E-mail Week 42: May 8, 2017. Following the Spirit....

This email will be really short, honestly because I don't remember what happened. This week has just gone way too fast. So this week we have been trying to visit a lot of members.  The Ward has been losing a lot of people and so we are trying to help them. It was awesome.  More people are coming to church and we are trying to have activities every week. This week we are having a trompo tournament, which is like a version of yo yo here. I have no idea how to play but I am hoping to learn.

Also, we had an interesting experience.  We were just walking to an appointment when I felt the need to visit one of our investigators. She lived kinda far but we went and visited her and she was so happy.  She told us that she had had problems with her husband and was going to make some rash decisions. She said it was a miracle that we came.  That has been the greatest blessing to me in the mission--being guided by the spirit to bless other peoples' lives.  I know that when we follow the spirit, when we have the courage to follow His promptings, we can follow the plan of God more closely. 

This week has been good for investigators.  We have some awesome families, but as always the problem is marriage.  But if they have a testimony of the gospel, I know that one day, they will be able to be baptized.

Thank you for all your prayers, I definitely feel them.  When I am tired or discouraged, I always feel an uplifting hand.  I hope you have a fantastic week.

Love you all.

sigue en el camino del Evangelio

Elder Parson

Elder Hoopes before his transfer.

Elder Hess before his transfer.

Happy Birthday to our Zone Leader.

Some cows randomly walking down the street.

ed

E-mail Week 41: May 1, 2017. Luz Estela's Child, Call to be DL

How is everyone doing?  This week has been a very rewarding week. We were able to see many blessings. But to start off, first an awesome experience.

  

Colombians are very particular about their meat and all the different departments have different meat. And here, they cook the meat in huge ovens, about 8 to 10 feet wide, that look like pizza ovens. These ovens are made out of mud and my companion and I had the opportunity to help make these ovens which was awesome.  And then for the first time, this guy came to church with his wife and family.  It was so cool because he said:  "I have never had much faith and I decided to listen to the missionaries to see if it could really help my family.  And just this morning, after getting ready for church, work started coming in for me."  He is a motorcycle mechanic and so there isn't a whole lot of work and his family needed food.  It is amazing to see that when we put the Lord first, blessings come.

Also, this week we had a really neat experience with Luz Estela's kids.  As we were coming to church yesterday, one of them ran up to me and said, "I want to get baptized now, like in this very moment, now.  And I want to be a missionary."  That was such a sweet, tender experience for me.  Really the gospel will change all behavior and all lives. 

Some new changes.  Yesterday I received the call to be district leader.  I am excited to learn from the amazing experiences that will come from this and am excited to serve the missionaries in my district. 

I hope you guys have a great week and remember how much God loves you.

Love,

Elder Parson

E-mail Week 40: April 24, 2017. Jose Receives the Priesthood

Buenas tardes!

How is everybody doing? I am sorry that this email will be really short but thank you for everyone that has been emailing me the past couple weeks.  It really makes my day.

So this week was awesome! Although our area has had its struggles, many of our investigators are progressing but don't have an answer yet to be baptized. And so this week we were blessed with many opportunities to contact. And we were able to see many miracles of the Lord

This week, Jose received the Priesthood--and it was so cool. Also we were in Gospel Principles class and Jose always listens to us read the Book of Mormon but I never really knew if he had studied about the church or knew if it was true. He had the opportunity to teach some of the class and went off, writing all over the whiteboard explaining why the church was true, talking about revelation and prophets.  It was so awesome to see and I am grateful the Lord has let me know them.

I wish I could explain a little bit more about my week, but to finish, I would like to share an experience. Sunday night, we were running late and hadn't had a companionship study that day. I prayed to know if we should have one, at six at night, and be late for an appointment.  We ended up studying and after, as we were leaving the house, a man came up to us in tears crying about not being able to feed his family.  We went up to our house, grabbed most of our food and gave it to this man. He began to cry and told us that actually he was a member but is really inactive. And then as we were heading home at the end of the evening, at 8:30, I felt an impression to go to an investigator's house in an interesting part of our area.  As we were going, I felt an impression to talk to this big group outside of a house, twenty people. It was kind of nerve racking but I felt the Spirit way strong to do it. So I started talking with them and they were awesome!  We were able to share a quick message and then they said that they wanted to hear more and give us lunch next week. Golden investigadores or what. 

I know that when we follow the Spirit, miracles happen.  We just need the courage to follow the prompting. 

I love you all.

Have a great week

Elder Parson

E-mail Week 39: April 17, 2107. The faith of Luz Estela.

How is everyone doing?  

First off, I would like give a shout out to Jensen Clifford who got his mission call to the  Ukraine. Dude you are going to kill it!  It is the best thing you could possibly do.

So this week has just flown by. We have been having a lot of intercambios and a lot of lessons, which is awesome.  But, we haven't had a lot of opportunities to contact. 

Although we didn't have a lot of investigadores at church, I would like to share one story.  One investigador, Luz Estela, has been coming to church for a month and is way ready to be baptized, but is waiting to get married to her husband, who doesn't want to. She told us that this week, after praying that she could get baptized and praying that her husband will want to get married, that she has had a lot of trials. Her dad came to her house and told her if she gets baptized he will never talk to her again. Her brother tells her that she is crazy going to the Mormon church and her neighbors, as well, have been saying the same thing.  She then said that so far she has loved going to church and when she reads the Book of Mormon, she feels a great peace. I asked her if she was willing to follow going to church and reading even if she couldn't be baptized.  She said of course. Although I was way sad, this made my day.  The Book of Mormon and the gospel have power;  power to change our lives and the faith that we have.

