Sister Syd: Canada Week 43: Find a reason to smile :)

Hello everyone! Sister Merrill here again. I hope everyone found a reason to smile this week even though sometimes it is tough! :) I have learned that some weeks are slow, some are long, and some are hard, but there are always moments within them that are good - little moments that can make us happy and bring a smile to our faces! This week was a mixture of all of the above for me. It was bittersweet, hard, and full of change, yet God's hand was in it all the way, and everyday He provided a reason for me to smile!

As I mentioned last week, we had received our transfer calls and learned that my companion and I would be going separate ways. Sister Poore would be going to a new area and I would be staying in Drayton Valley training a brand new missionary! While the news was exciting, it was going to be hard to say goodbye. We had gotten really close and worked well together the past 3 months. I found myself feeling a bit stressed and overwhelmed as sometimes change can bring. I prayed for God's help and each day got a little bit better. I found myself thinking about "change." It is all around us - it happens all the time. As President Thomas S. Monson once stated, "nothing is as constant as change" (Oct 2008). His talk, "Finding Joy in the Journey" is a wonderful reminder to find moments amid life's craziness that bring us joy. It is one of my favorite talks. I am so grateful for the joy that is mine everyday because of my Savior Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father who help me to see these moments!

Wednesday July 1st was Canada Day! It was also the day I took Sister Poore to the mission home and I picked up my new companion. Her name is Sister Petelo. She is from Montreal, Quebec Canada. She speaks French, was learning Spanish to serve in Panama, and due to Covid was reassigned to the Canada Edmonton Mission. She does speak English and she is awesome. I am excited for the opportunity I have to train, teach, and serve with her.

We had a lot of good moments this week. We were able to teach quite a few lessons and discussed the importance of God's role in our lives. We taught of the love God has for us as His spirit children! We also were able to help those we are teaching learn more about the importance of ordinances we participate in and the covenants we make. It was cool to see how they connected the dots between faith in God and doing their part. This week we were also blessed to offer our service to those around us. We helped with some yard work, and even helped a member with their basement renovations and painting. I am always grateful for the joy I feel when serving others!

Have you ever thought about "the Son" verses "the sun"? We have had a lot of rain here in Drayton Valley, and because of this, it helps me appreciate the sun even more when it shines. I started thinking about how "the sun" and "the Son" each provide us with light and warmth! Christ's love for us is warm like the sun and brings light into our lives. We read in the scriptures that He is the light and life OF the world, and "the sun" is the light FOR the world and gives life to things upon it. My other thoughts of this were of my appreciation for it. If we have sunshine all the time we don't stop and appreciate it, or necessarily feel grateful for it. I think we tend to also do this with our Savior. When He is in the details of our lives during our everyday craziness, we sometimes forget to stop and appreciate all that Christ has done for us. How often do we take the time to say thank you? Is it only once a week as we partake of the sacrament? Maybe we do here and there when good things happen to us? Whenever it is, I hope we can all choose to develop a greater understanding and appreciation for all that our Savior does for us each and every day. I am beyond grateful for His priceless gift of the atonement, for His unconditional love, and for His everlasting strength.

My closing thoughts this week revolve around a talk I studied from the last general conference called, "Spiritually Defining Memories," by Neil L. Andersen. It is so good! We all are having spiritually defining moments, but it depends on how we look at them. He quoted another talk about an experience of a young man stating that he had never had a spiritually defining moment. Elder Oaks then responded to him by saying, "perhaps your prayers have been answered again and again, but you have had your expectations fixed on a sign so grand, or a voice so loud, that you think you have had no answers." This really stuck out to me because I feel as though we can have a fixed mindset instead of a growth mindset. We sometimes have a preconceived idea of what an answer is going to be, or what kind of experiences we're going to have. These ideas often come from observing others around us. This made me think about just how much we are constantly aware of those around us, the experiences they are having, and what they are doing that we don't recognize our own milestones. We are all having spiritual moments and we are receiving answers to prayers - we just need to learn how God speaks to us personally, and not how He is speaking to those around us. Take a moment to look at what God is doing in your own life and pray to have eyes to see it.

I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father and for my Savior Jesus Christ! I am grateful for their love! I am grateful for my Savior's light and warmth, and for the opportunity I have each and every day to learn and grow and progress.

Love and miss you all! Have an a amazing week!

Love, Sister Merrill