Mike Campbell's Memorial Service

For those of you who may not know me, I am Mike Campbell's daughter-in-law, Tiffany Campbell. I married his second son, Heath. Although he is my father-in-law, ever since we were married, I have called him Dad. He is like a second father to me and I am ever grateful for the welcoming arms of acceptance that he held out to me. I am sure that many of you felt that same positive attitude of acceptance and understanding from him as well.

Near the end of his life, Dad was at peace and fully accepted the Lord's will that it was his time to die. He calmly reassured each of us that all would be well and that he had important work to do for the Lord on the other side. He ministered to his family, giving Father's blessings and spiritual counsel to each of us until the very end. One of the things he repeated frequently to us was the counsel to be sure that our children knew we loved them each and every day. As the end drew ever nearer, all his earthly cares melted away and his concerns were for the relationships that mattered. One of the last clearly audible things he spoke out loud was “I love my family so much.”

President George Albert Smith said, “The treasures that we will find when we go to the other side will be those that we have laid up there by ministering to our Father’s other sons and daughters with whom we have associated here. ... during our stay here we will be happier serving our fellow[man] than we could possibly be in any other way.” I've had so many people come up to me and say what a good friend Mike was, and what a good man. Truly, he was happiest when he was in the service of others and he has laid up many treasures in heaven.

Many of you may know he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but perhaps you are not familiar with what exactly he believes. I'd like to share with you some of the core beliefs of our faith. I think it will bring Dad great joy to know that many of those whom he loves and has special relationships with, both in and out of the family, will hear these things on this day when we honor and celebrate his life.

Some people go through this life wondering if there is a God. They wonder why they are here and where they came from. They wonder where they are going after they die, or if there is anything at all after this life.

I am here to testify to you tonight, as boldly as I believe my father-in-law would have me to testify, that there is a God, and that God would have us call him “Father.” He loves each and every one of His children and is mindful of every triumph and trial. Indeed, we lived with our Heavenly Father as literal spirit sons and daughters before we came to live on this earth. We came from a heavenly home and it is to that heavenly home that our Father wishes us to return to live with Him one day. Our existence is eternal. This mortal life, though very crucial, is but one small part of the eternal life span that is truly ours.

We came to this earth with a purpose. We knew that living a mortal life would give us experiences to help us grow and become more like Him. We knew there were risks in coming here, that all would have their freedom to choose between good and evil and we knew that some would choose evil, and we might suffer as a result of the choices others made. We knew that we might have to say good-bye to loved ones early. Nevertheless, we shouted for joy when the time came for us to be born, for we knew that coming here would lead to our progression toward eternal happiness. We knew this life would test our faith, but we came ready and willing to face that test. We came, excited at the prospect of being the son or daughter of earthly parents, and then growing up to establish our own family. Our Heavenly Father has said, “This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” and I testify to you that He wants you to receive eternal life with Him.
Part of accomplishing that work required that he send a Savior to die for us. Jesus suffered so that we could be cleansed of our sins if we repent. Not only that, but because of his Atoning Sacrifice, we can be healed of any pain that has ever been caused in our lives, even those caused by the sins of others. Because of Jesus Christ, we can feel joy again even after we have suffered greatly.

I am going to try to follow some of Dad's advice today when he told me to seek after simple wisdom. One of the simplest ways of teaching what we believe about eternity is through a children's song called “I lived in Heaven.”

I lived in heaven a long time ago, It is true.
Lived there and loved there with people I know, So did you.
Then Heavenly Father presented a beautiful plan,
All about earth and eternal salvation for man.

Father said he needed someone who had enough love
To give his life so we all could return there above.
There was another who sought for the honor divine.
Jesus said, “Father, send me, and the glory be thine.”

Jesus was chosen, and as the Messiah he came,
Conquering evil and death through his glorious name,
Giving us hope of a wonderful life yet to be—
Home in that heaven where Father is waiting for me.

It is because he knew these simple yet profound truths about the eternal nature of our existence and our relationships that Dad was able to feel such peace and joy at the end of his mortal life. He knew that this ending was yet another beginning, and that one day, we will each be resurrected and receive a body that is perfect and glorified. Like Dad, I did not grow up as a member of this church. Shortly after I met my husband, a dear friend of mine died suddenly in a car accident. I was devastated and utterly distressed. I daresay I was approaching a state of anger toward God. How could he allow this to happen?

