CHOOSE TO BELIEVE

Hejsan!

Hoppas allt är bra med er! Det går jättebra här i Helsingborg!

And we have some news!  Alright--moment of truth!   I am not only receiving one new companion but TWO!  We will be a little tri-pan!  Their names are Syster Eldrige and Davis!!!  I was with Syster Davis in the MTC and I just about cried when I heard she was coming here!  I can't wait!  

I just have no clue how this whole trio thing will be done, seeing that our apartment is barely big enough for 2 of us, and somehow we will have to get a new bed or something...(I think I might just get an air mattress from our Bishop--I´m actually quite looking forward to it!) Haha, so this will be quite the funnest little adventure!

Well, as for this week, I have just been having the hardest time lately trying to think of all the funny things--maybe I'll have more for next week!  But this week we had Zone Conference in Göteborg!  I have gone there for conferences three times now, and that just tells ya that I have been in Skåne for a VERY long time!  Most missionaries only get one or two conferences in Göteborg because they happen every other transfer, but because I am going on my 6th transfer here, that is twice as long as most people stay!  I'm telling ya--Southern Sweden just cannot get rid of me!

Well, the conference was amazing.  It was all about Joseph Smith and choosing to believe.  It truly was just the most amazing conference.  The whole time I was just so grateful for my Mommy for raising me to know who Joseph Smith was--and who he is to me. 

 As I have been studying about Joseph Smith, I have just been reading and re-reading the talk "Saftey for the Soul", by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.  Blows me away every time.  Every time I listen to it, I am just amazing at the faith of all of those men who helped to bring about the truth of the Restoration.  That not only did they spend their lives to help in bringing forth this truth, but they ended up giving their lives for it, too. 

As I was thinking about Joseph's role in all of this, I began to think of our Savior, and how He was the perfect sacrifice.  How He suffered for us all so that He could bring about mercy and forgiveness for us all.  

And in a similar way, Joseph Smith died for us, too.  He gave everything that he had to bring about the words of the Father and the Son.  He gave his life so that we could have the Book of Mormon today.  He died to testify that he knew what Christ had done.  Joseph's life was truly a testimony of our Savior.  

In the talk, "Safety for the Soul", Elder Holland remarks that his father would say, "No evil man could write it, and no good man would write such a book, unless he was called of God to do so."  And Joseph truly was. 

I also love the role that we see Hyrum playing in all of this.  I greatly admire Hyrum and his testimony.  Although he did not with his own eyes see God the Father and His Son, he CHOSE to believe his younger brother Joseph, and it was because of that choice he made that he in return was truly able to believe.

Along with this, I have been listening and reading through the talk, "Faith is not by Chance, but by Choice", by Elder Neil A. Anderson.  I have been thinking about faith in my life--the faith I show, and how I could possibly have the faith as Joseph and Hyrum.  I thought about it a lot, and it just all became so clear to me!  

Although it may not be easy to come by, it is a very simple process.  When things are good, Choose to Believe.  When things are hard, Choose to Believe.  And there you go!  The pattern is really quite easy!  

Faith does not come until after the trial of our faith.  It is in the moment of hardship that we can either let our faith grow or diminish--and that comes about by one simple thought: "Do I want this one little thing--this one little problem or doubt ruin all of the other truths I do know, or did know?  Is it worth it?  Or should I just choose to Believe.  Push through, because even if you are unsure, choosing to believe will always give you the power to make it through.

I have come to realize that this must be a very conscious decision.  Merely coasting through times of doubt will not just come and go without doing any damage.  If we just let it happen and go through the stages of doubt, we will always end up just a little weaker for it.  But when we Choose to Believe, even when its hard to see or we really don't know what to believe--that is showing Faith.  

And when does knowledge come?  After that trial!  It is completely against our human nature to believe something that we cannot see.  To me, Faith is a Godly Attribute.  It is something that is not so easy to come by, but when we use it and seek to grow it, there is no end to the power that can come through our faith.

So, next time you are having a hard time believing, think of this:  There are two ways.  The Lord's way and the world's way.  And you make your choice.  For me, I choose the Lord's way.  He ALWAYS has something to offer me, while the world has nothing. 

So, even though it may be hard even after you have made that decision to Believe, just let it go, and turn it over to the Lord.  Once you have made it through, you will just be able to see the tremendous amount of growth you have gained from believing while not seeing.

The Lord has been preparing us for these moments of doubt by the experiences He has given us.  These times of trial are merely a test to see if we ever did anything with the experiences that we had.  When we act on spiritual experiences, such as writing them down, using them to help another and applying them to our lives, we are just building our foundation for the times that we seem to "fall", so that we will have a strong foundation to fall on.

