New Week, New Transfer, New Companion!

I don't have much time left to email...So I'll just do some quick
bullet points! Here we go! 

* Sister C got transferred to SF 3rd Ward to follow-up
train! She's going to be so excellent there and I'm grateful for all
I've learned from her! 

* I now get Sister M, whom I served with on the coast! She is
also Sister C's trainer! She is a total rockstar--a really hard
working, obedient, funny missionary! She's from Payson, Utah, and this
transfer will be so excellent. We can already tell :) Especially since
we already know each other and it's her last transfer, so we've gotta
make it good! :) 

* We lost Elder B to V Ward in Eugene! and got Elder J!
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I will totally miss Elder B.
He has been a riot to work with and there is never a dull moment with
that elder. It's been a treat. And working with Elder A and Elder
J will be too! 

* I got to see Sister Ca again!!! She's in CP zone, so not my zone,
but closer than Corvallis! And Sister W is in my zone!!!!! When I
saw her, I screamed and hugged her and cried right away. I love that
girl. Best "mom" ever. 

* We helped sew 200+ pillow cases for the children's wing at the
hospital for AA's eagle project! We were in charge of
matching fabrics to make the pillowcases look cute and cutting out all
the fabric. It was an adventure, and we kinda stunk at it, but it was
a fun job and a good way to get to know people and serve those in
need! 

* We ate dinner at the N Familhy and they have what we've titled "the
N Family challenge"...He mixes up a bunch of whatever's in the kitchen
and you have to eat it. And then you get an ultra King size candy bar
of your choice! I rocked it. They said that I just downed it like
they've never seen and I totally outdid all the other
missionaries--especially elders. That was pretty great to hear! ...Not
that we're competitive or anything... 

* Last night, as a packing break, we roasted marshmallows. We couldn't
get our fire pit to work out for us (I am not a Boy Scout or a
pioneer. That's all.) so we did it over the stove. Like I was back in
college. It was splendid. Thank you A family for supplying the
goods! I also burned a tie (with kissing llamas on it...?) for a fake
six month mark, and Sister C burned a dress for a fake year mark. I loved it all :)

* G doesn't feel ready for his baptism this weekend, so I don't
think it will be happening...but he is on the up and up and is
continuing to feel the Spirit, so it will all be good! I sure love
that family! 

* Bishop gave us word that S's papers are on their way, so we will
be able to set a baptismal date soon--probably for the month of
September!! I'm so excited :) 

* Happy happy birthday to my big brother! I love you so much, B, and
you are such a great example to me. You always keep things
entertaining and help me keep my head on straight. We will have to
have all the movie nights and dinners again when I get back to Provo.
I don't know what I would do without you and I'm so grateful to have
you in my forever family! You're a keeper :) 

* Congrats to Connor and Lexi getting married!!! You two are the most
gorgeous couple and you are going to rule the world together. I love
you so much, Lex! :) And Connor, I am excited to meet you!! :)

* I got some great letters this week!! Thank you to those who support
me in that way. I love, love, love to hear from you, even if it's
something boring. You are all my favorites, basically :) 

* I'm sure other great stuff happened, but I don't have any time and I
don't remember it all!
* Sorry this is rushed and not super spiritual. I still know the
church is true and I am loving this work more and more!! I can't
believe I'm almost halfway done...so not ready for that! 

* I love you all ten billion! Thanks for being my friends! :)

Love, 

Sister Partridge

Picture explanations--
First pic: The south half of the mission at the zone conference with a
Elder Nielsen last week! I am front and center in between Sister
Nielsen and Sister Russell...what a place to be! :) It was obviously a
struggle trying to get 150 missionaries to all look at the camera at
the same time and look pretty..haha






Second: It was Brother A's bday last week, and we didn't do
anything for the best ward mission leader in Medford! So Sister C
and I snuck onto their property with a bunch of post-it notes with
inside jokes and uplifting notes on them and put them on his window in
the shape of a birthday cake! It was a good time.






Third: I totally beat this guy at chess. He was pretty boring to play
against anyway...






Fourth: Elder B's favorite joke: "How many missionaries does it
take to change a light bulb? .... Two, but the light bulb has to want to
change!" These elders are excellent. And crazy. Bonuses of having an
elder that was on the cheer squad in high school!






