CONVICTION

 3 Nephi 9:13-14:

"O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?"

"Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me."

Christ pleading with us...asking us to come unto Him so that he can heal us, so that He can take away our pain and make us whole again.

  3 Nephi 7: 16, 18: 

"(Nephi) went forth among them in that same year and began to testify, boldly, repentance and remission of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ." 

"And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even becuase he had greater power than they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily."

Nephi's faith turned to power. So much that it was IMPOSSIBLE for the people to NOT believe his words.

His faith was so strong that angels came to him daily.

Later in the chapter it talks about how he cast out devils and raised his brother Timothy from the dead.  He performed all of these miracles and yet the people still chose to be angry and chose not to believe.

It really made me think about the people here.  We're out talking to people on the street, and 8 out of 10 will say they are agnostic or atheist.  Most of them have absolutely no interest in listening, and yet it is so interesting to me in how firm they say they are with their beliefs--yet when we say, "well, if you tried to pray, do  you think something would happen?"  They usually always say something like, "Well, I don't think it's impossible.  There might be something." 

The thing that made me think of all this today---well, I think I may have already shared this story, but oh well--it was a while ago.  So, we were on the street talking to people, and we stop this man.  Basically, he feels like he already knows everything about the Mormons, and so we just see what he knows and explain some things for him. 

Well, we go on to the subject of prayer, and we say:  "okay--well, will you try praying to see if this is true?"  He said,  "No."  We asked why, and he said:  "I'm not going to pray because I know I will get an answer--and that's what I am afraid of."  He went on to say:  "I know that I would get an answer because of the conviction in your voice.  I can tell that you two know that prayer works.  But I am not going to try because I am not ready to change."

This was just one of the most interesting situations.  One of those times where you completely know they get it--but it's just all up to their own agency.  But the interesting thing that made me think of this story was just his faith in the fact that he knew the answer would come if he prayed.  I thought--and still think--that this is rather amazing.  To have that faith without even trying!  Ha!  That's impressive--but sadly it's usually better if you actually just try it out, though!

Well...I never did hear back from Lars, but it's times like that that just make you think--and hopefully it goes the same with him.  Ponder till you're on your knees--and begin turning your thoughts and heart over to the Lord.

I love you all with all my heart, and I hope you have the Happiest New Year!

Love,

Syster Campbell

GOD JUL!

{The wonderful Mama Pence took the missionaries out to lunch last Monday--they loved every minute of it!}

Hello! 

Well, I am officially weirded out by that fact that Christmas is in less than a week.  My second Swedish Christmas!  But guess what?  Probably no snow again for my 20th Christmas in a row.  It's okay, though.  I only thought for sure I would get at least one white Christmas here in Sweden!  But, hey--Christmas is still Christmas whether the sun is shining or not...it just seems like it would be Christmas-ier were it not for the shine! 

Anyways, though...this week I:

--Went to Santa Lucia

--Sucked up a little girls hair in a vacuum cleaner.  (nobody noticed except my companion.  It was totally fine--the little girl like didn't even notice!  She just continued on making animal noises at us during the whole fiasco, and no hair was lost.)

--I sat on a members laptop.  (We were helping this older couple clean, and then I went to sit on this chair to clean out the vacuum cleaner (yeah...me and vacuum cleaners this week...), but here I am with this big headache, and contacts hurting...so my vision was all blurry and maybe I just saw this black thing and assumed it was a cushion.  Yup. 

So, after I cleaned the vacuum out, I stood up and the lady looks down and says, "were you just sitting on that?", and I just looked and realized that I had--and amidst the confusion, disappointment and embarrassment, I could come up with no good excuses.  So I just said, "huh.... I guess so."  Yeah.  Some days are just rough, folks.  That was one of those days. 

As for the work--we were able to set up a bunch of lessons for this week.  Had some really good ones.  Both last week and this week we had some random person just walk into church that we had contacted...and that NEVER happens!  We were so stoked!  So, that was special! 

But one of my favorite lessons this week was this one we had with this Daoist Swede.  Kind of a Hippie/Buddhist person.  We were having a cool lesson with him and just when we were almost done, one of the Elder's investigators (just after he had his lesson with the Elders) comes in and just asks if he can sit in on our lesson. 

He then starts telling our investigator his life story--of how he ended up in prison for 6 years, but how he found Christ while he was in prison.  How He helped him turn his life around.   And basically he just kept telling our guy that he needed to get baptized.  Our guy kept saying how he wants a sign from God, and the Elder's investigator just said, "Don't be selfish and wait for a sign from God.  You have got to show Him first that you have the faith." 

