Lots of Splits

Dear family and friends,

  These weeks are going by soo fast. I have gotten to the point where I just love being a missionary and following the missionary schedule. It makes me uneasy though because time is starting to run out. 

  This week was full of splits with missionaries and with members. Splits intimidated me at the beginning of my mission, but now I LOVE them because they are always filled with adventure. 

  Wednesday we did a split with the srs in Pire 2. They live with us. I got to work with Sr. Tidjine. I stayed in our area, but was worried, because I don't know our area that well. She is still in the first 12 weeks of her mission, so she has training we got to do. It was a new experience for me, because I have never trained, but we had a fun time sharing our experiences about principles of missionary work. 

   We started doing weekly splits with our members on Thursday night. This is one of the most effective ways I have found to work with the members and find new amis at the same time. 

  This split was awesome because the members, Bro and Sister TAUMATA, took me to meet a mother and daughter who want to change their lives by following Jesus Christ. The meeting went really well. We did most of it in Tahitian for the mother, and then a good part of it in French for the daughter. They told us they wanted to be baptized and the inactive brother committed to come to church Sunday, because he hadn't been in a long time. Then Sunday he came and loved it. 

   I have learned here that it is important to speak and teach the gospel in Tahitian because for so many it is the language of their hearts. I can't remember which leader talked about this in the 2014 October conference, but these people need the gospel in the language they can learn in. That is why I have learned Tahitian. Now though missionaries will not be called to serve in Tahitian only French. They can still learn the language when they get to Tahiti. 

   Friday we did a split with the sisters in Papeete 1. I stayed in our sector again with Sr. Moutet. Normally she will serve in the Kennewick, WA mission and she is waiting for her visa. 

  Thursday night I was doing planning for the split the next day, because my companion was in bed sick and had no idea who to go see, because I don't know the area that well. I pretty much just ended up on my knees asking God to prepare someone for Sr. Moutet and I to go see.  

  Friday on the split we ended up tracting all day. We did a lot of it in Tahitian. We found a guy reading the bible and talked to him about Job and faith and then he started to ask us about Joseph Smith. We left him with a brochure and continued on our way. We met another lady who used to take the lessons, and was having a family struggle. She was the one God prepared for us, a direct answer to my Thursday night plead. She told us God may have sent us to her house. Talked together of the gospel is a blessing for families and testified of the power of the Book of Mormon to help her in her trails. It was amazing. 

  Sr. Moutet and I were so grateful for that experience we and together on split. 

  We also did a service project Friday, for some members who live right on the ocean. Their house is made out of concrete and they wanted to take their wooden roof off, so they took it off with a chain saw. It was an awesome site to see. We helped clean up their land, because people are saying there is going to be a huge hurricane season this year. Everybody is getting ready for the hurricane. It is a great time for people to prepare spiritually too. 

   One of the missionaries here, Sr. Shariamadari (from Draper, UT) had her appendix taken out and has been staying in the missionary house 3 houses down from us. We have had fun getting to know her and Sr. Cromar (her companion). That has been a huge blessing for me, because we have pretty much laughed together every night this week. They have been stuck home as Sr. Shariamadari is trying to recover from her surgery. They leave today to go to their real area. 

   My companion, Sr. Terooatea and I have started teaching two young men who have dropped out of school but want to be airplane mechanics and pilots. That was something I enjoyed doing, because I love that the things we teach (the gospel) can even help them with that aspect of their life. Plus it is airplanes and that was like a huge part of my life before the mission. There has to be some kind of reason we have started doing lessons with Itiaea and Hiro. 

  Other then that my companion and I will leave next Monday for the split in HUAHINE and then REATEA. We will probably do our email time in the morning or at night when we get to HUAHINE. It will be a fun work trip. I am going to be exhausted. I can feel it now. This mission is so so ironic. haha. 

   OH YEAH I almost forgot, Tuesday Elder Halec of the 70 came and spoke to our mission and gave the mission pep talk of my life. He talked about using time wisely and how we were called on mission for specific people and reasons. It was wonderful. Then Tuesday night we had a leadership conference with him and pretty much did a report on the missionary work over the respective missionaries we are over. It was a good learning experience. It was laid out like a business meeting. 

  Well. People I love you all. The church is true. Keep going. You all can do it. Life is good!!

  Love,

TUAHINE Campbell 

We Are Going To Raromaitai

Iaorana to'u utuafare e mau hoa!

 We are going to start this letter with an inspiring miracle story.

 While I was in Takapoto, one of the branch presidency members, Pres. MAA, told me on multiple occasions that I was going to go to Tahiti and then go out to some other islands called RAROMATAI. I kind of laughed at him, because then is unheard of for sisters to serve on 2 different outer islands, but he insisted that I was going to go there and told me to tell him when I do. 

  Here is the other half of the story. Part of the sisters we take care of as a Sister training leader in Papeete is the sisters in RAROMATI. 

  Tuesday, all the missionaries in leadership positions had a meeting and there President Bize told me and my companion we need to go on a split out to the RAROMATAI islands. 

  So Sr. Terooatea and I planned our trip and are going on a 5 day split to REATEA and HUAHINE. We are going to take plane 26 oct. 

  Of course, Pres. MAA happened to be on Tahiti, and I saw him and told him that we were going to RAROMATAI. Well, I don't know how more inspired this whole 5-day split can get, but it is definitely something that Heavenly Father wants me to do. Even if it is only five days, I am so excited to go out to the islands again and teach the gospel. It is really a miracle because the sister training leaders only go like once a year to go on splits to the other islands. 

