Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

   Here we are again, I am sending out my second and last Thanksgiving week email on a mission.

  I used want to start out and express my gratitude for everything, from a great family to the last 14 months I have experienced on a mission, and also for all the love and support from my loved ones out in America, also for the wonderful people here in French Polynesia and all their love and things they have taught me. Most importantly I want to let you know how grateful I am for a Heavenly Father who has blessed my life from the beginning. Voila, a piece of the things I am grateful for this year. 

  My wish that this week you will do the same and meditate about the people and blessings you are grateful for too. I would love to hear about them. My other hope is that you "tamaa maitai"or eat well Thursday. 

  I just remembered last week I totally thought it was Thanksgiving in my email. Thankfully one of the senior couples in our district, the Caldwells, set me on track that Thanksgiving is this week. Oh mission life!

   Sr. Bluker and I worked hard this week. We are starting to see changes in our amis as they prepare for baptism. 

  This week was booked with firesides for the amis. Friday the temple President came and spoke to our amis right next to the temple. He encouraged them to pray and ask if Joseph Smith was a prophet and prepare to have an eternal family. Then Saturday night the two senior couples in our zone, the Caldwells (from Utah) and the Jones (from England), put on a fireside about the importance of marriage for our amis. Getting married is one of the biggest blocks for amis progressing here. I know our amis Maina and Mike, who were there were touched by the incredible example of marriage and family from our couple missionaries.

Sunday night there was another fireside about family history work and fulfilling our duty to help our ancestors through temple work. 

  Serving is Tahiti is wonderful because there is always something to invite amis to. 

  Saturday we fasted  and worked with the ward counsel all day working on reactivation. We had a little miracle because we went to go see a couple who wasn't married. While there we invited them to the fireside and it was like 4 in the afternoon and the fireside was at 6. Well, the lady ended up coming. It was a miracle for me to see how you always have to invite no matter the  circumstances or your doubts.

  Another miracle happened in Sunday School, as Mike who is thinking about baptism, started asking questions about baptism. The miracle is he is getting more serious about it. 

   Today we have another big p-day planned. We got up at 4am to take Sister Tidjine from New Caledonia to the airport, She got transferred  to an island called TUBUAI and it is where the first LDS missionaries came to French Polynesia. Then we came home and cleaned house and now we are doing our email and we have yet to get a spa treatment from one of our members. Then another member is going to make dresses with us (our members love to spoil us here, our next couple p-days are booked with things they want to do with us). Then we also have to go grocery shopping, because last week we didn't go, because we drove around the whole island. Yeah, life is good.  

   I love you all and Happy Thanksgiving!!

 Love,

 Tuahine Campbell

Leadership Council and Car Adventure

To'u mau utuafare herehia,

   E here vau ia outou. Aita vau ite eaha ia papai i roto i teie rata. 

  This week was full of fun and adventure and spirituality.

  For the fun and adventure, I started to learn how to drive a manual car. It had been a while since I have driven (like 2 years), but the experience went well. Elder Cadwell, one of the couple missionaries, is teaching me how to. 

  This week we spent a lot of time working with our ward mission leader, Bro. ROOMATOROA. He pretty much just speaks Tahitian, and fast. That means I got to do a lot of Tahitian practice this week. I love our DMP and the members here. They work hard with us and have a lot of respect for the missionaries. 

  This week was the primary program in church and it was a wonderful experience to all the amis who came.  I know they were touched by the children's simple testimony of eternal families and the example of our Savoir. It was the first time at church for Anita, one of our amis who is a mother. When she found out church was three hours long, she doubted if she could make it through. After the wonderful primary program and the other 2 classes, she was surprised that it ended so quickly. 

  We started teaching Anita, because we were teaching her daughter and invited her to join in on a lesson. She was hesitant that day to join in on a lesson. As the spirit has been in the lessons she has come to love them more and more. She is starting to understand the gospel in a new way and loves it. 

   This week we had leadership counsel at the president's house. We talked a lot about obedience for the missionaries and how the missionary morning schedule makes a huge difference for the missionaries throughout the day. I was all for it, as being obedient brings blessings. 

  President Bize also told us how we need to make the sacrifices so we can call down the miracles from heaven. I was really touched as he spoke about that.

  At the end of the reunion, we all knelt in prayer. The spirit was super strong as we did that. We also sang "Abide With Me," and as we sang the 2nd verse about how quickly time goes by, I couldn't help but start to cry. 

   This mission is just like a dream. There are still people to find though and teach and bring to the Lord. 

