The Week of Fall, Y'all

September 29, 2014

It's safe to say it is officially fall! Everyone's decorations are out! The weather is COOL! And the trees are starting to change!!!!!!! But lets get to the good stuff!

Kathy, Ray, and Dylan came to a Family Home Evening hosted by members of the Ward and absolutely LOVED it! Dylan and the members little boy became best buds and Kathy and the Mom connected better than we ever hoped. On Wednesday we taught them at their house and it was a PERFECT lesson. Dylan had a melt down (he has Aspergers but I don't know how to spell it) and it was just a rough day for him. But during the lesson we were able to help him calm down and he was very excited to say the closing prayer after we committed them to praying if the Book Of Mormon is true. It went like this:

 "We hope to know the Book Of Mormon is true. Well, of course it is! Because it talks about you and your friends!"

 We were ALL crying but especially Kathy. Ray was baptized at 14 and then never went back :) We saw them again Saturday afternoon because Dylan was sick and talked about the scriptures and we basically begged Kathy to come to the Women's Broadcast with us. She didn't take too much convincing (which is huge because she is SO protective of Dylan and normally won't leave his side). At the Broadcast she met up with Sister Morgan and a few other members she's really starting to get to know and love. 

After the Broadcast she came up to me and said, "I had this really weird moment. I flashed back to being a little girl and seeing commercials for a church I always wanted to join. And I realized I'm finally at that church. I'm so glad I'm where I always wanted to be." Sister Wahlin and I almost peed ourselves on the way home because we're so excited. 

Sunday they all came to church even though Dylan was feeling sick and just loved it. You can see it on Kathy's face. There's nothing she wants more than to be at church. The Morgans invited them over for dinner and to have a lesson last night and while the kids were playing we got to have some one on one time with Kathy and Ray and the Morgans. Kathy cried, Ray BAWLED, Sister Morgan cried, I cried, Sister Wahlin cried, and then Kathy agreed to be baptized October 11th. And then to top it all off she turned to Ray and said, "And then you can get your act together and baptize Dylan." WHO TAUGHT HER THAT!?!?! How awesome and prepared is she? Ray said the closing prayer with tears streaming down his face. Miracles. I love these people. We're teaching them again tonight.

We met a senile old woman who continuously told me how beautiful I am and then said we could borrow her cane if we ever need one. She also told us how so many people think they're going to heaven but they're not, because they don't wave or smile at her. So they're going to hell. We love Ethel.

Michele and Jo are doing great! WE FINISHED THE WALL!!!!!!! And it looks DANG good! I'll have to get pictures or something. She is loving the lessons. But in her mind she has already received the Holy Ghost so she doesn't understand why she needs to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. I think she just needs to get an answer about the Book of Mormon and then everything else will make sense. She came to the Women's Broadcast and LOVED it, and we're hoping to get her to watch at least one session of General Conference. Then she can have her answer about Prophet Thomas S. Monson and it will all be gravy from there. Jo won't admit it, but he loves the lessons and learning more. He PONDERS what we've taught all week and then asks us super legit and deep questions. 

Scott's wife had her baby like 30 minutes ago!!!!!! We're trying to keep up with him and be there for him. It'll be easier when they move to Pulaski by the end of October. 

Juniper and her family came to church for the 6th week in a row! Her Dad is preparing to be worthy to baptize her and her little sister. And they're so much more happy. It's so much fun to see them. Part-member families. That's really where it's at.

Let's talk about the Women's Broadcast. Wow. We had an ice-cream social before and the Young Women told me I'm the only cool missionary because I'm not perfect and I don't try to be. BOOM! I'm glad I'm not being the missionary I always hated growing up. And it was just amazing. And the songs that were sung.......wow. I think that's all I can say. It was humbling and exactly what I needed to be boosted and keep going.

The sinus infection battle has continued this week with being extremely drowsy and then in pain again. But luckily I'm surrounded by Doctors and Nurses who hooked me up with antibiotics and other drugs to drain me out. It's a struggle but we're pushing and fighting to keep going. There's too much to do to be sick or drowsy!

