A Visit from Congressman Norm and Luana Shumway with Elder Andrew Campbell!!

(Not as upbeat as usual...had a bad night sleep, so he's moving slowly.)

Mother and Father,

  (BJ, our oldest son, got a recruiting phone call from Google. They want him to work for them in Boulder, CO. Andrew served there, so he sent him his opinion of Boulder. Ooopps!) I sent BJ my thoughts on his job offer. Google would have to make me a millionaire to get me to go live there!

   This week was not quite as wild as the last one, but we still had some excitement. Last night I slept really badly, so I am not really in the email writing mood, but I will do my best.

   This week we thought Shana was going to have to move out of Laramie, but that may not be the case after all. She came to church again and loved it. It's so sweet because she keeps telling how grateful she is that we came into her life and that Elder Butler and I and are the two finest young men she has ever met. She has also made a lot of friends in the ward. She is becoming one of the members. (That's so wonderful, I hope she chooses to get baptized.)
   On Saturday we were walking down the street when a man stopped us and asked us if we helped clean houses? We said, "...Sure!" Then we went to his house and helped him by peeling off hundreds of sticky glow-in-the-dark stars from his ceiling. It turns out he was going through a really hard time and was in desperate need of company more than anything else and we did him a greater service than we thought we could. We should be teaching him later this week! We also have another investigator we are teaching tonight. She is a referral who called the Bishop and said she wanted to learn more! (Wow, that's sounds pretty golden!!)
   This week we did service for the food bank's commodity delivery. They got a giant delivery of eggs they were not expecting. In the end they gave us two boxes of egg cartons, totaling 360 eggs! (WHAT???!!!) We have been having too great of a time having eggs for breakfast and giving them out! (Okay, Connie Jo, time for egg recipes this time!)
  Also this week, Sister Weatherford's parents came into town! I met the famous Norm Shumway! (He was a Congressman from our area and his wife was my mom's friend.) I will attach a picture! (Picture is attached along with a picture of his weekly cat picture.)
  I am sorry, I would have a lot more to say but I am not feeling well and emailing is taxing. Know that I love you all so much.

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

Chalk Art....Wyoming Hereford Ranch....VA Hospital

Mother and Father,

   This week was lacking in dull moments. I don't think the excitement
ever stops. I think I will lay it out day by day.
Monday: We were street contacting on the University of Laramie campus, when a
Christian Evangelist stopped and talked to us. We shared with him about the temple and he was very interested. We should meet up with him again. (I hope they do meet up again!)
Tuesday: Our Bishop got a call from a woman in Greely about a woman that just moved here. She had told her about priesthood blessings and this woman moving here said she would like one. We met with her and taught a short lesson and gave her a blessing with our ward missionary named Kenny. He is a great guy. Later that day we got some sidewalk chalk and we went around town drawing Fort Collins temples on the sidewalks with the open house dates and our phone number. (Picture attached and the video will be in another email.)
Wednesday: We taught Shana again with our ward mission leader, Brother Carlisle. She has had a hard life, but she felt the spirit and loved the Book of Mormon. We practiced singing our song for Zone Conference that day as well.
Thursday: We had zone conference! It was on a ranch in Cheyenne. It was the Wyoming Hereford Ranch, which is the oldest fully documented ranch in America. The spirit was strong and President Brown said his goodbyes. He honestly loves us. He said his greatest regret was his failure in showing that love to his missionaries. But, his ultimate goal was for our hearts to be pointed towards the Lord, and not to him, so he is not worried if we don't like him, because he knows we are closer to the Lord. President Brown goes home on June 30th, the same day President McMurry flies in. I also got to pet a horse. (Picture attached!)
 Friday: I am trying to remember what happened today. I remember we went and saw Grandma in the morning, then we ate some mac and cheese casserole. We sat at a bus stop waiting for a bus that never came, then we helped some people from Rawlins who were stranded here in Laramie. We also did service at the food bank and knocked some doors.
Saturday: We had a zone fast, which turned out to be the hardest fast I have ever done. Fasting while knocking on doors all day in the hot sun adds an element of difficulty. We also moved a new member of the ward. He is actually the Bishop's son. We didn't have a dinner so we grilled some chicken and it was the most gratifying meal I have ever had! (Glad that 80 pounds of frozen chicken is coming in handy!)
Sunday: Shana came to church and she loved it! She said she plans on coming back every week. (That just makes me so happy. She is on my prayer list!) An awesome woman in the ward jumped in and saved us because our planned fellowshipper was out of town. Shana is going to be cooking dinner for us tomorrow with a few of her new friends from church as well as a lesson afterwards! Then, yesterday evening we get a call from a man we do not know who is staying in a motel in town. He said he had met a new friend who was spiritually
lost and had been praying for guidance. He invited him to hear from us. So, we hightailed it over there, a several mile journey, and taught him the Restoration and gave him a baptismal date of July 24th. His name is Charlie by the way.
This Morning: We had another lesson with Charlie in which we learn he is heading to the VA hospital in Sheridan...today. We pray he will get the help he needs and will continue learning about the gospel there. I got a haircut! (And not at the VA Hospital...I asked. He said a sister in the ward, Sis. Shumway, gave him a haircut. Thank you, Sis. Shumway!)
   I am afraid I do not know what tag pictures are. I will send you some pictures from the week though! And yes, Bishop Means did write to me. (Thank you Bishop Means!) (I wondered where he played disc golf.) There is an 18 hole disc golf course in Laramie, but we will likely be playing chair soccer today.
   This week I realized that I have been doing a major aspect of my mission completely wrong, and I am not the only one. (Now that he has less than 5 months left?) Doctrine and Covenants 8:10 reads, "Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for
that which you ought not." We approach missionary work so faithlessly, thinking that we need to be able to say the right thing. We forget so easily that the spirit will convert our investigators, and the people we meet on the street. They will crave the spirit they feel and desire it more. That spirit comes by our faith, preparation, and
charity. (Very wise words! I just love this young man!!)

