Transferdomis!

Buenas!:)

So this last week was really fun, we had a zone exchange and I got paired up with Elder Carter in his area, and he's only one transfer older than me so we were the youngest companionship in the zone haha. Our first lesson we taught was to some random lady we met in a trailer park, and she invited us in, and cooked us hamburgers, and told us all about how she loved Jesus while Carter and I couldn't stop looking at the gun on her coffee table. After a 20 minute talk about why Jesus is awesome, she asked us to move some of her furniture around, and then if we could put on her trailer skirt for her the next day, which we did do. That was interesting. Quite an experience. 

We also visited a couple cool members, including the Leiva family, and they are super awesome. We sang Nearer My God to Thee accompanied by the guitar for them (which reminds me, I bought a guitar last week, its been fun), and the gave us a bunch of snacks to take home. They're super cool, they're the family that took our whole zone out for lunch one day in December to a super nice restaurant. Then to end the exchange we went to breakfast at iHop, and I got a couple fun pictures there haha. And also Carter laughed and spilled water all over me and the person I was sitting next to, that was a great way to end the exchange...haha jk it was fun.

Other than that it's been a pretty great week also. We might be having 4 more baptisms this sunday, so that is gonna be freaking sweet! And this is also the last week of the transfer, and my companion got called to three-day training with all the leaders, so I'm on exchanges for the next few days:) I love exchanges, they're always fun :)

We also got Valentine's Day stuff from the sisters:) they decorate our door while we were at the church playing basketball in the morning, it was a pretty cool surprise. Which reminds me, thank you so much to everyone who has given me things for Valentines Day:):) I can't tell you how much I've loved it, it's been amazing.

That's basically it for this week! I hope you all have an awesome week and I love you all!:):)

Elder Packer

Happy Valentines Day!!

Buenos dias!

Thank you to everyone who has sent me letters and emails, I really appreciate it more than I can express in writing. It really means a lot, thank you for all your support:)

This week really flew by! Two main events were zone meeting, and Betty and Angel's baptism yesterday!

Zone meeting was really really fun. On Saturday we met at the church and had a few really spiritual trainings and talks and things, then we did some super fun competitions between the districts, which I have pictures of one contest. Then we finished with a  testimony meeting and that was really awesome, we got to know a lot more about each other and more about the new people in the zone. Which is weird because it feels like they just got here but we only have 2 more weeks left in the transfer, so there will probably be a lot more new people coming and some others leaving. Time really is flying. 

After zone meeting we went to b-dubs and that was pretty fun, but pretty expensive for a missionary budget. Either way, it was awesome. Then after that we went and had Betty and Angel's interview, and while they were getting interviewed Elder Denney and I spent some time entertaining Breana, Betty's 7 year old daughter. She's the cutest, I can't even describe it haha.

Anyways, they both passed their interviews like a boss and then yesterday was their baptism. I was at the Spanish ward for church (where we miraculously had 3 other children we are hoping to get baptized just walk in) so I didn't get to see them at church, but when I got there one of the sister missionaries (sister Bentz) told said "hey is Betty one of your converts? She's been bearing her testimony all day!" and that was pretty sweet. 

Betty and Angel are super boss, she's had so much faith and shown it so well. When we taught her about the word of wisdom she said she'd try to quit drinking coffee, but wasn't super sure, but she never had another cup, and even threw it away, despite her husband still wanting to drink it. Her and Angel are so great, they're gonna make some great members.

Anyways, that's all for this week, I hope you guys enjoy your week, and Happy Valentines Day! Also I think next week there's a bunch of Holidays including Presidents Day, Chinese New Year and Ash Wednesday:)

The pictures are of a watermelon eating contest, 4 members of my district playing I'm Just a Fisherman (wonderful song, I highly recommend it) and the baptism yesterday. Until next week!

Elder Packer

 

#gameday

Buenos Dias a todos!

Thank you all so much for writing me letters and emails, and those of you who read my letters as well, I didn't really realize how many people do read until I got a few emails from people I didn't think were following up on my mission journey. So thank you all for your support, it's really been so amazing to hear from everyone and get all your prayers.

This week was really great, we had some really good lessons with investigators, and a mother and son who will be getting baptized this Sunday! I'm really excited for them, they're super boss.

So something that was almost funny this week; we were secretly doing service for a family by cleaning their yard and raking up leaves and stuff like that because their yard was trashed, and the neighbors called the cops on us, so two policeman showed up. It was almost funny, because they didn't really do anything other than stand there and discuss if they should do anything, but the fact we got the cops called on us for doing service was kinda ironic.

That's really basically all I've got for this week, other than a few funny pictures. In two of them we're wearing a bunch of ties that are actually from the tie room, so no one really wears any of the ties we're wearing. There. Are. So. Many. Ties. Really, it's insane.

Anyways, thank you all for being amazing, I'll write more next week. Have a great week and may the Lord be with you.

Elder Packer

Semana 8, but who's counting...

Hola! 

How's everyone doing? It's been a fun time out here, I thank everyone for all the letters, support, and prayers I've received. Special thanks to my ward for sending me that package, it was very much loved and appreciated. Love the quotes.

This week feels like it flew by so fast! The first few days our car was in the shop (actually Monday-Friday), so we had a bunch of bike days...that was not as fun as it sounds, but I really did enjoy it. Well...some parts. The five mile ride to visit one of our investigator families was less than enjoyable what with the 40 degree weather and seemingly hurricane force winds...jk, the winds weren't that strong but they did make 5 miles feel like 15. It was an interesting week for transportation. But we finally got our car back!

