E-mail from Elder Summerhays 4/1/08

From Vince:
Like previous Wednesdays, Tamara and I were on-line again around 11AM this morning. We had a good 45 minutes or so of back and forth emails with Cameron and it was our best email session yet. I hope Tamara doesn't mind me sharing this, but by the end of it, she was in tears because she was so happy he's doing well and sounding so missionary like. We have still only received 1 of 4 letters he has mailed and no pictures, which is very frustrating. Here's most of the Q&A we did with him today... this seems to work pretty well. Hope you like it.

From Cameron:
How are you Meu Pai? (my father)

How's your day been? Did you visit the Temple?
Yeah today has been great. We went to the temple and I prayed for about 15 minutes in the Celestial room, and I felt the spirit so strong, I just wept, it was great though. I felt so happy.

How has your week been?
Good. We have been solving some problems in the district. Some of the companionship's are not functioning ideally, and I, out of love discussed it with my zone leader, and fortunately things are getting back on track. I want to have the spirit in our district at all times so that I/we can learn more effectively.

I just sent off another brazilian best friend, and he was a great person he was one of my best friends. I love him. He gave me a shirt as a gift.

From Tamara;
I'm glad to hear that you have found some new friends. It sounds like you bonded very quickly. What is his name? That was so nice of him to give a shirt. Dad shared your e-mail with me about the temple. It sounds like you had a very spiritual experience in the celestial room. Isn't the temple wonderful? It really is a refuge from the world. I am so proud of you Cameron, it sounds like you are really a calming influence to your district. You have such a special spirit about you and I'm sure they all can feel it. I am so impressed by you and how quickly you are learning and growing. I love you so much! Thanks for being such a wonderful son, I couldn't ask for more. Mom

Elder:

His name is Elder Yury Menezes da Silva he is just a little but tough brazilian kid, He is extremely good at speaking english as well. The temple was awsome I love it there. I try and be a peacemaker, I just talk with the people in my district, one guy just talks and talks about his life and his struggles, I love it. haha. I love you too mom. I learned from you.

Vince: I think this is where the tears started.


Any spiritual experiences you'd like to share?
I bore my testimony on Sunday, and I felt the spirit throughout the whole meeting. Also I went proselyting for the first time! Dang that was scary! But I felt so good when I did it; I just felt like I was doing the right thing.

Is your companion opening up a little? You guys getting along?
Yes, we get along most of the time, and when we disagree, we just step back and chill out because it is useless to argue. We just have different teaching styles. Neither of us our necessarily wrong, so now we just say okay you are welcome to teach this way and I will teach this way. The important thing is to follow the spirit, and to get the doctrines correct. He has not opened up really. When we went proselyting he didn´t talk to a single person by his own will, I felt sorry for him I just encouraged him and told him I was there to help. I wanted him to have success.

Are you getting letters from us and others?
Yes, I get the most mail out of everybody, I have received letters from all of you the most, and from Jamie, and Brian Morris and sister Catron... annnnddd... hmm I guess I am supposed to get one from Brad this week soooo we shall see.

How's the language coming? Little by little I imagine.
Well....little by little no. It is more like a fire hose being pointed down my throat and whatever gets in there is good and whatever doesn't I will have to lap up later throughout my mission haha. I am surprised at how much I have learned in just a month... dang a month wow.

Did you get the pictures of Nate's Baptism?
Yeah I got the pictures, I showed like a hundred people. I was soooo excited haha! Are the missionaries doing a good job of helping him integrate into the ward? Because they need to start weaning themselves out of the picture. Well I sure hope so! haha. I don´t hear the end of the importance of members, it is really amazing what they can do. I really hope his family joins as well. That is another thing that we need here in Brazil WHOLE FAMILIES I have that written in a thousand places in preach my gospel. They strengthen each other sooo much. It is more difficult for the parents to change than the kids sometimes if you ask me, because they have their whole life in order most of the time, and they have a routine and breaking that is difficult. Tell the missionaries... well I hope they already know this, but tell them they need the spirit. Do not do anything, ANYTHING that would prevent them from bringing the spirit into that home every time the walk through that door, if they can feel that they can not deny what the spirit is telling them to be true

Any last requests for anything to be sent along with the USB card reader?
A new hymn book... haha I gave my English one away to Elder da Silva because we would love singing English hymns with each other, but I don´t need that right now. uhhhm are you sending board shorts?... alsooo. uhhhmmm. I know there was something but I can´t remember sooo it must not have been important.

Oh hey, can you let Jamie know how to use the treats thing (care package) from Mr. Cheney´s Cookies? I think she was really looking forward to sending me treats, and she can´t really do that while I´m in the Brazil MTC haha. Could you send another milkshake? That was the most amazing milkshake I have ever had! And the cookies are to die for.

I have got to get going. I love you very much. Tell everybody to write; it´s almost like a contest here haha I gotta stay ahead of the game! I love you again, and I wanted to tell you I am singing often, and I sound dang good haha, but still no choir, I just leave em wanting. lol.