Elder Merrill's LDS Mission: June 24, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Well... another week in the books! The first few days we were here all the other missionaries kept telling us to ´"just get through the first P Day and then it will fly" and they were definitely right! I can´t believe I´ve already been out here two weeks! I´m glad that everything is going well back home, because it is going great here! First off sorry about how bad last week was, I was just so flustered cause we don´t have a lot of time but today will be better I promise! In answer to your questions mom.. the flight was fine! I hate flying but there were a lot of missionaries so we had a good time! And from the second we walked off the plane in Mexico we were immersed in Spanish. At the MTC they speak as much Spanish as possible unless it´s something we need to hear and know. The Spanish... it´s coming along quite well! I understand more and more every day from teachers, but when we talk to workers or native missionaries then I usually don´t know what they´re saying hahahahah. I can probably keep up on a broken conversation right now, but it´s a process hahahah! At this point I just need to know more words then I think I have a chance.

I´ve had many great experiences over the last week. I still completely love being here because there are so many opportunities to receive inspiration and revelation! I´ve been able to give two blessings, one to my companion Elder Williams and one to Jaydon Ryan (dad should know who he is), and we also did one for one of the girls in our district, who is from Cache Valley! Please tell Calvin that the Fourth Missionary saved my life and I am so grateful to him for giving it to me. I realized that I was the definition of the Third Missionary as I read it, so I totally changed my ways and I think I´m doing a better job now. We teach someone every day, and Elder Williams and I are really coming along well! Our first "investigator" was Fernanda. On our last lesson with her, our main goal was to bring the spirit. Our lesson plan was about the Plan of Salvation, but that´s kinda hard to speak in Spanish hahah. So we just prayed to above all else bring the Spirit, and that is what we did. We bore our testimonies and the Spirit was so strong. It made me so dang excited to teach out in Nicaragua! (Once I get fluent hahahah) I know that through the Lord, all things were possible. This last Sunday I was a little confused and concerned about my spanish, mainly trying to learn past tense conjugations, so I prayed to my Father in Heaven that he would help me and the next day I learned everything in a way I hadn´t yet. Now I just need to practice and work hard and I know I can do this!

I know that through Faith, Hard Work, Obedience and Prayer we can do all things. The Lord has commanded me here because he knows I can do it. And I am so excited to be here. I miss all you guys so much but I wouldn´t want to be anywhere else. Mom you can send letters and pick packages through Dear Elder and they come mucccccchhhhhh faster, so if you want to do that that´d be great! So just let everyone know. It´d be nice to hear from one or two of my sisters but eh I guess it´s alright ;) I love you all!

Elder Merrill

P.S pictures... this place is beautiful, the "Furious 4" myself, Elder Williams, Elder Sauter and Elder Mataalii and the big B on the mountain... it´s like I never even left :)