March 28, 2011 Email

Hey guys~!

I'm pretty jealous about you going to see the baseball games. It is at this moment snowing up here. It just dropped 20 degrees in 10 min. Crazy! Very chilly!

So first item on the agenda from this week was the Unrien's baptism. It went great. Zak had to be baptized twice because he managed to shove his hand up out of the water, but it was good the second time! They got special permission to confirm him the same day! And I'm just saying, the prophet and apostles were right when they said if they want to keep a secret, all they need to do is put it in the handbook. teehee. Their baptism didn't just start on time, it started early! Another first for the mission.

Immediately after Zak and Nick Unrien were baptized, Cameron Wall got baptized. He is the funniest kid. He got dressed in the jumpsuit and said, "I look like a prophet." Then he got up to the portable podium and asked me to come up and Elder Aguilar to come up and asked us what we would do if it was our birthday. IDK maybe you just had to be there, but this kid is hilarious and cracks me up every time we talk to him. Later Elder Aguilar told me when they were changing and Cameron's dad was helping him change Cameron told his dad, "You should get baptized, it feels so good. Take my word for it. You should do it." And Bro. Wall said, "We'll see." Go Cameron!

The sealing was amazing, too. Even though I wasn't the one who had taught and baptized him, it was still incredible to be there. It was even cooler though because they totally remembered me from the one time I stopped by last year with Elder Aguilar for no longer than 10 min. I guess I just have one of those faces. They are so awesome! And of course we went to the after-party up the street for lunch. It was so cool to see all the support they had. And one lady there totally remembered me from serving in her ward (Monument Park North Stake) just from seeing me a year ago walking down the street over by her house. Again, I guess I just have one of those faces.

It's pretty cool, too, because the youth from one of the youth groups from a ward we cover here in Tooele went down to do baptisms for the dead. So we went down to the baptistery area and saw Bishop, and some of the members we've been working closely with, and all of the youth. It was so funny/great to see the look of excitement on all their faces when they saw us. Bishop started telling all the temple workers how great we were. But it was funny because twice the temple workers in the baptistery tried to get us to participate until we told them we were missionaries and they backed away and said "No don't participate with us. Keep the rules, good job." haha

It felt so good also to go up to the Celestial Room for a bit after not being there for such a long time. Elder Aguilar and I also got to go to the little office behind the sealing rooms and see the stained glass window of the first vision. Oh, and of course...I saw Matt Hoskis in there!

Pretty awesome about Super Saturday. It's pretty much the best practice ever! I think there's a different feeling because I'm not there this year. That must be it. Just kidding. Speaking of. Do you mean EVERYONE in the cast has a different feeling about this year, or just in the fam?

So we just got trained as leadership in the mission for 2 straight long, amazing, spirit filled days about how we can be better missionaries. One thing that was mentioned stood out to me as something you could do great as a Ward Missionary, Mom. Bear a fervent, sincere testimony of Jesus Christ. It's so powerful. I went back to the area that night and applied it and we put someone on date. That was a promise given to everyone in leadership, and the next day we tallied it up and 38 people were put on date that one night just as leadership. Amazing.

Isn't Dad such a stud! He's so great! Nuff said.

No problem about the business cards. These will work great till later!

Pretty much the biggest detail about Tori's baptism is that it was pretty much standing room only. I was thinking for a sec that we'd have to move into the chapel.

Cool news from How and Cindy's fam.

Good luck with everything this next week. Sounds like you're busy.

I'll keep you posted!

Love you.
Elder Partridge

March 21, 2011 Email

Hello people!

Things are great out here in Tooele! Just trying our best to preach the gospel and being led to those who are prepared to receive it! It's amazing! And now that you mention it I did receive some pretty awesome "St. Patrick's Day" package material! We-Elder Aguilar and I-are going to have a fatty Tim Tam slam. Haha a Happy Hanukkah gift card!? haha I got such a crack out of that one! The cashier at Walmart today did too, I think. She looked confused, amused and something else, but it was funny! As far as my business cards go, they're pretty much awesome, not gonna lie. But I realized that I look like a noob in all those pics. If you could get a pic of me smiling without sunglasses on that would be cool. And really it doesn't matter if they are vertical or horizontal, I like them both. Also I thought of something else to put on my card: Facebook info! Facebook's a great way to keep in touch with or find pretty much anyone.

