A rotten incident but Elder Merrill stays focused

August 5, 2013
Well, it's a rough week for Elder Merrill as his apartment is broken into. It is hard as the Mom not to be very indignant on behalf of this awesome young man and his three companions. He is safe though and that is really what matters. He is our treasure and we value him above any earthly item. 

Uhhh, well, it could be really bad news, but it´s just a bit for now.  Somebody robbed me again. But not just me, the other elders too. And it wasn´t in the street or anything, they robbed the house while we were all out. And....they stole 2 things from me. The first is my camera. I have a lot of pictures still because the memory card that was in the camera was new. It only had about 50 or so photos. But now I don´t have a camera. The other thing they stole was my suitcase. Yeah, like, the whole suitcase. I came to Argentina with 2 big green suitcases and now I only have 1. Sooo....kind of a bummer. The suitcase was filled with clothes, clothes and more clothes. funny enough, it was the clothes that I don´t wear on a regular basis, souvenirs and P-day clothes. I have 4 shirts, 4 pants, and a pair of jeans and a normal shirt, and all my ties, but that´s ALL I have. But like I said, it was filled with clothes that I don´t need. The only thing that I think I´ll need is another suitcase, because I don´t think all the things I have will fit into just one. I don´t need a big one, just a small-medium sized one. 

            But that´s that. Also, we didn´t get P-day today because President decided that he wanted to have a zone conference with us today, so we were with him for all of today in a meeting. It was good and all, but....P-day is a day to get stuff done like laundry and clean the house, and also take a small breather from the work.  Now I have to wait another week for P-day.  :(  

           Don´t worry though. Despite all this my spirits are high. You asked a bit about my investigators, and the truth of it is that we´ve had a lot of success with this last week, and the work goes pretty good here. I´m excited to be working here and I think that we´ll get a lot of stuff done this transfer. So much can change in a week so I won´t give any names or nothing, but we´ve got a bunch of work to do. So I´m content. 

               I´m way ahead of you with the money/souvenir thing and bringing it home. I thought about that when I first got here, and I´ll be sure to bring some home. Also, I´ve been able to pick up one or two neat things while I´ve been here. 

          I bet Brad was excited about the whole Howl´s Moving Castle set. I hope that he had a good birthday.  Mine is coming up in 2 months and I can hardly wait really. I´ll write you next week with my wish list for my birthday package. I STILL have the card that says  ´´don´t open this card until your 21st birthday.´´  It´s driving me slightly mad, but overall, I try to push it out of my mind and focus on the now. 

            Kyle told me about the Boombox deal. I bet putting it together with a cat in the room WOULD be pretty hard. I wonder what it´s looks like when it´s done? 

         Hey, no worries about the whole robbery thing, I´m doing good and we´re looking into finding a new house. I´ll let you know what happens next week and just know that I´m always thinking about and praying for you and the family. I sure love you lots and I´ll be around for a couple of minutes. See ya around!!

                                         -Elder Ethan Merrill

Monday's blessing: A chance to chat with Elder Merrill

July 29 ~ saying hi to Elder Merrill as we email notes – what a great part of my day!

Mom: Hi son!!!! Just letting you know I'm here and going to read your letter. SURE LOVE YOU!!!! :) Love Mom

Elder Merrill: Heya, just got finished writing my mission president, I´m gonna write Kyle and Dad and then I´ll write you back. Love you!  -me

Mom: Hello again son! Boy, you write such good letters, I love them! I am glad you are doing well. What day do you find out about transfers? Here, the missionaries are told on Sunday and then leave on Tuesday.  But they don't get any exciting bus adventures like you do!

Yep, the monsoons seems to be leaving which means back up in the 100's for us this week. It will stay hot for August, we will see what September brings!

Well, I never really had you sign up for classes because I thought you would be gone before the semester ended in December, so that's no worry. Based on when you get back, you would probably get a job first and then figure out classes for the fall semester. You will have plenty of time when you are home to get all of that in order.

Do you like seeing Elder Templeton again? He wasn't your actual companion, just part of your apartment group, is that right? I see your next note, yep, you just write other people and I'll take whatever time I can if you have time left over, no worries!

I just want you to know that I love you very much! It is such a treat to get your letters and hear how you are doing. Tell us about your investigators if you have time today. LOVE YA! Mom

Elder Merrill:  Thanks, I try to cover every topic or question that you have, so just remember that if you have any questions, I´ll probably be able to answer them.   Hmm, monsoons. I miss those. You can curl up with some toast and some movie or video game and enjoy the fact that you´re not outside. On the mission, you gotta leave if it´s not raining TOO hard. It gets a little crazy sometimes.  Yeah, the job first sounds like a good idea, I hope that I can get one soon, I don´t know the state of the economy, but if it’s the same when I left, it seems difficult to me. 

