Elder Jacob Merkley Report

hello yall,

this week was absolutely amazing! We blew our goals into space! plus, i got to shake the hand of an apostle of the Lord! it was a great week, one i will remember forever!

well, tcc is going just fine...we are teaching Lauren and she is progressing just perfect. we are still on schedule to baptize her the weekend before transfers...she is such a joy to serve! its so cool to see her make small changes to become better! she is now wanting to date our ward missionary leader! :) which we are cool with, because she is changing her mind about now wanting to marry in the church...plus, it gives us extra points with the missionary leader!

we are teaching Ishmael...he is still reading and praying...he told us that if he came to know that it was true, that he would be baptized...he is acting in faith! the only restraint he has is that he is...gay. and he knows the church's stand on the subject, but he told us that he knew that he could change if he got his answer...i guess we will get there when we get there...we want to make sure he knows its true, because then he will want to change...

we met a girl named Rachel this week. She is on lots of depressants, she has had a hard life, but Heavenly Father put us in her path right when she needed us...she is reading a praying about the Book of Mormon and is going to go far, i think. We are trying to help her seek learning by faith and not just spoon feed her.

We are teaching a girl by the name of Melissa, best friend to our relief society president, and she is great! she too is reading a praying and i really do believe that she will go far since she has a lot of connection with the church.

o last monday we went and played tennis with Krissi williams and some other members and some investigators! the sun was out...it was hot, but we played hard anyways! i had lots of fun and i liked tennis more than i thought i would and i think it is something that i will pursue after the mission...ryan and i will probably do it to keep us in shape. we also got Lauren to go to the ward's fhe and she loved it! she is getting so comfortable with the members...and I am getting very comfortable with not worrying! Its awesome!

tuesday thru wednesday we had a trade off! i went up to the FSU campus and was with my district leader...he is going home in 2 weeks, so he talked about home a lot...it was not fun in a sense because i didn't like listening to it, but also fun in another sense since i opened up and talked to him about my possible future plans after the mission. it was great! i love exchanges since its pretty much a sleep-over!

Thursday we helped Lauren move into a new apartment...once she decided to tell her mom that she was getting baptized, her mother kicked her out, so we volunteered to do service for her and help her move into the new place...It was great doing service for once, since we don't very much at all. We had an amazing lesson with Melissa about recognizing the spirit and what it felt like and the whole works...

Friday we had an amazing lesson with Lauren...she had a friend there and we talked about scripture study and praying often. the best part was that her friend agreed with everything we said. we are now meeting up with him this week. Lauren is in the Student Government and she talks about her baptism to everyone! we have had lots of opportunities to share the gospel with the SG members. WE also had the neat experience of having a conference call with President SUmmerhays and the entire mission. We all listened to his counsel for a little bit and then commenced a mission wide fast for Elder Bednar's training with us. that night, the Crawfordville elders came and slept over since they were the ones driving us to the conference.

Saturday we had to be up at 4:15am (that's 1:15 your time) because we had to drive 3 hours to Pensecola, Florida to be with Elder Bednar...ROAD TRIP!!!! it was lots of fun traveling! We got there and got to spend some time with all the missionaries! what a sight to see everyone there! i got to see all 9 of my mtc district...and also my original district...some of them were shocked since they hadn't heard that i was out again.

then we were trained by an apostle of the Lord. It was an amazing experience...in preparation for the training meeting, Elder Bednar had us study two talks, "seek learning by faith" and "pray in faith". We focused on the two with him...he was awesome! he was more laid back and funny than i thought he would be! there was one time that he was talking about not doing a certain thing once we got home from our missions and he said, "if i find out you do, i will hunt you down and do bad things to you." it was great to hear an apostle say that! The first thing he asked us to do was to not take any notes on what he said...he said that it didn't matter about him, if we got so preoccupied with writting down what he said, we wouldn't pay proper attention to what the Spirit was telling us to write down... He said that this meeting wasn't here to take notes, but to receive revelation. He made comments through the whole thing that were very comical!

