Hola Familia!
Thank you for the package Mom. You are so thoughtful!I just got it and had a few minutes to try on the clothes. I love a couple of the items. We're not allowed to chew gum as missionaries though. How much time is on the phone card? Who shall I call- who will be home?
I received my flight plans on Friday so here it is-I will leave Provo at 6am on Wednesday, January 28th. I am flying directly from SLC to IAH (Houston Internt'l) on Delta flight 4580 that leaves at 10:04am and arrives at 2:12 pm. I received a letter from my mission president today saying that he will be there waiting when I arrive. There are 8 of us going to the Houston Mission that day and I am the travel leader. Hna. Hollenbaugh and I, as well as the two elders that were in our district when we arrived, are all Spanish Speaking and then there are 2 English speaking sisters and 2 English speaking elders. We have a goal to arrive in Houston with 5 referrals to give to our mission president when we arrive. I am so excited.
I would like to call and talk to everyone that is available. If Miriam, Emma, and Clarissa, or anyone else are able to arrange a phone conference or some other way we can all talk- Dear Elder me the plan- otherwise I will just call home and talk to Mom, Dad, Rae, and Ben and then try the other sisters as time permits. I hope to talk to everyone!
Half of my district is gone this week. Elder Johnson already left for Tampa and Elder Halls and Elder Bost leave tomorrow really early for LA. I will miss them a ton. We had a testimony meeting as a district Sunday night. The spirit was very strong and it was very obvious we had all grown very attached and developed a deep love for each member of the district.
I was at a teaching evaluation with Hna. Hollenbaugh and there were two elders waiting outside the door. One was named Elder Tryon. I asked if he had family in Arizona. He said yyyyess. He grandma is Clara Mae. Very weird. Also I looked and looked for Thomas all week and finally yesterday decided to go to the front desk and ask if I could have his classroom number. They said they couldn't give it out even though we're cousins. They did tell me that his lunch hour was just before mine so Hna. Hollenbaugh and I rushed to the cafeteria as soon as class got out and as I was going in the doors I hear the elder holding the door open say "Camille!... I mean Sister Blanco." Haha. It took his comp a few minutes and a few questions to understand how we could be related. Haha. He will do great here. A lot of people I know just left for Argentina.
Probably the biggest thing this week was our visit by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland again! We are so blessed. He loves the missionaries. He came Tuesday night and talked a lot about things that really struck me. He started by saying that you wi8ll never again do anything more important than the mission because the salvation of a single soul is more important than anything in the universe. Don't serve anything less than an 18 month mission. He said to think of your little brother (i thought of Benhamin of course) who doesn't know what you do as a missionary but probably imagines you to have a cape flying above the city of Houston saying "I see evil, I will go down!" Haha. We are angels, messengers of the covenant and the ward members we will become friends with have every right to thing that we are angels- perfect. Elder Holland said very powerfully, "Do it for them. Don't you dare disappoint them. Don't you dare."
Ben- I don't dare disappoint you. So I will serve my best. He said- Be committed. We owe it to that next generation to set a good example and inspire them to serve. Also he said we should work so hard that we are carried in on a stretcher through the chapel doors that are only used for funerals to give our farewell talk. If you run the perfect race you give it your all and have nothing left. You hit the tape and crash. He then proceeded to talk about how missionary life should be spent first in the scriptures and then in preach my gospel. He told a story of Elder Wallace in Toronto who did not accept no for an answer when knocking doors in Czechoslovakia. He was appropriately assertive like the Avon lady and taught to this one lady's needs. He said there are no memorized discussions about war torn Czechoslovakia. Just as Russell M. Nelson knows heart surgery. We should know the scriptures.- So people will trust us with their life- their salvation. He posed the question- why does it have to be so hard? (missionary work that is) He bore solemn testimony of the Atonement and the suffering that Christ did for us in the Garden of Gethsemane. He said salvation has never been a cheap experience and we will not even experience a fingernail of what Christ experience but how can we be witnesses of the Savior if we do not experience even a piece of what he experienced. In the words of King Benjamin- how can we worship someone that has never entered the thoughts of our hearts. As he gave it all- we can give a little and do it courageously without compromise.
I plan to come into the chapel on a stretcher- hit the tape and crash because I gave it my all and ran the perfect race. This is true for life too.
I love you all and miss you sisters, brother, Mom, and Dad, dearly.
Love, Camille
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
MTC Week 8
Dear Family... and Friends,
I hope everyone is doing well. A lot happened this week. Last Tuesday night we heard from Spencer J. Condie of the Seventy. What I liked about his talk was that he said the gospel was for everyone- Republican and Democrat alike! That made me laugh as I thought about our Derwood Ward.
