HERMANA PARKS - August 20, 2012

Okay not really. But basically.
So the big news is that I am back in a trio. Sister Falke flies home
today to get back in time for school (so she's going home just 4 weeks
early) along with some other missionaries but she was the only English
sister so she's the only one that really affects me.
OH AND I FOUND TRENTON'S MORMON.ORG PROFILE. OH YEAH!!! He's so cute.
But yeah so President called Sister Robinson and I Friday and told her
that she was going to Prescott to be with Sister Culler (massive sad
crying face here because I miss Prescott a lot still haha) and that I
was going to be paired with the two Spanish sisters that are in our
zone. SOOO I don't really know what's happening. Okay well here's what
we know: I am now in a trio with Hermanas Garcia and Graves. They are
both super amazing, but I'll go into that later. We are covering both
wards - so my ward, Manistee Ranch, and then the Hermanas cover half
the Spanish ward (they split it with Elders because the ward is the
size of the stake). So we're covering both wards and living together
somewhere (last night we stayed at my home but that might change).
We're driving the Hermanas car and I just got a call that I'll have to
give mine up to the Spanish elders :( Anyway so this should be the
situation for the next 4 weeks until we get our next batch of English
sister from the MTC come September.
I KNOW IT'S TOTALLY CRAZY. I AM STILL KIND OF FREAKING OUT. So
yesterday we made the change and last night I sat through two lessons
completely in Spanish that I didn't understand at all. Yeah. So
thankfully we get an hour every morning to do language study. So my
companions are going to be teaching me Spanish. Last night I learned
"muho (mucho?) gousta" and this morning I learned the alphabet and
vowels. I made the sad discovery this morning that I can no longer
roll my r's with ease. I really have to work on it. So basically the
past like what 20 hours have been pretty intense and crazy.
We met Sister Culler and Sister Falke at the mission home, and Sister
Robinson got to drive the truck back while I went with our member back
to Manistee Ranch and waited for the Hermanas to pick me up so we
could continue with our day. It was really great to see Sister Falke
again - I had no idea how much I really appreciated her as a
companion. As crazy as she is, she made me laugh all the time and
encouraged me to be my best. And she let me take things out on her
sometimes which really helped.
Also I'm pretty sure Elder Parks' emails are so short because he
spends all his email time reading my emails (right?!).
So yeah I'm in a hybrid trio. Apparently this hasn't happened since
President Taylor got here 14 months ago. I sometimes wish God didn't
have so much trust in me because I keep having waves of panic. I think
I'm going to ask my district leader for a blessing soon because I need
so much strength beyond my own right now. I need to learn
Spanish!!!!!!!!!!
When President called us he said something along these lines, "Sister
Parks, I've been kind of ignoring you because I don't know what's
going to happen. But the Spirit finally gave me some direction and I
think you need to stay in Manistee Ranch. Can you do that?" Though
uncomfortable, I laughed a little and said, "Well if that's where the
Lord needs me, of course." He then told Sister Robinson that she was
going to Prescott to be with Sister Culler. And then he explained to
me how I was going to be with the Hermanas. I immediately felt very
peaceful about that and that this truly was an inspired decision.
There is a reason for this big and difficult change.
For the next 3 days we didn't have a lot of communication or answers.
We had to go up a ridiculous line of authority with each level knowing
only slightly more than the next and leaving most of the decisions up
to us anyway. We didn't even know where we were staying last night
haha. So yeah we'll have a lot of figuring things out today and
tomorrow and every day probably for the next 4 weeks.
I don't know why God would have me learn Spanish at this time. I
think, knowing my personality, that this is something that could
really make me or break me. So now I'm back to a trio (which is
comfortable and yet difficult as always), need to learn Spanish, and
honestly am pretty alone in my ward which means I'll need to be
relying and pushing the ward to provide sisters to go on splits with
me so that, as a companionship, we can have the most time in the wards
we're assigned to as possible.
Bam. So that's the big news I've been waiting to tell you for 4 days
now. Pretty crazy right? I know.
So to answer some questions: yes, I've been in a couple dust storms,
but they're never that bad. It mostly just gets dirty windy. Does that
make sense? I think the worst ones come at night or something because
oftentimes our car will be really dirty and dusty when we go out in
the morning. It has rained a bit, but lightly and obviously evaporates
soon - except once which was really exciting and we woke up to puddles
outside!!! Next week when I have my camera cord I'll send you
pictures. Gah I keep forgetting that.
Zone Conference was really good - I kept going back and forth between
moments of really good motivations for our area that we've honestly
been struggling with a lot and then moments of like drowning in all
the things we're not doing. It was a big wake up call. Our plan of
action for the ward is to really utilize this opportunity we have to
NEED member help with allowing me as much time as possible to be
working in our ward. Granted, there's like no work here (seriously -
right now there's not), but the members are the key to making that
happen. We are all going to whipped into shape together. There are
people here in Manistee Ranch that need help. And we're going to help
them.
So I'm still technically assigned to the Manistee Ranch Ward only -
it's a 1 1/2 by 4 1/2 rectangle block that includes downtown Glendale.
I get to travel with the Hermanas though as their area is much larger
than mine.
My companions have already been stellar examples to me. They are
ridiculously diligent, and Sister Robinson and I were totally slacking
off. They are both very spiritual and very smart and fast-paced. I
have been humbled many times already by their example. I have not
grown to love and understand my area as I should have, and now I'm
supposed to help my companions learn this ward and love it as well. It
is very humbling. Very. I read Mosiah 4 today about beggars and how we
all beg and owe everything to God. It gave me great comfort as I
considered how Christ never allows our suffering to be in vain. I know
that He'll be here for me in this particular time of need. I will be
begging Him for quite a lot.
It's funny. I spent so much of my life avoiding my own furnace of
affliction that now God has thrown me into it all within 8 weeks. I
need it. My leaders keep saying how much they trust the 3 of us and
how great this will be, and I know that God obviously trusts me enough
to not completely ruin this part of His vineyard.
But hey isn't it great that both Elder Parks and I will be speaking
Spanish on our missions?! And we're still in the states so it's not
too expensive to send us packages. Oh yeah!!!
Um I could use more shirts. My 3 that I use for everything are too
tight to wear by themselves and are wearing thin and getting holes. I
definitely have enough skirts (yay!) and almost all of them are pretty
and patterned. But some solid, pretty colored with nice-looking
necklines would be great. Does that make sense? Kind of like the
modbes. I'm good on black shirts. I could use another white one, a
navyish one, a gray one, and maybe like pink or red and such. And I
wear mediums now :( Gah I never make sense. Good luck! Maybe I'll just
go shopping. I guess just keep an eye out. And short-sleeved
jackets/cardigans are always great. Solid colors again. I can do
anything with solid colors - it's wonderful. missionary.lds.org is a
GREAT resource on what missionaries wear. Loose, pretty, and nice. Now
if they would just have links to where they bought them!!!
I think I might buy new soles - the ones I got from the orthopedic are
wearing out, and my tennis shoes are really old and could use new
ones. So I might do that.
Oh and I was looking at the stake directory and saw that Omar
Contreras has a mission call - is he out already? There's no way he's
old enough to be a missionary hahaha.
Anyway this email, as usual, as been ridiculously long. I LOVE Y'ALL
SO MUCH IT'S RIDICULOUS. But seriously. Thanks for the emails - they
always make me emotional hahahahahaha. It's great! I love it so much.
I promise to send pictures next week. Maybe life will be silghtly more
normal then too.
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE
Sister Parks
P.S. Lyndsey and Aanika wrote me recently and it was SO SWEET! Love it.