New Mexico Packs Blog Post 6

    The Christmas Season is upon us in New Mexico too!  Practically all the communities have special events commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.  The Native American pueblos, which abound around Albuquerque and Northern New Mexico, have their "feast days", many coincide with Christmas celebrations.

     We recently traveled to Santa Fe, the state capitol, where we enjoyed an awesome New Mexico cuisine dinner that included green chili. It was dark when we left the restaurant. As we walked out the door, we were dazzled by the beautiful site! The central plaza was all lit up for Christmas.   

Santa Fe central plaza lit up for Christmas.

     Another fun Santa Fe treat was the blue corn and lavender doughnut we had from Whoo's Donuts. Very tasty. We also got to see the famous spiral staircase, built around 1880, at the Loretto Chapel near the plaza.  This staircase defies all engineering principles in that it has no center support.  Fascinating!

Loretto Chapel, spiral staircase with no central support.

     Afterward we enjoyed a chat with several members of the Santa Fe Stake.  Arriving at the stake center after dark we marched into the middle of the youth activity.  We somehow dodged flying frisbees and escaped unscathed.

     The last two Sundays we attended the Montaño Ward and the Tomé Branch, both Spanish speaking units.  John got to dust off his Spanish from 50 years ago.  Shelley concentrated but struggled to understand much of what was spoken in the testimony meeting.  The members were so friendly and inviting.  What great brothers and sisters.

     Later in the week we visited the Montaño Ward again.  A youth group was playing an interesting game in the cultural hall.  They set up a PVC frame and socked a ball around, kind of like 3D foursquare.  Pretty cool.

3-D Foursquare

     Did you know New Mexico is known for its sunrises and sunsets?  Last week we had a meeting out in Estancia, about 40 miles east of Albuquerque.  Sunset was dazzling to say the least!  We've never seen a sunset toward the south that went from east to west...until then!  The photo doesn't even come close to the beauty we beheld, God's artistry!

Near Estancia, New Mexico, December 7, 2021, looking south.

     At the Estancia chapel the members have set up a Hispanic Cultural Center that offers English classes and other assistance to anybody needing some help with anything.  It's a remarkable undertaking.

     Out running one morning, more balloons!

Five balloons.  Can you spot 'em?

     Tomorrow, December 13, eleven new young missionaries arrive in Albuquerque.  As part of the welcome, the mission prepares a welcome dinner.  Shelley is fixing pulled pork for sandwiches and baking "biscochito"  cookies.  Biscochitos are the New Mexico state cookie.  How many states have a state cookie?  It's like a shortbread cookie with crushed anise, zested orange peel, and coated with cinnamon sugar.  Mmmmmmmmm.  It's of Spanish origin and dates back hundreds of years.  I think New Mexico is about the only place you can get it.  You can buy them in grocery stores too.

Biscochitos, the New Mexico State Cookie, homemade by Shelley.

     We've been attending the Temple every week.  What a blessing to be on a mission in a city with a temple!

The Albuquerque New Mexico Temple.

     Tonight, December 12, the Albuquerque North Stake put on a Christmas music fireside.  Musical numbers were performed by the stake choir, the congregation and young missionaries from the New Mexico Albuquerque Mission.  A testimony was given by our mission president and a Christmas message by the stake president.  The whole evening was inspiring and testimony building.  Quite a few young missionaries performed, seemed almost professional.  One number was on the chapel pipe organ, a medley of rousing Christmas carols.  Reminded John of Richard Elliott of Tabernacle Choir fame.

     The whole evening tonight bolstered our testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is our Lord and Savior.  If we trust in Him, He will guide and direct our paths for good.  This Christmas Season we invite all to join us to "Light the World with Love" as we celebrate the birth of The Savior.  We invite you to go to www.churchofjesuschrist.org and see the possibilities.  View the video "The Christ Child", so inspiring!

     Merry Christmas everybody!

New Mexico Packs Blog Post 5

    Kindness and friendship greeted us our first Sunday at church in Albuquerque, Nov. 14.  Since we are Welfare and Self-Reliance Services missionaries, we are not assigned to any particular congregation, or ward as we call them.  So, we went to www.churchofjesuschrist.org, scrolled to the "Meetinghouse Locator" button, clicked on it, entered our address, and found we physically live in the Bandelier Ward in the Albuquerque New Mexico West Stake.  So, that's where we went to church.  Upon arrival, we sat down in the chapel and within seconds came a tap on John's shoulder.  A brother in the pew behind us, sitting with his family, asked if we were new and welcomed us.  After the meeting he and his wife invited us to dinner that afternoon!  At dinner we met this brother's parents who were visiting from Sugar City, Idaho.  He knew many of Shelley's aunts and uncles and cousins who had grown up in that area.  It was amazing!  Such a small world sometimes!

