My yoke is easy and my burden is light

9/1/14 

WELL HI THERE!

This week was pretty interesting.

My companion told me "You’re from the united states right?"

I told him Ya...Why?

He then asked the Backstreet Boys are from the United States, right?

I said Ya...why?

He then said "So you’ve probably seen the Backstreet Boys in the streets a lot right?

Oh... how badly I wish that were true.

We went in a trio and had some real sweet lessons.

I saw sun for the first time in a week.

I think the house is haunted.

We woke up to the fire alarm going off, the cell phone has alarms that go off at random times, and my companion saw a bag full of bread throw itself.  Just the works.

Talking about the haunted house.  We found a man this week named Argentino (interesting name right? its like naming a kid America... I kinda like it...) and we started talking to him and taught him a lesson.  I think that of all of the lessons that I have taught in my mission, teaching him was one of the easiest and fastest lessons I have taught.

He then told us some crazy stories that he has had with haunted stuff.

But he is great so I was super super stoked about that.

He was telling us about how when he had a strong relationship with God he was happier and that the burdens of life weren’t so heavy.  

I feel the same way at this time.  God is guiding us and helping us to what we need. Like he said, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I love you all and I hope that everything is going well.

Have a great week and I will talk to you soon

Love

Elder Merkley

Took One For The Team

9/12/14

I’m kinda dizzy. Just kidding but really.  This morning I went and donated blood because there are like 5 missionaries with dangue so I took one for the team and gave my blood to my last comp Elder Castañeda. We had to go to a Concilio on Martes for all the leaders but nothing really got done. But we all voted on changing the time to wake up at 6:30 again so that was a good change.  Before it was 6:10 because the last president wanted us to wake up and read. I also ate some really tasty food so it was worth it. We did divisions and I stayed in our area. Elder Larson from St. George came with me and I got lost a couple of times but I’m starting to learn the area.

Here´s the awkward story for the week. On Sunday an ex-missionary brought his girlfriend to church. She’s way cool and she’s way receptive to the gospel. When church ended and we were saying good bye and what not to everyone, I went to shake her hand and she moved in for the cheek kiss. (Here in Mexico they try and be like the Spaniards and give the cheek goodbye kiss to everyone.) I totally rejected her and felt kinda bad because it was her first time to church and didn’t know anything about missionaries/the church and she felt way dumb because it was in front of everyone.  Ooops. On the bright side the sister missionaries are going to go visit her this week.

Elder Kimball

Warm Toesies by the Fire

8/25/14 

Well this week I put a goal to write something good everyday cause I remembered something that my good ol buddy dannyboy kimball said that there is something worthy of writing every day.

So anyways this week I have quite a bit of things to write.

First look up Pablito Ruiz.  I don’t know who he is but I heard some of his music that I liked.

We were a bit tired this week and we saw a guy in the street selling churros.  So we walked over and while we were buying churros in the street this grandma came up to us and told us that she always wanted to talk to us but could never catch us.  Interesting that even the big man works through us when we are eating.  That’s my kind of missionary work!

Anyways the guy that we were buying the churros from told us that the Pope is mixing all religions in one and calling it "Christlam."  I’m curious now.  Is it the truth?  Can somebody get me a follow up with that?

A member invited us for dinner for one of the first times in a good long time:)  I felt like a little kid going to Disneyland.

An investigador and us were talking when we saw that he had a telescope.  We commented on it and then he told us "I don’t use it much I can lend it to you if you want.” Let’s just say that you don’t have to invite me twice.  We were so excited to use it that night but out of nowhere clouds came in and started raining for the next week so we get a good ol view of black clouds. Every night... and nothing else. CURSE YOU CLOUDS!!

It rained all week so some investigadores invited us to some Pero (moms drink) and to take off our socks and shoes and then teach them with our little toesies by the fire.

Today we went to the activity of the Zone.  Since it was raining, what did we do?  Play signs for 5 hours.  Was it 5 hours of pure fun?  You bet.

Also talking about the actividad.  There was a little post thing that I tried doing a 180 on. Did I fall? Yes.  

