Monday, June 18, 2018

Week 100: June 18, 2018. Carol and Daniela are baptized. Testimony as mission comes to a close.The


So this week was incredible! We had an incredible week visiting many investigadores to help prepare them for baptism. We also were able to go down to Girardot and Ibague, two of my old areas for a training.  I was able to see Elder Buhrley and some of my other friends. It was awesome and I am so grateful for these friends that have made me a better missionary. We also witnessed the baptism of Carol and Daniela who were SO PREPARED to be baptized. After the baptism they gave some of the best testimonies I've ever heard. They talked about how the Book of Mormon gives them peace as they read it, answers their questions, and helps them learn about the Gospel of Christ. They said they knew this was the true church, that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God and that by being baptized, they had become clean from sin. My jaw literally dropped for a solid 2 minutes as Ifelt the Spirit work through them and testify of these truths. They were so excited and so ready to be baptized. I am so grateful the Lord showed us to them and that they could make a covenant with him. 

Two other side notes. This week we started to contact using different methods, two of which were pretty sweet. We went to a mall and started showing families how to throw an American football. We were then able to offer them a document about families. Many people were very receptive. 
We also made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which was very fun to give to our neighbors of our conjunto;  some of them were very excited to try it and others were scared because they believe American food is bad. Either way, we were able to talk to some people about the Gospel of Christ.

As my mission is winding down and I will have to leave Colombia next week, many feelings of joy, gratitude and sadness fill my heart. I love Colombia. Truly I feel that they are my family and that I am Colombian. I love their jokes, their graciousness, their hospitality, their music, their way of speech, their food (mojarra frita y bandeja paisa), their music, the dances / salsa) and many other things. More than anything I love their faith in God and their desire to be with their families. 

I am so grateful to the Lord for allowing me to come to this country and to learn from their examples. I am so grateful to have known such amazing families and people that have placed God above everything else in their life. I love their humility to listen to some gringos trying to share a message. I love them. 

I am so grateful and happy to have been able to dedicate two years of my life to the Colombian people and to the Lord.  I felt the Lord guide me at every moment to share the gospel with someone who needed it.  I have never felt so much joy as to see someone accept that the gospel and to receive the ordinances of salvation. I am so grateful to have been able to talk, teach, and meet so many amazing people and help them receive the restored Gospel. I am so grateful that the Lord has allowed me to work every day preaching the gospel to these people. He has been my guide in every moment. He has blessed me beyond what I could have ever imagined. 

I am very sad to leave this beautiful country, to leave these amazing people, and to no longer be a missionary, to no longer dedicate all my time to the Lord. To say that these two years have been the best moment of my life would be an understatement.

However, I am grateful the Lord was merciful enough to use me and allow me to work with Him in this part of His vineyard.

I know that Christ lives, He is the Redeemer of the World, and He loves us infinitely. He and Our Father in Heaven are watching over us everyday, guiding us to keep their commandments and to have joy.  I know that the Gospel of Christ allows us to become perfect and that by the ordinances we can return to God's presence.  He called Joseph Smith to be a Prophet of God, Russell M Nelson is the prophet called of God today, and the Book of Mormon is the most powerful tool to strengthen our testimony of Christ. 

I invite all to read this book and pray to apply the precepts so that the power of Christ can flow into your lives and make you happier than you have ever felt. 

Yo se que Cristo vive.
con todo el amor en el mundo,

Elder Parson




The baptism of Carol and Daniela.

Elders Sorbonne, Parson, Card and Monson.

Monday, June 11, 2018

Week 99: June 11, 2018. God's love and guiding hand.


So this will be a quick email, as all of them are, but I would like to share a quick experience about God's love and guiding hand.

As I was walking down the street on Thursday, I felt prompted to talk to a lady who was sitting on the side of the road. As we started talking, it turns out that she was an old contact from Elder Monson about two weeks earlier.  We were able to share a message with her where she expressed her desire to follow God and go to church. We were also able to take her daughter to seminary.

When we found her she told us about her situation.  She had been kicked out of her house and she only had one more day to stay in the place where she lived and then she would have to live on the street. She was very nervous about if she would be able to provide for her daughter and find work. But by the next day she found a place to work, she found a job, and she felt great peace in the church.

I testify that God loves each of us, knows our trials and struggles, and He always sends help. Whether heavenly or earthly, He ministers to us and allows us to prosper.

