Songful Sunday!

Church today was absolutely wonderful! The hymns is sacrament meeting all struck chords with me, but one in particular really stood out:

I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go #270 

https://www.lds.org/music/library/hymns/ill-go-where-you-want-me-to-go?lang=eng

Take a listen or read the lyrics in the link above if you like. 

It stuck out as a beautiful missionary song (which I'm always looking for), but it also seemed so applicable to my family right now! The first verse reads "It may not be on a mountain height or over the stormy sea... my Lord will have need of me." The thing is, God has called my family "over the stormy sea". We have moved to the Philippines for crying out loud, and yet my family has responded calmly to the call with "I'll go where you want me to go". 

My parents are amazing. My brother is brave and outgoing. We are all still feeling a little bit rootless. Nothing seems certain yet, but we have faith that the Lord knows best for each of us. 

I'm so excited for my mission as well! It's drawing close and the lyrics resonate with me as I prepare to respond to the call as a full time missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. :) 

Sister Sam Part 2

Sister Sam had her surgery today. Mom and I went to visit her at the hospital before the procedure and met some Elders there who gave her the most beautiful blessing. They blessed her with assurance of Heavenly Father's love for her and that she would make a full recovery! The spirit was so strong and I totally cried. :P
I'm just so grateful for missionaries and the work and service they do!

Sister Sam

This past Sunday, we met a sister visiting from Guam. She was here for a surgery to remove her cancer and after talking to her briefly, my mother offered to bring her a meal one evening. She gratefully accepted and we set a date to stop by her hotel where she and her sister were staying. The day we decided on was today.
On arriving at her hotel, we were saddened by the state of it. The bed sheets in her room appeared stained and worn, the amenities scarce, and there was a a large cockroach that darted across the floor as we entered.
What did lighten our hearts though, was the lightness of Sister Sam's! She was full of gratitude! She was grateful for her family and the sacrifices they had made to get her to the Philippines. She was grateful that we would bring her and her sister dinner, and she was grateful for friends to help her through this time.
We sang a few hymns for/with them and left them with a prayer. They told us that we were the answer to their prayer! Although flattered by this, we decided that the answer to their prayer would not end there. We are determined to do more to help these dear sisters and get the ward more involved. Mom, Josh and I agree that the spirit has testified just how cherished these daughters are in our Heavenly Father's eyes and we love them.  Today I am grateful for sister Sam and the faith she is showing in the midst of a difficult time. <3

Mini MTC Experience

Well... today was different than I expected, but it was definitely good! I asked to participate in a stake youth activity referred to as a "Mini MTC Experience". My brother couldn't make it, so I decided to take his place! Waking up at at 5:30 to get to the chapel by 7:00 was the start of it all. There were four of us 'white kids' clustered together, feeling desperately out of place while everyone else chatted in tagolog. Learning experience number 1: People actually speak different languages in various parts of the world?! Who knew! The workshops in the morning were excellent. Thank goodness for instructors who mostly spoke in english for our benefit.
In the afternoon we were supposed to go out proselyting, but due to a lack of leaders that part of the activity was cancelled... It didn't ever occur to me that a church activity could just be cancelled! haha. So learning experience number 2: church activities in the Philippines=slightly disorganized.
Everyone met back at the church in the evening for a fireside by the mission president, President Ostler. Again, I was thankful for english. It was followed by a brief testimony meeting. Although many of the testimonies born were also in tagolog, the spirit was strong just like it was on splits with the sisters yesterday. :)
Learning experience number 3: The church, though taught in multiple languages, is the same no matter where you go in the world.

Splits and a Jeepney Ride

Now that I'm officially in the Philippines I figure I better keep trying to be a good missionary...
My mom and I went on splits with some sisters from the Manila mission today. It was a wonderful, exciting experience. After meeting them at the chapel we caught a jeepney to the area we would be working in. Now, I totally trust the sisters, but I was a little hesitant to climb into the public transit (jeepney) after hearing stories of people getting robbed and whatnot haha. Nevertheless we boarded and were totally fine. :)
We reached our destination about 15 minutes later; a typical family neighbourhood consisting of ramshackle shanties and rundown houses. Children played in the streets as people revved past on their motor bikes. It was altogether a different environment than I was accustomed to and my heart flooded with guilt as I reflected on my comfortable lifestyle back in Alberta. I have so much. Many of these people have nothing.
We walked to the residence of a young sister, I'm guessing in her mid twenties, named Beth. She works as a housekeeper for a newly wed couple that are members of the church. :) The lesson was completely in tagolog. I couldn't understand a thing ringing past my ears, but I could understand the whisperings of the spirit. I felt the holy ghost testifying of truth throughout the lesson, confirming what the sisters taught. At the end of the lesson, my mom and I were both asked to bear our testimonies of the plan of salvation (in english of course which Beth could understand, thank goodness!). It was a great experience for each of us.

