Learning and Growing.....more wise every day

Elder Packham said this to me on Monday:

As a mother it must be a rollercoaster ride every Monday. The anticipation, the joy of emailing, the sadness of having to wait 7 more days; over and over 52 times.

So true… but let’s be honest, it’s more like 104 times. I live for Mondays.  As a working mother – I never thought I would say that but it’s true.  On Mondays I know I will hear from my missionary son and all day long I am patiently waiting.  I believe he used the word “anticipation” – the act of looking forward to something. Got that right!  This sums it up:

 

 

 

 

Since Elder Packham was called as Zone leader, his emails are definitely shorter.  It’s ok though- at least that is what I tell myself. 

 

Elder Packham just passed his one year mark.  Wow – where does the time go?!  As much as I miss him, in all honesty I have to say that it is going by so fast.  I imagine that he is feeling like there is so much yet to do and it is going too quickly. I hope and pray that he will stay busily engaged in the work of the Lord.  Here is his email from this week:

 

 

Mother,

 

Another week in the books! So much has happened! Wow! I just love it! I hit my 1 year mark! Yay! Best 365 days of my life. So much has happened in my life and I've grown so much. This last week was great! I don't know if it was this week or last. I gave the Stake President a blessing. Wow, talk about powerful. It's not every day you get to give your Stake President a blessing. Elder Mcleod and I held the new missionary trainer meeting this week and I conducted that. It was really good! One of our missionaries fainted last Monday and she was rushed to the hospital. They ran tests and told her that she had a tumor on her neck that was right by her brain. My companions Elder Mcleod and Elder Marshall went and gave her a blessing with President McMullen, a member of the mission presidency. They ran more tests to see if it was malignant or benign and they told her that it was weird and it isn't showing a tumor anymore. Miracles happen and they released her from the hospital not knowing what happened or what caused the fainting. She may still have to go home from her mission though, it's sad. I was able to get an interview with President Mecham this last week. Phenomenal! Just amazing. I love that man. I just learn so much from him. Transfers are in another 2 weeks. This last week was my year mark and thank you for the s’mores, we are eating those tonight I think. I just got off the phone with the Assistants and then our Stake President so now my train of thought is lost and I'm just so focused on gettin' business done. lol. OH! I found it, I was able to minister to one of the companionships in my zone on a 3 day exchange this week and that went really well. It was definitely an inspired exchange.

 

I am doing really well. I am staying happy, healthy, and well.

 

Happy 1 year mark! You've got S'MORE work to do Elder!

It seems so unreal that Elder Packham has been out serving the Lord for a year now.  I am full of mixed emotions about it.  I can still remember the October conference when President Monson announced the change in the missionary age.  Jacob called us right after the announcement and he was SO excited!  Jacob has always had this huge desire to do what is right and to serve the Lord through a mission.  I am proud of him for that.  As a parent, my biggest goal with my children has been to teach them to trust in the Lord ALWAYS and that He will always be there for them.  I often wonder as a parent if anything is really sinking in but Jacob reminds me that more gets through then I think.  I learned at a young age the storms of life come... and when they do... it's essential to be grounded in your faith.  Elder Packham has seen his share of trial, adversity, and grief.... even at a young age.... but he is grounded... grounded in faith and grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I couldn't be more proud of him.

As the year mark was approaching I was thinking about what I could to honor this special occassion for Jake.  I read a lot of different things online but none of them really fit my Jake.  So the other day I was at Beaverdale Confection and saw a s'more kit... you know the kind... where you have everything to make your s'mores.  Well, I instantly thought, "You've Got S'MORE Work To Do Elder Packham!"  Perfect!  It was absolutely perfect!  I hope he enjoys it.  When I sent it, I admonished him to think about all the miracles he has seen thus far and all the work the Lord needs him to yet accomplish and them get to work - because he has got s'more work to do!!!!

Since Jake was called as Zone leader his emails are definitely shorter but here is a little bit of what he shared this week:

Ahhhh. Monday's are the hardest because I never know what to email about. Seriously, so many things happen that I can't remember everything. Right now for example, all I can remember are things I need to know about our zone, investigators, our zones investigators, meetings. I wish I could impose everything I know with the type of a key but unfortunately I can't. Monday emailing might be one of the great stressful moments of the week for me. It's good though. One more thing won't hurt.

I am doing really really good. I am happy and well. Being a zone leader... It's quite a task. Missionary work is all about the love. When people know you love them they'll do anything. They'll take the lessons, they'll be baptized. Love has a very strong converting power to it and that's why members are so crucial. Because they have friends and acquaintances that they care about and the person on the other end knows that as well.

And he shared this:

Just having this solid gospel discussion with this man next to me. He believes the gypsy lifestyle  and that he can be reincarnated into anything he wants after he lives.  He's not really homeless but he camps out. He has a laptop and he just love it. He lives on his laptop. He's a great man, we tried to get him a job at the employment center. It's just cool to see peoples' beliefs are so different.

And then a picture of Zone training:

And for your viewing pleasure... here are a couple pictures of what we sent to Jake:

Missoula Leadership Council Pictures

Crazy Photo!!!! 

Serious Photo!!!