Natalie June 24, 2013

Wow can you believe another week has come and gone? It was so good to hear from everyone! And so good to hear from Loge. I'm glad he landed safe in the land of Canada. He's been in my thoughts and prayers tons!
This week has been a good one!  And i absolutely love being a missionary. Each day I learn something new and I feel myself changing. It's the greatest feeling in the world! Today are transfers and I'm staying here in Tours for another transfer!

This week we were able to start teaching a little girl named Soleya! She's the daughter of a family in our branch who is around 10 or 11 I think. We just started teaching her to prepare her for her baptism and she's so cute. We set her date for August and she's getting ready. We had a family night at their home on Sunday and it felt so good. It made me remember you all and all the times we had. With dad's voice in my head. "We need to have shorter showers. Please turn the lights out when you're not in the rooms." haha it made me laugh. It felt good to be with a family though! The Kehli family is incredible and they are such a blessing here in Tours.

I have learned that missionary work rarely goes as planned. haha All of our appointments this week fell through. It was hard at times, but it's testimony to me that this is God's work not ours. He'll put us where He needs us. I'm excited to find more people this week. They are all over here in Tours. We just have to go out and find them. For every 50 doors knocked there's 1 person! haha just kidding i don't know if that's true, but It kinda feels like that. I'm so excited to go knock 100 doors this week. maybe 1000! woot woot! I'm excited to learn more about the broadcast too!  I didn't get a chance to watch it. But it sounds like huge things are coming! Excited to be a part of it. And excited that you are all a huge part of it too! We're all doing this together. It's pretty incredible.

This week I have been studying the Atonement. In my studies in the Book of Mormon I came to my favorite chapters in 3 Nephi when Christ comes. Wow it was powerful reading this as a missionary and thinking back on all of the times the Savior has been there for me personally in my life. I was able to get a copy of that Holland talk that I shared with you last week. I have to share a quote with you from him because it's so much better coming from him. Me and my comp chant his name every morning. H-O-L-L-A-N-D! haha it's kinda embarrassing. He's the man though. for real. He has changed my mission multiple times. Love the man.
"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn't it go better? Why can't our success be more rapid? Why aren't there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don't people just flock to the font? Why isn't the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismial font?
You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience.  Salvation never was easy. We are the Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.
If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face bleed from every pore and cry "Abba, Father" if this cup can pass, let it pass." then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us.  If you wonder if there isn't an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that.  Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wans't an easier way.
The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators.  When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived.  You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son and the Living God knows all about your sorros and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him--the Way, the truth, and the life."

Beautiful isn't it? I try to read this every morning before I go out to find people. I know that this is true. And as you begin your missionary work at home, I know that the Savior will be with you. Shoulder to Shoulder. I have felt a literal hastening in this mission. Miracles have been happening left and right. Elder Ballard came to our mission and said some pretty prophetic things about the Second Coming. It is coming and it is pretty remarkable that we get the honor to prepare the way for our Savior. I know it's true.

Well I love you all so much! I love France. I love the people of Tours and I love the people i have yet to meet. I know that this is the Lord's work! I know that He orchestrates it each week.

I'm excited to see the miracles that await us this week.

LOVE YOU WITH ALL OF MY HEART!

Sister Cameron

100% no regrets. I've promised to give more.

My First French Macaroon

Pat and Lindsey, they were in our branch for June. They took us to lunch for their last week. They've been so good to us. Such a tender mercy.

This is William. He is getting baptized in July. We let him try on the clothes to see if any of them worked. He tried on a white shirt and tie and was GLOWING. He felt so proud and excited. I wish you could have seen his face.

This is Solya and Perle Kehli. Solya is the one getting baptized. They are the cutest things ever.