Dear Family,
Thank you for the photos and for the messages. This was a
very special weekend with the conference and with Easter that is for sure. We
didnt really do anything for easter though. We ate fish which was nice. I have
grown to love fish here, although we cant eat ceviche. I would like to eat more
fish when I go back home. The conference was very powerful. Overall it was just
a nice and re-energizing experience listening to the Prophet, his counselors,
the twelve, and the other leaders of the church. I don't know what more can be
said other then its time to get to work. President Nelson might be 93 but he
looks like he´s got the energy of a 15 year old and he is ready to go to work.
It is nice to live in a time of revelation and continual progression. Some of
the talks that I especially liked where Elder Uchtdorf's, Elder Wilson's, Elder
Robbins', and especially Elder Bednar's. His talk was very good. All of them
were good, they always are.
 |
| For the first time, my companion is from the USA. His parents sent him "Thanksgiving Dinner in A Box." It just got here. We ate it (it was all canned stuff). It was really good! |
Something funny and embarrassing that happened to me this
week was when I was in a work visit with my zone leader. His name is Elder
Pereira. He is from Argentina and he has a really cool accent. He was born the
same day as me, the same year, so we share a lot in common. But anyway, he was
visiting my area and we were crossing through a park to go to a members house.
In the park there was a small, cement soccer court and there were a few kids
playing. He pointed out to me that they were playing and I began to watch. That
is one thing that hasn't gone away during my time here, my love for soccer. I
continued to walk and watch the kids play soccer when all of the sudden I ran
into a tree. It was like something out of a cartoon to be honest. We laughed
about it.
 |
| Preparation Day Futbol. The giant guy is my new companion. We tend to stand out down here. |
I banged my head pretty hard so I have wound now, but I started to
think about the experience. I was distracted and as a result I got hurt. The
wound will heal and now I know to be more careful when I'm walking, but I feel
like the moral of the story can be that I shouldn't have been distracted in the
first place. I know how distracting the world can be sometimes. I have been so
grateful to be able to disconnect from social media and other distractions
during my time here. Sometimes I feel that we think that the distractions that
we lose ourselves to are not that dangerous, and I feel that may be right.
 |
| This is a family I taught. They were baptized the week after I was transferred. The son is nine. He's an interesting kid. |
I
don't think that watching soccer is something wrong, but what was wrong was the
time and place I was doing it. I should've been focused on other things. I
was focused on the distraction, and I feel that was a mistake. Mosiah 4:27
teaches that we shouldn't push ourselves over the limit. We have to take a break
and recollect ourselves every now and then, and as long as those distractions
that we use to relax are wholesome and uplifting there is nothing wrong with
that. But when we put the distractions before our responsibilities, no matter
how wholesome or uplifting they maybe, we open ourselves to getting hurt,
whether it be physically or spiritually. That is something that I wanted to
share with you all. Im sorry that I wont be able to write more. I am somewhat
pressed for time, but I hope that everyone has an excellent week.
 |
| Note the head wound. |
To respond to your question Mom, it is not necessary to send
me a package for my birthday. I will be turning 22, six weeks before I come home. I don't think you need to go through the trouble. But while you are
mentioning the subject, there is a man here in our mission that makes custom
suits, so maybe I could buy one of those to celebrate my birthday. I love you
all very much!
Love,
Elder McMurray
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