September 21 - Forever Missionary

Dear everyone,

Wow.

I can't even fathom it. A year and a half has gone by. The best year and a half of my life. Hard to believe this is the last group email I'll be sending home. Hopefully I'll have given the majority of you big hugs by the time next Monday rolls around. Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mixed emotions!

Ooookay! So I was eternally grateful for our SUPER CRAZY BUSY WEEKEND! Kept me moving. Kept me focused. Thursday was our last day at the monthly Ashford fair! It was a hit. Almost the entire Zone showed up to support the event, and we easily passed out over a hundred Book of Mormons! We tried a few different contacting techniques, and Elder Heflin even gave a Book of Mormon to Miss Connecticut! :D :D

Got home super late, and the next morning we were up early to pack the Spaceship and catch the first half of district meeting before the 2+ hour road trip to New Haven! My last Open House. Sheesh. As soon as we got there, the long-awaited T-Texts came in!!!!!! (Remember, that's the nickname for Transfer Texts when we find out where everyone goes.) Guess who's going to be the new PVC Sister????? The first person in the entire mission I would have chosen: Sister Francis. I LOVE SISTER FRANCIS!!!!! She's PERFECT for the job! She was my Sister Training Leader here in Weston, and I would trust her with anything! I'm so so so happy. :) :) :) Also, those who are going home get to pick what is next to their name in T-texts. I put #forevermissionary.

The Open House was good! :) A lot of members showed up, and it was awesome to see their involvement. They stopped most of the people on the street. Way to do missionary work! The last tour I gave was to this sweet Yale student named Tung. Sister Francis and I gave it together, which was special. The old PVC Sister with the new one. :) And the spirit was so strong! It was a neat last memory. Tender mercies.

When we finally packed up, drove the 2 hours home, and got to bed, it was past midnight. We had to get up super early the next morning, too! Crazy packed day! Exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders to cover all five of our events! Whoo!!!!! So Sister Demuth and I drove all the way out at 7:00 AM to Canton, Connecticut for a fair. :) It was a lot of fun, but we weren't allowed to proselyte, which was lame. Kinda pointless. Still, somehow (through Sister Demuth's mad skills) we got out 20 Book of Mormons to those who approached us out of curiosity. :) From there, we jumped in the car and drove to CENTRAL FALLS!!!! For the last time for me. They were having a Family Home Evening with the whole ward. I was excited to see everyone, but when I walked in the building. . . I think it really hit me for the first time. I just stood there and cried. I love the people in Central Falls. They're my family; that place is my home. It was rough. But I had a very sweet goodbye with the Frandsens. Talia (their daughter they named my name) was 1 year old that day. :) Special.

Speaking of special, you wouldn't believe the last Sunday I had. New Haven was having their stake reorganized, so guess who came into town? Elder Holland. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. And we were invited to set up displays for him and the stake. It was a wonderful, powerful meeting. I received much direction and comfort and answers to prayers there. And after stake conference, when almost everyone was gone, Sister Cruz and I were taking down the displays when Elder Holland walked right up to us!!!! "Sisters! I love you so much!" I shook his hand, practically shaking. And then I thanked him for everything. I told him I'm finishing my mission this week, how his words and testimony had meant the world to me on my mission. He did this crazy stare-into-your-soul thing, and said, "This week???? That means I can give you a hug!" Elder Holland hugged me! And my companion. We talked to him for a minute, and then he told us he loved us again and walked away. It was tender and incredible! That man is a man of God. And God loves me. He knew just what I needed my last weekend in the mission.

I know this email is long, but I have to tell you something important. Are you ready?

My mission isn't over! It's not. And it won't be on Friday, either. Serving in the MBM has meant everything to me. It's taught me all I need to know to get through this life, given me lifelong friends, and changed me from the core. But most importantly, I learned how to give everything I have to Jesus Christ, forever. And that's my mission. I don't need to wear a nametag to stand as His representative.

I am a witness of the miracle of the Atonement.

I love my Savior. I love the Book of Mormon. And I love all of you to the moon and back.

I'll see you so soon.

I cannot say the smallest part of which I feel.

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM Missionary

September 14 - Sprinting to the Finish Line!

Dearest family and friends I love sooooo dearly!

Life in the MBM is stellar! I love it here so much, and I had the greatest week to show for it!

So that video we've been making with the Digital Elders? It's finished!!! I really would like to show you, but I don't think I can attach it here! Man. It's soooo good. High quality. Elder Simmons really figured out that Adobe program. I can't wait for them to present it to the Mission Presidents and the Bretheren.

On Thursday I had my very last Hartford Open House. How crazy is that? Here's the fun part: it rained. The whole time!!! It all worked out, because the awning covered the outdoor display, and people were eager to come in from the rain. :) That was nice. Everyone was eager to invite and work hard. I stood out there with an umbrella, getting rejected a ton. But the few people who accepted were really neat! It was a fun last tour. We had about 42 people come inside! And then we get drenched putting everything back in the Spaceship. Hahaha!

Friday we had District Breakfast, District Meeting, then headed out together to the greatest service project! A bunch of missionaries were called upon to help with the Red Cross Blood Drive at Fenway Stadium!!!! It was so much fun!!! I'd never been in Fenway before. It's so neat. We took tons of pictures. Sister Cruz and I were assigned to help with the food, and registration for awhile. Elder Jelk got to dress up as a giant drop of blood and dance on the street! Hahaha, it was great! There were a ton of people there. We collected nearly 800 units of blood before we left. So incredible.

Saturday we went to "Waltham Days". A fair right here, in our home ward boundaries! It was so much fun! There were booths and dancers and lots of people. We set up the Book of Mormon roundtable under our little tent, then Elder Jelk, Elder Wharton, Elder Asay, Elder Waters, Sister Cruz and I contacted! Elder Waters and Elder Asay did worked particularly hard. And you know what? Together, we placed over 100 Book of Mormons.

After that event, we went on exchanges, and Sister Saito and I picked up the Brockton Elders and drove to Central Falls again! They were able to attend a baptism of someone they'd taught. I set up the Portuguese display for the baptism, but the service was all in Portuguese and I didn't know the person being baptized, so I excused myself. Sister Saito and I went and delivered invitations to people I love! I want them to come to transfer meeting and hear my final testimony as a missionary! I looooooved getting to see Sister Shea, Sister Barnwell, and the Coopers again. A few tears were shed. <3 <3 <3

Wow! A week and a half left. I'm working as hard as I can, going at full sprint! Next week is going to be crazy with things to do! That's how I like it!

I am so grateful to be here. To be a missionary. To know the people I've met and to feel the kind of joy I've felt. This is truly Christ's church. I know it.

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!

September 7 - Boston is Beautiful!

Dearest family and friends,

Goodness, it's September already? Time is flying. I'm loving every moment out here, though!

This week has been less eventful (literally). We travelled a lot less, but there was still plenty of work to be done! :) I told you about the Digital Mission Commercial we're making last week. Well, this week we went to the Mequires with Brother Haight to get his voice recorded for the narration. It was a lot of fun. The digital elders are really happy about how it turned out. It was good to see the Megquires and Brother Haight again. I miss them already!

We did random things in the office. . . switched out videos on the app for some new ones, edited videos we're making, Digital Mission work. . . Oooh! I'm teaching someone from Ukraine. Did I mention that??? I love the Digital Mission! Also, we had a crazy time unloading our Spaceship and moving into the old mission "party bus" so the Spaceship could get fixed. The Weston Elders (Moving Elders) helped us out with that, then helped us move it all back, because apparently the replacement doors are on back-order. Go figure. Still got a broken vehicle. :D

Friday was Zone Meeting! It was soooo funny. The Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders had a recent convert and Brother Haight come as guest speakers. It made all the difference. We had a great time, but also learned a lot about working with members and what to do to gain their trust. Brother Haight gave me an incredible blessing after the meeting. It really helped me as I've been thinking about this CRAZY upcoming transition in my life. He's an inspired man. Truly.

That night we had dinner with the Dowlings, and then the Digital Elders filmed us Skyping a lesson with an investigator in their home so we could use the footage for the commercial!

We took a road-trip on Saturday, but this time it was for more filming for the commercial. The Waltham Elders taught with a Spanish family, then we took off for Cambridge to film three other companionships in Skype lessons and online. The footage is great. I'm really hoping and anticipating that this video will come together nicely. <3 Can't wait to show you! Oooh, and since we were in Cambridge, we stopped by the Charles river for a few shots. I'll send you one. I was so struck by how beautiful Boston is; how much God really loves us, for giving us such beauty!

Yesterday was our only PVC event, but I didn't go. Hahaha, Sister Bybee went with Sister Cruz down to Providence for a baptism, because she had taught the investigator getting baptized. It worked out nicely! I stayed with her companion, Sister Webber and went to the Spanish Branch with her. She's a riot. And a fabulous missionary. Sometimes I wish I could speak Spanish. It's really limiting when you don't speak many languages in this mission. But I got to be a normal missionary again! I even took the T for an hour with her to get to a dinner appointment. It was a blast!

I'm at the Belmont chapel today. We have an extended P-day, because we came here for a big Primary event this morning! It was so much fun. :) :) :) I'll tell you more about it next week! I love you all! Cya sooooooon! AHHHH!!!!!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

August 31 - Loving New England!

Dear everyone I love,

It’s hard to believe it’s been another week already! Time is flying.

Ready for another rundown?? Okay, so last Monday, after emailing, our district joined up with some other missionaries and we went to Revere Beach for some Ultimate Frisbee! It was so fun! Picture attached.

We had less events during the weekdays this week, so we got some online work done. One project we’ve been working on is in an effort to help the Digital Elders. They’re creating a “Digital Mission Commercial” that they will use to present what we’re doing here in Conferences and Seminars all over! Elder Simmons hadn’t used Adobe Premiere Pro before, so I’ve been helping him with the basics that I’ve figured out over the last month of movie-making. Between his computer smarts and my limited experience, we’ve been able to make some quality headway! I’m so excited—this commercial is going to be really good. We even are going to have President Haight (Brother Haight now, I guess) recorded in the Megquires’ studio for the narration. It'll be super classy. :)

Zone Conference was this week! That's always good! I was able to get some good direction from Heavenly Father during conference.

