A Brief Inter-Mission

March 25, 2020

Hello, from Idaho!

Well, I definitely didn't see this transfer coming! I am writing to you live from the living room of my home in Idaho. How did I end up here? Well, the short version is that inspired church leaders who are working endlessly on our behalf chose to evacuate the Moldova missionaries when they saw that the last border was closing.  Although I did not want to leave the country and certainly wasn't prepared to see my mission there end, I am grateful that I can be home with my family during this time of uncertainty.

I had been serving in Moldova, with 13 other missionaries.  Moldova is a small country, just the size of a few of Idaho's counties combined, so when the infection numbers began increasing last week the atmosphere both on the street and throughout the mission really started changing. Restaurants, stores, and other non essential shops were closed and people rarely walked on the street without a purpose. I remember the day before we were all put on quarantine, I was standing on the bus next to a man in a mask, overhearing a bunch of women talk about the virus, and while watching a group of hospital workers and police in hazmat suits barge into a home outside of the bus. It felt so foriegn and so strange and totally unnerving.  Because I was in a country separate from my mission home and mission leaders, when the border between Ukraine and Moldova was closed, I was worried I wouldn't be allowed to stay.  I worried that I would be sent home and as much as I loved my family, that outcome is what kept me up at night. 

Each day we braced ourselves for a announcements while adapting and continuing to teach our investigators. We prepped, were quarantined, the senior missionaries were sent home, and then quarter of our Ukraine missionaries were sent home.  Many of the people in our area, both members and investigators, were worried about the virus, their families, and the future.  As of last Saturday, I was grateful I was still in Moldova and appreciated the increased opportunities I had to share the gospel and message of peace with those we talked with through Facebook Messenger.   I even learned how to play the Moldovian national anthem on my keyboard and played it in the evenings off my balcony to my neighbors.  I imagined we would all sing together.  I guess that was the Hallmark version.  They didn't join in, but they came out and listened and I hope it brightened their day in some way.   When Moldova closed all of its borders, Sister Jones and I were confident that we were going to be staying in Moldova for "an indefinite period of time".   Luckily, I was not opposed because I love both Moldova and Sister Jones:) 

Sunday still feels like a bad dream. We planned our day in the morning assuming we were living our new normal.  Around 13:00, we got a call from our mission president.   I knew what the call was going to be about and my heart sank (I may have cried).   He informed us that in two hours, we needed to be on a US Embassy bus to Bucharest, Romania where we would continue on to the US. I spent those final moments in Moldova in complete shock as I scrambled to pack my bags and call missionaries and friends in Moldova and Ukraine to say goodbye. We joined the other missionaries at the U.S embassy where we took a seven hour bus ride to Romania. The streets were completely empty and it looked like a creepy Soviet Union ghost town.

As we were driving, we learned that the border was closing that night at 20:00 so we needed to be quick. We made it though, and arrived in Bucharest at around 2:30 in the morning, slept at a hotel for two hours, and then took a four hour flight to Amsterdam. From Amsterdam, we took an eight hour flight to New York (I got to sit by the guy in the full-body hazmat suit).  In New York we were removed from the plan one at a time and were checked for Coronavirus. The six of us missed our first flight to Salt Lake City but caught one 4 hours later. When we landed, we were escorted by a nice, large security guard to the parking garage where our families were waiting in their cars.  My mom and brothers had come down to pick me up. My dad coordinates the supply chain for the hospital system in Boise and apparently, his work these days is more exciting than my homecoming.  (Totally kidding!  I know he wanted to be there)  It was great to stop by his office and get my hug a little later. The boys are SO TALL! It's like living with trees and it feels so nice to be reunited again:)

 I have felt a whirlwind of emotions and still am as I sit at my home, still wearing my nametag. Not just because I am a little sentimental, but because I have not been released.   Although I am devastated that my time serving the people of Ukraine and Moldova was cut by eight months, I am so so so so grateful for every single day that I had there.  I am sad I'll miss out on more missionary experiences there but don't feel like I was robbed of my full experience as a missionary.  I am grateful for every person that was kind enough to hear me share this message about Jesus Christ on the street, that time I found a hedgehog, my incredible companions, the opportunity to learn Russian and immerse myself in both Ukraine and Moldova's beautiful cultures, all the Borscht I ate, and especially my opportunity to strengthen my relationship with my Savior and to truly understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. 

