Jun 17, 2013

I got the Trewartha's mail, and I got your package, thanks for that it was amazing and I will live off of its contents for weeks.  Slim Jims were a great idea, good stuff. So thanks, Tell them I tried the donor kabob and it was awesome!

Thanks again
Elder Merrill

Dearest Family,

It’s been an interesting week in Stranraer, our investigators Ann and John have had issues keeping commitments and showing effort, so we have had to drop them.  It’s a bummer, as they were doing so well and have had great spiritual witnesses accompanying their lessons.  We had an investigator at church yesterday, which was fantastic.  It’s funny to say it but she was pretty much over fellowshipped.  That sounds impossible, but the second she walked in every member walked over with smiles and hugs and welcomed her, knew her name, and showed true love for her as a visitor and friend.  It was an amazing experience, not something you’d see in a larger branch, and it definitely brought a smile to my face.  My joy increases as we plant more and more seeds of light within our area, the progress is slow, but it’s happening.  We've increased our branch attendance with less actives and investigators, and although the increase is slow, it makes a difference in such a small place.  I love Stranraer and the people here, it has many problems, probably more than most, but it’s just an awesome place and everyone’s family.
I believe it hit 70 degrees this week, that was great.  It’s still raining a lot.  Scotland.
Today, after email, were driving up to Ayr, then to Glascow for our Pday, that should be fun.  Being banished, we don’t see many other missionaries on Pday when were local, so were making our last Pday a party.  It’s going to be great; we will probably play some form of game with the Elders and Sisters in Glascow.  It’s the biggest city in the UK, so it should be fun.
I love you all, and hope you’re doing well. 
Elder Merrill

Oh yes and one more thing,

We've recently started teaching a Czech man named Martin, when we taught him the Restoration; we have to use a translation app on his cell phone.  We speak back and forth through this device.  He's got a baptismal date set for a month or so from now.  At the end of our lessons, I pray into the phone, and then he reads it.  It’s very difficult trying to get him to understand things, as he doesn’t know what God is, or prayer, or the Bible.  So it’s like teaching a deaf person, who doesn’t know that he's deaf.  Pretty interesting, he is great.  Pretty golden, less than a month ago he was rich, had a wife and a good job.  Since then, he had lost everything, including money, his home, his wife (divorce), and his job.  He has nothing, and has been humbled to receive our message.   When we first met him, he exclaimed to us that he had been taking his resume around to every business in Stranraer.  He was very upset as no one had called him.  I asked him if we could have his phone number and if I could see his resume.  He gave one to me, and as I read my mind was pretty much blown.  The guy is a genius, speaks 6 languages and has attended lots of school.  I pondered how it was possible that he didn’t have a job, when I read the number off the top of the paper, and put it into our phone, I called the number so that he could have our phone number.  He looked at his phone waiting for it to ring.  Nothing happened.  I called again, no ring.  Puzzled, we checked several things that could be wrong with either of our phones.   Nothing was wrong.  After looking more carefully we discovered he had put the wrong number on his resume, of which thirty had been passed around the town.  First he expressed frustration, but it soon turned to hope and we saw his upset face turn into a smile and then a laugh.  He expressed great gratitude to us for helping him find his mistake; he then changed the number and redistributed the paper throughout the town. It was great lesson, and tells us of the importance of checking and double checking important information.  I am sure this could be related to the gospel.  May we pay close attention to the small and simple things in life that can make a huge difference.  To all of you an amazing week, I love you and miss you all.
Till next week,

 

Elder Merrill