Dear friends and family!
You won't BELIEVE the experience I had this week.
Elder Holland visited our mission. He came to my church building and stood in front of ALL of the MBM Missionaries. About 300 of us. And I was on the third row, front and center. And he talked to us for TWO HOURS FLAT. We all got to shake his hand, and locking eyes with an apostle like that, as a full-time missionary of the Lord, is something I can't even describe.
Elder Hallstrom of the 70, and SISTER Holland, were there and spoke with us too. And they were amazing, but there's nothing like the FLOOD that came from Elder Holland. We had been DYING for this experience, and none of us were disappointed. Pulpit pounder. The Spirit was tangible. And I will never look at my Mission President and Wife the same way again. He paid them a compliment that is really hard to beat. Man, I wish I could give you all a TASTE of it. I'll type some highlights that he said!
"There are few things that get to me. But one thing I cannot deal with is a return missionary who goes inactive. I absolutely go topieces. Don't you EVER deny the power and majesty of this mission. While we're looking for the sheep, please tell me we don't have to worry about the shepherds. We have to count on you. This is forever. You can't look back. Be true and faithful the rest of your life. Don't ever, ever walk away."
"You are God's investigators. Everything you want for YOUR investigators, God wants for you."
"God is easy to please and hard to satisfy--and so are we."
"Don't you wonder, 'If this is the truth, why is it so hard for people to get it?? Why isn't the biggest problem pneumonia from being wet all the time in the baptismal fonts?' I believe that it's hard because Salvation is not a cheap experience. There is nothing convenient or trivial about the Atonement. The road to Salvation always goes through Gethsemane."
It was amazing. Can you tell? That's not verbatim, but I did my best to note-take and stare at the same time. :) He got agitated and left the pulpit for the whiteboard for awhile. :D It was fantastic. Scripture study with elder Holland. . . what???? He left a blessing upon our mission, and we all sang The Spirit of God. FIRE. We were all crying. It was AMAZING. I can't even express it.
SO many other things happened this week, but obviously that's the most important. :) We had an exchange Saturday. . . Sister Lee is hilarious, and we awkwardly personal contacted some people. Lol. And Jackson's baptism was supposed to happen yesterday. . . but he bailed on the multiple rides we set up. . . and so ensued the most stressful Sunday on the mission so far. That's saying something. Don't worry--he ended up getting stuck out in Burlington without a way here and was QUITE distraught about it. Which was a relief. No real testimony shaker. But he was too embarrassed to call us, so we were panicking and confused until last minute, when he finally called us, we called it off and rescheduled. Satan really doesn't want him to get baptized. But it will happen soon! Hopefully THIS Sunday!
Investigators are doing well! Kevin came to church again and wants to get baptized! But he wants to prove to himself he really is in 100%, so he's waiting a little longer. Rocking awesome. We taught a family who was recently converted about baptisms for the dead, and it was a very powerful experience! They're taking their own names in and going for the first time this Saturday! We might go, and I can't wait!
Lots of planning and splits and craziness. I'm keeping busy. Times can be hard, but I knew that before I came out. :)
Keep in touch!!!!
<3,
Sister Merkley
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
"Bunker Hill, Word of Wisdom, ER, Alarms. . ."
Dearest, most amazing people in my LIFE,
This was quite the week. We learn to expect the unexpected and sleep as much as possible. ;) I'll give you a run-down of the basics!!!
Last Monday was AWESOME! After emailing, our zone headed into Boston. We walked through the beautiful streets in the beautiful sunshine until we got to BUNKER HILL!!!! And then we took the 294 stairs to the top of the monument. What a neat experience! I'll see if I can send a couple shots of the view. :)
I had my first Word of Wisdom lesson!!! To JACKSON!!! Hehehe. It was kind of fun. He doesn't have a problem with it, but it took some work to convince him about coffee and tea. :D Well, it was his testimony that convinced him, not us.
Tuesday we had a pretty neat experience, too. :) My lovely companions and I went into Boston again, with permission, and met up with Nick--a man my mom connected with through her podcast months ago. :) :) :) :) Soooooo cool! I'd emailed him a couple of times, and it was pretty awesome to actually meet him! He was very clean cut and impressive. Nice guy. . . he treated my companions and I to a slick burger joint right by Fenway. :D He said he was moved by mom's podcast, and he'd be willing to talk to us again sometime about religion, but he made it clear he's not seeking right now and doesn't want to waste our time. STILL! Super cool, and we're going to try to connect again.
