Monday, May 26, 2014

On our way to Deutsch class (SP)

Family!

I reflected a little bit today about how grateful I am for the embers of the memories I've collected as I've grown on a mission under the leadership of President and Sister Mile's leadership.  I know it's the work of the Lord!

Miracle story!  So, the other day, Sister Brinck and I were on our way to our Deutsch class that we teach at our church building.  We were coming up to a crosswalk and our talking caused a young man on a bike to look behind at us.  We promptly greeted him and said hello and asked how he was doing.  We kept talking, walked the street and then stopped to continue the conversation.  He, Jasbir, told us about himself as we asked.  He was very open and told us some of his history.  He then suddenly told us about his ex girlfriend that he'd had his daughter with a couple years ago.  As he explained the story, pain was eminate from his body language and he began to weep.  Our hearts were softened as listened.  There was so much heartache built up from what was thought to be true love, a building family and then one day was shattered.  I prayed earnestly to know what to say that would give this anguished man some comfort.  Nothing came.  I tried to bear my testimony about the atonement, SOMEthing, but it didn't come out right.  Amidst my silent prayers, a comforting thought came, ''If you were supposed to know what to say, you'd know it already.''  I became still and we listened and comforted him.  As this was happening, ANOTHER young man came up and waited until we could turn and talk to him.  When a pause came, I turned to him and he asked if we were Christians.  I continued THAT conversation and answering who we were etc, as Sister Brinck continued to talk with the firt man.  I offered that we all walk to our church and see where we meet to be enlightened by the Lord.  They agreed and we walked there together.  Two-timing it, Sister Brinck and I each with one of the young men kept walking and talking.  We reached the church and the Indian man had to go, but gave us his information said he'd love to come to church.  The second young man came with us up to our little Branch church building.  Not knowing beforehand, whether anyone was even there, we decided to check because the door was left open.  Brother and Sister Windhausen from the ward were there cleaning!  Another miracle!  Immidiately we introduced Giuseppe to them and Brother Windhausen took him on a tour of the building.  We taught him a zero lesson right there and he gladly took a Book of Mormon.  We met with Giuseppe the next day and helped him read and understand the Book of Mormon.  The next day at church, Jasbir came!  He loved it and members greeted him.  Guiseppe surprisingly never came and so we called him that night.  I was greeted with short interrogating questions as his mother explained in a matter of words that she didn't want us associating with her son any more.  But!  The miracle continues because Giuseppe has actually TWO Books of Mormon (got one earlier other missionaries!) and already believes it's true.  The Lord knows he can handle it.  Jasbir already wants to share the message with other people!

What this comes down to is this: strengthening members and then using THEM as the primary way to find is the Lord's way.  We stopped everything and did just that and BOOM miracles like crazy.  The Lord had members at every corner ready to help us and come be joint teaches.  The Lord made it happen!  Every ward/branch/stake/even family has it's own needs.  But I know that unless we can build good relationships, like building a house, we won't be able to take someone to that house to learn the gospel!  (I hope that analogy made sense...:))
I also know that living righteously is the happiest way to live.  Short term, it may not seem like it.  But long term absolutely.  It's caused me to reflect on myself.  Am I an indulger?  Or do I have enough character and patience to really wait for those things that bring me greater joy?  Do I enjoy every moment where I'm at, or do I find myself waiting for the next thing impatiently trusting that only when it comes will I be satisfied.  The Lord's way is better than that.  WE'RE better than that.  We're creatures built and designed to last, not to indulge in only the instant.

''And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.''  (Mosiah 2:41)

I leave my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

With Love and Faith,
Sister Packer


​Pictures
Sister Brinck and I
Brother and Sister Windhausen (amazing missionary members!!)​



It is Westcotes not West Coast (EP)

Dear everybody,

Happy Memorial Day for everybody in the USA!

Sorry about the mix up, the area I've been transferred to is called Westcotes A in the Westcotes Ward in the Leicester England Stake. I guess it was a case of bad reception between the zone leaders and the district leaders on dodge night.

So now I'm here in a big city with a university and TONS of people! I'm SO excited! It is the complete opposite of Cwmbran. (By the way, Elder Jones is still in Cwmbran with Elder Shipp). My new companion is Elder Shaw from South Africa. My second companion from South Africa. AWESOME. His accent is way stronger than Elder Eppel's was. Now I know what a proper South African accent sounds like.

