Week of December 27 2015: He's a gem!

Happy almost 2016! I hope everyone passed a delightful Christmas. It was 85 degrees here on Christmas day, so it didn't really feel right to be singing Christmas carols, but such is life here in Guate. 

The power AND the water were out for the majority of last week, which was a delightful reminder of the luck we have to live in modern times. We also ate many tamales and drank ponche (I think I described it last year...it's a bunch of fruit cooked in water with cinnamon and sugar, and people here are obsessed with it), and a lady gave us a HUGE chocobanano for FREE! It was the best present a girl could ask for. 

We have been working hard on finding and teaching, and sometimes it's discouraging to see people who were progressing fall. I've been meditating on this scripture in John:

'Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.  If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.' (John 13:16-17).

Heavenly Father created us so that we would have JOY! So we should find happiness in the little things we do that makes us feel His love--helping an old lady cross the street, comforting a crying baby, eating a chocobanano--and let the rest roll off our backs. 

I love you all lots, and I hope you start 2016 making resolutions that you can truly keep. 

Sister Hamil

ps. here is a picture of us from the Christmas zone conference, with President Caffaro, who, during his talk to us, said 'sometimes I just make up words in Spanish.' He's a gem.

Week of December 6 2015: Happy December!

Happy December! Right now it's about 75 degrees and sunny, so it feels like I'm in the middle of summer, but we sing Christmas carols in every lesson, and the mayor put up a Christmas tree in front of the municipal building, so there's at least a little bit of holiday cheer. 

The family I wrote about last week are just a miracle. We went to visit them and they told us they had actually read the pamphlet (rare), and prayed to know if it was true (super rare!!), and that they were committed to go to church on Sunday(ALMOST UNHEARD OF!!!). We were really happy to know that Heavenly Father truly prepares His children to receive the gospel and investigate it. They're such a cute family, and the mom is always telling the kids to be reverent and listen, and at the end of the lesson, we gave them all lollipops. We love them a lot. 

Yesterday we had another miracle, Romelia, who lives in one of the aldeas that's about twenty minutes in bus. She had told us that if she was going to come to church, that she would come on her own, and we were shocked when she showed up the the middle of testimony meeting! We had called her all morning without getting an answer, and it was astounding to see her in church. She said she loved it and that she wants to bring her kids next week. 

This is my new favorite scripture from this week's study. We've seen a lot of miracles, but we've had a lot of hardships in this change as well. This is what gets me through:

'O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.' (Mormon 8:27)

Many of the hardest times of my mission have come as a result of doubt. In these last four weeks, I have gained a testimony that doubt and faith cannot coexist. Heavenly Father has a plan for everyone, and we can't try to make our plans His plans! Doubt not, but be believing, and know that miracles are possible. I've seen them, and I know in the Christmas season, we will see even more. 

Un abrazo de oso, 

Hermana Campbell

ps. the photo is from the outside of our apartment, which our landlord decorated. Cute!

pps. quote of the week 'you're so cute with your Canadian accent!' -hna campbell 'it's fine, i'm just gonna go cry in the washroom' -hna juarez