Funny things from our Mothers Day phone call!

Mothers Day call!

He looked great and was so happy to see us.  A couple of funny things..

We asked him if he was singing in sacrament? (not something he loved before)  and he said, “of course, if I didn’t that would be 1/18^th of us not singing and that makes a difference!”

Who is your new hairstylist since your mom isn’t there?  he said,“It’s me!  Do you like it?  I cut it a little short and got a little bald spot but it is growing back and I think it looks pretty good!”

How is your bed?  He said, “That is a funny story.  We had to set everything up and my bed was so uncomfortable but I just chalked it off to bad beds on a mission.  (his bed at home is pretty awesome – we spoiled him) He said he told his companion his back was killing him but his companion would just say…they are the exact same!  Finally, Tanner jokingly fell down onto E. Tinsley bed during the day and said wow your bed is seriously so much better than mine!  Elder Tinsley tried Tanners and said, “Ouch that hurts.”  They took off the bedding and realized that Tanner had put the coil sides up and was sleeping with coils in his back!  So funny we couldn’t stop laughing.  Oh the things you learn on your own!

 

I wrote this poem in the MTC!

Dear Family,

I wrote this in the MTC.

By word and by sword
with God at their side
young men walk the Earth
where darkness presides.

By trial and error
they share what they know
with all eagles above
and all creatures below.

So as day by day
they raised up their heads
they looked round about
and the darkness had fled.

The dark was replaced
and though it gave fight
the men with black name tags
destroyed it with light.

By Elder Tanner Merrill


Every Elder in my District had me write it in their Journals.  Thought you'd all like it.  I hope everything is well with you all.  I love you.  You are in my thoughts and prayers, everyone of you.

Elder Merrill

Letter to his Sister!

Letter to his sister with good advise: 

Sydnee,

Life is good and the work is hard but I’m getting along.  It’s a blast serving a mission and I love it, such an interesting life.  It’s so good to hear your doing well and that you are making good decisions, nothing makes me happier than to see my sister still waxing strong in her faith.  The priesthood can be as much a blessing to you, just as it is to me or dad, seek out the righteous and lovely things in life and you’ll find it.  You get what you go for. Remember that.   I love you and miss you so much, rely on the spirit to guide you.  Listen, always listen.  Love you so much!

 

 

 

 

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

Hello Family,

It’s so good to get messages from you all.  I miss you, and I can’t wait to see what the house looks like when I get back.  Who knows what mom has in store for it.  How is the weather?  It got up to 27 C here one day, that’s around 75 Fahrenheit.  Not too bad, when it’s sunny the whole place lights up and there are a good 4x as many people about.  That, and it’s a lot more beautiful when the suns out. 

We try our best to work with the members, but it’s difficult because of the very few numbers.  So we rely on working with less actives, referrals, and former investigators.  Since we are the first missionaries here in years, there are many less actives and former investigators.  We have several people we are working with specifically, but only one progressing at the moment.  Our biggest issue is getting our investigators to church; some are progressing wonderfully with all of their commitments except church.  Our best investigator, Gordon, lives 25 miles away and doesn’t have a car, so he will come by bus next week.  John, our favorite because of the funny things he says and does, like pouring coffee in the trash bin and offering us weird foods, is stuck in the mud because he can’t get himself to church, it’s a difficult issue to overcome.  We have just gotten so far with John that whenever he dodges appointments or misses church, we do what’s called “John Recon”, and drive around Stranraer looking for him, it sounds extreme but we usually find him, speak to him and everything’s good again.  He's just got social issues, mostly his family not being too keen on Mormons.  We’re working on it.

Moves (transfer) call in on the 23rd, and even though it’s at least a 60 % chance I’m staying in Stranraer, it’s still an interesting time, and the Lord is sometimes unpredictable in these things. We shall see.

