If anyone is feeling sad, stop. Forget about yourself. The only times we really are sad are when we're thinking about ourselves.
When we focus on others, that's when happiness comes. Everything is a choice. Literally. Everything.

Monday, April 27, 2015

Interviews, Hurricanes and President Welch

Buenos dias a todas!

To start off, I'm not quite sure how many already know outside of my family, but yesterday I ate lunch with my Stake President, President Welch. I walked out of PEC before church and he was standing right there...it took me by surprise to say the least. It was pretty weird to talk to my Stake President in Beeville, Texas of all places, especially because he forgot his tie back at home, so it was a little more casual than I'm used to with him. But it was a pretty cool experience as well, I'm super glad it happened. They went to church with us and then came over to the same member's house to eat afterward, so he also got to hear me play guitar while we sang Nearer My God to Thee for the Loughny's. Super strange, it's a small world after all. 

Anyways, we've had some pretty crazy weather out here, it's been raining a lot, which is unusual for Texas, so someone said it's just God preparing us for a massive hurricane this season, which isn't too far away...I don't know how accurate that will be, but I've got my 72-Hour kit packed and ready just in case, because apparently there's a sister in this mission that when she was set apart she was blessed that she would survive a natural disaster during her mission, and she goes home this November. I'm not 100% sure how true that is, but I'm ready for whatever God sends, so lets go!

So last for this email, but definitely not least is that we had interviews with President Maluenda this week, and those are always amazing. President receives so much revelation, it's crazy. He can discern you like it's nothing and know exactly what you need to hear and do to become better. I wouldn't be surprised if he's an apostle one day. But yeah, I got some pretty cool council from him this week, and then he threw in at the very end as kind of a random afterthought a commitment to make a plan to build muscle....it was super random and I kinda laughed just because of how out of the blue it was, but he said that he wants me to make a plan and build muscle and that it should only take me the next 8 months but that I'll see great results by the end of my mission if I do. Hahahaha so that was kinda funny, we'll see how that works out. 

That's about it for this week. For the pictures most of them are these little mormon jokes we having hanging around the house, one is a picture of the best steak I've ever eaten in my life from the George West Steakhouse, and then there's a picture of me and my stake pres and his family that came. I hope you all have a wonderful week! The Lord loves you and so do I!

Elder Packer 







Sunday, April 26, 2015

Singing Missionaries

So our Stake President's daughter served in the same mission as Mike, and came home about when he got there.  The Stake President, and his wife and daughter went back to visit, and happened to have dinner with a family that was feeding the missionaries as well.

He texted and said that Mike it doing fantastic, and he sent us this little gem.


Monday, April 20, 2015

Moving up

Good day yall!

It has been a swell week in the area of George West. We had several rain/lightning storms that we an amazing sight to see, and even a couple tornados touched down in Beeville, so that was pretty cool too. I've never seen rain like down here where you can see it moving towards you and then it just hits you like a big wet wall. Crazy! We moved last week, thankfully, because I'm not sure how I would have liked this weather in the little trailer. But we now live in a singlewide with 2 bathrooms and room for both of us to have a desk, and it's right next door to the Bishop and his wife who have been taking phenomenal care of us! They are the sweetest people, really. And just incase anyone wants to write me a letter or google earth our little mormon colony out in the middle of nowhere you my address is 2328b FM 534, Mathis, TX 78368 (just 2328 if you want to google it).

So to give a little more info about the new area than last week, it's called George West, we live in a little community called Swinney Switch, we cover an entire county and three outlying towns by ourselves, and the closest actual town to us is about 15 miles away. My companion's name is Elder Jones, he's from Roanoak Virginia, he just recently hit 18 months in the mission, and he is a super cool dude, super nuts. Our district consists of me, elder Jones as the DL, and sister Angus and Sister Ingleby, who actually went to the MTC with me. And our ward is made up of a bunch of people, a lot of whom have lived somewhere in Utah at some point of their lives, and just recently upgraded to a ward from a branch.

This week was really pretty good, we've mostly been trying to get organized in our area because we finally have the room to get it organized like it should be, and we've realized we're gonna need to strengthen the ward a lot by going by the many less active members before we can really successfully convert investigators, so that is what our focus has been and will continue to be the next few weeks. I've developed a semi-southern accent whenever I talk to someone that sounds like they're from the deep south, and we should be dining on some fried wild hog or catfish caught from Brother Wyble's backyard for FHE. I have entered the Texan Zone of my mission, which is good, because almost everyone here has Dr. Pepper :) I do miss speaking Spanish though, that would be one thing I wish I could change, but it's alright.

The library I'm at doesn't allow us to send pictures, but I'll make sure to send some to yall next week! I love you all so much, thank you for all your prayers and support:) the Lord loves you and so do I.

Elder Packer




Monday, April 13, 2015

George West....



Hey yall,

 So I have been called to a new mission. At least, that's what it feels like haha. I have left my beloved home in Brownsville, and gone to the furthest north part of my mission, to the area of George West. I am no longer speaking Spanish on a daily basis, and basically everyone here is white. It's a different world up here. 

We live in a travel trailer as of now, but will probably be moving soon to a single wide type deal, I don't really know what it's called, but it has two bathrooms that are both bigger than a 4by4 square with everything jammed in it, and both of their doors actually close! Hahaha trailer life is quite an experience. 

Anyways, I don't really have too many words to describe everything, so just enjoy the pictures. 

I love you all!

Elder Packer









Monday, April 6, 2015

Me Voy!!!!

Buenos Dias a todos,

So I got the call this morning that I will be transferred. I don't know where yet, but I will be packing my bags and leaving up to McAllen tomorrow and then to wherever they send me. I'm pretty sad because I love so many of the people here, I've made so many good friends and met so many amazing people, but I'm also excited to see what is next:) I'm sure it will be awesome.

Other than that, this week was amazing. Last Monday we went to the zoo, and that was super fun (going in public places like that as a missionary is pretty cool haha). I have some pics from that, but it doesn't really do justice to the experience. After that we got pranked by the sisters on April Fools Day. They left boxes with our names on them full of shaving cream, and we had to dig through them to find some clues and then it lead us to our garage where there was just a stuffed bunny rather than anything actually cool. It was disappointing, but pretty fun haha.

Then general conference was this weekend as well. General conference as a missionary is so much cooler. You pay more attention and receive revelation for days and it's a slight break from the stress of having to get everyone to a sacrament meeting that day, it's just amazing. I learned a ton this weekend, I loved it. Then for the dying missionaries (missionaries that are going home soon) they absolutely loved the first session...(puro marriage and families, a little hard to relate to the mission, but still really good). 

It's amazing how much you can learn when you're sincerely focused and taking notes while searching for answers to questions or to help others rather than because your seminary teacher told you to. I wish I had paid more attention in past conferences, I'm sure I could have learned so much more. 

But I guess that's why we have the Ensign right?;) haha anyways, that's all for this week, next week I will be emailing you from somewhere other than the area of Los Ebanos in Brownsville, Texas. 

I love you all!

Elder Packer