20 June 2011

So this last week was rough, but really good.  Juan, our awesome investigator, went to the DC temple on Saturday with our stake.  He LOVED it.  He thought that baptisms for the dead was the coolest thing ever.  And he was bearing testimony on the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith.  It was awesome. He says he's not ready to get baptized, because he doesn't know all the commandments, but he's progressing a TON!  Yeah, it's really sad about our convert who just disappeared.  The saddest part is that he kNOWS he's breaking the law of chastity, but he's just too caught up in it.  Our other convert is slipping away also.  He doesn't even get embarrassed when we catch him drinking anymore.  It really makes me frustrated, because he KNOWS about his baptismal covenants.  

   Yeah, I'll try to stay awake.  As Elder Tolstrupp so eloquently reminded me when a member asked how I feel and I replied "I'm tired."  He said "You can sleep on the plane."  It was hilarious.  I'm definitely not ready to go home, but my body is just physically exhausted.  I can  barely stay awake through all 3 hours of church now, and I fall asleep in my prayers just about every night.  It's hard.  

   In other news, I get to see Mormon Tabernacle Choir tonight.  It's going to be awesome.  And side note: Don't ever move to Colorado.  It' been almost impossible for Elder Giesick to get his license.  Colorado sucks.   On Thursday/Friday, I got to go on an exchange to VA Beach with Elder Wiles, and we visited Fernando and Griszelda and also Teo and Mercedes.  It was SO COOL!  Teo and Mercedes are getting sealed on the 9th of July and they want me to be there!  I don't know how much a plane ticket to and from DC would cost???  maybe?    Fernando got the priesthood yesterday, and then I got to talk to Jaime Medina, my peruano.  It was a really cool exchange.  

  As for raging waters.... I'm going to be a freshly released missionary, still awkward, with an extra 25ish pounds on me.  I don't know if that's a great combo...  And is no one else coming down with us?  

   Well, I don't really know what else to say.  The going home jokes are getting more and more brutal as the days go on.  My ward mission leader is making ribs for me on Thursday.  We ate them with Elder Allen and they were SOOOO good.  I just have to keep my head down 1 more week.   I can do it.  

   See you next Tuesday :)

   Elder Campbell

13 June 2011

Well, that's sad to hear about uncle david.  Kinda hard to believe actually.  But, if C. Scott Grow's brother can come back after being excommunicated, it's possible for Uncle David as well.  

   Yes, Elder Giesick got the shoes and he's worn them a few times.  I thought they were pretty cool.  He wore them when we went to do service at the animal shelter.  It was way fun!  We only had to walk there, all of 4.4 miles, in 105 degree weather.  Then walk back.  But it was way fun.  We actually rescued a kitten the other night and brought it to the animal shelter.  She was absolutely adorable.  We found her playing with the hair of this drunk guy who was passed out behind a 7-11, so I picked her up and then she wouldn't leave us alone.  So we brought her in to the shelter and they let us name her.  So we named her Lola.  She was adorable, I have a picture of her.  I'll show you when I get home.

  As for my last monday, you can write me.  My companion is going to be here to check his email, so I'll come and say what's up.  

    We did a lot of service last week, which was cool.  We have mission conference this week, and afterwards, I'm going on an exchange in VA Beach with Elder Wiles.  I'm going to go visit Teo and Mercedes and I'm SOOOO excited!  We have district p-day today, we're making t-shirts adn playing basketball, so it should be way sweet.  We're still seeing lots of opposition, especially with teh recent converts.  One of them has completely disappeared off the map.  Won't answer the phone and we don't know where he moved to.  He just doesn't really want anything to do with the gospel.  It's really sad.  The other one at least came to church yesterday, so that was a big step.  I made a deal with him that if he's at church every sunday until I leave, I'll buy him a carne asada on my last day.  So, I have a question.  More of 2 requests.  On the way home from the airport, can we stop by In N Out?  I assume I'm going to be hungry, and that would be AWESOME!  Then, On Wednesday, the 29th, can we go to the temple?  It's been FOREVER since I've gone and I REALLY REALLY want to go.  Those are my requests. 

 It's going to be so weird being back in Galena Ward.  I'm going to be a member of Galena ward in 3 weeks.  THAT is weird!  And yes, I mailed a package home.  I sent it parcel post, so it could be there when I get there! haha  It's got my camera and some other stuff in it, some notebooks and pictures I think.  And my big winter jacket, which I DEFINITELY won't need here anymore.  It's SO hot out here already.  It's insane.  

    Well, I can't really think of much more, but I'll see you in 2 weeks anyway.

 Love ya 

     Elder Campbell

6 June 2011

haha, ok, if you really really want to send us some shoes, you can.  My comp said a 12,  because he has pairs of shoes ranging from 11 up to 13, so a 12 would be a safe bet.  I think a 10 1/2 would probably be good.  That's what all my other shoes are.  

