WELCOME!

Hey Everyone!
This is my blog about all the activities and details about my mission. My folks are going to be updating it weekly, based on the information that I send them through my letters. My current address:
Elder Brigham James Merrell
MTC Mailbox # 138
CHI-CONS 0706
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

11-6-11

Monday: Today was crazy-awesome. We woke up and headed off to Renaico,
where we had the Mission-wide activity. Right when I got there, I got
to say hi to my friends. Among them was Elder Lisonbee. He missed me
almost as much as I missed him. Haha. We spent a lot of time together,
actually. Al of the Zones got in a circle and shared the war chants
and flags they`d created. Then we played some interesting games. The
first one was where we had to throw our shoes into a pile, then try
and find them afte rit was "shuffled." that got violent. I tried to
stay on the outside, but an Elder Steele picked me up' by the thighs
and threw me on people. He`s nuts. Then we played a caterpillar game
where the Zone made a tunnel with their bodies and then someone had to
crawl. the last one was "trees." Which is like Sharks and MInnows, but
the tagged people can`t mave their feet. It was good. I played
volleyball and frisbee. For lunch, we had cheeseburgers and there was
home-made root beer! It wasn`t made with dry ice, but oh well. I was
desperate. I got a letter from my convert, Mirta. She was such a
miracle. She says she misses me and prays for me. She also said she
has permission to go to mutual and even the Temple in December! what a
blessing! We wrote the family. Daddy`s healing. Mom is a Temple Worker
now. That`s so cool! Elders Burch and Tobias are sleeping over again.

Tuesday: So it turns out that my neck got REALLY sunburned yesterday.
The part that`s usually covered by my church-shirt collar is
particularly sensitive. OUCH! The Zone Leaders said that they wanted
tme to give a class on setting and completing goals as well as
planning efficiently.
I`ve found that talking with EVERYONE gives you a feeling that you`re
doing the right thing. We had lunch with Hna. Pinar. She enjoyed her
candy. :) We came home and planned like crazy, making a sweet
gameplan. We couldn`t visit any of our MAIN Investigators, so we did
contacts and tried to visit some future investigators. We didn`t find
any, but it never felt like I was just wandering, doing whatever. We
helped people, and we taught, and spoke. It was sweet. The Sisters
from Villa Esmeralda called with a favor. They had some non-members
from near Antuco that had an aunt with cancer. They were desperate and
one of the visiting relatives knew a member in Santiago who had spoken
about blessings for health. So we went 30 km (20 miles) out of Los
Angeles to give a blessing. My hijo gave it. She said she felt calmer.
I hope she stays that way. She has esophagus cancer, along with a case
of bronchitis. She could barely breathe.

Wednesday: Today was a great day. I`m finally learning how to focus,
take the lead (moreso), and show results for my work. We planned our
appts. for the day, thinking of ways to help Hector and Lilian keep
the Word of Wisdom better. We tried to find Jorge before lunch, but he
wasn`t home. We dropped off our clothes at Hna. Pinar`s. We did
contacts until we had lunch with Hna. Marita. She made me
cheeseburgers in honor of my birthday next week. YES! Lilian wasn`t
home when she`d told us sshe would be. DANG IT! She`s ending up just
like Jorge. It`s frustrating, knowing that they`re receptive, but are
never home. But I wasn`t that depressed. We did cantacts at doors and
in the street. We met some old people that said god will forgive him
even if he doesn`t repent, as his pastor had told. I almost asked him,
"And who is your Pastor, to act in God`s name?" But I refrained. We
visited Jaime, a young 16 year-old man who wants to get to know the
Church. we taught the Restoration. He said he`s bad at reading and
praying. We said he`d be fine. We met Aldo, a man that has a doubt
about Tithing. He would rather give his money to the poor, himself,
than the Church. A General Authority had a similar experience. He told
the member, "I`m sure the Lord appreciates your charitable
desires...but I don`t think he likes you spending hi smoney." Haha.
the Church is true. How else could the leaders speak so familiarly
about God?

