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