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

(The first attachment is of Elder Campbell in the park where they did chalk drawings for the upcoming Temple Open House. I LOVE this picture so much!)

Cowboy Campbell!!

Cat picture for the week!!

A note to Elder Campbell from Elder Butler

The making of the chalk art temple picture......

PELICANS!!

The Fort Collins Colorado Temple Open House is coming!!!

(Looks like a happy week in Laramie....YAY!!)

Mother and Father,

   (Andrew has already requested that he'd like Cafe Rio catered at his wedding reception. I gave him the good news that Cafe Rio is coming to SACRAMENTO!!) That is some beautiful news. Cafe Rio always pulls through, doesn't it? 

   (Last week Elder Campbell confessed to throwing his companion's disc golf disc in the lake, so I got on my trusty Amazon Prime account and sent them a new set.) So, Elder Butler and I did get that package, and since Elder Butler already has a complete set, he decided the gift should be for me. So, I am officially a disc golf hobbyist with a complete 4 disc set. We played this morning and I did awful. Elder Leavitt said they were pretty good ones, too. I just need to learn what I am doing, as I have absolutely no idea. (Me either!)

   This week was really awesome in the fact that we got the official invitations for the Fort Collins Temple Open House! (I will attach one for each of you!) We have just been going out and talking to people about the temple and it is a ton of fun. We met a very kindly couple from Montana that were pretty interested in going inside. As far as teaching goes, this week was kind of dead. Everyone we told you about last week didn't even get taught this week. Everyone is just...moving slowly. Except for us, of course, we have been moving so fast and hard.(Good job!)

    We had a zone meeting this week, and we talked about how we are going to teach people about the temple. What we are working on is improving our teaching of basic principles about the temple and its purpose, and we are inviting members who are bringing their friends to allow us to teach them a little more about it before they go in. I found this quote about the temple in the Ensign that I found quite poignant, "The work that goes on in these buildings sets forth God’s eternal purposes with reference to man, who is God’s child and creation. For the most part, temple work is concerned with the family, with each of us as members of God’s eternal family and with each of us as members of earthly families. It is concerned with the sanctity and eternal nature of the marriage covenant and family relationships. It affirms that each man and woman born into the world is a child of God, endowed with something of His divine nature. The repetition of these basic and fundamental teachings has a salutary effect upon those who receive them, for as the doctrine is enunciated in language both beautiful and impressive, the participant comes to realize that since every man and woman is a child of Heavenly Father, then each is a member of a divine family; hence, every person is his brother or sister." I honestly, for the first time in my life, felt a bit of excitement about the sealing of all mankind back to our Heavenly Father. I am honestly stoked that it is happening.
   I pet another cat this week. I will send the footage. (It is attached at the end of this email.)  It is quite a joyful experience when it happens. The weather has been...interesting. We have had heavy rain every afternoon. The rivers are starting to flood. Yesterday we went to our favorite place....Rock River! A new member moved out there and just got there the night before, so a bunch of guys from the Elder's Quorum went out to move his furniture. The town tends to be an inactivity maker. Every family that moves out there goes inactive. This family has committed to be the first that makes it! I will pray for them. Speaking of praying for people, we have been asked to pray for our incoming mission President, President McMurray, that he will have a smooth transition to being our president. Maybe you could pray for him, too! (I will happily do that!) Also, we have held to the diet! I think I have lost some weight. I pray you will all be well!

