A Whole New Week...

So. So many big things have happened this week! So I'd better just jump into it :)

1) We had zone conference in Eugene, which took just about alllll day, over twelve hours, actually, including travel time, but it was magical. It was the last time many of us would see President and Sister Young before they leave, and there was just so much that happened I can hardly relate even part of it. So much inspiring stuff, and so much love. We had a Q&A with them after the talks, before a testimony meeting, and it was really fun, because we talked about all sorts of good things, inspiring, funny, random, weird...all sorts of good stuff :) I asked "What is your favorite item on the McDonald's menu?" since President (in his real life) owns several McDonald's, and he said, "FINALLY, a good question." and then they answered and proceeded to tell some excellent stories of how they raised their children with "one true religion and one true restaurant." Haha

It was also Sister Fale's birthday, and she's obsessed with Big Mac's, so Sister H1, Sister H2, and I took her out to McDonald's, which was a nice tribute to her as well as President and Sister Young. And also, it was Sister H1's first Big Mac, so that was monumental...We stuck a french fry in Fale's Big Mac and she blew it out like a candle on a cake. It was magical. Haha  

 

We were assigned to make scrapbook pages for President and Sister Young to remember us by

and bring them to ZC...here are mine! :)

Sister H2, Sister H1, Sister W, and I! I love these sisters :)

Sister H3 (came out with me) and Sister L. They are some of my heroes,

even though I hardly know either of them. :)

Sister N (she was in the Coos Bay Zone with me) and Sister A (she was companions with Sister T right before I was, so her reputation preceded her!)

They are in my zone and they're excellent.

Sister F and Sister M (she was in the CBZ as well :)) Cuties!

Farewell to President and Sister Young. 

I am so sad they're leaving, cuz they have been so good to all of us.

But this is certainly not the end of everything ever, so it will be okay :)

 

2) I went on exchanges with Sister W while our companions went to the temple! It was very reminiscent of the last time our dying companions went to the temple and we got to be companions for the day...apparently that's just a trend! She has been oh so excellent to me the last week or so, and we get along splendidly. We also found out from K that it was half-price shake day at Sonic, so we grabbed some super cheap shakes while we were waiting for our tires to be fixed! :)
 

These are the lovely, lovely sisters in the Roseburg Zone :)

And this is R! He's excellent and I love him.

And this is K! She's a sweetie and I love her. 

Both of them are our neighbors, so we see them quite frequently.

It's always an adventure, and I love it. 

 

And when we went to go get our tires fixed this week, I just had to take a picture of this sign. Cuz my first name is Lauren. And President and Sister Young's last name is Young. And this sign says "Lauren Young". I thought it was cool. Everyone else thought I was weird. Haha

 

 

3) We had some truly excellent dinners this week!  The food was wonderful and the company was even better. The B Family took us to Red Robin, so that was exciting and delicious! And the S Family, whom I just met when they had us for dinner this week, are EXCELLENT and he loves to give us a hard time. And he always calls us "beautiful ladies" or "girls" and his wife always gets mad at him and makes him call us "sisters"...haha

 

4) D got baptized! It was excellent and so, so exciting. She has truly been prepared, and she just embraced the gospel so well. She said that she just feels like this church is where she belongs, like it's her family, and she loves how simple it is. We also had a movie night with her on Sunday, and we watched Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration and ate ice cream :) I just want everyone in the world to watch that movie, because it is so TRUE!! And it is lovely. Especially Joseph and Emma's relationship and all the nice things, and how steadfast Joseph was, even in the midst of such trial! 

D is excellent and it was a lovely time :) 

 

And these are the majority of the people that came to support D's decision to

follow the Savior through baptism! WOW! Great people. I love them so much :)

 

5) I got a package from Brantley and Erin!!! Thanks for the SUPER cute shoes, I have worn them every day since I got the package, and I am real excited to try the trail mix! And the note made my whole day. It was darling and made my heart smile. Thank you!!!