Still love it here, the people are like jars of peaches stored in food storage for years, you may have to push and pull at the lid, and you may drop some, but the few you can get open are sweet.  Bad analogy, the people are tough, but nice and love to learn.  Something about this place, a lot of people can’t read, or can’t read well, and have a very, very hard time understanding the Book of Mormon or anything more complicated than see spot run.  But I love it, it’s still beautiful.

From Whithorn, the bottom tip of Scotland, more the Isle of Whithorn I can see the Isle of Mann.  I love motorbike races; the roads here are all really long and windy, perfect for anyone wanting a good race track for anything nimble.  Not exactly a Vauxhall Meriva, but it’ll do. 

I miss you all, you are great examples to me.  I love hearing from my family.

Elder Merrill

 

Update from Branch Presidents Wife

Dear Sister,

Just wanted to let you know that Elder Merrill is doing good, he is a darling boy, we love him like our own son, he is a pleasure to have in our home ,you did a good job of raising him, he gave a lovely Testimony today, he has that smile that would melt any ones heart.  He is darling.

Hope you and your husband are doing fine, keep in touch. 

                                            Fondest love  Nancy   xx

Small World

June 4, 2013
Brian Edwards (a friend in our old ward 10 years ago) was on a business trip and meeting with the missionaries in the Scotland and Ireland mission when someone said "There's an Elder from Pleasant Grove. You should meet him." He said, "Turns out it was Elder Merrill, formerly of Grove Creek 8th Ward." 
What a small world!  I was so happy to know someone actually got to see him!

Week 8

May 20, 2013

 

Dear Family,

Another interesting but good week has gone by here in the south of Scotland.  It was good to see you all over skype last week, the technology that allows us to do this is such a blessing.  I miss you all and I think about you every day.  As I’ve been so far from home, and witnessed such a new and different culture here in Stranraer, I’ve realized some incredible blessings that I have had in my life and very literally overlooked.  The blessing of being raised in a family strong in the faith, actively engaged in the kingdom of God here on earth is a blessing of comfort and I only now know how lucky I am.  It’s a blessing to know that back home, my parents are trying their best to stay on the straight and narrow path, magnifying their callings and doing 'well their part'.  So few in this part of the world experience the blessing of having a faithful and righteous family, let alone, a family back home who prays for them each day.  Over the past week I’ve met many individuals and I’ve seen many people who have broken, unsupportive families who bring them down.  In seeing this, it’s hard to imagine that their family is fulfilling the purpose God has intended for them, which is order, structure and love.  I can’t thank you enough for raising me the way you did, and I guess what really counted was the time you all spent with me.  I love you all. 

It saddens me to know how much of a better brother I could have been, all the time I could have spent with Evan and Sydnee and didn’t is something I think about quite a bit.  So, I’m sorry to both of you.  I love you both and we can have some real good times together when I get back.  I guess I got caught up in things that weren’t really important, and it was definitely a mistake I’m aware of now.  I look up to you both in different ways and I’ll see you in no time.  Keep being great people and love each other.

We have two really solid investigators and 4 others who are very good and will have baptismal dates soon.  John and Alister both have baptismal dates in June and are very enthusiastic.  They both smoke so that is a pretty major obstacle, but were working towards it and their beginning the very difficult journey of quitting.  We are doing all we can to keep their spirits up, but only God can give them the strength they need, and only they can ask for the strength to overcome this obstacle.  And only by asking in faith will they receive that strength. 

In a similar way, we need to ask for the things we desire/need in life, through prayer.  Sometimes, God has great blessings wishes to pour upon us, but he waits, he waits for us to ask in great prayer for the good and righteous things we desire.  If we do this, he will bless us.  He wants to bless us.  He promises us if we do what he asks that we will receive blessings that we have not room enough to receive.  I love you all and hope you’re doing well. 

How’s church?  What’s new? Fill me in; let me know what’s going on with my country. Thanks again, for being a great family.  And send pictures.

