Coconut Bread and Conferences

Hello dear friends and family,

CONFERENCES

This week we had three conferences, one for all the missionaries in the entire world that the church broadcasted, another one video broadcasted from Tahiti with our mission president, and the last with the locals here in HAO and a member from the temple president, Elder Sinjoux (our area 70), and Pres. Sun (from the mission presidency). 

Wednesday, we didn't get to see the missionary conference from the church, because our internet was not good enough.  As for the other two conferences they were wonderful and I took a bunch of notes. I particularly loved when Elder Senejoux spoke because it was super direct and clear. He spoke about keeping the commandments and the sabbath day holy and also how important family relations are. 

For the district conference here in HAO, a family from AMANU came in on the boat. The ride was one hour. They stayed at the church from Friday until Sunday. They are the only members on that island. It was super awesome to be a part of the conference. Who would imagine that people would make a sacrifice like going to another island just to hear the words of leaders? 

COUPLES

I am pretty sure everyone we teach is a couple. It is incredible. It is a lot better that way because then the couple is on the same page with the gospel. 

This week we had a miracle with one of the couples we teach. We have been encouraging them to read the Book of Mormon together and we gave them a reading assignment. My companion and I prayed that they would read together, as we know it will be something that will invite the spirit for them. The day came and we followed up and they read!!!! I call that a miracle. Even the husband who is inactive called it a miracle. I am so grateful they did. 

Teaching couples, I feel like Heavenly Father is really trying to teach me the importance of marriage and family before I leave. We have taught the importance to have God in the relationship multiple times this week. There is power as we explain as the husband and wife grow closer to God individually the couple will grow together too. So I would like to thank all my young women's leaders and others who have taught me an example of a covenant marriage. I cannot express how much that vision is what I want for every family I have taught, or met on a mission. 

COCONUT BREAD

One of the days this week as I was doing personal study, I looked out of the window into the church courtyard to find a lady selling her coconut bread. She was going door to door. This approach is common here as that is how most the population buys and sells fish too. For four dollars I bought like a 9 by 11 piece of homemade coconut bread. It was wonderful. Such a great experience to buy coconut bread at my doorstep. I was thinking in that moment what I was going to eat too. Only In the Tuamotusm can you have that experience. 

LETS PRAY

Recently Sr. Xowi and I have been teaching an inactive, Natalie. She is the nicest ever to us. She has given us so many coconuts to drink. (I love drinking coconuts). Well, this week was a miracle because when we go to her house, even for just say hi, she has told us ''Let's pray." We didn't even have to suggest it. She has also started to read the Book of Mormon and is loving it. We give her a couple verses and then she immerses herself.

HEIRANI MIRACLE

We have been teaching Heirani since I have got here. She is eight months pregnant and her man is just getting active. She took the challenge to pray and read the Book of Mormon and knows it is true. We had a lesson with her and her man (Brice) and I asked them, "What do you want for your daughter?" They were touched as they replied. It is wonderful because the members are right behind this couple to support this couple. One of the sisters in the branch will be flying to Tahiti, which is an expensive plane ticket, to help Heirani have the baby. 

That is how it is here. Mothers go to Tahiti to have their children and for Heirani because Brice works she is going alone. Thankfully one of the members, Sr. Pikon, is going to help her. Please pray for that couple. 

THE MISSION OFFICE CALLED

They wanted to know my final airport destination when I go home. I don't know how I feel about all this. It is ending too quickly. I am now in my last transfer. 

MY COMPANION

Sr. Xowi is wonderful. She is teaching me a lot about patience, love, and service. She is always quick to help out and give quiet service. I might have been out longer than she has, but she reminds me daily of what a mission really is. 

Love you all soo much!! Have a great week. 

Love,

Soeur Campbell

I made a flower crown this week it was my first one all by myself.. one of our investigators collected the flowers for us, and one of the members taught me how to make it.

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I gave the crown to Mami Tekava. She took the plane for Tahiti to go to her checkup at the doctor's.  