  Yes, I got my trunky papers.  I had to give my departing testimony at zone meeting on friday, and so I was already depressed because of that.  And then we get home and I look in the mailbox, and there they are.  I opened them up at the table, and I was going to read the letter out loud to Elder Giesick, but I got as far as "Dear Elder Cam" and then I started crying.  It was horrible.  Like, one of the most depressing days of my mission.  talk about a double whammy!

    So yeah, last week was better. I was able to sign up for 3 classes, because I don't know which ones I need apart from these 3, and I'm going to test straight out of the spanish.  So we'll see how it goes.  My first semester back might be a really weird schedule, but we'll see.  

   We're starting service at the Portsmouth Animal Shelter on Thursday.  We're way excited.  We get these sweet t-shirts.  It's gonna be way fun.  One of the options for service is "CAT TLC"-  Cuddling with cats, playing with them, brushing them, etc.  It should be sweet.  We'll see about how much we do with dogs, because 60% of the dogs there are Pitbull/pit mixes.  So....

    Well, if I were to go to Europe, I would LOVE to go through Spain.  That would be SWEET!  But Italy would be legit also!  

    So Elder Giesick is having some acid reflux problems, so we had to go in today so he could do a berrium swallow and get x-rayed, and then on Wednesday he's going to get scoped through the mouth and scoped in the other place too.  Kind of funny.  We laugh about it alot.   We got to do service for a family last night.  As we were walking out the door, the wife says "Hey, we have something for you to do.  WE need you to pull a branch down."  There was a MASSIVE branch from one of their trees that was caught in the other branches due to the storm, so we lassoed it with an extension cable and took it down.  Tonight we're going over to chop it up for them.  

   Apparently I've been hearing about all these weather phenomenon lately.  Like, what's going on?  I hear about everything so late because hispanics don't listen to the news.  I didn't even hear about the Rapture prediction until the night it was supposed to happen.  It's crazy.  I'm SOOOO out of the loop.

   I started making smoothies last week for breakfast and it is delicious!  Best idea ever!  I can make a better smoothie than Jamba Juice!  It's great!  you should try it for sure!  

  Well, I think that's all I got.  Take care and I'll see you soon!  Loves

  Elder Campbell

31 May 2011

So those little orange things are called chicharron(there are like, 8 different things called chicharron), it's pretty much just a fried wheat pasta kind of and they pour hot sauce on it and eat it.  They're alright, I definitely don't ever have cravings for them though.

   So the correlation for those verses.  So, when we fall into sin and iniquity, we get to the point where the spirit ceases to strive with us(or abandons us).  Christ never had the spirit abandon him in his entire life, until he was atoning for our sins.  In those moments, he had to feel what it was like to be completely alone, have the presence of his Father withdraw from him, and know how we felt when we mess up and are alone.  And he even asked "Why hast thou forsaken me?"  Just kind of cool to think about, helped me understand the atonement a little more and appreciate it.

    This last week was horrible.  Probably the worst week of my mission!  Due to my companion going to richmond, I was in Suffolk adn we had to go between Suffolk and Chesapeake all week, adn I got sick and had to stay home one day, and it was just ridiculous.  I'll tell you more about it when I get home.  

     Yeah, I'm signing up for classes today.  I've had quite the time getting ahold of the info I need to be able to do it.  Lots of "We can't give that info out over the phone" and "You need to call this place to get that."  Frustrating, but I've finally got everything.  So I'll be doing that today.  I hope it was a good letter from President.  I can't believe that tomorrow is June.  I should be getting my trunky papers thursday.  That will be a sad day.  But good news!  On the 20th, we're all going to see Mo Tab at the scope arena in Norfolk.  That should be fun!

  Umm, last tuesday was the worst storm I've ever seen in my life!  And we were in the middle of it! The tree outside of our apartment got split in half.  It was crazy!  A tornado actually touched down about 5 miles away from our apartment!  It was nuts.  But we survived, so it's alright.

  Anywho, love you all, I'm going to go sign up for classes.  Take care!

       Elder Campbell

23 May 2011

3 Weeks 1 day and 14 hrs and my sweet sunshine will be home!!! 
 Hi all-
So yeah.  If you could check that (UNR sign up info) as soon as possible and call me or text me, I would appreciate it.  I also have permission to go online to sign up for classes, so the sooner I get that started, the better.
    This week has been pretty cool.  I got to sit in on one of our recent convert's patriarchal blessings yesterday.  That was really cool because he's somebody that I found down here while I was in VA Beach, and then to come back and he's a member and getting his blessing, it was really cool.  He's doing really well right now.  In other news, the other RC here just had some girl move in with him.  He met her last week and they're already shacked up.  It's really sad and he's really falling away right now.  We've got an investigator pool now, so that's nice.  Finding has been hard, but we're trying new ways and trying to not get discouraged.  

