BIGGEST WEEK EVER.

Oh my heavens, I don't even know what to say about this week, other than it was HUGE. So many monumental things happened that I don't know where to start.

But I'll start with this: I know I'm a missionary when I look at people on the street and I want to jump out of the car and give them a mormon.org card, or when I look at the girl in the car next to me and say "She's cute. She probably needs the gospel." ...out loud. Or when everything people say reminds me of a scripture or a mormon message or a quote from an apostle. It's so great and I just love it. Every single thing about it. Being a missionary is just the best thing there ever was. I have been filled more than ever this week with a love of this work and of my Savior. I LOVE to be a missionary and I never want to take off this tag. As much as I have been yearning for the last nine months to wear jeans and sandals, I never want to wear anything but a skirt and a name tag that has the Savior's name right next to mine. This work brings new adventures every single day and brings the greatest joy any of us can experience. I'm only 21, so I know I haven't experienced a lot, but I am thoroughly convinced it is true. This gospel is SO REAL and SO GOOD. I don't want a single person I see to be without the joy and the peace and the purpose that it brings me and those I love so much. Somehow in this work, we are filled with greater love than we have ever felt for people we don't even know, and it is the most pure, Christlike love. And crazy things happen...like you WANT to get up at 6:15am, and you WANT to knock on strangers' doors and give them a Book of Mormon, knowing they'll probably reject what you hold dear, and you WANT to be with some girl 24/7, even when you drive each other bonkers. This could only be God's work, because it is truly a work of MIRACLES. When I first came on a mission, I didn't really understand miracles...Sister West quickly taught me that miracles don't have to be some huge, magnificent event. Anything that helps us or those around us come closer to the Lord and feel His love is a genuine miracle. And we see that every. single. day. And I couldn't love it more. This is the best work and the best thing I could be doing with my life right now, and I am so glad I got to be a part of it!

So...This totally is sounding like a letter my companion's write when they are finishing their missions. Sister Miller probably just wrote a letter very similar to this! ...And that's probably because not only is it all very true and it has been hitting me over and over this week, but because I am coming home. My body is just so sad and so sick and it has only been getting worse and worse, so after a lot of prayer and pondering and discussion, we have decided that it is best for me to head back to Arizona to get more testing and treatment. Hopefully it will all get resolved soon, and I will be able to come back to the OEM that I love so very dearly in just a few months. This is the most bittersweet thing I have ever faced, even more than leaving to come on a mission. This is my home, this is my family, this is my work. But really, this is HIS work. And I am HIS servant. And this is definitely His will for me. I didn't envision this, the last 21 years I was planning on serving a mission...I definitely didn't see myself going home halfway through. But He did. And He knows why it's happening, and how to make the best of it. We just have to trust Him completely in all that we do. And what a blessing that I will get to be home for the holidays with my sweet family, and my beloved friends. I am ever so grateful for all of you and for your examples and love and support and prayers! I have definitely felt your prayers, and I'm sure that's what's gotten me through this last couple of weeks. I am really so excited to be able to talk to my family and hug them and see the people I love so much. But it is still going to be hard to leave this place. 

So what in the world is going on with my body, you ask? Well, my head has been at a 7-9 on a scale of 1-10 for the last couple of weeks, I've been having stomach problems for a few months, and I got a nasty cold on top of all of it this week. It is just a lot, but my companion is a champ and we still get a lot of work done. 

It is weird to have BOTH of us preparing to go home all of a sudden, but it's also nice because we can kind of understand each other! She's the perfect person for this sad situation and I don't know who else could have handled it better than she is. She is such a trooper and I love her dearly for her sacrifice and her diligence. We are just going to work crazy hard this next week and finish up strong!

