She still doesn't have an iPad, so no pictures this week.
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June 19, 2017
Hello everyone!!! Life in Bordeaux is absolutely incredible. Soeur Wadsworth is so much fun, we're seeing tons of miracles, all the members and missionaries are incredible. Life is just good. Very hot and sunny, but good.
I'll start off with two of the biggest miracles EVER:
So the first one happened today. First, a little background. Do you remember the last miracle I wrote you about when we met the lady at the bus stop who had already taken all the lessons and only didn't get baptized because she didn't feel ready, but was super excited to fix a rendezvous with us? Anyway, the day after I sent the letter telling you about that miracle, I called Florencine (bus stop lady) to fix a rdv. But HER NUMBER DIDN'T WORK. I was devastated. Would I throw away this huge miracle God handed to us just because I misunderstood or miswrote her phone number? In that moment I just prayed with all of my heart that God would make it so that we would meet her again one day.
That brings us to Saturday: we were at the church for conseil de paroisse (ward council) and then making cupcakes because the Primary president asked us to. It was getting to be lunch time so we decided to go grab a baguette sandwich, but the bakery was out of sandwiches, so we ran to the grocery store to find something to eat. Normally we never should have been at the grocery store Saturday morning... but guess who I see as we're standing in the checkout line?! FLORENCINE!!! She's walking away so the second we finish checking out I just turn to Sr. Wadsworth and say "We need to talk to that lady and we need to run" so with our lunch in hand, we run across this huge parking lot as fast as we can to catch up to her. We take a moment to catch our breath so we don't scare her and then call out her name. Florencine turns around and is SO HAPPY to see us. She said she normally wouldn't have been at the store either except for the fact that she had forgotten something. When I said her number didn't work she said "here, let me call you so you will definitely have it!" Then as we were saying goodbye she said "I'll be waiting for your call, okay!"
It is just one more grand evidence to me that Heavenly Father loves each of His children, but more than that, he is preparing them. And he is not going to let my human weaknesses like messing up a phone number get in the way of His work.
The second miracle is perhaps even better. Monday afternoon we got on the bus to go to the gare to pick up the Brive soeurs for our exchange. As I sat down next to a woman the words just came out of my mouth and I started talking to her. About the weather I think.... We talked a little about how I was a missionary and what our purpose is, but it wasn't a particularly special conversation. I left her with a card and told her to text so we could fix a rdv another day. Fast forward a few hours and my phone meows (my text sound is a cat haha...idk why) and it's DANIELLE! Saying she just wanted to thank me for talking to her about God. No one has EVER responded to one of my cards in the hundreds that I've given out. We fixed a rdv for the next day. The next day Soeur Hughes and I teach her le retablissment/ lesson 0 with a member. It was a really good lesson, but again, nothing super special or out of the ordinary. Until the end. When Danielle turns to me and says "When I was on the bus yesterday, I was feeling completely overwhelmed by life. I was thinking about what I should do to overcome all my problems, completely lost in my thoughts. And then you came and sat next to me and started talking to me about God. And I feel like God is trying to tell me something. etc etc" My eyes filled with tears as I testified to her that Heavenly Father is indeed trying to tell her something: that He loves her and that she is on the right path and that He has more help and hope to send her.
THEN, the next day my phone meows again. It's Danielle saying that she just was contacted by another missionary on the bus!!! We call the elders and it turns out Elder Nelson sat down and talked to her, having no idea that she was our miracle new amie!! Danielle was so touched and really felt like God was showing her that she needs to act.
This morning we called her and she told us about how she has a lot of questions, mostly about how our religion can exist and not contradict the Bible. She said she started the Book of Mormon, read the whole retablissment (restoration) pamphlet and has been looking up articles on lds.org. She said she does not smoke or drink and it surprised her to see that is one of our beliefs in the church. She said it always seemed weird to her that she had no desire to smoke or drink and do "worldly things" even though it doesn't say that those are wrong things to do in the Bible.
It is absolutely breathtaking to be a little witness to all these incredible miracles. If I know anything it's that Heavenly Father is real and that He loves, prepares and takes care of His children. I love the way Nephi puts it:
19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.
20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
It's true that I make a million mistakes (in French and life in general) all the time, but I know in whom I have trusted. I trust in a Heavenly Father who loves His children. I trust in a God of miracles. And with that trust, I feel like I'm slowly starting to see a tiny glimpse of just how powerful His love is in this world.
In other news, this week we are headed to Toulouse on Wednesday for Soeur Wadsworth's last ever zone conference. Soeur Kelley AND Soeur Wilson will also be there and I'm SO PUMPED!!!
And today was such a fun pday at Arcachon (right next to the ocean) with all the elders and Fiona (coolest member in our ward)... hopefully I'll find a way to send pics soon :)
Anyway, sorry for the super long email, I'm just super excited about life. I LOVE YOU ALL!! Thank you so much for your prayers and support, they truly keep me going from day to day and mean the world to me.
Je vous aime avec tout mon coeur,
Soeur Camille Goold
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