Miracle of the many Monika's! :)

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow!! It feels like it has been years but hours since I last emailed you all! So many AMAZING things happened this week, so I'll just hop right to it! :)

First of all - MY BABY! :) 

As our Branch President's wife said yesterday, "She's as green as a freshly picked head of cabbage!" hahaha. 

SIOSTRA VAN WOERKOM!!! Oh my, she is the cutest person in the whole world. :) She is from California, has the most invredible singing voice I've ever heard, and is the biggest fan of watermelon, mac and cheese, and broadway! :) She is so happy all the time, and is just so excited to work hard and serve the Lord, and I am SO grateful for that. :D When I found out I would be training this transfer - I prayed SO much for my trainee, and I just loved her so much before I even found out who she was! But now that I have met her, and served with her for a little bit - I can honestly say that the Lord blessed me with the PERFECT companion. I am SO excited to serve with her. :) She is bringing miracles with her - it is amazing! :)

So, this week we had a very oddly recurring theme... MONIKA! 

But oh, not just one Monika, not even just 2 Monika's... 5 MONIKA'S! hahaha. Okay, story time! :)

The first two Monika's I met and talked to while I was in Warsaw, and they were super amazing! But I had no idea that the name "Monika" would become a regular occurence later that week! haha! 

So, Monika #1- It was the day after I had picked up Siostra Van from Warsaw! We were back home in Łódż, and we were heading to buy her a monthly tram pass :) We got to the city building (which was a miracle in and of itself because I had NO idea where I was going! haha!) and just as we were walking in, a woman was walking out. We smiled at each other, and she kept walking away, and I kid you not, I heard a voice in my head say, "Go talk to her." It seriously scared me, because I thought someone behind us had just randomly said that! But I turned around, no one was there, and the woman was already quite a ways away. I struggled for a few seconds with the classic, "Oh man, but she's already so far away, I'd have to run after her, and I don't want to give her the 'Mormons are crazy and chase you down!' kind of impression." hahaha, but then, I just looked at Siostra Van and took off and yelled, "We have to talk to her!" I think she probably thought, "Oh no. My companion is crazy...." hahaha! But nonetheless, we ran after her - and long story's short, we talked with her and she couldn't stop telling us how grateful she was that we had ran her down, and that she REALLY wanted to meet with us! She gave us her phone number, and we parted ways with a quick "See you soon" - and guess what? We are meeting with her!!! :D She is the cutest lady in the world!! I've never had an experience like that in my life. The prompting of the Spirit was so clear, and so distinct, and it was just such a miracle! I'm telling you all, Siostra Van brought miracles with her here to Łódż! :)

Monika #2- Siostra Van and I had planned to go walking around the city to talk to people one night, and we had prayed and decided that we wanted to go around this place my companions and I last transfer had only been once before. The problem was, I wasn't really sure how to get to the exact place I wanted to go. I knew the area, but... Not exactly the location. So, we got on a tram, and I just prayed and asked Heavenly Father to please tell me when we had to get off. We were going, and we got to the stop that I thought we should get off at, but when I tried to get off, it just didn't seem right. So, I thought, "Well, we'll just take it one more stop, then we can work our way back". But, the Lord had something a little different in mind. :) We got off at the next stop, but instead of working our way back, I just got this feeling we should go a way I hadn't gone before. Seriously, the spirit I have felt guiding me this transfer already is something I have never experienced... It is AMAZING!!! :O Anyway, sidenote. haha - I'm just so in awe! :) But anyway, we went the way the spirit directed, and a little ways in the distance we saw a woman. I turned to Sister Van and said, "Alright, do you want to try? :)" She looked at me, took a deep breath, and just nodded! (I was so proud!!) Then, she stopped the lady, and did such a good job introducing who we were!! I was in awe :) Then, we ended up talking to her about the restoration, and the whole time we were talking she just kept looking at us like, "What in the world..." haha! But she told us this, that she had just BARELY gone to the church to pray, and had felt so wrong there... She felt like something wasn't right, and had been thinking about it all the way home, and then here we were... It was INCREDIBLE listening to her talk about it... I can't even tell you! :) AMAZING. So, we ended up exchanging numbers with her, and we will be meeting with her later this week! :) I can't believe it!! And guess what her name was?... ;)

