tuesday morning, we recieved a text saying that we would be staying in the mission home for the hurricane, so to bring a bag with enough food and water for 3 days, clothes to do service in, and basically enough stuff to live with for 3 days. we left a couple hours later and got to the mission home, where 55 hermanas would be staying. the 110 elders stayed in the mission office. tuesday was a day to prepare for the hurricane. we did our studies and president and sister smart talked to us about the miracles we were going to see. and its true. we have seen a lot of miracles in the last week. on wednesday morning at about 3 AM, i woke up and the storm was already starting. it lasted all morning until about 1 pm. it was crazy. i have never experienced anything like it. im pretty sure the eye passed over our house. but we were safe in the house. a couple of the wooden boards nailed over the windows flew off, and the ROOF got destroyed so we got some leaks in the house, but we were all safe. we went outside once the storm passed and it was terrible. remember, we were staying in probably the nicest area of puerto rico, and the amount of destruction there was so sad. trees were all knocked over. literally full size palm trees were just ripped out of the ground. we spent thursday and friday outside doing service, just literally moving around trees so people could drive past. we spent a long time on thursday cleaning one family's backyard. it was completely wrecked when we got there. we worked for about 4 hours. when we started, we couldnt even walk because all their trees and branches and everything had fallen down. they kept saying how much of a blessing we were and how if we werent there, it would have taken them weeks to do it all. on friday, we cleaned out the parking lot and the inside of a catholic church, which had gotten flooded and, again, there were trees everywhere. its pretty amazing and inspiring what 55 hermanas can do. we did WORK. it felt so good to serve them all and see how happy and humbled everyone was when they saw what we were doing. this was an area where everyone is really well off, and missionaries are never allowed to proselyte in this neighborhood. but when they all saw what we were doing, they were all in tears and so thankful and were accepting book of mormons and wanting missionaries to come back and teach them. it was amazing.
oh yeah. in the mission home, we were without water and power for 4 days. we were almost all sleeping on the floor. but it was so fun. we washed our hair with green pool water, ate out of cans and saltine crackers for the whole time. hahah. i am so glad we were all there and had this time to be together. i got to know so many of the hermanas. it was amazing. its such a blessing that president had the inspiration to have us all come, because if not, we would still be stranded in our areas.
on friday night, we got the news that we were being temporarily reassigned. that was probably the hardest news ive ever received. the next 48 hours were so hard. we all got news and where we would be going and that we would be leaving for the airport in 12 hours. i slept for about 30 minutes that night. we were packing (the little things that we had) and just up talking all night about what was going on. it was a shock. we went to the airport the next day and only 36 hermanas got on the flight. we got to atlanta and thought we would be sleeping on the airport floor. we walked out to the baggage claim and cried (for the 234456098 time) when we saw that the georgia atlanta north mission president and wife and missionaries were there to welcome us. we were so thankful. we got our first shower all week and first warm dinner. we slept for about an hour that night before we got on the plane again the next morning.
then i arrived here in the utah ogden mission with hermana peterson. its been hard. i have grown to love puerto rico and the people so much in the short time ive been there. in my last email to president smart, i said that i didnt know it was possible to love the people so much, even if i couldnt understand everything they could say and even if i hadnt known them for so long. i dont know why this has happened. i dont know what has happened to my area or the people or my investigators. i wish we could stay and help them, but i know its too unsafe for us. all i want is to be back there, but i know its part of God's plan that i'm now here. this is definitely a humbling experience and a definite trial of faith but i'll learn a lot. i'll learn why i'm here and why this has happened. i wish i could say that i know now, but i really dont. but for now ill learn to love it here and the people of ogden utah! once its safe enough to go back to puerto rico, we'll be sent back. we dont know how long we'll be here. but president and sister smart said that the first presidency and the quorum of the 12 prayed and decided to evacuate us. and they decided our reassignments. this wasn't the place on my calling, but this is where i need to be.
thanks everyone for your prayers. please also keep the people of puerto rico in your prayers. they need so much help.
i love you all!
hermana murphy
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