I got a blessing and it said that my sickness is nothing new to me, I'm just experiencing it in a different way than I have before.........that was interesting. Cuz I didn't know I had anything like this before!!! So I'm continuing to find the balance and keep from being sick, while Sister Wahlin is continuing to be patient with me and my many issues.

Everything's great here! I just hope I don't leave this next transfer in October! There's still so much to do here!!!!!!

-Sister Packard

Best:

1. Spirit of Elijah. It's strong.

2. We got to watch "Meet The Mormons" with President Salisbury!!!! It's pretty awesome.

3. Shopping for skirts at Goodwill. It really is the place to go.

4. Seeing the Gospel change lives.

Worst:

1. My cardigan got a hole.

2. I'm either drowsy (like super drowsy) or my head hurts (like super hurts).

3. Mom hasn't written me yet this week....... :(

The Week of Highs and Lows

September 22, 2014

The highest of highs and then the lowest of lows. Day after day. No one day was all good and no one day was all bad. But I think Sunday was the culminating summary of this week. Lets start the adventure!

Michele and Jo are amazing. The wall in their backyard has taken a pause while life for the both of us has gotten crazy. Michele doesn't care though. She had us over for dinner last night and all she seems focused on is us teaching her the lessons. She told us that she never got an answer about the Book of Mormon before, but now she thinks us coming to her was a sign. And she desperately wants to know if there is more for her to learn. She is so wonderful and I hope I get to see her baptized. Jo is crazy as ever. He believes in God. And that's all we can ask. He does like learning more and loves seeing Michele grow. They're such a cute couple. COMPLETELY different. Yet they still love each other. I know we're going to see miracles with them. She's coming to the Women's Broadcast on Saturday.

Our sweet Laura I'm worried about. We have no way to contact her because her Mom hates us and we're not even allowed to talk to Laura at the door. I know she's ready for this. I just wonder if it's the wrong time right now. We're still hoping to see her, but it's been a week.

Scott hasn't been seen in 3 weeks, but came to church 2 weeks ago. He works night and day. Brother Morgan has been able to make contact with him and be there for him. Again, timing is everything.

We've been working a LOT with a huge Hispanic family in our ward. Many family members are less-active because of work schedules but there are many who are not baptized. Abuela has 8 kids living within 5 miles of her. And they all have lots of their own kids. It's crazy to keep track of who belongs to who but it's been fun. It seems like they've been kinda ignored because of the language barrier so I was determined to be their friends. I'm learning more Spanish from it. And they love me because I'm the crazy white girl who thinks she knows Spanish :) Their attitude towards church has changed a lot from what I can see though so I'm excited about that. Who knows, maybe I'll return a Spanish speaking missionary ;)

Sandra is cute as ever. We realized though that the person we need to be focusing on is actually her boyfriend who's the member. He told us he's never had a testimony and hates going to church, but goes because his mom made him promise before she died........AWESOME! No wonder he doesn't care that they're not living the Law of Chastity. So we've switched our focus because we know she has a testimony and for her to move forward his issues need to be addressed. But the poor dear, she has lots of medical conditions. Saturday we rushed to the Emergency Room to be with her while they set her up for a complete blood transfusion. She stayed the night at the hospital and we were there til about 8:30 that night. BLESSINGS THOUGH! I saw the end of the BYU, Virginia game :) It was weird. I had this moment where life got kind of put in perspective. Here I am sitting in an Emergency Room in Pulaski, VA. Not at a BYU football game screaming my head off and having fun. I was happy and I'm happy being here. But then I realized how much better it will be 14 1/2 months from now and I'm at the football games..... I don't know. Life's just got a funny way of working out.

We've started teaching Kathy. Her husband, Ray, hasn't gone to church since he was 15 and really doesn't know anything about the church. Their son, Dylan, is the cutest 7 year old. They've started going to different activities with Ward members and are loving it. So we started teaching them and can't wait to see what happens. They came to church and seemed really happy. 