So ya, we've got Cameron Wall coming up this Saturday at 10:00 am at the Stake Center and the Unrein's at 9:00 am at the Stake Center. Then a sealing to go to for one of Elder Aguilar's investigators that was baptized a year ago. It's cool cuz I was able to meet this family once when I was serving with Elder Atchley in Temple Zone. I went on exchanges with Elder Wiel and we stopped by and met them. Cool beans.

The Mackay's daughter Nieca is going to take longer just because she is only over there for every other weekend. But while we are at the Temple on Saturday, the youth plus Bro. and Sis. Mackay are going to be in the baptistery doing baptisms for the dead. So we are going to try to stop down there and see them do baptisms for the dead. It'll be their first time in the Temple.

Tory Sweet was baptized on Sat. at 2:00 pm. It was standing room only in the room. Tons of family came! It was pretty awesome. Her grandfather who she wanted to baptize her drove straight from Tennessee 28 hrs. on the way they got a flat tire and wouldn't have made it, but they had a small miracle and barely made it on time. They just drove straight to the chapel from Tennessee. It was awesome though.

Congrats on the calling to be a ward missionary, Mom. You'll do a great job with helping out with lessons! A great thing you might be able to do is instead of asking if there's anyone you can help with or saying is there anything you can do to help, go up to the Elders and ask them who you can fellowship. Every time we have a lesson with a member I think about what a great help you would be in a lesson, because you wouldn't take over the lesson but you'd be able to have a great testimony to add and invite the spirit.

Sounds like a fun busy week ahead. Have fun with the fam coming up! or I guess down.

Thanks for the other updates! Much appreciated! Especially about conference tickets!

Tons of love back atcha
Elder Partridge

**Guess what? I finally got a cactus garden today! Finally! and Elder Reta had to get one, too! It's funny. I'll send you a pic.

An Amazing Accomplishment!

Sunday, 13 March 2011 Partridge

Elders and Sisters,

As you now know we had 283 baptisms in February and another 64 the first week of March. Our total for the first two months of the year was 519 baptisms. Most importantly each of you are being obedient, diligent and exercising faith to make things happen. Every week now about a third of our companionships are hitting the standard of excellence. The Lord is blessing our mission greatly.

I am very proud of each of you and the progress and improvement you are making. Remember what we have learned so far this year. We need to yield our hearts to God and give him our heart and a willing mind. As we focus on our missionary service and forget all other worldly things, we will have the companionship of the Holy Ghost and we will be directed in all things.

President Winn

March 14, 2011 Email

Talofa!

Just in case anyone is wondering, I'm doing pretty great. I'd go far enough to say fantastic! Malinda just got confirmed yesterday! So great!

It is pretty much bike weather now, but I don't trust Utah weather. It will be snowing in a few days I'm sure. I learned not to expect consistent nice weather until May. In the mean time I'll just enjoy the good weather when it's here and love my car in bad weather! I'm totally down with riding the tandem and making a fool of myself, but my companion isn't quite as ready to embarrass himself as I am.

So the Unrein's (the fam that made pavlova for us) are doing solid. The boys are getting baptized on March 26 at 9:00 in the morning.

Still no news about Salena and Angel, but wait a hot minute and I'll keep you updated.

We are able to teach Kim Atkinson twice a week in the mornings which we are taking every advantage of, because she is just crazy busy with mainly school. But I'm sure juggling 3 kids keeps her busy, too. She is progressing well, just slowly because of how busy she is and how much else she has to do.

Ya, I just heard from Sis. Munoz at the sealing on Friday that she reads the e-mails every week! The sealing was so amazing! It was so cool to see them all in white and how happy they were. Sis. Munoz was walking on air! She probably still is. There were a ton of people there and a good amount of missionaries, too. It was great to see the support they had. It was pretty fun to see all the people who I knew from Rose Park. It was funny how all of the missionaries were sitting in one area and members from the ward came over and said hi to me and talked to me and no one else, even though all the missionaries in the group had served in the area. Cool! Apparently I made a good impression.

