Elder Ogden with President and Sister Murphey
September 2017
Dear Ogden Family,
We wanted to let you know how happy we are to have your son in our mission. They arrived just a few short days ago and after a short training we were able to assign him to a marvelous trainer and they are now off to a new sector. We know that wonderful things await them as they serve the Lord here in the Ecuador Quito North mission.
Our mission theme comes from 3 Nephi 5:13, “Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life.” As requested by President Russell M. Nelson, we discuss at each meeting what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ and also the process of becoming consecrated in His work. This will be a great life changing process while your missionary is here in the mission, and then will continue throughout the rest of his/her life…becoming completely dedicated and committed to discipleship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
In this mission, we follow the principles and instructions found in Missionary Handbook and Preach My Gospel. From the Missionary Handbook, we read about the commitment your missionary has made for the time he is a full-time missionary:
“In harmony with the inspired pattern described in the fifth article of faith, you have been called by a prophet of God and set apart to represent the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. You have been called to ´invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end´ (Preach My Gospel, p. 1). How great is your calling!
“Strive to fulfill what the President of the Church expects of you, as expressed in your call letter: ´You have been recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord as a minister of the restored gospel. You will be an official representative of the Church. As such, you will be expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct and appearance by keeping the commandments, living mission rules, and following the counsel of your mission president. You will also be expected to devote all your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all other personal affairs. As you do these things, the Lord will bless you and you will become an effective advocate and messenger of the truth.´
“When you accepted your call, you promised to live by these standards. You are accountable to the Lord and to the leaders of the Church for how well you honor this promise. Always keep in mind the importance of your calling. Strive constantly to magnify it. As you obey with a willing heart, you will show the Lord your love for Him, earn the trust and confidence of members and nonmembers, and qualify for the companionship of the Holy Ghost.”
We know that this promise is true, and that your missionary will be blessed greatly if he/she magnifies his calling.
We have a fairly large geographic mission, with areas stretching from the west coast of Ecuador, to the northern border with Colombia, east to the jungle and the border of Perú, and centered in the magnificent city of Quito. We have been told that President Gordon B. Hinckley counted Quito as one of his three favorite cities in the entire world!
We plan zone conferences every transfer period (six weeks), and President Murphy will also interview every missionary during that period. Each missionary is also responsible for writing President Murphy every week and reporting to him on the challenges and successes in their area and in their personal lives. Monday will be your missionary’s preparation day so we encourage you to write your missionary an uplifting, encouraging email before this day to ensure that they receive an email from home each week. Please do not arrange for a time on p-day to “chat” with our missionaries by sending emails back and forth during their hour of computer time. This is not consistent with the principle of “dedicating devote all your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all other personal affairs.”
If you choose to send packages to your missionary, you should be aware that when a package is sent through the US Postal Service, your missionary may be charged anywhere from $1 to $10 per package, based on the size and content, to retrieve the package from customs. When a different private service is used (DHL, FedEx, etc.), there can be much higher fees, including one recently for $55 for a small package.
We are so grateful for the opportunity to serve with these wonderful young people as we strive to preach His gospel in this amazing part of the world. It is a grand privilege and a tremendous blessing.
Con mucho amor,
Presidente Blake y Hermana Dana Murphy
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