Elder Merrill

 

Week 6

May 7, 2013

 

Dear Family,

That sounds fantastic; I love St.George and miss the trips we used to take down there.  Glad you all could have some fun.  Sorry I’m emailing so late, Monday was May Day, a holiday in Scotland.  I’m jealous about the Brian Reagan thing, that sounds pretty great.  I definitely miss Zion and the mountains and such, and the sun. Ha-ha

Well... we have several investigators, one with a solid baptismal date on the 1st of June.  We’re very excited for this guy, his name is John.  Our other investigator is Allister, who we dropped because he ditched out on two appointments and didn’t return any of our phone calls.  He sent a message to us through a member he knows, saying that he was sorry he missed church and didn’t call us but he had an epileptic fit and broke his TV and threw his phone, so we undropped him and he is now working towards an undetermined baptismal date. That will come tomorrow. 

The most interesting, is one of our investigators who I told you about, Ann.  Long story short, she thinks I’m an angel because we answered her prayers, and she recognizes me somehow, like she thinks that we knew each other in her dreams or something.  Last time we taught her she hugged me and kissed me on the cheek, interesting lady.  Her husband is in prison for killing her daughter’s fiancé with a knife, in self defense.  So that’s even more interesting and we sort of have to deal with that.

The package will be much appreciated; chicken in a biscuit is all I really ask for.  Thanks!  My companion and I are great.   I beat him in chess.  We work very well and are on the same spiritual frequency, so every day we improve our skills in teaching together.  All the other missionaries we meet with in zone conferences tell me I seem like I’ve been out for a year.  I literally taught some more experienced missionaries about how to begin teaching in preach my gospel, a book I study every day.  A lot.

This week the entire zone set out for a goal of 20 investigator lessons for each companionship.  It’s a high goal, but by Thursday we had 11, then Friday we had zero! We had 6 set up for the day and everyone fell through, it was a test of our faith and a stub to the toe.  But we know as it says in the scriptures whatever we ask for in faith, if it is righteous in the name of Christ, it will be given unto us.  So we did that and taught 23 lessons that week(most in the zone).

I still love this country so much; I drive the coast and countryside everyday and enjoy every beauty of this amazing place.  There is no prettier place in the whole world and I marvel and where I am every day.  I have so much to be grateful for.  I hope things are going very well for you folk back home.  I love you all and I pray for you as well. Thanks for everything you do, I miss you all.  Have a great week.  Enjoy American food, and green money.  Sorry I’m short on time as usual.  I must go.  Love you all. Talk to you soon.

Elder Merrill

I’m so excited to see you all.

Week 5

April 29, 2013

 Family,

 I gave my first mission talk today.  I had about two hours in the morning to prepare it, and you know what?  I wasn’t worried or nervous at all.  I think because I have to teach doctrine on  wim so often I just jumped right into the planning process and spoke on the inspired topic of receiving and recognizing the spirit.   It went well and I used some great scriptures.  My favorite scripture is small, simple but symbolizes a large view of the gospel and what it means to do missionary work. Nephi 4:6.  This is pretty much my life at the moment.  Walking into the house of Laban, doing the lords will in righteousness but not knowing beforehand the things which I am to do, relying solely on the spirit of the lord and the power of the priesthood to guide my words and deeds according to the will of the father.  

Things are going fine here, were making progress and we actually have an investigator with a baptismal date set now, Allister.  We get stronger in teaching by the spirit every day and it’s awesome to be a missionary in the beautiful country of Scotland.

I’m glad you have all enjoyed looking at Stranraer from home.  Next, check out Portpatrick, it’s a wee town just over the peninsula ridge, beautiful place.  We spent Sunday there, walking about the coastline talking to people and taking a bunch of pictures. 
 

Hope the wee ones are doing well.  Hope yall are getting along.   Hope to hear from you soon. I love you.

Elder Merrill

Week 4

Elder Tinsley and Elder Merrill
 

4-22-2013

Dear Family,

The birthday package was awesome, you all know me so well!  The tie is fantastic, and made me laugh (Donald Trump).  All the food was like the perfect gift, all of it much needed.  Thanks for the money too, I love you all.

