Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

Hey y'all! 

I hope you guys have had a great week and have a Happy Halloween today! 

We had a pretty good week! We had an awesome lesson with Bonnie last night. Sister Reupena and I decided to fast that Bonnie would receive answers to her prayers during our lesson, that she would feel the spirit, and that we would be conduits for the Lord to speak through us. Our lesson was so powerful! Brother and Sister Day (Bonnie's fellow-shippers) bore their testimonies to her and Brother Day's mom, who is a convert to the church, was able to be there and share some of her experiences. Bonnie felt something and she told us that in her study of the Book of Mormon this last week that she received some answers to prayers which is huge for her. We tried to set a baptismal date with her and she agreed to pray about the date. She is seriously so close!!

We also set a date with one of our other investigators this week, Rorie. Rorie is 10 years old and wants to be baptized so bad! A lot of her desire is probably stemming from trying to fit in with all her friends who have been baptized recently, so we will have to work a lot on helping her to understand the purpose of baptism and the commitment she will be making. Right now her date is set for November 16th but we will most likely have to move it back. 

We also had Mission Leadership Council this week and I learned so much!! It was focused a lot on improving our studies and preparing to teach people which was exactly what I needed. I didn't realize how much my studies have been lacking. We talked a lot about Ezekial 34:2 which says,

"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel,prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?"

As shepherds, we are going to be in big trouble one day when we account to the Lord and tell him that we wasted time feeding ourselves when we were supposed to be feeding his starving sheep.  We talked a lot about how our studies should always be focused on those we are teaching, which is something I know of course, but I seem to have forgotten it recently. In our studies we should be seeking to feed others, not studying things for our own gain. So the past couple days I have tried to center my studies around those that we are teaching and it has made a huge difference!! I just keep learning and relearning the principle of selflessness on my mission, something I hope to carry with me for the rest of my life. 

Well, I hope you all have an awesome Halloween today and eat lots of candy! I love you! 

Until next time,

Sister Park

Patience is a Virtue

Hello fam and friends! 

Things are pretty good here in Georetown! I am learning patience, that's for sure. This area has slowed down quite a bit now that we've contacted a majority of the non-members in the area and found out that they aren't interested. We've been focusing a lot of the less active members of our wards and trying to strengthen them. There are certainly a lot of those in Georgetown! 

Bonnie is still doing great! We had an amazing lesson with her last week and committed her to pray about baptism which is a huge step forward for her. She also came to church yesterday which was great. It was the primary program and she just loved seeing the little kids sing and say their parts. We are having a lesson with her tonight and we're hoping to set a baptismal date with her. 

We weren't able to see Elaine this week which was a bummer but we plan to meet with her on Tuesday. 

I'm grateful for the lessons I am learning in this area. I am praying harder, studying more fervently, and developing Christlike attributes as I continue to face challenges. I am thankful for mountains to climb because they make me better. 

I hope you all have a fantastic week! 

Until next time,

Sister Park

Photos from Idaho Pocatello Mission Blog

You have to taste the bitter to know the sweet!

Dear family and friends,

This has been a tough week. Its been a while since I've had one of these so its been a long time coming! 

It was hard to send Sister Mizelle home. I loved being her companion and its just hard to send a companion home. It makes you a little trunky! 

I got to spend 2 days in my old area (Pocatello YSA) which was awesome. I got to see a ton of people that I taught (Reagan, Erika, Nathan, Rian) and it was great! They are all doing so amazing and it was great to see them.

To be honest, it was hard to come back to Georgetown. As much as I love this area, it is a lot slower paced than YSA and a lot harder to find people to teach. We have a couple people who are moving forward but haven't been able to find a ton of other people who are prepared for the gospel. Its been a little discouraging but I am keeping my chin up! 

Even though things were not ideal this week, there are so many things to be grateful for. 

1. My new companion, Sister Reupena is amazing! She is so sweet and we are going to have so much fun together this transfer! 

