8/4/2014 Email

From: Camille Weller [mailto:camille.weller@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2014 11:57 AM
To: Melissa Wheatley;

Subject: Start Fast, Finish Strong!

 Woooowwww the mission is the best, thats all im going to say (: This week was incredible! We were both so tired from all of the work we did we didnt make it to 10:30 before we fell asleep most nights. Theres nothing better than that.  These past weeks we have really been trying to find the Lords will for the people and branch here in Chivay and this week we got our answer. Our mission president called us and told us first off that both Hermana Stone and I would be staying here in this area until Hermana Stone goes home the 29th and then he has something else planned for me for the remaining two weeks.. i dont think ive ever been so happy!!! 1 i get to do this amazing work with my best friend and 2 we get to do it in chivay! Then he told us that he had been thinking a lot about our area and the branch here and wants us to focus everything we have on helping the members here, helping the inactives come back and also helping the active members learn more and become more self reliant. Its really different up here because we are the branch leaders... our main focus is running the meetings and activities and basically doing everything all the ward leaders would normally do, but its so awesome because we get to work with and be a lot closer to the members which normally we dont get that chance. The members here are so amazing and if they dont know something or dont know how to do things its our responsibility to teach them and help them to understand. So thats our new and primary focus, to teach the members and leave them the strongest we can when we go. 

This week was super busy! Tuesday we had such a cool district meeting! we mainly talked about how we need to work our hardest expecially Hermana Stone and I because we go home this next transfer and we need to finish our missions the strongest we have. "start fast, finish strong" as coach boyd would say. We also read a super good quote, i hope that it hits all my friends that are still out on missions as hard as it hit me...

 

"You only get once chance to serve a mission; it is your responsibility, your duty, to use it to the fullest; to give every last ounce of energy until you collapse in exhaustion at the end of it. All the hardships, all the tears, all the hard work will be looked back upon as the best thing you´ve ever done, not because you enjoyed it, not because you baptized everyone, but because you gave everything you had, even when you didn´t think you could, and especially when you didn´t want to. Live your mission to the fullest, work harder than you´ve ever worked before. Let people know this is the most important thing in the world to you... If you do not run until you have nothing left to give, and then keep going anyway; cry and pray and work and sweat and plead until you are so drainded that all you can do is turn to the Lord; If you don´t do this, then these people will not come to this joy because of you-their falure to come to Christ will be partially upon your head. Come out of your mission proud of what you´ve done, and this experience will bless the rest of your life." -Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Doesnt that just rock your world??? It makes me realize how much i need to change and how much i still need to do.. but i love it. 

We also met with Brenda this week... i havent said much about her the past couple weeks because she was sort of distant.. we didnt know what was going on but she hardly ever was with us or wanted to listen or talk to us... we were pretty discouraged but went to visit her and it was such a cool experience (Side note, dont give up on anyone!) We sat down and read the book of mormon with her and afterwards she opened up to us. She said she didnt know what was going on with her but that when we read with her she felt the spirit again and it was like "everything made sense again". in her prayer she prayed for forgiveness for the way she had acted and how she had treated us.. it was so cool to be reminded that these people that arent baptized and havent yet recieved the spirit need to be spiritually nourished more than we think, the spirit helps us to see things more clearly and to understand our purpose better. Having the spirit in our lives is probably the most important thing!! 

Friday and Saturday we had the opportunity to have a group of youth come up from arequipa and got to help us with visits! It was a little stressfull because we had to plan everything... food, activities.. everything.. just part of the joy of being the branch leadership here (: definately prepares us for further callings and such though so i cant complain! Its just funny because normally missionaries would have nothing to do with such an activity but in turn we´re in charge of it.. haha On friday we all split up, one missionary with 2 youth and went out and contacted, visited members, and knocked doors. My favorite part was listening to the testimonies of the 2 young girls i went with. They were so powerfull and sincere and i could truly feel the spirit  through their words! We got a lot of amazing new investigators and were excited to work with them as well this week! Saturday we got to go play soccer with them and then they went off to the hot springs and we stayed and cleaned the church... another joy of being the responsible ones (: 

Sunday we had such a funny but spiritual meeting! We had a super old guy that was visiting pass the sacrament(because there wasnt anyone else to do it) and he could barely walk... it was such a spiritual couple minutes, i loved it. Then his cute old wife shared her testimony and then made him get up there after her... it was the best testimony ever... we couldnt understant half of the stuff he said.. he shared his testimony of the book of moroni... and then read the same scripture 3 times.. best thing ever.. meanwhile there was a lady on the phone outside screaming, cell phones going off and a kid upstairs messing with the tv which was playing frozen in english.... ohhh man i couldnt love this place more. Despite all of that it was still such a cool meeting, i love listening to the strong testimonies here and picturing what they will be like in 10 or 20 years and everything that they will have accomplished. We taught gospel principles about the scriptures and importance of scripture study and then in Relief society Hermana Mariella talked about Elder Bednars talk "Bear up their burdens" which was so good! you´ll all have to go read that!!

Well thats all this week folks!!! Love you all so much and i hope that you can feel my prayers and that this week will be better than the last! (:

Love,

Hermana Weller