Saturday, August 9, 2014

Back on Guam!!!


It was hard to leave this time but it is really good to be back and I always love getting back to work. Of course I was super excited to see Little Jack!!! (see pics)

Update 8/6/14
Hafa Adai from Guam! Last Saturday I arrived back on Guam around 7pm and immediately began sweating as I stepped out of the airport back into the 100% Humidity of Guam. It is good to be back!  On Monday I started back to work getting ready for the upcoming school year. I had an incredible summer full of really hard things; some very tragic and many encouraging and amazing works of our lovingly gracious heavenly Father. This summer I got to spend time with many of you whom I have just met or have been long time supporters and I enjoyed every minute of those times. You all were very encouraging to me and I felt extremely loved and well supported. Some of you had me over in your homes, some took me out to restaurants, some of you I got to worship and serve alongside whether at camps or on mission. This summer brought the loss of one of the most influential loving men in my life who loved me when others refused to. He and his wife pursued me with the Gospel and never gave up. Each summer I look forward to spending time with Bro. John Warden and his precious wife Paula and this summer I wasn’t able to see John in person but did get to hear him tell me on the phone how much he loved me and was proud of me. I did get to spend a beautiful afternoon with Mrs. Paula who encouraged me and I cherished that time and will continue to lift up the Warden Family and New Hope Baptist Church. I also lost a brother in Christ to suicide and my heart is broken for his family and friends. He loved Jesus and never stopped smiling. I also received news of my dad’s medical condition and he has a rare type of cancer. I was able to fly out and spend some much needed quality time with both my parents.  I’m not sure what will happen with this and not sure if I will see him again and this had weighed heavy on my heart and mind especially as I boarded that plane Friday morning to fly more than 7,000 miles away. This was one of the toughest decisions I have had to make to leave my family and return to the mission field, but I felt clear about God’s calling for me this semester and had to be obedient and trust that my dad belongs to Him and He will care for him far better than I could. Six years ago on a mission trip to Palau my dad almost died and I remember him telling me that I could not stay with him at the hospital but I was to go to the village and share the Gospel. As I shared the Gospel with a young boy his shirt had a passage written on it, it was found in Luke 9:59-62  “[59] To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” [60] And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” [61] Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” [62] Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”) This passage hit home that day and I knew then that God’s calling upon my life would be big and it would change everything and it did. As I boarded the plan Friday I remembered this passage and I know that God is in complete control and my dad is His!

With all of that I am excited to see what God will do here at Pacific Islands University over this next school year. I will be starting Seminary working on my Masters of Theology and Religion with a concentration in Counseling. I will also be working as the Dean of Women as well as teaching our Freshmen Research and Study Skills class. Below are some ways you can be praying for me over this next couple weeks:

-           That we, as a newly formed Student Life Team, would be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and obedient to His calling and direction for the upcoming school year.
-          Please pray for our Leadership Summit which will begin next Wednesday the 13th.
-          Pray for all of the new and returning students that God will begin to prepare them for what He has for them.
-          Be in prayer for our Administration as they begin the registration process as well as begin the business side of the school year.
-          As for me personally I ask that you pray for wisdom and discernment in my decisions and leadership of our students.  And that my time with the Lord in the Word and in prayer would be rich and fruitful.

In closing I want to say thank you to all who have invested time, financially and prayerfully in me and the calling in which God has graciously placed upon my life! To my home church Grace Baptist Church for all your love and care you have given this summer. To New Hope Baptist Church for your continued faithfulness to me and to Jesus. To First Baptist Goulson and Pastor James and family for your continued prayer and love you have showed me. To First Baptist Susanville although our time was so short your love and support for my family during this very difficult time means so much. You as a church have been so faithful to me. To the Central Texas Southern Baptist Association I want to say thank you for your gracious support each month, which truly has made a way for me to continue serving here on Guam.  You cannot possibly know what it means to say “my association” it has been such an encouragement and has taken off great pressure financially so that I am able to focus on the ministry that God has blessed me with. Thank you all for your faithfulness and support. I will work hard to get frequent updates out to you.

For His Name Sake,
Daisy E. Murdock
Dean of Women
Pacific Islands University


How you can give or send packages:

Daisy E. Murdock
 172 Kinney’s Rd
Mangilao, GU 96913
*Flat rate boxes are cheapest J

Donations and Support:

First State Bank
Acct.# 4168443
Daisy E. Murdock

*You can also give at Grace Baptist Church or to Steven Puckett

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Playing some ball.....