Haha--this guy was amazing!  We were just like, wow.  We don't even really have to do too much here!  It was pretty great:)

And let's see...something I have learned this week...If the Lord wants something done, He will make it happen.  I think often especially in missionary work we think, "why don't we have more success?!  We want it and we know that it's good!"  And the next thought that come is usually,  "well, what am I doing wrong?!"   It's that way of thinking that's wrong.  If the Lord wants something done, He will do it.  But sometimes it's the going without success that He wants us to learn from. 

No matter what it is, the hard things we go through are the things that build us.  Just like sanding a rough surface down--the rough against the rough is what eventually will smooth something out.  So, whatever it is--know that the Lord is shaping you.  Putting you through the things that will refine and define you. 

Just like in Elder Patrick Kearon's talk, "Refuge from the Storm", regarding our need to help refugees, he says:  "This moment does not define the refugees, but our response will help define us."  The Lord does not define us by our trials, but rather what we choose to do with them, and who we let ourselves become because of them. 

Well.  That's about it for me this week, but I hope you all just have the loveliest week and Happy Christmas!!!!  God Jul!  And go look up some cute Swedish Christmas songs!  It will make your day! 

Älskar er! 

Syster Campbell

 

LOOK UP!

{No pictures from Syster Campbell again this week--so many thanks to Claudia for these!}

Well, transfers are this week, and I'm staying in Södertälje with Syster Anderson for Christmas!  No changes here.

It was a crazy, busy week!  We had Christmas Conference, and then I was sick the rest of the week, so most of the week was just a blur of sore throat and coughing!  But this week we did get one of the most beautiful snow falls I have EVER seen!  Okay, well, I haven't been around that much snow in my life, but yesterday was absolutely gorgeous.

As for thoughts this week, I have just been thinking so much about the main things I have learned on my mission so far.  I seem to be getting that question a lot lately since I go on splits so much with the Systers, and they are always asking about my mission and what I have learned.  And just about every time it's a new answer.  I just feel like I have been SO blessed with learning SO many lessons, but I guess I have just had a LOT to learn!  But yesterday, as I was asked that question again, one lesson came up that I never quite thought through all the way as I did when I just talked it out with her...

I was talking about how lately I feel like the Lord has been teaching me about giving my whole heart, might, mind and strength.  Seemingly impossible at times.  I have gotten overwhelmed at times trying to think about how I can do that, but as I was talking about it last night, it just kind of all became so much clearer to me. 

So, it all kind of goes back to quite a while ago when my sweet sister Sarah, (who served in the Argentina Rosario Mission), sent me a little bit of advise.  She said that often on missions, we get down on ourselves because we feel like we're not giving our whole heart, might, mind and strength...but then something really hit me: "but who said you weren't already."  Whether our all is a million bucks or the widow's mite--only the Lord knows.

I started to think about all those times when I look back and think I could have done something so much better.  But, what am I doing by doing that?  I'm comparing my past abilities to what I can do now.  So, naturally our goal is to improve.  And that's what we're doing! 

As we think we could have done more, that is probably because now we can handle more. And what is that?  That is the Atonement working in our lives.  That is the enabling power. What we once couldn't do before now becomes something that we can do without even thinking.  

It is in our nature to progress.  But it is recognizing that and letting that be our motivation that can drive us forward. 

This may just sound like a lot of random thoughts, but it's been something that has helped me, so maybe it can help somebody else.  So, if you ever feel like your falling short in anything--seriously ANYTHING--take it to the Lord.  See what has been done, then look at what your are doing--and then to what you can do. 

This life is just an eternal course of progression and learning from mistakes.  The sooner we can get over them, the quicker we can move on and quit feeling bad, or down, and start thanking the Lord for what he already has done for us.

I still have so much to learn, but I have come to see that I am greatful for the times that I have come short, because I see now that the Lord has strengthened me so that now I can do more than I could before--and tomorrow the Lord will help me to do more than I could today.

Be grateful for the good that the Lord has given you!  Use it and keep going.  If you rely on the past, that's where you're going to go.  Backwards.  Look to the sky, and keep your head up!  The sky is always better looking than the ground anyways, so don't waste your time looking down!

 Well, that's all for this week.  I just love you all, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

  

Med Kärlek,

Syster Campbell

TENDER MERCIES

Well, hello!