My future remains very uncertain.  Word is, I will be reassigned after what my mom is calling our 14 day Merrill family private reunion.  I am grateful for this unique opportunity to spend time with my family and further my calling to help others come unto Christ.

I know that God has a plan for each of us and I find so much comfort in that knowledge. Wow, I love the gospel!!

I love you all!  Thank you for your constant love and support. I will keep you updated on my next move

Love, 

Sister Merrill

Last Andy's with Sister Jones

Californians in Moldova

March 9, 2020

Лошадь!

Good morning everyone! I am here, party rocking in the beautiful country of Moldova. I have really enjoyed my first week here and I am super grateful for the opportunity to serve the people here. 

My last couple of days in Ukraine were bitter sweet. I was so sad to leave my friends there, but I was ready for this new adventure:-) I flew out from Ukraine and made it to Moldova on a 50 minute plane ride. I didn't realize how serious the Coronavirus was until I was in the airport and every single person was wearing a face mask except for me. There has been a confirmed case of the virus here in our city from a woman who came from Italy. Our Mission President has asked us to stock up on supplies and groceries for 2 weeks, just in case we need to stay inside for a while. Don't worry, we have our rice cakes, peanut butter, and cereal. We are all set:)

My new companion is Sister Jones! She tells people that she is from California even through her family moved from California when she was older just like me! We are a power team of fake Californians. 

Speaking of Californians, I met a group of missionaries from a different church the other day as we were riding a trolleybus! It was so strange hearing people speak English. They were all from California and we had a fun ride talking about our experiences here. 

I love Moldova! It seriously is such a neat place. There are stray dogs and cats everywhere, the weather is warm, and March is a party! We celebrate all of March by wearing Mărțișors. They are little ties with a red and white flower. We wear them everyday in March and they symbolize Winter turning into Spring. They eat different food here, which includes Mamaliga. It is literally just cornmeal and water, but it is good! I will attach a picture of it.

Our mission had an amazing activity called "Harvest Day" where we fasted and from 9:00-19:30 we were on the streets all day talking to people and especially trying to give people Books of Mormon. It was a cool way to start my service here and we worked hard finding people who were sincerely interested in knowing more about our message. . We also saw some incredible miracles while were were doing it. For example, as I was on the bus riding to our area that we had planned to contact in, I talked to a man who had previously attended our church. Before I could ask for his information, he got off the bus and I was really bummed. THEN, a couple hours later, we had a book table in a completely different area and guess who walked right up to our table! The man on the bus! I had a really neat conversation with him and he even came to church on Sunday!

Our goal was to hand out 1,002 Book of Mormons as a mission that day. After a long day with a lot of rejections and a lot of conversations, our mission gave out 1,084! yAy!

Natalia (a friend back in Ukraine) wanted to do a photoshoot with me because it was my last time visiting her. She loves jumping pictures. Here are the results!

Thanks, Natalia!

We had a cultural night activity where our district was asked to perform something about Ukraine. We didn't have a lot of time, so in 20 minutes, I learned a traditional Ukrainian dance and taught the whole congregation. It was very epic! Also, at the cultural night I ate holodets. It is basically meat jello and pretty brutal. It had a full on chicken in the jello! I gagged a little bit but it was worth the experience. 

Most of our lessons this week canceled which was kind of a bummer, not going to lie! But that meant that we had more opportunities to find people to teach! On Thursday, we had two lessons that were planned but in the space of four minutes, both canceled. So then we planned out where we were going to talk to people the rest of the day. We even decided to knock some apartment doors to see if anyone in the apartment building wanted to hear the restored message of Jesus Christ! But on the first door that we knocked, we got cursed out by a Babushka. After that, we decided to utilize our efforts elsewhere. So, we hit the streets! It was so dreary and cold and I was pretty bummed about the lessons cancelling and being cursed at by the babushka. But we kept going! As we walked along the street, I had the feeling to stop at a lady's little stand where she was selling Mărțișors. I asked her what the red and white represents and as she explained, she started to cry. I also started to cry:,) I think that we were both having rough days. I was able to share a small message about how we can have hope in this life and bear testimony about how I knew that God loved her. She was appreciative and I was grateful for the opportunity to share that experience with her. 