That night the whole building of 200 sisters had to evacuate because of the fire alarm. It turns out someone had just burnt their popcorn in the microwave. It was a funny site seeing 200 sisters in the gymnasium with rain boots, coats, pajamas, robes, towels in hair, cream on the face- everything. My friend, Sister Morrill, was in the shower and her comp had to bring her her some random shoes and clothes and throw them over the curtain for her.
Wednesday we got three new roommates. Hna. Hollenbaugh and I had been alone in a room for 6 for the past 7 weeks. It has definitely been an adjustment but we love it. The three sisters are in the new advanced district in my zone so they all speak fluently. It helps us out a lot. Two are going to Guatemala and one is going to Richmond, VA. They leave the same week as us. We are flying out to Houston on January 29th and this week is Flight Plan Friday. Yay!! Half of our district got their flight plans last Friday and are leaving this coming Monday and Wednesday. We are split between the two weeks because we came in a week early due to Thanksgiving.
We taught a man named Jim in TRC on Saturday. His "ex-wife" who was with him who wasn't supposed to be present had some tough questions for us about the Plan of Salvation. We answered them well and were commended by our teachers though. The Spanish was very smooth and we were able to find the words we needed. The other companionships in the district struggled but we are all supporting each other in this, "our last week," to do a complete English fast.
Elder Rios-Lazo is an elder that was supposed to go with the last group going to our mission in Houston but two nights before had a seizure. The doctor allowed him to join another district and finally received a second chance to go last tuesday. At 3am his comp woke him up in the middle of another seizure. The doctor issued a recommendation for him to be sent home. He had written a letter to our mission President, President Hansen, expressing his strong desire to serve. President Hansen, after the second incident, counseled with "THE BRETHREN" aka Apostles and decided that they would give Elder Rios-Lazo another chance. He was on a flight two days later to Houston. I was so impressed by his gratitude to President Hansen for not denying his opportunity to serve the Lord.
Thursday was probably the biggest event. An elder from our district, Elder Park from Sandy going to Tampa, FL went home. It was very devastating to see this happen. The previous week he didn't eat any food for 4 days straight. He claimed he just had a stomach virus and we thought nothing of it when he started to eat again. Thursday we all became suspicious as he was interviewed all day long. We love Elder Park. He had such a love for everyone in the district, our teachers especially. When he bore his testimony it was very powerful. My companionship and his companionship always practiced teaching together and we read the Libro de Mormon out loud every single day. Apparently since two weeks after he received his call, he had begun having symptoms of anxiety. It all culminated the past couple weeks as his fears of the work, the language, and insufficiency piled on. Him and Elder Johnson are the first ones to leave- this Monday. Our whole district had tears in our eyes as we said not good bye- but hasta luego/nos vemos- or en ingles- until later/we'll see you. His mother, brother and sister came to pick him up. He will have to have counseling for 6 months before returning but Elder Bost gave him a blessing before he left. Elder Bost said that he received a very clear witness as he pronounced the blessing upon Elder Park, that Elder Park would be able to return and complete his mission.
Finally, Hna. Hollenbaugh and I received a letter from Hna. Willis who is now down in Houston. We met her in the MTC a couple weeks after we got here. She says the work is amazing down there. She has already had 1 baptism and has 20 progressing investigators. She says the mission president is very nice and friendly. It made us very excited. She also said the weather fluxuates between hot and cold so we may need both types of clothing for at least a little while. We had a meeting last night about health and safety and with all of the food, medical, exercise, and safety precautions you can tell how much the missionaries are protected.
I love this work. I am getting so excited as our time at the MTC draws closer to an end. I cannot wait to feel the love for the investigators that I will teach that my teachers talk about. The more I study the scriptures, the more I know that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ restored to us in the latter-days. Those of you that can attend the temple, there is no greater place to feel the peace of our Heavenly Father's presence. I love it. I love you all very much.
Con amor,
Hermana Camille Blanco
MTC Week 7
Dear Family,
How is life getting back to school? Sounds like New Years was enjoyed by all, whether it was asleep in bed or celebrating. You can always count on Clarissa to celebrate when the parents go to bed.
Is it cold in Maryland? Sunday it was -5 degrees F when we headed over to Sacrament. Provo is very snowy! We are walking to the temple today so we'll be out in it for a bit.
I am getting so anxious to get out to Houston. We were part of the group that was brought in early because of the holidays so we will be here about a week longer than the rest of our district. They leave in about 2 weeks and we leave on the 28th of January. There is an elder going to our mission that had an injury and so he couldn't go right before Christmas like was the plan but he found out yesterday that they had booked him a flight for today so we wrote down some questions for him about the weather, the mission president, what to expect etc.