Monika #3 - This was a little miracle for Siostra Van! We were sitting at the tram stop, waiting to go home from the area we had just found Monika #2 in, and a young girl came and sat by us. Siostra Van turned to her and asked if she spoke english, and the girl said, "YES!" :) And they seriously talked until the tram came! It was such a little miracle for her, and she ended up inviting Monika to our english class. As she gave her the card with our information, Monika's face LIT UP. Her tram came just as she did, but she thanked Sister Van, and skipped off jumping up and down and saying, "I'M GOING TO GO TO THIS!" :) It was so cute!!! 

Oh man, so many other miracles happened - but I'll just leave it at the for now! I'm so grateful for all the miracles that we say, and for everything we were able to do :) I LOVE Siostra Van Woerkom, and I am just so grateful that the Lord sent her here to Łódż. She is going to be such a light to this city - she already is! 

Well, I have to sign off, but thank you all for your love and support, it means the world!

I love you all so much!!

Z miłością,

Siostra Kamp

Happy Birthday, Elder Dooley!! :)

Leaving the apartment for the last time with my lovely Sister Carlson!! :(

The best 2 train buddies I could've asked for! :)

Saying "see you soon" to one of my BEST friends. I love you, Siostra Carlson!!

Getting ready to go pick up our new companions!!! :) (We were a little excited!)

Siostra Dekker and I got Milka Bars to welcome our babies into the wonderful world of heavenly chocolate! ;)

She is MINE!! This was after Prezydent Turek told me for sure that Sio. Van was my companion, but honestly, I knew right when she walked in the door! :)

Welcome to Łódż, Sister Van Woerkom!! :)

Sio. Van's first time at Manekin!! I love seeing all her "first's"! :)

Her first Polish Żurek!! :)

Comps in the rain :)

My lovely friends Elwira and Marcin, and their little baby Gabi came to visit me in Łódż from Bydgoszcz!!! :) Oh, I seriously love them SO MUCH. I've made forever friends here.

A little note.

This week Lexi only had a few minutes to write! It is transfer week and she had to share the computer with a lot of missionaries waiting for their new missionaries to arrive. (No pictures either) She said I could share a part of her email to me as her letter this week to family and friends! We are all looking forward to next week, now, to see who her new companion is that she will be training!...and to get pictures! 
Thank you for all the love and prayers sent her way! 

