October 27, 2014

hey y'all

so nat this is weird you are dating people. i am not sure how i feel about my sisters dating people. you're not ready emily and nat, wait about 7ish months and maybe you can be ready... 

we had a really cool week, so you may be wondering why the subject of this letter is how i could have protection, well let me tell you a story

so we sent a message to our main man Emmanuel, he is a black guy from Martinique, he asked us if we wanted to come to a gospel meeting with his friends at his house. we said of course! and so we showed up and 6 black guys were just chillin in front of us. So i started joking with them and challenged them to some fooseball because we have gotten pretty good at baby foot, but then they all starting talking to us about the Church and what we believe. we were able to teach a little bit of the first lesson. so that was cool. they all love us now and if we were in a fight they would come and have our backs for sure. though i dont think that we will be fighting anyone soon, but one never knows so i am glad those guys are on our side

next cool story, we called up a potential and set up a rendez-vous to talk about music, let me explain. when i called him he asked if i play music, so i said of course i do i love to play, and then he asked if we could help him with some gospel songs that he is working on, so we invited him to the institute and we talked about the Gospel, it was really cool. We are going with a different approach this time but it is really fun. 

I am doing well family, my health is good, i am scared for winter, quebec winters are colder than montreal winters. so i will let you know if i need anything. I am healthy wealthy and wise smiley face! well folks that is all for me this week, 

starting a new transfer this week, dont worry i am staying in ste foy for another 6 weeks. I love it here. 

you rock

Godspeed

elder cameron

October 20, 2014

How y'all doing on this brisk autumn day

is it brisk in dear old american fork, because it is certainly brisk here

I just want you all to know that i love you very much and i thank you for your prayers. Please let the ward know that i love them too. I have been thinking about all the things that i have learned from my parents and the man that i have become because of them. I haven't totally messed up so you should be proud haha, i made it out here so that is something special. We are so blessed to have a family where we are all so active and strong in the church. this past week a lot of people have talked to me about justin. I always say, let me tell you about my hero. for example the belanger family who saw my man main justin once a week in ste foy always says, elder cameron t'es comme ton frere mais moins sérieux, haha elder cameron you are like you brother but less serious. hey i will take the compliment!

this week was great we had some sweet lessons, we even found a new investigator! bernadetter from the congo! she is super nice, she is actually a former investigator and so we picked her up again to see if she is ready this time around to accept the covenant of baptism. 

I had an exchange with my zone leader. it was super fun. i love him he is hilarious we had a good time. We are just doing work up here in quebec city

we have been able to work with some new less actives too which is awesome. there are so many less actives in quebec so we are trying to find all those who are willing to come back but just need a little time. I love working with less actives. i love to try and bring hope back into their lives. I love when you can feel the Holy Ghost working through to saying something that they needed to hear. It is awesome! I love being a missionary

la vie est belle mes amis. life is beautiful 

so when was the last time that you shared the gospel with a friend. i know it is harder at home because most of our friends are members but we know people! there are always people who have been prepared to receive us! 

i love you all

i am well i love the mission and my companion i am healthy and trying to be wise haha not very wealthy though

elder cameron

October, 13, 2014

salut mes amis, comment ca va? 

I GOT THE PACKAGE and lets just say, I experienced heaven while eating symphony bars on a ferry this week. yeah how cool is that we took a ferry. that is pretty neat. actually the reason we had to take the ferry is because our branch president invited us to eat canadian thanksgiving dinner at his house. the problem is that he lives on the south shore and the bridge is pretty far away so we agreed to take to ferry which is closer to his house. Then he picked us up from where the ferry dropped us off. That was special.

