The Week of Eyebrows

I'm gonna brag for a second.

But first, some back story!

When I was 11 years old I snuck my sister's razor and shaved my uni-brow, only I really shaved half my eyebrows off. And I never thought it would grow back the right way so I never tried. Then in March of last year I realized that I was the crazy eyebrow lady. They were so far apart, and so thin, it just looked ridiculous. So I went bushman for MONTHS of no plucking or nothing til they grew back. And now I get compliments left and right. I'm still learning how to say thank you because it's been my biggest source of self-consciousness for all this time.

So yeah, I've got rockin eyebrows apparently!

 

Now to the serious stuff. Pam and Dennis passed their baptismal interviews and are all ready to be baptized on Sunday! We're excited. They're excited. They've really been our focus this week and we didn't find any new investigators, or really even see any of our other investigators........nobody seemed to ever be home or available.

 

Saturday our plan was to walk and walk and walk all day. So of course it was DUMPING rain all day..........so we tracted! And we were soaked. But it's amazing how much people will open up to you on their doorstep as you're taking a non-stop shower. But of course they don't invite you inside.

The "best" is when they open the door and say, "Girls the weather is terrible! 

Get dry!" Then they shut the door.

Thanks. But it was also funny to walk up to a door that magically a sign had appeared saying, "Don't knock on my door and don't ring my doorbell." So we didn't. But I really wanted to put a sticky note on there that said, "Ok, we won't!" But, I'm a dork. Anyways, that was a very wet day. But fun!

 

For church this week we participated in a 100-something Stake broadcast from Salt Lake for the North East area. It was awesome! 

Elder Kacher spoke about the importance of living your life as a member to be an example!

Then Sister Reeves gave a very powerful talk about Repentance and the joy that can come from it. I definitely received inspiration during her talk. But my favorite part was when she was explaining how sometimes we think the most unselfish thing to do with our sins is hide them and not confess, so they don't hurt others. But she made it very clear how that is the most selfish thing we can do. It was cool.

Then Elder Neil L Anderson spoke a LONG time about member missionary work and how easy it really is! Perfect! He also talked a lot about having the missionaries in your home any chance possible. I liked that part :) Then Elder Hales spoke about the importance of family and strengthening that nucleus first. All good stuff.

 

Sunday afternoon I kept feeling like we needed to go visit a member who's been in the ICU in Charleston for a while and we haven't visited her in a week. Sister Campbell was on board so we headed over and walked right into the room to see 2 women standing around the bed. We just started talking to them about their sister and how we're always around as missionaries. 

Finally we looked at the bed and realized it wasn't our member. They were complete strangers. Never talked to missionaries before. Awkward. But we admitted our faults and we all laughed. Sister Campbell shared an extremely powerful scripture from the Book of Mormon (that I can't even remember right now) and we were able to teach them about the Restoration of Christ's Gospel to the Earth and his Church. God works in mysterious ways I guess.

 

I'm excited for this next week. It's going to be great!

 

-Sister Packard

 

Best:

1. Homemade granola and yogurt from a member in the Ward........oh yes!

2. Dark chocolate covered acai and blueberries. Fruit snacks for adults. They're wonderful.

3. Biscuits and gravy. I really am getting quite pro with making that.

4. All of my "bests" this week are about food :)

5. Nana said she was going to send me entries from her journal......coolest thing ever. Journals are so important!

 

Worst:

1. We found a blender in our apartment and this morning I put in all the ingredients for a super yummy and wonderful smoothie. The blender doesn't work!

2. This is also a "best" I guess. But I think we cracked the code to what is a big part of me getting so sick. We think I've developed an intolerance for greasy things. Oil, butter, etc. which is great being in the land of Paula Deen where butter is their life blood. Oh well.

The Week of Psalms and Proverbs

April 20, 2015

Here you go:

Psalms 27:14

Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

 

Psalms 71:7

I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.

 

Proverbs 3:15

She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.

 

Proverbs 3:17-18

Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

 

Proverbs 4:23

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

 

Proverbs 8:34-35

Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.

