Hello everyone! Hopefully everyone had a good week and if not - I hope there were some good moments and that life gets better. I can promise you that it will. Want to know why? Because GOD NEVER CEASES TO BE GOOD!
The title of my email this week is because the majority of our week was spent in SERVICE! I know I serve everyday as a missionary, but this week we were blessed with extra opportunities to serve and love others as Christ does! My companion, Sister Petelo, and I are becoming experts in home renovation, painting, cleaning and yard work. It is so fun to serve others in so many different ways. I love seeing the light in the eyes of those we serve. They are always so grateful, and sometimes I don't think we even realize just how grateful they are. When I serve others I can't help but think about my Heavenly Father, and how grateful He must feel when we love and serve His children. There are so many different ways to serve others, whether it is someone we don't know or within the walls of our own homes. We can serve others just through the simplicity of a smile. Service NEVER goes unnoticed! One of my favorite scriptures is found in Mosiah 2:17, "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the SERVICE of your fellow beings ye are only in the SERVICE of your God." We are serving God as we serve those around us, and by serving others it increases our love for them and for God. I LOVE SERVING! It is truly amazing and can give us such a joyous feeling in our hearts! I hope we can all find ways to serve and love others every day!
This past week brought SO MANY MIRACLES! God honestly is truly limitless and incredible. Our lessons went well all week, but our Sunday lessons were amazing! Sunday afternoon we decided with the little bit of time we had between appointments to go for a walk and try and talk to some people outside. The weather was nice so we try to enjoy that when given the opportunity. We weren't exactly sure which way to go so we said a prayer. After the prayer we began to walk and ended up near this cute little restaurant by our house. We soon passed a guy getting out of his truck so we waved and stopped to talk him. He wanted to know what we were doing here in Drayton. We told him we were missionaries for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He then wanted to know what we do and if we have church services. After talking to him for a bit he asked us if HE COULD COME TO CHURCH! MIRACLE! We got his number and have been in contact with him. It was so exciting! On that same walk we met a few other people that were not interested. We even had one guy try to tell us he knows more about our church than we did. He also tried to convince us that our church is still practicing polygamy in British Columbia. Good times! Sunday evening we had another lesson with Danny and ended up putting him on BAPTISMAL DATE! I am so overjoyed with love and excitement for this gospel! I feel so blessed to witness miracles and to be an instrument in God's hands - because nothing in missionary work would get done without Him!
I am always grateful for my personal studies each week. This week my studies centered on remembering the importance of trusting in my Heavenly Father and thanking Him for the love He gives me. I have learned that life isn't always going to be full of sunshine and rainbows, especially when we find ourselves focusing too much on the success of others. Doing this will only cast a shadow on our own success. Comparison can be the thief of joy. We are all here for a different purpose and are given different opportunities. I admit I have been guilty of this. Satan makes it easy to get wrapped up in joy others have that we forget to fully notice our own joy and the good that God is performing in our own lives everyday. We need to trust in the plan that God has for each of us. I am also learning to accentuate the positive. I keep a gratitude journal and write down how I recognize God's hand in my life everyday. This has truly helped with my mindset as missionary. Life wearing the tag can be a roller coaster, but I am so grateful to be riding it with my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ by my side. They always give me strength to hang on and keep going.
Some of you may be wondering about what has happened with the cute Mohapi family I found from South Africa - I have felt prompted to write out their story.
☆THE MOHAPI MIRACLE☆
A few weeks ago EVERYTHING my companion, Sister Poore, and I had planned, canceled on us. We were feeling a bit stressed as to what we should do next. A thought came into my mind to try to do some Facebook finding. I honestly hadn't really tried to do this very much before that day. I had joined a Facebook Bible study group with the intention to post questions, scriptures, and thoughts there but I never did. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to finally do this. I found the group and the first thing I saw on the page was a post from a guy about an experience he and his wife had. They had a negative experience with a pastor from another church and found themselves wondering how they could know someone was called of God, and how to know if prophecy was from God. I immediately became excited because I knew the answers to his questions. My companion and I help people understand these very things every day. I had the impression to send him a private Facebook message in a group chat so I did. He responded and a few days later we were able to have a video call with his family. I felt an immediate love for them. We taught them the first few lessons the following weeks. Though even more miracles we were able to find the missionaries serving in the area they live in South Africa. During our passover lesson with these Elders this past week the family wanted to share their side of the story. As they were explaining their experience they felt so blessed to have received my Facebook message that day with scriptures and thoughts to help ease their understanding. They felt God had truly miraculously blessed their family in leading them to us. They expressed their happiness and peace they have recently felt in finally feeling like they have found the truth after years of searching for the correct church. They are so excited to be learning about our church. They have now been meeting with the missionaries in person for the past week and have a physical copy of the Book of Mormon to read! I am SO beyond happy that God used me as an instrument in finding the sweet Mohapi family! They are one of the biggest blessings and miracles God has allowed for me to see and be apart of as a missionary. I don't even have words to express my gratitude for this experience. I will forever cherish this sweet family.
I am so grateful that God allows us to experience amazing things in life. He is constantly blessing us and He is always beside us during our trials. I know it is hard to see during the hard times - believe me - I have been there. I know that as I have tried to hold on and trust in God's love and light, that I have been given the strength to keep going. I feel His power in my life everyday. I couldn't be more grateful for my loving Heavenly Father and for my Savior, Jesus Christ. They are constant sources of comfort and strength for me.
I love and miss you all. I hope everyone has an amazing week! Remember - God is always there for you!
Love, Sister Merrill
Sister Petelo and Sister Merrill
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