this week we did a ton of service. seriously it was crazy. so this family asked us to come and help rake the leaves. I am down with raking leaves but then as we got there they said there are a few things we have to take up from the basement. so that was fine you know we are strong young pups. we got most everything but then there was a huge piece of plywood and on the other side was tile, for a bathroom i think. this thing must have weighed like 240 lbs. there was no way that elder draper and i could get this thing by ourselves so the member handed us a sledge hammer and said go to work. So i grabbed that sucker and said, MERICA and hit that thing until all the tile was in tiny pieces on the ground. It was really fun but i was dead after that, and that was all before even racking one leaf. So then we spent a good 3 hours getting all the leaves from off of the ground. Boy did it take a while, my back was on fire, still kind of is, i have not fully recovered from the pain of service. But i felt good inside... kind of haha. i actually was having a small asthma attack while trying to be a hero and smash the tile board, I felt like an old man. But dont fret because being the eagle scout that i am i had my fast acting inhailer strapped to my belt. ok maybe it was not on my belt but it was close. So i am fine, and alive and sore. 

we had some great lessons this week. we taught a family from nepal. it is pretty tough because they dont speak french or english too well so we are trying our best. We also got to see clarence our investigator. he is doing well. we had a killer lesson with him. we told him strait up that he has to pray and ask God. and he came to church!! that was great to see. 

we had a fun week. thank you so much for the package it made my week. thank you for the letters. Dad thank you for your 3x5 card, you said something i really needed to hear. mother you always make me smile with your crafty notes. and emily my banjo card is taped to the wall. thank you so so much

I love you all! 

bise

 

October 7, 2014

sorry everyone that i didn't email yesterday we had a zone meeting and so our pday got changed to today! so this week was great. i loved conference, elder hamulas was probably my favorite. I loved that so much. cant believe that nat is home. It was so strange to see pics of you all. We had a great week. unfortunately i have to make this email short because we have a lot of activities we have to do today because we had to change our pday. I will tell you one story, so clarence our 76 year old black investigator came to the priesthood session. we were so pumped, but as we walked out to greet him he strolls up with a lady on his arm looking like a womanizer haha and he says gentlemen! HE BROUGHT A DATE TO THE PRIESTHOOD SESSION haha that is the coolest thing that has happened this week. if only he knew what it was before hand it was so funny! man i love you all i hope you are not disappointed with my short email but justin and nat and jess and ammo and shannon understand..... haha elder cam

Welcome Home Sister Cameron

Logan September 29, 2014

Yup you got it folks. Well friday i ate lunch with a general authority.

That was pretty special that we had three cmm missionaries parents eating together because those same missionaries ate together on friday with a general authority. It was really cool. Elder carlson came for a mission tour and gave us a 7 hour training. He is an amazing man. he was in the armed forces, in the air force and was a general. this guy is the real deal. He gave us a lot of great ideas and things that we can change to become better missionaries. I am excited to apply all the things that he has taught us. 

it was kind of cool, we got to perform a musical number for him, so Elder Hidalgo, sister sherch, and elder cameron sang a song with sister Gammon on the piano. We only had about a week to practice and so it was no mormon tabernacle choir but i think it sounded pretty good. 

later in the program i was called upon to share my testimony. Man it was a crazy day. But it was a great day. 

Can anyone else believe that nat is really coming home this week? because i cannot. it seems like we should still be new missionaries. time just flies by. Nat is an all star missionary. I just want everyone to know that she has done a great job and has been and will continue to be a great missionary. She sure has made it easier to keep pushing hard and working the best i can. I am so happy that we were able to be missionaries at the same time. She is going to whip you all into shape so be patient haha. Good luck nanners you will be great

we had  a pretty cool week. We met a  lady that is 111 years old­. This lady has seen so much. Well i don't know how much she has seen in the last 30 years her eyes aren't what they used to be. But she is more than 5 times my age! it was hard to talk to her because she only has one ear that works and you must speak really slowly. So i didn't get many words in before she had to eat her supper. But we tried. I wish that i could just stay there for a while listen to her tell stories. She still reads and everything. I think i found a new hero.

you may have seen some of my pics i sent home but i want to explain that mini book shelf that we saw in the middle of the woods. It said take a book and leave a book. Naturally i wanted to take a book but being the good Law abiding citizen that i am we tried to think of a BOOK that we could leave, come on elders why did it take you so long to think of a BOOK to leave if you are constantly begging people to read ONE BOOK!!!! so we left the BOOK of MORMON in the book shelf and we took a michael jackson calander from 1983 and a french literature book that is from 1943. unfortunately i cant read the french book yet but in about 7ish months i will­.

