Sisters

Sisters

Sunday, September 11, 2016

September 6, 2016 - BEcome Happy for the "Small, But Big Things"!

HI YOU!

Are you having a good week? I hope so! And if not, I hope that after this email it will be(: The gospel always cheers us up!!

Well, this week was so fun! I think that it was one of the more unique weeks of my mission because we taught less than I ever have, but the people we are teaching are progressing! And we found other good people to teach as well! SO COOL!

When Sister Tippetts and I were together we were walking out of a dinner appointment and this little boy came up and asked us if we went to church! Haha kids are the best. As we were talking to him the thought entered into my head, "talk with everyone"! I looked back and noticed a lady sitting on the sidewalk. We went up and started talking with her. As we did she told us that she was a member of our church! It had been like 20 some odd years since she had been baptized or been to church. About a year ago she started trying to strengthen her relationship with God and had moved there a few months before. We have been teaching her for the past few weeks and it has been amazing to see and watch her testimony in the restored gospel grow! The more connections she finds to her personal life (and they are everywhere if we look) the more her testimony in Jesus Christ grows! Her and her granddaughter have been to church twice now and J (the granddaughter) LOVES it. She told us that she has noticed us walking around for a while but just didn't ever say anything. She said she would always tell herself, "they will find me!" ISN"T THAT SO COOL? I think it is. I really do know Heavenly Father loves his children and it has been so fun to see her come to believe this the more she prays, reads, attends church, and follows the commandments! I love this family. (this is the same woman I mentioned a few weeks ago (:)

Remember the Washington guy who I mentioned a few weeks ago? Well, for about 10 days he totally fell off the face of the earth. We would call and call and call but no answer. One night, we were calling as always AND HE ANSWERED AGAIN. He has moved to WV and just experienced the worst opposition ever through family and friends, but guess what! HE KNOWS IT IS TRUE. He has prayed and has read the Book of Mormon and been taught by the spirit that it is true. My favorite thing about him is how simple things make him SO HAPPY. The other day he told us that he saw a picture of the temple and the prophet in the same day and it made him feel so good! Haha. We pulled out the scriptures to teach over the phone and he just says in this excited voice, "aH! This is going to be good!" I really enjoy how happy this gospel makes him. I hope we can all follow his example and BEcome happy for the "small, but big things"! He truly loves Jesus Christ! He is excited to be baptized, but is not being encouraged by any loved ones! HE COULD USE PRAYERS. (: 

A few weeks ago we went to teach a woman who comes to teach her Sunday school class but who doesn't come to Sacrament meeting much. We taught about the importance of daily scripture study. At the end of the lesson we asked for a referral. She gave us one to her sister. We tried and tried but no one was home! Well, last night we had an appointment set up with a potential man to teach but he was a single male and we did not end up finding a member to come with us. I really felt that we still needed to go to his house and make a return appointment. I just really wanted to follow the plans we had made BY THE SPIRIT. I trusted that because we prayed and asked the night before for the spirit to help us! And all of our plans were in that area. Long story short, he didn't answer but when we were there I got a prompting to go and try the referral. To our amazement not only she was home, BUT the member who gave us the referral was there AND their other sister from out of state was there. We were obedient and we created a teaching environment. Turns out the out of state sister knew almost nothing about the church or the Book of Mormon. By the end of our visit the sister took a Book of Mormon and was excited to read it and we are going to set up a time to meet with the sister that was a referral (she didn't know her schedule because she travels back and forth to hospitals)! SO the best part in my opinion was the look of pure joy in this sweet members face because her sisters had been taught more about the gospel that she loves! AND she looks at me and says, "Sister Campbell, I have to tell you that I have been doing better on reading my scriptures"! BOOM. PURE HAPPINESS! I GOT SO EXCITED FOR HER! I felt so much joy to know that she felt the happiness that came from reading her scriptures! PEOPLE! READ THE WORD OF GOD (: Don't complain about your day until you have read and prayed! And if you are still complaining, read harder! God loves you and he wants to comfort you and give you guidance and help through your troubles and pains but he can't unless you ask! WHEN WE READ THE SCRIPTURES AND PRAY we are asking him to help! He will!

Remember that I love you (:

Sister Campbellhttps://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif

-- 
Sister Justina Campbell
West Virginia Charleston Mission


August 29, 2016 - PUSH HARDER (:

The update! I have a new companion. Her name is Sister Allen. She is from Queen Creek, AZ. She is straight out of the MTC!  We are super close in age and we get along well. She is the most proper perfect kind thing ever! So, she has the love and I have the bold. I am hoping she softens me up some (:

Last week: was crazy and we saw miracle after miracle. My favorite part of last week was when I was taught a principle of the gospel in the silliest way.

