Hello my dearest friends and family!
This week has just been splendid, and it's so hard to believe that I am half way through being at the MTC! I love it so much and I partially just feel like I am going to be here forever! It's great and I love every minute of it!
Well, there have been many great things this week! Such as: funny language struggles...getting sick, amazing devotionals, and well you'll just find out in the rest of the letter!
So Monday Sister Hall and I officially decided that we thought we were legitimately getting worse at Swedish. During our class monday night, our teacher Broder Moe was talking to us about daily and weekly planning and then about goals. He told us all to push ourselves and to set our goals and our sights high for both spiritual and language goals.
So, for the language, I decided that I was going to up my previous goals for learning new vocab words from 15 words a day (which I know seems so small, but we literally don't have a minute to ourselves!) But I went from 15 to 50. I thought I was crazy and I thought I was not going to be able to do it...but let me tell you, the gift of tongues is real. I am telling you, it is amazing and it really is just based on your faith that you do all that you can and the Lord will make up for the rest.
Tuesday morning, I wrote out 50 new flashcards and then we had our gym time. I went on the exercise bike and pulled out my flash cards--in the 50 minutes we have in the gym I finished all 50 cards. It was a MIRACLE! I know it probably doesn't seem like it to others but it seriously was to me! Every day I am going to continue doing this and already it has helped so much.
The same day we had an appointment with our investigator Danny, and that was by far the best lesson I have had. We started talking and both Sis. Hall and I knew we should change topics then what we had planned on and we just started talking, put away our notes and I don't even know how many of the words I had learned that morning that I was able to use in that lesson. So Cool!!!
Now on to the complete opposite side of the language studies... so we have about 3 hours of study a day, 2 hours of doctrine, and companionship study, and about 4 on language. Its crazy, long, hard, and great!
{Apparently Syster Campbell is spending her P-Day getting to know the MTC just a little bit better!}
Every day we also teach a lesson to one of our investigators, who are actually just our teachers. Wednesday Sis. Hall and I were teaching Ståle (Broder Moe)--so lets just start off saying this was not our best lesson. Sis. Hall starts off thinking shes asking how his kids were... instead she asks, "Hur är våra barn?"--- she asked, "How are OUR kids!?" Yup. Best part, we didn't even know until after and he had to come and tell us! He said it was so hard for him to not just start laughing!
Okay, and I just have to say every lesson with Danny is great, but when it comes to Ståle everything goes wrong! So the next time we go teach him everything is fine until we ask him to pary at the end. Sis. Hall starts showing him how to and she says "we close our eyes" in broken Sweding, and then starts to say "and we fold our arms." We have come to find that you do not--DO NOT directly translate from the dictionary. She told him to fold his "guns." His eyes get really big and he holds up his hands and pretends to shoot! He looks super puzzled and he says like this? (but in Swedish) and it just clicks immediately and we just start cracking up, it was so funny! But that was just the beginning........
Then we start teaching, totally struggling and barely making it through completely butchering the poor language. Every lesson we have with Ståle he always just has to pull out a phrase that drives us crazy because we just have no clue what he is saying! He just keeps repeating it and we just want to say "BRODER MOE!!! Just tell us!", yeah, well we always think of doing that but never act on it... But this time Sis. Hall just had it! Were just trying to figure out what he is saying and Sis. Hall just goes, "STÅLE!!!" Then she just moved on to the next topic. It was pretty great. Yeah, well it doesn't end there. Sadly I had to apparently play a part in this too....
So, I ask if we can end this train wreck with a prayer--so I start the prayer...and then it happened. I said a cuss word in Swedish. During the Prayer. And then I called him Skulle instead of Ståle! It was just horrible! So I didn't even know I cussed at first but I looked up and Ståle was just shaking from laughing, but holding trying so hard to hold it in! Then, after I called him Skulle, (which means wood) I looked over at Sis. Hall and she lost it! Then, I started laughing so hard. IT WAS HORRIBLE! A three line prayer that took 3 minutes to get out. Right after I finished, we all just start busting up! It was So Bad!!! I dont know if I have every laughed so hard. And I have most definitely not seen our teacher laugh that hard! So yeah, that's that--hope you enjoyed!
Okay, now on to the more spiritual side of things--so you actually know that we're learning amazing things and not just saying horrible things in Swedish!
