Changes are Happening in Takapoto!

Helloo my friends and family,

  This week. haha. Let's just be honest, I don't feel like writing much today.

  We worked a lot with the members this week which is good. President Bize has asked us to do that more often. He has challenged us to work with at least 4 different members each week. 

   Sr. Sommers and I felt inspired to start a choir here in TAKAPOTO, so that the members can sing and feel the spirit. Music is powerful and I know that will be something that will help the branch. We found some choir music on lds.org and are going to put it to good use. At times like this, I am grateful for the ward/stake choirs I went to growing up.

  Tuesday we did some service for a member. Here they put long cords with plastic on them in the lagoon for little clams to grow on them. Then after the cords are left in the lagoon for about a year it produces a clam and the inside of the clams are shiny and they use the to make jewelry. The metallic clam is called "knack." The service we did was helping arrange the plastic cords to be put in the ocean. The cords are at least 20  yards long. 

  Well, the next morning after we did that little service, there was  a knock on a  door. The member, Pres. Pickett, had bought us two HUGE boxes of food. 6L of milk, 4 boxes of cereal, 4 bars of chocolate, a ton of apples and oranges, many packages of cookies. It was a huge blessing. The members really sacrifice to feed us here. Those boxes of food had to have been super expensive, considering a box of cereal here is like $7.

  Friday they had local dance competition for HEIVA. Well pretty much every girl on the island danced (literally every Tahitian girl knows how to Tahitian dance), so we went to support our investigators and members. It was super fun to see some culture and dance.   

  We invited some drunks to church Wednesday.  One of them was inactive. Then Saturday we saw this same young man (it is a small island, you see everybody all the time), on his hammock smoking and re-invited him. Sunday he was there at church. It was a great miracle. 

  We fixed a lesson with him after sacrament meeting and so Sunday afternoon we had a lesson with him. 

  He told us he had come here to Takapoto to escape his problems back home in a way and think things out. We shared with him how there is ALWAYS hope with Jesus Christ. He told us in tears that he was almost convinced there wasn't hope and thanked us for reminding him.

  We then gave him a Book of Mormon and read with him the sentence in the Introduction that reads, "Those who read this book will find the way to have peace in this life." I then bore testimony that through reading the Book of Mormon I find peace every day. He then looked at me and asked, "How do you know I am searching for peace?" I didn't know, but Heavenly Father sure did.  

  It was so nice to have that miracle lesson Sunday. My companion and I both felt the spirit strongly and it was an encouragement to us. 

   My companion finishes her mission in 3 weeks (the same time as my sister in Japan), so we have decided we are going to make some sacrifices this coming week to show our commitment. It works out well because yesterday in Sunday School, we talked about the young rich man and sacrifice. 

   As for me, I am pretty sure God sent me to this island to learn patience, faith, and humility. These past 2.5 months in Takapoto have been super eye opening to me, pushing me to be more and more reliant on God. I am so grateful for Him in my life as a rock, someone who stays constantly there for me. My mentality is becoming more  and more, "just forget everything and rely on the Lord." 

  As for today, I discovered in the bathroom a big spider and didn't scream or kill it (they don't really kill bugs here, that includes cockroaches and bees, the only exception is mosquitos). The bad new is though I think it is still lurking around in there. Oh well, some things are just better left unknown.  Then later this afternoon we made fondant (like brownies)  with one of the ward members, Sr. MATEHAU. 

  My sister, Abbee, asked me how we wash our clothes and here is the answer. Well, we have a washer outside our house, and then we hang our clothes out to dry.

  Enjoy your summer! I love you all.

  Love,

Soeur Campbell 

Cow Heart and Speaking in Church

Iorana outou!!

  Tei vai ra i te mau mea ino teie hebidoma, tera ra, aita vau hinaaro ia papai no nia i tera mau mea. 

   Ok, good luck translating that! :P I will tell you though what I ate this week. 

  We were at the barracks (the little "restaurant" stands for the July festivities) and I was eating chow mein. Then Sis. Tehiva told me to try this meat that was on a skewer, so I did. Then found out it was cow heart. 

  I ate cow heart!!! There aren't even any cows on this atoll! like the duck, I ate last week, AND like the duck I tried last week, the cow heart wasn't my favorite. 

