Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Flacker's...a low carb snack!!

(I think I might do bullet points or at least numerical points, I got a lot of answers to them!!)

Mother and Father,

   I will delve right into your bullet points...well numerical points of information.

1. I got the CD and I love it, love it, love it!!😻😻😻 Elder Pember loves it too. We play it in the car. I just wish I could play the full production on one CD, but it is great nonetheless.
2. I had no idea Al Fox Carraway moved to Arizona. She is back where I thought she was anyway. Regardless of her location, I still love her. Which she knows because I so tactfully told her on that fateful day. (He met her once and told her that he loved her. So funny!!)
3. I am sorry that I have no idea who Sister Vanover is. I wish her family the best and will keep them in my prayers. (She is a lady in our ward who passed away last Saturday.)
4. The truth is...you are both right! There are four wards in the city of Broomfield. Two are in the Fort Collins mission, and two in the Denver North Mission. (I posted that Elder Johnson was transferring to Broomfield and a lady informed me that it was in the Denver North Mission.
5. For this week's Bible Study...nobody came! Our flyers are up in more public places though! I pray that someone will come this week. (The members need to step up and support it!)
6. That is true. I have to remind myself that Psychology is a science, and I don't see myself excelling at or enjoying science classes for a long time.
7. I have gotten better at bowling. I am still nowhere near good. I think my best score was 98. My back has been performing well. Penetrex and Deep Blue treat it very well. (Yay!) I have been having fewer allergy days lately. When the congestion comes on, a hard a shot of Flonase clears it up quite fast. I graduated from therapy on Friday! My anxiety levels dropped from 97 when I first met Brother Jacobs to 50 on Friday. (Another YAY!) He says I have made an excellent turn around. He attributes it to my obedience and my willingness to apply what he recommends. Apparently most missionaries don't do what he asks them to do. He was actually really shocked when I had completed all of my "homework". (He doesn't know our Andrew very well.) What we talked about this week is continuing practices of mental health. His two main recommendations were first to get someone you are close to and report to them somewhat regularly on your mental status. A lot of people fear ending therapy because they will no longer have a boss to report to. (I wonder who he chose??) The other one is called a personal experiment. The
challenge is to apply what we learn in Alma 32 and try things that make us uncomfortable for a short period of time and analyze the fruits of them. Like a true experiment, we can't give up after one day because we didn't like it. We have to march on through the established period of time to get the results. As we do this we will see our mental capability improving and we will not stagnate, which stagnation makes us run the risk of losing what we have already gained.
8. (I wondered how his losing weight adventure was going.) I don't know quite yet. The past two days my shirts have been feeling looser around my neck. I don't have a scale so I can't really track it. Carbohydrates are easy energy, and that is why our body loves them so much. I found a really good snack cracker called Flackers at Esh's. They have one net gram of carbs per serving. They have a ton of fiber and protein. They are literally just flax seeds
stuck together with tasty stuff like basil and I think some garlic. (Sound yummy!)  They are pretty good. They're from the brand Doctor in the Kitchen if you want to check them out.
9. (Here's a rundown on his Book of Mormon studies....) This week I learned: We can receive our righteous desires through faithfulness, The Messiah will be born of a virgin. The Love of God is the most desirable thing of all, Christ's mortality is known as the condescension of God, Twelve others will follow him, He will perform miracles, He will die on a cross for the sins of the World, those who oppose the twelve apostles will be destroyed, Christ will come to the Land of Promise, and the Devil seeks to tempt, blind, and harden us.
10. (This was the one point I was really eager to find out about. That's why I waited to ask it until the end.) Elder Pember is great. In his own words, he hasn't done well so far on his mission, and wants to be better. He is so open to working hard and I love it. He is from La Verne, California, and he has I
think it's seven sisters and one brother. (WOW!) He entered the MTC in July.
He was involved in Western re-enactments before his mission. He also loves the Denver Broncos. After his mission he wants to start a private security firm. It was actually from learning about Porter Rockwell from a Western re-enactment friend of his that got him going back to church as a teenager. He wants to be a bodyguard for the Prophet one day. (There you go!) He really likes Mexican Food. I took him to Cafe Rio for the first time and he really liked it. His favorite color is pink, and he used to have a cocoa allergy so he doesn't really like candy. He does like stuff with toffee and peanuts, but no chocolate. (I guess I'll send even less candy in the Valentine's package.)
  Brother Ashby told us he had new neighbors, but he didn't think they were very promising. He said we could go talk to them if we wanted. We left his house a little after nine and saw the wife Dani outside, and Elder Pember said, "Let's go talk to her." I was more in the mood of going home and going to bed, but he walked over there anyway. We talked for a bit and she became a new investigator just like that! She said she is a Christian but fears that she isn't close enough to Christ, and when he comes again, which she knows is soon, she won't be ready. She is now reading the Book of Mormon and praying to know if this is the church she should join to follow Christ. (Awesome! Possum!) I am grateful for a strong companion.

