10.26.2015

My week was good. No investigators came to church, but 3 recent converts came to church. They haven't been in a while. We found a couple new people to teach, but we will see how they turn out. There was one cool lady that we started teaching that is a long time friend of R who was baptized about 3 years ago. We taught her about the plan of salvation and about the restoration. She seemed to be interested in the idea of modern prophets. It's good to hear that Sarah did well at the state meet. 

10.19.2015 (pictures)

We reactivated sister S this week. She is an older Indian lady and had been gone from church for a while, but when her daughter was reactivated a few months ago it helped sister S to want to come back to church. My favorite lesson with her was about the plan of salvation. My companion and I thought that focusing on the bigger picture would help her in her resolve to be active in church again. It's exciting to see people coming back to church. There is another lady that we are teaching who is doing good. Her mother and her daughter were just baptized a little before I got to the area. We made a special effort to follow up with her about reading in the Book of Mormon and when she didn't read, we read what she was supposed to read with her. I think she understood that we actually expected her to read what we left her. She has been consistently reading the Book of Mormon since. She hasn't been to church in a while though. She was supposed to come to church on Sunday but I think she and her daughter had an argument that morning so neither of them came to church. But today she is supposed to go do some paper work to get a divorce so that she can get remarried. I am excited for that because it usually takes a good bit of encouragement to help people to go and take care of that. There are a couple other people that we started teaching, but nobody that is progressing very fast. I have been able to see the Lord's hand in His work more this week. I hope Sarah runs well on Wednesday. I might take piano lessons when I get back. I think that I could be disciplined enough to practice every day now. Sarah, Gabby and Ben are going to be so much older when I get home. Does Sarah have friends that work at Roxberrry. I have one thought for the new house. There should be a library section with a nice comfy chair in the middle. Anyways, it was good to hear from you. Love you.  Elder Parker

Canadian Thanksgiving

10.12.2015 (pictures)

W

It must be fun to be able to have the family over whenever for football games and things like that. Sarah and Gabby have had some good running seasons. Will they be going to Arizona for NXR? This week there were 2 baptisms in our zone. One was in one of the only places in the mission where baptisms are still done in the ocean. It's a place called Point Fortin. It was really cool to be able to go to the baptisms. The other baptism was for a lady that is from the Cominican Republic and speaks very little english. Most of her baptismal service was in spanish, but I could still feel the spirit even though I couldn't understand everything that was being said. Our investigator pool is still low. We did find some potentially progressive people this week near where the last 3 baptisms in the area were. President Egbert is his name. I am celebrating Canadian thanksgiving with the Senior couple here in San Fernando. Have a great week! Love, Elder Parker

10.5.2015

This week, I learned some good things. We have been doing a lot of part member family work. There is a young woman who was baptized just before I got here and we have been teaching her mom Stacey. Last night we got the paperwork from Stacey to our ward mission leader Brother Simmons so that the work can commence for her divorce so that she can get married to the person she is currently living with. We have been able to have some spiritual lessons with her and she has been showing some good signs of growth, like reading the Book of Mormon on a consistent basis, and deciding not to go lime with her friends (limeing with friends=riotous living). She needs to come to church again, so there are certainly several mountains to help her climb over, but the beginning steps have begun. Unfortunately the teaching pool has remained low this week. Conference was awesome! There is a noticeable difference that comes during the conference season. I noticed a big theme from conference is the need to be more prepared to defend the faith, and being more centered on Christ. I liked that counsel, especially because I am working on being more courageous. Being more willing to stand for the truth. I am down at the knuckle on the ring finger if you make a map of Trinidad with your fist keeping the pinky and thumb extended parallel to the rest of the fingers. I thought of you during Elder Holland’s talk. You really are a great example. I think of your strength from you telling about during your high school years how you would stay away from parties and other activities because of the standards you held. It has been helping me. It must have been fun to see some of your old missionary friends. I have been better about taking pictures. I love you mom.

-Love, Elder Parker