Fifth: We ate some sketchy Mexican food out of a van! And I ate my
second lengua taco of the week! Earlier this week we had chorizo,
lengua, tripa, and cabeza tacos with a family we're working
with...it's been an adventure! I've totally loved it :)

General Authority visit, birthdays, and end of the transfer!‏

Hello again! :) 

I hope this week has been great for each of you lovely people. This week has flown by even faster than the last, and I'm not too sure what to do with that. Haha. 

This week has been full of things, as usual! I hope you guys aren't sick of me or my updates and that you still read them...That would be ideal. Especially when I send absolutely massive emails like this one is going to be...I am so sorry, in advance. 

Random things of the week: Sister C and I found a fire truck for sale in a parking lot in Phoenix...We didn't happen to have $4900 laying around, and President probably wouldn't have approved that purchase, so we decided to just take pictures by it instead. It was a fun time, and we are working on making it into a Facebook post, so stay tuned :) 

We also went on exchanges and I just really love Sister Cr. She is a bundle of fun and happiness and I love that I can be a little crazy with her, but also trust her with serious things. This mission just has the greatest missionaries in the world. As much as I exaggerate, I'm thoroughly convinced that that statement is true :) 

So, updates on my peeps: S received a calling, before she is even baptized! So that will be great for her. I love her and her kids, they are really just excellent all the way around :) And J came to church this week! Only for sacrament meeting, but we were so excited to see him there. J is on date for October 31 so we can have time to work on divorce papers and a marriage! And G's baptism is going to be next Saturday, August 30, because he accidentally drank coffee last Sunday, and we don't want to make him wait a week to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, so it's going to be a week later. But this guy is a champ, because who else can quit cigarettes and coffee at the same time, a month after quitting alcohol? He's excellent. That whole family is, really. I love to see how the ward embraces them and takes an interest in their progression. We've got a good ward :) 

And a good ward mission leader! They had us, J, G, and A, and the elders over for dinner last night. And they have seven kids. So it's a good thing there was a lot of food! The best part was definitely their birthday present to Sister C, though...They all dressed in their matching "Rise as One" BYU shirts and did a choreographed dance to "I'm Gonna Go on a Mission" by Nashville Tribute Band. Complete with heartfelt solos and everything. It was the best thing I have ever seen, I think. It will take a while for me to ever get over that. It was perfection. ***Mom, can I get one of those shirts? A medium? They are super awesome. I will even pay you the $10 if you wish. Thank you!!!

So yes, Sunday was Sister C's birthday!! She's 20 now...So old. Haha. We got two cakes, a gallon of ice cream, a pie, treats from the elders, a brownie tort, treats from Sister T...all the sugary food. We are so blessed! And it's so good for her to see how loved she truly is. We are surrounded by such thoughtful people :) 

AND it was my dad's birthday yesterday!! He is one of the best people that has ever been on this planet and I hope every one of you has gotten to meet him. Because he is stellar and is an incredible example to me of humility, selflessness, knowledge, and a good work ethic. I love that man :) A man gave a talk in our ward on Sunday about his dad and how he always knew he could trust him and turn to him, and I thought of my own dad and how grateful I am that I, too, been able to trust him and turn to him...and I cried. A lot. He is just so great, and also so old ;) 

And church was even more eventful, because I had a surprise visitor!!! My mom's cousin, Joel, whom I love so dearly was here in Medford picking up pears from the church orchard. So somehow, he found out where and when our church was and stopped in to find me! He found me pretty quickly, because I said the opening prayer, but I almost didn't find him. His friend had to grab my attention and, after I just kind of stared, Joel said "What's the matter, don't you recognize your relative without a hat on?" And then I started crying. It was so good to see him and hug him and I was just so overcome with gratitude and love and appreciation for the thoughtfulness of those I love so much. It was a great un-birthday present for me on Sister C's birthday :) 