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

 


Monday, January 18, 2016

From Johnson to Pember!

(Looks like our missionary is staying put for at least one more transfer. He's sad to have Elder Johnson leave. They have become very good friends. Hopefully he and Elder Pember will mesh nicely.)

Mother and Father,

   I don't remember Sister Taysom taking a picture. She must have snuck that one on us. (I've attached the picture. He has the Campbell curse...eyes are closed during picture taking time!!)

   Anywho, we had the transfer call, and I discovered that I...am staying! Elder Johnson is leaving to be a district leader in Broomfield. My new companion is Elder Pember. I know very little about him, other than that he is leaving his greenie area. We have actually lost several of our investigators, but I just don't tell you about that too regularly. (I try to pray for his investigators...so I hope the Lord is keeping tracks since I'm not!)  I was not too thrilled to stay, but it is clear that there is more for me here to do. I will miss Elder Johnson because he has become one of my best friends. Also, we will stay here at the Schmitz for a while longer.

   Our Bible Study was not as well attended as we would like, but it was great. Elder Johnson is really, really smart, and he prepared a lesson of the history of the Bible. Very interesting. This week we are covering references to Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. So, in other words, all of it! We should have some more people there this week. Elder Johnson made awesome fliers and we have handed out a lot more. (I guess he'll be in charge of this week's discussion. I hope things go well.)

   (I told him how much I love his psychologist!!) My psychologist is an incredible person. Seeing what he does and how he helps people makes me almost want to be a psychologist. I don't, however, want to study psychology, haha. I do not see me excelling in those classes. (He did take sociology and he did really well in that.) I will take his advice and apply it for the rest of my life. We are often told that happiness is a choice, and I decided long ago that I would choose to be happy. I soon discovered that I had absolutely no idea how to choose to be happy. It is harder than merely "making a choice", it requires sound psychological practices. I have begun those, and it is awesome! I have felt happier over an extended period of time than I have in a long time.

   (I love the things he learns in his studying of the Book of Mormon.) This week in my study of the Book of Mormon I learned that: God knows all things. He has the power to fulfill all of his words. A Messiah will come/came to the Jews. Many prophets have testified of him. The Messiah will save mankind from a lost and fallen state. A prophet will come to prepare the way for the Savior. He will baptize the Messiah (This is the first mention of baptism as an ordinance). The Savior will take away the sins of the world. He will be slain, and rise from the dead. The House of Israel will be scattered, and gathered after the Gentiles receive the gospel. The Holy Ghost is a gift from God, and is the medium, or at least one of them, through which revelation takes place.

   (Last week he mentioned wearing one of the shirts I gave him for Christmas. Peter mentioned that one white shirt looks like another white shirt. I thought maybe he wore one of the t-shirts I sent for preparation day. Nope...Peter was right!!) I wore my proselyting clothes bowling. So...I wore a white shirt! Elder Johnson is leaving me with instructions on how to lose weight. I am reducing my carbohydrate intake and increasing my proteins and fats. I am also supposed to eat 5 times a day to keep my metabolism active. I am also supposed to take about 20 grams of protein before bed because it will allow my body to enter ketosis. A member of the ward did a similar diet and he has lost a ton of weight in my time here. I also need to keep doing cardio. (Go, Andrew!)

    I don't have much to report on this week. We went around to a bunch of public places to get our fliers hung up on their community boards. It was a lot of fun and we met some interesting people. Have a good week!

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

Monday, January 11, 2016

Anyone who accepts Christ as their Savior will be saved, unless they're Mormon! WHAT???

Mother and Father,

   I will give you some highlights from the week! Our pastor friend took us out to a restaurant called the Pumphouse which was amazing. I had their macaroni and cheese which you know I love with a passion. We had a good conversation in which he explained that all Christian churches world-wide, even the ones he disagrees with, are part of the universal Christian church. For some reason my beliefs about Heavenly Father and the Plan of Salvation, though truly not fundamentally different, do not make the cut. He conceded that a Mormon could make it to Heaven, but the theological intricacies make it difficult. Needless to say it boggles my mind. The argument seems to be that anyone who accepts Christ as their Savior will be saved, unless they're Mormon. (I always wonder WHY???) He was very civil and very kind, though!