   I had a SUPER SWEET study today!  I was reading in Mosiah Chap 1 and in verse 5 it talks about how the brass plates were what saved Lehi's family from dwindling in unbelief.  It says how those that didn't read the scriptures didn't have that faith and ended up being the lamanites.  So I started thinking about all thepeople we meet everyday who say "Yeah, you need to read the bible."  yet they don't do it at all.  And look at the quality of their life?  Look at how they spend their time?  They're just like lamanites.  I don't want that to sound judgemental or racist or anything, but it's true.  Reading the scriptures gives you a purpose in life adn helps you know where you're going, and gives you the faith to get there.  It was pretty cool.  Then I read Mosiah 1:13, and cross referenced it with 2 Nephi 26:11 and Matthew 27:47.  read those and see what they have in common.  It's way cool.  Complete testimony builder of the atonement.  

   Yeah, I had heard that Kurt moved to Boston.  Don't know how long ago.  

     Well, I don't really know what else to tell you.  Think that's all I got.  I'm sure I'll think of something else once I get off, but oh well.

 Love you all.  Take care

     Elder Campbell

16 May 2011

Well hello. So this week has been insane.  Yesterday in particular.  So Erenia, the awesome lady who was supposed to get baptized.  Well, she's avoiding us.  Way sad.  But we found this guy Jose Luis Torres last saturday.  We talked to him and invited him to church and he was like "Yeah!  I'll be there!"  well, he ended up getting called into work, so he couldn't come.  So we taught him 2 times this week and he really enjoyed it.  The church that he was going to in Mexico also believes in a restauration, that God and Christ appeared to this guy, and that they restored the church through him.   Way weird, right?  But he has seen a lot of things that aren't right with that church.  So yesterday, he shows up 10 minutes early for church.  He's sitting there enjoying the prelude music.  Then in Gospel Principles, we teach priesthood organization and we did a demonstration with car keys representing priesthood keys.   He understood it really well!  He loved it!  So then in 3rd hour, we just did a question and answer session and he goes "So how are your baptisms here?"  Luckily, we have a returned missionary in class who just got home 2 weeks ago, and he was in the pilot mission that did Church tours in spanish.  So he takes them to the baptismal font and starts explaining about baptism and afterwards, Jose Luis goes "Ok, well I ask because I want to get baptized."  It was super legit!  Then he asked about marriage and we explained temple marriage, and then he asked about if the church was all over the world.  It was awesome.  

   So then, we're teaching these 2 guys that live with a member, and neither one of them knows how to read.  We  had no idea what to teach them, because everything we did, they didn't care about.  So we asked them if they wanted to learn how to read, and the one shoots up in his chair and says "I DO!!!!!!!!!!"  So we promised him that if he read the book of Mormon 10-15 minutes every day, he'd learn to read by the end of it.  it was way cool.  Then we almost got in a bash with a 10 year old (I'll have to tell you about that one later!)  Then we had a former investigator who was going to get baptized find us and tell us that she wants to start taking the lessons again and that she was testifying to her downstairs friend about us and so now her friend wants to learn also!  It was so cool!  And all of this happened yesterday! It was crazy!

    So yeah, things are going well.  Didn't get a transfer call last night, so Elder Giesick and I are staying the same.  I'm glad, I think we weork well together.  We've been trying to find new ways to find, and we're going to set up an horchata stand outside some hispanic apartments :) haha We also are thinking about going to laundromats on saturdays because that's when all the hispanics do their laundry.  

  So that's about it this week.  Oh, I also bought a new razor.  Mine had the same head and blades for like, 4 years now, and it was just hacking my face up.  So when I got to wal-mart, a nicer cordles razor was like, 8 bucks more than replacement heads, so I went for it.  But now I look more nicer as a representative of the Lord! haha

   i've had some SUPER COOL studies lately.  My studies were just kind of dying out lately, but over the past 3 or 4 days, I've had some of the best studies of my life.  I'm way excited.

   So any news about UNR?  Have they been able to get my password or anything?  President Perry said I could go online and do my class sign up if I need, I'd just need to know what website to go onto.  I think I could probably figure out my password I imagine, but I don't even know what to do to sign up for classes.  If somebody (like you :) could find out WHAT classes are needed (like, what general classes there are that I need to take and what website to go to) I could prob ably remember or figure out how to do it.  So.  That would be awesome.

    Love you all.  Take care and have a great week.

         Elder campbell

9 May 2011

This was the day after our mothers day phone call, so there wasn't much to say. 




Yeah, I don't really know what else to say.  Haha  Hope you have a great week and take care :)

 Elder Campbell