This weekend we went on exchanges! Sister Cruz had a baptism to go to in Marlborough, so I went to Central Falls with Sister Saito! Another Brazilian. :) I love her! It was like a double slumber party while seeing miracles on the Lord's errand! What could be better?? We crashed at the Sisters' house on Friday night, got ready, then set up for a full Open House in the teeny little chapel that I love! The Spanish Branch was in charge, and I was so impressed with how many people actually came to support and help out. I haven't seen an Open House that successful in Central Falls since I was serving there. It was amazing! The Lord really poured out His blessings, I think especially because of all the effort and preparation that went into it from the branch and the missionaries. The whole district showed up to help, we divvied up the streets to contact on, and went at it! It was so fun! Final count: 32 non-members that came in for a tour. <3 I love being a PVC Sister. Those displays and videos are so inspired. Everyone was busy, the spirit was strong, and there's just something so fulfilling about inviting everyone you see to learn more about Christ.

That night was crazy. I had to practice the song I'm singing at transfer meeting with Elder Scott, and people were trying to help pack everything away. . . Haha, I should have just manned it. Everything was misplaced and packed wrong and so chaotic by the time I came to check on things. :D When we finally got it all figured out, we couldn't find the keys. We searched and searched. . . then waited for another 30 minutes for the Sisters who accidentally pocketed them to return. Haha. Needless to say, Sister Saito and I got home at about midnight. It was so fun!

Yesterday we attended a Spanish baptism in Boston, and today. . . we went fishing!!!! It was wicked fun! Warwick, Rhode Island with Elder Williams, Elder Liston, Elder Crandall, and Elder Riches. I'll have to send another picture for that.

Looks like I'm going to have a stellar week. I'm excited! Thanks for everything!!!!!

Love you,

Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

August 24 - The Lord is at the helm!

Hello everyone!!!

We've had quite the week in the PVC. Lots of events and mercies and miracles and friendships. I truly love my mission with all of my heart.

The first major event of the week was an Open House at the New Haven chapel. It was great, because one of the Elders that had been serving in Hartford (the place we've been going every month for incredible, street-contacting Open Houses) was just "shotgunned" into New Haven. (Shotgunning means he opened the area. They never had English Elders there before him.) The very first phone call he made was to us, the PVC Sisters! He had seen the miracles and wanted it to happen in his new area, which just so happened to be another high-foot traffic area. This is the chapel on Yale campus, if you remember. So within a few days we had set up a time, packed up, and traveled out there!

It was a really big success. :) New Haven is a little more difficult than Hartford. I think it's because people are poor and humble in Hartford, and on Yale campus, more people just come inside for an intellectual battle. Still, we had 21 people walk in from the street for a tour! What an incredible experience! These Elders are so grateful to start off their area on the right foot. :)

Thursday we went back down to Ashford for their fair. So many people from the Zone came to help. We must have passed out over 80 Book of Mormons, and drawn so many people's attention with the Book of Mormon roundtable! I have an ever-increasing testimony of street-contacting and talking to everyone. You'll never know who the Lord will place in your path. So many people are so prepared. It was another incredible success.

We also got to travel to a chapel I've never been to, up in Keene, New Hampshire! They were having a big dinner and a Meet the Mormons movie night for everyone who wanted to come! I couldn't tell them apart, but apparently about 20 people who weren't members attended and had a wonderful time. Everyone there loved the Jesus Christ display. I'm so grateful to see this tool being put to good use, especially in new areas! Also, Keene is the only area that covers Vermont. So, since we were so close to the border, we took a little side trip for a picture! I'll have to send it! I've officially been to 5 states on my mission! Vermont is absolutely stunning.

Our second ever PVC-ran Primary event was this Saturday! In Weston, my home area. :D Those events take a ton of work, but they're so much fun! We had all of the stations set up with Watch and Learn and an activity attached to each. The missionaries in the area helped us run everything so the kids could go in any order to get every station checked off. They love planting their seed and building prayer sandwiches and the huge map of the world they could run all over. It was so fun. Those kids are adorable, and I really think this Primary event will become so popular. It's perfect for so many wards.

We had a party up in Cambridge, and yesterday we went to Central Falls to train the Spanish ward on how to give tours themselves, prepping them for their upcoming Open House! I'm so excited. You know how much I love Central Falls. We have the potential to do something amazing here, I know it. The Lord is at the helm of this great work!

You are all in my thoughts and prayers! Thank you, again, for your constant support and love. You mean the world to me, and I draw strength from your examples every day. I love my mission--I love the gospel. We are so so so blessed.

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

August 17 - Buckle up! We're picking up speed!

Hello there, everyone!!!

One more week down. One more crazy transfer over. One more incredible transfer left. I go through some serious emotional turmoil every six weeks. You’d think goodbyes would be easier for me by now.

But it was a great week. <3 Lots happened, and I love the feeling of being continually busy!

Tuesday we I did a lot of work on the digital mission, and I had my first lessons on Skype! I taught three different people, all of whom happened to be from Brazil. How neat is that?? These people are golden. I was amazed. One of them, as soon as we connected on Skype, said, “So you’re a missionary! What is your purpose? And I have a question. . . I recently became Christian, but I don’t understand why there are so many different churches in the world if there’s one truth.” ?!?!?! If that’s not golden, I don’t know what is. :) I have 3 new friends that are eager to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That night we picked up two of the incoming missionaries from the mission home so they could sleep at our apartment for the night. The two Spanish Sisters. They’re adorable and full of fire for the work. It makes me happy to see so many fresh missionaries filled with the Spirit. This work is going to keep racing forward!

We took them back to the mission home early the next morning, worked in the office, then went to the Weston Chapel to prep for Transfer Meeting. We were privileged to attend “Forces Unite”, the meeting where all of the greenies get their trainers. Sister Cruz was in charge of the photography. :) We have 23 new missionaries! Wahoo! And transfer meeting. . . best/worst meeting ever. Here’s the thing: Sister Gocalves, Sister Hansen, and Sister Lewis, all of whom I flew out with, were giving their final testimonies and going home. Reality check much? I’m the only one from my group going home next transfer! Also, Elder Terry, Elder Wright, and a couple of other friends went home, too. :( The testimonies were inspiring, though. Tears were shed, hugs were given, and people took the time to watch the videos on the PVC. :)

The next day we drove down to Hartford for another Open House! You know how much I love those! It was a little different this time, though, because so many people had been transferred out, Elder McGurk was in the hospital, and we had 2 greenies who had never even seen the PVC! But they were full of fire, and everyone talked to everyone. More miracles happened. More strangers wept over the powerful videos. We had 2 people who wanted to be baptized and are ready and willing to come to church, read the Book of Mormon, and meet with the missionaries to prepare for that step. I had the privledge of taking a man named Robert through on a tour with the greenies. Not only was it incredible to teach with the greenies, but that man is so golden. He was floored by the experience of Joseph Smith and told us all about how he had asked God the same question about which church to join not too long ago. Neither of us believe in coincidences. He's completely turned around his life and has been so prepared by Heavenly Father this whole time, until a greenie approached him from the street and invited him to an Open House. I love being a missionary. There's nothing more rewarding. :)

Friday was an adventure. We had district meeting first. The new district is sooo fun. We have 2 greenies! But then, well, recently Sister Cruz has been experiencing some numbness in her arm/fingers. Because of the accident. So we were finally sent to the emergency room to get it checked out. I don't like the ER. We were there for five hours. Sheesh! Didn't get home until 10:30, and everyone was all worried. So it's a pinched nerve that wasn't happy because we went straight back to lifting heavy boxes and such. Now she's got a bunch of medication to help everything, but she's not allowed to lift anything heavier than a pencil. Hahahaha! I laughed when they said that. Looks like I'll be setting up all the displays for awhile. Don't worry mom, I'll get help lifting and carrying to and from the Spaceship.

We attended a lovely wedding reception in Worcester with the temple display on Saturday. And yesterday was super fun! Somehow, even though we got out the door late, we made it to four different events all on time! Set up in Weston for a missionary homecoming and left. Drove to Central Falls and brought Sister Couto a display for a baptism there. We attended sacrament meeting with these people that I love so so so so so dearly. :) From there we were off to West Bridgewater for a baptism, and from there we took the two-hour drive and made it on time to a RM fireside in Springfield! Whoo! He was great. His family aren't members of our faith, and they were able to feel the Spirit as he talked about his mission in Mesa, Arizona. Lots of people watched the videos, too!

So that was my wonderful week! Today is the first official day of the new transfer, and I'm so excited to do this last transfer right! Ready to work harder than ever! Thanks for everything you all do for me! I love you with all of my heart!

Love forever,
Sister Merkley

MBM PVC Missionary

August 10 - Who would hit a SPACESHIP??

Dearest everyone!

Man, this week! If I could only tell you! It's been a roller-coaster.

First of all. . . so this week the Moving Elders (Weston 1) had to take in their truck to get it fixed. We had this great plan that we would take them to meet a less-active family I taught a year ago. So we were driving to pick them up from the Ford place. . . I was merging, coming off the freeway, so I slowed down. . . and the person behind me didn't.

Yup. This little Toyota Corolla rear-ended the SPACESHIP. :P :P At at least 30 mph, when we were almost stopped. We jolted hard, heard the bang, I screamed, and then we pulled right over! My first accident ever!!!! That got my adrenaline pumping. I was all woozy even jumping out of the van.

It didn't look pretty. The whole bumper was smashed up into the doors, which were smashed up into the frame. The trailer hitch and metal were all bent. . . the other guy got away less smashed-up. We were lucky the Moving Elders were right there. They helped us out a lot. And my back started hurting when the adrenaline started fading. It's hard to believe how jarring that hit was. Like bumper cars x100. I never liked bumper cars. . .