  I live you all. Take care. and HAPPY THANKSGIVING (we don't celebrate that here, so have fun eating for me). They feed us really well, though, we could say Thanksgiving is like every day for missionaries in TAHITI!!

  Love 

Soeur Campbell

Hi!

Hi awesome people,

 What can I say, this week was a huge learning week for me.

   I have loved serving with my new companion, Sr. Bluker. She is from New Caledonia and finishes is 2 transfers. She loves to talk so we have been finding potentials like crazy. It is awesome. I have a lot to learn from her.    Yesterday, we ate coconut tree crab. It comes from the TUAMOTUS (like TAKAPOTO, where I was). It is luxury food here and even in TAKAPOTO, only the rich can afford it. It is a really pretty blue color and then when you cook it turns a really pretty red. The Jacquet family bought it just for us wanting us to try this dish. The meat in the arms was good. Then in the stomach of it, the crab eats the coconut tree and has enough food stored in his stomach to survive for a month without eating. To get that out of the stomach you squeeze it. 

The Jaquects told us that was the best part of the crab. So they squeezed it out into bread for us. It was brown looking but didn't  taste bad. Yup. I can now say I have eaten coconut crab insides.

  

The work here is Fautaua is incredible. There is so much to do. The more we work the more I realize that. 

  Recently we have been working with two youth, Ariirata and Manutea. They both have been taking the missionary lessons and want to go on missions. It is incredible, because as they have read the Book of Mormon and gone to church they have had a change of heart. Manutea is even going to sing in the Christmas concert. We have planned their baptisms. 

  We work with a lot of youth in this area. They have a lot of faith. 

  I was really touched this week because I prayed to have a good day. Then as I was doing my personal study, Sr. Reyelts dropped off a huge bag of groceries for us with  a homemade salad. It was a direct answer to a prayer, evidence that God exists and knows us. I am so grateful for that experience. Really I cannot tell you how many times people have taken care of us here as missionaries. It is incredible. The members here have so much faith. 

    I gave a talk in sacrament meeting Sunday. I really prayed for it to go well and for my French to be ok. I got up there and it was a huge struggle for me. I felt like no one understood me. Then I also was speaking and just started to cry because this mission is almost over and looking out at the ward and the people I love so much I just can't believe how fast it has gone. 

  After the talk, I ask Sr. Bluker why was it that it was so hard for me to speak there. She told me that maybe it was because I needed to learn patience with myself. Then I remembered this week I had been praying to have patience with myself particularly (see PMG chap 6 attributes assessment #39). There is another prayer that God answered for me this week. 

  Today we spent a little time playing volleyball on one of the black sand beaches with the missionaries. It was so relaxing to be there and some of the smoothest sand I have felt in my life. Tahiti has black sand beaches because before the island was a volcano and all the volcanic rock sanded down makes a black sand beach. It was incredible and so relaxing to be there. 

   There are so many blessings to serving a mission. I am so grateful for it all. I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Soeur Campbell

PS: HUGE SHOUT OUT to my mom who's birthday was yesterday!! I love you so much. You are the best! I couldn't be out here without you!!

The Hardest Week YET

Hey hey!

  So Saturday and Sunday we had stake conference for the Papeete stake. Elder Nielson of the 70 came and spoke. The conference reminded me of why I came on a mission. 

  During the  Saturday night session of conference we watched the "Hark all Ye Nations" music video from the church's June 2013 missionary fireside. As I watched a flood of memories came back to me. I watched that June 2013 fireside when I was at BYU, staying at Wyview, which at the time was a part of the MTC. I was 17 and being so close to missionaries, all I wanted to do was go on a mission but I couldn't, because I was too young. 

  Then here I am 13 months into that dream. "Is it really what I have expected it to be? Am I doing what God needs me to be doing?" Those were some of my thoughts as I watched that music video. 

  I don't know why I am sharing that, but I think this time is just going by way to quickly. And to be honest this week was one of the hardest weeks I have encountered yet on this mission. 

  BUT, as always we saw some miracles. 

  I have been praying for God to led us to the people He needs us to meet, or that He has prepared. Heirani was the epitome of that. 

  She was a reference from one of our ward missionaries, because I was talking to Teanau, our ward missionary, and she was asking me about a ton of old amis and I had no idea who they were, because I am new here. I asked Teanau to make a list of all these old amis she was talking about. 

  So we got the list and went out to see Heirani Thursday. We were about not to go out, because my companion was feeling sick, but we decided to go anyways. 

