This upcoming week marks our THIRD week in the MTC which also means we have three weeks left. CRAZY. Our time here is going by sooo fast and it's simultaneously exciting and scary. Exciting because, obviously: FRANCE!!! But terrifying because: FRENCH, aka I know so little and we're already halfway done with our French learning experience.
#Mishspiration
The initial shock of entering the MTC has officially passed, leaving us face to face with the very real task of learning how to speak French.
Elder Holland did not come for Tuesday devotional, but Bonnie L. Oscarson did!!!!! (YW general president) I think I needed her message more than anything Holland could have said.
Her talk was all about trusting in God and His plan for me and for the people I will teach. Often I'll find myself thinking "I would be such a good missionary if I could only speak English" (humble, I know...) But, NO! If I would be a better missionary speaking English than French, then God would have called me English speaking! He knows what I need and I just need to put my Faith in Him and remember that His way is better than mine.
During her talk, a missionary going to Russia said something that stuck with me. In Russia they are no longer allowed to wear nametags and are called "volunteers" instead of missionaries because #government. He said: "They can take away our nametags, but they can't take away the light in our eyes. The way we act is a testament of Christ." AMEN! I love wearing Christ's name on my heart, but having him IN my heart is far more important. And it doesn't take being a full time missionary to have Christ in our hearts. When we act as he would have us act and love as he loved, we will be another testament of the goodness of Jesus Christ.
This week has been SO GOOD! Everyday is like a mini adventure and it's so fun to find the little things that keep us going.
Jesus is EVERYWHERE. Literally and figuratively hahaha. There's three pictures of Jesus in the lobby, one in my closet, one on the door, at least 72.4 in every hallway, and even one on the bottom of Soeur Jones' bed (aka staring at me while I sleep because I'm on the bottom bunk. (pic attached) At first I thought it was kinda creepy but I've come to appreciate the symbolism. When I was 12 I had a picture of Taylor Lautner on my ceiling, now I have a picture of Jesus... I'd say that's a step in the right direction ;)
On our weekly Sunday walk to the temple we ran into a girl going to our mission this week!! (She already speaks French so she only goes to the Spain MTC for 3 weeks) She's going to arrive in Lyon at the same time as us!!
We also met the cutest missionary FROM Lyon who is going to serve in Temple Square. She promised to help us with our French and had all good things to say about France. Soeur Jones and I are getting SO PUMPED!
Oh yeah! BAT in the building!!
One night we came home to a bat tucked away in our hall.
Elder Sorenson and Elder Amison had a drawing contest the subject of which was my face. Elder Amison unfortunately erased his before I could get a picture so I guess Elder Sorenson won by default (looks just like me, right?). Some much needed entertainment at the end of the day hahah.
I LOVE our district, between the many spiritual experiences we have and the funny little moments it's so fun. And the coolest part is watching everyone change and grow as we learn together (especially the young elders right out of high school).
In our building (right outside the bathroom) I found this painting that is a copy of the huge mural in the DC Temple. It's one of my favorite paintings of all time, such a #tendermercy that I get to look at it everytime Soeur Jones is in the bathroom.
Speaking of, Soeur Jones is seriously the best!! She makes everyday more fun and makes being a missionary so much easier. Her spirit is so strong and I feel like I learn so much from her every day. Funny thing she said yesterday: "It's so weird to think that in our whole lives we just keep going, like we literally never die. We're like a living plant or something for 60 years." HAHAHA what?! I laughed so hard.
Je l'aime. One spiritual thought of her's that I loved this week (though there were many to chose from) was:
" And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." 1 Nephi 11:17
I think we shared this scripture with every single ami we taught this week. Because that is the central idea of the church. There is so much I don't know and so much I wonder about, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that God loves His children. And because He loves us He gives us the beautiful world, families, friends, and little tender mercies every day to help us be happy. And if that's the only thing I ever remember, that's enough to bring me joy every single day.
Thank you so much for your letters, prayers, and support!! They all mean so much to me!
Je vous aime!
Love,
Soeur Cami Goold
Cami LOVES packages! Thanks to those of you who have sent them!