Sister Miller got in a crash that same day! And we had to go to Urgent Care and fill out reports and all sorts of lame things. *Sigh*. It's going to be a pricey repair. Firestone ripped off our bumper so we could open the back doors. But I'm okay, don't you worry!

Friday we had a wonderful Zone Meeting. :)

Anyway, Saturday was incredible. Guess where I went??? Central Falls. Because of the most incredible thing ever. I don't know if you remember this girl I love, named Alexandra. I taught her the lessons to prepare her for her baptism. She's ten, and we were the best of friends. Her mom was returning to full activity at the time, but Alexandra was too afraid to ask her dad for permission to get baptized, which is what prevented her from baptism when I was there. And then last week. . . his heart was softened, Sister Rhoderick asked him for permission, and he said yes.

So last second they planned a baptism, I got notified, and we raced over to Central Falls for a beautiful Saturday morning baptism! I love Alexandra so much!!! She tackled me as soon as I walked through the door and stayed by my side the whole time. She's crazy and hilarious and has a strong, wonderful personality. :) I've missed her. When I told them how soon I'm going home, Sister Rhoderick started crying and said it was just in time. The Lord has perfect timing. It was s tender mercy for me, too, to see something I worked and prayed for happen. It reminded me that I'm capable of being an instrument in the Lord's hands still--that big things can still happen before I go home, as a result of my efforts and the Lord working through me. It was a special day. Alexandra stood to sing "I Am a Child of God" during the service, then got scared and grabbed my hand. She pulled me to the front and whispered that she wanted me to sing with her. So I did. It was precious. This is what missionary work is all about.

We had a Brazilian/Cape Verdian party in Central Falls that night, too. Lots of non-members came, and we taught some people a powerful lesson using a display and videos upstairs. <3 It was neat. And their music and dancing is so cool!

Sunday the Brookline Sisters came on splits with us! Sister Cruz went to Hingham and West Bridgewater, and I went to 2 Haitian baptisms! Crazy, right??? One of them was for a family I know in Weston. Haha, I set the display up by myself in 5 minutes flat in front of everyone. . . No pressure! Haha, it was because we were running from the baptism in Boston. It was a success, though!

We got transfer news, too!!!! Guess what??? I'm staying. :) :) Hahaha. That's right. Half of my mission is in the PVC. I will finish everything here. <3 I intend to sprint.

I love you all so much! Thanks for news and emails and letters! I feel your love!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

August 3 - I Could Do This Forever

Hey everyone!

It's been an interesting week. The whole mission seems to be in a constant state of transition, with the change in of the Mission President and all. That on top of the fact that I got my flight plans and my "Book of Gold" to document the highlights of my mission are really making these weeks feel surreal. September is coming fast.Yikes!

Last P-day we went to the Museum of Science again! It's my favorite place in Boston. I'll have to send you a picture--it's incredible! :)

Throughout the week we scheduled, edited videos, and worked on the digital mission. The digital mission. . . man. . . I can't believe I haven't really explained it to you. Hang tight; You'll love this! It's another pilot program we have in the MBM. Basically, we have 2 Elders assigned to full-time find people online to teach the restored gospel, through social media. They run everything and have trained the entire mission on how to find people, too! Different companionships are assigned to different social media sites, and when we make new friends, we Skype them! That's when we get to teach them the lessons. It's incredible how fast you can pick up investigators online. As a mission, we're Skyping with people all over the world! (Except a few no-fly zones, which the Church has a policy that we can't proselyte in.) We apply all the same things we would as a regular investigator, including members at every lesson (3-way Skypes), daily contact, commitments. . . The only difference is that as soon as they set a baptismal date (or earlier, depending on their progression) we call up the missionaries in their area to step in. It's so cool. So far we've had 8 baptisms from the digital mission. This just really got started 7 or 8 months ago. And it was because President Packard was inspired and knew what missionaries to call to make it happen. So yeah, I'll be doing some regular teaching again!

We also had interviews with President Miller this week. I really love him. :) It's so different, but he's incredible.

On Friday we went back to Providence for another Open House! For some reason it's gotten harder and harder to get people to tour that building and see the displays. I'm trying to figure out the difference. It's a high foot-traffic area there, too! But anyway, after we set everything up, Sister Jessup and I tried contacting people. We were getting rejection after rejection, and suddenly I had an idea. I had my guitar with me, because we had just sung a musical number for District Meeting. So we ran and grabbed my guitar and a chair, and Sister Jessup and I sang and played Primary songs on the street while the Spanish Sisters contacted everyone! We certainly got a lot more attention. :) And it was fun. I've always wanted to do that. The Elders joined us for awhile and we had 3-part harmony going on. We ended up having 2 solid conversations from that, and even got to show them a couple of videos. One guy was just back from Iraq and clearly suffering from PTSD. The other was a young guy who was smart and really on the right track for what the purpose of life is and such. I hope something comes from it! :)

We got home super late and woke up super early on Saturday! And we went on exchanges again, this time with the Marlborough Portuguese Sisters. I went with Sister Goncalves to Woodbridge, Connecticut so that our companions could go to the recent convert temple day with someone they both taught. It was really fun! It's a 2 1/2 hour drive to Woodbridge. Gah! But we talked the whole time. Sister Goncalves flew out to Boston with me nearly a year and a half ago. How crazy is that? Now she's going home in a week and a half. She chose to go home this transfer instead of the next, so she could make it to school. I really like her. Our event was an Asian Culture Fair. It was really fun!

Yesterday Sister Cruz and I went crazy to get to three different baptisms! One was in Framingham, one in Gardner, and one in Worcester. :) I know the names are kind of meaningless. But it was pretty crazy! We made it, though! I love being busy. The videos are as powerful to people now as they were when I started in the PVC 7 months ago. :) I love it. Then the Dowlings had us for dinner, which was nice.

That's my life! On Friday we get T-texts again. So I'll find out if President Miller sees fit to transfer me for my very last 6 weeks. That's insane. I wouldn't know what to do with myself! I've been on this special assignment for so long. . . and I love it!

Thanks again for everything! I love my mission with everything I have. This is insane how fast time flies.

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

July 29 - Miracles Happen!

Hello everyone!

Another week in my crazy, wonderful life!

Highlights of the week: we went back to Hartford for an Open House!!! I love love love going to Hartford. <3 Remember the success we’ve had there over the last few months? Well. . . this was the most successful Open House we’ve ever had! I love the outdoor display right in in front of people as they walk by, and the pure missionary work of street-contacting. There were so many miracles and so many different stories! I wish I could tell all of them and do it justice, but I’ll tell what I can. :)

It was slow-moving at first, but it got busier and busier! One woman Sister Cruz and I stopped on a bike couldn’t come it, but she knew we were from God. She was so sweet and committed to come to church on Sunday and bring her cousin. Elder McGurk is so bold, and throughout the course of the day, he committed 3 people to baptism!!! Can you believe it? President Miller stopped in to see it. We gave him a brief tour. He had to run, but he loved it. The Assistants came too, and after no success, they knelt in an empty classroom and prayed to be led to the one person they knew Heavenly Father had prepared. Right after that, they took an incredibly prepared man through the whole tour, and at the end, he had a baptismal date, too!!! (I have more details now.. . he actually showed up to church in a suit and tie and has read the Book of Mormon through Mosiah 12 now. Amazing.)

I street-contacted a lot, and was rejected and hit on and everything inbetween, but I gave a tour to some stellar kids and a pregnant woman. who FELT THE SPIRIT but was afraid to give contact info. :( And the Hartford Bishop came to see it for the first time. A bunch of member kids got really excited and handed out more pass-along cards than all of us combined (“Hey, sir, do you want to take a free picture of Jesus?”) One brilliant kid (9 or so) helped me contact this 15-year-old (like a BOSS) who went to get his friends for the tour. They came through the whole thing, and it was so neat! The picture I’m sending is me teaching this group of kids.

There were so many more miracles and stories I didn’t get details on. I hope you can tell how incredible it was, though! Christ knows His sheep, and they are numbered. :) At the end of the night, the final count was 61 people pulled off the streets on 35 tours, with 4 people committed to baptism and 2 dates. !!!!!!!! WOW. Never limit the Lord. It’s not about numbers, but it’s incredible to see how far we can reach, especially with tools like the PVC.

:) Saturday I went on exchanges with Sister Thompson again. But this time I went into her area! So I was back in Weston for a day, just like how I started my mission. Weird, right? It was really fun! I got to help teach an investigator and finally set up my digital mission account (I'll have to explain that one another time). We had dinner with the Mirandas. That was an adventure.

And yesterday we had 2 baptismal services to attend, nearly on top of each other! So first we ran to the Boston chapel and set up the Jesus Christ display in Portuguese, then we ran to Brockton and set up the Jesus Christ display in English. We attended sacrament meeting with them, then the baptism, then took down and ran back to Boston in time to catch the closing song of that baptismal service. :) The Elders had accidentally locked the iPad in the case without hooking everything up first, so they ended up using a different iPad and just playing Mormon Messages through our TV screen instead. Hahaha. I did warn them. Typical Elders. :) ;) Jk. They covered nicely.

Today we went to the Museum of Science and it was Sister Miller's birthday, so we went to the mission home for cake!!!! So it's been preeetty busy. :) I'll have to tell you more about the Museum next week. Just know that I appreciate everything you do for me--all the thoughts and prayers and love my way. The MBM is the greatest.

I love you all!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

July 21 - New Places in New England!

My internet shut down right before I could send this yesterday, so here it is! Talk to you next week! <3

Hello everyone!!!!!

