Week 95 - Last transfer!!!

September 28, 2015

     Holy cow, this is the last transfer of my mission! Boy, its been a good one. We got the call today, and me and my companion are both staying! It'll be 6 months by the time I go home that I'll have been here, my second longest area on my mission. It was the last thing we expected, staying together. Pretty sweet though!!!! :D I'm getting killed by one of my very best friends, so that's pretty sweet.

     Yep, so I found out I fly home November 11, and that's the last thing that I'm gonna say about that. I have to stay focused these last 6 weeks, so please don't say anything about stuff that's gonna happen afterwards. Unless its super important, or you're my mom, then its ok. :D Haha its gonna be a good one!!! I am excited to work hard and to give it my all. This is the only time in my entire life I'll have this opportunity, so I'm not gonna waste a second of it!! Its too valuable, and it changes too many people's lives for me or anyone else to coast. Its gonna be a good one.

     I don't know if there was anything super exciting this week, other than all the amazing things that happen all the time. Life is really very good! Learning so much. I hope you always think of the Savior and what He has done for us. The purpose of our life is to change, so if we're not changing, we're not doing it right. Unless we're like Jesus, we've got things to change, and none of us are even close. And its wonderful!! Its such a positive thing, God loves us so much. We are worth so much to Him, every one of us. Its humbling to think that the most powerful being in the universe cares about ME. Just some random 20 yr old. But He does care, and I know it. And it has changed me. I love you all so much, have a wonderful week!!! Keep smiling!!!! :D

-Love, Elder Ellis     

6 MORE WEEKS!!!!! LETS GO!!!!!! NEVER SETTLE!!!!!!!!

Week 94 - Good Afternoon!!!

September 21, 2015

     Good afternoon! It's a bright sunny day here in Cincinnati with a degree of I don't know what, but it sure feels good. The Fall and the Spring are by far the best time of year here in Cincinnati! And most places on Earth. It's the perfect temperature, nice and cool, not too hot, not too cold. I always like a slight breeze, it feels great. :D

     

     So a lot happened this week like usual, and also like usual I don't have the mental capacity at the moment to write all of it. Our zone had interviews with President Porter on Friday!! It was fantastic, we got to do role plays and area book stuff, and ya! It was great. Everyone is doing well for the most part. Missions are sink or swim, and they're all swimming hard. It's always nice to talk to President, he is the most amazing person I've ever met. Changed my life, that's for sure.

 

     Haha yeah! That was the biggest thing that happened this week. There was a lot more, but it shall have to wait for the afterlife.... Or maybe just next week or something, one of those. I do want you all to know that the Atonement has truly changed my life. The person I used to be has died, and God has raised up someone new. The rest of my entire life, and my entire eternity is going to be different because of His Atonement that I have experienced as I've been out here on my mission. I am so grateful for the love, and light that He has for all of us. It makes life worth it, it really does. There is nothing He cannot redeem us from, or set straight in our lives. I love the Savior very much, and I will live the rest of my life doing the things that He would have me do. I love you all!! I wish you the best of weeks, and hope that you will feel the love that God already has for you. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love, 

Elder Cameron Ellis

                                               Elder McEachern

Week 93 - Andre and Patrice!!!

September 14, 2015

OH MY HECK!!! MIRACLES!!!!!! Wow, so there have been so many miracles that have happened this week!!! It has been so amazing. So by far the best part about this week was last night, Andre and Patrice both got baptized!!! It was by far the best baptismal service I've ever been to, there was so much love, and the spirit was SO strong!! It was just so wonderful. I am still on the spiritual high from last night, every time I think about it I feel so great. Andre wasn't planning on getting baptized last night as of a week ago, but so many prayers of faith changed him and gave him the courage he needed to take that step with his wife. They've been investigating for over a year now, and the Elder who found them at the very beginning (far left), was able to come and baptize them! He goes home in 2 weeks. Me and him doubled up for Andre since he's 405 lbs. There were angels in that font helping us, that's for sure... The ward loves them so much, they're the ones who got married back in June my first transfer here. I cannot describe how wonderful it was. Its moments like this that make it all worth it. Every day is great, but these experiences really just light up everything. Haha yep! That is really all that needs to be said about this week, it was really good. It was crazy trying to get everything lined up for the baptism, and its always crazy haha, but life is so good. 