Oh ya, I'll have to ask Bro. Mackay if he's related to my 2nd grade teacher. I doubt it, but never say never.

So we didn't have a huge mission breakfast feast, but we had a great spiritual feast! We had a couple of General Authorities come and speak to us as well as the Mission Presidency.

I can't believe that it's March Madness again. We were just at Walmart printing pics and they had a highlight reel playing from the tournaments past. But no matter how much I think I like the NCAA finals, I enjoy teaching people and seeing them find the truth so much more. There's nothin better, even though we trick ourselves some times. I especially am enjoying it all right now. Heavenly Father is helping me a great deal!

I can't wait to get the business cards! Those will come in really handy.

Please, if you could, send some more Tim Tams! They don't exist in any stores here! Also reemphasizing the Walmart gift card.

I love you!
Elder Partridge

March 7, 2011 Email

Hellllllooooooooooo Arrizzooonaa!

Ya it's pretty cool how much amazing stuff Heavenly Father has blessed us with. I'm constantly excited and grateful for Him answering my prayers and providing so many miracles.

So on Tuesday (tomorrow) we are meeting with Salena and are going to get everything figured out so we can teach Angel. Cool.

And Malinda's baptism went grand! She got baptized last night at 7:00. My first baptism that's happened on a Sunday. We went over Friday and checked to make sure things were still good for her baptism on Saturday and she said that she was going to be in Salt Lake and as quick as Mach 2 (aka the speed of sound ) Elder Aguilar told her we will plan on doing it Sunday. What great inspiration on the spot! So ya it finally got done. I'm glad the bishop finally took our advice and decided to have this happen.

We are teaching Kim Atkinson any time we can. So we gave her a Book of Mormon and in the last lesson her daughter who is about to turn 10 had read through 1 Nephi already. Wow.

So Charles and Moe are going to be sealed some time in April, but the last time I talked to them they didn't have a specific date set. So ya. But they'll keep me posted.

We had "brinner" (breakfast for dinner) at the Unrine's last night, and guess what they had for dessert that I requested...Pavlova!!! They actually made it for me! So good. We taught them a lesson last night about baptism and the Holy Ghost using a tea bag.

Things are still set for Cameron to get baptized on the 26th!

So Sis. Munoz gave me my first haircut on my mission. She is the declared missionary mom in the Rose Park Stake. Her husband got baptized when i was serving in Rose Park North. And of course I got to know them well serving in Rose Park Stake for 6 months. I got to help with his new member lessons a lot.

I saw Elder Montgomery the day he got in, but not since then. But I will on Wednesday because the whole mission is getting together for breakfast. We broke the mission record 2 weekends in a row for most baptisms in a week.

Congrats to Mat Shaker and to Craig Shiflet. Oh man I'm so stoked for Christiaan going to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And he's going to be speaking African French.

More Mambas would be fantastic for St. Patrick's Day, but please don't send too much more candy. I'm still way set from Valentine's Day. But the WalMart gift cards are such a help. That would be great.

We haven't been going to the temple because it says to go every so often or something like that, so every zone has one week in the transfer where they get to go to the Temple, except Wyoming and Tooele. But Tooele is getting on the schedule.

Tons of love right back at ya.

Love Elder Partridge

March 3, 2011 Email

Hello People,

It's pretty crazy how long I've been a missionary. But I have only been out 17 months so far! Don't cut me short! haha

So Salena's baptism went pretty fantastic. It has been the first baptism in both my mission and in Elder Aguilar's mission that has started exactly on time with everything ready to go. And we've been privileged to be a part of quite a few baptisms so far. But we didn't have to do a thing for it. The Young Women's President took care of everything, and the Young Women did everything. (Except for the actual baptizing of course). She had her best friend there with her, who is pretty much like her cousin, for the baptism and the confirmation. Her name is Angel. She had missionaries come over 2 years ago and they were weird and said stuff that was offensive to her so she didn't want them to come anymore. And this is the cool part, Salena's mom, who is very less active, told her "you just got to get yourself a good set of missionaries like these guys." So we are going to be teaching Angel as we go through the lessons again with Salena.