 

Proverbs 16:3

Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

 

Proverbs 16:9

A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

 

I especially like the verses about wisdom that sound like they're just talking about a woman and I can make them about me :) Cuz I'm a dork like that. Anyways! This week was crazy. But awesome.

 

We've been having great lessons with Dennis and Pam and they're ready to have their interviews this weekend and then get baptized next week! They were both self-sufficient in getting themselves to church this week and loved it as ever.

 

Sis is being a bum and honestly just doesn't want to change..........so we might have to stop seeing her for a bit. But her neighbors have really opened up.

Like Grumpy. (yes the Sisters always call her Grumpy). She's normally very grumpy :) We were talking about some things in a group setting with neighbors and she told us we should come by some time and talk. She doesn't think she can ever change...... We'll see :) That was something we never expected to happen.

 

We had an awesome lesson with Danette this week. She's gone through several sets of missionaries but has been stuck the whole time. But this week she very humbly asked us, "How can I know I'm good in God's eyes? I've been praying so much for forgiveness and I still feel like something is missing...."

Can I just say, this is a missionary's most exciting moment of the day. We got to testify about baptism for the remission of sins and being a member in Christ's one and only Church on the earth. She came to Church and hopefully got the answers she was looking for.

 

On Friday I got to go on exchanges and party in Charleston for a full 24 hours! It was fun to be next to the mission office and in such a big apartment. It's HUGE! And brand new for them.

 

It's interesting how a mission brings up a LOT of things from the past you never would have remembered otherwise. I feel like all these memories keep coming up of things that are making me face and deal with my problems. Like the root of my problems. Gross. It's good, because to truly heal I believe you must know what it is that caused the pain.

But it's also frustrating because I'd like to be able to focus on.....not those things right now. But I know they're coming up for a reason and I just have to face each one head on. I'm just grateful that, for the most part, they've come one at a time.

But, some missionaries seem to float through their missions and nothing phases them. I feel like each week I've been beaten black and blue by something! But it's hard. It's supposed to be hard. It's been hard the whole time. And it will be hard the whole time. It will be the hardest thing I've ever done the whole time. And it makes me want to go home a lot. And I whine a lot.

 

Yesterday I hit a point where I felt like I couldn't do it anymore. I had no desire to go out, I felt like I couldn't face the world, and I just wanted to curl up in bed and cry. So I did for a good bit. Luckily my companion is very understanding and took the time to re-decorate our front room. Anyways, crying, a 10 minute crash from exhaustion, reading Proverbs and Psalms til I laughed, then a prayer. It seems to be my pattern.

But the important thing is moving on. Enduring. Don't give up. NEVER give up. I always remember Phil saying, "Once you get to the MTC you're there. And don't you DARE come home early."

 

Meh. No sympathy. But at this point of my mission it's much easier to deal with things than it was at the beginning. So, PROGRESS! Maybe it is really adding to something :)

 

Last night we needed to find one more investigator for the week and it was starting to get dark. Sister Campbell was praying and I thought of our investigator's daughter! Chrissy, we've heard a lot about her but never met her. So I pretended to listen to the rest of her prayer but I was just so excited to go see Chrissy I couldn't pay attention............ :)

She let us right in and sat us down. The house was teeming with screaming kids. The T.V. was blaring. But the Spirit was still there (one of my favorite things I feel like I'm learning is how to control what I can control even if I can't control the "big things").

First we shared about Family History. She has a great desire to learn more about her Grandfather and his family (his Mom was a member of the Church). Then we talked about how the Book of Mormon can answer any question we have. I thought she was going to cry. She shared how she's always been told you never ask God, "Why?" But just keep pushing through.

We shared Nephi's story of asking, "Why? Why do I have to go camping for 8 years? Why am I leaving all my friends, my house, food, money, and comfort?" And look what happened to him!

Heavenly Father wants to answer all of our questions. He wants us to understand. Needless to say, we found our new investigator. And we're excited to go back :) I KNOW the ancestors on the other side are involved with Chrissy and her Mom Pam. Watch out for miracles next week.

