The Liahona

Thanks for everyone who sent me pictures of the funeral! It looked beautiful! I was just about to tell you all how cold it was here this weekend, but I think y'all win. haha 

In honor of everyone coming home, I hope some kid on a bike yelled at everyone and told them to go back to their respective state. (Ask Doug and Marisa) Because someone just yelled ¨Good afternoon! This isn't your country!¨ haha 

We had a zone conference with President this week! It went really well and we got to see the new Christmas video from the church! It is really cute so I hope you have all seen it! 

Since I got to the mtc and saw people with conference Liahonas I thought how lame I was for just printing off a few talks when I could've just brought them all together. So I have always wanted a Liahona, or Ensign, from the April conference. I have one, but it´s in Spanish and even though I can read it, it´s not the same! We have a stack of Liahonas in the house because we get one every month. I organized them a few weeks ago, but didn´t see one. Then yesterday we were leaving for a lesson with a family about the prophet, and I knew there was one in Spanish, so as I hurriedly dug through them, an English one fell out! I just sat there on the ground, literally hugging a Liahona. Something that we take for granted and just put out for decoration when it comes in the mail. I felt as if it was Heavenly Father telling me that He has not forgotten about me. He gave me something so simple that I had always wanted, because the God, Creator, One who has the plan, loves ME. And you.

Hermana Park

The grave hath no victory and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ

Her last photo with Grandma Park on the day Emily was set apart as a missionary, May 18, 2015

Well, it's never a good sign to see the mission president's name on your phone. But when the call came I knew what it was. Happy that grandma is now free from her pain. I was reading today in True to the Faith and I really liked the part that says "the only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life." When President called he said "I know you've got a big day planned today, but you'll get a little more help from grandma today." 

One of my favorite scriptures that I have never been able to apply until now is in Mosiah 16:8, "But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ." I know that grandma is so happy right now and I am so grateful to have the gospel to know that there is life after this! What a comforting reassurance it is that we have the Plan of Salvation. She was "received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where [grandma] shall rest from all [her] troubles and care, and sorrow." (Alma 40:12) I hope you all celebrate her life with applesauce cookies and Hallmark movies! :) 

It was a crazy Saturday after getting the call to have to plan a baptism! Mateo Choque got baptized! His wife is close, but Mateo was ready and didnt want to wait for her. haha He even said that he wished that tithing was more because 10% just isnt enough. It was a beautiful time and we did nothing. He was ready. 

It was a crazy week and today we are going with all 16 hermanas in Tarija to see a waterfall! So that should be fun :) I hope you all have a wonderful week, remember how much you are loved, and please eat turkey because there isn't any here. haha 

I am grateful for this opportunity that I have to be here and to be helping people know this great news that we have in this gospel. I am grateful for the hot sun here in Tarija and for my companion Hermana Petroff. There is nowhere I would rather be than here in Tabladita! :) I am grateful for my family and that we can be together forever. 

I hope everyone can say a prayer of only gratitude this week! I love you all.

Love, Hermana Park

  

hi scout

and bathroom picture just for you mom. hahaha 

my district! minus the elder on the right. haha he's a zone leader that was sitting in.

one of our families we're teaching! Roxanna and her kids Mariam the oldest, Mishel, then the baby Sebastian! The husband jonny wasnt home but we wanted to take a picture anyways! haha 

because who likes normal pictures. Especially when it looks like I don't have any legs! hahah

they have salteñas here and it's filled with chicken, potatoes, and other fun stuff! a member of the bishopric has a little shop of them near our house! :)

my zone with our shirts that the stake presidency got us and our goal of baptisms until the end of the year. just so happened that our way tall zone leader from Argentina stood in front of the poster. haha 

Hello.

They weren't lying when they said it rains here. We have had some little rain storms but on Tuesday night at 8pm. we had the most rain I have ever seen. It was CRAZY. Lightening! Thunder! The whole 9 yards!

