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, March 28, 2016

La Pascua

Querridos brothers and sisters!
I hope you all had a wonderful week! Our week in Portland was very hard, but awesome.
Elder Harker and I were both sick for the first two or three days, and could hardly get out of bed. But, missionary life...we kept working haha. And it paid off a lot. We decided that the reason that we were sick was that Satan was working his hand in the Portland area and didn't want something to happen. So that gave us extra motivation and we had a lot of miracles with people found and at church. 
The best part of the week by far was Easter Sunday. The Sacrament meeting was awesome! Sister Muhammud spoke on The Atonement, and her talk was very well given and the message well received. Then the Primary sang Gethsemane, and Bro Flint gave his talk on Justice and Mercy. It was AWESOME. He truly spoke like he was an apostle, it was great. And the things he said were very...deep but simple, it was super cool. Very spiritual meeting. After that we had Gospel Principle taught by Bro Muhammud, and it was on Service. That created an awesome discussion, and we had a couple of visitors, one from Provo the other from Houston, and they gave us little Easter Baskets to top off the whole time. It was great hahaha super good day in the Portland Ward. 
Anywho, as Easter is about the atonement, and the Atonement is about change, and we have General Conference this week, I wanted to extend the invitation for you guys to pray about something you could do to change this week. Ask "What lack I yet?" and then listen for an answer in conference. Also think of a question you might have, and look for the answer in general conference. Conference is the best time to receive revelation and counsel from God because everything we are listening to comes from Him; by His voice or the voice of His servants, it is the same. 
I love you all and hope that you have a fantastic week! Until next monday!

Elder Packer

1. Gutierrez Family
2-3. Olive Garden:)




Monday, March 21, 2016

El Amanecer

Hello yall,
I hope you are all having a great day/week! My week last week was pretty awesome. 
I was on exchanges for the first 3 days with Elder Torres, and it happened to be the hottest day of the week, on bikes...it was awesome haha we helped a guy pick 6 dozen oranges from his tree and were both just sweaty messes by the end of the day. Gotta love Texas. Anywho, we saw a lot of miracles in the Portland ward this week. Members have been doing a lot of missionary work on their own, and it's been a lot of fun to see them get excited about it. Our ward mission leader has a son out on a mission in Argentina, and he just found out he comes home May 10th. He's been pretty pumped about missionary work the whole time I think, he's awesome.
Thank you guys for all the help you have given, I really do appreciate it. Remember the church is true and that all of you can have eternal life:) 

I hope you guys all have a wonderful week this week. Love yall!

Elder Packer





Monday, March 14, 2016

Recibe el Espíritu Santo

Hey everyone!
I hope you guys had a great week, I know this last week for me was awesome.
I stayed in Portland, first of all. Then early in the week we had exchanges again, it poured rain and that was a blast hahaha Elder Russel and had a lot of fun. A lot of other things happened, but the most noteworthy part was probably Stake Conference. We had stake conference on Saturday and Sunday of this past week, and we got to hear from a lot of great people, including the San Antonio Temple President and his wife, Elder Frost of the Seventy and his wife, and many others. 
I loved what the temple president and his wife said about the temple. I had heard it a lot before, how the temple is a beacon of safety, learning, all of that kind of thing, but it was different hearing it from someone who has spent so much time in the temple. They shared experiences like they were an everyday thing, which I'm sure they are. It was really cool to hear the testimony of two people that spent so much time in the Lord's House. 
Elder Frost and his wife also had great things to say, but I honestly think I like more of what his wife said. She talked a lot about progression and how we are to eternally progress, but the thing that really caught me that she said is that we need to receive the Holy Ghost. She explained how the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift of God that we can get in mortality, but that it can't be given, it has to be received. It made me think of how I could better receive the Holy Ghost, as well as others in my mission and home families. It is an interesting reflection to see how well I receive the Holy Ghost now, almost 12 years after initially being confirmed. 
That's really about it for this week, I hope you guys have a wonderful week, and I love you all!! Have a wonderful time!
Elder Packer

1. Russell and I
2-3. Evidence that I am a Real Texan
4. One of our member's "Star Wars" Rooms. Amazing collection haha I can't even tell you the half.





Monday, March 7, 2016

Nos ha llamado Dios a servir

Buenas tardes la gente buena de Zion.
Esta semana pasada fue bien divertido y espiritual. On Tuesday and Wednesday I was on exchanges with Elder Sanchez, and we sang and played uke in front of an entire trailer park. Oh, and Monday I bought a ukulele haha. It's a lot of fun. 
We had a really awesome zone meeting on Thursday. We talked about what I took to be the 3 main focuses for missionaries in missionary work, which are Obedience, Diligence, and Teaching Skills. It really was awesome, we learned a lot and we have so much more planned for this next month and transfer. It's going to be great. 
As I'm thinking of that, it relates to life almost exactly. When we are obedient and diligent in keeping the commandments, we can receive any blessing we need or want. We just need to be willing to work for it, be worthy for it, and then study and apply the ways we can achieve it. It's a basic system the Lord provides all his children so that they can be blessed and continue to progress always. Isn't the Lord's plan just perfect? 
After that, we had a lot of fun. Elder Harker and I had dinner this week with a less active member who had canceled on us the week before and told us that to make it up to us he would cook us a steak 3 inches thick. We didn't take him seriously, but he really did cook a steak that was 3 inches thick hahahaha it was awesome. 

I hope that you all have a wonderful semana, this week is transfers, but since Elder Harker and I both just got here we're not expecting to leave haha. I love you all!
Elder Packer