This week consisted of:

--Getting baklava from our investigators who work at a baklava factory.

--Splits with my "daughter", Eunice--also known as Syster Howlett--which was just wonderful and so fun to be back together!  I just adore that girl!  Well okej, so we had the coolest splits.  It was initially planned that I would go with her companion and that I would stay here in Södertälje, but then the morning of splits, I just really got this strong impression that I needed to go with Sister Howlett.  And that's what we did. 

So, I spent the day in Hägersten with my daughter!  But the fates and all just seemed to align, and that was the day they were assigned to help clean the Temple!  So I got to go clean the Temple with min lilla grönsak, and we spent the next 4 hours cleaning the Celestial Room.  It was such an amazing experience.

--That was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my week!  Cleaning the Celestial Room with my sweet Sister Howlett--and then I got to teach again with her, and it was just a sweet little tender mercy!  Oh!  And she was just precious--she woke up early so that when I got up she had turned on these Christmas lights that were wrapped around the bed, and then she turned on the Christmas music, and it was just a dream to wake up to!  It was quite possibly the greatest way I have ever woken up!

--Well, later that day as I returned home, Sys. Anderson and I were off to go to a member's house for dinner.  So, we set off on our journey, and there are people along the way so we stop and talk...and we talked apparently just a little too long.  We missed our train by literally 10 seconds!   Waited 15 minutes for the next one.  Our phone died, and didn't have directions thereto the house.   I had written them down, but that was for the other way and with the train that we had just missed.  So we were just on our own. 

We got to the general area and started going.  We were walking and asking people all around.  We stopped all of these old ladies on their way to some dance party class--it was really funny!   Well...I'll just try to sum up this night really quick:

Syster Anderson slipped while trying to talk to people.  We were walking all over to try to find the entrances to these buildings, and so somehow we end up scaling the side of this mountain.  Okay--well, mountains don't exist here.  It was just a hill.  So were climbing up--in skirts, mind you--and not to mention this is in a forest.  Well, Sys. Anderson is right above me, and I am just begging her not to fall or slip or else I was going down with her!  

We get to the top...and there is a fence.  So I climb it, and thankfully didn't even rip my tights!  Then Sys. Anderson is just examining all of the possible ways she can try to make it over and I am just standing there cracking up at the creative ways she is coming up with--and yet the one she came down to was taking a couple steps back, getting a running start, and then hopping over.  Yeah.  It went just as well as you just imagined it. 

She got the running start, jumped--halfway cleared the fence--rolled over the rest of the fence, and then just landed on her side and was up in a second and just started running down the hill!  I said, "Wait, are you okay?", and she just said, "Yeah, come on--the dinner is getting cold!"  Hahaha!  I couldn't run at that point--I would just take a couple of steps and then stop, because apparently you can't run when you're laughing too hard! 

Eventually, we ended up finally finding the house--and right as we are walking up to the house, Sys. Anderson just says: "Oh, yeah--they moved last week!"  I just stood there for a second and then started laughing.  There really is nothing better to do.   It really was one of the most interesting nights!

Now that took a lot longer than I thought it would! 

--Alrighty then!   The next two days had splits with Västerhaninge--which is where the Temple is--so I got to see it all week!

--Then Stake Conference with the Stockholm South Stake!

{the beautiful new chapel in Södertälje}

Investigator Story.  So we have the most amazing investigator right now--he is precious--and we have just been having the greatest time teaching him.  He is living in a camp about 2 hours away from Södertälje, and yet still comes to Church with us every Sunday.  He loves learning about Christ and reading from the Book of Mormon. 

We have been teaching him in English--he's pretty good at English, but not really for Church words!  So, its been fun.  We have actually gotten to skype Elders in California for translation lessons, so that has been really cool!  There are only 4 Arabic-speaking missionaries in the world right now, and that is NOT enough!!!!  Haha!  But, we are very grateful for the ones we do have!  

We also use one of the Elders' investigators to translate.  It's been great--we asked the Elders, "Hey, do you think_____could help us translate the Law of Tithing?"  They just said, "Yeah-- we haven't taught it to her yet, but go ahead!"   Haha!  So, that was fun and it went really well!

Well,  this week we also taught him the Law of Chastity--and these lessons are just over the phone, since he lives so far away-- so while Sys. Anderson was talking, I was busy writing quotes because it was just too funny!  First off, she says:  "Today we are talking about the Law of Chastity", and he just says, "What is that?"  Exactly!   We're getting to it....

