Better Together (speaking in terms of us and Christ)

Hi Mashaal!

Familia Martinez and Friends

Here I am in this internet cafe again, listening to an Elder play Better Together by Jack Johnson on his computer. Oh, now we are going into Banana Pancakes. Update: now we are going into a competition between what Elder can play music louder. Music of the world vs. EFY music. Gotta love emailing as a zone! haha But we can be better together. Us and Christ! :)

The Muslim man from last week is really nice! We were walking down a street and we saw him and he came down from his balcony with a pamphlet, a booklet, and El Coran for us! haha Very kind of him!

I hope Marisa had a happy birthday an in honor of her I saw a random woman wearing a Charlotte, NC shirt the other day!

We had a good week! I am learning so much and things are great here! The ward is so nice and yesterday for lunch the member who signed up to feed us made us shishkabobs. haha! Yum!

We were going to hike the Cristo mountain again because the other hermanas wanted to, but we didn't get permission! haha So I don't know why they let us a few weeks ago and not now, but tender mercy because soccer is more fun! :)

One of our investigators is really great! On Saturday night there were giant parties, loud music and we got worried because he cancelled our appointment that night and we got really scared and he answered and said "Hermanas. I'm not feeling too well." And we started to cry! haha But it was just because he was working outside all day in the hot sun and felt sick! He came to church Sunday! Things are wonderful! 

One thing I have been thinking about is trust. I never really have trusted in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ until now because I've just trusted in my own experience and thought I could do things alone. But sometimes you can't do things alone! Things happen that you can't really control, and that's when trusting God becomes a necessity. But at times it is so hard. The future is unsure and you want things to go your own way. However, things turn out better when we can stop struggling and give all of our will to God. When we can say "Take it. Take all my desires and make them Yours. Aline my will with yours." is when the miracles start to happen. I thought of it as a trust fall. Because we are falling backwards, we can't see where we are going and sometimes we get scared while falling and step back instead of falling all the way. But we need to just fall. Because when we fall is when Christ is there to catch us. And I promise He is ALWAYS there to catch us if we can have faith and hope and just trust Him. Trust is God. Trust in Christ. Trust yourself.

Have a fantastic week all (especially Scout)

Love,

Hermana Park

I forgot to add something! We had this family that was inactive for over a year and we decided to visit them! (I cant remember if I wrote this last week?) And so we went and they LOVED it and we visited them again this week and the husband said that after he told us to leave once because no one was home, REPENTED after because he felt so awful! They came to church yesterday and their friends from their old ward brought them! They are so happy and lovely and so excited to be back in the gospel. Everyone was really proud of Hermana Holden and I for still going back and trying, but it wasn't us! We just follow the Spirit and go where we are told to go! But the Familia Martinez truly is a miracle <3 Never give up on less actives!

Wanderers in a strange land

Hello everyone, but mostly Scout,

I am currently sitting here in a computer cafe listening to Elders sing "Think Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood, so you could say the work here is really progressing. haha

It was a good week! We had an FHE with our investigator and another member and her 2 kids.  We had pizza and he (our investigator) played his guitar and it really felt like we were all just one big really weird family. hahaha It was fun! :)

I hope that Grandpa had a wonderful birthday! I hope Marisa has a great birthday this week too! (And Claudia as well! :)

We were contacting in a park yesterday and a giant dog ran at us. It just wanted to say hi though, because it's not from these parts! The dog's dad and daughter started talking to us, and Spanish was not their first language. They're Muslim and from a country that is in both Africa and Europe?? haha They are here for the daughter to go to school. I dont know - something seems fishy! haha maybe it's just both them and us lacking in Spanish!

We had a zone counsel, which was weird because what is a zone counsel? Our zone leader said he had never laughed so hard he cried in the mission, and Hermana Holden and I just sunk down a little in our chairs because we did at least 3 times this week, one of which was because a dog used her as a bathroom. hahaha

Things here are lovely and I found a new favorite scripture that says, "...Blessed be the name of my God who has been mindful of us wanderers in a strange land." Alma 26

I love you all and pray for you all and really hope that everyone remembers that they never walk alone and are loved and have so much worth because they have a loving Father and Savior who know them perfectly and trust in them and their plan for you. Follow the will of God, even when it doesnt match your own desires.

