Haha I just read a couple emails from my first couple of weeks in the field. Wow how things have changed! I feel completely different and yet entirely the same as that young sister missionary. Man. I would love to get her enthusiasm back though! Done! Okay.
So life! All right. This week since last Tuesday: Good week. Just really struggling with motivation, so we're doing things to help cope with that. Oh and we rearranged our desk furniture this morning. We seriously cleaned our apartment for like over an hour today. I actually like cleaning though. Except the shower. I cannot figure out how to clean a shower haha. Oh Hannah it will be so fun when we have cleaning inspections in Utah hahahaha! So excited.
We're teaching a lady named Tracy and trying to help her husband Troy get back to church as well. We have great lessons, and she's awesome about reading and keeping those commitments, but we're having the hardest time getting them to church! We took them on a church tour this week only to realize that our church building has like no artwork in it though hahaha. So it was a nice tour. I think it helped, but not enough to come to church this week so we'll keep working on it.
Due to a funeral on Thursday, we were thrown an emergency last-minute service project. We seriously called like 50 people trying to find a truck to help this poor lady out and were saved by the young men of all people! 3 priests showed up WITH A TRUCK EVEN (one of them has a mission call and just graduated from high school... weird) and just saved our lives. It was so awesome. But Taylor she was wearing a necklace just like the one you have with the eye/hand thing and so I knew she was Jewish! Anyway she was just so impressed that we were able to help her out that she went to 2 church buildings yesterday! She says that she loves her Jewish faith but loves her "second religion" too. She's actually outside of our area which is a super downer for her, but we'll get her elders over to her. Thankfully the Spanish-speaking sisters were there to help and she's in their area so they can stop by and visit her. So that was neat to be a part of. Our Bishop was impressed that the project had been pulled off but mostly impressed that he'd be there to receive the call for her asking for help because he was only near his office because of the funeral. So yesterday he testified about miracles and how the Lord is truly hastening His work (I cannot emphasize this enough and how much we're feeling this in the mission field. It's definitely feeling like that huge wave Elder Nelson talked about last General Conference and we're expecting some big announcements in a broadcast on June 23rd). So good testimony meetings this past Sunday. Then, Sister Barnett and I had some study time after church. We were both still fasting and WOW our studies were awesome. We had all these great learning moments from the Spirit and were just blowing our minds. Too much! Sister Barnett said this morning, "I should just fast all the time because I get way more out of my studies!"
Well that was a run-on paragraph...
Mom your training is so intense! Aren't you happy to already know the solfege (had no idea it was spelled that way...) from the Sound of Music! Also Dad, can we please get The Ten Commandments because I'm reading Exodus right now and want to watch that movie so bad haha. Glad to hear that you're having fun in Utah though :)
Dad, President Taylor seems to be doing well. He's approaching his 2-year mark as a mission president. And he told us that they're out of money (since they don't receive income as a mission president and wife) so Sister Taylor went up to Provo this past week to prepare their house for renting haha. Crazy. Sacrifice. That's what it's all about. He is very busy all the time, but we always feel his love which is awesome. Shea asked on behalf of her parents for some advice when they were preparing to go to Cambodia (can you believe they've been there for almost a year now?!) and that's mostly what I told them was to just make sure the missionaries feel loved. Love is such a great motivator, and they really have become like my second parents in the field.
Dad I'm serious about the Sioux City thing! Although that joke about the teepee famine was really funny - Sister Barnett and I had a good laugh over that one. People in the library must think we're so weird haha.
Also, I heard the Church is done making the Bible videos! Is that true?! I haven't seen the one of Lazarus come out yet!!!!!!!
Life is pretty good. I'm trying to smile more and be happier (I don't know what I'm not - I'm sharing the best message in the world 24/7!). Also, President Taylor told Sister Barnett that it's almost for certain that she'll be training in just a few short weeks when her training is up. She's been a little freaked out by that, so I'm trying to help her to be more prepared for that (well for her to actually realize that she's prepared for that because I'm so amazed at how much she's changed just in the 8 weeks we've been together). I'm still trying to be better. I definitely know that it's one step at a time which is nice. I loved that about Elder Holland's talk this past conference about how imperfect people are all the Lord has to work with but He deals with it and so should we. Definitely applies to how we deal with ourselves.
Hey I love all of you bunches and oats. Seriously. Just love ya. Your emails really propel me through and give me an extra boost that I love. I've reflected a lot this week on how the gospel has blessed our lives so much and how completely different our lives would be if a great friend hadn't sent the missionaries over to kill Mom and Dad's goldfish hahaha. It's important work! Every single member of the church is a firsthand witness to this. We're part of the time that has been anticipated and prophesied of for generations - let's actively take part! Sister Barnett and I will do better as well.
Also, I think I want to see if I can be a temple worker when I'm back in Provo. I was thinking about temples this week.
Okay love y'all so much! Have a GREAT WEEK and Happy Graduation Hannah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love, Sister Parks
You have a great Day and I love reading it.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless!
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