The best way to be finishing up, though, is that after 15 years of studying and waiting and praying, Jason has had a mighty change of heart and is getting baptized on Saturday!!!!!!!!!! I cannot even contain my excitement. He is the first person I met when I got to Medford 3 months ago, and I have had such great hope for him this entire time. I have seen miracles happen with him, and I love how he has always wanted to know and decide for himself. Not for his wife or for the ward or for their friends...for HIM. And we just got to sit back and watch it happen, all over the span of about 4 days. He had some great conversations with Sister Taylor and some great personal spiritual experiences, and he just decided for himself to go ahead with the baptismal service he has been planning for years. We just get to fill the font and watch the ordinance! He is so amazing and I have seen some of the biggest miracles of my mission with this man. And once he is in, he is all in and never leaving. That's the kind of person he is. So I cannot wait to see what miracles come his way in the future! 

Also, I swear our ward will double in attendance when January comes and church isn't at 9am anymore...haha. That is seriously such an obstacle for our investigators and less-actives. Even C, who is pretty on fire and wanting to be baptized. Mornings are of the devil, basically. Haha

So I have only a couple of minutes left, and a TON left to write. Like, our roadtrip to Eugene, spending the day in Eugene YSA with Sister H and street contacting on U of O campus (my DREAM of all dreams!!!), going to the temple with President and Sister Russell because of the Book of Mormon challenge, going out to lunch at Jasper's with them, C and J and G and S and all the people I love...all the huge things in the world happened this week! It has been crazy and beautiful and full. 

And another huge thing happened this week: My seester got ENGAGED!!!! I am so happy for you, Kayla and Devan, and I am so excited that I get to be there for this whole process. Heavenly Father just knows I would be so sad to miss out on all this fun, so He had to help me come home. Haha. I love you both, and I cannot contain my happiness. 

Please have the best week in the world, and I will write a quick letter next week, hopefully with pictures! I have a lot to send home to you! And who knows, maybe when I get home, I will just catch up on things I haven't told you about and keep doing weekly emails...;) I promise they won't all be this long, though. Haha.

I love you so much! Thank you again for your prayers--we deeply appreciate them. You are all so much more amazing than you realize! God knows you and your potential. Never, ever forget that. And never forget that I love you! You are the best :)

Love, 

Sister Partridge (I'll miss writing that!)

 

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We went to the temple with President And Sister Russell!

And a couple days later there was a storm and a double rainbow! ‏

 

 

Miyoko used to be a fashion designer, and had too many furs...so we tried them on and took some home! I got fox fur ear muffs, as featured. YES!! :) ‏

 

We built a ceiling!!! Crazy work. So great.

‏



 

Is it week 5 already?

This transfer is just not allowed to be over yet...only two weeks left! And then my Sister M is leaving me! We're not talking about that. Cuz I'm not ready for that yet. We are definitely having a good time and doing good work here, though, especially in utilizing the members, which I am so glad about.

We also got to volunteer at a music festival on Saturday, which was surprising, because it was definitely not missionary-approved music! Haha. But it was fun, and really hot...We mostly just stood out in the sun in 109* and checked people for wristbands. It was pretty exciting...Haha. But I did get some really pretty earrings from one of the booths, so that was nice! And we met a less-active member from Ashland, who wants his wife to meet with the missionaries, which was neat! Pictures of it will come next week :) 

A couple pictures from exchanges will also hopefully come next week! I got to go on exchanges with Sister S again, and that is always just a spiritual experience. She is a blast to be around, and she knows me so well and knows what I need. We had some good talks, and she is just one of my favorite people.

This week has all been a bit of a blur, especially because of some health stuff we're trying to figure out, but I know it was lovely! 

G is doing well, and we are hoping to set another baptism date with him again soon! He is just scared of the answer he might get, I think, but he is more ready than he thinks he is :)

Oh, also! We built a ceiling this week! S is using her garage as a bedroom, and she needed a ceiling with insulation. So some excellent members of our ward helped us out with that, which was a huge project and some good, hard work.

I'm getting kicked out, but I love you all so much! Have the greatest week! Love you!