This has to be really short--it's been a crazy P-day, let me tell you. :P

But first of all, we finished the world map! The longest part was outlining everything in black! It took forever and ever and ever. But hey. It's done now, and it looks awesome. :) :) :)

Thursday Sister Cruz and I went back out to Ashford for the monthly fair, if you remember that! Last time the whole zone was there. This time it was Elder Williams, Elder Warren, and us! I was a little skeptical at first, but we set up the Book of Mormon roundtable, stocked ourselves with supplies, and contacted like crazy. We were determined to give out our whole stash of Book of Mormons, and guess what??? We did! I love love love contacting people! I got to talk to a Harvard Professor who had a student leave on a mission, a couple who really wanted to meet with the missionaries, a local radio broadcaster who asked if the Elders could go on his station, and many others. The Lord is so mindful of all his people! We're so blessed. :)

Friday, after a fantastic district meeting, Sister Cruz and I prepped and took off for another road trip. I love road trips! Being busy as a missionary is the best. :) We drove the tree hours to Madison and stayed overnight with the sisters there, because the next day we had to be at the New Haven Stake Center for their Family Fun Day! Oh my goodness. They asked for the whole shebang, so we set up everything we could (dashing through the pouring rain) and were amazed at the event! They had all sorts of stations: Family Home Evening, New Hartford Temple, Activities, etc. And they roasted the biggest hunks of meat I've ever seen on a spit in my LIFE. Seriously. I couldn't believe the kind of food they came up with! Lots of people went through our displays, and we even showed Because of Him in Chinese to this sweet Chinese family that weren't members. :)

When we were taking down the displays, one of the prongs from the lights went up under my nail. Hurt reallybad.

We had to run to Southington to drop off the displays for the next day, then book it and leave for a baptism in Scituate, Rhode Island. I'd never been there before!!!! I was so glad we were invited. 2 of our exits were shut down and there was crazy traffic, and then we realized we didn't have a tool, but somehow the Lord provided and everything worked out just fine. :) :) The baptism was incredible--it was this grown man covered in tattoos who had clearly turned his life completely around. His dad had died just a week before, and instead of making him sink, it catapulted his testimony of the Atonement. We shared our videos and bore our testimony, and he bore a powerful witness of the Savior after his baptism. The best part was that a member's friend was there. She was an incredible, sweet woman on the search for truth and had never stepped foot in a Mormon chapel before. She wants more than anything to learn more.

So after that incredible experience, we drove back to Glastonbury to spend the night. It was Sister Mireles and Sister Lind! They are so sweet, and their apartment is gorgeous. They seriously have a river, a waterfall, and a gazebo out their back door. Sheesh! We crashed there, then woke up early and went to the Southington Chapel. I'd never been there either! And they certainly utilized us, all day long.

So first we trained Ward Council with our brand new, beautiful presentation. That was great! They booked more events with us right there! Then we scrambled to set everything up before sacrament meeting. We finished perfectly 10 minutes before, then we spoke in Sacrament meeting. It was really really neat to give a talk again. I loved it, and we were followed by the homecoming talk of a return missionary. :) After that, we trained the youth with Elders Pay and Wescott. . . and the displays, of course. Missionary work! Youth are hard to teach. . . andlastly, we were there for the linger longer. Food is great, isn't it? :) The best part was the kids. We set up the world map so they could understand what we're doing with the Primary PVC, and the kids ran all over it!!! They loved it, and it was so cute!!!!

We took down and packed up for about an hour and a half. We have a ton of equipment! And then, we drove to Central Falls to pick up a display we left with them for their baptism. They said it was such a hit. :) I was able to swing by Faith's house again, since we were there. I love her. I have so much family out here.

So that was my incredible, crazy, successful week! Thanks for all the support. I've got so much more to do out here!!!!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

July 13 - Got the Whole World on My Hands!

Dearest everyone I love,

Hope things are going great at home! :) I love life here. Summer is great--everything is hot and busy and glorious. Plus, being a missionary couldn't be better.

Ahh! So last Monday, right after I emailed you, we went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert. Oh my goodness. I knew it would be good, but it was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! They are so talented, the orchestra was phenomenal, the music selection perfect, and. . . ALEX BOYE was there! He did some incredible solos! It was all amazing. We had good company, too. Last second, a bunch of missionaries got tickets to go, so they were all bringing less-actives and investigators. There were even missionaries from the New Hampshire Mission! Crazy!

That was a fun day. :) And for this whole last week, we worked on a project. Remember the Primary PVC I've been working on? The big, interlocking foam map we projected and drew a map of the world on? Well this week, we painted it. Neat, right??? We had to do it piece by piece, starting with primer, then two layers of the color! On that huge map. . . man. It took hours and hours. Most of the week, frankly. The moving Elders and Spanish Waltham Elders helped out a lot, though. I'll send pictures! Let me tell you, oil-based paint doesn't come off very easily...

One night we had a solid correlation with President Miller about the PVC, and then on Saturday, we went on splits to cover events! Sister Cruz and Sister Asay went to Marlborough for a big Brazilian party. Apparently it was super solid!!! 20 non-members, and Sister Cruz got to see her people!

Sister Thompson and I went to Providence for a pizza-making girls' camp fundraiser! Haha, Sister Thompson is a 4'11" riot! :D We had so much fun. We set up a display outside, where the pizzas were cooking. It's in a foot-traffic area, so random people came and bought pizzas and watched the videos. That pizza is to die for. One of the members is famous for it. :) The Elders were having fun tossing the dough, everyone was contacting, and Sister Thompson and I folded pizza boxes and stacked them as tall as her. Haha!

Yesterday we attended a baptism in Brockton. Those are great. It was half Portuguese, half English. I love going to baptisms! Sister Miller surprised us and showed up with Bella, which was awesome, because she got to see a display for the first time and loved it!

So life is good. :) :) Keep in touch! I love you all so much.

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

July 6 - The Best is Yet to Come

Hello everyone!

This time, I'm emailing from the mall in Cambridge. We're prepping for an awesome day in Boston, and then. . . guess what?? We get to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert!!!! They're only here for one day, and I'm so excited. We might even be able to set up the PVC, but I don't know yet. We find out if we have permission soon. Wouldn't that be the greatest?

We're right in the middle of the big mission president transition here. The Assistants gave us a call and asked us to house 3 of the brand-new sisters for a night. That was fun! These new missionaries are solid! And in the process, we were able to meet the new Mission President and his wife. President and Sister Miller. I like them. :) President Miller is really sharp. I don't know if I can describe him any other way. Sister Miller seems tired. I don't blame her. They have a 7-year-old, adopted girl named Bella. She's adorable.

Friday we had the welcome conference for the Millers. They told us about themselves and their vision for the MBM. I was so grateful when they said, "We don't intend to fill the Packards' shoes, but we can stand on their shoulders and build on what they've done." I know they'll be good for this mission.

We spent Friday night in Foxboro with Sister Cannel and Sister Harrington. They're awesome! We've never done an event in Foxboro, so it was particularly fun. The ward had us at the chapel bright and early Saturday morning, for a pancake breakfast to celebrate Independence Day! Wahoo! Happy 4th of July, everyone! I'm so blessed to be in Boston for the 4th. This is a sacred place. :) The pancake breakfast was fun. Mostly members took a look at the PVC, but that's good, because they really hadn't seen much of it before.

President Miller gave us permission to celebrate with each other for the 4th, so that night, the whole Zone came over to our apartment complex to play games and have a Barbecue. That was pretty awesome. Haha, we played girls camp games, which was actually super fun! Elder Wright, the new (returning, actually) moving Elder, knew them as well as I did. :D We have a great group. Missionaries are the greatest! I hope I can always hang out with missionaries. They have awesome, wholesome fun.

This is a shorter email because we didn't have as many events this week. But that's okay! Sister Cruz and I deep deep deep cleaned our house, which was wonderful! We live in a little piece of heaven, as she says. :) We're organizing and prepping to start going again, non-stop!

Thanks for everything! I love you all!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

July 1 - God Be With You Till We Meet Again

Dear family and friends,

Goodbyes don't get any easier. Or maybe they do, but this is one of the hardest goodbyes I've ever had to face. This week, I not only had to say goodbye to Sister Moss (who is now one of my closest friends) and 30 other amazing missionaries I came to love, but I had to say goodbye to the Packards. President and Sister Packard, Angela and Michael. Brutal. I can't even describe how it feels to you.

Just to hit the big events, on Friday we went to Worcester bright and early for our Farewell Conference with President Packard. Bru-tal. I already said that, didn't I? Gah. Okay, so first, President gave a beautiful training/testimony on the Sabbath Day. It was really incredible. But I was sooo nervous throughout the whole thing, because right after that, it was Sister Bybee, Sister Moss and I performing the musical number. I wanted President to feel my testimony and thanks though song! I was so scared until I stood at the pulpit, then I was okay. We sang our hearts out! It was Alive, by Natalie Grant. Poor Sister Bybee squeaked at one point, but other than that, we were happy with our performance. Sister Packard hugged us, in tears, before she spoke.

Sister and President Packard both spoke to us (missionaries) for the last time there. Sister Packard was an emotional wreck, which didn't help any of us. :( We're excited for the Millers, we really are! It's just a crazy hard transition. President Packard shared his powerful testimony, counseled us, and blessed us. We sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again". There was hardly a dry eye in the room, and then they took the time to hug each and every one of us at the end. We made a quick dash to the car so I wouldn't have to face anyone, and I cried most of the way to Central Falls.

