Pizza!

This week was a good one! The power was out for the majority of the day so this is gonna be short. We are low on time! 

We worked hard this week! 

I will just get straight to Saturday because I honestly can't remember anything else from the week. Saturday was Elder Hall's birthday, so we had a lot of fun. Why did we have a lot of fun? Because of the baptism! We baptized Alicia. She is the daughter of a recent convert. We had worked with her for a little while but she hadn't been able to get her 3rd church attendance, so she hadn't been able to be baptized! However, she went to Conference, we animated her big time and she got baptized. It was fun. She is super awesome, and her little daughter Lelani is one of the funniest girls ever! She was so pumped about her baptism that her mom invited us for lunch on Sunday!

Baptism of Alicia

From then on we just worked on committing people to church, and had a good day yesterday. I bought Pizza Hut for lunch to celebrate his birthday and Elder Hall bought Papa John's at night. So good. He got a BBQ Chicken Pizza, and I felt like I was eating something that I hadn't eaten in decades.

A little tradition here in Nicaragua is that at all birthdays, eggs are thrown on the heads of the people! Elder Hall thought we were gonna do it in the morning, so he was surprised when we smacked him with eggs during the picture! Hahaah it was funny.

Happy Birthday Elder Hall!

Yesterday, Elder Heileson and I did 11 baptism interviews. It was crazy! We are hoping to have a good week this week. Pray for la Zona Universitaria!

Sorry, but time is short today. Hope you all had a great week! Let's always focus on the good in people. Try to make someone's day better every day! Love you all!

Love,

Elder Merrill

Go Jazz.

Conference!

4 up, 4 down! Que crazy. It was another fun week. The weeks are going faster and faster every week! I can't believe we are already in April. Let me give you a little update on the week and some of the things I learned. Feel free to not read it, because I know I am bad at this. Congrats to Noah on his mission call (West Virginia)! That is awesome man!

Tuesday we had another Mission Leadership Conference with all of the Zone Leaders (this is done every month). Maybe my second to last one! This mission didn't have a very good month in March, so President got after us pretty good. It helped. The Zone Leaders that are baptizing did get it a little easier, but the important thing is seeing the things we can improve rather than pushing away the correction. That is something really important that I have learned on my mission. If someone tries to correct you, especially a leader, they may not be exactly right in what they are saying. But they are saying what they are saying because they have seen something that implies that we need to be corrected! And they more times than not want to help us! So instead of being stubborn, why don't we just take a humble approach and try to improve?! That has helped me a ton. Other than that Consejo was great, always good to see a lot of friends! 

On Thursday Elder Heileson and I went to do divisions with a struggling companionship. It is a DL, so he needs even more to put an example. They had really been struggling, had only brought 1 investigator to church the week before, and the DL was losing a lot of faith. So Elder Heileson and I went on up there. We talked a lot about Faith during Comp Study, and then went out to work. Yeah we worked hard and maybe taught them some things, but what helped more than anything was just trying to improve their faith and patience. This weekend, they took 13 investigators to church. It was really fun to see. I am happy for him because their faith was strengthened, and that is what made the difference. 

Friday we had Zone Meeting. It was fun! Can't really remember what we talked about, hahahah.

Conference! It was spiritual, fun and good. I guess, hahahah. We had a successful weekend. Most importantly, quite a few people were able to hear the voices (translated into Spanish) of the Prophets and hear the inspired messages! We didn't really watch on Saturday, mostly just Priesthood. We saw everything on Sunday. All in Spanish, which is a bummer. Lots of talks helped me, felt the Spirit, all that good stuff. Elder Holland's talk was pretty dang cool. And I got a lot of personal revelation at the Priesthood session about how to become a better leader. I am grateful for President Monson. I love him so much. Conference here in the mission is awesome, but boy am I excited for October to watch it at home. 

Other than that, it was a good week! We are continuing to work hard, no matter what the circumstance. Pray for Jaimy, Alicia, Alberto, Cristian, Leslie, Alondra, Jose Luis and Claudio. It would help a lot :) happy birthday Liz!

Love,

Elder Merrill

Grande Eres Tu! (How Great Thou Art!)

This week was awesome. Went by really quickly and there isn't a lot to say so I will get to the point but it was a lot of fun!

On Wednesday we had another Multi Zone, probably my last one. It was really good. Sister Russell talked quite a bit about Repentance and the importance of giving it everything we've got with the time we have on the mission. It was really impactful. President talked again about being consecrated, motivating us to be the best we can be! After that we had lunch, then did Workshops. Elder Heileson and I had to teach a Workshop again. We talked about Using the Scriptures to better teach Repentance. The church now has the big focus on Repentance, and with the Scriptures, we can better apply the process in our lives! Let us repent every day. I promise that it brings joy. One thing President Russell said to one of my companions one day was this, "Pray every night until you feel peaceful. If you don't feel peaceful, keep repenting." So very true. So anyway, the Workshop! Like three and a half hours straight of teaching. It is tiring but lots of fun. After we played #NicManSur shrades then finished up. It was fun!

