¡¡¡Happy Birthday Heather!!!

I hope you are doing great!

…and to everyone, Happy Easter!

It is SO hot!!! I am sweating like a pig! And to think it’s only going to be getting hotter…

It’s been a strange and busy week. I have been serving with Elder Padget (a new American missionary in my district) since Thursday and it has been a pleasure, even though he can speak very little Spanish and can not pronounce the “R” to save his life, the people react in a special way to his warm spirit and positive attitude. I’ve learned a lot from him, and one of those many things is what pure motives really means.

So… I am going to get a greeny! Yep. I’m going to be training my last cycle! I’m excited, and nervous, because I know that means that I will be even busier and that means the time will be going by even faster. However I am grateful for this new opportunity to serve, teach and learn. As before, I am sure I will learn more than I teach. I often wonder why the Lord is so good to me and all of us.

General Conference was wonderful and I am grateful for the guidance I and others received. It is incredible how the Lord can answer my specific prayers and those of millions of other in the same moment. I love the Lord! I also found it incredible how all of the talks where so in line, even though there were no assigned themes. I felt that two of the strongest themes were prepare the children and protect the youth. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my notes with me right now to share all of my favorite thoughts, however I do remember a few.

Joy and happiness don’t come from circumstances, but faith in the Lord. That is a lesson that I am learning more and more, its not where we are, who we are with or the blessings or trials that we are going through that determine our state of happiness. We need to be creators of circumstances not creatures of our environments. As Elder Bednar clearly stated, we are to act not to be acted upon, and faith is not merely believing, but acting. It is our works, that are in accordance with the teachings of Christ that determine our state of happiness! I love the clear example stated that if we are struggling and turn instead and focus on the needs of another rather than our own needs, than we will quickly become happier and our burdens will become light. I know that  this is the truth and that we will be happy and at peace in any season in any place and with anyone as long as we follow the teaching of the Master!

I am grateful for the teachings and the works of Jesus! For his perfect example and mercy. May we all exert ourselves to be more like Him is my prayer and hope.

I love you, my family! I pray for you and desire your well being!

-Elder Bryce Packer

It was great to be able to talk with all of you! It was an experience that has enlarged my joy and renewed my determination to do my best. I truly feel blessed to have such an amazing family!

This has been an unforgettable week! I have had several special experiences that have helped me to remember all of the great blessings that have come because the Savior and the decisions I have made to follow Him. One of them was being able to spend the evening with President Bulloch and his family; another, which I feel is the greatest, was being able to share the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with many willing hearts that have been softened to His good word. This week we worked hard and were blessed to find and teach many who have been prepared to receive the Lord into their lives. It has helped me to remember how the Lord has snatched me from my lost and suffering state and lead me to the still waters, and how we have the power to do the same for others. Could I have received greater joy from any other gift? No! I love the Lord and being part of His glorious work!

May the Lord bless us all with more determination and success is my desire and my prayer. I love every one of you so much!

~Elder Packer

Dear Family & Friends,

It is a great pleasure and a nearly an impossible task to try and communicate what I have experienced in the past year.

As a missionary and a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ I have struggled to know Him better, and what it is He expects of me. Central in this process has been sincere personal prayer and a daily study of the Book of Mormon. Through the written word of God and personal communication with Him I have been able to understand more fully what the Savior has done for us and what it is that He expects of me and each one of us. And for that I am profoundly grateful!

“With saints of old in joyful cry
I too can testify:
This is the Christ.
This is the Christ,
The holy Son of God,
Our Savior,
Lord,
Redeemer of mankind.
This is the Christ,
The Healer of our souls,
Who ransomed us with love divine.”

We can choose to accept the great gifts He has to offer us, and obtain great hope, peace and even eternal life as we seek to follow Him, as we repent and obey His commandments and are washed clean and born again through baptism.

One of the greatest truths I have learned this year is that this really is a choice, it’s voluntary. The Lord has given us our free agency and will never obligate us. He has said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.”

My prayer and invitation to you, is that in a season when we tend to reflect upon that which is good, may we do more than reflect, may we answer the Lord´s call and “open the door” unto Him, that He may abide in us and us in Him.

