April 13, 2010

Hey Mom,

So P-day was supposed to be yesterday (Monday) but we had a bunch of appointments so President let us have it today. We are working way hard. So we did a bunch of doors this last week and we found some pretty cool people. I hope that they can all make some progress. It's been fun doing doors because that's when the crazy stories come into play.

So the best part of it all was yesterday. Our last appointment yesterday fell out so we decided to do some doors before the bus came and we did this apartment building. We start at the bottom to get let in and then we walk up to the top and knock on the individual doors so we can talk face to face, it's way better that way. Well as we were walking up the top we walked past this one door and I heard a lady talking in English on the other side, it was American English too. I told Elder Chapman, "I call this door". So when we got to this door we knocked and the door opened. I started out speaking in English talking about the family. She had two little kids. I asked her what her "two daughters" meant to her and she said "everything, but this one is actually a boy". I was pretty embarrassed but so is life. We kept talking and then she said, "you know I'm from a Mormon background". I was a little shocked because I had said nothing about the church or being missionaries for the Mormon church. I asked her how so, then she said that she was baptized when she was 8 years old. Her family is LDS as well. We found out that she got married to a German and moved to Germany in 2005 but that she had just separated from her husband. We found out that she is from Idaho Falls! Most likely her family is still active and have been praying that she find her way back to the church. We got information of how we can stay in contact and then we had to get on our way. It was an amazing experience. We talked a little bit about this experience and we thought that we were probably an answer to her families prayers. A very awesome experience. Her name is Crystal Ullmann but her maiden name is Andrejek (no clue on the spelling but it's the best I can do). Maybe give Bruce a call and see if he possibly would know this family. That was our sweetest experience that we had this week doing doors.

This last week we also had a split with the Assistants. That was really cool. I got to ride in a car for once. We are losing 10 Elders after this transfer and finally getting 5 new Elders. We haven't got new Elders since December so it will be nice to see new missionaries. There are less kids going on missions now, for whatever reason, so our numbers are dropping down.

Time is flying by. It's crazy how fast it's going. I love serving my mission and love serving the Lord in this calling as a missionary. I'm way excited for the improvement that our mission is making. I'm happy to say that I'm part of this improvement but I still gotta work harder in what I do.

So today for P-day we will be cleaning our apartment (like we do every week), and then writing a letter or two and maybe go check and see if there are any sweet deals on suits. My one suit is definitely getting trashed but that's OK, it's part of life. The suits here are anywhere from 75 to 400 Euro. I'm looking for the cheapest thing I can get. I don't want to buy a suit 'till the end of summer because I don't have to wear one during the summer. Just so you know. Umm so I haven't gotten that package with the medicine. Dad said he sent it with the shoes. Well I haven't gotten it. I don't know what happened to it but haven't got it.

Well I love you Mom. I hope that you are all having a good time soaking up the spring time.

"No Regrets"
Love,
Elder Merrill

April 6, 2010

Dear Family,

Wow this week I got a ton of emails. That was pretty sweet. Too bad that doesn't happen every week. So don't forget that Pday is moving to Monday for me next week which is Sunday for you. It's moving to Monday because we are the only mission pretty much in Europe that has Pday on Tuesday and it will help the work out too. The whole week long we are working to help our investigators come to church and to feel of the spirit during the sacrament. It will help us to do our job better in helping others.

So Eric's Letter was absolutely hilarious. I was cracking up, and the guy sitting next to me had no idea what was going on.

Sounds like you had a good time in Hawaii. I don't really remember the tour guide at all but I remember Eddy. Man that was some fun stuff. So the transmission went out in the Suburban? Sounds like things are still as busy as ever at home. How's Dad coming along with work. Has he got all the spring work done or is he still way stressed out? How are the kids doing in school? Have them write me an Email, I would really enjoy that.

We are trying to improve the amount of lessons we are teaching each week. We are working hard this week in finding those people who are ready for the Gospel, yes FINDING TIME. I love it. It makes for great faith building experiences.