Love, 
Mama Kamp

From Lexi:
I'm going to be a "mom"!!!!!! I'm training!!!!!!! Ohhhh man... I can't even believe it. When Prezydent told me I almost had a heart attack. But, yeah!! I am training, in Łódż, which I am SO happy about!! (and I'm also going to be the oldest missionary in my city, so pretty much all the responsibility for keeping the branch running is on my shoulders... Meetings, translation, activities... Ahhhh!) So, I am currently in Warsaw, and my "baby" is currently on a plane flying here! I can't believe it!! I don't even know who she is yet, what her name is, what she looks like, or anything, but.. I already love her so much. It's crazy :) Honestly, I am so grateful that I wasn't able to email you all on Saturday right after I got that call from Prezydent, though, because... If you would've asked me how I felt about it then, I would've told you I felt overwhelmed, scared, worried, and so weak, and I had no idea how I was going to do it... I felt so weak, mom, and it worried me so much... But honestly, that is why I am grateful I wasn't able to email you until today, because... I have LOST myself in prayer these last couple days, and every fear I had, I gave to the Lord.. It has been the most amazing experience. I remember after I got that call, I immediately knelt down, and I told the Lord I knew He had called me to be a trainor this next transfer, but I didn't think I could do it... I told him all my fears - "I don't have a good enough relationship with the members" "I don't speak Polish" "I don't know how to get anywhere, the trams are too confusing" and just all these worries... But seriously, the next day, on Sunday in church - every single fear I had was completely erased by the the Lord. I went to church, and our Branch President asked me to speak in sacrament meeting like 20 minutes before it started, because we didn't have enough speakers.. and honestly, I thought, "Oh boy... The Lord has too much faith in me." But seriously, it was the most amazing thing in the world. I went up to the pulpit, not even having an idea of what I was going to say, and... it just came. It was the craziest thing I have ever experienced... I can't even describe it. But, I will never forget that. My heart was SO full... After sacrament, one of the members came up to me and gave me the biggest hug, and told me I am the most amazing person she's ever met, and I cried. haha. Three other members came up and shook my hand, and told me what I said was just exactly what they needed, and one of them told me I was the angel he had prayed for to answer his prayer... Then the Prezydent of our Branch came up to me and had tears in his eyes!! And he shook my hand and all he said was, "You are an amazing woman, Sister Kamp." Then this member named Wioleta (she is the head translator for the church) came up to me after church, and told me that my Polish was perfect, and she sat in shock the whole time she listened to me speaking... She said I didn't make a single mistake! It was just... AH. Mom, I can't even describe it! The Holy Ghost was with me so much that day... It was a feeling like I've never experienced! Every doubt and fear I had ranted to the Lord the day before, was gone after that church meeting. He had given me little miracles all throughout that meeting, to reassure me that He was there, and He knows what He is doing. That He trusts me enough to do this, but also that He is not asking me to do it alone. When I kneeled down that night to pray, I could almost hear Him saying, "You are never alone, Sister Kamp. I'm here. Let's do this, together." It was amazing. I'm seriously teary eyed as I type this. I'm such a baby. haha! 

I have no doubt in my mind that the Lord has the perfect plan. I trust Him SO much, and I am SO grateful for the trust He has in me. It is incredible to me that He can trust me, a young 19 year old girl who is so imperfect, to carry out His perfect work. I know that He is with me, though, with absolutely every step I take. This is going to be an amazing transfer, and I cannot wait :) There are no feelings of dread, or worry, or inadequacy anymore... Only excitement, gratitude, and faith :) 

Love,
Siostra Kamp

I received this fuzzy picture in my Facebook messages and it brought tears to my eyes!  I love getting pictures each week from Lexi and when I don't it is hard to wait until the next week comes.  Heavenly Father always seems to send me his "tender mercies" to this Mama.  I always get a random picture emailed or sent to me when Lexi hasn't had time to send one.  He knows me and I feel his love for me, every time I recieve a sweet picture from Poland.  

From Tami Mowes:  We saw Siostra Kamp yesterday in the main train station in Warsaw.  She was on her way to meet her new trainee companion. 

Tracting, Trams, and Tender Mercies!

Dear Family and Friends, 

Hello, everyone! :) I sure do love you!

This week was chalked full of miracles! Do I say that every week? ;) hahaha. But, I'm just being honest! It's amazing how many miracles the Lord gives us every day. I have this little notebook, and at the end of each day I take time to write down a few miracles and memories from the day. It's amazing to me that no matter how uneventful a day may seem, whenever I sit down to write in that little notebook, I always have SO much to say! The Lord is so good to me. :) 

