WEEK TWO DOWN!

Hello Family and Friends! 

I miss you all and love you so much... but, I love it here SO mychet! This week has been great and super short! So there wasn't really anything amazing about this week, so I will just tell about all the little stories that I could think of!  But we'll see what I can think of as I write!

Okay, so first of all... Thursday was just another day, 9 hours in class, just finished teaching our "investigator" and just having the best day. Then I get back to class and I our District leader tells me that I had a package and that if I wanted to get it I would have to within the next 5 minutes before it closed! So Sister Hall and I booked it across campus and got my package... and it was from my dearest Chelsea! It had everything a sister could wish for! Even down to the protein bars! So that was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my week! 

One thing I realized as I was laying in bed last Friday is that there is no such thing as a weekend on a mission. Friday night, 10:30pm and lights are out. This IS the life! But seriously... I wouldn't trade it for anything! 

Um... random fact. Everyone keeps complaining that they keep gaining weight. Somehow I have lost 10lbs. And all of my skirts are HUGE on me now! My companion keeps laughing at me every morning as I have to pin them so they can actually fit me! So I took them in to the tailor Monday, we'll see if she can to anything about it!

So in class every day when our teacher comes in we start off with a song, and every day I say "A Christmas Song!!!" I quickly get shut down by everyone in the room. THEN... Monday came around and I said, "A Christmas Song!" Expecting to get shut down again but this time the teacher actually agreed!  He said that he would allow one because I ask EVERY day!!!  p.s. It is never too early for Christmas joy!  If there is anything to learn from this email, it is that!

Okay. Now on to my, um... well I don't know what you would call it. We will just say my interesting story of the week! So Monday we had the first meeting with our new "investigator" Danny. We were talking to Danny, just getting to know him and he was wondering how we got called to Sweden. In completely butchered Swedish my companion and I tried to convey how we get called. Sis. Hall was explaining it and said something about the Prophet. He then asks what a Prophet is... and we are like, how in world are we going to explain that with the limited Swedish we know. As I was thinking it suddenly came to me. So I just said it. "He is like Obama but for our Church!" (lycke Obama, men för vår kyrka!) hahaha it cracked him! He started laughing and broke character (because our "investigator" is just our teacher) and he just said, "Good one" and went back into character! It was pretty great! My companion was pretty proud and went on telling our whole district... and then our whole zone. So now I am the one who likened our prophet unto Obama. You must all be so proud.

Next Fact. I have to admit...I have become a boss at heel clicks in a skirt. 

{two weeks ago, the day she went into the MTC}

Interesting fact of the week: We might just be some of the last foreign missionaries to ever to go Sweden. Due to all of the immigration problems lately in many European countries, they have changed their policies on who can enter and are really limiting it. On Sunday the 2nd counselor of the MTC presidency came to our ward and his wife sat next to me in Sacrament Meeting and after she was telling me all about it. She was saying that she has talked to many of the people in charge of getting us to Sweden and was saying that we won't even get our Visas until we get there and that we will just be traveling on our passports. (and faith)  She then said that they are probably just going to send people closer to Sweden and that we could very well be some of the last Americans. But who knows! It's all up to the Lord and we just need to have faith and know that whatever is supposed to happen will happen. 

One last note. Last night we had our weekly Tuesday night Devotional and it was by Hugo Montoya! He spoke in conference, Saturday afternoon session i'm pretty sure. But it was so great! He spoke so simply and beautifully and I just want to leave you with what I got from that.             

He started out with three points.  Whether you are a missionary or not you can always live by thess:  

1.  Be alert, always look for ways to serve others. Serve with thought of do they actually need help? Just do it.

2.  Be Genuine. be yourself. There is never any need to pretend to be someone else. You are who you are for a reason and you are the best you there could be! 

3.  Be Obedient. Being on the mission you always hear about exact obedience. This is not something to overlook. I have been trying to improve on this and its hard sometimes trying exactly obedient even when you don't understand why. But it is so worth it. 

But my favorite thing he talked about was to FORGET YOURSELF. This phrase has really impacted my the last few months as I have been preparing to serve. I have always loved it and every time I hear it I just hear my mom saying, "If you lose yourself you will find yourself." 

There is no greater work we can do, there is no greater way to bring happiness than to serve others. In the 2 short, yet very long weeks I have been here, that has been the biggest thing I have learned.  Just forget yourself and serve. 

If there are any of you who are going through a hard time, if you have trials you feel like you cannot over come, do me a favor and try this out.  Go out and look.  Look for someone in need.  This is not always the easiest thing to do, though.  You first need to train your mind to see others as our Father does, and pray to ask who you can help today needs your help today.  Once you receive that answer or confirmation, act upon it and SERVE. Whether it be a great or a little act it is all the same in the eyes of the Lord.  

I promise that if you take this opportunity to go beyond yourself you will see that you can make it through the current struggles you are facing. You are most certainly NOT alone.  When you don't have the strength to stand, you don't need to.  Just fall to your knees.  Fall to your knees and pray, asking what more can I do.  Once you have done this, get up, get to work, and SERVE.  You never know when you or your actions will be the answer to someone's prayers. 

I love you all and I hope you are all loving life, because its a BEAUTIFUL thing! 

Med Älska,

Syster Campbell

(All photos here are from Syster Hall's camera.  For some reason, Annie hasn't sent me ANY from her camera yet!  So, thank-you, Syster Hall for all the pictures!)