ONe thing he said was, "teaching is not talking or telling. Teaching is observing, listening, and discerning to know what to say" (he told us to write that one down) All he really did was provide an atmosphere in which we participated and shared insights...he told us how he didn't want to simply ask questions and "nail" us so to speak, because then we would have become objects, not letting us act. The best part was that i had lots of questions answered, but not by him. The spirit was very strong! we also got to ask him any question we wanted! Sister Bednar was truely amazing as well!

WE then got to shake his hand! I SHOOK THE HAND OF AN APOSTLE! it most likely will never happen again...but it was amazing! that night after we drove back we took Lauren to a baptismal service...the perfect day!

so my week was truely amazing! i will always remember shaking elder Bednar's hand! we had a great week in reguards to our numbers! it was just grand...hard, but amazing!

love yall very much!

elder merkley

Nothing but Static Lately

Sorry for the lapse in Merkley news. A lot has happened the last few months and I'll try to get pictures and information up. Not sure who is reading this stuff anyway, but I'll pop up Jacob's mission letter and get more information up later.

Elder Jacob Merkley Report

From: "Jacob Merkley" ElderJacobMerkley@myldsmail.net
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 1:47 PM
Subject: Re: Missionary Mail

Hello to my amazing family!

well, this week was fantastic! We work hard, we studied hard, we rode/walked hard, and we were blessed greatly because of it! I know that the Lord blesses those that work hard for Him! I am so thankful to be on the Lords errand and to be able to be blessed and see miracles unfold because i am in His service! It's a great blessing!I am not sure why it was such a good week...nothing changed. In fact, we had about 10-15 canceled appointments. However, i now have a strong testimony on attitude. I heard a great quote. "Attitude affects Alltitude" - our attitude determines how high we will fly. I love that and took that to heart! So becasue of that, even though it was a hard week, i loved it! I think it also helps that i am starting to get into "the routine" and it has been becoming easier...i think.

Well, i have some surprising news for all yall...I got a call last night from my mission president. After one transfer, i am going from trainee to being the TRAINER. can you believe that? i was completly shocked and not quite sure what is going to happen. All i know is that there is no worry in me(which is weird, i know) because if the Lord saw fit for me to train, then He will help me get through it. "Those who the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies". When my mission president called, he straight up asked me how i would feel about training. I didn't know what to ay...he told me, "The Lord told me that you are going to train this transfer." He then asked me if i thought that training would add any stress to my life. I wasn't quite sure... but i told him no. He said that he and the Lord had NO fear, Full confidence, and didn't see ANY risk in having me train...so, i am completly shocked right now...i don't have any idea what's really going on. Actually, my guess is that i am training because i need to learn more patience and more humility :)...well bring it on! i am excited! Anyways...i figure i should tell yall! haha...Elder Lewis said that he can count on one hand that this has happened while he has been here...its crazy! well surprise surprise!

The rest of this week went as follows...
Monday- p-day...we were not sure how we were going to do all the things we needed to do. We needed to email, get groceries, do laundry, clean, AND go to the mall and let Elder lewis get new slacks (he was down to one) now, that doesn't seem like a lot, but when the mall is 7 miles away...we didn't have much time to do everything. But low and behold, Heavenly Father saw fit to help us out a bit. Last minute someone was able to take us to the mall and drop us off with our bikes...miracle number one. Then, after the mall, our Zone leaders just happened to be at the mall and was able to take us shopping and then back to our apartment...miracle number two! Isn't it amazing how much the Lord blesses His servants! I have no doubts about His miraculous power anymore.

Tuesday-we went tracting( like we do most days) and met two women outside their apartments smoking. They were VERY receptive...so much so that they wanted us to come back the very next day and teach them more! (unfortunately however, they didn't show up) but it was a blessing to meet them and hopefully the Lord will help us get in touch with them somehow again!

Wednesday-we ran into a woman who Elder Lewis knew. She desperately needed help and needed a friend. We talked to her for about an hour and related a story in the Book of Mormom to her life. She absolutly loved it! She asked us to call her later that day for a list of passages for her to read! She also told us that if we didn't call by a certain time, then she would call! I love that! She is grasping hold of the Book of Mormon! Hopefully after meeting her again this week, we will be able to get a baptismal date with her! We also met a guy by the name of "wren how" or "gogo"-his american name (not sure why that's his american name but i think its hilarious.) He is from Tawain! He is so cool to talk to!

