Camille's Last Week in the MTC

The picture I've been waiting for -Camille and Scott together in the MTC (with their companions)

 Missionary work is hard! -Camille and her companion after a particularly hard lesson 

 The four sisters from Camille's district -all headed for San Antonio next Wednesday

 Sisters from Camille's zone enjoying a beautiful spring day at the temple -with every other missionary in the the MTC, apparently.

Camille's district -Elder Dance must be missing, or maybe they're having a dance with the elders. ?

Some of Camille's letter this week:

Mi Familia,

Hola! Que Pasa? Estan disfutado la primavera? Todos los misioneros aqui son muy felizes debido al sol esta semana. I leave on Wednesday! Our flight leaves at 9:56 a.m. and I'll arrive at 1:40 p.m., although I think that's Texas time. And I get to call you in the airport! 

Also, my mission president emailed us and told us that we are allowed to email friends in the mission field. So all of you who promised to write to me don't have any excuses now! 

Thank you, everyone, for you letters! They seriously mean so much to us missionaries. Matt, you are the most faithful writer a missionary could ask for. I love all your letters. I'm going to write you a letter after I finish this email. :)

This week has been really good, (as usual). I have learned so much (as usual). I have become acutely aware of my complete inability to do anything. It's great. Especially this week, I have been praying my soul out for the gift of discernment. I'll walk out of lessons and realize that all I was really focusing on was my Spanish and receiving the Spirit for myself. And I'll completely overlook the investigator. We had a lesson this week where our teacher/investigator actually stopped the lesson to show us a huge opportunity we had missed. I hadn't even noticed it. Anyway, since then--especially since I'm leaving in less than a week it's about to start affecting real lives--I've been focusing on, working for, and praying for this gift. And I've seen a big difference. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've learned that I can't do anything by myself, but it's been beautiful to discover that I can do anything with God. I feel humble in the most confident of ways.

A couple of days ago Hna Christensen and I listened to a fireside given by David A. Bednar online in Spanish for our language study. I was amazed at how much I could understand! Before I came here when I heard Spanish on TV or when people spoke Spanish around me I couldn't understand anything. Anything. And I know that the translator was talking really clearly, and I know he wasn't talking as fast or as casually as people do in real life, and I know that there was a lot of stuff that I missed, but I understood what he was talking about! I could even understand what he was saying well enough to go about an inch beneath the surface to think about his message. It was the most exciting day I've had here. I've said it a million times before, but it really is a miracle. At the same time though, when we talk to native speakers in TRC (every week we teach volunteers who just be themselves) I have a really hard time understanding them. But I know that I'll be able to get it, and that's comforting.

Letters from the MTC

Here are some excerpts Camille's last two letters home:

2/28/13

Can you believe I've been gone for 3 weeks?! These past weeks have felt so long and so fast at the same time. I can't believe how much I've already experienced and learned. And I'm excited to get to Texas but I'm OK spending more time here. I just have SO much left to learn it's ridiculous.

It has been so neat to see and feel the Spirit helping us with out lessons. It's impossible to know exactly what a person needs; they're just too complicated for that. But God knows. And only, ONLY, through the Spirit can we be confident that we can ever help them.

It has also been great to see my Spanish improve. Our district has really been working hard on our HSI (hablar su idioma--speak your language) goals. We're supposed to speak in Spanish absolutely as much as we can, to only use English if we don't know the Spanish word. Hna C and I have been working especially hard at it this past week. And we've really been improving! In our lesson with Antonio I was really surprised at my ability to just speak, to not have to stop and think in between every word. I still had a bit of a hard time understanding Antonio, but I could speak fairly easily. It really is a miracle. I still have so far to go but I'm beginning to see how this might be possible. :)

I've been having kind of a hard time adjusting to never being alone. I'm more of a personal person and I miss having time to myself. In normal life when I get frustrated or stressed I just go and sit by myself for a while. But here I have to always be with my companion and, even though I really couldn't ask for a better one, it's been hard. Let's just say I'm grateful for an extremely patient companion. I'm getting better though, I think!

3/7/13

This week has been a period of huge growth for me. As a missionary we are all acutely aware of our dependence on the Spirit. It can be really scary if you're doubting your ability to receive direction from the Spirit. But this week--from some incredible Sunday and Devotional talks and from personal experience--I've come to realize that the blessings that come from the temple and from being a missionary really do apply to ME. And it's not something I need to worry about. Before in lessons I would just be searching my mind for anything that could be perceived as direction, and I think I often over-looked it. I have learned that the Spirit doesn't always hit you in the face. Sometimes you don't even know that what you did came from a prompting until later, and sometimes you never know it. But if we just open our mouths, if we just act, God will help us. If we are being good, if we are keeping the commandments and sincerely trying to better ourselves, we never need to worry. Now when I teach, I just teach. I listen to the investigator and my companion and I don't think too hard. Sometimes I open my mouth without completely knowing what will come out of it, but it always ends up ok. It's a much more comfortable--and surely a much more effective--way of teaching.