Well, I have a cool story for you all this week! It was amazing! So, last night Siostra Carlson and I sat down and looked at a map of Łódż. We had been tracting in a certain area, and we both felt that there was somewhere else we needed to be, but we didn't have the slightest idea where that was. So, we looked at this giant map of Łódż, and asked the Lord where he wanted us to be. Siostra Carlson got up, and pointed to a little area that we had passed a few days before just in passing, and it was amazing! We both just looked at each other, nodded our heads, smiled, and that was that! Off we went! But, it gets better. :) My entire mission, I have had a conversation with someone I tracted into a total of twice, and those have been absolute miracles! Sometimes people just don't want to listen, and all we can do is keep trying. But last night, Siostra Carlson and I talked to a total of 5 different people for at least 30 minutes each! It was incredible!! Each time we would leave someone's house, we would look at each other and say, "What is going on?!" hahaha! Then, we'd look at our watches and say, "Well, let's keep going! :)" and just when we thought it couldn't get better, someone else would let us in :) My heart was seriously so full last night as we talked to all those people! Michał, Piotr, Monika, Tomasz, Sławek... They were the most amazing people! And two of them even told us they wanted to keep meeting with us, and to come back next week! It was a miracle day! Even just typing this I am smiling so big! :) Sometimes I can only imagine how much the Lord delights to give us these miracles. I love Him SO much. It is hard to not love someone who shows you SO MUCH love, you know? So, there's my little miracle story from last night :) I could not stop thanking my Heavenly Father for all that happened that night! It was just miracle after miracle! 

This week we also had another little miracle! So, last Sunday, Siostra Carlson and I had traveled around Łódż trying to find some of the homes of our members to invite them to a fireside our branch had with Prezydent and Siostra Turek (that was AMAZING!!)! While we were on a tram, we saw a man helping this cute little grandma get  on to the tram and find a seat :) It was so Christlike, and it made us smile! We kept making eye contact with him and smiling, laughing at this cute little grandma trying to give him money saying "Just buy yourself a sandwich!!" hahaha! But anyway, fast forward a few days later, and we were walking through this beautiful park by our home and all the sudden we heard this, "Hey! You guys are from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!" Our first thought was, "What?! They didn't even call us Mormons!" haha! But we turned around, and there he was! The man from the tram! We ended up having a wonderful conversation with him, and he told us he was so interested in our message, and wanted to meet again! So, long story is short, we met with him on Saturday, and he also came to church yesterday!! It was a miracle!! The Elder's will be teaching him from now on, but it was definitely a little tender mercy. 

Tender mercies are everywhere! :)

I don't have much else to tell this week, so I will let you all go! But, before I do I just have to say - this gospel is true. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the same gospel He taught when He lived on the Earth. I am SO lucky and blessed to have the opportunity to share that with others everyday. The Lord loves the people of Poland so much, and I am count myself blessed every single day to be here with them. :) 

I hope you all have an amazing week!! 

Kocham was bardzo! 

Z miłością,

Siostra Kamp

 Siostra Carlson snapped this because... I got 5 bloody noses in one day. It needed to be documented. haha. 

We made our cutest doorman ever a cupcake for his birthday! :) (He said it was verrrrrrrry sweet!) Polish people don't like "sweet tasting" things as much as us americans :) But he LOVED it. haha!

 Funfetti cupcakes!! Thank you, mom!! :)

Agnieszka tried a cupcake too! She also said it was way too sweet ;) But also loved it :)

 The mystery nuggets...

 Siostra Carlson packing... NO! :(

 Our cute new friend Tomasz from tracting, and his clocks! He has a million!

Tracting selfie, because it was the best day ever! :)

God will always be a God of miracles.

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope you all had an amazing week! :) Happy August!!! As I sit here trying to think out what experience to share with you all from this week (because I have a million!) my heart is seriously filled to the brim with Gratitude. I wish it was possible to tell you all how grateful I am for my Saviour Jesus Christ. How grateful I am every day for the opportunity He gives me to try again. To have a second, and a third, and a fourth change to be better than I was yesterday. How grateful I am that every day I get to wear His name on my chest, and say His name in every person's ear I talk to. I've truly learned since being here that this is not my mission. This is His mission, He just so willingly let me be a part of it. I've done a lot of thinking this past week about the time I have been given here, and all I can say is that I am SO grateful, and I am SO blessed. :)

Well, so many miracles happend this week that it would be impossible to tell them all! I'm having a hard time deciding which ones to share because I just want to share them all! But, that's okay! 