  Yep, I liked seeing Elder Templeton. It´s fun seeing people you already know, you can swap stories and find out things that you already know.  Well, just know that things are going good here. Life is fun for now, but when the heat comes again, that´s when I start to get worried. I hate the heat. At least on the mission.  How’s life back home with Kyle and Stuart? Any new adventures with them?

Mom: Yes, I agree about the best part of monsoons is being all snug inside and watching a movie or something like that. Kyle has been showing Kelsey all the Last Air Bender Episodes and Legend of Korra as she has never seen them before. Can you believe there is still no time frame for book two for the Legend of Korra! Sheesh! I bet it isn't ready when Kyle leaves for his mission!

I think you will do fine getting a job. You have a lot of experience under your belt as a missionary and you speak Spanish, those are 2 big positive things going for you. I think the economy is getting better too.

I bet it is cool seeing other missionaries again and catching up on adventures and news. So is your mission president still the same one from when you first went to Argentina or did he complete his 3 years? And when you get told about transfers, how much time do you have from when you are told to when you actually leave?

I have your birthday box about 1/2 way done, so if you want anything specific added, be sure to tell me by next week. I want to give it plenty of time to get to you. I love that you still have the card we signed before you went into the MTC. Very cool :)

What else did you guys do today for P-day? LOVE YOU!!!! :) Love Mom

Elder Merrill: That´s one of the things that I have written down, the legend of Korra. I want to see them when I get back. What do you mean by time frame? I don´t get it.  Yeah, yeah I´ll just stick to my strengths and I´ll be sure to find something. 

   I´ll write you next week on what I want in my birthday box, I made a list of a few things that I want.   I´ve had the same mission president for Argentina for all of my mission, but he started at about the same time as me.  We slept for P-day! We had to wake up at 3 in the morning to go to the terminal.   Hey, I got about time for one more, then I gotta go.

Mom: I mean they haven't given a time for when it will be finished or released. No date yet. It seems like it has been a long time since the first one came out, but Kyle says no date on the rest.  He thinks they might be making season 2 and 3 at the same time, but that is just a guess.

Wow, 3 am is an early wake up call. Were you picking up new companions? Are you staying in Quequen for another transfer then?

If you have to go now, just know that we love you dearly! We truly pray for you every day and night and we send you so much love and cheer!  You have a GREAT Week son! You are doing such a super job being focused and working steadily! Keep that up, and you will be blessed!

I am so grateful for you! :) I love you oodles son! Love Mom

Elder Merrill: Nope, still here to say good bye, but I need to go after I send this.  :(    Yeah, I´m still here in Quequen and we were picking up new elders.  I get the thing about the time frame now. Hmm.  Maybe it´ll be ready when I get back.  

     Hey, I sure love you and I´ll talk to you next week! Tell everyone I´m thinking about them! see ya!!!!       -Elder Ethan Merrill

Mom: I will tell them. LOVE you son! Say hi to your compadres! :) oxox :)

Wrapping up July 2013

July 29, 2013 ~ I can’t even describe how utterly happy I am when I see his email pop up! WOOHOO! Let’s see how Elder Merrill is doing this week:

I´m doing good. (always a good thing to hear!)  Well, things are always busy at the end of the transfer.  I have to clean the house a little, set things in order in case I go, and try to work a little harder with my investigators in case they have a new missionary to work with. It really hasn´t been cold here at all. It´s the afternoon right now and I don´t need a jacket yet. When the sun goes down, that´s when I need to put something more on. I haven´t had too many problems with the cold though, like I said. Wow, 3 monsoons?? We get rain in Argentina but that´s it. No thunder, no flooding, just wet cold rain. I don´t like days like that here in Quequen because the streets get super muddy. Well, it being the start of August means that it´s getting to be a little more colder for Tucson and here, it means that it´s getting a little more warmer. (Sadly, no, it will be in the low 100’s this week in Tucson and probably for a good part of August.)

         I´m glad that you enjoyed church. I can understand what people say during sacrament meeting and all, so I get something out of my meetings here. I´ll always try to be a representative of Jesus Christ where ever I go because I represent the people who have such strong testimonies. 

         I was actually wondering once during this week if Sparky and Hobbes got along in the house. No, huh? I remember it took the longest time before she and Blacky could be in the same room or no.

         All those people ask about me huh? Well tell them that I´m doing fine and that I´m thinking about them too. I don´t dwell on it a lot, but I do wonder how everyone is doing back home. Brad has a birthday this week then? Tell him that I said Happy Birthday! And then Kyle starts his classes for Pima soon? That´ll be interesting. I often wonder if things would be different if I had taken any classes, but I didn´t really have time or the desire because I was more focused on going on a mission. Well, we´ll see how it all goes when I get back. I´m still not sure if I want to work or go to school when I get back, maybe both, but that seems a little crazy.  