With great love,
Elder Bryce Sterling Packer

Querida Familia y Amigos,

Es un gran placer y una tarea casi imposible de realizar el comunicarles todo lo que he experimentado en este año pasado.

Como misionero y representante del Señor Jesucristo, he luchado por conocerle mejor, y por saber que es lo que Él espera de mí. La sincera oración personal y un estudio diario del Libro de Mormón han sido centrales en este proceso. Por medio de la palabra escrita de Dios y la comunicación personal con Él he sido capaz de entender mas plenamente que es lo que el Señor ha hecho por nosotros y que es lo que Él espera de mí y de cada uno de nosotros. ¡Y estoy profundamente agradecido por eso!

“Con santos de la antigüedad en gritos de alegría
Yo también puedo testificar:
Este es el Cristo.
Este es el Cristo,
El Santo Hijo de Dios,
Nuestro Salvador,
Señor,
El Redentor de la Humanidad.
Este es el Cristo,
El sanador de nuestras almas,
Que nos rescató con amor divino.”

Podemos elegir aceptar los grandes regalos que Él tiene para ofrecernos, y obtener gran esperanza, paz, e inclusive vida eterna a medida que nos esforcemos por seguirle, que nos arrepintamos, que obedezcamos sus mandamientos, que seamos limpios y nazcamos de nuevo a través del bautismo.

Una de las verdades más grandes que he aprendido durante este año es que esa realmente es una elección, es voluntaria. El Señor nos a dado nuestro libre albedrío y nunca nos obligará. Él ha dicho “He aquí, yo estoy a la puerta y llamo; si alguno oye mi voz y abre la puerta, entraré y cenaré con él, y él conmigo.”

Mi oración e invitación a ustedes es que en esta temporada cuando tendemos a reflexionar sobre lo que es bueno, hagamos más que solo reflexionar, que podamos contestar la llamada del Señor y “abrir la puerta” a Él, para que Él pueda permanecer en nosotros y nosotros en Él.

Con gran amor,
Elder Bryce Sterling Packer

Well, this week is going to be exciting, because… we get to talk [on the phone] on the 25th.

On Sunday, my companion and I discoursed in sacrament meeting (like every second Sunday of the month). While starting to prepare my talk, I thought about diligence, then Temples, then the Holy Ghost, and finally Service. So, in the end I choose a different topic, Establishing and completing goals. Within this topic, I talked a little about the others. However, I focused on: Why we need to set goals? How do they help us to complete our purpose in life and become happy? What is a worthy goal? And how can we accomplish our goals?

Why we need to set goals? And How do they help us to complete our purpose in life and become happy?

To make it simple I sighted this wonderful passage.

“I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.” ~ Elder M. Russell Ballard, Preach My Gospel, p. 146

We are here to become like Jesus Christ. How can we bring that about if we are not actively engaged in directing our thoughts and energies towards that overwhelmingly large task? And what better way to do that through goals? Goals give direction to our life!

Accountability: “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.” ~ President Thomas S. Monson, Preach My Gospel, p. 150

The supreme example is the Lord, who gave an accounting to The Father in all things He did from the six days of the earth’s creation to His atoning sacrifice.
As Elder Ballard and President Monson have stated, to reach our full potential we must establish goals and give and an accounting. Truly we cannot achieve success unless we have previously established goals, because success is the completion of a goal.

So… What is a worthy goal?

I stated three of my biggest.
• Serving a Mission
• Temple Marriage
• Higher education

I won’t go into these in this letter due to my time restrictions. However I did state that earnest prayer and fervent scripture study are key to receiving the inspiration of the Holy Spirit necessary for establishing worthy goals.

How can we accomplish our goals?

The first step is truly committing yourself. I shared my experience of hiking the Application trail and how many mornings I awoke cold, wet, exhausted, lonely and very hungry. So why did I keep on going? Because I committed myself. I bought the gear, I bought the food, I reserved the time, and I told everyone “I am going to do it!” We must commit ourselves through our words and our actions, and commitment also means sacrifice.

Next ,we must break our large goal into small simple acts.

“Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.” ~ Alma 37:6-7

I hiked 1,400 miles literally one step after another, day after day. We all have our spiritual journeys to make, and they are made slowly and constantly. That’s where the attribute of diligence comes in.

I know that the Lord Jesus Christ lives! He has shown us the way by his perfect example. Our goal in this life is to become like him; we established it before we came to this earth. May we assess His life and the selfless acts that filled it, then assess our own life, and make the goals necessary to bring that which is missing to realization. It is my goal and my prayer and I leave it with you in His sacred name.

- Elder Bryce Packer

Well first things first…

¡¡¡¡¡HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!! I know that you probably don’t want much… probably to rest for a moment! However, I wanted to let you know that I am grateful for the grand effort and many sacrifices that you make for me and all of the family. I couldn’t do it without you!

I got a nice package from the Kogers, with a letter, drawings from Isaac and Adeline, much needed socks, and homemade caramel and trail mix. We already ate all of the trail mix… it brought back lots of memories of hiking in the mountains. I’ve been trying to ration the caramel. Thanks Kogers!

I also got a “Dear Elder” letter from Denna (Harper Tenney) Russell, Aunt Dawn’s daughter. I think her son will be serving a mission soon! And I received a Florida postcard from Nick Ogden; he’s such a funny kid. Please tell them Thank You!

Well, this was a very exciting week, because President Johnson [the Area President] came to speak in the mission. He taught us so many important things and as he taught, my heart yelled amen over and over. He taught us how to recognize a person who is ready to receive the gospel, how to contact in a way that the spirit can testify and about self empowerment. One of the things he explained is that if we truly want something (that is right) the Lord will give it to us. However, we often say that we want something, but we don’t truly want it, that is, we aren’t willing to pay the price to obtain it. So really, we are everything that we want to be and have everything that we want to have.

It’s not a new concept for me, however they are strong words to reflect upon, that make you really evaluate if you are cheating yourself out of being something more than you could be, if you we will to put forth your maximum effort. Sometimes, do we allow ourselves to be calloused, insensitive to our state of progression? Are we in one of those “sometimes”? If so, let’s not be satisfied with the mediocrity. Evaluate the things that have become relaxed in your life and you have become comfortable with.

Make a list and specific goals to improve those things. It will be hard, but we must be willing to pay the price! And self-improvement has a high price! However, the rewards are far greater. I promise you if you put forth you greatest effort to repent and become better, placing complete trust in the Lord to help you, He WILL “make weak things become strong unto you”.

Four things that will help to make this process successful:
- Prayer
- Fasting
- Prayerful study of the Book of Mormon
- Regular church attendance

I am grateful for the perfect example of the Lord Jesus Christ and the grand mercy and love He has for us. I pray that we may all awake to our true state, accepting our flaws and weaknesses before the Lord, that we may be able to overcome them with His help, and become as He is.

Love,
Elder Bryce Sterling Packer

Hello my wonderful family!

All is going great here and I am healthy, safe and feeling great! The mission continues to be a challenge that is helping me to grow, and developed talents and attributes. The experience is precious every day!

More and more I am able to choose to be happy, and continue doing what I should, no matter what difficulties I face at that moment. Man that’s been hard! But priceless to learn! Consistency is so important! It is one of the basic characteristics that forms perfection. So, how can we become more constant? I know that it comes from living the Gospel and from feasting on Book of Mormon. In my youth I’ve felt very flexible and formable, like a sculptable substance. Lately I’ve been feeling more and more like that substance is beginning to harden and the form is beginning to set. I like the form I’ve chosen, and feel less and less movable in the aspect of “who I am”. I believe I am becoming closer to “who I should be”. Now I guess what’s left are the finish details.

I am profoundly grateful for the role the Gospel has played in the formation and transformation of my life, and in the divine guidance I’ve received to help me become the best being I can be. And I know that, just as Jesus Christ and His Gospel have formed the base of my life, he will continue to guide me in that process. That’s always the best part, that no matter how great it’s been so far, I know with the Gospel, there is always more!

I appreciate each one of you, my family, and am deeply grateful that you are mine!

With much love,
-Elder Packer