Eating a hamburger with a knife and fork!!

Brother and Sister Merrill,

Before we left the office Monday, President took another look at Elder Merrill's lip.  He commented that it was healing very nicely. To which Elder Merrill replied:  "I am disappointed I won't have a scar". This is obviously a man's perspective, and he is adjusting very well to his circumstances!

Yesterday, President and I took the office elders to Mombacho,  an inactive volcano in Granada. Elder Merrill is part of the office group right now, so he also came along on our hiking adventure. (The Office Elders and APs work so hard that they often miss their Pdays.)  

Elder Merrill's dental procedures are tomorrow morning and then we will have him rest.  We will take good care of him.  Thank you for your continued support.

Hermana Russell

Nicaragua South

I thought you might enjoy these photos from yesterday.

Burgers after the 2.5 hour hike .

Elder Hayes (Materials Sec),  Elder Araniva (AP), Elder Benson (AP), 

Elder Merrill, and Elder Naisbitt (Gen. Sec.)

They all ate two of these huge 1/3 pound hamburgers!  Elder Merrill needed a fork and knife so he could get the burger into bite size pieces but that didn't slow him down.

Happy to be eating again!

Dear Whoever Actually Reads This,

I ate food on Monday. Literally the best day of my entire life. Hahahahaha that's about how my week was last week! But it was a pretty good week nonetheless. Here is a quick breakdown of what happened last week!

Every day I worked in the office with the office missionaries til about 4:30-5ish. Then I'd go with the Senior couple Elder and Sister Beals to their house until one of the APs or Secretaries would come and pick me up. I stayed and still stay at the house of the Secretaries and APs, and it's super fun there! My "hijo" or son or companion Elder Castro is currently working and staying with other missionaries while I'm getting all this dental work done. So my "companions" for right now are Elder Naisbitt (Utah), Elder Hayes (North Carolina, no relation to Jord), and the APs. They are all awesome! Every single day last week, all I did was drink protein shakes. And an occasional yogurt. And water. Needless to say it was a pretty long week hahahaha. But... I got some great studying in, and I did do a little work in the field! The problem was that I couldn't open my mouth very much to talk, and I had two shattered teeth hahahah. But hey we had two baptisms on Saturday! I don't have the pictures but it was lots of fun :) that's about it for last week, but I have some good details on what is happening right now.

So I went in Monday for my operation to get the one tooth taken out and another fixed..... and it turns out that I have to lose two teeth :) all they did on Monday was take out part of the lower tooth, so I'm currently without a tooth! The toothless wonder! And tomorrow is officially the big day! They are going to take out the rest of the lower tooth and all of the upper tooth, drill in titanium posts, and fill in the fake tooth! It'll take about 4-5 months for these posts to recover and solidify with the gum, and that's when they put in the new teeth around the posts. So tomorrow is going to be lots of fun listening to doctors drill metal into my mouth! Then in a couple days I should be good to go completely! I've eaten a little this week and it has literally been the best thing in the entire world because I can chew on my right side! Life is so good!

Yesterday we went out to Mombacho! It's a Volcano here in Nicaragua, and it was sooooooo sick. President took the whole office staff out there. Us 5 missionaries hiked like 2 million feet up and my legs were absolutely dead afterwards, but the views... wow it was worth the pain :) President is really, really strict, but he can have some fun too :)

Not a whole lot to say, but I just wanna send a big thank you for everyone that has given me support here. It's really not all that bad, I just got a rock thrown at my face, but the love that I've received here in Nicaragua and back in the States is a testimony to me how great this world really is. I'm pretty dang lucky to have the people I do in my life, and I don't know what the heck I did to deserve it. I thank you all and love you all :) Que Dios les bendiga!

Elder Merrill

John looked at this picture of Sam in the hospital and said "That's embarrassing, there's hardly any blood!"

Temporary Companions Elders Naisbitt and Hayes

Mission APs

Smiling!

Not smiling...

Worth the pain!

President and Hermana Russell

Stitches removed!

We received this email late last night!

Brother and Sister Merrill, 

Elder Merrill is now working with the Office Elders and they have their PDay on Wednesdays.  You should hear from him on Wednesday. 

The stitches were removed on Saturday, as I mentioned in my other email, and the wounds are healing wonderfully with no signs of infection. The maxiofacial surgeon did a great job and there should be little to no scar. (President took the photo below of Elder Merrill this afternoon.)