This week was another great week.
Tuesday night's devotional we heard from Kevin W. Pearson of the Seventy. That was one of my favorite. He got his MBA at Harvard and so immediately I knew it would be amazing, but he said at ton of things that struck everyone really powerfully. Something he really emphasized was that when he was a mission president, the missionaries were not allowed to say they were TRYING. TRYING isn't allowed. Good missionaries DO. Are you waking up every morning at 6:30am and going to sleep by 10:30pm? How silly is it to say "I'm trying to be obedient and follow these rules"? The Savior throughout the scriptures not once asked us to try.
He also talked about how important it is to establish the power of divine identity with an investigator before they can learn more. The understanding that Heavenly Father knows us individually, that he called Joseph Smith by name, that he rejoices in our rejoices in sorrows in our sorrows is the fundamental piece of knowledge the gospel of Jesus Christ issues. Just the day before I received a Dear Elder from Rae. I was reminded of her patriarchal blessing as she mentioned it. I know I joked about it then, but when Patriarch Willis said all of those foreboding things about trouble and tribulation in her life, I was really afraid for little perfect Rae. In that Dear Elder I was comforted by the words she said when she essentially bore testimony that she knows she is a daughter of Heavenly Father. He loves her so much. Heavenly Father doesn't call us to fail and so any trial we are given is out of trust that he knew we would be able to handle it.
This week we taught the first lesson in Spanish in the Teaching Resource Center. We taught a man named Marcos from Lima, Peru now living in Provo. He has Polio and knows the Alfredo Lopez family. The Spirit was so strong during that lesson. Even though he was just pretending, we were able to first establish that understanding that Marcos is a child of God.
Last Tuesday the temple was closed for cleaning but we were able to go and clean inside. It was a great experience. We also saw the enormous chandelier that they were about to install in the celestial room. I am excited to go today and see it all lit up and in place.
Sunday I played a flute that was borrowed from one our branch presidency members, Brother Palmer. I played "If You Could Hie to Kolob" along with Elder Arnold who was in Men's Chorus before his mission and Hermana Bausermann at the piano who is serving in Provo, UT Spanish Speaking Mission after having attended BYU for 3 years. It was beautiful. I played the flute better than I ever have before and a lot of people were impressed; but most of all, the Spirit was sooo strong. It was a great experience.
Testimony meeting was amazing. I bore my testimony because I realized it would be my last fast Sunday in the MTC. My Spanish was perfect. I not once struggled for the conjugation or word... I bore a simple testimony that the Church is true and this is the Lord's work.
I will write my letters today but I have a few more pictures I want to send home so I'll hold off for a few days before sending them.
I love each of you and hope all is well. I pray for you countless times a day.
Love,
Camille
How is life getting back to school? Sounds like New Years was enjoyed by all, whether it was asleep in bed or celebrating. You can always count on Clarissa to celebrate when the parents go to bed.
Is it cold in Maryland? Sunday it was -5 degrees F when we headed over to Sacrament. Provo is very snowy! We are walking to the temple today so we'll be out in it for a bit.
I am getting so anxious to get out to Houston. We were part of the group that was brought in early because of the holidays so we will be here about a week longer than the rest of our district. They leave in about 2 weeks and we leave on the 28th of January. There is an elder going to our mission that had an injury and so he couldn't go right before Christmas like was the plan but he found out yesterday that they had booked him a flight for today so we wrote down some questions for him about the weather, the mission president, what to expect etc.
This week was another great week.
Tuesday night's devotional we heard from Kevin W. Pearson of the Seventy. That was one of my favorite. He got his MBA at Harvard and so immediately I knew it would be amazing, but he said at ton of things that struck everyone really powerfully. Something he really emphasized was that when he was a mission president, the missionaries were not allowed to say they were TRYING. TRYING isn't allowed. Good missionaries DO. Are you waking up every morning at 6:30am and going to sleep by 10:30pm? How silly is it to say "I'm trying to be obedient and follow these rules"? The Savior throughout the scriptures not once asked us to try.
He also talked about how important it is to establish the power of divine identity with an investigator before they can learn more. The understanding that Heavenly Father knows us individually, that he called Joseph Smith by name, that he rejoices in our rejoices in sorrows in our sorrows is the fundamental piece of knowledge the gospel of Jesus Christ issues. Just the day before I received a Dear Elder from Rae. I was reminded of her patriarchal blessing as she mentioned it. I know I joked about it then, but when Patriarch Willis said all of those foreboding things about trouble and tribulation in her life, I was really afraid for little perfect Rae. In that Dear Elder I was comforted by the words she said when she essentially bore testimony that she knows she is a daughter of Heavenly Father. He loves her so much. Heavenly Father doesn't call us to fail and so any trial we are given is out of trust that he knew we would be able to handle it.
