Christmas Day pictures

Transfers

So I got transfered and to be honest im not really sure where I am exactly, but no fear they eat rice here.  Im in the stake of turubamba but we live the most south then anyone in the stake. and im in a TRIO!! My companions have been here together the transfer before and they picked me up today. It´s a little strange. One is from Peru and this is her last transfer in the mission Hermana Torres and the other is Hermana Pace shes from Arizona and only has one change more than me on the mission! This email is going to be short and sweet I have only been in this area for 3 hours and I have yet to get a bed in my house whooooot whooooo!
So Christmas went well back in Conocoto, we ate turkey 5 times, we learned thats what they do for chirstmas here haha! We had a Chirstmas dinner with the stake president and his wife at the stake center with the 2 los chillos zones on monday night. Chirstmas eve is the biggest night here and we went to the old Bishops house to eat and of course read luke 2. We made pies with the distict and continued to teach and teach and teach. My first Christmas here was great! Its nice the people here do not do christmas like they do in the states, makes for not being homesick.
Im a little depressed, Hermana Costa and I both left the Cordova Family, all 8 ready to be baptized in 2 weeks. My comp went to be a Hermana Leader and im here.Gosh I already miss her she was the best! But it will all work out the other missionaries will work with them.
I am at the same time so exicted to be in another area. If you know me I do well with change, its fun and new to work and to have a fresh start. Thinking about the new year, I have the entire year of 2015 here in Ecuador. I have just one year to do everything in my power to progres the work of salvation. One year to give it my all, bring the atonement of christ to the waiting souls. Time to get to work.
Para Siempre Dios Este Con Vos
xoxoxoxo
Hermana Merrill:)
pics!
Christmas eve PJS! thanks mom!
Hermana Castillo and I on christmas and Hermana Costa and our zone on chirstmas with a giant pic of Christ 

another week here in the good ole Concocoto

Well it’s been another week here in the good ole Concocoto.

I tripped and fell bad this week while ''running'' in the morning with the elders, my leg was basically bloody, i will show you on Christmas....also I taught my comp the entire 12 days of Christmas song in English, we had a pizza party on the roof for no reason haha And today we ate McDonalds today in Quito, it’s never tasted too good to eat a plastic hamburger before in my life! Mcflurrys here are the exact same, yummmmmmmmm

Well that’s about it for this week, lots happened but I will talk to you on CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had an activity and had 15 investigators there and 4 inactive families, we are beasts. 

Anyway love you, talk to you on Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxoxoxo

Hermana Merrill:)

pics..... First one the only Santa in Ecuador to take a picture with

pizza party on the roof

and the family we are teaching familia Cordoba!!

I love the mission, best hardest thing I have ever done.

So....we had a great week, as for usual. I love the mission, best hardest thing I have ever done. Rice is still rice and yep it only rained 4 days this week, wowzer! Things are looking like Christmas around here sorta kinda. You know you have been in the same zone for a long time when you start repeating Pday activities; we went to Molinuco the waterfall again today! It was beautiful; Ecuador has got to be heaven on earth it is so pretty, we could even see more than one volcano while driving there. 

To start off the week I went on divisions on Tuesday with Hermana Zola, from Bolivia again. She is super fun and I always love going with her to her area for a day, we laughed and ate ice cream and taught tons of people in her area. Divisions are a good learning experience to learn from the sisters that have been here for much more time than me and obviously speak way better Spanish than me. 

Next off Wednesday we had a Zone Conference for Christmas at the presidents House, up in the north part of Quito, it’s not even in our mission. We had a conference in the morning, the president spoke mostly about being a consecrated missionary. Referring to us as represenitves of Jesus Chirst, here in these last days preparing the earth. I love love love President Christensen. Him and his wife, love and care for us so much. He is always helping us to try and be better and better. We ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast, oh my gosh they have never tasted so good. After we had a big lunch for Christmas with real American food Hermana Chirstensen made and ate pie ahhh it was the best. It actually felt like Christmas for a day. After we had a talent show, say Christmas songs, read in Luke 2 and played Christmas games with the president. The sweet spirit of Christmas and remembering the Saviors birth filled his house. 