     If you look closely in the photo below, upper right-hand corner, there's a hot air balloon soaring in the clouds.  We walk/run nearly every morning and see balloons flying all the time.  Albuquerque is the hot-air balloon capital of the world...at least, the U.S.  We see balloons up nearly every morning, sometimes in the evening.  They're way cool!

John and Shelley and the balloon.  Can you spot it? (November, 2021)

     Now, a little bit about self-reliance in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  According to the Church General Handbook, self-reliance is "the ability, commitment, and effort to provide the spiritual and temporal necessities of life for self and family.  As members become more self-reliant, they are also better able to serve others."  Becoming self-reliant helps all of us to better serve our fellow man and thus serve God.

     Our job is to inform the local Church leaders what resources for welfare and self-reliance are available to them, both in the Church and in the community.  We are becoming familiar with the community resources available, such as employment centers, schools, food banks, counselors, etc.  We are getting to know the local Church leadership and self-reliance specialists.  As the local leaders become familiar with local resources, they will be better prepared to serve their members and community .  One example is EnglishConnect, a series of classes to teach English to non-English speakers.  Knowing English is important in obtaining or upgrading employment in New Mexico.  We don't teach English, but we assist the local leaders in setting up the classes.  This is open to all people regardless of faith, culture, or nationality.  This is one way self-reliance is improved.  That's our job. 

Blog Post 4

     Our arrival in Albuquerque has been nothing short of a miracle.  The drive on Saturday, November 13, down I-25 from Denver, was safe, beautiful, sunny, warm, fun.  We passed over the state line between Colorado and New Mexico up on Raton Pass with a cheer.  We've been through the town of Raton, New Mexico, many times on trips to Dallas and Austin, TX, to see family.  So navigating south from Raton toward Albuquerque was new and gave us a sense of adventure!  We passed through Las Vegas, NM (they call themselves the "original Las Vegas"), Santa Fe, then on to Albuquerque.  Sun and blue skies greeted us.  Not only that, but a wonderful missionary couple greeted us at our apartment front door to let us in, give us a key, and help haul our goods inside.  Three young sister missionaries also greeted us to help.  Quite a welcoming crowd!

Albuquerque looking east over the city toward the Sandia Mountains.  There is a 4,000+ foot vertical rise from the eastern side of Albuquerque to Sandia Peak, a good hike!  This photo was snapped near our apartment complex.

     Our apartment is very nice. Interestingly, there are no doors between the bedrooms, kitchen and living room.  It's designed this way, the builders didn't just leave the doors off.  Fortunately, there are doors to the bathrooms!

Our bedroom is behind the shorty wall behind us.  No doors.

     We've spent the last week in training for our work here in New Mexico.  The Church manager for Welfare and Self-Reliance Services for our region came on Monday, Nov. 15, and spent the whole week teaching us.  We also had training from two Church Employment Services managers.  They all bombarded us with what we're supposed to do and how to do it.  Ever been blasted by a fire hose?  The stream knocks you down, blows you around and soaks you.  If you have the right mind-set, it's a ton of fun!  That's how this week has been, just a blast!, so to speak.

     We have responsibility for Welfare and Self-Reliance Services, including Employment Services, for seven Church geographical units.  These units encompass a region ranging from north of Santa Fe to south of Socorro, NM.  In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints each unit is called a "stake" representing the stake of a tent.  Just like a stake anchors a tent, keeps it from blowing away and keeps it safe, a "stake" in our Church keeps the people anchored in Jesus Christ, keeps us safe and anchored in His Gospel.  Our stakes, as a geographical unit, can be compared to a diocese in the Catholic Church.  Each of our stakes is led by a stake president.  He is assisted by a host of individuals to carry out the work of God in their stake.  Our job is to train those stake leaders who, in turn, train the people who reside in their stake on the principles of Welfare and Self-Reliance.  This isn't just for members of our Church.  It's for ALL people.

     In our next blog we'll explain a little about how the principles of Welfare and Self-Reliance bless the lives of everyone in a community.  Everyone has needs, no matter their situation or station in life.  Everyone can be blessed by these principles.