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

A very regal cat! 

Two awesome things in one picture! 

The Fort Collins Temple Open House 

Eating Hot Wings and Playing Disc Golf

Mother and Father,

   We did get Elder Butler's gift box and he loved it so much. (Yay! I sent him things from Chicago...since that is where he is from!) I believe he is from the Chaumberg First Ward. (Brian thinks that's near the airport.) i am indeed the recipient of an emergency transfer. He did some gnarly stuff in his last area.(Whatever that means!)  He is a good kid though and I like having him as my companion.
   We did some exciting stuff this week. We found a new investigator from Ghana named Mavis. (Another, YAY!) She has an excellent spirit. She is skeptical, but the spirit will convert her. We also have a new referral. Apparently he just got out of prison and he read the Book of Mormon there. He considers himself to be fully converted and he wants to be baptized. We should hopefully meet him tomorrow. (Yay...so grateful for the Atonement!) We also had a conversation yesterday afternoon with an evangelical Christian name Tim. He Bble-bashed pretty hard but he was a nice guy. (Sounds like they are keeping busy.)
   This week Elder Butler and I had some discussions in our companionship study this week about the tools our great adversary uses. We came to the word "counterfeit", and Elder Butler declared it to be the most accurate description. A counterfeit is a fraudulent imitation of something else. Satan doesn't just bombard us with bad stuff. He gives us an imitation of the right stuff. That is why we need the Book of Mormon, because it was given to us to help us see through deception. (I love that analogy. Although these young men are so young, they are so wise.)
   Elder Butler, despite not needing to lose weight at all, has agreed to diet with me to help me do it more effectively. I told him I wanted to lose weight on our first day, and we detailed a diet plan that we would hold each other to. We have not broken it yet! (It's almost a week...that's impressive.)
   Sorry this is getting to you late. I was in the midst of eating hot wings (Must be on the diet plan!) and playing disc golf. I lost Elder Butler's extra disc in the
lake. I hope he forgives me. (Just sent some using Amazon Prime!) I love you all!

Love again,

Elder Andrew Campbell

1-24) I got to pet this cat for a little bit.

1-25) Got this at Goodwill today!

1-23) Elder Butler post-Frisbee golfing

80 Pounds of Frozen Chicken

(It is transfer week and Elder Campbell is staying in Laramie. He is getting a new companion from Chicago. I hope they work well together. He doesn't have much to say, but he did send two fun pictures.)

Mother and Father,

I'm staying. (I just wish he could get a car!! They have a really big area.)

I'm excited about Rudy's mission call. Please let me know. (I most certainly will. He opens his call at 7:30 PM tonight!)

I got to hold this kitten this week. (Picture is attached.)

We went disc golfing this morning. I didn't know we were going so I was not dressed for the occasion. (This picture made me laugh. He said he and Elder Leavitt won by 1 point.)

We did a big food give-out this week and they gave us 80 pounds of frozen chicken. (What are they going to do with that much chicken...OH MY GOODNESS!)

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

How Faithfully We Focus on Living the Gospel in the Home

(I guess the chin brace isn't doing as much good as I had hoped, but it looks like he's powering through!)

Mother and Father,

   I had one night of euphorically amazing sleep, the one I described to you, and then things normalized themselves. My sleep has been a bit better, I do notice a difference, but exhaustion is still my day to day battle. 

