A La

Wow. What a crazy week! Sorry we are writing a little late, it is because we just got back from our Multi Mission Conference with President Christensen from the Pres of the Seventy! But more on that later :)

So let´s go through the week real quick! Monday we worked hard, trying to get a few baptisms ready for Saturday! I knew that either Elder Medrano or I were going to have changes, so we tried to enjoy the final few days of working together. We worked really hard and had a lot of fun together. I really like Elder Medrano. 

Tuesday at about 2 they called us to let us know about changes! And... Elder Medrano and Elder Bradbeer were the two that had changes! Medrano was expected, but Bradbeer, my ZL comp, was a surprise. So Medrano and I went out to work! We visited John Edward, one of our baptism possibilities for the week. He is 14 and had been close to baptism but hadn´t felt sure nor had a lot of support from his parents. However, Medrano and I had made a really good connection with him. We had a really good, spiritual lesson with him. And he decided he was ready to be baptized Saturday! Straight miracle. Actually is was a really dope experience, but literally something that I cannot describe through an email, or at least with so little time, so maybe next week or maybe until June :) but you will wanna hear it! We also had Jose Alvarez. He is 72 years old, doesn´t understand a lot, but was really animated to change his life and ¨follow God.¨ We visited him every day and got him ready for Saturday. We also had Daisy, who is the wife of a recent convert, a family to complete. She kinda came out of nowhere, which was another miracle. Decided she wanted to be baptized this Saturday. Things were looking good!

John Edward and Jose Alvarez

Wednesday was the Change Meeting and the Worldwide Training Conference! I received my new ZL comp... Elder Kleiner! We had wanted to be companions, and he was actually AP for the last two changes, so I was super excited to get some help out here. He is a super funny kid, and we are working hard! The Training Conference was awesome! I am grateful for all the things I learned.... another thing for a week with more time :) 

Elders Merrill, Hunt and Kleiner

Thursday and Friday were good, getting our baptisms ready.

Saturday we had the three baptisms! Daisy, John Edward and Jose! They all went super well and the newest members loved it. Daisy barely got confirmed on Sunday, however. She really did not want to go so we had to motivate her a bunch, but it all turned out well! We had another good week in church, with 10 investigators. Pray for Gustavo this week, would be our 5th baptism of the month. He is dope! February is looking good too.

Jose

Daisy

Today we had another Multi Mission with President Christensen and Elder Alonso. 4th one in the last year! Who knows why... guess the work is progressing here in Nicaragua! Spirit was strong, can give more details next week :)

Out of time sorry, but hope you all had a good week! Keep working hard and praying and doing the best you can.

Love,

Elder Merrill

San Juan del Sur!

This last Wednesday we got to celebrate the incredible year that we had in 2015. And we did it by going to Playa Gigante, close to San Juan del Sur :)

So Monday we didn´t really have P Day, just some time to write the families. Which is actually pretty tough. No one sees the importance of P Day until they lose it, hahahaha. P Day really helps to get the energies back, so we were trying hard just to get through and conquer Monday. And Tuesday was about the same! Everyone was struggling, but we were able to have a couple good days, elder Medrano and I. Then came Wednesday morning!

So we had to leave the house at about 3:30 in the morning and take a 3 hour bus to Managua. In Managua, we stopped at a chapel to get a little breakfast, then took another 3 hour bus ride down to Playa Gigante! On the way there, we got to pass through the outskirts of Rivas and take a little rest right on the outside of my area in Rivas! I miss that place so much. When we stopped, basically the whole mission was there. Elder Copeland came up to me and said, ¨this is where is at all started.¨ Hahaha it´s true, we have a lot of good memories there! Got to talk a little there to Cope and Elder Hanson, which was fun. I am so grateful for those guys, they have become some of my best friends! Then we got to the Beach! President had rented out a little area to all get together and eat. It was a cool place! And the whole mission was there. Lots of people to catch up with. At the place, they had put up a banner of 2158 baptisms, with the names of every single one of the people that got baptized. SUPER FREAKING COOL. Lots of people talk about how numbers don´t matter, but behind every number is a soul. 

We had a sweet BBQ, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, gatorade, all the good stuff! Then we had ice cream and brownies. It was super fun to catch up with all of my good mission friends and all of my sons that I have had in the mission. After food, we changed into ropa P Day and played some games on the beach! It was really hot and the sand was really deep so the playing wasn´t all that fun, but it was great to be on the beach! And to take some dope beach pics hahaha. 

Elders Hanson, Merrill and Copeland at Playa Gigante

After that we changed back into our mission clothes and President Russell talked to us for a little. He gave us all some super cool temple recommend covers! There is one problem... I have no idea where my temple recommend is.... oops. That is what happens when there is no temple in the country. I will get one soon though! Then Pres put the new goal for this year.... 2600 baps! Gonna require a lot of work, but I know the missionaries can do it :) we finished up, left, almost got lost on the way back, and got home at about midnight. It was a really long day, but a lot of fun! 

Elder Collado's family.  Elder Collado was Sam's trainer (Father) and he goes home to Costa Rica this week!
 

Elder Hanson and Elder Merrill

Really that is about it for this week. Had another good week at church with 7 investigators. Pray for Jon Edward and Jose! Oh yeah I learned something important in Priesthood yesterday. The majority of us are active members, but there is a big difference between being active.... and being active in the Work. I can go to church every week, take the Sacrament, keep the major commandments, pay my tithing, but if I am not doing something for the Work of the Lord, then what am I doing? To do this, I have to do my Home and Visiting Teaching. I have to visit Less Actives and animate them, I have to look for people who would want to listen to the Gospel and prepare them to receive it, I have to do Temple work. We need to all be better at this. Let us ask ourselves, ¨Am I being active in the Work, as opposed to just being active?¨ As we see what we can improve and have the humility to change them, the Lord will bless us and help us in the process. 

