Catching up with Elder Merrill's News

So Mom and Dad have been traveling around and thus it is time to update the blog on what our awesome Elder Ethan Merrill has been up to.  Here's news from the past few weeks:

Sept. 24th and a humorous little story:

So you wrote me this week´s letter in Utah? That´s pretty crazy! Wish Uncle Roland a happy birthday from me. I don´t know what the plan is with you and dad traveling all over the place, but whenever you write me a letter is fine. If you can´t, or forget, you´ll be home in 2 weeks and that´s when I can expect a weekly letter again. but, you should be able to write me right? Things are about the same here. [The weather is]opposite of you, things are beginning to warm up here. I know that sounds totally weird, but it feels normal to me. When it´s December and in the middle of summer though, I´ll let you know if it still feels normal. I forgot to tell you but the idea where you send me money for my birthday sounds great to me. I´ll just go and pick it up off my debit card and spend it on whatever. I can´t believe that in 2 weeks it will be my 20th birthday. Craaaaazy! This mission really is flying by for me.

           Nothing really new here. I do have a funny story though. I was at the park having lunch with the other missionaries and a member. I was playing with the kid of the member on a playground when I got really dizzy and tired from a merry-go-round. I sat back down at the lunch table and the kid wanted me to get back up and play with him on the playground. I said, ¨No I´m feeling too tired to play right now.¨  So I am sitting there slightly lifeless looking, and the kid goes up to his dad and says,  ¨se apagó¨  which translated means ¨he turned off.¨

So while I was visiting my brother Roland in Utah, to surprise him for his 50th birthday, Elder's Merrill dad was in Tacoma, Washington. He was teaching a class to a group of Army personal at Lewis/McCord. I joined him there so we could go to the Seattle Temple on my birthday, as we had been sealed there on my birthday 24 years earlier. We were both still able to write Elder Merrill as we knew how important those letters from home can be.

Oct. 1st and a little bit about life in Bolivar:

Happy birthday Mom! Well, late birthday anyway, but I was thinking about you on the 29th! I have already got 2 or 3 presents for you guys. I keep picking up something from everywhere that I visit. I hope that you are having fun in Washington! nothing new here to say really, I hope that you all have had a good week with your friends, I am just doing the same thing really. One more week and then I have a birthday! How crazy is that? 20 years! I can´t wait for it! I still have those 2 letters you sent with me too. The ones that say that I have to wait until my birthday to open.

      Nothing is really new here. Thanks for sending me the letter this week. You said that people that don´t have faith have more challenges and struggles because they don´t have hope. That really helps me understand people here a little more. I know that you guys are always behind me and I can´t tell you how much that means to me!

        I´m in a place where you can use computers and music is playing from the ceiling. Music from the states are popular here funnily enough. I´ve heard ´´party rock anthem´´  ´´ so, you had a bad day´´and  ´´girls just wanna have fun´´ all in a row now. I´m always shocked to see how much an American influence there is here. I´m in high health and spirits, so don´t worry about me, I just take this one day at a time and I can hardly believe how fast this mission goes by. 

          I´ll keep a lookout for that birthday package! I don´t want many packages from home since the mailing system is so sketchy here, So no worries, I´m totally content with e-mails and money for things like my birthday and Christmas and thanksgiving, stuff like that.

            I am gonna have to leave soon, I have to go to work right after this, I love you all!  (p.s. owl city just came on. he´s my favorite artist.)

It's a real delight to get these letters from Elder Merrill and to hear about his everyday experiences and thoughts. We miss him so dearly but we know he is happy and well and enjoying being a missionary, so we don't mind sharing for him for a season.