My favorite Trump-loving Ukrainian couple

I know that Jesus Christ knows us and loves us individually. He knows how we feel when we have those tough days! He loves us and wants us to rely on Him. 

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

Love, 

Sister Merrill

Mamaliga

Moldova or Genovia?

February 24, 2020

Hello friends and family!

Question of the day: Which is a real country.... Moldova or Genovia?

A Bit of Center Kiev

The correct answer is Moldova! Genovia is where the popular film, "The Princess Diaries" is set. Unfortunately, it is not a real place.

But... Moldova is! And Moldova will be my home for the next couple months!! It is a small country on the border of Ukraine. I will be serving with Sister Jones and we will be two of the four sisters serving in Moldova.  I will fly to the city, Chisinau, on Wednesday:-) 

Although I am excited, and ready for this new adventure, I will miss serving the people here in Borsch. I have adored the past four months serving in this area. There is nothing like having the temple, senior couples, and the biggest ward in Ukraine in your area!

I have compiled a list of things that I will miss while I am in Moldova...

- The senior couples. They really are just the absolute best. I am so grateful for them and their constant love and support.

- Hotel Borshagovski. That is what we call our apartment because we have sisters from all over the mission stay with us all the time! I have loved getting to know the sisters and learning from them.

- Our English Class. For some reason, the English class here in Borsch is obsessed with my past lama, Carl. One day I told a story about him and I became the "Lama Girl". They are so hilarious and always ask to hear stories about him. Thanks Carl!

- Ipidrom. This is a place that we like to contact because there are a lot of people and.... a lot of horses:)))))

- Center Kiev. We usually spend our P day's in center because there is so much to do there. It is so beautiful and we always find ourselves running into other missionaries there. Fun times!

- My comp, Sister Olson! We have had some of the greatest adventures together and I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to serve with her these past two transfers.

- Ukrainian. Well.... Russian and Ukrainian are actually very different languages. Ukrainian is more melodic and for me, it is really hard to understand people when they speak Ukrainian. In Moldova, they only speak Romainian and Russian. It will be interesting being in a place without Ukrainian being the predominant language.

- The people. I have made some lifelong friends here in Kiev. I am leaving a piece of my heart here! They are the most loyal, determined and faithful people. 

         *The Bulatnik family. This is the family that we have been teaching for the past little bit. I am so grateful for their examples and am impressed by their desire to become closer to Jesus Christ. I am sad that I will not be able to attend their baptism, but am SO happy that they have made the decision to follow Christ's example. I LOVE THEM!

The Bulatnik family! I love them! Igor and Darina are so excited to be missionaries.

           *Ann. Ann is one of our investigators who we just adore! She loves the Book of Mormon and always does the kindest things for us. On Saturday, she took us to the "Sala Festival". Sala is a popular traditional Ukrainian dish. It is basically just animal fat... Yum! Anyways, it was super fun! There was also a dog competition going on so we saw some awesome dogs. 

            * The old man who writes poems about Jesus Christ and gives them to us at church. He only speaks in Ukrainian to us so we cannot understand everything that he says, but we feel his love for the gospel!  

            * Tatiana and her husband, Sasha. They are an older couple who love to have us over for dinner. Tatiana makes the BEST food and Sasha loves to wear his "Make America Great Again" shirt and tell us all about how incredible Donald Trump is. They are so kind to us and their testimonies are so strong.

This week I hit my halfway mark! 9 months?! Как!? My heart is so full of love for this country, the people, and the gospel. I am grateful for this opportunity I have to spread the gospel to the people of Moldova. I lOvE being a missionary!

The church is true! Read the Book of Mormon! Say your Prayers! 

Write me!;)

Our Friend, Lera and Other Sisters in Center Kiev

love,

Sister Merrill

Ann and I at the Sala Festival

An Awesome Pig at the Sala Festival

Oh, Just Another Horse and I

Sister Olson, Ann, Horse and I

Меррил is Back!

