Week 47 - June 27, 2016

From: Jordan Mark Merrill [mailto:merrill.j@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2016 8:08 PM
To: Lauri Merrill <lauri.merrill@usu.edu>
Subject:

So last week I said I didn’t have much to say but then I wrote a book but this week I got a little something to say. Nothing really new happened with our work but one great miracle I’ve seen this week is... water coming out of our pump!!!!!:) Yes we actually have water in our apartment now. I’m not sure how long it’s been, maybe 3 months (April 9th)  but ya I’m proud to say that living without a source of running water has been the hardest I’ve had to live in my whole life. Bathing in a river every day and hand washing your clothes for 3 hours a week is pretty tough on a white boy but then when I get done complaining I remember that this is how the people live here every day, and every day for their whole life. So maybe I should stop complaining and be grateful. Pus this week our whole mission had to get vaccinations for this upcoming wet season. The mosquitoes have been a big problem in the mission and are always putting missionaries in the hospital so they gave a shot, mosquito net for sleeping, and a nice anti-mosquito cream. Plus they're telling the sisters to start wearing pants which in my opinion they should not... ha. So far I haven't put up my net or used the cream and I’ve only been bitten like 5 times :) pff I got nothing to worry about! Only a deadly dengue disease! :D Also we had exchanges this week with our ZL’s and it was a pretty normal time but my comp and his comp said they drove past a bad motorcycle accident and saw the blood and shattered sunglasses laying in the blood but didn’t see the body then later that night me and my comp walked past the place it happened and saw the blood too. It was a little older so all the motorcycles have been driving through it and smearing it... it was pretty gross.  With our work, this week was a little slower but there’s like a new way to count our lessons so we’ve been trying to impress people with our numbers but it hasn't really had the best impact or effect on our investigators. So this one time we went to the part member and we needed some more lessons that day but as it started we had no one else present, just me, my comp, and him. As we taught it was way spiritual, he was answering us with all the right answers, he was focused on us, we taught with the spirit in a way just how he needed it. Then after we finished with him I thought back and realized that it’s not about the numbers you have in the end of the week or how many people you taught in one sitting, it is the spirit that matters and the effect it has on the investigators. We’re always told "teach people, not lessons" and just this week is where I really learned the meaning of it. So now were going to try to keep our lessons more like that. Lower the distractions and keep the presence of the spirit closer to us and the investigators. It’s a cool thing when you see the Lord doing the work and guide His children home. So that’s all for me this week :) I’d say the highlight so far is seeing water coming from our pump, its weak pressure, but water is water :) Love you all! Remember to say your prayers and read your scriptures! Magsisi kayo! Love ya lots!

**Elder Merrill**

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ya, I got bored so started experimenting with a dog.