3 Jan 2011

Hey hey hey, how's everyone doing?


So, this last week has been super hard, but it's all looking better. I've been thinking alot lately about these last 5 weeks here in Charlottesville. They've been I think some of the hardest of my mission. We've been talking to everyone we can and we've been trying to work hard and effectively, and on top of that, I've been taking care of my district and planning meetings. I've been way busy and I was thinking "What do I have to show for all that time? We don't have any investigators, we don't have any progressings, and we are still at square 1?" It seemed like this transfer was just a waste up until now.

I went on an exchange with Elder Barson the other day, one of the zone leaders, and we got to talking about the area, and I told him "I just keep thinking about a quote from Pres. Perry at mission conference, and it's what keeps me going everyday. Pres. Perry said 'Sometimes the Lord just wants you in Liberty Jail." I had been thinking a lot about what was going wrong and why. I felt like I was a failure. I felt like I was just working for nothing. I felt like I was in LIberty Jail. But then this morning, I had the prompting to study section 121 of Doctrine and Covenants. I was thinking, "Ok, the Lord had a purpose in putting Joseph Smith in here, to give him some of the greatest doctrine we have in the church. So why has the Lord put me in here?" and as I was reading, it seemed that all my troubles and cares just disappeared. I got to verse 29, and I was absolutely blown away.



All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ.



I thought to myself "Wow, what a promise!!! Everything that God has ever done, and everything He ever will do, will be revealed and set forth upon those who endure VALIANTLY for the gospel of Jesus Christ." And then I continued reading and picked up on something new in verse 39



We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.



That little tidbit in there, 'as they suppose' really caught my attention. I realized that I, as a district leader, don't really have any authority. I have no real power in and of myself. Others may see it as that, but I have no power to act upon anything by myself. My call and the power that I have to effect any good work inside this office comes directly from the Lord. He is the one who really effects the work and makes things happen, I am just the vehicle through whcih he works. So all my worries about my district, how to help them, that will all be taken care of by the Lord. Then, it came back to me. My pride. My pride is what keeps me from using the priesthood to it's full potential. My pride and imagination, that I have some authority, just a little bit, keeps me from being all that the Lord wants me to be, and in the long run is keeping from my district help and blessings from Heaven. I don't really feel that I've exercised unrighteous dominion since I've become a district leader, but I know now that I have to constantly guard myself from that. It isn't just at the beginning. It's throughout my entire tenure in a leadership position.

So all of this combined, I got to thinking "What is my purpose in coming here to Charlottesville? What have I learned since I got here?" And I got my answer.

Since I came back to Charlottesville, I've found a faith in the Lord that I never knew that I had before. I've been praying more than I ever have in my entire life, and they are more sincer prayers than I knew I could offer. I've felt the Spirit more and been able to recognize His influence in my life, and I've felt the love of God in ways I never have before. I've learned to see the answers to my prayers, and to recognize that those answers only come from one source. I've gained a testimony of prayer and that the Lord answers prayers when He needs to, not when we ask Him to. He's always there for us wehn we humbly seek Him. And that's the key right there. Back to humility. I've had a few experiences in the past few weeks that have really humbled me, from Elder Barson asking me if I needed a blessing when I was too prideful to ask for one, to one of the sisters in my district comitting me to share the gospel with english people on their doorsteps, no matter how scary that 72 year old grandma who answers the door may be to me. I've truly seen the gospel at work in my life, and I know that it's through the gospel that I've been able to keep going, in spite of all the trials and difficulties we've been seeing lately. I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who is mindful of what I need and knows exactly how to teach us in the way that's best going to grab our attention. I'm thankful for zone leaders who are in tune with the spirit to teach me to my needs and help change my mission. And I'm thankful for parents who raised me right and set me on the right course for the rest of my life.



Hope you all have a great week, and I love you all a ton.

Elder Campbell