Since we're over two wards now, we have new investigators. One of them is the wife of a recent convert, both of them from Shang Hi (spelled right?). Her name is Golden. And she's GOLDEN. Seriously. She's the kind of investigator everyone wants! We taught her about the Plan of Salvation, and she just DRANK in everything we said! And then she had a million and a half deep doctrine questions. We're instructed to keep it simple, but she just wanted to understand and know so much we ended up explaining some deeper doctrine. Like, I clarified that the Celestial Kingdom would be on the Earth, once the Earth is renewed and glorified. SOOOO COOL.
Here's a fun story! So all of Thursday I had this pretty severe pain in my chest, just under my collarbone. Whenever I took a deep breath or changed positions, I'd feel like someone had shoved a rock into me. Super weird. My district (bless them) became very concerned for my well-being, and so they cohered me into phoning the Doctor. And the Doctor told me to listen to my companions and go straight to the Emergency Room if it got any worse. Which it did, Friday morning. So yeah, I spent half a day in the ER. I'm torn between calling the entire situation adventurous or lame. On the one hand, I got rolled around on a bed and treated to lunch and made lots of phone calls. . . on the other hand, we missed district meeting (no bueno), lost a lot of visiting time, I got my blood drawn, a ton of scans done, an EKG, and an IV stuck in my arm. :P :P :P I'm gonna go with lame. I still have a bruise from that IV. Who can handle a tube going under your skin???? And of course I was perfectly fine. They diagnosed me with costochondritis. Which basically means my rib cartilage was inflamed for an unknown reason. They told me to take Advil and let it go away on its own. So perfectly fine. (Don't worry, mom.) :)
OOooh! I get to tell you about a pretty coooooool lesson. :) :) Elder Bordeau came with us again to teach Mary, so he could speak to her in Haitian Creole. His companion and mine were playing with the kids, and I just sat there listening to them jabber away in their awesome language. And I KNEW something epic was going on, but I didn't know what was happening until after. Elder Bordeau told her that if our church isn't true, we're condemning people, so she has to find out for herself. He told her to read Moroni 10 every single night until Saturday, and that if she did, she would receive an answer that the Book of Mormon was true. And he said, "When you do find out this is true, will you commit yourself, 100%, to everything this Church is and has to offer? That includes baptism, church attendance. . ." And she accepted. EEEKKK!!! Pretty awesome. He said he'd never been that bold on his entire mission! But when the Spirit moves you to action, you act!
Anyway, lots to do!!!! I love love love you all and miss you with all my heart! But the field is white, already to harvest!
Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM Missionary
P.S. Soccer is NOT my sport. We switch off in the early mornings between soccer and Ultimate Frisbee for exercise. Haha. You can tell which one's my favorite.
This was quite the week. We learn to expect the unexpected and sleep as much as possible. ;) I'll give you a run-down of the basics!!!
Last Monday was AWESOME! After emailing, our zone headed into Boston. We walked through the beautiful streets in the beautiful sunshine until we got to BUNKER HILL!!!! And then we took the 294 stairs to the top of the monument. What a neat experience! I'll see if I can send a couple shots of the view. :)
I had my first Word of Wisdom lesson!!! To JACKSON!!! Hehehe. It was kind of fun. He doesn't have a problem with it, but it took some work to convince him about coffee and tea. :D Well, it was his testimony that convinced him, not us.
Tuesday we had a pretty neat experience, too. :) My lovely companions and I went into Boston again, with permission, and met up with Nick--a man my mom connected with through her podcast months ago. :) :) :) :) Soooooo cool! I'd emailed him a couple of times, and it was pretty awesome to actually meet him! He was very clean cut and impressive. Nice guy. . . he treated my companions and I to a slick burger joint right by Fenway. :D He said he was moved by mom's podcast, and he'd be willing to talk to us again sometime about religion, but he made it clear he's not seeking right now and doesn't want to waste our time. STILL! Super cool, and we're going to try to connect again.
Since we're over two wards now, we have new investigators. One of them is the wife of a recent convert, both of them from Shang Hi (spelled right?). Her name is Golden. And she's GOLDEN. Seriously. She's the kind of investigator everyone wants! We taught her about the Plan of Salvation, and she just DRANK in everything we said! And then she had a million and a half deep doctrine questions. We're instructed to keep it simple, but she just wanted to understand and know so much we ended up explaining some deeper doctrine. Like, I clarified that the Celestial Kingdom would be on the Earth, once the Earth is renewed and glorified. SOOOO COOL.
