10/2/2013

Where do I start?

 

Wednesday night we had TRC and it was awesome!  My companion and I actually got to teach a volunteer from the community!  So crazy!  We were all over the place.  We forgot to introduce ourselves, and he just kept asking us so many questions that it was really hard to have a clear lesson.  I didn´t even know if he was a member.  The time went by so fast, and I think we mainly bore testimony about the Book of Mormon.  so exhilarating to get to teach someone for real!  Even though i´m not sure the lesson went very well because we were so scattered and confused most of the time, we were both so ecstatic and happy about it.  I think a whole ward came in that night to give us missionaries practice.  I´m so grateful for them!  I feel like I learned so much, like don´t forget to introduce yourself and what church you´re from and stuff.  The next lesson we got to be investigators for some newer missionaries.  We were just ourselves, but they still found a way to apply the lesson to our lives to help strengthen our faith and prayers. 

 

I´ve learned some interesting things on preparation this week.  I´ve felt both the pit in the stomach for lack of preparation and the full confidence that I will be granted the Lord´s help because I have prepared as much as I can give.  One of our 2 teachers, Hmn. Bair was demonstrating teaching, and even though she was very talented at asking inspired questions and teaching, after the lesson, she told us she felt like something was mission.  She figured it was lack of preparation.  I feel like only when I´ve given everything I can to prepare, only then I feel sure that the Lord´s holy Spirit will accompany me as I teach to help the investigator´s conversion.  One thing that has been difficult for me is knowing how to most efficiently companion study/prepare a lesson with my companion.  After watching my teachers demonstrate, i realize that it takes a lot of work, and can be a struggle, but you just have to persevere and do your best.  Each week we are expected to prepare a talk in Spanish to give for Sunday.  This was the first week I didn´t prepare one.  I got caught up in preparations that I felt were more pressing, until I had forgotten or time I had planned for was unexpectedly taken away.  As I found out I got to give a talk this week, I felt impressed to not worry, but instead of preparing one, to focus on the lessons I was being taught in relief society.  Learning this week that preparation is critical, I prayed very hard for the Lord to forgive me for not preparing my talk.  Sunday morning I felt like I was being spiritually fed, communing with the spirit for the first 5 hours of the morning.  Insights from relief society came faster than I could write them down.  The next meeting I wrote down a few points or scriptures I felt impressed to share, and then stood up to give my talk.  I was blessed with the spirit as my guide to share about our divine potential.  Somehow it connected with a scripture from personal scripture study, and I truly felt the Lord´s help as I shared.  So why was I graced by the spirit when I hadn´t prepared?  This is what I learned: I had prepared. I had listened and learned from the spirit the entire morning. It was simply a different kind of preparation than I was used to.  I hope you can draw some sort of lesson from this.  I feel like I´ve learned a lot.  Faith takes a lot of work.  Maybe in your scripture study prayerfully think about these questions, ´´What has faith done in my life?´´ ´´Why does Heavenly Father want me to have faith?´´ ´´What can I do to better my faith?´´

 

Weekly happenings:  we got to scrub gum off the pavement for service this week!  How awesome is that?! did you know that it is actually possible?  And I know how to do it!  I spear-headed the project of our branch´s musical number for the CCM for this next Sunday morning.  Through some tender mercies we have procured copies and a pianist to perform EFY Medley (as sisters in Zion-army of Helaman)  I have SO MUCH RESPECT FOR CHOIR DIRECTORS!  It is so hard and I feel so incapable of leading 50 missionaries in split parts when I can barely follow it in a foreign language where the words don´t fit just right.  I could never have had our first practice without Hna. Pertamalo and Nielson right next to me helping me figure things out.  I pray for patience from my fellow choir members. 

 

I can´t believe i´m leaving this week!  So crazy!  A day feels like a week and a week feels like a day.  I´m so not ready, but I´m so excited!  AHHHH!

i should email you this Sunday.  SO EXCITED FOR GENERAL CONFERENCE!

Love,

Hermana Campbell

 these are the hermanas in my branch

 This is my whole district

 sorry if this is a duplicate, I can´t remember which ones I´ve sent.  We made good friends with these latina hermanas at lunch.  They were so sweet to help us with our spanish.

This is part of our branch that we play soccer with.