MOM, You would not believe how bad the guy next to me smells!!! He smells like... Lizard Poop.... mold, and beer! With a little bit of smoke mixed in. Maybe he has pooped his pants... but I am not going to investigate it any more. It was great to talk  everyone on Christmas!!!

 TEEJ IS THE BEST!!!!!

Well let me tell you about some of the people we are teaching... oh poop , I forgot my planner... Anyway so Hang is from China we taught him shortly outside in the cold one night and we set up a time to meet with him. Well, We had our first real lesson with him. He has never learned about Jesus Christ.He has only been in the United States for 3 months. Well we had a great lesson. He said the closing prayer. He thanked God that he was in the Americas and then asked  "God are you there?" Then he closed his prayer. This was the first prayer ever that he has given. He said he felt warmth when he asked "God, are you there?" He said it filled his whole body. We told him it was the spirit and he agreed. So that was a great lesson. Dan is someone else we started teaching this week. His parents are members. He said he has never felt the spirit. He is a little mad at God. But, he doesn't want to be and the gospel confuses him. But, even though it was a harder lesson the spirit came often and softened his heart. It is still a hard heart but it is going be soft by the time the Lord is done with him. Throughout the lesson his countenance became brighter. Which is a good sign. We had another lesson with Serina. Someone else we found this week. Serina is a longer story. It is a huge miracle that we are teaching her but maybe that is a story for when I have more time. Maybe even when I am home. If she is baptized it will be quite a story. But she was so happy to meet us! Emily met with her. Serina has such a good spirit about her if she investigates the church she will be baptized. I have talked to Serina's aunt almost everyday I tell her how she is doing and what we are going to do to help her. Her Aunt is always so grateful and happy to hear about how things are going. I can tell she is holding back tears of gratitude sometimes. Next week I hope to report good things about these 3 people we have six other students with great stories.  to tell but it is just to much to explain. Serina is also from China. I don't want to say any more though because these things are so spiritual they don't belong on my Blog.

Elder Williams is great!!!! He is such a hard worker and loves to do missionary work! Emily has been a SUPER STAR with team ups she is the only member in town!!!! WE called everyone and even the people that live here are gone! She has come to every lesson with us! She is the BEST MEMBER EVER!!!!! Well pretty cool huh? We work with a lot of really neat people here on campus! I thought you would like to know a few of the people we are teaching.

Well, we had Zone Leader Conference on Friday is St. Louis it was a good meeting we had a lot of things to go over for the new year. President Clark wanted to have me and Elder Williams role play our stake corrdination. He loved our stake coordination. He just kept on bringing up how well we did with the Stake President! We went on exchanges with the assistants ! We always have a great time with them. I wish the Guy next to me would leave he smell so bad!!! I think I might barf soon... It really smells like Lizard poop! (In case you are wondering how Alex knows what lizard poop smells like, we have a big bearded dragon named Godzilla who makes toxic waste poop).

Sorry I don't have any pictures! The harder I work the less pictures I take but I will make sure to get the important pictures. I sure love you mom! Thank you for all you do! I am down to 236 right now which is 18 pounds less than when I got here! I need to keep on losing weight!!

THE LIZARD POOP GUY LEFT!!! I was getting sick to my tummy... Well tell dad he can be proud this week. I worked really hard and got a lot of things done and that his advice he gave me really helped this week!!!! It was put to good use! Well, I keep on aiming to make you proud mom!

Another view of the thanksgiving football game

Elder Buys enjoying a burger.

Elder Campbell and Elder Buys Prepared dinner for Elder Gubler and Elder Gisht this was there menu.
I noticed Alex made sure to mention his fine collection of hot sauces.

Alex taking the orders.

Busy working in the kitchen.

                                                       These pictures are from Elder Gubler.

So I don't have any pictures this week, sorry about that. Don't worry about sending a lot of emails mom I love reading them, they always make me happy. I am a changed man for sure if I like hearing from you now! Elder buys is a great guy!!!! We had so many fun times together and I felt like we helped some people lives for the better. I felt like him and I changed the zone a lot and helped some great missionaries! He has a great leadership ability to make people want to be more like him and he also is really great at finding the strengths in others. Well Elder Williams is great! I knew we would get a long really well. Working on campus has been a blast with him. We talk to so many people, we have almost filled up a whole planner page  full of names and numbers of people in less than a week.. Elder Williams is a very hard worker. Something that I struggle with.... no I am not a huge slacker but I want to be a harder worker and Elder Williams is helping me do that! We had our stake coordination meeting with the new stake president and president Clark. It went really well. There was a great spirit in the room and it was just so great!