Here's a fun story! So all of Thursday I had this pretty severe pain in my chest, just under my collarbone. Whenever I took a deep breath or changed positions, I'd feel like someone had shoved a rock into me. Super weird. My district (bless them) became very concerned for my well-being, and so they cohered me into phoning the Doctor. And the Doctor told me to listen to my companions and go straight to the Emergency Room if it got any worse. Which it did, Friday morning. So yeah, I spent half a day in the ER. I'm torn between calling the entire situation adventurous or lame. On the one hand, I got rolled around on a bed and treated to lunch and made lots of phone calls. . . on the other hand, we missed district meeting (no bueno), lost a lot of visiting time, I got my blood drawn, a ton of scans done, an EKG, and an IV stuck in my arm. :P :P :P I'm gonna go with lame. I still have a bruise from that IV. Who can handle a tube going under your skin???? And of course I was perfectly fine. They diagnosed me with costochondritis. Which basically means my rib cartilage was inflamed for an unknown reason. They told me to take Advil and let it go away on its own. So perfectly fine. (Don't worry, mom.) :)
OOooh! I get to tell you about a pretty coooooool lesson. :) :) Elder Bordeau came with us again to teach Mary, so he could speak to her in Haitian Creole. His companion and mine were playing with the kids, and I just sat there listening to them jabber away in their awesome language. And I KNEW something epic was going on, but I didn't know what was happening until after. Elder Bordeau told her that if our church isn't true, we're condemning people, so she has to find out for herself. He told her to read Moroni 10 every single night until Saturday, and that if she did, she would receive an answer that the Book of Mormon was true. And he said, "When you do find out this is true, will you commit yourself, 100%, to everything this Church is and has to offer? That includes baptism, church attendance. . ." And she accepted. EEEKKK!!! Pretty awesome. He said he'd never been that bold on his entire mission! But when the Spirit moves you to action, you act!
Anyway, lots to do!!!! I love love love you all and miss you with all my heart! But the field is white, already to harvest!
Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM Missionary
P.S. Soccer is NOT my sport. We switch off in the early mornings between soccer and Ultimate Frisbee for exercise. Haha. You can tell which one's my favorite.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
"Definitely a unique week..."
Friends and family!!!!!
Mondays are the BEST. :) I love hearing from everyone!!!
Okay, so this week was sooooooooo unusual. As in, hardly ANY Missionary work was done. We worked hard, but things just didn't work out that way!
I told you about the crazy news! So honestly, we spend Tuesday and Wednesday packing and cleaning, packing and cleaning, then more packing, then MORE cleaning. . . We had to then take loads of our stuff over to our new, smaller apartment with Sister Hoellein. :) Transfer meeting was Wednesday night, and we heard some powerful testimonies from the departing missionaries. But exchanging cars and phones and keys was a nightmare, and we didn't get to bed until about midnight! (It's late for missionaries, okay??) ;)
The NEXT day we went on splits, since there were three of us. One of the departing Sisters came with me to the mission home, and Sister Slater and Sister Hoellein headed off for some service projects. President Packard likes to spend an entire day with the departing missionaries, so I spent my day at the mission home COOKING!!!! :D It was actually so much fun! We cooked a great lunch and an EXTRAVAGANT dinner. There's a lady in charge of cooking/cleaning at the Mission Home named Annie. Annie told me touching stories about her life, and we sang hymns all day long. :) How great can it get? OH, and I reconnected with Andrew's cousin, who happened to be a returning missionary in the mission home that day. Um, what??? Small small world. :D I didn't realize we were even on the same mission! Took me awhile to recognize him.
I guess I should tell you about Sister Hoellein! She is a spunky, quite hilarious blonde. I LOVE her. She adds a lot of dynamic to our trio, and it's cool how we are all friends first and foremost. I'm constantly trying to live up to my two amazing companions. And it's GREAT, because we split into three part harmony in the morning over our hymns. ;)
Saturday we went on splits again! Sister Slater took off with the Portable Visitors Center sisters for the day, and Sister Hoellein and I tackled the crazy-ness all by ourselves! Lots of planning and organizing and trying to figure out how best to take on TWO wards. And then our dinner appointment cancelled, then our lesson with Jackson cancelled. :( Well, life happens.