Love,

Sister Partridge

This week was incomPEARable! ...And also, I'm 21 :) ‏

Hello loved ones! It's so good to be with you again from the lovely state of Oregon :) This week has been absolutely packed with experiences, a lot of them way out of the ordinary...It has been a great, busy week! 
First of all, are all of you doing the #MyFamily event on social media?! It's happening right this very moment, all week long! There are certain daily themes listed on the Facebook event, but if that gets too complicated, just post pictures of your family and put #MyFamily! Share with the world what your family loves to do, how you show your love for what another, what makes your family happy and strong...anything! We all love families, and this is an excellent time to brag about yours to millions of people! I'm so very excited about it and I hope you'll all join along in this event :)

We had a Facebook committee meeting the other day, and although I'm not on the actual committee, my companion is, so I got to sit in! And since we're way down south, and we didn't want to waste time, miles, and gas on going to Eugene, we got to skype in! It was pretty neat. And it was especially neat to hear what a great tool social media can be for us! Yes, it can be scary and dangerous, but I know God invented these tools to help further His work and it is such a joy to be a part of that! He is truly hastening His work! 

Being on a mission really helps me know who I want to be and how I want to live my life and raise my family. I'm so glad I have the examples that I have and the experiences I'm having out here! I want to have Jesus Christ and His gospel so integrated into my life that it is just who we are and what we do. And I want everyone to know it by the way we live, by the feeling that is in our home, by the steadfastness of my children...I want to be a kingdom builder. I want to whole-heartedly follow my Savior for my entire life. Of course it won't always be a basket of butterflies and daisies, but the gospel of a Jesus Christ really does bring us peace even in those times. And helps us flourish despite the opposition we will undoubtedly face. How great is that :)

Someone we met the other week said something that has stuck with me a bit...She said "You are the only Bible some people will ever read." Our examples make a difference! Although you may be just one person, God knows you and loves you and others are looking to you for guidance and light! How neat! 

This week we got to help an 80-year-old Japanese lady move her whole house, essentially. They had to move her out and back in to renovate her apartment, and we get to help her reorganize her life! There are (HEAVY) boxes from floor to ceiling and in every nook and cranny. And it turns out that her insanely heavy, solid wood furniture was moved in wrong. So Sister M and I got to find our muscles! We piled things all over each other, moved drawers in and out of these dressers, hoping to make them a little lighter, and strategically rearranged the room. It was all a good time. Haha

And later that night, we found out a family we are teaching was about to not have a home at all. So we spent our evening trying to find a place for them to stay for a couple of days while they tried to find a way to get somewhere more permanent! It was just crazy and sad. But it was cool to see how they continued to have faith and pray even in the midst of such trial! 

Oh! And we found out that J is pregnant, which might attribute to why she has been so moody with us! Haha. I am excited to keep working with that family and helping them get back up on their spiritual feet :) 

And we acted out another Book of Mormon story with S and her kids! I just really, really love that family. They make me so happy and I love to see their progression! :) Last week, we acted out Lehonti and Amalickiah, illustrating how Satan works to deceive us and how important it is to stay true to our standards and not come down our mountain! This week, we did Nephi and his brothers getting the brass plates from Laban. We talked about the importance of the scriptures and how no matter how hard something may seem, God will never ask us to do something that He has not prepared a way for us to accomplish. I am inspired by the faith and the diligence of these men in the scriptures and I love to read their stories and know that they are true! What wonderful examples and wisdom we have from the word of God :) 

Also, word to the wise: If you're going to go on a mission, just prepare to be exhausted for 18 months-2 years. Honestly. It's so, so wonderful, but you are so, so TIRED. ...ALWAYS. Haha 

And it turns out people are wrong about what you can and can't wear as a sister missionary...At least in Oregon. I wish I would have known that and brought cuter jewelry and more maxi skirts. Haha. But now I just have way more cute stuff than any person should really have, especially when they have to move it all every six weeks, so it all works out anyway :) 

And I got even MORE cute stuff for my birthday! I am so overwhelmed with how thoughtful my family and friends are. Even the simplest things meant the world to me, because I knew the thought that went into it and the love that was behind it!! Example: when opening my birthday packages from my family yesterday, I was doing okay not crying and just being happy. And then I pull out the target gift card...Tears. Over a gift card. Haha. It is pretty silly, but I knew that my family knows I love target, and they put that in there because they love me so, so much. ...And also because they know I'm poor. Haha. And they gave me a lot of FOOD! Also because I'm poor, and because they know I love food! I just have the best family in the world and I cannot even express how much I adore them in every possible way. I got a ton of cute jewelry, I got a mini version of the scriptures (which is IDEAL in at least twenty-seven ways), I got so much piano music, I got homemade pavlova shipped with love from my momma to Medford...I am just so, so blessed. 

