1-9-09

Hey Everybody,                                                                

 This week takes the cake for crazy ones.  After P-day on Thursday night at 11 while I’m sleeping, I get a call from Elder Martineau and the first thing he says is, “This is not a joke.” Then he tells me I’m getting sent to Mt. Vernon 1^st Ward with another missionary to replace the ones up there. So as of Friday afternoon, I’m back in Mt. Vernon—same ward, same apartment, 3 weeks later. I’m stoked. I didn’t sleep much Thursday night because I was thinking about all the people I was teaching I’d see again. Elder Merrell and I had gotten a lot going, but it’s awesome being back. I got released as a District Leader and now my new comp, Elder Zirker, is training me as a Zone Leader. It’s fun. It’s just like having a bigger district than before. We do a lot for the zone so we don’t get as much time with our area, but the time we get is effective.

 I’ve seen Brian and Mike and with the 3-week transition, they’ve both lost steam, so I’m gonna see what we can to do getting them progressing.

 Zirker’s the man! I’m learning more than ever with him. And with less time in our area than before, I think we’ll get more accomplished than before. The elders that were here and then left transformed the apartment. It’s spotless and it’s got a bench press and weight set. It’s great. They cut down the 5-foot-tall blackberry bushes in the backyard too so now we can see Big Lake. They had 3 feet of snow so they just cleaned up everything since they were stuck.

 Things are good. Zirker is from Dubuque, Iowa. He’s hilarious and loves tracting. We haven’t had the chance to do any yet, but when we do, we’re gonna tear it up.

 Thanks for the letters. All’s well.

 

Love,

Elder Packer

WA Everett Mission

16124-35^th Ave. SE

PO Box 13390

Mill Creek, WA  98082-1390