MOTHER'S DAY WAS WONDERFUL! Jackson came to church and is so so so excited to be baptized this weekend! I can't wait! We had a lovely dinner with some sweet members, and OTHER sweet members had us over to Skype home. :) :) I'm so lucky. 2 months out, already able to see my mom again. Lucky me, Muzzie was in Atlanta for my beautiful cousin's wedding, and I got to see my extended family!!! I love them! And I miss everyone. It was so wonderful to be able to Skype. So many blessings.
Haha, one more funny story. So all of us ran to the car right before bed last night for something. . . and totally locked ourselves out. I blame Sister Hoellein. ;) So, OBVIOUSLY our first thought was to climb up to our balcony! Right?? :D :D Oh gosh. It was soooo funny and a little nerve-racking. We're on the 2nd floor, so Sister Slater stood on the ground level balcony railing and boosted Sister Hoellein to ours, and she climbed like a monkey--in a skirt, mind you--right on up into our room! Now that's talent, and memories in the making. ;)
We have a lot of plans for missionary work this week. We're going to make up for last week hard-core, and hit the ground running! Love you and miss you!!!!
~Sister Merkley
MBM Missionary
P.S. Laurel just sent me this amazing quote: "If you feel like you're drowning, remember your lifeguard walks on water."
Mondays are the BEST. :) I love hearing from everyone!!!
Okay, so this week was sooooooooo unusual. As in, hardly ANY Missionary work was done. We worked hard, but things just didn't work out that way!
I told you about the crazy news! So honestly, we spend Tuesday and Wednesday packing and cleaning, packing and cleaning, then more packing, then MORE cleaning. . . We had to then take loads of our stuff over to our new, smaller apartment with Sister Hoellein. :) Transfer meeting was Wednesday night, and we heard some powerful testimonies from the departing missionaries. But exchanging cars and phones and keys was a nightmare, and we didn't get to bed until about midnight! (It's late for missionaries, okay??) ;)
The NEXT day we went on splits, since there were three of us. One of the departing Sisters came with me to the mission home, and Sister Slater and Sister Hoellein headed off for some service projects. President Packard likes to spend an entire day with the departing missionaries, so I spent my day at the mission home COOKING!!!! :D It was actually so much fun! We cooked a great lunch and an EXTRAVAGANT dinner. There's a lady in charge of cooking/cleaning at the Mission Home named Annie. Annie told me touching stories about her life, and we sang hymns all day long. :) How great can it get? OH, and I reconnected with Andrew's cousin, who happened to be a returning missionary in the mission home that day. Um, what??? Small small world. :D I didn't realize we were even on the same mission! Took me awhile to recognize him.
I guess I should tell you about Sister Hoellein! She is a spunky, quite hilarious blonde. I LOVE her. She adds a lot of dynamic to our trio, and it's cool how we are all friends first and foremost. I'm constantly trying to live up to my two amazing companions. And it's GREAT, because we split into three part harmony in the morning over our hymns. ;)
Saturday we went on splits again! Sister Slater took off with the Portable Visitors Center sisters for the day, and Sister Hoellein and I tackled the crazy-ness all by ourselves! Lots of planning and organizing and trying to figure out how best to take on TWO wards. And then our dinner appointment cancelled, then our lesson with Jackson cancelled. :( Well, life happens.
MOTHER'S DAY WAS WONDERFUL! Jackson came to church and is so so so excited to be baptized this weekend! I can't wait! We had a lovely dinner with some sweet members, and OTHER sweet members had us over to Skype home. :) :) I'm so lucky. 2 months out, already able to see my mom again. Lucky me, Muzzie was in Atlanta for my beautiful cousin's wedding, and I got to see my extended family!!! I love them! And I miss everyone. It was so wonderful to be able to Skype. So many blessings.
Haha, one more funny story. So all of us ran to the car right before bed last night for something. . . and totally locked ourselves out. I blame Sister Hoellein. ;) So, OBVIOUSLY our first thought was to climb up to our balcony! Right?? :D :D Oh gosh. It was soooo funny and a little nerve-racking. We're on the 2nd floor, so Sister Slater stood on the ground level balcony railing and boosted Sister Hoellein to ours, and she climbed like a monkey--in a skirt, mind you--right on up into our room! Now that's talent, and memories in the making. ;)
We have a lot of plans for missionary work this week. We're going to make up for last week hard-core, and hit the ground running! Love you and miss you!!!!
