Rain and chuva

Hey pessoal!

This week it rained every single day. Everything from falling mist to a waterfall. But at least it wasn't 800 degrees, so I'll take it.

We did 2 more divisions this week. Same story as always: accomplished lots, laughed lots, and learned lots. On Wednesday I was with Elder Cabrera who is from Peru and it was hilarious to see him talk in choppy spanish too as we taught our bolivian families hahaha... he's forgotten how to speak his own language! Hardcore portañol from both of us...

While we were teaching the bolivians, Elder Meireles and Elder Shamo had a miracle with Cleide and Sergio, who I started teaching with Elder Millaqueo in Setember. They finally made the decision to be baptized! It has been amazing to see the changes they've made in their lives, giving up coffee and drinking, gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon. I'm so happy for them!!!

Also yesterday at church, I had the opportunity to confer the Aaronic Priesthood to Gustavo. What a cool experience. I love the families we're teaching so much!

Well, my times up! More to come next week! I love you all and have a wonderful week!

Elder Merrill

This week it just rained and rained and when it didn't, the clouds said it would rain some more.... (division with Elder Valadares)

Awesome burger... little spendy, but worth it.

Batismo de Cleide, Sergio, e Paulo! It was awesome

After more than a year and a half, finally got to satisfy my thirst for tennis... the raquets and balls we used from a member whose condominium has a covered court. Awesome p-day activity this morning

Agua de coco!​

We burned some old files with the secretaries...

La vida (notice the spanish?;)

Fam-

This week was pretty nice, compared to the fast paced correria that constitutes our lives...

Yesterday there was an intense thunderstorm that was super cool! The rain in the strong wind just pounded and the thunderclaps left my ears ringing. When it returned in the middle of the night, I woke up because of the rain and thunder. Cool.

We did 2 divisions this week, so we were able to teach quite a bit and find some really cool new people to teach! One of the days I spent with Elder Rodrigues, meu pai (my trainer) and it's always fun to be with him again. In our teaching group, we have 5 bolivian families (one lives next door to Gustavo and Iris, one is his cousin.... they are giving us some awesome references), so this last week we gave out some copies of the Libro de Mormón and attempted teaching in Spanish... I think I managed semi-well, it's funny to speak spanish now... but the good part is that we understand everything they say to us in spanish, and they usually understand our portuguese haha. The bolivians are a very friendly and open people, they always offer us food and listen to us. Who woulda thought that in Brazil I'd be teaching bolivians?

Anyways, gotta run, but I love you all and have a marvellous week!

Elder Merrill

Sister Rocha and I always twin on accident

One day we saw a group of 40 parrots just chillin on the powerlines... I couldn't get them all in the pic

LOOK WHAT ONE IRMÃ SERVED WITH LUNCH ONE DAY FOR ME. IT WAS SO AMAZING. She went to the States and brought it back with her

A random dog followed us home one day.... He was friendly

1 ano e 6 meses, how did this happen?

Fam-

Yesterday marked my 1 year and 6 month mark... How? I still feel like a novinho! I don't feel experienced at all!

Anyways, we had a good week. Division on Thursday helped us get more done. On Friday we had the conselho de liderança, so Thursday night 3 more Elders came from the farthest zone to spend the night close to the office.... 7 elders in one little house was an interesting experience, but it was fun haha. I was just super tired getting up extra early and giving our training the next day, then helping some less actives move that night.... ah, the life.

Gustavo and Iris were married on Saturday! Bishop did the ceremony in Spanish for them and their family to understand better. On Sunday morning before church they were baptized, then confirmed in the sacrament meeting right after! It was an amazing experience, I am so happy for them!

Well, gotta run, have a wonderful week y'all!

Elder Merrill

Thank you Spurgeons again for the homemade cookies! they didn't last 24 hours from the time I opened the box haha 

Sister Rocha and Sister Dias rockin the pants, now that Sisters can use them... it's strange, I'll take awhile befoe I get used to it.. 