Thursday- It rained so hard that i thought it was going to flood! It was unbelievable! I have never seen rain come down so fast and hard as it did that day. We were caught in the rain and we soaked. After walking for a while we ran into a Mcdonalds to get out of the rain. Lucky us...the Lacrosse coach from Florida State came out of no where and offered us a ride! (the Lord works in mysterious ways) Because there were thunderstorm, we stayed inside (mission rules) and played a few games of chess. I won both! My competitive side kicked in!

Friday- It continued to pour and pour and pour that day! It was absolutely rediculous! This day was one of those days that everything seemed to go wrong. We got kicked out of two apartment complexes because they thought we were "soliciting". Thursday was pretty rough.

Saturday- Thunderstorms again...nearly flash flooding! I am definelty starting to miss Arizona weather! I am serious too...going from freezing weather in Idaho, to humid/rainy weather here...Arizona seems like an ideal place to raise my family! We also attended a baptism! Very spiritual

Sunday- Sundays are always great...so there really isn't much to tell.

This week was great! I am going to be a trainer! And the gospel and this work is amazing! I love yall, and take care!

elder merkley

OUCH

From: Kathee Merkley [kathee@cox.net]

Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 8:15 AM

Subject: Rebecca's weekend
Howdy - How was your weekend? Rebecca sent me a picture of how she spent her weekend! Check out the 'stone' on the right side of the dime - OUCH! It explains why she didn't go to church yesterday. Yes - she drinks a ton of water. Typically 1/2 gallon every day. She measured this weekend though, and said she drank a gallon in one day to help this thing to pass. Poor kid! Luvya all - Kathee
--------------------------------
Hope this worked. The left side is the one I passed in January. The right side is the one I just passed this week. (approximately 8 mm x 6 mm) Love ya! -Rebecca

Elder Jacob Merkley Report

From: "Jacob Merkley" ElderJacobMerkley@myldsmail.net
(complete with the famous Merkley spelling)