We got interviewed this week by a reporter! how neat is that. i felt famous. he was doing an article on the mormon youth. and so he asked us and the sisters a few questions, I felt pretty cool answering french questions for a french news paper. it was super!

well my friends always remember that God answers prayers. If He didn't none of this would exist. 

You all know that i love quotes, and that i have always wanted to be the author of a quote so i am going to give it my best shot with this one

faith gives us reason, hope gives us strength and charity gives us power.

love you all 

elder cameron

Natalie September 29, 2014

Wow.

Oh what a beautiful 18 months it has been. I feel as if my heart will burst with gratitude and joy because of what God has done in the past year and a half. I Stand All Amazed. I stand all amazed at the miracles He has orchestrated. The people He has found. The people He introduced into my life. The lessons He has taught. The impossible He made possible. The unseen He made seen. And the thousands of miracles He gave me to show a daughter that her Father was there.

I Stand All Amazed that the greatest miracle of my mission

is me.

My mission has taught me many things. But one of the greatest principles I am taking with me, is that God is real. He is our Father. He is our teammate, and He is endlessly running at our aide. To help us. To lift us. And to guide us. And He speaks. If we listen, He will speak. And when we listen, we'll realize that He's always speaking. God never limits His love. We are the ones that put restrictions on feeling His blessings and divine love. The greatest gift He gave us was His son-who provided us with an Atonement. A way to be cleansed. A way to be free. A way to listen without restraint. To be awakened. To be comforted. A way to become like Him. Because that's why we're here. To realize our divine potentional and become like Our Heavenly Father to continue His divine mission.

My mission has taught me to LOVE. And that everyone needs it. We all search to be accepted and feel His love . And the greatest gift we can give to others is to be a vessel for God's love. To leave a legacy of love. I have grown to love this country more than I thought I ever could. I have grown to love companions and missionaries who have become sacred friends, amis who will always stay in my heart, members who showed me what true missionary work is, mission presidents who stood as pillars to lead this country, and my family--who i grew to love and respect more than I ever thought I could. My mission has taught me that the greatest missionaries are the ones who converted me -my family.

It hurts my heart to leave this place. To leave Paris in all of her glory and beauty and sacredness. But I am overjoyed and excited to begin the next step of my journey. Although I will be leaving the land of my mission,

I will not leave my mission

Because my mission is just beginning.

At the end of the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis wrote:

"And as Aslan spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion, but the things which began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them, it was only the beginning of the real story. All of their lives in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page. Now at last they were beginning chapter one of the great story which no one on earth has read which goes on forever; in which every chapter is better than the one before."

My cover page and title page were more beautiful than I could have ever hoped for. And I am so excited to see where my story will take me for chapter 1. Each new page brings another adventure intertwined with God's grace and love. As we let Him write the pages of our lives, He will make our story more beautiful than we can even imagine. More beauitful than we could've ever written for oursevles. As we give Him more, He will make our stories into something more.

Thank you for all of your love and support. And for being there every single day of these 18 months. I will forever be grateful for the support that you have given me and for being a part of my story.

"If you find it’s me you’re missing, if you’re hoping I’ll return. To your thoughts I’ll soon be listening, in the road I’ll stop and turn. Then the wind will set me racing as my journey nears its end. And the path I’ll be retracing when I’m homeward bound again.