 

6) I am getting transferred to GP tomorrow to be with Sister C in the Riverside Ward! I am excited for what waits for me there. I met Sister C on the ride in the transfer van from Eugene to Roseburg, and she seems really great and really happy and nice, so this will be good, I think. 

 

7) We went to Wildlife Safari in Winston with Sister F today!!! It was the BEST thing and she is the BEST person. I love that family oh so much. Plus, they're really nice and let us do laundry at their house every week :) Some of the animals were being really boring today, cuz I guess it was nap time/food time, but some of them were really fun! Mostly the emu and the deer. And we had oodles of fun with them. I petted many a deer, with their cute faces and fuzzy antlers...and we had fun with Sister F and the emus with their "laser red eyes", because she HATES them. It was such a blast.

 

The animals at Wildlife Safari were so close and so cool! It was like the zoo on steroids! I loved it.

And the bears decided to do some yoga for a little bit...

 

And Sister F said that you can tell this elk has been out partying, cuz he

forgot to clean up the streamers on his antlers...haha

GIRAFFE!!!! 

 

CUTEST deer. With fuzzy antlers. That I touched.

Selfie with the emu!

This deer bit my hand..and also licked me a lot. They all did. I giggled.

 

Sister F HATES the emus! She is terrified. Haha.

But this emu just smiled at us and had funny hair :)

 

And DAD! I saw a holstein! :)

 

 

We also fed the ducks...

...and fishies!

 

 No words needed.

We helped Sister F bag some real, just picked blueberries

while we waited for our laundry...and I ate some and they were so delicious :)

 

P-days are great.  And really, every day is great as a missionary, just in its own way.

You are all also great. EACH of you. I love you. Keep being awesome, you are in my prayers. :)

Love,

Sister Partridge

 

Missionary Life is the Craziest Life.

...or maybe it's just my life.

 

So this week has been a whole mess of things, and I have minimal time to email. So I pray that this even makes sense as I rush through the events of this week.

 

The reason I have less time than normal is because we had a zone p-day today! We had a barbecue and played dodgeball and kickball and it was just really fun! It was so great to get to know everyone better and on a different level and become better friends. And to just run around like crazy people! Plus, we drank otai, and that stuff is soo good and it was nice. 

 

And it's raining like mad here right now, and I have just missed the rain SO MUCH. I guess I've still got some AZ in me! Or I was just meant to be in Oregon. Or both :)

So since I've been in Roseburg, I have almost hit several deer, turkeys, squirrels...But I still think it's crazy to just be driving around and see deer chilling in a field and watching a turkey walk past them...and a couple of days ago, we saw some deer in a field and there were three little teeny baby deer and it was just so cute.

 

This week, we were teaching a lesson on gratitude to a couple of sisters we visit, and we played a game where we went around and around and around and said things we were grateful for! It was so fun and it was so great to really get thinking about it and get creative! And we ended up going really fast, and all of a sudden, the one said, "Uh...uh...I'm grateful for my coffee pot!" We died. And we told her that next time we would be talking about the Word of Wisdom and how she should keep her baptismal commitments of not drinking coffee...haha. 

 

I got to play foursquare with Sister H and Elder U and Elder T and some kids from their ward. It was great, and I love Sister H--she's just adorable. And she is also really great to talk to--she's so calming and loving and she's going to be the best mom. 

 

Congrats to Jarret...Elder Taylor on your mission call to Italy!  You are going to be a fantastic missionary and what a neat place to go!  My friend will be coming home from there as you are going.  It would have been so cool if you would have served there together.  I'm so happy for you and love you SO much!  It will be amazing to have 5 of us from our family being missionaries at the same time!  Yay!

 

It has been an absolutely crazy week, and there have been so, so many feelings and I was a holy royal mess most of the week, in all honesty. But I'm grateful to be out here, doing the work.  Heavenly Father is so great at always being aware of us and answering our prayers. Even if solving our main concern is not in His plan for us quite yet, He will always answer us with small blessings to remind us that He is there and that He truly loves us. And that is a remarkable thing, friends. I am oh so grateful for that and for Him. He truly knows us and loves us. How beautiful that is.

