Emergency Transfers!

                                            Getting on the plane on the tarmac, woo hoo!

QUITE THE WEEK.

We had emergency transfers on Friday morning!! I was eating breakfast and we got the call that I was going to Tabladita and so I hurried and packed everything up and said goodbye to my Hermana Rivera and hello to my new companion, Hermana Holden, from Utah! She is almost done with her mission so very fluent in Spanish. So that is VERY HELPFUL. She is very sweet and patient with me, because she's been in my shoes! Also, my new area is beautiful! It's in the mountains and today we are actually hiking the Cristo montaña. which sounds like Christa Montaño. haha

Also, my new apartment has hot water, woohoo!, and I live with another companionship...HERMANA HIGHAM so what a party that is. hahahaha We had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches last night and it was the best thing ever. The little things. 

There is a marching band we can hear at nights sometimes in Tabladita and she said she thinks it has something to do with the Catholic church! Sure is no Rachmaninov! haha

For pioneer day they had a big stake activity, that we couldn't go to, but we got to see a video! And every ward dressed up like cowboys, or pioneers, and danced around. It's bigger here than in Idaho!

haha

Everything here is great! It was sad to see my Senac ward on Sunday since we are in the same building! I miss them!! But excited to be here in Tabladita!! Life is great! It's warming up! I am perfecting my scrambled eggs. Really, things are too good to be true.

Thanks everyone for allll of the love and support! You all are the bomb.edu. Read your scriptures. Especially in Moroni 7 where there is a good part about deciding if something is from God or not. Very interesting! I love you all! Someone reading this go eat chic-fil-a!

hahaha

With all my love,

Hermana Park

Another week in the BEST PLACE EVER!

Things here are WONDERFUL!

Here are some fun things that happened this week:

Our taxi driver yelled HOLA GRINGITA and put on country music for me because I speak English and it was some awful awful guy playing a guitar and an actual line of the song said "you say you love me but your friends say you dont." hahaha

We ordered A PIZZA. And it waws 100 Bolivianos, (20 dollars haha) and so worth it! SO GOOD! haha then the next day I ate a piece out of the fridge and I thought Hna Rivera was going to throw up. haha she said ahhhh muy mal!! and I said that it's fine because it was refrigerated and that was the first time she has seen someone eat a cold piece of pizza so I am so honored. haha

The J dubs were out in full force yesterday! While walking I saw 2 of them. They were white men. And we just made eye contact and it was like slow motion as we both thought "you're not from these parts are ya.." hahahaha

Hardly anyone knows what Idaho is and my favorite was someone said "Idaho, Ida who? Ida woo?" hahahahaha yikes. Geography.

I have Idaho to thank because I have a very high cold tolerance. I am not wearing a jacket right now because I think IT FEELS FINE but everyone thinks that I am crazy but the only time I'll admit it is cold is during the night or if it is really windy! So the climate here is wonderful. haha

We had a zone conference this week and it was so fun seeing everyone and learning more! The investigators here are progressing and life is wonderful! I am loving every single second here! :) My companion is also very patient with me and is really nice! So I have it made! Oh, we did accidentally leave the cellphone in the taxi on Saturday, hahaha, but they're getting us a new one soon! :) haha life is great! I love it here! Tarija is wonderful and full of delicious food like this juice that comes in a weird pouch! haha so fun! Thanks everyone for all your love and sweet emails! The church is so true and Heavenly Father knows each of us individually! :)

Love, Hermana Park!

July 13, 2015

 Some of the last photos of her district in Peru, they heard that they hide stuff in the ceilings, but didn't find anything there.

What a week what a week. haha

Thank you all for your sweet emails and prayers. I can feel them so strongly! The first week was ROUGH because, Spanish. haha

So, not a WHOLE lot of fair skinned, light haired people around, so while we were walking one night, a taxi pulled up next to us, said "chicas chicas!" And drove off. hahahahaha! What even is life. haha

The stars here are UNREAL. I cannot even believe how many and how bright they are! I love it! So dad, pull up your google sky map and see what constellations/planets I can see! :)

During relief society yesterday the teacher asked me what eternal marriage meant to me! I tried so hard and then someone yelled This is her first area! hahaha! There is a new member who moved here from La Paz who went on a mission to SLC years ago, so she speaks English. So the teacher had her translate and me speak in English. And it was wonderful! It was a beautiful experience to say exactly what I was feeling! hahahaha Then she translated it as "she said that temple marriage is important" hahahahah! 

We were in a lesson yesterday and I tried to ask if they had any questions about the plan of salvation. and the member we were with laughs and says "sorry, this is her first area, she doesn't know Spanish" hahahaha! It was actually really funny and not at all offensive. hahaha

We were given a 2015 July Liahona and the first thing I opened up to in the middle was a spread about Hungary! Woo! Shoutout to TJP. 

This week was good! It´s warmed up, so I could put away my tights and scarf! hahaha And don't worry mom, I reapply sunscreen every 20 minutes! 

