Week of February 29 2016: Mosquito Bites

A sister we were visiting last night began to complain about all the mosquitos, and said 'they're biting you too! Look at Sister Campbell, they bit her right on her face!!' Extreme climate changes, plus a whole jar of Nutella and many chocobananos, lead me to a breakout of zits on my forehead this week.I bemusedly replied 'no sister, these are zits,' which lead to a laughing fit between me and Hermana Lagos that didn't end until we got in the house last night. Sweet times in Guatemala. 

It was a long week that went very fast, full of work and fasting and prayers, divisions with members, eating at the fanciest restaurant in Guatemala with the mission president's wife after my exit interview, and getting free rides in buses. Yesterday we had a crazy miracle of having NINE investigators come to church! We're teaching this wonderful family who are from one of the parts of Guatemala where there are a lot of indiginous folk, and they are so sweet and receptive. They're teaching us a few words in their native language, which is called Maam, and they laugh every time we try to imitate them because we cannot get the accent right. 

I got some wonderful news this morning when I checked my email--the young mn we were teaching back in Progreso, Kevin, GOT BAPTIZED LAST WEEKEND! I'm so proud of him. Of course it's sad that I couldn't be there for his baptism, but I'm so happy he was able to make this important covenant at this crucial stage in his life. 

I've been thinking a lot lately about our baptismal covenants. I remember that I gave my farewell address about Mosiah 18:8-10:

'And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things,and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts,what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?'

My favorite part is the response of the people Alma was teaching: 

'And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts.' (Mosiah 18:11). 

The gospel is all about JOY. We exist because our Heavenly Father wants us to have joy! Sometimes we go through hard stuff, but it's just to make us learn and have perspective. Every one of us that's made these covenants should remember them always, and use them as a source of comfort and happiness! That's the whole reason I'm here. 

The gospel is true. Christ lives. REJOICE EXCEEDINGLY! I love each and every one of you. 

Love, 

Sister Campanita

p.s. here is the photo outside of the fanciest restaurant in Guate. Actually it's not even that fancy, but it's a lot fancier than what I'm used to. I'd take a chocobanano over this stuff any day.

Week of February 22 2016: 17 months!

Week of February 9 2016: AC/DC

BACK IN THE CAP! (That was supposed to be a play on AC/DC's 'Back in Black,' but I think I've lost my touch for wordplay in English.)

That's right, I'm back inside the capital! Well, in a manner of speaking. I'm in my wonderful new area, Las Margaritas. It's part of Ciudad Quetzal, which is technically part of the capital, but it's kind of a little pueblo. My new companion is Hermana Lagos, and we're reopening the area. It's AWESOME, because we've just been knocking doors and going out with members (mostly recent converts, who are AWESOME and love going to lessons with us), and finding awesome people. Yesterday after church, we knocked the door of a family of five, whom the missionaries had visited before, and taught them about the priesthood and the restoration and they all wanted to be baptized! We also had a super spiritual lesson with a new family we found whose first question for us was, 'why do they call you mormons?' So we got to explain the Book of Mormon, which is one of my favorite subjects. 

Our area is pretty much a giant mountain, and it's REALLY COLD! And we do a lot of stair and hill climbing (I don't know why they built so many staircases here, but there's a ton, as you can see in the picture), and generally we just get tired every day from working and walking, and it's awesome. 

I found my new favorite scripture in the Book of Mormon this week, on my first day in Margaritas when I was exhausted and sleep deprived and stressed about reopening the area: 'And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.' (Words of Mormon 1:7)

Pretty much, Heavenly Father knows everything, so we don't have to worry or be stressed about anything! Life is wonderful, the gospel is true, the atonement is real, and Jesus is my friend and your friend. 

Have a wonderful and peaceful week, and remember to find joy in the journey!

Love,

Hermana Cranberry

Week of February 1 2016: Highs and Lows

Highs and lows of this week, starting with lows to get them out of the way:

Low: we have changes!!! (Or transfers, I guess, for you snobby Americans. )They're going to reopen our area with ELDERS. All the members are like, 'NOOO! Elders are so lame!' But I know they will get along great with the members. This branch is so wonderful and I will miss it a lot, but I know bigger and better things are in store. 

Low: a classic Progreso moment--we had to keep shooing a stray dog out of the sacrament salon because it had followed its owners. It also appeared to have fleas, making it all the more necessary to shoo it out. 

Low: after the weird cold front from last week, it's been INTENSELY hot this whole week and we have been getting sunburned. 

Enough of the negativity! Here are a few of the many wonderful things that happened this week:

High: we unknowingly stumbled into a lesson with the sister of a recent convert when I was on divisions and all of our plans had fallen through. I knew that I had seen her face somewhere, but I wasn't sure why I recognized her until I invited her to church at the end of the lesson and she said 'my little sister goes to church with you guys!' and I sat with my mouth wide open for five minutes in shock. 

High: Enrique, the son of some investigators, who has always been SUPER SERIOUS and never likes to play with us or even wave to us like other kids, followed us out of the house when we were leaving and shouted 'TE AMO!' and I almost fell over because of my excitement. 

High: when I was on divisions in Jalapa, the member that was acompanying us told us she had made torrejas (if you don't know what that is by now, you gotta go back and read the rest of my emails). She offered to bring us some and I almost shouted 'SI!' Then we ate torrejas and I went to bed happy. 

High: Kevin came to church yesterday! He offered the prayer in gospel principles and it was a really wonderful and sincere prayer, asking for guidance and direction and for blessings for us (the missionaries) and our families. He is so awesome. 

It was a good four and a half months here in Jutiapa. We found out tonight where we're going to go, so by next week, I'll let you know where in the world I am. 

Read the scrips (especially the teachings of Jacob, who is my BoM hero right now), and protect yourselves from the cold!

Love, 

HC

p.s. there we are with the parents of Enrique after a church activity they came to. He's such a BABE.

Attachments area

My favorite missionary picture of Amelia to date: Week of January 25 2016

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