Nov 18, 2013

Hello!!

Well this week has been pretty good. It was pretty slow and not very many people wanted to meet with us or just weren't home. I decided I need to be better on my emails and write more detail and more of want is happening and so I'll try my best. Here it goes!

For this week on Tuesday after I emailed we just went home and did all of our studies which include personal study, companion study, and 12 week (for the first 12 weeks the trainer does this with the person they are training). Usually we do those in the mornings but on Tuesdays we have district meeting and we do our studies later in the day. On wednesday we did studies until 10 and then we went to Lake Park to do our singing and scripture reading to the rest home/old people. I love going there! It is fun and I love watching the old people sing with us or just smile at us. Afterward we weren't able to catch one of our investigators and so we went to a less active who is around 80 I believe. She just loves our visits because no one comes over to visit and she just talks to us about everything. Sometimes it is a little harder to get out of her house but it's nice to go make people feel like they are loved. Her name is Gussie Mae and she has a son that is handicapped and so she gets lonely with just him a lot. Then we called some people that we were told to contact but they both ended up not wanting to see us. One of them was a returned missionary but she married an anti-mormon and has fallen away. We then made fliers for a fireside we are having and then had dinner, did 12 week, and then did our nightly routine. (that includes daily planning, getting ready for bed, journal, and SLEEP!) Thursday we went to another rest home. Then that day is when we do weekly planning and so we did that which takes about 2 hours. Afterward we tried to visit about 4 people and all of them fell through and we couldn't reach anybody. That night we had a correlation meeting with the branch mission leader and the Elders in our area. Friday was my favorite day! It was my birthday!!! I can't believe that I am 20 years old!! I really don't feel like I am not a teenager anymore... it is crazy! Well we did our normal studies and then I opened a few packages that I got! I enjoyed everything that I got. I then went and checked the mail and had a full mail box. :) I just felt loved and it was nice. For lunch I got pizza and we went to Christina's (the recent convert) and ate with her and made her feel loved. It's cool to serve on your birthday! Because usually you focus on yourself but when you put others in front of you it makes you ten times happier! It was a great feeling! I love serving people! After we ate at her house, more appointments fell through which was a little discouraging but I tried to stay positive. After we tried to reach people Sister Bunderson made a cake for me. My favorite sherbet cake that Mom makes!! She is the best! Then we took it to an investigators house and talked to them and taught them and shared cake with them. Again, it is so much better to serve others and make others happy than to think about yourself! Saturday was filled with seeing this less active that is almost 90 and she just talks and talks as well! But it is fun to go and visit her and make her feel like she has someone and is loved. She has been coming back to church which is great! Especially because she is very old and has a little bit of a hard time moving. Other than that we didn't do much because appointments were falling through and we can't knock doors or tract because it isn't safe. So we did some musical things that we have to prepare for. Which BY THE WAY... I am learning how to play the organ! And will be playing with Sister Bunderson while a choir sings for some multi zone conference. And next Sunday Sister Bunderson and I are going to be doing some music for sacrament meeting. Sunday we went to church and Christina had brought a cake she made for my birthday! She is so sweet and kind and thoughtful. Although she has some problems in her life and she calls about all of them, I love her and think that she has come a long way and is progressing which is good! It makes me happy. We taught YWs because no one was there to teach it. There are only 2 YWs though and it is weird. But the lesson went well. Then we had meetings and studying and then tried to visit more people but they didn't want to see us or didn't answer their doors. We then spent some time at the branch presidents house and that was refreshing and nice to have people to talk with and try to figure out how to get members to go with us on visits and different problems in the branch. He kind of reminds me of Dad. I love it!! They are a great family! They did almost everything for the branch and have about half of the callings in the branch as well!

Well that might not make sense but it was my week! Not very successful but we have recommitted for this week and are looking forward to seeing some changes! I love being a missionary even when it gets tough! I had to tell my president what I am grateful and so I wanted to just copy and paste because thanksgiving is coming up soon.

I am thankful for a lot of things and most people are. Some of the things that I hold dear to my heart and am probably more grateful for them than other things in my life would include; my family, the gospel, my Savior, and the opportunity to serve a mission. I love my family! They have been such a support to me and have helped me grow and learn in ways I wouldn't have been able to without them. I don't think I would be in the place that I am today without them or without their love and support. The gospel has also been one of the things that I hold dear to my heart because I believe that I would be a lost person feeling like a wasted person if I didn't know that I had the truthfulness of the gospel in my life. I am so grateful that I can feel like I belong and feel like I have a purpose on this Earth because of the gospel. I think I am most grateful for my Savior! I couldn't be with God again if Christ hadn't suffered for my sins and made it possible to return back to Heavenly Father. I know that in my life I have felt him close by me in times of trial when I felt like no one else is there. I have been able to feel that he can relate and knows what I am going through. I am extremely grateful for him and that knowledge I have of him. The last thing I'll say that I am grateful for is that I am able to be here on a mission serving the Lord. I didn't think that I'd have this opportunity. It has really been a blessing in my life to really put others before myself and to learn and grow from that. I am grateful for the ups and downs of a mission.

Well I am doing good. I promise that next week there will be pictures cause I know I have been slacking with that! I love ya'll!! Thanks for all the letters and packages that were sent! I appreciate the love I feel from you!!