Elders Merrill, Heileson and Hanson at Multi Zone

On Thursday I got to work with some Elders that have been struggling. It was fun. They improved, so I guess I did my job.

Isaura! She is an investigator that we have had. She has always had a little desire to be baptized but her family is really against the church. Elder Hall and I made the goal to invite her to a baptism service and from there invite her to be baptized right then and there on the spot. Then what did we do? WE PRAYED! And we prayed really hard. We got to her house Saturday morning and one of her relatives actually came out of the house with a machete and threatened us, saying, "Get out of here, we don't want you here. We are Christians." See the irony there? Hahaha but he didn't do anything. She was ready to go to the Baptism! We got there super early and invited her to be baptized. She accepted :) we called the DL, he interviewed her, and she got baptized! It was awesome and crazy! The scary part for us was going to be the confirmation, so what did we do? WE PRAYED EVEN MORE! So... we show up Sunday morning. No problems. We took her to church and she got confirmed. Absolute miracle. The title of this letter is Grande Eres Tu. That means How Great Thou Art. And it is so true. I am so thankful for the blessings of the Lord. They come in so many ways. 

Baptism of Isaura

And maybe the biggest blessing from my mission is the news I just heard. Congrats :)

I love you all so much. Happy Easter! I am thankful for my Savior like always. Excited for Conference. Learn something! And keep praying for the Jazz.

Love,

Elder Merrill

Wow. Que Calor. (that heat!)

What a fast week! I kinda don't really like how fast these weeks are going by now. Early in the mission it is great, but now it is kinda scary! So, I spent my first full week back in Managua, and got to remember a little bit about this place. Now let's remember, I have been in Nicaragua for about 20 months, with all this heat. You would think that one would get used to it. You are wrong. This week was the hottest I have been in my entire life. Times 10. Every stinkin day during the day it is hot in this country, but here in Managua at night is when it is bad. This last week I woke up sweating and fell asleep sweating. Copeland sent me a text Saturday night at about 11 that was well said.... "the fan is breathing fire on me right now." We are in the hottest time of the year, so this week should be just as bad, if not worse. However, we just wipe the sweat off and keep working, because that is how it's supposed to be!

I'm gonna keep this relatively short because not a lot happened, just worked really hard! Let's see... On Friday Elder Heileson and I went to try and help a couple possible baptisms that were falling, which usually don't end up being saved. Her biggest doubt, which we finally were able to pick out, was that she didn't think she needed to be baptized again. We talked to her for awhile, used the scriptures, and by the end she decided that she wanted to do it and get baptized the next day! It was a miracle, the Spirit was definitely there. All we did was use the knowledge that we had, asked direct questions, and the spirit helped her know that she needed to get baptized. She and her son were baptized and confirmed this last weekend.

We baptized Matthew McConaughey! Ok not exactly, but we baptized the latin replica of him. Mom, you will be really happy! (I have no idea why he said that!) Hahahaha his name is Marcos, and he is awesome! We had to convince his wife Ana to get married, because she did not want to! We wanted her to get baptized as well, but not gonna happen right now. She doesn't really want to and can't stop drinking coffee! But Marcos was ready! He is awesome! Smart, willing, and loves the church! Saturday was their wedding and his baptism. Even though the Lawyer showed up an hour late, it was a good moment and they enjoyed it. He got confirmed too! While we were waiting for the lawyer, there was a massive party going on in the church. It was some sort of celebration for the Relief Society, but turned into a bacanal. If the Nicas know one thing, it is how to party. They gave us food! We also had two more baptisms in the area, Yamil and Jennifer, but I hardly got to know them. I will get pics when I can!

Marcos and Ana

Marcos' Baptism

That is about it. Great week. Go Jazz. Pray for them. Love you all!

Elder Merrill

Elder Merrill and Elder Hall

P day fun with some members

Have faith and trust in the Lord!

Note:  We went to St. George last weekend for my niece's farewell.  She will be serving in Nauvoo!  She spends 6 months in Nauvoo, then is sent to another mission in the states for 6 months, then finishes her mission in Nauvoo again for 6 months! We love you Sharwan!

Dad on his tippy toes. Hahaha nice picture in St. George! Oh how I love that place! Good luck Wanny! That is a weird mission but super awesome how you get to do that! This week was quite eventful but at the end really not that eventful. I have very little time left in the mission, so my letters will all be focused on getting to the point and bearing my testimony. 