I'm training again! kind of... it is a weird situation, I'm half training him. He has only been out for 1 transfer. A new missionary gets trained for two transfers (12 weeks), usually by the same trainer. But in this case Elder Shaw has two trainers, his first trainer went to another area for some reason. 

I live in an apartment building in city-center. We don't even live in our area. We have to travel to get to our area every day. It is only a 5 or 10 minute cycle to get into our area. I'm supposedly the senior companion but I have no clue where anything is or who any of the people we are teaching are. Elder Shaw is getting some serious Senior-Week training right now. (Senior week is a nickname for a week when the greenie takes over all of the teaching/planning situations for a whole week).

Haha, I'm so lost right now. It is awesome. Adventures! 

Natalie! So guess what, I'm in a district with Sister Roscher who was in the Colony ward at BYU with you. Ring a Bell?

My bike is a little bit sad right now. The bottom bracket, which is a metal thing that is inside the bike where the pedals connect to each other, is destroyed. It broke on my second to last day in Cwmbran. The final blow (I had lots of bike troubles there). I've been riding on it anyway for this last week and it isn't good. I'm getting it fixed on wednesday. Until then... I just pray it lasts. :)

England is way different than Wales. Oh I played football (Soccer) with some of the ward members. I am not as good at football as I thought. I didn't have any boots (cleets) and neither did Elder Shaw. A member had one pair of trainers. Elder Shaw and I each took one of them and wore a regular tennis shoe on the other foot. ("No grip no grip no grip. Less paw, more pad"-name the movie). It worked surprisingly well.

I love you all!

Elder Jacob Packer 

Pictures:

One of them is of me and Elder Jones. It is sad to see the last day of our companionship. My boy is growing up... wipe a tear. 

Another is of Elder Shaw eating a pizza. I'll get a better picture of him later.

The one of Elder Jones is on a bike path that we took nearly every day. I know it well.

One is of me and Elder Battles. He was my first district leader and has been my zone leader ever since then. He practically raised me (so he says). 

The building has no significance. I just wanted to get some sort of picture of the city I'm in now. I'll get better pictures later. 






Monday, May 19, 2014

Focus on Members (SP)

I learned something so good this week.  We'd felt this week that we weren't putting our focus on members.  We changed our focus and lessons with investigators came out the ying yang!  It's been so wonderful.

This week is sadly short.  We're going sight seeing!  But I took pictures of all your emails and I'll write back to them next week :).  Loves to you all.

The less actives are THE COOLEST.  They know why people don't come to church.  I'm so grateful for them.

Loves!

Sister Packer

Monday, May 12, 2014

Here we are in Cardiff on P-day (EP)

Hello everyone!
We are here in the Cardiff Library. We are heading to Zone P-day later in Rhiwbina so we emailed here. Rhiwbina is part of Cardiff.
It was wierd here because Mothers day was a month or two ago for the British. I absolutely love the Cardiff Zone. I've spent the first 6 transfers here and I will be sad to leave it. That is assuming of course that I'm leaving this next transfer. This is a 5 week transfer so it feels super short. Usually transfers are 6 weeks.
We got a new stake presidency this week. So that is exciting.
We've been flogged a lot this week. Our goals were high but the lessons didn't seem to hold. The good news is that we are working with the Less-active members in the ward a lot more. Miracles are happening. It is cool to think I'm helping the convert of missionaries from many years back stay active. I know they would hope the missionaries here serving their converts would be dilligent and faithful. I feel a bit protective of the people here in this ward, a little bit too much probably. Is that good? If the Lord really is watching over this area than I have no reason to worry. I know He is watching over this area.
Mom, the notebook I've got is red. A different color would be nice. I don't know what the size of it is... I'll check on that, but remind me too.
Josh, Christian and Dad, please send me stories and stuff from your missions. When you were in leadership positions, in hard lessons, GQing anything you desire.
I love you all!
-Elder Packer

There are pictures of when we had district P-day. We almost burned down their flat.



Book of Mormon (SP)

Family!  

Long time no talk to.  Man, I love you guys.  That was so good for me!  Last time, it was hard.  But now I'm just pumped knowing that what I have is what I want others to have.  We're SO blessed.  I'm so grateful.  

I wanted to share this story on skype, but ran out of time.  But this way you get more details!