And a great present to both of us was totaling up our weekly numbers! For those who don't know, we make goals and then keep track of certain things to measure and record how well things are progressing in certain areas and to keep everything all organized. Our focus is certainly not on attaining high numbers, but rather on individual people and their specific needs. But this week it was especially cool to see (in number form) the success we had! We taught almost twice as many lessons as normally expected, had many of our friends come to church with us, and have about a dozen people steadily progressing toward baptism! No wonder we have been so busy! I love to see how the work of The Lord is truly being hastened by His hand. It is such a miracle and a blessing to be such an integral part of this vitally important work. He truly needs each of us, with our different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities, to help Him do His work and bring His children closer to Him. How great is that :) 

We also found out that our zone has the most baptisms in the mission! We've had three in August. And all of them are from our district! And we will be having another one in August, so our district alone will meet our zone goal! Go team :) Have I said enough times what rock solid missionaries we have in this mission and how prepared the people here are? Best mission and best work :) 

It was also our final district meeting of the transfer, which was a sad time, because many members of our zone have been here for six months, which is typically the maximum time a missionary will be in an area, so they'll be leaving us. But our district all gathered around the piano to sing "Come Unto Christ" together, and bit by bit, our entire zone came in. So in the end, we had this video of our entire zone, about 25 missionaries, gathered around me at the piano, singing about the miracles our Savior has performed and continues to work in our lives as we come unto Him. It was a pretty neat experience :) 

And an even neater experience was our general authority visit yesterday!!! Elder Brent H. Nielsen of the Seventy and his wife (and President and Sister Russell) came to speak with us. This was Elder and Sister Nielsen's first mission tour back in the states in five years! They have previously been in the Philippines and New Zealand, and they have only been back for about a month. Wow! Through this visit and other instances the past few weeks, I have realized more and more how much I really just love to learn! You may not know that if you were one of my BYU professors or a teacher at Mountain View, especially since homework is my downfall, but it's a true story about me. And the gospel is the greatest thing to learn about! So this is an especially exciting time of my life and it was a marvelous visit. We talked a lot about the difference between the redeeming power of the Atonement and the enabling power of the Atonement and what each allows us to do and become. The redeeming power of the Atonement makes us saved by grace, while the enabling power of the Atonement makes us changed by grace. The Atonement of Jesus Christ, His sacrifice for each of us, gives us the capacity to serve beyond our own abilities and become greater than we can now imagine. How remarkable this is! We are so blessed! :)

Sister Nielsen also talked about our relationships with our companions and how they can be better! I so needed this, because I think I have just been a rotten companion to these wonderful sisters. She gave some great tips from her sons' mission experiences and marriage experiences that I am excited to implement! She said something that really stuck out to me.."When you love people for who they are, they flourish in your presence." She talked about "what it means to be a Nielsen" and how, when in-laws came into the picture, they kind of ruined it all! But then she talked about how that's really okay. How people come from different family cultures and as you open your heart to them and love them for who they are rather than trying to change them, both of you become better and you will find such treasures in them. 

And, talking about the increase in the amount of sister missionaries, she said "It looks so different for us to do zone conferences now...It's much prettier!" Haha. 

At this meeting, half of our mission was there--that's over 100 missionaries all in the same spot! And it was really fun, because my two previous zones were there, so I got to see some dear mission friends that I have been missing! I love meetings like that, where we are around a lot of missionaries, all gathered with the same purpose and spirit, being uplifted and edified as a team. It just makes me remember that there is nothing better than serving The Lord and it gets me so pumped about missionary work and reminds me that being a missionary is the best! :) 

An overall picture I got out of the 9 hour meeting was that we are doing so well! ...But we can be doing better. I think that is true of each of us in our individual situations as well. You are doing much better than you think you are. Honestly and truly. We are our own worst critics and we mustn't be so hard on ourselves! You are a good enough mother, a good enough friend, a good enough husband, a good enough disciple of Jesus Christ! But we can still do more. God has high expectations because He knows our true potential. We can always strive a little harder to be a little better. What a great challenge! :) 

Also, this is the last week of the transfer. WHAT. It totally flew by, and I have no idea where it went, but this time next week, I will probably have a new companion. Sister C is one of the missionaries that has been here six months, so I will probably stick around and she is probably going to head out, which is really hard for her and for those she has been working with for so long. I will definitely miss her. And all of a sudden this week, I got terrified about taking over such a great area. I just feel like I'm not worthy for all the good work going on and that I'm not good enough. But I know for a surety that The Lord qualifies those He calls. If I rely on Him and strive every day to do my part, I will be strengthened and enabled to keep up with this work and help it progress even further. I can be an instrument in His hands to become much more than I am on my own. Thank goodness for that! 