   We didn't know exactly where Heirani lived, but we asked a teenager who was selling mangoes next to the road and she led us right to Heirani's apartment. It was incredible how effective this finding was.

  Then we got to Heirani's house and the door was already open and she invited us in. It was like magic. Come to find out Heirani knows the church is true, but her contact with the missionaries was cut off of like 4 months, because we forgot. During those 4 months she has been wondering how she can really put God first in her life, because she isn't married yet. 

  Then we got to talk about putting our trust in God by keeping His commandments and Deut 31:8 for a motivation verse. It was great. The Spirit was strong. I knew God wanted us to meet Heirani, because she hadn't stopped praying, even thought the missionaries stopped coming. 

   Another miracle we had this week was with Ariirata. He is 16 and preparing to get baptized, to make a covenant with God. He started reading the Book of Mormon everyday before going to school. He loves praying to in like every lesson. 

   I am so touched, because people are still progressing, even if I don't feel "in form." That was one of the biggest tender mercies I have felt and seen this week. Because since I have left Takapoto, I feel like my heart has just been ripped out, but now it has to be put together somehow. And that can't stop me from doing what God needs me to do here in Papeete. 

  The other huge tender mercy I personally saw this week was getting a note from my mom. I had an extra journal I gave to one of the sister who was emergency transferred this week and the note was in the journal. In short I got the note right when I needed it. It was unexpected and wonderful, evidence for me of Heavenly Father's love. 

  That it all I want to say. It isn't easy, but it will work out. This is His work, and nothing is going to stop it. 

  I love you all. Heavenly Father loves you too. 

  Love,

Soeur Campbell

Raiatea and My Companion's House

Bonjour!

  Today I said goodbye to my companion, Sr. Terooatea and hello to my new companion, Sr. Bluker from New Caledonia. Sr. Bluker has 2 transfers left!! It is scary because I finish the transfer after her. Yeah, there is no way we are going to let each other get trunky. That is our goal. 

   Tuesday I was blown away by a miracle. Our ami, Manutea had told us last week he didn't want to get baptized, but we watched Meet the Mormons last Sunday with him and the next day at a family home evening, he told everybody he actually did want to get baptized. Wow. Talk about a change of heart. I was just so happy to hear that Manutea wants to really change and let the gospel shape him. As a missionary, it is incredible for me to see how God worked that miracle for Manutea and the other members who are supporting him. 

  Wednesday morning, Sr. Terooatea and I took the plane to go to RAIATEA. My companion is from Raiatea and was related to like everyone on the island. It was great. We really went there to do a split with the two companionships of sisters who serve there. They are both training new missionaries. 

  We were there until Friday night and taught, study, and checked out their records, to make sure they were keeping them. It was a great experience. We also had a little fun with them, going out to ice cream.

  This is going to sound weird but we actually ended up moving with the sisters on Raiatea into my companion's house. Her family is renting the house out to the church. So I spent the night in my companion's house, but it is missionary housing now. It was a good thing we did because the first night on Raiatea we had 7 people (me, my companion, 4 other sisters, and a Mami  who has been authorized to live with the missionaries) in like a little beach hut. It was right next to the beach, but it was small. The sisters were sleeping on the roofed deck.  The first night we were there, I slept on a mat on the wooden deck. The house was just full of beds and mats. Yeah, it was a one room house, but now that the sisters live in my companion's old house they have a ton of space. The downside is though the house isn't right on the beach. 

  Flying back from Raiatea was wonderful because we made a stop on Huahine and the whole plane got off except me,and my companion. So our flight from Huahine to Papeete was just us and another lady. It was probably one of the most calming feelings to be on an empty plane flying at night like that. It reminded me of my BYU days taking the red eye home to go see my family. 

     Saturday we went to the temple. It was a miracle, because Sr. Reyelts,  like my mission mom from Tipaerui, was in the same session. Wow. It was just totally inspired for that to happen. It was evidence to me that God is really looking out for me and putting people in my path. I was happy to see her. She also spoiled me and my companion by taking us out to eat afterward. 

  Well. that is about it for this week. I love you all!!

This is the link to watch Meet the Mormons. It's an awesome movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS6PZh6tCC0

Love,

Soeur Campbell

Fruit stand in Raiatea. bought a coconut here but it didn't even compare with the ones in Takapoto

The island in the background in Bora Bora at sunset, I took this in Raiatea

The hut house in Raiatea. 7 people and 1 shower.... it was like girls camp. got to love mission island life