I really needed to use the restroom but when I went up the door was locked. I tried again and I was confused why it was locked because it had multiple stalls. Whatever. We sat down, ordered food and then I REALLY had to go so we got back up and tried again. Nothing. It still wouldn't open. As I was debating on going to the neighboring restaurant, a lady walked up right behind me AND WALKED RIGHT IN. I was so confused. I walked back up, pushed on the door a little harder, and it opened. In my defense, it was a really heavy door. I laughed at myself all night for that, but when I got thinking I realized a gospel principle: If the doors to miracles aren't opening, it probably isn't the door! It is probably YOU. Push a little harder!

So, yes! My challenge to you is to not blame our lack of blessings on the Lord, but to just push a little harder. Maybe that is having more faith, or maybe that is simply having more action or more power in what we are already doing. Or maybe: it is even in our vision. Are we looking hard enough for them? I think you get my point(: but really people, PUSH HARDER! The doors will open (:

Well, training is good! We love it and we are finding miracles. The last four days have been fun. I feel like everything semi fell through, but we made the most of it and are seeing great things!

I felt 
a lot of pressure this week​ because I watch Sister Allen and realize that I am the only thing she knows! THE ONLY thing she knows. And she has faith that I am an obedient, preach my gospel missionary who will teach her how to be the same. That is a lot of weight! But also a blessing. I have been able to really sift out the qualities I need to improve on and begin that process. I have also been able to teach her about my love for this work. I hope my love for hard work is scrubbing off some of the homesickness she is feeling.

So, just an update on our miracles: The Cooney family (I told you about them a month or so ago) decided that they were not interested in coming back to church or becoming members. It was so hard to watch them make this choice, but it taught me the importance of praying to know that it is true. They experienced family opposition and no matter how much we taught about prayer and bore testimony of the necessity of it, they just didn't pray! I have no doubt that IF they would have received a witness it was true that they would have accessed the power needed to push through that opposition. WE still love them and Sister Tippetts got to go and say goodbye to them.

We are working with a woman (Sister Rhodes) who at first was terrified to open the Book of Mormon but now….SHE LOVES when we come and she HAS BEEN READING AND PRAYING. On transfer day we went to see her right after I picked Sister Allen up. I had planned to teach the Atonement so I prepped her and the member, helped them feel comfortable, and then we got there and we followed up with her reading. She told us that she had back slid. The spirit guided me to throw the lesson and to read with her. I did. And guess what! It was perfect. Sister Allen had no problem with it and even pointed out later in training that she liked that I would change lesson plans if that is what the spirit guided me to do. The member loved it as well and Sister Rhodes got back into her habit of reading and praying. Oh, it gets better! She came to CHURCH. Even better than that she was nervous to be around so many people and wanted to stay close to us, but because we worked our tail off to find a solid member fellowshipper for her she felt comfortable enough to sit with her rather than us. That member even walked her out to her car after sacrament meeting (working on all 3 hours next week) and talked with her. NICE.

President has asked us to focus lots on always finding no matter what!  Long story short, we were out to eat with a member and between the three of us and our invitation to church our waiter came to church! Haha, always finding! (:


-- 
Sister Justina Campbell

West Virginia Charleston Mission


Fun with members.


Love these sisters!


Sister Allen and I.


Name tag photo (by request for my mom).




August 24, 2016 - Transfer News

No letter came through from Sister Campbell today. The library closed early and she ran out of time. However, this is a bit of information she shared with me before she had to go about transfers this week. 

____________________________________________________________________________

So! Transfer news!

Saturday night we found out that Sister Tippetts was leaving! So, that was our guess but then we had to wait all the way until yesterday night to figure out WHERE. Yikes. Patience is a virtue. Well, she is going to Forest Virginia. It is about 4.5 hours away! She is really excited to be heading on a new adventure. I will really miss her. But I am excited for her(: She is getting one of the coolest Sisters (Sister Brower) who is going home in 1 transfer!

At Zone Conference all of the people with birthdays in the next few months were called up. I went up to get my treat and Sister Salisbury stopped me and said, hey! Did you know that President Salisbury's birthday is on the 21 of August too?! I WAS SO PUMPED. Haha, I have decided that my birthday is on a really good day. So Sunday I got told happy Birthday by many. I had packages arriving from Friday to Monday and it was so great! Everyone took care of me(: (pictures to come). President called us Sunday and I was excited because I thought he was calling to say happy birthday! Well, he was! But, he also asked me to be train a new missionary. And to take the call with enthusiasm. I DID (: So, that is the latest news! I will find out who my companion is tomorrow. Whoever it is, I am excited and I know the Lord wanted us to be together so that we can both learn from each other. I felt overwhelmed last night because I realized that I was probably going to mess up or not do something perfectly. Then I remembered a letter my mom sent me with her testimony about how we are not defined by our mistakes, just how we choose to recover from them. I was reminded that THE ATONEMNET IS REAL. Christ loves us, knows we aren't perfect, and wants to help.


Charleston is beautiful!!


Zone conference with our favorite sisters :)


Elder Scott had an ELEPHANT TIE! We both love elephants too so naturally we had to take a photo.