Oh hello everyone. We got transfer calls! I am staying here in Ruse
and working with Sister Tate, whose last transfer it is! (How could
that sentence have been worded more correctly?) Anyway. I'm excited to
stay in Ruse, the "Windy Apple," or more correctly, "The Hottest and the
Coldest," (weather-wise) and I haven't quite gotten ready to disattach
from the people here, nor the . . . people. It's all about the people,
really. I'm also really glad for Sister Walch and will miss her a lot.
She's cool. If she's reading this in two years for some reason, hi
Okay. This week continued the trend of ridiculously
accelerating fastness for no reason. Partly because we had a zone
conference in Varna on Friday, and also a Christmas Super Party on
Saturday that took A MILLION YEARS to prepare. I'm sorry to continue to
say the same dumb missionary letter things ("This week just FLEW by!!"
"I love THE people!" "What a GREAT week!") but sadly they are all
necessary and true missionary things. And also, let me tell you
something. Missions are AWESOME because they help you see through the
blurry, incorrect scaffolding of human time. You start in the MTC and
you feel like you are going to be there until you die, and that every
minute is like a year of boring. Then you get through it and start
liking it and building things with your mashed potatoes. Then you have
your first transfer and it feels like three lifetimes full of slavery
and joy and morbidity and magic. Then the next one goes faster and you
find yourself actually feeling in control of things. I don't know. I
guess I'm saying that on my mission I've learned some things about
eternal priorities. Because a mission really is like a mini-life and
teaches you a lesson about lifesize-life. (Remember the movie "Life
Size"? Why didn't it win an Oscar????) One, that we're really on the
earth for a ridiculously short amount of time. Two, that sometimes it
will seem long - but that's because we're learning and growing the most.
And three, the further along and more joyful it gets, the faster it
goes. Time just becomes this filter through which you glimpse God. Okay,
term paper over.
Here are some things I did this week:
1)
Sneaked around in an icy night putting up posters for our English class,
feeling like some kind of viligante or French Resistance dude. Even
though it's LEGAL.
2) Did a photo shoot with Sister Walch in front of the broken green
railway car that's in front of our church for some reason, wearing our
magical thrifted Christmas sweaters and holding a tiny elha (Christmas
tree!). I will send them posthaste.
3) Watched "Anastasia," argued about its merits as a documentation
showcasing Eastern Europe. I'm on the "It Doesn't Have Any of Those
Merits" side.
4) Contacted for our new English classes
("Excuse me, are you interested in learning English? I speak English!!
Come back!!! Rihanna speaks English!!!! Don't you like her??" etc.)
5) Met a cool new guy named Deyan who wants to learn! And then a snowstorm happened.
6) Perfected the use of the "over the nose and mouth" baba face scarf thing for snowstorms.
7) Bought a Santa suit from a store full of Chinese knicknacks.
8) Went to a crazy store called "Jumbo" and bought tiny metal (not
"mental," as I first typed) Christmas trees. For the setting of our
Christmas dinner party tables.
9) Watched the First
Prezidancy (dancy! like they like to dance! hee hee) Christmas Message
about 30 times with various investigators. It's funny how all these
things I never knew about as a normal, slightly-lazy member of the
Church are suddenly so crucial to my life, like things like devotionals
and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Conference!!!! Being translated into
Bulgarian!! We went over to our investigator Rumi's house (have I
talked about her? she's the adopted "aunt" of Sevda, can't really see or
walk very well, but sharp as an icicle and speaks French and some
English and lived in Libya for like 10 years) and watched it with her
and her husband, Kolyo, who mostly is against the Church. It was very
tender. If you haven't watched that Devotional, go ahead and do it
sometime. It's pretty good. Rumi struggles to admit or voice her faith,
or even to have any (she was an atheist during all of communism and made
fun of people who believed in God), but when President Monson speaks
she ALWAYS cries. It's cute and tender. The Spirit was very strong and
helpful, like a good messenger from God should be. And her husband even
softened up a little and we sang Christmax carols with the ol' guitar.
10) Zone confrince!! Fun! Christmas!!! Got two packages (from GG
and Mom - thank you guys!!! so needed and grateful!!)!! And learned the
True Meaning of Christmas. I can't tell you what it is, though.
11)
CRAZY CHRISTMAS PARTY TIME. If you thought that chaos and Relief
Society meltdowns and party disorganization was limited to your home
ward, think again! The Church truly is everywhere, and it really felt
just like being at home and trying to organize a party and everyone
flipping out. But it turned out awesome. We had like 40 people, Dyado
Koleda showed up and passed out oranges, we sang Christmas songs with my
guitar and there were some meatballs.
12) And then about 10 people at Church, because it rained and got ridiculously icy everywhere. But it was a great Sunday.
Anyway.
I also have recommitted myself to leaving behind the World (and all that
that implies) and giving myself up to the love and charity of the
Savior. It's the happiest way I've ever lived, and I recommend it. It
makes things like dieting and clothes and jealously and insecurities and
stress and jaw clicking seem very momentary and not a big deal, even
funny.
I love you guys. Read the Book of Mormon, every day, if
you can. It will be the best thing you've ever done. I'll send pictures
next week.
Love,
Sister Campbell
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