February 10, 2020

Hello Family and Friends!

Art and I (It Says, "I Love the Book of Mormon")

I hope that everyone had a great couple of weeks! 

We have been super busy and I absolutely love my companion, our area, and our investigators. Also... We have some SUPER exciting news! So keep reading;) I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to share everything that I am experiencing with you all. I love that I can share little glimpses of my life through these emails!:-)

One of the most incredible and unique blessings that we have in this area is the Kiev temple. We walk by it several times a day and it is always a great reminder of our purpose on this earth and God's love for us. We also have amazing senior couples who are always hooking us up with really neat experiences... So on Tuesday, Sister Olson and I had the chance to clean the chandelier in the celestial room! It was absolutely AmAzInG. It hadn't been cleaned since the temple was built in 2010. We cleaned every individual crystal and were amazed at the difference that it made. It was an experience that I will never forget. 

With our current assignment, Sister Olson and I have the opportunity to work with the sisters in our zone. Sometimes, we do "exchanges" where we switch companion for the day to help train and encourage them. I love exchanges because I learn so much about different ways to do missionary work. In the past couple of weeks, we had the opportunity to visit two cities outside of Kiev to do exchanges.

We first visited Vinnytsa! It is a beautiful city that has really different architecture than most of Ukraine. It looks a lot more Western European than the usual Soviet style. I worked with Sister Peterson and it was a blast! 

Sister Olson, Juice and I

The second city that we visited was Bila Tserkva. I served with Sister Curtis and I loved getting to know her better:) After being requested to buy diapers by a Babushka and the store not having any bags big enough to hold them, we had a fun time walking through the streets with two large bags of adult diapers. We got some good stares and laughs from people on the street;) Also, someone told me that they thought that I was a native Ukrianian when they first met me so I guess mission=accomplished. Just kidding!;)

Sister Peterson and I

I also caught a pretty bad virus while we were in Bila Tserkva which caused for a really rough night. And shortly after that, that bug spread to my companion and other missionaries that we were in contact with... I may have started an epidemic.... But I have been so grateful for our friends here who have gone out of their way to help us out. Investigators have given us medicine and senior couples have dropped of soup.. We are feeling the love!

Sister Curtis and I

Okay, now I will share the COOLEST thing that happened. Back in November, there was a family who started coming to church every week! The family includes 15 year old twins, Igor and Darina, Tanya the mother, and Sergi the father. At first, they were super hesitant to meet with the missionaries, but after a while of just trying to develop a friendship with them, they asked to meet with us and learn more about the church! Unfortunately, on the day that we scheduled our lesson, their son, Igor, fell and was in critical condition in the hospital. It was a really scary time and we didn't know the extent of the damage. We fasted as a ward and Igor received a blessing from a ward member which really helped comfort the family. After two months of recovery, Igor is back to full health! It truly is a miracle. The whole family has been coming to church every week and we had a really special first lesson with them where they all basically asked us to be baptized! My heart is so full for them. They are so precious and are so excited to become members of the true church of Jesus Christ later next month. Also, Igor and Darina asked how they can start preparing for missions and when they can receive their Patriarchal blessings..... They are amazing!

Burger and I

I love the work I love Christ, and I love all of you! 

Love you! 

Sister Merrill

The Escape Rooms Here Are Awesome and Cheap

 

New Year, New Hair

I Love the Temple and The BOM

January 27, 2020

Привет всем!

(Hello everyone!)

I hope that everyone is having a great start of the year. I cannot believe that it is already the end of January! And that I will soon be hitting my 8 month mark!? Crazy. We have had a great couple of weeks meeting with old friends and new.... This includes Simon!

We met Simon on the street. Simon is from Nigeria and he is here also as a missionary/pastor from a different church... but we admire his dedication:) He does not know one word of Russian or Ukrainian, but that does not stop him from going out on the streets and talking to people about Christ. Simon even asked us if he could go contacting with us! We took him to a University and spoke to people about what brings them hope. Simon also invited us to his church. It was very different from our church services. It was all in English and there was more singing, dancing, clapping, Louis Vitton belts, and hallelujahs. Also, we were the only women, so that was interesting! It was a great experience and I loved meeting people who share our same love for Jesus Christ. Simon and his "Boss pastor" friend attended our church service on Sunday. They seemed to enjoy themselves and I really appreciated the talks that were given and the members who welcomed them. The speakers used verses in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon and our friends were shocked at how both of these books work together. 