So General Conference was Awesome! I loved it. Unfortunately, we miss the second Sunday Session but I can only imagine how good it was. For me the talk by Elder Cook followed by President Monson sealed the deal. I was moved amazingly by the spirit. I could feel the love of the Savior and I knew that his spirit was present being a witness. It was just an amazing feeling. I loved it. I really enjoyed the talk from Elder Oaks also. It was very powerful. What I learned from it was that we are going to be expected to use the Priesthood power more often in healing and that we need to strengthen our faith enough to bring about miracles. In the short time that I have had the healing power of the Melchezidek Priesthood. I have a very strong testimony of the Priesthood and I know that it is the power of God given to man to work miracles among men. I think often about the story of Korihor and Alma when people say that there are no more miracles on the earth today. They say that they've never seen them and that if there was that it needs to be shown to them in order to believe. They talked a lot during conference about families and in teaching in the family and building a strong testimony in the youth of our children. I want to thank you Dad, Mom, and everyone else for helping me build a strong testimony in my youth. By having a strong testimony as I was young helped me to recognize when I wasn't following Christ and to change myself, turn around and to fix it and to never go back to it. I have made mistakes in my life as everyone has but it was my testimony in Christ that helped me Repent of those things and 'shake off the chains' that could hold me bound (2 Nephi 9:45).

I want to thank you Mom and Dad for raising me. I love you both very much. I know that our family is joyful and that we all love each other because we all love Christ. When Christ is the center of our families we have a greater love and joy with one another. It makes me happy to know that the Lord is with us in what ever we do. He knows our weaknesses and he allows those things because we learn so much from them. I can say that I've learned the most either during or right after a hard trial in my life. I'm thankful for the friends that I have and that they have also helped me to grow into who I am today. I love the Lord with all my Heart. I know that because of his Resurrection that we all, one day, will rise again and live in his presence and glory. We must do all we can in order to achieve this goal. We must all humble ourselves before the Lord our God and come to know his will. As we do this we will find that "All things shall be restored to their proper order, every thing to its natural frame—mortality raised to immortality, corruption to incorruption—raised to endless happiness to inherit the kingdom of God..." (Alma 41:4). It's a blessing to live on the earth during these times where the Kingdom of God is on the Earth. We must do all we can to help this kingdom grow. The opportunity I have to serve a mission means everything to me. I get chills down my spine just saying that I'm a missionary for the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the best experience that I could have ever asked for.

"No Regrets"

Love
Elder Merrill

p.s. Haven't got the package yet maybe it will come today, Hopefully!
pics are Bridge and at a ward easter breakfast, (most are non-members or visitors)

March 30, 2010

Hey Dad,

Way nice to hear from you and about the farm too. It sounds like you got a ton of work to do and it sounds like you are pretty stressed out about it. I wish I could help you out but you'll just have to wait a year. I love hearing about the farm. So how are you getting along with out mom there? I bet it's a little tough. It would be way wierd for me to go to bed without my companion there. Kind of a different situation but still I can understand how you feel. How are the 3 kids doing? I haven't heard from them in a while.

I am loving the work. We have set the goal to teach 20 lessons this week which is a big jump. the average is about eight or nine that we teach in a week. Zone Conference was way awesome. Last year we had 94 baptism's and President has set the goal of 200 for this year. The first quarter is already done so we gotta get bustin. I'm really giving all I got. I'm way thankful that I have him as a Mission President. It's amazing the revelation that he receives for the mission.

Well I wish you all the best and I love you. I am proud of who my father is and I know that you are serving the Lord with all your heart. Thank you for teaching me the gospel and helping me become the missionary that I am now and that I wanted to be. I wish you the best of luck this next week and hope you can get everything done. "No Regrets"

Love
Your Son Elder Merrill

p.s. what electrical are you doing right now? How does it look so far for this years crop and prices? I'm looking forward to working on the farm again. I didn't say that in a home sick way by the way. :)


Liebe Mutter,

How are you doing. I heard you are sunburnt. I bet your loving the sun and the heat. Dad says it's way cold at home so you are lucky.

