Hey!!!

Hello Mom,

I'm glad that you didn't forget to write me. I really enjoy getting your emails because it let's me in on how the family is doing and normally the only mail I get. :) (I was saying my prayers at 11:30 at night and when I prayed for Kyle I remembered that I forgot to write him.)

That's cool that Connell won state. I bet Riner was pretty happy. Well that was sad news about Mick Monk. Hope the funeral goes well. Sounds like Dad is way busy and I bet he's way stressed out. I pray for you all and hope that everything is going well with our family. I'm sure Dad is going to be glad when the Christmas season is over. It's got to be pretty stressful for him.
Mom how are you doing? I don't hear to much about you and how things are going for you. I'm sure it's pretty stressful for you also. I'm so thankful for you and Dad. You both put a smile on my face. I'm sure you know this already but I love you both. I haven't been too homesick but sometimes it's hard not to think of home. I'm working hard and trying to give the Lord all that I have.

This last week kinda stunk. Daniel didn't come to church and he fell back to smoking again. I'm worried for him. I want him to make progress but we can't force him. We found a couple new investigators who will hopefully make some progress. I'm grateful that the Lord is with us in the work. Without him It would be way difficult. The feeling of the Holy Ghost is a great feeling and being inspired helps me to remember that I'm never alone in the work.

This week we had one of our former investigators show up out of nowhere at church. She invited us over to ask us some questions. We set up an appointment and brought a member. As we were there we answered all of her questions that she had about the church. Her last question was a shock but heart warming; she asked us: "In order to be a member of your church, I would have to be baptized, right?" That was such a sweet feeling. She has come to church the last two weeks and is such a nice sweet lady. Two months ago she wasn't ready to accept it all but now the Lord has prepared her to start meeting with us again. The gospel is an amazing gift in our life and we will always be blessed when we follow the principles taught.

Tell everyone that I say hi and that I love them. I'm so thankful that all of my family is in the church and that we all share the same religious values.

Love you mom and family. During the Christmas time, keep your mind focused on The true meaning of Christmas. I love you all and will work my hardest to share this wonderful message.

"No Regrets"

Love
Elder Merrill

December 1, 2009

Dear Family,

This week was a tougher one. Let's just say that. Br. Phong said that he didn't want to meet anymore for a while just because it's taking up too much time. I let him know that he is always welcome to come to church whenever he wants to. Daniel had a tough week and as a result he smoked. He is back to not smoking now which is good but I hope that he can stay with it. He has a good heart. We haven't found any way sweet people lately but I think a couple people have the chance to come around and become that sweet investigator.

We went to a bigger city today, Düsseldorf, and checked out the christmas markets there. Your package should be on it's way by the end of the week I hope. As for my package. I'm really asking you to not send me anything big or expensive. I'll be satisfied if it's just a letter, pictures, and burts bee's. I know how much of a hassle it is to have to worry about all the kids.
It's tough being away from home for christmas but I know that the Lord will bless us both. I know that I'm never alone.

Sorry that this letter is short and not much to it but I just don't know what to write. I got Kiersten's letter the other day. That was nice to read. Sounds like she is boy crazy though. I got a four page letter from aunt Michele. It was very nice. She is very sweet and I love getting letters from her because she is always encouraging and uplifting. She told me a little bit of Will and his successes. I'm glad that he's doing well and seeing lot's of success. I'm grateful for the family I have.

How is Andrew doing? I haven't heard about him in a while. Please share with me his successes. I like hearing about the success of others. It helps me to know that there is progress being made. Right now we, as a mission, are working on getting our numbers up and becoming a more fruitful mission. In the last year almost every mission in Europe has doubled their baptisms, except for the missions in Germany. I hope that I can help be part of that turn around.

Well love you all. Please if any of you have time write me a letter or email, I won't reject it. It's great to hear that everyone is safe at home and that everything is going well.

"No Regrets"

Love,
Elder Merrill

November 24, 2009

Dear Family,

This week I have hardly any time. We had a split with the zone leaders and we got messed up with bahn's so we got P-day started late. Oh well.

Well some bad news. Brother Phong wanted to cancel his date because of several reasons. His mother will be dying soon and she wants him to become a buddah. That means that he fasts for two weeks, he can't touch his wife, and he has to pray and meditate every day. Ya, so he asked to cancel his date. We are still going to be meeting with him twice a week and he will still come to church but he just felt like he couldn't do it. We are hoping that everything will klap. Daniel has gone six days without smoking at all. Pretty sweet. Unfortunately, we have to move his date back until the 10th of January because the brother he wants to baptize him can't get here any sooner. We will be working with him hard so that he is ready to get into the water.

Was noch.... well I have began to speak only German from now on. I have made it a goal that I want to have lost some english when I come home and I know it's possible. It's hard sometimes even to write e-mails because I only speak german. So far so good. I am wanting more time to study in the mornings so I get up a half hour early. It's been good so far. I'm excited to see what happens this next week.

We eat at members homes usually once a week. That's about it. For german food that I really like, it's called Roladen. Unfortunately it's more of a southern thing but I'm sure I'll have it again sometime. For things I really don't like, they have some really wierd meats here like spreadable stuff. I think its nasty but Elder Gruber likes it. The Christmas markets are starting to open up. I'm pretty excited. Hopefully it starts to get cold here. It's been in the high 40's for a while. We just had a pretty big storm last night with wind so maybe a cold front is coming in. It's way hard to tell when we don't have the news.

Well I gotta go but keep up the missionary work. That would be way sweet if you get to teach those kids with the missionaries. They must be pretty good missionaries if you are giving them referalls. :)

Well, OK. Again, I don't need anything for Christmas. Please keep what it would cost you to send me something and help me buy a car or some new skiis when I'm done. :)

The Spirit is able to lead me and tell me what to say and do. It's amazing how much it really actually helps us. I'm way thankful for the blessing I have to have the gospel in my life. The church is amazing.

Love you all

"No Regrets"
Elder Merrill

If you hear or see of any of my friends, feel free to tell them I said to write me! Love you.

11/17/2009

Dear Family & Friends,

Well so for the last week of missionary work. I really don't know where to start or what to say. We met with one investigator named Daniel (26) and we did set a date with him for the 27th of December! We are pretty excited but we are going to work really hard with him because he has a problem with smoking and hasn't been to church since I've been here. He is a really nice kid. We know that if he really wants it and if we work our hardest to help him that he will be able to achieve it. Please pray for him also. We set the date with him on Friday afternoon. Right after his appointment we began to fast for Br. Phong. I was praying so much for him last week. I knew that it was going to be difficult to set a date with him but I believed that he was ready and that the Lord would help us out. We met with Br. Phong Saturday night. We fasted all the way until after our appointment. We showed up and the bishop was with us. He had been doing some research on the church and was worried about tithing. We changed our lesson plans on the spot and taught about Tithing. He was stuck on the number part of tithing rather than the faith. In that lesson I realized more than ever that it wasn't about the money but showing our faith and building the kingdom of God. The lesson lasted for an hour and a half but we were able to set a baptism date for the 20th of December. On Sunday he didn't show up until the Sacrament meeting (last hour) and he wasn't feeling the greatest. He was still focused on tithing but a recent convert was talking with him after church and it went well. He was able to talk to him and help him understand that it was between him and the Lord. Last night his family was invited to FHE by one of the families in the ward and it was good to build a relationship there. Just a blessing filled week. I'm grateful for the blessings that the Lord sends me. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for these two sons of God. They are really coming to know there Savior Jesus Christ. It's way sweet to be a part of this change in their lives.

Well we are working way hard and obviously we are seeing the effects of it. A little update on myself. I was able to weigh myself this last week and I found out that I've lost 25 lbs! I weigh 175. I haven't been that light since the 8th grade. It's crazy. I wonder if I'm done losing.

That's crazy about those two wrecks. Everyone is glued to there cellphones these days. I see 8 year old kids talking on cell phones these days and it's crazy. How the times change. I'm sure you've heard about the German Goalie that committed suicide. Pretty sad that someone would go to that extreme.

That's sweet that you were able to sit in the Chapel. I'm glad that it was a good experience. The Apostles teach so well. I've been able to listen to a couple of talks this past week and I find it so amazing how well they teach. I'm working on my teaching skills and expecting the spirit to be there. I know that the spirit of God is with me as I teach. I can feel it's presence and I know that it's real.

I was so excited to hear that the Hallidays are doing good and that Eric and Megan and Seth are doing well.

Well I got a letter from Luci Jones this last week but that's it. Thanks for spreading the news about the blog and giving my address out. I hope that it will be able to help some people come closer to Christ.