Things are going well here in Stranraer.  It’s been sunny quite a bit recently, and it’s been up to 12 C, that’s pretty warm.  The golf course is beautiful, we might go use the range today if we have time.  On clear days, it’s hard to miss how beautiful this area really is.  We’re tucked in the back of a large bay with beautiful rolling hills at our sides, and you can see Ireland out of the bay if you look close.

Our flat is cold and bland but we livened it up a bit.  Since my b-day, we have eaten steak and chips every night!!  It’s cheap here, steak is, and it’s good.  I do the cooking; seriously, I cook the steak like a boss.  Like A Boss!

 

We now have one new investigator; the wife of a less active fellow named Mike Harvey, her name is Emma.  I’m going to commit her to baptism tonight.  I prayed about it, and after teaching the Restoration tonight, she’ll be ready. 

Church here is so different but very spiritual.  Elder Tinsley and I do the sacrament, and it takes one brother less than a minute to pass it about the congregation. We also give the invocation and benediction.  The blessing of serving in Stranraer is more than I could ask for. 

 

Mom, if a woman named Sister Mary McRobb calls home and wants to talk, she is a nice member in the branch and be warned she can talk all day.  But she basically pulled your number out of me, I only gave her the home number.  I was hesitant to hand it out, but she is very kind and feeds us.  Her husband, Duncan, is also a great member.  He is 80, but acts and looks 60.  He can run, jump, bend down and yell better than any man 40 years younger.  He has been a member since he was 50.  Awesome guy.  The McRobb’s provide us with most of our referrals, probably half of the referrals we get, around 7 a week.  All the members here are amazing, and have basically adopted us.  At church yesterday, the sisters in the branch all brought me a birthday cake.  It’s incredible, the spirit and souls of the people here is unmatched anywhere in Scotland or Ireland.  It’s so good to be the companionship to open up this part of the mission.  So lucky!

Although, these next few words will be hard to believe, they are true.  We went to Subway today, and I ordered a Spicy Italian Sandwich (foot long) on flatbread.  She said she was surprised I ordered flatbread, because Subway hadn’t even launched it in the UK, but was actually starting flatbread in its stores starting next Wednesday, the 24^th of April.  She then said Subway was beginning the new bread by putting it in stores in the south of Scotland and England, then moving North.  She said several stores in the south of Scotland already had the bread, but weren’t to release it till this Wednesday.  She then asked if I wanted to be the first person in the UK to have a flatbread sandwich at Subway.  I said, of course.  So, today, the 22^nd of April, I, Elder Merrill was the first person to eat a Subway foot long sandwich on flatbread in the entire United Kingdom.  Cool huh?  I thought so.  It was good!

While walking to a dinner appointment early last week, a man called out to us, yelling a bunch of rubbish to us from a wee window on the second story of a house on McDowell Street.  We were like, “What?”  He asked if we were Jehovah’s Witnesses, as they have territory in Stranraer, and we replied that we were Mormons.  He said, “Oh.”  He then invited us in, we talked for about 15 minutes then we had to go but we left a BOM with him.  He said he felt prompted to call to us.  Interesting!  Anyways, hope you’re having fun looking at all photo’s of where I live.  Hope this letter finds you all well.  I miss y’all, and I love all of you.

Elder Merrill

P.S. Elder Tinsley sings on a regular basis!

P.S...Please send my address to all my friends!

April 15, 2013

 

