Monday, January 26, 2015

Spring Fever in January!!

Mother and Father,

  The weather is so beautiful right now I think I'm going to scream. It's 70 degrees outside. I'm tired of the cold, it's just so depressing. (He better not get too Spring Feverish....he could have negative numbers hit him just around the corner. It's still WINTER!!)

(I told him we'd had meatloaf, baked potatoes and banana cream pie for Sunday dinner...I wondered what he'd had.)
For Sunday dinner we ate with the Pixlers actually (They are the sweet family they live with). Sister Pixler made macaroni and cheese and muffins. I put honey and butter on the muffins and wow, they were good.

(I had oral surgery last week...receding gums. OUCH!) I'm sorry that you had periodontal work, but I'm glad that it finally happened. It's been a while since you started meeting with Dr. Gordon.
  
(I wanted to know more about his car accident he was in last week. I wanted to know how he knew he had internal bruising. I also wanted to know if the accident was weather related. I only got one of my questions answered.) So, I know I got internal bruising because I went to Kaiser and they told me. It's almost all better now. It was really not a big deal. Elder Moala wasn't hurt, and in his own words, "It's really hard for me to get hurt." I think football does that to you. I'm a wimp in comparison. We had a white Toyota Corolla previously. Being the designated driver is really good for me. Not to say that I enjoy it, but I'm becoming a much better driver for the experience. I also don't have to carry the phone anymore, which is a lot less stressful, haha. My driving on snow has been relatively uneventful. We had one close call, but I'm pretty careful. (I don't want to hear about ANY close calls!)
  (A good friend, Elder Austin Mariana came home from his mission this past week.)  Having Austin home is exciting. I'm not getting trunky, but I think a lot about how I plan on living my life after my mission. I made a lot of dumb decisions before my mission, and mission life has taught me a lot about making life a more beautiful, worthwhile experience.(I would like to know what his dumb decisions were.....hmmmmm!)
   (Last email he mentioned that there was new missionary from Hope Mills, NC that knew Elder Peter Campbell. I guess that it was Elder Robertson. His grandma fed Peter on Christmas day and told me she had a grandson heading to Fort Collins. I'll have to let her know how he's doing!) Yes, it's Elder Robertson that I talked to. He seemed like a really good guy. He's going to make an excellent missionary.

(I wondered how his investigators were doing.) I thought Michael was dropped for real this week, but I just got an email from him in which he mentioned that he was investigating the LDS church. He's mingled with some of the best minds and strongest spirits to be found in our stake, and they have been keeping him going. He works as an evangelist of Christian belief to Jews and Muslims, as he is a former Jewish believer. His family has abandoned and ostracized him for becoming a Christian. Apparently his children don't even talk to him. We have some lessons scheduled for next week that we're really excited about. We put one investigator on a baptismal date this week, and we're shooting for at least 3 more this week.
  (I finally sent him BYU men's basketball's record.)  BYU's record is looking pretty good. The season is looking quite good, but their conference record is a bit lacking. They need to get their acts together and win the conference title.

I hope you have an excellent week and I love you both very much. (And we love you very much TOO!)

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

Picture #1 is Elder Moala and the freezer of pizza and ice cream. YUM!
Picture #2: No idea where they are...but I DON'T like that sign on the fence.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Good News: The Library is Open...Bad News: Car Accident

(Due to it being MLK holiday, I didn't think we'd get an email from our missionaries today. But it looks like Fort Collins came through!! Happy to hear from Elder Andrew Campbell.)

Mother and Father,

   (We're going through some tough situations right now, and these are the wise words our missionary had to share.)  A man in our ward, whom I respect very much, told me that serving a mission was the best thing I could do for my family, so hopefully I'm helping you out. Surprisingly enough, the library is open today, so that is why you're getting this right now!
  
  (I wondered if he needed to worry about filing taxes this year.) Before I left, I added my salary at BYU, and I didn't get $2000, the amount required to file, so I think I'm good in that aspect. If you could check that out for me though, it would be great! (I guess I'd better check it out.)
  (Our oldest son has been invited to present at the upcoming BYU Video Gaming Symposium. BJ wanted tips on how to present, so I asked Elder Campbell.)
I remember when BJ told me about his plan for the symposium, and he wanted my advice. I believe I said something along the lines of "follow your heart". That's excellent, and I know he'll do great. He can just play the game in front of the class and he'll be good, right?

  (BJ also found a link on Google News this week about Andrew's video game he was working on before he left on his mission. It's called "DUST" and here's the link: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865619306/BYU-students-help-develop-game-to-promote-STEM-learning.html?pg=all) Your news about "DUST" also excites me very much. I hope it goes well and makes a big impact and blows up my resume. 
  