I can't believe I forgot to say happy birthday and send you a hand written letter mom! But, I can try and make up for it. Mom you have always been a light in my life. I know you care for me and I know you have impacted my life in a very real way that has made me most of who I am today. All the things that you say you are proud of me for are actually things you should be proud of yourself for. You are an amazing mom and you do more than any other mom does for her kids and for the people around you. I know you might not think you did everything right and no one does everything right but you are a perfect mom. I love you mom and I hope I live up to your expectations. That is great to hear that you had a great birthday!
( Just a little side note from mom.... I received this email while Bob and I were out finishing some last minute Christmas shopping. We were at Sportsman's warehouse so I was in the camouflage section reading this email with tears streaming down my face thinking at minute there is going to be an announcement coming over the loud speaker say do not sell any weapons to the lady dressed in black) =)
Well, lets start with transfers. We had 6 hours or more of driving on Wednesday. Then we went with an area here that had been white washed and needed a ride to Wallmart to get food for the week. Thursday we had a district meeting in Danville. Elder Orme is still doing a great job. I am sure Elder Williams was happy to be back in Danville. We came back and we were able to get some contacting on campus done. Then we had Stake coordination with President Stole. It was so great it was one of the most spiritual meetings that I have been to on my mission. Not like a crazy doctrine or life lessons learned just a really good feeling there. Then we had dinner and contacted some more until it was time to go home. Friday we had Service in the morning! We had lunch and then we went and contacted. We had a lesson with Ben and it went really well. Then we contacted some more. Then we had dinner and contacted some more!!! Saturday we had a lesson with Juno in the morning his teacher is Mike Bednar, Elder Bednar's son, he is so great I love Juno he is so smart and has an open mind and a quest to find God! We then helped the branch do some service at a less active/ part members home. Then we had weekly and zone planning it was great planning with Elder Williams! We then contacted some more that we got to go to the YSA branch Christmas Party! The YSA have been doing such a great job bringing non members to things like that. There was a guy named Dan there, his parents are Mormon and he wants to take the lesson! But that is going to have to wait for 2 weeks because he cannot meet until after the new year. Everyone is leaving.... All of our investigators and stuff but we are going to keep finding. Sunday Church was great, Brother Price , the stake Patriarch, spoke and so did President Stole! They talked about prayer and living according to our testimony.

Hey do you know where my retainer is,  for my teeth,. If you could send that out that would be great.
(kind of a funny request since he only used if for about 3 weeks and most of that time it was in his pants pocket) Well I think that is most of the week! I can't wait to talk to you all next week. How is Sarah doing! How is Dad Doing? Well don't worry mom you can buy all of the turtle stuff you want when you go Christmas shopping just keep some of it at home. Barns and noble has this cool turtle that projects stars. I think that is everything I wanted to talk about... Oh that is great that you got to meet all of the Elders at Elder Buys homecoming that is a great group! Mama and Papa Shep are great! I'll get to see Lynn on the 20th so that will be great! Oh and Me and Elder Williams are performing a song on the 20th... Elder Williams is also teaching me how to sing! He is such a great singer! Yes Ethan in going to BYU Provo! Oh and I think SLCC would be a good place to start and I can transfer somewhere. But I don't know.. about all of that stuff yet and I am going to wait a little longer until I do that. Alright mom this time no smelly person has sat down next to me yet!!! Did I ever tell you that the Freemans that I was teaching in Chesterfield for 5 months got baptized like 2 months ago? That made me so Happy! Alright mom I love you ! Email you next week! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! THANK YOU FOR ALL THE PACKAGES!  LOVE, ELDER CAMPBELL

It is called the big fat ugly - It weighs 6 pounds and has 20,000 calories!
Don't worry Elder Buys and I split it!!!!!

Hey Mom,
Yeah Elder Buys goes home the 13th. So let me run through the week. Monday we had dinner at the Paynes. It was great! They are so nice to us... They are going to be out of town for Christmas... So are the Sheps...I don't know what I am going to do... Any way Tuesday was, I don't remember.... but Brother Bode took us to Papa Del's for dinner. It was great! Papa Del's is a really good deep dish pizza place. Wednesday we had district meeting in Champaing. Elder Furlong has been doing a great job. This week a few of our investigators dropped us which was really lame but that is how the work goes. Thursday we had DLZLC. It was a good meeting. We went to Danvilles'a district meeting as well. Then Alexis took us out to dinner! Alexis is full of the spirit, she glows because her spirit is so strong. She is a super star member! Friday we went to a funeral It was very different  from  a mormon funeral. We listened to a preacher and clapped along.  Oh, Emily had us over for dinner. She made breakfast for dinner and it was really great. Ethan came with us to that and to a lesson after. Ethan is going to move to Provo this month. And yes we already have plans to chill when I get back. =) Saturday we had the ward Christmas party. It was fun. I learned how to say turtle in Hebrew!  ( Only Alex) We also had to run around and get people's stake reports. That took four hours! Then we had dinner. Sunday we had church. Planned miles for the mission Christmas party, that was a headache. Anyway then we had the Sheps for dinner maybe one of the last dinners that I have with them, actually it probably was because they are leaving to go out of town.