#Mishspiration
The initial shock of entering the MTC has officially passed, leaving us face to face with the very real task of learning how to speak French.
Elder Holland did not come for Tuesday devotional, but Bonnie L. Oscarson did!!!!! (YW general president) I think I needed her message more than anything Holland could have said.
Her talk was all about trusting in God and His plan for me and for the people I will teach. Often I'll find myself thinking "I would be such a good missionary if I could only speak English" (humble, I know...) But, NO! If I would be a better missionary speaking English than French, then God would have called me English speaking! He knows what I need and I just need to put my Faith in Him and remember that His way is better than mine.
During her talk, a missionary going to Russia said something that stuck with me. In Russia they are no longer allowed to wear nametags and are called "volunteers" instead of missionaries because #government. He said: "They can take away our nametags, but they can't take away the light in our eyes. The way we act is a testament of Christ." AMEN! I love wearing Christ's name on my heart, but having him IN my heart is far more important. And it doesn't take being a full time missionary to have Christ in our hearts. When we act as he would have us act and love as he loved, we will be another testament of the goodness of Jesus Christ.
This week has been SO GOOD! Everyday is like a mini adventure and it's so fun to find the little things that keep us going.
Jesus is EVERYWHERE. Literally and figuratively hahaha. There's three pictures of Jesus in the lobby, one in my closet, one on the door, at least 72.4 in every hallway, and even one on the bottom of Soeur Jones' bed (aka staring at me while I sleep because I'm on the bottom bunk. (pic attached) At first I thought it was kinda creepy but I've come to appreciate the symbolism. When I was 12 I had a picture of Taylor Lautner on my ceiling, now I have a picture of Jesus... I'd say that's a step in the right direction ;)
On our weekly Sunday walk to the temple we ran into a girl going to our mission this week!! (She already speaks French so she only goes to the Spain MTC for 3 weeks) She's going to arrive in Lyon at the same time as us!!
We also met the cutest missionary FROM Lyon who is going to serve in Temple Square. She promised to help us with our French and had all good things to say about France. Soeur Jones and I are getting SO PUMPED!
Oh yeah! BAT in the building!!
One night we came home to a bat tucked away in our hall.
They had to evacuate the whole hall for like 30 minutes (only after we took pics, of course). Thankfully we found some sisters on another floor who shared their chips with us while everyone else was stuck in the stairwell #tendermercy
Elder Sorenson and Elder Amison had a drawing contest the subject of which was my face. Elder Amison unfortunately erased his before I could get a picture so I guess Elder Sorenson won by default (looks just like me, right?). Some much needed entertainment at the end of the day hahah.
I LOVE our district, between the many spiritual experiences we have and the funny little moments it's so fun. And the coolest part is watching everyone change and grow as we learn together (especially the young elders right out of high school).
In our building (right outside the bathroom) I found this painting that is a copy of the huge mural in the DC Temple. It's one of my favorite paintings of all time, such a #tendermercy that I get to look at it everytime Soeur Jones is in the bathroom.
Speaking of, Soeur Jones is seriously the best!! She makes everyday more fun and makes being a missionary so much easier. Her spirit is so strong and I feel like I learn so much from her every day. Funny thing she said yesterday: "It's so weird to think that in our whole lives we just keep going, like we literally never die. We're like a living plant or something for 60 years." HAHAHA what?! I laughed so hard.
Je l'aime. One spiritual thought of her's that I loved this week (though there were many to chose from) was:
" And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." 1 Nephi 11:17
I think we shared this scripture with every single ami we taught this week. Because that is the central idea of the church. There is so much I don't know and so much I wonder about, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that God loves His children. And because He loves us He gives us the beautiful world, families, friends, and little tender mercies every day to help us be happy. And if that's the only thing I ever remember, that's enough to bring me joy every single day.
Thank you so much for your letters, prayers, and support!! They all mean so much to me!
Je vous aime!
Love,
Soeur Cami Goold
Elders Pistole, Perry, Thompson, Jacobson, Sorenson, Amison, Soeurs Jones, Huntsman, Goold, and Allen
Cami LOVES packages! Thanks to those of you who have sent them!
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