We hit Central Falls for a quick African meal from my dear friend Faith on the way to our Open House in Providence! :) Her mom made us Fufu. Sister Moss was soon excited, since her boyfriend is serving his mission in Ghana. :D I love her! It was a bunch of fun, and a perfect distraction before an Open House! We drove the10 minutes to Providence and set up. We went on exchanges so that Sister Moss could go contacting/giving tours on her last night as a missionary, and I could finish the surprise goodbye video for President and Sister Packard. So here's the thing--we secretly asked every missionary to film themselves saying thank you/goodbye to the Packards for 10 seconds and send it to us, so we could piece it together into a beautiful video. Took awhile, but I worked hard on that thing! Meanwhile, we had discussed with the Digital Mission Sisters another gift idea. I mentioned a muriel of all the missionaries they served with, pieced together to make the Boston temple. Sister Thompson and Sister Webber loved that idea, so they ran with it! So we were simultaneously making the perfectgoodbye gifts for the Packards. <3

We ended up crashing in Central Falls again (after a successful night!), then getting up early to play Ultimate Frisbee! Crazy, that tradition started in Central Falls when I was there; every Saturday morning, frisbee with Brother Frandsen and Bishop and every missionary we could find! Since then, they've gotten more missionaries to come and found a better field. It was the best! :) I love seeing these people again. We had to head out in order to make it to transfer meeting on time. I know, on a Saturday! The schedule is so different this time. It's all because the Packards and 32 missionaries are leaving at the same time! That's a ton! Every one of them, plus the Presidency, took 2-3 minutes to bear their final testimonies. And we had two musical numbers. That's a long, heartbreaking meeting. The muriel was also presented to them. I'll never forget Sister Packard clapping her hand to her heart, and President's face tightening as he fought not to cry. What a meeting. The Spirit and the unity was so strong, and it was insane to see Sister Moss up on the stand. She's a wonderful, powerful missionary. She used the 18 months she had well. I hope I can do the same--the time is flying waaaaay too fast. :P

Two hours, another round of "God Be With You Til We Meet Again", more tears, more hugs later, I was with my new companion, Sister Cruz. Man, I'm so glad I love her already! She's the greatest! We had two events that night, and she was such a trooper, going from a Culture night in Cambridge to a Baptism in Belmont. Guess who's baptism we went to??? Chris DeHart. Susan's husband. Oh my goodness, it was soon special! I can't believe how far they've come, and now they have a precious baby girl named Lucy! She's darling. :) Susan said she couldn't be happier. Well, that's what the gospel does for you, right? :)

Sunday, we actually had a chance to go to our home ward. Which was a first, and a blessing, because of course the Packards were there, speaking for the last time. Both of their testimonies were again, stunning. President shared 5 ways to guarantee that you will never stop progressing in the gospel, so we don't have to be afraid of slipping back into who we were. I'll cherish that forever! Then, at the end, the Bishopric made a last minute decision to switch the closing hymn to "God Be With You TIl We Meet Again." Of course.

After that, we helped out at the mission home all day! The departing missionaries were having a feast, so we helped prepare it! We hung a banner and rolled out a red carpet, and when all the departing missionaries came back, we clapped and cheered as they entered the house. :) The best part was when the Packards pulled up last! We all stood on either side of the red carpet and put our hands up for them to walk under! Sister Cruz caught the best picture of them ever! :) :) I'll send it.

At the end of the night, all of us who were remaining sat down and watched the video I put together. We had it projected up on the wall. I knew the Packards would love it, but I didn't know how much. They laughed and cried through the whole thing, and when the movie was over, we just sat in silence while Sister Packard wept. I will never forget the feeling in the room, nor the following conversation. President read Alma 26 with us, we prayed together, then we took off for the night.

The last time I saw them was Monday. We spent the whole day helping clean their house to be ready for the Millers. The other departing missionaries had already left, so it was just our Zone helping out. There was lots to do, but somehow we got it all done before they had to go to the airport to pick up the Millers and leave. I got to give them one last hug--my parents in the MBM--and then they got in the car. President called out to us to tell us he loved us, and then his face crumpled as he drove away. :'( It was so hard! I'm sorry if I sound dramatic about all of this. I'm trying to somehow capture how much they meant to me and how much of an impact they've had on our lives for eternity. I can hardly think about not having them here. But I love and trust the Lord. I know His timing is perfect. I wouldn't have it any other way, and I'm so grateful for even having a minute with Dan and Alison Packard.

The Packards helped me develop a very real, very personal relationship with my Savior. I want to commit to you now, that no matter what happens, I will never fall away from the truths I have learned. The gospel will be my life for the rest of my life. Nothing exists that comes within a universe of the same significance. I know that to be true with every fiber of my being, and I will live in a way that reflects that truth.

I love you all so dearly.

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

June 22 - We Never Stop!

Hey there, everyone!

I feel like I'm always emailing from a different place on P-days. :) :) Today I'm in the mission home. It gives me flash-backs to when I first flew into the mission. I love it here. But the Packards are packing everything up, because they leave in a week.

I'll try to make this email shorter, since I know they've been crazy long these last few weeks! (Maybe.) So first of all, I wanted to tell you about a crazy project we did! You remember the huge, interlocking foam floor mat we got to paint a map of the world on for the Primary PVC events? Well, we got started! You'll have to look at the pictures to do it justice. It was a ton more work than I was expecting; I'm so grateful that the Weston 1st Elders took the time to help us out.

Here's what happened: We got a huge ladder in the church gym, Sister Moss climbed it onto the ceiling above the stage (with a projecter and a laptop), and we projected the map of the world down onto the pieced-together mat. Then, with the lights out, we spent a looooooooong time getting it positioned just right. It had to be the right size, the right angle. . . When we had it as perfect as possible, the four of us grabbed Sharpies and sprawled out on the mat to meticulously trace the entire world. It was so surreal. And SOOOOO cool. It looks great! That's just step one. We're hoping to paint it this week.

We went to the Ashford fair! It was really neat--we got to set up the Book of Mormon roundtable and contact like crazy! That's always my favorite. Missionary work at its finest. :) We probably passed out over 100 Book of Mormons!

Friday we had another tour in Hartford. It seems to be our favorite place, now! :) The full-blown thing was set up, specifically for the Spanish Branch. Lots of members came and helped contact, which was cool. Sister Moss and I actually let them have at it and shut ourselves in the back room. We were on a crazy time crunch to finish making the videos for the Primary event! Those kids answering questions about the Plan of Salvation were SO CUTE, and I love making videos! :) :) We almost finished, but then we had to take everything down, pack the Spaceship, and leave for Cape Cod that night. At like, 10:00. It's almost a 3-hour drive. :) Whoo!!!!!!!

Sister Moss drove us all the way there, and we arrived at the Cape Cod Sisters apartment at about 1:00 AM. We were out like a light, then up again at 7:00 to prep for our FIRST PRIMARY PVC EVENT EVER!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!! I was nervous, but you know, for our first time/test run, it was pretty great!!!!

We got to the Cape Cod chapel, set up all the displays, then set up all the activities to go with each display. Like different stations. :) One station was planting their lima bean so they could have their faith in Christ grow like a seed. One station was building their own prayer sandwiches (making and printing those was chaotic!), one was watching the videos we made of them answering questions about the Plan of Salvation, one they got to draw their families with the temple, and the BEST station was the map of the world! Sister Moss had some brilliant games they played, running all over and having a blast while still tying in the Book of Mormon. :) Those kids are crazy, but hey, it worked!!!! Now we just have to improve everything!!!!!

We attended Stake Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire. Got to set up displays there, then train the youth on how to give tours! Came home, caught up on some sleep, and then we went over to the mission home. Sister Moss and a bunch of other sisters were getting their exit interviews early, because there's just no time this coming weekend. Sister Packard thought she'd make it fun and make it a sleepover! Sweet!!!!

This whole transfer is berserk, because President and his family are leaving, too. We got transfer texts last night (but President let us just walk into his office and see the board! That was fun!). News is the same for me! Sister Cruz is coming to be my companion! The Packards are having their goodbye conferences all this week, transfer meeting is Saturday, and the Millers come into town on Monday. Life. Is. Crazy. Everything is always changing, everyone is leaving!

That's the MBM in a nutshell these days. :) Wish me luck with my musical number!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

P.S. Sister Platt, my old companion, is ENGAGED. To an Elder we served with. WHAT?????

June 8 - Preserved by His Hand

Dear family and friends,

Can you believe it's June already??? Man, time is flying faster and faster.

This week was less jam-packed, until the very end. :) We actually had time to breathe! And sleep! And do some office work! Which was great, because it was so needed. We were able to get going on creating some of the content for the Primary PVC. Designing "Prayer Sandwiches", ordering fun stuff. :) The Cape Cod Primary sent us the cutest videos of the kids answering questions about God. Can't wait to put that into a movie!

Sister Bybee and I practiced for our musical number at President's goodbye Zone Conference. I'm super nervous, but it sounds beautiful! Sister Moss is stellar at the piano! And then the Weston sisters called and asked us if we (Sister Moss and I) could do a musical number for Zone Meeting, this last Friday. We were all excited, pulling out sheet music and examining our options. . . BUT THEN SHE ALMOST CUT HER FINGER OFF WHILE CUTTING BUTTERNUT SQUASH. Seriously though, it was bad! I thought she'd have to get stitches, but she narrowly escaped such torture. :P Turns out I'm not very good at high-stress situations when it involves blood. She's okay, though. And she still managed to play the piano for me while I sang "A Window to His Love" at Zone Meeting. :)

Speaking of terrible injuries, I have a miracle story to share with you. Elder Raymond, from Brockton, was biking in the rain last Monday night. A car didn't see him and hit him. Knocked him down hard, and the wheels went OVER his legs. Both sets. And you know what? He's going to be fine. He has staples in his knee, a black eye, cuts and bruises everywhere, but no broken bones or anything. It's truly a miracle. His companion thought he was dead. We went to Brockton for their Open House on Saturday and got to see him. He was dressed in proselyting clothes, looking a little worse for wear, but hobbling around and cracking jokes. It's something I'll never forget. Their Open House was pretty great, too! I love that ward. Lots of members and less-actives came, and they even filled the font for the tour!

Yesterday was HECTIC. Sundays always are. I didn't understand anything, again. But this time it was because we went on triple splits. TRIPLE. Haha. Sister Couto and Sister Asay went to Belmont for us to film the Primary kids there for the video we're making. Then Sister Moss and Sister Cruz took off to go to New Haven and train the YSA ward on how they could use the PVC! Sister Carvalho and I hitched a ride with the Assistants and eventually made it down to New London, CT for a baptism. I'd never been there before! It was fun, but really, it was all Spanish. I wish I could understand more Spanish/Portuguese. :) Because we were so dependent upon the Assistants for our ride back and they had to visit people, we didn't get home until really really late. But we made it home! That's what's important.

