Hey everyone! First a couple random things: it was 60+ degrees on Saturday, then snowed and was 20 on Sunday here... what's up with that? Now it is nice again. This weather is still weird. But I love it here! This email, the first main part is about an awesome 5 min training I gave last week at Zone Meeting and the last part was about this last weekend - the baptism and me getting frustrated then better.
I had an opportunity last Thursday to give a mini training on a Christlike Attribute at our Zone Meeting. Some number of months a friend of mine sent me the audio book "Believing Christ" by Stephen Robinson, a Religion teacher at BYU. Of the books I have read/listened to, it is definitely one of my favorites. He talks first about the 'Great Dilemma' which is illustrated by D&C 1:31: "For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance" and Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Clearly, we are in trouble! If that was all there was, no one could ever enter the kingdom of God! For, Adam & Eve - for one small transgression of eating a piece of fruit - were kicked out of God's presence.
However, we know this isn't all. I love this sentence that Stephen Robinson says, "YES! Imperfect people can be reconciled to a perfect God and be allowed to dwell in his presence." It is because Jesus Christ was sent to the world for the very purpose of solving this problem. He performed an "atonement" or an act (living sinless, dying for our sins, and becoming resurrected) that can make us one again with the Father. I like how it is illustrated in Isaiah 1:18: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be read like crimson, they shall be as wool." In other words, it doesn't matter what you did. It doesn't matter how horrible or vile it was, that isn't the issue. The issue is that whatever your sin was, Jesus Christ can erase it. He can make you whole, pure, and clean!
The point I love from this book that I'm getting at is that there are a lot of people who "believe in" Christ, but don't "believe" Christ. Christ tells us 'though are sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow,' but they respond, 'no you can't! The gospel works for other people, but not me. I also love this point he makes in the book: "The 'good news' of the Gospel is good news to me not because it promises that other people who are better than I am can be saved, but because it promises that I can be saved - wretched, inadequate, and imperfect me. And until I accept this possibility, until I believe Christ when He says he can bring me into his kingdom and set me on a throne; I have not really accepted the good news of the Gospel - I have only accepted the messenger while rejecting his wonderful message." We have to both believe in who Christ said He was and ALSO believe in what He says He can do.
I really wanted to share that at Zone Meeting and here because it is the most AMAZING MESSAGE EVER! Basically every time we meet with someone (whether they are an active memeber, less-active, or a nonmember) we find that they don't believe/understand that very well. I don't believe/understand that nearly as well as I want to! Writing it now has given me a burning inside. I don't know if I said anything coherent at that Zone Meeting cuz I was on fire sharing this important message that is the basis of all our faith and hope and joy in this life and the life to come. *exhale. It is seriously the best news ever. And FORTUNATELY, this week is Easter. I would recommend all of you to check out easter.mormon.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has produced amazing movies/clips of Jesus and his life. I just watched the video "Because of Him" (~3mins long) all about this concept that I am sharing - we have hope because of Him! I believe they are putting up moving videos of Chirst every day this week leading up to Easter. I am hopeful that I can see more of them! I love them so much!
Changing the subject to my past week... the baptism happened! It was great. So proud of Chris Tomlin for following through and coming unto Christ. As a Melchizedek priesthood holder I personally confirmed him a member of the Church and said to him with my hands on his head 'receive the Holy Ghost.' I had never had the opportunity to give someone the gift of the Holy Ghost at Church; it was an amazing priviledge! Being able to use the priesthood - aka act in God's name is the coolest thing ever. My companion and I participated in 2 priesthood blessings on Sunday too. We had the opportunity to give a blessing from God to someone of comfort and one for healing. I can't believe God has entrusted me to heal and bless as Christ did when He was on the Earth. And from experiences here and before the mission, I know that the blessings really do help and the power of God is manifest when the priesthood is righteously used to serve others.
One last story going along with this last one. So Saturday after the baptism, I was really angry/frustrated. It was the second time I believe I have felt that way out here. I'm not completely sure why. I just didn't feel comfortable with the family I ate dinner with and someone (not a missionary) really annoyed me. I stewed for 3 or 4 hours just being filled with these crappy emotions. It hit me at 10pm that I was giving Chris the gift of the Holy Ghost and need to actually HAVE the Holy Ghost with me when I did that! I immediately prayed to God and felt better in the next minute. Then went off by myself (as much as you can do in an apartment - aka to the bathroom with the fan on) and offered the desires of my heart to God. He spoke a lot of peace unto me. It was the best. I can't believe I waited 3-4 hours to have that experience allowing all this frustration to reside with me for that long when it can literally go away in an instant by sincerely asking God for help. I am so glad that I know that God knows me personally and is always there to help me when I humble myself and truly seek His help. I know He lives and is real today! --> I shared this experience last night for the dinner lesson and at FHE to ~40 people in our ward. We came up with a couple ideas - I'm planning on implementing some for sure - on how to get back on track when you feel angry/frustrated/etc. Read some scripture, praying to God for help, watching a general conference talk, remember the big picture, scream in a pillow, serve someone, read a favorite scripture, etc.
Have an amazing week! I plan to send a few pictures of the baptism in a following email. Chris asked our Bishop to baptize him - and said he would have asked the Prophet if he could! He cracks me up. :)
Elder Jeffrey Campbell
--> Also, I'm doing a ~30 min devotional for the YSA people here next Tuesday at 12 before the weekly free lunch. Sooooo that'll be exciting. Idk how I got asked to do that, but I was talking to the teacher who gave it today when the girl who organizes them was right there and somehow was asked to do it. My companion doesn't want to do any of it - which I expected. So it'll be exciting! It'll be fresh on my mind next week when I email. So I'll probably write about it.
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