2. The members here are so great and are willing to help us with anything we need.

3. I have an amazingly supportive family who loves me and prays for me.

4. I live in a beautiful and safe part of the world. 

5. I get to be a full time servant of my Heavenly Father and represent him here in Idaho.

6. I am a member of the restored church of Jesus Christ and I know that God loves me and answers prayers. 

The list could go on and on. President Nelson gave some amazing council about having joy in every circumstance in this last conference:

"Saints can be happy under every circumstance. We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year!

My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.

When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, which President Thomas S. Monson just taught us, and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy. We feel it at Christmastime when we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.” And we can feel it all year round. For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!"

He also quotes a colleague of his who said, "I have learned to suffer with joy." 

I have had a relatively easy mission. I think its about time I learn to suffer with joy. 

I love you all and am so grateful for your prayers. I feel them!

Until next time,

Sister Park

P.S. In other news, it snowed last night! Like a lot! There's probably 4-5 inches on the ground! October 17th and it already looks like Christmas. 

P.S.S. Its Sister Reupena's birthday today so you should all bombard her with Happy Birthday emails! (amanda.reupena@myldsmail.net)

Sister Mizelle is leaving me:(

Hey fam and friends! 

Today is the day that I am "killing" Sister Mizelle. I'm dropping her off at the mission home today and she flies home tomorrow. These past two transfers with her have been amazing! She is such a great example to me and has taught me so much in the past 3 months! My new companion is Sister Reupena! We were in a trio for like a week a couple months ago so I'm excited actually be her companion for real now! 

We had a great week! Especially yesterday. We had Bonnie, Elaine, and Rorie at church which is the most investigators we've had for a while! Also the past couple days we have just been finding all of these super prepared people! Like out of no where! Sister Gilbert used to say that its always right before a transfer that you find a lot of new investigators because they are prepared and ready for the new person coming in. 

We don't have any set baptism dates right now but Bonnie and Elaine are both so close! Bonnie just needs to decide that she believes and trusts God enough that she can give up drinking coffee. Elaine needs to gain a testimony of the Restoration and of the Priesthood authority. They are both keeping the commitments we leave and its only a matter of time! So if y'all could keep them both in your prayers that would be great! 

I'm so excited for the weeks to come! Good things are happening in Georgetown! 

Until next time,

Sister Park

*This is Bonnie! Sister Mizelle had to say goodbye to her yesterday at church

*This is Elaine (on left) and her daughter-in-law Danae (on right) and Danae's kids

General Conference was BOMB!

Hi! 

Okay so this week was crazy and wonderful and busy and full of the spirit! 

We spent most of the week at the open house which was super exhausting and long but also amazing. It was awesome to see some of the people I taught in previous areas come through as well as some family and family friends. I am pretty happy to be back in Georgetown though!

Conference was awesome, as usual. I had a lot of favorite talks but I think my top two were Elder Uchtdorf's at the women's session and Elder Ballard's talk from the Sunday morning session. Both had a similar theme and talked about those people who are struggling with faith and they encourage them not to give up (of course these were my favorites:). In Elder Uchtdorf's talk, he tells the story of some missionaries tracting an apartment complex and the discouragement they face as they are rejected again and again until finally they knock on the fourth floor, last door and meet Harriet and her mom who are both just waiting for the gospel. He compared that to how we sometimes have to knock on a lot of empty or dead end doors before we get the answer from God that we might be seeking. We must be patient as we continue to ask, seek, and knock.  

Then Elder Ballard related the story of a group of Christ's followers leaving him after they found that it was difficult to accept some of His teachings and doctrine. Christ then asks His apostles if they also will go away. The apostles respond with a question, "To whom shall we go?". Elder Ballard then addresses anyone who may be struggling with questions or doubts and asks them the same question. Where will you go if you leave the church? That's something that often keeps me going in the gospel, even when I do have difficult unresolved questions. Where else besides the restored gospel will I find the peace, happiness, and full understanding of God's plan? There are good places to look for peace and fulfillment but for me, none is a better place than in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

Besides conference, we did get to teach a couple good lessons this weekend to Bonnie and Elaine. They are both doing great and are really progressing! 

Okay well I love you all! 

Until next time, 

Sister Park

 

*Temple pictures! 

The second one is Sister Mizelle and me and the sisters we cover, Sister Williams, Jarvis, Davis, and John