Canada Week 11: Hope, Love and Blessings!

HELLO FRIENDS AND FAMILY

I hope everyone had a sunshine filled week full of love and fun!

This week was much better than last week.  I still had some moments but such is life!  I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of my Savior and His love and for the knowledge that I am a beloved daughter of God!  And so are all of you!  We are all sons and daughters of God destined to be kings and queens! 

Some things I learned this past week:
1- Hope is full of an infinite power always within reach for us to hold onto.  There is a talk given by Dieter F. Uchtdorf called, "The Infinite Power of Hope" and it was a mental game change for me this week.  He states, "Hope in God, His goodness and His power refreshes us with courage during difficult times."  The faith we have can overcome the fear we experience and the hope we have can overcome the despair we feel in our lives.  If we strengthen and exercise our faith and cling to hope while showing charity towards all men, our lives will be stabilized regardless of whatever rough thing we go through. I LOVE THE WORD HOPE!  There is so much we can hope for!  We can hope BECAUSE of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us!  We can have hope that the bad times will pass, that the trials we are going through will be for our experience. Uchtdorf stated that hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness and I thought that was so powerful!  Hope is a gift of the spirit and I never thought of hope as being a gift but it is true and we all have the opportunity to hope.  We can put forth the action to hope for things even when it is hard.  We just gotta love our Savior!

2 - The atonement is AMAZING!  I learn new things about it everyday!  I have been reading about it.  Our Savior took upon Him our burdens, pains, sorrows and sins unlocking the path of repentance to therefore be forgiven.  When He was scourged that unlocked the enabling power of the atonement.  The scriptural term for the enabling power is GRACE.  When Christ was lifted on the cross, that unlocked exaltation.  One of my favorite things to study is the enabling power.  GOD IS SO GOOD!!!   He has a perfect plan! That enabling power is what gives us the strength to go on in life.  He knows EXACTLY what we are feeling and He wants to be the source we turn to to find peace.

Some things that happened this week!
1 - I hit my 3 month mark as a missionary - WOOT WOOT!!!
2 - I witnessed a theft of a TV at the Canadian Superstore
3 - A random guy walked into church and now we get to teach him this week.  I was so overwhelmed with love and got a glimpse of how our Heavenly Father feels about each and every one of us.
4 - Almost ate balute, a common Filipino dish.  I opened the egg because my companions were            unsure if it was cooked....it was not and it was GROSS!
5 - Lessons with members and non-members are the BEST!  We had a couple lessons with a former investigator and he is ON DATE FOR BAPTISM!!! 
6 - We got to help set up for a YSA dance

Overall this was a really good week!  God is truly SO SO SO GOOD!  I am so grateful for Him and the blessings He has in store for each of us!  I have such a strong testimony that going through hard things is part of being here and the blessings we receive from them are beyond what we could see or ever hope for!  This could not be more true this week.  There were so many miracles!  Last week was really rough, but God had blessings in store for me!  One blessing I received is that I auditioned and made it into Edmonton Canada Missionary choir as an alto.  I could not be more excited to share this talent with others and help others feel the spirit through music.

This email is kind of all over the place but I want everyone to know that the hard times are worth it.  The hope we have in our Savior can help us through anything.  We can find refuge and comfort in the knowledge that there is someone who knows us perfectly and loves us individually!  Every step we take away from Him is one step He takes closer to us.  We are never out of His reach.  He is beckoning to us!  I invite everyone to come closer to their Savior.  I also invite everyone to watch the new Light the World video the church has put out.  IT IS AMAZING!  The emotions and spirit it brings is beautiful.  I hope we can all find ways to serve God's children ONE BY ONE :)


LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
Love, Sister Merrill <3

3 months as a missionary!

The Tripan at the Superstore!

Sister Merrill loves serving her companions.  

She made them this yummy lunch one day!

Learning to love the Canadian Snow!

Surprise!  

When we saw this sweatshirt on Amazon Canada 

we just had to buy it for our favorite Sister missionary!  

Canada Week 10: Simple, plain and precious

Hello everyone! I hope this past week was splendid and fun!