Elder Merrill saw two specialists (endodontic & orthodontic) today and did great at his appointment. The lower tooth they thought could be repaired with a crown was found with a fracture that reached 4mm below the flat break along the backside of the tooth. Unfortunately, there is not enough good tooth left to repair with a crown. Today they also made molds of his upper and lower teeth. 

On Friday, they will pull both the upper and the lower teeth. At the same time they will install the two titanium implants, pack with bone graft material and then wait 4-6 months while the implants bond to the bone. Once they are confident the implants have properly bonded, they will then install the permanent teeth. In the meantime, he will have two temporary teeth (for cosmetic reasons). 

Elder Merrill was in no pain and when the anesthetic wore off, simple ibuprofen handled the small discomfort. Within hours, I saw him in the office eating a banana (or two) and happy to be having some solid food. 

I hope this helps to answer some of your concerns and relieves some of your worry. Should you have any questions, please let us know.  

Best Regards, 

Hermana Russell

Lookin' Good!

This is an excerpt from Elder Tanner Redding's Oct. 27 email:

As I was reading this week I read in Alma 38 about when Alma the younger was giving his son Shiblon council.  I read vs: 3 and 4 which say:

"3 I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee already, because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the people of the Zoramites. 

4 For I know that thou wast in bonds; yea, and I also know that thou wast stoned for the word’s sake; and thou didst bear all these things with patience because the Lord was with thee; and now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee."

When I read this I thought of Sam. I was completely overcome with Sam's experience but more importantly Sam's response. To realize then that he may have suffered quite a bit of pain and the time but to completely direct it outward and be thankful for our Savior and for Joseph Smith is a testimony of Sam's dedication to The Lord and this work. It is very natural for us to look inward when we have things go wrong, or get drilled in the head by a rock. That is the natural man, that is not Sam. Sam has always been a great example to me as a friend and continues to be an example to me in this great work. I love what Alma says to his son. He tells him the he has had great joy in Shiblon because of his hard work and patience. I can say the same thing about Sam. I know that our Heavenly Father is proud of him and his hard work and patience. I know that he is proud of all of My greet friends and their great service. I am so grateful for the great friends I have who are amazing examples to me! 

We sure love Tanner and all of Sam's friends!

Back at his apartment?

Sister Russell sent this email last night.

Sister Merrill, 

Minutes ago, Elder Merrill left the mission home and I was able to share with him your message.  He was audibly touched by the amount of people that have emailed and prayed for him. Thank you for having such a wonderful family who offer great support to Elder Merrill. 

Sincerely,

Hermana Russell

Thank you to all of our friends and family for your love and concern! We will continue to post updates as we receive them.

Another update

Today, the swelling in Elder Merrill's lip has decreased dramatically.  He faithfully takes his antibiotic and his pain pills.  He is drinking well and we are putting him to work in the office assembling packets for distribution to investigators about to be baptized.  He is involved in missionary work of a different variety and happy to be working.  Yesterday, he helped with the organization of the training meeting of 52 missionaries and was given a few much needed hours to rest in the late afternoon.  Tomorrow he will help with the behind the scenes work of the Mission Council, setting up tables, bringing materials and mail for distribution, and bringing in lunch. There are many areas of missionary work and Elder Merrill is happy and willing to work wherever he can be of service. 

To answer Brother Merrill's question, Elder Merrill will be under local anesthetic for the procedures on Monday. President and I will be with him. His appointment is at 9 am.  I know you will be thinking of Elder Merrill and praying for him.  

I saw Elder Merrill this morning and will most likely see him again tonight.  I will make sure he knows of your love and prayers and of all of those back home who are concerned and will also inform him of the Merrill Family Fast.  Without a doubt, this will bring him great peace and comfort. 

 I am not sure if I mentioned it in my earlier emails, but in the hospital Sunday evening, two things happened you might like to know about:

1. President and AP Elder Benson gave Elder Merrill a blessing before the plastic surgeon arrived to stitch the wound.  I believe this brought comfort to Elder Merrill.

and 

2. While we were waiting for the specialist's arrival, President took it upon himself to gently wipe the dried blood from Elder Merrill's chin and hands.  It was a tender moment I will not forget.  Most missionaries see their Mission President as someone who teaches and guides and who also expects them to follow the mission rules.  All of our missionaries know that President Russell loves them and cares about them, they can feel it; but the softer side of his love for them is not often shown in such a distinct manner.  President cares greatly about each and every missionary.  He loves Elder Merrill and appreciates his willingness to serve diligently.

I, too, love Elder Merrill. We will continue to watch over him and pray for him.

Best regards,

Hermana Russell

Nicaragua Managua Sur

Dental update

Sister Merrill,

Elder Merrill is easy to love.