The rest of the week was normal; we taught and taught like crazy. The familia Cordoba is progressing to get married and be baptized. Even the parents of the dad are now coming to church and want to be baptized. I love them, they have absolutely nothing, yet do everything they can to be better and trust in the lord that things will get better. They are such an example to me, with the faith they have. We teach a lot, but have a hard time with people that want to progress and want to change, this week we worked hard and it all paid off when we have 8 people at church on Sunday and one family that had not been to church in 10 years came. The work is progressing, It is just a matter of us putting our trust in Lord and finding strength through the atonement of Christ. We now have 27 ward missionaries; this ward here in Conocoto is centered around missionary work, they way every ward should be. Conocoto is going to go straight to heaven, this place is the best. 

That is about it for this week, I hope all is going great back in the states for Christmas, I think and pray for each of you each day, and feel your love and support here in Ecuador.

We have been sharing cards with the He is the gift video and watching it in every home we enter, I am sure it has spread through the states already on facebook, it is a little different in Spanish, but share with everyone....

http://www.mormon.org/christmas

Para siempre dios este con vos

xoxoxoxo

Hermana merrill:)

Pictures:

The chicken I ate on Saturdays, head... yummm yummm 

Molinuco with the Los Chillos north zone

Hermana Costa and I today

Coco

The newest obsession is coconut down here, I want to eat everything coconut many would think I was living a nice vacation life in Hawaii! Fresh coconut juice is the best thing on a hot morning or even in the freezing of the night. It is scorching hot here in the morning the sun is so strong not like we are living on the ecuador  at 10k elevation or anything  and in the evening and  its freeeeezing I feel like I am in Canada. Welcome to Quito.

What else has happened this week?! We bought a 5 buck Christmas tree from some people on the side of the road, found some lights and called it a Ecuadorian Christmas. Our neighbors were so happy to find out that we are not Jehovah witnesses and we celebrate Christmas, yet they read our name tags that say Jesus Christ on them ...Ecuadorians.  My English is becoming bad, which is a good sign. And....I am still eating a volcano of rice each day and yep It’s still rainnning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! whooot whooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it.

As for the people we are teaching this week, we had 8 investigators at church on Sunday and they all came to the Christmas devotional on Sunday night!!!!!!!!! They are all progressing for baptism and we have a goal in the Quito mission to baptize 100 this month to have a white Christmas in Ecuador! Only 17 days till Christmas, and nobody even really celebrates it whoow hooo! This week Hermana Costa and I have thought and studied a lot about faith. Why is it so hard sometimes to have faith? How can we help others have faith? What even is faith? Why do we doubt our faith? But having faith is simple, faith that today we will find opportunities to grow or even just faith to say a prayer in your heart in a time of need, rather than getting mad. I hope this week we all can strengthen our faith. Without faith I would not be here in some random town in the middle of Ecuador, some random 19 year old girl. Faith can move mountains and it can give us strength to soften hearts. Miracles can happen if we let down our pride and just have a little more faith then we did yesterday.

Someone drink some extra peppermint hot cocoa for me this week, You are all in my prayers and thoughts, I love each and every one of you.

Con Amor

xoxo.Hermana Merrill

Pictures for the week...

First people we are teaching, Familia Cordoba, and us in Quito today with a Christmas tree with my Ecuadorian shoes and lastly of course a funny pic on the bus 

Miracles

It has been one of the best weeks I have had in the mission. 

I LOVE Hermana Costa, she has helped me so much and my Spanish It has never been better, and we have had so much success.

Our success has not just been because of luck it is strictly a blessing from the Lord. We are doing everything each day to do our best to prepare ourselves for working, and finding the prepared hearts. I love it here, I love this work, and it is a sad time of year to be gone. Everything is starting to look like Christmas, but I really truly would not change this for the world. Only a year and a half and I will have all the Christmas I want for the rest of my life. 

As for our investigators this week we have continued to teach Daniella, she is progressing better than ever she wants to be baptized, she reads and feels the spirit daily and strives to want the companionship of it. We also found a new family this week, Anita and her daughter Alicia. They are humbling, they live in just a small room for 6 people, basically nothing but a roof to protect them from the rain and they could not be any happier. They have a date to be baptized and we hope that this week the husband will be home earlier from work to learn and listen as well. Families are the best, to see the kids and parents at church is one of the best feelings on the mission.

This past weekend we had stake conference, the entire valley of los chillos was together. I love big meetings here to see all the members come together as one. Our mission president spoke both on Saturday and on Sunday; it was nice to see him and his wife. 