We have the really cool opportunity to be teaching an ex-communicated member in preparation to be baptized. It's interesting because we don't decide ANY of her commitments or how she moves forward. Everything goes through Bishop. But it's awesome because her son and daughter are joining the lessons, and her son is preparing to turn in Mission papers soon.

The whole week I had been feeling funky and gross. And I've also been getting these crazy terrible headaches. Turns out! I have a dry sinus infection!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How fun is that! No runny nose and cold-like symptoms, but still. No wonder my head hurt and pain meds didn't work. But I've gotten some stuff that works and that's been a wonderful relief. And then! Friday hit hard with being "violently sick" and other fun stuff. We spent the whole day at the apartment and I just laid on the floor with my bowl close by. It was lots of fun! But luckily around 6 I was feeling great and it only lasted one day.

Lets talk about Sunday. Who came to church on Sunday? Juniper's entire family came again and her father even said the closing prayer for Sacrament meeting. I swear a hush went over the whole crowd because they were so amazed. No one ever thought he would come back to church again. All he wants is for the girls to get their lessons and he LOVES coming to church now! It was the 5th week in a row they've all come together :) 

Kathy, Ray, and Dylan came and soaked it all up! I think Ray hears lots about what the church believes and he loves learning what it's really about. I think he was touched. 

Our good friend Jim came to church all by himself. His wife is a member and he has never been interested in ANYTHING to do with the church. And he came by himself. He said it was national "Come back to church day". We didn't push anything. But if someone could check if that's real and let me know. That'd be great.

Our favorite less-active E.H. came to church and brought his girlfriend with him!!! He's got a new job and should be coming from now on! 

Also, there was someone I've never met before. His name is Rashawn. I didn't get to talk to him but Bishop said he's interested in having missionaries come over!!!!! 

Can I just say, the Spirit that was in that Sacrament meeting was something I will never forget and have NEVER felt before. That room was FULL. And not just with the people who are on this Earth at this time. I don't even know how to explain it. "My cup runneth over". Only it wasn't my cup. It was like I could feel all the joy of past and future family members looking over their families making steps towards the temple. Almost the joy of Heavenly Father at the choices these people are making. Kinda like, "Good job Sister Packard. You're being faithful and obedient and this is the result." I don't know! I bawled all day at church! The Sunday School lesson was on Heavenly Families and then Relief Society was family history and temple work. It was a theme. And those family members were present. It was awesome. 

I won't talk about how it also ended up being one of my hardest days ever because it makes me sad. But this area is frustrating. And drugs are everywhere and tearing families apart. It's amazing the contrast you can see in one day of families so strong and uplifting to each other, and those so involved in drugs and other issues that it's tearing them apart. Sometimes I wish I could really help these people. But all I can do is teach and pray! 

Love you all!

-Sister Packard

Best:

1. Sister Wahlin farted while talking to the District Leader.

2. So many people at church and miracles are happening.

3. Sister Wahlin and I are the same size.

4. Sister Wahlin shares her clothes.

5. I finally made caramel popcorn. (why was I waiting so long?)

6. I ate at the East Coast Carl's Jr., Hardees! They have fried Bologna and Velveeta biscuits for breakfast........

Worst:

1. People's agency.

2. We're out of miles and will be walking a lot the rest of the month. (11 miles a day) 

The Week of a New Companion

September 15, 2014

Getting a new companion is the worst. Everything is different. I'm not a big fan of change. And when you're literally with someone 24/7 it can be very difficult. It's hard to adjust to someone new. 

The area is still doing great! Our new District Leader said our numbers are literally the best he's ever seen. So obviously we're doing SOMETHING right here in Dublin, VA. Which is why I don't understand why people seem to think we're doing everything wrong. Being a missionary is stressful. And it's not buckets of roses and daisies. Just so everyone knows. Best 2 years? Yes. Also the worst 2 years? I'm only 3 1/2 months in but it could be. And that's not a bad thing! But sometimes it's a very frustrating thing.