   I got my ballot and holy cow, there is a lot of people running for Senator. I actually know most of the people running for everything else, but how do I begin whittling down those options. (Use a dart board???) I also got the gift card and it brought me great joy. (Subway!)
   The Jenny Oaks Baker CD was quite good. (Thank you Dorothy Thompson for the suggestion.)  I have only had the chance to listen to it all the way through once, but I have really liked it. There's a song featuring Condeleeza Rice. That was a surprise! I am very grateful for it. Thank you! (You are most welcome!)
   (My sister and her husband were here from Utah last week. They did a LOT of major cleaning at my parent's house.) Imagining cleaning out the mud room is so frightening. I feel that anyone who has done that has achieved sainthood. (St. Cara and St. David!)
   Laramie really is a ghost town! We have been doing a lot of tracting this week. We did a two hour tracting session in which only three doors opened.(I will attach one of their entertaining tracting pictures.)  Last night we went to the rich portion of our area where everyone was home but they don't know how to say no. It was actually funny to watch people stare at us and close the door. The discomfort we cause them is palpable, haha! It hasn't yielded much teaching. The reason being that we don't really try that hard at the door. There have been times that I don't take no for an answer, and apply a lot of spirit, but I've been so exhausted that no means no. I need to remember that I have been called to teach. And that is my goal at every door. We found another cat while contacting referrals. This one was black and also very friendly. (I will attach that picture, too!)
   My district leader got a concussion this week. He tried to take a jump on his bike on the way to an appointment and crashed and hit his head. (Maybe I'm grateful Andrew is walking.)  He experienced major short term memory loss and much hilarity ensued. I feel kind of bad, but we kept asking him the same questions and had to keep reminding him that he had already received medical attention and a priesthood blessing. He is feeling much better. (Thank goodness!)
   I have been studying the new June Ensign this week. A poignant statement I read from it was this one. “Our success, individually and as a Church, will largely be determined by how faithfully we focus on living the gospel in the home." I know not what else to say about it, other than it is beautifully true.

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

Dr. Dakota's Sleep Well, My Friends!!!

(This week I sent him a special pillow and a chin strap that are supposed to help with sleep apnea issues. I was hoping they would give him some relief.)

Mother and Father,

   This week was really excellent until yesterday. I was just so exhausted and sick feeling that I fell apart again. Alas, not all hope was lost, because I decided to brave the neck pain the chin strap causes and used it all night. Oh my gosh did I sleep well. I woke up asking myself, "What is this energy and overall vitality I'm feeling right now???" It was a unique feeling. (I'll attach the entertaining picture he included.)
   (I found a list of things missionaries should work on to give all of their heart, might, mind, strength and sanity) I liked the list you gave me, but trying to abide by it appears to be another source of anxiety. 

   Hearing about Grandpa's progress makes me very happy. I love American History trivia. (I go every day after work to his rehab and ask him lots of trivia questions. He is GOOD!!) An elder in the zone lost his Grandpa unexpectedly yesterday, and I wanted to do something nice for him so I took him to his favorite place to get wings. It did get kind of pricey, maybe if I could get a little bit of money on my personal card? I just don't want it to get too low and my struggles have made me resort to some money spending. With my improved condition I am resolving to do better at that. (No worries....if you are helping others, we will be happy to help, too)
   (We decided after our Mother's Day phone call that we would have a family fast. We have a lot that we need to be praying for.) I sadly report that I completely forgot about the family fast. It's so embarrassing...I took a shower, ate some breakfast, and looked at my iPad to see your message. I fasted on Sunday so I could participate fully, as well. (Silly boy!)

   Some excellent news this week was that Lidia got baptized in Peru! I will attach a picture! (I will attach it, too!)
   This week we did some tracting, which I always find to be a lot of fun. We met a Chinese man named Hong. I taught him a little bit but he wasn't too interested. Plus, we went on splits with the priests in the ward. We tracted out a neighborhood and met some cool people. We also met some mean people, so they got the whole experience. (And that is a good experience to have.) 

   This week was graduation, so a ton of people descended upon Laramie, and the next day everyone was gone...like this place is becoming a ghost town. I guess that's to be expected. The YSA missionaries have entered desperation mode. Fort Collins, Boulder, and Greely are big enough cities to supply plenty of young single adults when school is out, but Laramie is another story. Even in our work...a lot of families are gone as well. Tracting and contacting has yielded dozens of "not homes". I did find a completely good new set of bike tires in an apartment dumpster for my bike. We've been looking for a bike for Elder Davis in the trash because of the mass exodus out of here, but we have had no luck yet. We did find a new referral for the YSA, so I guess dumpster diving is a viable form of proselyting? (What a crack up!) We are still on the lookout for someone to teach, but it will happen soon.

   I pray you are all well and that my improvement brings you hope.

Love,

Elder Andrew Campbell

(I'll attach his chin strap picture, his investigator he taught that got baptized in Peru and another friendly cat with Elder Davis.)