I also have the best ward family. The very instant I walked into the chapel yesterday, C and H come running up to me and give me the biggest hugs and tell me happy birthday with their cute little smiling faces. And then they fed us dinner that night, where we had taco salad and ice cream. And Sister M and I got to teach sharing time in primary!!! I really love primary. We taught about how when we are serving those around us, we are really serving God, based on Mosiah 2:17 in the Book of Mormon! We did little activities to illustrate it, and it was fun to see the excitement and enthusiasm of those cute kids in our ward. 

And I have the best companion. She is so patient with me and so good at talking with people and knowing what to teach and what to say. And she made me a little Happy Birthday sign and gave me a talk for my birthday. She's thoughtful and nice and funny and I'm glad to have her and I pray she will be able to keep putting up with me!

Also, we have decided that Medford is equivalent to Genovia...Everything is pears! It's beautiful. Haha. And along those lines, we got to pick pears again this week! The church pear farm was in dire need of people to pick, and it just wasn't happening. They were getting desperate and praying really hard. So our entire zone and Central Point zone were all able to go help pick winter pears for four hours! It was so, so fun, I can hardly even say. I get to work with some of the very best missionaries in the world every single day, and I love the service we get to do. Knowing we're a part of something bigger really impacts my soul and makes me happy! We didn't even know how much they needed us at that very time until some of the workers told us after we were already done. God truly does provide for us and answers our prayers! I love the fruits of this good gospel! :) (Pun slightly intended :)) The pictures are on my camera, cuz that was easier to put in my pocket than an iPad, so those will be emailed when I have access to a computer, hopefully next week.

And today we had another zone activity, where we went to President C's house in Ashland and had breakfast, a small hike to a reservoir, and a devotional (aka, scriptural feast) about the Atonement of Jesus Christ! The C's are great, and their house is beautiful, and our missionaries are the best (even though sisters get really hyper and crazy around each other...mostly me :)), and I was so spiritually fed after President C's comments! Oh, by the way, he's a member of our mission presidency. FYI. It was a good time :)

I just want all of you to know how much I love this gospel and my Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no way we can ever repay Him for His sacrifice, yet we get to enjoy the blessings of it every single day as we repent and rely on His grace to change us! It's good to be out here, sharing that message with everyone we see, even if we sometimes have to chase them down (yes, that has literally happened). Haha. Even though it is really, really hard out here, it is great. Especially if we rely on The Lord and use all He has given us to help us be happy and strong. He is so good to us :)

Have the best week ever! I hope it's great and all your wildest dreams come true :) I love you!!!

Love,

Sister Partridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What even happened this week?

K, so a ton happened, but I can't think of anything. And neither can
my companion. So we are obviously in trouble. Ha.

But today we had a zone activity! We all hiked Roxy Ann this morning,
had a testimony meeting on a cliff, and then ate waffles (gluten-free
for me :)) and emailed together at the church! And I got to wear pants
allll day! :) It has been fun and we have a totally rockin zone. These
missionaries are top notch and I could not be luckier than to be in
this beautiful mission :)

We had a zone training meeting this week, and the theme was "Finish
the Race", hence the crazy pictures :) But it was really inspiring and
I just was so called to repentance and wanting to change everything
and just always be better! So hopefully I can do that, little by
little. Because there is absolutely no point in going on a mission if
you aren't going to be changed by it, and the last thing in the world
that I want is to be the same person I was when I came out on a
mission! And I know that it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Holy
Spirit which truly changes us. So hopefully I can be changed more and
more as I strive to serve The Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and
strength :)

We started off our week by getting my teeth cleaned by my ward mission
leader, who is a dentist here! I couldn't stop laughing, thinking of
Brother Allen cleaning my teeth, but it wasn't all that weird. And the
hygienist was just so darling and personable! I just really love her.
She just moved here from Ohio and she was so fun. And she definitely
needs to be baptized, because she is basically already Mormon :) Plus
my teeth were all pretty afterward, too! So that was fun! And out of
the ordinary!