Contacting With Simon

This past week, we had interviews and zone conference! That meant that all of the zone needed to gather for a couple days. We had so many sisters at our place! We call our apartment, "Hotel Borshchahivka":) At one point, we had eight sisters at our apartment... Crazy! I love getting to know the sisters and I am grateful for all of their hard work.

I really enjoyed Zone Conference this transfer. Sister Olson, the Zone Leaders and I gave a training about contacting. We did an interactive portion of the training and one of the scenarios we planned was contacting a "gopnik". A gopnik is a word for a stereotypical man who slav squats, wears adidas, and smokes.  Anyways, just a little Russian word of the day from Sister Merrill:)

 It was also focused on the Book of Mormon and I learned so much! I walked out of zone conference with a desire to dedicate myself to immersing myself in the Book of Mormon whenever I have the chance. I know that when we study the scriptures, we become better, happier, and closer to Christ. We had a lesson with a less active woman who has served a mission and read the Book of Mormon. She told us that she does not need to continue reading because she already knows all of the stories. We had a powerful lesson where Sister Olson and I bore our testimonies about the importance of continuing our conversion through constantly studying the Book of Mormon. I know that because of this book, I am a better daughter, friend, and missionary. The peace and joy that it brings in my life is undeniable. Every time I study its' teachings I am reminded of God's love for us. He has given the opportunity to read his words and feel of His love. I encourage you to start to study the Book of Mormon if you haven't had the chance. If you do study the Book of Mormon, reflect upon how this book has helped you become closer to Christ!

For P day today, we attended the memorial park, Baba Yari. Here, in 1941, the Nazi forces murdered 33,771 Jews over the space of two days but it is estimated that while the Nazis were there, over 100,000 people were murdered at Babi Yar. The Nazi forces forced these people to a ravine, where they stripped them of all their belongings and shot them. There were literal corpses upon corpses. I am not going to write about everything, but if you look up Babi Yar, you can find more information about what happened there.

A Memorial Statue at Babi Yar

It was a very sobering experience. It is so hard to imagine that there, thousands and thousands of men, women and children were murdered. So many dreams and lives were stolen. 

The Ravine

I am grateful for the hope that comes from the knowledge that we can live with our families forever, even in the darkest of times. I am also grateful for these amazing experiences that I have had in Ukraine.

I love you all!

Sister Merrill

Oh, uhh...I died my hair!

Привет:)

January 13, 2020

Hello Everyone!

I cannot believe that it is already 2020! I am so grateful for all the experiences that I have had this past year. I am grateful for the growth that I have experienced and will experience this next year! Here's to 2020:)

Here are some things that I am grateful for from this past year:

At the Opera House

- I am grateful for the relationships that I have developed with the people here. I love the people here with my whole heart. I am grateful for the taxi driver who lugged my insanely heavy suitcases up three flights of stairs, the little girl who gave me a piece of candy as we caroled in the metro, and the babyshka who gave me her watch after I told her that it was beautiful. They are the most faithful, dedicated, and loyal friends and I am grateful for their examples. 

- This year I have truly felt the joy that comes from forgetting yourself and serving others! Every day, we focus all of our efforts on helping people come unto Christ and find true peace and everlasting joy. We have also had the opportunity to participate in some service projects. On Monday, we visited a home for older people who were involved in art, dance, and music in the Soviet era. We met and talked with these people who felt completely forgotten. They were actually very well known back then but now, they sit all day in a home and they receive no visits. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have brightened their days and listen to their incredible stories. 

- During these past seven months, I have served with six different companions. Each of them taught me so much and I am so grateful for their examples of true discipleship! For the past couple of weeks, I have been serving in a trio with Sister Kekina and Sister Olson. It has been an absolutely amazing experience helping Sister Kekina start her mission:) She is off to Cherkasy (the city that I started my mission in) and I am so excited for her! She will do amazing things. I will be staying in Borsch with Sister Olson:) We are excited for this next transfer!

