So this week has been a super interesting experience for me as I have been pondering all the things that I could do better. I have been doing a lot of thinking about the law of consecration that we have as members of the church. It's not something that we have simply in a monetary sense --we have been given it as the opportunity to encompass all aspects of our lives. I love that if we all live this law and give our best effort we will never have to ask what could I have done better.
This is from a conference of Elder Uchtdorf-
“Sometimes we think that those we help are the ones who receive the greatest blessings, but I am not so sure,” President Uchtdorf shared with the audience. “Something happens within us as we extend ourselves to others. We become more refined, more charitable, more humble. Our hearts become more receptive to the Spirit, and the windows of heaven can be opened to us.”
I want to invite all of you to study D&C 88: 77-79 and think about what the doctrine of the kingdom is. I could tell you but I think that you can all find that for yourselves. I can only tell you that I have a testimony that if we all live this that the world would be a very different place and the people would be a lot happier.
I had an amazing impression this week. We were passing an elderly woman that was herding her sheep, as we passed by we said good afternoon. Her reply wasn't something that screamed for us to go and contact her, but as I continued walking the spirit whispered to me, "remember the shepards." As I pondered that thought I found myself turning around--- I've never felt the spirit so strong in contacting as we talked about the birth of Jesus Christ. I love this new initiative!!
I really love you all and hope that you are having a great holiday and that you are feeling the spirit of Christmas in your hearts. I love this time of year when all thoughts turn to our Savior and redeemer.
Sincerely,
Elder Packham
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11/30/15 - Cerrito 1
So I have officially moved from cuidad to pueblo and I love it!!! I can't help but think about growing up in a small town ---its so nice to be out in the open air (choking on the dust, sometimes haha) The town is small but I believe that there is huge potential here that hasn't been realized just yet. Things here have been interesting -- its like my companion and I are both learning the área so we will see what we can find here in this lovely Little town.
So this week I have spent a lot of time studying service and how it relates to us as a law of god. Something that I cant get over is that we have so many things that relate to service in the góspel. I invite you to find something in the góspel that invites you to do something that wouldn't benefit someone else. I could bet that you wont find something that cant be applied one way or another to helping other people.
An experience I want to share----is something that I learned before the misión that made a huge impact in why I am here today. When we serve we feel good! It's that simple! When we serve we change the perspective that we have and we can and will feel better. I learned that in institute--the more that I served, the less worried I was with all the things that I had to do and the better I did the things that I had to do when it was time to do it.
When we serve others we experiment on chapter 11 of Matthew verses 28-30. We are given the opportunity to see for ourselves how easy His burden really is. I want to invite you all to read the Psalm that is referenced in these verses and think about what its promising us if we apply the principle of service in our lives.
I really love all of you I hope that you know and can feel that. I write these letter not for just one more thing to do Monday but hoping that you are reading applying and progressing with these spiritual messages.
Con todo cariño,
Elder Packham
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11/23/2015 - Changes (Transfers)
I;d like to start by asking you all to pray for my brother I don't know how many of you know but he is in the hospital right now and could use all the love and support that you can give him. I love him a bunch and right now he's going through a hard time so all I can ask you all to do is be with him through your prayers.
So its that time again for us to see what the Lord has in store for us. I think this time is always interesting for missionaries because we really don't know how to feel before or after our changes. When we get to our new areas we start working like we know how to do but its always an interesting experience. I will be going to an area called cerrito 1 and Elder Saldivar will be staying here. My companion asked me the other day how I felt about my work here in this area and I said with confidence that I feel good about the work that I have done here.
Something that I want you to do is to think about the impact that you are making in the work of salvation in your area. I want to testify to you that you can be missionaries like those guys with a name tag all you have to do is share what you believe with those around you. I have had special experience with the Holy Ghost when he tells me to talk to someone in the street and I do it. I'm not saying that they will accept what you have to say what I'm saying is that you will have a special experience with the spirit because you did what he asked and he will continue talking to you. How often do we receive impressions like this but we pass it over saying that it isn't anything?
This week we had a really cool experience with a member that was helping us with a visit. We got to the home of the investigator like we always do but the investigator wasn't there like sometimes happens, so what did we do? We went contacting with this member and his wife! We started talking to a gentleman but something really special happened a women passed by us that was a friend of our member so they started talk, we said good bye to the gentleman and went with this lady. Before you knew it we were teaching a lesson in the home of this lady and she came to church this week!
MEMBERS CAN DO MISSIONARY WORK!!!!
I love you all with all my heart, pray for my brother,
Elder Packham
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11/16/2015 - Baptism
So what can I tell you about this week! We had the joy to baptism part of the Chacon family so I hope that you know that all those that prayed for them those prayers were answered. I really love this family they are so strong and I don't have any doubt that they will continue strong and firm in the gospel.
This week I have been pondering the Hymn 221 "Dear to the Heart of the Shepard" I have been so touched by these words as I think about my own call and amazing opportunity that I have to help Him in this work. I know that I might be here for a little while but I will not act like a hirling I will be a Shepard. I want to invite you all to study the words of this hymn I can not help but feel the love the He has for me and all those members that have lost there way.
4. Green are the pastures inviting;
Sweet are the waters and still.