Thanks For the great letter. Christmas is right around the corner! Love you all.

"No Regrets"

Love
Elder Merrill

Dear Family,

Hey what a week. We were able to find 3 new investigators in 2 days which is pretty stinking good. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find any others for the week but we are trying hard. So Aunt Jill wrote me and she asked if I ever get to go out to the country. Yes I do. We have pretty big areas and we get to travel. The trains go through country but it's not anything like the states. It's hard to explain. Where I am now there are tons of trees. All the leaves are gone but it was way pretty. I can't wait 'till next fall. Our mission is down sizing so we have about 120 missionaries and it's only getting smaller. President is trying to get only one set of missionaries per ward.

Well sounds like it was a good week for you at home. It was a good week for us too. Our #1 investigator, Br. Phong (pong) is really progressing and it's amazing. I love it. It brings me so much happiness. He is already in Helaman and he's been reading now for 4 weeks. Crazy. We don't even have to really teach because he learns through reading in The Book of Mormon. I'm so excited for this week. Elder Texiera, Part of the Europa Presidentschaft asked all the missionaries in Europe to take each one of there progressing investigators and set a date this week before the end of the year. That means we will be committing Br. Phong to Baptism this week! We are really excited. I've been praying really hard for him and for myself because I'm going to need it. I would ask you all to pray for me as well as Br. Phong this week. Thank you.

We have some other investigators that we are working with but unfortunately they aren't progressing all that much. This past week we visited an inactive member that lives in an old person home. We meet with him every week so it's a regular thing. His roommate is wheelchair bound and looks like death. It's crazy because it doesn't matter how old people get they still drink their beer. He has to drink it out of a sippy-cup. I had a laugh over it. I forgot to tell you last week but I was able to give my first blessing in German. I gave it to this inactive. He asked me for one and it was a really cool experience. Talking about being led by the Spirit. German is not an easy language. The grammar is really hard but it's coming along very very well.

Well because there is no Thanksgiving here people are already putting up Christmas decorations. It's sweet. We decided that we would join so we put up some Christmas lights in our apartment.

I got the letters from the kids except for Kiersten. Sounds like everything is going well at home. I'm glad to hear that. Tell everyone that asks how I'm doing I say hi and tell them about the blog. I'm glad that people ask how I'm doing. Makes me feel good. Hopefully lots of people read the blog and see how I'm doing. OK... I'm out of stuff to write about but something will pop into my head as soon as I leave, that's OK though. Well I don't need anything. Sorry that it's so difficult. Don't worry about sending me anything big. Don't send me Chocolate or candy. I'll send it to you. The only thing I would really want is letters and pictures. Don't worry about it. Make it small--really small. OK, please put some pictures on the blog for some people if you haven't already.

Love you all so much. I'm excited to hear from you all again. Dad don't forget to write me about updates on fishing, sports with the kids, and anything else I would find interesting. Mom you do great every week writing me. I always when reading have a reason to say "no way" out loud and then everyone looks at me weird. It's great. Love you all.

"No Regrets"
Elder Merrill

(I asked Kyle how old his investigators are.)

Investigators: Br. Phong 46, Daniel 32ish, Sarah 19, Frau Salz 50

Sticking Around

Dear Mom,

Well it's the first time. I'm staying and Elder Gruber is staying with me. That means that I will probably stick aroung through Christmas too. I'm Excited. This ward is pretty darn sweet. The members are always ready to help. It makes missionary work so much easier. Now all we need is to have the members start giving referalls and inviting friends over and have us over. I know that the area has got some sweet potential because of the ward. It is a small ward but they try.

So for our investigators. We have our Buddhist investigator. He came to Stake Conference this last Sunday. That makes it three sundays in a row that he has come. He is definately making progress but he has a much farther way to come because he doesn't know nearly as much about Christ as the average person. He is flying through the Book of Mormon and starting to get to the "Good Stuff". He is a blessing for me as a missionary. Because we are teaching him he is helping me to study more for him. As I focus on teaching through the Spirit it helps me to feel the Spirit more often as well as follow the Spirit.

We are having another appointment with another investigator tonight. We are planning on teaching the second lesson. I know that this will help him to progress and understand the real reason why we are on the earth. We are really excited for this lesson and hope that we can help him to understand better our Heavenly Father's love for us.

The other Elders in our area are getting transfered together to another city in our district so we will be taking over their area as well. We are excited. It's going to keep us on our toes. I'm really trying to focus on doing all that I possibly can. If we stay busy we are much more liable to see success (baptisms) because there are just that many more investigators going through the pool.

We are working with one less active right now and she is making progress also. She enjoys meeting with us and is willing to keep commitments and coming to church more often. I'm grateful for the opportunity that I have to teach those and remind them of their testimony of Jesus Christ. It truly is a blessing.

How's everyone doing? How is Will doing? I'm sure he is tearing it up. How about Andrew? His mission is winding down here. Is he an Assistant yet? If not, my guess is that he will be soon. He was always a good example for me. I was always the one that had the stupid ideas that got us into trouble. Bike's to landslide-me, sparkler bomb-me, and many others but we'll talk about those later :) How are the kid's doing? I haven't hear from them in a while. The girls said that they were going to write me soon but my mailbox is still empty.

Sorry that I didn't wish Korbin a Happy Birthday in last week's email but I forgot. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Kiersten HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I just got to say, I don't regret not kissing anyone. From seeing others and hearing, it makes things awkward after it's all over. You've got your free agency but I would discourage it, just because you are still in High School. Whatever though.

Umm so I haven't heard from anyone in a long time. I got a letter from Mathesons two or three weeks ago but other than that ya. Well if you ever see anyone or hear how my friends are doing let me know how they are doing. I got a little plan for Christmas that might help roll in some letters or maybe even some stray packages. :) Please don't send me anything that is just to fill a package. I would rather just get letters. Now that I think of it I really don't want a new sweater. The only thing I can say is some recipe's for some cookies or even some simple things to cook we don't have to much time to cook so that makes it tough.

Well this transfer I'm going to focus on doing all that I can. I read a quote by Henry Ford this past week. It says. "Unless a man undertakes more than he can possibly do, he will never do all that he can." I'm really going to focus on doing my best and following the Spirit.

Thanks for the email mom. It really cheers me up and helps with not getting home sick. Thanks for your love and support. I love you all and wish you all the best this week.

"No Regrets"

Love
Elder Merrill

What a Week!!

Hey Mom, Dad, and family,

First off, Mom I really don't remember your questions from last week so sorry. Thanks a ton for the pictures you sent. It cheers me up to see the kids having fun playing sports and other things that they like to do. I had to laugh when I read the little story about doing cookies in the red pickup with Katie. Oh, bye the way that was in the back yard before it was all smoothed out and stuff. It looked pretty sweet, dirt flying everywhere. I think Katie enjoyed it also. There are probably many more stories that you will find out from the kids while I am gone. I'm just glad I'm on the other side of the world so I can't really be punished :) Well I was really glad to hear the different stories you told me. Dad, soak up the fishing time.

This last week, I'm not going to lie, it was pretty difficult for me. I was kind of a little homesick but nothing big enough to keep me from working hard and being obedient. I just need to remember that no one is the same as me. Elder Gruber has been in this area for 7 months so he's getting a little tired of it. Transfer calls come this week so we will see what goes down. We had interviews with President and we had to teach him baptism and commit him to baptism. We did OK teaching him. We tried our best to invite the Spirit into the lesson. At the end of the lesson President acknowledged us for bearing testimony and that he was able to feel the spirit. That was really nice to hear. I've been working hard on bringing the spirit into every appointment. I've been doing OK but I can always do better.

Last night was one of those nights that makes all the hard and tough times worth it. We had an appointment with an inactive member and one of our newer investigators. We had planned out the lesson we were going to teach and we knew it could be filled with the spirit. As we taught the lesson we asked the inactive member what different things meant to her. As she answered the questions she was able to find herself testifying. It was great to help her find that testimony. As she testified the investigator was able to understand how much it all really meant to her. Several years earlier he had a baptismal date but for some reason he was not able to go through with it. There was an Elder here several years ago and he left a big impression on this family. It was great. As we bore testimony, the spirit came into the room and they all felt it. I asked Daniel, the investigator, if he could feel it. After he agreed I testified to him that that was the Holy Ghost testifying of truth. The Inactive sister came to church this last week and the members accepted her with loving open arms. It's always a blessing to see the light return to people's lives. The Bishop in the ward thanked us for our hard work. I work my hardest everyday and know that through time I will be blessed for the hard work I try to do.

