Elder Cameron Summers:

January 26, 2009
Talofa lava aiga pele,
This last week was really good. I got a new companion and he's a stud. We were actually in the MTC together! His name is Elder Mangakahia. He’s from Australia. It is dang fun, We work so hard and have a blast. Sometimes we don't understand what the people say to us so it can get pretty funny! I love the Samoan people because if we don’t understand they are so understanding and just laugh over it. I never would have thought that we would be companions this fast into our missions. It’s pretty rare for missionaries with so little experience to be together. But it’s a blast; we are loving it.

This last week we picked up another ward to our area. It’s pretty far but it’s really nice. All the members are so excited to have missionaries back in their area because the last missionaries were really lazy and the area got shut down. We already have 3 investigators in the area in just one week of work! I'm really excited to see the work progress there.

The rash that I told you about that was on my neck is gone away. I went into the missionary nurse and she gave me some anti fungal cream and it went right away.
I got the box you sent this last week with the memory card in it. Thanks a lot. Ha, thanks for the mace spray too! My companion and I had a good laugh over that.
Everything is going really good! Thanks for the package and most of all, your love and support!
Alofaaga, Cam

February 2, 2009
Aiga pele,
This week was really really good. We have two couples lined up for marriage within these next couple of weeks and then once they are married we will be able to baptize them! I'm pretty excited. I hope all goes well. We also invited another girl (17 years old) to be baptized. She accepted but it has to go over with her parents. Hopefully everything will go well with her too! Her mom is Samoan and her dad is white. She grew up in New Zealand and we have been teaching her in English. It has been kind of funny teaching her in English because I will sometimes forget the English word. It is also very weird to pray because I haven't said an English prayer in 6 months!

I am going to need another package please. I need some more of the ance medication. Also, a medium sized pocket knife that fits well in my pocket or bag, and maybe some chocolate candy and a Sports Illustrated. Thanks for everything you do. I feel your love and prayers and I am continually praying for you all! Love, Cam

February 9, 2009
Hello!
Well so I didn't get an email this week, but I guess I’ll be the better half and still write an email! Ha. The work in my area is starting to explode again after being dormant for a little bit. We are still planning on marrying two couples in two weeks and then baptizing them right after and another this next Saturday. But sadly enough, I guess my time is up in my area. The lord needs me in a new place. I am getting transferred probably tomorrow or Wednesday to a new area and follow up training. It will be a good experience for me to transfer to a new area. My companion right now is still pretty new and hopefully I have had a good impact on him.

I had a really cool experience with an investigator this last week. So I wake up in the morning and do my personal study and companion study. During my personal study I had a strong impression to turn to D&C and read a verse. I wasn't familiar with it but I just flipped to D&C and landed on a really good scripture. When I read it I had a really strong impression that I should use this scripture with this particular investigator. So I shared that scripture with my companion during companion study and we planned a little thought with that scripture. So when we got to the house the first thing she does is pulls out her scriptures and asks us what this scripture means. It was highlighted in her scriptures and told us that she read it after we left in our previous visit. That scripture that she had highlighted just so happened to be the same scripture that we had prepared to teach her about. How cool is that. It was really powerful and a really strong testimony builder of this work and how God loves his children and works through all means to bring his lost sheep into his fold. I gotta run. The church is true and hope to hear from ya next week! Tofa soifua! Cam

February 16, 2009
Hello!
I got the Sports Illustrated' today. To say the least it was nice to get them! I got transferred this last week to my new area. It’s called Vaivase. It’s just a little bit out of Apia. It’s a totally new change. It reminds me a lot of back home and America...which is a bad thing. I miss the jungle! We attended a dance that the YSA did for Valentines Day. It was so different from the dances that they did in my last area. It was so "palagi" (Caucasian). But it’s okay. Everybody works jobs here so it’s kind of hard to find people in their house during the day, which is different from my last area because everyone there worked in their plantations.
I love you all! The church is true. Elder Summers

February 23, 2009
Aiga pele.
Well another week has came and gone. Everything is going really good. Yesterday our zone did a Fireside in one of the wards that we cover and the President Haleck (Mission President) was able to come and give a speech. It was really good. We are also scheduling to baptize three people this upcoming Saturday. They are all 16-17 years old.

It’s kind of funny how Samoans picture Americans. They picture everyone as owning guns and everything is a free for all shoot off. They think everyone just shoots everybody. They also think that money grows on trees. But a thing that they don’t realize is that the people that live in the jungle are really fortunate. Granted they don’t have a lot of money, but they don’t need it. They live off the land and run their gardens. They don’t pay mortgages, water or power bills, just live off the land. If they are poor and hungry, they go behind their house and dig up some taro, or chop of some bananas; where as in America, if you're poor and hungry, you have no means of food. So that’s another difference about the cultures.

I gotta run. I love and pray for you all each day! Love, Cam