first week of Christmas

This week was a really good week for us! It was a busy week because we had a baptism in our area and they are always just so stressful because you want everything to go perfectly but we made it through our baptism for Josh and it turned our great! Our stake President was able to be there and he doesn't get to go to them very often! It was awesome! Josh was really nervous about getting baptized but he was really excited as well! The spirit that filled that room was undeniable though. He was able to be confirmed the next day on Sunday and it was really awesome to see how much everyone around him just took him in like they had known him for years. The gospel really does make a difference in our lives! I am so grateful for it!
On Saturday as well I was able to go back to my last area that I served in and speak at a baptismal service for one of the people that I was able to teach there! It was so awesome to be able to go back. I didn't feel like I did very well in speaking because I was really nervous but it turned out to be good and I am grateful that I was able to go back! It was such a privilege to speak at her baptism! I just love her so much! We were also able to watch the Christmas broadcast last night with someone who is taking the lessons and that was really good! I am doing so good though! This work is worth it! Some of the people we were teaching decided that they didn't want to take the lessons any more and it was so sad. People just don't realize how much they need the gospel in their lives! The work is good and being a missionary is the best!

Funny Story of the Week
We drove in a tesla to one of our baptisms and my companion got really carsick because it was so smooth and it felt like a rollercoaster in the back seat. It was funny in hindsight but we felt so carsick for the rest of the day.

Thanksgiving

Family!
I hope that your thanksgiving were really good and that you are so much food that you had to roll around everywhere! Surprisingly enough I didn't have a ton of food to eat but I for sure ate the perfect amount. We had thanksgiving lunch with a couple that we are teaching and their kids! That was really awesome. We were so grateful that they invited us over to eat! We played some games with them and got to know them a bit more! We were really grateful for that experience! Our dinner that a family had invited us over for got the stomach flu and had to cancel so last minute another family invited us over! It was incredibly awkward for the first little bit but once we got settled it was great. We played a game with them as well and just really enjoyed the day! Now that we are in the Christmas season it is going to be great to talk to people about Christ. I just want it to feel like the holiday season! Hopefully it will soon!
Our work continued to progress this week and we have been busy teaching people! It has been really awesome! We are starting to teach more people about the commandments and it is always stand out to me when we start teaching these lessons and commandments how much the commandments are coming from a place of love and how much Heavenly Father wants to bless us. Every single thing that he asks us to do have so many awesome opportunities to grow and to be blessed. I love teaching the commandments because it gives me another chance to rededicate myself to what I have told Heavenly Father I would do. Helping people grow and overcome through the atonement of Jesus Christ is my favorite thing. It's hard to do most of the time because people have agency but those moments where someone progresses or the lightbulb goes off in their and they stop denying what they are feeling are 100% worth it. There truly is nothing better! I hope that everyone will be able to make this holiday season awesome! 

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TC

fruits of our labor

Hello Family and friends!
This week was a really good week! We were able to really be able to see the fruits of our labors this week and that has been a huge miracle! We were able to find 7 new people to teach this week! that is really awesome for our area because most of the time we have a hard time finding 1! They seriously have been coming out of nowhere!  It has been really awesome to see all the people that are truly reaching heavenward and how much they are willing to talk to us about the things that are happening in their lives. Im pretty sure that it just comes from the mantle that we hold because seriously people are telling us their entire life story. It is so cool. I love being able to hear other peoples stories and to be able to help them through testifying of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This week as we were tracting we were able to find three new investigators! That was such a miracle! Usually knocking doors isnt the most sucessful thing but this time it was! They are two teenage girls and they are seriously so anxious to hear more about the gospel it is so awesome. I think it is really cool that these girls are literally craving to hear more about Christ and how they are really children of God. It just made me think a little bit about how that is the type of attitude that we are should have. I want to build a relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior because I know that I am a child of God and that Christ sacrified for me. Having that knowledge is a huge blessing in my life and it truly has helped me to be able to make smart choices and to recognize that their is more to this life than just living. We seriously could be getting so much out of this life through the gospel and through knowing that we are Gods children and that Christ suffered specifically for me. I know that Heavenly Father really does love us all and that Christ really does love each of us and wants to help us.
This week we had another opportunity to go to the temple with some of our mission. As we were there I started to think about the things that are the most important. The things of this world do not matter to God. He doesnt care how much money we have or how nice our clothes are. He cares about if we feel loved, if we are happy and if we know our purpose. We are so important to Heavenly Father and he will lead us to where we need to be if we are willing to be lead. Anyway this week was a really good week! I am so grateful for this gospel!
I love you all!
Sister Camilleri

Awesome week

Hello Family and Friends!
These weeks are just flying by! I cannot believe that it is already November. Weirdly enough though this week went by fast but I can't even remember all that has happened. There is always just so much everyday! It was an awesome week though that was literally FILLED with so many miracles! God is so good!
We were able to go to the temple on Halloween night and that was awesome. Our entire mission (160 missionaries)  was at the temple that night and it was such a privilege to be able to be in the temple and to feel of the peace and love that always comes from God. It made me think about how the things of the world are not lasting but the things of God last for eternity. If we really think about all the vastly important things are things that last forever. The way that we love others and our families on earth will be taken with us into the eternities. I know that the things of God are what we need to be focusing our life around and that when we do that everything will work out.
The work has really progressed within this last week and that has been such a blessing. We were able to teach a man that has had the lessons before but took time away from the church. One day he was driving and he saw two elders on the street. He talked with them for a bit and the elders told us to go visit him! We were able to meet and have a lesson with him on Saturday. It was so cool because he already knows the church is true but he just wants to have a better life. The spirit really does lead us missionaries to be in the right place in the right time.
We were able to go to Sandy Valley this week and we had such an awesome day there! We had an experience in Sandy Valley that really just testified to me that the gospel is so essential for our life. We were giving a church tour to a new investigator in Sandy Valley and it was going really well. We totally thought that he believed in Christ but when we sat down to have a lesson about the Plan of Salvation we were totally blindsided. He started talking about how he didn't believe in God and how he thinks the only reason that we are on earth is to have fun and then we just died. My mouth literally fell open and I was so shocked. Lol it actually turned out to be a really awesome lesson filled with powerful testimony from Sister Fitzsimonds and I. After the lesson I just really felt so grateful that I know that God knew me before this life, he knows me now and that if I choose him and follow him than I will be able to live with him again. Guys, Heavenly Father knows you (Alma 18:32) and he wants us to be able to feel of his love and for us to have all the blessings that he has for us. That's why we came to earth; to get a body and to learn, grow and receive the blessings that God has for us. He has so much in store and planned for us. We can have access to it all through living the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation!
I love you all!
Sister Camilleri

