Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween everyone!!:) 

I hope yall had just as good a week as I did, we had a lot of fun this week and it was a blast! 

Most of the week we were inviting people to a halloween party we were having as combined branch activity on Saturday. On Wednesday we ended up doing service for like 3 hours while we helped out a recent convert family move (not out of the branch thankfully) and then helped an investigator clean her yard and move a ton of bricks. 

Friday we had interviews/zone conference, and it was all about the Restoration, which was amazing. I can't even describe a lot of the things that were said and felt, but it was really an awesome training and a great testimony builder. 

Saturday was the Trunk or Treat, and it was awesome!! Lots of food and fun, we had a few people show up and almost everyone was dressed up somehow! They played a lot of songs I didn't know and kids did a lot of dances that I didn't know haha but it was really fun and the spirit of love was definitely there. 

That's about it for this week, I hope yall have an excellent Halloween and rest of the week!! I love yall!!:) 

Elder Packer 

2 Years Down

Good afternoon!!

I hope yall have had a great week, it's been fantastic here in Laredo. The weather has gotten down to the 80s and high 70s this week and that has been amazing!! And one morning it was even in the 60s, and we wore jackets because we were freezing...welcome to Texas. 

This week on Saturday was really interesting. We had a family history event in the morning and a lot of people showed up and we had an awesome time. Something else that made that day interesting was that it marked 2 years since I left to Mexico City. I made it two years! Haha and I'm still really excited to have almost another month to go. Being a missionary is the best thing in this world. Not just being on a mission, but being a missionary. The best thing ever is to participate in the conversion of another person, to witness their change, and to see them grow closer to the Lord, and in witnessing that you grow closer yourself. 

I love yall a lot and hope you have a great next week!! 

Elder Packer 

Elder Kopischke

Hello!!

I hope yall had a grand week, here in Texas it was quite the week!! The biggest event that happened was that we had a zone conference in Corpus with Elder Kopischke of the 70, and it was amazing!! We learned so much about how we can do better in the work, as well as how we can grow our love for other people, which will help us the most as we strive to become better missionaries. 

Even though I won't have a lot of time in the mission to apply and perfect the techniques that he taught us, I have it set in my mind that I'm not going to stop being a missionary when I get home. Every member is called as a missionary, and even in Utah there are lots of missionary opportunities. Which is my challenge today. 

Everyone knows someone that is not a member of the church, whether it be at school, work or otherwise, they are there. A lot of times we don't know if that person is even a member or not, but we have to be assertive and open with our own faith in order to find out. It's really not that hard to have a gospel/faith related conversation in everyday life, and by doing so we can find those who need to hear the message of the Gospel, who have been prepared by angels to accept it, and who desperately need and want salvation and eternal life with their families. It is an expression of love towards God, and also to that person, who is a child of God, our brother or sister, and a soul whose worth is great in the sight of God (D&C 18). So my challenge for today is, as you are continuing to go over and set goals to apply the things you've learned in conference, set a goal to be a missionary. Give yourself a deadline. Act with faith. Further your conversion and eternal progression by giving someone else the chance. 

I love yall a lot and hope that you can see of the happiness that come from missionary work. Until next week!

Elder Packer 

Nuevo Laredo

Good day!!

I hope yall had a great week, mine definitely was wonderful. 

We got 2 new sisters in the district, Sister Luna and Sister Wagstaff, the latter of which dies with me (goes home). We also got a new roommate, Elder Juarez, who is from Guatemala and is really good at the guitar, baritone, Uke, and rapping haha. So it's like a whole Nuevo Laredo, hence the subject. But it has been really good, we've got things kicked into gear and we're looking and finding and teaching a lot of people. 

This week's message is developing your talents. Everyone has a talent, just find what it is! Yesterday's lesson in Gospel Principles was developing your talents, and it was really cool. Everyone has talents, they've been born with them, whether it's playing an instrument or being athletic, or even being a good listener, patience, or always being cheerful. Personality characteristics can be developed just like talents.