   Then I don't know if it was the cow heart, the raw fish, or the water, but something made my stomach upset for the next three days after. So I survived off of crackers and rice for those days. 

  The Heiva July festivities continue here. The whole island meets to compete Monday-Thursday from 6pm to like 8pm ish. Then Friday and Saturday each team sings and dances. There are 6 teams, each is a color and they all play. The branch has a team. It is awesome because Eria, our investigator decided to play on the branch's team. 

  They compete on a point system and there isn't really a winner. The Heiva will continue through this whole month. It is really simple, but it has a big family reunion feel. I really like it because there are maybe like 600 people on the island right now, and most of them are on a team. 

   Right next to the fields they play at is where the barracks are, and that is how the barracks make money. 

  This week it was really nice to have all our amis back from the other atoll (Takaroa) and our ward mission leader.

   We had lessons with Vaitea (who wants to know more about the Book of Mormon) every day. He has read almost all of 1st and 2nd Nephi in the last 2 weeks. We keep on encouraging him to pray about it. He is loving what he learns in the book. He keeps telling us he reads when he can't sleep and then when he reads his eyes don't want to put down the book. 

  He has changed since he has started the reading the Book of Mormon and it is really a miracle to see. What really gets my companion and I is that he brings his co-worker, to the lessons because he wants him to learn more about the gospel too. 

   Then Vaitea was at church Sunday too. And he even stayed for Sunday school. That is huge!!

  One of the other greatest parts of my week was our amis Loic. He loves to fish and is always all over the island. We go all over the place to find him for lessons, but the great news is that now Loic carries a little backpack with his brother's Bible and friend's Book of Mormon in it everywhere he goes. Now he is always ready to have a lesson. And he came to church Sunday too!

  Oh yeah. Sunday I spoke in church in French. I spoke about Elder Renlund's conference talk and  Nelson Mandela's statement, "I am not a saint unless you consider a saint to be a sinner who keeps on trying."  

   Pretty much everyone feels great right after they are baptized because they are cleaned from sin, but after that what happens. We all mess up, so we need to keep trying: praying and going to church when we don't want to. When we keep going, despite our weaknesses, we can be made holy or saint.

   Also, I would like to give a shout out to my older sister, Sister Campbell, who is on a mission in Nagoya Japan and whose birthday is this week. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! mahana oaoa no oe! And Bon Anniversaire! From a sister, sister missionary to sister, sister missionary: I love you!! 

   Good luck this week!

  Love,

 Soeur Campbell

When MOST of the ATOL is gone..... The Work Still Moves Forward

Hi everybody,

  I hope you are having a great summer. It has actually been "cold" here the last couple of days. It had to have been in the 50's with wind.

 

  I ate duck yesterday for the first time. There isn't any ducks on this atol. It was imported. It wasn't my favorite.

  Another great eating experience I had happened Saturday. We were just outside the church eating with our Branch President and his family. He encouraged us to eat with our hands. Well, everyone eats with their hands here, even for steak. So we ate with our hands.  

  For the 4th of July, we did nothing. haha. I had Sr. Sommers, my Tahitian companion, sing "America the Beautiful" for companionship study. I also read in 1 Nephi 13 when Nephi prophesies about the American colonization and revolution and how God would help them be free from captivity of the mother Gentile nation (England).

 This July 4 was special because I was far from America and now I really appreciate America more. I realize more how guided our founding fathers were and how America has been blessed as a nation.  

  This past week most of our investigators were in TAKAROA (a different atol) for the sport challenges this week. In other words, there was like no one on the island. Sr. Sommers and I would go running in the morning and practically see everyone on the atol within that 30 mins of sport and then we would go see them again throughout the day. 

  We had some good experiences thinking of people to see this week, because like I said we would see everyone before lunch time. 

  Saturday we were totally stumped on who to go visit, so we asked ourselves, "First off, who is here on the island?" Then we thought about it..."pretty much everyone is gone and if they are here, we have already seen them." haha.