zone conference

Hello Family and Friends!
This week was a a pretty good week! We had a ton of different events this week that made this week have an extra amount of fun! I went on exchanges this week with Sister Ward! That was a lot of fun. We talked with this guy that was a member but who hasn't come to church in a long time. He was pretty cool. He has like 6 cars and 3 of them are mini coopers. It was a bit excessive but he got really excited when we started talking to him about his cars! He wasn't interested in the church anyways but it was a good contact!
We had zone conference on Wednesday and that was a good meeting! When we got permission to use Facebook for online proselyting we also received a new chapter to study from in preach my gospel. It is called How do I fulfill my missionary purpose? And our whole zone was about that chapter and how to effectively use it and about how to get people to the second lesson! Overall it was a pretty good zone conference and we left with a greater desire to serve God's children with more charity and love for them. After zone conference I just had a huge desire to just spend some time studying my scriptures and understanding my purpose in being back out. That was really good for me and helped me put things into perspective. I know that my time is running short and one day soon I'll be home and I really just want to live each day to the fullest.
We have been living with others sisters and it has literally been one of the greatest things ever. It is nice to have some other people to come home to and make crazy memories with. We also had two trunk or treats this week and that was a lot of fun! We had our trunks all set up and decked out with Book of Mormons and pamphlets! It was so fun to hand out candy to all the kids!
We were able to set one of our investigators in Sandy Valley with a baptismal date for December! That was exciting! We were also able to find new people to teach this week! That was exciting! Overall it was an awesome week!
Yesterday we had a really awesome lesson at church about seeking knowledge and it was really inspiring. That is something that I want to do better this week in my personal studies. I know that seeking knowledge through scripture study is so important! I love this gospel! We get to go to the temple tomorrow for Halloween! We are so excited! It is going to be so awesome! 

I love you all! 

Sister Camilleri

elevate your vison

Hello Family and Friends!
This week was a good week! The mission set a goal to have 50 new investigators each week for the rest of the year! In order reach that goal that the mission set we had to find like crazy! I'll be honest and say that I was a little apprehensive about this goal cause finding 3 new investigators seemed a little bit out of reach but we decided to just try as hard as we could to find some new investigators. I just knew that if we tried we would be blessed. We were able to find three new investigators this week! That was really awesome! Heavenly Father truly does work in mysterious ways! Missionary Work is seriously so awkward. This week I've been focusing a lot on doing things for God and not for any other reason.

Our recent convert Josh is doing so well! He received the priesthood and he got his temple recommend! We are so excited to go to the temple with Josh and experience that with him! He is doing so awesome!
We had an awesome experience last night! We tried a couple of people and they weren't home last night but as we were walking down the street this cute little dog ran over to us and this cuter old woman started asking us why we were out so late. We started talking to her and we she was super grateful that we were out sharing good in the world! She said that she would read from the Book of Mormon and that we could come back to see her! It was way cool!

We also were able to teach a man that is in Sandy Valley and just had a daughter go on a mission! It was so cool! We talked with him about the importance of Christ and building our relationship with him through the Restoration of the Jesus Christ! It was really awesome to be a part of! You could tell that he has already been starting to think about accepting the Gospel into his life and that has been prepared by Heavenly Father! I am so excited for him!

I've been focusing on making my prayers more meaningful this week and it has been really awesome. My mission President gave me some good advice as we were talking and he told me that I should try to invite the spirit into my prayer before asking questions. I was able to start to put that into practice and it has been eye opening to me how much the spirit makes the difference for us. It was amazing. I'm grateful that this is a gospel of trying and not of perfection. I am so far from perfect it isn't even funny. 

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TC

week 13!

Hello Family and Friends!
This week has been a good week! We had transfers and I got a new companion! Her name is Sister Fitzsimonds and she is from Idaho! We also had another set of sisters move into our apartment and that has been a blast. A little bad for my journal writing but so good! We love being together! The weeks are so fast but the days are so long! Our areas are slowly but surely picking up! We saw an awesome miracle on Saturday night! We went to try a family in the ward and it turned out that they moved. We met a man named Greg and his girlfriend. It turns out that she was a member but hasn't gone in a long time and he was not a member but looking for a church! The spirit just took over that contact and we were able to testify of the Book of Mormon and it was so cool. We were hyped after that. I was really grateful for that! I super love this gospel! 

Sister Camilleri 

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TC

Week 12

Hello everyone!
Sorry I didn't write yesterday! Today is my pdays because it is transfers! I am staying in the same area but I have a new companion! Her name is Sister Fitzsimonds! I think it will be an awesome transfer! We had an awesome week! The highlight of this week was Josh's Baptism in Sandy Valley! It was probably the most spiritual baptism ever! There were like 50 people there from the little town and they were so supportive. Josh was incredibly happy and really excited. We were so happy for him! I am so grateful for the opportunity to have to teach Josh! I'm hoping he goes on a mission someday!
I love you all! Have a great week! 

