Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Christmas in Łódź, Poland! (Pictures) & Transfer Day

*Lexi didn't have time to send an email to everyone today, but she sends her love to you!  She did have time to send a few pictures of her Polish Christmas!  Merry Christmas!!!

Horse carriages?!  It really is Christmas!!

The Elder's at the Manekin restaurant for our Culture Night!

I love these goofs! :)

My lovely friend, Grażyna.  Don't know what I would ever do without her!!!

Sister Van and Grażyna!  I love these two more than I can even say!

Christmas Eve Brunch... It's tradition! :)

Elder Dickson:  "Who needs the rest of your district when you have all these presents?" ;)

"Wesołych Świat życzę!!!

Christmas PJ's from Mama Kamp!!! :)

Christmas Thermoses and Candycane Hot Cocoa... Our Christmas eve rocked. :)

I got so spoiled... Holy cow... I'm the luckiest girl in the world.  But the best present of all - being able to talk to my family <3

The first time I've seen an actual marshmallow in... forever!!!

All us missionaries with our member Moussa!

Gosia and Draman!  Man, I'm going to miss them so much!

Crazy Elder's having too much fun on Christmas!

Fried Cheese and raspberry sauce?  We difinitely had to try that!

The Christmas Market that I have a slight obsession with. :)

 A little taste of the Christmas magic on our main street. :)


*Note from Mama Kamp*
On Christmas we were to Skype with Lexi at 7:30am!  7:30am came and went...I tried to act really patient...it could be the missionary before her went over a little bit and that is why we hadn't heard from her...but finally at 7:52 I decided to pull up my email to see if something was up.  I saw an email from her and it said that the Skype wasn't working!  So she sent me a link to another app that we could try!  So I quickly downloaded the app on my phone and we finally connected!  We soaked in every minute we had left with our Lexi!  We love her so much!  We miss her so much!  She told us about her transfer coming on Tuesday, back to Bydgoszcz, Poland.  She was sad to leave her beloved Łódź and Siostra Van, but she was excited to see her old friends from Bydgoszcz!  She seemed happy, and a little sad too.  She had just found out about the transfer, and she seemed a little homesick this Christmas Day, but that Missionary spirit was still strong!  She had the light of Christ in her eyes and her heart is as big and wonderful as ever!  I can't wait to hug her again!... oh, she also have us her come home date:  May 2nd!!!  I can't wait!  I know she will love and serve the people of Poland with all her soul these last four months!
We love you, Siostra Kamp!  Merry Christmas! xoxo

* Today, Tuesday, December 27th I received this picture from my friend Kelley in Poland!  She just picked up Lexi from the train station for her new transfer in Bydgoszcz, Poland with Siostra Larsen!  Lexi said if she was to transfer anywhere from Lodz, she would want to go back to Bydgoszcz!  We met Kelley and her sweet family, through Facebook, when Lexi was in Bydgoszcz earlier this year!  They are the sweetest family, and I couldn't be happier for her!  Thank you for this special picture, Kelley!  ((hugs))


Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Merry Christmas!

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Early Christmas, loves!!!
I hope you are all having the most wonderful Christmas season!!

This week has been a very busy one filled with so many amazing experiences!! We were able to do so many incredible things!! I'm not going to tell it all, but I have to share a little miracle from my week with you all. :) It fills my heart to the brim each time I think of it.

This miracle was our meeting with our amazing friend Grażyna. :) I love her so much! My friendship with Grażyna is one that I don't think I will ever be able to describe to you all, but she just means the absolute world to me. Our meetings with her have become some of the most wonderful, spiritually uplifting experiences of my mission, and I am just so grateful to have met her.
This week, during our meeting, we were talking with her about the Holy Ghost, and had decided to share a verse with her from the Doctrine and Covenants 130:22-23. This fragment explains the Godhead and the Holy Ghost especially very well, and we love it. So, we read this verse together, and after we had finished reading, Grażyna just stared at me with a confused look for what seemed like minutes! I asked, "What do think about this verse?" and she just looked at us and said, "You know girls... You really surprised me. I never knew that God has a body?" It definitely took me by surprise to hear her say that, but I cannot even tell you all how powerful the Spirit was after that. He led that meeting in a way we had not planned, and as we talked further and testified to Grażyna of this gospel truth, the change that was taking place in her heart was physically visible on her face... It was the most incredible thing. 
I think that was the first time, possibly in her life, that when someone said the world "God", it meant something more to her than just an all powerful source... In that moment, He became real to her. 

I wish I could do that experience justice through writing, but it is impossible to describe such moments like this. The spirit testified to us all so strongly during that lesson, and I was just so grateful for His presence. He touched Grażyna's heart in a way that has never happened, and I will never forget this experience with her. 
I love her so much, and without a doubt I know that the Lord loves her too.