And then on Saturday, we went to McAllen to listen to an Apostle of the Lord address the missionaries. That was pretty cool, I met a lot of some new people, including Kris's friend that Facebook friended me during the summer, and Elder Chamberlain. It was super weird to see him, but pretty cool as well.

So we heard from two 70's and Elder Oaks, and it was pretty awesome, but during one of the 70's talks, he called out specifically on Elder Chamberlain, and everyone was like "oooohhh!!!" because that's funny but also scary as anything, and then he explained that it was because Elder Chamberlain was his home teacher before the mission....it was pretty funny.

Elder Oaks' talk was really really good, he talked a lot about revelation, and he's a pretty funny guy as well. Near the beginning of his talk he said "my daughter frequently asks me why I look so stern in conference while I'm giving a talk. I don't try to be, I try to smile, but think about it; if you're addressing 3 million people and the first presidency is right behind you...you're not so full of giggles." That sounds really lame in writing, but if you were there you would have laughed:) I really like his talk, really that whole meeting was fantastic. 

There's a lot to learn, you never know everything the Lord has in store for you. Especially when you're supposed to be teaching it. You're always learning.

Anyways, for the pictures this week, we had a poorly planned potluck that ended up being spaghetti, bread and fried rice, with no silverware, so luckily we had a ton of bread to use and make sandwiches with Doritos, rice and spaghetti....mission life. Then after the meeting with the apostle we went to Panda Express, and I got the coolest missionary fortune of all time. So yeah, anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you all, and so does the Lord.

Elder Packer

Transfer #2

Hey everyone, 

I'm staying in Brownsville for another 6weeks! I'm so excited and happy about that, I love it down here. My comp is staying too, so no change there either, but one of the zone leaders got transferred, and I'm really going to miss him, but oh well. He was super excited about everything, and he was super fun to be around, but our new one is pretty cool too, so its all good.

Anyways, thanks to everyone who has been supporting me and praying for me, I really do appreciate it a lot. This week has been interesting, but super good, we've had some good success with some of our investigators, and a family is really progressing and looking good to get baptized on February 1st! Keep them in your prayers!

We had our first interviews with president since I've been here, and that was super good, but super long while waiting for your turn and stuff. The AP's teach stuff, but it's hard for anyone to focus or really do much. So it really was just a long day, but it was good, we had zone lunch afterwards and that's always super fun.

That's really pretty much it for this week, so now to the pictures:

one of them is with me and Elder Livingston, who was the zone leader that left. I really am gonna miss him because he was so cool, but he gave me a pretty dope tie that I'm actually wearing in the group picture that is after interviews. The other group is the workout group that goes super hard in the morning during exercise time, and actually involves me and three others, but those are kind of the personal trainers of the group I guess. and then the last one I just thought was funny because it's super texmex, tio meaning uncle in Spanish.

Anyways, I hope you guys have a great week, and I'll be sure to write you  next week!! Love you all!!

Elder Packer

Transferencias

Hello everyone!

This week has been a super fun and crazy week. We had zone meeting on Tuesday and that was amazing, I love my zone, I wish I could stay with them my whole mission! But I can't, transfers are tomorrow, so that is kinda sad. Weird thing about transfers: we still don't know anything about them yet!! 

Usually they call at 7:45 Sunday morning to let everyone know where they're going and who their new comp is gonna be, but we still haven't heard anything yet, so it's making everyone kinda nervous and anxious. But it's all good, it'll be fun whenever we hear about it I guess.

I also went on an exchange with my District leader this week, that was pretty fun because they had moved into a new apartment and we were the first ones ever to spend the night in it. Then the next day I was the first one to get a haircut in it, by my DL none the less. It was fun. 

Then we went to Taquito Express and all ate 18 tacos in honor of our zone goal of 18 baptisms this month. We're going to get it, we're sooo close already! But anyways, I love you all and hope you all have a wonderful week! Here are some pictures of the exchange, tacos, and other stuff! Remember who you are and what He stands for!

Elder Packer

¡Año Nuevo!

Happy New Year todos!

First off (as usual) I really want to say thank you to everyone who has been supporting me with letters and helping my family at home and with emails and everything, you guys are awesome, and I love you!

This week was really good, but not super eventful. We had some good lessons with investigators and members, but we might have to drop some because they aren't keeping commitments...I feel sad about that, but I trust my companion, he knows what he's doing, and I'm learning still.

We had to be in by 6:00 on New Years Eve, and our zone got together and watched Frozen in the gym at the church, it was really awesome because half of them had never seen it, and by the end they had all the songs memorized, and that's what everyone has been listening to ever since...#letitgo #doyouwannabuildasnowman.

Aside from the repetitive listening and singing of disney songs, it really has been an awesome week, the spirit has been so strong and I've loved every moment of it. This is the last week of the transfer, so it's a possibility that either me or my companion or both of us will be transferred next week to a new area. I really hope that I don't get transferred, I've loved Brownsville, the people here are so amazing and the zone has so much fire and fun together and it's just been amazing, but the president knows where I'm supposed to be so I'll follow whatever he tells me to do and go where the Lord wants me to go.

So to close, here are just a couple random pictures. The first is of me and one of these houses the city had out for christmas. There's about 30 of them in all, and they were all pretty cool, and we actually got to have a service project and take them down on Saturday, so that was pretty neat. Then the other is just a random mission selfie...I'll try to have more and better pictures next week! Love you all!

Elder Packer