Hello everyone,

So sorry I wasn’t able to call on my way out.  Every flight was delayed and we were so late to Chicago and London, they literally met us with a bus outside each plane to port us to the next plane, it was nonstop flight all the way and we never saw the inside of an airport after Salt Lake all the way to Edinburgh.  I drove the first night around the block once, which was easy, but the second day they needed someone to drive an elder to and from the Edinburgh bus station.  So, my second day in Scotland, I drove a manual shift car through the busiest capital in Scotland, all on the left side.  It’s a trip but I had it down no problem.  I was called to serve in Stranraer, Scotland.  Now I cruise through the country side, as you may imagine I love driving through the countryside in Scotland, it’s as cool as it sounds.  But yes, put simply, Stranraer is a beautiful place.  It’s a wee town right at the back of a very large bay in the south of Scotland, there’s always fog and Ireland is 17 miles away, so we never see it. Me and Elder Tinsley, a tall red headed but confident fellow from Farmington Utah, are the only missionaries in Stranraer and its surrounding cities. We cover everything all the way up to Ayr. There are several wee villages in the area, including Castle Kennedy, Kirkcowen and Neuton Stuart which is my favorite. They are all the epitome of textbook Scottish villages, with stone fences, small historic cemeteries and lots of big churches, all brought together with lots of sheep, rolling hills and a foggy overcast. It’s the most beautiful place in the world. I love it here. There are a mere 20 members in the wee branch of Stranraer and me and elder Tinsley are sort of responsible for keeping what’s left and dangling on a thread alive. 3 Days here and we’ve already made fantastic progress, bringing back some less actives and finding some new potential investigators. Ill share one experience for the sake of time and space. We were going out to Neuton Stuart, or Newton Stewart, and the person who was in our area book as a less active wasn’t home, but because the drive takes almost 30 minutes and is like 50 kilometers away from home, we decided to spend a wee bit of time there finding. We drove through town, sort of letting the spirit guide my driving, and elder Tinsley pointed to a grouping of homes a bit way away and we decided we would try to chap(knock) the lot of them. As we parked in the neighborhood, we talked and decided to, instead of knocking on every single door, to walk down the street and only approach the doors and people that we felt impressed to. So we walked, and passed about ten houses before we both felt like knocking on a specific door. We walked up knocked and waited, when the scot answered the door, we began to speak and they slammed the door. It happens. So we moved on, doing the same thing. Came to another door, same thing happened. At this point we were halfway around a large block in Neuton Stuart, when by one of the last houses, we both felt prompted to knock on a specific door on a corner. We both walked up to it and chapped, and after a couple knocks a lady opened. We told her who we were and she seemed interested, we told her that our message could improve her life and bring her closer to Christ. She looked at us, and said that not five minutes earlier she had been contemplating her own faith and thinking about the churches in her area, trying to decide where to turn, and then we knocked. We shared a discussion and left our number and a pamphlet. Were hoping to set up another appointment with this woman, Ann, and at the moment we are working on her, and she is calling us here and there. Cool experience, as I’ve been here, and as I study and pray every day, I feel the spirit guiding my every move and everything I say. Like I said that’s only one story. There are many good spiritual ones and already some crazy ones as well. We had a drunk guy tell a kid to go get his gun and shoot us, elder Tinsley started walking away. So I followed, but right before I left this man’s presence, I said, 'there are no guns in Scotland, 'cept mine', he then ranted off swearing and yelling like he had been before. It was a good laugh.

There is a special spirit here in Stranraer, the people are close and each of them has a great faith. I feel a great pressure of responsibility for this town and her surrounding areas, and I’m coming to know that God has great plans for this wee branch, to invest his spirit and missionaries in such a small area is a big deal. I know this church is true and that I’m doing my best and giving everything to the Lord. I know if I work hard, and do what I’m here to do, we can turn this branch into a ward or two. It’s a long ways away, but we are here for three months, and were sort of like the Spartans in this war, here to turn the battle around and make the enemy retreat.

Lots of rain and wind here and there, but it’s sunny right now.

Thanks for your prayers and support, I don’t yet know my address of my flat, as I haven’t moved in yet. But I’ll send the info around as soon as I can.