I'm really excited for you Dad as well as the family for Elder Holland to come. I'm a little jealous. He is amazing when he speaks about missionary work. I hope that you will share with me what you learn. I love you all so much.

I got a letter from the Matheson family which was nice. It gets kind of lonely out here but I know that you are always thinking of me and love me. I want you to know that I love you all and wish you the best till next week.

"No Regrets"

Love,
Elder Merrill

p.s.We have to be quick on P-day in order to get things done. We don't get very many opportunity's to play ball or anything but I always watch what I'm doing. (Todd asked him to be careful if he plays sports on p-day so he doesn't get hurt).

October 20, 2009

Dear Mom,

Hey! I can't believe how fast time goes by. OK, so where to start. Well, I hope Katie didn't cry when she got her ear's pierced. I want to see some pictures. I bet she looks very cute. I was just looking at that picture and I can't believe how much Korbin and Kory have grown. It's amazing. It has been nine months though. Korbin looks like he's got his zits starting to come on. Gotta love 'em. :) Well, I really don't mind about my clothes anymore. I will probably send a box of clothes home that I never use anymore. I don't know when I'll do it so don't be expecting anything.

So I got a letter from Elder Waddoups this week. It was really good to hear from him. It really made my day. He seems to be doing really good. He says it's hard to speak Spanish when the majority is speaking English around you. I'm thankful that I'm surrounded with German. There are so many things I am thankful for. At the end of the day it's sometimes hard to speak in English because I only speak in German outside of the apartment. I have been super blessed with the language. I still have so much more to learn but I know that the Lord is helping me.

Well it's cold now. It's down in the low 40's high 30's now so we have to wear our suits. I'm pretty sure that my suits will be able to last me through the winter. The one that I had before the mission is starting to wear down but it still looks good. Luckily, if I have to, suits are really cheap over here.

That's way crazy that Rachel is rooming with Sara. I haven't heard from Lisa for about 3 months. Well I'm glad Dad is going fishing. The only thing I really miss is working on the farm. My companion things I'm crazy and sometimes makes fun of me but I love it.

It's been a pretty good week. At Zone Conference Sister Ninow talked to us about the gifts promised to obedient faithful missionaries. She gave us 15 scriptures from the Doctrine and Covenants that promised faithful missionaries special blessings. My favorite one I think is in Section 100. I think it's something like verse 7 or so when it is promised that ye shall say what I will put into your minds. It's amazing how much the Lord helps me. I owe so much to him for helping me on the mission. I serve as well as I can everyday. I go to bed at night and I think about each one of our investigators and usually I can't think about each one of them before I am out. I fall asleep in about 2-3 minutes. It's great.

We had an appointment with Br. Phong, our Buddhist Investigator, everything went very well. We had called him a couple days before to see if he was reading. He said that he had read a little bit and that he had a question as to why God destroyed Jerusalem. We prepared to answer his question and then to watch the Restoration video with him. As we began the lesson he said that he had read and that he was in 2 Nephi. He had read over 90 pages in less than a week. We were way excited. We answered his question as best we could and the member present was able to help us explain better as to why God would let that happen. As we watched the Restoration, I was praying that he would be able to learn something from it. During the film, Joseph Smith said that he was trying to find out which church was true. Br. Phong then said, "That's what I'm trying to do too". He told us at the end of the lesson that as soon as he feels that this church is true he will join immediately. I left that appointment with a very thankful heart. I am thankful that the Lord is letting me share my testimony to those that are searching for it. It has been a blessing for me to work through the Spirit of God in helping others come closer to Christ. My testimony grows everyday and I'm grateful for the many blessing that the Lord gives me.

Thank you so much for your love and support. You can tell the to girls that I am still waiting for their letters. :) Love you all and wish you all the best this week. You are always in my prayers.

"No Regrets"

Love
Elder Merrill

October 13, 2009

Hello Dad, Mom, and kids,

Things are going pretty well here in Germany. Well, to answer your questions. I believe my long underwear should be in my green ski bag. Umm, another question. What is happening to all the stuff in my closet? There was some things that I believe I put on the top shelf that hopefully I will be able to find. I don't think I'll need my long underwear before Christmas so don't worry about sending anything before. I also thought maple flavoring would be nice so that I can make syrup because it's not a common item and when it is there it's expensive. They don't have vanilla flavoring either so if i would need that to make the syrup. Also, I would like some recipes like German pancakes, chicken Alfredo, a recipe for syrup and other easy stuff if possible. I don't want you to send me anything big or expensive for Christmas. I would rather have you save the trouble and money and save it for when I get home :)

This past week has been pretty nice. We were able to find one new investigator. She is pretty old and very very nice. She is too nice, actually. Hopefully she will come to church and progress in the gospel. We were able to go to a part member families home on Sunday for Cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate. It was way good. That's something that I'm really going to miss. Rolf Peters was able to come to church this week. He really enjoyed it. It's going to be hard to keep teaching him though because he smokes like a chimney. He is a way friendly guy and wants to help us out with the language. We ran into an old investigator yesterday. She is 19 and speaks English. I was talking with her for a while and she lived in Moses lake for 2 months in 2005. She stayed with some members but she didn't remember their name. It was way sweet. Apparently, she knows that the church is true but is just having a hard time wanting to "change". She lives all of the commandments and everything but I don't know whats holding her back. Hopefully we can meet with her again and help her realize the blessing that it is to accept the gospel.

The other day we were doing doors and we talked with this guy, he was maybe 23-24. We taught him at his door for like 15 minutes. It was way sweet. He seemed really interested and said that we could meet again. I'm hoping that I'll be able to stay in this area for a while because it has loads of potential.

I am loving the mission so much! I can't believe it's already been 8 months. Something funny... The area Presidency has told us that we are not allowed to shake hand's anymore because of the swine flu. I don't know how bad it is or anything but hopefully it's not for too long.
Tomorrow we have Zone Conference and I'm pretty excited. Time is flying by this cycle. It's crazy how it works on the mission. It really seems like I've been in Germany for a couple weeks. I am starting now to understand other people's conversations that they are having with each other. It's funny being able to listen to people when they think that I can't understand.
Elder Gruber is a little sick so hopefully I don't get anything.

Tell the kids Happy birthday for me. I hope everything is well at home now.
I got a letter from the Laurels in the ward. It was nice. I thought it was really funny that Kiersten and Kelsey wrote the least amount. Hopefully, I'll get letters from them soon.

Love you all and I want to just say that this Church is true. I see people that don't have it and they are just not happy. It's amazing the joy that the gospel brings into our lives. Love you all and I can't wait to hear from you again.

"No Regrets"

Love
Elder Merrill

p.s. What are some things that might be cool for little Christmas presents from Germany?

October 6, 2009

Dear Mom and family,

I'm glad that things are doing well for you with your neck. I was really shocked about it just because I thought it was going to be down the road. I'm glad that all is OK with it. I said a prayer to myself asking for your safety and to help the doctors perform it well.

Wow, that's crazy that Candace had a baby. Good for them. I've almost been out the time of a whole pregnancy :) Today I have been in Germany for six months. Because there is no Thanksgiving or Halloween, there is already Christmas candy being sold in stores. Are there any more kids my age getting married or married yet? When I read that Daniel Cuello got his mission call, that made me feel so good and I was way excited for him. It's really weird to think that kids younger than me are going to college and going on missions. I can't wait for those elders that come in and say that they graduated in 09. That will be weird. Man time flies.

This past week has been a really boosting week as we have worked our hardest. On Thursday, Elder Gruber had District Leader Council so I was able to go on a mini-split with Elder Castillo and Elder Beyrich. We were assigned to do doors right next to the church. We got on our way and we talked with everyone. In an hour and a half we were able to get 3 solid contacts as we used Teach To Find. Even though I was the one longest out on the mission I felt like the youngster out of the drit because of my German but I was grateful for the opportunity to work with them both. I have started to see the blessings of my last cycle. My German has become much more fluent and it is so much easier to understand.

Also this past week, we went through the area book and made calls to Former Investigators. I was able to get a hold of an older lady and when she finally figured out that we were the "Mormon Missionaries" she was so excited. She wanted to meet that week but because of her work we weren't able to set up an appointment. She went on to tell me that her Uncle is a member in the states and that she loved meeting with the missionaries 2 years ago. I'm so excited that we are having appointments and being able to teach.

Another story that just came to my mind was we set up an appointment with an inactive member and we were able to go teach him. We had planned out to teach the first lesson. We showed up to the appointment and he had his two children, the daughter Katarina 11 and the son Fabian 10, and there with their Book of Mormon's on the table as well as a first lesson pamphlet. We taught the three of them and then committed them to come to church. The two kids were very excited to have us there and when I invited them to come back to church Katarina had the biggest smile on her face and was so happy. Neither of the children are baptized but want so bad to come to church. I know that inactive work will bring blessings into other people's lives. When we left that night I felt the best I have ever felt on the mission so far. The little girls smile and excitement made me melt inside. I know that someday she will be able to enter into a covenant with Heavenly Father.

