12/30/1013 La semana de la Navidad

How wonderful it was to talk to ustedes on Christmas!  It's interesting because before I skyped you I got really nervous!  I don't know why, I just did, then when I got to talk to you it was like nothing had changed, and everything was normal.  I think that is probably how returning to heaven is going to be.  We'll be nervous when getting ready to die, then when we get there it will be familiar to us, and we will remember how wonderful it is. 

I want to thank you and everyone who sent me things for Christmas, it was so appreciated!  I had a most wonderful Christmas here in Laredo with clear skies, and perfect temperature!  :)  The family who's house we skyped at also decided to get us Christmas.  They got me a camel-back like my companion has, and 2 really cute outfits, and nail polish.  You feel very special as a missionary and like you don't deserve what people want to give you, but you have to humbly accept it anyways so that they will feel the joy of giving and serving us servants of the Lord.

Funny story: We drove out of the Texas McAllen Mission by accident this week. :O :) Sister Judd missed the exit and her GPS was glitching, and we just couldn't find a place to turn around.  We were a little nervous that we would drive into Mexico, because I border is like a mile away (I got to see Mexico this week on a different excursion).  When we finally got turned around the right way, the sign read, "Laredo 17 miles, Nuevo Laredo 18 miles)"  Oops. We had no idea we had gone that far. Turns out we live on the northern boundary of our mission.  However, it was a miracle in disguise because by the time we finally got to where we were supposed to go (45 minutes later) we arrived at the same time as the less active family we really needed to see.  The Lord does stuff like that to us all the time. It has been super clear to us that the Lord expects us to do member missionary work.  He wants us to help the members do their missionary work.  We wrote out all of the non-member friends and family that are members are or could be sharing the gospel with right now, and our list was huge.  It turns out that all the success our area has had in the past had been directly through members, especially part member families, except one that was an "open your mouth" at the library.  We know where the Lord wants us to direct our efforts.  It's just hard to be patient because member work is slower, but 99% more effective that our own random finding efforts.

The miracles that have happened this week have been completely surrounded by members.  While we visited a member another member called us wanting to schedule a dinner with his non-member friend.  We got to learn how to make tomales with a non-member mom and her friend. 

Family history was the focus for this week, and I want to let Dad especially know to add stories on familysearch.org.  I have officially started learning about my family history every week when I get to spend an hour on mormon.org/or familysearch.org.  The only way I can learn about these stories on my mission is if you email them to me or they are on specifically that website.  I prefer you upload them to the website.  I've been so grateful in learning about my ancestors.  I've only learned a few stories, but have already used them in lessons to share the gospel.  As I've learned about the plan of salvation too, I've realized that the Lord is hastening his work   not only in living missionary efforts, but in temple work too.  We are to prepare the earth for the coming of the Savior, and we will work until the gospel has sounded in every ear, and everyone has had the opportunity to accept or deny it.  That means on both sides of the veil.  The reason the Lord is hastening his work now and not in any other age is because at no other time have we had the technological capabilities to organize such a work.  Now we have familysearch.org, and we have a lot of people to find.  Let's do it!  If you find any stories on Daniel Stiles Cahoon, send those. :)

Oh yeah, transfers were this week and sister judd and I are staying! Whohoo! But sister Monsen is going home tomorrow.  she is dying very gracefully.  We will miss her!

Love,

Hermana Campbell