The District at the Opera House

- I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have had to embrace Ukraine and call it my home:) This past week my district and I watched the Nutcracker ballet in the Ukraine opera house. It was beautiful! 

And here are some things that I am looking forward to this upcoming year:

- Nazar and Valentina are going to be baptized! We had an incredible lesson where they bore beautiful testimonies and decided to be baptized. Soon, they will become members of the church! I am so excited for them and their decision to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

- I am excited to drink more juice. I don't think that I have ever mentioned how amazing the juice is here! It comes in a box and is just incredible.

- Thanks to Sister Kekina (My native companion), I have learned SO many new Russian words and have had the opportunity to practice all day every day:) It is such a beautiful language and I am so excited to continue to improve my language skills so that I can be a better teacher and friend this next year:)

New Year's Party with our Friends From Nigeria

I love my mission and I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to spend the next year here, in Ukraine. I am especially excited to continue to develop my relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He lives and loves each one of us. It is only through Him that we can have everlasting happiness! Because Christ suffered for our sins, we have the opportunity to continue to progress and become more like Him. 

I love you all! Thank you for your love and support<3

Love, 

Sister Merrill

A Train in the Forest 

Kate and I

Our District With a Shovel

Sister Kekina and I

Singing, Singing, and More Singing!

December 25, 2019


С Рождество́м! 

Merry Christmas friends and family! I love you all and I am so grateful for your examples, love and support. I hope that you all are having an incredible Christmas. As for me, we just finished the busiest, and most incredible Christmas day of my life! I cannot put into words how grateful I am to be serving here in Ukraine. Before I talk about some of the Christmas festivities that have occurred... I have news! I have a new companion! After our leadership meeting two weeks ago, our my mission president told us that a new Sister was coming that night and that Sister Olsen and I would train her! Her name is Sister Kekeena and she is from a city on the Eastern side of Ukraine. She is incredible and is already a great missionary. She does not know English very well so we speak in Russian 24/7. It has been the best language practice ever!

Christmas Breakfast

FYI: The weather here is strangely warm. No one can believe that there is no snow! I haven't had to wear my winter coat in a couple of weeks. Let's hope that it stays like that;)    

We have had a blast gathering with missionaries throughout our mission for zone conference and mid transfer training. I love hearing the guidance and council from my mission president and learning how to become a better, more Christ like missionary. I am grateful for the knowledge that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can all become better and come closer to Christ.

Last Sunday, we had our special sacrament meeting! It was absolutely beautiful. Four of our investigators attended and they loved celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ with us. After sacrament meeting, my district and I were asked to sing, "Carol of the Bells" in Ukrainian. We practiced SO MUCH and it paid off! Everyone absolutely loved it. I am not sure if we sounded the best, but everyone enjoyed our efforts:)

The District

Today is Christmas! We spent the morning with our district at a senior couples apartment, eating breakfast, discussing our favorite Christmas memories, and racing toy cars. The senior couples are THE BEST! We then sang carols with some youth outside in the rain. The youth wrote their testimonies in a whole bunch of Book of Mormons, wrapped them up, and handed them out to people passing by. The youth here in Ukraine are amazing and it was so impressive to see them talking to strangers about their love for Christ and the gospel. We then headed to center Kiev, where we were invited to join the youth in a special stake Christmas activity! We caroled in the metro with everyone! It was SO FUN! I have sang more this week then I have ever sang in my entire life.

 I am so grateful for this Christmas season. I miss my family and it was strange celebrating without them. I definitely had to skip the song, "I'll be home for Christmas" on our Christmas album;) But there is no where that I would rather be. The message that I have the opportunity to share everyday is so true. It is a message about how we can have true joy not only in this life but in the next. I know that Christ is my Savior. He is the greatest gift ever received. I know that through His atoning sacrifice, we will all receive salvation. 

Merry Christmas! My heart is so full of gratitude and love for all of you.

Love, 

Sister Merrill <3

White Elephant Success