Trips to Kiev and a Baptism

August 26, 2019

Hello Everyone!

These past weeks have been busy but really exciting! We have spent a lot of time in Kiev for our Zone Conference and Mid-Transfer Training. (4 hour bus/train ride) I also had the opportunity to go to the temple! It was absolutely gorgeous and I am so grateful to have a temple so close. 

Beautiful Churches in Kiev!

We also spent a day in center Kiev, walking around and seeing all of the churches and monuments. It was incredible to be in a place that I had read and learned so much about. There was a large monument where people came to pay their respects to the people who died in the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution. Ukraine has such a rich history and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn more about it and understand the people's background and culture here.

Funny thing, the streets were full of monkeys, hedgehogs, and ponies. Not kidding! People just bring their ponies and monkeys on the streets and people pay to take pictures with them. The hedgehogs were wild and hanging out in the grassy areas. I love Ukraine!

This week we had the opportunity to visit many members in their homes. Many of the members live in villages outside of Cherkassy so we take a small bus there. The villages are so beautiful! They have cobblestone roads and are surrounded by fields of sunflowers. Many of the members live over an hour away from the city. Their dedication to attend church and help others in the branch while living so far away is really inspiring and I am grateful for their diligence. The members love to feed the missionaries here. This week I have had tried many exciting Ukrainian meals but Borscht still remains the favorite:)

настя and us after her baptism!

The highlight of the week was настя's baptism! It was such a special experience. She was glowing the during the whole meeting. She bore her testimony and although I couldn't understand most of it, I could feel her love for the gospel and her understanding of the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. After she was baptized, we were helping her get ready and she kept saying "I feel so happy!". I know that when we are baptized, we are cleansed from sin and can feel of the strength and peace that comes from the willingness to follow Christ's example. The Atonement of Jesus Christ brings true happiness! 

 Everyday, I have the opportunity to share the true message that "Christ lives and through Him, we can have joy" with everyone I meet.  I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I love being a missionary!

I love you all!

Sister Merrill

Kristina and her fun (but a little bit loud) addition to Sacrament meeting:)

 Pre-baptism:)

The Independence Monument

My Accidental, Profanity-Filled Lesson

August 12, 2019

Hello Friends!

This week has been filled with so many great experiences. We had the oppurtunity to visit with many investigators and members of the church. I love the people here so much. They are so kind and open. Sometimes a bit too open for comfort. One day this week, we knocked on a door and were greeted by a half naked бабушка. Fun times!

I also recieved my luggage this last week which has been really awesome! It was lost between my flight between Amsterdam and Kiev. It feels nice not to have to wear the same dress every day:) 

We had the BEST Georgian food today!

I am so grateful for the oppurtunity to be learning Russian. The language is beautiful and so neat! I has been hard not being able to understand most conversations but I know that through hardwork and help from the Lord, I will eventually be able to understand;)

Funny story! One of our friends wanted to have a 30-30 lesson with us. During these lessons, we practice English for 30 minutes and then give a spiritual thought for 30 minutes. As we were practicing English with her, there were a part of what she said that didn't understand entirely so I said what I thought that she said in English. Apperantly, those two words that I said sound exactly like the Russian word equivilent to the F word in English. My companion and our friend were shoked and they just stared at me. After, they explained what I had said, I was embarassed but grateful that I now know what not to say!

I have loved being able to visit with members of the branch. We visited a man and his granddaughter in a small village outside of Cherkassy. They live in very humble circumstances but were so generous and fed us the best watermelon I have ever had! The man sang us a song that he wrote for his wife who and passed away a short time ago. It was so beautiful and we were all in tears by the end of it. 

We also had the oppurtunity to visit with our friend настя who will be baptized on the 24th. Woohoo! She told us that she had been hit by car that day but that she realizes that even when we are living righteously

, we will still have trials. It is so true! I know that through our trials, we can rely on the Lord and he will comfort us and help us feel peace. I am so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that when we have trials, we can find peace in the Savior because he knows exactly how we feel. 

I love you all! Thank you for the love and support!

настя and I partying at game night!

We had the BEST Georgian food today!

My pal Alla and I posing on the streets of Cherkassy

A Бабушка Ping Pong Battle

This was a positive letter was written after a tearful phone call where Maddie explained she had been 7 days without her luggage.  A rough start, but she did an amazing job of making everything work!  Her luggage showed up later that night and I don't think she missed a beat.  (she just really missed her clothes!!)

August 5, 2019

Сестра гончар and I!

Greetings from Ukraine!

It's the real deal! Last Tuesday, I arrived in Kyiv and started this exciting adventure. I have been asigned to serve in Cherkassy. A city about four hours south of Kyiv. It is awesome! The people here are kind, loving, and brutally honest. My Russian has been roasted multiple times. But I appriciate the help;)

It has been pretty difficult to understand the people here. But every day I feel like I am understanding more:-) It's hard not being able to commumicate as well as I could in English. This week, I have learned how to make people feel loved through smiles and simple compliments:)

My companion is AWESOME! Her name is сестра гонар. She is from Moldova and is so kind. We met with some great friends this week. One of our friends is настя!  She is 14 and will be baptized on the 24th. She is so excited and counts down the days. 