          I study the things in Preach My Gospel right now, I´m going through it page by page doing different things, I like where I´m at right now, in the attributes of Christ and why we should develop them on the mission. But I read the scriptures too. I still have my companion, Elder Bernel. There are also 2 new elders in the house here, Elder Templeton, who I lived with before in Carlos Casares, and Elder Solares, who was in the same zone as me.          

     I was going to say, I don´t really have anything new to report, everything is basically the same. I hope that things are the same back home. I´m still here, doing good, doing what I can.  Let me know if you have any questions about how life is for me, but just know that everything is going good for me. 

        Well, that´s about it for me, I´ll still be here and I hope that your day is going good, I love you lots and know that I´m always thinking about you and the family! See ya later! Bye! 

                                        -Elder Ethan Merrill    

I haven't seen the sun in 4 days!

July 22, 2013 ~ Elder Merrill is experiencing a lot of winter rains and the mud that comes with it. After going to the Mormon Battalion Historical site in San Diego and learning about the history and hardships of those faithful people, I know I am grateful he is a missionary today and not 180 years ago!

It´s true!  I´ve been working for what feels like forever in the rain and the mud! I hope that things have been better for you.....but with the Tucson heat, rain might be welcome. No worries though...I´ve been able to go out and about working with the people and all. Its been a little crazy, working in the mud though. 

          It´s still cloudy right now. They say that it´ll clear up tomorrow, but I don´t know about that. It sounds that you´ve had quite the adventure though! Hey, I´m gonna send this so you know that I´m here and all, and I´ll continue with another letter. Love you!

                            -Elder Ethan Merrill  

Still here.  Going to California seemed like a pretty crazy time! All the sights that you described and all the things you did, I bet that you had a blast. I think the most awesome thing was seeing Julia (Sister Julia Harris – Mormon Battalion/San Diego mission) on her mission. How did it happen? Was she walking in the street or something? Or did you find her on a Sunday in church? I bet it´s weird seeing her as a missionary. I know I´d be freaking out if someone I knew was here in Argentina and found me.

       I bet that the temples were pretty cool. I wonder how they look? Then off to the concert hall and the star street. I wonder if there´s anyone that I´d care to see there? With all the people there, I bet that I´d find someone that I´m a fan of.   

        I wonder how Kyle’s trip was? I bet it was pretty awesome! From the photos, it looks like he spent some of the time doing water activities on the sea and the other time on land doing other fun actives like caving. And now he´s spending time with James and Jared huh? I´m JEALOUS, but that´s alright. 6 months isn´t much time to wait really. Well, more like 6 and a half I guess. Tell Kyle good luck with college and all. 

      Dad told me a little about the temple (Raleigh, NC temple). I do like to see all the different temples. For how big and grand they appear, I think we only ever see about half of what’s inside I think. I wonder what´s in the other parts? The one in Provo has a lunch room.        

     Thanks for always sending me support! Letters keep me going and all. Speaking of letters, birthday´s in 2 months basically! That´s crazy!    I´ll be 21! And I still have that letter that you sent me off with saying on the front: ´´Don´t open until your 21st birthday.´´ It´s driving me mad not being able to open it! Well, I´ve waited this long, I can wait a little longer. I´ll send you details in what I want in my birthday package if you feel like sending me one.

         Hey that´s all for now, I´ll let you read this and then I have to write dad a quick something and then I´ll be free. I love you lots! bye!!!  -Elder Ethan Merrill

Brief email exchange with Elder Merrill today:

Mom: Hello sweetheart! You keep writing your other letters, I just wanted to let you know I'm here to "chat" when you are done! LOVE YOU!!!!   Love Mom

Elder Merrill: wow...that´s pretty crazy still that you got to talk to Sis. Harris. I wondered how her mission was. Some people get that assignment as missionaries, they work at the temple or a historical site. There are missionaries that spend all of their mission in the MTC! (that would drive me nuts.) 

     So, you work in relief society now? That should be fun. I didn´t know how being a teacher would be in the mission, but I just started one day, worked on becoming fluent with teaching the lessons and soon enough, you become better and get used to teaching. Well, like I say, it´s all with time. Hey, I´m sorry we didn´t have much time to ´´chat´´ but I gotta go.  :(   I miss you and the family and know that I´m always thinking of you! Love you lots! Bye!

 p.s.   I´ll give you the details of my package in the middle of August or something, I gotta think of some stuff.       -Elder Ethan Merrill

Mom: LOVE YOU! Have a great week son! oxox Love Mom