Unexpected Surprise

I am the ward mission leader in the Northpoint 3rd Ward in Salt Lake. Your son started his mission in our stake. I have been with him from the beginning and I have certainly been proud of him. You certainly can. I have been with him on many lessons that he has taught. They are spiritual and he does a wonderful job. He is a good missionary. He and his companion, Elder Dyson, get along very well and are a great companionship. I was telling his companion last week, that he doesn’t need a trainer any more. You would think that he was a senior companion. When we do exchanges, companions separating and working with members, some times the new missionary needs a lot of help. Your son never needs help. He is very prepared and bears his testimony with force. His companion is going home next week and we really do not need a real experienced missionary to take his place because your son can lead out and show the way. Your son never complains about anything, instead builds people up and supports them. We are proud of him and the investigators love him. Yesterday in a meeting, the investigator was saying good bye to Elder Dyson and then asking your son to please continue teaching her after Christmas. He is her missionary now. (This is a grown woman)
I am not too sure how much he is enjoying the snow. I was telling him this afternoon as we were going to a lesson to walk with his hands out of his pockets in case he steps on ice and slips. Other missionaries, when they see their car parked, always pile snow on the windshield if there is not snow on it already. Your son is very good at cleaning snow off of windshields. This is a joke with the missionaries. Your son takes everything very good natured. He is enjoyable to be around. He is always prepared, organized and spiritual. We enjoy having him here. Thank you for sending him to us. We will take care of him.

PS: The joking around happens to all missionaries. They are all very close.

December 16 Email

Dear Friends and Family! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Not a whole lot has happened this past week so there isn't a lot to write about! The snow has turned into ice and it's very fun! NOT!!!!! However, there is quite a funny story about my companion and I slipping on ice! last week HE slipped and fell and I didn't so he was like "what the heck! I thought you were the one with bad balance!" (b/c of my surgery and what not). so the rest of the day he was constantly trying to get me to fall by "tripping" me! However, despite his best efforts, I never fell; but in the process of trying to trip me, he slipped and fell twice! haha a couple days later, we switched roles and guess what happened? He never fell but I fell twice! haha I guess what goes around comes around!
Anyway, I know how to say awkward in sign language now b/c almost everything that comes out of my mouth when I start a conversation with someone is really really awkward! It's very frustrating yet at the same time hillarious! So after we contact people, most of the time, we walk away and do the awkward sign! If you'd like to know more about how to say awkward in sign language, please contact your local deaf person! or write me!
Note to family: There's a shortcut we take to get to the other side of our area, and in order to get there we have to go over the Jordan River on a bridge. So guess what game I taught to Elder Dyson the first time we went that way? Pooh sticks! and now we play it every time we take that path! and guess who always wins!?! Not me! haha it definitely reminds me of the cabin!
Oh, BTW, a new rule is out from Pres Sonne that I am only to email family so friends will have to mail their letters to me! either hand written, or typed and printed out and mailed! it kinda stinks but rules are rules and they're there for a reason!
This week I talked to my very first drunk person! yay! He was acting very very wierd and I didn't understand why until we walked away and my comp asked me if I noticed anything unusual about that man! I said it was obvious that he was acting unusual, but being the innocent person I am from growing up in my Mesa, Mountain View bubble, I'd never encountered anyone who was very very drunk before! So Elder Dyson told me and everything suddenly made sense!
We're having a baptism this Saturday at 7:00 pm at the Rose Park North Stake Center on 12th and 12th in the South east font room! We've been teaching a boy named Julio who is 11 years old and he's getting baptized with his little sister who's 8! We found him by checking our list of children who haven't been baptized and his mom thought he'd been baptized! they're an active family who have been coming to church regularly for the past 6 months! so we basically just set up his baptism the first time we stopped by. We've been teaching him for the past 2 weeks and he has asked if I can baptize him! Heck yes I can! So I'm really really pumped if you couldn't tell! It's a big deal! Not just kinda a big deal! It is a really big deal! I'm soooooooo excited for Saturday! He's a way smart kid and he's got a pretty cool Mohawk, but he can totally get away with that look! I would never be able to get away with a Mohawk! Just remember, the church is true! everyone have a very Merry Christmas and remember why we celebrate this wonderful holiday!
Love Elder Partridge!