Here is the panoramic x-ray of Elder Merrill's mouth taken this afternoon.  With Brother Merrill's expertise, it will help answer most of the questions you both have concerning his upcoming procedures. One upper left tooth needs to be extracted and have an implant.  One bottom left tooth needs a root canal.  

Elder Merrill continues to feel no pain, for which we are grateful. He is in good spirits.  He knows you love and support him.  He is excited to be able to help in the mission office all day tomorrow.

We will continue to keep you updated as things move along.   

Removal of stitches is scheduled for Friday.  Dental procedures are scheduled for Monday.  As always, Elder Merrill will be in all of our prayers and we will watch over him.

Hermana Russell

Nicaragua South

October 20, 2014

Hahahahahahhhaahaha what a freaking week. I can't even describe in words what happened... but I guess I'll try! Started off with Tuesday... when I found out that I was going to have changes..... AND TRAIN A NEW MISSIONARY. When Elder Collado first told me I was going to train, I didn't believe him. But it's true! Elder Collado had changes too, so Tuesday night we went and said goodbye to everyone in the area. It was so hard. I've come to love the people in Granada so much, and I hope and pray the absolute best for them. Also, Elder Collado turned into one of my best friends. I love that kid so much and thank him for everything he did to help and train me. On the sheet of paper that a trainer receives, it says "your goal should be so that when your missionary finishes training he should be able to train a new missionary." Elder Collado did his job. And he's a Zone Leader now!

Changes. We have a big change meeting and it's lots of fun. And I found out that my "son" is..... Elder Castro. He's from Guatemala and he's super awesome. He speaks practically perfect English which is great, and I can tell he has prepared a lot for this mission. He obviously still has a lot to learn about the mission, but that's why I'm here. I'm excited for this amazing opportunity. We had to open up a new area (kind of). We're actually now in the area of the AP's in Managua! They are hardly ever there so it's basically ours, but man it is so awesome to work with them. Elder Araniva and Elder Benson. Elder Benson is from Utah and already in my mission he has helped me so much. I got to work with him on Saturday and he teaches with such power. I wanna be like him some day in my mission. I love that guy (and more on that right now).

Now to the fun stuff. I GOT JUMPED LAST NIGHT. Here's the story. We were walking down the street and we heard a few guys say something about the Mormons (we get a lot of crap down here). Some guy started to walk up to me, but I figured it was just another drunk guy being stupid. But it wasn't. He demanded me for my phone, so obviously I just gave it right to him (not a big deal the phones are crap). Then he started to walk away, but another came up to Elder Castro and asked him for his phone. Elder Castro doesn't have one though. We were trying to tell him that he doesn't have one when it hit me. Like literally a huge rock hit me in the face. Hahahaha it hurt so bad. I was super dizzy for a second, spitting out blood and all that. I turned around and Elder Castro was still talking and I just yelled at him "c'mon let's go!" So we left. I wanted to go to a members house that we know but we couldn't freaking find it. So we found a random lady on the street and used her phone to call Elder Benson. All this time I was spitting out blood, and my shirt was covered in it. And I could tell that my teeth were destroyed. Sorry for the details hahaha. Elder Benson came flying in the truck, we called President Russell and went to the hospital. It never really hurt, there was just so much blood. I don't have the picture with me but I"ll send it when I can :) there at the hospital I got a BUNCH of stitches, I don't know how many, but a lot. I spent the night at the Presidents house, and I'm going to have to spend the next few nights at least here. I learned today that I'm going to lose one tooth on top, and they're going to put a post in and replace the tooth. On the bottom I just have to get a crown and root canal and fix it all up. It should be a pretty long process, and I know I'm going to have like a 2 hour surgery next Monday. Fun!

 

Now for the best part. The blessings that I received as a result of this. First, I'm so grateful that it wasn't Elder Castro. Extremely grateful. I'm thankful that it hit me in the mouth and not higher in the head. The guy that threw the rock(same guy that stole my phone) probably could've done a lot more but for some reason he didn't. Elder Benson was right there to help us, and was so loving. President Russell and Sister Russell, I can't even describe my gratitude for them. They are honestly so amazing. They had been traveling all day and there were right there with me every step of the way at the hospital. I was there til about 11 doing the surgery. And they've been so loving today. Sister Russell has more love for these missionaries than anyone could ever imagine. She reminds me so much of my mom, and that gave me so much comfort at the hospital. And lastly, I received an even greater testimony and love for the Prophet Joseph Smith and our Savior Jesus Christ. I just got hit with a rock. They had soooooooooo much more done to them. So don't worry about me :) be grateful for those two men.