So it's tough now to write this letter because I just got done writing Dad's so I don't want to write the same stuff. So I'm glad you enjoyed last weeks letter. It didn't take me too much time to. Elder Chapman likes to take quite a bit of time for emails. I just write mine and then wait for him. We email in Internet Cafe's so I get off because I don't want to pay more than what I need to. So we are finally done moving apartments. The apartment that we are now in doesn't have carpet but it is up off the ground so we get to see the sun rise. I'm fine with it.

We had a sweet Zone Conference on Thursday. President did a really good job on getting us more motivated. I already wrote Dad about but last year we had 94 baptism's in the mission and this year he fasted and prayed about it and he has set the goal for the mission to get 200 baptism's! I'm way pumped for it. We are going to be getting some sweet counsel from leaders and what not and our mission is going to expand too. Sorry I can't really say what our new area is going to be but I Can say the we are getting 2 stakes and a District. We will extend to the Czeck border which will be way sweet. So we are also going to be changing our P-Day to monday's starting APRIL 12. Just to let you know. We have set up 12 lessons for this week so we are going to be way busy. President has encouraged us to teach 20 lessons in a week so I'm really going for it. I want to follow the Counsel of my leaders because I know that it will bless my life as well as lead to more success.

Time is flying by. I can't believe that It's already Easter. By the way Mom. Happy Birthday tomorrow. I just got off the Phone with some lady and she wants some help moving. Hopefully it will lead to a teaching opportunity. THE WORK IS GROWING! I can't really say how excited I am about this time. I know that I am called to serve here during this time. I'm super stoked at the success we all are seeing. It's the whole mission. I don't know if you read President's letters to us but you can clearly see the growth in the work. I love it.

So I hope you have a fun time in Hawaii and hope you are doing well with your back and neck. I pray for you and the family. I love you all so much and am thankful that I have you all in my family. Tell the girls that I want to hear from them. They can email me--that would be awesome. So have fun. Take lots of pictures. I would love to get some more pictures from you all. It's crazy that it's been 14 months. Time goes by way too fast. I don't know if it's going by as fast for you but for me it's flying by.

Love you all! "No Regrets"

Elder Merrill

March 23, 2010

Dear Mom,

Hey Thank you for sending me a sweet email. It was nice to read about what's going on at home. That's sweet that Eric came to church. Thanks for inviting him to church. I had to laugh that Kiersten tried to bribe the cop by wooing him. (She got a ticket for jaywalking.) She should of told him to get lost and find something better to do. I only got two pictures, The one of Gary's wedding and then the one of Kory. The fireplace looks really nice. Before I forget, did you ever send the medicine? If you did I never received it. How are all the kids doing? It was nice to get an email from Kelsey last week. My mail has pretty much ended now. :( That's alright though. This morning I weighed myself and I was 168 lbs. I was a little dehydrated but I am kinda sad because I don't have hardly any muscle left.

So for the weeks events. We had to move to a different apartment in Solingen because the contract ended and that was a pain. We took almost all of Wednesday to do that. On Thursday we met with a member who is the only member in his family and we wanted to be able to teach him and his family. We were able to set up a new appointment and so I'm hoping that that will turn out well. We are meeting with them tonight and we are going to teach a first lesson. On Friday we had a Split with the other misisonaries in our district and we went to Frau Pickelein's (Oma Friedel). She is a sweet old lady and I hope that she can make some more progress. We talked about the baptism with her and made it clear to her that she wasn't baptized by the authority of God. I think she understood it but we will have to review it again to make sure she grasped it. These past couple of days have been really spiritual draining for me, actually just yesterday. We met with a former investigator who is from Italy. She doesn't speak very good German at all and she doesn't understand it very well either. During the appointment I was praying very intensely that I would be able to not only understand the things she was saying but that she would be able to understand what I was teaching. It was a powerful experience. Also yesterday while we were on our way to this appointment we ran into a man that I had talked to on the street. He told us that he has been through a lot and that he was wanting out. We told him to meet us at the church at 6:00 and we would talk more about it. We showed up and there he was waiting for us. We went inside and he just started telling us about his life. There was some things that I would never want to live through. I had a prayer in my heart throughout the whole time praying that I would be able to help him. We spent the rest of the night with him trying to help him realize that God loved him and that he had a plan for each and every one of us. We got back to the apartment after 10:00. I was beat. He wanted to change his life but he denied our help we wanted to give him. Last night I laid in bed for a long time just thinking about the day and how the spirit led me to know what to say and do. This morning for companionship study we talked about yesterday and how we both felt the spirit guiding our lives. Right now I'm pretty beat. I know that it will go away here soon.