~Sister Merkley
MBM Missionary
P.S. Laurel just sent me this amazing quote: "If you feel like you're drowning, remember your lifeguard walks on water."
Monday, May 5, 2014
"HUMONGOUS NEWS!"
Hey there!!!!
Thanks everyone, for emailing me! It means a lot. :) :) I miss you all soooooo much!
Yeah. BIG news this week. BIG BIG NEWS. And no, I'm not getting transferred. Sister Slater isn't either. We're staying here, together. Interested yet? ;) Wait for it, I'm taking things in order.
First of all, we had interviews with President! That happens every other transfer. I already had respect for him, but it shot up. He is AMAZING. I want to be like him when I grow up!!!! Anyway, he helped me a lot. :) :) And we had a training session while others were having their interviews about getting referrals from INVESTIGATORS. I'm pumped!!!
We had a lesson with Kevin this week!!!! Remember him? The man who walked into the church asking for a Book of Mormon? Yeah, it's a little intimidating teaching him. I don't fill awkward silences naturally. :P BUT it went really well! We taught him the first half of the Plan of Salvation!!! He has been reading Mormonism for Dummies. Hahaha, can you believe that?? :D I was worried at first, but then he said one of the co-authors is LDS. :) It has kept him interested, at any rate.
This Friday was the big day of transfer announcements!!! The zone got together for a full morning of more training, and then over our lunch we all got the "T-texts". Elder Fish is leaving, to about as far away as you can get! He was a great missionary to work closely with. Everyone was freaking out about all the changes. Sister Slater and I thought we were off the hook. .
Saturday we had an amazing amazing amazing Women's Conference! The Stake Relief Society did a SUPERB job! I was soooo impressed! And a little bummed we really didn't get to participate. We were helping with Registration and set up and the beautiful lunch. :) But while in the midst of these crazy things to do, Sister Packard caught us and told us the crazy news.This is going to be difficult to explain. . . Okay, apparently a sister in another area is going home for surgery, last second. Here's the thing: Sister Slater and I cover Weston 1st Ward (with one set of Elders), two other sisters cover Weston 2nd Ward (with another set of Elders). President Packard is taking one of the sisters OUT of Weston 2nd Ward and putting her with the lonely sister whose companion is flying home soon. And Sister Slater and I are getting the OTHER Weston 2nd Sister as our THIRD companion. . . AND combining both Wards for us to cover. AHHHHH!!!! On top of suddenly getting a trio and and DOUBLING the amount of work to do, we're moving in with that Sister so our location will be more central to both wards. MOVING. 3-way-companionship. ANOTHER WARD TO COVER. Oh, and one more thing: We're in President Packard's ward now, too, and just around the corner from him. So we'll be helping out at the Mission Home a lot.
Crazy, huh? In fact I had a bit of a stress attack about it yesterday. Ha. I'm fine! I just was thinking about how many people and places I couldn't keep straight with ONE ward. But we can do it! There's three of us! We'll be in out new place by Wednesday! And I love the third sister we're getting. Her name is Sister Hollein. She's so sweet and super motivated. Isn't it strange that I had a trio in the MTC and and now here, in my second transfer? Apparently Heavenly Father was training me. This is really unheard of. Trios are rare. I just hope we can balance the lessons, keep everyone straight, stay under the mile limit for the car, and all be best friends as we share the gospel!
One last thing: Kevin came to church and brought his daughter!!!! YAY!!!!! But Dawn dumped us. :P :( That was really sad, actually. Out of the blue. We think Satan attacked with his Anti-Mormon junk. . . :( :( :(
Anyway, the work goes on! So many people to share the light of Christ with!!!! I'll tell you how crazy things are next week!
Love and miss you all! Remember who you are and what you stand for!
<3,
Sister Merkley
MBM Missionary
Thanks everyone, for emailing me! It means a lot. :) :) I miss you all soooooo much!
Yeah. BIG news this week. BIG BIG NEWS. And no, I'm not getting transferred. Sister Slater isn't either. We're staying here, together. Interested yet? ;) Wait for it, I'm taking things in order.
First of all, we had interviews with President! That happens every other transfer. I already had respect for him, but it shot up. He is AMAZING. I want to be like him when I grow up!!!! Anyway, he helped me a lot. :) :) And we had a training session while others were having their interviews about getting referrals from INVESTIGATORS. I'm pumped!!!