We've been reading with an old man who lives in an old folks' home across the street from us.  Both of his legs have been amputated from blood clotting, so he rolls around all day in his wheelchair.  We wave to him every day when we go out.  He always waved back.  The sister I replaced gave him a Book of Mormon the night before leaving the area as a going away present.  He took it but, I think, never read.  We continued to wave and be friendly until one day we walked over there, met him, and began to form our wonderful friendship. He's seriously the bomb.  His name is Harald.  We started reading with him in the Book of Mormon.  The first time we asked him, he said, ''Uh, uh, I don't want to.''  ''Hey, we know that if you read that book, things will go better for you!''  He's just so funny and we just cock our heads, give him a crooked smile and say, ''Come on, just one chapter.''  We got him the second time :).  He finally let us read with him.  At this point we hadn't even explained our purpose as missionaries.  We were just friends and told him that if he read in the book, he'd feel better.  So we finally cornered him in his room.  He didn't object, just moaned.  And so we began 1 Nephi 1:1.  We sat there.  FOR....Eh....veeerr.... His eye sight is going, but he can still read some.  We read 15 verses.  It took like an hour.  But it was the funnest time I've ever had reading with someone in the Book of Mormon.  We'd ask a simple question like, ''How would you feel if you were told to leave aaaallll your riches behind like Lehi?''  Silence.  Foreehhhhhhhh....veeeerr.....  Seriously.  It was SO hard for him to put together that bad things could maybe even POSSIBLY be a GOOD thing.  But I felt something so deep and enduring for him that I wouldn't let him say no and with all my love had to check myself and my companion to make sure we didn't interrupt.  This was HIS time to get those wheels turning.  HIS time to learn to get out of the rut.  I don't know where this courage came from, but he kept reading with us.  Then he started reading by himself.  THEN he came to our church open house.  THEN he accepted the challenge to drink no alcohol before we met the next time.  He's still reading.  He's got a light in his eye.  His wheels are breaking the cob webs and he's looking alive.  He's an angel.  Seriously.  We haven't even explained like ANYthing we do as missionaries.  He just meets with us.  Do I know that establishing our purpose as missionaries is important?  Um, DUH it is.  That's ALL we say with people 24/7.  I couldn't tell you why Harald was found this way, but the second time we read in the Book of Mormon with him, he told us he thought it was true.  I double asked him to make sure we knew what he meant.  And then asked him the next time again.  It's the craziest miracle ever.  Moral of the story.

Read the Book of Mormon.

It's the truest of all books.  If you haven't tasted cheesecake, you can't tell me that you don't like it.  Become an agent not an object and ACT for yourself and read that book!  I don't care if you were a member your whole life or yesterday.  READ THE BOOK.  Every day and don't stop.  It's changing lives.  And I love it.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,
Sister Packer   

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Prepare for Skype (EP)

I'm not sure who will be there when I Skype but for everybody who is, be prepared! Just have the best stories and quotes (I hope you are using the quote book) ready for me and I'll do the same for you.

Everybody be prepared to give me your life situation in 2 minutes:)

It will all work out. 7pm WALES time on Sunday May 11th.

Oh and can I see Mya when we skype? I've got a few questions for her. Just kidding. I just want to see her for 2 seconds. 

Questions to be prepared for:

Progress of the little ones that will soon join the family!

Any mission call updates?

Jobs

School

Lydia-Dating

Jessie-Hopefully not dating

Danielle-BETTER NOT BE DATING

Bre-Keep beating up the boys. That doesn't count as dating. 

What questions do you have for me?

-Elder Jacob Packer

Monday, May 5, 2014

Ahhhh, the joy of never making it all happen :) (SP)

Haha I realized something this week.  As Sister Brinck and I talked today, she told me that sometimes I'm really intense and could smile more.  Man!  I was so glad to hear it!  So, I'm going to smile more.  I realized something ELSE that I've forgotten.  I'm grateful to know that I'll never do all the stuff I want to do.  A lot, yes.  Can I be very productive, absolutely.  Will I be able to do IT ALL.  Uh, no.  Whew!  I'm glad to have accepted that today.  It would be hell living in a perfect world wouldn't it?  As mortals?  That wouldn't make sense or give us NEARLY as many hilarious adventures.  Life is really fun.

I read Helaman 5:12 this week and also Moses 5:9-11.  Take a second and read em if you want.  THey brought me so much peace about the purpose and value of life!  

Hey.  Don't take it too hard, k?  Ooooooone step at a time.  Take more time to pray, less time to do it all.  He'll help ya.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Loves!

SIster Packer