transfer week

Hello from Connell!

It’s been a good transfer week. On Monday and Tuesday Elder Hammond got a lot done, and found some good new people, Wednesday we met at the Yakima Stake Center for transfers. I got to drive a car down that they were getting ready to retire. So that was cool. We got to Kennewick and got to see some familiar faces and meet my new companion Elder Derek Young! He is from Kansas, he just got trained and he is a great missionary. From there, Brother Anderson, a member from Basin City 1st ward took us in his truck to Pasco. He asked if I'd had a bite to eat, I told him no, so he took us to IHop. Man did I have a good omelet! Than after shopping at Wal-Mart we headed North to The Basin!

So we're covering Connell 1st ward and 2nd (Spanish) branch, and Basin city 2nd ward. That afternoon we went and met an investigator in Basin City and than went to dinner with our Bishop, Bishop Hawkins. It sounds like they've got some good plans brewing. They are planning on calling 20 new ward missionaries. They're going to be making a big missionary work push, so that will be good. The next couple of days we were able to work in Connell, and meet a lot of people there. I lied, its about 18 miles from basin city, not 30-40. Its a good little town though, kind of like Boardman.

On Sunday Morning we went to Connell branch sacrament meeting. They had it in the relief society room. I got to bless the sacrament for the first time in over a year. It was an awesome experience. After that we taught gospel principles to the ward because our wml was out of town, after that we went home and ate lunch and headed out to basin city for church. We found somebody named Chui on Saturday night. He seemed to be a really good kid. He wanted to come to church with us to see how it was but had to go to tri-cities with his brother to help sell stuff at the flea market.

I want to share a thought before I close, it is about the faith to find. The first thing that needs to happen before any missionary work can happen, is that someone, needs to have the faith to find. The knowledge that we're all god's children, that he wants as many as us as possible to return to him, that he'll pour out the spirit to prepare people and that he already is pouring out the spirit to prepare people in OUR area and people that WE know to receive the gospel. We don't make the excuse that, everybody has already heard it, that you've already tried everyone you know, or anything like that. You try again. You pray for guidance, and you find those who "will receive you" or I'd think of it more as those who "will receive [Him]" There’s some food for thought. I knew it applied to missionaries before but I didn't realize how it applied to members till this week.

Well Everybody have a great week!

Love Elder Partridge

 

Connell

Dear Family,

It has been a wonderful week here in Yakima.

And now for the big news, We got Transfer Calls! and my time in Yakima comes to an end. I'm being transferred to serve in the Connell 1st ward and the Basin City 2nd Ward and the Connell Spanish branch. Google it. Connell is a rural farming area 40 minutes north of Pasco. Basin City is a rural farming area 40 minutes west of Connell. Basin City is full of members from what I hear. I think Connell is too. They are all farmers so it will be kind of similar to my time in Boardman, but times 20. But yeah, I'll be serving in those 2 wards and a small branch in Connell. It will be tons of fun; I've had a lot of companions that have served there. My companion will be Elder Young. He just got trained by Elder Webb, so I'll be his second companion. But it will be exciting, I head out Wednesday morning!

This week has been amazing, topped off with the baptisms and confirmations of Elvia and 3 of her kids. It was probably one of the best baptisms I've ever attended. We had some cool stuff happen. Our Branch Mission Leader's wife's Niece moved up from California. We started teaching her this week. She's been acquainted with the church for a while and wants to get baptized, but her husband said he'd divorce her if she ever did. It’s never that easy. But she did come out to the baptism and loved it, and she also came to church on Sunday. She told us she wants to send missionaries to her daughter in California.

Our guy Jose is also doing great too. We taught him about the restoration yesterday. He was so excited to hear about the prophet. It helps a lot that he has already read up to 2 Nephi 9 in the Book of Mormon and has a solid testimony of it. He definitely wants to come to church now and check it out. It is going to be good! We scheduled a church tour for Thursday night, so Elder Hammond and Elder Bingham will be able to do that. It will be awesome.

It’s been a great week and the work will continue to progress. I am excited to hear how the seeds we've planted here do over the next couple months, but now it’s time to move to the next area!

Have a great week everyone!

 

It's all about Him

We had a good week. Probably won't be as newsy because we skyped yesterday.
We had our last Zone Conference with President Greer on Tuesday. It was awesome. The theme being, "Its all about Him" They had a Mission Presidents Seminar in Seattle, and that is what Elder Jeffrey R. Holland emphasized after all the training was over. Everything in the church, all the organizations and efforts, and meetings are because of the Savior, Jesus Christ. This is his church.
We've been trying to focus more on that the last couple of days. That our purpose is to help people to Follow Jesus Christ. It was good

We found some twins and started teaching them. Fernando, and Angel. They were really excited about it, and than it seemed like there mom told them we couldn't come over anymore. On our second visit this week they said, they didn't want to get confused so they'd think about it and than call us. I hope they do call us, but it seems they were influenced by their mother who didn't want us over.

The Zone Leaders have been teaching a lady named Elvia. She is a single mother with 7 kids. Her and 3 kids are getting baptized on saturday, I got to interview Elvia last weekend and I'm going to baptize one of her kids. It'll be fun. Its a good family.

Well we've got some good things going on this week. We'll be getting transfer calls on saturday so I'll let you know next monday, and than on wednesday will be the transfer. Hope everyone has a good week!

Love you all!

Elder Derek Partridge

Conference

What a week! I'm glad to hear everyone is doing well!

Our week was sweet. Augustine is doing good, we're pushing for the 25th of May now though. We've been seeing good stuff with lots of our investigators. Jose is almost done with the Book of Nephi. He is doing great. He knows it's good and true.

We had stake conference this weekend. It was awesome we had our mission president and temple president there. The temple president had an awesome talk. He told of a time he went to a department store to get his shoes shined in Salt Lake. He had them shined by a sharply dressed, Mexican man, with a rosary around his neck. They were talking a bit and the man said, "I know the President of your church! He would always come to me to get his shoes shined. He would bring 3 pair, I'd shine one, and then he'd take them off and put on the next for me to shine, while he'd talk to me. He doesn't come in now that he is president, but he still sends his driver in with the shoes and a personal message from President Monson." and than he said "do you know what your president said to me? He said 'Elvis'" because that was his name, "'Elvis, I'll never leave you. I'll never leave you.'"

President Johnson than talked about how we can have a good Christ-like influence on all those around us. President Monson has always set the example in caring for and ministering personally to a large amount of people. The way he does it is always one-on-one though. It was a great talk.

They also talked about missionary work, and family history and indexing. It sounds like a lot of the youth are catching the wave with both works. Its cool to see.

Well Mother's day is next Sunday, we still need to figure out a time to Skype. You might get a quick phone call on Sunday to set it up.

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Derek Partridge