This gospel is true, and how wonderful it is. 

That's all the time I have today, but I just hope you all know how much I love this gospel, this work, and my Saviour Jesus Christ. I am the luckiest girl in the world to wear His name on my chest every single day, and to constantly see the hand of the Lord in not only my life, but in the lives of those I love as well. This gospel is true, and the Lord loves you! He is real. He knows you, and He will always be with you. 

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
-Matthew 11:28-30

Christ the Lord is with you always. Not only during the Christmas season, but in every moment. :) I know that this is true. 

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!!!
I love you, and am so grateful for all of your love, support, and prayers! 

Wesołych Świąt, życzę wam!!
Kocham was!

Z miłością,
Siostra Kamp
Branch Wigilia (Christmas Ever) Party! I love these people.


Wojtek and Marek! They are so strange... we love them! :)

Elder Dickson and Wojtek are best pals!

Elder Dickson loves his orange's!

Our district with our best pal, Olek. :)

Some cute person decorated the tree outside our apartment :) It makes me so happy each time I see it!

Thursday, December 15, 2016

The Light of CHRISTmas

Dear Family and Friends,

Dzień Dobry, wam!! :)
How are you all?! I hope you all are having the most wonderful Christmas season!! 

So many amazing wonderful things happened this week!! The Lord continually amazes me with all of the wonderful miracles He gives us every day. 

We were able to spend the first part of this week on exchanges with our lovely Sister's Dekker and Anderson! It was so wonderful to be able to serve with them here in Łódź for a couple days, and I learned so much from them! We were able to do so many wonderful things, but I think my favourite was being able to talk with people on the streets about this amazing "Light the World" program the church is doing this season. I was amazed at how many wonderful conversations we were able to have, and the light that came into the eyes of those we talked with. There is a light that comes out in everyone during the Christmas season... The Light of Christ. :) And how wonderfully fitting it is for this time of year! We are surrounded by so many lights during the Christmas season! Everywhere we look there are Christmas lights! But how wonderful it is, that those lights are there to remind us of something so much bigger. :) Our Lord and Saviour - the Light of the World. 

Siostra Van and I also went to see our lovely friends Edyta and Łukasz this week - and I. just. LOVE THEM. They are the most amazing people! Unfortunately we weren't able to meet with them, because they have a bad case of the Chicken Pox! But it was so wonderful to be able to talk and laugh with them for a few short minutes. I have never heard anyone laugh the way our friend Łukasz did when he found out we call them "Chicken Pox" in english! He was just dying laughing, and it made Sister Van and I laugh so hard! :) I love that little family so much, and am praying for them every day. 

The members of our little branch are so excited for our "Christmas Eve" party this week, and I just love seeing them so excited! In Poland, Christmas Eve or "Wigilia" is such a big tradition, and I cannot wait to experience it with them! :) The members here are the most wonderful people, and I have fallen in love with them. I don't know what I would do without them! They are incredible examples to me, and I admire them in every way. Their testimonies are so evident in all they do, and they have the biggest desire to share the happiness of this gospel with everyone they meet. It is something amazing, truly, and I am so grateful for them! :) They have fallen in love with this "Light the World" campaign just like I have, and each Sunday they come up to us and ask us for more pass-along cards to give to friends! The joy of Christmas, and the joy of this gospel is so contagious. :) 

You guys... I know this church is true, with everything I am. I owe everything I have to the Lord, and His perfect gospel - and I just can't express enough how lucky I feel to be a part of this all. :) How lucky we are to have His perfect example to follow, and His constant hand to help us as we stumble.   

A small scripture from this morning's scripture study:
"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."
Ether 12:4

May our faith lead us to good works that glorify our God and make our world a little better, is my prayer :) 

I apologize for this email being a little all over the place today, but I love you all, and wish you the happiest week!! :)

Z miłością, 
Siostra Kamp

The Christmas Market!

The cutest little Christmas shacks line the streets of Łódź during this time of year, and I love it so much :)



The giant Christmas tree by the Christmas market :) I'm in love!

Coming home from zone training! They keep us laughing. 

Our cute Warsaw Sister's came home to Łódź with us for a couple days! :) I love them!!

Sister Dekker loves her snowball candies! 

The adventure behind this photo... Priceless. When someone steals your whiteboard and chair...

Sister Anderson and Sister Dekker!! So grateful for them!!

My mom sent us the cutest ever Christmas countdown package!!! I'm so lucky. :)

The Elder's with the bread they bought that is as big as them. They were so proud!