The area is continuing to blossom and grow. The pattern is that when members are involved in any way we find new investigators. When they're not we can do everything in the world and it just doesn't happen. So get involved. Get to know the missionaries in your area. For goodness sake FEED THEM! Even if it's making food and dropping it off at their apartment or getting it to them some how. ANYONE can feed the missionaries. Open your house to them. Make it their bona-fide pit-stop for water and a toilet. Tell them when you're available to go teaching. Let them know your home is open for them to teach investigators in. Offer to host a party of sorts at your home where they can invite people. Like a bonfire, game night, sports events, ANYTHING. Invite friends to ward parties and activities. ANYTHING. 

Do you see the pattern here? Ask the missionaries how you can help them and they will tell you. If not call the Mission President and he'll make sure they find something. ANYTHING. I don't care who you are, what your life is like, how much money you make, how much you work. YOU can help the work move forward. YOU can receive amazing BLESSINGS that will pour out in your life as you work with missionaries. So STEP UP! And then let me know what things you did so I can use it to help people here. They have so little, and there's so few of them. But they do so much, because they recognize the importance. And they recognize that it is their RESPONSIBILITY.

 It's also a commandment......just throwing that out there.

Something big is setting up to happen here in Dublin, VA. I know someday I'll come back and be able to be in awe of the growth here. I'll say, "I remember when 70 people coming to Sacrament was a good Sunday." "I remember when Dublin and Pulaski were part of the Radford ward." "I remember when the closest temple was in North Carolina, but they were in the D.C. temple boundaries."

It's pretty awesome here.

-Sister Packard

Best:

1. Meeting Elder Bingham's little greenie.......that was so long ago for me :)

2. Staying up til 2:30 Wednesday night helping Sister Stone pack and then leaving at 5:30 to get to Blacksburg for transfers.

3. Crepes at the Morgan's for dinner.

Worst:

1. Change.

The Week (and a half) of Transfers, Miracles, Etc.

September 10, 2014

Well, transfers are Thursday this week so it's finally P-DAY! You ready for the overload of awesomeness? Neither was I, so here we go!

Another rough week but getting better every time. All I can say is President Salisbury is on top of things and doesn't mess around! He's pretty cool. 

The weather has been high 60's to mid 70's. The leaves are starting to change color and fall to the floor. The storms have gotten bigger and cooler. Our power has been going out more. 

Sister Stone is leaving me to head to Ashland, Kentucky (they have the nicest apartments in the mission). My upcoming companion's name starts with a "W" and that's pretty much all I know. I forgot her name and they didn't know too much about her. Elder Kleiman is going home....shocker. Elder Bingham is going to be training!!!!

Pulaski High School FOOTBALL! Yeah we got to go. A member plays and we're starting to teach his friend so I foresee a few football games in these next 6 weeks :) I LOVE FOOTBALL!

Investigators:

There were 5 at church.

Sandra is close to finding a job which hopefully means close to moving out of her boyfriends house so she can be baptized. He's the member, but he's a butt and a half about her moving out or them getting married. It's not like he's hindering her Eternal Salvation or anything. 

Scott was able to come to Sacrament and has been reading more, but we haven't actually taught him in a week because of his schedule. It's not fair! 

Michelle and Jo love us and have been asking awesome questions about the Gospel. They'll never convert of course, but that curiosity is gonna get 'em if they're not careful! 

Juniper is cute as ever and they all came to church again!!!!

Maizy is the friend of the football player. She's super down to earth and really wants to know more. We don't know how much of it has to do with how cute she thinks said football player is......but we'll find out :)

Jeffery, Junior, and Paige came to church with Bobbie Sue. That's the whole family right there! Jeffery loved it, but he wants to come a few more times before really getting into lessons and moving forward. I can respect that. He also admitted he listened to all the lessons anyways :) He's a funny guy and I'm excited to see him really start to grow now. Junior made me the brush that I'm sending pictures of. He found the squirrel on the side of the road and stapled it onto the brush and carved my name into it. We're in the Appalachian's!!!!!!!!! Don't get much better than this!