Thank you so much for writing me and loving me and being who you are! Sorry for the lengthy emails, but it has just been an eventful past couple of weeks. And sisters automatically have longer emails than elders, so it's not my fault entirely, right? Hah. I love you all so much! Have a super great week! :) 

Love,

Sister Partridge  

...yep, exchanges were fun. I love Sister S. And also Mountain Blackberry Revel Umpqua ice cream. YUM. :) (Sorry it's dark...that's as well-lit as our apartment gets!)

Taco Bell Saves Lives!

 

Well hello there, friends :) 

 

This week has just flown by like crazy...and I feel like so much has happened, but that it's been normal at the same time! 

 

So today, we went to lunch at Cicily's with a sister from Central Point and HOLY COW, it was good. I got some (gluten-free) pasta with grilled chicken, and sundried tomatoes, and carmelized red onions, and a cream sauce...mmm :) And then she took us to See's Candies to get some chocolates. It was awesome :) 

 

I also went to WinCo for the first time. We traditionally go to Walmart, but we have been hearing all week how WinCo is cheaper, so we tried it out. And the elders and some members ended up being there, too! I think it's about the same, price-wise, but it was a fun time anyway :) Haha

 

A big thing this week (drum roll, please...) G quit smoking!!!! We are so proud of him and his determination to withstand this addiction so he can get baptized in two weeks. He is fantastic. We are giving him a Taco Bell gift card as extra incentive, and this morning we were encouraging him and reminding him of the gift card. He just texted back and said "Taco Bell saves lives!" Haha. So three cheers for Taco Bell, and three cheers for G and for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which truly makes all things possible through faith. The enabling and cleansing power of the Atonement is so real, and I am ever grateful for it, for myself and for my investigators. We are so excited. 

 

J's fiancée E sat in on a lesson with us this week! And he has talked to us several times! Which is all a huge deal, because he never comes out of his room because he's so shy and self-conscious. But he is way, way awesome and it has been so cool to get to know him and see these huge miracles! He and J even made an agreement today that he will sit in on every lesson and even come to church if she is nicer and watches football with him. :) haha. This is big, because he's shy, and she hates football. So it will be so good! I am so excited about it all! And R and A are back from the coast, where they have been for a week, so I'm excited to see them again! I love that family. :)  And also, our ward members were rockstars in helping us get J and E's 51-page divorce packets so that they can both get divorced, then married to each other, then baptized! It is a crazy deal, but this is a monumental step. 
 

Another huge thing of the week: Zone Training Meeting. Remember how I said that I was the only missionary in our zone that plays the piano? And how apparently we are a dying breed? But I'm glad I have those talents to share with people? Yeah. Well I regretted that come Thursday. I was asked to play the opening and closing hymns...then it turned into that and accompanying a musical number...then it was the hymns and two musical numbers...I'll just share what I wrote in my journal about it all: (Thursday) "It is time for bed, but I've been at the church playing the piano for quite awhile. My body...ugh. The zone leaders gave me piano music to accompany Sister A last night, and music for accompanying some people from their ward today. So I got to practice it with Sister A tonight, and the song is actually sung by a guy, so it's wrong for her register, so she's singing it in a different key. And it sounded bad with the piano, so guess what I'm doing? I'm transposing it in my head. What am I thinking?! And the other one, I am just praying that I can still do a decent job when people are singing with me and there's pressure, cuz it's harder than Sister A's. I'm way scared about it all. So stressed, and my head and body hurt so much, and I need Heavenly Father's help on this to not kill the Spirit tomorrow in at least twelve ways..." (Friday) "So my run throughs with Sister A this morning were practically flawless, which was great. My run through of "Because He Lived" with L and C, however, was a holy royal train wreck. And halfway through the first time, Elder B came in to ask if I could stop and go play prelude...uh, NO. So Sister C was a sweetie and sacrificed herself to go do it, which was rough for her, I know. Good companion. The second run through wasn't much better, but apparently the Spirit carried my fingers in the real thing, because I've heard it went really well and we somehow pulled it all together! The song with Sister A wasn't flawless, but it was beautiful, and people really seemed to love it. Probably because her voice was magic and "Listen" is gorgeous. So it was a good ZTM." 