That's all I have for yall this week, I hope you have a wonderful week! I love yall!!

Elder Packer 

Conferencia General

Hello!!

I hope you all had a great week and especially conference weekend!! My week was awesome and topped off with the amazing conference! I loved it, I learned so much. 

To be a little brief I just wanted to talk about some of the cool things I thought about during conference. During President Nelson's talk about joy, the scripture D&C 18:15-16 came to mind, that says if we labor to brings souls to Christ we shall have joy. So I meshed that one and 2 Nephi 2:25 to come up with the statement: "Men are that they might bring souls to Christ." Missionary work!!! Then at the closing talk of the conference, Elder Renlund made the statement that repentance brings great joy. So then "Men are that they might repent." 

I like those two statements a lot, but if you use them together, you come unto Christ when you repent, and you are saving your own soul. So "Men are that they might come unto Christ." It reminds me of one interpretation of D&C 18:15, that if you bring "save it be one soul," that one soul better be your own haha. We grow and become more converted as we help others to come unto Christ, thereby pushing ourselves farther along on the pathway of discipleship.

 "After all is said and done, the most important duty is to preach the Gospel."  So my challenge to yall is to pray and plan for missionary opportunities. Follow the counsel of Elder Oaks and see the great joy that comes from doing missionary work. It doesn't matter if you think you don't know anyone that's not a member, or that you don't know if you have any opportunities, I promise you that you know at least one person who is ready and needing of the Gospel, so go out and find them. 

I love you all so much and hope that you have a great day and week!! 

General Conference Prep

Hey y'all,

I hope you've all had a good week! This week was also super quick, but we had a lot of good things happen in it. The Cuevas got confirmed which was awesome and we had an amazing conference of zone, it was great! Presidente Torres is a really inspired man, very in tune with the spirit and very intelligent. We learned a lot of things from him this last week, but for this letter I just focus on one major one.

He talked about studying. We study every day as missionaries, but some studies are more effective than others. He told us that the key to having a good study is to have a question. Go in to every gospel study with a question, because that's when you will receive the revelation. It's not a bad thing to read through the scriptures cover to cover; you still receive revelation and are in tune with the spirit. However it is better to study with a question and a purpose. So my purpose recently has been to learn more about Jesus Christ and the ways that I need to improve to become more like Him.

Likewise with General Conference coming up, it is much better to have a question than just to listen. This is a time for Apostles and Prophets to tell us what God wants the whole world to hear, and in such a time we can receive the answers to any question that we have, as long as we ask it first. John 16:24 says: "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive.." So, we need to ask!! 

I love you guys a lot, and hope that you have a wonderful week and wonderful general conference!! 

Elder Packer 

1. Gold Plates BOM that a member down here has

2. Visitor we had on our car

The Alex Family

Hello!!

I hope yall are having a spectacular week, I've really enjoyed mine. I don't have a lot of time, but there are two main events from this last week. 

The first one, we had a "Noche Mexicana" on Friday for the Mexican day of independence. It was a lot of fun, my district and two other elders sang at it and it was a blast. 

The second and more important was that two sisters in my district had a baptism this week!! It was awesome, the Cuevas family took the dive and entered into the covenant of baptism, aided by Elder Fielding and myself. We call them the Alex family as a nickname because the Dad's name is Alejandro and the Mom's name is Alejandra, and they both go by Alex, and they have an older son named Alex that lives in Idaho, another named Danny, a younger son named Alex that was baptized with them, a daughter named Alcestis, a son named Aaron who was also baptized with them, and then Alexandra who is 2, and their 2 week old, Axle. It was a really spiritual baptism, they've been preparing for 2 years with the sisters, and it was amazing to see them finally take the leap. 

That was really it for this week, I love you guys a lot, have a wonderful week!!

Elder Packer 

1. Baptism

2-3. The party 

4. Homies in the branch