One of the biggest miracles for me this week was the opportunity I had to travel to Warsaw and go on exchanges with Siostra Barney and Siostra Dekker (my sister's from my MTC group!). It was amazing! While I was there, I was able to have a lesson with Sister Dekker, and one of her investigators named Michał. It was so incredible. Siostra Dekker had tried to tell me how amazing Michał was before our lesson, but really all she could say was, "You'll see. You'll see." And oh my word, I did. He is one of the most amazing people I've ever met! A few months ago, he was a devoute Atheist. He said he believed in aliens more than he believed in a God. But now... When I sat in that lesson and listened to him describe (in vivid detail) the part of the BOok of Mormon he was reading, I never would have guessed that he did not believe in a God. He explained how much it stood out to him as he read, that no matter what signs they had been given before, Laman and Lemuel always needed another sign from God to reassure them. One of my favourite things he said, was "You know, I read this and I think, 'Wow, Laman and Lemuel were so horrible. They demanded a sign from God to put their doubts to rest every time, even after God had given them plenty of signs before. But,... then I take a step back and I realize how many times I have done the same thing... In fact, I've even said that to you more than once or twice. "Where is the proof?"... and it's very humbling for me."

That hit me so much. It made me think about a quote that I had heard from my friend Elder Bronson, "Miracles do not produce faith. Faith produces miracles." I think that simple truth can be seen so clearly in the story of Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel. Like Michał, I thought about all the times I have asked God to show me a sign. Whether that be that He was really there, that He really loved me, that I was where I needed to be doing what I need to be doing, that my efforts were not in vain... the list can go on forever. And Michał was right, it is a very humbling experience to realize how many times I had been like Laman and Lemuel. I know if I lack wisdom, and ask of the Lord in faith, that He will give me exactly what I need - and I can testify of that from experience. :) But I thought a lot about that this week. What does faith really mean? Faith does not come from something big. A grand experience or sign from God... Faith is a choice. It comes from little things. I thought a lot about that, and I realized how often God has given me an answer, and how quickly I often have forgotten it. "How quick we are to forget." But, as I was studying this week, I found quite possible one of my favourite scriptures of all time.

In the margin, I wrote: "For when you forget..." next to the scripture that reads...

22 Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. 23 Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God? 

I love that so much. So, this week, it is a personal goal of mine to not be so forgetful of all the Lord has given me. He gives me miracles every single day - and I have truly seen that. The more I open my eyes, the more I see. :) 

Well, a million more miracles happened this week... exchanges in Warsaw, being led by the spirit to the exact place we needed to be to meet a man who truly need our message, getting to speak in Danish with a man I met from Denmark (and the fact that I could still remember some Danish!! Miracle.), long talks with members, spiritual talks with Tadeusz, our new friends Julia and Ola, zone conference... There were so many miracles this week, and I don't have time to tell them all! 

But, I can testify to you all that God is a God of miracles. He was a God of miracles "yesterday", when He caused to Red Sea to part at Moses's command. He is a God of miracles "today", when He appeared to a young boy in a grove of trees and answered his prayer, and every day now - when He answers mine. And He will be a God of miracles forever. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week!!! 

Z miłością,

Siostra Kamp

Here's to the next 9 months :)

Siostra Carlson ate all her candy, before we even left the store! I love her so much. :)

The Elder's made us Caramel Cake! Side note: It's to die for.

Warsaw!!!

I love these two!! (And Elder Berlin - but... He was in the bathroom! haha)

I served with Elder Alvarez in Katowice, and his mom (who is from Poland originally) came and visited my branch on Sunday! :) Cutest woman in the world.

God will always be a God of miracles.

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope you all had an amazing week! :) Happy August!!! As I sit here trying to think out what experience to share with you all from this week (because I have a million!) my heart is seriously filled to the brim with Gratitude. I wish it was possible to tell you all how grateful I am for my Saviour Jesus Christ. How grateful I am every day for the opportunity He gives me to try again. To have a second, and a third, and a fourth change to be better than I was yesterday. How grateful I am that every day I get to wear His name on my chest, and say His name in every person's ear I talk to. I've truly learned since being here that this is not my mission. This is His mission, He just so willingly let me be a part of it. I've done a lot of thinking this past week about the time I have been given here, and all I can say is that I am SO grateful, and I am SO blessed. :)

Well, so many miracles happend this week that it would be impossible to tell them all! I'm having a hard time deciding which ones to share because I just want to share them all! But, that's okay! 