So that was a little bit about the week. It's definitely tough sometimes in life but the Lord is with us. My study the past week or so has been in Mosiah. I read two days ago I think ago in chapter 23 verse 21, "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith." Sometimes in life we as people think about the here and now and why we have to suffer certain things but it's all for our benefit. I've seen how the Lord has molded me as his servant and I realize that it's because he loves me and wants the best for me. The blessings he sends us are not always in the forms we would like them to be or in ways we don't recognize them but I know and I have a testimony that God loves us and knows how we feel and the things we need help with. Christ is our savior and he suffered everything possible. He loves us and taught in Matthew 11:30, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." We always, as children of God, have the opportunity to turn unto Christ and take his yoke. I love my Savior for his example for me and for making it possible for me to repent of my weaknesses. I am striving to come closer to Christ in my thoughts, words, and what I do. I love this gospel with all my heart and I know that God loves me. I want to thank you all for being part of my life. The things I have experienced have helped my testimony grow in the Savior. I love you and wish you the best this week. Have fun in Hawaii. Maybe you could have the kids write me an email or something. I would like that.

"No Regrets"

Love
Elder Merrill

p.s. Picture of new comp and my favorite German car (Porsche Cayanne)

New Address

Hey, pass auf!!!!

So I will have a new address: Eiland 8
42651 Solingen

We have to move apartments which is kind of lame but oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do. I'm really excited for this transfer. I am really working on teaching more and have set some goals for this transfer and going to make more for the future. So I don't really know what to write about this week.

So my new companion is Elder John Andrew Chapman and is from Provo and he graduated in '08. He went to BYU also. He's about 5'5" and looks like he's 16. He is a quarter Japanese so that's why he's short. Ummm this week I got my first wedding announcement. It was from Kylie. She looks like a cute girl. (Kyle's cousin--Kylie Merrill) That's crazy how Josh's (Hayles) baby is already a year old. I swear it was just last week that we found out that he was gonna have a kid. Crazy how time flies.

So for myself. I've been working really hard on talking to every single person I can. I am really working on becoming the missionary that I want to be. Like I said, I'm setting goals for myself to make my relationship with Christ better. I know that The Lord is in the work. It's amazing how much he blesses us. I feel blessed. I've gotten several compliments this past week on how well I teach. It's really helped me out to hear that. I study hard and try to increase my knowledge in the gospel as well as with the language. I'm striving to help these people here more than they help me. I feel blessed to be able to serve the Lord at this time of life. I often see and think about those that are my age and the decisions they are making and how much the gospel could help them be happier.

The Restoration of the gospel is an amazing concept and I know that we are here on the earth at this time because we have certain talents and desires to help others return to our Father in Heaven.

Thank you for the love and support, I need it. I love you all very much and I appreciate all the letters and emails that I get. Mom, Dad, and kids I want to tell you that I love you all very much.

"No Regrets"

Love,
Elder Merrill

March 9, 2010

Dear Family,

So I'm staying here again in Solingen. Elder McGowan is leaving and I'm getting Elder Chapman. Elder Chapman is just finishing up his Golden cycles (first 2 transfers). He is the youngest missionary in the mission. There are no new missionaries coming in this transfer so I will have the youngest companion in the mission. I am a little nervous. He had a really good trainer that is really dedicated. I feel honored to be getting him as a companion. When the AP's called me up they told me that they trust me and know that I will be a good companion for him. I am nervous but excited. We are going to see some sweet success.

This last week we were able to find a new investigator. He is pretty active in his church but I'm sure he is interested in learning more about the church. Yesterday we were talking to people on the Füß (it's like a boardwalk, every city has one but they all vary in size) and I talked to two people who seemed to be interested in learning more. One was a lady with a small child. She gave me her number and was excited. The other was a man who is Muslim but was interested in reading The Book of Mormon. There are so many Muslims. We aren't supposed to contact them if we know that they are Muslim. Pretty crazy.