E.H. is less-active because of work, but his girlfriend has been taking the lessons. He just started a new job that will allow him to not work on Sunday's anymore. She allowed us to pass her information to the missionaries in her area. She really seems to love reading the scriptures and learning more. 

Laura came over to dinner at a member's house because she saw a picture of Jesus they had and started asking about their religion. Laura has never felt "home" at a church and just wants to follow Christ. She cried just talking about him and wants to be baptized. We haven't even taught her anything yet......but she's always been "drawn" to learn more about Mormons. I guess now she knows why. She was our miracle Sunday night. At the beginning of the week we set a goal to have one miracle and I knew something awesome was going to happen. It was Laura :)

The Morgan's had an awesome bonfire for us and there were lots of people there and 3 non-members and 4 less-actives. It was so much fun and we got to play with the kids clearing out the garden that morning! Those kids are awesome. 

The bonfire was awesome. 6 feet tall and hot as anything. Then a huge thunder and lightning storm started crashing right above our heads. Most people left at that point but it was awesome. I love the storms here.

Pulaski and Dublin are BLOOMING! People have been talking about this "big change" coming and I feel like we're at the very top of the slide waiting to get the little push we need! I love you all!

-Sister Packard

Best:

1. Caramel popcorn.

2. It's really cooling down.

3. The trees are so pretty!!!!!!!!!!!

Worst:

1. Being a missionary isn't fun all the time.

2. I really want a bonfire on the beach now.

The Week of Humbling

September 1, 2014

Bah. This week was pretty rough on me. Dumb emotions. 

I knew that serving a mission would probably be the hardest thing I would ever have to do (at least I told everyone it would be). That is turning out to be true. Not in the way I thought it would be.....and I can't tell if it's better or worse this way. 

The Elders gave me a blessing and I was really hoping for some relief and comfort and what not, LIFT MY SPIRITS! I got very specific counsel but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for :) I was told that this was one of the toughest times I would face in my life and that it's hard. And it's going to be hard my whole dang mission. BUT my prayers of faith are the only way I can overcome these hardships and get through it. With all trials there is the relief that comes from the Lord.

We had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders (STL's) and lost our car. (Side note: I honestly don't understand the point of STL's. They're supposed to be for our emotional benefit so we don't turn to the Elders, but they seem pretty useless to me so far. I love them. But they're useless.) While walking from Tuesday morning to Friday afternoon we saw MIRACLES! We were at the right places at the right times to see and meet people that were great miracles. Also the fact that weather was WONDERFUL from the second we dropped off our car to 10 minutes before we picked it up. Heavenly Father was just a little kind to us.

In the Radford ward there was 2 baptisms in the month of August. Both live in Pulaski. Pulaski is considered one of the toughest areas in the mission. BOOM BABY! When I first got here as Sisters we were teaching Elias, but Elder Lopez took over while he was here and then the Elders have seen miracles with him and his desire to change. We love this family so much! We drop in when we need to laugh and have our spirits lifted! And they have not just a car, but 2 cars! Do you know how rare that is here?!?!?!?! Super. It was an exciting day. I got to speak on the Holy Ghost.

In Sacrament the 5th Sunday is missionary Sunday! Elder Bingham spoke on faith, Sister Stone spoke on baptism, I covered the Holy Ghost (again), and Elder Kleiman finished with repentance and enduring to the end. We work really dang well together and have seen amazing things happen here. 

Members did so much for us this week as we worked around without a car. One of the biggest helps was Sister Morgan. The Morgan's are the BEST! The only reason you're getting an email today and not tomorrow is because Brother Morgan lets us use his Vet office for emailing every week. They feed us at LEAST once a week and we go over there more than that for water and toilet breaks as we're working in their area. They do EVERYTHING for us and they're awesome. They're also very silly and so much fun to be with them and their 5 kids. 