Did I go for redemption? Yes.

Did I fall again? Yes

After that I don’t know what was going on but I fell another 2 times trying to run in the church.  I’m just gonna blame my shoes....

Another time we were going to a lesson with an investigador but while my companion and I were chatting the day away on the bikes we rode past her house... for 30 minutes... when we realized that we were in the wrong place. Another investigador called us and told us that he saw us pass by just barely and asked us if we could turn around and help him out.

We were a little bit hesitant but in the end we turned around and helped him carry 20 liters of water to his house cause they didn’t have any water.

So we started going back to the investigadors house and we tried calling them to say sorry that we were so late but then when we got there was a little paper saying "sorry we had to leave at noon and we will be getting back later but we don’t know when.  Call us to reschedule another appointment."  

When we read that we were a little bit bummed but at the same time relived cause we weren’t late and we helped a friend.  And then just as we were about to leave they pulled into the house!  

In the end we talked with them for like 20 minutes and then we prayed with them.  Even though we didn’t get too much done we still got to see them and then pray with them.  It’s interesting that God will guide us for the best even when we make some mistakes.

The big man is willing to help us and forgive us when we make bad decisions and guide us to a better path.  Read 2 Nephi 22:2.  It reminded me about this week.

I love you all.  I hope that you have a great week and I will write you again soon.

LOVE

Elder Merkley

Cleaning the Font

7/14/14

Hi. 

On Tuesday we were contacting to try and find some new investigators.
We found these teenagers playing the guitar and bass way too loud inside
their house so we went over to investigate. We started to play a little
with them and it turns out they are those Christians who rock out at church
haha. But they were so dang weird. Their dad (who was even wierder) walked
in and started playing with them and singing his song that went about like
this “Oh Jesus, baby Jesus, you are my are my light. Oh Jesus bring us peace
and light.“  It was just the funniest thing and they just went on and on. I
don’t know how the heck anyone can take them serious.  

Not much else happened until Sunday. On Sunday the sisters had a baptism. 

Of course they didn’t clean the baptismal font so they dumped the load on us during the
third hour of church. The baptismal font here is pretty dang sucky because
a ton of insects live in the drain. So after we got it all clean we started
to fill it up with water and out came a huge spider, a cockroach, and like
ten million centipedes. So after the font was all filled up I had to get a
rake and rake all the dang things out. The service was about to start and a
bunch of people were waiting. Way luckily the curtain thing was closed to
the font because I was behind it with one foot on the edge of were the
glass fence thing is and the other way behind where the steps begin with a
rake trying to rake those wretched fools out. Just as I finished my foot
slipped out behind me and I basically baptized myself haha. I can only
image the huge splash everyone heard when I fell in. Luckily somehow again
my phone made it out alive and the kid got baptized in clean water, for the
most part. The best part was that I walked out behind and went through the
entrance and no one could even tell I was wet haha. It’s really humid here.
And I was dry by the time I left the church. Well take care.

Love you guys a ton—

Elder Kimball

A Little War. We Won a Battle.

8/10/14 

Hello Miami!

Well this week... Was completely dead... haha. there weren’t really to many people at home so we did some good old talkin to some peeps in the street.  We ended up talking to 75 people who told us that we could pass by another day, woo!

This week was kinda like a little war.

We got a good 20 kilometros patrolling the area daily.

People yelled at us.

We went to a lesson and then when we entered there were a bunch of Evangelistas waiting to ambush us and tell us how our church was wrong.  As we tried to keep our calm I told them " hey we aren’t here to fight... I know that our church is true..." And then the real battle started.

People accused us of being in the CIA and interrogated us.  Luckily it passed.

We went through the sun, rain, fog, and wind. 

And then we won a battle.

This week for the first time in over 5 years we had the first sacramental in San Clemente.  The Lord is preparing people here to bring the church in.  We just have to keep going on he says, "suffer with patience and I will give you the success." and so... that is what I shall do.

I love you all.  I hope you have a great week and I will talk to you soon.

Love,

Elder Merkley