Remembering the Merrill missions: stories of serving in the temple
By Kurt Johnson
Sometimes the Lord’s plan alters even the most well thought-out plan. That was reaffirmed for Richard and Sandra Merrill when they began thinking about their desire to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was in 2000 when the Merrills first talked about heading out into the mission field, and they figured they needed about two years to get ready.
However, it was February of 2001 when they received an email from a friend asking if they would be interested in coming to Madrid to serve in the temple. By May they were on the way to the Missionary Training Center to prepare for a temple mission at the Madrid Spain temple. That was the first stop on a journey that took them to six different temples over the next decade and a half as temple missionaries.
Dick and Sandra are my aunt and uncle and it was my honor to work with them in producing a Rememberize photobiography that shares some of the memorable moments of those missions. The books combines overviews and photos from those missions with some great storytelling that entertains and inspires.
The Merrills were high school sweethearts in Pocatello, Idaho, and married after Dick’s first mission, to Finland, from 1958 to 1961. Sandra always dreamed of serving a mission, and that dream came true, first with stake missionary service, and then when they served together in Madrid (twice), their home temple in Mesa, Arizona, as well as Nauvoo, Illinois; Cochabamba, Bolivia; and Helskinki, Finland.
They shared some amazing stories about learning what it truly means to present the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Sandra believes that every wife who did not have the chance to serve a mission should have the chance to visit the place where her husband served his mission, and she really wanted to go to Finland. Finally, for their last assignment, they were able to serve in Helsinki, and it was so worth it.
Soon after arriving in Finland, they met the Repo family. As a young elder, years before, Dick had contacted the Repos and shared a message about the gospel, but after that one visit, he did not see them again until he returned with Sandra to serve in the temple. The Repos were converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ after that visit with Elder Merrill, and now have developed a great legacy of faithfulness through the succeeding generations.
That story, along with stories about pickpockets in Spain, the trail of tears in Nauvoo, the sealing power, and so much more, is now available to the Merrill family in this photobiography.
Amazing discoveries come when we research and write our histories. If you are looking for something to do with your extra time at home, we have a few suggestions. A good place to start is with writing the stories of your life. Need a little help or a even a gentle push? Visit our website (rememberize.com) or give us a call (385-257-1945) at Rememberize, and set up an appointment for a free consultation. We want to help you tell your stories.