Monday, September 18, 2017

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

Friday, September 15, 2017

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

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

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