I love you all,

Elder Parson

Monday, June 4, 2018

Week 98: June 4, 2018. Reading the Book of Mormon brings peace.


This week has been incredible!  I just am so grateful that the Lord has helped us find so many incredible people who are progressing towards baptism.  We had many families who came to church and who are excited to be baptized. The Lord really gives us miracles when we show Him our faith.

Here are the families that we are working with who are just incredible:

     Family Montoya- this family was investigating the church a month ago but were having difficulties in their marriage and stopped investigating. We were able to visit them and they were so ready to fix their relationship as a couple and have more peace in their lives. The wife and the young son came to church this week.

      Nini, Carol, and Daniela- we found this family at a movie night in an apartment complex. they came to church for the second time and they were so motivated to read the Book of Mormon and be baptized.  They have really seen that as they read the Book of Mormon, they have more peace in their lives and they receive blessings.

     Jesusita - she was a friend of a member that we were able to visit and she really just wants to please God in her life. She came to church and is progressing

     Yolimar and her family- they are Venezuelans who were passing through rough times but she has been trying to find the right church of God.  She is progressing to be baptized on the sixteenth.

     Douglas is an awesome teenager that likes to go to church.  His mom is a recent convert and he wants to be baptized.  We are helping him quit smoking so he can be baptized.

     Elizabeth - we also found her through our movie night. She was having a hard time with work but as she prayed with faith she is a lot happier and has seen blessings.

     Jonathan- PLEASE PRAY FOR JONATHAN. He is an amazing Christian who is married to an awesome returned missionary. He has had some hard times in the past but we are trying to help him to ask God what is HIS will for him. So we are so pumped.

I am so grateful to be a missionary and look for ways to help others return to God.  Nothing is better. 

Love,

Elder Parson

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Week 97: May 30, 2018. P-day Changed for Training.


This week was great...and because I am low on time, I will limit it to the best 3 things of this week.

1- the movie night was awesome!  We had 70 people come and we were able to teach 5 new investigators from this and 4 came to church. It was awesome to see how small activities really open peoples' hearts.

2- we had one of our last meetings with President Baquerizo which was so incredible.  I was able to see a lot of my mission friends in this conference and it  made me so grateful to know so many amazing people.

3- I found out that some of my old investigators were baptized in Ibague by Elder Burhley which was so awesome to see that these people were able to enter into a covenant with God. My kid is so awesome and I am so grateful for all of the amazing people that I have known and have chosen to follow God. It gives us such amazing happiness.

Love you all.
Move Night.

Colombian Friends.

President and Sister Baquerizo...the presiding couple leading all of the missionaries in the Colombia Bogota South Mission.




Monday, May 21, 2018

Week 96: May 21, 2018. First week in la Libertad.


So this week has been awesome.  My new area, la Libertad, is awesome and my comps are amazing!

Elder Sorbonne and Elder Monson are some of the best missionaries I have ever met and I am so grateful to learn from their example every day.

So this week we were able to witness some new developments in our missionary work.

1. We have started to give big English classes in some apartment complexes, which have been awesome.  The people are really receptive and it is always fun to practice our English. We are planning on having a big movie night in this apartment complex this week which will be awesome.

2. The members have been so awesome to us.  They all want us to pass by and visit them and are so open to talking to their friends about the gospel. We have a fair amount of future families to visit this week.

3. The ward is really receptive as well.  They allowed us to give talks in Sacrament meeting and it was so awesome to testify that Christ wants us to share the gospel with everyone to bless their lives. 

I am so grateful for the opportunity to preach the gospel.  I love being able to talk to people about the amazing blessings that come from the Church that Christ has restored once again. It is so joyous to be a part of this gospel and this great family.

Love,

Elder Parson

Family Night

Talking to people on the bus

English Class


Monday, May 14, 2018

Week 95: May 13, 2018. Mother's Day Call & Last Transfer!

Great Mothers Day video call with Elder Parson...of course, he was strictly obedient and limited us to 40 minutes!

Our last video call with Elder Parson!  Happy Mother's Day to Allison.
He is doing great...so happy...loves Colombia and the people he's been blessed to serve and serve with.  A highlight of the call was when Marisa announced her engagement to Taven Herd by sharing in Spanish "I am engaged".  Alex and his Companion immediately started to cheer and "snap" their fingers.  Elder Parson and Elder Buhrley sang a beautiful song in Spanish and we are grateful to have that memory recorded.