Thursday: Today was pretty special. We got up early, to take a bus to
Concepción. elder Zuñiga couldn`t go, because it was a Conference that
was only for Leaders. So he and Elder Tavernier were comps. While I
was with Elder Ayala. We heard from Elder Kent F. Richards of the
Seventy. He`s also a counselr in our Area Presidency. He helped us
understand that, as Leaders, we have a responsibility to bring to pass
this marvelous work, and help the other Missionaries strengthen their
faith in the Lord and his work. He taught that as we teach and edify
each other, we will know how to conduct our lives, work, and families.
He taught that one of our main purposes is to seek the Holy Ghost, so
that we can taach , as well as receive the blessings it offers.
Something that really blew my mind was when he said ,"True words,
spoken without the Spirit, are not truth." :O After our meeting, I
went a few blocks away, to see Hna. Marìa and her family. they had a
greanddaughter kill her baby and then killed herself! :O It was good
to see them despite the sad news. Hna. Soledad is so great! We came
back, and I worked in Villa Las Amercas until we ended the exchange.
Elder Zuñiga found a great new investigator and they`d ddone some
contacts. I called the Millahual family. I love them so much. I love
loving!

Friday: Today was such a beautiful day! Spring is coming around in
full, now, and it`s gorgeous. We did contacts in a really nice part of
town and being able to see all of the flowers, and the green grass,
and the cloudless blue sky was such a wonderful blessing. We found
some really receptive people while we were there. This sector really
is great! We had lunch with Hna. Quiroga. She`s so happy, and I love
it! We tried going by Lilian`s house 3 times today, but she was never
home. Argh! Same with Jorge! And Ernesto and his family! It`s a little
frustrating because it`s not a lack of faith or a particular doubt--we
just can`t find them when they`re home. We DID teach Ingrid. She`s a
new. We asked her some questions to get to know her. She talked about
faith a lot. Wewere able to discover that she wants help gatting it.
We promised her that if she read and prayed about the Book of Mormon
she would get an answer, which goes beyond faith and becomes a
testimony. In the evening, we taught Hector the Plan of Salvation. He
has trouble with the purpose of life--coming to gain experience and
keep the commandments. We tried our best to explain it, then invited
him to pray about it. I`m so grateful for the fact that Heavenly
Father hears--and answers--prayers.

Saturday: So today I completed 18 months in the Mission. A
year-and-a-half since I saw my family. I only have 6 months left to
serve the Lord an dhelp as many people as possible. That was pretty
much all we did today. All of our appts. fell through. We did nothing
but contacts all day long, talking to all of the people we could. But
it was a hard day. We set out with the determination to find lots of
people to help. but we would find that the street we were contacting
was suddenly empty. So we went to others and found similar results.
When we knocked doors, nobody answered. 9 hours of looking for ANYONE
in the entire sector, and we spoke with 25 people. It was so hard for
me. We won`t be able to complete with our goal. We stopped by Lilian`s
house. She was there! But she said someone had told her dad that she
was seeing us. She`s using his house and he said he`d kick her and her
kids out if we kept visiting. She was going to get baptized at the end
of the month. Now, I don`t know when she`ll get those blessings. I`m
jsut so sad because of the ...wickedness of the people. And their
suffering. And their indifference. I`m being weighed down by the fact
that our Zone was counting on the baptisms we were planning to have.
Our investigators are avoiding us, and i`m somehow responsible for the
actions someone else decides to take. I`m going to be praying very
fervently tomorrow.

Sunday: Today was an okay day. But I`m super happy right now, anyway.
Hector promised us three times, this week, that he would ocme to
Church, including this morning. We called him right before the
Meetings, and he said he was still in bed, but would come. When he
didn`t show up to Sacrament Meeting, we called again. He told us he
changed his mind and that we should stop pressuring him. He wa sour
last hope for baptizing this month. But the good news came in the
afternoon. We found Jorge!!! he`s been working lately. He finally got
a job, which is great. He mentioned that in the time that he`s spent
away from the church, he`s felt unprotected and vulnerable. He said he
wants the "good feeling" again. I bore him my testimony of the Gift of
the Holy Ghost and of baptism. We reviewed the word of wisdom and he
committed to not drinking Alcohol. He made the comment, "Your watch
looks a little small, there. Here, have mine." And he gave me a very
handsome-looking watch. It even has his name engraved on the back! He
said that there are lots of folks in the world that don`t pay
attention to others when they express their love. He said that the way
we`ve shown our care for him has been going around in his head and
that he appreciates it. I really do care for him. I just know he`ll
make the right decision. He could get baptized before I leave, if he
wanted to.






Okay, so I`ve got an important announcement. One of the
ex-missionaries of this mission has a son that has cancer. He`s dying
and has months (inside of 3) to live. he had to come home from his
mission, because it was so bad. They said that they can do a
bone-marrow transplant that is very expensive, and can extend his life
by 10 years. they`re asking for help. they say that a dollar or even a
penny would help immensely. For those who are willing to help save
stephen, go to this link! www.Supportstephen.wordpress.com
Thanks for reading!

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