We are ready (?)

I don't know why I said that we are ready. I guess that we should just always be ready for whatever the Lord throws at us! So here is the big announcement..... I have changes this week. And I'm going to a new mission. Yeah right April Fools but I couldn't think of anything better hahahah sorry!

But anyway this week there really are changes, and my second son has successfully completed his training! I am such a proud father :) Elder Arevalo! Oh ya. It's pretty likely that one of us will have changes, but we'll just have to see what happens!

Elder Arevalo! 

This last week was pretty dang awesome. On Friday we had a great Zone Meeting and we talked about contacting, because we have to contact 24 people a day. After talking with people from other missions, I have come to know that our numbers are crazy what we have to do. But it makes us work hard so it's great :) so anyways we talked about contacts and the importance of the Restoration in everything we do and teach. I love the Restoration with all of my heart. What has helped me so much in the mission is that day that my family went to the Sacred Grove. And that is a feeling and an atmosphere that simply cannot be denied. I know without a doubt in my mind that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ in that very Grove. And I will always testify of that. 

Even better later that day... I baptized for the first time on my mission! The lady wanted me to baptize her... so I did it. It actually took us three tries, but in the end we got it :) I love the opportunity to be a leader and to be in Nicaragua because I get to familiarize myself and get to know a bunch of awesome and funny people! I love my Nicas :)

This week is the "Holy Week" for the Catholics. And right now in Rivas we are in one of the most Catholic parts of Nicaragua. And it is freaking crazy here! And crazy hot. Like unreal hot. So we're doing the best we can to stay hydrated and not die for multiple reasons :) 

There's just another lame, little update of this week :) by the way.... where did March go? Oh and one more thing.... CONFERENCE. I am so excited to hear the words of the Prophets and receive revelation. And hopefully the announcement of the Nicaragua temple! Love you all :)

Elder Merrill

Editors note:  Last week, Sam DID receive his permanent teeth!  He was a little confused but we received an email from his mission president's wife and she said he looks great!! He has one more appointment next week just to make sure all is well. Yay!!

Elder Arevalo, Justo and Elder Merrill with PERMANENT TEETH!!! Justo is one of his favorite people in the world!

Brother and Sister Merrill,

On Monday, Elder Merrill received his two permanent replacement teeth and all is well. He looks as handsome as ever.   Elder Merrill has been solid throughout this time of frustration and pain, and loss of his precious missionary work.  

In two weeks, Elder Merrill has the last follow up appointment to make sure there are no issues with his teeth.  I am sure he is looking forward to the final conclusion of this chapter of his mission.  President and I are very happy he will return home looking like himself with maybe a small, very faint scar--- which I am sure he will  point out as he retells the story in the future.

Thank you for being wonderful parents who support Elder Merrill and us.  We greatly appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Hermana Peggy Russell

Nicaragua Managua South

Always choose to be happy!

Hahahahahahahhahahahahah  I can't even describe it. ONE DAY I WILL HAVE REAL TEETH AND I WON'T HAVE TO GO TO THE DENTIST. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT DAY WILL BE. My goodness. Hahahaha what they did today was put in provisionals of cement, I don't even know why. But I'm going back in two weeks :) I do have a picture that Sister Russell sent me but my camera and allllll my pictures from the last couple weeks got erased and now my camera doesn't work. Hahahahah oh well!

This week was I think the fastest week of my mission. It's freaking crazy how fast it's going. Already the end of March and almost 10 months. But it was a great week! I worked a grand total of about 11 hours in my area... working and working really hard just not quite in my own area. We're doing ok though just not a lot of time. We have a really cool family named Fransicso and Marbely. They went to church last week and yesterday we went to pick them up again. They were getting ready so we left and about half an hour later we heard that they got in a huge fight and the husband left so we lost three investigators in church.... SATAN WORKS REALLY HARD BUT HE CANNOT WIN. 

This last Thursday as I said we had a multi mission conference. It was super awesome to see my longtime high school friend Kason Perkes as well as some friends from the MTC. And the conference was awesome! Bishop Davies did the majority of the talking, and although his Spanish is pretty bad he did a great job talking about the scriptures and true love for the people. Hearing each and every one of these things just gets me so much more motivated to work. And there was a choir composed of the two missions. They sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" and they basically had the whole building crying. One of the most powerful moments of my life. I know that He lives and because of that we can become better, work a little harder, serve a little more.

There is one big thing that I learned these last couple days and it is this. Always choose to be happy. There is nothing in this entire world that can stop us from being happy... except ourselves. So no matter what it may be, an injury, a strikeout, a bad score on a test, sin or just bad luck, brush it off and be happy! That is why we are here!

Love you all so much. Here is the gross picture with this gross haircut hahahaah oh well (that's the wind by the way it's not that bad). God's Speed!

Elder Merrill

 

Congrats to my sis Kelli on getting her mission call! (Washington Tacoma)

 Elder Merrill's best friends

Lindsey, Courtney, Kelli, Emily and Maren

Have you ever heard of a multi mission meeting?

One day.... one day I will have teeth! Don´t ask me when, but I'm sure it will happen at some point. hahahaah but we´ll get to that later! This week was yet another great week that yet passed so fast and because I went to Managua today I yet again don´t have a lot of time. So much fun!