 

Yes, I literally spent hours practicing the piano. Without any breaks at all. By the end, my poor companion was laying on the church pew planning to sleep. And before then, they were taking my iPad and taking crazy pictures and setting them as my wallpaper. It was stressful. We didn't think there was any way it would all come together, and I still can't believe it did. The Spirit truly helped us out, and I am glad we got to do this, overall, just not as glad about the details of the whole situation...haha. We told the elders they owe us brownies. :) 

 

But ZTM was really great, and I gained a lot of insights how I need to improve on absolutely everything in missionary life! We also talked a lot about Facebook and some new policies and events and such. 

 

Some things I'm really excited about that I want all of you to be a part of: This week, there is a Facebook event called #IFollowHim. I'm a member of the event, so look it up on Facebook. Basically, people all over the world are posting a picture of themselves with a photo of Christ and saying how they follow Him, including that hashtag! It will be so, so cool. 

 

Also cool will be an event starting September 14 called #MyFamily. It will be a week-long event, similar to the #BecauseOfHim at Easter time! There are different themes for each day of that week, and I cannot stand how amazing this will be. I'm especially excited, because it gives me an opportunity to brag about my fantastic family for a whole week to the whole world! :) It is going to be HUGE. So be a part of it! Look those events up on Facebook and invite all your friends! It's going to be monumental and inspirational. How blessed we are to be able to use social media for righteous purposes :) 

 

On Friday, we also ran into the elders on our way to an appointment! Both of our appointments fell through, and we had been encouraged that day at ZTM to use the hymns and children's songs more to help people feel the Spirit, so we did something totally outside the box. All four of us went tracting together, just singing hymns at people's doorsteps and testifying of how we are all children of God! Not many people answered, unfortunately, but a couple of people did and it was a really cool experience! I know that hymns and songs from the children's songbook truly do bring the Spirit into any conversation, and every word is inspired. We are just so blessed! 

 

We also met a man on a street corner named K, from Washington, dressed in church clothes. So we thought he was a member or something, and it turns out he was just selling carpet cleaning! So we talked to him, and he had a ton of questions! He took every pamphlet we had, a Book of Mormon, and a Bible. He had us write his name on it and he sat down right then and there and started reading a chapter from the Book of Mormon. It was crazy! He has an insane work schedule, and was leaving back to Washington the next day, so we won't get to teach him. But it was a neat, crazy experience anyway! 

 

AND it started raining this afternoon, which I have just been praying and waiting for. Life could just not be better than summer rain :) 

 

Oh! And we got to go pear picking with my Roseburg Ward!!! I was so happy to see them. Especially Sister F. She cracks me up, and to be honest, we did more talking and joking than pear picking...but it was great. She was particularly excited to get a picture of a Partridge in a Pear Tree :) Joel, I found John and said hi for you! He was disappointed that you weren't coming this year, but he appreciated that he was a celebrity ;) And I got to see a few other missionaries from previous zones. So that was fun! See what blessings come from service? All sorts of good stuff! :) 

 

Also, I'm gonna ask a favor of you, my friends: I have been craving shaved ice for two months. But apparently Oregon doesn't believe in that. So Arizona people, go to Bahama Bucks for me! And Utah people, go to Hokulia for me! Thank you ever so much. Please enjoy :) 

 

I'm sure bad things happened this week but I guess too many good things happened for me to remember them. Plus, that's not really what any of you want to hear about anyway! So I'll stick to the good stuff :) 

 

I did write a few people back, but I'm still way behind. Don't let that dissuade you from writing me, but just be patient with me and try to love me anyway :) I do love you guys so much! God is so good to us and it is up to us to be good to Him. Choose to follow Him and life will be MUCH happier and easier in the long-run :) I LOVE YOU!!! :) 

 

Love, 

Sister Partridge

 

 

**Picture Explanations--

 

