Quiet Week in Bolivar

On our local radio station they have this silly song they sing on Fridays ~ "Friday, Friday, Friday is my favorite day...~ but for me, it's Mondays when we get our next letter from Elder Ethan Merrill. Woohoo! First, a weather update:
 Hey there! Happy December!! Nothing really new here besides a new month though.  There was a crazy storm yesterday! There was rain and thunder like you wouldn't believe! I couldn't believe how much of a storm we were getting!

Then we had asked if they had any decorations to put for the holiday:
 Lol, we did put up some Christmas decorations of our own. It's a tree about a foot high and with some decorations hanging on it.  It's so hard to get into the Christmas Spirit without the cold.  But I imagine it would be hard for the people in Argentina to get into the Christmas spirit without the heat!  Thanks for sending me the box {please let it get there!!!! some goodies and of course a new tie for Christmas, lol}.  Thank Sis. Brandt for the $20!

We had told him that several of Dad's co-workers had been laid off but that his bosses has told him he would stay because of his great ability to do multiple jobs, get along with others and work diligently.  I said those were qualities I often saw in Elder Merrill as well:
I'm happy that dad is keeping his job. If I have any of those traits, it's because he taught them to me.  I try to be a good companion and not get frustrated, even if they do things that tick me off sometimes. I try to focus on the good things really. Patience really is a helpful attribute with the mission.
I promise to work hard always! This week has been a little rough for us...plans fallen through and stuff like that...but I try to stay positive. I pray for you guys every day and even though I won't be home for Christmas, I'm always thinking of you!               Elder Ethan Merrill

As always son, you will be in our prayers and hearts constantly! Still my hero!

Wrapping up November 2012

So we are winding down the month of November and waiting to here how Elder Merrill's week has gone.  Here is part of his letter from Nov. 26th:

 I'm good here! I'm trying a new way to write you guys letters at this website.  It's a new thing, so I can read the letter you sent and write you one at the same time.  I hope things have been going good for you.  I know it's probably a little weird with me away from home and Jess & Brad being married, but just know that I am with you guys in spirit!

I have no idea what I'm gonna do for Christmas...we may just stay inside, eat and tell stories.  Or go to the park, I don't know.  What I wouldn't do for some cool weather.  I think I am more used to the heat now but it's so wei rd to have Christmas in the summer.

We had asked in our last letter what they did on Thanksgiving:

We didn't do much for thanksgiving, it was a normal day really.  I'm fine with that, it's not like everyone else was celebrating the holiday because it doesn't exist here.  We (the missionaries) didn't have the day off.  The Argentines have today off though but that means that most of the places we would go to write mail were closed.  We just barely found a place to write you today!

We asked about the people they were working with too and how that was going:

Our investigators are doing good! We have a commitment with one to stop smoking by the beginning of Christmas. That will be a nice Christmas gift, if we can have a baptism!  With all the others, it's just teaching them still step by step.
I can't believe that Heather ( a girl from school/seminary we know) got her mission call to Argentina! (The Salta mission).  And everyone else getting ready to go out on there missions too! Thanks for always telling me about how life is back home. You always have good words to keep me going and I love you all! Bye

Elder Merrill, I assure you, you uplift and inspire us and we love you dearly! We are glad to here that he is doing well physically and spiritually. 

Thanksgiving Week Part II - Unexpected Surprise

So I just happened to be upstairs at the computer on Monday when Elder Ethan Merrill's latest email popped up. So quick as a wink, I sent off a little reply, just in case he happened to still be logged in.  Here is the following exchange:

Mom: - Hi son!!! Your email just popped up so I'm gonna say HI and WE LOVE YOU!!! And have a GREAT WEEK!!!  love you lots! :) Mom

Elder Merrill -  LOVE YOU TOO! HAVE AN AWESOME WEEK!

Mom - HOORAY!!! I will stop after this one because I know your time is limited, but it is totally AWESOME that we just happen to be on the computer at the same time! Good luck with your investigators this week and know that we are always keeping you in our hearts!  I'll have to take a picture of cardboard Elder Merrill with us this week, I haven't done that since the wedding, lol.  Take care son, we do love you so very much! oxox Love, Mom

Elder Merrill - Thanks for writing me.  This is as close as it comes to a phone call on the mission.  Thanks for always writing me, it's always a boost to get me through the week.  I have to go to work soon yeah, but I want to thank you all for being such an awesome family! Remember, if you want to send me a package, send it about a month in advance of when you want me to receive it and it should come in time.  If you need the address again, I'll send it to you.  Love you Mom!

Mom - I KNOW, I love it! Yep, I am planning the next package now and hope to get it in the mail in the next week.  Thank you son for being such an awesome son and missionary.  You write us GREAT letters too and we love hearing from you.  Say hi to your comp for us and take care! Love you SO MUCH! Love Mom

Elder Merrill - Awesome!  Hmm, put some twix in there if that's ok.  I don't know how chocolate will do going to another country, but we don't exactly have candy that's normal.  Or good for that matter! But we do have oreos, so that's fun.  I like the story about Sparky, but Kyle told me that Blacky may have died. Man...at least we still have one cat left.  There are SO many dogs and cats here on the streets.

