T2W1 Bear Creek!

Dear Family,

Thanks, Mom, for your email today. I haven't heard from anyone all week but that's mostly my fault because I didn't get my address to you. I hope everyone is well and I hope, Emma- you tell me about your new job, and Miriam- your trip home and Rae- that boy that you kissed last night. (Editor's note: Rae would like to explain that she did NOT kiss a boy last week, or last night, and that this is an example of Camille's humor.)

Bear Creek is no Louetta but I am growing to like it more. I got really attached to Louetta because it is where I was born and Hermana Draney and I had fun getting to know everyone so quick. Bear Creek is out in Katy, which is far from pretty much everyone else. That means for P-day I don't get to go into the city and play with all the rest of the missionaries like last transfer. Because of that, the Katy zone gets pretty close supposedly. We will go out to the stake center in a bit to meet them. Apparently they play this game called "Poison" every single week. It's like dodge ball I hear. Last P-day we had a district P-day one last time as a district and made salsa, guacamole, played basketball, ate pizza and watched the Work and the Glory.

Wednesday I rode out here to Katy with a few other missionaries that got transferred here. Thursday, Hermana Hollenbaugh and I went up to President's house for breakfast to meet our Greenie. Our new companion is Hermana Dewey. She grew up in Fredricksburg, VA and knows Dustin's friend, Ali. The last couple years in high school her family moved to Chile so she was able to learn Spanish pretty well there. It is definitely different with a trio, especially in training, but we have had some fun times already this transfer. We are in a tiny one bedroom apartment so our beds are all lined up in a row with about an inch between them.

We had two people with baptism dates coming into this transfer and now have one more. I am very excited. All of the investigators we have seem very nice and we are hoping to have some success with them as they pray to receive their confirmation of what we teach them. This one less active family came to church two weeks ago and Hermana Hollenbaugh and McMurtrey setup an appointment with them. We went by to teach and apparently only two of the five are baptized. The whole family came to church again this Sunday and the kids have all agreed to be baptized. The dad is very close! They even came to this activity a couple days ago to watch the Testaments with the ward. It has been a little tough getting started this transfer I think just because we don't have an Hermana Draney who knows everything to lead the way but it is definitely causing me to grow in humility as well as responsibility.

It has been raining so much this week but even in spite of that we were able to find a couple people on the street to help and set appointments up with. I truly believe that everybody needs this message and it is so important we can let one person pass by without giving the the opportunity to listen.

Elder Olive from Kahuku was at the training we received on Thursday morning because he got a greenie this transfer. He is up in College Station in the University ward. I asked him about K. He asked me how I knew him and I responded that we dated a little before my mission. After some hesitation he answered me about how K was doing and he said K's become inactive and does not come to church anymore. It struck me with this immense sadness. I can't believe how this could happen because I always felt like my spirituality level would never reach the greatness of his. Anyways I told Elder Olive to take his greenie, to use my name, and go reactivate him. I really hope he can remember the joy the gospel brings and the importance of enduring to the end.

I love you all. Ciao!

Camille