E-mail Week 49: June 26, 2017.

So this email will just be a whole bunch of photos because I haven't been able to send a lot the past few weeks. But this week was awesome. We were able to have a lot of intercambios (interchanges), which I love. Interchanges are when we go to different areas and are with different missionaries for 3 days. I first was with Elder Salazar from Peru in my area. This guy is a stud.  I love him because he really changed his life with the gospel. The only thing he wants is to be the best missionary and he has a powerful testimony of the Atonement of Christ. After that we had an intercambio with Elder Ribeiro from Brazil. This guy is crazy but is such a stud! He has about the same time in the mission as I do but he is so fun to talk to. He is so awesome to contact with​.  I also had an intercambio with Elder Monson.  He was with me in the CCM (Missionary Training Center) and I haven't seen him for over six months. But he is so awesome. He is opening an area that is a small farm town and is doing awesome. It was so fun to be with him, talking about the experiences that we have had in the mission. It is super sad to think that we almost have a year in the mission because it has been so awesome to serve the Lord this year. And we want to keep serving Him with all our might. But he is such a good example for me and I am so grateful for the time I had. 

Well it looks like I am out of time.  I hope you guys have a fantastic day. 

I love you.

District in Neiva

Friends in Neiva

Members in Neiva

Members in Neiva

E-mail Week 48: June 19, 2017. Getting to know our new Zone.

Buenos tardes!  This week has been crazy, but awesome! I will just start right in. So this week we have been traveling a lot. In our Zone, there 16 missionaries but they live in outlying towns.  So we went to their houses and helped them clean a little bit.  We also helped Elders find their houses as many are training and opening the area.  But it has been awesome here. Our branch has about 140 people attending and  missionaries work there. We have been learning a lot about the area because my companion has only been here for 3 weeks so we are learning a lot together.  My companion is awesome, although he looks like he's from China, he's from Lima, Peru.   He is a stud!  He is way funny and way energetic.  It has been way fun to teach with him.  Also we have found some awesome people this week.  One is named Diana and she has a baptismal date for July 8th.  If all goes well, she will be able to reach her date.  We are hoping for a lot of baptisms in the zone this week and should have five if all goes well.

Well my time is basically up but I hope all is going well and I hope you know how much I love you. 

Have a great week!

Love, 

Elder Parson

Colombian steak and sausage called rellena which is pig's blood in rice

The others are part of the Z

Colombian steak and sausage called rellena which is pig's blood in rice.

Part of our Zone enjoying lunch.

Preparation Day Soccer.

one

E-mail Week 47: June 13, 2017. Out of the frying pan...and into the fire. Transfers to Girardot to work with Elder Roque.

So this week has been awesome... we had a fantastic week to end the transfers.  We found some awesome families and finally received some referrals from the Ward.  And the coolest part, MARIA CONSUELO GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That was  such an awesome experience. She really was a miracle. She was a reference that we had been looking for for two months, and one day we got a prompting to go look for her in the farm part of our area. While we were down there contacting, we felt impressed to ask  a lady if she knew a Maria Consuelo -- and it was her! She was so ready for her baptism, especially after the death of her son and ever since she has been coming to church, she hasn't cried for her son and has felt more peace.  It was an awesome baptismal service and she invited all her family. Also, the family Chicas Arias has been coming to church for 2 Sundays and they are loving it. It really hurts me that we didn't go back for them earlier, but I am very happy knowing they will follow the Gospel.

So about the subject line of this email...we had transfers last night. I was very sure that I was going to Bogota, because normally missionaries only stay in the hot areas  of the mission for 8 months and I have 10 months.  So I was really surprised when I got the transfer call to Giradot, which is the hottest zone in all the mission...and as Zone Leader.  I thought my Zone Leader was pulling my leg so I didn't think we had transfers, and then I received the call that yes I am going to Giradot and yes I will be Zone Leader.  It is amazing how inadequate I feel about that. But right now I am here in  Giradot and I am way excited to work here with my new companion Elder Roque.  Although I know I lack a whole lot, if there is anything I have learned on my mission, it is that through the Gospel of Christ, we can achieve all things.

I was quite sad to leave Las Palmas after the amazing relationships that I had with the members and with the investigadores, but I am sure that my companion will be able to take care of them.  I am so grateful for the Lord and Him giving me the opportunity to serve there.

Thank you for all your prayers and  support.  Once again, I can't send pictures because of Colombian computers; but I would just like to leave with my testimony.  I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that He died for us and left us the perfect example to live a perfect life. And the mission is the best because it is the opportunity to testify  of Christ in word and in deed. I am so grateful for this opportunity--especially when today I have been serving for 11 months. 

I love you guys,

Elder Parson

E-mail Week 46: June 5, 2017.

So this week went by pretty fast.  To kinda change things up from what I normally write about, I will give a quick rundown of my week.

Tuesday we were preparing one of our investigators for her baptismal date.  It is amazing to see her faith. She doesn't have any money and is barely getting by trying to raise her 3 grandkids because her daughter is in prison. We also were able to teach 7 new investigators this week, one of them being the family Arias who I believe I have talked about. They are awesome and they came to church this week. They have been searching for a church for a while and really are doing their part to find out if the church is true.