In his talk, Elder Anderson said: "You no longer stand on neutral ground. Your faith will grow not by chance, but by choice. How we live our lives increases or diminishes our faith. Prayer, obedience, honesty, purity of thought and deed, and unselfishness increase faith. Without these, faith diminishes. Why did the Savior say to Peter, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not?" Because there is an adversary who delights in destroying our faith! Be relentless in protecting your faith."

Now a couple things I have learned this week:

--Chose to Believe and and make that decision once.

--Best time for the last cigarette? Yesterday. (for investigators of course)

--Not so much something learned, but I forgot to say it earlier--we got to pick out new wall paper for our apartment! we picked a beautiful teal! I am super excited because right now it is this nasty beat up white and tan with tears all over from the 30 years of elders living there!

--Another thing learned.... don't talk to old drunk people.  Okay,well maybe--they are hilarious!

--Don't ride a bike with shoes that are already falling apart....

--And lastly, it's really funny sitting across from a drunk teenager on the bus, because they do something stupid, and then you laugh--and then they start crying, and think your going to call the police because you're , "Jesus´ sisters!"

I love you all dearly and have a lovely week!

Syster Campbell

LAGOM

Well, I think its pretty safe to say that I am just a Skåne kinda girl...

I have now been here for 7 months, and we find out in just a few days if this journey down south will continue!  I never saw myself coming down south, but I LOVE it!  It is my home! Ok, well, I feel like I will just say that about anywhere I go, but I absolutely LOVE it here! 

And I had the wonderful opportunity to see all of my dear, sweet friends from Kristianstad this week at Stavskonferens!  It was so great to see them all again! 

There are definitely benefits to transferring only 2 hours away from your previous area!  Just typing that out, I realized how funny that must seem being in America, because missions are so much tinier!  Just imagine Washington, Oregon and California as 1 really big mission--that's Sweden for ya!  I love it!

{The Helsingborg District lunching together at the Swedish version of McDonalds--Max}

Well...onto this week! 

Things have been going pretty swell lately--we are coming to the end of the transfer so I have just been thinking about all the good times from these past 5 weeks.  There have been a lot of weird things, too, but I just Love Helsingborg!  It has been wonderful to me:)

It's a pretty big city--not huge, just lagom--which in Swedish is the equivalent of the feeling in Goldylocks and the Three Bears whenever something is "just right"  Well, in Swedish, there is a word for that--and it is lagom--so Helsingborg is lagom.   Not too busy, not too quiet.   Just right!

And it's a college town, so we have a lot of young people, so that has been fun...and annoying at times!  I have come to see why it is that I usually am with people older than me.  Other than that, it is just gorgeous here, and we get to meet people from EVERYWHERE!  It's a pretty big touristy area, so we get to meet a lot of different people!

But I'm getting sidetracked!  Last Monday, I went to IKEA for the first time in Sweden!!!  It was so fun and SO much better than it is in America!  Knowing this made me really sad, but I'm just glad we even have them at home!  

{Swedish IKEA is quite a bit different than IKEA in America!}

I have definitely considered working there when I get home--and I can read the instructions! Who cares when people say the Swedish language is dying?  We will always need Swedish speakers to walk around IKEA with!  But, yes...that was wonderful.

Then later in the week, we had our Adult Session for Stake Conference.   We got to go to Malmö, and then stayed the night there with the Systers in their HUGE mansion of an apartment!  And then, we went to Lund for the Sunday session!

Let's see.....Last night we had an awesome Missionary Correlation Meeting with our Ward Mission Leader.  He is just awesome.  At the end of every one of our meetings, we just dig into the scriptures a little, and it is just so cool every time! 

Last night we were going over a bunch of single-verse scriptures explaining how everything on this earth testifies of a great Creator.  We were all just talking about it, and he had us each just think of a few random things, and we saw how all those things could testify of the Savior or of the Great Atonement.  It was really quite eye-opening to see that! 

It really did help to open my eyes, and I decided that I am going to start keeping a journal of all of those connections that I can think of... 

As I was going to bed last night, I turned off the light, laid down--and then I thought of one. I thought, "oh, I will just write it down in the morning"... but no.  That wasn't the case.  I had to write it down right then.  So, I did.  And as I did, I just felt one thing leading to another.  One connection after another, and everything was just coming together.  I started seeing how I can truly see my Lord and my Savior's hand in EVERYTHING! 