Our cute new friend Viktoria just moved her from Hungary!! She is amazing!! :)


*Pictures from SiostraVan's email :)

*On the train with the Warsaw Sisters

*The elders  getting ready for street contacting

*Sister Kamp in her natural habitat – ordering pierogi and bigos🙂

*Elder Byrd talking to a man that always talks to us at our whiteboards and is consistently drunk, but I like this pic of them chatting heart to heart.

*Christmas lights we found in a cupboard! And stockings from Mama Kamp

*Our little baby Christmas tree

*My favorite Christmas decoration we found that the senior couple left in the apartment. It’s a porcelain angel, but I just love how sassy it looks. #goals

Elder Alvarez and Byrd!

Monday, December 5, 2016

Never bringing a pen anywhere ever again... :)

Dear Family and Friends, 

Wesołych Świąt!!! 

I cannot believe that it is already December. It's the most wonderful time of the year! :) 

This week was a wonderful one! Siostra Van and I were able to spend a few days in the BEAUTIFUL city of Warsaw with our lovely Sisters, Siostra DeMordaunt and Siostra Beem! I love them so much! We had all been so excited for them to come to Łódź this past week for exchanges, but there was a little plot twist, and long story's short... It started with a "You are only allowed to take a plastic bag with an extra shirt and skirt out of your apartment... nothing else." and ended with two Łódź sister's on a train to Warsaw! Crazy? Yes... and it was the biggest blessing! 

This last minute crazy plot twist of events, living out of a plastic bag with one outfit, not even having our calendar planners or side bags, or anything but the coats on our back... It was the BEST exchange I've ever had, and just the biggest blessing in the world. :) The Lord provides a way :) We were able to do so many absolutely wonderful things with the Sister's in Warsaw, and the miracles we saw there were incredible. 
My time is short, but I'll share one experience! :) 

Siostra DeMordaunt (my lovely MTC companion!) and I were on the street talking to people one evening, and had the most amazing experience! We saw a woman walking toward us, and as we went up to go talk with her, she greeted us with the absolute biggest smile and "Dobry Wieczór!" (which was a little tender mercy in and of itself :) ) We began talking with her, and ended up talking about the Restoration of the Gospel, and some of our main beliefs, and it was wonderful. It is an indescribable feeling being able to feel the spirit constantly as you testify of the truths of this gospel, but sometimes... The spirit is so strong that you can't help but look at the person you are talking with and think, "Are they feeling this?!" :) And I will tell you what - This was one of those times. As Sister DeMordaunt and I bore testimony to our new friend, Ania, we couldn't help but smile so big as the spirit bore witness to both us and Ania of the truthfulness of our words. She didn't have much time to talk - but it didn't matter, because it was just enough :) She told us how wonderful what we had said was, and how much it meant to her - and when we asked if we could meet with her again and talk about it more, she said "Absolutely!!" :) Well, the miracle continues! At the end of our conversation, we gave her a card for the #LightTheWorld campaign I talked about last week, and she asked if we could write our number on it, which gladly we agreed to!! All three of us looked for a pen, but none of us could find one, so... What was there left to do? ELDER'S! Long story's short - they always have pens! So, we called them over and they gave us a pen. Saved the day! 

But anyway, as Sister DeMordaunt was writing on the card, Ania saw the Book of Mormon in one of the Elder's hands and got very quiet. She looked at us and said, "Wait... You are Mormons?" (We had only said that we were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints before.) Inside, I'm sure both of us were thinking, "Ohhhh boy..." but we just smiled and said, "Yes ma'am!" :) She stayed quiet for a couple more seconds, then got the biggest smile on her face and said, "I LOVE MORMONS!!!!!!!" 

It was the cutest thing in the world, and completely made Sister D and I's day! :) She talked our ears off about her love for Mormons for a while after that, and by the end of our conversation, Sister D and I's cheeks hurt from smiling so much! haha! 
But, it was the sweetest tender mercy, and Ania just brought the biggest smile to my face. :) I love her! Sister DeMordaunt and I talked this morning, and she told me they have a meeting with Ania today!! The good news continues!!! :) I cannot wait to see what other miracles come! 

The Lord is so good. 

Well, that's about all I have time for today, but I love you all so much!! I hope you have a wonderful week of snow, service, and smiles! :) 

You are all in my thoughts and prayers! 

Z miłością,
Siostra Kamp

Warsaw Old Town with my lovely Siostra Van!! :)​

Siostra DeMordaunt!! (My MTC comp) I love this girl so much! She is so wonderful. :)



Siostra Beem!! She is such a doll! :)

Warsaw Selfie! 

When your investigator gives you a chocolate Christmas countdown, and you eat it all before it is even December...