After our call, Alex received word that he would be transferring to Libertad 3 in Bogota.  He will finish his mission serving in a Trio with Elder Sorbonne and Elder Monson.  While he's excited for this opportunity, he will miss Elder Buhrley who he loved serving with.

The past 23 months have passed by quickly.  It's hard to believe Alex will be coming home the end of June.


Monday, May 7, 2018

Week 94: May 7, 2018. 2 Spiritual Experiences and a Miracle


This week was incredible.  We were able to visit a fair amount of our investigators and a few of them were able to come to church, which was awesome. I was also able to have an exchange with one of my best friends in the mission, Elder Ostler. We started in the MTC together and throughout the mission I have been amazed by his example. He really knows how to work with the members and is great as a District Leader. He really gets us pumped to do missionary work.

To explain my email, in our District Meeting we played a game to get to know each other called "Two Truths and a Lie".  For my email, I am going to share two spiritual experiences and one miracle.

1st experience--  While I was on our exchange with Elder Ostler, we were outside waiting for an investigator to come to his house when I noticed a soccer game being played outside.  As I watched, I noticed that all of the players had goggles on their heads and they didn't run very fast, but slowly moved the ball around. While I was watching them, a member told me "they are all blind".  As I watched them play for 3 minutes, it was so cool to see how they were able to play soccer without the use of sight. They had guides that shouted out instructions to them to be able to dribble, pass and shoot. Although they didn't make many goals, every small thing they did was impressive and amazing. I received the impression that this is a lot like God in our lives;  He gives us instruction and every little thing we do well.  He is so happy to guide us to success in our lives, even though we have our weaknesses.

2nd experience-- while we were in church, I was watching all the testimonies of all the Ward members and, reflecting on some families that weren't able to come to church, I felt an immense joy in my heart for all the members that came. I felt so happy because I knew that all the people that came to church were preparing to return to our Father who is in heaven. And it will be so amazing to live with Him and all of those people in a perfect life. And that I can be with them and my family will be incredible. I know that every soul can return to God and it will be so amazing to be with Him again.

Miracle--  Elder Sorbonne called me on Saturday night to tell me that one of our investigators from Ciudad Jardin was baptized on Saturday. He had such a huge change in his life and I am so happy to know that he finally took the steps to be baptized. I am so grateful for all the that Lord has given me but especially to work in His work.

Love y'all,

Elder Parson

Popsicles that we made out of a soda

Soccer game by blind players

Exchange
E-mail from Elder Parson's companion, Elder Buhrley:

Hey guys!

This week was amazing!

Monday- Super fun Pday, played some UNO (The brazilians have super messed up rules, it's hilarious), played some basketball, and had an Argentinian grill out for Elder Araujo's birthday, it was awesome! Then that night we taught Carolina and Cesar's family the Gospel of Christ and they accepted a baptism date for June 16th! They still have to get married, but they want to! It's just kind of expensive but with God's help, they can do it! Then we had a super cool FHE at Mauricio's house with 16 people! (9 non members and 7 members) It was super fun! We played Simon says and taught them about the spirit and how you have to listen carefully to hear it. Then we made them Coke floats (The closest thing to Root Beer floats here) It was super fun!

Tuesday- Had a great Zone meeting and district meeting! I taught the English class and we learned some conversation stuff. Then we had a lesson with Anderson about the Plan of Salvation, and it was great! It really helped him realize the importance of baptism! Then we walked around all night and people kept canceling so that was too bad! So we said a prayer to decide where we should go and I felt like we should contact for this one area. So we went there and probably like 15 doors in a row all said no. We started to run home because it was like 8:55 but I felt like we should contact this one last door. So we knocked and met this golden family, the Familia Lasso-Martinez! They're way cool and let us in for a quick lesson! The Lord will always guide us if we ask for it!

Wednesday- We went around looking up Antiguos with Mauricio. We didn't find any that wanted to talk to us, but we got some great contacts! We set up 12 citas, which is awesome! Then we taught Angela a really good lesson about the day of rest, it was great and really spiritual! Then we taught some new's, Doris y Jorge! They're super awesome and want more peace in their home and want to know how to read the scriptures!

Thursday- Great weekly planning session! Also we told Anderson that he should read the Book of Mormon every time before he plays Clash Royale, and that helped him read like 10 chapters!

