Chimborazo

Well it’s been another week in the mission, not easy but not too hard. Let me take you back to Monday when I was writing you all, yeah after I barfed. Then came Tuesday and bam barfed in the bishops house and after on the way to the clinic, passed out in the middle of the main road. FUN right?! there is a first for everything in the mish.

 Now I will take you to Thursday, Blanca got baptized, at 90 years old. YEP 90 years of age, and everything went well. She is a old woman, all of her family are members and now her, all her grandchildren sang at the baptism and her grandson baptized her. She is a perfect example to me of how everyone needs the gospel of Christ. Everyone can feel the spirit and have a changed heart even at 90 years old. 

The general woman´s conference on Saturday was first of all the best because the opening hymn was HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION and if anyone knows me they know how much I love that hymn. The conference was all centered on the family, sad cause lets be real my family is not here with me. But, to think that I am here to bring families together makes it even better to think that the work of salvation is to bring families to the temple to live for the eternities. 

The mission is a roller-coaster, you just never know when things might go up fast or down fast, or start barfing haha. But, I know that the work I am doing here is the most important work on this earth. This week with Easter coming on Sunday is a special week. Here in Ecuador Easter is the entire week each day is different with different food and all centered on Christ. It really is special they call it the sacred week. I encourage everyone to watch this video, to study and ponder the life of Christ. There is not a lesson that goes by that I do not testify of the divinity of Christ. He lives who once was dead. http://mormon.org/easter

Today we went to Chimborazo; it’s about an hour from Ambato. The largest volcano in South America, it was awesome and tons of snow. Ecuador is beautiful, it just doesn’t get any better...well maybe in n out and the beach but this will do for now...haha!

I love you all and hope everyone has a good conference and Easter weekend:)

Con amor,

Hermana Merrill:)

LOTS OF PICTURES!! 

2x2's

Well back to the 2 by 2 way of preaching the gospel! Transfers happened today and wam bam back to just two! Hermana Pace went back to Quito and I am here with Hermana Coronado to finish her training for the next 6 weeks! Things here in Ambato are great I have some parasites so I just barf everything I eat..it has been a lovely past two days, but the good news is I don’t feel like I have the flu but my body just can’t keep in food. Always a good,  to the bad right?!
Well the past week was great besides the sleeping on the bathroom floor....we are going to have a baptism on Saturday of Maricella, and I really cannot wait, she is the perfect example of the Atonement, has changed alot and really is ready to enter the waters of baptism. Repentance can change lives. 

I am excited to be here for at least another 6 weeks, I LOVE THIS AREA. It is a area of miracles and is white and ready to be harvested. It is one of my favorite places on the mission. It really shows that working hard and being obedient pays off. 

I hope all is well back home, I miss everyone and love the cute letters and pictures everyone sends me.

LOVE YOU TONS

Hermana Merrill:)

Pictures
Pizza making...with some young women in the fanciest house in Ecuador.....
my favorite little girl
JESUS street in our area haha

and us today at the terminal saying goodbye to Hermana pace...sickie

La suca

8 month mark.....

Only a month left and I will hit my half way mark...time passes fast.

This week was great as for usual, I love the mission. I love serving the people. We found a new/old investigator this week her name is Marcela. Her mom is member and we got confused and somehow ended up at her store teaching her this week. The first day was great, I asked her if she had ever received an answer to join the church, and she explained she was just thinking of the missionaries the night before and believes we were the answer that day. Miracles! She will get baptized the 28th.

As for Ambato, it’s been rainy but beautiful. Amabato is like a bowl there are mountains and volcanos on every side of us. I will attach a pic of some yummy food we ate the other day for lunch, it basically was a plate with everything you can think of on it but is really something special! We also had stake conference this past weekend and of course President Christensen and his wife came. All the night session was about marriages so that didn’t really apply much to the single missionary life, but the next day was great to see everyone in the stake, the stake of Ambato, covers all of Ambato, Latagunga, Baños and Pelileo. CRAZY HUGE....you might have to check out a map for that one. Other than that, things are really just great, my companions are great being in a trio is starting to become normal and we have transfers next week, another 6 weeks has already passed, crazy. This week I have been working on not just giving 99% but 100% every single day, this is not my time but his, not my work but his and his children to save. 

Have a great week, you are all in my prayers and thoughts always, love you all. 

xoxo

Hermana Merrill:)

pictures....

food...

my comps...

a pretty view... and a family that I love 

NO rice?!‏

So we started something new this week with the mission, its called pensionistas no quite sure how to say that in English. But basically we have a lady in the ward that feeds us for lunch and dinner every single day and the church pays her whoot whoo... Ours is the bishop’s wife and let me tell you she cooks the most delish food I have ever eaten and we have yet to eat rice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MIRACLES people!! I am so thankful for the members here that serve us. The ward I am in is the best ward I have ever been in, in my life it is the BEST,  I love it here in Ambato.

Other than that great news, this week has been busy! We had a baptism of Christian and a zone conference with both the Ambato Zones and the President. First off let me explain Christian,  is a 9 year old boy that lives in the middle of fields far far out in our sector. From one end to the other of our sector is about an hour and half in a bus. We have been teaching him and helping his mom who is in a wheel chair. He got baptized on Saturday. He will be  a future little Ecuadorian missionary.

Zone conference was awesome. President and Sister Christensen came down here to Ambato for the day, it was probably my favorite conference of the mission. The Assistants spoke for most of the time about the talk “The 4th missionary”. Having your heart in the work here is more than anything. I really truly love it here. One of many things I have learned on the mission, you just need to love the circumstances you are in, “come what may and love it”.  I love serving people and the Lord. I love more than anything helping people and doing everything I can to help people change their lives through the Atonement. I only have about 10 months left here; I get  to put everything aside and serve with my heart. 

Other than that this week has been busy; working, finding, teaching, and learning.

Funny things that happened this week, Barney has been in my head… like the  “I love you” song...what the heck! And some dog chased us the other day for a good mile( it felt like) we almost died.

 That is about how exciting my life is. Also yesterday we got back to our house at night and didn’t have water, I couldn’t pee for a good 20 hours haha! 

Well I hope everyone has a great week back in greegolandia!!!!

Con muchisimo amor