Wow Week! Farm Fun, Visa and Baptismal Date

Sorry lots for not writing back to you last week, but I promise I read all of your letters, I printed them out cause last week I just didn´t have time! Last week we went to a farm in our zone and picked coconuts, mandarin oranges and limes and then cooked hot dogs around a fire as a zone. The bus didn´t come for a long time so we were cutting the missionary deadline pretty close. It was really fun though. We got very soaked. The president of one of the branches drove us in the back of his truck and it rained both ways, to and from the farm. 

This week I spent a lot of time practicing for the district choir, I was playing the piano. Also President Collado, (mission president) came for interview and some training. I learned a lot and was really grateful for the visit. 

I am finally a resident of Nicaragua, I have my ID! Today I spent the day back in Managua getting it. We took an express bus from Esteli to Managua, which is about 2 hours. We left at 4:45 in the morning and there weren´t any seats and so we got to stand the whole way! It was also quite crowded in the aisle. It was really fun, and my comp felt stomach sick the whole way..

Yesterday Jaime, uncle of a less active who finally came to church this Sunday for the District Conference, accepted a baptismal date! Also the less active, Claudia, loved the conference and said she is going to come every week now. She said she knows that God wants her family in the temple. Her husband isn´t a member, but we´re teaching him right now. She wants to start reading the BOM with her fam, and do FHE every week. It was really cool to see that change in her! Also her aunt wants to be baptized but isn´t married to her husband (like they say here). She also loved the conference and was super excited afterwards. We´re going to start teaching him though. We have a FHE with them both tonight, I´m hoping both the husbands will be there! 

Things you asked about last week:

The woman with a baptismal is a little scared right now, but we´re working with her. Our problem more than anything is getting people to come to church!

We live with 2 awesome Hermanas, Hermana Pearson and Hermana Corzantes.
 Our clothes are washed by the cutest lady in our ward that helps us so much with missionary work!  I definitely use the rain coat and my comp found a use one day for my crazy rain boots (=

We have two little burners, a sink and a mini fridge.  Our sink empties into a bucket and we get to empty it out when it gets too full. We fill up tons of water bottles and put them on the counter for when the water goes out so that we can shower. Our food cita is by the same lady in the branch who does our clothes.  My comp´s awesome.

Love you all!

Hermana Merrill 

Excitement for Esteli

I got transferred to the best area in the whole mission, Estelí. (= It´s so pretty here, and way less hot than Managua. Esteli gets lots of rain too, lots more than Managua! It´s much more of a community, farther away from the city, less dirty, and there are mountains! I can´t decide if my area in Managua or this area is more rich though. I still haven´t seen poor Nicaragua. My companion is super awesome too! Her name is Hermana Ochoa, she has 3 months on the mission and she´s so nice, funny, happy, teaches incredibly, and I finally have to speak spanish all the time! (= 

Esteli´s great, we have a really awesome recent convert family that are seriously so awesome and pilas and were so prepared. Right now we are teaching both of their moms and one of them accepted a baptismal date. We don´t have any super awesome families we´re teaching right now, but we´re teaching quite a few really cool investigators. Most of them we found through reactivating menos activos, members, and recent converts.

I really want to start and finish this area with faith and excitement. Some days I feel like I never stop praying, it´s just that I definitely figured out that I can´t do this alone. Every single minute matters on the mission, and I can´t convert people, and I´m not close to perfect, so I definitely pray a lot!

I love you all so much!

Hermana Merrill

La obediencia es el precio, la fe es el poder, el amor es el motivo, el Espíritu es la clave, y Jesucristo es la razón.

News Flash, Being Transferred!

So about the food, I usually only send pictures of food that is abnormal. Whether it is real typical American food (like the tacos and pancakes-- those were really awesome meals) or if it is really weird Nica food. (like the crazy soups)

This week Elder Ochoa of the seventy came and visited us. I learned so much!

News flash, I have transfers tomorrow!

I don't know where I'm going!

Thanks for everything! Love you all