        I know this is the Church of Christ, and I know that He is running His church, through inspiration and revelation, through the Priesthood keys. From the Prophet down to every Bishop to every single member, God has set up the church of Christ to bless the lives of all who enter there. And it is to invite all others to enter therein, for it is only there that the blessings of salvation are available. Everyone needs this. I need Jesus just as much as every human out there. We all need him. And this path is how we fully access His Grace and His Power in our lives. It is real. It is true. Jesus is the Christ, and only His Atonement can save us. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

   I love you all, have a wonderful week.

-Love, Elder Ellis 

Week 92 - It's been a good week

September 8, 2015

     First off, I want to apologize to anyone who has not been receiving my e-mails!! I just noticed it today, but apparently my e-mail has not been cooperating to send it to everyone that I put in the group to send it to, so I am so sorry!!! I changed a few things around, and it should work out a lot better now. :D

    

     Alrighty, so, what a great week it's been!!! It was absolutely crazy, there was so much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it. But then again, there's never enough time to do it. There was just even less time for it all.... It all worked out though, and worked out really good.

      So before I get into the week, Jordan was baptized on Saturday! His family just started coming back to church 3-4 weeks ago, and now he's baptized!! It was wonderful, their family is making huge strides. Now the next step for them is the temple! That's where we're going to get them next. They just have to keep pressing forward. I love them a lot, they're amazing. 

       That was one of the highlights of the week, there was lots of cool stuff that happened. We had Leadership Council on Tuesday, and President taught us some amazing things about people, and about how we react in certain situations and why. It just blows my mind every time!! Then Wednesday some cool stuff happened, then Thursday we had Zone meeting!! It was really powerful, everything was lead by the Spirit. We all learned a lot.

    Then Friday was exchanges, and Saturday was the baptism, and Sunday we had to catch up on teaching people, then yesterday we had a Zone Labor Day finding activity!!! It was awesome, this Anti-Mormon guy was going over the whole park lying to people about who we were and what we taught, so it's hard to teach someone when he'd run up to them and just *BAM*, spirit's gone. So we all got into the cars for 5 min, said a prayer over a conference call, and he left because he thought we were all gone! So then we went back into the park, and felt inspired to sing some hymns. And then for that last hour, it was just amazing!!! People just came around and 2 by 2 missionaries would go off and talk to them, and bring them to our chalk drawing of the Plan of Salvation, and there was never more than 1 minute where people weren't being taught! We all saw these amazing miracles, and it all happened after we faced major opposition. So crazy. It built all of our faith quite a bit.

      Yeah! Life is amazing. Lots of miracles have happened, and they just continue to happen. Life is amazing. I love you all, and hope you have a fantastic week!!! :D

-Love, Elder Ellis

p.s. Feel free to write back!! 

                                      Jordan's baptism

                                         Labor Day finding activity

Week 90 & 91 - The Hayes' family

August 31, 2015

     Yeah! Successful weekend. Jaden and Torin Hayes were baptized and confirmed this weekend!! They have a single father, Miles, who was baptized about 2-3 years ago. He's been reactivated, and sons have been baptized!!! YEAH! It was so awesome!!!! Miracles never cease. A bunch of the ward was there supporting them, there wasn't enough chairs for all them to sit on. Wonderful service, you could feel the spirit very strong during the ordinance. That day changed those 2 boys' lives, that is for sure. It was just amazing, I'm so grateful for the Grace of God through which miracles come. Miles is one of my favorite people ever, so blessed to get to know him. So it's been a pretty good week.

     Jordan is also getting baptized this Saturday; he is another child of a family that has just been reactivated. The dad came teaching with us for the first time 2 weeks ago, and now he loves it and tries to come twice a week. He didn't get to serve a mission, so this is how he's making up for it, in his mind. And I think that's pretty fair. Super cool!!! And then this couple that's been investigating for over a year is finally getting baptized next Monday! Kind of a weird day for it, but it's the only one that works with the Husband's work schedule. Their interview is in 40 min, so its pretty exciting. The work is going great!!! So many miracles, we have no idea what to do with them. We need to figure out who we're going to work with after that since they've taken up all our focus the past few weeks. It will work out, and it will be good. 

     So yeah! Life's great! We're excited for the future with all of this. Oh yeah, I don't know if I said this last week, but my new companion is Elder McEachern from Tooele, Utah! And we served in the same ward, in Richmond, about 9 months ago, so we're already pretty good friends. Haha its been a great transfer so far! And it's just going to get better. Haha I've already been great friends with my past 2 companions before we became companions. Hopefully that'll happen again next transfer as well! I'm gonna have a new companion because all my good companions only last 1 transfer...  So yeah. Maybe he'll brake the pattern... I love you all!!! Have a great week!! :D

- Love, Elder Ellis