We had a lesson with Kevin this week!!!! Remember him? The man who walked into the church asking for a Book of Mormon? Yeah, it's a little intimidating teaching him. I don't fill awkward silences naturally. :P BUT it went really well! We taught him the first half of the Plan of Salvation!!! He has been reading Mormonism for Dummies. Hahaha, can you believe that?? :D I was worried at first, but then he said one of the co-authors is LDS. :) It has kept him interested, at any rate.
This Friday was the big day of transfer announcements!!! The zone got together for a full morning of more training, and then over our lunch we all got the "T-texts". Elder Fish is leaving, to about as far away as you can get! He was a great missionary to work closely with. Everyone was freaking out about all the changes. Sister Slater and I thought we were off the hook. .
Saturday we had an amazing amazing amazing Women's Conference! The Stake Relief Society did a SUPERB job! I was soooo impressed! And a little bummed we really didn't get to participate. We were helping with Registration and set up and the beautiful lunch. :) But while in the midst of these crazy things to do, Sister Packard caught us and told us the crazy news.This is going to be difficult to explain. . . Okay, apparently a sister in another area is going home for surgery, last second. Here's the thing: Sister Slater and I cover Weston 1st Ward (with one set of Elders), two other sisters cover Weston 2nd Ward (with another set of Elders). President Packard is taking one of the sisters OUT of Weston 2nd Ward and putting her with the lonely sister whose companion is flying home soon. And Sister Slater and I are getting the OTHER Weston 2nd Sister as our THIRD companion. . . AND combining both Wards for us to cover. AHHHHH!!!! On top of suddenly getting a trio and and DOUBLING the amount of work to do, we're moving in with that Sister so our location will be more central to both wards. MOVING. 3-way-companionship. ANOTHER WARD TO COVER. Oh, and one more thing: We're in President Packard's ward now, too, and just around the corner from him. So we'll be helping out at the Mission Home a lot.
Crazy, huh? In fact I had a bit of a stress attack about it yesterday. Ha. I'm fine! I just was thinking about how many people and places I couldn't keep straight with ONE ward. But we can do it! There's three of us! We'll be in out new place by Wednesday! And I love the third sister we're getting. Her name is Sister Hollein. She's so sweet and super motivated. Isn't it strange that I had a trio in the MTC and and now here, in my second transfer? Apparently Heavenly Father was training me. This is really unheard of. Trios are rare. I just hope we can balance the lessons, keep everyone straight, stay under the mile limit for the car, and all be best friends as we share the gospel!
One last thing: Kevin came to church and brought his daughter!!!! YAY!!!!! But Dawn dumped us. :P :( That was really sad, actually. Out of the blue. We think Satan attacked with his Anti-Mormon junk. . . :( :( :(
Anyway, the work goes on! So many people to share the light of Christ with!!!! I'll tell you how crazy things are next week!
Love and miss you all! Remember who you are and what you stand for!
<3,
Sister Merkley
MBM Missionary
Thursday, May 1, 2014
"Week of MIRACLES!"
Every week is a week of miracles! But this week in particular, the Lord's hand was in everything!
Kay, so first I have to tell you about last Monday! Guess what day that was??? BOSTON MARATHON DAY!!!! But first, we got to go to the TEMPLE! I can't even tell you how much I love the Boston temple. It's breathtaking. After that neat experience, pretty much every missionary within driving distance got to go into downtown Boston to see the Marathon. There were SO many people, which I thought was a little surprising, because of the events of last year. We didn't even really get to see people running. We finally made it to the point where we could see everyone WALKING, cooling down after the marathon. But it was so neat! We got to explore Boston, got some sunburns, had a great time. It was also Patriot's Day, so Sister Slater and I rocked our red, white and blue outfits. Pictures will have to come next week. :)
That night, when P-day was over, was the first amazing miracle! We decided to stop by Dawn's house with a Christ Easter basket. She was a lady we met when we saw her locked out of her house. She's a Catholic by birth, but looking. AWESOME. We weren't sure how her response to us would be, but she was so happy to see us! She let us in and opened her heart to us! SHE IS AWESOME and so willing to explore what we have to offer. I can't wait!!! She's going to love Relief Society and this amazing truth. She was definitely prepared for us to meet her! Even she realizes this was not coincidence. :) NEW INVESTIGATOR!
