Natalie June 17, 2013

Bonjour my family! 

Wow it is so good to hear from all of you. I am SO happy and doing great here in France.
This past week has been incredible. We have had so many miracles and crazy stories that I don't really know where to start. 

So Tuesday we went on a rendez-vous at that beautiful catherdral i sent you pictures of! We went with our friend Gisele and it was fun. We have been focusing on building friendships with people and letting them feel of our love--not just trying to teach them about the church. It's helped a lot! That night we had a rendez vous with this family that we've tried to meet like 3 times. Each time they're not there or they have to reschedule. but we love it! Because each time we go over we end up finding a new ami. it's insane! So that night we left her apartment and said we'd go left, right, left and we'd keep doing that until we found someone. we turned left then right then ran into a woman with her daughter! She was carrying groceries home so we stopped and helped her and started talking to her about God. She's very believing and was so interested! So we went to her house and taught her the first lesson. She got her bible out and was asking a lot of cool questions. I'm excited to see where she goes! We are meeting with her this week and she's comign to church. Her name is Jacqueline. Miracle! That night on the bus ride home we ran into our friend Flora. We met her a few weeks ago and see her like every other day. She's going to school here and is SO cute. She's from Rwanda and is about our age. She's believing and goes to church each week. We've develped a fun friendship that allowed us to really open up that night and tell her more about the gospel. She invited us to her house that night and we taught her a lesson! The spirit was really strong. We felt like we needed to teach her about the plan of salvation and families. I showed her pictures of you all and she was dying over you! It was really fun. We testified of eternal families and the happieness that can come from that knowledge. Then next day we found out that her parents died in Rwanda and her and her siblings were all she had left. Wow isn't that incredible! The Spirit is so real! He knew what she needed that night. She's so cute and we're meeting more with her this week. She has become one of my dear friends in Tours. She speaks a little english and between my broken french and her broken english we get along just fine. love her.

Wedneday we had another rendez vous with that family. Turns out they weren't there again...haha so we were excited! Becasue we knew there would be someone else. Sure enough, we started walking and ran into an African woman. I started talking to her and told her who we were and she was very interested! She is very believing and religious. We walked to a park and began talking with her and taught her a whole lesson on that park bench. We testified strongly of the lvoe that God had personally for her. She was crying and said her heart was so warm. She told us that she'd just left her 3 children in Africa to come here to figure out a way to get them here. African women do this all the time. It's so hard for them and sometimes it takes years for them to be together again. We boldly testified that the way she would be together with her children was through the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We told her that God is still the same God of miracles and He would provide a way for her. She was crying and was so happy. It was a special moment I'll never forget. We set up another rendezvous with her. The next day she called us and said she'd had a dream. She dreamt that there were 2 young girls talking with her and this other person started hurting them and told her not to listen to them. She knew that that couldn't be right because God would never hurt anyone. When she called us she told us that it was her way of finding out that she needed to listen to what we had to teach her. WOW. miracle. 

Friday we had zone conference! it was incredible. I love President and Soeur Poznanski. They talked about the Savior and we watched a video from Elder Holland's talk on The Atonement and missionary work. Changed my life. He says that on days where you ask why is this so hard? Why aren't people flocking to the font? Why aren't people waiting outside our church night and day to get baptisms? Why is missionary work tiring and hard? Then he answered that missionary work isn't supposed to be easy becasue salvation was never easy! Missionary work has never been easy and there's no reason it should be. When we ask is there no other way, we have to remember that we weren't the first to ask this question. The Savior Himself asked this as He suffered for us individually. As missionaries, as mothers, as church members, as friends, fathers, we are walking shoulder to shoulder with the Savior Himself. This is HIS work.  On days that are hard we have to remember that He is here with us. When people spit on us, or stare at us, or say horrible things we need to remember that He's here taking that with us. He felt that, and He's here with us. Wow this has changed my whole mission. This week each day, i have imagined the Savior physically being with me everywhere I go. It has changed my whole view. I see people I need to talk to. People I need to lift up. People who's hearts are breaking or who need the hope of the Gospel. i love people! I love everyone! All becasue of the Savior walking shoulder to shoulder with me. It is an absolute honor, and I'm learning that as I consecrate myself He can be with me more and more. I want to be a consecrated missionary. But I want to be a consecrated member of the church as well! I want to walk with the Savior shoulder to shoulder bearing what He bears. Helping Him complete His mission. Our missions. We are so blessed!

After zone conference we had another rendez vous with our dear friend Christine. She's this cute little french lady. Oh mom you'd make fun of me so bad. She's so old and so kind and I about cry every time she opens her mouth. I LOVE CHRISTINE. She has a huge part of my heart. We met her on the bus my first week here. We contacted her and became her friend. She had us over this past week and we taught her how to pray. She was SO nervous. But for the first time, we witnessed her prayer to her Heavenly Father. And oh how He listened! The spirit was thick and we knew that He knew who she was. She is the sweetest old lady. She loves America and dreams of going there someday. So excited to see her this week.

Saturday we went to a member's home! She's the cutest thing. She's a boss too! Always doing missionary work. She had us over for this huge meal and she even killed one of her chickens for us. She invited a nonmember friend and we were able to talk with her. Her name is Josette and she loves American men. haha when she found out Robert Redford lived in the same state as me she almost cried. She loves Elvis too. And she's obssed with piano music. So we went into this little room and for awhile I played hymns for her and music. After every song she got up and kissed me. haha I was dying. Then I played some Elvis for her and she cried even more. We went on a walk through this park and there were these toys everywhere. Me and Soeur miller started playing on them and pretty soon they joined in too! We were dying! These 2 little old ladies acting like they were 15 again. It was SO fun. such a fun memory. On our way home there was a creepy french man trying to talk to us. We stayed away and after he got off this cute Australian couple was like did you know him? We said no and they said they felt something was weird so they'd been watching out for us for awhile. They said they weren't going to let anything happen to us. Can you believe that? We talked with them for awhile and became friends. They were so great! People are watching out for us all over. So blessed. There are good people everywhere!

And finally. Yesterday on Sunday. Anne Marie and William came to church! They are our baptisms on the 29th. Tessy came as well by miracle! Anne Marie and William are UNREAL. In all of the classes they were participating up and down left and right. This 11 year old little boy talking about the bible. I was dying. After church we taught Anne Marie and William and had an incredible lesson. We taught William how to pray. His dad died a few years ago and we were telling him that the way you pray to HEavenly Father is like as if you were talking to your dad. We taught him how and he was so nervous. But he prayed. It was a simple prayer but the feelings in that room were AMAZING. We felt his dad there with him. AFter I asked him how he felt and he said that his heart was on fire and it was so heavy. He was crying and we were able to talk more about their baptism. They're so ready and i'm so excited for them. They are a living miracle. 

Wow i'm sorry this is so long. It has just been an incredible week. I am so humbled to be here. I feel my Savior's love everywhere we go. He is in the eyes of the woman walking her dog down the street. He's in the smile of the bus driver who says bonjour every morning. He's in the heart of my mission President and his wife and their endless efforts to build the church up here in France. He's in the hearts of every person here in France! They just need to remember it. I know that He lives! He is orchestrating this work and it's real. He is hastening His work and people are being prepared everywhere we go. I'm so happy and LOVE my missionary life.

I pray for you all everyday! All day! You are always in my hearts. I show your pictures often and people see a difference in your eyes. You are all amazing examples to me and I hope you feel the blessings of missionary work. They are so real.

Hope you all have an incredible week! Love you so much

Soeur Cameron

100% no regrets! i've promised to give more.