  Saturday we were also at the airport to send off Mami Gloria, the mother of Marie Louise (who we made cake with that one time). Last Monday her leg got infected and swollen, so she was at the little clinic they have here. She also had a really high fever. So Tuesday we went to see her and encouraged her to get a priesthood blessing and she accepted. The next day the swelling went down in her leg, but she spent the rest of the week in and out of the little clinic here. They decided that she needed to go to the hospital on Tahiti, so Saturday she left with Marie Louise. 

  I am so sad they had to go to Tahiti. They will probably be there for like a month. I will especially miss Marie Louise who has shown us us much love. She doesn't know how to read, but has sooo much faith. She is a huge support to us in missionary work too.  

   Now that July is here there is something going on called Heiva. Heiva is a month long celebration that happens on all the islands of Polynesia Francais. Here on Takapoto they are going to have more sport competitions like soccer, basket ball, volley ball, and pitonck. They also have built "barracks." A barrack is a structure made out of plywood that the community has built for people to buy out a room and sell their goods. Then everyday from 5-11pm at night. The people who bought a barrack sell their food as concession. So pretty much a barrack is a Tahitian concession stand. 

  I have started teaching in Tahitian more. We were in a lesson with an inactive this week and I was trying to explain something in French and the member wasn't understanding, so I looked to my companion to help me and then she told me, "try in Tahitian." Then I started teaching in Tahitian and the member seemed to understand. It was truly a miracle and the gift of tongues. 

  I am learning switching languages during the lesson helps, because Tahitian is a supperrr simple language. You can't confuse the investigator too much in Tahitian, like you can in French. 

   Yesterday night (Sunday), we had a huge miracle. It was about 5:30pm and we had a meeting at 6pm, but we knew we had to go see someone. I had previously made an attempt to set up a lesson with a family earlier in the week, but they weren't there when we went over thereon Friday afternoon. So Sunday night we went over to their house again and they were all there. It was a miracle. This is like the saddest thing ever, but that was my first time teaching a family who is all not members to put things in perspective. My companion and I were thrilled to be there with all their family, and they were thrilled too. They gladly accepted us. They were happy to be together as a family, because 2/3 kids go to school on a different island during the school year and they aren't often together as a family. It was wonderful. 

   The other good news is that our investigators all came back today from TAKAROA, so we are going to have people to teach this week. They were supposed to come yesterday (Sunday), but there was a big rain storm. They were smart and didn't want to take the chances of getting caught in the storm trying to make the boat voyage between the islands. 

   Thanks for your prayers and encouragement and your faith. I love you all!!

 

Love,

Soeur Campbell

On the Brink

Dear Friends and family,

  So much has happened this week, so many good things.

  First off, there was a transfer. Both Sr. Sommers and I are staying in Takapoto. But we found out during our district meeting over skype on Friday, that the island of AHE is being closed for a little moment. So in our district it will just be Sr. Sommers and I and the Elders of the neighboring atoll, Takaroa. 

  Also, sad/ happy news is that both my old companions, Sr. Richards from UT and Sr. Marrtet from Brisbane, finished their mission today!! I am so happy for them but will miss them and all the things I learned from them. 

  Other quick info. is that most the people here have left the atoll for a week to go participate in "challenges" at Takaroa. Challenges are a sports tournament for all the sports. All the little islands around here have gone to compete at Takaroa. They all took the boat this morning. They will compete in soccer, vaa (like kayaking), and basketball to name a few.

  That leaves us, the missionaries, room to get creative this next week since most of our amis are in Takaroa.

  On Friday we had a missionary night. My companion and I made a powerpoint explaining the importance of making and keeping covenants. Afterward we had a photo contest. The branch had a fun time. Our amis Yves, Gloria, and Lulu were also there. 

   The bread bakery has been closed here. So the only bread on the island has been coconut bread. We met the lady who makes it. It takes her 7 hours to make this bread. It is so good. It tastes like Mom's Thanksgiving rolls with coconut milk in it. yummy.

  My companion had to re-teach me how to make top ramen last night. I never bought or ate it in college, but now I do. 

   For the past three weeks, we haven't seen Eria, because his concubine made us stop the lessons. We respected that decision and didn't try to go see him at all. 

