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
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