The lesson with Kim Atkinson went pretty awesome. She is really interested. Her husband wasn't there because he works out in Dougway. She is so prepared. We invited her to be baptized and she said it's a really big decision and she'll have to keep having us come over to see if that's what she should do. That's what Charles Tuigamala said too and their family is getting sealed in April. cheeow pow! And her 10 year old daughter has been reading the Book of Mormon now.

We added a family named the Unrine's, too. They are less active that have been getting active again this year in preparation for their son who's turning 8 March 24 and to be able to baptize their 10 yr old son. So they are going to be baptized March 26.

Tory Sweet is going to be baptized on March 19 because she has family in Tennessee that is coming and her g-pa is going to baptize her, so that's set.

Cameron Wall is going to be baptized March 26.

Elder Aguilar has some converts getting sealed on March 26 that we will go to.

The Munoz family in Rose Park is getting sealed on March 11 and we are going to that.

And this weekend Heavenly Father provided someone for us. Malinda is going to be re-baptized this Saturday because the Bishop decided it is better to be safe than sorry and make sure it gets done since they can't find her records and aren't able to recreate her records another way.

And I don't know if I've told you much about the Mackay's (pronounced Makee's), but she was baptized a couple weeks before I came into this area and his youngest daughter isn't baptized and they want to do everything necessary to be sealed. So next Friday we are teaching her, Saturday baptizing her, and Sunday confirming her. It's going to be pretty amazing.

Also, while I was with Elder Reta on exchanges yesterday, we went by one of their investigators and taught her and her daughter, who has been coming to mutual and church in our English ward. She asked her mom if they were going to be Mormon, and her mom said "If we decide it's what we want and need to do. Why, do you want to be Mormon?" "Yes!" So ya. pretty solid!

I rather miss going to the Temple. I haven't been since the first week I was here in Tooele.

I gtg now
love ya
Elder Partridge.

February 24, 2011 Email

Hey guys,

Happy Post-Presidents Day. Crazy schedule differences this week! It's Thursday and we are emailing. I have very limited time today though due to interviews and a training I am giving. Love you tons though. I did finally get the Valentine's Day package! That was pretty awesome. I especially like the candy "poster." I can't tell you how happy I was when I saw the Mambas. They don't sell them anywhere in Salt Lake. It's such a shame. So thanks so much.

So Tory Sweet is getting baptized on March 5. It's so solid! We taught her twice this last week and watched the 20 min. Restoration DVD with her to help her get a visual of the things we taught. And about Salena, she is getting baptized in 2 days. It was the coolest thing. She wasn't learning much of anything because she gets distracted so easily. So Elder Aguilar and I prayed to know how we could help her learn and retain in remembrance the things we teach. And we got the inspiration to teach the most interactive way possible. So we've been doing everything with hands on analogies and it's stuck like glue. She remembers and understands the symbolism behind everything we've taught.

So in the Standard of Excellence it's
1-baptized and confirmed,
3-investigators with a baptismal date,
5-investigators to church,
12-lessons taught to investigators with a member present, and
3-new investigators.

Wow, a lot of people are thinking about me. I hope you tell them I'm doing good.

We finally got in to teach a kid who we have been trying to teach since before I came into the area ages ago. His name is Cameron Wall. He is the most sincere kid. He has such an awesome desire to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. He has Aspergers and just says everything the way it is. We are his new "best friends." He is going to be baptized March 26, on his birthday. I need to get a tape recorder to record all the hilarious things he says because I can't remember them all.

We got a miracle phone call last night from Sister Weeber who has been doing great missionary work with one of her friends. She invited her friend to church and she was excited to go, then she invited her to a Relief Society social and she was excited to go, now she invited her to meet with us and she can't wait for the appointment on Sunday. Her name is Kim Atkinson. She is from Holland. She is married to James Atkinson and they have 3 kids; a 9-yr.-old, a 4-yr.-old, 1-yr.-old. Sweet.

The Lord continues to provide for us. We have such great work right now. We are just trying to get more and more. It's fantastic.

Love you all, TTYL,
Love Elder Partridge.