Lord, we will answer thee gladly,
"Yes, blessed Master, we will!
Make us thy true under-shepherds;
Give us a love that is deep.
Send us out into the desert,
Seeking thy wandering sheep."
I think that the Lord wants us to learn how to love. Not a superficial love but how He would love those that we serve. What He is asking is that we change, and we will independent of that invitation, what we decide is how much we change.
I don't have a lot to say this week I just want to invite you to read this hymn and think about what you can do to help your brothers and sister come back to the fold. I would love to hear your comments. I really do love you all and hope that you are experiencing all the joy that the gospel offers.
Love,
Elder Packham
Foto: The baptism they aren't smiling but they are happy I promise.
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11/9/2015 - My Sabbath Day
What is the Sabbath day? You could put a profound definition on that or say that it was a day in which the Jews reverenced by strict observance to a code of conduct, or you could simply say that it is the Lords day. But what is the Sabbath day to each and everyone of you? We had the amazing opportunity to see our attendance double in our sacrament meeting this week and 7 of our investigators made it to church (they were even early). It was our fast and testimony meeting (where we can share our testimonies).
I was sitting there in the church thinking about all the less active members that we helped come to church that week and I couldn't help but think about the sacrament. They started the ordinance and I wanted to do something that would better help me focus on my Savior Jesus Christ and I went to my bible. I was looking at all the scriptures that I had marked about repentance through out my mission and thinking about why we take the sacrament. I found a scripture that really spoke to me that I later shared in my testimony its in Mathew 9:12-13 Its when the pharisees are talking to Christ and "ask the question" about why he spends his time with sinners and publicans. His response was how I feel about the church and all of us. We come to church because we need this medicine we need to partake and the bread and water and truly repent of what we may have done during the week.
I know that I'm not perfect and I know that I have a long way to go but I know that every week I go to church and really think and put my trust in the Lord that I can change. I love you all and I hope that you all know how great a gift it is to participate in the sacrament every week. I hope that this week you might read about repentance and the Savior as you participate in the bread and water. I hope that doing this it might change this ordinance for you like it has for me.
I love Sunday its the lords day and I hope that you will all be able to enjoy it as much as I do. The scripture that has captured my attention and will have me thinking is Ezekiel 44:23-24 I invite you all to ponderize this scripture this week and share with me what you think.
Con mucho amor,
Elder Packham 😁👔
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11/2/2015 - Fotos
Our zone without the sisters (sorry kind of)
Our inactive that started coming to church again ( recieved melchezedik priesthood)
FHE we had with our investigators and a family in the ward
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11/2/15 - Interview
When was your last interview with our lord Jesus Christ? For you member I would hope that it was last week and something that you are doing every week. Its something so special that we have the ability to do this, every week we can know how we stand with our older brother Jesus Christ and god our eternal father. This week my companion and I have had the opportunity to ask the baptismal questions to our investigators and see how prepared they are to take the name of Jesus Christ upon them.
I want to share with you all that during these interviews the spirit is almost palpable in the air as you hear them share there sincere testimonies about these gospel truths. One sister we were interviewing shared with us how she had lost one of her babies before it was born and you could see the sadness in her eyes. It was something that she hadn't shared with us before. I was able to bear a powerful testimony about the experience of my mother and I found in this moment a testimony that I didn't know I had about babies that return to our heavenly father before there time.
With one of our other investigators we were able to see how much she needed to repent and feel free of the load that she has been carrying most of her life. She began to cry as she shared that she needed to be clean and new. I will never forget this special moment we had with this sister. I want you all to know that you can repent and change your lives. I love you all so much.
I would love to hear from all of you the moments when you all found your testimonies. It could be about anything from prayer to tithing anything but do you have a moment or story about how you found that testimony.
Also I would invite you all to read DC 20:37 its one verse I invite you to think if you are prepared to be baptized?
Please pray for: Josefina, Romina, Itza, Aldo, Martin, Cinthia, Camilla, Gabriel, Mylin, Mary Cruz
Con todo mi corazon,
Elder Packham
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10/26/15- Repentance
My companion and I have been study the doctrine of Christ: Faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end. I have been impressed by how interrelated all of these principles are something that was really amazing to me was repentance and enduring to the end. Something that I saw was that if we expect to endure to the end we must expect and use repentance in our lives every day.
I found some scriptures that I would really like to share with you all. The first one is because so often we hear that we have failed or that we continue to fail what is the point of even trying. I want to tell you all that its a trap that Satan is trying to use against you. The scripture is in Proverbs 24:16 "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:but the wicked shall fall into mischief." In this what really brought my attention was about the what it takes to be a just man its not that he doesn't fall its that he keeps getting up. Just keep trying that's all that He asks of us.
On the other hand sometimes we encounter people that say that we don't need to repent or that they are fine without that. I would like you all to look at 1 john 1:7-9. I love that if we are are walking in the light we will realize that we must repent and that we have faults. I want to tell you that the lords lights will illuminate our flaws not to discourage us but to help us be better.
I would like to ask you to pray for Itza, Aldo, Josefina, Romina, Cinthia, Camilla, Gabriel and our area. Please if you can :)
I love you all and I invite you all to put this divine principle into practice,
Elder Packham