  Monday I came to the realization that God has really given us a miracle and even though we can't control the situation, He can. So Monday night Sr. Sommers and I prayed pouring out our souls to God, asking for the occasion to be able to do something about Eria's situation, but not knowing exactly how to go about it. I felt comforted after praying, knowing that God would answer our prayer.

  Tuesday night we went to go see Pierre. It was dark and as we approached his house we noticed he was standing outside talking to someone. Sure enough, Pierre was talking to Eria. Prayer answered. We were able to see him without "going to see him."  We got to talk to him and encourage him and hear his testimony how he would not stop even though he has a lot of opposition. I felt like I should tell him that even my family in America is praying for him and that they told me they were going too fast for him too. He was strengthened and so grateful for the support of everyone. The Spirit was so strong as we talked to him. 

  Then while still talking in the dark someone approached us on their bike and stopped about 20 yds away. Sure enough, it was his concubine to take Eria away. She wasn't happy at all. She stayed there and dropped her bike. It was like she couldn't move.  

  Fear came into my heart for a couple seconds, then I remembered who's errand we were on as missionaries. 

  Eria's wife just stood there. She couldn't come near us, because where we were standing was a holy place. 

  Eria left with her. She came back and brought us Eria's books and brochures we gave him.

  Sr. Sommers and I were just in awe of the situation and how God answered our prayers. 

  Saturday the branch president told us Eria got kicked out of his house. He stayed in one of the empty houses on the atoll Saturday night. 

  Sunday the miracle happened. Eria came to church for the first time. We walked in as I was playing the sacrament hymn. I couldn't help but feel the spirit as I played. It was truly wonderful.

 The rest of the sacrament program was given by Pres. MAA's family. They sang and talked about Jesus Christ. It was by far the best sacrament meeting I have been to here. I am sure Eria felt the Spirit too. 

  Sunday after church, Eria's concubine invited him back into the house. And this morning he left for Takaroa. 

  All this is evidence to me of God working a miracle here. For the last 6 weeks we have been praying and fasting and praying and things are starting to come in motion. I still can't see the whole picture, but we are being faithful to what we know. 

  Thursday we set up to have a lesson with Lulu. He is 38 and has had missionary lessons for years. He loves being with the members.  Recently he has been super intrigued with the Book of Mormon. We asked him to pray and ask if it was true but he hadn't. So Thursday as we set up an appointment I told him before the lesson Friday he needed to pray about the Book of Mormon. 

  Friday we had our lesson with Lulu at the chapel. And there was something different about him. He was happier. Within moments I knew he had done what we asked him to do. Later on in the lesson, he exclaimed, "Je fasait qu'est-ce que vous m'avez demande a faire!" or "I did what you asked me to do!" 

   Those words are the best words you can hear as a missionary. After Lulu shared his experience with us. Earlier that morning he had found a spot next to the runway and prayed and asked if the church was true. The spirit told his heart the church was true. He was sooo happy.

  Things here are going wonderfully. I am so grateful to be able to spend another couple of transfers her in Takapoto ( I hope). 

  Have a great week all y'all at home. peace and blessings! peace and blessings!

Souer Campbell

We Had a Bonfire Without Marshmallows

Cher friends and family,

  We had a huge Tahitian bonfire Saturday night for a missionary activity, to gather the branch together and the whole island. Our ward mission leader went out fishing and caught 40 fish for the night. We also had coconut milk rice. The bonfire was just next to the lagoon and the were many amis who came. It was wonderful to all be together listening to the ukulele and listening to the Tahitian songs as they cooked the fish. I also tried pahua for the first time. It was really good. I didn't really understand what it was, but I think it was soaked in coconut milk and it had a good texture. It comes from the ocean. In french, it is bentier. Ok, my companion just explained it is the thing that I sent a picture of the man extracting from the clam like thing.  

  We ate a lot of rice and fish this past week. I think I could argue we eat more rice than my sister in Japan. Everyone on the island has their favorite fish. If you ask, "Which fish is the best?" Everyone gives a different answer. All the fish tastes good, but I have yet to taste a difference in the kinds of fish. Since we eat fish a lot, I am adapting to pulling the tiny hair like fish bones out of my fish. It takes talent. 

   Sr. Sommers and I were happy the bonfire went well and for all the help of the people who put it on. We spent the night committing amis to go to church the next morning. It worked pretty well. 

