God's Love, Pre-Easter and Testimony

Dear Mom, This is also one of my favorite days it is time to prepare unwind a bit and chat with my loved ones.

TADA! You're all healthy again hahaha that is great, glad that you are all better now. Time to now celebrate getting over a flu with a Easter Candy explosions! chocolates and gummies galore!

This week has been kinda slow, but we were given an investigator who's name is Bruce. We taught him about the Restoration of the Gospel and he loved it, hearing about angels visiting Joseph smith was his favorite part, he accepted a baptismal date. Yet just as things were going so well with the spirit at the end of the lesson, he said " I am making a decision in my life that I don't know God may be proud of." He then handed me some papers and I looked and asked what he intends to do with them, his reply " I am going to get my gender changed"........wait what? We were frozen for a moment, and I just told him how much God loves him and created him for a purpose just the way he was. We felt so sad for him that he wasn't able to like himself, and though it was a strange experience we contemplated just HOW could we help him out with this and to help him feel of Gods love for him? Agency is such an interesting thing, and opposition to our choices are just so hard sometimes. I am so glad to have knowledge that I have a loving Father and Saviour in heaven guiding me in all I do, If I didn't I may not make it even this far in life. 

During Testimony meeting we heard a lot of well stories rather than actual testimonies and I admit it bugged me a little bit, the Spirit filled me and I got up and bore my testimony of the Saviour's last week in mortality and how the Sacrifice of Jesus overcomes the effects of Physical and Spiritual Death. Then I sat down  and was greeted by a fist bump by Elder Morby he said "that is how a testimony meeting should go." Afterwards others gave simple doctrinal testimonies and I was so blessed to hear those precious impressions to help out a little. 

We taught the Atonement in Gospel Principles class and the study on it continues to grow my faith and appreciation, to know that because of Christ we are able to settle the demands of Justice and Mercy, and there is No Other Way except through Him that we may make it back to the Father.

My dear Family I love you all so much 

Still sending daily prayers

Happy Easter Conference!!

Elder Muirhead

Ps. Lola you are hilarious!!    (he said in response to this story about his sister Lola from my letter to him: Today in Sacrament Meeting one of our new Senior Missionaries was speaking, he’s like in full on Amazing Apostle-like mode. The spirit was so strong and my eyes were full of tears. Lola looks up at me and says loudly “This is just like a funeral!” HAHAHA Oh man. So funny, you’re so going to adore that little sister of yours in a whole new way when you get home.)

Dylan put his Late Grandpa's Missionary tag on his scriptures, he's taking
Papa with him the rest of the way.

In prayer and wearing Papa's Tie. This photo made me cry this week.

Temple, Baptism Date and Transfers

Dear Momma,
We had the chance to go to the temple on Saturday and it was great so wonderful to get into the Celestial room again, I truly got some comforting revelations there. We currently have one investigator named Samuel he is filipino and catholic, he had many questions about the church and hasn't attended his own in 4 years. He wishes to grow his faith and when we shared the Restoration with him the spirit was so strong. At the end of our discussion he said " I believe in God and therefore I believe what you say to be true as well" WHAT!! AWESOME! Then he accepted a baptismal date for April!! He is so amazing we now just need to get him coming to church, operation fellowship is underway. We love him.

We will be getting two new MTC Missionaries in our district which means there will be some miracles happening here shortly, greenies are just to innocent for people to say no to haha. 

Sending some stuff home today.. with a letter no worries!

Brigs Noah I hear that you aren't feeling well today I will be sending some treats in a package for you guys to share this week.

Love you so much Elder Muirhead

PS - Oh transfers came today and Elder Morby and I are staying put for another round in Don Mills Ward we are pretty excited!

Behind me is a signed poster for all the missionaries that have served in the Don Mills area since it was posted up, I have me on there too!

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

With the Lord nothing is ever Impossible

Dear Family, Hey guys,

I had a very hard week in a lot of different ways. At this point we have lost all but one of our investigators. Finding people to teach is slow right now and it is something that is truly humbling, moments like these beat you to your kneels but you've just got to learn to get back up and let the Lord push you forward. My prayers have grown from this week that is for sure.

We had a missionary council and the zone wishes to hit some really intense goals and thinking on where we in our area are at it looks nearly impossible, but I say "Nearly" because with the Lord nothing is ever impossible.

We were invited to a birthday party for a little 5 year old boy in the ward at their apartment, the fun news is they are filipino which means... all the filipino family members are there to party hahaha. It was hilarious trying to try to hear myself think over the many voices laughing and singing, oh and telling me to eat more and more. I loved it!

Yesterday as we were contacting the streets I saw a man pull a tag from off an english class flyer we put up. I decided to try and introduce myself, and along my approach I realized he wasn't pulling one but pulling the tags all down! I then went and inquired why he was doing that? "because I feel like it!" "Sir we work hard to try and help people with this english class" he then tells me that I am wasting my time and that what we are doing is garbage. I will not type what I said to him after that but just know that he should consider himself rebuked! haha (don't worry I didn't say anything bad). Amazing to see that both sides of the coin are working towards the salvation of men or their destruction. I was happy to stand and witness to that man that what he was doing was effecting the lives of others in a drastic way and that he will have to answer for that choice later on.

On another note I have been working as hard as I can, pulling every tool I have on the belt to accomplish something! I refuse to be discouraged and I instead am working to make it change, with the Lord as the cause.

