Monday, July 25, 2016

MISSION MIRACLES

Well.  I have once again just been amazed by the blessings and miracles that come in missionary work.

Yesterday was amazing.  Started off the day with a prayer in my heart and fasting for a miracle.  Little did I know just how merciful the Lord would be. 
So first of all, Sacrament meeting was PACKED!  That is amazing in and of itself!  When you have a Branch of 60 active members, it is crazy to come in and see 90 to 100 people!  I don't quite know why there were so many people there, but I'm not questioning!

But, during Sacrament Meeting, I just kind of felt like I should pull out my little notebook and start writing out some of the miracles I have been able to see so far on my mission. Little did I know I would be writing in a couple more later that day......... 
So, after Sacrament Meeting was over, we were all still sitting there, and a woman went up to the front to talk to the Branch President.  He then went back up to the pulpit and asked if we would all just stay seated for a little longer because this lady wanted to say something. 

She goes up and said that she had just recently lost a family member and, to keep it brief, she was thinking she might take her own life.  And then, she said that she had a vision--and that she could not take her life, but that she needed to go find her Book of Mormon and read.      
 So she did. 

Soon after she saw her cat--almost dead--(don't quite know why).  She was heart-broken, and couldn't stand to lose anything else, so she got down on her knees and prayed.  Soon after, her cat just got up and started walking around--and after that, she knew that she had to come to the Mormon Church. 
{Annie's wonderful trainer--Syster Bateman--is in Sweden this week and found her!}
We quickly went over to her after she spoke, and she just said:  "Sister.  I really want to meet with you.  Can we just talk outside for a minute?" 

So we went outside, and she just hugged us and thanked us for coming, and said, "I know this is what I need to do.  I want to be baptized.  I would love if my friend Björn (who is in our ward) could baptize me, and I really don't need to be taught that much more.  I know a lot already from family and Systers who have come before--but I know this is what I need. You can come over Saturday--I will make you lunch, and you can teach me everything you need to!"
{the Systers are a little bit amazed at the silly Pokemon Go craze...it's even in Sweden!}
I just stood there in shock.  And I am still in awe.  I don't quite know if I have fully comprehended it all yet, but I am fine with that.   But I didn't have too long to let that settle in before we had another amazing lesson!
After Church, we met with this super cool guy.  Basically, without too many details, this guy grew up Aramaic.  Grew up in the Middle East, and then later in Africa after his parents and grandfather were killed in attacks. 

He later studied art in Kenya, Russia and the Ukraine--and then started an entertainment business in Switzerland with his brothers, and he now lives between Switzerland and Sweden.  He speaks 5 different languages, including; Aramaic, Swahili, Russian, Arabic, English--and is now learning Swedish.  
We just had an amazing lesson with him.  He was blown away by the fact that he had never heard about this religion.  He is a very strong believer in Christ and loves his religion, but is very open to the fact that he may not know everything.  And he very openly said that, and was very interested in learning more! 

He immediately asked if we had a website that he could read more on, and said that studying those sites and the Book of Mormon would be all that he needed to be entertained for quite a while.  He was truly sincere and so grateful that we were out and sharing what we know to be true. 
After we had him read Moroni 10:3-5, he just said, "Wow, that is beautiful.  The wording is so beautiful and easy to understand.  Often, when reading other scripture, you read it and you have to stop and think--and it just logically does not make sense--but this does!  As I read it, it was just so beautifully worded that it just made sense in my heart and in my mind!"

WHAT?!  What is this?!  This guy is amazing! 

Well, we left him with the Book of Mormon, the Restoration pamphlet, and 3 websites to go home and study!  We also took him around the Church, showing him all the different paintings.  He is a Christian painter, and he just loved the pieces.  
He said he just wants to go home and study the painting--especially the picture of Christ when we came to the Americas after the three days of darkness.  He just loved the emotions of all of the people in the painting, and said--"I am going to look at this when I get home and divide it up into parts on my computer and study it.  It is truly beautiful."
It was seriously one of the coolest lessons I have ever had the chance to be a part of!

Well, I truly did gain a greater testimony of fasting today.  When your heart is in line with the will of the Lord, there is no reason for Him to not bless and strengthen you. 

Perhaps one of the greatest parts of it all, was that after we came back in from talking to the woman, Syster Howlett looks at me and says, "Wait...did you say you were fasting for a miracle today?", with a little twinkle in her eye.  And I said, "Yes..... were you, too?"  And she just smiled and hugged me.  
{their "three-generation" portrait!}
I have greatest mission daughter. 

Fasting truly is a beautiful thing, and as we truly seek to help others, the Lord will bless us with the opportunities to do so!
{"SPREAD SUNSHINE!"}
I love you all.   Now, go help someone in need!  Smile at everyone, and help someone's burdens be light!

Med Kärlek,

Syster Campbell

Monday, July 18, 2016

LIKE LIGHTENING

Hello, my dearest associates! :)

Well, it's been a pretty good week down in Kristianstad--life hasn't been giving us much to complain about so, it's been good!  But, even if there was something to complain about, there's always a brighter side to things, right?!  Or, as we say here--eller hur?!
This week we went to an awesome museum in Malmö, then came back to K-stad for dinner at a member's house--with the Elders, and our investigator!  Things were just dandy up until the point when one of the Elders wanted juice.  So, he got some, but before we knew it, it was no longer in his cup, but all over the table...and the floor...and OUR INVESTIGATOR!!!  