Juniper is doing great. They came to church again this week! We didn't even call them to remind them. The WHOLE family is coming. The WHOLE family is participating in lessons. And the WHOLE family seems excited to see us every time we teach. 

Scott is doing pretty good, but we don't see him enough to feel confident in his progress. We've had to step back a bit as he adjusts to a new job he hates, and the fact that his wife is probably going to pop out a baby any day now. So we're moving slowly but steadily and he has great support from people at church. 

Sandra has been taking lessons from the Elders since January but is living with her member boyfriend........ So they recently moved from Radford to Pulaski and we're confident that we're going to see her make changes. We committed her to finding a new place to live or figuring out marriage plans soon so she can be baptized. I was very bold. But I didn't do it on purpose. I just knew what I needed to say so I said it! She cried a bit and we talked about different things. She's ready. She just needs to be brave and trust the Lord will provide a way for this to happen......easier said than done with no job and living on disability. People here have rough lives.

The work is moving forward people! Are you helping it advance or hindering it. There is no middle ground!

-Sister Packard

Best:

1. Babies, marriages, and pregnancies. It's all I hear about from home and I'm freakishly excited and happy about all of it.

2. I held a Sugar Glider (weird animal).

3. I got to play with kids a LOT this week.

4. I'm still alive and kicking!

Worst:

1. The Sugar Glider peed on my arms.

2. It's going to be hot this week.

3. Sister Stone is sick.

4. I can't hold children.......

5. Being a missionary is HARD!

The Week of Pirates

August 25, 2014

Life is great!

Scott has this crazy resolve to quit smoking and change his life completely. He knows we have something he wants and he will do what it takes to get it. 

We are now teaching Pirates. Tammy and Captain James! He's got the long hair and loves his pirate hats and rum! We have a hard time getting in the door but when we do it's great discussion and you can feel the spirit working. They're just busy a lot. 

We did a lot of service for members this week. Specifically painting a house for a newly wedded couple with the Elders. The fumes are a little much at times but it's nice to do something different. 

We finally were able to teach Michelle and Jo. They're in their 70's and we've been helping them build the brick wall in the back yard. We taught a simple lesson about the Book of Mormon and their curiosity is continuing to grow and lead into great discussions we can really build off of. We're seeing HUGE change in their attitudes and feelings towards us. He even called President Salisbury about us. We don't know what he said. But we're assuming it was good things.

We hit our Standard of Excellence this week! Sister Stone has never hit those numbers on her mission before so it was a big success for us. To hit it you have to have 2 people set on date to be baptized, 2 investigators at Sacrament, 3 lessons with active members present, 3 new investigators, and you have to hit your goal for people you invite to learn about the gospel. Doesn't seem like much? Come to Pulaski and say it to my face. It's HARD! But we knew we would get it together! We've only got 2 more weeks together before transfers so we're trying to make the most of it.

We set sweet 9 year old Juniper on date to be baptized! She is the cutest thing but so very shy. Her parents are less-active so we've been working on them all coming to church and making changes together!

We won't have a car this next week so we've been preparing mentally and emotionally for walking around downtown Pulaski all day for a week. It's gonna be rough but we're also really hoping members will step up and be active in the missionary work (and drive us everywhere) :) 

Change is happening here. Everyone keeps saying, "This area is going to boom soon and we need to be ready." It's been the main focus of ward councils and the Stake's main focus as well. Particularly Dublin and Pulaski. So Sister Stone and I are feeling the pressure but we're also excited to be a part of it. The last baptism in this ward was over a year and a half ago. Since I got here. Bobbie Sue's been baptized, the Elders have a man getting baptized Saturday, and Scott should be baptized 2 weeks following that. It's just the beginning! Less-actives have been flooding Sacrament meeting (12 people this week). That not might seem like a lot. But when the congregation only has 70ish people, it's a huge difference. 

Life is so wonderful people. The Lord loves you more than you could ever know! Thank you so much for all the love I get from you! I miss everyone but I'm so glad I'm here!

