Going Fishing

Hi

This week was the first week with Vanhin Nilsson. He is a very cool guy and very easy to get along with. I was thinking and there has not yet been a swede I have met that I have not liked. They are a pretty cool group of people I guess. We have a lot of fun ideas for this next change. For example, we also have the idea to wake up early and play tennis. He is a really athletic guy and so I am excited to get a lot of sport playing in this change. He is super good at sähly, which is just floor hockey and a pretty big deal here. It will be a great change.

This week we went fishing and it was fun. The river, although brown, was really pretty. We didn’t catch anything but it was great to sit and chat. It has been fun having Sisters and a senior couple in our same area.

We also had a meeting with Vanhin Richards this week. It was pretty long, but really good still. Being on a mission really teaches you how to sit through long meetings. Afterwards, I was chatting with his wife who was on the Primary Presidency board and you could tell.  In my journal I wrote "She made me feel like I was back in Primary.... but in a good way." She had that certain Primary Presidency voice that we have all come to love. She was very soft and loving and taught me some good tips about how to study.

I have been trying to work out a little bit and also eat healthier. I have been eating a fruit and vegetable smoothie every morning with all kinds of stuff in there. I could see myself really getting into that kind of stuff when I get back. Not as a profession, but as a hobby. 

We unfortunately had a lot of investigators drop us this week. And by a lot I mean all but 3. I don’t know why it all happened at once, but many of them (including the couple from China) let us know that they were not interested to continue meeting. It has stunk, but we are excited to get out there this change and find some more sweet investigators. It is always hard when people drop us, but that is just how it goes sometimes

We said goodbye to our good Turkish friend. He will be going back and staying there in Turkey. I don’t remember if I have said anything about him, but he is a good friend and really hilarious. We talked about him coming to Utah to ski and so I hope that someday it works out and you can all meet him. Ha he is great.

Ok, that’s about all. Things are going well here and I hope it is the same for all of you. Thanks for all the love and support you all give, it helps a lot.

Love you all,

Vanhin Merkley