Bind me not to the pasture; chain me not to the plow. Set me free to find my calling and I’ll return to you somehow"

Love,

Your Sœur Cameron

100% No regrets I've promised to give MORE

Logan September 22, 2014

I am sorry but this photo that you all saw does not show a companionship, only good friends. I am training elder Draper from farmington utah. he is hilarious. we have had a great time already. we have already had some crazy miracles happen. I will try my best to describe the things that have taken place since we have been here together.

but first,

How cool is it that natalie got to see my favorite companion??? elder fontaine is the greatest. Do you see how tall this guy is??? he is even bigger spiritually. Honestly. he told me he just got called as elders quorum president. he hasn't even been home a week! I am gonig to visit him one day in france and we are going to go watch a soccer match. He will be missed in quebec. 

So i lost my car.... frowny face. another team needed the car so they had to take ours. i was sad inside. so now we are on the bus. but it is great because this week we have had 2 major miracles on the bus. first one

back when i was a wee little missionary in Mont saint hilaire. I taught a man named emmanuel. unforntunalty he moved  while we were teaching him. so we were on our way to an investigators house on the bus and a boy gets on the bus. i thought to myself, ''self you know this lad. who could it be" but then i realized it was fransico. the son of manuel. so i talked to him and he remembered me and i got his dads phone number and then i called his dad, and he remembered me too! so we are going to go and teach him again this week! i am super excited to see them all again. 

second bus miracle:

we were on our way home when a man came up to me and said, "are you the missionaries?" i said yes of course. then he said give me your card please. hahah are you serious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so i talked with him, we got his number and we are going to teach him too! haha wow this was too cool. this doesn't just happen

third miracle

we were at the institute and a guy walked in to the building. the senior couple asked if he was there for the class and he said no he was just curious about the building so they pointed him over to us and we starting talking to him. we found out he was attending an alcohol anonymous group, so we know he is already working on the word of wisdom! haha but we got his number too and we are going to start teaching him.

wow miracles are real. and the Lord likes to bless his new missionaries. I love training. it is the best. It reminds me of the beginning of my mission. it is helping me go back to the basics, the fundamentals of the gospel and to become a better missionary.

I was reading in 3 nephi 27:32 when Jesus talks about those who would sell Him for things that moths corrupt and things that thieves can steal. When i was thinking about this i remembered all of the times that i have "sold" my testimony or "sold" reading my scriptures or saying my prayers to do something else or to have temporary satisfaction. We see it so many times as missionaries. Everyone, even the most active members sometimes "sell" what is most precious and what will never die for that which is of no worth. So what must we do to keep the eternal things on the top of our priority list? the next verse tells us that strait is the gate and narrow the way that leads to eternal life, how do we stay on this strait and narrow way? i have a testimony of this principle: by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.  It truly is by doing the small things that we earn our reward in heaven. It is the small things that shape us and help us become like our Savior Jesus Christ. I thought this was so interesting while i was reading, you know Gandalf got it right when he said,

"some believe that it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what i have found. I have found that it is the small things, everyday deeds, done by everyday folk that keeps the darkness at bay." 

inspired? i say yes

I love you all. I am praying for you. That is crazy that nat gets home soon. She is the best missionary i know. 

Godspeed

elder cameron

 

Natalie September 22, 2014

Wow.

What an unbelievable week! My heart is overjoyed and I am so, so GRATEFUL.

I had a lot of tender mercies and miracles that once again showed me God's hand in my life. I know that He is real. He is always there just waiting to bless us. So this week, a virus turned into a sinus infection...haha My body is just about done I think. So I went into the 11th arrondissement in Paris France to visit yet again another doctor. haha That was a surreal experience! He told me I had a sinus infection and he put me on some antibiotics and other meds! Lots of them! And guess what? Through a lot of prayers, they are working! Through the strengthening and enabling power of the Atonement, He is supporting me to the very end.

A few weeks ago, President Babin contacted me and asked me if I could put a musical number together for the Paris Stake Conference in our mission. I told him of course! I prayed a lot about it and that day in church and during sacrament meeting I had a vision! And I was able to arrange a musical number for the missionaries. I worked with another elder and he wrote some new lyrics, I wrote the music and it was INCREDIBLE to watch how God works! President was so supportive and willing to do whatever He could to help. We were asked to play for the Paris Stake. It isn't my stake, but President gave us permission to go! So this weekend we stayed in Versailles. Beautiful, beautiful, Versailles!

