Mission update 5/25/2024

 This has been a busy week. We've done as many interviews as we could fit in each day in between meetings, devotionals, temple and other obligations. We're not getting ahead but we're not getting too far behind. But, there are 500 names ready and waiting on the continuing student list that we are just getting started on. We weren't too worried about hurrying with those because we have all summer before fall semester. But, apparently some of those students are trying to get in to the June block of classes so that is a problem. Hopefully they'll let us know so we can bump them to the head of the line. We have a few issues with the way the computer just dumps everyone in with no order so we're just fishing around in the bucket each day. But, despite computer frustration, we do keep meeting amazing students who are seeing wonderful changes in their lives as they pursue their education and learn to include Christ in every aspect of their lives. 

I got to interview a woman this week who we had talked to back in January since all the students got notified that they needed their continuing endorsement on May 9, no matter when there first one was done. The really great thing about the interview was that in the previous one she had mentioned that she drank coffee but committed to quit. She was very excited to tell me this week that she has not touched coffee since then. I am so proud of her!

We have loved watching all the Temple Square gardens transform from spring to summer flowers with so many people working every day. One day we see them digging out whole beds and then the next day the same bed is all full again with new flowers. It's magic!

White Peony, I don't remember seeing white before, so pretty!

Saturday night we went to the Utah Symphony concert and loved it! We even liked the modern piece they did at the beginning that we thought we'd not love as much. :)  There was a violin concerto we hadn't heard before by Arturo Marquez and it was just amazing. The soloist was fantastic and by the end of the concerto it was obvious that she had put her whole heart into the performance. I don't think she could have done an encore if she'd tried!

We plan to spend Memorial Day up north, visiting the Logan cemetery for Gary's parents and brother and then Mantua for my parents. It is a beautiful day to remember people we love.

I was pathetic at pictures this week, so obviously repentance is needed for next week. 

Mission Update 5/19/2024

 We started off the week with a devotional by Elder Rockwood who is the managing director of family search and a newly called area authority Seventy. It was a good way to start the week since he spent a lot of his time praising the missionaries for all they do for the church. Later in the week we had a district dinner where the speaker talked to us about how we are a calming influence in the areas we work, the wards we attend and everywhere we go. So, apparently, being old, with gray hair and on a mission is fantastic!

We've had a good number of interviews this week, enough to keep us plenty busy but not completely overwhelmed But, we have a rising number of students waiting in the continuing student portal for their yearly interview and we'll start those next week along with our normal number. So far there are over 500 students waiting so as long as we don't need sleep, we'll do great!

We had several Muslim students this week and one man that I (Sylvia) interviewed said that he was a "liberal Muslim". I had no idea what that meant and was a little concerned but it turns out he just meant that he thinks all churches have truth and he loves learning about other religions so he was loving Pathway institute classes. I like that definition of liberal!

We also experienced several this week who have already decided to join the Church since starting Pathway!  One joined a couple of weeks ago, so we had to send him a to-do list to get him going down the right path since we cannot do his endorsement any more!  He gets to go meet with his Stake President instead!  Another was so excited about what he was learning that he now has a baptismal date on June 2nd!  That one we were able to do since he is NOT YET a member of the Church!  :)  

We are seeing the work of the Gathering of Israel happening through BYU Pathway in unprecedented numbers!  These people all over the world are coming to find an affordable education and most are excited that it is from a Church school like BYU!  Then they come and are taught great life skills just preparing themselves to start going to college, along with the spiritual classes they take from the Institute.  Then they find out more about Jesus Christ and want to become more like Him!  They then, just somehow, find their way to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints where they can make covenants with God and be sealed to their families forever!  I hope all of us that already have these great blessings from our Heavenly Father will never take them for granted or forget how lucky we are!

We have really loved watching all the grounds crew people at work this week. They've been digging out all the spring flowers and putting in summer ones. It is so beautiful! We also took a walk up in the avenues this week and the poppies are coming out all over up there. It's just a beautiful time of year everywhere.

Friday we got to meet with the new Senior Service Missionaries coming in and they are a dedicated group. I'm so impressed that they will drive into Salt Lake 3, 4 and 5 times a week from all over the valley to serve. We also ran into some missionaries who were preparing to head to the Rexburg area to run a girl's camp all summer. We've always thought that sounded like a fun job too.

Yesterday we had a ward picnic and had fun trying all the great side dishes and getting to know ward members better. Then today we got to be ward greeters and talk to everyone as they came in. We're gradually getting to know at least the faces if not the names. 

After the ward picnic yesterday we stopped at the First Encampment Park to visit Gary's great great grandfather John Pack's rock. It took a while to find it but they had a map so that helped. It's a fun little park in middle of town. It marks the spot where the main body of the Pioneers first camped when entering the valley after coming through Emigration Canyon. 

We're looking forward to a busy week as we start working to fit all these continuing student interviews in. And of course, there will be many more flowers to see!

We continue to LOVE our mission!

Elder and Sister Pack

 

Mission update 5/12/2024

 We started off our week with 14 people in our apartment for breakfast. We were amazed that it worked! Jeremy, Adam and families came over before they left for the airport and home later that day. Jeremy and family made it home easily that evening and Adam and family had a little more adventure with delayed and cancelled flights, a rental car, long drive and a sleepless night. But, everyone is back home so that's good.