This week we taught the first lesson in Spanish in the Teaching Resource Center. We taught a man named Marcos from Lima, Peru now living in Provo. He has Polio and knows the Alfredo Lopez family. The Spirit was so strong during that lesson. Even though he was just pretending, we were able to first establish that understanding that Marcos is a child of God.
Last Tuesday the temple was closed for cleaning but we were able to go and clean inside. It was a great experience. We also saw the enormous chandelier that they were about to install in the celestial room. I am excited to go today and see it all lit up and in place.
Sunday I played a flute that was borrowed from one our branch presidency members, Brother Palmer. I played "If You Could Hie to Kolob" along with Elder Arnold who was in Men's Chorus before his mission and Hermana Bausermann at the piano who is serving in Provo, UT Spanish Speaking Mission after having attended BYU for 3 years. It was beautiful. I played the flute better than I ever have before and a lot of people were impressed; but most of all, the Spirit was sooo strong. It was a great experience.
Testimony meeting was amazing. I bore my testimony because I realized it would be my last fast Sunday in the MTC. My Spanish was perfect. I not once struggled for the conjugation or word... I bore a simple testimony that the Church is true and this is the Lord's work.
I will write my letters today but I have a few more pictures I want to send home so I'll hold off for a few days before sending them.
I love each of you and hope all is well. I pray for you countless times a day.
Love,
Camille
MTC Week 6
Dear Family,
I'm glad to hear from everyone, especially with winter break and Christmas happening. I hope you got my letter saying that I was able to hear from Elder Bednar on Christmas eve and Elder Holland on Christmas morning. Their testimonies of the Savior were the best Christmas present one could ask for.
Christmas was amazing. Though I missed being with you family, the MTC made it very special. We watched Mr. Kreuger's Christmas and ate kettle corn, and 1500 missionaries play called to serve on the chimes as we followed the bouncing ball on a hugeeee screen, and listened to Sister Brienholt (wife of 2nd counselor in Mission Presidency) tell us Christmas stories.
We taught in Espanol in the Teaching Appointment this past Saturday. This next Saturday we have to "be shopping in a department" while we make a contact. It will be interesting but these fun situations allow us to learn vocabulary other than just church words like "priesthood" and "Sunday School." The more we practice our lessons the better our Spanish sounds.
My district is talking in complete Spanish until the end of the MTC. It is hard a lot of the times and we find ourselves forgetting and so it is good to have the support of 10 other people to remind you to say it in Spanish.
Something really funny happened just the other day. Because of winter break (most of the student teachers are home) we had Hermano Rojas (who, by the way, recognized me from the Marriott School) as a substitute. Elder Johnson, in our class, asked him how to say "Gosh!" en Espanol. He threw out several suggestions but couldn't decide on one being very good. Hermana Hepner chimed in "Hee! Hee!" She said it probably a dozen times. Hermano Rojas said he had never heard that before but "whatever floats your boat." She then added like "Ay Carrumba!... it says it in the dictionary." I then realized she was doing a Spanish pronunciation of "Gee." Like "Gee Golly,"- the English definition for "Ay Carrumba." She felt pretty silly and soon the whole class was rolling on the floor laughing as they realized what she had done. I was crying because I was laughing so hard. Our teacher had to leave the room because he couldn't compose himself. The zone leaders came by to see if everything was ok because it sounded like we were all bawling about something. It made for a very good laugh.
Sunday night's devotional was Brother Allen who is the managing director of some department of Church Public Media Communications. He was a Comms Adv. major at BYU- (shout out to Miriam). Anyways, he produced several of the Church's Homefront spots with clever taglines. One was a little boy with huge glasses that seemed very embarrassed and put down by his other classmates. As he hung his head when the band instructor made him put his glasses on, he caught the eye of a little girl. A few seconds later she smiled back at him and you could see her huge chunky braces. Us missionaries love little bits of romance wherever we find it. (Legacy, The Joseph Smith Movie, Testaments- you name it). Anyways, the tag line for that commercial was "It's not who you aren't, its who you are and being yourself is being great."