One of the biggest miracles for me this week was the opportunity I had to travel to Warsaw and go on exchanges with Siostra Barney and Siostra Dekker (my sister's from my MTC group!). It was amazing! While I was there, I was able to have a lesson with Sister Dekker, and one of her investigators named Michał. It was so incredible. Siostra Dekker had tried to tell me how amazing Michał was before our lesson, but really all she could say was, "You'll see. You'll see." And oh my word, I did. He is one of the most amazing people I've ever met! A few months ago, he was a devoute Atheist. He said he believed in aliens more than he believed in a God. But now... When I sat in that lesson and listened to him describe (in vivid detail) the part of the BOok of Mormon he was reading, I never would have guessed that he did not believe in a God. He explained how much it stood out to him as he read, that no matter what signs they had been given before, Laman and Lemuel always needed another sign from God to reassure them. One of my favourite things he said, was "You know, I read this and I think, 'Wow, Laman and Lemuel were so horrible. They demanded a sign from God to put their doubts to rest every time, even after God had given them plenty of signs before. But,... then I take a step back and I realize how many times I have done the same thing... In fact, I've even said that to you more than once or twice. "Where is the proof?"... and it's very humbling for me."

That hit me so much. It made me think about a quote that I had heard from my friend Elder Bronson, "Miracles do not produce faith. Faith produces miracles." I think that simple truth can be seen so clearly in the story of Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel. Like Michał, I thought about all the times I have asked God to show me a sign. Whether that be that He was really there, that He really loved me, that I was where I needed to be doing what I need to be doing, that my efforts were not in vain... the list can go on forever. And Michał was right, it is a very humbling experience to realize how many times I had been like Laman and Lemuel. I know if I lack wisdom, and ask of the Lord in faith, that He will give me exactly what I need - and I can testify of that from experience. :) But I thought a lot about that this week. What does faith really mean? Faith does not come from something big. A grand experience or sign from God... Faith is a choice. It comes from little things. I thought a lot about that, and I realized how often God has given me an answer, and how quickly I often have forgotten it. "How quick we are to forget." But, as I was studying this week, I found quite possible one of my favourite scriptures of all time.

In the margin, I wrote: "For when you forget..." next to the scripture that reads...

22 Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. 23 Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God? 

I love that so much. So, this week, it is a personal goal of mine to not be so forgetful of all the Lord has given me. He gives me miracles every single day - and I have truly seen that. The more I open my eyes, the more I see. :) 

Well, a million more miracles happened this week... exchanges in Warsaw, being led by the spirit to the exact place we needed to be to meet a man who truly need our message, getting to speak in Danish with a man I met from Denmark (and the fact that I could still remember some Danish!! Miracle.), long talks with members, spiritual talks with Tadeusz, our new friends Julia and Ola, zone conference... There were so many miracles this week, and I don't have time to tell them all! 

But, I can testify to you all that God is a God of miracles. He was a God of miracles "yesterday", when He caused to Red Sea to part at Moses's command. He is a God of miracles "today", when He appeared to a young boy in a grove of trees and answered his prayer, and every day now - when He answers mine. And He will be a God of miracles forever. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week!!! 

Z miłością,

Siostra Kamp

Here's to the next 9 months :)

Siostra Carlson ate all her candy, before we even left the store! I love her so much. :)

The Elder's made us Caramel Cake! Side note: It's to die for.

Warsaw!!!

I love these two!! (And Elder Berlin - but... He was in the bathroom! haha)

I served with Elder Alvarez in Katowice, and his mom (who is from Poland originally) came and visited my branch on Sunday! :) Cutest woman in the world.