Once upon a time, we went to Debby's Diner for lunch. And of course, we had to get milkshakes! We had chosen our classic flavors, and then we found out about the seasonal blackberry milkshake...yum!So we ended up getting two "shorties", one of each flavor, which are supposed to add up to one normal-sized milkshake. Well, we got them, and the shorties were twice as big as we had expected! We were pretty darn full. But OH MY, that blackberry milkshake was TO DIE FOR. So good. I love Oregon :)

 

 

We were on our way to an appointment, and we saw this DARLING old truck. As some of you may know, I LOVE old trucks. My parents even emailed me pictures of old trucks they found in Santa Fe because they're thoughtful like that and they know that I really love them. And this one happened to be my favorite color. So I made Sister Coon go back to get pictures :) We even made it a missionary thing by asking the man if we could take a picture by his cute truck and also if he would like to learn more about strengthening his relationship with Jesus Christ! He didn't...but he did let us take some pictures, and I am so happy about that happening :) And, this truck was born the same year as my dad! So it's a pretty fun thing :)

 

 

 

Remember that one time, a month ago, when I had my six-month mark? And I never took a picture? Well, here's one to make-up for it. Sorry. Haha

 

This week was just loaded like a baked potato.

Hi everybody!! :)

I hope each of you had the most pleasant week, and that you are happy.
Forewarning, this email is going to be a novel and a half...which is saying something, because I know my emails are normally pretty long and detailed anyway. This week was just all over the place, but mostly in all the good ways.

Even last Monday, after I emailed, was rockin. We went to the mall, because Sister C really wanted to go shopping...she told me not to let her spend more than $25, and that was only if she was dyin over it, and I was determined not to buy anything. ...In short, we both failed. Haha. She spent over $25, and I bought two shirts. The stupendous thing is that those two shirts are something I'm obsessed with, and they were on sale for $3 each! So it wasn't too bad on my end :) But also, it was the most fantastic proselyting non-proselyting day at the mall...The sales people at Rue 21 started talking to us about how cool it must be to just talk to people about Jesus 24/7, and they were just a riot. So we gave them Mormon.org cards. And at Pac Sun, we ran into the total cutest less-active girl that actually lives in the ward I was serving in in Grants Pass, and a really friendly guy named D who was really spiritual. And then at Walmart, our cashier asked some questions, and the lady in line behind us got all interested. So basically, we just handed out a bunch of Mormon.org cards with our phone number on it, and had a lot of good contacts! It was so awesome, and it was really one of those times I just loved to be a missionary. When I get home, I'm going to miss not having the name tag...because that makes people ask questions! And people you don't even know say hi to you and love you like you're their best friend! It's great.

We also went blackberry picking at our ward mission leader's house with one of our investigators, who is totally getting baptized soon and has so much faith, and her kids, who were recently baptized, and Elder B and Elder A. It was so much fun. We were all trying to throw blackberries into each other's mouths and we made analogies of how picking blackberries is like the gospel...I think my favorite was this: "It takes a lot of work and patience, and you get pricked by a lot of thorns. But in the end, you get to enjoy the fruits of your labors and taste the sweet blessings that came from your perseverance." We also ate ice cream with fresh blackberries on top, and that was just sublime. It was fun to get to spend time with each other and get to know S and her kids on a different level.

I hear that big things are happening at home! Parker, I heard that your farewell was amazing, and I wouldn't have expected any less! I love you SO MUCH and I am so excited for you to join me full-time in this great work this next week! And Beau! You're going to Beau-livia?! That will be magnificent. You are going to be so perfect there! Our family is just spreading all over the world to share this amazing gospel to our brothers and sisters! What a blessing :) And I hear that Hollie and Jennie both had their babies!! They are darling, I'm sure. (Moms AND babies :)) Congratulations all around! So much fun :) 

We taught this really awesome family, the W Family, this week, and the moment we walked in, their one-year-old just came over and hugged my legs. And then he kept laying his head on my lap or trying to get me to hold him. He was the snuggliest baby, and it was so hard for me to not hold him. I hope my babies are snuggly babies, because it just melted my heart. 