Sister Camilleri

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TC

Week 11

Hello Family and Friends!
This week was a pretty good week! I was able to go on exchanges with another sister in the mission and that was awesom! It's nice sometimes to get a break in the normal schedule and change things up! We were able to have a day full of miracles.

Monday: We were able to have a lesson with a recent convert and his family about the temple and family history work. I love teaching and talking about temples. It seriously makes me yearn to be at the temple everyday. I love it there. It was a miracle that we were able to see this family because they have crazy work schedules but Heavenly Fathers hand played a role in our day and we were able to prepare him to go to the temple and do baptisms and to prepare his family to be sealed together for time and all eternity in a year. That will be such a beautiful say for them.

Tuesday: We have a baptisms on October 5th for an investigator that lives about an hour away in Sandy Valley. In order to properly prepare him for baptism we had lessons with him everyday this week. We have been going through all the commandments and talking to him about why each one is important and the blessings we can receive if we are obedient to the commandments. It has been really cool to see this investigator have such a willing heart. He wants to obey God no matter what and it is so cool to be able to see his example. His prayers have been so sweet too because he is so excited for his baptism  and talks about it in every prayer he gives with us.

Wednesday: I was on exchanges with Sister Bond in my area and that was a refreshing exchange. We saw a ton of miracles on this day. The first miracle came from a recent convert who we haven't been able to meet with. She texted us in the morning asking if we wanted to come over and have a lesson. Of course we said yes. We planned a lesson with her around faith and personal progress. Little did we know that she had been thinking about those two things but needed help getting started on personal progress. That was an awesome lesson completely led by the spirit. On our way there we were able to do some service for a recent convert who had just pulled into the driveway as we were walking by. So cool.

Thursday: We did quite a bit of walking this day because our miles were shot because of exchanges. In the evening we were able to have a lesson with a recent convert who is preparing to go to the temple soon and that was awesome. We had the lesson at a members home and it was really cool to be able to see the beginning of a friendship between them all. I love how close the gospel can bring us to other people.

Friday: We had dinner with our investigator from China and it was so good. She made some Chinese food and yum. We had a lesson with her afterwards about the Plan of Salvation. It has been really cool to have the opportunity to teach Joy because she has zero knowledge about Jesus Christ. We are literally starting with a clean slate and that has been hard but really cool. She told us that she is starting to feel like she is slowly building a relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It was so sweet. We were also able to commit her to baptismal date and she is so excited for it! I just love her!

Saturday and Sunday: It was conference weekend which makes the weekend one of my favorites of the year and automatically makes the weekend amazing. All the sessions were so good. I noticed that there was a heavy emphasis on the Book of Mormon and for me about miracles. As always the talks got me thinking about where I am at and what I need to do to progress the way that Heavenly Father wants me to. It was a great time of self reflection and I'm grateful for modern day apostles and prophets that lead the world and that help us prepare for the awaited arrival of the second coming. Two questions stood out in my mind yesterday. Do you want to live with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father again? What are you willing to do now in order to live with them in the next life?  I ask the same questions of each of you. Now is the time to prepare to meet God. Are you prepared? I promise you that if you do not make it a priority now to fix your life so that you can live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again that you will regret that decision when you graduate from this life.
I encourage you all to go to lds.org and watch the conference talks from this weekend. They are preparing us for the coming of the Lord. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ will all of my heart. I want to live with them again. That is my goal and I know that my actions in this life determine my next life. I love you all with all of my heart and I want each one of you there with me!

I love you all!
Sister Camilleri
Ps. How is it already October already? 

Back in Vegas week 9

Dear Family and Friends,
Really quick I just wanted to start off this emailing by telling you all that I miss you! Seriously I miss you so much! This week our mission received counsel and training for our new online proselyting tools. It was an awesome training and Im excited to be able to use these tools in my efforts to help people come unto Christ. One of those tools is the use of facebook. I will be using the facebook that I had at home and I am grateful for this opportunity. Having said that though I ask that each of you understand that my purpose in using facebook for the rest of mission is solely for missionary purposes. We have been asked to make our facebooks a place that can represent our Savior Jesus Christ. I would love to be able to communicate with all of you over facebook but that is not my purpose right now. Please keep staying in touch with me over email! Please help me in my endeavor to use facebook as a missionary tool! I love you all so much!

This week was a good week! We have been able to work hard in the areas that we are serving in and even though we havent been able to find new people to teach this week it was a successful week in helping others come unto Christ.

Monday: We were able to have dinner with a family in one of our areas. Both the husband and wife served missions and that was awesome to talk about and to see what they believe are the blessings of that. As we were talking with them it became very clear to me that having this opportunity to serve a mission is one that not everybody is able to do. This is something that will forever bless my life. We were also ablet to visit the couple over family history. Geneaology work is something that has been talked about a lot lately and is a focus in the stake that I am serving in. We were able to talk to them about using family history in our missionary efforts and they were excited to help us with our cause. I am looking forward to seeing the miracles that come from that.

Tuesday: We went and visited a part member family in one of our wards. The husband has previously taken the missionary discussions but stopped because he wasnt fully understanding what was being taught and he didnt know how to understand more fully. We had an awesome conversation with him. We talked about the first 12 verses in the Book of Mormon and how that tells us of all the things that we need to do to receive answers. Those verses tell us that we need to pray and ask God our question and tehn read the scriptures to find our answer. The spirit will be with us as we do so. He really loved that and was  grateful for that answer that we weren able to give him. Hopefully we will be able to make it back over there!