So far I've really enjoyed my time here in Solingen. The transfer is almost half way over. I can't believe how fast time flies. I'm really blessed to be able to serve a mission.

OK so with conference, My favorite Talk was from President Monson in the Priesthood session about anger. During that talk I felt something different and I know that it was the Spirit whispering to me that there are certain things I need to do to change my life. I don't have any problems with getting angry or anything but I was able to look back at the past and realize the things that I did poorly. I think we both know most of them but I just want to apologize for the false choices I made in treating my parents, siblings, and as well as some others. I am asking for your forgiveness because I handled many situations poorly and I realize now that I should have made the better choice.

Thank you for all of you love and support. I love you all and I wish you the best this week. Please continue to pray for me as I will continue to do the same for you. Love you all.

"No Regrets"

Love
Elder Merrill

Hey Mom, Dad, Family, And Friends,

I am very excited to be serving in Solingen! My first Sunday here was really pretty sweet. I tried my hardest to shake the hand of every member in the ward and introduce myself. I was able to share my testimony in Sacrament Meeting. During Sunday School the Bishop came and grabbed me out of the class. He asked me a couple questions about myself and then he handed me a nice folder with all of the Ward information. It was sweet. It had a list of all the active members, a list for all the less actives, and a list for all the inactives. He asked me to write down the people that we visit and then to report on it. It will definitely help us share the gospel. I'm way excited to be working here. Last night we brought one of the Priests with us to an appointment. It was really cool to have him come along because he wants to be with us missionaries and help teach. I am really excited and am looking forward to the success this area will see.

Oh man, well my companion, Elder Gruber, is from Minnesota and he comes from a fairly small family but he is the only boy. Wow, I'm grateful to be able to serve with him. He is only a couple months older than me on the mission. He will have been in this area since April so I wouldn't be surprised if he left and I got a new companion.

Well, things are going good for me. We have one investigator right now. His name is Rolf Peters. He is about 58 and blind. It's good to teach him though because he always helps us with our German.

We helped this member move and his house he was moving from was like a mansion. It was amazing. I thought it was like a government building. If I were to guess how much it would go for it would probably be about 4-5 million. Pretty sweet house.

Well, Love you all and look forward to getting some more letters from the kids and others ;) Thanks again for your love and support.

"No Regrets"

Love
Elder Merrill

I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go!

Hello family,

That's right, Getting transferred again. My new address will be:
Werwolf Str. 32 42651 Solingen

It was kind of disappointing but I was thinking about it and it's where the Lord wants me to go. My new companion will be Elder Gruber. I don't know too much about him other than he was trained by Elder Henderson. I think that we are going to get along really well. He is District Leader and a very good missionary. I feel blessed to serve with him.

It's been great serving here in Leverkusen. I've progressed a lot as far as the language goes and I'm extremely thankful for Elder Moffat and his help. He was always really patient with me and helped me become a better missionary. There are so many more things that I need to do to become better so hopefully I can pick something for this next cycle and become better at it.

Sounds like the Family is doing really well. That was a way sweet picture of Kelsey. That could be made for one of the life size pictures that you want to do downstairs. I have a question for you. Did you ever get Some Chocolate in the mail from me? I sent some in an envelope so I'm hoping it got there OK. If not please let me know.

So on Sunday we met with Petros and watched the Restoration video. It was way sweet. Everything worked out well and the spirit was way strong. Unfortunately, I'm leaving but Elder Moffat will do great teaching him. We both bore testimony of Joseph Smith and the Spirit was way strong. It is awesome to see him feel the Spirit. He loves meeting with us and he is progressing pretty well.

Well, I would like to hear about sports more and how Korbin is liking football. How's Kory doin? How many girlfriends does he have? How's Kiersten handling without a car? Is she liking the Student Rep thing? How's Katie feeling? Is she playing any sports right now? How about Kelsey? Any more dates? How's Dad liking hay being done? Is he going to have a project this winter? How does the Yard look after this last summer?

We didn't have bikes in this area but I'm not sure about my next area. The weather is still warm but it's going to start to get cold here really quick. I am able to wear my long sleeve shirts again so it's good weather. We take buses everywhere as well as by feet. One set of my shoes already has a couple big cracks in them unfortunately but that's life. My pants are really faded but they still look OK. It's missionary work. I love it. I'm really working on giving my best and forgetting about things that don't matter any more. I know that as I work on giving my best that the Lord will bless me.

Well I send my love and I wish you the best this week. Hopefully all is good over there. Thank you for your prayers and love. I wish you the best and I love you ton.

"No Regrets"

Love,
Elder Merrill

September 15, 2009

Hello Family,

This last week has been pretty sweet. Last pday we went and I bought a coat for the winter. It looks pretty nice I think but it cost quite a bit. We looked through a bunch of stores and they were all expensive or they weren't very thick. I found a coat that I liked in a store called Kaufhof. It's kind of like a JC Pennies or something like that. It cost me 140 Euro. Something that I had to get though. The weather is getting colder and colder so I'll start to use it here in the coming weeks.

Transfers calls are this Saturday. I think that we will probably stay together but there is also a really good chance that Elder Moffat could train. There are only 3 German Goldens coming in this transfer so he could very well train one of them. It will be interesting to see what happens.
I got a letter from Sandy Beus last night. She wrote me a really nice letter. She said that Dad seems to be leading the ward with love, that, mom, you are very loving and a wonderful mother, that the girls are beautiful, Korbin is a man (since when), and Kory is just Kory. It was a really nice letter. I wrote her back this morning before emails and I'll send that off today.

This last week we taught this guy who is a pole vaulter. He is moving to South Africa pretty soon but he was way cool. We just looked him up and apparently he was 6th in the world in 2001. Pretty crazy. He was a way cool guy. He let us in and we taught him. He said that he will try to visit our church before he leaves but if not for sure when he gets back.

This last week has been pretty sweet. On Friday morning we had an appointment with a newly found investigator, Petros. It was our second time meeting with him. We went to his place but unfortunately he wasn't there. We called him but no answer. It was sad. That day we were eating lunch and we had an impression to call him up again. I called him and he answered. We asked where he was and he said that he was in the hall. We asked if we could come by in a half hour. He agreed. We quit lunch early and left immediately. We were waiting for a bus to come that would take us there. This bus showed up that we had never taken before or never even seen. Elder Moffat asked the bus driver if he was going to where we needed to go. He was going to the exact place. We got on the bus and it stopped only twice before our stop when the other buses stop 7-8 times. We were able to make it to his house in exactly a half hour. We taught him a short lesson and set up a return appointment. It was was sweet. The miracle to that story was that later we found out that the bus we took only came once a day and that it only made a couple stops. It was a cool experience for both of us to see the hand of the Lord in our work. As we were striving to listen to the Spirit the Lord blessed us.

That's crazy we got a new patriarch. Is Patriarch Andelin still doing it? Are the Darts in our ward now or what? Sounds Like Chiawana is pretty big. How does Kelsey like it? It's crazy how people are getting married. Is Emily Davidson already married?

It's crazy, here in Germany all the old people ride bikes. Like 80 yr. old people ride bikes like nothing. They can ride a bike better than they can walk. So Korbin is taking my room over huh. That's cool. Hopefully I'll still have a couple of clothes left when I get home. Speaking of clothes. the picture you sent me of dad with all the bishops, he was wearing both my pants and my shirt. (Kyle is wrong, Todd was wearing his own pants.) I couldn't see the shoes he was wearing but it wouldn't of surprised me. I laughed about it. Feel free to use my clothes. Sister Dietrich is a very sweet old grandma. I love her. Well thanks for all the love and support.

Dad thanks for the email. I opened it up and I read "sorry I haven't written to you a whole lot. Love dad" and then that was it. I was like you have got to be kidding. I scrolled down and then I saw that you had written an email. Thanks for that. I'm sure it was a way scary experience. I don't know what I would have done. How long do you figure you were under the water? I'm glad everything turned out OK.

Thanks for your love, support, and updates on the farm. You should get the county to move the power lines to the edge of the field then it would be a lot easier for circles. Sometimes I see tractors and I get a little home sick for working on the farm. I love it. I'm doing great though.
I am forgetting myself and doing what I can to serve those around me. It's a miracle to watch myself change into a man and not focus on me rather focusing on serving others. You have been a good example to me with serving others. I remember so many times were you took me to serve someone and then all the times that you served me when you didn't have to.
I am grateful for my family and the examples you are to me. Thank you all and I love you.

