June 1st Update

Momma,
The Murrays came to Toronto YAY! That is so cool! 

This week has been really rainy and yucky. One miracle that we saw was in my companion phoning a potential investigator from a while ago. The missionaries didn't ever get in contact with this man and he is struggling a lot with his life in Alcohol and stuff, and frankly he just isn't happy with life at the moment and that is killing him. It has been a huge testimony to me that the vain things of this world are never going to bring us happiness that will last. Amazing! Going to see this man "Paul" today, wish us luck that we can help him come into the fold.

I have been contemplating on the promise in Preach my Gospel that as you gain a greater understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, your desire to preach the gospel will increase. I realized that lately I haven't been talking to as many people, so I thought I would start killing that bad habit. I then made a goal to study the Atonement more deeply, and I have been studying how the Plan of Salvation was planned before the Creation and also the prophecies of the coming of Christ to atone for the sins of mankind. #1 Atonement scripture has to be Alma 7:11-22!

Glad you got that Photo yesterday, a girl from another ward in YSA came up asking If we knew an Elder Muirhead and so I raised me finger to my tag and said "yup!" then she was so happy that her 2 month adventure trying to find me was complete! HAHA! I still have no idea who she was, I thought that it was still really sweet of her to send a treat to my family. People are so kind to send pics to my Mom.

I don't have to much more to say this week unfortunately, sorry. Just know that I am doing great and that I am happy moving on throughout the battle of souls. I will continue to try and have more fun experiences to share with you, the rain kinda just keeps everyone inside in Toronto...weird. 

Elder Sopal and Elder Muirhead being goofy - haha

No thank you for the offer but I am good and don't really need anything at the moment, but I will let you know if I think of anything at all.

 Love love love ya.

Elder Muirhead 

Ps. Lola's Ballet pics are sooooooo cute!!!!

A Week of Miracles

Oh how much I love you all, I have been contemplating how this week could have gone, and because of all your faith and prayers we had a miraculous week!

We have been going so hard at talking to everyone we can and inviting them to learn more or to let us know of a referral we can go by. We were prompted to go one day to a home of a man on the directory to see if he still lived there, the member had moved but we contacted another man named Samuel. Now when we knocked on Samuel's door he was hiding behind the door because he had no clothes on haha. He told us that he was cooking for him and his 2 year old son. We told him who we are, and he knew who we were already from seeing missionaries around back in the Philippines. He at first offered a bottle of water "I trust fellow Christians" He said and then invited us in. He then ran around the apartment towards the bed room covering his crotch as he pranced in his underwear and told us to take a seat on the couch. He came back clothed for public view and made us pancakes and told us he was Catholic, and said that we could return on Thursday to share a message with his family.

We also found another awesome Filipino man investigator for English class this Saturday amazing!

Yesterday we went and taught a lady we talked to named Juliet, she is from India and she's Catholic. We brought a member with us and taught her and her husband and met her daughter who unfortunately had homework to do so she bolted. We taught a powerful lesson on the Restoration and they said that they would read the Book of Mormon and study carefully and pray about it to know of its truthfulness. They are so amazing they made us dinner after!! Official new favorite investigators hahaha.

+Mormon 9:15- God has not ceased to be a God of miracles!!

On Saturdays for my Job as a building manager (in charge of English class) I teach the district, and this week I had to lovingly rebuke for some of our district for non-professionalism, then I instructed on how my previous discussions were based off of Christ-like attributes from Preach My Gospel. The Topic for that day was about "Power and Authority" I had each of the missionaries bring their individual ministerial certificates and testified that they were given the trust and Authority to go and teach all nations. Then had all who were present to bare testimony on why they came out on a mission, and the spirit flooded the room! 

I testify that the power and Authority of the Lord is in not only the missionaries of the Church, but every one of the saints of the Church of the Lord. 

