September 16, 2013

Hey how is everyone doing? I am doing great. This week was pretty crazy with the weather. It rained so much like 3 days straight. I didn't see the sun in three days hahah. The roads were crazy with so much water. It was fun though. It was actually cold here in the nights and morning because of that huge rain storm. I bought the shoes. I spent 500 pesos. I took out 600 pesos. Thanks so much for the money. The shoes I bought are really comfortable. They are nice and didn´t cost too much. I bought them in one of the nice stores here.


The conference with the President and the leaders went really well. I got to see a lot of my friends there. We got to talk a lot. It lasted like 7 or 8 hours. We ate breakfast and lunch there with the President. I really enjoyed the meeting. It was really spiritual. There are a few changes in the mission now. The people used to be able to be baptized after they had assisted 2 times at church. But now here in Mexico it got changed to 5 times. So it will take more time to baptize, but they are more likely to be converted truly! And we will get to experience their conversions and find the people who are willing to obey the sabbath day. So that was a huge change. I felt the spirit a lot in that meeting. The President is a great man. He told us, that he has never seen the work move as fast as it is now. He bore testimony that the Lord is hurrying his work. He told us, we are the front line. I felt the spirit so much, and right now I can feel it again. Yesterday we got a call from President. He invited us to a meeting. So we went to the stake center with the Stake Presidency and the President, and us. We got to talk about the work of salvation and help with the work inside the stake. It was really fun to see us work together and the spirit was definitely there.


So can you let me know the birthdays of everyone. So I can write all the dates on my calendar. We are working hard. I love the work. We had our first zone meeting together this Wednesday. It was my first one as zone leader. I loved it a lot. I got to see Elder Jones. One of my good friends from Heber. We talked in the meeting, about the wheats and tares, that we need to find the chosen people waiting for us. Then we talked about the obedience. And a few other things. It went well. I loved it.


How is everything going? So your anniversary is this Thursday, right? I loved the pictures that you sent. You two look so good. Happy Anniversary. And Happy Birthday to Nathan. 10 years old--wow. And I like Josh's football jersey:) I love you all. Love Elder Parker

September 9, 2013

How is everyone doing? I am doing great! I am really excited to be here in the area. The area is very different, but I like it a lot. I don´t know where to start. I guess I´ll start with the house. The house is huge that we live in. It is an apartment, but they are really nice. There are gates outside and everything. We live like on the 5th floor. I feel like I am living in a hotel. Because it is really nice. Because we have all the material for the zone and extra beds and stuff like that. The lock on the front door says Parker. Haha so I guess I was meant to be here. We have a small little gym that we made in the house. With a bench press of huge buckets of water. haha The area is pretty big!! There are three types of social classes here in the area. There are the really really rich!! They have a ton of money. Their houses are huge. I haven´t seen houses as huge as these. For example, the governor of Tuxtla lives in our area. We passed his house the other day and his house took up the whole block!! Not kidding. So that gives you an idea of the area. Then there are the middle class. They have a little bit of money and then there are the poor class. They hardly have much. So we are working really well. We usually work with the middle and poor class, we haven´t really worked with the rich class yet. But we have met a few less active memebers for that area. We live in the rich class. The ward is pretty great! There are like 71 active members here. The bishop got released this Sunday so we don´t have a bishop, we are waiting for someone to get chosen I guess. My companion is Elder Martinez. He is from Colombia!! He has 15 months in the mission. I knew him before, in my first area he was in that zone. He is a great missionary. Really happy and a hard worker, we get along really well!! It is so great to work here. We ate some hamburgers with the members one day, I threw down 3 hahah. I guess I was pretty hungry. Tomorrow we will have a confrerence with all the zone leaders and the President. I guess we have those every month. It's like a 5 or 6 hour meeting. Then we will transmit everything we learn to the whole zone the next day. I´m pretty excited. I will be emailing from here on at around 12 o clock every monday morning. Because we have an extra hour at 11 to write a huge inform to the President. So we have to be here at 11, and the next hour I can write you guys. I have a few questions. Should I buy some shoes today? Thanks for everything. I love you all. BYE!!!!