Friday- We taught Anderson the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity and he commited to live them both! Then we taught the Familia Alcon (We call them FALCON) with a recent convert, Michael! It was a super awesome lesson and they've been very prepared by the Lord! They were investigators before and have had all the lessons and want to be baptized! They just have a grandma with Alzheimers and haven't been able to attend church in the past because of that. But they think they can work it out now to be able to come to church and they accepted a baptismal date for May 26th!

Saturday- We had intercambios! I was with Elder Santiago in our area! He walks kinda slow, but other than that he's awesome! In the afternoon we walked a lot and had lots of canceled citas. Then we had correlation with the Ward Mission Leader. Then that night we taught Doris and Jorge about the Plan of Salvation! It was a bomb lesson! Then after, Jorge was talking to us outside and told us about how he thinks his wife is posessed by a demon! He told us some really wild stories about it, it's pretty crazy. So we'll have to see what happens with that! Then we taught Angela the Word of Wisdom, it was awesome!

Sunday- We had 4 investigators come to church!! That was super awesome! Then we taught a new, Camilo, who's super cool about the Book of Mormon and gave him a baptismal invitation. Then we went with the Familia Ortiz (an awesome member family) to Carolina and Cesar and talked about eternal families and the sealing ordinance, it was really powerful.

It was another great week, we're so blessed!

Monday, April 30, 2018

Week 93: E-mail April 30, 2018. A BYU Scholarship...and a great week!


Elder Parson was excited to share that he was notified that he received a full-tuition scholarship to BYU!

So for the title of this message... after 22 months in the mission one starts to miss root beer floats.  So my companion and I received revelation that Coke with ice cream should be a good combination and it was awesome. It might be better than root beer floats;  I invite you all to try it.



So this week was good.  I would like to start off with what I am grateful for...

1. I am grateful that the Lord gives us inspiration on the mission. On Sunday night my comp felt that we should call an old contact and we did and were able to teach his family about the Book of Mormon and how we can improve our lives through repentance. It was incredible.

2. I am grateful for the rain. This week we were caught in some heavy rainstorms where the roads where turned into rivers by the amount of rain. It was super fun to go out in the rain and visit people, especially after being in my mission with 100 to 110 degree weather, it was awesome.

3. For mission leaders. My friend Elder Ostler is my District Leader and he gave us some great counsel on how to help people complete their commitments by being sad. We were able to use it a fair amount this week. And on the picture below is one of my favorite Zone Leaders, Elder Marsh, an amazing elder that came back to Colombia to visit. I am so grateful for how they've changed my life.



4. I am grateful for members. This week we had 4 appointments in 2 hours and we weren't going to be able to go visit everyone.  But I was able to leave with a member and my comp with another and it was so much fun being able to visit people. 

5. People who want to change. I honestly believe that humility is so important in the Gospel and missionary work because it allows the Holy Ghost to work through people. When people are humble and want to change, their lives begin to become so peaceful.

6. The opportunity to be a missionary.

I love you all,

hasta lueguito,

Elder Parson




From Elder Buhrley (Elder Parson's companion):

This week was a great one!

Monday- we played micro (small field turf soccer) for Pday and it was awesome! The latinos get really mad when they get beat but they just focus too much on handles and not enough on shooting, it's all good though! So that was really fun! Then as a zone we went to this super cool restaurant and shared a big meat platter thing and had piña coladas! (non-alcoholic of course, don't worry mom). Then later in the night we had an awesome FHE with some less actives and some investigators!

Tuesday- Had an awesome district meeting and zone meeting! Our zone/district is awesome. We're working right now on how to be devastated when our investigators haven't read the BofM! Then we taught an awesome Restoration lesson to Angela and she accepted a baptismal date for May 26th! The spirit is always so strong when teaching the Restoration! The only bummer is when we came back she had just found out she's pregnant with the son of the Familia Mayoral who's a member. So that wasn't good but they are planning on getting married so hopefully they do!

Wednesday- Went over to the Familia Plata for a lunch invite, it was good! They're a super cool family, we just gotta get them coming to church! Then we contacted for a while but it was really hard because there was a big game on between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich so nobody answered their doors! Then we had the English class at night and played Simon Says in English with them, it was pretty funny!

