I'm Home

I am sitting here outside old navy because I forgot my keyto my bike lock. thanks for not forgetting me on mondays. That was fun to have an email and I am glad my mission email still works-but dontknow how much longer it will work for? Well I also wanted to let you know that you have a great talk yesterday and i am glad you had some nice things to say because I ran out of things before my time was up. I really miss being on the mission but I am realizing that spending all my energy missing the mission won't bring it back, so I just make the best of utah. I am so glad you got to come to florida and meet all my best friends. my last week in florida..well i loved it cause that is where i feel like home is. and it was fun to have you there. it was weird at the same time but i am glad you came. sorry we didnt get to do too much tourist stuff, i should've been more considerate of the time and let you guys choose some of the stuff we got to do. i hope you had fun though. as you already know, being home is weird for me.. i am still trying to figure things out.. trying to find what Heavenly Father's will is for me now.. and I hope and pray that I will understand it and love it, no matter what it is. I love you sooo much mom. Thanks for all your hard work and preparation to make yesterday and my return to utah special. you are the best. te amohija meryl

Oscar & Aracely with Hermana Call

Hermana Call & the familia Nunez

Hermana Call & familia Cano

Hermana Call with the Garcias

Baptism

ohh my. i never dreamed this dreaded time would come as quickly as it has. i cant sleep so good at nights and kind of hope that if i dont fall asleep the next day wont come..but it always does.. I cannot believe it. it's the most bittersweet thing thats ever happened in my lifetime. it seems like everywhere i go and everyone we taught this week was crying.. well that didn't help..
Heavenly Father has blessed us way more than I ever asked for. All I wanted this last transfer was one baptism. Well it just so happens this Saturday night we will be having 2. Oscar and Aracely will get baptized in the Hollywood Hills Ward. I can't wait!! I wanted to keep it a surprise but... I couldn't. They had a little going away party for me yesterday.
Good things are happening with the rest of our investigators. I know this area will have great success in a short time.
We went to a lesson of the Hatian investigator, we taught it with the Creole Elders. They fed us Hatian food. My first time eating it. I'll tell you about that story a little later on..
Sisters Conf was incredible, I had to talk for a little bit of things i wish i'd known sooner. i have a list of that, so it wasn't hard to come up with a few to share.
on sunday we had the stake pres, President Hale, and Elder Gay of the 70 speak at our ward. it was really nice of them to come see me my last sunday. it was the fullest chapel we've ever had. Bishop annonced that it was my last sunday which led to me having more attentnion than i wanted that day.
last night we did a special FHE on Christ. Sometimes I dont realize how strong the spirit is because I'm so used to it 24/7..but i felt it last night
and i testify that
Christ Lives
He loves Knows each of us by name
and He loves us.
I look forward to seeing you all soon... (taylor, february=soon)

love you sssssssooooooooooooooo mmmuuuuuuuucccccccccchhhhhhhh
hermana call

It's Been Raining

Meryl and Manual

Taylor Street

The Hollywood Zone

Ahhh

what the heck wait a minute where did the past 17 months go? i am freaking out just a little trying to know what i can do while i am here and doing my best to find the Lord's will for me, for hollywood hills south, for my investigators.. i had a goal to have one more baptism my last transfer. it'll be a miracle if that happens because i'm fasting praying and doing my best testifying and teaching and helping these dear people understand why i am doing this work! please pray for maria, susi, oscar, hector, aracely, gerardo, and nori. each one of those people are so special to me. i love them so much. i wish they understood why i desire their salvation, but even more that its not a desire I have but that God has! we have had a busy busy week teaching and i taught more lessons this week than i have in a while.. one day we taught 6 lessons, and they were all excatly the first set of plans we had for the day. didnt have to use any backup plans! :) there has been a lot of crazies we met, including one where i asked where he was from and he told me "my mother's womb" and another when i asked the same question he got very offended and told me that was a rude question to ask and told me it would be like him asking me what color underwear i had on (hm. he was probably illegal). well i just want to advise you all something and i will do so by sharing this story..we were visiting a young family in the ward and their 8 year old was playing pokemon cards. i told him there is a pokemon that has the same name as me. we looked through his cards and he didnt have it. he then realized he didnt know my name and asked what it was..i told him hermana call.. he thought about that for a second and then said "there is NOT a pokeman with that name!"
we are teahcing this cool guy from Hati but he lived close to DR so he speaks spanish too! i've never taught anyone like that before. it's really cool. but at the end we asked him to pray in creole and he had his wife come do that prayer, but she didnt just pray she put on this knit bandana thing on her head and then placed one hand on my head and one on sister lima's and did this scary yelling prayer in creole.. it was weird.
well i don't have much time i want to just end by telling you how much i love you and thank you for all you do, including your prayers.
at the end of my PPI last week, President prayed with me and he told me that angels will be with me at this time. i know you are all far away but i know you are my angels.
i love you.
hermana call

