9/1/2014 Email

From: Camille Weller [mailto:camille.weller@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2014 10:58 AM
To: Melissa Wheatley;

Subject: The time is far spent.

I swear each week i come to love the mission more and more... which only makes it harder to believe that this amazing journey will soon be over. Well a lot happened this past week so i guess i´ll just start from the begining!

Monday we had a goodbye Family Home Evening in Chivay, It was a lot of fun! We made arroz choufa, and they all talked about how sad they were that we were leaving and that they wanted our mission presidents number to tell him we should stay... haha it was hard for all of us i think, they´ve become family to me and its wierd to think that i wont ever have the chance to work up there again as a missionary.. Tuesday we went around and said goodbye to the members and then we packed up our whole room, cleaned up and headed out that night. 

Wednesday we had a practice with the choir for the conference and then Hermana Zobrist had us help her with a couple things. 

Thursday we had the mission conference with Elder Andersen, Bishop Davies, and Elder C. Scott Grow. We all got to go shake their hands and greet them and then they gave us some great advice and ideas on how we can become better missionaries, and children of our Heavenly Father. They talked a lot about honesty and how the world we live in is not a very honest or trustworthy one, but we as members of the church of Jesus Christ need to be honest people. That God knows all.. therefore we cannot lie to Him... another thing they talked about is that if we are not honest we can not have the spirit with us. I thought that was cool to think about... God is the one that gives us the spirit.. He knows whether or not we are being honest and according to that will either bless us with the spirit or not. Another thing he said is that it is hard to be a missionary.. but it is  impossible to be a unworthy missionary. loved that. It was a super great conference and the musical number went perfectly... so perfectly that i missed my cue to flip the page... hahaha but it all worked out.(:  Afterwards we got to chat with everyone, which was fun because its very rare that we get to be together with our whole mission, got to see some old friends. Then we all went and ate at TGI fridays with the zone... reminded me of how excited i am to eat american food again! 

Friday was time to get back to work (; i´m now in an area in arequipa called Casa Blanca (white house... hahah) in Paucarpata. Im with Hermana Clemens and we are the sister training leaders in our area so we have 7 companionships of sisters that we´re in charge of making sure they are doing well and all that good stuff (: Hna Clemens is amazing, shes from morgan utah and is 21, She ends her mission in december and yeah... shes the best i love her. We had an interview friday morning for an investigator and then had weekly planning, i got to meet the new zone, that is just hilarious.. they´re great. Then we went out and had some lessons with some members and i got to know some of them. Then we went and said goodbye to Hermana Stone.... which was harder than i thought it would be.. turns out that when you spend about 3500 hours straight with someone you miss them a little when they go to a different country (: 

Saturday morning we went to contact a reference and it was an example of persistance.. haha we sat there knocking her door for like 15 minutes but no one answered.. then finally her dad came home and let us in.. i guess her room is way in the back and didnt even hear us.. reminded me of a quote by elder holand to be persitant.. that "his wife has avon ladies that are more persistant than some missionaries" haha It ended up being such a cool lesson. Her moms sister is a member and almost all of thier family has questions about the church and want to know more! great way to start off a saturday morning (: then we had the baptism of Hermana Victoria! She is awesome. Shes 61, pretty much only speaks quechua and man... shes just the cutest thing. After she was baptized she was smiling ear to ear... even though i didnt understand anything she said i knew that she felt the spirit and that she could feel her Heavenly Fathers love. After the baptism we got invited to a BBQ with some of the bishopbric and members, it was fun to get to know them and to meet their families. Its very different here than it was in chivay.. everyone has their own cars and big houses and its just cool to see the gospel in such different circumstances. 

Sunday we had church at 8, and i went from going to a branch of about 20 each week to a ward of about 120..... quite the change haha but the ward is great and i cant wait until chivay grows into a ward like that. We even had ward council and A little training that night for the leaders! i love this ward.. im sad that i only have a couple weeks to get to know them.. to love and serve them.. and then to say goodbye.. time goes by too fast! 

This past week was busy but it was amazing... the past couple days i have been working as hard as i can and i can definately feel it.. im tired a lot but i know that the Lord will help me to endure to the end and to give it all i have these last couple weeks. A couple days ago i pulled out my english hymn book and was reading through the songs when i found this one that was exactly what i needed to hear as i come to the last weeks of my mission.....

 

266
The Time Is Far Spent

31243, Hymns, The Time Is Far Spent, no. 266

1. The time is far spent; there is little remaining
To publish glad tidings by sea and by land.
Then hasten, ye heralds; go forward proclaiming:
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven's at hand,
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven's at hand.

2. Shrink not from your duty, however unpleasant,
But follow the Savior, your pattern and friend.
Our little afflictions, tho painful at present,
Ere long, with the righteous, in glory will end,
Ere long, with the righteous, in glory will end.

3. What, tho, if the favor of Ahman possessing,
This world's bitter hate you are called to endure?
The angels are waiting to crown you with blessings!
Go forward, be faithful, the promise is sure.
Go forward, be faithful, the promise is sure.

4. Be fixed in your purpose, for Satan will try you;
The weight of your calling he perfectly knows.
Your path may be thorny, but Jesus is nigh you;
His arm is sufficient, tho demons oppose.
His arm is sufficient, tho demons oppose.

Go forward in faith, the promise is sure (:

Love you all!!!! Nos Vemos pronto!!! (:

Hermana Weller