Greetings from Florida!
hello, hello, hello everyone! this week has been a trial of faith, but i have learned that the Lord works in mysterious ways sometimes! first, to answer some of yall's questions, dad-thank you for giving me no pressure about writing, but trust me, its very healthy for me...in fact, i love writing! yes we walk alot...the reason is because TCC is right across the street and there is no point riding the bikes...however, come to think of it, i am pretty sure we still bike more. in fact, this week we probably averaged anywhere from 15-30 miles a day this week, plus going up and down the hills. i am sleeping better, but it never seems enough! when my president called me, he was asking me about one of the other missionaries that came out with me...there was some changed mid transfers and he wanted to know if this certain elder would be good for the "college areas"...i thought it was really random, but cool that he asked me! and it sounds like the cabin is coming along quite nice!
ok, for the rest of my letter! like i said, this week was a trial of my faith. it was spring break here in tallahassee and it was a ghost town. we tracted about 8-10 hrs every day, rode our bikes 15-30 miles everyday up and down the hills, plus, not to mention it's been heating up with humidity and so...needless to say, it was the most exhausting week of my life. i slept great, for once, but 8 hrs never seemed enough.
on tuesday, i was having a very selfish day for some reason. i was thinking way too much about myself when i needed to help other people. i was having a rough time and gave my president a call. I love that man! seeing him in his position has taught me a lot about the nature of God...he told me a lot about how to find joy in the hard work...he told me that as long as i kept working, the happiness would come in time. he told me that i had had much success already and would have lots of success over my entire mission...go figure that once i started working that day, on the last door, the Lord blessed us with finding someone that was interested. Lesson learned...when i serve others, there is satisfaction and joy that comes into my life. "Fun doesn't always mean joy and satisfaction...however, if you have joy and satisfaction, fun will alway be there." the key is to find those things that bring the most joy in life...and then if you work hard, it will most definelty be fun.
on wednesday no one answered their doors...however, after talking to my president the day before, it felt really good to word even though it was exhausting! we finally had a dinner appointment! we don't get very many...maybe 2-4 times a month if we are lucky...we can only have dinner appts with the men in the ward, and they don't know how to cook and since they are college kids they can't afford to take us out...but we had an appointment with this guy and he grilled steak for us! it was amazing!
on thursday, i received an amazing complament from my companion, elder lewis... there is a very big chance that he will be transfered soon (transfer ends in 2 weeks) because he has already been here for over 6 months. he said, "elder merkley...if i leave, i feel very confident in leaving this area in your hands. you work hard, your obedient, you love the people, we have seen success because of you...and this area will continue to see success if you do those things. you are a better missionary than many who have been out a while already." it came out of no where, and shocked me. i said thank you and didn't think about it, but that night i thanked my Heavenly Father that he has helped me so much! on friday we tracted for 10 hrs...it was very hot and humid and my companion and i feel asleep during a dinner hour because we were so tired...after that, we decided to walk since we didn't think we could ride anymore...we were already out and wondering what to do...we decided that we wanted to go see some 'potential investigators' and so we started in the direction of the apartment complex that we were going to. Right after that, a taxi pulls up to the curb, it was a member of a differnet
ward and he said, "hey elders, hop in...i will drive you wherever you need to go." well, my companion and i did just that and we felt like the taxi was confirming that the Lord wanted us to go to that complex.
we knocked on all the potentials and not a one opened the door. we sat down, exhausted, and wondered why Heavenly Father had wanted us there... no sooner after those words had come out of our mouths, a college girl drove up and parked her car right in front of us. she got out and said, "why are you in front of my door?" we told her straight up that we had been trying to talk to people all day and no one had answered there doors, and so we were sitting down resting. she then commented, "well, why don't you just come on in and talk to my roommates and i" my companion and i were completely shocked!!!! we went in and talked to both of her roommates and her. we started casually talking to them...to be honest, my companion and i were just grateful to be on a nice couch, sitting in an air conditioned home, and we were just relaxing. we spent a good amount of time talking to them. i began to think that we were wasting the Lord's time with just casually talking to them... exactly after that thought, the girls started asking questions about the Church!!!! (i couldn't believe what was going on that night) we told them about the Book or Mormon, how it could bless their lives, and about the church. when we were testifying of the book of mormon, one of the roommates spoke up and said, "what is this feeling! i feel so peaceful...so happy...so warm inside!" my comp's and my jaws dropped! we had never had someone so receptive to the spirit... we told her about what she was feeling and she was so excited to read more! it was an amazingly spiritual experience! and the funny thing is that the Lord knew that we needed to go to that complex...He knew that the potentials were going to not answer...He knew that we needed to be sitting there when the girl pulled up, so He sent the taxi. i want to testify to each and every one of you...that God know how to help his children! It is after the trial of our faith that we recieve witnesses to that faith. we were tired and done knocking doors when she pulled up. the best part about this story is that the girl had been praying the night before...and we were able to answer her prayer!
it has been a humbling experiment being an instument in the hand of the Lord! it is very rewarding to see miracles and answers to prayers on a daily basis!
on saturday, Carly got baptized! my first one! the spirit was amazingly strong and i know that her parents, who aren't members felt the spirit. i sang "i know that my redeemer lives" with my companion and two of carly's friends.
the Lord helped answer my prayers...i was having a rough day on saturday. for some reason i was missing yall more than i have before...i got down on my knees and poured out my heart to my maker. i received a letter that day! it was an answer! it was from Elder shreeve and everything in the letter was geared towards helping me!
also, elder shreeve told a wonderful story that i would like to share with yall! a chinese government official (not lds) came and talked to all of them and asked what missionaries do...and such. Evidently, this man will have a huge part in helping get missionaries into mainland china! how cool is that!
anyways...my week was really long, hot, humid, boring, and yet rewarding, satisfying, and very very meaningful to my mission so far. i know that God lives and answers prayers! i see miracles everday! i know that it is by our faith, that those answers are answered. i know that it is after the trial that we get help! i love helping these people! i love it!
i love yall and hope everyone has a great week!
elder merkley

March Family Fireside- starring Elder S. Merkley and dinosaurs

The March family fireside started with the blessing of Annelise Merkley and ended with the reporting of Stephen Merkley's mission to Santa Rosa, CA and had a little preparation for the April's fireside and a nice potato bar pot luck in the middle.

