3.16.2015

My package is here, with my zone leaders. I will be able to get it tomorrow at zone conference. This week we got 14 new investigators. A few of them are referals from the members here. By the way you guys should refer the lady at Great Clips to the missionarries. I thought about that this morning and I bet that she would be receptive. We had a pretty good amount of lessons this week. I eat out about once a week, so not too different from previous areas. I have not kept in contact with my missionary friends who have gone home. The only other person I email regularly is Micron from St. Vincent. He along with Tristan are both seriously planning on going on missions. Micron is working on his papers right now! I wish I could talk with others, but time does not permit me to do so. I am about 20 minutes from the coast, by car. The branch I am serving in had 57 people in church this last sunday, which is about what they average. Elder Montgomery and I will also be getting bikes in our area soon. This week I saw the blessings of faith and patience. A few weeks ago in my Book of Mormon reading, I read about how the spirit of the Lord was poured out into the land, because of Alma's prayers. Then he saw great sucesses from doing so. I decided that I would do the same thing, and so for the pst few weeks, I have been praying for the Lord to pour out his spirit in our area so that we may have progressive people to teach. The most prominent answer to this prayer was a lady named Annie who works at a fruit stand. We gave her a resto tract as we bought some water from her and as we talked she seemed kind of interested, so we set up a return appointment. When we came back after 2 days, she had read and understood about prophets and priesthood and accepted a baptismal date at the end of our first appointment. My favorite part was as we taught and the spirit becem more and more present, the smile on her face kept getting bigger and bigger until it went ear to ear. The joy that the gospel brings is priceless. Love you lots. Out of time.

Love, Elder Parker 

3.9.2015 (picture)

These are called Portugal's

3.9.2015

I am not currently the District Leader. I will be next transfer, which is in about 4 weeks. This week was good, but we don't currently have many progressive investigators. We did have some success in building trust with the members.I sent some cool pictures to Grandma of a service project we did for our Branch mission leader to help build relations with him. It must have worked because he came out with us later on Saturday to visit some less actives. A big focus in the mission right now is retention and reactivation, so we have been looking for less actives to rescue. This last Friday was a cool finding experience. All of our appointments had fallen through, and Elder Montgomery and I were walking back towards the area close to home to do some more tracting. As we were walking, he felt impressed to go back to a house we had just passed to talk with the two ladies sitting out in the front of their house. They were of another faith, and they made it clear that they were quite content with where they were.  As we started walking down the street, we both wondered why we were supposed to stop at that house. Then I noticed and a lady sitting in a wheel chair. I felt impressed to go and speak with her. When we asked her if she had met with missionaries before, she told us that she was a member of the church. Sister Booker also has a daughter who was taught by the missionaries, but has not been baptized. She also told us about another less active who we didn't know about who lives just behind her. We sat down with her and shared a lesson and got to know her a little bit more. As Elder Montgomery and I were walking away, we realized that she had not been out on the street when we first started walking down that street. I learned the importance of not getting in the way of the spirit directing my companion. If either of us had not listened to the promptings that we received, then we would have never met Sister Booker or found out about the other people who we may be able to teach. A cool experience that illustrates the importance of following the spirit and trusting your companion.

Love, Elder Parker

3.23.2015 (Another Picture)

We got bikes!  Also just this morning I got to drink from some coconuts that just got cut down and I thought of how much I would enjoy you guys being here. These last few weeks have been good. Elder Montgomery and I are working on making our area more balanced with member work and reactivating less actives. A big success of the week was that we got to meet and start to teach Sister B's husband! She is the one that I wrote about a few weeks ago who is confined to a wheel chair. This picture actually was taken on our way to visiting them last night. When we got there, I saw that her husband was home. I asked Sister B if she thought her husband would be interested, but she said probably not. I decided to go and meet him anyways. He turned out to be a nice guy who had been taught by the missionaries at the same time Sister B was being taught. We watched the short Restoration video with them and they liked it. I'm excited to see what happens from here. Sometimes there are people who don't appear to be receptive, but we never know unless we try. I also got to go to a baptism this week for a Sister who is very prepared. Her husband also happens to look like a really tan Thorin Oakenshield from the Hobbit and he is way cool. The spirit at her baptism was the strongest that I have felt in a while. I think that I am learning more of how the spirit feels. At the baptism, I felt very calm, very happy, grateful and encouraged. Baptisms are such great places to feel the spirit. Love you lot's!