Wednesday: We spent majority of our day at zone conference. We were being trained all day about online proselyting and using the safeguards to help us avoid any temptation that comes along with using online tools. It really became clear to me that the safeguards that we have been given apply to a lot more than just technology. They are 1. Be aware of spiritual promptings 2. Be focused on your missionary purpose  3. Be disclipined and 4. Be one. I really love these safeguards and I know that they will bless my life before and after the mission.

Thursday: We had the most frustrating lesson of our lives with a less active member in one of our areas. Our lesson just kept going around and around in circles and the only reason why that kept happening was because the member could not separate things of the world from the things of God. This is something that is really important for us to do because it allows us to grow and recognize that the world will never been in line with God> we have to make sure that our lives are in line with God.

Friday: We were able to witness 2 miracles this day. The first happened as we were walking around a really cool park in our area. We were able to stop and talk to an older couple about family history work and invite them to start working on their geneology. They were really excited about it and you could tell that they really hada desire to find out who their family was and all the different relationships they have with people. It was awesome and I am so grateful for families! Later in the evening we were trying a couple of members houses and their was no answer. As we were walking down the street their was a couple in there garage doing some organizing. We stopped and talked with them for awhile and we found out that the woman was a member of the church and that she hadnt been to church in a while. We didnt know she existed because her records where somewhere else. It was so cool. Gods hand is real guys.

Saturday: On saturday night we were able to get into see a recent convert that we needed to get into touch with. She is the cutest little thing and she is so strong. We talked all about prayer and how we can make sure that we are praying meaningfully. I was grateful that we were able to see her!

Sunday: Sunday was busy because we  had meetings all day but we were able to have a lesson with one of our investigators that is in Sandy Valley! That was awesome because we hadnt been able to have a lesson previously that week! Miracles!

Overall it was a pretty good week. I love being a missionary. Right now I know there is nothing better that I could be doing. It is amazing. Thank you so much for all of your support! I love you all!

Sister Camilleri

Back in Vegas Week 8

Hello Family and Friends!
What a week this has been. Just a little bit of an update on my life...on wednesday my new companion left and I got emergency transferred (again) to the South Stake covering three different areas. My new companion that I am with now is Sister Albanes! She is an awesome missionary and we are learning how to work together. She just came to this new area so we basically are double transferring off an emergency transfer. To say that I am overwhelmed is an understatement. Everything is actually going pretty well though and I will survive. It has been crazy though I cannot believe that in 8 weeks I have served in 3 areas and had four different companions. Im just trying to hit this area hard with Sister Albanes and we are going to get these areas going! Ag least fpr the next 4 weeks!

I will have to right a better email next week! This week was just crazy and I have been sick and life has taken over!
One thing that I was thinking about this week was all about the decisions we make in this life. They are so so so important. Basically guys in short make good decisions! I love you all! Sorry this email is so short!

Also our mission is getting Facebook on Wednesday so I'm not sure what that is going to look like but it will be so good for missionary work! 

I love you! 

Sister Camilleri

Back in Vegas week 7!

Friends! Family!
I hope that all of you had a good week and that if you didnt that this week will be better! 
This week started off with me getting my new companion! We have had a blast together this week and I love Sister Berger! Once again it reminds me that time doesnt really mean anything. It is cool to be able to recognize that you can become super close to someone even if it is just a week. She is from New Mexico which means that I have another cool place to visit! Yay for companions!
Highlights from this week:
Tuesday: We got a random text that said that there is a guy in our area that wants to take the lessons again and be baptized. We were like well that is awesome. We were able to get into contact with him and tried to set something up. Hopefully this week we will be able to see him.
Wednesday: We had an amazing spirit filled lesson with one of our investigators who is progressing so well. It has been amazing to watch and be apart of. That is what I love about being a missionary: we are able to see people recieve a change in heart and to be a part of it. I literally live for lessons like this one. We were also able to read the Book of Mormon with a less active and that was really awesome. We started talking about the historical side of the Book of Mormon and it was really cool to see how everything lines up.
Thursday: We went over to see a part member family who we have not been able to get into contact with. We werent able to see the family that we were going over their to see but we found out that there was two people that lived in that house who we didnt know existed. They invited us in and were really open to us. That was a big miracle this week.
Friday: We were able to get into touch with a less active member who we know recently started a job that was going to take her away from being able to come to church. That is always a bummer but the fact that we were able to make contact with her this week was really awesome. She was really grateful for our visit.
Saturday: We were able to attend a baptism for another person and take one of our investigators with us. We invited him to come and he came and he loved it. I pray that it will be able to make a difference in his life.
Sunday: Our really awesome investigator came to church for the 3rd week in a row! She loved it! Seriously she has been doing so awesome and the ward has really been taking her in and that is always so good to see. Hopefully we will be able to set her with a date this week!
Yesterday was a very much needed sabbath day. I am grateful that we were able to focus in on the sabbath and the lessons that we were able to have. Im grateful for the way that the gospel fills my soul with so much peace and true joy.

As I pondered back on this week one thing that has really been sticking out to me is that we cannot grow without the help of others, our reliance on the Lord and having a desire to improve. I have gained a firm testimony that as we rely on others and on our Savior that in the end the dust will settle and no matter what we will come out on top. I have no idea how people make it through life without having a knowlegde of our Savior and being able to know that we can in fact rely on Him. I just feel so grateful.
Sister Camilleri  

Back in Vegas week 6!