I had changes! Tuesday we went around saying goodbye to the people of Juigalpa. That was actually really, really hard. When I got called to Juigalpa, I was a little bit upset. No one has good things to say about that place. It is a difficult area, far away from Managua, lots of hills, rocks and dirt, the people aren't very educated or receptive, and there is nothing to do. None of the things really mattered to me other than the difficult area part. I had just been in two very difficult areas, so I wasn't expecting Juigalpa. But I learned a lot there. And I might have learned the most important lesson of my mission. I stopped trying to do it all by myself. I had been doing it for 18 months. I would work really hard and expect the blessings. My prayers would be along the lines of, "I will do this so that I can have this blessing." But the blessings would rarely come. And it was frustrating. However, about mid-December I changed something. Instead of saying prayers like that, my form of prayers turned into, "Lord, I have done my part. But I need thy help, because I can't do it by myself. I put it into thy hands." And then the focus of my prayers were for Him to help us bring people to church and baptize the people we were teaching. My prayers became begs and pleas instead of just orders from a drive-thru. And immediately, everything changed. Last change was one of the most successful changes that that area had ever had. I have been working really hard the whole mission, but the faith was never to the level it needed to be. That has changed. 

I also grew to love the people of Juigalpa. We had to say goodbye to a lot of great, humble people there that will be in my heart for the rest of my life. I will dearly miss them. I haven't been a very sentimental missionary, but these wonderful friends of mine in Juigalpa helped me on a very important process, and I love them for that. I will never forget them! And I can't wait to see them again soon!

Changes. I am now in Altagracia, Zona Universitaria. Or in other words, smack dead center of Managua and the mission. Our Zone contains the mission office, McDonald's is in my area, lots of that good stuff. I was in this Zone when I was in Monserrat back in the day! Actually, the western border of my area is right across the street from Monserrat. Unfortunately the two areas are not in the same Zone anymore so I won't be able to visit, but I have already had multiple people ask me about my teeth incident! Hahahaah just so you know, if we were to translate the word Altagracia directly to English, it would say High Grace. Which is so true. This is one of the most blessed areas in the entire mission! It is ridiculous. Everyone is positive. I feel like I am in Bluefields again! On Sunday we took 10 investigators to church, and they are all progressing with a baptism date! We also had a baptism last week! Here name is Siomara. She is a family to complete, about 70 years old, and really cool! I obviously didn't know her very well but she is awesome! We have been working really hard. My ZL companion is Elder Heileson from Syracuse, but will be living in Riverton after the mission. He is awesome, I have known him for quite a while! Love him! My companion is Elder Sam Hall from Texas. He is super cool too!

Siomara's baptism

Elder Hall, Siomara and Elder Merrill

Oh one more thing... the chapel here is about the nicest there is in Nicaragua... which means it has a basketball court inside. With real hoops. It doesn't quite have wood, but close enough! We played today! It was unreal, first time on a real hoop since the MTC. I need to work on my dribbling, but the shot isn't looking too bad :)

 

Basketball!

 

Love you all so much! Have a great week. Have faith and trust in the Lord!

Elder Merrill

Lame but Awesome!

This last week was pretty lame. Because of the change in MTC for local missionaries, this transfer was a 7 week transfer, instead of the normal 6 weeks. So this last week was kinda boring. Also, yesterday there was a Central American wide Stake Conference broadcast with Elder Anderson! So, there were not any baptisms either. A really lame week! Elder Kleiner and I took advantage to be able to work with some companionships and find some new people.

Tuesday was really hot, but Elder Jimenez and I worked hard nonetheless. And we found a super awesome family! Their names are Karla and Marvin. We had contacted Karla a few days earlier, but decided to go back when we could talk to her companion too. She had mentioned to us that Marvin worked all week and would always drink on the weekends. Something very common here. But only drinking on the weekends is something that can easily be changed! Our visit with them was awesome. He was a lot more open than we thought he would be, actually really positive! Karla said that she wants to congregate herself in a church, but knows she has to get married in order to do it. She is golden, and him as well! We put a fecha with them, visited them with a family from the Branch on Thursday, and went there again on Saturday. We had talked about how prayer would help Marvin to not drink. Showed up at 7 on Saturday night, and he was still there, hadn´t left! What a miracle. They were so committed to church that they even invited us for breakfast on Sunday! They went to the Conference! The only problem is that Karla has to get a divorce from her separated husband in order to get married. Which is a stinker. But they are awesome!

On Wednesday, Elder Kleiner and I went out to Santo Tomas to work with some Elders. It was a fun day! We didn´t find a lot of people, but we worked hard, and I hope the Elders were able to see that!