I love you all so much! Good luck Annie this week in Region! 

Love,

Elder Merrill

We also got this news today from Sam...

My release date has been changed due to the change in time spent at the MTC for all new missionaries. I will now come home on June 2nd.

when upon life's billows

Another quick week in the books! First off... happy birthday Dad! I remember last year at this date like it was a week ago. Can't believe another year has passed and you are now up to 39 years! Seriously though you have been such a great example and a great help through the entire mission. 51 and going strong!

This last week was fun, just can't remember exactly what we did! I have tried to take a little better perspective about the people that are here in Nicaragua. A lot of times we have challenges with investigators and we love them. But we love them more out of the service that we give them and a deep love for them. But we don't develop the love that the Lord wants from us, because a lot of times these people are very frustrating. A lot like Alma 31 :) hahaha but the other day I was praying and a thought came to my head. "These are my children, don't you dare say anything that I would not say about them." There are many times where we forget what the phrase "Child of God" really means. So I hope we can all take a different look on our fellow Hermanos y Hermanas, and then treat them as the Lord would!

On Thursday we had Mission Leadership Council. It was fun! President Russell talked a lot about how we can keep working even after this fantastic year of 2158 baptisms! We want to be even better this year. Our Zone is improving, and that is a good thing. Also gotta see some good friends so that was fun.

 

Elders Hanson, Merrill, Copeland and Hartley at MLC

 

Friday we had Zone Meeting, and it turned out really well! Elder Bradbeer and I shared the talk "What Lack I Yet?" by Elder Lawrence. That is a really good talk because it helps us to see our weaknesses and find the way to get better. That is a problem in this Zone, in this Mission and in this world. Pride. We don't like to look at our weaknesses because they hurt a lot. However, if we always have a desire to improve, then the Lord will bless us to become better and strengthen our weaknesses. And that is the important part about Repentance. Changing what we maybe don't want to change. We also talked a little about commitments. There is nothing more important than the commandments!

Other than that it was a good week! Elder Medrano and I did well at church again. Please pray for Jon Edward and Jose Alvarez. And some big time prayers for Johana! On Wednesday as a mission we go to San Juan del Sur! Actually we are going to Playa Gigante, but it is basically the same thing. Love you all so much, especially Dad right now. Happy Birthday! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Merrill

Bluefields! Baptism!!

This last week was pretty crazy! I went to Bluefields! Let me tell you a little about it.

So on Tuesday at 3 in the morning Elder Lunt and I woke up to head down to bluefields. Bluefields is really far away, so we took the 4 hour bus ride to a city called Rama. Then we took the Panga :) let me tell you what a Panga is... it is a little boat that takes you 2 hours through a river to get to Bluefields. It was super freaking dope! I felt like we were going through the Amazon river, seeing the forest and the nature, and even the houses of people that live on the shore of the river. It was a really chill moment to be able to rest and think about things and rest hahahaha. Then we got to Bluefields! 

River to Bluefields

the "Amazon"

Bluefields is on the Caribbean Coast, which is the first cool thing. It is really hot, but always windy. It smelled like fish and the shore. The fish part wasn't great, but I kinda felt like I was on Huntington Beach for a while. And..... a lot of the people are black! Mostly everyone speaks Spanish, but a lot of them speak an English-Spanish Creol that is impossible to understand, so the majority will understand English. We had some good lessons and contacts in English. So I got to work 2 days with the two companionships down there, including Isaac! It was a lot of fun to work with them. Why??? Because of the people. Seeing that a lot of them are black and come from different cultures, they have a little different attitude. Every single person was super positive. They all let us in, said they would go to church, accepted baptism dates, and were really nice in general. They live in those type of houses that are completely built by wood, which is also super cool. I felt like I was in California, New Orleans and Pirates of the Caribbean all at the same time! Literally an indescribable experience. When it was time to leave on Thursday, I felt like I had been in that area for like 4 changes already because I loved the people so much and didn't want to leave such receptive people. It was hard! But it was a lot of fun down there. The people, the house of the Elders is almost right on the shore and has a nice view, Pan de Coco (Coconut Bread, best thing ever), the Elders down there are awesome, and the panga. Lots of fun!

Elder Lunt and Elder Merrill at Bluefields

Thursday we got back at about 4, and worked the rest of the night! Nothing special for New Years, just work. We did eat dinner with Hermana Fatima, the one who cooks our lunch. She is amazing. I love her and her kids so much. She is a convert along with her 3 kids, and they will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Friday, New Years! Just worked normal.

Saturday was Carlos Moises's baptism! Everything went smoothly, so that was a lot of fun. He also got confirmed on Sunday! We then just went around trying to get people committed to church.

 

 

Sunday was another good day at church. We have some good investigators right now, and are looking good for the month of January in our area. Please pray for Julio, Guadalupe, Fernanda, Jon Edward, Jose Alvarez, and Gustavo. They need your help! We need the Lord's help in all things. Elder Medrano and I also contacted an Alcoholics Anonymous Group! Bunch of guys that are trying to recover from addictions. It was actually kind of funny because to help these guys, in the room they allow them to smoke and there is coffee. hmmm. Stopping one addiction, while starting another. oh well!

This morning we played some more basketball. That was fun, especially because we had a net to play with! 

That is about it. I can't believe we are already in 2016. I get scared sometimes with how fast time is going, but this brings an even better opportunity to Preach the Gospel! I love you all so much! Have a great week!

Elder Merrill

Love you Mo! #TeamLileForever #B1

My great friend, Franklin and Elder Copeland