Week 82 - February 27, 2017

From: Jordan Mark Merrill <merrill.j@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2017 8:56 PM
To: Lauri Merrill
Subject:

Ahh welcome back summer warmth. :) Ya it’s finally starting to get warmer, and it will only get hotter and hotter until the day I go home.  This was my last wet season in the Philippines! There are perks to both seasons. The rainy season perks are, it is not as hot (but still hot), the dust doesn’t kill your eyes as much, and your polo (white church shirt) doesn’t turn coffee brown after only one day. The small downside is your wet constantly. The perks of the dry season are that when you wash your cloths they can dry in one day instead of 6, you’re not constantly wet, and the paths aren’t muddy. The small downside is it’s hotter than Satan’s kingdom. Ya, that about sums it up. Actually this morning I washed about everything I own and they are still outside right now and I don’t need to worry if it will rain. :) 

But anyway, this week was great because we had the opportunity to meet with Elder David A. Bednar and hear from him and his wife. Instead of him doing the talking, he asked us questions then allowed us to ask him questions. I really did learn a lot and I’m trying to live it now.  If I tried to type all I learned, and what he said, it would be a pretty long letter.  I’ll just say a couple key things. One is that we need to remember we are agents and not objects, we don’t wait to be acted upon, we need to do it ourselves. Another cool thing is I got the guts and I asked him a question.  I asked how we know Gods will has been done in our lives. He couldn't come up with a concrete answer but gave me a few scriptures in D&C Section 97. So that was cool to talk face to face with him. Then even Elder Haynie added to his answer. Our AP asked Sister Bednar and Sister Haynie what they looked for in their eternal companion and they all said looks of course, but also the way they treat family and kids. Lots of other cool things were said too, but I’ll keep it short. 

So after coming home from Legazpi I got a really big headache.  Having a summer cold didn’t help.  Right now it’s gone but gosh, I felt like I got kicked in the head by a horse. My toe is better after many painful, failed attempts. I dug out the ant sized piece of toenail causing the problem and now it’s all good. :) Another weird thing I’m getting over is my back 2 teeth have been numb? They don’t hurt or are sensitive to cold or sweets or anything! Even now they still feel weird but its slowly going away so we have nothing to worry about, despite the fact I haven't seen a dentist in almost 2 years. ;)  

As of our work here in Malilipot, we have 2 baptisms this Saturday.  We've been working with them the whole time I have been here. They are a teenage couple who wanted to be baptized at the same time so we had to work around their schedules and finally got them to the point where they are ready! I’m happy for them. :) Also, me and my comp are setting all the baptism dates for this March 18th and we have about 3 on track for that day. I’m not positive but I’m pretty sure I’m going to transfer this March 22 because President doesn't want to keep anyone in an area longer than 6 months and this is my 6th month.  We’ll have to see. I really do love this area and I’m seeing the progression in the time I’ve been here. I’ve gotten close with all the branch missionaries and we have even started working with the Branch Relief Society Presidency.  They are a huge help when it comes to our Mommy investigators. 

I guess one more thing I’m grateful for is the scriptures in our lives. They hold the keys to all of what we need to do. Even Elder Bednar said himself, the best way to stay active is read the Book of Mormon. Me and my comp have been focusing our life and work around a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants. Its D&C 6:36. Read it and try to apply it to yourself. :) And one last thing before I end, we need to seek wisdom in the scriptures. We know an RM and her brother who know A LOT about the scriptures and they're always asking us deep questions that really need searching so the same for you, think of some good questions you have then search for them, it’s fun:) A good question is like, where did Alma’s authority come from that enabled him to baptize? Or was the priesthood on the earth during the Great Apostasy? 

Well I’ll wrap it up. :) Hope y’all keep remembering to read your scriptures and pray! After we've prayed, ACT! Love you all. 

**Elder Merrill**