#DaculaSquad

Hey y'all!

August 1st

Wow, what a week it has been. I feel like it has just flown by! I was so so so sad to leave my Monroe Ward. It has truly been heaven. I haven't been out of the Athens stake since the beginning of my mission and I was a little scared to leave that too. But here I am in the Lilburn stake in the Dacula 1st ward and I'm as happy as ever. It’s just as wonderful over here!

I have a new companion! Sister Gifford is amazing! She has such a wonderful understanding of the gospel and her first day she was teaching and starting door approaches. She has really been able to help a lot of people here already. I know she was sent to this area for a reason. The ward needs her! I'm so grateful to be with her and to have the opportunity to learn from her.

So it was a little sad to me to go from having a full and thriving area book, full of progressing investigators to absolutely nothing. But the work has already picked up here a lot!

On our first day here we were going around to less actives, getting to know them and tracking around their homes. As we were walking down the street we notice a woman sitting on her porch. Knowing we need to talk to everyone we start a conversation with her and teach about the Book of Mormon. She listens to us openly and we set up a return appointment for the next day, leaving her a chapter in the Book of Mormon to read before we come back. The next morning we text Imani to confirm our appointment and she replies telling us that she is no longer interested but we are more than welcome to come take the Book of Mormon back. We knew we never wanted to do that, but we saw this as an in to still go over and see her and understand why she wasn’t interested anymore. At our set time to see Imani, she wasn't home. We were disappointed but started to try some potentials that lived around her. All of a sudden we had the strongest impression that we needed to go back to our car and get the phone. So that's what we did. Right afterward we look up and see Imani sitting on her porch with the Book of Mormon in her hands. She tried to hand the Book of Mormon back to us but we just asked her questions to try to know what happened. She the began asking us questions about what we believed, specifically the questions of the soul, "Where did we come from? Where do we go after we die?" We teach and testify of the plan of salvation and she begins to agree with everything we say. The spirit was so strong and tears begin to well up in her eyes. By the end of the lesson, she asks if she could hold onto the Book of Mormon for awhile.

I truly believe that the spirit has touched her. My testimony has grown on our purpose as missionaries. I know that part of our purpose is helping these people feel the spirit, we aren't doing our job if the spirit isn't present. And if the spirit is there, they are able to understand and learn what Heavenly Father wants to teach them. I know that myself, as an individual, is completely inadequate to do the Lords work. But I'm so grateful that He gives me the opportunity to try to help the best I can and I know with the Spirits help, we can touch the heart of the individuals we teach.

There are many other amazing people that we have found in the short time that we have been here. Heavenly Father has been blessing us so much with the amount of kindness that has been shown to us. I love this work. There is nothing like it. It has completely changed my life forever.

Love, Sister Merritt

Etched into the sidewalk randomly. The church is true. Heavenly Father

is providing signs for people everywhere (;