Elder Brown is our new District Leader here. It was a fun time picking him up. Our Zone stayed in the Kitale flat and him and I talked about mission and about people in Buru Buru (since he replaced me) it was a great time and i am very excited to work with my first MTC companion now out in the field as we both have experience behind us. This week we did some community service and washed at a Hospital in Naitiri. It was a great thing and the guy was even like "So what do you want me to tell the community about you guys?" hahaha what a great thing to ask us. Let us tell you who we are and who we are representing!! On Thursday (the same day we did that service) we went to the Sitati home. Elder Sitati's family is in Naitiri and we went and saw them and got to visit with them and even get some dinner!! It was FAAAR though!!! We biked over 50km that day in mud, rain, and up huge hills (Again on our super hard bikes). My chain fell off twice and once going down this huge hill so i had no brakes, but i survived. Elder Limu's came off once. We were biking in the dark as well, like pitch dark on mud and bumps, haha i cant explain it good but it was an adventure! Then a miracle happened. The member that was with us was borrowing a bike that has a very slow leak in the front tire. We got to this big hill where we go home and his tire was flat. A few seconds later an older gentleman was passing us on his bike (we passed him before) and on his bike he had a bike pump. No one carries a bike pump with them, especially here. But at the exact moment we needed it so that we could arrive at home safely and on time for curfew our angel showed up. And he had a Christlike heart and stopped, helped us fix it and we were all on our way. We gave him a pamphlet and told him about us obviously. Was it a coincidence? I dont think so. I think it was the Lords perfect timing and hand in that situation. It was by Divine Design. (Go read the talk from Elder Rasband called Divine Design from the October 2017 conference) and to finish off that day we got home and were wearing all the amount of rain we could wear hahaha!! What a spectacular day!! Church was also great! We somehow had 18 less-actives!! I think that is a record!! The church was very full and even a guy who we recently brought back to full activity in the church baptized his son! We are working hard in all of the branches to get to a stake! There is lots of work to be done and I have the privilege to be a part of it! I know this gospel is true. This is the Lords church on the earth today. This is the place to find that thing that you have been missing, and didn't even know you were missing it. I love Jesus Christ and I am not afraid to tell anyone about Him. I love Him. Love, Elder Merz P.S. - Shoutout to Johnson and Murphy shoes. For an prospective Elder those are my favorite shoes. They are the most comfortable, they have held up the very best, look the best, and your young little missionary feet will stay nice and warm because they are also waterproof and i can testify they are!! Go get some if your going out to serve especially here in the wonderful continent of Africa!

Transfer news was saturday and Elder Limu and I are staying the same. He goes home this transfer so i will be "killing" him 🔪 We visited a less-active family and the wife was telling us that a group of people were saying that a mzungu preached to them at the funeral a few weeks ago and that i talked about Easter and read from the bible and "another book" that they said sounds like a nice book. They really really enjoyed it and were wondering where I am now. The member said i am a missionary and invited them to church, they did not come this last week but we are hoping they come soon!! A great missionary opportunity for all! The work has been hard the last week. We kept getting cancled on or we would travel for like an hour to see someone just to have them not at home or say they are busy and to come back another day. So one of the days we were doing some contacting and then after leaving someones house my back tire was flat 😐 i got a puncture. So we had to walk allllll the way back to Mautuma to the one place where they can fix it. And on the way we met a lady who is good friends with a member and who knew who we were (missionaries) and wants to learn from us!!! I love to see the hand of the Lord in things. Might sound crazy but if my tire was not flat and we did not have to go back to Mautuma then we would not have met that lady!! Also a piki-piki passed away and the all the guys went crazy.... The week has been good!! We are pressing forward and working our hardest to accomplish what the lord knows we can! I am now in my 4th quarter of my mission. The last 6 months. Somehow the time has already arrived. I have found myself recently being more bold and straightforward with this life changing message. I want people to find true and lasting happiness and the truth. Somewhere where everybody fits in, somewhere where everyone can be loved and truly come unto Christ. Just as in american football the 4th quarter is when the players play the hardest, when they give it there absolute all. That is how i am feeling now. Even more than i have been giving before, and i look forward to see the growth and progress that will come from it! Love, Elder Merz

To start off the week we were able to do some work in our area on Wednesday. Some people we had planned to see weren't around but we were able to fill our time with some meaning full activities. Then on Thursday we traveled to Eldoret....we left our flat in mautuma at 8:30 and got to Eldoret at 3.....that's what happens when your in the middle of no where and have to rely on other people for transport hahaha! 😊 We had interviews with President Msane and we slept at the Sosiani flat with the Kitale Elders and one set from Kisumu. Sister Esther (one of my favorite people and families in Eldoret) she invited Elder Limu and i over for dinner...hahaha so we went and she fed us very very very well!!! It was kind of sad though. Her daughter who my age was not there, because she is in the Ghana MTC going to go to Ivory Coast!! It was still a great time. The next day we had zone conference and i learned a looooot but sadly as i type this i forgot my notebook in mautuma....we talked a looot about personal revelation though and how essential it is in our daily lives. Not just a the Lords representatives but also as normal people at home. That night Elder Limu and i enjoyed the city since we dont get to see lots of people or shops, or supermarkets. So we went in town and had some good laughs together! In one of the supermarkets i found a MAC & CHEESE!!!! Elder Pratt and I made it and he is lucky i am nice. I split it with him. Elder Pratt is in Kitale and one of my new best friends on mission. He is from the avenues in SLC. What a great guy! On our way back in a Matatu i had to get out due to someone getting out. The guys greeted me in there tribal language, Luuyah. Little did they know i know some Luuyah...so they greeted me and I replied back. They then all just freaked like "ohhhhhhhhhhhh" then they all wanted to be my friend hahaha. Also the kids around Mautuma dont call me a mzungu (white guy) anymore. When they greet me instead they say "Habari mwafrica" They say i am now African, so my life has been complete LOL. Because we know kids cant lie! 😄 Also my good good brother Elder Call called and talked to me yesterday for 25 minutes. What a blessing it is to have friends like him on mission. Thank you all for your continuing love and support. Africa is going well! Sadly even though the Prophet Russell M. Nelson is in Kenya as i type. And Elder Holland. We did not get to go to Nairobi for the meeting and the chapels here were not broadcasting the meeting, and sadly the link we got does not work. So hopefully the conference goes well and i'll be able to view it later. I hope those stupid Nairobi boys enjoy it! 😉 just kidding haha Welp that is about the story of the week. We met with some people who have baptismal dates and look forward to an undisturbed working week this week! Love, Elder Merz