 

Oh, and Happy Father's Day everyone! Even if you're not a dad. I hope it was a great day. But if you are a dad, I hope it was extra special and wonderful! I have the best dad in the WHOLE WORLD and I am forever grateful for him and all that he does for my family. He is the most humble, hard-working, wise, silly, selfless, patient, steadfast man I know. I'm so glad that God let me have him! :)

 

And we all have the most wonderful Father there could be--our Heavenly Father. Even if your relationship with your earthly dad is not what you want it to be, don't let your relationship with God be the same way! He is there waiting for you, already loving and blessing you. Just let Him in and always strengthen that relationship! He is truly the perfect parent. How lucky we all are :)

Thank you all for loving me and for your emails and letters and thoughts this week! You are wonderful and I love you all. Also, not to be selfish or anything, but feel free to write me. That would bring such happiness to my heart :) 

 

Have the greatest week! Work hard, be happy, and be kind. And I will too. Love you!

 

Love,

Sister Partridge

 

 

Poor Elder O was barbecuing in the rain today...he's a good ZL. Haha

 

 

We played dodgeball and kickball and it was wonderful! 

 

 

 

First Week in Roseburg!

Hello friends and family :) I hope you have all had a great week and that you're enjoying summer wherever you are! Also, congrats to everyone who has graduated in the last couple of weeks! I know that's a huge deal and a super awesome feeling, so way to go :)  And congrats to Josh and Kylee and baby Braxton! Such great news!

 

So much has happened this week, and I feel like it went on forever! But here we are at another Monday, ready to start week two of the transfer.

 

To begin, I just want to let everyone know that no one in Oregon believes in air conditioning. And it is ridiculous. In Florence, it wasn't so much of a problem, but when we walk into our apartment here and it's hotter than it is outside and there are no fans or a/c, it doesn't make it easy to sleep. But it is still cooler than Arizona, and it's a great place to be! It's beautiful. But I feel like that's a given if you're in Oregon :)

 

I finally got to meet Sister A (pic last week) who trained Sister W, and Sister Ad who was Sister T's last companion! And I'm back in the same zone with Sister W, Sister H, Elder K, Elder T, and Elder L, who were all in the Coos Bay Zone with me before! And Elder S and Sister H who were in the MTC with me! Super cool!

 

Also! I got to meet someone that met my mom at work in January! And, turns out he is in my ward! His name is Bro Hansen, and he came up to me after Sunday School yesterday, and he was saying how he went to Mesa and he went into "Um...that place where your mom works." And he said how Mom saw "R, Oregon" on his temple recommend and she asked where it was, and he said it was by Eugene. And she said that a "cute, blonde sister missionary" would be coming their way once I was out of the MTC! So apparently he's been asking all the missionaries if they know me and he's been watching for me for the last 5 months! And now he's not only around where I'm serving, but he's in my ward! Small world, friends. It made my whole day to hear him talk about my momma and to hear of his thoughtfulness. How sweet of him to remember, even after months and months!

 

This ward is great. I already love Bishop S, he is really nice, and his wife reminds me of my mom, so of course I like her. And there are so many other members that I met yesterday that are just so nice!

Also, how can you not like an area that has a Broccoli Street and a Panda Lane? Haha

 

Speaking of panda...to "celebrate our companionship" a couple days ago, Sister Fale surprised me and told me we were going to dinner at Panda Express! I love Panda Express. So it just about made my week to hear that. Especially because we don't eat very many meals, because we are working instead. Yay food.

 

One of our recent converts leaves notes on our car almost every day, and the other day, he left one that said "Good morning, good lookin'." And I was kind of having a rough day already, and it just made me laugh and made my heart happy. And I was just thinking about how simple that was, but it had such a good impact on me! So. My challenge to all of you is to do something simple that will make someone happy! Leave a little note or something. I'm not necessarily suggesting that every note you leave includes "good lookin", cuz that might get kinda questionable, but just do something nice that will make someone smile :)

 

I also went on exchanges with Sister H this week while Sister Fale and the other Sister H went to a training meeting in Eugene and a hike in Florence! Sister H is excellent and I just love her. And that was the most eventful day ever. Big points: I ate at Red Robin for the first time, we lost the dogs of one of their ward members and searched for them for half an hour (YIKES), I met the sweetest lady who said really nice things about me, and we ate a yummy, healthy, gluten-free lunch.

