Hi everyone!! :)
Another week as a missionary has come and gone! When I left for the library today it looked like it was going to be a beautiful bright sun shining day (with 2 inches of snow on the ground). Then it blizzard for a bit while being in the library. And now it is just very lightly snowing. It has been fun to learn how to drive in the snow! Elder Schenk being from Idaho has been nervous a good amount, but we haven't died! AND at this time it looks like I'll be having a White Christmas! I don't think I have ever had one before! I'm excited.
So a couple of things for the week. First, I got to go to Theodore's baptism a few days ago on Saturday! I was a part of teaching him when I was in the Bison Ridge ward a few months ago. It was pretty sweet to be there for that as well as see a couple people form that area. It was also exciting that Brother Mortensen (Ward Mission Leader) notified me a bit before the service that I was going to be briefly sharing something during the "intermission" part where the people in the baptismal font (Theodore and the one baptizing him) get dried off and changed. He didn't tell me until he introduced me what I would be talking about. It is always a somewhat nerve-racking to talk without any real notification, but it tends to work itself out. He asked me to share part of my conversion story/testimony/feelings about the baptism.
I have to say, I LOVE the Holy Spirit. It is the most amazing thing ever. I love being able to be called upon to share and actually feeling thoughts/feelings/impressions come to me. I can REALLY feel my words guided and directed my the Spirit. I recalled things others had said and added my testimony to what they said and added some of the things that have been on my heart recently. The best part was that after I talked to this young couple who are living in Laramie, Wy. They drove Elder Harper down with his comp from Laramie because Elder Harper was asked to baptize Theodore. It turns out that she is not a member of the church and he is and is a return missionary. They both really appreciated what I said. I know that God is behind that. It may seem "coincidental" that they just moved into the Spring Creek ward in Laramie or that Elder Harper is serving there or that I got permission to go to the baptism or that they happened to be the ones willing and able to give the missionaries a ride from Laramie, but I know that it isn't. It is God's hand in our lives enabling people to be placed in the lives of others at just the right moment!
The other thing that REALLY hit me this week that I never TRULY considered was the amount of people who have nowhere to go or no family that loves them or no family at all for the holiday season. There are two ladies in their 60s that we talked to yesterday who both expressed SERIOUS concerns about their Christmas/holiday season. One asked us, "do you know if anyone is visiting people on Christmas from church?" because she will be by herself for the first time on Christmas. The other has expressed multiple times about really sad situations in her life that has caused her to be quite broke and without family/friends. It made me think of a scripture, James 1:27 "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." I am understanding that more as a missionary. I have noticed that even more in this area as we spend time with widows in this area or with others who have no/little family. It is EXTREMELY sad to me to hear the life situations of some of these people who can't afford to see their family or don't have family that wants to see them. Whatever we can do to reach out to them and let them know that they are loved and that our Heavenly Father knows and loves them personally helps. Last week I was REALLY nervous about Christmas, we had no idea where we would go! But this week as I have realized that others are in that same situation and that we can be each other's family on Christmas! :)
I hope you all have a Merry Chirstmas! I REALLY invite you to reach out to someone this season. It will likely help more than you know! You can bring a lot of joy to others this time of year as you think especially of those who don't have family or many friends.
Elder Jeff Campbell :)
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