Hello guys!
I made it through my first transfer back! What a crazy ride life is. Today is transfer day so I don't have a ton of time to write!
I am staying in the southern part of Vegas in the West Oqendo Ward! Im grateful that for at least another six weeks (unless there is another emergency transfer) that I dont have to pack up and move! My current companion goes home tomorrow back to New York! That is so crazy but Im excited for her and grateful that isnt me yet! (still love you guys though!) I will be getting my new companion today! Her name is Sister Berger and I dont really know anything about her. Ive heard good things though so Im sure it will be great!
This week has been an interesting one. I cant really remember all that happened but I know it was interesting. One miracle of this week is that we were able to meet with a couple who is investigating! We hadnt been able to see them in two weeks because  their life has been crazy but we were able to get back in and read the Book of Mormon with them! It was awesome and I was extremely grateful that we were finally able to get in! The investigator who went to church last week also came to stake conference this week! That was also so awesome and we were so happy because she was so happy to be there. The Lord's work really is progressing in this crazy messed up world. Im grateful that I have the gospel and I have things to be grateful for because if I didnt I think I would feel pretty gloomy. God is real and God is good!
We had stake conference this week and that was awesome and very much so needed. I love the Spirit and how it speaks to us personally.
One thing that really stood out to me this week was about having an eternal perspective. Guys there is life after this life and when we look at life that way it make s things easier. Seriously so much easier. We talked a lot about that yesterday with a member who we had dinner with. I know that when I look at things with an eternal perspective that my gratitude is strengthened and I am able to look past the trial or the situation. I promise that this life is not the end. There is life after this and now is the time to prepare to meet God. Keep preparing! I love you all!
Sister Camilleri

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TC

Back in Vegas Week 5!

Hello family and friends!
I hope that this week has treated you well! Thankfully this week went by a lot faster than last week and I was incredibly grateful for that. We are going into the last week of the transfer and I cannot believe it. My companion goes home next week so I will for sure be getting a new companion and Im a little nervous for that but I know all will be well and fanstatic!
This week was so good! I need to get a grip on my emails because I just dont have a good way of writing them yet so sorry that this one will be once again different. Bear with me guys...lets talk about the miracles we saw this week and the things I learned!

Monday
We went to go teach the Young Women's President about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she happened to invite a woman who recently moved into the area to the lesson. She is a member of the church who hasnt been to church in 34 years. She recently went through some tough things and felt like it was time to go back to the place where she started her relationship with God. It was awesome. As we were teaching her about the restoration you could just tell that she was soaking in everything that we were saying. We gave her a Book of Mormon at the end of the lesson and told her she could mark it up. She was so excited. We should all feel that excited to read the Book of Mormon including myself and that was a good reminder for me.
Tuesday
Nothing super exciting happened to us on Tuesday. We had a lady yell at us when we were leaving dinner with a member because we were in an apartment complex and we apparently werent supposed to be there. I was like bye girl bye we are coming from dinner. Then she got in her little golf cart and rode off and almost ran into a car. Karma.
Wednesday
We had an amazing lesson with our investigator named Andrea!  Seriously it was so good. We had a member  that she knew come with us and that made the lesson like 110% better. We were talking about the Gift of the Holy Ghost. As we were talking to her you could literally see the light bulbs going off in her head. It was so cool and then we started talking about how we are made in the image of God and about how Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings and she loved that. Oh man it was just so good! Miracles!
Thursday
We weekly planned for most of the day and that is always like good and super lame at the same time. We went over to our Relief Society presidents house and as we were leaving her neighbors were outside.One of them asked us if we were preaching the good word and we were like yes its pretty great! He came over to us and told us his life story, asked us to pray for him, and said that he wanted to learn more. It was so awesome. We will meet with him this week so hopefully it goes well. We are a little weary though because he lives with some preachers and we dont want to go over there and get bashed so pray for us lol.
Friday
WE WENT TO THE TEMPLE! It was a blessed day and an amazing experience and I want to go back. So so so so good! It felt good to be back in the Las Vegas temple again too!
Saturday
This day was rough. No one answered. The ultimate struggle. The ray of sunshine came from the one lesson that we had with a recent convert/less active and they offered us chocolate. Miracles.
Sunday
ANDREA CAME TO CHURCH. It was so good. I was so grateful. She loved it and so did her kids! Guys. It was awesome. I dont even know how to explain it! All the messages were perfect for her as well! It was just meant to be!

It was a good week my peeps. Im looking forward to what this one holds. It will be full of a lot of greatness. I can feel it. Plus its my companions last week as a fulltime missionary so it has to be amazing.

I have been reading from the Doctrine and Covenants a lot lately and I have been loving it. There are so many amazing things in there that I had never before realized. My testimony of Joseph Smith and his call to be the first prophet in this last dispensation has grown so much as I have been reading the Doctrine and Covenants. Joseph Smith withstood the test of times with so much faith and endurance. I know that He was a prophet and that because of him we have so many truths restored today. Thank goodness for that! I love you all so much! I hope you have a good week!

Sister Camilleri

Back in Vegas Week 4!

Hey Guys! This week felt like the longest week of my life but whats new. We had a pretty good week. Let me just give you the quick run down. 

Monday: We had a lesson with an investigator who has been taking the lessons for a couple of months. Our lessons are always long with her because we all talk to much. The lesson started on a rough note and I basically was like if you dont keep your commitments then you will never know if what we are sharing with you is true. This is the point in the lesson where it got a bit shaky but then literally out of nowhere I was so overwhelmed with this feeling of love that God has for her. As we were ending the lesson we shared our love with her and I started crying. I could forsure feel the love. Nothing feels better than feeling the love. lol. 

