Mission is a Privilege

So this week I loved something that was said at the meeting with Elder Soares. The mission is a privilege, not a sacrifice. It is so true. I love saying that I am a representative of Christ. How many people in the world get to say those words? The best part of that is coming to believe it. Looking into someone´s eyes and saying those words with all the certainty in your heart. Maybe nobody can know what it´s like saying those words, until you get the opportunity, but it is really cool. The spirit testifies of that to the hearts that are listening when we declare that. The most powerful way to bring the spirit is to call people to repentance without fear. Its not mean or scary, it is showing people, inviting people to be happier. Wickedness never was happiness. Even reading those words I know they are true because I can feel the spirit testifying them to me. 

Another cool thing about being a missionary is coming to be able to discern what the spirit feels like and when it is and isn't there. Thank you parents for always inviting the spirit to be in our house, through the cleanliness, the words we spoke, the way we were encouraged to act and to be.

I got to do divisions with Hermana Raymond this week (she's the training leader for all the training leaders). I learned so much. She's so full of faith that girl. It was fun talking about who we are now and how we've changed since the beginning of the mission. 

Today we hiked up a mountain with the girls form Matagalpa and took pictures from a lookout, it was fun

LOVE YOU ALL,

Hermana Merrill

Merrill & Morales in Matagalpa amongst Mountains and Miracles

Lets start off with 7 M's. I´m (Hermana Merrill) in Matagalpa, a place with mountains and miracles my companion´s name is Hermana Morales and there´s a really cool family that´s hopefully going to get baptized this Saturday named Marlon and Margelia. We have 39 recent converts!

Last week when I was still in Esteli, I had a really crazy week. I hardly didn´t get to work in my area. Monday was P-day, so I just worked at night.  Tuesday we had our weekly district meeting in the morning and then an hour after lunch, I got a phone call from my zone leader informing me that I needed to leave immediately for Managua. I was invited to an extra p-day that the president was taking all the leaders on and then a leaders meeting the next day. (All the leaders had sacrificed their P-day on Monday) I had to pack SO fast because it was New Years Eve, and as such we didn´t know when the last bus would leave for Managua. I dropped off my companion in Ciudad Dario and picked up another Hermana, that was invited and we headed for Managua. 

Wednesday we visited a volcano! It was really cool. AND I got to work the night in my old area in Managua, Bello Horizante. I got to see a few members and recent converts. It was a really cool day.

Hermana Merrill & Raymond

Hermana Gonzalez

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Then on Thursday We had a meeting until the afternoon and then we headed back to Ciudad Dario and Esteli. 

Bottom Line - I had Friday and Saturday to work in my area, but the volcano was really cool! 

My companion is so awesome. She really knows how to bring the spirit into lessons. It´s fun teaching with someone experienced! It's going to be a good transfer.  It´s really beautiful here we live in the mountains. Literally inside of them (=

Marlon (above) has problems with smoking but we're using a 7-day to baptism, 24 hour commitment technique, that I read about in a missionary book. He's going to conquer this addiction. It´s really powerful this lesson and plan. They're sooo cool. 

  

I really feel blessed.

Hermana Merrill

FYI from Tonya: I looked up Matagalpa on Wiki and this is what it said: 

"Nicaragua's sixth largest city and one of its most commercially active outside of Managua. Matagalpa is the second most important city in Nicaragua and is known as the "Pearl of the North" and "Land of Eternal Spring."  Looks like she is in a beautiful place once again.

Leaving Esteli

So, I'm leaving Esteli. Thanks family for cursing me with your prediction...

Highlights of Esteli:

The climate

The Mountains

The People I love so much, especially:

Claudia. She is so awesome now in the church. She comes quite a bit with her kids and Grisel.  [Not a very short note about her husband--We are going to start teaching him! He and Claudia are separated right now due to his alcoholism, but this last stupor of alcohol was really bad and and he realized he needs some help in his life. I can't remember if I told you guys about him, but we talked to him on that same corner we talked to Max. We had some really spiritual conversations with a very drunk Mauricio. (He remembered them later so it's alright). He even accepted to be baptized and come to church (although with the baptism date we've got to re-establish that in a non-drunk state, but he definitely is committed to Church this next Sunday). His only fear is going to church with Claudia there as well, although it would be a step to winning her back like he wants.]

Grisel, we've been through a lot with her and one day hopefully not in the too far future she'll get baptized when they get their relationship problems fixed. (I didn't know I signed up to be a relationship counselor) Note: She says her husband wasn't cheating on her, just lied to her because she doesn't like him to visit his mom's family for some reason.

Nazerely, a recent convert that just had a baby girl.

Anyways there are a ton more but time's running short.

I'm going to Matagalpa and I´m going to be a sister training leader again.