Sister Syd: Canada Week 35: Immeasurable Peace and Love!

Hello! I hope everyone had an enjoyable week. Even if things didn't happen how you planned, I hope you were still able to find things to smile at! Quarantine is such a roller coaster so let's learn to enjoy this unique time!

My companion and I had a pretty good week overall, despite all but one of our lessons falling through. It happens. These weeks do happen, but the happy thing is we get to begin a new week. Funny how that works. I think it is similar to the gospel and our progression. Sometimes we repeatedly fall short and make mistakes, get down on ourselves and experience hard weeks, but the beautiful thing is with God we can pick ourselves up and try again. We can try again every minute if we need to. There is no limit on God! How incredible is that?!

I received news Tuesday morning that my sweet 11 year old cousin passed away. He suffered from a rare genetic disease called GM1 Gangliosidosis. This disease slows and eventually stops the body's development and progression. I am happy/sad about his passing. I am happy because he is now free from his earthly suffering, but sad because I won't be able to be with him in this life anymore. I have had a neat experience with this whole situation and processing it on my own away from my family. It has provided me time to really turn to God for comfort and peace. I found myself wondering what I really knew about God's plan. More than once I felt an overwhelming sense of peace as I thought about Eli being free from the pain in this life. I felt peace knowing he is now with God and those who have also passed before him. I know he will now be an angel to his family as they go through life. I'm grateful I had a chance to visit him in Arizona last March and feel of his amazing spirit (picture attached). I found great peace in my knowledge of eternal families, knowing that I will get to see Eli again and that he will be whole! I have greatly admired the faith of my aunt and uncle who raised and loved him and his two brothers, who also suffer from the horrible genetic disease. They are able to raise these 3 boys amazingly and I know they have also found comfort in their knowledge of gospel's eternal plan of happiness - knowing they will see their sweet boys again and be together for eternity. I am so grateful for the comfort and peace I feel through my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I am grateful for my knowledge and for my testimony of the plan that our Father in Heaven has for all of us. It is beautiful and perfect despite the trial, hardship and heartache we experience.

It was a tender mercy that my study of the Book of Mormon this week consisted of multiple accounts of the blessings that Christ's atonement has in our lives. I was studying in Mosiah this week, a couple days after I heard of Eli's passing, and came across Mosiah 16:6-9;

6 And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come as though they had already come, there could have been no redemption.
7 And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection.
8 But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.
9 He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.

Death is not the end! I love that it states that He is the light and life of the world! HE IS! He is the ultimate source of all light, life and joy! He is the reason we can find hope among our deepest sorrows and peace among our greatest afflictions. As I continued my studies I read about the sons of Mosiah in Alma and was reminded of their sufferings and how they found great comfort in the Lord! There are so many accounts and examples in the Book of Mormon for us to learn from as we experience our own hardship and trials.

I want to bear my simple testimony of the comfort we can find from trusting in and praying about each of our individual plans God has for us. I am so grateful for eternal families and for the peace found in that knowledge. I know that my Savior feels and understands exactly what I am feeling and going through. I know that He knows EXACTLY what we are going through and experiencing whether it is happy, sad, or anything in between. We have a Savior who suffered for each of us and who overcame sin and death. Turn to Him. Build a relationship with Him. I love Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father with my whole heart and I am so grateful for the experiences they give me and for the love I feel from them. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here in Canada as a missionary sharing this same knowledge and love with others!

Happy (day late) Mothers Day to all the mommas out there - especially to my cute momma! I'm so grateful for all that she does for me and continues to do for me so many miles away! I Love you mom! I hope everyone has a fantastic week! Smile, laugh, and enjoy every moment - even if every moment isn't enjoyable. Positivity is everything!

"You can wake up everyday with hope smiling brightly before you because you have a Savior!" ~Julie B. Beck

Love, Sister Merrill