"The joy of being an instrument in the hands of the Lord" (Lvlnd pt2 wk#5)

Hi everyone!! 

Hope you are doing super awesome! If you get sad, you should stop being sad and be awesome instead! :) (I had a shirt that said something like that I got in college. It's pretty sweet!) Clearly, right now I'm feeling GREAT and excited for life. I hope this email finds you well!

So yesterday I had a morning meeting with the guy who is over missionary work in Loveland for the church. It was probably the best meeting we have had thus far. One interesting thing he mentioned was that when he sent his sons out to be missionaries, he told them to keep in their mind what they will write about for their homecoming talk (traditionally missionaries give a talk in church just before they leave to be missionaries and just after coming home from being a missionary full-time). He said it may help them get through hard times or be more focused on creating events and recording them that they could share, specifically miracles and times being an instrument in the Lord's hands. While at church later in the day, that was in the back of my mind and I came up with a title of that talk: "The joy of being an instrument in the hands of the Lord." On a side note, I feel like that should be the topic for probably every homecoming talk. So that's what I'll write about today!

I feel like I could prepare a talk from just the stuff from this week! It was awesome! 

First (the funny/fun part). We were texted last Monday after emailing, "Can you do me a huge favor?" We said, sure! "Can we pie you two in the face tonight for the carnival activity at FHE?" And we said yes... So a bunch of the people from church got to put whip cream on little plates and throw it at us! It was exciting. A couple times people somehow persuaded me to close my eyes and instead of throwing it from 10ft away, they walked up and put it perfectly in my face... It was good times. I think it all came out of my clothes (we also were wearing trash bags to protect our clothes).

So the miracle/instrument parts... I'll start with Amber. Amber is awesome. We met her 2 weeks ago at FHE. She was raised in the church, but hadn't been going for a number of months. She had gotten in not the best situation and was just not doing well. She decided to come back and we have met with her about 5x in those 2 weeks. Wow. She is awesome! The culminating part was yesterday at fast and testimony meeting. She felt inspired to go up in front at church and share her testimony. She said, "This is the first time I have been excited to go to church since I was a little girl." And lots more things expressing the same sentiment. She cried a bit up there because of the joy and happiness she has been feeling because she has been coming back to church. ACTUALLY when we met with her this week on Thursday, she told us that she was working on Sunday from 9-2 and would miss church (she has to work every other Sunday). She committed to at least asking if she can change shifts and to go to church, and it worked!!! I'm so proud of her progress. It is the best ever to be working with someone who is READY to change her life. We checked in last night to remind her to pray and that we wrote about her testimony in our journals. She said, "Yay!! I'm actually reading scriptures right now and praying after. It's become my nightly routine. You guys are awesome and have seriously blessed my life! Thank you!" It definitely makes all the stress and challenges (that happen daily) worth it when someone responds so well to your help! :)

Next, Hailey, Angele, and Reagan. They are best friends and we met with them individually about missionary work as they are all active members of the church. It was really awesome. I just felt EXTREMELY fulfilled because for each one of them though we had about the same plan - help them do missionary work - it was very different! They are all pretty shy and timid girls. It ended up that for Hailey we focused on inviting her to meet a new person at church (she wants to be a missionary so she should practice meeting new people!) and to place her name in the scriptures like I had done before, i.e. "Hailey, everything unfair about your life can be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ." That was where she was at. Then Angele was a little bit further ahead of Hailey in some areas. We found out she also wants to be a missionary, but hasn't actually read the full Book of Mormon or specifically asked God if it is His Word. So we invited her to do that and met with her two days later to role play how she could invite her friend to a church-like thing. Reagan is a return missionary, so we just spent the time role playing with her how to invite her friend to learn about the Gospel. She thought a lot about her friend as a missionary, and is ready to extend a specific invitation to learn more. It was AWESOME to really feel like I was reaching them where they are at and giving them specific invitations that they believe they can accomplish!

Another person is Kat. We saw her on our list of church members (but we hadn't met her yet) and messaged her we would be in Longmont and we wanted to stop by. Turns out she just finished a three-week road trip a few days earlier. We had a very fun discussion. She talked a bit about her story. Wanting to be a missionary while attending BYU, then almost getting married, then moving to NY with her sister and then now recently coming back home to Colorado. She is a fitness instructor and has learned that a lot of Gospel concepts apply there too. Ultimately we challenged her to really read from the scriptures and pray everyday. The best part of this experience was later that night when she texted us: "How is it that every time I'm perfectly ready and brinking on being done with trying to believe in God, the missionaries find me somehow somewhere. What is this crazy magic?" We said, "That's a great question to ask Him in prayer tonight :)" She said, "Oh you two... Goodnight. And... thanks." It is SUPER fulfilling to have "coincidentally" have texted her and had time to meet her and help her in the exact timing she needed!!

Obviously, there are more people we are working with - like TJ (who is doing well, just gets easily overwhelmed. But she is excited for her baptism on Feb 21), Lauren (a struggling member who made it to church this weekend after we invited her this week!) Bekah (who is now super active and we are helping to do missionary work), and the Casey's (an awesome family, the parents are struggling a bit, but we could SEE a difference in them after our lesson last night!) - and it is THE BEST. To really feel like you are doing something that is actually helping people feel true joy and happiness, and also to share what they love with others. :)

I am so grateful to be a missionary. In the First Presidency Message at the beginning of Preach My Gospel (the guide for our missionary service) it says, "There is no more compelling work than this, nor any which brings greater satisfaction... More happiness awaits you than you have ever experienced as you labor among His children." That is SO TRUE! Really becoming an instrument in the hands of the Lord is the most fulfilling work that there is. Really knowing that what you are offering people will help them. I have a SURE knowledge that the Gospel is the answer today. The joy, happiness, and peace in the Gospel is real. It will help anyone, anywhere no matter what their life situation is as they apply it. Even when real heartache and serious trials come upon us, the Gospel will be there to help us make it through. Time and time again I can feel the Spirit of God impress upon me that Heavenly Father really does know and love me. That Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and suffered for each one of us so that we can not only be saved and live with Him again, but can experience a mighty change of heart today that will cause greater peace, joy, and happiness than we have ever known.

I love this work very much. :) Have an awesome week! 

Love,

Elder Jeff Campbell :)