December 10 Email!

Hi everybody! The snow is here in Salt Lake, and this time it's going to stay! I got my first experience snow shoveling on my mission this week and all I have to show for it is a blister on my hand! yay! There were a ton of really cool experiences this week but I'm just gonna share one! One of the things we need to do each day is "hard commit." so we'd gone the whole day w/out hard commiting anyone and I was trying to think of how we were going to accomplish this! So we looked at our plans and we had written down to go by one of the bishops in the stake. So we walked to his house to fill him in on what was goinig on in his ward (b/c he had been out of town the last 3 weeks). So we got there and let him know about everything and then we thought of something. He's really good friends with one of our investigators mother! and every time we set a date for him to be baptized, she has something going on that won't allow the baptism to go through! So when we were with the bishop, we asked him if he'd be able to help us out by asking them if Dec. 19 would work for a baptism! So he called them right then and hard committed them for Dec. 19 and they accepted! So not only were we able to fulfill our requirement to hard commit somone that night, but we also realized that we had received direct revelation to go to his house and ask him if he could help us by commiting them. I know that nothing happens by coincidence, but everything happens for one reason or another, even when we don't know what that reason is! Thanks for everything you all do for me! I love you all and appreciate you!
Love Elder Partridge

*Yesterday was Zone Conference, so he didn't get to email. Glad he's not sick! :)

December 9 Email

No email today! I'm assuming that he or his companion are sick. :(

December 3 Email!

So we had Thanksgiving this week! Yay! I love eating tons of food; twice, b/c we had 2 dinners! instead of having a normal day of work, we deep cleaned our apartment! it was so fun! NOT! but we had to do it some time anyway, so it was ok!

We also had transfers just yesterday! Elder Dyson and I are staying together until he goes home, so I get to kill him! (that's mission lingo for being his last comp). We went to the transfers though b/c we had to get a new gas card since we have a car and all! yesssss!!!! I'm soooo lucky!

So just to boast in the power of the Lord to fulfill his promises to his children: Our mission baptized 79 people this weekend and 246 in the month of November! That's 246 people who have accepted the gospel and entered into a covenant with our Heavenly Father and can now return to live with Him again! It's truely incredible!

We also went to the Samoan Ward Relief Society closing social! There were 7 of those buffet tables full of food; just one pan after the other! After we piled a mountain of food on our plates and sat down they said "Good, leave this here and get another one." so we piled another mountain of food on a plate and sat down and started eating. And for the next 30 min, one person after another just kept bringing plates and plates of food to our table! we have to be in by 9:00 pm so we told them we had to go, so they piled all the food onto 7 plates and sent them home with us! They're so funny too; one of the brothers in the ward is on the high council and we went in line with him and he kept telling us what everything was! haha he's like "Elders, we don't eat horse: This is pork cooked in the samoan style, so it's good! This is sausage, but it's cooked in the Samoan style so it's better! Oh and elders, this is shrimp!" hahahaha that was the best one b/c It's shrimp, it looks the same every way it's cooked! hahaha Oh and the bishop assured us we could eat as much as we can and we won't get sick b/c the food's already been blessed! hahaha

Another cool thing that happened this week was...BYU WON!!!!!! Yes! Congratulations!