Elder Buys and Elder Campbell

Santa in Urbana

Danville's District

Well I am glad you are feeling better. I did not hear from Max this week. What up with that? I am glad Sarah got my leter. I need to write dad. I am just so short on time right now. Alright so for transfers. I am getting Elder Williams! He is a yellow- white, I would say! I love him he was a district leader that I worked with as a zone leader. Elder Bullock is also a Zone leader now and so is Elder Belnap. 3of the 4 district leaders I worked with in Chesterfield are now zone leaders! I am pumped to work with Elder Williams! He is a really hard, hard worker! Which is going to be so great! Yeah it is going to be hard to see Elder Buys go! He has so many strengths that I don't have it made to work go smoother. Yes, Lambert's is way cool Alright so all the members are going to be gone for Christmas!!! The dorms close!!!!! The Payne's are going away and the Sheps are Leaving! I AM GOING TO STARVE TO DEATH!!!!!  Alright it might just be a way to loose more weight. We just have to find someone to have Christmas dinner with. The branch is going to be down to like 6 people.... Maybe the Allan's will help feed us... Anyway, you are the best mom! Sure love you mom!   Love, Elder Campbell

                                     

Fitz's in Saint Louis. They make their own sodas.

I think Alex might have had one too many sodas!

Elder Christensen, Elder Marshall, Elder Facer, Elder Lewis, Elder Buys, and Elder Campbell at Lambert's

Great picture of great missionaries!

Alex,  Elder Buys and Ethan having Lunch!

Alex and Ethan taking a rest after the big weekend!

HELLO MOM!  That is bad news about your accident! I'm glad everyone is o.k. Yes, I got your package. Thanks so much! You are the best! Alright so lets break down the week -  Monday we taught a lesson to a guy named Ben. It went well, Ben is really fun to talk to but I am not sure how interested he is. but he is super nice and hopefully we can spark a desire in him! Then we went to FHE it was great. Ethan taught the less.  Ethan is so great! Then we started our exchange with the Champaign Elders. I worked with Elder Milne, he has been out for a little over 2 months. The day went O.K. we did a lot of tracting. Wednesday we went to Champaign's district meeting. The Barbers were there, it was so fun to see them. Mamma Shep fed us dinner that night. Oh man it was great! Thursday we went to Danville's district meeting it was excellent like always. Then we got ready to go down to Saint Louis for Zone leader Conference. It is a three hour drive. We got in to St. Louis and we at at a place called Fitz. It is a way cool place that make their own soda. The BBQ was fantastic. Then we headed over to the mission office to help the office elders and assistants get some stuff read for the ZLC. The we all crazed at their apartment. ( I am not sure what crazed means but I think it means crashed??) We had 6 Elders stuffed into their little apartment. The next morning we got up and wet to ZLC (Zone Leader Conference) The Conference was great they just keep getting better and better.. This was my 10th ZLC. I think this was the best one I have ever been to. When the conference was over we the fun really started. It ended up being one of the funnest things I have done in my whole life. The assistants, the office elders, Elder Buys and myself went down to a little place called Lambert's! We had been planning this little trip for about a month! It was a once in a lifetime / mission experience! So Lambert's is about a 3 hour drive south of St. Louis! So the Crew was Elder Christensen, Elder Marshall, Elder Facer, Elder Lewis, Elder Buys, and Elder Campbell. LAMBERT'S IS THE BEST PLACE EVER!!! If you want to check it out go to www. throwedrolls.com. I can not explain how much fun we had and what a great restaurant it is. The best I have ever been to. It was so fun to go with those missionaries. They are such great friends. We had so much Fun! We drove through Fredericktown so it was really weird driving though my 1st zone! Memories came flooding back to me. We got back to St. Louis and stayed the night and then drove back up to Urbana Saturday morning. Ethan came to 2 lessons that day and took us out to lunch! He is so great. He is so fun to be around and a great member and example to help fellowship investigators. Sunday was fast Sunday and Emily bore he testimony! It was so strong! It was wonderful to her from her. It is always great to see Alex too! He has such a great spirit about him! Then we had Break the Fast with the branch. Elder Buys made brownies! They were so good! Then we watched the Christmas fireside devotional. WOW!!! WHAT A WEEK!!! I sure love ya mom. I am so happy that you got your kitchen back! Now enjoy some pictures....