As we heard the general primary president Cheryl C. Lant in Relief Society this Sunday talk about Individual worth, this goes hand in hand. The Lord's love for us is perfect. Our Heavenly Father wants our happiness and if we don't have love for ourselves first, it is difficult to feel His presence and the blessings we receive so frequently from Him. As I see sooo many different people going to soo many different places, I truly see the love that the Lord has for even people in the Congo. The elders in the classroom right below us are going there. This gospel is so important and provides so much joy that everyone needs to hear it feel that love of our Heavenly Father. This is why I am so excited to go.
My departure date is January 28th and it is less than a month now. I hope you can find ways to demonstrate this love in your service to others at school, at the airport, at the hospital, at McDonalds.
I love each of you.
Your missionary,
Camille
I'm glad to hear from everyone, especially with winter break and Christmas happening. I hope you got my letter saying that I was able to hear from Elder Bednar on Christmas eve and Elder Holland on Christmas morning. Their testimonies of the Savior were the best Christmas present one could ask for.
Christmas was amazing. Though I missed being with you family, the MTC made it very special. We watched Mr. Kreuger's Christmas and ate kettle corn, and 1500 missionaries play called to serve on the chimes as we followed the bouncing ball on a hugeeee screen, and listened to Sister Brienholt (wife of 2nd counselor in Mission Presidency) tell us Christmas stories.
We taught in Espanol in the Teaching Appointment this past Saturday. This next Saturday we have to "be shopping in a department" while we make a contact. It will be interesting but these fun situations allow us to learn vocabulary other than just church words like "priesthood" and "Sunday School." The more we practice our lessons the better our Spanish sounds.
My district is talking in complete Spanish until the end of the MTC. It is hard a lot of the times and we find ourselves forgetting and so it is good to have the support of 10 other people to remind you to say it in Spanish.
Something really funny happened just the other day. Because of winter break (most of the student teachers are home) we had Hermano Rojas (who, by the way, recognized me from the Marriott School) as a substitute. Elder Johnson, in our class, asked him how to say "Gosh!" en Espanol. He threw out several suggestions but couldn't decide on one being very good. Hermana Hepner chimed in "Hee! Hee!" She said it probably a dozen times. Hermano Rojas said he had never heard that before but "whatever floats your boat." She then added like "Ay Carrumba!... it says it in the dictionary." I then realized she was doing a Spanish pronunciation of "Gee." Like "Gee Golly,"- the English definition for "Ay Carrumba." She felt pretty silly and soon the whole class was rolling on the floor laughing as they realized what she had done. I was crying because I was laughing so hard. Our teacher had to leave the room because he couldn't compose himself. The zone leaders came by to see if everything was ok because it sounded like we were all bawling about something. It made for a very good laugh.
Sunday night's devotional was Brother Allen who is the managing director of some department of Church Public Media Communications. He was a Comms Adv. major at BYU- (shout out to Miriam). Anyways, he produced several of the Church's Homefront spots with clever taglines. One was a little boy with huge glasses that seemed very embarrassed and put down by his other classmates. As he hung his head when the band instructor made him put his glasses on, he caught the eye of a little girl. A few seconds later she smiled back at him and you could see her huge chunky braces. Us missionaries love little bits of romance wherever we find it. (Legacy, The Joseph Smith Movie, Testaments- you name it). Anyways, the tag line for that commercial was "It's not who you aren't, its who you are and being yourself is being great."
As we heard the general primary president Cheryl C. Lant in Relief Society this Sunday talk about Individual worth, this goes hand in hand. The Lord's love for us is perfect. Our Heavenly Father wants our happiness and if we don't have love for ourselves first, it is difficult to feel His presence and the blessings we receive so frequently from Him. As I see sooo many different people going to soo many different places, I truly see the love that the Lord has for even people in the Congo. The elders in the classroom right below us are going there. This gospel is so important and provides so much joy that everyone needs to hear it feel that love of our Heavenly Father. This is why I am so excited to go.
My departure date is January 28th and it is less than a month now. I hope you can find ways to demonstrate this love in your service to others at school, at the airport, at the hospital, at McDonalds.
I love each of you.
Your missionary,
Camille
MTC Week 5
Hey Family,
Sorry, this is going to be a short email because I had computer problems earlier and now only have a few minutes to write.
First of all I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Thank you for the package. I haven't opened the presents yet but the stocking was fun. It reminded me of how I loved how we would go through our stocking super early in the morning and then again later when it was actually a decent hour.
Spending this holiday in the service of my Savior is probably the best thing one could do. I'm not sure exactly what the MTC has planned but I think we're all hoping for President Monson to come. We heard from Elder Glenn L. Pace this last week.