We are teaching the cutest family in Bolivia. (see pic) and we were teaching about the 10 commandments and we got to the part about adultery...and the little girls wanted to tell us what it meant. Mariam (8) told us that it's when you kill an adult. Mishel (5) told us that it's when you rob someone and the devil dances. haha close! It's been a wonderful week here in Tabladita! 

I have heard some interesting things happening there with the church and such. Something I learned this week is that before the Savior comes again there will be many tests of faith to see who really is on the Lord's side. Follow the counsel of the prophet,who receives direct revelation from God. I once heard a story from one of my companions that there was a ward party and 3 men ran in with masks and guns. They said that they would shoot everyone who believed in Christ and if you didn't to leave. Many people in the ward left and only the faithful stayed. Then they took of their masks and it was the bishopric. hahaha obviously not real. But makes ya think. Who's side are you on? The world's or God's? 

Love, Hermana Park

The sun came out and I'm staying in Tabladita :)

Part of our area in the mountains 

We made peanut butter cookie bars but all we had to put them in was a frying pan so it looks like refried beans, but I promise it's not. haha

My companion got sick during our weekly planning and slowly fell asleep on the ground. #weeklyplanninggonewrong

My food on the airplane, because Bolivia always gives you food even when your flight is only an hour!

The sun came out for the first time in 2 weeks yesterday, so Tarija is a happy place to be! I also noticed that the stars really do twinkle here.

We had stake conference and there were SO MANY people there! It was wonderful :) Presidente and Hermana Willard came to talk and everyone loves them! 

Transfers went well! We got the call Tuesday night that I am staying here in Tabladita with Hermana Petroff :) We are still the hermana leaders for the zone! So that meant that Wednesday we got to fly to Santa Cruz for a meeting with President and Hermana Willard and all of the other sister leaders and zone leaders in the mission! I learned so much! We talked all about how we can be better leaders and it ALL comes back to love. And I love love. haha Because if we love God, then we will love the work, the other sisters, our investigators. EVERYONE.

I read The Tongue of Angels again this morning! My ponderize scripture is James 3:10 "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." I would like to personally invite everyone reading this email to LOVE a little more this week and try to be as kind as possible. Our words have the ability to help or hurt. I hope we choose to help and speak as Jesus would speak :)

Here is some love to all of the beautiful people reading this!

Love,

Hermana Park

Tabladita

And they who reject this glad message, shall never such happiness know.

At the Bishop's house last night for FHE

Waiting with Hermana Petroff for the transfer calls that never came

The District

Exchanges with Hermana Antonio from Peru

Soaking wet from the rain, with Greek Pizza

First off, I hope Cora had a very happy 4th birthday :) I loved the pictures I got of her and Gemma and Michelle! I have the cutest nieces! :)

We saw miracles and a whole lot of rain here this week! We found Diego and his contract was messed up so he was still here, until he moves tomorrow. So we had a lesson and buckled him down for his baptism. He cancelled on us 2 nights in a row then told us Friday night that he needs more time. Whatdya do. haha

So we were running back to the house because it was raining, we didn´t want to be soaked, and we needed to get back before 9, and as I tried to avoid a puddle and I tripped over Hermana Petroff and fell face first, on my stomach and my bag into a big puddle. As I laid on the ground soaking in the puddle, I thought I could either get up and cry or get up and laugh. And so I cried..because I was laughing so hard. There we were in Tabladita. 2 girls from the United States in skirts. Soaking. hahaha I just laughed and thanked Heavenly Father for this opportunity to get to know the ground a bit better. Haha Don´t worry because I only have scraped knees. But really, I love being soaked in
the rain. haha

A man rode by me in a bike and yelled "Rubiacita" And I laughed for a really long time because I pictured dad on his bike yelling that. haha

It was a great, rainy week! Usually transfers are Sunday night, but we think they're coming Tuesday night! I love you all and hope you can all choose to laugh when you trip!

Love, Hermana Park

With Paolita from the ward who goes out with the Hermanas often