Thursday- Again weekly planning took quite a bit but then again we saw tons of miracles after! We taught David and Luisa, the brother of one of our investigators Danny. They're way cool and really want to increase their faith! But they have a car wash and it's gonna be really tough for them to leave it on Sunday's for church. But we're hoping and praying they'll make the right choice and be able to recieve those blessings! Then we did divisions with two brothers in the ward and me and Mauricio went to a new investigator, Julian, who is really cool and said he already gave up smoking and drinking a few years ago because he felt like it was the right thing to do! Then we taught Carolina and her 7 kids that live with her! They're super awesome and we taught the Restoration!

Friday- We walked a lot and everyone canceled their citas but we still got in a couple lessons and got some great contacts! And it rained super hard which was awesome!

Saturday- We taught an awesome NI (New Investigator) Aleida and her son Tom! They're really cool and are really interested in learning more and hopefully will have the faith to act on their commitments! Then we taught the Word of Wisdom to Maria Bautista and she's gonna have a tough time giving up coffee because everyone drinks it here, but she can do it!

Sunday- We had a conference for all of Colombia and Ecuador! It was streamed from Salt Lake and we heard from Elder Richard G. Maynes and from President M. Russell Ballard, it was amazing! We only had one investigator that could come, Anderson, but it was in a building pretty far away and most people don't have the money for it. We just have to do everything we can for them and pray hard!

It was another great week, the Lord's hand is in this work for sure.


Monday, April 23, 2018

Week 92: E-mail April 23, 2018. A week of miracles.

This week has been incredible, just like all the weeks of the mission. But we have seen some amazing miracles in our area. I will just name a few.

1. People have been contacting us. I have never had that happen in all my mission. But we have been walking in the street and people will call us over to find out who we are and where is our church. Then one day while we were eating lunch a lady asked us ¨what do I need to do to get a visit from you guys?¨ How awesome!

2. We have really been trying to look for families and people to teach. We felt that we should go by the houses of members and contact around there for new investigators.  The second time we did that the first door we knocked a man let us into his house, told his wife and all his kids (7) to come listen to us. His wife in now reading the Book of Mormon and they want to come to church and be married.

3. The Lord has allowed us to work with many of His Children. We have a less active family who are awesome. The husband told us the thing he most desired in his life was change. He has since come to church, accompanied us, and we have a family night later at his house tonight. His wife has been sharing the gospel with her neighbors. And this week their less active nephew came to church.

4. My companion, he is always so happy to get out of the house to go and contact. He is always positive and is so willing to do the Lord’s work. We are having a blast!

5. The Book of Mormon- I have seen how happy people become by reading the Book of Mormon. And when we do this while explaining the plan of salvation, people want to be baptized, it is a natural consequence. I am so grateful for the power of the Book of Mormon.

Everyday I wake up so so so grateful to be a missionary. I can’t believe that God would trust me so much to participate in His work. I love being an instrument in His Hands. I love being able to proclaim the gospel to whomever I can, to help their lives become free from sin. I know God is real, that He has power to do everything, and that He loves us. He loves every single one of His children and what He most desires is that we come home to Him.

I love you all,

Ever gracious to be a missionary,

Elder Parson

Another part of our area

Our area

Playing Football

Lunch on P-Day


1. our lunch today
2. playing football
3. our area
4. another part of our area — with Alex Parson.

Monday, April 16, 2018

Week 91: E-mail April 16, 2018. New investigator...Anderson


So this email will be real quick, because the hour is almost up...

This week was really awesome.  We had the opportunity to visit many less actives and read the Book of Mormon with them.  I am still amazed by the power of the Book of Mormon;  it really is the best tool along with the Atonement of Jesus Christ to change peoples lives. I am so grateful that we have the opportunity to use it daily to become more like Christ.

Also we witnessed some miracles this week.  We were contacting way late at night and we were able to enter into an old contact's house.  They let us in and the son, Anderson, began to read the Book of Mormon and came with us to church.  The Lord is always preparing people to receive the blessings He has prepared for them.

Love you all,

Elder Parson





Monday, April 2, 2018

Week 89: E-mail April 2, 2018. General Conference...Layton, Utah, to get a Temple.


Well, I know we aren't supposed to scream during General Conference, but I definitely did.  It was amazing! I am so happy that Layton finally has a temple.
 
Our week was awesome!  It was holy week so we were able to visit a lot of members and have family nights.  Also, we had Leadership Council so I was able to see all of my old friends from my group.  It was awesome to be able to hear our Mission President talk.  He explained the importance of always using the Book of Mormon.