I know it might sound a little funny at first, but I encourage you to try it!  As you can see the Lord's hand in the little things, it will strengthen your faith to see him in ALL THINGS!  My eyes have just been opened, and I am so excited to continue on with this. 

Everything testifies of the Savior. 

And that's why I am out here.  I can't deny that now,  and I'm just trying to help others see it, too!  It's amazing coming to see the Lord lead you in your life, and it just shows you what is truly important in this life.

Witness of the Great Creator, because YOU are evidence of the Creator!

Love you all!

Med Kärlek,

Syster Campbell

THE LORD'S WORK

Well, hello there!  I hope you all are doing just dandy!

First things first--the computer just shut off on me while I was in the middle of the letter, so let's just say that today's letter is going to be a little short!

Well...this week wasn't too full of weirdly entertaining happenings--pretty normal--but still fun, of course.  Oh!   Well actually, last Monday was super fun!   We got to play soccer at this weird, super trippy (literally) "Dr. Seuss" field!  It was this weird, warped field and just so entertaining to just watch missionaries running all up and down it--and just dropping like flies!  And thankfully, no broken bones!  Bottom line--it was like my dream soccer field, and it was really hard to leave! 

Aside from that, nothing too out of the ordinary--everything is good, and weird, and happy, and frustrating, and amazing all at the same time.  So, basically like most other missions-- except you know, I'm in Sweden, so......

But, yes.  Sweden.  Have I ever mentioned just how much I love it here?  If not, I am saying it now.

Well, to sum things up, life is good....some minor little set backs this week, but everything's still going good:)  We were able to find some really amazing people this week--especially yesterday! 

We met the cutest couple--he's from Argentina and she's a Swede--they were just precious, and they actually wanted to talk and listen, unlike most others!  At the end of our little (30 minute) conversation, they said:

"You know what?   We were just talking about this same stuff right before you stopped us. We were just talking about our individual paths in life, and then you just stopped us and started talking about that with us, too!" 

We said that everything happens for a reason, and the guy said, "That is so true.  You know, when were were walking up this way--about 30 ft. back, we were about to turn around and start heading home, but I felt like we should just keep going on a little bit.  I really feel like we were supposed to meet and talk with you two!" 

It was seriously just the coolest thing.  And then to top it off, they sent us a text later that night--I'll just have to send a screen shot of it, because it's just too sweet to paraphrase and butcher how they said it!

Family...Friends--I'm telling you, the Lord is so very aware of our circumstances, and He will lead us to others when we--or they--are in need.  Most often, the Lord will use us to answer the prayers of others--or even the other way--that others will be sent to us in our time of need.  I have seen it time and time again throughout my life--and especially on my mission. 

There really isn't anything like it when someone tells you that they feel like they were led by God to talk to you.  So, please try to live so that you can be the answer to another's prayers. Be open enough to step out of your way to talk to a stranger or someone who looks like they are in need. 

We met this amazing guy a few days back that just loved what we were doing as missionaries, because it was other people like us, he said, that were the answer to his prayers a couple years back... 

He said that at the darkest point in his life, he was just sitting in a train station--head down-- thinking about his life.  Out of nowhere, someone comes up and just asks him how we was. He said, "Honestly.... I feel like crap." (Sorry, Mom--those were his words!)  But the man sat down, talked to him, and handed him a little Bible.  He was just astounded and so grateful. He took the Bible and promised the man he would read it.  He did and he soon after joined a church. 

As we were talking with him, we started telling him about the Book of Mormon, and he was really interested--but we sadly didn't have another Book with us, being the end of the night--but we said that we could just call him the next day and find out a time to meet. 

He said,  "That sounds great--I'm really looking forward to it, and I'm going to promise you what I promised that one man that day. I will read this Book."

So, we tried getting in contact with him, but he was just working weird hours and was hard to get a hold of.  But then, we just ran into him yesterday--I'm telling you--the Lord is at the head of this work!  We saw him, and he just got so happy to see us!  I was holding the last Book of Mormon of the day in my hand, and before anything else, we just gave it to him and said,  "Yes!  We finally got it to you!"  He was so happy and he said, "Wow!  Is this just for me?!" 

It was just so amazing to really be able to see how the Lord brings about this truth. He will never leave us and He will never forget about us.

One scripture I have been thinking about a lot lately just kind of fits in perfectly here--Alma 26:27-- 

"Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said; Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." 

If there is anything I have noticed since being out on my mission, it's that the people you truly needed to meet usually come right after you think you have done all you could.  They are always on the top floor of the building, or at the end of a long day.  They are usually the ones you would least expect. 

