Se va el tiempo

Hello yall:)

This week went by super fast, sorry I don't have a lot to say. We had a couple exchanges, and got some renewed animo, it was awesome:) This week we get a new mission president. He comes in today and tomorrow President Maluenda leaves. We're all going to miss him a lot, but we're excited to see what the new mission president has for us as well. 

What I really wanted to share this week was about love. I really love my mission. I love serving the people here. I love hearing about people lives and doing what I can to touch their hearts and change their lives for the better. I really love hearing about their lives, hearing them open up, mourning with them, feeling their pain as an ache in my own heart, and esforzandome tanto to be able to help them out. That's probably my favorite part about the mission. 

Along with that, I've set a personal goal to touch the heart of at least one person a day. Its really not that hard, all you have to do is try. I intend to keep that goal after the mission, and I want to challenge anyone who reads this to do the same this week. The boy scouts have a saying; do a good turn daily. It's like that, but make sure it's for someone in specific. 

I love you all, hope you have a great week!

Elder Packer

1. Elder Castillo and Lake 

2. Me brushing a member's barbie's hair....don't ask questions haha 

Rain

Hello yall!!

So this week was pretty good. We got caught in the rain once or twice, but it was pretty fun, I love getting caught in the rain haha. Sounds weird, but it's really exciting. On Friday we had our ward Father's Day party and that was super fun, everyone showed up late, but when it finally got started we had a lot of fun, good food, good music, good people. 

We also did a lot of service this week, on Saturday we almost did nothing but service, but we had stake conference too haha. We first went to a member's farm and helped her pick up from some of the recent storms. it was pretty fun, we got to see some animals such as a HUUUGE pig, some donkeys and goats and chickens and things, it was cool. Afterwards we went to a different member's house and helped them wash an RV they had, and that took a lot longer that it seems. It was crazy. But then we had Stake Conference, which was really good. President Elkins went super hard on service for the adult session, and then about callings during the other. He is one of those who speaks very straightforward. It was good. 

That's the majority of my week, I hope yall are having a great one, and happy late Father's Day to those who I didn't get to tell, namely my own Dad and anyone else who would like to claim it hahaha. I love yall!! Have a great week!

Elder Packer

Greener Pastures

Buenas tardes mis amados!

I hope you all had a great week, mine certainly was pretty great. We had some fun on Monday with the other missionaries in the Zone, and Tuesday we did an exchange. I was with Elder Felix, we taught some cool people and the Senior missionaries, Elder and Sister Clark, brought us ice cream. 

Skipping to Friday, we had a good weekly planning and such, and we went out and worked a bunch. Saturday we had zone service at the Daniels house to help them clean out their garage and we had a blast over there even though it was like a thousand degrees. I was also on exchanges with Elder Castillo on Saturday, and we biked to the edge of the gaping depths of my area, which took a while, and we found out that the member we were looking for lived on a different street with the same name that was actually on the other side of Harlingen...right next to our apartments. But we made the best of the situation, it wasn't too bad haha. 

Sunday I gave a talk on Missionary Work and The Atonement. I thought it went pretty well, I really enjoyed studying for it. 

That was basically my week. Presidente Maluenda has only 15 more days in the TMM, and then we will be getting Presidente Torres. I'm excited, but I'll definitely miss the Maluendas. anywho, I love yall, hope you have a great week!!

Elder Packer 

Ajustandome

Hello everyone!!

Recap; I'm back in Harlingen, this time in a spanish area, and a bike only area, and my new comp is Elder Lake. He has about 8 months on the mission, and he's 6'6". Taall dude. 

So this last week was pretty crazy. I emailed I think on Wednesday, and that was the day we did some shopping and things, and we didn't get too much done outside of organization. Friday we went and had Valley Conference with President Maluenda, the last conference we're going to have with him as our presidente. Him and his family leave the 28th of June, it's gonna be hard, but good. And this whole weekend it was pouring rain. That and I got a flat while biking and we ended up walking home for about 1.5 miles, until a member came to the rescue and drove us the other mile haha. It was actually really fun though, just biking/running in the rain. I don't know why, but we really loved it haha. 

That's about it for this week, I hope you guys have an awesome week, I love yall!!

Elder Packer

Guess Who's Back

Happy Wednesday everyone!!

Sorry I'm emailing so late, the library was closed on Monday, and yesterday was transfers. I'm back in Harlingen! But this time I don't get the luxury of a van, I'm on puro bike. It's gonna be a fun summer hahaha. 

So I don't really know what to say, the past few days have been pretty crazy. We said goodbye to a bunch of people in Portland, Harker was lucky enough to stay. I really wanted to stay, but the Lord had need of me here, so I guess that's where I'll be. 

I did take a bunch of pictures, so yall can look at those, but that's really all I've got for today, sorry! I love yall, don't ever lose your testimony!!

Elder Packer

1. Muhammad Family

2-5. Birkeys

TheCountdown

Hello everyone!

So this week was pretty good, we did a lot of good stuff, had a lot of fun, and it was very interesting. Monday we did just hung around Portland for p-day, it was really nice and relaxing, and then Tuesday I had an exchange with Elder Sanchez, that was pretty fun, we got a lot of things done, it was great. Jared Dement also came over Wednesday morning and showed us the way they planned down in Argentina, it was pretty cool. We did some big planning and adjusting of the area, and now we're super ready to go out and work haha. 

This is the last week of the transfer, so we're on the countdown to seeing what happens next transfer. I don't know what will happen, but I've loved my time here in Portland and would love to stay. But whatever happens I know it's the Lord's will. 

That's all I really have to say haha sorry I don't have too much. I love you all, have a wonderful week!!

Elder Packer

GoalsPlansLetters

Hello Humans!!

So this last week was pretty awesome, we had a lot of fun times and lots of good things happened. The most memorable/exciting thing was probably the return of Jared Dement, our Ward Mission Leader's Son who was serving in Bahia Blanca, Argentina. He served an awesome mission and is still pumped to help the Elders here in Portland. 

On Sunday he gave his homecoming talk and it was awesome, he shared some really cool experiences, including a letter that he wrote to himself on the plane to the MTC. He held on to it for the whole 2 years, and then read it on the plane back from Argentina, where he gave himself a bunch of advice. He read about half of it and then decided to talk to the woman he was sitting next to on the plane for the 15 hour flight, and told her all about what he had been doing for 2 years, bore his testimony that he knew this was the only true church of God, and that he wanted to give her a Book of Mormon. She read the introduction and the testimonies, and then he read the rest of his letter, where in the last paragraph he had told himself that he needed to share the gospel with whomever he was sitting next to on the plane. He felt the spirit, started bawling and told her, and testified again that it was God calling out to her. He is hoping to soon see a picture of her getting baptized or with the missionaries. Super cool!

I didn't write myself a letter when I left the MTC, but I decided to do that today, even though it's more than halfway through. I'll still read it when I am on the plane, and intend to still talk to the people sitting next to me on the plane. 

Anywho, we made some really awesome plans this week and we're hoping to see lots of success from them. All I can really say is that the spirit guides. He is real and wants to help, we just need to be looking and listening. 

I love you guys and hope you have a great week!! 

Elder Packer

1.Wednesday

2.SuperCoolPicturebyGregOlsen

3.Another

4.HarkerBeingHarker

5.Cheesecake:)