We had quite the turn out for the baby blessing. Some people were new to us, some were old friends....and some...

were old friends but looked new....nice hair Ginny!

Kathee was excited to get the evening started and helped prime the pump, so to speak, with a few memories of her own.

Stephen continued to walk us through each of his areas and the people he had the opportunity to come into contact with and the lives that were changed. As always, it was very refreshing to hear from a returned missionary, especially one you knew before he left and can tell how much growth there was.

Stephen showed off his blanket/afghan that he crocheted himself (apparently it was all the rage in his mission).

During the pot luck portion, Aunt Edith handed out survey's for everyone to fill out concerning the top five concerns we are facing in our lives. At the end of the fireside, part 2 was divulged. All concerns were fit snuggly into a category and seven families drew a category to pray and listen for the answers during General Conference. We will be expected to return and report for April's fireside. Great idea Kate!

Of course, Richard Merkley was surprised that one of his concerns made it into a category. It's not easy to fit, "how do we explain dinosaurs" into a gospel category, but Edith said it had to do with living with enough Faith and who knows, maybe a GA will touch upon it?

Of course, that didn't stop the ensuing discussion that was typical, and might I add, enjoying. Richard of course had one idea while Robert had yet another (which is fairly common of Merkley discussions!) Sadly all good nights have to come to an end and grandma's smoke alarms were beeping and needed attending so the conversation was put on the shelf until further discussion is possible. Robert did mention that he has the T-Shirt ready for Richard whenever the truth is divulged to him : )

Annelise Merkley

March 1, 2009 Annelise Merkley was blessed by her father Christopher "Kit" Merkley. After waiting for the proper presiding priesthood authority to show up (one of those kind that have to be reminded) , Kit was able to bless his daughter at Grandma Merkley's house with most of the clan present. It was a very sweet blessing, Kit.

The happy family


Kit holding Annelise.

Returned with Honor

Well, Wednesday was the day that Kathee has been waiting for for who knows how long (okay if you don't count the first day of being glad to have him out of the house and on a mission, then that leaves 729 days of waiting!)


Only Kathee knows what is going through her mind as she waited for her son's plane to land.


Four future missionaries!


The joyous reunion of mother and son. I wish I could say this was his first hug, but what we didn't show was his bother elbowing in for the first one!

Who's happier?

The Elder Stephen Merkley fan club.

Mission accomplished!

Here we see Stephen taking his well earned spot on his father's right hand side. And if it looks like he was watching TV already, well, it's because he was...but it was a missionary video he created while on his mission. Hopefully, Ryan will convert it for us and we'll have it here for your viewing pleasure.

Well done, Elder Merkly. We look forward to hearing from you for our March fireside!

Did anyone notice his first initial on the name tag? When did that start?

February's Family Fireside

Seriously, this month must be the month of title aliteration....

February's fireside was presented by Glenn Beck himself. At the request of Edith Stradling, he spoke to us on his conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and all those weirdo saints that don't drink coffee and have way too much fun with their families.

Due to the economic downturn, Glenn felt it best to not spend some of his million dollar contract to visit us personally but to do it via DVD. Being the Merkley's that we are, we understood completely and enjoyed an evening of comedy and insight given from such a "vile sinner."

Thanks to Misha for the cupcake deserts, especially the ones with the cardinal's colors. Although, it didn't help them in the last quarter as they lost 27-23 (I hope I didn't ruin it for Robert Merkley).

Bradshaw Baby Blessing

Evan Leon Merkley....I mean Bradshaw was blessed on Sunday, February 1st. After slipping on the baby's name (for obvious reasons, an easy thing to do), Clint went on to give a very moving blessing that not only prepared the child for this life but directed him to follow the examples put forth by both sets of grandparents during his preparation.