"No Regrets"

Love,
Elder Merrill

September 8, 2009

Hallo Liebe Familie,

Everything is going good here in Leverkusen. We have interviews today so that ought to be pretty sweet. I love talking with President. He is really 100% focused on the missionary work in Germany and he knows what he's talking about.

It's great to hear from you mom. Pretty crazy rafting story. Where did you go Rafting? Sometimes I think about how terrible it would be to get a phone call saying that one of my family members was seriously injured or worse. I know that the Lord looks out for us and that he knows what we need and how we should receive it.

This past week was a pretty blessed week. We were blessed by our efforts to sacrifice and to only speak German. On Saturday night we were doing finding time knocking doors and we knocked into a man from Africa. He said that he had visitors and that it wasn't a good time. We asked if we could come back another day and teach him, he agreed. We were able to set up an appointment for the very next day (Sunday). The next day we returned to meet him. We taught him a first lesson with him asking many good "Investigator" questions. We were able to answer them for him. We were able to commit him to hearing all of the lessons and to try it out for himself. We were blessed to hear him say that he would like to hear our lessons and to try it out. We committed him to reading about the Book of Mormon and to pray about it and also about Joseph Smith. We promised him that if he really wanted to know that he would receive an answer through prayer. It was an awesome lesson. This experience strengthened my testimony about sacrifice and how if we strive to do our best the Lord will never give us the short end of the stick. I'm grateful for the personal blessings I have received that have strengthened my testimony and helped me grow closer to my Savior Jesus Christ.

We went to Sister Dietrich's Yesterday and she fed us lunch. She gave us each two huge chicken legs, tons of potatoes, and then salad. She expected us to eat all of it so we did. Usually missionaries have to deal with eating disgusting stuff but here, so far, all I've had to worry about is making enough room for it to all fit. She is such an old nice lady. Right before we left she gave us each a bunch of food and the the best of it all she gave us each a hug. I shook her hand and then she said, "Oh come on, I'm an old grandma. You get a hug." :) It was great. It felt so good, even from an 75 year old lady. It made me feel really loved. She was great. No, we never eat with our napkins tucked in but she had us do it because she's a nice old grandma. The ward is really nice and I'm grateful to serve here.

Thank you so much for your letter each week. I'm so grateful that I am able to receive an email/letter from someone each week. It helps us missionaries out. I know it's tough to write missionaries and that it is expensive. That's why I don't expect too many letters. I appreciate the ones I get though.

Well, love you all and I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to serve a mission. I'm glad that every one is OK and that no one has gotten hurt. Stay safe and keep being "Member Missionaries".

Love you all so very much. "No Regrets"

Love
Elder Merrill

German Only Week

Hello Mom, Dad, and Family,

This week were are having in our companionship a Deutsche Woche (ONLY GERMAN). It's pretty cool. I still make millions of mistakes but I know how far I've come and how much I've been blessed because I knew absolutely nothing. It's pretty sweet. Right now we are kind of in a deep rut. We don't have any investigators but we are working extra hard to find some. It's tough being a missionary with no investigators. Hopefully things will flip around. I'm really trying to concentrate on my prayers and have faith that I will be led to those that are ready.

Yesterday we had a good opportunity to serve some people. First off we were going by on inactives and seeing if we could get in contact with them. We went by on two of them and then we were waiting for a bus to go to the next one. There was this older man sitting down and he didn't look very good. He asked us for some water and Elder Moffat gave him some. He was breathing pretty hard and sweating bad. He then said that he needed an ambulance and so we called one for him. It took them about 15-20 minutes to get there. They took him into the ambulance and then 10 minutes later or so one of the guys came out and said that he was probably going to be OK. I think he was experiencing a mild heat stroke. He told us that he had had a by-pass surgery earlier so I was kind of scared he was having a heart attack. They took him to the hospital and then we went on our way being missionaries. Later during the day we were walking on the sidewalk and some lady was riding in her electric wheelchair. She only had one leg and she was OLD. She saw us and then stopped. She called us over and then she asked us to lift her up and slide her further back in her seat because she was sliding down. We helped her and then we went on our way again. These two people we were able to help out and they both appreciated it. We will probably never see them again but I know that someday they will remember us missionaries.

I received both Kraymer's and Kaitlan's letters the other day. The only problem is I don't know to what address I should write Kaitlan back to. She should be at college now so ya can't really send her a letter. Last week I also got a really nice letter from Jace. He expressed his thanks to me for the example I am to him and for the effort I put forth to get him to church and Mutual activities. I only wish that I could have been better. There are several times and people in my life that I look back on and wish I would have been a better example to and been better at sharing the gospel with. I think the mission I am in right now is to help me realize how much better I could of, should of been. I am really thankful for the opportunities I have had so far on the mission and I know that I will have so many more humbling/testimony building experiences.

Sounds like things are really starting to slow down especially with the kids in school. It's crazy to think back to when I was home. It only seems like a couple of weeks ago and I'll be out for 7 months tomorrow. It's amazing how time flies. Well today we will be getting haircuts, shopping for food, and then I'm pretty sure we are going to the Dome again and we might go somewhere else. It feels like I'm still in the states but just speaking a different language and different lifestyle. It's really weird.

Thanks for keeping me in your prayers and please continue to do so. I know that the power of prayer is real. My faith in prayer grows more and more each time I pray with real intent. I need to really focus on making my prayers better but I know it takes time. Everything in the gospel takes time. I'm thankful for this experience to serve a mission and even though I might lose a couple of opportunities at home I wouldn't give it up for any of them. I know that the Lord has blessed me, that he is blessing me, and that he will continue to bless me, even after my mission. I am striving to stay obedient, to develop Christlike Attributes and being the best I can.

Thank you so much for your love and support. It really does help to have you write me every week. I love you mom. Thank you. I know that our family is the most important thing in this world. Thank you for raising me to be a righteous hard working missionary of our Lord Jesus Christ. Love you.

"No Regrets"

Love,
Elder Merrill

August 27, 2009

Hello Mom, Dad, and Family,

I got the kids' letters yesterday. That was pretty fun. We had zone conference moved to Tuesday so we were supposed to have p-day on Monday but we already had appointment plans so we decided to take it today (Thursday). Zone Conference was amazing. President talked to us about the desire of our hearts. It was amazing. He talked about how we are all willing to give up the big things in life to be a missionary such as Jobs, School, Girlfriends, etc. but we aren't willing or its harder to give up the little things. It was an amazing talk. I really enjoyed it.

This last week we worked hard but it's been kind of slow. We are really working with the inactives in our ward. I know the Lord will bless us for our obedience and hard work. Here is an example that happened this last week: The other day we had decided to knock doors in an area we hadn't ever been to. Before we began we decided to say a little prayer. After the prayer I had this feeling that someone was going to accept us. Sure enough about 30 minutes later we were offered to come in. Because it was a young woman we asked if there was a man home and she said that there wasn't. We told her that we felt that we shouldn't come in, not because we thought something bad would happen just because we wanted to have another man present. She accepted that fact and she allowed us to set up a return appointment to teach her. We felt blessed that day because of our faith and our obedience to the commandments given to us as missionaries. It was a pretty sweet experience but hopefully this girl will want to accept the gospel and change for the better.

I read a quote my 3rd month in germany by Thomas Paine. He said, "The harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheaply we esteem too lightly". I have really thought about this and applied it to the mission. If I am ever able to have a blessing of participating in a baptism while on my mission it will definately mean a lot more to me than those that just fall into place. I know the Lord is blessing me. He blesses me every day. I really have been blessed with the language. I still aint perfect but it is definately coming easier and easier. I thank the Lord every day for the blessings he has given me. I love it all so much. The atonement is amazing and it's wonderful to know that Christ had the love for us that he did. What he had to in order to bring salvation to all the world. The plan of our Savior is amazing. It's tough to hear people reject the message. I know that it is true and that there is nothing of more worth in this world.

Thank you so much for your letter you write each week to me. I am blessed to have a loving family. I don't know what I would do without you. Thank you. I haven't heard from friends in a long time. Aparantly Laura Bayles (one of the AZ girls) saw the Assistants at church and she told them to tell me hi. That was pretty cool.

Thank you so much for the pictures of the farm. I loved them so much. I dont see anything like that ever. Well love you all. Keep having fun and doing what you can to be missionaries. I regret in high school not talking more about the gospel and not inviting friends to church things. I could have been a much better Member Missionary. I know you all can be much better than me.