Things here are still the same it’s hotter than heck in the morning and by 3pm it’s a huge rain storm and freeeezing. We basically see all the different seasons in one day here. If you were wondering we are still eating rice, lots of it and drinking amazing juice. I don’t have many funny stories this week, we just seem to always talk to drunks at 10am here, and people are insane! It feels like I am on a different planet it is so different here, so good. This is the best choice I have ever made. I have never found so much happiness in such different circumstances. 

Thank you all for the prayers 

xoxox

hermana merrill:)

TONS OF PICTURES THIS WEEK......

first is the valley in Los Chillos

second is a service porject at the stake presidents house

third is me Hermana Costa, Hermana Castillo and Hermana Queto at stake conference

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nope, nobody here has even heard of thanksgiving haha

Things here in Conocoto are going great! I love it here, Hermana Costa and I have been on a role. We taught and contacted more than ever this week. I am so happy to be with her.  We contacted some drunks, a lot of drunks, had cold showers, ate amazing mangos, barfed from being car sick and a bunch of other funny good stuff. Missionary life is great.

We have been teaching Daniella and her mom all week they have a baptism date for the 13th. I love them they are friends with people here in the ward. The most progressive people we teach are references. The work of salvation is not just for missionaries it’s for members too. We are also teaching the familia Rosero, they are tough but gold. Mayra the daughter is coming to church and they all are together on Sunday. The family unit here is much different then in the states, people are ALWAYS with their families. The family unit itself is what we will take into the next life, it is what’s most important.
 It´s beginning to look a little not a lot like Christmas, It’s much different here than the states. Not a lot of Christmas. It’s just not the same. The weather is the same here all year round so I am not quite sure what season or month it is. My Spanish is progressing much faster thanks to Hermana Costa, we only speak Spanish. My English is getting bad I can’t spell things for the life of me. Time is flying the days are sooo long but the weeks are fast. In just a month I will get to skype home. 

Thank you all for your prayers, I love each of you and can feel your love and support.

Have a great week, eat some extra pie for me

Para Siempre Dios este con vos

Hermana Merrill:)

4 months and transfers

Well I hit 4 months of being away from home yesterday, time is passing so fast. Today has been a crazy day, We woke up suuuuper early, went all the way into Quito to the offices and picked up some sisters,  then took a bus to this huge bus station about 3 hours south where I picked up my new companion!!! We then took all her stuff back to our house here in Conocoto and said goodbye to Hernama Castillo. Hermana Castillo is still in my zone so I will see her a lot but she is just a bit more north with a new companion. My new companion is Hermana Costa, she is from Venezuela. Her parents and 2 brothers now live in Chile due to the craziness happening in her Country. She is suuuuper cute and fun, I only know a little about her we have literally only been together for just a couple hour long bus ride! I cannot wait to get to serve with her and learn from her experience here. 

As for Conocoto, we started teaching a new family this week the Familia Rosero. They are not married but we are also teaching their daughter who is 24 Mira and her younger sister. They are progressing as with the family Mora, who I love!! I cannot wait for their baptism. We had a bit of a crazy week getting Naomi Zappata ready for baptism. I may not have written about them before but there family was probably the most success we had last transfer. The father Diego is a captain in the military so they move around a lot and moved here just 8 months ago. The father has been a member for about 5 years and the mom got baptized in Guayaquil just 2 years ago. They have 3 daughters and are the best family around. Diego is away for 30 days in the Orient which is like the jungle and home for only 10 so it is hard to get to church on Sunday. We worked hard the past 10 days basically to make it possible for him to receive the priesthood to baptize and confirm his daughter before he went back to work. IT happened!!! It was great the little girl Naomi we taught her some lessons and had the baptism on Saturday. They are going to go to the states to be sealed in about a year. All this happened because one night we happened to stop by and got the ball rolling. I love that family. 

Sorry for the long dry story, but I just want to restate how much I love it here, I love this work, it’s HARD but it’s worth it. I have never felt so tired at night lying in bed, but yet knowing I did everything I could that day to progress the work of salvation. Hermana Castillo and I had a great last week together. I love her to death she helped and taught me so much in the past 12 weeks of our training. 

I don’t have much time today to write due to transfers things are a little upside down.

I love you all and hope all is well; you are all in my prayers.

xoxox

Hermana Merrill:)

BOB Burger

Well it has been the craziest week ever down here in the south. Lots more rain of course, I know you are sick of hearing it but it literally rains cats and dogs every day and huge storms at night, fun right?! A member took us to the best burger place in town and yep it’s called BOB burger, it’s amazing and super cheap. Some of the best burgers I have eaten ever or well maybe my standard is going down due to Ecuador who knows?! But the best part is it’s called BOB burger just like dad!