 

AND this week I got the sweetest little note from Sis Clark from home that made my heart so happy, and a package from home with yummy sweet popcorn, more Arizona tortillas, and lots of pictures! It made me smile :)

 

I also had a strange experience while we were tracting. We knocked on this door, and I was ready to say something about how the gospel that Jesus Christ taught was restored through a modern-day prophet, and when I opened my mouth, I was testifying of God's plan for this person and His knowledge of her individually. And, the weird part, when Sister Fale asked her name, I already knew it. When she opened the door, before she said a word, I almost called her by name. It was so strange, and so cool! We have yet to meet with her, but I'm excited for when we do. We also have gotten to teach the cutest little family! The elders actually found them, but we have been able to teach them, and I love them already. It's a young mom with an 8-year-old named A and a 3-month-old named P. The only downside is that they're moving to Payson, Utah in two weeks! So we don't get to teach them for very long. But they came to church yesterday, along with another family that is planning to be baptized, and they have been so sweet.

 

The work is good! Keep praying for me and all my fellow missionaries. I pray for you. And I love you!!!

Have a marvelous week, friends :)

Love,

Sister Partridge

 

My Zone (Isn't she cute?!)

Still My Zone

Sister H, Sister H, Sister Fale, and I all stayed up to make bubble gum leis for President and Sister Young since this is their last transfer!

This field was pretty. And very Roseburg-y. I liked it. 

 

 

Onward, ever onward...

Well friends, so much big stuff this week! It has been insane.

 

Big news that you'll probably want to know: I got transferred today! Heavenly Father has decided that it is time for me to move onward to a new area! I was pretty shocked, and I couldn't stop crying for a while. Like, pretty much all of Saturday off and on. Ha. But it's just because Florence has been so great and I just LOVE the people there! The work is moving along, and it is beautiful, and I have made such wonderful relationships. I am oh so grateful to my Heavenly Father for allowing me to serve in Florence! I have learned so much from these people, and they have constantly been inspiring me and teaching me and helping me grow and love. It has been such a blessing, and it is so sad to leave. 

 

But it is also so good, because now I get to experience R! Since this morning at 7:30, I've been assigned to serve in the Melrose Ward with Sister Fale! I already love her, and we have great missionaries in our zone, so this will be an awesome transfer. 

 

But packing, man...That's gotta be one of the very biggest downsides of getting transferred: packing. We were up until after 2am this morning cleaning and packing and preparing the area for two new sisters! And then we had to get up at 4:30am to get ready and go to Eugene. It was insane, and needless to say, I am real tired. I'm not used to staying up late anymore! Missionary life has gotten to me. Haha

 

Sister T is going HOME tomorrow. That is just mind blowing, and I am so glad Heavenly Father let me be companions with her! She's excellent and I shall miss her. But she's good at writing, so that will be way nice :) Also, Sister R from home is going home tomorrow! It has been great to serve with her and get to know her even more! We are sure blessed with the most wonderful missionaries in the world in the OEM :)

 

And Breanna! And Trenton! You got married! That is just so super crazy, but I'm sure it was magical and I'm so happy for you. I love you!!!

 

So Monday, we had an awesome p-day activity with B and the L family! We hiked Heceta Head Lighthouse, and we got to tour the inside of the lighthouse, so that was super neat! And also, it is just plain gorgeous. I will miss living there for sure. And we had a super yummy lunch at B's and tried Snoqualmie Honey Cinnamon ice cream (it is DIVINE) (French Lavender was not...to me, at least) and picked wild strawberries and salmonberries and had all sorts of good adventures. We also took a quick trip down to Cape Perpetua, which was also gorgeous, even at low tide. AND, we randomly saw President and Sister Young and the AP's! That was totally unexpected and a nice surprise! It was so fun all day, because all these tourists, people we didn't even know, were saying hi to us left and right and little kids were shaking our hands--all because we had tags and were missionaries! It's so cool to see other people's respect and love for our calling. It is certainly a great one!

