(mondays letter) Howdy Yall!! Holy smokes life is good. not on the outside but i am just so happy :) life is not the best it has ever been, we are not having the most success i have ever had, but i am trying to STRYVE (Sincerely, TRY, Very, Enthusiastically) for my potentail, being exactly obedient and the Lord is blessing me with happiness. I love to smile now! It makes me laugh to just smile at people haha especially when riding a bike in the rain or in 38 degrees haha i feel so stupid but i love it! ALL OF IT! the challenges make it the more rewarding. yesterday we were riding our bikes to the far side of our area and the wind was really ripping thru making it hard to move forward. as i came over the crest of the hill i was pounded by some big gusts that nearly stopped me on the bike....i looked down, shocked at the strength of the wind and then Helaman 5:12 came to mind. How satan will send forth his mighty winds, then i looked up and smiled because my progress had only been hindered but not completely stopped, and i could continue so long as i was to keep peddling, keep pushing along. it was such a simple powerful testimony builder to me that Satan is always trying to get us to give in and stop cuz it is too hard but it is up to us to just keep going and cuz of Christs mercy and grace we will always have the strength to push forward never stopping our progression. My understanding is growing so much and the best part for me is seeing the scriptures come to life in my own life. so many applications and too much to get out of the book of mormon. the best decision i have made this transfer was to start fresh with a new Preach My Gospel and New Scriptures! Clean sets that are ready and waiting to help the lord teach and bring to light new things and perspectives in my life! I love the truth that God has offered us in so many outlets in these the last days! but that is why i am so happy. like 2 Nephi 2:27, Adam fell that man might be, and men are that they might have JOY, true and eternal JOY! happiness is great but it is not good enough for me anymore haha i have received a taste of what Gods joy feels like and that is worth all the sacrifice and changes He requires of us!! :) Sorry for the soap box. i seem to do that alot for some odd reason :) haha this week was really good. like you both said the dinner with the Cowleys parents was crazy!! we got in the car and it started with the normal new missionary questions and when they asked where i was from i said Colorado but not originally, and left it at that. then he said, yeah, youre from thousand oaks huh? my mind exploded. i was so shocked and looked at elder mousley to see if he had told him that. he didnt know anything. then he rattled off all this stuff that no one in texas would know. the whole time my mind is spinning trying to figure out why i should know these people or why they should know me haha fact after fact, the one that really did me in was when he asked if my mom was the first, second or third heather merrill in our family haha i was tripping out! haha i thought and thought and then it hit me. Elder mousley had told me about this guys gun collection and the twins told me about their grandpa in texas that had a lot of guns so i just threw the guess out there and struck gold haha it was a fun evening the rest of the night talking to them and everything! :) crazy surprise and even crazier when i thought about the chance reason i am here in this area was cuz of a snow storm and last minute transfer change! it sounds like dad had fun playing Joseph Smith for primary. i too love the first vision! i recieved some amazing insight into that too. when i share that experience it is always so powerful. one day we were talking about how the things we experience ourselves, personal testimony, are some of the most powerful things we have to share and feel of! so i had the thought to wonder who all was really there in the sacred grove that day with those three??? i am not sure, but i can assure you if had the chance i would have been all over it. but regardless it is such a powerful experience!!! yesterday was such a good day at church for me too. i spoke in sacrament meeting. it was a shorty and i think it is funny how hard it is to keep talks short. a scripture, story and testimony is an easy 10 minutes haha but it was about missionary work and how we are to seek after the one in order to feed the Lords sheep! then the classes were really good. not to sure of what was taught by the teachers but as we flipped thru the scriptures my pen was flying to catch all thoughts and impressions that went thru my head!! so much spirit as we talked about the atonement and grace of Jesus Christ!!! i love it all so much. they are such deep topics which leaves so much for us to seek out and find ourselves! I LOVE IT!!!!! :) i cant believe that Dillon Ludlow is almost home! that is so scary cuz i am not far behind that! it is really weird to think about. especially in this area haha planes fly over head every 5-10 minutes here cuz the airport is just south of it and some are dreaming about going home. i dont understand! i love it here! this is heaven. i want to see family and friends and start life, but i dont want to leave this! it is good though cuz every plane that goes by now is more fuel in the tank to push through the hard times!!! :) and tambre is getting married?!?! that is so crazy!!! congrats to her that is so awesome. i will have to drop her a line! that is so exciting but super weird to hear about haha we have a dozen or so missionaries that have gone home from here and now we are hearing they are getting engaged and married!!! that is insane! i do love weddings tho! especially when they are followed by baptism the week after haha but temple marriages are good too ;) haha good for her though! that is awesome! as far as school... i have been giving it a lot of thought and prayer in all my free-time and i think the plan right now is to go to BYUI to start. i feel there is opportunity to get started right away and for cheaper. this will get me going right out of the gates. i dont want to get sucked into work and not going to school. i will possibly look to transfer cuz i still want to play ball. but going there will give me time to look around and see what i can do while getting my grades up to where they should have been my junior and senior year haha shot myself in the foot there! stupid laziness :) haha after a 3 year break though i think i am ready for more school :) well time is running out today. not much to report on. working with A LOT of less-actives and part-members and making some headway with some of them. we have a date set now for late next month! but that is still in the works seeing as how i have not yet met this investigator cuz she has been out of town the whole time haha have a blessed week and know i am praying for yall! seek the lords counsel always and act on the promptings he gives. put him first in everything and it will always work out!!! read and pray everyday and smile all the way!! :) Love Elder Merrill
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 21:58:35 +0000
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