Mom - Yeah, I decided not to do chocolate because it will probably melt.  Yes, poor Blacky has been gone for almost a month so that's not good. But that is the risk of being an outdoor cat and she was never gonna be an indoor cat.  Is there another candy you like...starburst or sweet-tarts or something non-meltable? Yep, Sparky is still as crazy as ever. She REALLY likes her ice cubes and is always trying to steal mine and now, when someone gets ice from the kitchen freezer she will come running and you have to put a piece in her bowl of water. CRAZY! oxoxo

Elder Merrill - Aw. Well, that's fine.  Yeah, just whatever seems good to put in a package.  Starbursts are good but I'm not that into sweet-tarts really.  Whatever seems good to you. Send me some nerds if you can and whatever else.  Hmmm, how's Kyle doing with school and his senior year?

Mom - Ok, will definitely put somehting yummy in for you.  Do you want more PB at all? Kyle is doing really great with his grades this year, so that is good. Too many girls texting him ALL the time but overall he is doing good.  Dad just texted and said to tell you hi and he loves you too! Says stay cool and safe and thanks for your great work! Gosh, this is so COOL! What a great blessing that we are able to write like this today! Love you LOTS son!

Elder Merrill - Hey sweet! Yeah, put in some more peanut butter! Lol, that's typical with Kyle. Yeah, I'm having a small email chat with dad now too. If you want to send me one more email, I don't have much time left. Boy do I have a lot of walking to do for a P-day afternoon. I'll reply and then I'll go. Love you!

Mom - HOORAY that dad got to "talk" with you too! It's ok if you run out of time and can't answer anymore, it has just been an absolute joy to talk with you like this, an unexpected gift and one we treasure.  Hpoe your feet and shoes are holding up well, lol. Great, I will send more PB, that will be fun to do. Keep hydrated!! Enjoy your day and know that we truly do keep you in our hearts and thoughts always and that we pray for you and your companion several times a day. I love you very much son! You are MY HERO and a tremendous blessing! WOOHOO! Love you! Mom

Elder Merrill - I get to reply! I'm gonna go after this though. Thanks for always thinking of me! My shoes and thirst are both good! I am so stoked that I got to have a chat like this! I know that while I have a long way to go still, I'll see you all again at the end of it.  Have an awesome week and I'll see you again next Monday. Love to all! Bye!

Thanksgiving Week Part I

Monday is here and we are waiting to get our next note from Elder Merrill and here how the mission is going and how he is doing.  It is Thanksgiving this week and we are hoping that he is not feeling homesick but is able to feel good about his service as a missionary.  Here is his weekly update:

Hi mom! How are you? Well, like you may have figured out, nothing really too new here.  We hope to have another baptism at the end of the week, so we'll see how that goes.  I got caught in the rain two days ago and it felt pretty good after being in the heat.  It's not too hot now, but when December rolls around it might be just a little more hotter.
Yeah, we may not have a thanksgiving day here, but on that day we will see if we can go to a buffet here in town.  That will be good (but only if the food is good I suppose!).  We cleaned the apartment today because we have the zone leaders coming tomorrow, so everything needs to be all neat and tidy for that. Or more than usual I suppose.
I will miss not being able to play Halo 4 SUPER BAD! But, it will always be there when I get back. The mission is really slipping by. P-day today was over and gone so fast, I couldn't believe it! That's a good thing. How is everyone doing? I know that you all have your own things to do but it will be good to sit down as a family again and get together for the holiday.  Save a seat for me! I wish I could be there with you all but I can't right now.
Just know that I give up being with my family for 2 years so other families can be together for eternity!

I thought that last statement was the sweetest and best thing Elder Merrill has said yet! It is definitely hard for these young men and women to sacrifice their personal time and comforts and yet they do so with such willing hearts and with great faith and they develop a sincere love for the people they get to interact with and work with and teach.  It is hard for us as parents to give them up and yet we know they grow and become better people for this time. So while it is a hard thing to do, it is also a choice we rejoice in being able to make and we know we are blessed in many ways for this.  Love you son!

YESSS! NOOOOO! YESSS!!