It was also amazing to hear General Conference.  I am so happy that we have a Prophet here on the earth to lead and guide us.

Well, I've got to go but I know this gospel is true and that the best is yet to come.

Love

Elder Parson

Friends and Missionaries from the Zone

Elder Parson's MTC (CCM) Group

Elder Sorbonne and Elder Parson

Zone T-shirts








Monday, March 26, 2018

Week 88: March 26, 2018. Paula's baptism.


So this week was amazing! It flew by, just like always. 

To start off this week, it was incredible.  I had exchanges with two of my favorite elders in the Mission, Elder Monson and Elder Sorbonne. It was so much fun.  I have so much respect for these two elders. ME and Elder Monson were together so we had a blast doing exercises together and contacting.  It was super fun.  We started contacting with family history and it was incredible to see how many people were receptive to learn about their ancestors.  It was an awesome activity.

Also, this week we had the baptism of Paula, the granddaughter of Patricia, a recent convert.  It was awesome.  She was super excited to make this covenant with God.  It was also super spiritual when her grandma gave testimony about how much the gospel has changed her home.  I am so grateful to know them.

A miracle that I saw this week was that we had been having a difficult week finding new investigators and I was starting to get stressed.  But I realized that this is the Lord's work.  He will make it progress and I just need to trust that He will help me. And that day, we had 7 investigators at church.  While we were waiting for a lesson, members just brought their friends and had us teach them. We found 4 new investigators that day.  The Lord really makes miracles in this world. 

I love you all.


Elder Parson





Monday, March 19, 2018

Week 87: March 19, 2018. The Temple..."Losing our lives to help others change theirs".


So this week was awesome! We have been super pumped to find news this week and we have been trying to do everything possible. It has been such a blast. 

We have some incredible investigators that have been so kind to us. One of our investigators, Fransisco, took us to the temple this morning. He has really been trying to change the peace in his home and he and his wife are progressing to baptism and their marriage. 

Also we have been having a lot of success looking for old investigators that were investigating a while back but have since stopped investigating. We were able to find an amazing couple that are so receptive to come to church and be baptized. 

The Lord is truly blessing us with miracles in this area.

I had an awesome opportunity to do exchanges at 7:00 on Sunday night. We were really trying to reach our goal of 10 new investigators and I went with a recently returned missionary to contact. We were able to contact for 2 hours and although we didn't find news, it was such a blast to do everything possible to help people. 

That is the best part about this work, losing our lives to help other people to change theirs. 

I love you guys!

Elder Parson




Monday, March 12, 2018

Week 86: March 12, 2018.


Elder Parson's computer malfunctioned and his message was accidentally deleted.

So I had already written my message, but for some reason it just got deleted.  Sorry that this message will be super short.  The coolest part of this week was our investigators. We had 7 investigators come to Church and one of our investigators asked in Church, "How can I have more faith?".  He is trying to stop drinking coffee and has stopped drinking alcohol in the week and it was incredible to see his change. 

Also we had lunch with some investigators that actually lived in US for a few years and they are amazing. I am so grateful that the Lord has allowed me to meet them. 


Have a great week,

Monday, March 5, 2018

Week 85: March 5, 2018. New Companion -- Elder Campos and Visitor Center Activity.

Elder Parson didn't write a group e-mail for a few weeks but we were staying connected through "Google Hangout".  He was working on essays for BYU scholarship applications that were due on March 1st.

He did send this short note today along with a voice recording...


So these past few weeks, I haven't sent an email.  Sorry about that but they have been 3 amazing weeks. 

First off, we were able to have 2 baptisms which were amazing.  

I also received a new companion Elder Campos because Elder Sorbonne was called to be the new Assistant. But we have been having a blast in Ciudad Jardin. This week was great.  We had a giant ward activity called the Visitor Center where we basically visited all the members of Ciudad Jardin inviting them to bring their friends to the activity. On Saturday all day we were just inviting everyone we could to come to the activity and we were able to have some people come into the center. We finished that night so tired but we both felt so happy to have been able to do everything possible so that people can hear the amazing message of the Gospel of Christ. 

That is the best part of the mission, to be a Representative of Christ. 

I love you guys!

Monday, February 12, 2018

Week 82: February 12, 2018. Finding a new family.