Each day is filled with the spirit. This week the highlight was definitely teaching in Spanish for the first time. It was interesting. I find myself being a lot more confident in my Spanish which helps a lot. I still have a long ways to go but I know the Lord will help me as I study and work on it.
I love the letters from Rae and Missy in Spanish. I got an email from Elder Bethke just the other day too in Spanish. That was so fun. He said the gangsters are afraid of him and his Samoan companion.
Sunday was pretty funny. Sister Mary Ellen Edmonds (Editor's note: I love her, she's one of my Women's Conference favorites) spoke to us and she is so not like the other polished Relief Society women, but I felt the Spirit so strongly in her jokes and her testimony. She said when she was called to the RS General Board she started looking up definitions of words. She looked up relief in the bible dictionary and couldn't find it spelled correctly, "R-o-l-a-i-d-s." Haha.
She also said that our Father in heaven loves us perfectly. That was something I needed especially with my companion. He doesn't remember our shortcomings and is patient in all things when we are far from perfect. I am so grateful for the knowledge of this and have been working on that perfect love for my companion.
Please write me and let me know what happens for Christmas. I know it will be different this year but wherever we are, we can remember our Savior and His eternal gift. I was able to get a picture with Elder Bloom and Elder Harmon together before Elder Bloom left for LV yesterday. He will be a good missionary.
I pray for you guys every day. Know that I love you and that with faith all of our challenges can be over come. Christ descended below it all.
Merry Christmas!
Love,
Camille
Sorry, this is going to be a short email because I had computer problems earlier and now only have a few minutes to write.
First of all I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Thank you for the package. I haven't opened the presents yet but the stocking was fun. It reminded me of how I loved how we would go through our stocking super early in the morning and then again later when it was actually a decent hour.
Spending this holiday in the service of my Savior is probably the best thing one could do. I'm not sure exactly what the MTC has planned but I think we're all hoping for President Monson to come. We heard from Elder Glenn L. Pace this last week.
Each day is filled with the spirit. This week the highlight was definitely teaching in Spanish for the first time. It was interesting. I find myself being a lot more confident in my Spanish which helps a lot. I still have a long ways to go but I know the Lord will help me as I study and work on it.
I love the letters from Rae and Missy in Spanish. I got an email from Elder Bethke just the other day too in Spanish. That was so fun. He said the gangsters are afraid of him and his Samoan companion.
Sunday was pretty funny. Sister Mary Ellen Edmonds (Editor's note: I love her, she's one of my Women's Conference favorites) spoke to us and she is so not like the other polished Relief Society women, but I felt the Spirit so strongly in her jokes and her testimony. She said when she was called to the RS General Board she started looking up definitions of words. She looked up relief in the bible dictionary and couldn't find it spelled correctly, "R-o-l-a-i-d-s." Haha.
She also said that our Father in heaven loves us perfectly. That was something I needed especially with my companion. He doesn't remember our shortcomings and is patient in all things when we are far from perfect. I am so grateful for the knowledge of this and have been working on that perfect love for my companion.
Please write me and let me know what happens for Christmas. I know it will be different this year but wherever we are, we can remember our Savior and His eternal gift. I was able to get a picture with Elder Bloom and Elder Harmon together before Elder Bloom left for LV yesterday. He will be a good missionary.
I pray for you guys every day. Know that I love you and that with faith all of our challenges can be over come. Christ descended below it all.
Merry Christmas!
Love,
Camille
MTC Week 4
Dearest Family,
I am glad to hear from you whenever I get mail. Thank you mom for your frequent DearElders. I love hearing from you each day. Sounds like Clarissa made it home safely after all of that happened in LA/AL. And I hope Miriam had a fun time in Seattle. Time is going by so quickly here. The days go by like weeks but the weeks go by like days.
This week in Relief Society we heard from Mary N. Cook of the YW General Presidency. I said the closing prayer and sat on the stand so that was fun to be so close to her. RS is a large meeting with all the sister missionaries so we are blessed to get to hear from some amazing people sometimes. She talked about virtue being a new YW value. It was a great talk. We also heard from Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy last Tuesday night which was amazing.
Sunday night's devotional was the BYU Men's Chorus. They sang Christmas songs and other fun songs the whole time. It was also amazing. The spirit was so strong, especially as one of the members told of his conversion story in Taiwan just a couple years ago. He was stubborn with the missionaries and ready to ask them not to come anymore. Right before he could tell them the news, the elders had him listen to a cd. It was the BYU Men's Chorus. He felt the Spirit. He said, "How could something so beautiful not be of God?" It reminds me of the Echoes of the Sabbath CD that you love Rae. It was weird seeing a huge group of returned missionaries on our missionary territory. Haha. I saw Paul Brems and Doug Brewster- who I did investment banking trips with and whose wife is Mariah in the accounting program who was a great example to me as I decided to serve a mission. I talked with both of them for a little while after.