Yet when I presented my concerns to the young man who would become my husband, I was at first surprised and then calmly soothed by his peaceful attitude toward death. He said to me that surely there must have been a purpose in the Lord's taking him so early from this earthly life. Perhaps he had a specific mission to fulfill on the other side of the Veil, or perhaps he was needed by someone there who had missed him dearly.

Now, fifteen years after that experience, I am again impressed with the way the Campbell family handles death. Especially with the way Dad handled it. Our hearts drew a measure of peace from the tranquility we saw in his own eyes each day.

The overriding message of my talk today is of the peace and joy that the gospel brings. I cannot speak of this without speaking of the family. Many people take notice of how much our church focuses on the family. Living prophets on the earth today have declared that “Family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of his children. …In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave.”

That means that our eternal destiny is meant to include our family. We may say that we have “lost” a loved one, but the reality is that they are not lost from us at all. We often say that someone who has died “looks down upon us from heaven,” but the reality is that they do much more than simply watch us. I believe that very often, thoughts of what we should do, and feelings of encouragement and strength, come to us as a result of the efforts and whisperings, even the very close presence of those we love, or who love us, who have gone on before us in death. They serve as instruments in the hands of the Lord from the other side of the Veil just as much as we can here on this side, if not more. Perhaps helping us here is part of the very work for which Dad was needed on the other side.

Spencer W. Kimball said, “If we live in such a way that the considerations of eternity press upon us, we will make better decisions.” The fact that Dad died so much earlier than any of us would have ever expected has most definitely turned our hearts toward him and toward the relationships of family. This is what matters in eternity. I know that Mike Campbell would have us all remember that what matters most is the way we treat others and that this life is meant to be filled with the joy that comes from accepting and serving others, the joy that comes from knowing and loving and just enjoying those simple, special moments with our family. He would have us remember that life can be calmed by the matchless peace that comes through the power that Jesus Christ has to change our hearts. It is because of His Atoning Sacrifice that we can live now with true joy and peace, even in the midst of what may seem like a tragedy. The Lord sees all. He knows all. We can trust His vision for our lives. 2 Nephi 2:25, a scripture from the Book of Mormon says, “Adam fell that man might be and men are that they might have joy.” Dad and Mom believe that, and even as he suffered through his cancer, they took note of the many tender mercies of the Lord as He watched over them and offered them comfort along the way.

When speaking at the funeral of a dear friend, President George Albert Smith said,
“To know that life is eternal is a wonderful blessing,—to know that throughout eternity the blessings that this good man has lived for will be his. ...He has laid the foundation deep and secure upon which he has built and will continue to build throughout eternity. The joy that he has experienced here upon earth will be added upon. …
When an occasion like this occurs it seems that [our loved ones] are [so] distant, but as a matter of fact they are not, … Instead of extending the condolence that sometimes might go to those who are bereaved, I feel more like rejoicing this day that I know that this is not the end.”

This is not the end of Dad's eternal life. It does not have to be the end of our relationship with him. Families can be together forever. Because of this understanding, Dad was and is at peace. Our Savior, Jesus Christ said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland recently testified “of the renewing power of God’s love and the miracle of His grace. His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there...So if you have made covenants, keep them. If you haven’t made them, make them. If you have made them and broken them, repent and repair them. It is never too late so long as the Master of the vineyard says there is time. Please listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit telling you right now, this very moment, that you should accept the atoning gift of the Lord Jesus Christ and enjoy the fellowship of His labor.”

On behalf of my father-in-law, I invite each of you to “Come unto [Christ], all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and [He] will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

All is Well

I suppose I've been somewhat silent for a time on my blog. I have had many impressions come and go as to things I ought to write about. Teachings of the Savior that I am learning line by line, little by little. I seem to recall praying about a year and a half ago that the Lord would purify me and help me to be truly “born again” into a new person who is very Christlike and not so … like my old self. As I have endured the trials he's sent my way, I have learned many things. Much of that learning has come from reacting the wrong way first – with harsh words or feelings - and then later coming to understand how the Savior would act. I'm trying to bring myself into alignment with Him. I think I am succeeding now more than I did a year and a half ago. For that, I am grateful, though it took trials, study and prayer to get me here.

