I read pioneer stories and they make me feel like a horrible person for complaining!

(Still no money card, but he sent a picture. YAY!!)

Mother and Father,  

(I told Elder Campbell that we had Sunday dinner with the grandparents and that I'd made homemade mac and cheese. I wanted to know what he ate and with whom.) Okay, so last night we ate dinner with the W family. We had some sort of vegetable stuffed meat, which was pretty good. They are the coolest family. Brother Wahlquist is in the army and they are paying him to get his PhD at Colorado University. He's studying a cure for arthritis of the knee.

   (I wondered what could prepare a missionary best to serve a mission This is what he had to say.) To this day, I'm still trying to figure one thing I could have done to prepare me for a mission. The only thing I could have done is serve one of those mini-missions. The only thing that could prepare you for a mission is actually serving one, so just do it!

    (We need rain and I wondered what was happening in Boulder, weather-wise.) The weather has been several heavy storms a day for a few months now. Boulder is supposed to be semi-arid in the summer, but we've been developing a rainforest climate.

   I'm shocked by all the changes that have been taking place at home. Did you just say that you fed the missionaries on Friday night? I guess the Saturday only policy is no more. (Hey, it's summer vacation....Friday worked out. Usually when I work all week I feed them on Saturdays. Less stress.) Not to mention a new roof and paint job. All the changes I'm hearing about are really scaring me. (HA! Just because it's been 22 years--longer than he's been alive--since we've made any house changes. It'll be beautiful when he comes home from his mission!)

   We met with our new ward mission leader, and he is really awesome. He is a retired nuclear scientist who still works on occasion. He seems a little unsure as to what to do, but he seems like a guy ready to take the torch and run with it. He says he's thinking about what he can change in his life so he can be in a position to give us more referrals.

   (Last email he said that they had taken Rick, an investigator, to Vicki's baptism. I couldn't remember who Vicki was.) So, Vicki was the woman from the Dominican Republic that the Spanish sisters were teaching. Rick fell out of contact with us this week. We don't know what is going on. Cleaning up the ward list is going dreadfully. Well, all the work in this ward is going very poorly. We had four days in a row where we only had dinner lessons to show for the day. We've been trying so hard though! The zone leaders are really worried about this area.  It's been a really difficult week. Elder Nielson and I are trying to figure out what we're being tested for. (I guess I'd better ramp up my prayers for these hard-working missionaries!)
     I'm still waiting on my new card. It hurts to use my personal funds, but I need to survive some how. (I hope it comes soon!)
   I'm trying to remember my purpose despite adversity. Every night I go home and read pioneer stories and they make me feel like a horrible person for complaining. (Maybe he should STOP reading pioneer stories if they make him feel like a horrible person. Oh, my Andrew, what am I going to do with you?!!) Christ went through the worst of it, and we just need to remember His grace.

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

Picture of Elder Campbell and Elder Nielson