The Week of Miracles and CHRISTMAS!

November 10, 2014

So this week was........exciting.

We've been teaching our neighbor and he told us in our most recent lesson that we're not Mormons, but we're true Christians. And that's a compliment. Did you know that a true Christian is someone who accepts Christ and then never sins after that, because if you do sin you were never a true Christian? And out of the 2 billion people who are "Christians" only like, 2 thousand, are "true Christians"? 

Well, folks, I sin every day.....sorry.....not a true Christian.  And he compared us to the group in Waco, TX that killed themselves because they believed Jesus told them too.  And then he told us that our next meeting will be an "apologetics" lesson where he gets to ask us anything he wants and we have to prove the answer with the Book of Mormon.........and I was like, "No. We're absolutely not doing that." So we're probably not going to be meeting with him again.

But it's interesting to see the different "arguments" and "proof" people have. Because as they get closer and closer to the truth their arguments against other points of doctrine are worse and worse.....It's kinda funny.

And it's interesting to see that nobody wants to pray about what we teach, they want us to PROVE it to them. No faith involved at all. In the "bible belt" where faith is EVERYTHING. We were also told this week that our faith wasn't good enough to get us into Heaven. This if for reals people.

I've been amazed with Sister Lopp this week with her strength. She had a moment where I saw how much she is really struggling and I felt like a dope for not catching on sooner. She's been here her whole mission! If I started out here I would be home by now, no joke what-so-ever. She's strong, but it's brutal and she is taking it hard. So prayers for my sweet companion would be lovely and appreciated. 

I prayed and received inspiration from the scriptures. Alma 15:16-18 and Alma 21:14-15. It might have been illegal as missionaries but we took an hour (I forced her) and we got orange juice and oreos, decorated our house for Christmas while blasting David Archuleta Christmas music, and then ate fried SPAM sandwiches. Made all the difference. As missionaries we can't teach or help others if we're "in prison". Certain needs must be met first personally before we can turn outward to help others.

We have an investigator who just switched to night shift and is really struggling with getting enough rest, and ultimately accepting the Gospel as truth. In a moment of spirituality I promised him that if he came to church he would adjust to his sleeping schedule immediately and have an overwhelming feeling and sense that the church is true......so he came! 

And again, we promised he would absolutely know by Wednesday that the church was true, and if he didn't, it's not true. So hopefully this gets out fast so everyone can pray for GLEN! Sister Lopp and I are fasting tomorrow for him. We know from Moroni that the faith of one can produce miracles in the lives of others. So please help add your faith for this miracle.

We got a text from a guy named Brandon asking who we were since he had the number in his phone. We told him who we were and asked if he wanted to learn and he said yes! So we met him this week and he's a real person who's really interested and we're excited to see progress. We asked him what he wants and he said, "To leave things behind in my past." What 18 year old wants to repent? We're stoked about him.

What else, oh yeah!

ARE YOU READY FOR MY CHRISTMAS LETTER?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Christmas music brings in a joy that nothing else can. So I have a special request. Will every single person who reads this send me your favorite Christmas CD's so I can have that music to feel the joy? I promise that I will send it back to you the following week. Especially in an area where it can be so hard to stay positive this will be crucial for Sister Lopp and I, or any other companion I get.

Now here's my Christmas list.
(As a missionary I've learned that no one will act unless you ask them too, so we learn to have no shame and just ask :)

-letters!

-go take a family photo, close up to your faces, with a real camera and email it to me or print it out and send it to me with your testimony written on the back, or just the picture.  EVERYONE. Not just family (though especially family), but everyone who sees these words!

-gift cards!!!!!! (so many stores here) TARGET, Walmart, Old Navy, Kohls, Loft, Chicos, Talbots, Chick-fil-a, Panera, Penelope, Rue 21, ETC, ETC.

-your favorite scripture and why

-anything else your heart so desires!

-"10s and 20s"  :)

Health-wise, my throat isn't hurting, though the sores are still there and kicking. My headaches have improved DRAMATICALLY!

Thank you to everyone who has been praying and fasting for me. It truly makes a difference. But now of course I'm getting Sister Lopp's cold......

