Monday, July 6, 2020
Translation: Mandarin, Minecraft and Miracles
Hello everyone!
I apologize for my lack of updates, but I assure you that this email will make up for it! We are trying to staying positive and are working hard under these circumstances. We still cannot visit members unless it is for service, but I have been so grateful for the ward and their kindness towards us. They have been supplying us with endless amounts of service projects so that we can serve them and get to know them better. Palm Harbor rocks!
I have a new companion! Her name is Sister Leiseth and she has come straight from the home MTC where she studied Chinese for nine weeks. She has already studied it throughout high school and college so she is basically fluent. Serving together has been a blast. She has been able to teach in Chinese already with our recent convert friend, Yi!
I am just going to jump right into the crazy miracles that have happened in the past couple of weeks.
1.We taught our friend, Evelyn (our favorite 92 year old Wii bowler) how to zoom! She considers herself a "zoomer". Oh... and... she wants to be baptized! She is living in an assisted living facility so we have not been able to meet with her face to face but we pray that after the restrictions ease and conditions are better, Evelyn can become a member of Christ's restored gospel:)
2. There is a Kiev Deli two miles down the road! It is complete with all the classic Ukrainian treats and dishes. Yep, God loves me.
3. I got to zoom my OG mission in Ukraine! I bore my testimony in one of their devotionals last week. I never thought that I'd spend my 13 month mark baring my testimony at 1:00am in the morning through zoom. It was so nice to see everyone and say my final good byes to President and Sister Kumferman. They have been the most incredible examples to me and I loved serving with them.<3
4. Okay here is the coolest miracle ever. Backstory: In Ukraine, there is a babyshka named Tatiana who makes beautiful Ukrainian dolls and every single missionary wants a doll from her before they leave the mission. I was fortunate enough to have served in ward that Tatiana and her husband lived in so we became friends. She would have us over all the time to eat traditional Ukrianian food and teach us how to make these beautiful dolls. I pushed off the thought of buying one of her dolls and other souviners until the end of my mission (big mistake... huge;)) but due to unforeseen circumstances, I was not able to buy one.
Flashforward three months to me sitting at our dining room table, finding a member of the ward that I am serving in who is friends with Tatiana on Facebook! So random, right? Well, after getting in touch with this member, Carol, I found out that Tatiana's daughter married Carol's grandson! wHaT! And Tatiana had visited Carol when they got married in the Orlando temple! Mind=blown. So, we went to drop off cookies to Carol and had a great time getting to know her better. She is the nicest, most thoughtful woman ever. As we were leaving, she gave me a bag with one of Tatiana's beautiful dolls in it. I started to cry because in that moment, I felt God's love for and awareness of me so powerfully.
God knows that I left my heart in Ukraine. He knows that it has been tough to leave and start a new mission in a different country, with different people, and different everything. There is no coincidence that I was sent to Tampa and more specifically, this ward! The fact that there is a recent convert in the ward from Ukriane, that there is a literally a Ukrainian deli two miles down the road (I mean seriously, I had never even heard of one of those in America!😂), and that I had the opportunity to connect with Carol, all show me how much God truly is aware of me.
I promise you that God loves and is aware of you. He lifts, He carries, and He saves!
I love you all so much. Thank you for your constant love and support throughout these past 13 months. It has been quite the journey;)
Сестра Меррил
P.S- If you ever decide to serve a mission, read "How to Win Friends and Influence People" and study up on your Minecraft knowledge. You will become automatic BFFs with all the seven year olds at service projects if you flex on them with words like, enderman, creeper, and diamond sword.
A whole bunch of photos for you;)
A whole bunch of photos for you;)
1) Tarpon Springs
2) Big Fish
3) OG Ukraine mission zoom call
4) Birthday lunch with Sister Vogel
3. Carol and I
4. My doll and I😭💙
8. Fourth of July party rock
9 EVELYN AHH SO CUTE
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