WAIT? Another week
already?
I seriously don't know
how that happened. Time is flying by right now!
Well friends, I got the
news today that I am moving to my third area! It is a place called Back Creek! It
is near Roanoke, VA. I knew some sisters that served there. From what I
remember hearing it is not going to be exactly what I have been used to, but
change means growth and growth is good (: I am excited because two of my old
companions (my MTC comp. and my trainer) are my new leaders….SO win.
My companion sounds
great! I met her briefly and she came out with Sister Allen so she has been out
3 months.
Our mission is still
going strong in being united and reading the Book of Mormon in two months.
I love this and I am learning so much from reading so quickly. This week as I
was reading I was taught so much by the spirit. Something that kept jumping out
to me was that Mercy can only claim the repentant. Christ loves us and he did
so much for us, but God created us and gave us the ability to choose. His whole
purpose in giving us that gift was to enable us to choose and live and accept
Christ as our Savior and redeemer. But He can't redeem us if we don't want to
be redeemed. And he can't save us in our sins. That part is left up to you and
I. When we repent we choose to let Him in. No wonder why the scriptures always
talk about it! CHANGE is so important. I feel the more I change my life to
model after his, the more peace I have. Really! I promise. (:
Sister Allen and I were
working this neighborhood (safe one mom) and it was cold and dark and guess
what! WE TAUGHT ONE OF THE BEST RESTORATION LESSONS EVER. Man, it was so fun! I
loved it and she was so receptive that she didn’t even care her toes were
probably going to fall off. It is warm during the day, but it gets cold at
night!
This week I was
pondering why talking with people is so hard for us. You know, it just feels
like there is always this switch that we have to flip from real human to, okay,
attempt to share the gospel with someone. We all have our own struggles: too
timid, too bold, too robotic, too outgoing. Where is that perfect balance? How
do we find that perfect transition? Well, as Sister Allen and I were discussing
that awkward very hard “switch” I realized that it becomes easiest to share the
gospel when we are a missionary! There should not be a switch
from “me” to the gospel, because the gospel is me! I am who I am because of the
gospel and It will flow naturally because I am living what I am sharing.
President always mentions that we need to become missionaries, not just do
missionary things.
So, this week, I lost my
name tag. Lovely. (don’t worry, they give us two for people like me (:)
Well, I prayed so hard to find it and we even went back and searched and
I really felt I did my part, but no name tag. So, I called the office and
ordered another one. THEN we got a referral to a woman in that same
neighborhood that I lost it in. A few days later we were there for a lesson and
one of our friends pulls up with the lady we got a referral too. She looks at
me and says, “HEY. I have your name tag! I found it the other day in the road.”
I joke that that was a 5 dollar referral since I had already ordered another
name tag by the time we were having that conversation. BUT we were able to set
up a time to go back and teach her. Turns out it is a FAMILY of 7 and they are
trying to get back into a church. They read the scriptures and pray every day.
She is so nice and has great questions. God answered two prayers in one because
we have been praying and hoping to find a family to teach. He is too good (:
Okay,my challenge: BEcome a covenant keeping Christian. I
read the story in the Book of Mormon about the 2000 warriors who fought for
their freedom even though they were young and had never fought before. They say
in the story to their captain that even though all of that was against them
they didn’t doubt because their mothers taught them to not doubt and to trust
God would deliver them. I thought about me and why I turned out at least
alright (: and the people the Lord has entrusted me to teach and why they are
doing so well. Why do they not doubt? Why do they have faith in the Lord? Well,
it because they have been taught by faithful servants of the Lord to not doubt!
They have been invited to have faith by others who have faith.
But we cannot convert
others beyond our own conversion.
I was thinking about how I
could be more like those warrior’s mothers and like my angel mother. What did
they do to have so much faith? The answer I came up with is that they made and
they kept sacred covenants with the Lord. This people had actually been a
wicked people, but they repented and turned away from their sin by covenanting
that they would NEVER take up arms again. But then their enemies were
coming to battle and these mothers and fathers almost broke their covenant in
order to protect their freedom, BUT they were courageous and they didn’t.
Rather, their sons (these warriors) went to battle. These mothers were strong.
They trusted the Lord and they put keeping the promises they had made with Him
above all else. Obviously, all of us won’t make this exact covenant, but we are
expected to make covenants with him. And he yearns for us to keep them so that
we can receive this kind of strength. The Lord invites all of us to make
covenants at baptism and to renew those covenants each week at church. I know
and I testify that if we MAKE THE SACRIFICE to make and keep these covenants
that we will be blessed with faith like these warrior’s mothers and we will
teach with as much power as these mothers. Seriously. There is a power in the
ordinances and covenants that Christ has established.
Have I mentioned I
love my calling? (:
Well, off to new
adventures!
--
Sister Justina Campbell
West Virginia Charleston
Mission
Our car coordinator! We are driving a brand
spanking new 2017 Chevy Malibu. It is a pretty blue. WE love this man. Last
week, he rescued us from locking our keys in the trunk (I blame my mom. That is
a trait you inherit, right? (;). So we get the new car and he looks at me and
says, "I don't think you can lock your keys in this one.." With a big
smile on his face.
Happy Birthday Sister Allen!
Goodbyes (: They were all sweet ones though! I
love that we found friends for all the people we were teaching so I can feel
confident they will be just fine when I leave.
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