The Loneliest Walk

Happy Easter y'all!

We had a fantastic week here in Pokey (despite the stinky weather). I LOVE THIS AREA. SO MUCH. We are so busy!

So I started this thing about two weeks ago. It has been the biggest blessing and one of the best things I have ever done. I got this little notebook that I take with me everywhere that I call my Revelation/Prayers Answered/Spiritual Moments Notebook. So basically every time I recognize an answer to a prayer, a spiritual prompting, or receive revelation, I write it down. This notebook has honestly changed my life and has helped me combat doubts about God or even about myself. In the past, I have struggled to remember times when I have received an answer to a prayer or when I have felt the spirit. I doubt that these experiences really happened and I question myself. 

Soooo.. I decided to write these experiences down right when they happen and then I can't forget them or distort them over time. I would encourage all of you to do this! Get a little notebook that you can carry around in your pocket or in your purse and record all the experiences you have that confirm God's reality to you. I can promise that your faith will grow stronger. 

I wanted to quickly share one of the many experiences that I've had this week.

So we are teaching a girl named L. L is highly addicted to meth and she uses almost everyday. She can't function normally; even after a few hours after using, her body begins withdrawals and she is miserable. She is 5'4 and weighs around 80 pounds. She is depressed, suicidal and needs serious help. 

This week, L wanted us to come with her to her rehab assessment. This assessment was basically her counselor asking her a ton of questions about her addiction to see if she qualifies for rehab. It was so sad. As he asked L about the withdrawal symptoms, about her fears, about things she had done in the past, she opened up about how difficult her life has been and still is. I just wanted to cry the entire time. 

After the evaluation we were driving back to her house and  the song, "The Loneliest Walk" by David Osmond came on. If you haven't heard this song: GO LISTEN TO IT! It tells the story of some people going through some rough stuff and how they felt completely alone. Then it talks about  the real loneliest walk, which was the walk of the Savior as he underwent the Atonement and the Crucifixion. The song ends by saying that we all must keep pushing through because someone has walked the walk we have walked before. 

I couldn't hold back my tears as I listened. I had the distinct impression that the Savior knows L perfectly. He has felt what she has felt. He has walked a lonelier walk even than the one she is walking. And he loves her. 

I was filled with the spirit as I had this realization. The Savior knows exactly what we are going through. He loves us. 

I love you all! Hope you have a great week! 

Until next time, 

Sister Park

P.S. The picture is of us and L :)

Another week has come and gone! And spring is here!! It was like 60 degrees yesterday and it felt like summer!! 

We had a pretty awesome week. N is still going strong. He is like the most amazing person ever. He has so much faith and really believes the gospel is true with all his heart. Definitely the most prepared person I've taught thus far on my mission. 

We took him to something called the "Walk with Christ" which is like a tour through a church building which they decorate to make it look like Jerusalem. They take you from room to room and you basically go through Christ's life starting from the nativity and ending with the Resurrection. There are live actors telling stories from Christ's life as though they had been there.

Man it was such a powerful experience. N was fine until we got to the Crucifixion part. For the Crucifixion, we were lead into a dark room with a cross set up and the Crucifixion scene from The Passion movie playing. After watching the people make fun of Jesus, whip him, and ultimately nail him to the cross, N had tears streaming down his face and he wouldn't look at us.

After the walk was over we talked to N about it. He couldn't contain himself and burst out, "How could they do that to Him? Why did He have to suffer like that?". We explained that although it was terrible and unfair that he had to suffer, it was a necessary part of Heavenly Father's plan. He willingly accepted the Father's will and gave himself as a sacrifice for us. 

But we need not focus on His death. We must remember is that He lives again! He overcame death and because of Him, we will be able to as well. 

The next day we took N to the Temple Visitors Center in Idaho Falls and he loved that too! He just wants to soak every bit of information in that he can. He wants to go to the temple so badly! Its going to be awesome to do baptisms for the dead with him after he gets baptized. 

Oh! Also his baptism date is for April 9! We are so excited for him! 

We have a ton of promising new investigators too so we will be super busy during the next couple weeks! 

I am so grateful for this Easter season and that we are able to remember and celebrate our Savior's glorious triumph over the grave. I am grateful for the beautiful and perfect plan that God has for mankind as well as the individual plan he has for each one of us. Sometimes we may not understand why certain things are happening in our life. Maybe we don't feel as close to God as we would like to. Maybe we feel alone. Maybe we are unsure about a decision we must make. Maybe we want to be happy but we don't know how. 