Christmas is coming up and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Yesterday when I was making phone calls at the Referral Center, I called a lady to see if she had gotten her Joy to the World DVD that she requested on mormon.org. It was such a great experience to bear my testimony of the Savior to her. She was also excited to focus on the life of Christ. She asked about the Book of Mormon and hopefully in the future she will be able to learn of that truthfulness too. Ironically, she is in Houston. She said it was snowing!!! The first snow in four years! I couldn't believe it. I thought I would be escaping the cold wetness. It is snowing quite a bit just recently but I have been keeping warm.
As I look to Christ's example, I know how imperfect I am. I was asked to speak in Relief Society in a couple weeks just for a couple minutes and share my experience of observing quiet time in the Residence Halls. My companion and I set a goal to do as they asked and be quiet at 10:15 and lights out at 10:30. It has blessed me in my journal writing and reflection of my spiritual experiences from the day.
I am so grateful for all of your love and prayers. I hope Christmas is full of love for Jesus Christ and for our family. We have been singing Christmas songs as a district and they love that I can sing the harmony. The beautiful music allows us to remember our Savior and His important role in this plan.
I love each of you- Dad, Mom, Emma, Miriam, Clarissa, Rae, and Ben. I know that obedience and patience is the key as we turn to the Lord for help with our struggles. He will bless you.
Love,
Camille
MTC Week 3
Hello Family (and whoever else is blessed with my emails ;) ),
First of all, thank you for all your letters, love, and prayers.
We are currently learning the second lesson, which is the Plan of Salvation, and I am truly grateful for my family and bear testimony of that every time I teach.
This week has flown by as well. Bien hecho (well done) to Ben on bearing your testimony. Our second day in the MTC we learned to bear our testimonies in Spanish and were challenged to share it a certain number of times. Each time I do, my testimony grows. Ben, I am glad that you are looking forward to serving a mission. I have never before felt so uplifted and blessed. This is truly His work.
Congratulations to Emma on the engagement. The blessings of the temple are real. Today as I sat in the celestial room, I felt Heavenly Father's love so strongly. There are challenges being here, but the frequent presence of the Spirit put things quickly back into perspective.
Last week at the Tuesday Evening Devotional we heard from Bishop Richard C. Edgely of the Presiding Bishopric. He had a great message that even if we just plant the seed as missionaries, the Lord's work will go forth and though we may not see the fruits that seed will reap, they are many. Sister Edgely also shared a story that I loved about Joseph B. Wirthlin- the catchphrase is "don't worry Joseph, you'll go into it". I don't have time to tell the story, but search www.lds.org for it.
Oh, weird thing happened last week- I went to the copy center to have something done and the girl at the desk was Kelsey Brems- Paul's younger sister that I had bonded with while in Arizona. That was a little awkward.
We had our first TRC experience- where we are evaluated in a teaching assignment with simulated setups and volunteers that pretend to be investigators. It was a little nerve-wrecking to do the door contacting but it went smoothly. (That was in Spanish) We taught the first lesson and had practiced that so many times that it went very well. My district likes to spend time at the Referral Center which is an inbound/outbound call center where you can process investigator's requests for a free Book of Mormon or Lamb of God Dvd or whatever it was on the commercial. It is a great opportunity to share your testimony as you ask if they'd be willing to have the missionaries deliver it. Just two days ago I talked to an Evangelical man that wanted the Finding Faith in Christ DVD. I got him to agree to the missionaries after bearing my testimony of the Savior's role in my life and the special message they will bring that He Lives.
We continue to have fun experiences in my class/district. My teacher from Honduras used the word "bamboozler" once because he had found it in the dictionary. We tease him about it daily.
Fast Sunday was great. We watched the First Presidency Christmas Broadcast- I know that mom said you guys couldn't make it but did anyone else see it? It was wonderful. I also especially enjoyed Elder Maxwell's talk in this month's Ensign. Everyone, read it.
After Sunday evening devotionals we have movie night. You get to choose from a random selection of 4 movies/talks. This week we went and saw the Testaments. It is better and better every time. It is like our Friday night of fun because we get to go out to the movies.
Haha. My zone leader that just left for San Fran was from Chantilly and he was excited to hear about Rae going to the Oakton dances because he was the DJ for the dances up until 9 weeks ago when he reported to the MTC.