To my Family,

from Elder Merrill

 

Dear Mom, Dad, Sydnee and Evan,

I love you all, and miss you as well. The spirit has come to guide and prompt my every decision, and it’s quite a different way of living. Folk here are so surprised that I can understand them, and they are normally pretty impressed with the accent I can pull off. They love to tell stories and they love to hear testimonies, that is after they are sober and let us talk to them( like %10). It’s so beautiful here and I love it. Look through the book of Scotland, find Ayr, it’s a lot like that just a lot smaller. If you can find castle Kennedy, Kirkcowen, Newton Stewart, Stranraer or anywhere around the south of Scotland that’s where I am. Mondays are my P-day. I move into my flat in the middle of town on Wednesday. in one conversation you’ll here the word AYE like fifty times, so now I say words like, flat, aye, norm, wee, lad, lass, dirkie(blanket), scones(bread), lorry(semi truck) and a load of other sort ems. Till we speak again! May the lord bless our home.

Elder Merrill

 

 

(April 12, 2013) We received this from the Mission President today!  In 1840 Elder Orson Pratt, an LDS Apostle, climbed to the top of Arthurs Seat.  There he dedicated the country of Scotland for the preaching of the gospel.  Today, your missionary climbed the hill and dedicated themselves to the preaching of the gospel in this great land.

April 8, 2013 (highlights of his letter)

Dear Family,
I am so excited to leave for Scotland in the morning.  My experience here at the MTC has already changed who I am and has made my relationship with God exponentially stronger.

Dad, thank you for your letter it’s spiritual significance was so great and your encouragement was also great.  There just isn’t anything quite like encouragement from one’s father.  Thanks again Dad!

There is a replica of the “Act Well thy Part” stone carved into a rock in the MTC.  It was so cool to see it and to dwell on it for a moment.  I took a second to pray in that moment, the same way David O McKay did.  I’m confident, but humbled.  The fields of Scotland are white, ready to harvest.  I’m going to gather the sheep, and bring them back to the Shepherd.

Well, I’m off.  Thanks so much for your letters and care packages.  I’ll fly safe.  Today my district called me the Elder Navy Seal Body Guard of the trip, which I accepted.  Love you all, and may God be with you till we meet again.

Love,
Elder Merrill

P.S. The family scrapbook was such a blessing.  It is so good to have memories of such good times.  We are all so blessed!  My best preparation for the MTC was the time I spent with my family.  Thanks for building me up.  Love you all.

My first Investigator - A Retired Navy Seal!

 

4-6-13

Mom,

Happy Birthday!  I love you.

I hope everyone is doing great.  I am!  Some days are more difficult than others, but altogether it’s a fun time.  My perception of life falls further from where it used to be every day, and closer to what God wants it to be.  I feel the spirit guide my words and thoughts, and it’s been a great experience.  I had a real legit investigator!  You won’t believe what happened.  My first investigator was a retired Navy Seal!  We had an awesome 50 minute lesson about the Restoration and eventually committed him to read the B.O.M. and pray about it.  He actually prayed for us.  At first he was uncomfortable doing so, and said no to praying, but we gave him some spiritual motivation and he did.  It was a cool lesson.  Anyway, the spirit will reside in he that is humble, and acknowledge God in everything.  So I’m working towards that. 

Dad,

Thanks for writing, it’s awesome to hear from you especially.  I’ve been using the gym quite a bit, lots of basketball(speed) and rowing.  Get the kids to think of questions they may have about faith or anything else to take into conference.  Revelation often comes better to those searching for something.

Evan,

Hey buddy.  The MTC is going good.  It’s very spiritual and I get to feel close to god all day every day, which has been a very changing experience.  I miss you man, keep working hard in school and keep it up.  Be a good example to everyone in your life.  Make decisions you know would make me, and God, proud.  I know you will.
 

Syd,

It’s good to hear your dating guys worthy to date you.  Keep that up always, and be careful.  I’m doing great but the bed is hurting my back, the food is radioactive, and I’m studying 12 hours a day sometimes.  But overall, I’m happy.  I miss you and I’m sad I won’t be able to watch you in this time of your life when you’ll grow so much and become who you will be for the rest of your life.  Keep that smile on your face.  It’s so contagious and I miss seeing it!

I’m so excited to go to Scotland.  Or Ireland.  I love you all and I miss my family everday.

Goodnight.

Elder Morning  (oops I’m tired sorry)  Elder Merrill