-Elder Parker

3.23.2015 (Picture)

This was at zone conference. 

2.23.2015

I'm going to move to central Trinidad in Chaguanas. It's a different zone. I am excited to go to a new area, but this last transfer I started to get pretty close with more of the members here, so I will miss Curepe ward. It will also be wierd to go down from a ward to a branch again. I will move on Wednesday. We are still working on getting most of the members out, but a few are going. Somehting that I have learned about member work is taht it is an investment. It also takes some time and patience before things get moving, but because it is the Lord's work things do get moving. I got to be invloved in the foundation work. We had a very sucesful fireside this last saturday that helped improve reltaionships in the ward and also the ward culture. We focused on the Book of Mormon an acted out Samuel the lamanite, Abinidi, Nephi getting the brass plates, and the tree of life. It was really fun and the members had a blast. President and Sister Mehr even came to it! I also learned a little more about how the spirit works this week. I was out looking for less actives late one evening. Near the end of the night, Elder Ferrin and I were walking back to the car after an unsuccessful search for Brother Rattan. Just a few houses before our parked car, I saw a few people standing out in the front of their house. I felt that we should go and talk to them. When we aksed if they had spoken with misionarries before, the lady said " Oh yes, I know the Mormons. I am one." Sister Singh was baptized when she was in her teens, but hasn't been to church in a while. She ws very kind and soft hearted. Not only did we find her, but we also found out that the rest of her family has not been baptized. It's a prime teaching opportunity! What I learned from that was that promptings from the spirit are often very subtle. They are sometimes no more than a feeling to do something, and that is why it is important to keep in tune with the spirit. If I was otherwise occupied, we would have missed meeting Sister Singh. From what you wrote, it seems that listening to the spirit is the them for this week's emailing. It sounds like everyone is doing well in sports. As far as the package goes, you can still send it to the mission office. If you could include a new scipture case, new shoes, some more of those little paintings of Christ from Deseret Book and an oil vial that wuld be great. And could you also send something for my companion. Elder Horsley's mom has done that and I think it'ls a great idea. I wuold send pictures, but I'm emailing on an ipad again. Love you lot's! 

-Elder Parker

3.2.2015 (picture)

​This is my new apartment. It might need a little cleaning.

3.2.2015

 This week was pretty good. I have felt very well received by the members here. We have been visiting them and have taken a few teaching with us. I hope that their enthusiasm continues. My companion is from San Antonio Texas. Elder Montgomery goes home at the end of this transfer. We3 have a few investigators, but we have had to drop many of them. Unfortunately, I have not gotten any closer to the coast. In the package if you could also send some more black socks please. That was a cool video of Benjamin's basket. But then I got moved down here, haha. I have been trying extra hard to be obedient sand diligent. I was reading in Alma chapter 30 about Korihor and Alma this week. Korihor taught that it did not matter what we do in this life, it is of no consequence. Throughout the rest of the week, Elder Montgomery and I have had several meetings with people of various faiths who present a similar, but perhaps more deceptive arguments about how what we believe does not matter. All rivers lead to the same ocean. As I was reflecting on this, I thought about how the stories in the Book of Mormon are not so different from what happens today. The gospel is so simple, true and perfect. I am grateful I have the gospel in my life. Seeing the members here has been an excellent reminder of the joy that comes from living the truth. We also had stake conference this week and it was great. The spirit was there and it was all about families. I sure do love you guys. Thanks for sending the package. Don't forget something for Elder Montgomery please!

Love, Elder Parker