I love you all and have thought of you in my private times of the day. I pray that you are doing well and excelling in the gospel.

I got an email from Glen Walsh just now, the father of Ryan whom I baptized in the start of my mission. He told me that he last week recieved the Aaronic Priesthood and ordained his son Ryan in that the Priesthood as well. He told me it was the most honorable thing he has done and he thanked me and Elder Baumgartner for the change we had in their family's lives. Then he bore witness to me of the truthfulness of the Gospel, Book of Mormon, Thomas S. Monson and more. Wow tender mercy of the Lord!

Lets get down to buisness!

Elder Muirhead

Sorry I will take more photos this week Promise!!
but I just took a quick on the spot selfie to tide you over hahaha

LDS Missionary Elder Muirhead Funeral Tribute to his Grandpa Bernie Wynder

Here is the Video of my son Dylan (Elder Muirhead) currently serving a 2 year Mission. Elder Muirhead shares his personal memories and testimony for those in our family circle. This video was originally intended to be shared the day of his Grandpa Bernie Wynder's funeral but it didn't arrive in time. This video is unlisted and can only be accessed by this link for our immediate family and close friends as well as his blog.

Thanks for letting us share this special video with you, we hope it touches your heart as it did ours.

I Spoke At A Funeral

Dear Family,
Hey guys hows it going? 

I have had a very exhausting week with all the grief stuff, it kinda just bunched up like a snowball. I have had troubles with feeling the spirit this week with that going on, and yet I continued to pray that I would feel it comfort me in the due timing of the Lord. Thursday night President Clayton calls me and tells me that there is a family from NewFound Land who are coming to have a funeral for their loved one (Janet who also had Alzheimers for 18 years as I later found out). They requested a full time missionary to speak about the plan of salvation to a congregation of all Non Members, and asked me to do this special assignment, oh and it was the next day...Great! Of course I accepted while I was quite nervous, a room full of non Members and I don't even know the deceased, I don't know how to do this....Jesus Take The Wheel! Haha. I stood up and shared my condolences and shared about Grandpa a bit, and then started to teach and testify of the plan of salvation. It was a really uncomfortable situation, I saw lots of people giggle and joke about what was some of the more tender parts of the gospel, I felt that they were just sooo unresponsive, but after we had a few people come and ask questions about missions. A little later I discovered that a couple referrals came from the funeral, Wow so cool! Yet I didn't really feel the spirit at that point. But yesterday in testimony meeting I felt inspired to rise and step forward and testify. So I do and share the whisperings of my heart and shared that Jesus knows how to help out with all trials and that he is "the Great Physician!" The spirit came in so strong into me and it was a great comfort that let me let go of the stresses of the week.

I have been learning more and more about the Plan of Salvation from different resources and have been learning that death truly is just all part of the plan to immortality and exaltation. 

Later Sunday night, we went to see Heather and read some of the Book of Mormon with her and invited her to pray to find if its true for herself. Now Heather doesn't have a lot of confidence right now and was very nervous, the spirit led us to stop and wait. Silence came into the room not a sound, and Heather says " why is it so quiet in here, not even the cats are making noise?" I asked her what she thought it was, "it must be from him I guess" we then assured her that God was watching and comforting her to be able to accomplish saying a prayer with us, and she did! it was great!

I love you all and want nothing more than to scoop all you little monkeys up and snuggle in a dog pile.

Church is true... Don't forget it ;) 

Elder Muirhead! 

Bus Rides and Doctrine

Hey hows it going? This week has been an interesting one for sure. We went on the bus and I got cornered by a man that was trying to contend with me and say how God doesn't exist. He was saying if God would let him win the lottery for $100,000,000 then he would pray to God. Terrible right. I had to just say that his thought was selfish and foolish as well. He went on with his tangents, asking for proof that God is there. I told him that he has everything as a proof that God is real and I kept on testifying that God existed and then jumped off the bus and walked the rest of the way to our destination. (Alma and Korihor moment)

Yesterday a man named Abrahim came and talked to us at a bus stop, we asked is he went to church and he said he and his wife were Muslim. But any who we talked about the gospel and I asked what Islams take on Jesus Christ was. We found some similarities in Doctrine, they believe in the apostasy and corruption of the gospel but see Christ only as a prophet yet that Jesus and God are different, and the Qurran acts as a book to correct lost truths. Then he asked me the same question, we taught him about the Godhead and he liked it, then we lead into the Book of Mormon and shared how it is to the same effect of the Qurran and how it completes the gospel. We gave him a copy and got a phone number, prayed with him and He said "we will talk about this soon" YES!

We had a meeting with President Clayton about building our faith is Jesus Christ and he spoke on just how massive and incomprehensible the Atonement truly is. He then invited us all to write down goals of ways we can build our faith in Christ in the next 3 weeks. I am going to be finishing reading Jesus the Christ, and I am loving it! lots of great insights into the life of Jesus and how to connect time with the scriptures. 

Looking forward to Easter here soon when we can share the "Because of Him" video from the church, It will be a time of miracles.

I am great full so much to the Lord in strengthening me in this last 3 weeks with the passing of my grandpa, But this time has refined me soooo much into a better disciple and missionary. Because of that moment in my life I know even more that my Savior is real and loves me so much!

I invite you all to look for goals to also build your faith in Christ, promised blessings for your efforts!

Loves! Elder Muirhead