-Sister Packard

Best:

1. Being barefoot at any opportunity.

2. No marriage proposals this week for either of us.

3. The Morgans had "The Garden" and made us copies. We've been JAMMING OUT like crazy. Like Elder Kleiman would say, "LALALA Why are you standing there? LALALALA I feel nothing!"

4. Noelle and Rachel sent me a package full of LOVE!

Worst:

1. We took some awesome selfies with a tortoise that I won't have til Elder Kleiman goes home in 3 weeks.

2. No car for a week............

The Week of Proposals

August 18, 2014

Let's just start with the title shall we? My very own, lovely, Sister Stone was proposed to Monday night. We had an awesome FHE at a members house with several non-members including Bobbie Sue's son Junior. He pulled us outside during dessert time and we stood there not wanting to eat our desserts assuming he wanted to talk about smoking or something like that. He started talking about changes he needs to make and how he doesn't have a lot of money and I started shoveling cake in my mouth as fast as I could so I wouldn't start laughing out loud. I immediately knew where it was headed. If you could have only seen Sister Stone's face. She was absolutely terrified. Of course she said no and then that night we had to make some phone calls to our district, and zone leaders about the situation. We also had to call President Salisbury and make him aware of the situation. All is well! She's staying here and the Elders are teaching Junior from this point on. 

We have a new investigator Scott!!!! He is a super normal guy and we are so excited because no one around here is normal. Everyone always has some sort of an issue. Thursday night we taught the first lesson, Sunday he came to church, then after he asked us when he can be sealed to his family. He said he learned more in those 3 hours at church than he has his entire life going to church. He's 24 and his wife is 18 and pregnant with their second child.......FUN! She is baptized but stopped going to church when she was 13. So it's a fun situation but he is solid as anything and is just ready to be baptized and change his life.

We've been working ALOT in Radford this week with Elders Bingham and Kleiman to move the ward forward. Elder Kleiman goes home September 11th though so he's getting really trunky. BUT we work hard and have fun! 

What else?????? Music rules have changed!!!!!!! We can now listen to anything that brings the spirit and could be played even in a fireside. Not just sacrament. So that opens up classical music and other really great options. So if you would PLEASE love me enough to send me music that would be awesome.

Life's crazy today and my brain isn't functioning well so this will have to be it! Love you all.

-Sister Packard

Best:

1. Sister Stone got proposed to. Best moment of my mission thus far.

2. I didn't get sick at all this week.

3. I've decided on no more sweets!

Worst:

1. I've decided on no more sweets!

The Week of Priesthood Blessings

August 11, 2014

They're just the best. And I got lots of them. What need I say more? 

Bobbie Sue got baptized!!!!!!!!!!! There, you now get a name, even though it's not her real name, but a name she really goes by. Oh she was just glowing and so excited to be baptized. And Sunday she was confirmed and partook of the sacrament and was "tickled pink" about it. She really is cute.

Sister Stone and I sang in church and I wanted to remind you all of my true personality in case you forgot :) 

It's been raining like crazy. Constantly and pretty heavy. The roads have flooded in some places and our power went out for 5 hours on Saturday. BUT! There are lots of puddles for me to drive through :) 

We've got some ridiculously good potential investigators that we're working with and starting to really build trust with. We also are starting to have great success with less-actives. Between us and the Elders we had at least 10 non-members and 6 less-actives at church. We felt pretty successful :)

Sorry this week is short, though I'm sure most of you aren't! We gotta get headed to go bowling with our Elders!

-Sister Packard

Best:

1. Our apartment is just the best and we have fun decorating.

2. Let the baptisms begin!

3. I only peed a little when singing in Sacrament.

4. I love the rain.

5. I made Sister Stone laugh every day.

6. PUDDLES GO SPLASH!

Worst:

1. I just wanted Sister Stone to hold me and tell me I was pretty. Instead she threw me on the ground and punched me in the face busting my lip.......sigh. (Obviously there's a lot more about me messing with her and laughing but still.)

2. Spiders and creepy bugs galore. The rain pushes them inside and washes away the bug spray.