Sister Syd: Canada Week 77: Always make the choice to believe!

Hello hello my beautiful friends and family! It is truly bittersweet knowing I am entering my last full week as a missionary here in the Canada Edmonton Mission.

The past week was full of fun and adventure and goodness! Last Monday President Cowley informed us that our companionship would soon be a trio! Wednesday morning we picked up our cute new companion Sister Jordan. She brings such a strong spirit to our crew, and it has already been such a blessing to serve with her. We not only received a new companion, but also all of the areas she was covering. We now serve in 7 wards which is pretty crazy and pretty awesome if you ask me. As you can imagine we taught a lot of lessons this week. They were all wonderful and it has been fun to meet more members and investigators. I'm excited to stay busy and work hard the last couple weeks of my mission. Tuesday we were able to have an in person MLC (Mission Leadership Council) and it was so fun! It was so nice to be with other people after so long of not. Besides the craziness of back to back lessons this past week we also enjoyed the outdoors, walked the dogs, performed our weekly services, and heart-attacked another friend's door. We enjoyed many moments of joyous laughter and fun! I will forever say that laughter is the best medicine for anything life throws at us! Laughter and happiness bring my soul immense joy.

This week I had a lot of emotions and thoughts swirling around in my mind. I want to share some thoughts from a talk that struck me called "Choose to Believe," by L. Whitney Clayton. He touches on the fact that each of us, at one point or another, will go through our own spiritual wilderness where we will face rugged, emotional journeys, turmoil, hardship and dark, hopeless moments. Yet, there will ALWAYS be a spiritual light beckoning to us, giving us hope of rescue, and that light shines from our Savior, Jesus Christ. He says that recognizing the Savior's light starts with a willingness to believe. "Every day each of us faces a test and it is the test of our lifetime. Will we choose to believe in Him and allow the light of His gospel to grow within us, or will we refuse to believe and insist on traveling alone in the dark? The Savior provides His gospel as a light to guide those who choose to believe in and follow Him." It is a choice - it will always be a choice - each and every day! I know I have mentioned similar thoughts before, but I loved the focus and emphasis Elder Clayton gave on our personal choice and action. An impactful line that I loved states, "The decision to believe is the most important choice we ever make. It shapes all our other decisions." I am here to personally testify of the power of choosing to believe. I know that some days it takes more effort and that other days it seems effortless, but I can say that it is 100% worth choosing God every single time. Faith and belief just don't happen to us - we have to work, and hope, and then ACT on them. Choosing God is more than a blessing. I know the mental hardship of making that choice some days, but I also know the goodness and strength that comes from doing it each time. It may not always be recognizable, but it will always be worth it in the end. I have found that making the choice to believe changes our focus from merely stating things in the gospel to living the gospel and truly making it a part of our heart and of ourselves.

I have a firm testimony that God loves us. He loves us enough to provide the ability to choose despite the heartache it may bring Him at times. He loves us enough that he sent His son to suffer and die for us. He knows how to succor our every need. He truly is running to heal us, to lead us along and to help us back home. I love this gospel. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ. I love feeling the joy, love, peace, and excitement that life brings - even when there are dark moments.

Thank you for all of your love and support along this crazy amazing mission journey I have been on for 18 months. It has meant more to me than I can express. I pray everyday that the words I share will touch someones life in some way. I love you and will see you soon!

Love, Sister Merrill