And then she explained that we don't have sex until marriage--and our Finnish Elder was walking by at that point, and in a joking, Finnish way just says, "Why not?"  We started dying, and had to put the phone on mute until we stopped laughing and then closed the door and luckily he didn't hear. 

Well, that's all probably funnier when you know the people--but it was pretty funny!  And this was coming from the Elder that always stresses the importance of PMG (Preach My Gospel) and the white handbook (guidebook for missionaries), and then he just randomly says that--the last thing we were ever expecting! 

Then Sys. Anderson was mentioning how pornography was bad, and she said, "do you know what that is?", he said, "yeah." And then I shook my head and said "he is not going to know what that is".  So she said, "do you want me to send the translation for the word?", and he just quietly says..."maybe....." Again it probably doesn't sound as funny as it was, but he just at first kept saying, yes, he knew what something meant--and then when asked about translation and he would say "maybe!"  

Then, at the end of the lesson--with many other fun moments in between--we asked if he liked chocolate or cookies to see what we could make for him and he just said, "No--no really chocolate...no, but it's fine..."  "Okay what do you like?", we asked him.   "Um..... potatis!  I like potatis and popcorn!  I don't eat sweety!"  Hahaha!  Oh, he is just the cutest human in the world! 

Well...after all of these funny stories, we just were on the phone with him last night and found out he is moving into the far, far up north COLD land!  And he's moving Friday!!!  We were/are devistated!  We are still trying to see what we can do, but it is so sad!  But there is not too much we can do......

I would love for you all to read the talk "What Are You Thinking", by Elder W. Craig Zwick, given in April 2014.  I found it months ago, and I really liked it--but thenI found it again this morning, and I just love it now!  It is such a good reminder to just try to love and understand people.  Just anyone and everyone, because we never know what they are going through. 

One of the Elders recently was talking about how nobody does something for no reason. When we get mad or irritated at other people's actions, it is just because we are not taking the time to try to understand why they are doing something.  It is a really great talk though, and I highly recommend you all read it and try applying it too...or else it's kind of pointless reading it!  But do it, because it's good!

I love you all.

Med Kärlek,

Syster Campbell

MOVING MOUNTAINS

Hejsan!

Well, this was one of the craziest weeks so far.  Let's just make a list of all of the things this week entailed... 

--A Turkey Bowl in Gubbängen.

--Work overs with Örebro, meaning we went on splits with the Örebro Systers, but they live so far away that we just both had to work there for the day and spend the night.  It was really fun, because the systers there are Systers Christoffersen and Davis--who were just my companions!  So we get there and immediately have a service opportunity--so we helped to clean their chapel.  Of course, I got the bathrooms...I don't really know how, but I always just end up cleaning the bathroom!  

{No photos from Syster Campbell again this week, so many thanks once again to Claudia and her husband and a couple of the elders for giving us a window into her world!}

Anyways, after that, we had a Fika with some of the members and heard about their conversion stories, and seriously, that is just one of my favorite things--to hear about how others have been converted! 

Then, we made lunch with the Elders...and somehow, one of them ended up jumping/falling out the window.  He's totally fine--I think he was actually doing better than we were--we were laughing so hard it hurt! 

So, Tuesday and Wednesday we were in Örebro. 

--Later that day, we went to a family's house to do service.  This family is so cool!  It was one of the most random nights of my mission.  So, we get there--and they live far far out--but we get there, and right away they take us down to the lake by their house.  So we climbed through the forest and it was just GORGEOUS!!!  

But, the path was really funny because they just had the most random things all along the path, such as: body figure things that you would use in anatomy classes, creepy dolls, random chairs, little trinket things, road signs, gnomes...and well, I think you get the picture.  So that was fun, then we got to the lake and oh my!  It was stunning!  I felt like Pocahontas looking over the beautiful water with all of the fall colors! 

{I had seen this video on Facebook earlier this year--I'm sure this is very similar to what Annie heard the lady singing--so hauntingly beautiful!}

Then the mom started singing.  She is a vocal coach and she sings this super cool, old traditional Swedish music--usually not even with words, but it is so cool!  She said that the early  Swedish women would sing like that to gather the cows!  Sister Anderson and I were just standing there, on this plank of wood (used as a bridge), and we just listened--and I was just in heaven.  I don't even know how to explain it!  It was just one of those moments that I will never forget. 

Well, then we harvested some carrots and then sang a bunch of Christmas songs! 