 (Brian and I went to a BYU vs UOP basketball game on Thursday. It was very fun and BYU won!) Your news about BYU brings me great joy. If you could let me know what their record for the season is, I would like that very much. (I need to get on that too!)
  The other Elder Campbell appears to be in the Loveland Stake. I may meet him eventually. A new elder in the mission is from Hope Mills. He told me that he knew Peter. How about that? (That's neat...what is his name, however?????)
   
  (This is the investigator I've been praying for.) We took Michael to a baptism on Saturday. He really enjoyed it. He keeps finding doctrines he doesn't like, telling us that he's done investigating, then coming to an understanding and being back in the action. I consider him my intellectual and spiritual superior in every way, and don't know how to talk to him. He needs prayers really badly. Pray that Rayann will heal and find a new place to live. Her current conditions are not conducive to healthy living. And please, please, please pray for Carlos. He is at a crossroads, and he needs to make the right choice. Lastly, pray for Madeline and Eliza, they're not in our ward, but they're in our district and they are getting baptized on Saturday. (I need to write these names all down...I'm too old to remember them.)

I love you both so very much,

Elder Andrew Campbell
(Of course it doesn't end there....it just gets better. Here's the REST OF THE STORY!!!!)
Oh yeah, we got in a car crash this week. I got some internal bruising, but I'm all right. The car got a bit beat up, and Elder Moala lost his driving privileges. We have a red Toyota Corolla now, and I'm the full-time driver. Exactly what I wanted, right?! (PLEASE, EVERYONE PRAY FOR HIM. This makes me super nervous!!!! I wonder if Elder Moala is okay. More grey hairs are popping out all over!)
The picture is of Elder Andrew Campbell holding a puppy.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Long Paragraphs....Life is Good in Fort Collins!

Mom and Dad,

   I'd like to start by letting you know that I love you very much. (And we love him very much too!) 
 
 We played basketball with the YSA Elders this morning, and I am super tired. Needless to say, missions make you tired all the time. I also think my medication makes me drowsy, which makes it even harder. Speaking of medication, Sister Brown told me that they don't want the missionaries receiving medication in the mail. I went to the Kaiser in Loveland, and they transferred my medication to the one in Fort Collins, who informed me that insurance was not going to pay for it because CR Paroxetine is a unique prescription which Doctor Arora had to get permission to prescribe me, and would only be covered in California. (Of course!  Nothing with Andrew is ever normal. He has some anxiety, so he takes that to help him.) So, it would be a one hundred dollar payment. (WHAT???) I'm going to be going in to see a doctor to get a prescription here in Colorado. (Good plan, elder or your mother might need to take it!) 
 
 Speaking of Fort Collins, I'm afraid Elder Campbell is not in the Fort Collins zone. He could be in the portion of Fort Collins that the Loveland Stake covers, though! (Maybe so...he's somewhere in Fort Collins. This is another Elder Campbell who used to live in Elk Grove, CA). 
 
 I think it would be super fun for you to get a dog. But, I guess that is your executive decision. It takes a dog with a really good heart to put up with Snowball and Katrina. (We had a chance to foster a dog, but I'm just not ready for that commitment right now) 
 
 (One of our sister missionaries wants to major in Commercial Music, just like Elder Campbell. But she's going to attend Utah State and they don't have a major yet.) Tell Sister Beck to keep going! If she wants to transfer, she could consider Snow College in Utah. Apparently they have one of the best music programs in the nation. She could also choose BYU, where I hopefully will be an accepted Commercial Music Major in a few months! (Hope! Hope!)
   
   It's time for a gratuitous paragraph break! Elder Sewell is from Citrus Heights. I truly don't know if we're related. He's really cool though. I did get your postcard from Disney World, thank you for that! I get letters of encouragement from some different families. It's always fun when I get one. (On his bank statement, he spent most of his money at Walmart, so I wondered what kind of gift card he might like to receive.) I think I would like a Subway gift card. Most of my Walmart expenses are going through my MSF card. (I told him about my weird missionary dreams I had this past week. Andrew was moving into an apartment at BYU and Peter was getting married!!!!) I wonder if Peter will get married before I'm home? He had better keep me updated!

   This week, Michael, the investigator I've told you about, continued his interest, dropped investigations, then changed his mind. He came to church on Sunday, and he is coming with us to see a baptism in Cheyenne on Saturday. We're so excited! We also saw Elder Bednar on Friday. He came and spoke at our mission conference. (Lucky ducky!) He spoke of the importance of action. He said praying at the end of Sacrament meeting that "those who were not here this week will be here next week" is a completely faithless act, unless that person exerts real effort to go to less actives and help them return. It made me think hard about what we pray for. Well, I should be going, and hope you have a lovely week!

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

Monday, January 5, 2015

Still in Fort Collins!