     Stay tuned!

Blog Post 3

     Our Missionary Training Center (MTC) online training at home last week was impactful.  We studied various sections of the missionary training book Preach My Gospel.  It is prepared by Church leaders to give new missionaries, old missionaries, members of the Church, and anyone who wants, member or not, training on how to be a better tool in God's hands to bring people to Jesus Christ and His gospel.  If you're curious about Preach My Gospel and would like to read it or just take a look, go to www.churchofjesuschrist.org, click on the "Libraries" button, then the "Gospel Library" button, then the "Sharing the Gospel" button.  The Preach My Gospel book will be there to review or download or whatever you want.  It's a cool book.  It does not take the place of the Scriptures or General Conference talks but it's right up there, a great book.

     Our online training included four other couples who will be serving senior missions.  Four of us five couples total are staying in the U.S., but one of the couples is going to Rome, Italy, for their mission.  We had an instructor who managed the Zoom meeting and trained us.  We had some great discussions since we could see and interact with each other the whole training.  It started Monday, Nov. 8, and ended Thursday, Nov. 11, four days of spiritual growth and fun.  The instructor was a returned missionary and college student at BYU.  He gave us great training, made the hours go by fast and fun. 

Our daughter Julie snapped this photo of us concentrating on the training.  It's not posed, we actually concentrated during this training and grew a lot!

     While the training was welcomed and most needed, we still need the direction from God through the Holy Ghost to be effective missionaries, to accomplish what Heavenly Father sent us here to do.  There will be many people in New Mexico to continue our training and preparation and to give us direction, but, in the end, it's God and Jesus Christ, through prompting of the Holy Ghost, that directs us.  We pray each day that we can be worthy of that Direction.

     We packed up the car with whatever we thought we needed.  John thought we might need to rent a U-Haul trailer, but Shelley never doubted.  With Julie's help in packing we got everything in with room to spare!  We aren't Packs for nothing!

In our garage at home in Arvada, the car packed, loaded to the hilt!

     Saturday morning, November 13, 2021, we jumped in the car headed to the next phase of our great adventure.  Guided and protected by God, we slipped the surly bonds of our Arvada home of 24 years and headed into the unknown (at least to us) "Land of Enchantment," New Mexico.

Blog Post 2

     We launched our next adventure!  Sunday night, November 7, 2021, President Horsley, our stake president, came to our home and set us apart as full-time missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  First Shelley, he laid his hands on her head, set her apart from the world as a missionary, then gave her a beautiful blessing for spiritual strength, ability to follow the promptings from God through the Holy Ghost, physical health and strength, and sent her forth to pursue the mission God has for her in New Mexico.  Then he did the same for John, sending him forth to work with the "native people" of our mission, perhaps a reference to the thousands of Native Americans who live in New Mexico.  He stated that John's faith is like unto Nephi of old, a reference to the first prophet-historian of the Book of Mormon.

     After the setting apart we each donned our missionary badges.

      Elder John and Sister Shelley Pack, now official!

President Scott Horsley with Elder and Sister Pack just after the setting apart.

     We had the great honor of having our family present via Zoom and Julie present in-person.  We appreciate sooooo much the support and love of our children and grandchildren.  We thank God everyday for all of our family, they are each such wonderful people.  We had the distinct feelings, and so did President Horsley, that our parents were present in spirit at the setting apart.  We are quite sure they will have a hand in assisting us with our missionary work from the other side of the veil.

     Hello everyone.  We, John and Shelley Pack, are the "New Mexico Packs."  We have been called by God through the prophet, President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to serve a full-time Church mission for a period of 18 months.  We have been assigned to serve as Welfare and Self Reliance Services missionaries in the New Mexico Albuquerque Mission.  We begin our service on Monday, November 8, 2021, with at home online Missionary Training Center training.  We depart for Albuquerque on Saturday, November 13.

     Our training has actually begun already even though the official start date isn't until November 8.  Monday and Tuesday, November 1 and 2, we had online training from the Church Welfare and Self Reliance Department.

     We look forward to being full-time, 24/7, on the Lord's errand in New Mexico!  In our mission application we did not state any geographical preferences nor any preferences of what we'd be assigned to do.  Essentially, we said, "Here we are.  We'll go where You want us to go, we'll do what You want us to do."  And New Mexico is the assignment.  We are thrilled!  Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ are in the details of our lives.