I hope all of you have a great week.  I love you all so much.

Elder Parson

My awesome Zone Leader from Atlanta -- Elder Damiano

My shoes after 9 months in Colombia

E-mail Week 38: April 10, 2017. Jose and Sonia's Baptism in Neiva

So this week was awesome because Jose y Sonia got baptized!!!!!!!!! It was so awesome that after about 3 months of working with them, they were finally able to take this awesome step. It was such an awesome baptism, we had about 40 people from the ward there and they bought Jose y Sonia a cake and soda. 

Sonia and Jose's Baptism.  April 8, 2017.  Neiva, Colombia

It was really cool after their baptism that they were able to bear their testimonies and they simply said:  "This gospel has brought us peace."  The Church's hashtag this season de pascua, or Easter, is "#PrinceofPeace", which is exactly what we get when we live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for this gospel and the joy it brings, especially when we live its precepts. It was amazing to see that this gospel really had changed Jose and Sonia. When I first found them on my second day here in Neiva, they had a lot of problems within their relationship and a lot of debt.  Once they decided to live the gospel and to keep the commandments, their relationship improved, he was able to find a better job and they are a lot happier. I am so grateful for this moment my Heavenly Father has given me. 

Another thing awesome about this week is that we had training with Presidente Baquierzo! This guy is such a stud. I learn so much from him every single conference. I love one thing he said "The reason we stress and talk so much about obedience is because when we are obedient we receive more light, we receive more joy, and we become more like Christ."  I can testify of this.  Although I am not perfectly obedient, when I give my all to be obedient, I receive more knowledge and I receive more joy. 

This week we have also been teaching Danilo, a referral, and he is awesome.  He is already reading 2 Nephi and loves the Book of Mormon. He still doesn't have his answer if he should be baptized so please keep him in your prayers. 

I love you guys with all my heart.  Thank you for your awesome examples and have a wonderful day!

Elder Parson

Elder Cuellar -- Zone Leader

Elder Palma -- Zone Leader

Sunday School Class in Neiva

E-mail Week 37: April 3, 2017. Jose & Sonia's Wedding and General Conference.

This week went by way fast.  I wish I could write all of what happened but it was a great week. First of all, we weren't impacted by any of the flooding that happened here in Colombia.  Also we had General Conference this week which was awesome.  I learned so much about how to be a better missionary and a better defender of the Restored Gospel.

The Gringos during General Conference

I don't have much time so I will hit the highlights of this week...

Jose and Sonia got married!  After so much time they were finally able to get married.  It was so awesome to see and now this week they will be getting baptized.  I am so happy for them and for the opportunity I have to teach them.  

Wedding of Jose and Sonia

Also this week we were able to have a lot of lessons which normally doesn't happen.  In one neighborhood we found an antiguo investigatdor that wanted to hear from us again, we taught a referall after 2 months, and then someone called us over as we were leaving the neighborhood to teach their son.  It was awesome!

The past few weeks have been a little difficult and as I am training and I still feel like I lack a lot;  but I have been loving my time here.  I asked my companion to give me a Priesthood blessing and was amazed at how much love I felt from my Heavenly Father.  He is always there when we need Him and even when we don't feel His love, He is there carrying us. 

I love you all.  Thank you for your prayers.

Elder Parson

With Elder Campos from my MTC group.  He is such a stud and one of my best friends in the mission

E-mail 36: March 22, 2017. New Companion...Elder Montano (from Bolivia)

As you are going to see, I am writing on Wednesday because we have had some changes.  I had transfers and my old companion Elder Thompson left to be District Leader in Fusa, where I was born. I am now training Elder Montaño from Bolivia -- who is awesome! He actually served a mini mission in Bolivia and so he already knows a lot about the mission. I am way excited and kind of nervous to be training.  It involves a big responsibility with a lot of risk.  I am just beginning to realize that I still lack a whole lot to be a better missionary but I have faith the Lord will help me.

New companion, Elder Montano (from Bolivia) and Elder Parson

This week was awesome! First off, my zone leader, Elder Centurion from Argentina, who I was with in Fusa and now in Neiva, is going home.  I had the opportunity to spend his last two days in an intercambio. This guy is such a stud and I am so grateful that I was able to spend 6 months of my mission with him and learn a lot.

Elder Parson and Elder Centurion (from Argentina)

We also had one of the coolest experiences in my life this week! There is a little town about an hour outside of Neiva that had some crazy flood problems.  A ton of people lost their houses and are without water and food.  So we had the opportunity with Mormon hands to go and deliver food and water to the people in need.  It was awesome!  For about 5 hours all we did was haul about 6,000 bags of water.  I know that sounds unreasonable but it was into a storehouse.  We helped make food kits and brought in mattresses. But by far the coolest part was to hand out the food to those in need. We weren't allowed to contact anyone there but we had a ton of people coming up to us and asking who we were and what church we belonged to.  It was so awesome!  We were riding in the back of a police car just tossing out pamphlets to all the people that wanted them.  It was so amazing and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to help these people and I hope that they will begin to feel of the love of God. I felt such a great love for these people.

I am so grateful for the Lord having me serve a mission in Colombia. Lately I have been having a tough time putting my trust in the Lord's timing, but I am beginning to understand this is for us to learn.  If we are obedient to the Lord's commandments and fulfill all of our duties as His children, He will bless us with all the things we want, we just need to place our faith and love in Him.  I am so grateful for the Lord and His hand in my life.

I love you all so much and hope you have a great day.

Elder Parson​