Tuesday: Every week we go and do service at an old peoples home usually we play bingo. (anyone that knows me know that I cringe at the thought of an old peoples home..no offense) We get there and everybody is playing bingo but this one woman wants me to come and help her paint a rock. I go over to her, talk to her and help her with her rock. Then this older man who volunteers at this place came and sat down to paint his rock. Next thing you know we get talking and he starts telling me about how his wife died 6 months ago and how he was really taking hard but he volunteered because this is what his wife would do. I started talking to him about his religious beliefs and testified that he would in fact be with his wife again. As he was leaving I gave him a plan of salvation pamphlet and told him he should have the missionaries come and talk to him. He just kept saying thank you and was really grateful for our conversation. Hopefully I get to see him again when we go back today to play bingo. 

Wednesday: We were on exchanges on wednesday. I was with my sister training leader Sister Hansen. It was awesome. We talked and she help me just have a better understanding on some things. It was fantastic. I love her. We were able to teach a less active member while I was with her in her area. We talked about Joseph Smith. He brings so much strength to me. I am so grateful for everything he endured in order to restore the church. 

This email has become massively long so sorry about that...Ill just finish telling you super quickly about the rest of our days

Nothing super exciting happened thursday, friday or saturday. Those were the long days. 

Sunday: We got two new investigators! We had a lesson with a former investigtor and his fiancee. It was awesome. They are neighbors with a member so we took her along with us. They are really open minded and want to hear more! We are excited to see where it goes! 

It was a pretty good week! We get to go to the temple this week so I am really looking forward to that. This is church is true there is no doubt about it. We just have to be willing to find the answers to our questions and give the gospel a shot. We seriously have nothing to lose. Being a missionary is good! Im starting to get the hang of it again! 

I love you all!

Sister Camilleri

Back in Vegas week 3 and emergency transfer

This week was a crazy week. When I say crazy I mean CRAZY. Wednesday I got emergency transferred to the West Oquendo Ward in the Spring Mountain Stake. Guys that was hard. I was just getting used to the Charleston ward and the area and then bam out of nowhere we get emergency transferred to Spring Mountain. I'll share you all the details but let's just say that Wednesday and Thursday were insane and I was slightly a mess. Wednesday we were busy. I had about 20 minutes to pack up all my stuff and drive to South Vegas before we had two lessons back to back. We went to those lessons and it was seriously by the blessings of the Lord that we got through those. Thursday was a pretty uneventful day. We weekly planned and had a lesson with an investigator who is the most talkative old guy I have ever known. He is awesome though. On Friday I had interviews with President Walker. I have really come to love and appreciate President Walker. You can tell just by the way that they talk that they care so deeply about us missionaries. I was talking to him and I realized kid conversation what is was that I needed to do in order to help myself. I literally looked at him and said "ya know President I really just need to get over myself" he kinda shrugged and went on to tell me a story about a woman from his ward that basically  told herself that everyday. I realized that I just need to get out of my own way. Seriously that is something we all need to do. I plan on telling myself to get out of my own way for the rest of my life. Choosing to overcome is one of the best things that we can do for ourselves. I'm grateful for that bit of revelation I received.
On Saturday we had another lesson with a investigator. This guy is seriously so knowledge probably almost to much for his own good. We had such an informational lesson with him about "our abrahamic sacrifice" (it sounds deep for an investigator but not this guy I promise)
The moral of the story was basically everyone has to make sacrifices that help them come closer to our savior and to our Heavenly Father. They will be different sacrifices but nonetheless they are sacrifices and they mean something. What will you sacrifice in order to grow closer to God? It was just really awesome to think about the things we sacrifice and why we sacrifice that things that we do. I know that every sacrifice that we make for our Heavenly Father is seen by him and will allow us to grow closer to Him.
Also can we just talk about how blessed I am? Seriously. Sometimes the mission field and the way this transfer has gone feels really lonely and feels really confusing. I am so blessed though because my Heavely Father has shown me that change is good and that the gospel is true no matter where you are. The work of God is progressing. I have good people surrounding and supporting me. Shout out to you all!
Also my new companion Sister Tew goes home in three weeks. Aka I have to learn the area in three weeks. Pray for me y'all. 

Love, 

Sister Camilleri

Back in Vegas Week 2!

Hello Family and Friends!
This week was so good! It was all about service and miracles. It felt like a long week but in hindsight I can't believe it is time to be writing you guys again! This week I started to feel better about this whole adjusting back to missionary life thing. We were able to have zone conference this week on Tuesday and the theme was all about having a Christ centered mission. It was so good! We watched a video from Elder Holland (an apostle) when he was counseling the new mission presidents that were about to start their missions. Elder Holland was sharing a story about a missionary who served in California and one day he was knocking doors sharing our message about our savior and he met his long lost brother that he had never known but he was always praying for. It was miracle. He told his brother that he was sent to bring him home. Elder Holland related this story to us as missionaries. Our call is to bring people home to their Heavenly Father and that alone makes serving a mission worth it. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to help his children come home to him. Sunday was probably the best day that I have had back on the mission so far. Honestly I needed Sunday. Sitting in church and hearing the speakers talk about the gospel was what my heart and mind needed. I'm grateful for the Sabbath day and how it can change your heart. We had two amazing girl lessons last night. One of them was with a part member family. Neither of them come to church but we contacted them last week and had the first lesson yesterday. It was so full of the spirit. The biggest thing that I needed out of that was came from us talking about the book of mormon. As we shared the book of Mormon with this family and explained how the Book of Mormon can change our lives. They were a bit skeptical as I'm sure it is to most people when they first hear about the book of Mormon. The minute we started testifying that the Book of Mormon was written for our day the spirit washed over us all. I am tremendously grateful that we have the Book of Mormon to guide us and give us strength. There is nothing better.
After our lesson with the part member family we went to go see a recent convert named Michael. He has been having a hard time. Just because we have the gospel doesn't mean that life is easy for us at all. Sometimes we just really wish that we could always feel the sweet peaceful feelings of the gospel but it doesn't always work out like that. As we were talking tears came to my eyes because I realized just how sweet this gospel can be. You know life is hard. Really hard. Especially when there are things going on in our lives that are outside of our control. We do have control about what we do about it and I realized that again last night. I love love love this gospel with all my heart. It has changed me and the way that I view life. Sometimes we just have to put ourselves to the side and focus on God. That's when we feel the happiest. That is why I feel so happy right now. I've chosen to put myself to the side and focus on God. I'm grateful for the things I'm learning as I do so. This week was amazing and miracles have come to us in this Las Vegas area and I know that God is real.
Love you all,
Sister Camilleri