Thank you all for all the love and support! And remember to never postpone a prompting!

Love,

Hermana Parque (haha) 

(I had asked her some questions about where she lives, etc,  and these were her replies):

So, yes. We live in the upstairs of a house where an old lady lives below, who is not a member. I never actually see her. hahah but she has a couple dogs, they are nice. haha I am in the Tarija in Senac area. in the senac barrio. Ward council every Sunday night. haha Its fun! We never eat with members and have a small camping stove that I have yet to use. I am actually fine with the food. I have a lil yogurt in the morning, a giant, and I mean giant lunch with a bunch of rice, a giant slab of meat, some vegetables, some eggs, some tomatoes, and some dessert. Then I eat again the next morning! I have even lost weight ;) hhaha The plane to fly here was just a normal plane! haha 

Welcome to Bolivia, Welcome to Bolivia, We've Been Waiting For You!

 Her companion/trainer from Honduras 

 District with their teacher just before leaving the CCM

What a week! Let me start in chronological order to make you wait even longer to hear about Bolivia!

On my last Saturday at the CCM, I got hit in the face with a soccer ball. hahahaha Then while running I tripped out of bounds and fell into the net. So I stopped playing because I thought it was probably Heavenly Father telling me it was time to stop.  No major damage! Only a little scrape on my hand. 

We left Peru at 6 am and were in the airport waiting to get through for at least 3.5 hours.  Paid for our other bag (which we will be reimbursed for) then headed off JUST IN TIME to catch the bus to the plane. (weird) We arrived and it was raining! A nice welcome since there was never rain in Peru! there were SO MANY ELDERS there to greet us. And some spoke English! yay! haha They took our bags and then we got on a really nice bus to go to the mission office and Presidente's extremely nice apartment! On the way there they were explaining things in Spanish then English. The American Elder yelled "Gringos!  Try to understand this and said (in Spanish) that we were going to eat pizza. and the entire bus was screaming. hahahahha We had pizza at the Willard's apartment and took pictures. Then did some paperwork at the mission office and had interviews. Then we went to dinner! THEN we all went to stay in a hotel! Surprisingly nice! I was in a room with Hermana Q. and we had a fun time! :) 

The next morning we did immigration things and fingerprints. Then we went to the church, got our trainers, had lunch, had some training, then left! I am in Tarija! Hermanas can go to Santa Cruz or Tarija! And here I am! We flew from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba to Tarija and arrived around 11 pm. And I got a nice reminder of my motion sickness days. It was a lovely time of trying not to throw up. hahahaha

My trainer is Hermana R. from Honduras. She speaks little English so this is a fun time of miscommunication.  My Spanish is improving! The first day someone asked my name and I said Hermana Park and they said Oh sorry. I don't speak English. hahahahahahha! At least in my ward and district there is another North American elder! So I'm not the only one! 

Church was a whole new experience. There were stray dogs lying around. Just listening. hahaha Then they made me bear my testimony and it was so good that someone asked me after if I was from Ohio or Alaska... Idaho. I said Idaho. haha It was pretty easy to fast seeing that..THERE IS NO DINNER HERE. a light breakfast, then we go to our lady (I forgot the name for it..) and she makes us lunch, every day. She is the Bishop's wife. We eat lunch with their family. I don't do a whole lotta talking. haha when they talk to me its very loud and slow! Yesterday they pulled up that Mormon Message called "Reclaimed" because it talks about Idaho Falls. They asked if that's were I was from and I said yes! Thats Idaho! Then they showed the lovely Idaho Falls temple! Very fun! They give me SO MUCH RICE. I'm glad the in the health meeting at the CCM they said don't feel bad about not eating all the food because they are paid by the church to serve you. Whew! Because picture an entire plate full of white rice. Sorry Adam. I think you will forever beat me at our steak eating contest! haha! 

Oh and ya know, I've never been to a ward council, but I think this one here takes the cake. Lots of slurred, fast Spanish. A dog sleeping across 2 people's laps. The bishopric all drives motorcycles. hahah Glad the English speaking Elder was there because he translated 2 things for me. 1. The 1st counselor yelled "Let's go burn his house down!" haha the second "Lets have Hermana Park and the Elder hand out money next week because they're {Americans}," hahahahahahahahahaha where even am I? haha

It's been a good week! EXTREMELY cold though! It's probably only like 40 or 50 but just being outside all day makes it pretty chilly. They weren't kidding when they call this winter! haha I'm sure Ill miss this once summer comes! I love you all! 

Love, Hermana Park!

I Am His Daughter

Since this is the week without a p-day, here is the photo received from the mission home after her arrival in Bolivia on Tuesday, June 30 with President and Sister Willard.  

There is also a video below that was made by a missionary mom with lovely music, and lovely sister missionaries - including a photo of Hermana Park and her Peru CCM district outside the Lima Temple (at 6:35).