 

May you all see the wonders and miracles that are around you all day every day. No matter how bleak. And if nothing else, pray to know what you can have control of.

 

-Sister Packard

 

Best:

1. Walmart has a gas station!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It' so cool. Not really, we haven't used it. I just get excited about stupid things.

2. Sister Campbell is starting six months to sexy, so I'll get like.... eight months to exponentially good looking?

3. When your companion trusts you.

4. Discussing Atlantis and black holes in a Gospel setting. So much fun.

 

Worst:

1. It's getting hot, and our air conditioning doesn't work.

2. No pictures this week. I didn't bring the right technology......

3. I groggily crashed into the bathroom yesterday morning and reached for my toothbrush. Instead I grabbed a spider which ran FAST and I couldn't see anything cuz I wasn't wearing my glasses and I just screamed and freaked out til Sister Campbell found it and flushed it. Not my favorite way to wake up in the morning.

The Week of Spring!!!!!!!

April 13, 2015

It was sad to leave Morgantown. Especially since we found a super awesome family my last night there........of course. But change is good. Especially this one. I feel home again! I don't know what happened in Morgantown. I've never felt so out of place. Normally I can force my way into people's hearts and make them love me, but I felt like such a dunder there. Bleh. That's over now.

Welcome to Teays Valley! It's like, flat here. It's so weird!!!!!!!!!! But I love it. The trees are turning green, the flowers are blooming so beautifully, the weather was perfect for 2 days (now it's hitting 90's), there are 7-elevens here (SLURPEES), Sister Campbell is pretty chill, we found 3 investigators in 15 minutes, and I get to drive every day!

Logan got baptized last week and was confirmed this week during Sacrament meeting. He's an awkward duck, but aren't we all? I'm amazed at his understanding and the knowledge he has about the church. The people here are so prepared. It's ridiculous.

Dennis is a 75 year old sweetie who also has amazing depth and understanding of the Gospel. He wants to be a Sunday School teacher after he's baptized. He's on date for May 3rd! I'm blown away by his understanding as well.

Pam is in her 40's and also getting baptized on May 3rd. She is ready and loves everything we have to teach her. She's working on quitting smoking and drinking coffee. She is a sweetheart, but we didn't find her a ride in time for church this week.................that hurt. We asked and asked but no one would or couldn't for various reasons. It was super frustrating. We haven't had a chance to talk to her about it yet but we'll be teaching her tomorrow.

Sis is in her 50's and has done hard prison time. She's pretty cool, she thinks so anyways ;). She's working on quitting smoking and drinking coffee as well. Well, she was. She kept saying, "It's just never going to happen." She spent a solid 45 minutes talking about prison and how she can't quit. 

I had no idea what to say. And I could tell Sister Campbell didn't either. So I sat there and prayed and prayed to know what to say or do. Finally I just asked her what she wants. And she started going on about not smoking and changing her life and yada yada. So I whipped out my favorite 1 Corinthians 10:13 about how God NEVER gives us temptations we can't over come and always gives us a way to overcome our temptations. 

She said, "But,..." and I felt this overwhelming prompting to chew her out. So that's what I did. 

"I would never say this unless I felt like Heavenly Father absolutely needed you to hear this." And then I went off about how God is calling her and she is running out of chances. There are no exceptions to God's promises. She needs to get her act together and stop procrastinating. We expect her to change and do it now. And maybe we just haven't found what will help her the best to quit smoking. 

She was very quiet and then looked up and said, "I LIKE YOU!" She's going to do great. And if not I'll kick her in the butt. I have never done anything like that before. I think that must be what Elder Holland feels like all the time. It was terrifying but pretty cool. I wish I could accurately describe what it was really like. 

She started talking about how she wanted to get a new keyboard and start playing gospel music again and what not and it hit me! She needs music to help her quit smoking! So I ran out to the car and gave her all my CD's....................that hurt my soul to do, but I promised her that if she turned it on every time she got a craving and sang as loud as possible the cravings would leave. So that was cool. It was just crazy. And awesome.