--Next day was Thanksgiving!  Well...the extent of excitement for us was that we found an apple on the Church floor and ate it as our Thanksgiving dinner--and later found out it was one of the other Syster's apple.  It was a good day overall..... 

--Then we were off to Eskilstuna for Distrikt Meeting--little did we know that the Elders had talked to the Stake President and his wife and mentioned something about maybe helping bring a little food for after the meeting.  Then, at 12 noon, they come in with boxes and boxes of food.  They placed it all out on the table, and they had made an entire Thanksgiving meal for us!  We were almost in tears!  It was probably one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done!  We were all just stunned! 

After that, I headed back with one of the other Systers to start another day of splits! 

--Next day, there was a baptism for the Eskilstuna Elders--they don't have a font, so they had to come use ours, unless they wanted to have the baptism in a frozen lake.... which isn't unheard of.  But, turns out the font was filling too slow--so I got some pitchers, and started filling them with water from the bathroom--and then more and more people came to help, and we had a whole line going--and we filled up the font in 20 minutes, ending right at 2 pm as the baptism started!  We just kept saying, "If there's a will, there's a way."  The Lord pulls through as we do our part. 

--- Which makes me think of one of my favorite things I have learned on my mission.  If you were to move a mountain, you're going to have to do a whole lot more than just hope it can move.  You have got to have the faith.  Having the faith to move a mountain means that you are going to pick up a shovel and start moving that mountain one shovel load at a time. Hoping for something is useless unless you do something about it! 

One of my favorite examples of this was one of the Elders my first transfer.  He said that when he was little, he heard about the story of moving a mountain with faith.  He thought, "well, if someone can move a mountain, I can close this book with my faith."  So, he opened the book and began to pray, "Käre Himmelske Fader, stäng boken!" (Dear Heavenly Father, close the book!)  Then, he opened his eyes to see that it was still open.  He was devastated! He thought, "do I just not have enough faith?"  So he tried again, "Käre Himmelske Fader, stäng boken!", and nothing!  

And then he realized, if he really wanted to show his faith, he would close it himself!  He realized that you have to do ALL you can do, first!  And closing the book was something that he could do.  The Lord helps us after we have done all that we can do! 

Well, I just love that story!  Having faith means picking up that shovel and getting to work! 

--Oh!  Also, I have been learning Arabic!  It's been really fun!  When we go up to people on the street and they don't understand, we just pop out some Arabic phrases, and then somehow we have their number to meet with them again!  

Oh, and yesterday we met these two guys right outside of the Church and gave them a tour, and they were teaching us new words and I would get excited and would write them down because I had just learned a new word, and one of them just said, "Maybe when I go to SFE (Swedish school) I will look like you!"  Haha!  Even though they were making fun of me, I just took it because, hey--I'm learning a new language, here!  Sorry if I look ridiculous when I get excited! Haha!

Okay, and the awesome quote for the week: 

We met this lady on the train and we were just talking to her for a while--and then she started teaching us Arabic, and gave us a full on lesson making us feel her throat to try to see how she pronounced all of the vowels!  Haha!  We would try and she would just say, "No, No! again!"  

And we would just try over and over, and then I finally got it once, and she just got so excited, and said, "GIVE ME 5!"  Hahahahahaha, oh my!  That was the last thing I expected her to say!  It was just so funny because she didn't even know English or Swedish, that well and then so just says, "give me five!"  Easily one of my favorite moments!  And then, she gave us  a candy before she left.  Syster Anderson pops it in and she says, "This is a flippin eucalyptus cough drop!" 

Okay, well I think thats enough for this week!  Most of you have probably stopped reading by this point, but props to those that read it all--and also my condolences!  But I hope you all just have the grandest of weeks!

And DON'T FORGET to participate in the World Wide Day of Service on December 1st!!!  Go to mormon.org and  "Light the World"!

med kärlek, 

Syster Campbell

FOCUS

{thank-you again to the wonderful Claudia and her husband for the pictures this week!}

Okej, well this week has been pretty wonderful...and nonstop! 

On Tuesday, we had MLC (Mission Leadership Council) at the Mission Home, so that was super fun and wonderful and cozy and Christmas-y and just great!  It was super cool, because it was all about the new Christmas Initiative!!! Oh, my goodness it is so wonderful! 

I don't know how much I can say about it yet, but it's amazing, and just be ready to jump right on board!  The video comes out on November 25th and then just be ready to jump in starting December 1st--go watch the little clip on LDS.org!  A month of Service!  I won't be the one to spill the beans, but there is a teaser video, so go watch it!