Back In Vegas week 1

Friends! Family! It feels good to be writing you from the mission field again. Let me start of by saying that I legitimately forgot how hot it is in Las Vegas. I am dying and I am shriveling up like a prune. All is well though and I know that I will survive. Lotion and sunscreen are my friends. 

This week has been a long but a really good week. When I landed at the airport President and Sister Walker were waiting for me and my new companion Sister Walls was there waiting as well. I didn't have to go through any orientation or anything like that this time for the mission. Basically President Walker looked at me and said "Sister Camilleri I hope you are ready to work because Sister Walls has stuff for you to do in your area." From that point on I was put start to work. I am serving in the Las Vegas Stake in the Charleston ward which basically means I am serving about 2 miles away from the strip and the area is full of people that need Jesus. Lol. 

The Sisters that have been serving here just baptized all of our investigators which is a good problem to have but it has left us with the need to find people to teach! We have done a lot of finding this week between tracting and visiting members and all that jazz. It's been pretty great. This area has a bunch of amazing members here that are really passionate about missionary work which I think is really awesome. 

The transition back into the mission world has been kind of weird. When I'm around a bunch of Elders or Sisters I sometimes feel out of place or like I don't belong and I'm not sure why that is but as time goes on I feel more and more comfortable. My companion and I live with another set of Sisters that are serving in the Spanish area around us. It has been a good time living with them. They are always laughing and we are always saying stupid stuff so that has been a big blessing this week. I feel super grateful for them and for my companion. Sister Walls is from Mississippi and has been out for almost 14 months. She is pretty great. She is super quiet and doesn't say much so I feel like all I do is talk but as the week went on I was able to break that shell and she seriously always has the funniest responses to the random things I say. I love it. So far so good. We are just trying to work hard and have fun. Plus we made it a goal to take of picture everyday we are together that describes our day. So get ready to see those. Haha. 

Once again I have realized how amazing it is to be in the service of God. I love being able to have gospel conversations with people and be able to feel Heavenly Fathers love more in my life because I am learning how to love others. The highlight of this week was probably meeting with a part member family last night. We just got her records in the church and we stopped by last night and they were so nice and they were so open minded. They invited us back to come and teach them. Her husband was very nice and asked a lot of questions. One thing that I learned as we were talking and as we were teaching them was that I really love how the church is set up. He starting asking us questions about if we felt like the men of the church were above the women. As we were talking we shared the Proclamation to the Family and talked about the different roles of men and women. It was just a testament to me that everybody has their own essential role in this life and they have endless opportunities to accomplish that role. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what our role is but I know that if we adhere to the Lord and follow our path that we will be able to feel our divinity within us and be able to recognize that God loves us and he wants us to succeed in life and follow him. I hope that each and everyone of you understands your role in life and that you work as hard as you can to accomplish the plan that Heavenly Father has for you. 

I finished reading the Book of Mormon this week and that was awesome. I've finished reading a couple of times but each time the confirmation of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon becomes stronger and stronger. I love that book. It strengthens me everyday and I feel so grateful for the comfort that it brings me in my life. Now I get to start it all over again and I'm looking forward to all the things that I will learn this next time. It's true guys. Read it and it will be one of the best decisions ever. 

I really really really love this gospel with all my heart and I am forever grateful for all that it has done for me. 

Miracles are happening all around each of us! Look for them! 

Love you all! 

