HAPPY NEW YEAR, Wow 2010. Crazy! I can't believe its been 11 months. This morning I got a letter from the Primary. That was a really good Idea. I liked seeing all the pictures of the kids. I don't even recognize some of them. They've all grown a ton. Steven and Laurie's kids especially. It's gonna be weird in another year to see what they all look like. I got a letter from Dillon Yesterday. That made my day. That was way nice to hear from him. He wrote me about his mission and how it was tough to see immediate results. He's a great cousin. I love that family. I also got a letter from Becca Adamson. That always brings a good laugh. She sounds like she's doing good and having fun in college. I got our Christmas letter. That was nice to see pictures of everyone. I still haven't seen pictures of Katie's pierced ears or how tall Korbin is compared to Dad.
Now for the missionary work: What a miraculous week. We have been really trying to work hard in finding new investigators and getting them to church. We had a former investigator, Martin Bader, show up two Sunday's ago. We set up an appointment for Wednesday and met with him at the church with a member. We didn't really know what we should teach him but we figured that we would start off asking him why he decided to come back to church. He explained to us that he had read the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price all the way through. He said that he had prayed about them and whether Joseph Smith was a Prophet called by God. He said that he "knew" that it was all true. The spirit was so strong in that moment. I felt a very strong impression to commit him to baptism right then and there. He answered saying, "I don't have anything against it". He will be getting baptized on the 17th of January. The most amazing part of the story was that we had planned to go by on him that week but we found out that he had moved and his number had also changed so there was no way that we would have been able to get in contact with him. The Lord blesses us for our efforts and he is preparing those that want to accept the gospel. Martin was prepared by God and he is ready to take upon himself the name of Christ. What a blessing from the Lord. Not only for us but for Martin. I always tell Elder McGowan that he's my lucky charm because we've had some pretty sweet experiences since he's been here. I love our companionship. He's quieter but we have fun together. We have already been together 3 weeks. It's crazy how fast the time flies.
The weather here is a lot colder. It's about 20 degrees all the time and we have snow again. Most of the sidewalks are all cleaned off but there is about 6 inches. We are supposed to get more this weekend so we'll see how it all goes down. It's better when it snows because it's warmer but it's a pain to walk in it.
Well I love you all. Thank you for your love and support. It's been a great experience so far and I'm looking forward to what is coming in the future. Love you all and wish you all the best.
"No Regrets"
Love
Elder Merrill