More yummy Twizzlers.... thanks Sister Doyle's mom!

Pollo a la brosta (bolivian plate)

Feliz 2017!!!!

Wow, I just corrected myself recently from writing unintentionally 2015 as the date, now it's already 2017??? I'm pretty sure I'll still write 2015 for a few months....

The transfer was Tuesday and 20 missionaries went home, including 3 that were my companions and many others that were good friends.. sad when people leave:( We got a bunch of new missionaries too, so after giving the training for them and teaching a couple lessons on the way home, I was exhausted at the end of the day.

This whole entire week I kinda felt so wiped out from the last transfer. It's tiring to teach the area again to a new companion, principally when he won't even stay to have another comp in Mooca. But he's super excited to work his last transfer like no other. He has lots of ideas and will, so that'll help us do pleny ainda these next 5 weeks!

We spent New Year's Eve at our bishop's house, who is also our next-door neighbor! It was fun, I ate lots, and we played Monopoly. At midnight the street nearly exploded from all of the fireworks.... From our house you can get a pretty good 360 of São Paulo and it was fire in all directions. Pretty cool.

At church last sunday and yesterday there were about 30-40 people due to the holidays... I almost gave a talk for the 3rd week in a row! Fortunately Bishop found someone else haha

This last year was amazing. One complete year that I had the blessing to be a full-time representative of Jesus Christ among God's children here in Brazil. I truly learned things I never would've imagined, met people that have changed my life forever, and gotten to know more about my Savior than I would've ever thought possible. It's truly amazing.

This week is gonna be a good one. Gustavo and Iris's wedding, baptism, and who knows what other miracles God will send our way too?:)

Love you all, and have a wonderful start of a wonderful 2017!

Elder Merrill

Elder Vasconcelos is probably on the beach in Recife at this very moment... I'll miss him

One day it rained so hard that it almost took the motorbike with it!

Planner cred: Sister Doyle

Awesome glasses I found at Gustavo and Iris' house

Busy busy busy week

Wow!

This week was so stressful I had 15 new pimples break out. Yeah. But it's passed.

So Wednesday I went to Guaratinguetá (the farthest zone) for the zone conference there. But Elder Vasconcelos and Sister Doyle were in the self-reliance course at the same time, so I gave the training with Sister Rocha hahaha. For one day, I was President's companion, and she was Sister Silcox's. 

On Thursday Elder Vasconcelos went to the temple, so I got locked up in the office with the secretaries with nothing to do all day. I got cabin fever super bad. When he got back I was ready to explode because I couldn't stand so much nothing..... yeah.

Friday we ate so much at lunch, then went to the next house and ate, then at the end of the day Gustavo and Iris made us more bolivian food...

..then on saturday we ate the strangest thing I've yet eaten on my mission, called buchada de bode, which is billy-goat stomach filled with it's intestines, kidneys, liver.... I wasn't a huge fan. Also, the fried intestine was alright, but after a few bites I couldn't continue.... do not recommend for the weak or even relatively strong of stomach...... but a great cultural experience heh heh.

Then that night we ate churrasco at bishop's house, where we spent Christmas Eve. It was super fun, but we slept stuffed.

THEN on sunday for lunch there was a huge turkey, pasta, rice and beans, maionese, salad, ribs with potatoes, farofa, fruit..... oh my heck. We weren't even hungry before lunch. And later that night a member gave us like 6 desserts and sent us home with our fourth panetone (actually it was chocotone)

In short, Christmas=food. 

Cleide and Sergio were married on Saturday! It was simple, but wonderful.

Yesterday, as it was Christmas day, I got to call mommy and daddy. It was great to see your smiling faces, even though I was speaking a fair amount of portuglish haha

Elder Vasconcelos goes home tomorrow, so I'll be getting a new companion, Elder Meireles. He goes home at the end of this transfer hahahaha. I just keep killing my comps! 3rd in a row!