I can testify that the answer to all of these concerns can be found through having faith in Jesus Christ and living the principles of His gospel. Hope and lasting happiness come through Christ. I have seen this over and over on my mission thus far and I think that is one of the biggest lessons I was supposed to learn out here. I love my Savior and will be forever indebted to Him for all that He has done for me. 

I love all of you. Remember the Savior this week! (And every week) :)

Until next time,

Sister Park

P.s. If you haven't seen this, watch it: 

www.mormon.org/easter/hallelujah

Paige is ACTUALLY in Poky!!

Hey!! Hope you all are having a fantastic week! 

I am now in Pocatello! Pretty crazy right? This transfer was totally unexpected but I know there must be a reason for it. 

This area is awesome. We cover almost all of the young single adult wards in Pocatello (which includes ISU campus). Serving over YSA is very weird. Its a bunch of kids my own age which is super cool because I feel like I can relate with them a lot more but at the same time its strange because I can't like "hang out" and just be friends with them. Doing missionary work on a college campus is definitely TOTALLY different than anything I've done thus far on my mission. Most cities in Eastern Idaho are predominantly LDS (or know about Mormons) but serving at ISU is completely different. There are people here from all over the world who have never heard of the church before! Its so freakin' COOL!

So just to give you a taste of the diversity here... We are teaching a guy from Nigeria, a guy from Kenya, a girl from Ghana, and three guys from Saudi Arabia. Its kinda like I'm serving a foreign mission :) We are teaching a TON of people. Most promising right now though are N and R. 

N is going to ISU but he is from all over the place (he's a military brat too). He was actually introduced to the church on a plane ride to Salt Lake. He was sitting next to a returned missionary girl and she gave him a Book of Mormon and talked to him a little bit about it. He decided to start reading it and praying about it. He stayed in contact with the girl and she sort of started teaching him more. He had several really cool experiences with the Spirit and he knew he needed to get baptized. So he gave us a call and told us he needed the lessons so he could get baptized! It was seriously such a miracle. 

R is a super cute girl from Northern Idaho. She is rooming with a member of the church and has been coming to church with her and stuff all year and decided to start meeting with us a couple months ago. She got to go through the Provo Temple open house a couple weeks ago and had a really neat spiritual experience. She has not committed to a baptismal date yet, mostly because her family isn't very supportive. She is awesome though and I definitely see a lot of potential in her!

My companion is Sister Gilbert and she is super awesome! We are VERY similar. We are both very organized, hard-working, and obedient. We both like to workout and clean. But most importantly we both LOVE our missions! This is going to be an awesome transfer and I am so excited! 

I love you all so much! 

Until next time,

Sister Park

 1: The Raffettos (Sabrina and Sophia's family)

 

 2. Kari and Jeanine

Baptisms:) and Transfers:(

Hello everyone! 

So this has been a pretty crazy week. 

First of all, the baptisms were great! Sophie and Sabrina were baptized and it was awesome. Sabrina (the 13 year old) is SUPER SUPER shy and she was so nervous to be up in front of people. When she walked in and saw how many people had come to support her she just started crying and saying she didn't want to do it. We finally calmed her down and proceeded with the baptism. Then the girls were confirmed yesterday by a member of the stake presidency and he gave them both beautiful blessings. I love those girls (and the rest of their family) so much. I know it was not a coincidence that I met and taught them. 

So big news! I'm being transferred to Pocatello :( It came as a big shock to both me and Sister Brough. When we found out we were both really upset and confused. We had been working so well together and we LOVE this area. But the more I have thought and prayed about it, the better I feel. President Hancock must have been inspired to make this unexpected change. So yeah I am heading down to Poky on Wednesday! My new companion is Sister Gilbert from Utah. I know a little bit about her and she is really sweet and I think we will have a lot of fun together. 

I'm going to miss Sister Brough a lot! We have had a lot of fun together but I'm excited for a new adventure in Pocatello. We will be over all of the young single adults at Idaho State and really all over Poky. Sister Gilbert says its really awesome and she loves it so I'm super excited! 

Tomorrow is Sister Brough's birthday and our last day together so we are going to party it up and have so much fun (pictures of B-day fun will come next week). 

Well I love you all! Have the best week!

Until next time,

Sister Park