Tender Mercies in the TKM: Michael and Alisa

by Michael Campbell

I met my wife in the fall of 2016. As we were dating, I quickly learned that she was from Utah and that she was a member of The Church of Jesus  Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She was not active in the church at that time.

 In the February of 2017, we were married. Last spring I ended up falling and fracturing my ankle in two different places. My wife at that time was working two full time jobs, 90 miles from home, and was finding it difficult to come home, take me to appointments, and find time to rest. 

Her mother and father recognized the difficulty and texted the bishop in our area to see if they could help us. Alisa, my wife, got a call from Sister Smith, who currently was serving a full-time mission with her husband Elder Smith in our area. They came to visit us with Bishop Ison to see what they could do to help us. Ward members brought us food and Elder Smith took me to my appointments.

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Alisa felt so grateful and had wanted to come back to church for some time but hadn’t quite worked up the courage to do so. Because of the kindness of the ward members and missionaries, she began to go to church every Sunday. I went with her to give her moral support. The Smiths mission ended, and they returned home. 

The Nevilles came in their place and started coming once a week to visit with us and teach us a lesson. They gave me a Book of Mormon and asked me to read it. They also asked me to pray and ask God if it was true. 

It took a while, but I continued to pray and read. One Sunday at the beginning of January 2024 (actually, Dec. 24, 2023) the young elders (Elder Staker and Elder Beckstead) wanted to meet with us after church. They asked me if I had been reading the Book of Mormon and praying. They also challenged me to work towards getting baptized. We set a date for January 27th 2024, a month away.

 I continued to pray, and read, and to meet with the Nevilles and the younger elders each week, but I had not yet received an answer to my prayers. One day as Alisa and I were driving home from shopping and as I was gazing out the window, I suddenly had this good feeling wash over me. I understood this might be my answer to prayers but wasn’t sure quite yet. 

I decided not to tell Alisa yet and waited until she left for the week before I asked again. Again, I felt this good feeling wash over me and I knew then that I had received an answer to my prayers.

 I knew that the Book of Mormon is true, and I decided that I would get baptized. I didn’t tell my wife until she came home for the weekend. I casually told her that I had something to tell her and then told her I got my answer. Her reaction was heartfelt and full of gratitude and wonder. 

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Some of Alisa’s family flew out and participated in the baptism. Her father was able to baptize me despite having had a stroke the week before he had flown out. 

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The water was  very cold, and my father-in-law used all his strength to pull me under, perhaps so I wouldn’t have to repeat the process. 

When we left the font and entered the dressing room, I again felt this feeling wash over me and this time it warmed me all over to the point that I did not feel the cold. I felt very blessed and grateful for our family’s sacrifice to come out and felt very grateful for how many ward members stayed (there had been two funerals before my baptism, and everyone must have been tired).

I also felt so grateful to the missionaries especially our friends the Nevilles for teaching me.

#TKMTenderMercies