Hahaha, oh my goodness!  It was so sad and so hilarious!  But don't worry--he doesn't hate us too much--I don't think!  Well, it's okay--it wasn't the only time he spilled a drink at a members house this week! ;)
 But, that's not the end!  Tuesday (Tisdag) was great, too!

The day started out at home doing all of our studies and waiting for a LONG-awaited package.  Let's just say our apartment hasn't seen a Swedish Book of Mormon in a while.  So, we're just waiting for this order I placed a little over 3 months ago.  Waiting...waiting and waiting...and finally we get a call!  But, they say they will just be coming later........... 
So, we decide to go talk to people on the street for a while.  We go out, make it to Stan (city), and within 10 seconds of getting there, we go from looking decent and dry, to the heavens opening up and drenching us to look like little SOAKED chipmunks!  Seriously--10 seconds!!!  It was ridiculous! You just see all these Swedes running for their lives--and then 2 American girls dancing in the pouring rain--and then eventually running for a little cover! :) 
But, then we just started contacting again when the rain bullets turned more into nice little droplets, and we had about an hour-long lesson with some girls, as we were all huddled-up in a circle in the middle of the sidewalk--all of their umbrellas forming a protection around us--and then we just had the most wonderful lesson!  They just had questions about EVERYTHING!  It was just so cool to really talk to people our age that actually care about things and the world!  It was so good for a change!

 But then back to the package story...yeah.  We don't know what happened...we still don't have it:(
Saturday, we met the cutest little family ever!  We were out on the street, and we heard this family speaking English, and I was just like, "Syster! I have to talk to them! They are from America, I just know it!!!"  So, we did!  We ended up talking to them for an hour, and they were just the sweetest people ever! 

There were two brothers who hadn't seen each other in 12 years--and then one of their wives and their daughter!  It was really interesting, because the one brother has lived here for 20 years, and the other one got married and moved to America.  They have 11 brothers, and they are all scattered around the world! 

But, we just got to talking, and it was really interesting to see--because the one living here really had a Swedish mentality--where when they asked what we were doing here, he just kind of smirked and walked a way a little... 
But, the family from America stayed, and just started asking us about our missions--how we got here and how it was been.  And we just started to talk about everything--the world and missions and the Church. 

It was really cool because at one point, the Dad brought up how he really liked how we dressed. How we weren't dressed up like everyone else, but that is was really nice--and he turned to his daughter, who was probably 10 years old, and he said, "See?  That's how women should dress."  It was the sweetest thing ever. 
This little girl just had the sweetest heart. She just agreed with him, and you could tell she just looked up to her daddy so much.  I just told her:  "You know what?  With parents as good as yours, you don't have to worry about that stuff.  Just listen to them, and you will be happy!"

I just felt to tell them that they were doing such a good job with their daughter, because she really was different, I could just tell.  And not to mention the fact that after a while, she reached into this bag that her Dad had, and pulled out a soccer ball and started playing with it!  Nothing wins my heart faster! 
So, I started playing with her--and I taught her how to do a rainbow (soccer trick), and she just loved it--and right there just started picking it up!  Ok--well needless to say, I just fell in love with this family!  As we were saying good-byes, both the brothers just looked us in the eyes, and said, "You are doing amazing things out here.  These people need you, so don't you give up--and keep doing good!" 

I have been praying a lot lately about a few different things, and let's just say I know that they were just a little answer to my prayers.  It just makes me see how much the Lord does use us to answer others' prayers.
 And before I go, one of my favorite thoughts from our Zone Training we had this week! 

So, we were talking about the Holy Ghost and receiving personal revelation.  Before the Conference, we were asked to read, "To Acquire Spiritual Guidance", given by Äldste Richard G. Scott in the October 2009 General Conference.  There was one paragraph in this talk that just really kind of changed me and the way I think and pray--it says: 
"Subsequently I prayed, reviewing with the Lord what I thought I had been taught by the Spirit. When a feeling of peace came, I thanked Him for the guidance given.  I was then impressed to ask, “Was there yet more to be given?”  I received further impressions, and the process of writing down the impressions, pondering, and praying for confirmation was repeated. 

"Again I was prompted to ask, “Is there more I should know?” And there was.  When that last, most sacred experience was concluded, I had received some of the most precious, specific, personal direction one could hope to obtain in this life.  Had I not responded to the first impressions and recorded them, I would not have received the last, most precious guidance." 
I just thought that was beautiful and so very true.  The Lord will give us all that we are willing to receive.  If we just want to put in the effort to ask one time, and then be good with that--that is what we will get.  But, if we, however, truly and sincerely seek to know more--really want to find the answer God wants to give us--then we will ask until we have humbled ourselves enough to receive that answer. 

Revelation is precious, though.  It comes in one second and the next it's gone.  Just as lightning.  It illuminates the way for a second--but if we do not catch that lightning, that spark of revelation--it will be gone.  Write it down and treasure it.  These gifts from God aren't meant to be received and then forgotten...but rather, received and well-worn. 
Truly seeking revelation will change you, and once you realize that, all we have to do is ask, "Was there yet more to be given?" and "Is there more I should know?"  The Lord will answer the questions of our soul if we will only take them to Him!  He wants to answer, but He wants us to ask Him first.

Almas Bok 5:14 "Och se, nu frågar jag er, mina bröder i kyrkan: Har ni blivit andligen födda av Gud? Har ni fått hans bild i ert ansikte? Har ni upplevt denna mäktiga förändring i era hjärtan?"

Med Kärlek,

Syster Campbell

YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT

Monday, July 4, 2016

WITH A SKIRT AND A SMILE