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New Island and Island Hopping With Only 60 People on it!!

Hello, my friends and family!!

I am going to start out answering some questions my dad wrote me.

HAO is different from Takapoto (the other island I served on from June to Sept) as in there is a lot more jobs here. Takapoto is also an atoll and has coconut coral and a lagoon in the middle, but in Hao, they have a middle school here for the surrounding islands, which creates more jobs for the locals here. In Takapoto there is no middle school and people send their children off to another island when they reach the age to go to middle school. It is heartbreaking to see that as many of the youth are far from home and do not have support, counselor, or aid from their parents. Here in Hao, at least the middle schoolers can go to middle school while still living at home. It is just the other kids from other islands who come here for school. 

There are more people here on Hao. Before it was a military island for France during WWII and was, even more, busier. Now there are still some military here, but not very many, maybe like a dozen. They all love to play basketball with the locals every afternoon on the church court. 

Our little house here is Hao is better in location then takapoto, because it is right on the lagoon. I brush my teeth every morning looking out at that beautiful water and to make it even better the view outside our house faces west, so we can see the sunset on the lagoon from our doorstep. 

The atoll is geographically younger them Takapoto, I would say because there are less big coconut trees. In Takapoto it is nothing but coconut trees and that is the economy there, coconut collecting and extracting. In Hao there is some of that, but not that much.

I hope that paints a little picture of Hao for you. Now for the other news this week.

Oh, I don't know if I told you all this but I am the fist American sister missionary to serve here on Hao. That is super fun, but I have to be careful because there are a lot of young men here. 

This week we have been spreading the word that I am giving English lessons. We found quite a few people who I am going to help with their English. One sister, in particular, is going to study to get her middle school diploma.

I am also helping my companion learn English with the English program the church has for missionaries. 

This week we have had miracles finding amis, as we have done tracting a lot. We met a mami, grandma, who just invited us in and we started talking with her and shared a message in Tahitian with her and then she was super impressed we spoke Tahitian and told us we could come back over anytime. 

We have also been fixing lots of family home evenings as we are hoping to work closely with the members. 

Tuesday the community filled our water tank with water from the lagoon. Our water in the whole now is salty, but it is better than nothing. I am just grateful to have running water. We were without it for 5 days before. 

Other last news is that Pres. Chong, who is the district pres here, ask our mission president if sr xowi and I could go with his family to Amanu for three days and pres. Bize said yes!!!!!!    So the second week in Feb my comp and I will be taking an hour boat ride with the choang family to go strengthen the members on the island of Amanu. From what the Choangs have told us, Amanu has like 60 people who live on it and you can walk around the island in an hour. WHATTTTT???!!! that is a huge blessing for usssssss!!!! I am so excited, but first, we have to focus on our area here in Hao. 

 Love you all so much. Have a wonderful week.

Love,

 Sr. Campbell

Me and my companion Sr. xowi at the beach today.  we rode our bikes with an ami, the water here is just wonderful...... love it...  my comp is from Lifou a little island off the coast of new Caledonia. She has been on a mission for 6 months.

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Sunset from our doorstep this week

Sometimes the kids just find a squid in the ocean and you have to get a picture with it:)

Notre Maison.... our house.

Making coconut candy, it is a six-hour cooking process. it is so good. it also makes coconut oil when you cook the coconut milk!

Emergency Transfer by a MIRACLE to a little ATOL Called Hao

That is Puamotu, The language they speak in the TUAMOTUS, here in HAO where I got transferred.

Last Monday I was eating lunch with the couple Jones and Elder Jones asked me if I wanted to end my mission in the islands. I hesitated to answer. because transfers were already over and my companion was finishing at the end of this coming transfer and then I finished. So I told him it wasn't going to happen, but I would love to.

Then Tuesday morning, I was on a split with Sr. Bamba and we were in the middle of a lesson and the assistants called and i sent them a text saying we were in a lesson. Then the texted it was urgent so I called them back and they told me I was going to be emergency  transferred to HAO Thursday. 