We liked Elder Merrill's subject line from his letter this week and he explains the meaning behind it:

Hi everyone.  How are you?  As you might have sseen from the title of this e-mail, my mood is up and down.  Things are slightly more cool here.  We had some rain so that always drops the temperature, but enough about that, I have some important news!
I baptized my first investigator on Saturday, Nov. 10th! His name is Rafael, he is 19 and he is a professional ping pong player.  I had the opportunity to baptize him in the font! I'm so stoked!  I feel like things are ending but at the same time like things are just getting started.
I found out that Obama won. I wanted Romney to win and with Obama I think things won't really get much better back in the states, but I am not here to talk politics. Just a little bummed he won is all.
This week marks 8 months for me on the mission. Can you believe that! This mission is really flying by! I think the summer will go by slowly but things may pick up during the winter in May and June.  We went to the park here in Bolivar this P-day. It was fun! We took some pictures but aside from that, we just did what was normal.  Washed clothes, slept, all that stuff.
Hmm, not much new besides that really.  That is cool that you had such a good stake conference and that Stuart has a chance to work with the missionaries.  Sounds like things are just about normal.  Well, I like it when things are pretty much the same.  I am teaching a bunch of new investigators this week and they are all really solid people.  I hope that things go great for you at home!

Well Elder Merrill, things are great here because we are so happy with the great work you are doing as a missionary!  Thank you for your time and energy and efforts and may God keep you and bless you in your endeavors! Woohoo!

Warming up in the southern hemisphere

This week in Elder Merrill's letter he talks about the approach of summer and with it, the heat.  We can commiserate somewhat as it is still very warm here in Tucson but at least we have AC!

Hi ya! Yep, it's hot here! I wouldn't mind so much if I could just have some alleviation from it when I am conscious.  I'm used to the feeling of walking around in my sweat! It's uncomfortable but the days seem to go by fast, so I'm thankful for that. It's so hot that I'm having trouble typing to you all right now. My brain feels like it's melting.  December will be the worst of it so if I can get through that then the rest of the year is downhill.  It's not a dry heat, it's rather humid.  In South Carolina it was different because we had air conditioning in the house, the car and in everyone else's house but here I'm just hot all the time.

Poor Elder Merrill.  I told him to try and find some fans to buy so maybe they can rest better at night.  I'm with him though, it is so hard to do anything when it's really hot.  Bless him and his companions and all the other missionaries around the world for the physical discomforts they endure in the hopes of being able to share the gospel.  I asked Elder Merrill about the water situation there:

We can't drink out of the tap water here, so we have to buy filtered 20 liter bottles for water and we usually buy 2 of those at a time.  The water quality is so poor here, we try to avoid drinking it whenever possible.  Well enough about that. We are still working with some investigators and with everyone else too and we hope to have a baptism by the end of the week.  The daughter of a less active member is taking the discussions and we've got 2 other investigators we are working with. 

It sounds like a busy and warm week ahead for Elder Merrill.  Like his family here in Tucson, he is always happy when a rainy day shows up! Keep up the great work son and your great spirit!

A New Companion

As the end of October 2012 rolls around, we get our next letter from Elder Merrill.  I had asked him if he made a protective cover for his scriptures out of duct tape, that is sort of like an unofficial missonary sort of thing to do, to protect the scriptures as they travel by backpack for 2 years.  Here is his reply:

     How´s it going! Things are good. It's heating up, but it's also raining AGAIN today. Not hard like last week though. 

     As a matter of fact, I have made a duct tape protective case. It's silver, so it´s all good, but the other Elders tell me that it looks like a bomb, so that may or may not be a problem in the airport when I go back. Can you believe that this is almost 8 months for me completed? How crazy is that? I can remember thinking how it would be when I hit 8 months back when I had 3 months in South Carolina!

I told Elder Merrill about the trunk-or-treating we did here for Halloween at the church and how there were hotdogs and chili and cornbread and also about some of the fun costumes.

 

      I´m gonna miss going to activities; the branch I´m in here is so small that there´s very little that we can do together.  So it´s not exactly a close group of friends that meet every week for sacrament meeting. I wish I could have normal food like cornbread again.  It´s not that I mind the food here, but it´s the same thing. day. after. day. after. day. But I like it, so it´s all good I suppose. We´ll see how I feel at 16 months though. We have a primary of about 7 kids here I think, so it´s all more or less the same class for all the kids. Like I say. we´re not very big at all.

Elder Merrill also let us know that he had a new companion after transfers this week:

     I got a new companion and another elder left, so we have 2 new elders in the apartment. My companion is called Elder Formhals. They are both fun guys, so I think that Bolivar will be good this transfer. I´ll let you know more next week on how we do. I´ve known him for only 12 hours or so. But I´m here in Bolivar for another 6 weeks.

     That´s such a great goal for you to read the Pearl of Great Price! I´ve already gone through it, but I plan to go through it again in Spanish. Right now I´m going through the Book of Mormon in Spanish. I understand most of it, but there are a couple of words that I need help with sometimes. But my Spanish is loads better now.

         I had no idea about that boombox that Kyle was building! That´ll be something to see. I miss the day to day life back at home, but I try not to think on it in my off hours, I tend to get a little trunky when I do that.

        Well, I´ll see you all next week, we hope to have a baptism in Bolivar for the first time in 7 months here! I´ll let you know how it goes. see ya around!

Thank you Elder Merrill for another great update on your mission! We pray for you always and love you very much!