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, July 27, 2015

Interviews and Exchanges

Good afternoon!!
How is everyone today? How was yall's week? Mine...was fantastic. 

A lot of things happened this week, but I'll skip to the most exciting ones haha;) On wednesday we were invited to Sister Soliz's house for dinner and me and Sister Guzman got sang to because it was the day between our birthdays haha and we ate German Chocolate cake! So good! I also got my birthday package, which I'd like to thank my family for so much!! It was awesome, I got new scriptures, a couple of books I've been wanting, a new camera, and a bunch of other things that were awesome as well. I'd also like to thank everyone else that sent me birthday wishes, it was very much appreciated:) 

On Thursday we had interviews with President Maluenda, and that was really cool. I learned a lot of cool things, and got to see a lot of people, including the one and only Elder Cruz! I loved that because he's my favorite leader I've ever had haha and our birthdays were that day, so we actually had a surprise exchange and I spend the night in Robstown working with Elder Cruz and Elder Farrar while Elder PadrĂ³n went up to George West with Elder Embley and Elder Madrigal. It was really fun, a really good learning experience, and I loved just spending some time with Elder Cruz, he's a great missionary. 

We came back up to George West Friday morning and got some Amish Pie with the ZLs and APs and worked and stuff, and then Saturday was pretty good too. Yesterday we were in Beeville for most of the time, and we had a dinner apt with Bro Seals, who is our ward mission leader. He's a pretty cool guy, it was fun to be there. His wife is a hardcore gamer and Lord of the Rings fan, and is a Mithril Knight on Tolkein online...she's a boss hahaha it's hilarious. 

That's about it for this week! Sorry, I would have pictures because I've got a new camera and everything, but I left the cord at home...my bad haha. Next week though! Anywho, I love you all, have a great week!:)

Elder Packer


Monday, July 20, 2015

Antes my Birthday

Hey everyone!!
How are you all doing, I hope you guys are enjoying your week! This week has been really good, but this one coming up is looking to be a crazy one...hahaha

So tomorrow we have District meeting like every Tuesday, but it's Sister Guzman's birthday that day and we might end up blitzing Beeville that day too, but we'll see. Then on Wednesday we're going up to Three Rivers and having dinner with all the district at Sister Soliz's house to celebrate the 2 birthdays. Then on Thursday is my b-day, and that day we have interviews with President Maluenda in Robstown...that's gonna be an adventure. But I'm super stoked because that means Elder Cruz (the newest AP, as well as my ZL/roommate when I was in Brownsville) will be coming up, and his birthday is that day too!! So we'll get to see each other on our birthday!! I'm super pumped for that, I can't even tell you haha:) I'm also excited to get stuff from my family and to finally be 19;)

Anyways, other than that, this past week was really quick! I feel like I just wrote you all yesterday, it's crazy how time flies! Elder Padron and I have been working the area pretty hard, and we've gotten a lot of good insight about what to do in the area from our ZLs and the spirit, so it's been good! We're working with some really awesome people right now, I can't even say. This week tho we're going to be focusing more on the ward and the members, and I just have to say I love how willing our members are to help us out and to feed us and everything. They're the best, I love them.

That's about it for this week, I hope you all have a great one!! Oh, and I'd like to invite everyone to read James 2 this week, and really study it. I read it earlier and got some really cool insights, so let me know what yall think! I love you!!

Elder Packer


Monday, July 13, 2015

Milagros de esta semana

Hey everyone!!

I hope you are all doing wonderful, I know I am. It's been a crazy week this week! We had a mission-wide challenge to set baptismal dates, and Elder Padron and I set more than this area has every seen, and our zone was the top zone in the mission, which was the goal and also something super crazy because Sinton Zone and Corpus Zone are notorious for being the places where you don't baptize and that it's the hardest there and we just proved them all wrong.

I learned a lot this week about attitude and choices. In all senses, attitude and choices determine everything. If you are sad, just choose not to be and you won't be! If the area is "hard" or you feel like you're being awkward around people or you're stressed or things of that nature, just don't. Everything is about choices. My mission president is so inspired, that really is a true principle. Look for ways to apply it, and life is so easy. It's all about the little choices every day. \

Anyways, we met so many new investigators this week, it was amazing. A lot of them have really sincere desires (like Claudia, Amber, Noe, and more) and for sure they will all be baptized, whether it's within the year or not, at some point they will be.

That's all I have to say for today, I hope you all have a wonderful week!! I love you all!!

Elder Packer




Monday, July 6, 2015

Nuevo Companero!!

Buenos Dias!!

So this week was one of the more crazy weeks I've had so far, but it was really fun too :) Elder Jones had to go to McAllen Monday night, so I spent the night in Sinton and said hi to Mando (aka: The Last Gangster) and that was pretty fun. Then the next day was transfers which were totally a mess, but it was fun anyway hahaha Elder Madrigal from my greenie district is now my ZL and I Love him, he's great!:) and I GOT A NEW COMPANION!!:)

He's really cool, his name is Elder Padron, he's from Leon, Mexico, been out on his mission for 18 months and didn't speak any English before the mission haha:) he's really awesome, it's been a fun last few days:)

So I guess besides that, the biggest event of the week was Boyd's passing. Our ZLs sent a text out to the zone to let everyone know, and that was during weekly planning. Then a few hours later I got a call from Sister Maluenda (mission president's wife) and that was kinda scary because I didn't know what it was going to be about, but she and President Maluenda were both on speaker and they just called to see how I was doing and gave me some council, it was pretty neat.

Outside of that, nothing else super miraculous happened. But this next week we're planning on calling down some miracles, so keep that in your prayers if you could:) I love you all so much, thank you for your support and all that you do for me and all the other missionaries:) Until next week!:)

Elder Packer