Tuesday, August 2, 2016

HALFWAY AND OVERFLOWING

 Well.  Halfway... 

I don't even know what to say about that.  I would say that I hate how fast time has been going, but that just shows you how good it has been!  That it has just been filled with one miracle after another, and seeing the hand of the Lord in each and every day.  I am not a glass half-empty person, so I plan on filling up this glass all the way and even more so, if possible! 

I could go on talking about the week, but it was just full of mini little "mid-life crises" and coming up on a new decade crisis!  Let's just say time has really hit me lately!  But, you know what?  If anything, it has just taught me to be grateful for every moment when I am in the moment! 
I think too often we wish away current, potentially great moments for future things that we presume will be better--when we don't even give the current time the attention to make it great!  I don't even know if that quite makes sense to you, but it did for me!  I have just become a firm advocate for choosing to see the good in each and every circumstance and trying to point out something you can learn from every situation.

Something I have actually been trying to do lately is trying to feel the Spirit in situations where I usually would not be aware of it.  Because the Spirit can be with us always, we can know that whatever good thing we are doing, we have the privilege of having the Spirit with us--meaning that we should be able to feel it even during the seemingly small little day to day activities.  So, that is just something I have been trying to think of a little more!
Otherwise, the mission is just an interesting place.  You see the best kind of people and some that are not so great, to put it nicely!  I feel like ever since I have been out here, I have been able to see some of the most spirit-filled people...and a very few that just seem to be completely absent of it. 

It is really fascinating to me, though, to see all of these people coming from all over the world--from any kind of background you could imagine--and just asking them what they believe in.  Something that I have noticed that never seems to change are their eyes in relation to their answer. 
Those who say, "Uh... I don't know.  I am atheist, so I know there isn't really anything," and those who say, "I don't know, but I don't care.  I think we just live in the moment and take each day as it comes." 

The case is the same with all of them--they always seem to be lacking in something.  They always hesitate in what they are saying, and never have I seen one that said it happily or with hope.  It's like I can just see that their hearts know that there is more.  Their eyes showing how much they want to know the truth, but how they have just become content with saying there is no God. 
But those few believers who we do come across are quite different.  No matter what church, no matter what background--without fail each and every one who says, "Yes, I believe in God!" or "Yes I believe in Christ", they always say it with pride!  There is just something in their eyes that says that they know that there is more to life.  There is a little reassuring light in their eyes, and it is a really beautiful thing to see in a mostly Atheist country.

That is just something I have been thinking a lot about lately, but let's see... on to some other things real quick!
Well, we had a Zone Volleyball tournament yesterday!  That was quite fun!  What made it awesome was that nobody was very good, and we all were able to make complete fools of ourselves, so that obviously led to great Zone unity!

Thursday on our way to District meeting, we missed the train literally by 3 seconds!  Got right up to the door, and the door slammed--the train started, and we just stood there in shock for a couple minutes as we tried to shake off the look of disgust on our faces.  We then sat right there on the ground for an hour until the next train came!  We also got kicked off a bus that day--so that was fun, to0!  Needless to say, that day is still kind of a touchy subject for us!
But it's okay, because we also had dinner with some members and it ended with a watermelon-spitting contest!  Guess who won?!?  Yup!  You got that right!  By FAR not me! It was pretty pathetic to be honest--I am still slightly ashamed!

We also had a BBQ we were invited to come to and bring our investigators to, so together with the Elders, we had 7 investigators--and only 6 members!  Nice odds, right?!  The best part was that all of our investigators were all able to bond throughout the night as they would all go to the front yard to have their smoking breaks!   Haha!

Well, that was our week!   Mostly just throwin' out thoughts and random facts from the week, but you know--that's just what a mission is, I guess!

I love you all, and would love for everyone to write to me!  I want to know how your lives are going!

Alma 17:11--"Ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls."

Be a person that the Lord can use to help answer another person's prayers.  Life will have so much more meaning!

Med Kärlek,


Syster Campbell















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