Monday, November 9, 2015

Anxiety vs Faith...Which One Will Win??!!

(Still wondering if our missionary is living in Longmont, CO or Firestone, CO. Google Maps tells us Longmont. Do I believe them? I need to mail things and I want him to get them.)

Mother and Father,

  Google maps seems to list our address in Longmont as well. I believe it is in Firestone city limits, but the borders are ridiculous here as a result of an old land grab. No one is entirely sure where Frederick ends, or Firestone begins, or which part consists of unincorporated Longmont. I've not yet received a letter, however.(Bummer....I asked a lady in Boulder to mail him something to Longmont. I guess she hadn't done it yet OR she did, and it was undeliverable. AHHHHH!!!)

   Elder Johnson and I will be performing in Sacrament Meeting in a few weeks. It will be an arrangement of "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need". (Wish I could be there to hear it!)

   Oh man, that letter from Fiona's mom was so nice. It's so touching that someone would think of a missionary like that. How does she know I am on a mission? (One of my Kindergarteners wanted to get me something for Christmas. Instead, the mom decided they should get something for our missionary. How cool is that????!!!!)

   I wish I could think of a more exciting way to describe my week to you. It really was quite boring though. In the words of Elder Johnson, "This week was really mundane". We knocked on a lot of doors without any real grandeur. We met the little brother of some former investigators, a nice guy who wants to feed us dinner some time, and taught a woman named Rosa about the Book of Mormon. We are coming back to her place tomorrow with a ton of fellowship!

   Elder Johnson and I have been studying faith recently. I have come to the realization that nearly every missionary goes about getting work like it all depends on them. The result? Some are really good at it and some are bad at it. When faced with the question of, "How do I get in this door?" Some are silver-tongued, and others are not. However, this leaves faith out of the equation. If we are truly going to be instruments of the Lord, we need to leave our abilities at home, and work by the spirit. Worry, doubt, and fear drive the spirit away immediately. And for someone like me, as you know, it is hard to find a time when I do not have a mix of all three of those. I have been blessed with anxiety; a challenge to inspire me to have the spirit, even when my body wants to suppress me in the woes of that anxiety. Elder Johnson says I worry all the time, and it is true, but I do believe my desires are righteous, and it can be overcome. (My poor, poor Andrew. He's a worrier like his mom. I thought I did enough worrying for everyone!)

   When I feel anxious doing missionary work, I tell myself that it all depends on me, and I am not good enough, therefore I will fail. That is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Heavens and the Earth were made by faith, and so is everything else that is worthwhile. The replacement for anxiety is faith. I have been given the gift of a choice between one or the other. It is the hardest thing I have ever done, but I am trying to choose faith. Hebrews 11:3, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

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