Ok. Now I want to talk to my girlfriends (if any of you even read this...I bet you have all already forgotten my first name. I know I have.) who are struggling to decide if a mission is right for them. I think all of you believe that Heavenly Father has a plan for you, and you're just trying to figure out what that plan is. I know that's true and that whatever He has planned for you is perfect for you.  But let me make a suggestion: don't sit around waiting for the answer to hit you in the face. It might, but it probably won't. You have probably already been prompted and directed more than you realize (D&C 6:14). Pray for guidance, live righteously, and MAKE A DECISION based on what YOU want to do (D&C 4:3). If it's wrong, He will stop you! If you're being righteous and have a sincere desire to follow Him, you have nothing to worry about. You WILL receive guidance from the Spirit. I know that, for me, I never got that slap of realization to the face. But I know that this is the right decision for me. I look around at my life and I know that I've received guidance.

Unless Heavenly Father has another plan for you, I really don't think you can go wrong with serving a mission. I've only been out a month but I wouldn't trade the experience I've already had for anything. It has been the hardest, most stretching, most demanding, and most rewarding month of my life.

But that's me. Do what's best for you. But DO something. The Spirit can't lead us if we're not moving. If you take the first step of faith, you will receive the guidance you need.

P-day Temple Trip

And a little from her last email:

This week has been great overall. But honestly, the beginning of this week was pretty rough. Our lesson with Felipe, our new investigator, didn't go super well. I was scared that my Spanish wasn't progressing as fast as it should have been, especially because Hna. Christensen is learning SO FAST. Basically I was just really doubting my ability to be a good missionary. And I was kind of in a rut that I couldn't get out of. It was really hard. A good hard run made me feel better for a while, but the feelings didn't go away until I seriously just laid my troubles at the Lord's feet. 

I feel SO much better now. (Really, don't worry about me. I'm fine.) Which is really good because feeling that way was really debilitating. I know that I can't be a good missionary by myself, but fortunately I'm not alone. Mom, you have no idea how true I know the quote you sent me is. Every day, even here at the MTC, I'm required to do things that seem impossible to accomplish. But when I let the Spirit guide me, all things are possible. I've been surprised countless times at the things I have done--the thoughts that have come to my mind and the words that have come to my mouth. Oftentimes in lessons I'll have something I want to say but I won't know how to say it. But when I just open my mouth and start talking, I somehow find a way to say it. It has been incredible to literally feel the Spirit working through me. I have been so humbled and I grateful for everything I've gone through here, because it has all made me a better person, and a better missionary.

News from the MTC

"The Map"

Hermana Lund and the 3 other sisters in her district -all headed to San Antonio

 Hermana Lund and Hermana Christensen

 The District -6 elders headed to Honduras, 4 sisters headed to San Antonio

Here are a couple paragraphs from her last email:

So, I guess I'll just pick up where I left off in my letter. My district is AWESOME. We have 3 companionships of elders and 2 companionships of hermanas: all the elders are going to Honduras and the hermanas are all going to San Antonio. I love them all. The elders are definitely 18-19 year old boys. We've had to set quite a few district goals to keep everything under control at the end of the day when everyone's wound up. But they're such hard workers at the same time. Most of the missionaries in my district have little or no Spanish background and it's been great to see how far they've progressed already. And we've become such good friends already. The elders tease us hermanas and we all support each other however we can. I honestly don't think I could have picked better missionaries to spend 6 weeks with.

And my companion! Oh, how I love her! Hermana Christensen is 21 like me (only Hermana Regan is 19) and we get along so well. Hna. C. is super friendly and is a very hard worker, and her Spanish is already really good. We are already so close. Today we even made up a Spanish song about lunch on the way home from the temple. It's probably the greatest song I ever heard. I can't believe how much I lucked out to have gotten such an awesome companion. Sometimes it's hard to be around someone--anyone--all day every day, but I if I need to be stuck with someone I don't mind if it's Hna. C. I've already learned so much from her. It's weird how this kind of thing turns out. We're perfect for each other and the other companionships are perfect for each other, as well.

Before I came here everyone said a mission would be hard. I believed them, but I didn't really get it. And I'm still not sure I totally get it, but I understand better what they meant now. It's HARD! It's stressful and draining mentally and emotionally. But I have received more than enough blessings this week to keep me going. I already have a stronger love for and testimony of this gospel and there's nowhere I'd rather be right now. 

Thank you everyone for your letters!  I can't express how awesome letter are to missionaries. 

Mucho, mucho amor!!

Hermana Lund

Camille Enters the MTC

  All ready to go!

Doesn't she look happy?  She's going to be great!

Mission Farewell

Camille and Scott both gave their mission farewell talks on the same Sunday. It was such a special day shared with friends and family.

Kevin, Scott, Camille, Matt

 Grandpa, Camille, Scott, Mommer

(Grandma and Grandpa were with us in spirit and we were able to talk on Skype when things calmed down a little)

Cousins -Stockton, Conner, Megan, Scott, Zander, Camille, Garrett, Matt, Kevin

 Camille and Lauren

 Roommates -Amy, Julia, Camille, Riley

Camille's Temple Trip

Camille went to the temple for the first time on the day after Thanksgiving, November 23, 2012. She had been looking forward to it for a long time. Mommer and Grandpa were there with us and it was a beautiful, peaceful day.  Much better than Black Friday shopping.