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).
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
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?
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?
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
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 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
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
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
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
Monday, September 21, 2009
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
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
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