T and S are doing so awesome. They had us over for dinner before our lesson (which was perfect, because our member dinner fell through) and they just love going to church so much. They are both doing really well.  T is struggling with a few things. He asked if he can keep coming to church without being baptized until he figures everything out...of course he can! I think they will be some of those people that aren't members, but they act like totally active members, coming to church every week and loving the gospel and whatnot until they are finally baptized. But they are so awesome and I just love them. And S makes really yummy food. Pray for them, please! 

And J! We had another great lesson with him where he was really open again and asked some more good questions. And the big thing of the week is that he and his wife came to the Book of Mormon study...and it was his idea!! J didn't even have to convince him to come. So that was way exciting. But I know Satan is working hard on him, since he is so close to embracing the truth. So pray for him, too. 

There have been lots of fires here lately, mostly caused by lightning strikes, because we have thunder/lightning storms, but no rain. So fires start and then there's no moisture to put them out! So there's a lot of nastiness in the air, and it's making the moon and the sun SO cool! The moon has been blood red every night, and the sun has been looking like a red skittle. Unfortunately, pictures don't turn out of either one, but it looks awesome.

And once upon a time, we went and picked pears at the church pear farm!!! AND we get to go picking again on Saturday with my ward from Roseburg!! I am so excited to see them again. And also, more pear picking :) I have been waiting for this my whole mission, you guys. It was pretty fun and interesting, and it was so great to get to know members of our ward a little better! And Sister C and I made some more fruit picking/gospel parallels...it's become a trend now. I think a very special missionary gift is being able to relate any random topic to the gospel. It's a treat :) After we were done picking, I made Sister C go on a little photoshoot with me, and I'm just saying, I am so ridiculously stoked for my Christmas card I can hardly wait. But we were supposed to go platform picking at 5am, and we didn't know where we were going, and I needed to shower and whatnot before we went, so I ended up waking up at 3:30am. That was certainly not ideal. Especially when we showed up and found out that platform picking was cancelled, and ground picking didn't start until after 6am, and no one had told our ward! So Sister W, Sister T, Sister P (J's wife), and Sister C and I went and exercised in the rows of pear trees for an hour! It was fun, especially since those are three of my favorite women in the ward. We also came across a little farm with miniature donkeys and miniature horses and all sorts of cute things! We were petting the miniature horses for a while until one of them nudged my arm into an electrical wire on the fence and I got zapped! That woke me up a bit...But I survived, and I didn't even get a battle scar to prove that it happened. Oh, also, Sister C only remembered the first half of how to get to the church pear farm, and we didn't know who we could call at 5am to ask for directions, so...we called the elders and woke them up to ask where we were going. It's a miracle that they don't hate us by now. 

*picking pear pics--So these are super awkward, cuz I took them on my camera, but I can only email pictures on my iPad...so I did the only logical thing and
took pictures of the pictures. Haha. Here you go! 

 

 

 

 

But really, it's probably because we also made them brownies this week. On Wednesday, the elders were joking that we should make them brownies, because Elder B's year-mark was on Thursday. We laughed and totally brushed it off, because no way. But then, later that night, we decided to go for it. So we bought brownie mix on our way home and hurried and made brownies! (Except we found out that we didn't have any oil...so we went to borrow half a cup from our next-door neighbor, who never comes out of his house or talks to us, and he ended up giving us a whole bottle of canola oil! He was super nice, and now he talks to us if we're both getting our mail at the same time! I'm really excited about that.) So we put the brownies in the shape of a smiley face in a pizza box from some pizza the elders had given us, and made a super cheesy "Baby's First Birthday" card for Elder B and Elder B's 1-year-mark, because they were on exchanges together. Then we dropped it on their doorstep and ran. And then we rocked out to "Mountains to Climb" on our way home (our favorite song, because it is such a jam and also inspiring and motivating at the same time...look it up :)) All in all, it was great fun. :) 
  

 

 