Love you all.

"No Regrets"
LoveElder Merrill

The New Area is GREAT!!

Dear Family,

The new area is sweet. The district is sweeter. My companion is the Sweetest! His German is Amazing. He has only been out 9 months and he already speaks better than missionaries going home. I feel so blessed. I have already learned so much from him. As long as I keep working hard and studying diligently my German will really improve this cycle. His name is Elder Jeff Moffat. He is from Lakeside, AZ. He is really quiet but sometimes he is way funny. I love him. I'm so excited to serve with him.

We have an investigator who had a baptismal date but we will have to push it back because he hasn't come to church at all. Hopefully it will all work out still. We have another investigator who is not progressing so we will probably drop him this week. This area is a lot like Langen just a lot more people and a lot richer people. The head quarters of Bayer (the medicine) is here in Leverkussen so there are some big businessmen here. There is a really good soccer team here so I will probably get a jersey. There aren't hardly as many Turks here as there was in my other areas. I feel so blessed to serve here.

We had a Young Single Adult (JAE) Activity to try and activate some JAE's. We roasted marshmallows next to the river and had s'mores. It was fun. The marshmallows aren't like Americas. They are weird and don't taste as good. Being here in Germany makes me love the States more and more. It's really quite amazing how evil this part of the world is but it only strengthens my testimony of the gospel because it truly brings me a lot of joy.

I have been reading "Our Heritage" and it's great to learn about the history of the church. I Love the scriptures so much. It's such a blessing in our lives to have them.

Yesterday we were doing doors and we knocked into this lady and her kids. She didn't speak German but she told me to wait just a moment. She called up her husband on the cell phone and told me to talk. I talked to the guy on the phone, who I assume was her husband, and I testified of families and how they can live together forever. Unfortunately, he said no but it was a sweet experience to contact someone on the phone.

Well nothing much else happened this week but I am excited for next week. Hopefully I'll get some letters but I aint counting on them. It sounds like you guys had a pretty crazy week. That is so sweet that Jace got to go to the temple with his dad and all his family. That's so great. I'm really proud of him and excited for the blessings that will come his way for being a servant of the Lord. So Brittany's husband, who is this guy I didn't even know she was getting married. Anyone else getting married? Anyone my age? Kaleb Whitby said it right, detail. I love hearing the little stuff. You do a really great job at writing Mom and want to thank you for it. It's really an uplifter for the week. Especially since I only get your email for the week. Hopefully some others will write me. (I think this is a hint.) Oh well, I'm just rambling on right now because I dont have much to say. Today we are going to play basketball with the zone leaders and their investigator which should be fun. Thanks for everything. Love you.

"No Regrets"

Elder Merrill

Ich gehe nach Leverkussen morgen

That's right! Time to pack the bags. I'm going to Leverkussen. It's right up next to a city called Köln (Cologne). Köln is the Gay capital of Europe so it will be very interesting. I'm really excited. My new Companion will be Elder Moffat. I don't know anything about him other than he's been out for about 9 months. More info on him next week.

So yesterday made the week! We spent the day doing doors and then we went to a different little city and did some more doors. We talked to this man about the plan of happiness. He didn't believe in something after this life but as we testified of it the Spirit came into his life and he began to change. He didn't totally accept it but I know that it touched him. He said "maybe I'll be ready to hear it in 10 years". Hopefully it's shorter than that. It was a way sweet opportunity for us both. We both switched off testifying left and right. It was awesome. In my mission it has been little lessons like that where we teach people at the door or on the street that I have come to appreciate and strengthen my testimony.

After we finished finding time there it was time to call it a day and head back to the apartment. We were on the bikes. We were on our way through the forest going down a fairly good sloped hill. I was cruising going about 20 mph or so. Since being in this area we have ridden bikes a lot so I don't ride with hands unless I need to. Well ya, so I wasn't riding with hands at this moment in time and then... well something happened where I lost control. I quickly grabbed the handle bars and was able to get back into control quite quickly but... at this point in time I was off the trail and riding through some 3 foot brush. Well right as I got control I saw a Log about 10 ft in front of me and I was going way too fast to stop or miss it (by the way I only had front brakes because the bike isn't exactly in tip top shape). Well needless to say, I hit this log and I went flying over the handle bars in the air about 7 ft above the ground (says Elder Brown, who was behind me and observed the Talent Show). Well, I thought I would do a little showing off for Elder Brown so I decided to do a front flip. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as I had planned and I landed on my back. So this 3 foot brush wasn't just regular brush, it was all stinging nettle. Fun stuff. I was itching pretty bad for a couple hours. It was way sweet. Don't worry I didn't break anything or have to get stitches, I was just a little bit dirty. Not a single scratch on me in fact. Well I had to ride home on a somewhat broken bike but it was all worth it. I bent the Front forks just a bit but I was able to bend them back straight. I think that the bike is in better condition now than what it was before I wrecked it thanks to the Farming fixing skills Dad taught me. Mensch, I love the farm.

Sounds like a way crazy week for the Merrill family. I had no idea that Brittney was getting Married. Pretty crazy. That's so sweet about Jace. Tell him I give the best of luck to him and tear it up. I know he will. He's always been a good kid and tried to be a good member. I'm Way excited for him. Wow, so ya I am really happy for Kohl St. Peter. I think that is so awesome but I'm sad that I wasn't a better missionary in high school to help teach him as well as other kids my age. He'll be a good member as long as he prays everyday and studies the scriptures.

That's so sweet that the kids are excited for school. Let them know that I say to study hard. I will always write them back if they write me. I haven't written Katie or Kory back yet from last time but I will make sure I do that next week. Next week because all my stuff is packed up. Sorry kids. Thankyou for writing me though and drawing me those pictures. I appreciate it a lot. I wrote the Terry Merrill family last week. I will make sure to write the kids though. I'm really sorry though that I didn't do that yet.

I got a letter from Andrew this week and he asked me some questions about what it's like over here. Hopefully, it will answer your questions too. So we get invited to eat with the members about twice a month or so. In this area we do about 6-8 hours of doors a day . Every area is different but finding time is a lot. We hardly get any referalls from members. Maybe like 1 solid referall in 6 weeks. It's way different from the missions in the states but I love it. We work hard everyday though. We see miracles everyday as well. I could go back through my journal everyday and tell you when, where, and how we felt the spirit. I am so grateful for the chance I have to serve a mission. It's tough at times but I am learning more than ever before. I love it all.

We are given 180 euro a month. It's enough to do what is needed. I took about 150 euro out from my personal account and bought some new ties. I haven't spent it at all really. I am pretty conservative with my money but I am doing fine. President Ninow is 44 and his wife is about the same age. She waited for him on his mission. They have 4 boys. One just got home from his mission in Taiwan. Their other son just left on his mission to Columbus, Ohio I believe. Then the other two are still in school. They are a way sweet family. Unfortunately, I only get to see president twice a cycle. Once for interviews and then once for Zone Conference. Thanks for the questions and all the information. I love you all so very much. That is one thing that I have grown more appreciative for, my family.

Love you all. I'm working hard and giving it my best.

"No Regrets"

Elder Merrill

August 4, 2009

Dear Family,

This Week was a pretty good week. My split with Elder Houston was great. We did finding time for several hours. We were able to teach Daniel again. We taught him about the Sabbath day and keeping it holy. It was way sweet. We had a member with us who is a convert of about 10 years. He bore some sweet testimony. Daniel felt bad because he hasn't been to church in quite some time but he promised us that he would come this coming Sunday. We are going to meet with him tomorrow so hopefully the spirit will be there again.

On Sunday we ate at the Noack family's. It was way good. I think that I am learning to like the German food more and more.

We met with this Muslim guy that was like 34. He was born into a Muslim family but he doesn't believe it. He was a pretty cool guy. We taught him but he just couldn't grasp why we were here in Germany giving two years. We bore testimony about the truth and the joy that the gospel brings. He said that he definitely wanted to come to church with us sometime. He was very nice. He asked me how old I was and when I said 19 he was like "no way, you look like you could be 28". I don't know if thats good or bad. I still have my hair. As we left he said "if you ever need anything, and I mean anything, give me a call." Pretty cool guy. He said to give him a month before we came back because he is really busy right know.

Yesterday we had 8 1/2 hours of finding time (the whole day). That happens fairly often in this area. I actually like this area a lot but I am not sure what is going to go down this Saturday with transfer calls. I could see anything happening. It takes 4 weeks to get a license so it will be a while. And I won't get a car. Only certain areas have cars. It's really easy to get around on bus and train so I think there are only like 7 or 8 areas with cars.