 

And we had some totally amazing lessons with J and with J! They are so wonderful and solid, and J totally wants to be baptized! We just have to work it around his trip to New Zealand. I feel so blessed to have been able to work with them, especially in these foundational stages! I just love Florence. And the gospel. So much goodness.

 

And Sister T and Sister R got to go to the temple this week, so I got to go to Port Orford and do some work with Sister W! It was fun. And it was cool to see the spirit that Sister T had after being inside the Lord's house!

 

And the H's and the W's were out of town last week, and we finally got to see them again! I almost cried. It was like coming home. I love them so dearly and I'm so, so grateful for all that they have done for us! Such neat people.

 

And I got a letter from Sister W! She is excellent and I learned so much from her, too! Funny thing: The sister I'm replacing here is going to be companions with Sister W in SC now! 

 

And we have had so many funerals in Florence this month...we have already had 3, and one of the people we have been working with, Brother Currier, passed away this week. I absolutely love that man, and I always loved visiting with him. He was such a gentle giant and so loving. Good family.  At a funeral (of a sweet 102-year-old woman in our ward) this weekend, we asked our Relief Society President if we could do anything to help. We meant to help with the food, but she came back with "Sure! You can prepare a 20 minute lesson for Relief Society tomorrow morning!" Umm....Of course we said yes! But we were not sure when exactly we would prepare it, as we were already striving to find time to do all our appointments and prepare the area for the new sisters! Sister T had an impression to teach How to Recognize and Follow the Spirit from Preach My Gospel (BEST BOOK--not just for missionaries. For everyone.), so we did! We taught the hexagon of personal revelation, and I think it was a success! The Lord will help us when we need it :)

 

A couple days ago, we were on our way to go visit someone, and we saw one of our people driving a truck load of boxes and wood. So we were like, "Hey! Let's go help her!" So we just flipped right around and followed her home and went to serve her! ...Turns out it was trash, but we were able to have a good visit with her anyways! AND, best thing ever, she finally came to church! I was so so happy, especially since it was my last Sunday and fast and testimony meeting! 

 

So, all in all, this has been a crazy, crazy week, with lots of ups and downs, but it has been good and, even though change is hard, it is exactly what the Lord knows I need. He knows us perfectly and loves us infinitely. I am so eternally grateful for that, and I pray that I will always be humble enough to accept His will with happiness! 

 

How is everything there?? My address is still, and always, the same, so don't let that stop you from writing me and telling me about your lives!  (That line made me laugh out loud! Silly girl!)

 

Thank you so much for all you do. I am over and over so grateful for the examples that have been placed in my life and I hope to be as great as each of you! I love you!

 

Love,

Sister Partridge

 

*Biopsies came back clear! No melanoma!!!

 

 

We were IN that lighthouse! Isn't it pretty??

          One of the members in Port Orford has the cutest yellow truck! If you know me, you may know I love yellow, and I love old trucks.

So this was just too perfect!

 

And we went to see Battle Rock on our way out of town! Nothing too exciting,

but certainly gorgeous!

 

These are the H's and R. I love them. The H's are like parents to us and they are such great people! It is so awesome to see how excited R gets about missionary work and how much the H's do to support us. Love them.

 

 B is also great! She's so fun to be around.

Sister S

  The L Family,

The L's.  (I only got half the family--the other half was already asleep! :( )

 

 We got mustache straws...and they were excellent.

We finally saw a bear! ...sort of...

 

 Packing was insanity...that's all.

 

 Sister T and Sister M! (I don't think Sister T ever just smiles for pictures...so her. haha)

 

 Sister R, my MVT friend! 

 

 And I finally got to meet my "grandma"--Sister A, who trained my trainer!

She's in my zone now, so that will be fun.