Well, our week has been full of this initiative!  After our training, which was basically 3 hours of just brainstorming all of the things we could do with it--we then had to spread the news!  So, on Friday and Saturday, we had 2 trainings for two of the different Zones that Syster Anderson and I cover.  Our part was a little different though--so the Zone leaders in both of the Zones did the main training on the how,  we talked about the why... 

We spoke about our FOCUS, and how our Focus is on Christ.  I can't even say how grateful I have been for that.  Rarely have I been so much in the scriptures, just purely searching the character of Christ and learning from His words.  It really was an amazingly, eye-opening experience for me.  For both of the Zones, we felt pretty inspired to focus the theme on the story of Peter walking on water. 

I LOVE this story...it is just so powerful to me to just see and picture the faith that Peter initially had in the Lord to actually walk on the stormy sea.  *One of the many things I just love about this story is just how reassuring it all is.  How Peter says, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water."  That is was Peter who mentioned to the Lord, essentially, okay, if it is truly you, I know that you will not let me go astray, so I will come unto you.  That for that moment he overcame the natural reaction of man to just wait and figure out if it truly was the Savior--but he showed his faith. 

I feel like this story just perfectly portrays life.  That we are on stormy seas and the Savior is there. He is waiting for us to come unto Him and to see that as we stay completely focused on Him miracles can and will happen. 

I think it is so interesting that it is Peter who says to the Lord that if it's truly you, ask me to come to you.  I think so much of the time we are the ones setting limits on ourselves.  That we make our limits and goals based off of other people's own limitations that they have set, and not truly seeing what the Lord can make possible.  Miracles are made when faith is put in the Lord. 

 I absolutely love the Bible Video of this story.  One of my absolute favorite things about it is watching both Peter's and the Savior's eyes throughout the whole thing.  When Peter is focusing on and looking at the Savior, he is walking on water!  And the second he looks away, he begins to sink. But who is completely focused the WHOLE time?  The Savior!  He is constantly focused on us!  

Have you thought of that?  Probably...but this time keep thinking about it!  It's one of those things where you think about it and it just becomes more real and personal to you.  So try it!  This week try to make an earnest effort to think of who the Savior is to you, and who you can be through Him!  He truly makes miracles happen!

Here are just a couple of the little miracles and tender mercies He has given us this week...

-- We went to go visit a less active member that was about 90 minutese away by bus.  Got there and guess what?  Portcode!  Yay.  A missionary's worst enemy!  But we said okay, if we are supposed to be here, the Lord will provide a way.  So, we said a prayer and mentioned that we would wait three minutes, otherwise we would go find another reason why we were supposed to be there.  So, said the prayer, set the timer on the phone, (just to see) and just as always, the Lord provided.  Out of nowhere comes a father and his little son, who open the door for us and the timer goes off as we are walking through the door.  Miracle?  Some might not say so, but it definitely was for us!

--Well, we got in and guess who didn't answer?  The lady we went to go visit!  So, we just started our way up to the 7th floor--thighs screaming by this point--knocking on the doors, and they came just short of slamming the doors in our faces!  But, then we came to the next door and I just had a different feeling.  I thought, "its this one."  A man opened the door and said, "You don´t want to talk to me!  I'm the devil!"  Ha!  We ended up having an hour-and-a-half lesson with this man in the stair-well! 

Despite being one of the weiredst, longest and hardest of days, it ended up really cool--and we have a lesson with this guy, Juan Pablo, tonight! Super excited!

 Well, a few other things from the week...

--We met with "Prison Jon's" friend. "Prison Jon" is apparently a man who was in prison but is now out, and so was his friend.  He was pretty cool.

--Last night we had dinner at the funniest family's house--I just love them!  Let's just say that 10 minutes before leaving, all of the other missionaries and all their kids were dancing to and singing Christmas music in a line--all except for me and their 8-year-old girl--who was on my back, yelling, "Frammot!!!" or "Forward!"  Yelling at me to go forward into the line of dancers, and allow her to push them out of her way--and then yelling at me to turn so she could proceed to do it on the way back!  This continued for a few minutes.  Great memories.  And I think there might just be a video of this.  I will have to look into that!

Well, that's about it for this week.  Happy Turkey day...eat some extra for me, give lots of thanks and remember your FOCUS!

Med Kärlek,

Syster Campbell