My week was an adventure.  If I am being completely honest I have been on quite the emotional roller coaster.  I know missionaries generally only talk about the good and their weekly highlights, but I feel like I should talk about how my week has really been.  My mission has been hard since day one of arriving in the Canadian mission field.  I got hit with a lot of things I did not expect to experience.  I came across a lot of hard times and emotions and things I had never experienced before.  This week was a particularly hard week and what made it even harder was the fact that I couldn't pin point the reason as to why it was so hard.  Why was I was letting Satan get to me knowing I had my Savior right beside me.  I didn't know how to give it to God because I didn't know what I was trying to give to him.  I found myself wondering "why can't I just fight Satan and trust God?"  News flash - we are our harshest critics and hold ourselves to incredibly high expectations, at least I do.  I found myself taking the blame for any and everything that was happening in our area and in our companionship.  I found myself thinking I am not good enough, I am not capable enough of accomplishing what I want to while on my mission. I have thought why would God let me keep experiencing all of these hard things?  I am getting so tired.  But then the spirit slapped me in the face and I realized I had it all backwards.  I was expecting too much of myself.  I was giving in to negative thoughts because it was easier then fighting against it.  I have also been so overwhelmed with love and strength from my Savior and I have been reminded of the refiners fire.  I know God lets us experience all of these hard trials and moments in our life because He sees our greatest potential.  He gives us these hard times so that He can mold us into the instruments He needs us to be in His hands.  He knows what we can become and He knows what we need to go through to get there.  This gospel is so simple.  It is full of plain and precious truths and we as natural humans can complicate everything.

I have learned a lot about the simplicity of the gospel through my studies this week.  I read a talk by Ronald A. Rasband called "Be Not Troubled." IT IS SO GOOD!  He talked a lot about fear and how we as mortal, natural people let fear overtake us and we forget about having faith.  It was cool because one thing he mentioned was that, "fear limits the perspective of God's children."  HOW TRUE!  When we let fear overtake us we forget that there is someone who knows, someone who understands, and someone who knows the end from the beginning!  He mentioned one of my favorite scriptures in this talk which is in D&C 68:6.  It reads, "Wherefore be of good cheer and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you and will stand by you and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am and that I am to come."  It is SO SIMPLE!  He is literally always there and His love is always there even when we don't think we feel it or think that we deserve to feel it.  He will love us no matter what.  We don't feel it when we let fear take over.  Rasband also stated that, "Our love for Him and His gospel dispels fear!"  IT IS TRUE!  It is much easier said than done, but I know that if we pray for the strength and help to do so we can dispel that fear that creeps in!  We just need to have faith and strive to always have the Spirit, because "our desire to always have his spirit with us will push fear aside for a more eternal view of our mortal lives" - President Nelson.  God and Jesus Christ are simply always there for each of us.  We just need to LOOK for them and have faith, trust and love in our hearts!

In between all the whack things this past week we did have some fun and cool things happen.  It wasn't all bad ;)  We were able to meet with the guy that randomly showed up at FHE last Monday that I mentioned last week.  He is so solid.  He lives just outside our area so we will have to pass him to the missionaries in his area eventually, but we were able to meet once and he came to church!  He mentioned how powerful it was and the good feelings he felt.  He has such a strong desire to know God and to receive answers for himself.  He is awesome and I am grateful for that little miracle from our week!  We were also able to meet up with a former that was being taught a while back AND he came to home evening yesterday!  He loved it and we are meeting with him again this week! 

I am so grateful for the strength I continue to receive from my Savior.  I can definitely feel Him carrying me some days when I think I can't go on.  He simply carries me and I think wow - how did I make it through today?  How have I made it this far?  Then I remember that I have such a loving Savior and Heavenly Father and I couldn't be more grateful!!

I got to go to the Edmonton temple this week and it was the most amazing thing!  I am so grateful for the peace that can be felt there and for the comfort I receive as I pray in the beautiful celestial room.  The temple is truly the Lord's sacred house.  A wonderful thing we have been wanting to help member families with is having them make their homes temples and it as been super cool! :)

Here are some more fun highlights from my week. 
1:  We had our Trainee/Trainer follow-up meeting this week and I got to see some of my BEST FRIENDS - including my cute MTC companion Sister Smith :)
2:  We had Zone Conference and got to watch the new Light the World video - it is SO POWERFUL!  I LOVE IT!!
3:  We played Zone mini-games and had a big picture scavenger hunt one day so that is what a lot of my pictures are from this week

I have such a strong testimony of the Savior's atonement and the help and strength I have received from my Savior.  I am truly amazed that I have made it as far as I have with as hard as it has been!  Honestly it is truly a miracle!  Jesus Christ is our ultimate healer and I know He understands what I have been through and go through and will experience perfectly.  I know I have a loving, merciful Heavenly Father who has a perfect plan for me and knows exactly how to help me get there.