We got 4 new investigators this week and we're really excited about all of them. China and Tammy are in their 20's and Marilyn and Pam (it seems like everyone's name is Pam here!) are late 50's. We're excited to start teaching them all. We got to briefly talk about the Book of Mormon and the message we have to share and I think the coolest experience was when we were talking to Marilyn and she shared about how her Grandma was a Mormon but she never knew much about it. Guys, people on the other side of the veil are so involved in missionary work. I know she told us that so that we would know her Grandma was there and going to be there til she figures out that this is Christ's one and only true church on the earth today. I'm stoked.

This morning we got to go help a member remodel a house they're going to be renting and we'll get to help them every P-day morning for a few weeks at least. Today we ripped out counters and removed lots of wall-paper. I love doing that stuff!

-Sister Packard

Best:

1. President Salisbury shared at the transfer meeting that his Grandson was born earlier that morning and immediately developed pneumonia and wasn't doing well. He and Sister Salisbury were very emotional and asked for all of our prayers. Little baby Emerson is doing much better now and hopefully will be leaving the hospital soon.

2. The flowers are so pretty!

3. SLURPEES. Do I really need to say anything more?

4. There is a "Somewhere In Time" antique store here :) 

    Michelle, ya jelly?????? (worst movie ever. "REEECHARD!")

5. They have sidewalks here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you know how strange that is for the WVCM (West Virginia Charleston Mission)? I'm making Sister Campbell walk everywhere because I LOVE it so much.

6. MOMMY WE GET TO SKYPE IN A FEW WEEKS! (I'm hoping to talk to each sibling for a minute or 2 individually and then spend the rest of the time talking to Mom. It's hard with all of us on at the same time to hear everyone and stuff. But I want to see all of you.)

Worst:

1. I'm out of money. Mom I'm so sorry. I promise that next transfer I will not spend a DIME on my home card.

2. All my colored undershirts are worn out and not wearable anymore. So if anyone wants to, I'd be so happy to find a package with Down East Wonder Tees that are assorted colors. Size medium cuz I've gotten fat :)

3. I'm almost 22.............I've started telling people I'm 22 to get used to it. UGH.

4. My remaining transfers are May 21, July 2, August 13, September 24, November 5, then I come home December 18th. Weird huh.....

Write me! Send me things! Emily, and T I need family pictures from you guys so I can print them out and carry them with me! You guys are the only ones I don't have recent pictures of. T I can't use the picture from the blessing because it's too grainy to print :(

107 Arbaugh Dr #6

Hurricane, WV 25526

P.S. Its pronounced hur-eh-kin........welcome to West Virginia.

The Week I'm Going to Teays Valley WV

April 8, 2015

This week was awesome. We had lots of really cool experiences. We found a new family and started teaching them. The Holy Ghost told me some cool secrets. I realized, once again, how much I suck and need to change. 

Sister Banks is going to Dublin, VA!!!!!!!!!!!

I threw up all day Monday and couldn't move Tuesday or Wednesday, but it was still a great week. No food poisoning like I hoped. That was just a nasty flu virus. I threw up all over the library bathroom floor. I've never done anything like that before and I was so embarrassed.

Today we're going to play chair soccer one last time and beat each other up while eating pizza and having fun.

Mom, I've spent so much money lately. Please don't hate me.

I loved Conference. Conference is almost better than Christmas on your Mission. But I did feel sorely chastised in many different ways during it. I did something a little different this time. Instead of taking notes on each speaker I had 3 questions I needed an answer to and listened for the answers. I liked it, but I wish I had 3 questions for each day.

Once again I feel like I don't have much to write this week. I don't know why but I feel like everything that happened this week was SUPER personal, for me and for those we met with, so I don't feel like I can really write very much about what actually happened this week.

I love you all lots.

-Sister Packard

Best:

1. Duke is the National Champion baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. Easter packages are so much fun!

3. I'm still living out of my suitcases so packing won't be bad.

Worst:

1. This week was kind of a blur. I don't even know.

PS

Oh yeah, we got lost in the mountains of Maryland on the way home from our District Meeting. It was fun!