September 2, 2013

Hola familia!! Como estan? Estoy muy bien y contento. Well this week went by really well. I saw some great miracles this week. I'll share the stories with you. So we have been visiting three families less actives here in the area. They haven't been able to go to church and some of them we have visited a lot. We visited all three of these families this past week and invited them all to church. They all said yes. So we believed them, and we had to show our faith that they would show up on their own, which they told us to believe in them. So we got to church talking to some of the members before church and all of a sudden two of the families showed up!!!! They brought their husbands and friends that weren't members also. They all looked so happy. The first instant I saw them, the spirit filled me up inside. I was the happiest guy in the church. So then the meeting started and I was a little sad because the other family didn't come and all of a sudden they walked in the sacrament room!!! I was like, are you serious? It was the most spiritual experience. Because they all looked so happy there in the Lord's house. I felt like I was doing my part. The spirit was so strong that day in the church. I couldn't stop smiling. I bore my testimony. And I was so full of the spirit that my heart was beating really fast and eveything. I just wanted everyone to feel good and happy. I cried a little and made it fast so I could escape the tears. It was the best Sunday I have had here in the area. And the assistance was the highest it has been these past 5 months. I am grateful that the Lord helped those families arrive. The President of the Stake bought us food on Wednesday. Two boxes of Little Caesars pizza. Well... I did it.. I ate a whole box of pizza for the first time in my life. :) hahaha I didn't think I had it in me. Maybe that was the problem, I didn't have any food in me before. hahaha
I got to see a ton of members from my last ward on Sunday. I guess the bishop changed and all the leaders and councelors. That should be a great change. I was excited to see them all. I went to Copoya, another area in my district to do changes with another missionary. I was with a North American a whole day. I felt really weird, because two Americans in Mexico together hahah. It was a great time and I learned a lot.


Well we had transfers today. It turns out that most of the district changed. I will miss my district, it was the best ever. We had some really good memories together. I will be leaving my area. I will be going to a place called Paraiso [paradise]. It is still here in Tuxtla. I will be the Zone Leader over there. I will be the zone leader of the assistants to the President and secretaries. It is the zone that has the President and all his leaders in it. It is the Stake Tuxtla Mexico. So I have been in all three of the Stakes here in Tuxtla and haven't left Tuxtla. That is so funny!! I don't think that ever happens here!! I am really excited!! I know that is where the Lord needs me at this time. Maybe Elder Jensen will be in my zone.. I hope so!! I love you alll!! bye
Love Elder Parker

August 26, 2013

Hey mom and family!! how are you all doing? I am doing great thanks for wondering!! I am feeling a lot better but continue to take the pills so I cannot get sick again. This week was a great week. We worked really hard. I am glad that everyone is doing fine! Wow that is so neat that you will have a family night with that family and the missionaries! I really am excited about that. The missionaries need your help. The members are everything in the work of salvation. You will help them out so much!! The members here are helping us out a lot also. We are all excited to work together.


We had a great distirct meeting this week. I gave the class again and afterward the sisters in my district asked for a blessing. I thought they were sick but it turns out that the new sister missionary is having a hard time being valiant and talking in the lessons. So she asked me to give her a blessing. I gave her one and I felt really good afterwards. They told me, "you are the best district leader here in the mission" I was like no.. And one of the sisters said, "yes, I never knew Moroni but you remind me of him. "I felt really good about that comment because I feel like I am helping out other missionaries here in my district.


Wow it is really hot here sometimes, right now I am sweating up a storm hahah :) Today I got to eat at Burger king! It was good to taste that , it has been like over a year since I have eaten there. Wow I am really happy in the mission and never want to leave. We have been witnessing some miracles. You remember those two boys that we baptized? Well their family were less active and they are really active now, and we had a family night with them this Monday and we saw the husband and he had shaved off his beard and mustache!!! He has changed so much because before he used to drink every day. But now he is living the gospel! They are all happy. My other convert in Terrazas, Leonardo is doing great, I got to see him again at the church. He is so happy and has changed his life also. When we first saw him he was struggling in life. But now he is so happy and looks completely different. I am so glad he is strong in the church, he is like one of my best friends :) I love you all so much. Love Elder Parker

August 19, 2013

Hey mom and family!!! How are you all doing? I am doing great!! :) So the baptisms happened!!!! Wahoo. This week was really good. I got sick Tuesday and we couldn't leave all day. But I bought medicine and everythying so am I doing good now. It was my stomach and my head. But now I feel a lot better. Thursday we had a multi zone conference with the President. It went reallly good! I learned so much, and I felt the spirit a lot. The President is really powerful. We did a lot of practicing and at the end we ate lunch with him. There were like 50 missionaries there more or less. I got to see a lot of good friends there and got to talk with them. I loved it. Then on Friday I had divisions with the zone leader Elder Ngatuvai , he used to be my zone leader in my first area too. We had a good time! Then Saturday we had the baptisms. It was really neat. Their whole family showed up in the nicest clothes they probably own. They are a really poor family, but it was really neat. They all looked so good and happy. A member baptized them both. The spirit was so strong there. During the hymn Nearer My God to Thee, I felt the spirit and I realized baptism is neccesary and they were choosing the right decision. Sunday was great also, we got to church, and I got to confirm one of the boys as a member of the church and give him the spirit. It was my first time in my life. I felt so happy and grateful :) I know the gift of the Holy Ghost is a true gift from our Father in Heaven. And the bishop told us after church, "thank you so much, I can't believe you already are baptizing here when you just got here, I guess that's what a leader does. I appreciate your work. You have reactivated a whole family and baptized two kids. Thank you" it was really great to hear from him. The oldest boy that got baptized, Jairo, he received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday also!! And his brother only has 9 years. I love you all. :) love Elder Parker