Love,

Sister Jenni Merrill

Nov 12, 2013

Hello Family!!!

All is well in Madison! I went out to Crestview Florida this past weekend for that production that my companion played the piano for. It was Joseph Smith the Prophet that Rob does. It was way cool!! I loved it! I got to sing in the choir which was fun. We were there from saturday until monday morning. It was very short but so awesome. I guess that half of the people that were there were investigators or less active. So cool!! The spirit was super strong. At one of the churches that we went to on Sunday they asked if I'd say the closing prayer. It is the first prayer I've given in a sacrament meeting or in a big meeting. I was nervous! Even though I shouldn't have been. Something else that happened this week is that one of our recent converts had two dogs that died and so we had to help bury them and have little funerals for them. There are sooooo many dogs and cats around here. And I don't love animals and so I just have to act like I don't see them.

Something that I want to share is a miracle that has happened with my companion and me. She was pretty sick this past week and we didn't get out very much but we pray a lot of times during the day together and we would always pray to be able to reach some of our goals and to be able to have the Lord's help. Even though she was sick and we were out of town for a few days we still gave missionary work our all for the week and the Lord blessed us that we were able to reach some of our goals and have a successful week! The Lord really does answer prays and is watching out for his children!

I don't have much time so sorry this is so short and all over the place but I just want you all to know that I love you! You are such a wonderful family!! I look up to all of you!! Thanks for all the support and emails! I enjoy reading them! Sorry if I don't write back all the time! Know that I pray and think about you all often! Love you! Have a great week!!

Love,

Sister Jenni Merrill

PS. thank you for all the birthday wishes!! I feel very loved! :)

Nov 4, 2013

Dear Family,

Hello!!! How are ya'll doing?! (That is how almost everybody speaks in Florida) Well at least where I am at. I am in Madison Florida. It is a little place. My companion is Sister Bunderson. She is super fun and nice and friendly! We are having a great time serving together! She is a great trainer and just loves serving a mission. I am serving in a branch and there are only about 60 people that go to church. The branch area covers about 4 little towns. It was very different then going to Vineyard ward on Sunday. I had to be the chorister in sacrament meeting, teach the gospel principles class for sundayschool, and then play the piano for Relief Society. I am being put right to work. It is fun. The people are very nice in this area. I felt very welcome yesterday and loved going to church. One of the recent converts that was baptized last saturday was there on Sunday with her 2 kids but my companion and I had to go down and sit by them to try and keep the kids quiet and get her to stay in the chapel. She was late for church though and so she missed the sacrament. She lives about 20 minutes away from the church and needs a ride and so it's tricky for someone to go get her and bring her to church. This recent convert has been a little needy and we spend a lot of time listening to her, going over to her place to comfort her, etc. She's very nice and has good intentions we just need to get the branch more involved with her and work with her. I have visited a lot of less actives and many of them are older women or couples. I still haven't been able to meet any of the investigators. None of them came to church yesterday which was sad but we will work harder this week. And everytime this past week we tried to go visit them they weren't home. Not going to lie, it has felt like the last 4 days have gone by SOOO slow! But they have been good days and I am loving serving the people here and the Lord. So every morning we get up at 630 and exercise til 7. The exercises vary on what day it is. Monday, Wednesday, Friday we run and then the other days we stretch, do push-ups, do ab workouts, etc. Nothing too exciting. Then we get ready from 7-8. From 8-10 we do personal and then companionship study. It is hard to stay awake sometimes!! Well at least during personal study. I need to be better at that. haha. At 10 we go out and visit people or try and see our investigators, eat lunch for an hour, walk around the lake to try and find people to talk to, etc. Really it kind of all depends on the day and if our plans get changed by Christina (who is the recent convert) or any other people that call us. It has been pretty good so far and I've loved being here. On Wednesdays we go to a rest home and sing to them, play the piano, and share a little message. That was WAY out of my comfort zone but somehow the Lord blessed me to not be nervous and to just sing how I would by myself. I was grateful. My companion said she was nervous that I would be tone deaf or something but she said I was great and that she was relieved to know that I could sing and play the piano. I arrived here in Madison on Wednesday and that was the first thing I did as a missionary in Madison. It was interesting. 

Well I feel like I am just rambling on and on so I hope that everything makes sense! Just so everyone knows..... I LOVE love love getting emails and letters!! Haha! It just makes me so happy! I know I don't have enough time to always write back but I love reading what everyone is up to! :) I can't think of anything really to tell you...

Wait! Something exciting is that I get to travel outside of my area this weekend and spend the weekend in Crestview!! My companion is very musical and she put on a production of Rob Gardener's Joseph Smith the Prophet in her last area and the mission president gave her permission to put on another performance this weekend! So we will travel there this saturday (it's about 6 hours away) and then the performance issunday night and we'll travel home on monday. Super exciting! I'll be able to sing in the choir and participate! It'll be fun:) But that means that I probably won't write home til either monday night or tuesday morning. Just to let you all know.

Well I sure love you guys!! I am loving serving the Lord and know it is what I am supposed to be doing right now. It has been so good for me. I know the church is true and that the Lord blesses those that follow him and keep his commandments! He wants us to be happy and I know that when we are doing the things in life that please God, we'll be happy!! I have totally seen it on my mission. I hope you all have a great week! Talk to you next week! I love you!

Love, 

Sister Jenni Merrill