We had an amazing miracle this week too! So on Tuesday we visited Gustavo and Iris with the bishop and on Monday it didn't work out in the Federal Police to get their documents since it was chock full and they said there were no openings until after the new year. After a great lesson, bishop went home, opened his computer and looked on the Federal Police site to see exactly 5 vacancies (2 adults and 3 of their kids) for the next day. He called them to tell them the news that they were could resolve it the next day, and they responded saying "after you guys left, we knelt and said a prayer that we would be able to get our documents without delay so that we can be married and baptized." It took less than 2 hours for their prayer to be answered. The next day, they went and resolved everything, and their wedding is scheduled for January 7th. Their faith truly amazes me. I am so grateful that I have so many blessings in my life, and I love being a missionary.

Hope everyone had a spectacular Christmas!

Elder Merrill

Awesome tie from Elder Oberholzer

Look at the name of the street of the church... yup. "Street of the Mormons"

We matched without meaning to again!

The bishop performed the wedding in his office

Feliz Natal!

Fam,

Needless to say, I'm excited for Christmas this Sunday. I love Christmas.

Our week was pretty busy. We went to 2 more zone conferences in São Miguel/Itaquera and in Guarulhos/Cumbica which ate up 2 days of our week, but tudo bem.... On the way home from one, President dropped me off to do a division in Camargo Novo with Elder Azevedo, which was super awesome. We had many miracles, including one lady in a car who stopped to ask us who we were and asked to be taught, a member who gave us a reference when we asked if she had any friends, some really cool lessons. Friday night we traded and I came back to our area. So I was only in Mooca for 2 days this last week haha.

Today bishop and Gustavo and Iris are finishing up the documents they need to be married, and so next week we'll already have a date for them!

Saturday is Sergio and Cleide's wedding! We're excited!

This is Elder Vasconcelos' last week already. So weird. This transfer flew by! We have a ton of stuff to do (finish up the zone confs, prepare for the transfer, self-reliance course, go to the temple, wedding, baptisms, Christmas, etc) and only 7 days to do it, but it'll all work out. I love life!

I love you all!

Elder Merrill

Epic selfie from Elder Bush

We had a secret Santa and Elder Botelho gave me a tie and this cool pen with my name engraved on it

I saw Santa!!!!

Esta Semana

Hello family!

This week was great, and (suprise on this part) tiring.

Last Monday kinda took it out of us because we didn't really have much rest on our p-day with bolivian consulate and meeting with president and district meeting and appointment that night with a member, but it all worked out.

On Tuesday we spent the morning trying to figure out what we were gonna do for our zone conference training and didn't finish, so us and the sister liders went to our areas for lunch, worked the afternoon, and came back at 7 to finish. It was tiring, but I think it turned out well. The first conference was on Wednesday and it was super fun. We've got 2 more this week and 1 the next. Go team.

We did another division this week and I spent the day with Elder Capener, who is from Boston. It was awesome, but it's always weird when I walk on the street with an american because I'm just so unaccustomed to being with people that aren't Brazilian or Hispanic. 

Gustavo and Iris, the bolivian couple we're teaching made us bolivian food one night. We ate bisté and chuño.... not really sure how to describe it, but it was good! They're just the sweetest!

Yesterday there was an area Brazil conference (like a stake conference, just to everyone) and Elder Maynes and Elder Holland were some of the speakers. It was so good! I loved how everything was directed specifically to Brazil, it brought a special spirit. I love this work. I know God really loves and cares about each one of His children.

I love you all!

Elder Merrill

Presidente e Sister e a gente

Elder Hughes and I Spider-manning at the Christmas Zone Conference

Found ginger ale.... so good....

Elder Dantas ripped his pants..... it's not that bad

Today for P-day Alecsander and Nito came and visited! I played soccer in the rain in my shirt and tie with them just to relive good times from Cohab Juscelino