The spiritual story from the Elders in Rose Park North area this week is about someone we met 2 days ago! His name is David Solomon! He's 15 years old and lives with his mom, dad, sister and cousin/brother. His mom and cousin are the only members of the church in the family and we had been trying to contact David for 5 weeks! We were about to stop trying b/c they never answered the door once in the whole time we were trying, no matter what time of day it was! So this last time we were trying, they were home! the dad answered the door and we sat down and talked with him and David (the son) about meeting with us and working towards baptism! They were both excited and told us to come back tommorrow. So we showed up to the lesson, and one of the rules we have as missionaries is we need 3 men over 18 in the house to be able to teach, and there wasn't a third male. So we asked if we could get someone and come back in an hour to teach them. So for the next half hour we stood outside in the 16 degree weather and called over 12 people and noone could help us! We were trying everything to get someone and noone could so we were starting to get worried. So we both said a prayer in our hearts that someone would be able to go with us! Finally the WML talked to someone and convinced them to help us out! Then when we got there to teach, about 5 min later, the father walked in so we didn't even end up needing the member to be there! But I know that Heavenly Father hears our prayers, and we can always have prayer in our heart! So last night we met with David, and his mom and cousin sat in on the lessons, and we taught him about the restoration of the gospel! We also committed him to be baptized on Dec 19 and he accepted! So that's another prayer the Lord answered for us last night! I know that The Lord has everything happen for a reason and that nothing just happens by coincidence! I know that the message I am sharing to everyone is true and that this is what I need to be doing in my life! I also know that we will be blessed for trying our best to keep all of God's commandments! I love you all and appreciate the influence each of you have had in my life to strengthen me!

Love,
Elder Partridge!

December 2 Letter

Dear Fam!

Love you tons! Here's a little more about what went on this week!

Nov. 12--I gave a blessing today! We had interviews with Pres. Sonne, too! While people are being interviewed, we have training from Sis. Sonne and the AP's (Assistants to the President). All that stuff's in my study journal! Tonight we went on exchanges with the AP's. I went with Elder Bunker and Elder D went with Elder Strobatski! That was cool and I did good with everything I did. Then we taught Lanae! I ended up being the one who spoke most of the time! But it was my first experience where I spoke, but don't remember what I said! It was amazing. Sis Lee-the Ward Mission Leader for the ward is at almost every lesson with us! She bears a strong testimony and is a great asset to have when we teach to help invite the Spirit!

Nov. 13--We went in early today because Elder D. is getting sick! So we came in at 8:40 pm and he crashed! We had our first lesson with Kathy Tallbrother and her daughter, Langi! They're Navajo! She's read the Book of Mormon a lot-3 times through and has a testimony of it, but doesn't understand a lot of the things it says because of the language in the Book of Mormon! So we read in Mormon with her about what things mean! We took turns reading, then stopped after each verse and broke it down and answered questions she had! Then Elder D felt like death so we called it an early night so he could get better!

Nov. 14-So missionaries don't eat as much as I thought! I ate 2 cans of Chef Boyardi Ravioli for lunch and Elder Dyson thought I was crazy! Two cans is nothing to me!

Nov. 16-When I ate the grande meal last week, I made a name for myself as the one who eats a lot, so if anyone has food they're not going to eat-like at lunch today at Carl's after Zone Meeting-they give it to me! I got a calling today! I'm 2nd counselor in the P-day committee counsel coordinating quorum! With Elder Jackson-Pres, DL Elder Hancock-1st counselor, Me, and Elder Kutell-Sec! :) By the way, here are the Elders in the Pioneer Zone this transfer: Elder Williams & Elder Gillmore, Elder Sanchez & Elder Lewis-ZL's, Elder Brimicombe & Elder Orme, Elder Hancock-DL & Elder Houk, Elder Domingez & Elder Cuelston, Elder Blanco_DL and Elder Gonzalez, Elder Jackson & Elder Whiteman, Elder Kutell & Elder Rooney, and Elder Dyson & Elder Partridge-Me! I got some coupons for Carl's Jr. because the owner saw us and gave us some because we were eating there.

Nov. 17-We had our last New Missionary Training today! Tonight we had that sweet lesson with Patti McDonald! Oh Ya! and Elder Dyson just knocked over a glass of water on my desk and soaked some stuff! Not to mention me!

Love you guys!
Elder P.

*Transfers were today and I didn't receive an email from B, so I'm assuming it may come tomorrow...???

Some Weeks...

...it seems like Wednesday will NEVER come!

Elder B's Mom