Wendy Nelson said that change is like turning a corner. When we truly make a deeply heartfelt change in our lives, we cannot look back and see the old self. It is gone from us. We do not react the same way we used to. We are made new through the power of Christ's Atonement as we faithfully pray for him to strengthen us, because our own strength and determination is not enough. I testify that he truly answers those prayers. He really can change our hearts and make us so that we feel and think differently – better – than we used to.

When the possibility of losing a loved one arises, it seems the most exquisite trial one could face. All sorts of reactions may result. Yet to me, more devastating than mortal death is the spiritual death of a loved one, or their lack of spiritual health to whatever degree, or the death of a family or marriage. One of the most heart wrenching pains I feel as I live this life on earth is that sorrow that comes as I witness unnecessary pain in the lives of those I love, (myself included). When we live beneath our potential. When we make it harder than it needs to be because we try to do it all by ourselves, without the Lord. When we lack the faith to pray and ask for help as the scriptures say (over and over again!), “Ask and it shall be given unto you. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened unto you.” I can still hear the tune that I learned as a child singing these words.

Though I know that each person is at his or her own point in their lifelong journey of learning, it is still painful to know that there are so many blessings our Heavenly Father would pour out upon them, if they simply obeyed His word, humbled themselves, and asked for help. Asking is not the whole deal, though. There are many who would say, “Now wait just a minute, I've been asking for help for years and I've got nothing to show for it.” There is more than just frantically asking when you feel hopeless and helpless. Or asking out of despair because you just can't take anymore, or because you just feel lost.

He will give unto you, but what good is a gift if he to whom it is given doth not receive it? He will help you find what you need, but you have to reach out and embrace it. He will open the door for you, but you have to walk through it. In other words, BELIEVE in his promise. He can change you, much easier than you can change yourself. Faith is to be acted upon, not just thought about. We must listen for what he tells us to act on. We must rise up from our knees, determined to obey His instruction.

Death is not really scary to me. It is difficult to handle, for certain. There are missed opportunities, and longings, and heartache. But one of the principles of the gospel that attracted me the most when I first learned of it was this: Death is only one step in our eternal progression. It is not something to be feared. Mourned, surely, but ultimately we can be at peace about it. Even those who perhaps were not quite yet prepared to meet God will have the chance, on the other side of the Veil, to continue progressing, repenting, gaining understanding and knowledge, reviewing the lessons learned from their earth life, and even receiving the blessings ordinances such as baptism. As they progress, they are prepared to share this glad message of Christ with others who are still trying to understand. They are even allowed to watch over the family they left behind on the earth and help them along their journey.

So when we are presented with a trial that may lead to the physical death of someone we love, or even ourselves, we can pray for peace and receive it. We can have faith and trust in the Lord. We can and should hope for a miracle. But if it is indeed time for someone to pass through the Veil, we can exercise faith and allow it to drive us to spiritually grow, knowing we will see them again one day.

A few months after I first met my husband, a dear friend of mine died suddenly in a car accident. He was 19. I was hysterical. But Heath was at peace. His amazing ability to be relaxed about it was so comforting to me. He said that perhaps this young man had a mission to fulfill on the other side of the Veil. Something important that Heavenly Father needed him to do. I was so shocked and intrigued by this incredibly peaceful eternal perspective. Now I know that we must trust in the Lord in the face of death. He knows more than we do. He knows what we can handle. He knows what we might regret and how much that can teach us and propel us into spiritual growth. Perhaps as a loving Father in Heaven, He allows physical suffering, and even death, in order to prevent the more important spiritual death that may take us if we allow it to. It is one of the trials we knew we might face when we came here to the earth. Yet we took fresh courage and came anyway, knowing our God would never forsake us.

A hymn we sang at church today includes the line: “And if we die before our journey's through, Happy Day, All is Well.” I believe it would take a long period of mourning before I could sing with a full heart that All is Well. But because of what I know to be true in the gospel of Jesus Christ, I know that day would come and I would “make that chorus swell. All is well. All is well.”