Hao is an atol (because there is a lagoon in the middle) and has only been opened for sister missionaries since September. It is in the TUAMOTUs and there are about 1200 people who live here. That is 3 times the amount of people compared to the other atol I served on Takapoto that had 400 people on it.

Pretty much I was super excited because that means I am not finishing my mission in Papeete. YESSS!!!   

Then I started asking around how that happened I was transferred. I actually asked Pres. Bize directly as we had our interviews later that day Tuesday. He told me that he had to make the decision fast (because there was only 1 seat left on the Thursday flight to HAO and the assistants were at the mission office with President trying to reserve the seat, and they needed to give the airline company a name to reserve it under), He looked at the list and ny name stood out because I had already served in the Tuamotus. 

Then the next two nights I just couldn't like sleep because of shock and stress. Then it occurred to me that I had actually prayed to be transferred to Hao at the beging of dec. because I knew the transfer was coming around and I wanted to go to the Tuamotus again. Then that didn't happen the time of the transfers; Then God answered my prayer when I least expected it!!!

Wednesday I went to the temple for the last time as a missionary and packed. Thank goodness for Sr. Reyelts, because she helped me a ton getting last minute stuff I would need to play survivor.

Thursday I went for a run to the cruise ship dock in Papeete with Sr. Bamba. Then my companion, Sr. Bluker and I went to the leadership meeting at President's house. I left in the middle of the meeting to go to the airport. 

Usually you send your stuff by boat and my stuff would get to the island like the 25 jan, but since it was an emergency transfer the mission paid the extra baggage fee for my 50 kg of stuff (about 102  pounds). That was a huge blessing, because my companion at Hao still hasn't gotten her stuff yet as she has only been there 2 weeks. 

After a 2.5 hour plane ride I got to Hao. My companion Sr Xowi has only been here like a week, so we are doing lots of getting to know people and contacting. We are having to start with like 0 and build up after that. 

Friday morning we didn't have running water, because our water tank that collects rain water got empty. I have no idea why it is like that because everyone else on the island is fine. Pretty much we have been taking showers with bottled water for the last four days. the whole Takapoto experience with no water or electricity or water for 5 days prepared me for this experience. God knows what He is doing. Actually the water is like one of the last of my stresses. Finding people to teach is a lot higher on the list. 

There are about 60 active in the branch. Sunday was an exception because most of the branch has taken their every two year trip to the temple because a round trip plane ticket to tahiti is like six hundred dollars. 

Good news is that members are wonderful and feed us like two times a day. AND our house is right on the lagoon. YAAYAYA... OHHH it is such a nice view. It is a huge blessing as that water has been used to wash our dishes already. So tomorrow we will get water in our tank, the community should fill it up. Either with water from the ocean or treated water. I hope it is the latter, but any running water would be nice right now. 

Yeah my companion and I are praying for miracles. This reminds me too much of Takapoto but we are almost like white washing. We really have a lot of work to do and I am excited. 

Ok well love you all so much!!!!

Love sister Campbell

Happy New Year!!

My dear friends and family,

   Welcome to 2016!!! Everyone here has been telling us "Bonne Annee" for the last couple of weeks. It is wonderful. The spirit of "happy New Year's" is strong here in the South Pacific. 

  One of our amis, Heirani, was in an accident a couple of days before Christmas. When we went to her house to carol, she wasn't there because she was in the hospital. Thankfully this week we saw her again with some bandages. She has to heal still, but nothing too tragic. I told my family about that on Skype and asked them to prayer for her. Thank you, family, for your prayers.

  For New Year's, people like to party. It is like Christmas with the food. Some roast calves and others eat seafood. Sr. Bluker and I ended up at the house New Year's Eve as we weren't feeling that well. We made a good decision. I think I had food poisoning and didn't really want to eat much after it. Being sick I took the time to call our sisters in the islands. It was so fun to talk to them. Haha. They want us to come back and do a split. 