So what happened this week.... oh nothing much! Honestly I can´t remember at all right now freak. I´m really sorry these weeks just go by so fast! Well I guess I'll just start by telling you what is going on this week. Today I went to the dentist, thinking that it was going to be the end of this 5 month process and..... it wasn´t. hahahhha they were supposed to put the new teeth in but something wasn´t quite ready soo... they worked on me for a couple hours and I´m going back in in a few days. Almost there! 

hahah next... ah yeah this week we have a multi mission meeting with the North mission Thursday. An Elder from the area presidency and Bishop Davies (of the Presiding Bishopric) are going to be there! I´m not sure what´s going to happen but I have been wondering for a while if they are going to open up a new mission... so we´ll see what happens!

Ah yeah this last week we had interviews with President Russell! and that was also pretty dang awesome. We talked for about 40 minutes about stuff for the district and mission and all that good stuff. We have a pretty good relationship.

So there´s a short recap... hopefully more time and more stuff this next week! And I left my cord to send pictures in Jinotepe... so hopefully lots of those next week too!

Love you all!

Elder Merrill   

The Mission is Crazy!

You know? You just can´t have a normal day in the mission field. Hahahah let alone a normal week! This week was once again, crazy. And so I´m gonna tell it to ya!

So I was finally ready to have a full week of working here in the area. But of course we had that meeting in Managua last tuesday for District Leaders. It was awesome! I learned so much and got so motivated. We got back to Rivas late Tuesday night and basically couldn´t do anything. 

Wednesday! Ready to work and then.... One of the Elders in my District got freaking stung by a scorpion at night and we spent basically the whole morning and the mid afternoon in the hospital. He´s all good though don´t worry! But his companion was also sick with the poopies, then I got sick with some massive chest pains and a cold so Wednesday kinda wasn´t the best. Don´t worry I am also ok!

Thursday and Friday were normal except for this experience that I had. Friday was just not a good day. We weren´t having much success and I just did not have a lot of energy. Unfortunately that happens in the mission. But Friday night I was really sad. Because I felt like I had really let the Lord down. I got on my knees and could hardly say anything, just ¨sorry¨. But Saturday I got up and had a new energy. And I had one of the best moments of my life. I said a prayer to end personal study, and it was the first time in my life that I really felt like I was communicating with God. Yes I´ve had really spiritual prayers and had prayers answered in miraculous ways, but this time, I was saying something and he was responding in that instant. And I haven´t in my life felt so full of the Spirit and so motivated to work until that moment. So that is my advice for this week. Pray focused. Converse with God. And take advantage of it. 

As always, thank you so much for everything! 9 months this week! Freaking crazy but I´m so grateful for this sacred time! God´s speed!

 

Elder Merrill

Baptism of Mario on Feb. 28

Make every day count!!

B1. All I gotta say about my Braves :) This week was absolutely crazy! And it was kinda really crappy. So I'm in Rivas, which is about two and a half hours away from Managua. But to be able to be in Managua for a meeting in the morning, we have to take an hour long bus to Jinotepe in the afternoon and spend the night there. So this was my week last week.

 

Monday. We went to managua in the morning to the dentist. I left without two teeth! Which sucked. Then we returned to Rivas, got ready real quick, and took a bus to Jinotepe. Tuesday morning we had a meeting in Managua with all the new missionaries. Then we went back to Jinotepe, went to Nandaime (companionship about 40 minutes from my area) and we had to sleep on the hard church floor there! That was the worst night of my life. Hahahaha Wednesday I did divisions with other Elders. Thursday we went back to Managua for the Dentist. President Russell called his personal dentist and I went there, which was awesome and super nice of him. However, at that appt I still didn't get teeth! So I had to stay the night in Managua and go again the next morning. That night I worked in my old area....... SUPER COOL TO TALK TO A FEW OF THE CONVERTS AND MEMBERS THERE. Friday morning they gave me some fake teeth of plastic and glue for about a week more. Saturday we had a baptism! Super awesome. His name is Mario and he is one of my favorites! He's 19 and speaks really good English, so it was fun to talk to him in English. Sunday our District brought 47 investigators to church! Super awesome also hahahah. And right now.... I am once again in Jinotepe. Hahahah I thought this was going to be a free week but turns out there is a meeting for District Leaders tomorrow in Managua so here we are again! Kinda stinks.... but with the time we have here we make the most of it.

 

 

If there is one thing that I have learned from sports and from the mission, it is this one thing. Make every day count. Don't just survive. Conquer. Because it goes by so fast. I can basically already say that I have "a little more than a year left in my mission." That is absolutely unfathomable. But it's ok, because as fast as the time goes, we are just gonna work harder and harder and be more obedient. Make the most of every opportunity that you have to serve and grow! That is my message to you all. I love you all so much and I'm so grateful for everything. God Be With you Til We Meet Again.

 

Love,

Elder Merrill

We also received this email from Sam's mission president's wife.

Brother and Sister Merrill,

I am sure Elder Merrill will write to you today and let you know how he is doing, but I also wanted to take a minute to update you.

Elder Merrill received his two implants Friday, the week before last.  We were told that the temporary tooth would also be placed at that time.  When I saw Elder Merrill on Tuesday morning, I was shocked to see that no temporary tooth had been placed at either implant. Sweet understanding Elder Merrill had not complained or even mentioned it to us.  His only concern was that he did not have his other tooth to pop in and out and entertain the children.  Elder Merrill is a kind and patient person. 

President immediately made arrangements for Elder Merrill to see another excellent dentist and Elder Merrill was seen on Thursday.  Impressions were made for the temporary teeth which were then placed on Friday morning.   He now looks like the Elder Merrill we love and know.  His permanent teeth should be placed within 10 days.

Thank you for being supportive parents who truly trust us to watch over their son.  We love Elder Merrill.

Sincerely,

Hermana Peggy Russell

Nicaragua Managua South