President and Sister Russell also came to see our zone this week!! Interviews were supposed to last about an hour and a half, and our interview time was 11:20. We ended up being there from 9:30-4, and interviewing at 3:15. It was insane. We had to cancel so many plans and rearrange a ton of stuff. But we still got to teach J and have dinner at bishop's and everything, so it worked out! Our zone was chosen to be part of the choir for when Elder Nielsen from the Seventy comes to speak to us in a couple of weeks! So Sister Russell started teaching us "A Marvelous Work". I am the only one in our zone that plays the piano, so I got to help out with that! I felt like I was back in chorale at mvt...it was great :) We will definitely need to practice it more, but I am so excited for this opportunity! When interviews started and we all got to wait our turn, I started playing "Come Unto Christ," the youth theme song this year. Which, by the way, is the most incredible, touching song, which every one of you should look up and listen to. So everyone got all excited and circled around the piano to sing together! We sang it over and over and over, and it was amazing, because you could definitely feel the Spirit, but it was just so fun at the same time. I absolutely loved it. Our district even decided that we are going to make a music video of it, like the one the church made! That will be fantastic :) I am so grateful for the gifts that a God has given me, and the opportunities I have had to strengthen those gifts so I can share them with others! 

It reminds me of a time in Grants Pass, when Sister C and I went to a baptism the zone leaders were having, and they hadn't been able to find a pianist. So I was able to step up and play the piano for the baptismal service! It would have been just fine without the piano, but it definitely helped bring the Spirit, and I was so grateful that Heavenly Father had given me that talent, and that my parents and teachers had helped me polish it so I could use it to benefit these people! It was exciting. So, even when you really don't want to practice like your parents tell you, do it anyway. Because you--and those around you--will be so blessed for it in the end.  :)  

I was also able to be the accompanist for the TWO baptismal services we had on Saturday! That Saturday was crazy, because we had to start filling up the font at least three hours before the first baptism...so we got there at 7:15am! In short, we ate pancakes at the church, three of the four missionaries ended up showering at the church, and we all got ready there, and we finished making programs for the baptisms half an hour before the first one started. Adventures of missionary life...

So B finally got baptized!!! This has been in the works since May 31, which was her first baptismal date. We are so glad that she finally made it, and it is amazing how much she has changed! I missed most of the big stuff, but even in the three weeks I've been here, she has become happier and more comfortable as she lives the gospel more and more. She is a completely different person than she was three months ago when she started meeting with the missionaries. She's cleaned up a lot, and it's amazing to see how much the gospel really can transform people! Even their hearts! Sister C and I had the privilege of singing "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" at her baptism, and it was all just lovely.  

 

 

AND, R's baptism happened!!! Which we weren't planning on, cuz he was supposed to be out of town! But his mom texted us Thursday night to say they weren't leaving until the 5th and asking if he could still get baptized on Saturday...WHAT. We were so excited, but it was absolutely insane planning a whole baptism in only one day, especially when we were still finalizing plans for another baptism we were having that same night! And a little boy in our ward got baptized on Saturday also, so our ward had three baptisms on Saturday! It was a crazy, but super amazing day. R's baptism was excellent, and I just love that family. They are each getting baptized, one by one, and I love to see what a strength they are to each other! R's uncle is still trying to quit smoking, but he is doing really well, and is making big efforts to make it to church every Sunday! And J is also working towards being baptized! She even started crying, which is huge for her, and she was talking about how much she just wants to "get dunked" (baptized). She was so happy, and R is just such a little angel, and they love the gospel. R is even already preparing for a mission. 
  

 

 

 

I'm so grateful for the wonderful ward that I'm serving in, and their willingness to help us out with anything and everything, even on such short notice! Both of the baptisms were flawless, and these wonderful people deserved nothing less. As proud of them as I am, I know that God is even more proud of them, and that He will continue to bless them as they hold true to what they have found. This restored gospel definitely makes people happy, regardless of their situation, and it changes us. I am forever grateful for that and for this incredible opportunity I have to witness that first-hand every day. This church is true, this gospel is miraculous, and our Savior lives and loves us. We could not be more blessed. 

 

I hope you can see blessings and miracles each day as you do your best to be your best! I love you all so very much and I pray for you daily. If you need anything or have anything awesome happening in your life, let me know! I cherish the letters I get from you...and I also usually scream when I pull them out of the mailbox. Haha. Have a fabulous week, everyone! I love you!

 

Love,

Sister Partridge

 

 

*All the selfies...(B, her daughter D, us, and Sister B!)