We had Zone Conference the other day and it was so amazing!!! We got there at 8:45 am., had breakfast, then President Packard and his wife talked to us about planning effectively. We got some good ideas how we could do better planning as a companionship.
We had lunch and then President Christenson and his wife talked about asking good questions! so good! (He's the one that wrote "The Power of Every Day Missionaries" !!!) so cool!
Then they announced that new "Digital Mission"!!! so excited!
Library hopping again so I will try to send a lot of pictures later!
I'm going to visit an older lady that's in a old folks home and she loves visitors and is an amazing member Missionary! Then maybe see Mei that lady I was telling you about, we're going to try to give her some "Stuff" ;) to read!
Love, Sarah :)
Sister Patterson
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT AND SISTER PACKARD
In what we consider to be the sweetest of all his epistles, the apostle Paul explained the “sacrifices” he made for the Gospel by writing:
“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ … Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 8; 13-14.)
In other words, Paul suffered “the loss of all things,” but felt that these worldly things, which apparently mattered great deal to Paul prior to his conversion, were only dung when compared to the blessings he had obtained through Christ.
Paul’s commentary of his own personal journey is instructive for all missionaries. We have been asked to sacrifice “all things” to serve the Lord, but as our perspective and disposition become more aligned with Christ’s, we start to realize that the things we “sacrificed” were really “dung” when compared to the joy obtained through a consecrated life in Christ.
We note that Paul was not able to fully leave every worldly thing behind and experience a full transformation in a single day. Rather, he said that he was still “pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God.”
That seems to be the way most of us are doing it. When we entered the MTC, we thought we had “suffered the loss of all things,” but as we continue our mission, we find more and more things we want to discard. At some point, we realize that the things of the world are only dung, and we WANT to discard them. We stop seeing missionary service as a sacrifice, and start seeing it only as a blessing. When this happens, we “forget those things which are behind” and focus on the mark ahead.
It is almost cliché to say that missionary work is not really a sacrifice, even though it involves the sacrifice of all things, but it is profoundly true. We sincerely pray that it is true for each one of you.
Love,
President and Sister Packard
Sister Patterson
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT AND SISTER PACKARD
In what we consider to be the sweetest of all his epistles, the apostle Paul explained the “sacrifices” he made for the Gospel by writing:
“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ … Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 8; 13-14.)
In other words, Paul suffered “the loss of all things,” but felt that these worldly things, which apparently mattered great deal to Paul prior to his conversion, were only dung when compared to the blessings he had obtained through Christ.
Paul’s commentary of his own personal journey is instructive for all missionaries. We have been asked to sacrifice “all things” to serve the Lord, but as our perspective and disposition become more aligned with Christ’s, we start to realize that the things we “sacrificed” were really “dung” when compared to the joy obtained through a consecrated life in Christ.
We note that Paul was not able to fully leave every worldly thing behind and experience a full transformation in a single day. Rather, he said that he was still “pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God.”
That seems to be the way most of us are doing it. When we entered the MTC, we thought we had “suffered the loss of all things,” but as we continue our mission, we find more and more things we want to discard. At some point, we realize that the things of the world are only dung, and we WANT to discard them. We stop seeing missionary service as a sacrifice, and start seeing it only as a blessing. When this happens, we “forget those things which are behind” and focus on the mark ahead.
It is almost cliché to say that missionary work is not really a sacrifice, even though it involves the sacrifice of all things, but it is profoundly true. We sincerely pray that it is true for each one of you.
Love,
President and Sister Packard
Me by a head stone! Sis. Bingham told me a story behind it.....
but I can't remember it...haha! ^^ Maybe you can see the words on it and look it up.
P.S. We had an appt. last night and one of the son's got his mission call to Ventura CA!!! So I told him everything I could! They are so excited! :)
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