   Another huge miracle this week is that I go my package from my family. I LOVED it and we already celebrated and made brownies (keep reading to know more). THANK YOU family and Sister and Bishop Moore for helping me out with that! 

  So being out on Takapoto I had no clue what was going on with other missionaries, but now being in Papeete you know everything. Missions aren't easy. I will just leave it at that. My companion and I decided we could go make the brownies and share them with the other missionaries in our zone. 

  We did that Sunday and it went really well. It was amazing to see the joy in the missionaries as we delivered the brownies. 

  We also made some for Pres. and Sr. Bize and dropped them off. I was really touched because we just wanted to do that little act of service for them, but Sr. Bize insisted on feeding and serving us. It was wonderful to be with them. I am grateful for a great mission president and his wife. They work so hard. 

   We also did a survey to find new investigators, by asking them questions about the gospel and if they are interested in learning more. The ward did it with us. It was incredible how much  support we had from them. The members here are motivated. Which is a miracle because my companion goes home in three weeks and one of those weeks we won't even be in our area. 

   I love you all so much!! Have a great week!!

  Love,

 Soeur Campbell

Saying goodbye to the kids in Takapoto 

In the plane... this is how an atoll looks

Takapoto transfer...those necklaces were so heavy

MTC Reunion!

Brownies we made for our zone and president Bize. Thanks mom for the supplies!

Returned to Civilization and Missed a Baptism

Hello everybody,

  Saturday I returned to civilization. It is the weirdest thing ever after living on Takapoto with only 400 other people. 

  Saturday night I took my first hot shower in 4.5 months! It was so exciting. That will never get old. It is just the strangest thing ever to be back on Tahiti.

  I have been with Sr. Wilson, from Ogden,UT since I arrived in Tahiti on Saturday. Today or tomorrow I will go with my real companion who is from the island REATEA.

  This morning we ran in downtown Papeete. That was a  fun feeling. There were so many buildings and people. We also saw the cruise boats which were super pretty.

  Sunday afternoon in (TAHITI) Papeete, Sr. Wilson and I had a miracle. We had the first appointment with a man named Marama. He was in the army has a little boy, who he doesn't get to see very often, but he wants to. Sr. Wilson and I just started talking about the gospel with him and how the message we share with people can help him overcome the trials in his life. Then, he brought up that he wants to be baptized. We were happy that we were on the same page. 

  It went great and he even fed us too! People here are awesome. It was his first lesson and he fed us.

   Ok, that is the update for my arrival in Tahiti. I have been getting to work here already. It feels good to change things up, but I miss Takapoto sooooooo much already.

  I am going to rewind to Takapoto.

  Friday night was my surprise night. All the members came together and gave me shell necklaces. It gave my thank you speech to everyone. I couldn't help but just cry as I realized how much me and God love those people of TAKAPOTO. I was so sad to leave them. I am not even sure if they could understand my French/Tahitian because I just cried through it all. 

  They had me sit on a chair after I gave my farewell speech and one by one my neck became laden with shell necklaces. 

  Mami Gloria gave me hers and gave me like ten kisses on the cheek. I love her so much. I just kept crying as everyone continued to do that. 

  My neck had like 40 lbs of shells on it. It was super duper heavy. It felt really good once I took them all off. Somehow I managed to eat with them all on.

  It was good I cried Friday night because Saturday at the airport I didn't cry at all. Poor Mami Gloria though, she was so sad at the airport. She kept crying and crying. She made me so many shell necklaces.

  At the airport, there were many people I said "see you later" to. They gave me like another 50 lbs of shell necklaces and huge leis. I should have been giving them the necklaces because I have just learned so much from them. 

  Getting on the airplane was just surreal. Takapoto has changed my life. I learned how to really pray with all my heart. I learned to speak Tahitian and French there. I learned to be grateful for all that I have, namely running water and electricity and dryers and just everything. Living in scarcity teaches you a lot. I learned how to listen and love the one who no one has ever valued before. I have seen God work miracles in my life and the life of others there. I have seen people with major addictions overcome their habits, through the gospel. God really does change hearts and loves His children. He can even work miracles overnight. I lived that in TAKAPOTO. 

  I know God has answered mine and many others prayers as I served on that little piece of paradise. After serving there 4.5 months I see just a little reason why God really sent me there. 

   Saturday right after I left on the plane. Jean Paul got baptized in the lagoon. I wasn't there because his sister arrived on the same plane I parted on and she wants to learn more about the church and it was  more important for her to see the product of the miracle God has done in Jean-Paul's life. 

  Sr. Stosich called me Saturday night and told me the baptism was great and Jean Paul bore his testimony and the spirit was so strong. It was amazing to hear that. I remember three months ago when we went to contact him and he told us he had denied all kinds of religion for the last 40 years. He was mad at God. Heavenly Father worked a miracle in Jean-Paul's heart and now all he wants to do is serve God. 

  Well, that was my week in a nutshell. Many blessings and miracles. 

  OH yeah. I went to Carrefour today (the Tahitian Wal-Mart) and was just overwhelmed by all the products. After being in such a routine with what I bought for groceries in Takapoto, I went all out on buying fruits and veggies today. Yay  for variety!!

  Well, I hope you all have a great week. AND for those of you who don't know General Conference is next week and there will be three new apostles called. It is a great occasion for everyone to hear inspiring messages for their life. You can watch it this Saturday and Sunday on lds.org. Even if you miss it, the messages from living apostles and the prophet will be on lds.org. I am excited about it. Are you ready?? 

   I love you all lots...and Takapoto :(. 

  Love,
  Soeur Campbell 



The Takapoto Sisters with Jean Paul

The baptism of Jean Paul that Sr. Campbell missed

Sr. Campbell says her goodbyes