General Conference was so awesome!

Hey guys!  General Conference was so awesome!  We watched all
5 sessions at the church, and most of them in Spanish.  It was really
cool to be able to understand all the messages in Spanish.  I am also
excited to go back and watch/read them all again in English.  There
were some really awesome talks!  I remember that before the mission
I really didn't like conference all that much but now I love it!  I really
loved Joaquin E. Costa's and Elder Rasband's talks.  Even though Elder
Costa directed his talk toward investigators, I think it is so important for
each of us as members to know because we all become converted to the
gospel in the same way.  One of the most important things I have learned
out here is that the most important convert I am going to bring into the
gospel is myself.  It has been an amazing experience to be able to grow
in the gospel along with the people I am teaching.

When President Wakolo was called as a General Authority Seventy we
all kinda freaked out.  It was so awesome!  Funny story - in the President's
weekly email last week he said that he was going to give his counselors
each a week to be the mission president and experience all that it entails. 
Turns out he just had to go to Utah for General Conference.  We all thought
it was pretty funny. 

Things are going good with Elder Santiago.  He is district leader
right now.  I really enjoyed being the district leader and I look
forward to being one again.  Little Rock is still awesome. I love
the city but sometimes the work here can be hard.  Everyone that
we ask the question "do you know where any Hispanics live?" they
just tell us to go to the other area in our district so that can really be
frustrating sometimes.  All in all, this area of my mission has taught
me that growth really does come in times of trial. 

This last week we were on walk week and it is beginning to get
hot again.  I'm gonna die in the summer!   But all was well.  We
had a lesson with a former investigator who is the husband of a
less active and we set a baptismal date with him.  It was awesome!
It's the first baptismal date that has been set in this area for at least
2 transfers.  We are hoping to turn things around here and so far
things are looking good.  We also picked up a couple other promising
investigators so we are pretty happy about that.  It really is great when
you have people to teach.

We are having a pretty chill P-day today.  Just kinda hanging out
at the church!  Thanks for everything.  Love you guys!

Love Elder Merrill

Elder Merrill with President Wakolo and his wife

when he arrived in the Arkansas Little Rock Mission.

Together again with my Trainer

Hey guys!  Transfers were today which is always exciting.  Elder Gonzalez
is leaving me and being switched to English speaking.  He is super excited. 
My new companion is Elder Santiago - yep - I am going back with my trainer. 
He has been out serving a little more than a year now.  I'm excited because we
already know each other so it should be pretty fun.  I am staying in my area in
Little Rock but I am no longer district leader.  It's all good though.  I learned a
lot from being a leader and am so grateful for the opportunity I had to lead.  A
lot of other changes took place with this transfer.  They split up all of our zones. 
We now have 11 zones instead of 6 and there are 4 missionaries who will serve
as Assistants to the President.  It will be different but I think a lot of good things
will come from the change.

This past week was pretty normal.  It was a really good week to end the transfer
on.  We found a couple of new really awesome people to teach so hopefully they
are still around next week.  It's really weird to think that I have been serving as a
missionary for eight months.  I still feel like a greenie some days.     

Sounds like a lot is happening back home.  That's awesome Grandma Rae turned
90!  As always - Thanks for everything!  The church is true!  Love you all!

Love Elder Merrill

Elder Merrill and Elder Gonzalez

Hermana Quigley, Hermana Keller,

Elder Jorgensen, Elder Sweeten,

Elder Gonzalez and Elder Merrill

The ALRM Spanish Zone

All together -in 2 separate places

First mission Spanish Zone Conference

Hey guys!  I hope that everything is going well!  We had a pretty great
week.  It started out with a good day on Tuesday.  We were able to teach
an investigator who had not been taught in a while.  It was really cool
because we went in with one lesson plan and ended up teaching something
totally different.  It is amazing to truly witness how the spirit works. 

On Wednesday we had the first ever mission Spanish zone conference!  It
was so cool because everything was in Spanish and I was able to understand
pretty much all of it.  After the conference all the companionships were divided
and went on splits the rest of the day in our area.  The next day we had a mission
Zone Conference here in Little Rock.  Everyone serving on the Arkansas side of
the mission was there. It was really fun to see past companions and people I have
served in the same district with.  At both zone conference meetings everyone was
instructed on how to use the Book of Mormon better in our teaching and finding
efforts.  It was really cool to see how everyone taught the same thing.  Yet another
Holy Ghost testimony builder!  You guys are awesome!  I love you all!

Love Elder Merrill

ALRM Spanish Zone Conference

Elders Sweeten, Merrill, Jorgensen & Gonzales

ALRM Zone Conference

Elder Merrill is on the right-4 rows up

Blessed to teach - Blessed to learn

Hey guys!  This week was pretty normal, nothing really special
happened. But this upcoming week should be super awesome!
We are having the first EVER Spanish zone conference in the
mission!  I'm so excited to be part of it!  It's right before our
regular zone conference so the missionaries who travel far will
spend the night in various apartments close by.  This means I get
to be in the presence of Elder Toomer again!  I'm super pumped! 

We were on walk week this last week and walked quite a bit. Pretty
sure I lost a few Southern gained pounds - haha.  I had my second
district meeting this week and it went really well.  I instructed on
teaching the people and not just lessons. We really focused on how
to ask inspired questions to check for knowing and understanding.
I am blessed to teach.  I really enjoy teaching.  It's pretty sweet.  I
never thought I would enjoy it as much as I do so it has really kind
of surprised me. 

The Lord is our greatest teacher of all.  We are so blessed to learn
from Him every day.  I am so blessed to be a missionary for the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and share this true gospel.  

Thanks for everything! 

Love Elder Merrill

Little Rock Spanish Zone

THE CHURCH IS TRUE!

