Hi everyone!
This week was awesome!! I am really loving being a
missionary more and more by the day! I love both helping the mission be more
unified on Our Purpose and teaching people in our area.
We finally got the Area Book Planner App this week. It takes
some getting used to, but it is a very powerful tool. We are putting in our Area
Book information into online teaching records that the ward council can easily
access from their LDS.org account. Wow... it is so nice! I still don't really
know how to use it, but it is sweet. I even already emailed the support people
to see if they can add a few more features to it! :)
Last week we had a couple promising referrals we were able
to contact this week! Elder Winter contacted a family on Tuesday while I was on
exchanges. Hopefully I will get to meet them soon, but they are interested in
the Gospel!
While he was on exchanges, I was in Greeley with Elder Blackburn.
It was awesome. He is a great missionary. During dinner at Wendy's we found a
potential investigator by talking to the cashier named Ashley. She doesn't have
a religious background, but we got her phone number and the elders met with her
on Saturday. Hopefully it goes well! Their investigator Travis was interviewed
to be baptized (I got to go to it on Saturday!) and we got to teach an
Institute class (about 6 people there). The Spirit was present as we shared the
Restoration and discussed it. It is so amazing to me that whenever the First
Vision is shared, the Spirit testifies that it is true. I can feel it over and over
again.
The next day I was on exchanges in Windsor with Elder
Snelders. We ended up visiting a lady I found tracting almost 3 weeks ago named
LaNisa. She is moving to Loveland. Elder Snelders and I shared a message
answering a lot of her questions about Prophets. We also explained why we talk
about the Book of Mormon so much - it is the convincing evidence of the
Restoration. Then we were able to help her move to Loveland. I can't believe
how well it worked out. A lot of times when we do service, it doesn't seem to
have any significant benefit. This time it did. LaNisa really had no idea how
she could possibly move her stuff the ~10 miles to Loveland because she can't afford
a moving company. We helped her load stuff into her car and put 2 beds in our
truck. We texted the sisters in the area that she is moving to and elders in a
nearby area; they were both able to come at 3:30pm to help unload, which took
only 30 minutes. It was amazing. Moving people is always an ordeal that happens
when we should be teaching people, but this was during the day! Moreover, the
sisters set up a return appointment with LaNisa. It couldn't have been a more perfect
handoff! We are going to help her move her last stuff tomorrow with some
members from the ward.
The other awesome thing in the exchange was visiting the
other referral family from last week, the Bates. They just moved in from Johnstown.
After our weekly coordination meeting ended at 8:40pm, I almost decided to call
it a night and go home. We ended up going to their house and it was great!
Brother Bates was baptized just over 3 years ago, Sister Bates isn't currently
interested, and their oldest daughter (14-years-old) wants to be baptized. I
feel like we connected a lot and I am optimistic about them. On Saturday we
were able to help them move a desk into their couch for about 30 minutes. It
was another example of simple service that I feel like is going a long way to soften
hearts. I'm glad we were able to help! Brother bates and the 3 daughters made
it to church yesterday. The oldest daughter shared a one minute testimony and
included the words, "I know this church is true." That is pretty
awesome!
Other things from the week... we visited a man this week
that was SUPER humbling to visit him. He has been a member his whole life (I think),
but made some mistakes. He shared bits of his testimony of God's love for him
and that the process of repentance is worth it. I could really feel that he
truly has a "broken heart and contrite spirit." He has been brought
to the depths of humility in this process. I am privileged to hear parts of the
change of heart he has been experiencing. I feel like he is one of the
spiritually strongest men I've ever met.
But ya. The Gospel is true!! Each week, the zone leaders
have been reporting on which companionships in their zone would be good for me to
call and hear about the miracles happening in their area. WOW. That is one of
the most faith promoting things I have ever gotten to do! I have heard miracles
tracting (i.e. a family of five preparing to be baptized), referrals from out
of nowhere (i.e. from Utah or a visitor from Missouri), people coming up to the
missionaries (i.e. three people came up to some missionaries while they were
eating at Subway), and so many more. As some of them have been describing these
miracles, I can hear the change that is happening in their hearts! New missionaries
are finding joy in the work by praying for the needs of others. Other
missionaries are seeing the Lord's hand in the work for perhaps the first time.
It's so awesome!
My testimony is growing, particularly that scriptures like
Ether 12:12 are true. It says, "For if there be no faith among the
children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not
himself until after their faith." As my faith and the faith of other missionaries
has increased, we have seen miracles. We have seen "the Lord [make] bear
his holy arm" (Isaiah 52:10 & Abinadi quoting Isaiah in Mosiah 12:24)
in people's lives. Miracles abound as we have faith. I know that is true.
Have an amazing week!
Elder Jeff Campbell
Sent from my iPad
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