This week for our investigators, things went poorly with Hermano Calvache and let’s just say he is no longer an investigator. But on the brighter side the Mora family I spoke of a while ago has a baptism date set for December!! We are super excited and so are they, if you remember they only live a couple doors down and own an ice cream shop so we tend to teach them almost every day and of course eat lots of ice cream:) I am so excited about them, we might even start teaching the daughters boyfriends family whooot whooo!! Other than that we contacted a ton this week out in the far hills of Conocoto and got tons of references. The work here is white and ready to harvest, so much to be done, so many people to love and serve.

We went on divisions this week with the Sister Leaders, I went to Armenia with Hermana Zola from Bolivia and my comp stayed here with Hermana Queto from the Dominican Republic. I learned a ton with Hermana Zola and I realized my Spanish was actually progressing because somehow I could communicate with her for 24 hours.  Yay! We had a crazy day and in the morning we ended up doing a serve project where basically we just chopped down trees with machetes and they went timber tons of fun!  I worked super hard the member asked me who taught me how to work, oh gosh dad would have been so proud. 

On Sunday we had the primary program, in sacrament meeting. I felt like I was at home hearing all the kids sing and saying there little one line phrases about the gospel. I cried like a baby during one song and kind of lost it. It was great I loved every part. The kids here are especially cute. 

I just have on more week of training with Hermana Castillo :( Sunday is the day of transfers. I have loved the time I have spent here thus far, Conocoto is amazing the people are so kind and opening our area was quite the adventure together. Next week I will have a new comp with new stories!

Thank you all for your love and support, I love each of you all

Para siempre dios este con vos 

xoxo

Hermana Merrill:)

This weeks pictures are me with a pig, basically what I eat for lunch and our area we live in. 

It's November?

I cannot believe its November already, it still feels like the middle of July when I left home, and there is Christmas things everywhere here already. So confusing, I feel like I might be living on a different planet.

This week felt super long. We continued to teach Hermano Calvache. He is going out of town this week for work to the coast for 15 days so his baptism will have to be pushed back. We started teaching some new people we got a couple references on Sunday and have appt. with all of them this week. On Saturday the Elders had a baptism of the son of Ruth. It was the first baptism I have been to on the mission. He only wanted the missionaries and his family to be there so most of our zone came and the Caza family. Hermana Castillo and I sang, yes sang, more like she was singing and I was humming teach me to walk in the light in Spanish. Elder Neal baptized him and all went as planned. It was awesome to feel the spirit of seeing someone making the covenant of baptism. We got a new ward mission leader; he just got off the mission and is super pumped to help us 6 missionaries.

The Halloween festives began on Friday here. Hermana Castillo and I made breakfast for our entire Zone on Friday morning. We made french toast bacon and of course had tons of fruit. Everyone loved the food and we got to enjoy Halloween morning together. We also had some emergency changes and got some new sisters in our zone, they were in the city of Quito got robbed twice in one week so they sent them to our zone out here in Los Chillos. One is from Lima, Peru and the other from Utah, they are nice.  Ecuador doesn’t really do Halloween they do Day of the Dead November 1st and 2nd. Everyone eats roasted pig and potatoes, lights candles for their families’ graves, puts flowers EVERYWHERE and reflects on them all night at the cemetery. We live about two blocks from the cemetery so you can only imagine the crazy weekend we had. The people we live with dad died when they were all little so they explained all the traditions to us and we even got to share what we believe happens after this life. We drank so much colada morada and wa wa pans, which is the biggest tradition here.
Other than that it has been a great week we are getting later into the transfer and I am savoring every moment with Hermana Castillo, only two more weeks and transfers will be here. I have done a lot of reflecting this week, I have learned to just let go the fact that it pours rain every day, that I feel like I am camping most of the time, that I might be the only blonde in Ecuador and that opening an area is hard. I wish that I could express how important it is to gain your own testimony. It is the most important thing we can gain on this earth. Seeing the humble hearts here except the gospel, makes me so grateful for all that I have been given, so grateful for my house, my family, and most importantly the knowledge I have. Showing my love and serving the people of Ecuador have brought me the most happiness I have ever felt it really is true joy.

I hope you all have a great week; you all are in my prayers and heart

xoxoxo

Hermana Merrill:)