Elder Marriner Kaden Merrill: Testimony is knowing

Hey guys! How are things going back in your Winter
Wonderland?! I am so jealous of all the snow you have
there. It honestly feels like Spring here. There is no snow
and it is currently 50 degrees. Training is still going awesome.
Elder Giles has been really fun to be around and serve with.

So this past week was absolutely amazing! We had a zone
conference on Wednesday about all the new schedule changes.
I am really excited for the new schedule. It just allows our days
to be a little more flexible. We will still get up at 6:30. We can
then plan at 8:30 instead of at night.  We then have our personal
study and a half hour for companionship study. We always have
an hour of language, and now because we are trainers we do an
hour from the 12 week training schedule. Really we can do these
anytime during the day, it's whatever works best with our schedule.
In the meeting they talked a lot about how this will help us use our
free agency for the better. This will also benefit our lives helping
us learn to use our time wisely after our missions.

Saturday was definitely the highlight of the week. We were all
looking forward to the special mission meeting in Little Rock
with Elder Neil L. Andersen. The entire mission attended. When
we arrived we all gathered into the gym and they organized everyone
so we could take a photo with Elder Andersen. Literally as soon as he
walked into the room you could just feel of his spirit. I was like - wow -
an apostle of the Lord is here. It was amazing! After the photo we went
into the chapel for the meeting. President Wakolo began the meeting
with his powerful testimony. Then we heard from Elder Klebingat of the
seventy. He spoke about leaving everything behind and giving everything
to God.  We then heard from the Presiding Bishop Wadell and then from
our area seventy, Elder Beheshti. Then Elder Andersen spoke to us. He
spoke on how we must plant ourselves firmly in the word of God so that we
will be steadfast and immovable.  My biggest take away from it all was this:

"Testimony is knowing, conversion is becoming."

When we are truly converted, we can then help others better feel that converting
power having already experienced it ourselves. At the end of the meeting he left
us all with an Apostolic Blessing. It was so awesome to just feel of the spirit there.
I will definitely remember that day for the rest of my life.

Well I hope everyone has an awesome week. I love you guys!

Love Elder Merrill