   During our ward mission coordination we discussed the possibility of starting a Bible Study of our own. (What a GREAT idea!!) We moved on the idea quickly, and we now have very nice fliers made (good boys!), and have invited several people. The first one takes place this Thursday. Our reasoning on this is that people always say that they will invite their friends to the next Trunk-or-Treat or Christmas party or the temple Open House, whenever that is As much as they should do that, there isn't much impetus to invite their friends, NOW! I've learned it is common among Christian people to invite their friends to Bible Studies, so now members of our ward can return the favor!

   I met with Brother Jacobs, my psychologist again this week. We had an incredible meeting. (Yay...Brother Jacobs!!) His homework assignment to journal my feelings to discover patterns worked! I made the discovery that I have regular daily patterns of tiredness and exhaustion, during which my anxiety skyrockets uncontrollably. We discussed accepting the reality of physical tiredness and how it weakens our performance, but does not have to stall it. Most of my companions have labeled me the most tired person they know, so this is clearly a big challenge I have been given to face. I can, however, take joy in working to fulfill my calling despite the physical demands on my body, and most of all, when I get tired, remind myself that I do not lead a miserable life, a common
thought that appears when my anxiety spikes, but that I am merely tired. It seems kind of self-explanatory, but as Brother Jacobs described it, what I am experiencing is "fatigue hijacking my thoughts." We discussed maintaining a proper analysis of reality, especially that of the joy of the gospel. He told me to look to Jesus Christ as the example of perfect emotional independence. (Great idea!) External and internal stimulus did not affect Him. His demeanor was always based on the truth that He was the Son of God. I hope that if someone were to spit on me, my response would be, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do." Apparently Mosiah 4:30 is the psychology scripture. Brother Jacobs has quoted it to me several times, telling me to "Watch my thoughts!" (I love Brother Jacobs!!)

    I haven't progressed on my scripture study project as well as I would have liked, but I really have enjoyed it. Here are a few fundamental gospel truths I have derived from the first few chapter of the Book of Mormon: There is a God. He has prophets who testify of repentance and warn of destruction. We can pray to God. A Messiah will come/was sent. God opposes "wickedness" and rewards the faithful. Faith is shown through obedience to commandments. The words of prophets are recorded as scripture and are very desirable. (What pure and simple truths he has learned.)

   That is just a few of them. It has been a lot of fun! To answer your questions, we had our exchange, but I slept for a lot of it. Now my district thinks I am a bum ("Watch your thoughts!"). It was one dollar to rent shoes at the bowling alley. We are planning on going again today because $5 for an hour of bowling was a lot of fun. I'm wearing one of the new shirts you sent for Christmas. Thank you! (Wish I'd gotten a picture!)

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

Monday, January 4, 2016

...Got the Flu!

Mother and Father,

   This week I...got the flu! At least I'm pretty sure that's what I had. I was even running a fever! Yep, that was sure fun. On Tuesday as we started our exchange I started feeling a sore throat, and woke up with it burning. I've not used the new back brace or cream because I did a lot of laying down this week. We kept all of our appointments, even when I really wanted to stay in and sleep, but all of our
unscheduled time was dedicated to resting.

   This week in my feverish brain, I was pondering the scriptures, and I thought about Joseph Smith and the early saints, and how they didn't have things like handy concordances and Preach My Gospel, they only had scriptures. I feel like if someone wants to understand points of the gospel, they are more likely to use the extended resources that are derived from the Book of Mormon. I have realized that the Book of Mormon is complex, and learning the fullness of the gospel and how to apply it directly from the Book of Mormon would be no easy task. To help me be better able to teach from the Book of Mormon, I am going to try to read the Book of Mormon like I am reading it the first time, and see what it tells me about the gospel. I will be reporting my studies weekly.

   I read the talk on the Book of Mormon as the Keystone of Our Religion. President Benson's reminder that the Lord wants us to take the Book of Mormon with utmost seriousness is what spurred my new study method mentioned earlier.

   We just got back from Esh's discount grocery. I got a ton of healthy food and my bill was $15. We had a meeting with our ward mission leader, and the topic was, "Why don't we have people to teach?" We do have some potentials that I am quite excited about. People just need to recognize that meeting with us is one of the most important things they could do. I am feeling a lot better and we
should do a lot of great things this week. Pray that we will keep the spirit with us. And the Saturday thing; if you could just email me a couple scriptures or quotes or testimonies to read in the morning that you feel would be useful, I would greatly appreciate it.

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

$1 bowling in Estes Park!