The Stake Conference took place in the Grand Palais, a few feet away from the Château de Versailles. Absolutely beautiful. We had a choir of about 45 missionaries and we practiced beforehand. Through the conference, we were just praying our hearts out that there would be angels singing with us. That we would be able to touch the hearts of these people, and help them hasten the missionary work in Paris. As another number, we did the quartet that we arranged for the fireside in Aulnay a few weeks ago. It was incredible, and they sang beautifully. We were the closing number. Before we began, President humbly bore his testimony of this work and said that our musical number was his prayer. We started playing and singing, and the angels joined us. It was breath taking. I'll never forget that experience. As I looked around at these missionaries that I've grown to love, and President and Soeur Babin, and the hundreds of people listening from this country. It was humbling. To hear the music that God placed in my fingers being performed in the Grand Palais in Versailles France, my heart couldn't take it anymore. What a special moment that I'll never forget. I was brimming with gratitude.

Another tender mercy happened! At the end of the stake conference, I was on stage and in walks...ELDER FONTAINE!!!! The famous mission companion of our dear Elder Cameron It was so cool! It was such a miracle that we were able to meet! It wasn't my stake conference and normally I wouldn't have been there. A complete miracle! We were able to talk about Loge and he told me how much he loves him and what a difference he is making. It was such a tender mercy to talk with the last person that's been with him and hear how he is doing. He was so kind and from all the missionaries who serve in his branch, they say that the Fontaines are incredible and some of the greatest missionaries ever. A fun little tender mercy.

This week, we also had a surprise visit from President Poznanski at our district meeting! Torcy is the headquarters for the church in France so he was being interviewed for the church. He walked into our district meeting and we had a nice chat. Oh how much I love that man! And how much I miss him! He carried his light in and his sense of humor as always. He caught up with us all and it was so great.

This week I studied a lot more about light. I read Elder Anderson's talk, "you know enough" and just loved the symbolism and simplicity he gave. "As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have enormous spiritual reservoirs of light and truth available to us. … In our days of difficulty, we choose the road of faith." I love that no matter the road we face, no matter the challenge, we, as disciples of Jesus Christ have an enourmous spiritual resevoir of light! Think of that mental image! That brings so much hope and love and can help us through any difficulty we face. I can feel that power each day. And I have loved feeling it out here. The power of God's light is real.

Well, I am beginning the last week of my mission. And I couldn't be more grateful. I am filled with such joy and happiness and inner peace and I'm so excited to see what miracles await us each day. I know this work is real. And I am eternally grateful to be a witness of His love.

Love,
Soeur Cameron

100% No regrets I've promised to give MORE

ELDER FONTAINE!!!! The famous mission companion of our dear Elder Cameron.

Logan September 15, 2014

So i know what you are all wondering, what is going to happen to elder cameron. for his companion is going home, will he receive another, will he go to another area, stay tuned for this weeks transfer anylisis on cmm-espn channel 2, if it has something to do with transfers we`ve got it.

this transfer anylisis has been brought to you by vitamin c, if you have got a cold overdose is the way to go. 

so i will now tell you, elder fontaine and i have been together for 6 weeks and i can honestly say he is my favorite companion. he has helped me so much and i am going to miss him. elder cameron will be receiving........ a new elder from the MTC. yes ladies and gentleman he will be training. 

there you have it. we will see how it goes.

so this week was great. the only problem is that i am a little sick. i have caught a cold. but mother you would be so proud of me i attacked this cold with on guard and other oils. The members here are so nice. We visited one family and the mom asked if i was sick and then she gave me some meds. Then we went to another family and the same thing happened. except the dad said i have some vitamin c do you want some. i said yes please. then he said I usually take about 10! haha his wife looked and said QUOI DIX PAR JOUR??? what ten a day? you are crazy ahah. so he gave me 5 which is still crazy. if you could overdose on vitamin c  i would be dead.