Rolando was interviewed by President Russell a couple Sundays ago, and President is coming back on the 20th to re-interview him! Looks like he may be getting baptized at the end of this month if all goes well. But whether he does or doesn´t, this guy is so converted! He has already read the Book of Mormon once, goes to church every week, and teaches the lessons to family members and friends! Every Thursday night we go on visits with the members of the Branch, and last Thursday he went with us! I went out with the Ward Mission Leader and him. It was super awesome! I love that man.

Friday we had Zone Meeting. Talked about faith. Taught about teaching Repentance, so that we can baptize converts. It was fun! That afternoon I spent with Elder Salmeron. It was great to work with and learn from him.

Sunday as I said was the Stake Conference thingy with Elder Anderson by broadcast. It was great to hear from one of my favorite Apostles! We had a good day in church.

That is about it! This week are changes. We will see what happens. I love Juigalpa, I really do. I would be honored to have another change here with these people, especially this Branch! I have really come to love it. Can´t wait to let you guys know, and to enjoy these last 2 transfers in the mission! 

Love you all!

Elder Merrill

Mission Leadership Conference with Elder and Hermana Ochoa

El Deseo (The Desire)

Wow, what an incredible week! A week with very little sleep, hahaha but it went well! Congrats to the girls Basketball team on the State Title. Looks like Kennedy had a pretty good year! 

This week we had our mission tour with Elder Ochoa from the Area Presidency! It was on Wednesday, so Tuesday we just had a normal work day, and it was pretty successful! But let´s get to the important stuff.

So I was informed late Tuesday night that I was going to be conducting, so that was a lovely surprise. It wasn´t very difficult, but still not really what I wanted. Hahahaha it was fun. We got there real early, at about 7:00, which meant leaving the house at 4. At 8:45, Elder Ochoa and his wife, and President and Sister Russell showed up. They took pictures with each Zone, then we got to meet him! There is something special about being in the presence of a General Authority. Bishop Davies, President Nelson, Elder Snow, Elder Christensen, Elder Duncan and now Elder Ochoa. We have been extremely blessed! The second he walked into the room, you could feel his Spirit and his humility. I don´t know how they do it, but they are definitely some powerful men and women. We then began the meeting!

Conducting, as far as I know I did fine. Elder Ochoa and his wife talked, then Sister Russell shared a powerful message about faith. Afterwards, President Russell spoke about how the mission is going and shared a message. During this part I didn´t really have time to take notes because I was up on the stand, but they gave some good messages! Then Elder Ochoa began to talk again, giving us instruction. I absolutely love the way he spoke. He spoke with so much humility and yet with so much power, to the point where we could feel the Spirit and be motivated to be better. Throughout the day, he mentioned 7 points of things we could do better to have more success and become better missionaries. 

1. Become one with Christ

2. Be one with our Companions

3. Be one with the Ward

4. Be more Focused

5. Accept all the Responsibility

6. Teach Repentance

7. Love the People

Elder Ochoa´s focus was that we stop wasting time with people that aren´t going to progress and instead spend our time searching for the ¨escogidos.¨ We have so many numbers to complete, that sometimes we get caught up teaching people that we shouldn´t be teaching in order to complete the numbers. Elder Ochoa is very down with the Standards of Excellence, but wants us to get better in the way that we work with them. He motivated us to find the people that God has prepared. I wish I had brought my notes here to write, because I have forgotten some of the detailed notes. But anyways, he talked a lot about that, answered some questions, and bore a strong testimony. Oh and we got to each lunch with him too! That was as scared as I have ever been eating lunch, hahahaha. I didn´t spill though so we are good :)

Elder and Hermana Ochoa

But that wasn´t it! We also had a Leadership Council Meeting, presided by Elder Ochoa! Now, that is where the nerves get going, because it is a lot more personal. President Russell lead it, and for about 2 hours we just talked about ways to help the mission and about what we learned in the Multi Zone. It was awesome! All the Zone Leaders were participating, giving inspired ideas to get this thing rolling even more. But the best parts were the things that Elder Ochoa mentioned. So much humility, yet so much power. He had talked about giving more in the Multi Zone, but at Consejo he modified it. Instead of us giving more, he promised that the Lord will give us more. He said that it is hard for President to ask more than he is already asking, so instead of giving more, we should give better. My favorite quote. ¨The Lord doesn´t just want you to baptize, but he also wants you to learn how to become great leaders and Disciples of Christ.¨ While always reminding us that everything we do should be focused on Baptizing and Retaining :) it was awesome! He also helped us to know that everything we do as leaders should be with the plan to inspire. INSPIRE. I hope we can all inspire others while at the same time inspiring ourselves!

That is about it from the week. I love the Gospel, and I want to finish strong. Make the most of this time that I have left. I love you all so much. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Merrill

Elder Merrill and Elder Jimenez

Service