And I just can't focus with all these elders playing basketball and
music and crazy fun. So I'm sorry that this email is going to kinda
stink today. Haha

The main stress this week is that we are having a hard time juggling
everything! We haven't been able to meet with people as often as we
used to, so some people are thinking that we hate them...and that just
breaks my heart! It's been really hard trying to keep everyone happy
and uplifted all the time. Being a missionary is a huge
responsibility! Which can be crazy stressful! But I also love it.

And I love how little kids at church look at us...and how the Allen
kids, specifically, just adore us to no end. It is so neat to know
that I am someone these kids look up to and that hopefully I am
setting a good example for them to follow in all that I do. This is so
true for people who aren't even missionaries! People watch us. People
notice everything we do...so be good! Of course you don't have to be
perfect, but as the saying goes, you never know who's watching. And I
know I look up to so many of you, so thank you for being such
incredible examples to me and to others! Keep letting your light
shine! :)

We met a less-active lady yesterday who lives on a farm! So we petted
her donkeys and goats while we talked with her, and we helped her
bring in the horses while we chatted, and it was just a fun little
experience! And I'm sure we smelled lovely afterward. Haha

And S and E, a lady we met last week or so, had birthdays this
week! So we heart attacked them, secretly. It was super fun :)
And I love Sister M. She is such a goof and I love to be friends
with her. And her testimony of the Book of Mormon is remarkable! I
love how she loves it. And how marked up her Book of Mormon is. She's
a great example to me and I'm glad I get to be with her, especially
for the end of her mission! (Although we aren't talking about that
part.)

We also had a really great lesson with one of our recent converts,
J, this week about people in the scriptures (like Martin Harris
and Enos) who messed up, but they were able to resolve it and come
back through prayer and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. And her
less-active family member came in, and he started crying and saying how
he needed to call Bishop and how they needed to start coming to
church again. And then he basically begged us to come back in a couple
of days. It was so sweet and a huge miracle of progress for him! I
love those moments :)

This seems like a long, long week. For some reason Sister M
switched that around when she got here, so all the weeks are long
now...haha. So I'm sure much more happened than this, but that's about
the jist of it, I think! Sister M and I also still need to go
grocery shopping and we're going to have a violin/piano jam sesh. So
I'd better wrap it up :) Thanks for all you do! Keep being awesome!
Arizona people, please survive the rains and the floods and craziness!
I can't believe I'm missing that! I hope you love it :) Have the best
week! Love you guys! :)

Love,
Sister Partridge

Reunited with her trainer, Sis W

Sis C and Sis M

 

Welp, there goes August!

Hi friends! :) Happy Labor Day...Sister M and I still aren't entirely sure what the significance of Labor Day is just yet, but we figured wearing red, white, and blue was a pretty safe bet. Haha. And it's definitely a BBQ day! We have two to attend today. So I'm excited.

And...Happy September!!! Best birthday month out there :) With it now being September, I was thinking this morning of previous birthdays...and I got thinking about my birthday last year! Where Erin, Brantley, and I got stranded in southern Utah and walked in the rain at midnight to find a hotel and ate soggy tacos for dinner...That was certainly an adventure! Haha. And a memorable birthday. The same probably won't be happening this year, but we did almost run out of gas yesterday, so it could've been close! When we went to get gas on Saturday night, the only gas station near us was mysteriously closed, and we were already hitting close to curfew...And then the next day was the sabbath, so, of course, we couldn't go get gas! Let's just say we did a lot of walking and were late to a lot of appointments...But we did not run out of gas! :) 

