Photos!!!

Date: Tue, Jun 17, 2014 at 2:41 PM

Kung Fu Panda!!!

Hermana Ventura and I making Pizza!
Us with Agustin!!!
Us with our investigator Alison!!!

Us with the sign for Fray Bentos! The man on the bike was more startled than us!

A New Baby!

Date: Tue, Jun 17, 2014 at 2:20 PM

Dear Familia,

This week is TRANSFERS...and they have been interesting. Hermana Ventura and I came together to Fray Bentos 6 weeks ago, so we really had no idea what was going to happen. Turns out she is leaving for Rivera!!!!! I was so excited because I know tons of people in her ward, her bishop, and I know her companion! I, on the other hand, will be.......(duh duh dahhhh) training!!!! I will be picking up my new companion from Montevideo tomorrow. For now, I have no idea where she is from or what language she speaks, so that will be a fun update for next week! I am excited for this new opportunity...I will finally be a Mom!

I also have another crazy update....President Smith informed us that the World Cup counts as a cultural event and since no one will open the door during the game, we have been given permission to watch it!!!!!! Crazy, right? We watched the game on Saturday, with our Bishop and his wife Zulma! They are crazy fans and it was pretty fun to watch them scream as every goal went in. It was fun to experience the World Cup here...During the game we looked outside and there wasn´t a single person in the street...it was like a desert! We were super sad to watch our precious Uruguay lose 3-1 to Costa Rica....

I tried to make a cake this week in my new bundt pan....I burned it!  Hermana Cisnero assured me that it wasn´t my fault that the oven burns everything...:D!

I have been studying a lot the first part of the Book of Mormon and something that really touched me was in 1 Nephi 3:15. Where Nephi told his brothers that they could not return to their father until they complete the will of God. I was thinking how that is so similar to us.  We cannot return to live with our Heavenly Father until we keep his commandments and do His will! If we are faithful, we will have the opportunity to return and live with God and our families again! I know that this is the true church because I have been promised things of eternal value. I know that I can live with my family forever and that death is not the end! I know that as we read the Book of Mormon we will find all of the answers to our questions! I love having the chance to read it everyday and to understand a little better the things that God wants me to know! I feel so blessed to be a part of this marvelous work!

Keep up all your great missionary efforts....I love to hear what you guys are doing....

Love,
Hermana McMurray

Date: Mon, Jun 9, 2014 at 4:37 PM

Me and My parents in the mission! Hermana Ruidiaz and Hermana Camacho
Us in our Zone Conference with Elder Zeballos
Hermana Camacho, my Mom and Hermana Paris, my sister! Can´t you see
the family resemblance?
Hermana Page and I...we haven´t seen each other much since the CCM
Our reunion of some of the missionaries from Flores!!!

photos!

Date: Mon, Jun 9, 2014 at 4:32 PM

Us in a restaurant!!!! How much time! I enjoyed the
food....chivitos!!! It was us and the other Hermanas from Mercedes!

Back to the Good Ole Days of Family Home Evening

Date: Mon, Jun 9, 2014 at 4:21 PM

Dear Familia,

This has been a very interesting week! We starting with a fun day full of cooking and ended it with a talent show....My acting skills are below par...

Funny Stories:

-Hermana Ventura and I walk an absolute ton, so some times we get a little bored...This week we were walking through some fields and she was bumping up against me over and over. I just kept walking, but after a couple of minutes I saw that she had a wicked gleam in her eyes....She came in to bump me hard and I just stepped backwards, and poor Hermana Ventura completely ate it in the middle of this field. I couldn´t even help her up I was laughing so hard. I am pretty sure all of the school children who were passing by, think we are crazy :D!

-There is a crazy child in our ward. This last week we had Family Home Evening and this child was present....  This is what happened:
He walked in and punched me in the stomach, followed by smacking Hermana Ventura. Then he managed to smear chocolate across the back of Hermana Ventura and step all over me. Then while we were teaching he jumped all over Hermana Ventura´s backpack, and as I was sharing a scripture he pulled out half of my hair...He topped it all off by
kissing Hermana Ventura all over, while she was giving the closing prayer. It´s good to know I wasn´t the craziest child who ever existed...

-I forgot to mention that I am the official ward pianist here in my ward, Las Canteras. I play for sacrament meeting, primary, and any other thing that pops up. It is really starting to test my piano skills....almost daily I wish that I had practiced when I had the chance. The good news is my sight reading is getting much better. I thought I was playing okay...that is until this last week a little old lady approached me after Sacrament Meeting and told me that she loved to hear the piano, but that I need to practice....:sad huh?! I just laughed at the idea that I have time to practice piano in the mission :D!

This week I felt super blessed to be in our ward. This week we went out visiting with the majority of the members and the bishop. They all helped us a ton and I was reflecting on the council of President Monson. He said ¨Now is the time for members and missionaries to work together¨, all to help hasten the work of Salvation. I know that President Monson is the prophet of God on the Earth and that he is receiving revelation, so that we can help more people to come to know God. Hermana Ventura and I have seen miracles in our area because we are working with the members, as the Prophet has counseled! That is about it for this week!

I love you all!
Love,
Hermana McMurray

Fwd: They Are Precious...

Date: Mon, Jun 2, 2014 at 3:05 PM

Dear Familia,

It has been another great week in Fray Bentos! I realized that on Friday I will be hitting the one year mark! I cannot believe I have already been here for a year! I laughed a little bit to think how much my Spanish has changed in the last year! I remember being in the airport in Buenos Aires and everyone was speaking spanish. I was so confused and lost and had no idea what anyone was saying! We were just a group of Americans wandering around aimlessly without the ability to ask anyone anything! Now when we all see each other we talk all in Spanish and it seems completely normal!

I was also reflecting on what I have learned in the last year. I feel so completely different now, then I did then! I understood many things, but I think I didn´t quite have all of my goals and priorities straight. I now know why I am here on the Earth and what my real end goal is. The goal is that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again. Everything else that we do in this life, is just a means to achieve that end goal! I have also learned about the love of our Heavenly Father, for me in particular. Never have I felt the fulfilling and overwhelming love of God, like I have felt in the last year! I leave our apartment very day knowing that God loves me and is guiding my footsteps! I feel like He is always strengthening me and helping me to do His will! I feel privileged that the Lord permitted me to serve Him here in Uruguay for the last year! I love being a missionary!

Funny stories of the week: 

-Hermana Ventura and I are always debating whose turn it is to pray (since we say about thirty prayers every day). The following was our
conversation this last week (obviously translated :D): 
Me: ¨It is your turn to pray, I prayed last¨
Hermana Ventura: ¨It isn´t my turn to pray. I am always praying in my mind...(five seconds went by)...Amen!¨
I couldn´t argue with that :D!

-We once again talked to a crazy old man in the street (I really should learn my lesson, but I cannot help but talk to them, even if they look a little scary). Our conversation ended with him saying to me ¨Tonight, when you are sleeping, I am going to rob your eyes. They are precious!¨ Needless to say I was a little creeped out! 

Well, that is all I remember from this last week!

I love you all lots!

Love,
Hermana McMurray

Uruguay Conference Pictures

Us in our Conference for all of Uruguay!!!
Me with my last three companions...who all happen to be Peruvian!
Hermanas Ventura, Mazzini, and Ramirez