  We started reading the Book of Mormon with a man this week. We started talking to him while he was stacking his coconuts. He told us that he didn't want the "missionary lessons," but we found out he had a Book of Mormon and that he didn't really know what it was. So we offered to help him understand where the Book of Mormon comes from. Friday we had our first lesson and he was super attentive. 

  We have a ton of coconuts in our fridge we need to drink/eat. The coconut water here is the best. 

  Saturday morning at 6:30, the boat came to the island with my package. We walked to the port, waiting for them to unload the crates, and claimed the package. Practically the whole island was down at the dock. It was pretty exciting. Thank you, family, Sr. Tareva, and Sr. Reyelts for helping me get that. I  was supper happy to receive American food, clothes, and the other stuff. Thank you. 

  Well, that is about it for this week. We continue to pray with our Branch President and are going to put on a fireside about covenants and covenant keeping Friday.  

  We also the conference issue of the Ensign and that has been a huge blessing to read and see my American people in.

  Love you all,

Soeur Campbell

Cooking the fish at the bonfire and Camille. They use coconuts as firewood #islandlife

After several months of traveling across the U.S.A., the package was finally delivered to the atoll of Takapoto

This is where we had the bonfire Saturday, it is in a member's backyard. Most of the backyards here are like that, everyone's house is by the lagoon.

There Goes 9 Months

Hi, everybody.

  Monday we had a huge family home evening with the branch. Sr. Sommers and I gave the lesson on Pres. Ochdorf's 4 priorities: first God, then family, then our fellowmen, and lastly ourselves. Pretty much if your life is prioritized according to that order, it will be easier to handle trials and hard times. 

  Tuesday we were supposed to have a lesson with Eria, but it got canceled, because his concubine absolutely doesn't want him to have lessons. So we have been praying and fasting for her. 

   Wednesday I wanted to go stick my head in the sand. We got rejected and bashed. My companion and I prayed for help on what to do. 

   Friday we had a miracle. During our personal study, there was a knock on the door. An inactive member bought us a ton of food and FRUIT!! The stores here almost never have fruit and to receive fruit like that was a huge blessing. The member had to have spent a good amount because everything here is expensive and there was a lot of food in that box. It was really a miracle. 

  Then after that, I feel like members knew we had a hard time Wednesday because then everyone was giving us a ton of food. Word spreads fast here. It is crazy.

  Friday we also had a miracle with Lulu. He is about 40 and has been taking the lessons for the last 6 months or so. We have been working with him to restart having his prayers and scripture study. This week  he decided to do that and has caught the excitement of reading the Book of Mormon. He told us he wanted to know if it was really true and how to find out if it is really true. ahhhhhhh. It was like music to our ears to have someone really have that desire. Then we got to testify of praying about the book to really know if it is true.  He left the lesson super excited to do that. 

   This week I also had the opportunity to read chapter 34 and 35 in Elder Talmage's Jesus the Christ. I learned so much about the incredibly wrong  accusation and in just trial Christ experienced, because of the wicked people who wanted to kill him. It was really sickening to read, yet Christ had the power to stop it all and avoid the trials and if he wanted to, the crucifixion on multiple occasions. But he didn't, because he had accomplished the work he needed to do and would finish it by giving his life. It was so wrong what happened to the most perfect being, yet the way he handled it was perfect. 

  So this week as I think of the things that happened, I can't help but be even more grateful and reminded of the Savior and his example of perfect diligence and humility under the horrible, underserved circumstances he experienced. He was the perfect and experience the worst of death a person could face. 

   This Wednesday will be nine months for me as a missionary. I won't say it is easy at all. The important things in life are never easy. But I love it. I love this gospel. I love the peace and happiness it brings me. I love the people here. I love to see them truly happy and how the gospel brings them that change. 

    Have a great week everybody. Stay firm in the faith. Don't forget the blessings will come. 

love,

Soeur Campbell

This is Loic, our ami, and one of the tuna fish he caught this week. I think we ate that tuna for lunch today.

Today, we went to Maire Lousie's house and learned how to make her famous cake. This family is so wonderful and an awesome example of faith. The mami sitting down is Gloria (Marie Lousie's mom) we teach her. The other man is her husband.