   Sunday one of our members made us a spread of New Year's food. There were mussels, escargot, shrimp, and some other kind of raw mussel. I tried mussels. They were pretty good. 

     Saturday Mike got baptized!!! Mike is married to a member in our ward and they have a little girl. We started teaching Mike in October with Sr. Terooatea. Mike had followed the lessons before that too. There were some who told us Mike was nowhere near getting baptized then. So much happened in the last months. Mike sang in the Christmas choir and would come to church every Sunday and read the Book of Mormon. Now he is baptized. 

   Every time that happens, I learn a little more not to judge people. We never know their heart or desires or what God can do with them. I love seeing miracles. Like it is written in Moroni 10, "have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you nay.... Wherefore, if these things have ceased, wo be unto the children of men, for it because of unbelief, and all is vain" (Moroni 10:35-37). We can't doubt God or His miracles. 

     Anyways Mike being baptized took about 30 seconds, but all I could think during those couple seconds was how much he and his family would be affected by that covenant he just made. The spirit was strong. 

    I am so happy for him and his family. His story reminded me a lot of my parent's story. My mom was the faithful member and my dad investigated the church taking missionary lessons 4 times. I shared my parent's story multiple times with Mike. Part of the result of my parent's story is that we are an eternal family. 

    Also today we had the pleasure of eating lunch with the Jones. They are a couple missionary from England. That is part of the blessing of serving in Papeete. I love our couple missionaries. They are wonderful examples of happy couples in the gospel. I cannot express how much that means. 

   Ok, last thing is goals for 2016. I have hesitated to make a ton, but I'll share a few with you. On a mission in 2016 I plan on finishing the Book of Mormon in Tahitian and French, and to give all I have these last couple of months. Then after the mission this year, my goal is to keep the habits I learned on a mission and go to institute and school and date and spend a lot of time with my family. 

  Well, I love you all. Thank you for reading and Happy New Year!!

Love,

Soeur Campbell

The Parau API

Hello My dear friends and family,

    I bet you are all wondering what we did for Christmas on an island.  The tradition here for the people is to eat a lot of seafood, mussels,  cow heart, BBQ, and crab. Then they do fireworks too. For others here, the tradition is to get wasted and party. 

   Sr. Bluker and I taught about the real meaning of Christmas on Christmas day to a family. Then our zone got together and went Christmas caroling to Pres. and Sr. Bize. We also dropped Sr. Teore and Sr. Tarati off at the airport so they could go open up a new area on a little island in the TUAMOTUS. 

   Christmas morning, we didn't open up presents. We played soccer with the other missionaries and some amis. It is funny, because we weren't home at all Christmas day, so we opened up presents the 26th. Most of our presents were chocolate. haha. It makes sense. What can you really give a missionary? We also went to  a baptism Christmas day. 

   The  best part of Christmas as a missionary has definitely just been caroling nonstop. People LOVE to hear us sing. The last week has just been sing sing sing. We made like 100 cookies with the other 2 companionships in the house and delivered them to our amis. There were some kids who wanted to join in with us, but we could take them in the car. We gave them some candy we had though in the car. We also gave some of the less fortunate kids the toys my family had sent me a while back. That was definitely one of the highlights of my week.

    THE BIGGEST highlight of my week was talking to my dear wonderful family. We shared testimony and sang and laughed. I love them so much. AND I got to hear their wonderful talents with Abbee on the violin and Mom and Erin on the piano. 

    It is official I will be finishing in Papeete. I have really been trying here, but do not at all feel great about what I am doing as I have in my other areas. So I fasted Sunday and am really just trying. This will be my second companion in a row that I am finishing with and then I finish.  Surely it will all work out in the end. Your prayers are appreciated. 

    Well, I love you all. And my dad wanted me to write who is my favorite scripture hero. Right now I'll say it is Nephi because he had a lot of faith and did what the Lord asked him to do, even if his brothers didn't support him.   

