying and stuff. I am so excited...I go to Iowa on the 26th!!! :) I am so excited about leaving! I cant wait to share the Gospel with real investigaters! Enough of this role play investigater stuff! Real business! haha Cant wait! 

Highlights of this week include...talking to some real investigaters on the phone about the Book of Mormon- I cant believe how much spanish I can understand. Speaking it is a bit tougher- but once I start testifying the Spirit directs me and I make sense. Wahoo! 

Another funny thing that happened was that an Elder from my district ran into another Elder while playing softball,,,pe gets intense and he had to go to the emergency room! He is ok, after 10 stiches later. 

Other than that, just preparing to go and cram my spanish... this is a very big adventure. 

-Hermana Murphy

latest from hermana murphy...

Hola! I just got back from the Temple. It was amazing! :) Mondays are my favorite because we get to go to the Temple and I get to e-mail with my family. I love them so much and miss them. 

This week flew by! The highlight of my week was speaking in Relief Society yesterday. I got to share my conversion story in front of all the sisters at the MTC! Much anticipation..I was nervous but once I got up to the mic, I relaxed and felt the Spirit. I love talking about my conversion, it really makes me happy and I am so grateful to have found the Gospel! Afterwards, many sisters came up to me and said I inspired them to go out and serve! That made me feel satisfied. I tried to connect my experience to the missionaries at the MTC, explaining how my sister missionaries made such an impact in my conversion and the power of the Holy Ghost. I talked a lot about my Sister, Jill and how she influenced me to want to strengthen my relationship with God. 

Other than that, my week was the same as always. Lots of Spanish and Gospel studying. We started teaching The Plan of Salvation in Spanish. Teaching the Gospel in a foreign language is so hard! I am thankful for prayer because I wouldnt be able to do it on my own. 

take care! 

hermana murphy

News from the MTC...

HI everyone! 

This week was pretty busy. We taught all in Spanish again. Yeah! It is getting better...slowly. Teaching the Gospel in another language is way hard because my vocabulary is limited. That is where the Lord comes in and helps. Thank goodness for the Holy Spirit. I only have about 3 weeks left here which is nuts. The highlight of my week was yesterday (Sunday). In our class meeting, I shared with my class how the Lord prepared me to become LDS. The major influence was my sister, Jilly. Her example was amazing to me. Also, my best friends, Krisia, Lauren, Arly-lian and Connie. My class said they like to hear my conversion stories :). Our meeting was on how we need to follow the Spirit to be directed to people in our mission areas that are prepared by God to receive the Gospel. It is so cool to see how the Lord's hand was in my life, directing my path. Yesterday was also fast/testimony meeting. I went up during testimony meeting and bore my testimony in Spanish. It felt so good! I was nervous because I did not know what I could blurt out in Spanish. I felt the Spirit prompt me to go up, so I did and I actually made sense! It totally wasn't me but the Spirit. That was a neat experience for me. :) 

This next week is going to be really hard. Right now all my study time is so crucial since we are leaving soon and time will fly. I have to write my Relief Society talk on my conversion for next Sunday. I am nervous! 

I love you all and hope you are doing well. 

P.S. I got to do outbound calls to investigaters in Spanish! I committed a baptist woman to pray about the Book of Mormon and a Catholic man to go to church! so cool.