T4W3 Zone Conference in College Station

Dear Family,

Happy Belated Father's Day to Dad! Hope you enjoyed all that chocolate I hear you got. I'm sure the Elder's Quorum lesson went well. The Relief Society lesson Sunday was also on temples and most of the Sisters are not endowed so it made me really appreciate the knowledge and understanding I have gained from being able to enter the temple. In fact we are going to the temple this week to do a session, so I am way excited!

We taught 20 lessons this week and everyone in the mission is so proud of us because for the past several months the area had really struggled and there was not even a thought that reaching the 20 lesson mission goal would be possible. We are working all day long and talking to everyone. I have not sweat so much in my life! The temperature is about 105 degrees everyday but we receive strength to keep going. I know that strength comes from the Lord because the little food that we eat throughout the day with our standing outside preaching on apartment steps all afternoon would not suffice without some other divine assistance. Each night we come home so happy about the success we saw as people allowed us to share our message.

This week we took a 2 hour van ride with half the zone to College Station where the Woodlands and College Station Zones had zone conference. We had a very good conference. President emphasized the importance of extending more bold and frequent baptism commitments even on the first visit (which were Dad's words of wisdom from the airport). We also had a practice-teach workshop where we focused on our delivery of the first vision. We teach the first lesson more than anything else and the ability to invite the Spirit during that lesson is what makes people want to learn more. There are three convert missionaries in the mission and they all agreed that they could not remember what was taught the first time they listened to the missionaries but they could remember what they felt. We study Joseph Smith History every week in our studies as well, and as Elder Callister committed the mission last year, we need to be "Restorationists."
I encourage you all to strengthen your own conversion of the restoration/Joseph Smith story because really that is what separates us from the rest of the world.

Overall Zone Conference was a great experience, even though we did have to wake up at 4:30am. :)

We are teaching a man named Feliciano R. from Guatemala and as we taught him this week the Spirit was strong. His desires to learn and to really understand God's plan for him are so sincere. As we taught him the principles and ordinances which compose the gospel of Jesus Christ he stopped on each one, faith, repentance, baptism... to evaluate his personal standing on each step. When he got to baptism he stopped and realized that that is what he is at. He knows that he needs it for eternal life and we are working with him now to overcome a few obstacles to be able to take that step.

In the Spanish Stake here, we typically do not teach the Book of Mormon in the first visit. This one lesson we taught to a lady, L. Giraldo from Colombia, was a huge testimony to me of the how simply we can recognized the guidance of the Spirit if we pay attention. Both Hermana Gurney and I were prompted to introduce the Book of Mormon as we listened to the situation and questions of L. She made a firm commitment to read and pray about it. I know that we both received the same prompting and it amazes me still how unified we can be when we teach through the Spirit.

Our golden investigator, Ramon, is still on his way to baptism the second week in July. Yesterday as we taught the 10 commandments, he very intelligently explained that Christ came and fulfilled the law of Moses and that great and last Sacrifice ended burnt offerings. We continue to be amazed and learn as we teach him the commandments in preparation for baptism.

I hope everyone is doing well and today I plan on getting back to some of your letters. I'm sorry I'm awful at responding but I will try to catch up today.

I love you all.

Camille

Speaking of letters how weird is it that Spencer is home?!