I talked to Dad on the phone this morning, and it really was so simple. I'm alive, so I'll just get right back to work when I can :) love you all so much and I'm thankful for your prayers and support!

 

Elder Merrill

 

Sister Merrill,

 

As a mother of four, three who served missions, I know sometimes our "mother's heart" feels things differently than our husbands do.  For this reason, I am writing to you. 

Please know that President and I are doing our best to take very good care of quiet, kind Elder Merrill. We love Elder Merrill.   President and I spent all morning with him at medical appointments and purchasing food that will be easier for him to eat than rice and beans.  We have contacted the absolute best doctors/dentists and have been seen immediately. Last night in the ER probably felt like a long time to Elder Merrill because we were finished long past his missionary bedtime of 10:30 and because he is a morning person versus a night person!  He is tough and uncomplaining.  I monitor his pain, which he says he has very little of or none at all  Probably one of the hardest things for him is not being able to work.  He has asked to help out in the office tomorrow as he wants to continue serving the Lord in any way he can while he waits for future appointments, less swelling and healing.  

It takes wonderful parents to raise such a fine missionary.  He knows why he is here and wants to fill each day with service.  I am sure he will write to you, but should you personally have any questions I can answer, please let me know. Thank you for sharing Elder Merrill with us.

Hermana Russell

Nicaragua Managua South

October 13, 2014

I'M OFFICIALLY DONE WITH TRAINING. I'm no longer a new kid in Nicaragua. Which is great, but it also means that I have a lot more pressure on me. And I love that! After this next change, I'll already have 6 months in my mission :) it's unreal how fast it goes out here! This week was a great week! Changes are this week, I find out tomorrow if I have transfers! It's probable that I will have transfers, but we'll see!

Some good experiences. First time in my mission that we brought a whole family to church yesterday! Ah it was so great. Four people, Reinaldo, Ingrid, Gabriel and Jordin. I love this family! The goal here is to baptize families, but it's really hard. So to have this here is awesome and inspired of the Lord! 

We had two baptisms this week! And wooooow, was it tough. First Rosario. At the beginning she wasn't all that great because she didn't want to listen... but somehow her heart was opened and she opened the door to the celestial kingdom! 

 

Rosario

And this chabalo Juan Jose. He's 12 years old, and he was pretty easy for most the way! But we went to pick him up this Saturday and he didn't want ANYTHING, he was not going to go. We have this thing in the mission called Jarron Azul, which means do absolutely anything you can to not let the people make a bad decision. Elder Collado and I were there for more than an hour trying to convince him. And I can honestly say that I have never prayed harder for anything in my entire life. During that time I was thinking, "because of my lack of effort and preparation, he's not going to get baptized", and that was killing me. So I prayed and gave it all to the Lord. I said "Father, I will accept anything. Sickness, pains, anything. Just open his heart and let him open the door to thy kingdom." And after a long time, he finally accepted. (I was pretty sick yesterday and today). I am so grateful for my Savior and Heavenly Father. My prayer was answered and I have a new found motivation to work as hard as I possibly can. Because this will be over before I know it. 

 

Juan Jose

 

Today we went to the beach and played a little soccer. And it's my mission best friend's birthday today! We got to throw some eggs at Elder Bennett, good day :) another picture is with Elder Bennett and Elder Jimenez (The Big 3). We came together and expect to leave the area together :)

 

Elder Bennett's Birthday Egg?

 

The Big Three!  Elders Merrill, Bennett and Jimenez

I am so unbelievably grateful for my family and friends. Annie you also having somebody in Nicaragua praying for you! Take care everyone and keep up the good work! Love you all!

Elder Merrill

 

Some random statue...

Roll Tribe!

RollTribe Called To Serve....8 for 8

This past Spring our Baseball Team at Bountiful High School won it's first State Baseball Championship in 26 years by beating Spanish Fork 6-4 in the Championship Game.  We were led by a group of 8 Seniors, all of whom played a pivotal role in the State Championship Run.  Over the course of the last 6 months, one by one, each of these 8 seniors received their mission call to serve the Lord for 2 years as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Last evening, I, Coach Boog, received a phone call from Masen Jones, our baseball team's catcher, telling me that he had finally received his mission call to serve in the Washington Vancouver Mission departing November 12.  Masen was the final member of this group of 8 of the finest young men on the earth today to receive his call.