It's awesome here in Germany. I'm learning a ton as a missionary and I love what I see changing in myself as well as in the people around us. It's on a daily basis that we have people yell at us and doors slammed in our face but that's what makes the good experiences so much better.

Love you all and thanks for your letters. Love you all and I'm glad that you are having fun. Good luck this week with the farm and all.

Love you all.
"No Regrets"

Elder Merrill

p.s. I got a letter from Aunt Michele this week which was really nice and I got the kids' letter this morning. Thanks for writing

Hallo,

Wie ist meine familie. Hier in Langen es geht. Nicht das besstes woche aber es geht immer noch. OK, now in english. Well good. Wow it sounds like this past week was sweet for ya. I'm glad to see that all of you were able to meet together as a family. Thanks so much for the pictures. Oh Ya, THANK YOU FOR THE DEODORANT. Good choices. It all smells really good.

Well it sounds like and looks like the little family reunion was way fun. That's what they're for. So is Brent done with school now or what? How is Grandma doing.

Well, nothing too spectacular this week. We talked to the second most drunk man I have ever seen. I almost lost it on him. He was using some pretty vulgar language. Well Elder Brown was sick for a day this week so I was able to get some more studying than usual in. We went to the temple today which is always a treat. I love going to the temple. We kinda got chewed out by a member this week at church because of when we were riding our bikes. We were way late for an appointment with a member family and so I was booking it. Well then I like cut in front of this car because it wasnt going when it had a green light and apparantly she saw that and got after us. I dont think she was mad but just telling us that we should watch what we are doing.

So Elder Cannon called me today on the Cell phone and he told me that our drivers lisences were translated and that all we had to do is to take it to the Rathaus and figure out what we got to do. Hopefully we can get them this week. That'd be pretty sweet I would think. I will be going on a split with our district leader, Elder Houston, this week. I'm pretty excited. He is very very very quiet but a really nice Elder.

So Landon has a girlfriend huh. I had no idea. Crazy. He'll be married before I get back. Crazy. Anyone else getting ready to get hitched? Well I'm assuming that you are going to PL this next week so have tons of fun. Who are you taking? Well I only have to miss one more summer trip there. Crazy!

Well, love you all and thanks so much for all the good fun news. This letter lifted my spirits quite a bit this week. Thanks.

Love you all.
"No Regrets"

Love Elder Merrill

Hello Family,

Well things are going pretty good for me here on the other side of the world. OK, so on Tuesday we were doing some finding time and we doored into this man who had really strong beliefs that their God was in the nature and that there wasn't a life after this. Anyways, we talked to him for a couple minutes and I could tell it wasn't going anywhere. I bore my testimony that God is our Father in Heaven and that there really was a life after this one. He disagreed with me obviously but then I had him promise that after this life when he sees me that he will come and talk to me and that I would teach him. He laughed and agreed to do so. I thought it was a funny experience.

On Wednesday we did a chalk display of the Plan of Salvation and that was pretty fun. I was talking with as many people as I could. I stopped these two couples and one of the guys just put up his hand and then I heard the wife say, in English, "he's speaking German" then I was like "hey wait, I speak english too and I asked them where they were from and they said Washington. I said you have got to be kidding so am I. They didnt believe me at the moment so they asked me where at and then I said Tri-Cities and then they were like, "Oh cool. We are from Spokane." Pretty sweet. I don't remember their names or anything but still pretty cool.

So I got to put my farming skills to work a little this week. No, I didnt get to work on a farm or drive tractor but this guy was trying to fix his car lock and he needed to take the whole handle out he had the inside door panel off. So we stopped and Elder Brown tried to help him. I just stood there and watched. After about 10-15 minutes of them both trying to figure it out they gave up. Then I asked the man if I could try. I knew I could get it out. Anyways, he was like try if you want but you aint gonna get it out. So I took my backpack off and reached my hand inside the door and in less than a minute I handed the handle and lock over to him. I loved it because I pulled my hand out and I had grease all over my arm. Reminded me of the farm.

Yesterday we were doing doors in a Hochhäuse (big apartment building) We went to the first door and I could smell something rancid. The door opened and this man was standing there without a shirt on, as most times that is the case. All of a sudden it felt like someone had slapped me in the face with a gag stick. I wanted to puke. The smell was absolutely terrible. I have never smelt something so bad in my life. I was so stinking close to turning around and walking outside. Luckily, he didn't have us come in but I was seriously sick for 15 minutes or so. The cool thing about it though was he was an albino! Crazy! I have never seen an albino person before. Pretty crazy.

I want to end this letter with a very awesome experience I had this week. All of our investigators are really being pretty weak with keeping their commitments and letting us set up appointments. It was Saturday that we had a day totally devoted to Finding Time. After having a week of mostly finding time I was not really too excited to do even more. That morning in my personal prayers I asked my Heavenly Father for help and that someone we talked to would be ready in some way and want to hear the gospel. Every door we knocked on and every person we talked to I pictured them in my mind being being ready and wanting to hear the message of the restoration. Throughout the whole day I was praying. We had no success until about six o'clock, when we were doing doors we had this lady come up to us and asked us if we could come talk with her and her friend. She spoke English. We said of course and I was thinking in my head, "You have got to be kidding me". We started teaching the man in German and the the lady began to ask me questions in English. Elder Brown continued teaching the man while I spoke with the lady. I began to teach her the message of the Restoration. I got emotional and it was because of the Spirit. I knew at this point she could feel the spirit. I asked her what her feelings were and she explained to me, all day she had felt tense and nervous but she said because of you sharing this "I feel at peace". I testified to her that it wasn't me but it was the spirit of God. She began to tear up and cry. The spirit was so strong. That experience alone strenghtened my testimony. I know that because I was doing the best I could and was totally relying on the Lord that day that my prayers were answered. It was an amazing experience for me. They were ready to hear the message.

I am reading the conference talks and I love to read what the Prophet and his apostles say. I know that it is from God and that it is amazing. The gospel keeps us free. In Elder Christofferson's talk he said, "Obedience gives us greater control over our lives, greater capacity to come and go, to work and create". That is so true. As we are obedient to the commandments which have been given to us it makes us free and there is nothing that can hold us back.

Thanks for your love and support and I look forward to getting the deodorant. I am on my last stick.

"No Regrets"

Elder Merrill

Not Yet!

Dear Family,

No I don't stink yet, Thankfully. The weather has been a little cooler so it's not as bad. The humidity is amazing though. It is really sick. All my clothes stick to me. Not really fun.

Well this past week was really quite a good week. We were able to find a new investigator, have Zone-Conference, and another Street Preach. I am doing good here and am working way hard. So since I got Elder Brown I have been like the Senior companion. It's not a calling that president gives or anything but its been kind of different. I have been the one to carry around the cell phone and make all the calls. It's been good for me I have really learned a lot as I must force myself to make decisions.

I have really tried to follow the words of President Hinckley's father "Forget yourself and get to work!" I have tried to really use those words of council this cycle. I had the opportunity to take a Mission Prep class at BYU and my Professor taught us when you or your companion is home-sick to really push through it and go to work. We have been working hard. I strive to focus all of our conversations on our investigators and the mission itself. It's really been good. I love Elder Brown and am grateful for the things I am learning from him and with him.

On Wednesday after Zone Conference we were able to do some finding time after we got home. We continued working on a street that we had been doing earlier. We were at an apartment and I had decided to call it a night after the next set of doors. We klingled through and the very last klingle we talked with a Filipino man at his door. As Elder Brown was talking to him I felt really impressed to share with him the message of the Restoration and Joseph Smith. I recited the first vision and I was as sincere as I could be. He let us in. We taught him the end of the first lesson and committed him to reading and praying. We asked for a return appointment to talk about his experience and he said "OK, How about Friday?" It was wonderful. We returned and taught him more. He had kept his commitments and agreed to meet again. I am grateful for the Lord blessing us and helping us to become those men that he needs. I still have a long ways to go but I am giving it my all. Wow, so being a missionary is so awesome! I am able to have some pretty sweet experiences and grow from them.

We ate with a family on Sunday and he is an American. We had STEAK. They have steak here in Germany but he made some 18-20 oz. steaks for each of us. Quite a lot of meat. We are working with this part member family right now and the first time we went over there the wife grabbed her cigarettes and went up-stairs. The next time she talked with us a little more and then it has just been progressing since. She invited us over for dinner this week to meet her mother. It's way sweet. I am going to try to share a spiritual thought with them this week. It's amazing how people warm up to you. Germans are a little crazy though. We talked to this lady. She said she has been living next to her neighbors for 3 years and she didn't know them. Crazy. Germans don't like to talk with people they don't know which makes missionary work hard some times but it's moving right along.