I have been so blessed over the past few months to get to know a group of men and women from the community here on Guam through weekly basketball scrimmages. Last year I was asked to play on a women's team by the coach and I accepted and for the past year I have been practising with the team. Up until this past week I had not played in any games or tournament. I joined just to meet more locals and for the exercise. Last month our team was asked to join the Chuukese League in which a lot of my girls play so I was super excited to join. My niece Bri also joined our team and las tnight we had our first game against one of my girls' Yumiko's Team. It was fun playing against her and they we a tough team under the basket. We won our game and I got to play most of the game (mostly because I am the tallest!). Here is a pic of some of my girls and my roommate (who is now my new Boss, our Student Life Director Sarah Brubaker). The girls were on their weekly shopping trip and stopped by to catch the game. 

Men's Beach Trip!!!!

This past weekend I got to drive the PIU Men Staff, Faculty & Students to Merizo Pier to swim and BBQ. This was the guy R.A.'s monthly event with the guys and it was super cool to see our President Dave Owen (who jumped off the pier!), also his son and our Seminary Dean Mike Owen, Ken Dixon one of our professor's in our Biblical Studies department as well as our Alumni Cordinator Billy Edwin spending some off campus quality time with our guys.The guys loved seeing them there and the fellowship they had. It was a beautiful day and the water was amazing! Well the BBQ was pretty good also :) Here are some pics of our time:
Meet Alfredson!!!( Freshmen from Pohnpei)
Merizo Pier


Getting ready to chow!
 
Sashimi!!! Fresh Tuna!!! (I thought the guys seasoned it for BBQ but, I was wrong they seasoned it to eat raw!!!)
Davy Welle (Dean of Men)

 

BBQ Chicken and Hotdogs!!!

Women's Island Tour January Event!!!

Each month the R.A.'s plan some kind of event in order to have a time of fellowship with just the PIU female staff & students to get to know each other better. We as a Student Life Team are working hard to help build and strengthen these relationships as we have seen over and over again the huge impact they have on the lives of our students. For January we did an Island Tour where we stopped at the McDonalds down on the southern end of the island to pick up food, then to Umatac Bay (where Magellan sailed in and discovered Guam) and on to Merizo Pier where our students love to jump and swim.

Looky what we found!!! A horse on Guam!!! Some of the girls had not seen a real horse before!!!



Spring 2014 Semester Plan

This semster we have eighteen ladies living on  campus this semester. I have four amazing Resident Assistants Nai Nai Roby, Nailynn Roby, Shelter Alokoa, Mely Michael. This semester we are taking our girls through the Gospel of Matthew focusing specifically on chapters 3-5. Alongside Matthew my R.A's and I are reading through The Radical Disciple by John Stott focusing on four charachteristics of Jesus;
1. Jesus' Incarnation
2. Jesus' Mission
3. Jesus' Love
4. Jesus' Endurance
We are using these charachteristics as a framework for our ministry to the women of PIU. I am convinced that a person's greatest need is Jesus and what better way to help them know Him than to imitate Jesus and His character all while looking at His life and ministry in the Gospel Matthew. You can be praying for me and my R.A's weekly as we digg into the text and then as the R.A's work through the text with their small groups. Each Thursday we all come together and go over what we studied in our groups pray that the truths of scripture would be hearts and hearts changed. Pray that these women will know Jesus and how beautiful He truly is and all that He offers.
For His Name Sake
Daisy

This is Lian (Freshmen from Chuuk) and I on weekly shopping trip.

Nailynn Roby Sophmore from Pohnpei who is serving as one of my four R.A.'s

My Niece Bri came from Texas to PIU to work towards her Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies. 

Meet Jack and Bandit

This is my new puppy Jack!
He just showered! 
Meet Bandit! (my roommate Sarah's dog)
Bandit Hard at work in my office!!!


Spring 2014 Semester Begins!!!

This semster we have eighteen ladies living on  campus this semester. I have four amazing Resident Assistants Nai Nai Roby, Nailynn Roby, Shelter Alokoa, Mely Michael. This semester we are taking our girls through the Gospel of Matthew focusing specifically on chapters 3-5. Alongside Matthew my R.A's and I are reading through The Radical Disciple by John Stott focusing on four charachteristics of Jesus;
1. Jesus' Incarnation
2. Jesus' Mission
3. Jesus' Love
4. Jesus' Endurance
We are using these charachteristics as a framework for our ministry to the women of PIU. I am convinced that a person's greatest need is Jesus and what better way to help them know Him than to imitate Jesus and His character all while looking at His life and ministry in the Gospel Matthew. You can be praying for me and my R.A's weekly as we digg into the text and then as the R.A's work through the text with their small groups. Each Thursday we all come together and go over what we studied in our groups pray that the truths of scripture would be hearts and hearts changed. Pray that these women will know Jesus and how beautiful He truly is and all that He offers.
For His Name Sake
Daisy