Sister Syd: Canada Week 75: Totally and immensely loved!

Hello my wonderful friends and family! I hope your week was full of good times and smiles. Our week was one heck of an adventure full of laughs and good times! Goodness gracious - I am so grateful for all the opportunities, experiences and smiles that are always abounding up here in the Great White Canadian North. Happy (late) Valentines Day! I hope you all felt some extra love!

This past week felt a little long, but it was good. Last Monday night we had a few members lessons. Since it was P-day we didn't really get ready for the day, and then for one of our member lessons we ended up on a big movie screen video! It was so funny and honestly made for quite the laugh. At least we were mostly presentable. :) We also went on exchanges with some amazing sisters Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and it was so fun to learn from them. The sisters in this mission are so amazing, and I am beyond grateful to serve right alongside them. Sadly I only took a couple pictures, but I am thankful for the memories. We really enjoyed our weekly services this past weekend. Our Saturday service at the bishop's storehouse was a madhouse! There were so many orders to fill, and they weren't small orders. There were people grabbing items left and right and others restocking as fast as they could. It was a very eventful morning, but I LOVE any opportunity I have to serve. We also had an exciting store contacting adventure at Wal-Mart. We rolled up to this hotspot and began searching. We found many lovely people - some nicer than others. We were mistaken as nuns, and politely told "no" by a handful of people. We found a guy who is actually married to a member, then a day later we found out they are in another ward. They are both very nice and it was fun to meet them. We also met a lady who hesitantly gave us her number. She has yet to respond, but hopefully she will soon. God is so good! I will forever be grateful for all the adventures I have had of finding wonderful and loving - and not so loving - people here in Canada. People are so fascinating and I LOVE getting to meet them and hear their stories!

As for my thoughts this week, they are quite simple. I had my exit interview (unexpectedly) with my Mission President this week. It got me reminiscing about this mission adventure I have been on for the past 17 1/2 months. I have countless memories of feeling God's love for me and for those around me. This will be something that I will cherish forever. I really just felt the goodness that God has in a lot of simple ways this past week. We had the most AMAZING lesson with Trish, the lady in our building that we walk the dogs for. She is INCREDIBLE and was so prepared! As we taught her, I was so overcome with love for her. She expressed her gratitude for our compassion and service for her, and for the genuine love and friendship we have shown her. She calls us her angels. She also thanked us for helping her reconnect with her Heavenly Father. She said that because of us she wants to establish a greater relationship with God and wants to be a better person. I could not ask for anything more. If this one moment is what I take with me I will forever feel indebted to my Heavenly Father for allowing me to catch a glimpse into how He sees His children, and for feeling a drop of the love He has for each and every single one of us. I cannot say it enough - GOD LOVES YOU! Please always remember that you are LOVED more than you will ever know! You will forever and always be tremendously loved. I want to express from the deepest part of my heart that I LOVE being a missionary, and that I am so grateful for the opportunities God has laid before me. I am excited for these last few weeks and the adventures they hold.

I know that my Heavenly Father is real and that He has a perfect plan for His children no matter how skewed it looks, or how hard it can be, or what trials are in our paths. I know that our older brother and Savior, Jesus Christ, is truly there for each and every minuscule moment and feeling. We can ALWAYS turn to them and always rely on and trust in them. I know it's hard. Life is tough. There are dark times, but there is also good. There is always light, and that light will ALWAYS overcome the darkness. Let your Savior in. Allow for God to work in your life and pray to have the eyes to see His goodness, the ears to hear His words, and the heart to feel His love.

Love, Sister Merrill ♡