Member Missionaries

So basically, these fine folks you see in the picture below are some of the best member missionaries I know!
Traveling to my grandparents home from the temple yesterday, my grandpa Dave mentioned that the older he gets, the easier it becomes for him to start talking about the gospel with all sorts of people. He said he views it as planting seeds in their hearts so that one day, they might accept the church more easily. My excitement grew as I realized what a great missionary he is.
In relief society today my nana turned around and struck up a little conversation with a lady who isn't a a member. (She has a deal with her husband who is a member that if he goes to her church one week, she'll go to his the next.) Nana was so sweet, introduced herself and told her how happy we were to have her there with us. I don't know why, but I was blown away by her simple and kind welcome to this woman. Seriously, my mouth nearly dropped open haha. It hit me then what a fantastic missionary my nana was!
Then this evening at dinner, my grandma Edna and grandpa Donn brought up their lovely Chinese exchange student Jessie who had just recently been baptized! It was though their example and lifestyle that she became curious about the church, and they were able to assist her in the conversion process as she took lessons form the missionaries. It humbled me to know what amazing missionaries they are.
I look up to all my grandparents very much. Yay for member missionaries who engrave this calling on their hearts.

Grandpa Dave, Nana Joanne, Me, Grandma Edna, Grandpa Donn

Langley Temple Trip

I love to see the temple <3

It took a lot of work to get here to Langley today. Let me tell ya, getting on a packed full 3:20am Greyhound bus was not my ideal form of travel... haha. Despite the temporary discomfort, meeting my Nana and Grandpa Dave at the Langley Vancouver Temple made every bit of it worth it.
In May 2010, after years of planning, building, and then waiting, I was able to witness the dedication of this amazing house to the Lord. I was also privileged to perform in the Temple Youth Celebration for it. What an amazing experience to dance and sing our praises. British Columbia had finally been blessed with a temple!

Now over four years later I can come back and enter in.
Not only was it a great temple day, it was also the perfect timing to reconnect with a couple of old friends!
My dad and I got to give a hug to Joy, a family friend who had JUST been married in the temple that afternoon. She was absolutely stunning and looked happy beyond description. That was special.
Unknown to me, a friend who I had lost contact with back in 2011 was going through the temple for his first time before heading on his mission to Tokyo! Catching up with him and talking mission stuff was also special. :)

Moving Day

Today has been a total mix of emotions. I had to say goodbye to my friends, and my beautiful little town of Magrath. I'm going to miss everything and everyone for the next two-ish years. I have to leave behind some of my best friends in the world simply because I couldn't fit them in my suitcase. :/ I also have to give up the best small southern AB town in the history of ever, I'm sure! (I'm not biased.. ;)
Sigh... but enough pity partying!
Let's focus on gratitude. (My mom has the gift of gratitude and she's super awesome and happy all the time because of it. Sometimes looking at things from her perspective really helps.)
I'm grateful for my upcoming adventures!
The Philippines for a month and then a mission for eighteen?! I still can't believe it.
I'm grateful for my dad's job and his company that has provided us with the cool opportunity to move across the world.
I'm grateful for my family and how awesome and positive they are!
I'm grateful for my mission call!!!
I'm grateful for the gospel in my life <3
I know that we are given trials to help us grow. I also know that Heavenly Father has given me these amazing opportunities to bless my life as well as the lives of my family!
As long as I focus on that I'm able to keep a smile on my face, and I like smiling!

Change is Good...

Change is good...

Let's just take a minute to appreciate this quote, shall we? This, as a laminated piece of paper, has lived on my mirror for the last few weeks and is now being packed to move halfway around the world with me! It has helped me to accept, rather than reject all that's going on in my life right now. I mean, preparing for a mission is overwhelming in itself. House cleaning, organizing, renovating, and preparing to move.. to the Philippines.. (have I mentioned my family's moving there?) kinda puts things over the top! That said, I've felt oddly calm and at peace with everything happening lately. Such a blessing.
So I just want to say to all those dealing with big changes, small changes, or even in between-ish changes; it's going to be okay! It may seem unbearably hard now, but trust me, you will grow because of it and it will be GOOD! Just have faith and a little perseverance. You will make it through!
<3 From Camille

Fifty Days! :D

I leave on my mission in 50 days!!! I love my Heavenly Father and am excited to share the knowledge I have of Him and his restored gospel with the world.  

Any questions? Visit the link below!

Learn more about serving a mission: http://mormon.org/missionary-work