I went on exchanges for the first time! I was pretty nervous, but it was actually one of the most amazing days I've had so far. Sister Slater left, and Sister Crane, our Sister Training Leader, came to our area. Which means even though I was being trained, I also had to take a LOT of control, because only I knew the people and the area. It taught me so much! And Sister Crane is basically the sweetest person ever. I want to be like her someday. She helped me realize my potential and gain confidence in my abilities.
While we were on exchanges, we had another HUGE miracle! We got ANOTHER investigator! (They're considered a new investigator if you meet with them and set up a return appointment.) So a week ago, a man RANDOMLY walked into the church building and asked Sister Little (senior missionary) for a Book of Mormon. Say wha--?????? They had an hour long talk, she got his number and gave it to us, and Sister Crane and I were able to meet with him and teach him the Restoration!!!! Oh my goodness! He loves God and senses how good this church is. He found a long-lost cousin who is a Mormon and got really interested. He's not admitting that he is really "investigating" the Church yet. . . he claims it is just for information. But whatever. He SO felt the Spirit! And he already started the Book of Mormon!!! AHHHH!!!
I got sick this week. :P Pretty bad sore throat, among other minor symptoms. I handled it fine until Saturday. . . then we had a service project early in the morning in the cold rain, cleaning up the Charles River. Um, no fun. :P But Sister Slater cancelled our following appointment and demanded that I take a hot shower and go to bed. So I feel better now. I hate being a hindrance, but I can fully function now!
There's other details I could totally give you, but this is already long! So I hope everyone is doing well! You're all in my prayers! Keep in touch. Lots of love!
-Sister Merkley
MBM Missionary
Kay, so first I have to tell you about last Monday! Guess what day that was??? BOSTON MARATHON DAY!!!! But first, we got to go to the TEMPLE! I can't even tell you how much I love the Boston temple. It's breathtaking. After that neat experience, pretty much every missionary within driving distance got to go into downtown Boston to see the Marathon. There were SO many people, which I thought was a little surprising, because of the events of last year. We didn't even really get to see people running. We finally made it to the point where we could see everyone WALKING, cooling down after the marathon. But it was so neat! We got to explore Boston, got some sunburns, had a great time. It was also Patriot's Day, so Sister Slater and I rocked our red, white and blue outfits. Pictures will have to come next week. :)
That night, when P-day was over, was the first amazing miracle! We decided to stop by Dawn's house with a Christ Easter basket. She was a lady we met when we saw her locked out of her house. She's a Catholic by birth, but looking. AWESOME. We weren't sure how her response to us would be, but she was so happy to see us! She let us in and opened her heart to us! SHE IS AWESOME and so willing to explore what we have to offer. I can't wait!!! She's going to love Relief Society and this amazing truth. She was definitely prepared for us to meet her! Even she realizes this was not coincidence. :) NEW INVESTIGATOR!
I went on exchanges for the first time! I was pretty nervous, but it was actually one of the most amazing days I've had so far. Sister Slater left, and Sister Crane, our Sister Training Leader, came to our area. Which means even though I was being trained, I also had to take a LOT of control, because only I knew the people and the area. It taught me so much! And Sister Crane is basically the sweetest person ever. I want to be like her someday. She helped me realize my potential and gain confidence in my abilities.
While we were on exchanges, we had another HUGE miracle! We got ANOTHER investigator! (They're considered a new investigator if you meet with them and set up a return appointment.) So a week ago, a man RANDOMLY walked into the church building and asked Sister Little (senior missionary) for a Book of Mormon. Say wha--?????? They had an hour long talk, she got his number and gave it to us, and Sister Crane and I were able to meet with him and teach him the Restoration!!!! Oh my goodness! He loves God and senses how good this church is. He found a long-lost cousin who is a Mormon and got really interested. He's not admitting that he is really "investigating" the Church yet. . . he claims it is just for information. But whatever. He SO felt the Spirit! And he already started the Book of Mormon!!! AHHHH!!!
I got sick this week. :P Pretty bad sore throat, among other minor symptoms. I handled it fine until Saturday. . . then we had a service project early in the morning in the cold rain, cleaning up the Charles River. Um, no fun. :P But Sister Slater cancelled our following appointment and demanded that I take a hot shower and go to bed. So I feel better now. I hate being a hindrance, but I can fully function now!
There's other details I could totally give you, but this is already long! So I hope everyone is doing well! You're all in my prayers! Keep in touch. Lots of love!
-Sister Merkley
MBM Missionary
