Monday, February 16, 2015

February 15, 2015

Kamusta Everybody!
 This past week for Elder Nikau and I has been really good. We were first able to have a fun service project on Monday cutting down banana trees at a member’s house. (We did however also manage to break 3 of the tools in the process) the best part of that service project was it was at the house of a less active family. While we were shopping for vegetables Monday morning we stopped by the stand of a less active member to buy vegetables from them. The father was there and asked if we were coming from his house. A little confused I asked him why and we found out that his daughter and wife were clearing out their backyard and he had assumed we were helping. We ran home, changed and then met him at their house and cut down all the trees. Since then he’s invited us to dinner twice and his wife came to church yesterday. It was a faith building experience that even on P-Day we were guided to help someone.
Other than that the best part of our work has been teaching Leo and April. We have been teaching them over the past several weeks and it has been great to see them feel the joy of the gospel in their lives. Yesterday they came to church for the 2nd time and when we visited with them that night most of the lesson was them telling us about all the blessings they had seen that day after they came to church.
I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day and also had a chance to share the love Heavenly father has for us.
 Ingat

  Elder Merrill

Monday, February 9, 2015

Meetings

Kamusta Everybody! 
 This past week has been really good.  We were able to attend a lot meetings and it was great to have the privilege to be able to listen to Elder Arden, the Area President as well as President Beck, the general Young Men’s president. 
 Most of the meeting was a question and answer time. One piece of advice that President Beck gave to us was to keep a really good journal. He suggested that we put one lesson we’ve learned each day as well as the happiest moment of the day. He talked about how the lessons he wrote down in his journal helped him get his kids excited to serve and also gave him great perspective on how he grew throughout his mission. 
 One of the highlights of the week was that one of our investigators, Leo and his wife April, came to church! Leo works for a private resort and usually is on the side of the road trying to get customers. On our way to church we saw him outside and figured that they weren't coming, but then they showed up just in time for sacrament meeting!
 One of the funny parts this week happened while we were teaching a new investigator how to use the Book of Mormon cross references. I opened up to a random page and showed him a verse... unfortunately I realized that the verse I had him read was 1 Nephi chapter 4:18 where it says.. “therefore I did obey the voice of the Spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off his head with his own sword."  Not the best first verse for an investigator to read. I just said we would explain that story next time...
 I hope everyone has a good week! 
 Ingat

  Elder Merrill

Monday, February 2, 2015

How much is that doggy in the window?

Kamusta Everybody!

 These past few weeks have been great and also really busy!  I apologize for not sending an email last week.  I was trying to register for school and it took a bit of time last week.

 We’ve had a lot of great things happen in our area! We had stake conference this past weekend and the talks were really good. One of my favorites was by the Stake President. He explained how when we follow the commandments one of the greatest blessings we often receive is spiritual light.  He described what he meant by using the Saviors teachings.  For example, when we obeying the law of tithing He will “open the windows of heaven”, or in Isaiah when it talks about fasting and describes how “our light shall come forth out of darkness”.

 We also have had some success with the less actives in the ward. It has really strengthened my testimony of the power of the Book of Mormon and how even using a really simple verse can help others see how important daily scripture study is. One of the scripture verses that I learned about this week from the Spirit was in 1 Nephi "and my father dwelt in a tent". We were visiting a less active sister and when we complemented her on her nice home she said “no, it’s just really small". We were trying to think of an appropriate message and that scripture came into my mind.  I realized that here on earth we kind of dwell in a tent, or like the sister said in a small house.  Lehi came from a rich home to eventually wander in the wilderness and dwell in a tent.  We came from a rich home in our pre earth life but we all need to wander in the wilderness and dwell in tents (so to speak) to be able to make it to the promised land, or the Celestial kingdom.  As long as we have faith and use the Liahona we have promised blessings ahead of us. 

 This week we also got to visit one of the less actives who are caretakers of a private pool. There is a lot of resorts in our area and most of the area is over a hot springs. We put our hand in the pool and it was really hot! They said that before people can swim they have to leave the water there for 3 days to cool down. What I don’t understand is why our shower in the apartment is still cold...
 I hope everyone has a great week!
 Ingat
  Elder Merrill


"How much is that doggy in the window?" dogs in the Philippines are usually substitutes for a door bell. When you get close to the house they bark. This one even has his own area on the 2nd story!