We were able to do service on Saturday. An inactive in our ward bought some cupboards from some guy and he was putting them up and his mom asked if we would help. It was fun to carry some heavy stuff and to run a drill for a while. We are going to help out Brother Phong on Saturday. He is moving to a different house in Solingen and so we're gonna help him with his couches. We don't get very many opportunities to serve. Nobody really wants help which kind of stinks.

The Family is gonna be different when I get home. I can't believe how things change so quickly. It's pretty crazy. I'm loving life right now. I'm not upset at all that I'm staying again in Solingen. It will make it over 6 months that I'm here. That's weird to think about. I knew Andrew was gonna be AP sooner or later. He's a great kid. I love him. I hope he doesn't start graying like Uncle Tracy. Assistants have it pretty tough. They are like a mini mission President. How is Will doing? I think I remember that he's had a couple baptism's. That's way awesome. I love hearing about my two cousins and the success they are having.

Well love you all and wish you the best this week. Thanks for the update on the farm and how everything is. I don't really need my shoes quite yet. If you just want to send the medicine I would like that more. I think I want the shoes sometime in the summer. What about the kids? What are they up to? I would love to hear from them. Maybe if you were to take a picture of you all together and send it in the next email. Well I love you all and want you to know that I pray for your health and safety. "No Regrets"

Love,
Elder Merrill

(I was in Eagle, ID this weekend visiting my sister and there is a young man from her ward that is serving in Kyle's mission)

Dear Mom,

Thanks for attaching the picture of you and sister Dumas. Elder Dumas is a nice kid. I have actually been out contacting with him once. Well that's sweet that Makenzie did well. I'm sure she got a lot of attention.

So this week was the worst week of the mission number wise. I worked my tail end off. I did all I could to do my part. I had good morning studies and stayed focused on my calling. We had our best investigator call up a member and tell him that she didn't want to meet anymore. It was really sad for me because I know she has felt the spirit. This week has already started out to be a better week. Yesterday we taught two lessons, one to an inactive and one to Frau Pickelein. She is a sweet old lady. I hope that she will accept one of these days to get baptized. The highlight of last week was Martin Bader getting the Aaronic Priesthood. It was pretty awesome. The spirit was way strong and he's doing awesome. I was able to stand in on the ordinance.

So transfers are this week so I'm not sure what's gonna go down. I could see me leaving or I could see Elder McGowan leaving. I doubt that we will stay together another. We have 8 Missionaries going home with none coming in. Our mission will be down to 98 I think. It's crazy. I'm doing good health wise. Last week we played soccer as a zone and I found out the next day that I am really out of shape and sore. It was way fun. So we had a pretty big windstorm on Sunday. I'm thinking that that is the storm you heard about. It was big strong but I'm pretty sure that we've had worse at home. We were still outside and it wasn't to bad. I can't believe it's already March. Time is really flying by. It's weird to think that I've been over a year now.

How is everyone at home doing? The kids can write me emails. It's easier, faster and cheaper. I hope that everything is going well with the farm. When is dad gonna turn water on? Any crops changing. What fields are what? Mom I don't really have too many ideas for you for scripture study but I will recommend that you read Jesus The Christ. It is an amazing book and I was able to learn a ton about the life of Christ. There is no doubt in my mind that Talmage received revelation and saw things when he wrote that book. I've been studying the Book of Mormon and it's simply amazing at how I can feel the spirit evertime I read it. I am highlighting references to Christ and it's been pretty awesome. We read last night with Frau Pickelein 2 Nephi 31. That is an awesome chapter. It teaches the third lesson wonderfully. She really enjoyed it. She said that she really appreciates us and loves when we meet with her. She is an old lady and we haven't been able to commit her to baptism. Hopefully through a little more time she will accept it.

Well that's about it for the week. The picture I attached is of me making a phone call in a little neighborhood where a member lives. The other picture is of the zone after playing soccer.

Love you all "No Regrets"

Elder Merrill