Sister Camilleri  

I am a believer in promptings. Not just promptings from anyone or anything but promptings that shake you to such a degree that you know it is God speaking to you. There have been many times in my life that I have felt these type of promptings. Most of the time these shake you to the core type of promptings come when I am least expecting it. I remember the first time I received one of the type of promptings. It was New Years day of 2015. I read a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 88 within this chapter there is a particular scripture that changed my life. When I say that it changed my life I really mean that it changed everything for me. It was the first time where I remember so vividly that I knew what Heavenly Father required of me. I read verse 68 in this particular chapter; "Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will." That was the minute that I knew that the Lord needed me to serve a mission. This was the first time in my life where I felt that God was speaking so clearly and in such a distinct way that there was no way that I could deny the power of God. A short 4 months later I received the magical white envelope in the mail that would tell me where I would be serving for the next 18 months of my life. I opened that envelope and read out loud " Dear Sister Camilleri, you have been called to serve in the Nevada Las Vegas West Mission" At that moment I received another prompting that was very distinct. However, it was very different from the first prompting that I described. This time the prompting came as a feeling of peace. In that moment I knew that I needed to serve a mission but more importantly I knew that I was needed in the Nevada Las Vegas West Mission. The mission needed me but I also felt very clearly that I needed Vegas. There were people and experiences there that were going to change my life. A short two months later I found myself on a plane flying to Vegas. I was scared for what I was about to do. I knew I was making the right decision but I didn't really know what was ahead of me. This was the first time in my life where I truly felt like I was walking by faith. I've been walking by faith ever since that day and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I served in the Nevada Las Vegas West Mission in various areas for 10 months. Those were some of the best ten months of my life; not because it was 10 months of bliss and ease but because in those 10 months I learned so much about myself, my Savior, my loving Heavenly Father and I learned of the importance of the gospel in my life. I needed it. There was no other way that I could possibly get the most out of this life than with the gospel. Six months into the mission I got sick. I spent about 5 months in the mission field consistently nauseous and consistently throwing up. In the field I visited doctors and received a diagnosis that I was hoping could be resolved so that one I could feel better but two so that I could be the missionary that I knew i needed to be. As time went on the medication that I was on was not being effective and there wasn't much that we could do about it. I either had to choose to work through the sickness and try my best or I had to choose to return home  and receive more medical treatment. I am a fighter. Fighting through things is one of those gifts that I feel I was blessed with. So, I fought. I decided to stay in the mission and continue on with my mission with hopes that I would get better and the issue would go away. I fought for about 3 months. I did not want to go back home. I wanted to stay and there were many days and nights where I was on my knees or where I was in a constant conversation with Heavenly Father pleading for Him to let me stay and to continue to fight and overcome. I wanted it so badly. As time went on things got worse. One day I was having a really hard day with this illness and I started feel like it was not fair to me, God  or my companion for me to stay in the missionary field anymore especially since I could not work the way that I knew I needed to. I pondered this thought for awhile without praying about it. I tend to be one of those really ponder and think about the decision and try to come to some conclusion before I take it to Heavenly Father. That is exactly what I did. I knew that I was at a crossroads in my life. I had to make a decision and it was only a decision that I could make. No one could make it for me. It was at this time that I received another one of those shake you to the core type of promptings. I knelt in prayer on a Saturday morning feeling more nauseous than I had ever felt and in tears. I took my decision to the Lord and I received a very clear prompting that I was making the right decision. I was going home. Often times the Lord requires us to do hard things sometimes even things that we don't want to do. We have to do these things so that we can grow. I again found myself feeling like I was taking a step into the darkness and like I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I felt like I was walking by faith. It is one of those bittersweet feelings. I found joy in the fact that I was following what Heavenly Father had planned for me and that I was being as faithful as I could but I also found sadness in the thought of returning home and leaving the missionary field. I felt complete when I was serving the Lord. Heartwarming happiness became real and I finally felt like I understood what happiness was. In some ways I felt like my happiness was being taken away from me because I was leaving the field and I was going to have to take my tag off. As I made this decision I also found another prompting of peace a long the way. I know that in those 10 months that I served the Lord and the people of Las Vegas that I did exactly what was required of me. I know that the work that I performed was acceptable to the Lord. This taught me that it is possible to feel peace in times that are hard. Just because I was following the plan that Heavenly Father had for me does not mean that it was easy for me. Leaving the mission took a lot more faith than coming to the mission did and it was one of the hardest things that I had ever done. A short and long days later I found myself on a plane once again with the feeling of being scared creeping back in because I had no idea what I was getting myself into. When I got home I decided to fight once again. Doctors appointments came quickly and a proper diagnosis became clear within a couple of months. I began medication to help with the illness and I started to feel better for the most part. I didn't know what I was supposed to do next. I wanted to return the field but I knew that was not what Heavenly Father needed me to do. At that moment in time it was not in the cards and even though it was disappointing I again found myself walking by faith. I received another prompting that I needed to go to college. I was enrolled at BYU-Idaho and I decided that I would go there in the fall. It felt right and I knew that I needed to be there. While in Idaho I met amazing people and made amazing friends that have changed my life in more ways than I could explain. My experience at BYU-Idaho changed my life and I am so grateful for the time that I spent there. I needed it and I have a feeling that Idaho needed me too. Now, it was January of 2017 and I found myself in Idaho trying to figure out my next step. BYU-Idaho did not have the major that I wanted to study so I was trying hard to know where I needed to go in order to receive an education in that particular field of study. I had options and as I pondered them nothing was lining up. I didn't know what to do and I was frustrated. This is when the prompting repeatedly occurred to me that I needed to rethink the idea of returning to the mission field. I had been home for about 8 months at the time and even though the desire to go back had always remained with me I had always felt that it just wasn't what I needed to do. These promptings came as one of those shake you to the core type of promptings. It surprised me and I felt like it had totally come out of left field. I had been home for so long and felt like I was just starting to fully adjust again and life was good in Idaho. My friends and I were closer than ever and I knew that if I was going to try to return to the mission field that I was going to have to leave them and to sacrifice everything again. I had a whole lot of mixed emotions and trust me any one of them can testify to that. I could not deny the prompting that I received and I had made a promise earlier on in my life that I would try my hardest to follow what Heavenly Father needed from me. I did not want to go back on my mission. I did not want to sacrifice everything again. I did not want to return home to Washington where my spirituality severely was in trouble every time I came back. I did not want to lose everything that I felt like I had worked so hard for.  Now a month later I have found myself back in Washington and working on the process of being able to return to the mission field. I don't know how I got here. Its been hard emotionally the past month. I have a lot of feelings but once again I have the prompting of peace that inspires me to continue to move forward and to continue to follow my Heavenly Father's will. Sometimes Heavenly Father asks us to do things that are hard and that we don't want to do but he does this so that we can grow. I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have to grow. There is peace in following Heavenly Father's plan even when things are hard. I don't know if I will be able to return to the mission field but I know that I need to try. This last week I received medical clearance to be able to return. My doctor feels confident in my ability to return and that is a huge blessing. Next week I will be turning in my approval letter along with a letter from myself to the missionary department stating why I want to return to the mission field and why I feel that I can. Two weeks later I should hopefully have an answer. I don't want is going to happen. I'm walking by faith and its is beautiful.