I love the mission, and I love the Lord! I can't wait for what's ahead, and I'm trying every day to consecrate myself to Him more completely!

Love you all! Thanks for all you do!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

June 16 - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Spaceship

Hello!!!!!

It's pouring rain here in the forested hills of Connecticut. :) Our weekend road trip hasn't ended yet, and it've probably had one of the busiest days of my life this week.

Here's the happenings: The beginning of this week we were able to re-callibrate and get some great work done. We finished Haitian videos, created an "emaze" presentation for trainings, and even ordered our huge, interlocking foam floor mat for the Primary PVC! Now to paint it. . .

But then we started our road trip on Thursday! Guess where our first stop was? Central Falls! My home! I love that place! :) We promised the Spanish Elders we'd bring a display for their baptism this weekend, but since we couldn't attend the baptism, we set it up early with careful instructions, then had the opportunity to meet up with people I love.

I stopped by the Piescienskis (LOVE THEM), met up with Faith (she's the BEST!) and then we headed over to see. . . CRYSTAL!!! I don't know if you remember her. She's someone I worked hard with in Central Falls, and I love her dearly. I haven't seen her since I left, and she became pregnant when I was in Belmont, so now she has a big tummy. :)I'll attach a picture. It was soon good to see her. She's so excited to have a family. I also was able to have dinner with Sister Shea! She's my CF mom forever.

We spent the night with the Central Falls sisters, then early the next morning, we headed out to New Haven! We had some extra time, and it was right next to Sister Moss's old area, so we were able to meet up with a mother and a daughter she had taught for lunch. It meant the world to her. :) I'm glad we're still in touch with these people.

Then we went straight to New Haven for their Open House! Fun stuff! We've been there before. . . it's another high-foot-traffic area, right on Yale campus! How neat?? It's always frantic getting everything set up in there (there's 4 floors), but so worth it. A few solid RMs from the Singles ward came to back us up, and we were pulling people in off the streets like crazy! We even found a less-active and his Lutheran friend who were visiting the campus from out of state. He brought them over, and she was so golden. I love teaching about Christ.

After a long, wonderful, exhausting 5 hours or so, we took everything back down and crashed with the amazing New Haven sisters for the night. Haha, we only got about 4 hours of sleep, then we were up again early the next morning! For an even crazier day!

We drove to Warwick, Rhode Island for the Gaspee Days parade! The church was right there, on the street where the parade was going to be. The Elders were so excited. The craziest part was the wind. We had to tie the outdoor display to keep it from falling over. :) Parades are great! It means summer is really here! :) As soon as the Parade was over, we packed up again and took off. We had to pick up the display we left in Central Falls, go to Brockton and set up a display for their baptism, then get ourselves all the way to Worcester for another Spanish wedding! Whew! We made it with minutes to spare and set up at top speed. Spanish weddings are fun, and it's ideal. There are so many non-members who attend and are curious.

As for the craziest day. . . that was yesterday!!!! Ready for it??? Okay, went on splits with the Boston Spanish sisters to cover all 6 of our events. :) That means Sister Bybee and her companion, Sister Sutherland! Sister Bybee and Sister Moss went to Hartford to train the Spanish ward on how to give tours. Sister Sutherland and I set up a display at the Boston chapel for a Portuguese baptism, then took off for a the Dragon Boat Chinese Festival! Oh my goodness. It was so much fun. There were about 3,000 people there! Two sets of Chinese Elders, the Chinese group ward mission leader, and a few members came to the booth they'd rented out for us to help contact. We set up the Book of Mormon roundtable and our small displays, and you know what? We didn't even have to contact! People flocked to us! We answered questions and testified and passed out so many copies of the Book of Mormon! Sister Sutherland and I took on all the English-speakers, the Chinese Elders talked to everyone else. :) :) :) It was amazing! I even learned some Chinese! The best part was when I talked to this kid Peter. He was a Harvard student with a lot of questions. We must have talked for a good 20-30 minutes. I needed so much direction from the Holy Ghost on what to say, but I know he felt the Spirit. He was very impressed that someone could believe something so strongly. He wants to be that sure of something in his life, and I told him he could be. I have high hopes for him.

We got back in time to switch out displays and set up for our first Haitian baptism! Wahoo! Except we couldn't stay. Sister Moss and I (we exchanged back) had to leave behind another display (that scares me) and book it back to Hartford. Another 2-hour drive. Traffic was soon bad, and we were so late for the fireside President Packard was doing on the Book of Mormon, but we quietly set up the Book of Mormon roundtable and the Restoration display so it would be ready for them when the fireside ended. President Packard is so so so so so amazing! I wish I could teach about the Book of Mormon with his clarity, knowledge, and passion!

Crashed with the Avon sisters, and now we're here in Connecticut for P-day! :) :)

My life is crazy!!!!!!! We're going 100 mph! I love it. I love my Savior, I love the sensation that I can sprint to the finish and be an influence for good in this unique, powerful assignment. Thanks for all the support and prayers. I'm feeling it over here.

Love you all!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM Missionary

June 1 - Stand ye in Holy Places, and BE NOT MOVED.

Happy June, everyone!

It's misting here in Massachusetts. Kind of like rain and humidity combined. It looks deceitfully dry. You can't even see raindrops, but by the time you get to your car in the parking lot you'll be soaked through. It's a thing here. New England character.

It was a beautiful week! I love my life. :) I have been so exceedingly blessed. Sister Moss and I were able to go to the temple for an endowment session after we emailed last Tuesday. President gave us permission, because we missed going through with our Zone on Monday. It was beautiful, and a small group. It just so happened that President Haight was there, too! And a fresh-off-the-plane return missionary, not even released yet! He came from the Rome mission and knew my friend Jerrick!!!! Small world. :D

We had some time in the office for once! And then on Friday it was back to our busy schedule for a jam-packed weekend! After district meeting, we drove back down to Providence for our monthly open house. Sister Moss had never been there before! This time it was more successful than the last few times. We had two sets of Sisters and two sets of Elders backing us up, and we all took turns hitting the streets, inviting anyone and everyone in for a tour and powerful videos! Haha, Providence can be rough! We got some hard-core rejections. But some of those people who came through made it all worth it. It was neat! The Providence Spanish Sisters found someonegolden. He's so prepared for the gospel. And it really felt good just to be a regular missionary, talking to everyone we see about the gospel. We got home at about midnight. . .

Saturday was insane. So insane. We woke up at 5:00 to get to this Regional Women's Conference up in Lowell. It was for. . . 5 states? I think? Women came from everywhere! Sister Larsen, our Stake Relief Society President, got permission to pull however many helpers she wanted from the missionaries, so TONS of Sisters were there! Sister Moss and I helped out with the Humanitarian donations, registering, and passing things out for the first few hours. You wouldn't believe it--I ran into a girl who danced with me at UVU! Crazy! And I got to see Sister Lima, Sister Fernando, Sister Francis, people from Central Falls and Belmont wards, and so many others I loved! :)

Guess who made a surprise appearance? Elder Holland!!!!!!! He showed up and spoke briefly at the Conference. We were able to catch the end. I love that man. We knew he was in town, because he was meeting with the MLC and President that weekend. Also, we were planning to set up displays Sunday night for a fireside he was giving! How blessed are we?

The rest of the day at the Conference was even crazier! We didn't get clear directions on where to set things up, so we made it up and set up at TOP speed in the middle of a crowd. It was so hot! We did lots of lifting and directing and didn't really get a change to breathe at all until it was over at 4:00. Then we had to take down and pile it all back into the Spaceship. I was so grateful Sister Moss drove, because I was out like a light and slept the whole way back.

Sunday was a day I didn't understand. Literally! :) We went to Brockton first thing in the morning to give a training to the Portuguese Ward Council! That was pretty cool. :) Didn't understand much of their jabbering in Portuguese, but when they turned the time over to us, they didn't even use a translator--they all knew English. :D And they appreciated our training on how to make their upcoming Open House the most effective. Sacrament meeting is a completely different experience when you don't speak the language. And then we trained the Youth on how to give their own tours. We even taught the Primary kids using the PVC display! They loved it. They're so cute, and their testimonies and questions are so pure.

After Brockton, we had to jet to the Weston chapel for Elder Holland's fireside! We were the only English-speaking missionaries there. The fireside was for all the Latinos in the MBM. We brought our Jesus Christ display in Portuguese and our Restoration display in Spanish. It was pouring rain, and trying to get that heavy gear and technology into the chapel in the rain was a trick! Everyone came so early, of course, so we were dodging people and frantically setting up for awhile. But it all worked out, and we were able to retire to our seats on the stage in the back for a perfect view.

Elder Holland is amazing. Truly. There's something about that man. I think President Packard could be the next Elder Holland--they are men of the same caliber. Four testimonies were shared before Elder Holland stood, but I didn't catch a word of those! But when Elder Holland spoke, even when he chose to speak in his limited Spanish, I could understand him perfectly. Addressing the non-members, he taught the Restoration from the pulpit. So incredible to hear an apostle teach the same thing we teach every day, using the Preach My Gospel pattern. He invited all those investigating to be baptized, and to go talk to his grandson Elder McCann (who is the assistant to the President now and was in the office). It was humorous but powerful! And then he taught us all about standing in Holy places. Make your home a sanctuary. Go to the temple. Stand in holy places and be not moved.

In closing, I wanted to share what I wrote down of his powerful witness.

"Wherever you want to go in your life, professionally, economically, personally, I ask you first to come to Him. I know of no other way for us to. . . succeed, be safe, carry our burdens, or find that 'happiness which is prepared for the Saints'. My desire for you is to have more firsthand experience with Him. Cultivate your faith and your testimony, and I promise you that the dangers and concerns you face will be steadily resolved and turn into eternal triumphs. Whatever difficulties in your path, whatever heartbreak you face, you cling to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and you will feel the strength of the Lord in your life."