As their coach, I am grateful for their accomplishments on the baseball field.  It was a surreal experience and one that everyone of those young men as well as all the other players on our team deserved.  But more importantly, I am very proud of each and everyone of their desire's to serve a mission and serve other people.  Baseball helps build character, serving missions for the Lord reveals their character to the world.  This in my mind is an accomplishment of the highest levels of commitment.  I am honored to be their coach for both of these wonderful accomplishments.  Go Forth Young Men and Serve with all Your Heart, Might, Mind, and Strength!  I Stand All Amazed!

From Left to Right

Elder Tanner Redding (SS) - Taiwan Taichung

Elder Jordan Hayes (LF) - Samoa Apia

Elder Masen Jones (C) - Washington Vancouver

Elder Ryan Stringfellow (1B) - Madagascar Antananarivo

Coach Boog - Japan Kobe (1988-1990)

Elder Ryan Curtis (CF) Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Elder Andrew Naegle (RF/DH) - Ecuador Quito

Elder Brayden Muir (RHP) - Brazil Rio De Janeiro

Elder Sam Merrill (DH/RF) - Nicaragua Managua South

#RollTribe - #CalledToServe

Thank you to Coach "Boog" Stringfellow for this post copied from Elder Ryan Stringfellow's mission blog.

Forever Brave!

This email was sent to Coach "Boog" Stringfellow, Elder Merrill's high school football and baseball coach.

Oy Boog! I got somethin to say real quickly. I know there's only a few games left but hopefully this can help everybody a little bit. On Saturday, we hadn't even finished lunch and I was absolutely dead. Just knocked out. We left and went out to work and one of my companions said something, I can't remember exactly what it was. I was about to say "I just hope I can survive this day", when immediately millions of thoughts came to my head about all the hills, brave quarters, long monday and tuesday practices, all of that. And I knew in my head that I wasn't just going to survive that day, I was going to CONQUER it. Football teaches life lessons. I am so thankful for the opportunity that I had to play for Bountiful. I'm thankful for all the guys that are carrying on the tradition. Three games and the playoffs is A LONG TIME. Make the most of every minute because before you know it, you'll be four months into your mission in a third world country. Have a great Tuesday practice (I'm expecting you to read this before practice tomorrow) and enjoy the ride! Love you all!
Forever Brave.

Tell the whole staff hi and thanks for everything :)

Love you coach!

Elder Merrill

October 6, 2014

Gooooooo AGGIES!

They would win at BYU the year I'm gone. That's all I have to say.

Utah State beats BYU 35-20

 Anyways, now to the important stuff, what a great week! I've said this like the past three weeks, but they just keep going faster and faster! I hit 4 months this week! That's so crazy to think. And even better than that.... this week is MY LAST WEEK OF TRAINING! Here's what is going to happen next week... either I get transferred somewhere else, Elder Collado gets transferred, or we both get transferred! Hahaha lots of questions coming up, so we'll just have to see what happens and focus on the work.

This last week was just another good, solid week to be honest. I can honestly say I've written in my journal one time in the last month.. I should probably improve on that. Let's see what happened...

I had a pretty great experience on Thursday (I think). It was getting pretty late at night, and we went over to our convert Cesar's house. He told us that his brother had died, and it was really tough to hear. But immediately a scripture came to my head that was shared to me on one of my first days of seminary my last semester. I remember thinking about the scripture all year last year because Brother Arvidson told us that it would come into play bigtime on our missions! So with tears rushing down my face, I shared Alma 7:11 and 12 with him. I know that anywhere we are put, we are put there for a reason. I know that the people in our life are there for a reason. And I'm grateful I payed attention in at least 1 day of seminary ;)

CONFERENCE. It was so great. Even if it was in Spanish! Hahahaha we had to take investigators to every session to be able to go, and luckily we could! When we first got there Saturday morning, President Monson stood up and began talking. He said a few things about missionary work and such, and that's when I kinda lost it. I went into the bathroom and just started crying for three reasons. A little bit of homesickness, but mostly because I have never been so grateful to be apart of this sacred work. As hard as it is, there really is nothing better. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. I promise that with all of my heart. And I couldn't be more proud to be apart of it. This time is extremely short and extremely sacred. When the MTC choir was singing at Priesthood (I saw like five friends), I got the absolute chills. Ah I love it. And last, because I know without a doubt in my mind that President Monson is a Prophet of God. The biggest issue here (in Nicaragua) is with the authority and who has it. I know that this church does. I know. Every talk this weekend was inspired of God. That I know.

Other than that, everything is still going great! Jesus lives! Love you all so much!

Elder Merrill

 Alma 7:11-12

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.  

 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know, according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."

Sorry, I couldn't resist!