Elder Parson sent voice recordings this week...some in Spanish.  It was great to hear his voice and hear he and his companion talk.

So this week was amazing! ME and my companion have been saying almost every day this week, God is so amazing with us! To explain this part, I would like to relate an experience.

So this week we have been really pushing to find some new investigators. We have been using many different ways to find new investigators. On Thursday and Friday, we had been doing everything to find new investigators:  contacting with members, looking for less actives and just talking to everyone. And I was so sure that we would find some news, but on those days we didn't find anyone. On Saturday, me and Elder Sorbonne were planning and we needed to find some new investigators. I was starting to get stressed but we felt that we should put our confidence in the Lord and he would help us out. We both prayed and we felt that we should contact one street in particular--we both saw it in our minds along with how we should contact people there by reading the Book of Mormon and giving out candy.

We went there and we started to touch some doors. While we were doing this, a lady put her head out the window and said in great English, "Do you speak English?"  She came down the stairs with her brother and she starts to talk to us. She had lived in the states a while ago and was super excited to talk to us. Sunday we went back and we were able to meet her family, all of whom spoke English really well. We just had them read a page of the Book of Mormon and the Spirit came in immediately. The family told us that they had been looking for many different churches but they haven't felt good in any one. We were able to relate to them the first vision and some of them had tears in their eyes. We invited them to study the Book of Mormon, come to church, and be baptized and they were really excited to find out if this is the true church.  It was such a great miracle to us that God is always willing to help us when we have faith.

I know that God lives and loves all of His children.

Have a great week

Elder Parson

My former companion, Elder Callejas

Bowling on P-Day

Bowling on P-Day

Burger King

Monday, February 5, 2018

Week 81. February 5, 2018. Brother Sanchez is baptized.


So this week was awesome!!! 

First off, we had a baptism this week which was incredible. It was amazing to see the change of Carlos Sanchez. He had been praying for a long time before his baptism to know if the Book of Mormon was true and before his baptism he got his answer. It was so incredible to see how much happiness came into his life while he lived the gospel. It was an awesome baptism service which the Stake President directed and the Bishop was able to baptize Carlos. It was probably one of the best baptism services that I have had on my mission.
 
Also we were blessed with the visit of Elder Gonzalez and it was so awesome to hear him talk. He gave us a lot of different ideas on how we can find new people using the Book of Mormon. Also, while we were sitting down with half the mission, he gave me and my comp specific advice on how to help the zone--what a blessing. 

The mission is honestly the best.  I am so blessed to be here. 

Love you all,

Elder Parson





Monday, January 29, 2018

Week 80: Voice Recordings. January 29, 2018. Love serving in Ciudad Jardin.

This week, Elder Parson surprised us by sending four voice recordings detailing his week.  He is doing great!  It was fun to hear Elder Sorbonne and Elder Parson on the recordings.


Wowow, honestly, I have never been so tired in all my mission. Me and my comp just wake absolutely exhausted. I feel like a zombie half the time, but we are honestly having so much fun here in Ciudad Jardin!

Tuesday-  I had an intercambio with Elder Segovia from Bolivia.  It was super fun, we had a fair amount of citas and we are super excited for Patricia, who is progressing a lot. She has said in her prayers that she is excited to get baptized in the true church of God! She has amazing faith.

Wednesday- We had a training with Presidente Baquerizo focused on how to use a new reference system from the church and how to find new investigators in various ways.

Thursday- We were able to have a great weekly planning session and we were able to find a new investigator that we contacted at 8:50 at night on Sunday.

Friday- I was the mission secretary for a day! It was really different but fun as I was able to run errands with the secretaries, pay bills and such, and after we went and worked in the area. It was super cool to see some amazing families that some of my friends on my mission have been able to teach and baptize.

Saturday- We did service for 4 hours and then we were able to have a mini intercambio with some other Elders.  We were able to contact people in a park using candy and questions of the soul, which was super awesome! It has been a blast with Elder Sorbonne to contact  in very different ways, from just randomly speaking English to people, stopping cars and giving them pamphlets, to using social media with members to find new people to teach. I am so grateful for  this time that the Lord has allowed me to work in His work.

I definitely felt the Lord guiding us as we focused on how to help the Zone. We felt the need as companionships to give blessings of comfort to our companions and it was a super amazing opportunity. 

I truly know that the Lord loves us and is always willing to guide us.

Love,

Elder Parson