Skip to main content

My Life as a Missionary

 December 12, 2022

Well, let me tell you guys, I have stories to tell this week!!

Let's start out with Saturday night. As my companion and I were congratulating another set of missionaries on their baptism, the lady that lives across the street opened up her window and yelled, "You Mormons aren't Saints. Going on the street preaching your gospel. You're not Saints at all!" She told us to shut up and go back to where we came from because we don't belong. After that she called us idiots, we told her we understand she has strong feelings, and that she should have a good night. We went inside and closed our window. Let's hope that lady doesn't talk to us again, but it's a big ask since she probably sees us every day.

Anyway, the rest of the week went a little like this. On Monday, we had an awesome p-day and just went out and shopped for stuff haha. I couldn't find anything I needed, and if I did, it was way out of my price range. After shopping, we ran to our lesson with the drunk guy from last week and it actually went pretty well, but we couldn't get a hold of him for the rest of the week.

On Tuesday, there wasn't much. We just contacted and contacted and talked to our new people. It was the same on Wednesday.

On Thursday, I had a testimony-building experience which was so cool, so let me tell you about it. We started talking to a guy on the street even though I was hesitant because he looked scary. Turns out the guy is blind. He tells us that everything looks cloudy and like big shapes and he also tells us his story and how he loves going to church by himself, not with someone who can see. He used to go by himself every Sunday, but for a couple of years he stopped going but would love to start going again. Then guess who we saw in church this Sunday? Him! The guy!! I don't know it's just a big testimony builder to me of how important church attendance is. It also made me think that if a guy who can't see can walk to church by himself, then there should be nothing stopping me from going every week, especially in the USA because we have so many forms of transportation.

Anyway, Friday, Argentina played in the World Cup again, and they tied at the end of their game, so we got down to basically goal kicks where each team kicks 5 goals, and whoever makes more wins. Well, Argentina won, so my whole country went crazy, but during the kicks, everyone was silent, hahaha. 

That was a little about my week. I want you all to know that I love you all and miss you all so much! Oh BTW, before I forget, MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎅 

LOVE 

Elder Mergenthaler 





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Back To School Meanies

 Letter From the Nest August 15, 2025 https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromthenest/p/back-to-school?r=48qui&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web One August, more than twenty years ago, at an evening book club discussion, my “older” friends (now I look back and know those women were the age I am now), were discussing the woes and triumphs of back-to-school season. One woman was anticipating her youngest child’s senior year of high school. She said, “For more than two decades, our lives have revolved around the school district’s academic calendar. I don’t know how I will plan my life without knowing about school breaks or holidays.” I remember her bittersweet tone as she anticipated freedom from school schedule constraints but also mourned how those constraints guided her choices. What would she do? Other women joined the discussion, wondering if their kids would have good teachers, if they’d be able to balance volunteering in the classroom, how to streamline school supply pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Legacy Stinks

 Letters from the Nest https://lettersfromthenest.substack.com/p/my-legacy-stinks Lately, I have been asking you, “What will you do to make Sunday special?” This is me encouraging you in your worship without giving you a prescribed list of things to do. One thing I do differently on Sundays is that I read a Sunday book that’s “different” than the fiction I read during the week. Usually, it’s a religious book, but sometimes it’s an inspiring biography or narrative nonfiction with an uplifting theme. My Sunday book for the past few months has been “Both Things Are True,” by Kate Holbrook. This collection of essays explores a range of topics, including faith, forgiveness, women’s roles, trials, history, and more. Each chapter contains a dichotomy that fuels the discussion. For example, the chapter on forgiveness explores both the concepts of forgetting and remembering. Last Sunday, I began reading the chapter entitled "The Weight of Legacy," in which she discusses the dichotomy ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lyme Disease??

Let me just preface this by saying that I am soooo grateful for good health insurance. I have been to the Dr. for the kids lately so often, that I am embarrassed that they recognize our family when we walk in the door. So, here's Ricky's story. A couple of weeks ago he was extremely sick. He had a fever for over a week, complained that he couldn't move his legs, and ended up with an awful looking rash all over his body. We went to the Dr. 2 times for this. The first time, she said, it was a virus and it should run its course. When Ricky was getting worse, instead of better, we took him back in to a quick clinic where the nurse diagnosed him with strep (even though the short test was negative). Well, after a priesthood blessing and antibiotics (which we discovered later that he didn't even need to take--and in fact they may have made him feel worse), he got better. Then, last week, I discovered a new, crazy rash on his legs which continued to grow, turn purple on the in...
5 comments
Read more