but i think its working.. i am feeling better. 

we received a new senior couple who will be teaching the institute classes. they are super funny we helped them move into their new apartment. the elder said during his welcome talk: le president m`a dis que mon temoinage doit etre short and sweet. alors je sais que sweet ca va dire bon bon and short est la pantalon courte, donc j`ai rien compris. haha

translation the president told me that my talk needs to be short and sweet. i know that sweet means candy and short are short pants so i didn't understand anything. haha i was laughing so hard. 

we had some good lessons this week. we taught that miracle referral. it was tellement bon as we say in french. we have some great plans coming up too.

well elder fontaine has to do many things today to get ready to go home. 

i am sure i will have some good stories for next week

Godspeed

elder cameron

Natalie September 15, 2014

Hello Tout le Monde!

This week was fantastic. First off, i have to tell my brother that I am SO PUMPED for him! and he will just be the best trainer in the world. Here comes Elder Shum shum? right? That'd be swell. i got a nice little note from him! My friend is teaching him in the mtc and they all sent me a birthday card. It was really nice. Your bleu may have signed my card!

This week was awesome! We had a lot of neat things. Today we climbed the Eiffel tower! holy hannah. My heart. One of the greatest views I've ever seen in my life.  I got to give my dying testimony in Paris. That was really incredible and a cool experience. Each zone conference they have the dying missionaries share their testimony. You go your whole mission listening to elders and sisters and then all of a sudden its you! It was a lot of fun and really symbolic for me. It was fun testifying with my MTC companion. Zone conference was great. Love the Babins.

We also had a really special meeting! It was broadcasted throughout Europe. It was the first time in history that they had a woman's meeting just for the European sisters. Elder Ballard and Elder Bednar came and other Area Authorities and just blew it out of the water! It was absolutely incredible; Elder Bednar talked about the strengthening and enabling power of the atonement specifically for women and it was so inspiring. They thanked the powerful European women for what they are doing in the church. It was really special to hear them talk to my women. These women here in France are strong. They are pioneers and they are elect incredible women. I have gained many heroes here in this country and I will never forget their strength and courage to raise their children in the gospel in a country faced with worldly trials.

I also got to go on an exchange with...SOEUR LEFRANDT!! woot woot! My MTC companion and one of my best friends! I love Soeur Lefrandt and it was incredible to serve with her and talk with her and be missionaries together again. She is absolutely amazing and has served a mission of love. She is powerful and has become a STRONG woman! We found a woman who had lost a baby and doesn't believe in God because of that. We testified to her together of God's love and power and she was touched. We prayed with her and she really felt something. It was so special. I love her a lot and am excited to end our journey together, right how we began! We'll be coming on the plane together.

We also had an amazing ward activity! It was our Soirée Internationale! Our ward is super diverse and we had members from China, Peru, Greece, and Italy present their country. It was a dream! I felt like I was traveling the world! We danced the famous Greek dance (the one they do on when in rome!) we learned an italian song and sang together, we ate incredible food! and took a tour of China. I was in heaven. We had SO many people turn up! Almost too many. haha there were more nonmembers there than members and we were all just running around getting to know everyone and teaching! We found a woman last week from the finding day and she came with her boyfriend! It was so cool. I love that the gospel is true wherever we go.

This week I found the cutest talk from President Monson in 1999 to the Young Women. He said something that i loved. "We must gaze upward, look inward, reach outward, and press forward" isn't that beautiful? I loved how that applied to light as well! And how we can find the light of Christ in all of those manners of action. We find the light in God as we look to Him then we can find it in ourselves, give that to others and see it in them, And move on throughout all the days of our lives to spread His light abroad. So beautiful.

Well i hope you all have a great week!  Thanks so much for your love and support. Fighting hard so you can receieve this last sprint of blessings. Running to the tape and sprinting the finish.

Love
Soeur Cameron

100% No regrets I've promised to give more