TURNING OUTWARD

{No pictures from Annie this week, so many thanks to Claudia and Eloisa!}

Hello, there!  Hope you all have had a wonderful New Year so far!

It has been really, really cold over here, okay--and, Hello! I have seen more snow this week then I ever have!  One morning we woke up and the snow went up mid-shin!  I know that probably isn´t a lot for most of you, but I was born and raised in California.  This was a big week for me!  All of the sisters I am with here in Södertälje have all had their fair share of snow in their life, so they're not use to being around someone who hasn't seen it much!

  

Well, this week has just been wonderful.  We had MLC (Mission Leadership Council) on Tuesday, and got to change the Mission Standard--or Goals--for 2017!  That was exciting. and had really good homemade soup which has just made me crave soup ever since!

We also have had multiple lessons with one of our investigators.  He is amazing.  Seriously, such a tender mercy.  He is so prepared, and anyone that meets him is like, "Where did you find him?!"  We actually met him on the street, and he just came to Church the next Sunday...and has stayed ever since.  

{Annie's dear companion, Syster Anderson, welcoming everyone to Church!}

His baptismal date is this Saturday, and he is just so excited!  He had his interview with our District Leader on Saturday, and afterwards, our DL came over and talked to us--and he was just stunned.  He said he had never seen someone so prepared.  He is seriously just one of those people where you just learn so much more from them than you could possibly ever teach. 

Well, also for this week I have been trying to focus a lot on the goals I have made.  Some of those being: focusing on two Christ-like attributes, and studying a new parable of Christ each week.

As far as the attributes, I feel like I am finally trying to take it much further than just thinking: "okay, I want to work on this"--and that's it.  That's all you do.  I got the idea from one of the systers here, to write down every night something someone else did that day to portray that attribute, and 3 things you tried to do. 

For this transfer, we asked the systers to all focus on one attribute they wanted to work on, and we have just been getting so many good ideas from them as we call them and follow up-- it has been so helpful!  I love being able to talk to them all and just hear all of their thoughts and insights because it just helps you to open your mind so much more, and just leave the little 4 walls of limitation that we usually tend to create for ourselves. 

I think the idea of humility is so fascinating .  Just like gaining muscles, you've got to break it down to gain more.  But with us, we've got to chip away at the pride to find what is actually under the hard shell.

One of the attributes I actually chose was Humility.  Something I didn't really think of as a problem for me before.  Little did I know that humility wasn't being down on myself, but as one of the missionaries here once said, "Humility isn't thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." I realized that I was doing the complete opposite. 

When you're thinking less of yourself, you are then in return thinking of yourself more. That's stinking prideful!  After thinking about that for a while, it just all made sense.  When you lose yourself in service that is when you truly find yourself--a motto that I have tried to live by all of my mission. 

{A beautiful meeting up with sweet Italian friends--grazie mille, Eloisa!}

That realization came probably at the end of my first transfer--and it has just really stuck with me throughout my mission.  But it is just so true.  There is NO need to feel down when you can serve.  Yes--that sounds a little weird, but I promise it works. 

Whenever you feel down, just simply go talk to someone else!  Worry about their problems or their thoughts.  Ask them what they hope for in life!   It makes the world of a difference for them.  As Elder Bednar has said, "turn outward".  When trying to heal what's inside, one must turn outside.

Try to make it a goal of doing a least one random act of service EVERYDAY!  You never know what can come of it!

Med Vänliga Hälsningar,

Syster Campbell