I hope everyone has an amazing week and remembers the power of prayer and the simplicity of the gospel.  Always remember you are doing better than you think you are and your Savior can give you the strength to get through anything!

Love always, Sister Syd Merrill :)

"God is So Good"

At the Edmonton Temple

Sister Neff, Sister Merrill, & Sister Jensen 

with Sister Woodruff - they live in her basement

Car Jammin'

Zone Video

The sisters with the YSA Ward Bishop

Lunch with a YSA member

Handing out scripture ballons at the LRT

Sister Missionary Party

P-Day Party

Trainee & Trainer

Sister Jensen & Sister Merrill

Sister Smith and Sister Merrill

"Reunited and it feels so good!"

Good hair day for Sister Merrill

"Always remember you are doing better than you think!"

Canada Week 9: Winter Wonderland Time

Hello everyone :) I hope all is well and that everyone is finding ways to thrive and look for God in their lives!

This past week was super busy but full of God's little miracles as always!  We are headed into the cold winter months of Canada and I don't feel prepared mentally or physically....but I will get there eventually...hopefully!  We have only had to shovel snow 3 times and so far the temps have only made it down to -21°C so we're still thriving! There was a bunch of snow all over the roads and they didn't get it plowed for a few days so cars made their own paths.....I'm the designated driver and driving has been an adventure and a half but we have been kept super safe. :)

Miracles.  The first miracle I want to talk about this week was a lesson we had with a non-member who was a referral through one of our YSA members.  We met with him and taught him the plan of salvation and how God has individual personalized plans for each and every one of us!  We talked about where we came from, why we're here and where we go when we die.  He found it interesting and all he could say was that it made sense and he agreed to meet again and learn more about the restored church and the Book of Mormon!  He was awesome!  The spirit was so strong during the lesson and I am grateful he is eager to know more!  The next miracle was from last night.  We attended our YSA's home evening and a non-member just showed up so we started talking to him.  He told us someone named Ashley from the ward knocked on his car window and invited him.  There isn't anyone named Ashley in our ward so my companions and I briefly had the thought that some angel inspired him to come!  He said he wants to learn more and wants to learn how he can fill the empty void in his life.  He even told us he has been sober for a little over a year and that he wants to find happiness to help with the depression he has been dealing with so we set up a meeting with him.  He was so excited and eager to know more.

Service.  We were able to participate in a lot of member service this weekend!  We got to help with a wedding!  Service is my favorite things and being in a YSA calls for a lot of wedding service! :) I love that the members and their families trust and love us missionaries to come help out and serve them!  We also got to help another member family with a restaurant they're opening!  We got to help clean and paint.  It was super fun and meant a lot that they trusted us enough to help with that service!  It just makes me feel good, especially knowing we have so many opportunities to love and serve other just as our Savior did!  He was the ultimate example of selfless love and service and I pray we can all strive to become like Him.

Personal study is one of the best parts of my day - especially when I study with full intent and full purpose of heart.  This week I focused on the Book of Mormon and making it more personal.  I came up with a marking system so that I can see the Lord's hand in the lives of the people, the lessons being taught and the blessings they're receiving.  It has made me grow a deeper appreciation for the words the book provides in our lives and the hope it can give us each day.  This week I have also learned a lot about being an individual and standing up for myself and my beliefs.  It is important to remember who I am, who I am representing and what I stand for.  I have been able to recognize how God sees me and the potential He knows I have as a person and as a missionary in Canada. :)

I am so grateful for my testimony of the Book of Mormon and for my Savior Jesus Christ!  This is the only true gospel.  The hope and peace it can bring each of us is beyond my words of gratitude.  I know we have a loving Heavenly Father who has an individual plan for each and every one of us - our own perfect plan for us and our lives.  I am grateful for the peace and assurance I can receive from this knowledge.  I pray that everyone can look for God in their life and give thanks for the small and simple things!


With much love,
Sister Sydnee Merrill :)

Baby it's cold outside!

Winter Wonderland!

Anna's Wedding

Painting Service

Sister Neff, Sister Jensen & Sister Merrill

Service is one of my favorite things!!!

Sister Neff, Sister Merrill & Sister Jensen

Yummy Korean food

Will Sister Merrill become a hockey fan in Canada?

These cute sisters buy, cook & eat meals together!

P-Day Sports

Elder Davis and Syd

Elder Davis, Elder Noffsinger & Syd

Their 2020 Nissan Rogue and a sunset

"Give thanks for the small & simple things"