Unfortunately I am not allowed to call home for Christmas because the MTC does not have the means to have 2000+ missionaries call home. I hope everyone is getting in the Spirit of La Navidad. Christmas is a nice reminder that we should have Christ at the center of our lives.
I hope all is well- Dad, how are you?! Mom keep working hard. I appreciate everything you do. The Lord will provide a way if we have faith, work hard and do our part. I am working hard. Let Sister Gaskin know I write in that missionary journal every night. It is great to look back on all of the Spiritual experiences I have had over just 3 weeks. Miriam, Clarissa, Emma, Rae, Ben- I love you guys, the scriptures are wonderful and prayer is always the answer. I have come to know that and am very thankful. I am so happy for all of the missionary work in the ward, it sounds like there is much going on. I will try and write as many letters as I can. Oh, and I have pictures this week so look for them in the mail!
I love you all,
Your missionary-
Camille
First of all, thank you for all your letters, love, and prayers.
We are currently learning the second lesson, which is the Plan of Salvation, and I am truly grateful for my family and bear testimony of that every time I teach.
This week has flown by as well. Bien hecho (well done) to Ben on bearing your testimony. Our second day in the MTC we learned to bear our testimonies in Spanish and were challenged to share it a certain number of times. Each time I do, my testimony grows. Ben, I am glad that you are looking forward to serving a mission. I have never before felt so uplifted and blessed. This is truly His work.
Congratulations to Emma on the engagement. The blessings of the temple are real. Today as I sat in the celestial room, I felt Heavenly Father's love so strongly. There are challenges being here, but the frequent presence of the Spirit put things quickly back into perspective.
Last week at the Tuesday Evening Devotional we heard from Bishop Richard C. Edgely of the Presiding Bishopric. He had a great message that even if we just plant the seed as missionaries, the Lord's work will go forth and though we may not see the fruits that seed will reap, they are many. Sister Edgely also shared a story that I loved about Joseph B. Wirthlin- the catchphrase is "don't worry Joseph, you'll go into it". I don't have time to tell the story, but search www.lds.org for it.
Oh, weird thing happened last week- I went to the copy center to have something done and the girl at the desk was Kelsey Brems- Paul's younger sister that I had bonded with while in Arizona. That was a little awkward.
We had our first TRC experience- where we are evaluated in a teaching assignment with simulated setups and volunteers that pretend to be investigators. It was a little nerve-wrecking to do the door contacting but it went smoothly. (That was in Spanish) We taught the first lesson and had practiced that so many times that it went very well. My district likes to spend time at the Referral Center which is an inbound/outbound call center where you can process investigator's requests for a free Book of Mormon or Lamb of God Dvd or whatever it was on the commercial. It is a great opportunity to share your testimony as you ask if they'd be willing to have the missionaries deliver it. Just two days ago I talked to an Evangelical man that wanted the Finding Faith in Christ DVD. I got him to agree to the missionaries after bearing my testimony of the Savior's role in my life and the special message they will bring that He Lives.
We continue to have fun experiences in my class/district. My teacher from Honduras used the word "bamboozler" once because he had found it in the dictionary. We tease him about it daily.
Fast Sunday was great. We watched the First Presidency Christmas Broadcast- I know that mom said you guys couldn't make it but did anyone else see it? It was wonderful. I also especially enjoyed Elder Maxwell's talk in this month's Ensign. Everyone, read it.
After Sunday evening devotionals we have movie night. You get to choose from a random selection of 4 movies/talks. This week we went and saw the Testaments. It is better and better every time. It is like our Friday night of fun because we get to go out to the movies.
Haha. My zone leader that just left for San Fran was from Chantilly and he was excited to hear about Rae going to the Oakton dances because he was the DJ for the dances up until 9 weeks ago when he reported to the MTC.
Unfortunately I am not allowed to call home for Christmas because the MTC does not have the means to have 2000+ missionaries call home. I hope everyone is getting in the Spirit of La Navidad. Christmas is a nice reminder that we should have Christ at the center of our lives.
I hope all is well- Dad, how are you?! Mom keep working hard. I appreciate everything you do. The Lord will provide a way if we have faith, work hard and do our part. I am working hard. Let Sister Gaskin know I write in that missionary journal every night. It is great to look back on all of the Spiritual experiences I have had over just 3 weeks. Miriam, Clarissa, Emma, Rae, Ben- I love you guys, the scriptures are wonderful and prayer is always the answer. I have come to know that and am very thankful. I am so happy for all of the missionary work in the ward, it sounds like there is much going on. I will try and write as many letters as I can. Oh, and I have pictures this week so look for them in the mail!
I love you all,
Your missionary-
Camille
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