The Lord and His tender mercies.... < 3

When Heavenly Father says, "I have a plan for you," He isn't saying, "You have a plan for you!" He is saying, "I have made a beautiful plan FOR you. It is especially made FOR you. I designed to fit YOUR personality, YOUR dreams, YOUR desires." He fits it TO us in a way that we can gain ETERNAL HAPPINESS!!! And eternal happiness is living with Him again!! He just has different ways of getting us all there!

And when you go on a mission, you understand what He truly means when He says, "I have a plan for you!" Because you're teaching it A LOT.

There have been several times on my mission when He puts someone into my life I KNOW I needed to meet. I KNOW that I knew that person in the Pre-Earth life and I promised them, "I WILL find you and I WILL teach you the gospel!" And when you live up to that promise, Heavenly Father guides you to those people! Whether it's investigators or less actives!

England is AMAZING. Holy cow!!!! I will be witnessing my FIFTH baptism this week!!!!! HOW BLESSED AM I THAT THE LORD THINKS I'M WORTHY ENOUGH TO WITNESS THAT!!???

N AND D GOT BAPTIZED THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAMMMMMMAAAAZZZZZIIIIIINNNGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3<3<3<3

 I can only think of one word to describe my mission so far: HUMBLING.

 Before I left, I was sooooo confident in who I was and who I wanted to be. And, at times, I think I was TOO confident.

My mission has really taught me who I really am through the Lord's tender mercies and who HE wants me to be.

My life isn't mine. IT'S THE LORD'S.

This life isn't about what I want. IT'S ABOUT WHAT HE WANTS.

It has taken me four fetching months to forget myself. And not just forget myself, but LOSE myself.
Matthew 10:39 says, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

When you LOSE yourself in the Lord's cause, you FIND who you really are, who HE wants you to be, and who you are MEANT to be.

I have learned LOADS so far on my mission.

But one thing in particular sticks out to me..

A mission is hard and isn't fun sometimes.  It's  not meant to be. Because if you go on a mission to have fun, you're not going for the right reasons. A mission IS meant to be hard.

It's  hard because I have left my friends, my righteous desires, my dreams, my goals, my family, my LIFE. But, I have done it so that others can have their friends, their righteous desires, their dreams, their goals, their family, their LIVES for eternity.

No, it's not fun sometimes, but, I can testify, if you go on a mission for the right reasons and you forget EVERYTHING about you, the Lord will make sure you have fun... :)

-Sister Vande Merwe