Sister Syd: Canada Week 62: Accentuate the Positive!

Helllloooo!!! Hopefully everyone found a reason to smile this week! My week was much better than the previous week. God truly never ceases to amaze me. He is SO GOOD! We were able to help with a couple outdoor services, maintaining covid health regulations, and had some good lessons and witnessed MIRACLES!

I love service! We were able to help with more cow preg checking this week. The member family we previously helped had more cows at their place in town, so they invited us over to help round up cows and get them through the shoot. Cows are honestly hilarious and they made my whole day. It was also wonderful to be around members even if it was outside. They have been missed during this crazy covid time! Our second service opportunity was to help a member pack up her outdoor shed because she is moving in December. We were so grateful for the nice weather this week that allowed for us to serve outside because we aren't allowed inside homes right now. Service brings my little heart SO much joy. It always has. Even the simplest things can mean so much to people around us.

This week we were also blessed with some wonderful lessons and MIRACLES upon MIRACLES! I was so grateful to my Father in Heaven this week. We met the CUTEST old guy at a store here in town. We were there doing some contacting and saw him standing by the ice cream. I felt very strongly that we should at least go say hello so we did! His name is Sam and he is the sweetest. He was so surprised and grateful that we came to say hello. We had a wonderful conversation about God. We got his phone number and called him later in the week. We had another wonderful conversation with him talking about the Book of Mormon. He asked if we could call again and teach him more about Jesus Christ. HOW BEAUTIFUL! My heart was so full of love and joy for this man! We also had another amazing lesson with an awesome guy we are teaching from Tanzania. One of our members was also kind enough to join us. This week he had so many good questions that the lesson just flowed beautifully and the spirit was strong! One of my favorite things to do is bear simple testimony of my brother and Savior Jesus Christ. Feeling the spirit bear testimony through me to others is so powerful. I am beyond thankful that I have had the opportunity to do so. This has happened so many times here in Canada as a missionary and I will never forget this feeling.

Accentuate the positive! The title of my email this week comes from a Hank Smith devotional called, "Be of Good Cheer!" I have listened to this a few times, but this week the line "accentuate the positive" just kept running through my mind! Thoughts are POWERFUL! Our thoughts can influence our attitude which reflects on our mood and our actions. Almost everything in our lives is a choice. It is so important to learn self discipline when it comes to making a choice so we don't fall into sin and temptation. Our mental health is so important - Satan also knows this and he can thrive there if we let him. I made a goal for myself to accentuate the positive and to exaggerate even the smallest joys in my day - even if this just was laughing at how ridiculous this may seem. I testify that this has really lifted my spirit! Laughter is also one of my favorite things to do, and it can truly be an effective medicine for any situation. It can brighten a room immensely and makes a heart so happy! Finding small things to make you happy everyday and choosing to have a positive attitude makes all the difference. So choose Christ and choose happy. Joy is powerful and Christ is Joy! "Christ doesn't make UP the difference, Christ makes ALL the difference."

I bear testimony that Christ is our advocate. He FEELS what we feel. His arms are always outstretched, and we merely need to choose his embrace. Agency is a beautiful gift. It can also be a blessing and a curse of our mortal lives. Choice can be hard, but choice is wonderful. In the words of President Gordon B. Hinkley, "May we ever choose a positive attitude!"

I love and miss you all! Keep smiling! Keep laughing! Good days are coming!

Love, Sister Merrill