We also had a meeting with all the Toronto missionaries, and Sister Clayton (president's wife) spoke about building our testimonies through prayer more effectively. She told us of a secret that I now include in all my prayers, that we should not just make a grocery list for God and expect him to pay up. The trick is to ask God what we can do to accomplish that thing and make a "Commitment" with the Lord to go and do it! I loved that principle, it has given faith in prayer more power behind it and reminded me of the story of Nephi in Helaman 10:3-7, and realized that this is how Nephi recieved such blessings for God.

I love you all so much and thought of each of your faces through out the week, I am feeling more happy and the Atonement  helps me work through grief and to grow from Papa's passing, just wanted you to know that I am getting there. 

With Love,

Elder Muirhead

Barrie - Happy Father's Day!

Dear Family,
Well everyone this is my 2nd week in Barrie, Ontario. This place is very different than home for sure. The weather is usually 25-20 degrees Celsius and all ready I got sun burnt, HURRAY for being so white (not)! There are so many different kinds of people here already I have spoken with Catholics, Protestants, muslims, coptic (Egyptian christian), several christian faiths, buddists, atheists, and more! I am very certain that 90 percent of people here smoke and drink, this is a collage town and has 3-5 bars per street in my area downtown. Our apartment is luckily across the street from the grocery store, barber, post office, and the lake. Our favorite place to tract is a trail by the lake so peaceful, surprisingly there has been quite a few people there who like to stop and talk.

One couple we talked to enjoyed talking to us and the husband has read many different bibles, and asked "how would you describe God?" I took the challenge head on. "We believe that God created us in his own image and he has a body of flesh and bone." He liked the answer then sent a curve ball, "In Ezekiel:1 it describes what many believe is God, and it makes it sound alien like with spaceships, what do you think?" as we read the passage and the description of it, the spirit helped in my answer. "The thing the comes to mind is not God but a cherubim. It makes sense and I'll search for an answer." later that night I discovered Ezekiel:10 held the answer and shared it with him the next day. I was so excited to answer his question and wish to talk with him about it soon.

The first week of the mission was so hard!! But through the Lord, my companion, Mission President, and my family I was able to take a breath and move on. My growth has been great and though I get nervous talking with some people, I am able to do quite a bit which is exciting. Me and Elder Baumgartner started doing split contacting which gets us on our toes when we talk to some people by ourselves. 

Later today we are doing an exchange and I will be going to Orillia with Elder Taotau till tomorrow exciting! 

One miracle happened for us in week one, as we were going door to door knocking we were about to leave when a young man Alec came up on his bike and said "Hey I'm glad your here, this is my house come sit down." We were shocked, and we taught him the gospel of Jesus Christ and committed him to Baptism. Right as we pulled away he was reading the Book of Mormon, we freaked out! Unfortunately he has yet to come to church but we are still seeing him though.

Thank you all for all your prayers and letters! please continue to send messages to me it brings a smile to my face each time. 

To my Dad I wish to say HAPPY FATHERS DAY, I love you so much! I want you to know how much you have helped me in this process, even though it may look small you have been motivating me the whole way. I send you the biggest email hug. ps. I am now expecting those fuzzy peaches you took from my box. haha! 

Josh, Brigs, Noah and Lola kids the church is true, I want you to know that as you work hard with the Lord and say your prayers, read your scriptures and go to church you are then spiritually filled and it is so important. I think of you kids a lot and miss your faces, remember I love you and can't wait to hear from you soon. Challenge for you: this week draw me a picture of your favorite Book of Mormon story and send it to me in the mail! 

Mom and dad, the Lord is here, he is helping me as I learn and grow. He has comforted me and is still increasing me daily as his followers to gather his sheep. By tonight I will have finished the book of Mormon again and will move to the Bible next, I am also reading "Jesus the Christ" and "Our Heritage" Great books and so helpful.

I felt the same way as I read Moroni: 1. Though I am with a companion, the world is scary and the adversary wishes to destroy me, but I will not deny the Christ I am his missionary and took upon me his name to share for the aid in our Heavenly Father's plan " to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." 

I love you all and have each of you in my prayers, never lose the faith!

Love Elder Muirhead