I know Elder Holland is an apostle of the Lord. I know he holds keys--authority given to him from God. I know he is a special witness of Christ, and that Christ does live, and He cares, and He will be there the moment we turn to Him.

I love you all so much. Thanks for everything!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

May 26 - Moroni 7:33 - Power through Christ

Hi family and friends!

I hope your weeks were wonderful! Mine was. And it was probably the single most insane week of my life as a missionary, as well! I haven't stopped once since last Tuesday. It's been a whirlwind of movement and adventure and the Spirit. Sister Moss and I have needed to rely upon the enabling power of the Atonement, because without Him we wouldn't have had the stamina to make it through these last few days (hence the subject line). We've truly had tender mercy upon tender mercy that has carried us through this week, and strength beyond our normal capacities.

Let me see if I can give you the highlights! Last Tuesday we had another Night of Light event in Billerica (goodness, was that really last week??). It is so different each time, because I've always had a different companion. This time it was Sister Bybee, Sister Cruz and I! It was really neat to hear their testimonies in that kind of a setting. Tears were shed, the spirit was strong, the videos were beautiful, and the event was combined with a baptism! This woman has been investigating for a long time. It was a special occaision.

Wednesday was transfers! We didn't stop! We had to get up early to help out with different missionaries luggage, finish packing, frantically clean the house, get to the Weston chapel to set up displays for transfer meeting. . . and THEN Sister Moss came and met us early! We had permission to go shopping before our long road trip. Oh my goodness. She's the best. Sister Moss is a burst of sunshine! She's happy and a beautiful, tall blonde. She's consecrated and outgoing and so excited for her last 6 weeks. I'm glad we're not stopping. It's perfect for her sprint to the finish.

So for the first full day together we went to Springfield for an Open House! All of the displays went up, all of the missionaries in the Zone came and hit the streets. There was a lot less foot-traffic there, but they worked hard, and we had success! There was a slow, steady stream of people who came out for the Open House. It was beautiful. One man named Pierre walked in and took a tour with Sister Moss and I. He came because a member in the ward sent out a Facebook invite! How cool???

That night we drove down to Canton and spent the night there. Hahah, we forgot our air mattress, so we ended up crashing on the armchairs. Not the most comfortable night. But it was perfect, because we were close for the next day--another Open House in Hartford. Remember how amazing it was last time? Well this time it was specifically for the Spanish group, and it was every bit as awesome! I love those people we contacted! It was a beautiful day, so many people stopped and watched the videos and took tours. We taught ministers and teenagers, families and single grandparents. I contacted one woman in sign language!Tour after tour was so powerful, and we were backed up by the whole Hartford Zone. I'm so happy.

We had to break everything down and head out so late. We got home at 1 AM, and then we had to wake up EARLY to get ready and scramble out the door for a trip to Billerica! We hardly had time to shower, and we were getting really tired. Also, Sister Cruz and Sister Couto helped us out and attended a different event we couldn't get to, so we had to pick up the displays. And when we were setting up for the Family History Convention in Billerica, we were going crazy because we couldn't find the Allen wrench. Amazing how one little tool can be detrimental to a whole display. But the Lord loves us and we found it! It was neat to set up some displays there. And the Bishop bought us lunch from the Boy Scout fundraiser. :)

Next stop was Worcester! We set up God's Plan and Temples for a Wedding Reception. My first Wedding Reception for the PVC! And you know what? It was so successful. Because the missionaries were determined to make it so! They had 52 non-members at that event, and they pulled out over 15 of them and gave them mini tours, complete with beautiful videos about God's Plan for us and how significant we believe marriage really is. They got return appointments and contact info and Book of Mormons passed out! It was in Spanish though, so I wasn't of much help.

We headed BACK to Worcester the next day, which was Sunday. As we were driving, the gas light flicked on. YIKES! We were so unprepared for the Sabbath! We prayed and held our breath and drove all the way there. Once there, we set up the whole shebang for their church. It was a different experience. We taught separate classes about the PVC as a missionary aid and gave lots of people tours through. It's very different when you're teaching members, though. I like to emphasize how inspired it all is, and how blessed we are to have it in the MBM. I was about ready to collapse at that point, though. We were there ALL day. When we finally got all the equipment taken down and loaded in the Spaceship again, it was about 7:00. And we had to drive all the way home. Our van said that we had just a little longer drive to get home than we could make on the gas we had. But we had no other option, so we prayed and crept home. . . we drove the last five minutes with 0 miles left to drive.Tender mercy that we made it back.

We crashed for an hour nap, then had to wake up again for a conference call with President Haight (at 9:00 pm) about our New Member Brochure! Sister Moss actually didn't wake up. :) I don't blame her. We got things figured out, then I made a few frantic phone calls to figure out splits for the next day. The Lord really really loves us. Somehow we got it worked out, so that Sister Moss could go to the recent convert temple trip yesterday with her old companion to see all these people she loves in the temple, while I went with her old companion's companion to Newport for a Memorial Day Barbecue! Make sense? I know it's confusing. But Sister Moss was so excited! So my companion for the day was Sister Black all yesterday! We set up two of our displays for the barbecue and had a lot of fun outside. Less-actives and part-member families came through to see the videos, and even a woman who lived across the street! It was wonderful!

So that's been my hectic week! I probably bored you with all the details--sorry! It was just so hard to condense it all! I love Sister Moss so so so so much! Can't wait for 5 more weeks with her!!!!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

May 18 - The Abundant Life

Hello!!!!!!!!!

It has been an incredible week! I love being in a trio--my companions are the best! We had so much fun, did so many great things, and have some crazy news!

First of all, off and on throughout the week I was a normal missionary with teaching appointments. :D That was fun. We went out to Marlborough to help Sister Cruz in her area. Mostly for member dinners, which was nice! We had two teaching appointments where I contributed absolutely nothing, though, because they were in Portuguese. Haha. I can probably say about 50 words in Portuguese now! I'm slowly improving. ;)

We went up to Merrimack to give a PVC training during district meeting, which went well! The next day we split up. Sister Cruz and Sister Bybee went out to Springfield to train them and help prep them for their upcoming tour, and I went with our Sister Training Leaders in Weston, Sister Couto and Sister Asay, for half the day! We were able to meet up with Kevin and Katie LaBarge for breakfast, and that was so fun. I love them. :)

Later in the day we were driving to Nashua for a wedding of one of Sister Bybee's investigators. . . when we got a phone call from President Packard. TRANSFER NEWS. Can you believe it's already been a transfer??? Okay, here's the big news!!!!

. . . Sister Bybee is leaving me already. Going to Boston Spanish.

Sister MOSS, who I know and love dearly, is coming into the PVC. But she goes home in 6 more weeks.

So Sister CRUZ, whose life dream was to be a Visitors' Center Missionary, gets to go back to her area (Marlborough) for this next transfer and show someone else around REALLY REALLY well, because after this transfer, she'll come back to the PVC and be my companion until I go home.

Get all that?? :D :D :D :D :D :D I'm so excited!!!! I love these people! It's so weird that I already know all of my companions. And that I've been companions with Sister Lima, Sister Cruz, and Sister Couto, all who came out together. It's crazy that I'll be spending half of my mission as a Portable Visitors' Center missionary. But everything feels right and makes so much sense. I needed Sister Bybee as a companion. She did great things with the PVC, but she belongs in the hub of typical missionary life, teaching constantly. I'm so excited for her in downtown Boston!

The next day we drove two and a half hours out to a teeny little town called Chester in Massachusetts. They had a parade they wanted us to set up for! It was nice. :) I'll have to attach some pictures. We contacted a lot of people, but it was interesting how none of them seemed to have any religious background or interest. We did have a couple of potential investigators, though. One of the Elders contacted the clown on stilts.

There was a baptism in Brockton we attended. Sister Cruz had the opportunity to stand up and testify of the content of the videos we showed, because everything was in Portuguese. One of their investigators stayed after and watched every video we had. :)

So the last big news is that Sister Bybee and I were asked to sing at transfer meeting! Oh my goodness! I'm really excited. We're singing Alive by Natalie Grant. It's a beautiful song and really powerful. I'm praying that we'll be able to sing our hearts out and bring the Spirit into the meeting. I've only heard spectacular musical numbers at these meetings, and not only do I want to live up to it, but I want to contribute. I can't wait to share my testimony through song!

Thanks again for everything! All of your love and support means the world. Hold tight, I'll be sending some great pictures, because Sister Cruz is a talented photographer!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

May 11 - Bigger and better in every way!

Family and friends! Hello!

It seems to me that every time you feel like you're getting something, Heavenly Father makes things more challenging. Which is so good. What a blessing that we can keep learning all the time, and still feel dependent upon Him for constant guidance. The challenges this week were positive, too! We're upping workload and responsibility. :)

So guess what?? It was Sister Bybee's 20th birthday this week!!!! How great is that? We had so much fun together. :) We went to a cute little seafood restaurant to celebrate Monday night. Tuesday was her actual birthday. It was the best, because we were supposed to give a training to the whole mission via. WebEx that day. Sister Bybee wanted to be early to the office to be prepared, but I was desperately trying to stall, because I knew that the district was decorating the whole office for a surprise! Hahaha, it was so funny to see her reaction when she walked in! The Packards and the Weston Sisters and all of the office missionaries were there! And we had a lunch celebration!

As for the WebEx, it was really good! I thought I'd be nervous, training 300+ missionaries, but since I couldn't see them I was just fine! The Hartford Elders testified of the miracles from last week, we explained how everyone can effectively use the PVC, and President basically told everyone that it would be SILLY to not use such an incredible resource. Wasteful, even. :) He also told them to call us and invite us to district and Zone Meetings to train them on how they could use the PVC in their specific areas. So neat! So we got slammed with a bajillion texts after. We are BOOKED for the month of May! It's going to be so great!