In the past two weekends our mission has had 5 baptisms and 5 more baptismal dates set. It's great to see others in the mission have success. I am grateful for the many blessings in my life and I know that the Lord is blessing me like none other.

Please take lots of pictures this summer and make sure you send them. Kiersten, do you have that kids information from Germany cuz that'd be way sweet to give it as a referral. When are you going to the Cabin? Who are you taking? Take pictures and have extra fun for me.

Well, Gotta go. Thanks for all your love and support. Thanks for the deodorant too, I think it will probably get here next week but thanks. Keep sharing the gospel and study the scriptures. I was reading one of President Monson's talks from conference this morning and he said that every priesthood holder needs to be studying the scriptures every day. Boys, make sure you make a conscience effort in doing that. I really wish that I would have done a better job studying when I was younger. Thanks for your love and support. Keep the letters coming.

"No Regrets"

Love,
Elder Merrill

Handwritten Letter

We received this letter from Kyle on Saturday and I got a kick out of it and so I thought I would post it.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm sorry to put this on you right now but I need deodorant A.S.A.P. I'm not joking. I'll tell you what I would like. If Costco still sells the Degree stuff that dad uses I would like that or if not that Axe. I'm really sorry to do this to you but I'm on my last stick and Europeans don't use deodorant and the stuff they have is pathetic. All it is is a little bottle of this roll on stuff. I'm sorry but I didn't find this out 'till today. If you could please send a small box of 10-15 sticks that would be so wonderful.

Well p-day is about done with but I hope this week we can have some sweet stories for you. We have zone conference tomorrow which I'm really excited for. Oh, I will be getting my German driver's license this cycle which is pretty cool. Well, the language is definitely coming but it is really hard sometimes. I always try to keep a prayer in my heart for Heavenly Father to help me with speaking as well as understanding. He has blessed me so much already. It's really amazing to look back and see how much I've really learned. The mission is kind of tough right now. Right now I'm starting to develop the mentality of not giving up this opportunity for anything. I think the first part of every mission is tough to find that love for the mission. I'm glad to say that I'm "Losing myself in the work."

I am glad for this companionship because I can really focus on loving others and not thinking about myself. I'm happy and healthy. It's really amazing--I don't really understand how people can pass up the opportunity, especially when they have felt the spirit testify of the truth. I am growing and sometimes I feel I'm growing more myself than I am helping others grow. I don't know if that is how it is supposed to work. Hopefully, this part of my mission I can fine-tune those special characteristics and skills to make the other part of the mission a selfless service to all those I speak with.

Mom and Dad, thank you so much for your love and good example for me. There are several missionaries out here who aren't really focused, don't obey rules and what not. It's hard to see it sometimes because lots of the time it seems like they are having more fun and even more success. Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing wrong or not doing to find this success. I am really hoping I can find that one investigator who will be the one who is 100% ready. I don't know if I'll ever find them but I sure hope I can have at least one success. If not, I know I will be a success because I have really developed some good habits and become a true disciple of Christ. I'm not perfect but I'm getting better. Love you both.

"No Regrets."

Love your son,
Elder Merrill

p.s. Send that deoderant A.S.A.P. I need it. Thanks, Love you.

July 7, 2009

Dear Family,

It's been pretty crazy this week. It was sad to see Elder Sessions go but I think it will be good for me. My new companion is Elder Brown. He is from Ogden. He was in my last district so we knew each other before. I was really surprised that we are companions. We work pretty well together I think but there are definately some things that I need to improve. He has only been in Germany for almost 6 months. We could possibly be the youngest companionship in the mission. It's sometimes tough for me because sometimes I just get frustrated with myself not being able to speak the language. It's always a new experience getting a new companion because you always have to adapt. It's tough but I'm learning. I love him though. I am grateful for this awesome experience I have here.

So this past week has been really crazy. Daniel is leaving for vacation for 3 stinking weeks. Man I hate that. Right about when they are ready for it, satan has to step in and take him on vacation. This past week we have done a ton of finding time but I actually really enjoy it. We were able to pick up two new investigators but I'm worried that niether one is really quite ready. On Friday we had District meeting and so I was able to meet our new District leader, a new elder, and a new sister to our district. All I have to say is that I absolutely love the senior couple in our District. Their name is the Millers. Pretty sure that I will keep in touch with them after they leave.

Sunday I taught Priesthood. Pretty crazy. I taught out of chapter 9 in preach my gospel. It was pretty sweet though. The members participated a lot and we brought up some good points. I was really nervous about how it was going to go but it was good. Then later that night we had an eating appointment with The Mühlmann family. They are SWEET. They have 4 kids. He served his mission in America and they all know english pretty well. The only one that is not very good is the son who is 15 and the daughter who is 7. We had Tacos which is a delicacy (kind of) but they dont have refried beans or real taco seasoning. It was still good though. A couple from the ward came over and the lady didn't even know what it was or how to make it or eat it. Really funny/ different.

Well this week has been filled with crazy people. One of the nicer things that happened was I got a beer cap thrown at me from an apartment building. Barely missed my face. Pretty crazy. All is well though. I'm healthy, safe, and working hard. Sounds like things are going well for you at home.

Dad how's it using a big-baler now? Well, it was different not celebrating or even seeing any celebration for the 4th of july. I even forgot about it until like half way through the day. Keep having fun and partying. Make sure to go boating as much as you can for me because that's something I miss, especially when it's 95 degrees daily and humider (is that a word) than you can imagine.

Well Take care. Love you all and keep me in your prayers, I need them.

"No Regrets"

Love,
Elder Merrill

Good Week

This week was pretty good. On Wednesday I had a split with Elder Hewitt one of our zone leaders. It was a pretty good split. I learned that my German is absolutely terrible. I have been working really hard on my sentence structure and making pretty solid. I pray every morning for help to be able to speak clearly and correctly, and then at night I thank my Heavenly Father for the MIRACLES he has shown unto me. It is amazing to see the gift of tongues in action. I know that i am blessed beyond belief.

Thursday we taught a pretty sweet lesson to Daniel Roßberg. We taught about the priesthood authority and he now realizes that he wasn't baptized by the correct authority. The spirit was strong and he was able to feel it. We told him to pray about the feelings he has had and to ask for a confirmation that baptism is the correct thing to do. In our next appointment we will be trying to set a date for July 18! I am excited. Please pray for him to accept this. I am hoping that we can help him accomplish this covenant.

Friday we had an appointment with a member who is 35 and single. He lives with his Dad and step-mother and is very overweight. He is pretty much addicted to the computer. Apparantly that's all he does. He is very active though. We have it set up that we go on a little walk with him and teach him a lesson. We are doing this to help him get out of the house and because his step-mother is not a member. We hopefully want her to see that we are good young men and that she will eventually listen to our message. This last time she talked to us for a little while which was an improvement from last time.

We do a lot of doors here in this area but we don't get in on new investigators very often. Hopefully this week we can recieve some new investigators. So I have a funny story. This week we were walking towards the bus haltestelle (Bus Stop) and the bus passed us. We still had close to a quarter mile before we would get to the stop. We had an appointment so we needed to catch this bus. We started sprinting and I mean sprinting. Anyways, here in Germany there are no stop signs. There are only yield signs. Well we were running next to this main street and then this car pulled out of a side street in front of us. I thought it was going to stop for us but it didn't. Anyways, I had to jump out into the main road so it didn't hit me but I didn't even stop running or look back. It was way crazy and a funny story. Oh we caught the bus too.

On Saturday we had another ausstellung (street preach) and it was pretty good. It's sadning to see people not happy with their life and it is only because they don't have the gospel. I look at my life and see how happy it makes me and how much hope it brings to life. I am grateful for the examples I have had in my life and want to thank all of them.

Elder Sessions is getting transfered and he will be my new zone leader. There are only like 10 zone leaders in the mission and he is one of them. He will be a good leader. I hope that I will be able to develop the traits he has to make me a better and more effective missionary. I am getting Elder Brown. He was in my Karlsruhe district which is pretty crazy. He is only going into his 5th cycle and me my 3rd. We might be one of the youngest companionships in the mission. I hope we can have success together. Oh ya and this Elder Brown, while he was in high school he worked at this lab and he developed a "cure" for cancer. He owns 17% of the copyright. He says it is still getting fined tuned because only like 1/3 people it works with. He is a very intelligent young man.

Well love you all and wish you all the best this week. Feel free to send me more pictures of the farm, family, and other stuff. I love seeing pictures. you can send them in emails. Love you all and pray for you every night.

"No Regrets"

Love
Elder Merrill