The 21 Day Promise

Hey everybody,

  So for the last 21 days, we have been praying morning and night for the missionary work here. The branch also joined us in the prayer. I didn't know what to expect out of it when we started. But in the last three weeks, Sr. Sommers and I have gotten to witness many great and small miracles. The Lord has helped us to start teaching a consistent amount of new investigators. You can just imagine trying to find new people to teach when all 400 people on the island already know who the missionaries are. The members also have been strengthened as they have exercised their own faith in praying. As I wrote about in last week's letter we found a golden investigator, Eria, as an answer to the numerous prayers the branch has prayed for. It goes to show God is still a God of miracles.

  One of the best things as a missionary is that we are literally on the front lines of seeing the impact of the gospel in people's lives. 

  We continued to marvel at the faith of Eria this week. Pres. Bonno is always there in the lessons with us and Saturday he stayed after a little with Eria and talked about how we were going too fast for his situation that day. After that Sunday we had a lesson with Eria and he told us he decided to fast too. We hadn't even taught him about fasting yet, but he has such great faith, he knew it would help him and went for it. Then during that same lesson on Sunday we were teaching about keeping the Sabbath Day holy and he told us he already started to do that. When his son asked him to go fishing last week Eria told him, "no, because it is the Sabbath Day." 

  Ahhhhhhhh. It is sooooooo goood to live these faith building experiences with the investigators.Saturday, we experienced some real island culture. We were waiting for an ami to show up for his lesson. We started talking to this man who was sitting there, just across from him was a little plastic tray with a raw fish. He was waiting for the neighbor's dog to come and eat it, so he could poison the dog and eat it later. I have never seen anything like that in my life. I felt super bad for the poor dog. Good thing the dog didn't come when we were there. They haven't fed me dog yet, but they did to the sister missionaries before us as a joke. There are a lot of dogs here and they are all super skinny. 

  Sunday we had a miracle. Loic, one of the new amis came to church. He told us Saturday he didn't know if he wanted to go to church, but Sunday he was there. 

  Another miracle we have seen happened Friday. At 5pm I was supposed to give a piano lesson to a member, but she wasn't there. We are on a small island and if you want to find someone it doesn't take much effort to find them, so we set out to go find the member to have her piano lesson. In walking around searching for this member, we saw a man carrying some groceries behind the mayor's office. For the past 3 days, we had been trying to find a man named Martin, but he hasn't been home and we just hadn't contacted him when we wanted to. Put simply we wanted to meet him but hadn't. Well, out of nowhere my companion just straight up asks this "random" man, "Hey are you Martin?" He responded yes. Then we started talking and invited him to English class that night at 7pm.  After I asked my companion why she asked him. Yeah, she was totally guided by the spirit. After we met Martin, we found our piano girl and had our piano lesson.

 Right after the piano lesson we had another lesson at the church with Lulu and Pres. MAA (pronounced ma-ah) (def:food in Tahitian) (of the branch pres). Well, in comes walking Martin early for English class. We didn't tell him he was early for eng class and just invited him to sit in for the lesson for Lulu. He enjoyed it and we set a return appointment. 

  Then at 7pm Friday night we had English. It went really well. I was worried it wouldn't go well and we had a lot of fun. I am learning just have fun. The people here love fun. Not like what I am used to work, work, work.

  Yeah so by the end of the week, I was just super grateful. I think about where I am, an ile in the sea and all the promises God has made to the people here about gathering them into Israel in Isaiah and the Book of Mormon. I can't help but be in awe that we get to be a part of this great work. Sunday, we did planning and drank coconuts. The coconuts here have the sweetest water in the world. yumm. 

   Shout out to my little sister Abbee, who turns 15 on June 10th! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Joyeux anniversaire! Mahana oaoa no oe! Good luck getting your permit and congrats on receiving your personal progress medallion! 

  Also, shout out to my dad. Happy Father's Day (I don't know when it is)! Love you tons! You example means a ton to me. 

  Have a great week everyone else! Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement. God be with you.

  Love,

 Soeur Campbell

This is Sœur Campbell's investigator Maapo.  Yes, that is his house on the beach.