Also, I definitely got asked out by an Indian man over text at 11:30 last night...There was this man that Sister C and I met at Walmart a couple of weeks ago, who had recently moved here from India, and he just started up a conversation with us! We told him what we do as missionaries and gave him our card if he wanted to learn more. So he texts us last night, four times, and in the end, he says "Lauren, I want to be your friend. I want to go out with you..." ...I don't think he entirely understood our purpose as missionaries. It was oddly reminiscent of the Indian man at Pizza Hut up at BYU who gave me unnecessary discounts, Vera and Breanna...haha. But maybe this man will be more prepared for the gospel later! It was just kind of an odd thing to wake up to this morning. Haha

But real things have happened this week! I promise Sister M and I haven't just been partying, although we do get along great, we have actually done real missionary things. While going through some lists and trying to organize our lives, we felt impressed to go see a family where the husband was not a member, and the children were over the age of 8 but not baptized. E wasn't entirely welcoming at first, but as we started a normal conversation with her that had nothing to do with church, we were able to build a strong connection and help her know that we really just care about her and her family! She and her daughter were super great, and they even invited us back to meet the baby that is due any day now. If we had gone a day later, the baby might have been born already, and then she definitely wouldn't have wanted to talk to us on the porch for an hour! God's timing is so perfect and we must always listen to the promptings we receive through the Holy Spirit. And then act on them right away! I love all the cool people I get to meet on my mission and how The Lord directs us where we need to go. He has it all figured out, we just need to trust Him and listen to Him and we will be so much happier :) 

A similar experience was this couple named C and D! We were trying to find a less-active member of our ward that we had never met, so we find her address and knock on her door. A lady pops her head out of the upstairs window and says "What do you want?" Thinking that she's a member of our ward, we say "The bishop's wife said you might like a visit, so we came by!" They came down and invited us in automatically. During the course of our conversation, Sister M and I begin to realize that this is not the lady we are looking for. This is a catholic couple that had recently moved in...Oops! We ended up introducing the Book of Mormon to them and explaining how it came about and how it can give them greater peace and direction in their lives! And we still found the lady we were originally looking for! The crazy part is that it was 15 minutes before our lunch break. And we were 15 minutes away from home. And we were hungry. So we very easily could have just decided to head home and eat instead of making one more visit! But I felt like we should go find J first. Once again, as we put The Lord's will above our own and we trust in His timing, we will be so remarkably blessed and be led to where He needs us to be! This mission that I'm serving is so not about me. It is about my Savior and my Heavenly Father and my brothers and sisters. These people need the truth that we have, and I get to spend a whole year and a half sharing it with them! Best job ever :) 

Even if sometimes we have to look a little crazy...For instance: yesterday, as we were walking all around town to save gas, I needed to use the restroom. And we passed this lady out in her yard, just as I'm bursting into song singing "TOMORROW!" at the top of my lungs. At which point, she turns and chuckles and we awkwardly walk away. And that's when my stellar companion goes "I bet she would let you use her bathroom...we could use it as a great way to share the gospel with her!" So we turn around and ask her to use her bathroom. She said she normally wouldn't, but she trusted us, and I promised not to burst into broadway in her house. Haha. We ended up having a really great conversation with her and making another wonderful connection! She was super nice and, like many others, was surprised to see sister missionaries around, even though we've been out in the world for 116 years :) We were able to resolve some questions that she had about what we believe and it was just all lovely! Yay for CJ :) 

And yay for all of you! I got a couple of seriously stupendous letters this week (some of which I was just really shocked and elated by!) and I am still, and always will be, so grateful for each of you. I continue to pray for you, and I have loved to hear how many people still read these emails! I love it, and I hope it helps you somehow. Because I'm sure loving the experiences I'm having. Even if it is sometimes stressful and crazy. Haha. 

Have the very best week and keep being happy and awesome! Good luck to everyone starting school! Study hard, work hard, play hard...all that good stuff :) LOVE YOU! 

Love, 

Sister Partridge