Hermanas Call and Hebdon

At the Hollywood Tri-Rail

At the Park

A Week with Changes

hey there. how yall doin. things are good in hollywood hills.. a week with changes but they were good ones! yesterday i finished reading the Book of Mormon. I love It. So much. I know it's true, and I love to testify of it multiple times a day, every single day. I am so lucky! I had a J - Dub this week LITERALLY BEG US TO CHANGE. She was almost in tears as I told her I never would. It was interesting to me to see someone who had that much love for their religion.. we dont meet too many of those. Hermana Hebdon and I wanted to set up a table at Sedano's (a Latin grocery store) with a sign for free Book of Mormon but they said no so we went to the park (see photo.. ) well that wasnt successful but it was fun. Friday late afternoon we got a call from the assistants who told us that Saturday Hermana Hebdon would be transfering to West Palm Beach. So my companion here is Hermana Lima. She was born in Brazil but grew up since she was 4 in Conneticut. I like having a comp that speaks Portugese! plus i like Brazil and am secretly rooting for them in the World cup.. well it was interesting the way the we were prepared for the transfer, becuase on thursday during weekly planning we updated so many things. it is scary being all in charge of this area, and its a very good thing i have my TomTom. i recieved a challenge this week from my district leader to offend someone with love. i am happy to announce that i sure did it. we met with Gerardo.. oh speaking of him my prayer list is Hector, Gerardo, and Oscar.. when we met with Gerardo I HAD to talk to him about baptism again. as i knew the time was coming in the lesson i said a prayer in my heart and then told him how much we love him.. and how much Heavenly Father loves him.. and basically tied it into faith and told him if he wouldn't get baptized he doesn't have faith. my heart was pounding as i said it all the nicest i could and as lovingly as i could. i also told him i would fast for him so he can recieve an answer. well he still didnt commit to baptism but the morning Hermana Hebdon left, he called and told her he'll get baptized. he hasnt told me that yet, but we have an appointment wednesday so i hope that we will set a date. that time was the fastest i've ever spoken spanish in my life.. haha it probably didnt even make sense but i think he could understand by the way I felt. well i am living my perfectly planned life as a missionary right now and love it, i sure dont look forward to changes but i know that for the future also Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for me. So I will trust in Him and focus on whats going on here and now. oscar and his 9 yr old nicole came to church yesterday, he still wont pray out loud but his MEGA DEATHLY shy daughter prayed, she repeated the prayer i wispered to her. also we met with hector yesterday and pushed back his bap date for july 11 he just wont be ready next sunday. but then halfway through the lesson he tried to break up with us (my way of saying he wanted to drop himself) but i told him no that he doesnt have that kind of control in this relationship (heavenly father does) and by the end is is excited again to be taught. yesterday at church since Hermana Hebdon left nobody can play piano so i would NOT play in sacrament but i did a little in primary and it was awful..wish i would've practiced more when i was 10..
i have learned that serving a mission wasnt really a sacrifice at all. i love it.
also i have this lovely scripture i will share with you.. Moroni 8:3.. it is the same way i feel about each of you!
have a good week. i love you so so sooooooooooo much!!!
Hermana Call

"Do They See Him in You" Ft. Lauderdale Mission Conference

Meryl and her MTC Elders

Friends

Meryl with President and Sister Lake

The Best Day

hey everyone! i hope all is good.. thanks for the emails. sounds like lots is going on where you are all at, and i am staying busy here in hollywood. saturday was possibly the best day of my mission ( or at least top 3) as i learned of my Savior Jesus Christ's love for me. I bore my testimony in front of the whole mission (SO SCARY- i never dreamed that i'd do it in a sports bra and tennis shoes) but it good. As I have spent time studying about the Atonement and what the heck that word even means, I found much of it making sense to me on Saturday and was able to bear my simple testimony of the love I have and feel from my best friend, Jesus Christ. I was so nervous. But He helped me as I stood there in front of the Great Ft Lauderdale Mission, in front of like 130 missionaries that are better than I am, but it wasn't for them that i was doing it.. it was for Him. I am pleased to give my time to Him (i am working on not saying the word "PROUD" i will trll you why later).. but it was good! i loved the National Treasure day we had, i could just picture dad the whole day loving it.. it was a day full of small and large miracles for Sister Call.. I recevied gifts beter than i could have imagine. i love you all so so much and testify to you that we are an eternal family because of Jesus Christ.. and i love that.
have good week!
hermana call