Feasting on the Word of God

Family Home Evening in President Wakolo's home

Birthday adventures in Little Rock

Hey guys!  Thanks for the birthday package.  Everything was
awesome!  The cake cookies were amazing.  I shared them with
everyone and they loved them as well.  Thank you so much for
the socks!  I love them!  And the Aggie socks are amazing!  To
be honest I think the mission has made me feel like I'm 22 with
everything we do so it was nice to be reminded that I was only
turning 19 on Monday. 

Things are going awesome here in Little Rock.  Last p-day - my
birthday - was so fun!  We went to the Clinton museum and they
had a super awesome Beatles exhibit.  I loved it!  I have lots of
pictures.  We also walked across the big Clinton bridge and I took
some cool pictures of the city.  That night the ward invited us over
for a "Family Home Evening" at one of their houses and turns out
they threw a surprise birthday party for me.  It was super awesome! 
Hispanics really know how to throw a party.  We had games, pizza,
and I got my face shoved into a cake - Ha Ha!   Good fun!


Being a district leader has been such a cool experience.  My district
is so awesome and I have grown to love them all so much.  Our area
has been struggling a little bit lately and we are trying to change that.
They have just been doing the same thing over and over here as far as
tracting and stuff like that - it's not working.  So at the moment I am
trying to figure out how to change that. My Spanish is coming along
great.  It is really fun to be in an all Spanish area.  It also helps that my
companion knows more Spanish than English.

My companion, Elder Gonzales, is from Angol, Chile.  He said that it
is in the Chile Concepcion South mission.  Today we are going to have
a pretty relaxed P-day.  It's will be nice to take a little break.  It is really
nice to be busy all the time but sometimes you miss having nothing
to do.  Thanks for everything!  I love you!

Love Elder Merrill

Elder Merrill at the Little Rock Spanish Branch

Elder Sweeten, Elder Gonzales, Elder Jorgensen & Elder Merrill

 on the Clinton Bridge in Little Rock

Little Rock Arkansas

Little Rock Capitol Building

Walk this way to the Clinton Museum

"President" Elder Merrill

                                                               Can you find all 4 Elders?

Beatles Exhibit

Get back to work Elder Merrill

Happy 19th Birthday!

Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone!  You guys are

awesome!  All and all things are going pretty good right

now!  Being a district leader is really awesome.  It isn't

much different from being a normal missionary other

than I have more responsibility now.  I instruct our district

meetings and on Sunday nights I call all of the missionaries

in my district to get their numbers for the week and see how

they are doing.  It really has been amazing to witness how

everyone is succeeding around me.  A phrase jumped out at

me in my patriarchal blessing the other day that says, "you

will have the privilege of seeing success in your laborers." 

I have definitely been able to see that lately and it has been

such a testimony builder for me. Whether I am the one teaching

a person or some-one else is doing the teaching it is so awesome

to see the change that happens in people as they make progress

towards coming closer to Heavenly Father. 

It has been really awesome having a native companion.  He is a

hard worker and he has definitely helped my Spanish.  Our rule

is that when we are outside our apartment we only speak Spanish

to help me learn.  And when we are inside we only speak English

to help him because he is trying to learn English.  For my birthday

today we are going to the Clinton library and museum.  I'm pretty

excited because they have an awesome Beatles exhibit on display

right now.  Thanks again for everything!  I love you guys!

Love Elder Merrill

Elder Gonzales & Elder Merrill

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELDER MERRILL!  #19

Being a District Leader is pretty sweet!

Hey guys!  How is everybody?!  Sorry about last week, my email

was not working and I was only able to send that little bit.  This

last week has been pretty good.  My new companions name is Elder

Gonzales.  He is from Chile and speaks very little English.  He is really

funny and I am enjoying getting to know him.  My Spanish has already

gotten a ton better!  So far we get along great.  He came out with me to

the mission field and has been serving in this area his whole mission. 

It's kind of a tough area so sometimes he gets a little unmotivated to

work, but so far it hasn't really been a problem.  We are going to work

hard together!  We were on walk week this past week.  He doesn't have

a bike so I think we walked like 15 miles.  Luckily it wasn't too hot.

Being a district leader is pretty sweet though.  My district consists of

us, a set of Spanish sisters, and the Spanish zone leaders.  It's really

great because I get to serve around Elder Sweeten again.  He is a zone

leader here.  I did my first call in last week to get the weekly numbers

and check in on them.  It was pretty cool.  Tomorrow I have to direct

and teach my first district meeting.  I'm a little nervous but it should be

pretty good.  I'm going to teach about our purpose as Spanish branch

missionaries.  It is way different than the Jonesboro ward.  It's like a sixth

of the size, and of course everything is in Spanish. The branch still has to

rely a lot on the missionaries to teach and give talks on Sunday so looks

like I am going to get pretty good at teaching on the fly.  

My new address is:

Elder Marriner Kaden Merrill

LDS Missionaries

7820 West Capitol Avenue  Apt. 613

Little Rock, AR  72205

I can't believe I'm going to be 19 in a week!  I'm looking forward to my

birthday package.  I always love ties, like really love ties ;)  It's also crazy

that I hit 7 months out yesterday.  I still feel like a greenie sometimes.  

I am so blessed to be a missionary.  It has been amazing to witness the

miracles and tender mercies that the Lord gives us from day to day. I know

that this gospel changes lives, I've seen it.  It definitely gives me strength

each and every day.  I know that God lives and that He loves us.  I love that

God gives us trials not only to strengthen us but to teach us.  I love all of you

guys and hope that you have an awesome week!

Love Elder Merrill

Elder Merrill on Merrill Drive in Little Rock Arkansas

Elder Merrill's District Leader Letter from President Wakolo