Elder Limu and i traveled back to Nairobi this week. We had a meeting with the mission President. Us and the other leaders in the mission. It was a great meeting and i got to see some of my great great friends again! Some of them for the last time as missionaries like Elder McGrath! Plus we got to sleep in the very nice mission home and get Sister Msanes food,that is always a big plus!! So we did about 20 hours of traveling in 3 days just on a bus but it was alright! We got to come back to this side with Elder Fraga and his companion! I love my group of missionaries so much! We are the best!! My highlight i guess you could say of the week was Conference! What a historic, spirit filled indescribable conference!!! My heart and soul are so lifted up and i am still buzzing about the conference! i loved it so so so so so so much!!! These were my favorite talks!! Study them and read them and help them bless your life! :) https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/precious-gifts-from-god?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/am-i-a-child-of-god?lang=eng (people said i look like this guy haha) https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/even-as-christ-forgives-you-so-also-do-ye?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/the-heart-of-a-prophet?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/until-seventy-times-seven?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/pure-love-the-true-sign-of-every-true-disciple-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/his-spirit-to-be-with-you?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/small-and-simple-things?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives?lang=eng (When president Nelson was speaking i got a very very warm good feeling in my heart. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I got my confirmation that he really is a prophet of God) https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/inspired-ministering?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/ministering-with-the-power-and-authority-of-god?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/be-with-and-strengthen-them?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/ministering-as-the-savior-does?lang=eng (I realllly loved the 2 talks about the new Program Ministering. What a step forward for the church!! I look forward to it!! What great talks this one and the one by holland above are!!) https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/behold-the-man?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/it-is-all-about-people?lang=eng As you can see i realllllllly loved conference!! The announcement of the temples in Russia and India!!!! WHAAAAT!? My mind was blown!! Words cannot describe my love for the conference and the talks. But i hope it had or will have the same powerful effect on you as it has had on me! :) We had little time to work in our area but the time that we did have we had some great success!! :) Thanks for all the prayers and love that you have sent my way!! Not too much to report on this week but know that is well on this side. The bush is still....well bushy haha! Much love, Elder Merz

I better send off this email before the internet pretends it is not working. We visited many less-actives this last week. We are trying to focus on meeting with members, and less-actives and having them give us referrals who we can then teach with there help. At church we saw 7 less-actives! So i guess you could say we saw the fruits of that work. Part of our missionary purpose is to also help those people who have joined the church but are now in the group we call "less-active". These people just need some help with seeing the gospel change there lives and it is a privledge to help them. Speaking of baptisms though. I don't know if i mentioned it last week but last Sunday we had a baptism of a girl named Justine. We finished teaching her and then she got baptized. Her whole family is members but did not get baptized at 8. So we baptized her, she is 10 if your wondering. Then this Sunday, yesterday, we had 2 baptisms. Sister Matrine and one of her daughters Trizah. The husband to Matrine is a member and he baptized both of them. It has been a great couple of Sundays! Sundays are my favourite day of the week so far. We are teaching this guy named Paul. Last time we saw him his sister was there and we taught them the restoration. When we went back yesterday he said how him and his sister really love how we teach and also what we teach. He then proceeded to ask how he can join our church, it caught us a bit by surprise but we were more than happy to answer! We explained how we need to go through the lessons, he needs to keep commitments, come to church, be interviewed, and overall develop his own testimony of the truthfulness of what we are sharing with him. I am loving the people here, they are so great. On Saturday we also attended a funeral. The guy was in his 20s and was baptized in our church and then went to Nairobi and got kinda lost from the church. But he was barried here. The funeral was unlike anything i have ever experienced in my whole life. I cant explain all of it. But lets just say we had a good time. Being the only white guy in i think the surrounding 50 or more kilometers i was called upon to give a talk at the funeral. And since its like a village there was lot of people there. So i on the spot got up and gave a talk in front of like 250 people. I connected Matt. 28: 5-7 with Alma 40: 11-12. A lot of the people thanked me for my talk and said it was a very nice one. When it came to barrying they sang some songs, then some drunk guys put the casket in the hole and started smoking some weed and there was lots of noise and just something else. I dont really know how to describe it! But i loved it! We afterwords went to Bro. Donalds house for some lunch, i helped clean all the dishes for all the members of our church that went there. I love to give others help and service. My prayers and heart go out to my dear Grandpa. I love you with all my heart Grandpa. I have spent countless hours with you and i cherish them. I look forward to spending more time with you and creating even more memories and laughs. Get well Grandpa, I love you. Words can not say or share how much you mean to me and how much i care about you. You really are my best friend. Stay strong Grandpa. Love, Elder Merz