I love you all. Tell someone how much you love them this week! :)

Love Hermana Park

Piojos

A photograph from a few weeks ago with Hna Rivera, sent to Emily's mom's facebook by a young woman in the Senac ward.

Hello friends, family, and countrymen.

Bolivia is SO fun lately and as I am writing this I am missing a giant parade with a marching band and dancers in front of my apartment for what I think is Flag Day today so thanks everyone. haha

There is an investigator we have that will see us and yell PARK really loud and then she'll come over and talk to us and it was scary the first few times because - who knows my name?! hahaha

Here is a story not intended for young children or for those feeling ill that I am going to share because it is funny and I am an open book.

My head has been itching lately. You can already tell where this story is going. haha I thought, "Oh, a pesky dry scalp like Hna.Higham had." But it kept getting worse and I found 2 live bugs in my hair. Gross. So I thought, haha, this is more than a dry scalp. So my amazing companion Hermana Holden did some searching for me and then we called Hermana Rivera my old companion in Senac because she loves this kinda stuff and.. TANGO PIOJOS. What is that, one might ask. The good old lice.

Yes mom. I have lice. haha I knew it was bound to happen because I'm always in micros and taxis with my hair down. haha Anways. Hermana Rivera's companion before me from Utah had lice and had a bunch of special treatment and shampoo in the apartment, so we have that now! Then I thought, wait a minute. I slept on that pillow of that girl who had lice. And then after me Hermana Paz slept on it and her head itches. haha Sisterhood of the Traveling Lice? Anyways, I did the treatment and seriously these Hermanas I live with are the best. haha Last night I was trying to do it myself and Hermana Morales and Paz the other companionship in the apartment came in and asked if they could help, had me sit down, and started picking nits out of my hair. "What are nits?" One might ask. Nits are the egg sacks that a louse will lay in hair that hatch in a week and can contain as many as 100 lice. So today we are getting a special comb and I'll do the treatment again and these seriously amazing Hermanas will help me get these animals out of my hair. hahahaha

Anways, if you read that I'm really sorry because it's gross. hahaha But it's a good experience to have because I always was able to slide past the lice infestations of Ridge Crest! haha

It was a good week! Our investigator wasn't baptized because it suddenly got cold again and everyone and their cat got sick! So we're hoping he's better by this weekend!

All is well here. I have officially perfected my grilled cheese sandwiches. Im seriously LOVING life and Bolivia and everyone here is so nice!! I drink my occasional Coke just to hear people tell me that I am the only white person they know who likes Coke. Thanks dad for always getting it. haha

I love you all and love this gospel. This week I learned a lot about the power of fasting. A true 24 hour fast and the miracles it can bring! I have received a lot of answers to prayers this week and have

really noticed how extremely blessed we all are to have a loving Father who truly knows each of us. Even if we may not understand the things He tells us to do, I know that everything will work out if we have faith and trust 100% completely in Him. He will guide our paths. What better life is there to have than one directed by God?

Also, we are having a noche de hogar tonight and watching Gracias a El with our investigator and I remember when it came out and wow. It is still, if not more, powerful. So watch it! I cant remember what it's called in English! haha

Have a wonderful week! Read your scriptures. Follow promptings. Answer someone's prayers. Don't wait to be a missionary, because you can be a missionary NOW!

Love,

Hermana Park

I'm Higham-less

Matching!

The roof of the apartment

Hike to Cristo Montano

6 de Agosto

Last photo before transfers

6 de Agosto

Pizza at zone futbol game

pbj

Things are wonderful and the gospel is so true! Anyways, 

We had a 5 week conference with Presidente and Hna Willard this week for all us newbies and while asking questions I asked what we should do for 6 de Agosto because our pentionista would be there and he gave everyone permission to go! just for lunch. BUT YAY! We got to go and it was beautiful! Every ward was a different city in Bolivia! So fun! But unbelievably hot. hahahah We got new investigators from being there too! So it was really good we were able to go!

We tried to explain kidnapping to Hna Higham's companion from Guatemala and came up with Siesta de los niños. hahaha

Speaking of Hna Higham... We were just minding our business getting ready for bed after our nightly pbj and it was 10:25 pm and she got the call and was transferred to another zone in Tarija :( Very sad. My heart is broken. I don't want to know a Tabladita without her!!!! 