Faaitoito

Love,

TUAHINE Campbell

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël

Joyeux NOELLLLLL!!!!!

It is time.

GREAT NEWS

I stepped in dog poop this week and killed two cockroaches. We also woke up to maggots who invaded our garage. 

LITCHIS

There is a fruit that grows on a little island called TUBUAI. They are red a super good, but to buy them here in Tahiti they are expensive. One of the elders in our zone is from that island and gave us a whole Walmart bag of litchis. They were so good. If we were to buy the Walmart bag's worth of litchis it would have cost us like 50 dollars. 

MIKE 

Mike is our ami, who is getting ready to be baptized. Yesterday he sang in the Christmas choir.  My companion and I were super proud of him. I know it helped him strengthen his testimony. 

ANITA

We fasted with Anitia this week.  She is trying to quit smoking. Saturday after the ward Christmas party we fasted with her. And it went really well. Then we broke our fast with some sea food that Brother Makeroto had caught. We ate crab and clam and cigale (a flat crab-like animal).  

SISTERS PASSING THROUGH

Sister Bluker and I have worked with two different sisters this week as they were being transferred out in the islands and needed a place to stay. We were assigned to do it too. Sr. TUPEA was with us only one day before she went out to HUAHINE (an island not far from BORA). Then Friday we receive Sr. TEORE who will be with us until the end of December. She will go to an island not far where I served in TAKAPOTO called AHE. 

Sr. Bluker and I continue to stay tight through it all. 

3 COWS

For our ward Christmas party, they roasted 3 baby cows. It was awesome. I felt like I was in Johnny Lingo.  

FOOD DRIVE

There is a part of the island that was flooded and people have not had water or electricity and there were houses destroyed. Sunday we gathered up our extra food in the house and donated it. I am not sure of all the details, but it felt great to help them out. especially during Christmas.

SHOUT OUT TO DAD

Happy birthday! I love you lots. I can't wait to skype with you Friday. You are truly incredible and my number one man! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

I know the letter was short, but I hope ya'll stay warm this Christmas and remember the real reason for the season. 

Love,

Soeur Campbell

Cookies in Tahiti

Merry Christmas Friends and Family (I think we are close enough to it to say that),

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Cookies aren't really a Tahitian thing, but we made it one this week. Monday I spent like my extra money in the mission account to buy the "exotic" ingredients necessary. It was $22 to buy a Costco sized bag of kisses. Anywho, it went well all the sisters had a fun time in the house and we gave some to our investigators and the couple missionaries. There is our Christmas spirit this year. 

The zone also put ornaments on the Christmas tree next to the temple. the 23rd the mission is having a big party where we will have a gift exchange. 

I really want this Christmas is to be able to share the spirit of Christ. 

TRANSFERS

Our whole zone is staying the same. The assistants are in our zone and kept looking at me all week. I thought I would be transferred, but I guess that was a joke. haha, So good news is I love my companion. I am helping her learn English. We laugh a ton together. 

She finishes at the end of January, so most likely I will be finishing my mission here in Papeete. 

MIRACLES

Our amis are progressing. Anita and Mike picked a date to get baptized this week. I am so happy for them.

We literally have testified time and time again about the power of miracles. Faith first of course. 

TAHIARII

We have started teaching Tahiarii that I talked about last week. He is super smart and has a ton of potential. 

WHY I LOVE THIS AREA

Pretty much Fautaua is a huge blessing. Before it was the assistant's area and the members have  huge respect for the missionaries. They are always ready to help us out. We don't have a car and walk around a lot, but there have literally been times when 5 different members have stopped and asked us for a ride, but there was already someone else coming to pick us up. It doesn't matter whose house you go to they always give you something to take home and eat. They just love us. And I am so grateful for that HUGE blessing. Also, we talk to like everyone and everyone tells us we can come back and teach. It is awesome. 

KK! Joyeux Noel!

Love,

 TUAHINE Campbell