-Sister Packard

Best:

1. Sleeping on the couch because of snoring and sniffling all night.

2. An investigator at church!

3. People just light their yards on fire to get rid of leaves. Everything is burning all the time. It makes me nervous, but then I remember it's too wet to catch on fire. It's just weird.

4. CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!!!

5. A man at the library looking for a Book of Mormon when we're there......perfect.

Worst:

1. The nerve of some people

The Week of Halloween

November 3, 2014

I don't know if you knew this, but Halloween really isn't the best night for missionaries to be out and about at night. So what do you do at this time? You go "TEACH OR TREATING!" I still didn't know any members and we wanted to be safe. So we stole this idea from our Sister Training Leaders and ran with it. We made little hand outs with Alma 32:28 and challenged all the members we saw to read a "delicious" scripture for every piece of "delicious" candy they ate. It went pretty well and we were pretty proud of ourselves.

 

We got to meet Elder Renlund from the Seventy and he is awesome! We had our Mission Conference and there is just something really special about being in a room full of missionaries like that. Everything discussed were things I BADLY needed to hear! Lessons about positive attitudes and the blessings of the Spirit. Awesome. 

I ALSO got to see the Martins because they drove the Sisters up and that was just the highlight of the week. I love them so much.

 

Saturday we got to have interviews with President in the chapel of our church. That was really cool. I sat down and he said, 

"Sister Packard you are on fire! Do you feel on fire? You don't look on fire. Are you doing all right?" 

So I got to tell him about the headaches and sinuses and all the problems with that and he gave me this advice. "2 excedrine and a Coke." 

So I did! And it worked. I was hesitant because I really think Coke tastes disgusting and I kept thinking that I'm gonna have to tell people I drink Coke to get rid of my headaches and they're just gonna judge me and think I'm addicted to it so I get headaches when I haven't drunk it in a while and that's why it gets rid of my headaches. But I was obedient and saw the blessings. I also didn't sleep at all that night. I swear I could hear my insides rattling with energy.

 

But now that I've gotten that pretty under control of COURSE something else has to be wrong. I'm not entirely sure what it is yet but we're thinking tonsil stones? My throat was hurting and swollen so we grabbed a flashlight and found big open sores on the back of my throat that look like pockets. Nothing in them, but bleeding and gross looking. It looks like something from an alien movie or in the deep depths of the ocean. We're trying to figure out what the heck it is and how to make it go away. Hopefully it'll be quick and painless. I knew I should've gotten my tonsils removed before coming out......

 

We had a lesson last night that was crazy. We thought he would have standard questions about polygamy or something but we went straight for the deep doctrine. Where did God come from? Did he have a God? Did he live on an Earth like us? How is he endless and eternal if he had a starting point? Who is our "Grandfather" in the God sense. I just kinda sat there. I had no idea what to do. He's determined that knowing these things are essential to his Salvation. And my brain was hurting just trying to pretend I could find the answers even if I wanted to! 

People here are nuts. I'm too simple for Bible scholars who have everything memorized and are studying to be preachers for a living. BUT I'm here for a reason cuz that's what President told me. I just gotta find out the reason.

 

There's a couple here we're teaching and they are just the cutest things. They race horses and love the farm life. They love canning food and living down to earth. I LOVE THEM! But John challenged me to eat a pickled egg, and then a few other things. And I did. And it was gross. But I impressed him so that's good.

 

There's so much work to be done here. So many doors to be opened and we're trying to make the first crack. I've been countlessly promised miracles and finding those families that are READY. So I need more faith and prayers. Pray for me to have that faith? And thank you for the prayers and fasting on Sunday. I could feel the love :)

 

-Sister Packard

 

Best:

1. Elder Renlund's sure testimony.

2. Excedrine and a Coke!

3. I only had 1 jolly rancher on Halloween and only had 2 other pieces of candy all week! BOOM!

4. Christmas music :)

5. Writing my letter to Santa. It's coming next week people. Be excited.

6. People down South have the CUTEST decorations and I love getting ideas for the future.

 

Worst:

1. Tonsils.

2. My lack of knowledge of the Bible.

3. Not sleeping well lately.

4.  It's been very windy lately!