We spent Wednesday walking and trying to do daily verification to make sure our investigators are progressing. We were able to teach a sister of the family Avila Garzon who is an awesome family that wants us to pass all the time. The problem with this family is they are way way Catholic but we are trying to get the Ward involved so they can come.

On Thursday, we did a lot of studies and had the interview for Maria Counsuelo who will be getting baptized the next Saturday.

Friday was the District Meeting and we were able to find another family who were way excited to hear our message at first, but after a little bit, the mom left, the daughter was on her phone and the other two were trying to listen to us in a busy street. But hopefully we will be able to pass by and teach them later

Saturday  we were able to find a menos activo of 10 years when we were walking with a member. It was awesome because he wanted to hear the missionaries again and wanted his wife to hear us. So we were able to teach them and they are an awesome family.

Sunday we had 2 people at church and we spent the day talking and teaching members.

Overall this week was awesome.  We have some great investigadores who are progressing and others that after one visit have told us that they don't want anything. But I am very grateful to still be here in Neiva.  The ward has been great and have really been helping our investigators. It has been weird to think that this could be my last week in Neiva.  After spending 6 months in this city, it has really become my second home. I am so grateful to the Lord for having put me here.

I love you guys.  Have a great week. I am sorry there aren't pictures but my computer won't allow it.

Elder Parson

E-mail Week 45: May 29, 2017.

So this email will be way short because I was kinda busy putting in referrals.

Nothing of interest really happened this week. We had a fairly good week and our Zone is doing awesome. We found a lot of new investigators and were able to help them. We went on a intercambio with the Zone Leaders which was awesome. I was with Elder Damiano from Atlanta and it was so much fun!  I learned so much from him.  He is such a well rounded missionary who is involved in all aspects of the work. 

I wish I could write more, but the time goes by so fast. I hope you all have a great week. 

Love you guys, 

Elder Parson

E-mail Week 44: May 22, 2017.

So this week went by way fast, but it was awesome. After coming ofg a great Sunday with a Mothers Cay call, we had another awesome opportunity to hear Elder Hugo Montoya from the Quorum of the Seventy. He taught us a lot of things about how we can gain more power and authority with our callings. I also had the opportunity to go to Ibague, which is another zone 3 hours from ours and it is so pretty. I also had the opportunity to see some of my old friends that are going to be dying soon (or ending the mission) and see Elder Campos, my friend from Bolivia and Elder Hess. It is so awesome to see these guys and I am so grateful to serve with them .

This week we had an awesome opportunity to find a family who really wants to change. It was really a huge blessing because the wife was an old contact in the street. We were visiting an investigador and we asked who else we could teach. And he showed us to his neighbor. And the even better part is that both of these people own restaurants so sometimes we get free food!  But anyway, this family that we found has such a desire to find the truth. We left them the assignment to read about the Plan of Salvation and when we came back they had read and they asked us "So what really happens to us after we die?"  That was fun to answer. They aren't married but I am so grateful to see their real desires to change. They came to church and and are excited to continue learning. 

Just before I end, I would like to quote something the Mission President's wife said:  "We all know that we will have the opportunity to be celestial beings in the next life, but would you like to be celestial beings now?"  And the way we do that is by abandoning all of our sins and changing all the things we need to change by repenting.  And it is such a great joy that fills our lives when we do. 

I love you guys, have a great day

Elder Parson

Elder Campos

The Zone Having Dinner

Neiva, Colombia

Neiva, Colombia

E-mail Week 43: May 15, 2017.

Well, this week was obviously the best, because I got to call my beautiful mother and family! It was so awesome to be able to talk to you guys. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

Entonces, this week was pretty interesting.  We have been working pretty hard to get a lot of people married and baptized these past few weeks and this week basically half of them decided to stop listening. That was kinda hard but it is good that now we have the opportunity to find some more people. So this week we have been looking for a lot of people to teach. It was pretty awesome.  One day, a member bought us arepas.  

So we went to eat arepas late at night and we were able to talk to the shop owners and share a quick message. Then a day later, we had a lesson with them and were able to place a baptismal date with him. It was awesome to see how humbly he accepted the date--that it was just a way to change his life. That is our goal on the mission, to find people that are ready now to change and to allow the Gospel of Jesus Christ to influence their lives.

I know this may sound random, but for some reason it just clicked with me about what our mission is. I would often get frustrated when we couldn't find people, when people didn't come to Church and when people didn't get baptized.  I would get really  depressed.  But then I realized that my job is to invite as many people to Christ as possible in this short time of two years. My purpose is to be as persistent as possible to help people change their lives and to live God's commandments in my life. If I am doing this, I am successful. So now, if we have the appointments falling through, or if no one wants to listen to us, I am happy to find the one person who really needs the gospel in their lives. God respects agency, but when we use our agency to follow His plan, that is when He rejoices with us. 

Thank you for your prayers.  I can really feel them lifting me up in my times of need.  I hope you all have a great day and especially the Moms, to remember the important and sacred opportunity that you have to raise your kids. You really are what shapes our lives. Thank you for your amazing examples.

Les amo, que esten bien

Elder Parson