We have an English practice class twice a week and it is so fun! They asked me to share a funny story in English so I shared the story of my famlies former evil llama, Carl. They loved it! Thanks Carl!

At our English class game night, a бабушка (grandma) challanged me to a ping pong battle. It was very intense and she was victorious. I need to work on my ping pong skills:) 

I am so grateful for the oppurtunity to serve in Cherkassy. I love the people here, their spirits, and incredible style (seriously, everyone dresses so well!). I love seeing the effects that the Book of Mormon has on our friends' lives. The Book of Mormon is so true and is a source of light and joy. 

I love all! Write me!

Сесрта меррил

In Ukraine!

July 30, 2019

Hello!!

I hope that trek goes well. I have made it to Ukraine! My mission president is awesome and I met my companion. She is a native woohoo! I am going to be serving South of Kiev in a place called Charkessy or something. Anyways, I am happy to be here and I am so excited!

Oh my companion, Sister Melendez was delayed becuase of health issues. But hopefully she can meet us soon.

Love you!

Sister Merrill

Last Week at the MTC!

July 24, 2019

Thank you for the flowers!

Hello everyone! 

I hope that you all had a great week! This week has been full of lasts because in five days I will be headed to Ukraine! I am so excited and ready. The MTC has been an absolute blast but I feel ready and excited to love the people of Ukraine!

I got my fight plans! On Monday morning at 8:00, I will say goodbye to my district and head to the airport. I love my district so much so leaving them will be so hard but I know that they will all do great things in Russia and Ukraine! We have a flight to Amsterdam and then to Ukraine. Woohoo!

On Monday, we had or last online TRC and it was SO GOOD! We taught a бабушка and she was so funny and nice. We met her granddaughter and I finally felt ready to meet the people of Ukraine after it. 

My companion and I teaching our Ukrainian friend

Yesterday we had a real good lesson with our teacher. We came planned with a whole different lesson about enduring to the end but then the lesson completely changed because our friend told us that he didn't want to get baptized because his mom would be upset. It was so neat to be able to recognize the Spirit prompt my companion to share a story about her conversion and me to share a scripture on the spot. After we finished our response, our teacher stopped the whole lesson to give us each a handshake and kept saying "отличный" (awesome). Anyway, it was a great lesson to end with.

Some fun things that happened:

- I got in trouble for diving in volleyball... again.

- Apparently my hand shake was really horrible so my whole zone has a joke about the "Sister Merrill handshake". But I have changed

my ways and now my handshake is better than ever:)

-I received my Russian missionary tag! It looks like сестра меррил.  

I love the gospel and the opportunity I have to share the message of hope, love, and peace. I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can live with our families forever. I know that God loves each of us individually and that when we turn to him, he will help us through all of our trials and pains. 

Post-class selfies!

I have loved the MTC and the people I have met here. There really is no place like it. I will cherish the memories that I have made and the lessons I have learned here. 

I love you all! Thank you for your love and support!

MTC Grind

Maddie ended up cleaning the temple and didn't save enough time to send a group letter this week, so I thought I'd include her quick note to her family she sent earlier that morning.  

July 17, 2019

Hello Family! 

Some Sisters in my zone

I hope that you had a great week! The California trip looked like a blast and Dad, I hope that you had a weekend full of documentaries and relaxing. Evan, thank you for the Area 51 memes. I shared them with everyone and instantly became the most hilarious (and attractive) person at the MTC. ;-)

This week has been extremely uneventful. Sorry I don't have anything too crazy and wild to report on. We will receive our flight plans on Friday! So crazy. I also received an email telling me that I will be staying in a hotel the first night in Ukraine so Woohoo! 

We taught a few lessons this week and they all went really well! We taught a man from Estonia via Skype which was neat. We taught a really neat lesson to our teacher/investigator, Egor, and he agreed to be baptized haha. 

Mom, thank you for sharing your favorite scripture with me, 3 Nephi 13:33, some time ago. It was really useful in a lesson that I had with an "Investigator" (teacher) who announced that his wife lost her job and that they were going through hard times. I also used verses 31 and 32. They flow quite nicely. It states, 

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But ^aseek ye first the ^bkingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

I know that God knows what trials we are facing an that when we turn to Him, we will receive comfort and guidance. The gospel is so beautiful and I am so grateful for our gospel centered home.

MISSION BLESSING: I just checked my grades and I received a B IN CALCULUS!!! That was a close one! Anyway, that was stressing me out so now I am happy and chillin. 

I can't find my dark clothes so pray for me. I am hoping that someone didn't steal them. 

Mom and Dad, I have time to chat sometime between 8:30 and 11:00 but then we are cleaning the temple for FOUR hours. It's so long but I'm excited!
I love you all so much. I got really trunky when we were talking about how we spent our Sabbath days at home. I miss you all so much but I love the mission and I know that I am supposed to be here.

Read your scriptures and say your prayers!

Sister Merrill

Sister Curtis and I

We received an "All Commendable" for our room!  It's the little things!