But probably my favorite thing to do is wash clothes. It is actually really fun and I will never ignore the tag that says hand wash only on my shirts because what a party it is!! I'm being serious. 

Yesterday the weather was really windy and then there was a giant flash of lightening and not even a second after was the loudest thunder I have ever heard! It was so cool! Then it rained for a good 10 seconds. hahaha But I enjoyed every bit of it!!!!

The dogs here are weird. Some are nice and some are literally Satan and will ONLY bark at us and no one else. I'm convinced there is a certain house where Satan really doesn't want us to go. hahaha

Oh, and I forgot to say I got 2 letters a few weeks ago, the announcement and one with a program and pics of Cora in it! Thanks! I hope the reception goes well this weekend! :)

Our investigators are fun and progressing so yay! One in Vicente and he is most likely going to be baptized this Saturday if we can find the time to teach him more! Yikes! And another is an old investigator for like 2 years Diego who is in his 20s and decided to drop his bad friends and come to church and activities! YAAAAAAY! Life is good. We had pizza today. I have learned sooo much not only about the gospel but about life and learned that God is so incredibly mindful of us and sometimes when we pray for help, He will answer through another person. Answers don't always come as expected. Also, that personal revelation is still real. The heavens are not closed.

Have a blessed week! Find someone who is having a hard time and help them! 

Hermana Park

Tango gozo en mi alma

Helllooo what an extremely quick week this was!

This week is the 6 de Agosto! Like the 4th of July here! They are having a huge stake festival and fingers crossed we get to go for at least lunch, because, well, our pentionista will be there. hahaha And she's from Paraguay so her food isn't Bolivian and it's good though! I just pretend my really creamy mashed potatoes were made with butter, not mayo! hahahahha Holy - is mayo a thing here. hahaha

Oh, so we found the band. Have yet to see them march. But I did march down the street to the beat because I'm just really a band geek at heart. But they're a bunch of elementary school kids!! And we figured out I heard her wrong when she said the band is with the "catolicos"... she said "collegio", or the school. hahahahahahahhaha hey! Its close! haha

Things here are really good! Getting better everyday! The hike was so fun and I hope that everyone looked up that Cristo Te Ama mountain in Tabladita in Tarija, Bolivia because the fact that we made it to the top is really impressive. hahaha It was really fun! The members are really nice! On the day of Steven's wedding I bought a big chocolate cake (40 Bolivianos or like 6 dollars!!) And we celebrated. We also made tacos one night, just for fun. hahahha Things are wonderful. I love it! I've never known that this gospel is more true.

I hope everyone remembers how loved they are and that they truly never are alone because Christ has felt everything and Heavenly Father knows and loves us perfectly. Don't forget to pray!!

Love,

Hermana Park!

http://www.boliviabella.com/independence-day.html



This is an excerpt from a letter to Aunt Peggy with a little bit of Hermana Park's daily schedule:

Wake up! Companion and personal prayer. Do exercise! We started running around the neighborhood this week! So that has been fun! Get ready for the day!
8 am Personal study!
9 am Companion study!
10 am We either go out to an appointment and come back and do language
study, or do "12 Weeks", which is a program where we watch videos and
read scriptures and practice teaching for the first 12 weeks of the
mission!
1pm Lunch at the pentionistas! She is a member from the ward and is
from Paraguay! so the food is a little different than other Bolivian
food, but its good!
2pm-9 pm Go to appointments, visit people, contact on the street!
Sometime in there we come back to the apartment and make a sandwich or
something if we have some free time! Then be back by 9 unless we are
in an appointment, then back by 9:30!
9-10:30 pm Plan for the next day, get ready for bed! Make another
sandwich! haha have companion and personal prayer, then in bed and
lights out by 10:30!!

Things here are good! We have a progressing investigator named
Vicente! He's around 50 I think and is loving going to church and
activities! So that's really special! Everything here is great! It's
basically the same as there! Same truth! We always have references,
but its hard to find them. "Maria Sanchez" is hard to find because
everyone here is Maria. hahahaha!