The Mergenthaler Family

I have a lot of Costco stories like the time a crazy guy followed me through the isles cursing me for causing the degradation of the planet through overpopulation, or when little Gavin disapproved of a sample so strongly he spit it out in the cart next to him (good thing I had baby wipes). This month, Ricky got to experience some of the joy of shopping with little children. Makayla had an appointment at Costco in the optical department. Unfortunately, this appointment also fell during Rodeo Break, which meant nobody else was in school and we had already spent two days doing chores and not going anywhere, so the kids were desperate to get out. Taking six kids to any appointment is hard, but in some places, the tiny, chairless rooms make it torture. Everything is big at Costco, except for the optical department. So I put Brooklyn and Gavin in a shopping cart and told Ricky and Andrew to walk around the store for a while. Sean stayed with me and Makayla and sat on my lap (he's t...

2 weeks of emails from Emily. Sadly, no pictures, but a lot of great stories.  February 10:  ALLLLLLRIGHTY people I am officially here in Kwatta--aka me and Zr. Hatch are now the Kwatta Kweens!!!! It's been an absolute blast. I have seriously loved every minute of it. I feel so good about ending my mission here. This is the best job. Some stuff that happened this week: Still in Rainville: --On Monday, we had a super good lesson with Tricia. We talked to her about baptism and asked her if we could choose a date. She expressed that she didn't really see a need for getting baptized again, but then we had a SUPER spiritual conversation about it all and she promised she'd pray and ask God if thats something she needs to do. I have no doubts she'll be making that step before I leave Suriname.  --When we were busy teaching a lesson, a man from Jamaica randomly passes by. We say hi to which he responds, "Ya'll pray for me. I don't think I can join when I have THIS ...

From Emily: GUYS! I'm moving areas *cries a thousand tears*. That's the super sad news for this week. My heart is a little broken, but I had a cool spiritual experience that helped me feel better, so get yourselves ready for some cheese.  I was just sitting on my bed listening to music and thinking on Saturday night before bed. Then a song came on by Lauren Daigle. The chorus says, "What have I done to deserve love like this." It was like my heart just burst and images of all the people I love here in Rainville flashed through my head. I truly feel that I don't deserve the relationships I have with these people--it's more wonderful than I can explain! I have been filled with more love than I ever thought possible. What have I done to deserve such love? I feel blessed beyond words for the time I got to spend here. The more I think about my experiences in Rainville, the more I want to give Heavenly Father a big hug haha. There's no question that I'm...