The next day we went to 3 different things! Bright and early we drove to Nashua, New Hampshire and set up a couple of displays for an Interfaith Council. Then we left the displays there and ran to MLC (Missionary Leadership Conference). There we gave another training, this time to all of the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders. It was more personal with all of them. We set up the Restoration display and showed them some of the new videos we have. We talked more about the miracles and how they could make it work even if their building is not located in a high foot-traffic area. President got all excited and told everyone about the inspiration behind the Portable Visitors' Center. It really made everyone appreciate what we have more.

That night we went all the way out to Springfield again! This sweet sister just got off her mission, and we set up a display for a fireside she was doing to tell everyone of her experiences. :)

Thursday we picked up the displays from Nashua again and stopped by someone Sister Bybee had taught. IT was good for them to reconnect! We're going to her wedding soon! Anyway, because of the visit we were running behind to a baptism in Boston. . . and then we hit rush hour. I kid you not, a 1:20 drive took us nearly three hours. We were so so so late. It was terrible! The blessing, however, was that so was everyone else. I should have guessed. Portuguese baptisms always start sooooo late.

Friday was Zone Meeting. There we gave another training, this time to our very own Zone! We discussed the strengths of the wards in the Boston West Zone, and how we could capitalize on those for successful events with the PVC! And the Zone Leaders put together the cutest lunch for everyone! :D

Saturday was INSANE. Okay, so we double-booked ourselves. We were supposed to be at a Family History Convention in Madison AND a Meet the Mormons movie event up in Peterborough, New Hampshire. At the same time. And the Weston Sisters couldn't go on splits with us, so we called around frantically until the Worcester SP Sisters told us they could help us! They spent Friday night with us. Then, bright and early Saturday morning (6:00), we loaded some of the displays into the office Elders' truck, then split up. Sister Bybee and Sister Martinez went to Peterborough, and Sister Frei and I headed out t oMadison for the day!

It was a beautiful day, and Sister Frei was great! Not as many people interacted with the displays in CT, but it was still successful and fun. I was also able to catch up some more in my journal! Whew! It was just great. :)

And yes, of course, I got to Skype home yesterday! It was wonderful. I love my family. Families are the best, right? And mothers. Crazy to think that the next time I'll see them is when I go home. . .

Oh, one more thing! A Sister in our Zone got her Visa!!!! So today we took her to the airport to fly out to Brazil for the rest of her mission. And NOW. . . her companion, Sister Cruz is with us in a trio for 10 days, until transfers!!!!!! CRAZY!!!!!!!! I'm in another trio right now! It's fabulous. I love Sister Cruz. I already know her pretty well. She was Sister Lima's companion in the MTC. Another Brazilian. :D

Shout out to Erik, my good friend who just returned from his mission in Wisconsin!!!! :D

Thanks for everything! I know there was a lot of info on this one. Hope you enjoy it! I love you all!!!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

May 4 - And the blessings come pouring in!

Hello, hello!!!!

It's a bright and cheerful day here in New England, and I have EVER so much to tell you!!! Our schedule wasbooked this last week! We were determined to not have any empty space again after all the opposition over the last couple of weeks, and our efforts and prayers have paid off. Running from event to event is exhausting, but so fulfilling. :)

First of all, we had our final interviews with President Packard this week. Can you believe that? It's breaking my heart. He held interviews at his home this time, and Sister Packard was also able to meet with us individually. I loved the one-on-one time with them. Their last formal counsel is something I'll cherish and remember. They made this place home when I thought I'd left home far behind; they have my love and loyalty. Through inspiration, they have helped shape me into who I am, and forever changed my trajectory on who I want to be.

My favorite event this week was in Hartford, Connecticut! I'd never been there before! The Spaceship was packed up tight with the entire shebang, and we set it up throughout their tiny building (bottom floor of another building, really) for a stand-alone open house. It worked out beautifully, because the weather was perfect and we were able to set up our Jesus Christ display right there on the busy street! Because of Him was playing as people walked by. The PERFECT eye-catcher. The entire Zone came together to support this event and personal contact like crazy. It was amazing. The open house went from 3-9, and we had a steady stream of people coming through the entire time! We tallied it; over 60 non-members from foot-traffic came through. Everyone did all of the jobs--personal contacting, guiding tours throughout the building, and navigating the videos on the displays according to the Spirit and the needs of the people they were teaching. I loved every moment of it. And you know what? Miracle upon miracle came of it. There was one family that had been looking for a church. By the end of the tour they had committed to baptism. Another woman broke down in tears when the Elders approached her, saying that she had just been praying that God would send someone to talk to her. Otherpeople hardly said a word, but cried as they watched the videos. I can't describe how it feels to watch someone discover Heavenly Father's love.

We stayed with the Canton Sisters that night. It was a cute little house. :) We loved our time there. Then the next day we drove North, back into Massachusetts for a Springfield Event. We set up an open house with Elder Cathcart and Elder Sanabria. They are so cool. :D I'm telling you, the missionaries here in the MBM will be my life-long friends. All of them. Their ward had a fundraiser for Boy Scouts, which included dinner and a talent show. It drew quite a few non-members! The talents were amazing, and it was a lot of fun, but understandably not very many people came through the tour. It was still so worth it--the Elders took a recent convert and his wife through, and we were able to talk to the leaders about future events! We got to bed by about 1 AM, though. We certainly have different schedules than typical missionaries. . .

Next events: baptisms! We went to three of them! The first one was in Worcester (Wuh-stah). The man, Rajiv, had quite the conversion story. President Packard actually ended up attending. (Which was nice, because we told him all about our successes!) From there we went into Cambridge for a Portuguese baptism. We went back there again on Sunday for another Portuguese baptism. All were neat experiences, and they loved our Portuguese displays and videos. I had lost my voice though (from a mild sickness), so of course that's when the Elders asked Sister Bybee and I to sing a musical number. Hahaha, it was rough. I squeaked my way through it. :)

And then last night, we set up two of our displays at the Longfellow Park chapel. They had an incredible Men's Chorus singing for a fireside. It was beautiful! That, too, drew a number of people, and many of them perused the video selection afterward. :) I met one man who went to the same Junior High as me. How funny is that? It's a small world.

So that was my busy, successful week! I have an even more busy one coming up, and it looks like the success level is just going to keep climbing! Tomorrow we're training the mission on the Portable Visitors' Center via Webex, and then we're training the leaders during Missionary Leadership Conference! It will really be exciting! Prayers would be appreciated. We want the rest of the mission to catch the vision.

Thanks again for everything! Happy Mother's Day, and make the most of every moment!

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary

April 27 - I Am a Witness

Hello everyone!

So you know how I said I was going to report about a ton of events this week? Well let me tell you. . . opposition is real. So many of our events fell through this weekend. It was unbelievable. I truly think that something big is going to happen in the PVC soon. This tool is going to bring a lot of good to the world, and Satan is trying to stop it, and I intend to see it happen! I'm really trying to discover what Heavenly Father would have us do to help the mission catch the vision and to truly make a difference. We spent a lot of time on our knees, counseling with our district, and with President about it.

President suggested that we train the mission via. Webex on how they can most effectively use the PVC. That'll be great! Please pray that we'll be able to say the right words to inspire all of these missionaries! This isn't to help us feel like we're busy. The PVC can really be pivotal for missionary work in an area! I love President Packard. He's an incredible man, and he and his wife have earned my love and loyalty forever. He was able to speak directly to my needs this week and provide me with a beautiful blessing.

We went to round 2 of the Billerica U-Nights, or as they're now calling them, "Night of Light"s. :) Two investigators and a non-member attended, our 4 best videos were shown, testimonies were born, and Sister Bybee and I were able to stand and testify of being able to receive answers to our questions through the Book of Mormon. It was beautiful! Sister Bybee has an amazing testimony and an incredible spirit. We have become great friends.

We also drove out to Gardner for an event. They were showing "Meet the Mormons" at the chapel, and we set up our largest displays. I was skeptical of the level of success, but people were drawn to the displays and watched video after video! Sister Bybee and I made friends with a man who had a lot of the right questions. I love sharing what I know to be true with others. We told him about modern-day prophets and revelation, and a light seemed to flick on in his eyes. :)

We did a lot more projects! Which was kind of cool! Do you remember how I said we did Haitian Creole audio recording so we could put it to the videos we have? Well we met up with the Haitianaries this week (that's what we call the Haitian missionaries) Elder Walker and Elder Rice. We all sat down, and together we were able to match up the recordings, piece by piece, to the videos! And when they left I was able to cut and loop and match music tracks to the videos. Now we have two, almost three, COMPLETE Haitian videos. Powerful ones, 100% developed in the MBM. Isn't that so cool??? I'll see if I can send out the English version and the Haitian version of one of them, so you can see what I'm talking about. It's called Christ's Church, and it's the best one ever done. President Packard thought of the whole script in a dream, and it's his voice speaking in the English version. (Missionary friends, feel free to use this video!!! Greatest Restoration in a nutshell I've ever seen!) Anyway, when we finish all of the videos, we'll be able to start attending Haitian events and running Haitian Open Houses! :) :) :)

Oh, and there was a Regional Broadcast for the North-Eastern US on Sunday, streaming from Salt Lake! It was really cool! Elder Hales and Elder Anderson spoke to us, and somehow it seemed much more personal than General Conference. We're so blessed to be able to uplift and strengthen each other from such distances.

I hope you all know how much I love the gospel. I'm so grateful to be here on a mission. And even though I'm not doing typical missionary work, everything I do is still centered on bringing others to Christ. That has made all of the difference, and I wouldn't trade my experiences here for the world. I've changed so much. I hardly recognize who I was, and I hope I can keep changing through my Savior and His teachings. I am a witness that the Atonement is real; I am a witness that Christ lives. And that's the best news in the world.

I love you all. You're in my prayers and heart.

Love,
Sister Merkley
MBM PVC Missionary