Au revoir Bordeaux (update #60)

Bonjour!!

This week I was transferred to TOULOUSE!! I'm so excited. Well, actually there were a lot of mixed emotions. I was sooo sad to leave Bordeaux, especially my wonderful companion Soeur Addie Rutter, but if I had to leave, I'm pretty excited that it's to Toulouse.

This last week in Bordeaux has been one for the books. We continued the tradition of breaking French baguettes. There was a specific "baguette" in our ward that Soeur Rutter and I HAD to crack...
but this one was particularly hard. One day while reflecting on how we could make it happen we mentioned that we wished it was his birthday so we could bring him a cake and sing to him and then he would HAVE to like us. Then we had the best idea ever: "let's just pretend it's his birthday and show up to his house with a cake and sing to him anyway!"

So then we did...

And it worked!!! They thought it was hilarious. And we hung out with them for an hour that night and another hour the next night at the ward party. They were joking with us and saying that I should marry someone in Bordeaux so I don't have to go to Toulouse (didn't really get the logic there, but it was funny I guess haha...)

Baguette bien broken!!

And the best part is that it's going around the ward that "les sœurs messed up his birthday" and it's so funny... but nobody knows that it was totally on purpose. Hahah

So maybe this is bad life advice... but when someone doesn't like you, you should just pretend it's their birthday and bring them a cake.  Lol.

In even more exciting news, we have a new ami Ambroise who is SO COOL. We met him last Monday at the bus stop on our way home. Since then we've had two rendezvous, he's read almost all of 1 Nephi and he wants to be baptized! He has a lot of changes he needs/ wants to make, but he is so sincere and in tune.  Here's a pic of when he came to church Sunday!

Also, our new amie Ronicka is so cool!! We've had two rendezvous with her this week and she is sooo amazing.

I'm a little sad to leave right as all these miracles are happening, but so excited for Talence and all the amazing miracles that are happening right now!! And luckily, God will be doing His work in Toulouse just as he is in Bordeaux :)

Saying goodbye to the famille O was so sad.

We went over and they didn't really understand WHY I can't come back and visit them :( but it's okay. C'est la vie missionnaire. While we were there, Anila (the mom) gave us chicken and just said in her broken French/ English "here, Soeur Goold, respect." It brought tears to my eyes and was also just so cute. I love them SO much.

Saying goodbye was hard, but I'm so excited for the new adventure that Toulouse will be! They call it "la ville en rose" because it's all red brick and beautiful and happy. (this is the view from our balcony)

Oh and how could I possibly have forgotten, my new companion is SISTER GOWANS!!! She is literally one of my dream companions and I'm so excited to serve with her. (sad not to be with Soeur Rutter anymore), but seriously soo pumped too. She's chill and funny and a great missionary. She's been here for one transfer more than me which means she only has 2 transfers left in her mission which hopefully means I'll be with her till the end :))

Thank you so much for all the love and prayers and faith. The world is crazy, but hope is always here. Love you!

Soeur Cami Goold
Envoyé de mon iPad

More goodbyes....

Fabrice

De Franchi sisters

Breaking Baguettes in Bordeaux (update #59)

Hello tout le monde!

I accidentally ran out of time this week so I don't have a lot to say, but this week has been the absolute best. My companion is beautiful and fun and inspired and smart and the best. Bordeaux is the most beautiful place on the planet.

Our Albanian family is as cute and sweet as ever.

This week we tried to teach the kids about prayer and we asked them how they thought we could talk to God if we can't see him. Their response were: "we can build a staircase really tall and go see him" and "we can write a letter and give it to the birds to give to God." So cute. 

We've had a couple rendezvous since then and the kids are starting to pray (with our help) and it is one of the sweetest, most spiritual things to be a part of. The innocence and faith of little kids is incredible. I think especially because they don't fully understand... because I'm a
missionary and have been for a year now and I definitely don't fully understand everything haha.

We had a last rendezvous with our amie Yuwei before she heads off to China for a business trip next week. We're hoping with all our hearts that we'll be staying together another transfer, but if one of us is leaving this will be our last week in Bordeaux :(( but miracles can happen!

We went over to Sarah and Stephanie's house on Sunday to make a French/ American meal and it was Sooo much fun!!! 

Just to spend a Sunday afternoon in the kitchen (my favorite place) with people I

love. And also such a miracle because Stephanie has been less active for so long and little by little we've become her friend up until now where she invited us to spend the afternoon with her! Soeur Rutter and I compare our amis/ people to baguettes. They're hard on the outside, but soft and loving on the inside. You just have to have the love and patience to get to the inside. So we're over here breaking baguettes in Bordeaux :) and it's so much fun.

Well, I've got to run. Have the best week, thank you for your prayers and examples and lights in the world.

Love,

Soeur Cami Goold

La Terre Promise (update #58)

Bonjour tout le monde!!
This week has been so good (and with a few less tears than last week😉).

We saw so many miracles but I'll just share two of my favorite:
We were waiting for our bus to come when a guy named Tom arrived. Our bus was late so we ended up talking for about 30 minutes. We thought we would be getting on the same bus so when a different bus came and he got on we were so sad because we weren't able to get any of his contact information! 

Fast forward to the next morning and we receive this message on Facebook: 

<<Hello, I'm Tom, we just had a talk at the bus stop 😁  It's was really nice bumping into you and Adélaïde, I enjoyed talking with you! ... >>

He asked our first names during the conversation and then he had literally searched and found US on Facebook. So cool. He didn't end up making it to church today but we're seeing him later this week :) 

Another story:   At the beginning of the month Soeur Rutter and I both renewed our bus passes in the machines at the gare (train station), but for some reason mine had not been working. On Tuesday we went to the gare to get it taken care of when the lady helping me said: "I don't know why your pass isn't working, but I know that God sent you to come here to talk to me. I've seen you missionaries before." She proceeded to offer US her number before I could even ask for it.  Her name is Jessica.

Also, Soeur Wadsworth (Millie) came to visit and it was SO FUN!!! 

We went and visited our amie Christina and went to dinner with her parents. 

While we were with Christina she commented "Wow, you are so beautiful now Camilla 1" (she calls us Camilla 1 and Camilla 2 because our names are both Camille.) then she turned to me and said "you're clearly still a missionary, you don't wear a lot of makeup, do you?" Hahaha. She then proceeded to comment at least 3 times that Camilla 1 should keep wearing make up. #missionaryprobs.

I'll finish with this super cute thing we heard about on Sunday. One of the cutest families in our ward is the famille V. They have a little 4 year old and an 18 month old (both girls). We've been over there a couple times and challenged them to read the Book of Mormon every night as a family. Last week we wrapped up a children's Book of Mormon and gave it to them as a present.

On Sunday Soeur V came up to us and told us they had been reading every night, but last night they had gotten home late and she told Olivia (4 year old) that they weren't going to read. To which Olivia responded "mommy, I thought Jesus told us to read the Book of Mormon every day." So then they read... SO CUTE. And the dad is not a member which means he is now reading the Book of Mormon every day with his family! (And he already come to church every week).

Anyway, life is good. France is beautiful. Thanks for all the love and prayers!!
Love,
Soeur Cami Goold

With the Famille "P"

Chateau de la Brede