Tuesday we got to go to the Taylorsville Temple open house and we loved it. We also went to the Bountiful Temple and did a session there so it was a Temple day all around. After some catch up shopping we came home and got our interviews planned for the next day.

A bunch of missionaries having a field trip. The Taylorsville Temple is beautiful!

The rest of the week we did lots of interviews, trying to catch up a bit from the past two weeks. I talked to one guy who shared that his mom, brothers and wife are all church members. I asked when he was going to catch on and he said he was meeting with the missionaries and working with the bishop to finish up his goal to quit smoking and then planned to be baptized. He was such a great man with a wonderful spirit about him. In another interview I was amazed at how strongly I could feel the spirit radiating from the man I was talking with. These people are so ready!

One thing I find pretty funny is that we have students apologizing to us about their English skills when they already speak several other languages. I feel like I should be apologizing to them for only speaking one language.

Friday night we had an MTC district gathering with dinner. We have a room in the North Office Building called the Zion room and that is exactly what Friday night felt like--Zion. These people we went through the MTC with are so good and doing such wonderful work here in our mission. We gathered in a circle after we ate and everyone shared their experiences over the last couple of months. It was such a beautiful, peaceful feeling as we heard from everyone. There have been really hard things, exciting things and just the normal, mundane office work kinds of things but everyone is working hard to be the kind of missionary the Lord wants them to be and it shows.

MTC District Friends!

Yesterday was mostly just a free day but we had one interview and went to a granddaughter's dance recital which was fun. It was good to have a day with free time after so much going on.

 

I spend lots of time taking pictures of flowers on Temple Square

We love these mountains!

From Gary:  With today being Mothers Day, I have been thinking of our Mothers and the Mother of my children.  I know it will surprise all of you, but I have to let you know that all three of these women are not perfect... but oh, do they love their children and families!  With the passing of Norman Davis two weeks ago, we are now apart from all of our parents for a time.  We will see them in the coming years!

Families are everything in this world and eternity!  Our Mothers taught us so many amazing things, like a love of music that helped to us to find each other in the orchestra at USU after my first mission.  Most importantly, they taught us to love the Savior and His gospel.  All four of our parents are great examples of enduring to the end after great lives of service to each other and the Lord.  We owe so much to our parents and our siblings for all that we are today!

Gary and Sylvia Wedding Day 1982

If you have your Mother still on this earth, make sure you tell her how much she is loved and appreciated today!  Sylvia truly is my everything and the reason why I get up every day and find reasons to be positive and love my life while we serve here on our full time mission!

We love you all!

Elder and Sister Pack

Mission update 5/5/2024

Together Again!

From Gary:  After two years apart, Norman and Kristine Davis are together again!  Norman took care of Kristine through many years of Alzheimer's Disease until she passed away in April of 2022.  Now in April of 2024 Norman passed away 3 days after his 88th Birthday and joined Kris and so many others in the Spirit World.  They were, like all of us, imperfect people, but they showed lifelong faith in Jesus Christ and truly showed us all how to endure to the end.  They will forever be loved and missed.  We are so grateful for the Plan of Salvation that helps us know where they are now and that we will see them again.  We now need to work on writing more of their life histories so they can be shared with their posterity.

Here is a link to Norman's obituary:  https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/hjnews/name/norman-davis-obituary?id=54985179  

We loved the family that came to the funeral and for so many who attended virtually and showed their love for Norman.  

Hold your loved ones tight and tell them they are loved every time you can.  President Nelson has told us this life is like a nanosecond in eternity, but that it is a very important nanosecond!  

From Sylvia:  It has been a beautiful and exhausting week. If we can go a few days without needing to drive up to Logan we will be very happy! But, it has been wonderful to spend time preparing for the funeral and with family. We also had a few things that needed fixing at our house so worked on those this week as well. 

Monday and Wednesday we actually got some of our Pathway work done and that was wonderful. We talked to amazing students who are working hard to improve their lives. They remind us daily of why the knowledge of the Savior and his Atonement is so important. They are learning to understand that through Christ they really can do all things.

We had the funeral for my Dad on Friday and it was a perfect day. As part of the funeral service, each of the grandchildren (there are 11 of them between my sister and me) spent a minute or two talking about Grandpa and how he touched their lives. We heard about learning to drive stick shift, misquoted poetry, very badly pronounced Spanish, hiking trips, and lots of wisdom. It was perfect and exactly what I hoped for. 

Grandchildren Pallbearers gathering

My sister Juliana and I plus Spouses

For mission choir the past few weeks we've started working on the "farewell" songs for the current mission presidency since they are done at the end of June. I don't know how we're going to get through any of them without crying but we'll try. We are discovering a rather sad reality of missions is that people finish their missions and go home whether you want them to or not. It's really quite rude of them!

We were in charge of the Zone game night last night and it went very well. We had 30-plus people show up, and thanks to Tyler and Marie we had plenty of games for them to choose from. We also had pizza and snacks and it was great to spend time playing, eating and getting to know each other. 

This one got pretty scary

Jeremy, Adam and families came to church with us today and several people were really excited to see them, until they found out they were just visiting and not new ward members. Our ward here struggles a bit and really needs new, strong families to move in!

We're looking forward to a more normal week of missionary work ahead but are so glad that we were able to celebrate my Dad's wonderful life.

Have a fantastic week!

Sister and Elder Pack