I love thinking about this, because this is the way the Lord has chosen for His truth to be spread.  Not only does it strengthen the people by receiving the true message, but it strengthens us to see where our true source of power comes from. 

If Ammon and his brethren had given up when they began to be depressed, they would not have experienced the infinite enabling power that only comes from complete reliance on the Lord and His Atonement.

Turn to the Lord--and trust that you will be led and you will.

 I love you all dearly!  And I will leave you with that, because we are now off to go do morning studies at the beautiful Kärnan Fortress!

Med Kärlek, 

Syster Campbell

THE GREATEST GIFT

Hi, friends! :)

Long time no see!  This has felt like quite possible the longest week so far!  Its been super good, so I'm not quite sure why it felt so long, but så är det!

  

Well.  This week....

Met some wonderful people this week, had some awesome lessons--mainly with our amazing investigator! 

I have never seen someone just so accepting and willing to change everything and come unto the Lord.  He has changed his whole life and he just loves every bit of the gospel.  Anytime we bring up another commandment he just gets excited to try it out!  

When we told him about fasting he said, "I just want to try it right now!"  And we said, "well how about this:  in two days it is Fast Sunday.  We all start a fast tomorrow night for______", and he just got really happy and said, "I can just already feel how amazing this will be."  So we did!  We fasted together and it was really a neat experience.

Another day we went to this amazing family's house for lunch, and we just had the most wonderful meal overlooking the beautiful ocean and just feeling in Heaven.  After lunch, Brother H. turned to Syster Christoffersen and said, "Should we do the initiation now?", and she said, "Oh, yeah." 

So, he went to his bookshelf and pulled out a book. He handed me the book and said, "Now you go and find your favorite quote, and then mark it with this when you're done."  He handed me some post-it notes, and I was off. 

It was a book filled with Brigham Young's quotes--with tabs FILLING the book from years of previous missionaries! 

I flipped though the pages--and let's just say, it was filled with "legendary names!"  It was really cool, and I was just the third sister that ever got her name in there!   I just loved that idea, and I am totally going to do that when I have my own home.  I loved it!

Well...I can't quite think of any weird things from the week, so I guess I will just move on!

Denna vecka har jag tänkte väldigt mycket på Försoningen.  This week I have been thinking a lot about the Atonement. 

Though great with eternal purposes and principles--complex beyond anything our mortal minds can even comprehend--our Savior and our Father have been so merciful as to make a plan so that we can actually come to understand the Atonement.  This is a gift.  And along with any other gift we receive, we must use it and appreciate it.  In order to understand it we must USE it! 

And  the beautiful thing about the Atonement is that we can apply it into our lives...that it is so individual--and at the same time--far reaching, that EVERYONE can use the Atonement and apply it into their own individual lives. 

Just think of how merciful our Father and Savior were and are to have given this plan--a plan of Salvation--that we can apply into every facet of our lives.  That I can use it to help me through whatever struggles or trials I am facing...that it will help me turn my weaknesses into strengths, and then at the end of the day, it is the same gift that I can use as I am accounting my day to my Father. 

When I kneel down before I close my eyes for the night, I have the opportunity--through the same Atonement--to account for what I did that day. To lay before my Father all that I have done and to see what I can do better. 

Every morning is a testament of the Atonement.  Every new day, every clean slate...it all turns back to the great and atoning Sacrifice!  That no matter what happened yesterday, the gate of forgiveness is always open.  It's open for you, its open for me--it's open for us all--all we must do is to take the step to cross through.

Here are just a few of the many blessings of the Atonement;

--As you come unto Christ, you will know the joy of being clean before the Lord.

--You can experience the painful but healing process of repentance.

--We will be filled with Joy and marvelous light.  Our souls will be filled with exquisite joy.

--In adition to redmption from the pain of sin, the Savior also offers peace in times of trial.

  --And lastly (as far as this list goes), our Savior understands exactly how we feel.  "As part of His Atonement, Jesus took upon Himself the pains, sicknesses, and infirmities of all people. He understands your suffering because He has experienced it.  And with this understnding, He knows how to help you."  ("True to the Faith")

"You can cast all your care upon him; for he careth for you."--Peter 5:7

The Savior's arms are open for all.  YOUR debt has already been paid for, so don't try to just live with the pain.  There is a better way--and that way, the ONLY way--is our Savior. 

When you make the Savior your way, when you apply the Atonement into your life and truly come to know your Savior, doors will open up for you like you never could have imagined. 

The Savior's sacrifice was for all, so be grateful for it and let Him into your life.  He being the One who felt it all, can help with all.  "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest."

Med Kärlek,

Syster Campbell