Updates and Photos!

Hi all.... Elder Packham's mom here!  I am sorry I am having a hard time staying up-to-date on my missionary blogs.  I am getting excited for them to come home.  53 days until Elder Packham comes home and 51 days until Elder Harris comes home. I am a VERY blessed mom!

Photo - Photo Credit goes to Ivan Ximenez

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November 7th - More Reflections

So I don't know how many of you know this but my mission president and his wife have discovered a stage three colon cancer in his wife's colon. This means that they will be unable to continue as mission president in our mission. I don't know how to explain the way that I reacted other than pure tears for about ten minutes full of pure emotion for the family. 

We were given the assignment to share the news with our zone in our zone meeting this week and I want to share with you all what I saw and what I learned from that event. 

As we shared the news we say various reactions from the missionaries. Some cried, some didn't react, and some seemed as though nothing was happening. I want to generalize this to some that came to me as I was meditating about the savior this morning in the shower.

What will our reaction be to the savior?

I think that it has to do with how these missionaries reacted. Some of them are brand new and don't know president and his wife like those that have time in the mission. How many of us haven't gotten to know the savior in our lives? Some of them haven't been able trying to assimilate presidents plan or the obedience that he asks of us. How many of us aren't doing whats required to live his plans? Some of the missionaries have been in open rebellion to what president had asked of us. Are we in open rebellion to gods plan?

I want to talk to you about what I feel like I've lived here in the mission. I feel like I felt the impact because I've been striving to be exactly obedient and to understand and love the things that president has asked of us, sometimes doing them without fulling understanding why. I think this will happen with our relationship to the savior. Those that are going to feel the greatest love and joy on seeing him are those that are trying their very best to do what he asks of us here in this life. 

I hope this was understandable its something truly special that the spirit taught me today.

 
I want to invite you all to evaluate your relationship with the lord. Hes waiting to greet you with the immense love that he has.
DyC 123:17

Love,
Elder Packham~~~~~
October 31st - Reflection

So I want to share with you all something that I've been meditating over. This week our bishop, the bishop of my new ward, asked to speak about missionary work at the last minute. It was an interesting experience because asking a missionary to talk about missionary work is like asking a fish to talk about water. I had so many thing I wanted to share but I had to narrow it down to like three things so I want to share them with you so you can study them for yourself.

• The Parables of Elder Talmage
• Be humble (i think its called in english)
• D and C 138:55-56
• Matthew 28:19-20
• Alma 26:12-13

Their great I hope you all enjoy it as I have! :)

~~~~~  October 22nd- So....

Well I love you all!

Have a super successful week!

Love
Elder Packham

spiritual beings and the human experience

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October 15th - Faith in Our Savior

I want to share with you all something that I've been meditating a lot on lately...

2 Nephi 31:19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

This second part has been the main focus of my thoughts lately. What does that really mean to me? Where is my base? Do I rely on him?

I want to invite you all to read and ponder this talk. I cant express how much this talk has helped me to stay focused and stay motivated.

valiant in the testimony of jesus

I love you all!
Elder Packham
Are we sleeping through the atonement?

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October 8th - Mediating

So as I was thinking about what to write you all this week I couldn't help but thinking about some things that were seeing in the mission. Something that we've talked about in the mission since I started was something called Doctrine, Principle, Application. Like many things in my life its taken such an insane amount of time to begin to understand but I can now say that I have a starting idea.

Something that we have to understand is that its something beautifully simple but amazingly extensive. I really feel blessing to have been able to learn about these things and find them for myself in the mission. The gospel is something so very special to me even more so now. I now have a beginning to the great process of learning that the lord has provided us. I would love to invite you all to study what Doctrines, Principles, and Applications are.

Something that happened this week: I was allowed to receive spiritual confirmation that I'm improving. I know that the lord has been watching over me and seeing the same things. Its truly so great because I haven't felt like I had been progressing greatly the last little while. My companion and I have been talking and have come to the conclusion that now especially in the offices is one of those moments where when you get here all the time that you had to prepare finished. I don't know if that makes sense in English, in other words all the preparation had to be done before hand. However looking at it a little more that's how life is once any moment gets there all the preparation ended and you better be ready.

I want to share with you all my testimony that if we have our base founded on Christ we will be ready for everything. There are times that I feel down and worried that I'm not good enough but I just try and do my best so that I can be sure later. DyC 123:16-17

I love you all,
Elder Packham
Enjoy my fotitos :)