Okay, so AMAZING devotionals this week. Sunday night was Brother Drouay. He is the Director of Media of the Missionary Department. SO COOL! So basically he is in charge of all LDS advertising, mormon.org, all the graphics, and videos! This guy was SO cool.
And the best part he is over all of the Christmas and Easter initiatives, like "Because of Him", "Because He Lives", and "He is the Gift" (which was last Christmas)... well lets just say that outside of those working on it and the Quorum of the 12 (well 15), we were the first to see the New Christmas Video!!! It was so amazing. It will be up on the 29th, but if you keep it a secret I can tell you! This new theme is, A Savior Is Born. Beautiful, true and Simple. It is a beautiful video of children from around the world telling about the Savior! It is powerful. I am so excited for you all to see it!
Okay, then onto awesome advertising. So, if any of you remember seeing the "He is the Gift" sign in Times Square last year on New Years Eve...our ads will take up the block: 8 static billboards, 15 video monitors, and 400 taxi toppers saying, "A Savior Is Born," and "Discover Why." He then said that they have done their research and all of our ads will be perfectly behind Ryan Seacrest! But yes, they are brilliant. Oh, and they are making a new"District" series!
Lastly, last night's (Tuesday's) Devotional! Every Tuesday everybody just wonders, "Who is going to speak tonight?!" Tuesdays are when the General Authorities come. So, were sitting in there and about 10 minutes before starting, a slide will come onto the big monitors telling you who it is going to be...
{Swedish Power!"}
I look up and I see President Clark's face up there! Now Elder Kim B. Clark, the previous president of BYUI and I just got so excited! I turn to Sis. Hall and I just say, "He is so amazing! Im so excited!", just repeating it over and over. Yet again, he just hit it out of the park with this one. I forgot just how much I love how he speaks. He speaks with such clear conviction--precise, simple, bold, and with such unmistakable power. I wish I could share it all, but I will just share what stood out to me the most.
He starts out with a question: What must I do? He then talks so simple and powerfully about the only 4 things we need to do to be successful on the mission:
1. Exact Obedience.
2. Work Hard
3. Have the Spirit with you Always.
4. Love the People.
He goes on to share a couple amazing stories about new missionaries just getting to their areas. Feeling completely inadequate but filled with faith. Both of these missionaries went out of their way to talk to a random stranger. In their broken Spanish for one and French for the other, they simple bore testimony. Both returning to their companions who told them that it was horrible and that they weren't improving at all.
But for both missionaries they later crossed paths with these people again and both were baptized because of the SIMPLE yet POWERFUL and heartfelt testimonies of these missionaries. He then had us open to Moses 6: 31-34. I LOVE this! "Open your mouth and it shall be filled." I know that no matter where I am with the language, no matter how inadequate I may feel, as I solemnly bear witness of my Savior and my faith in what I KNOW to be true, my mouth will be filled. I know that as I strive to live close to the Lord, constantly bearing witness of him I will be made adequate. As I do all I can He will take care of the rest.
Bear witness of the Lord, every minute of every day. Live your testimony. Be that light, the beacon that others may come to to find the light, the True Light of Christ.
I love you all and I hope all is well. Love life, and a quote that my dear Annie Davis just shared with me, "The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead." -Marjorie Pay Hinckley
Med Älska,
Syster Campbell
A few hours after receiving her main letter, I received this quick email from Syster Campbell:
{Annie's Grandma--Shirley Campbell, who passed away just this last September--one month before Annie would enter the MTC. Annie was very close to her, and sat by her bedside and read to her from her Swedish Book of Mormon the night before she passed away.}
Everything about her--her hair, her eyes, her voice, her smell, bright lipstick, and even her bright-ish lipstick! I started to tear up before she even started, and she looks at my paper and she says, "Campbell... my mothers maiden name is Campbell!" I just couldn't help but feel so close to Gramma right then. Each time I came around there was just another thing that I noticed or thought--oh that is just like gramma... it felt like a little tender mercy. I wished I could have given her a hug but she had left before I was done. But that was just very special to me and I knew I needed to tell you right away. I love you all and thank you for all of your prayers and letters. They help me so much!
And yes, They asked me to be STL last night... not as intimidating as it would be in the field but I still need to get my act together for this one! So prayers are always welcome!
I love you so very dearly!
Syster Campbell
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