Pretty sneaky Satan

 This week was national friendship day and Derly, the member of the ward who makes us lunch every day, made us a cake topped with a chocolate banana and sister missionary figurines that Hermana Higham sent her. 

Us with the chocolate bananas we helped her make! It`s like Disney Land!

 I dropped my pen and it fell into the paws of this angry puppy but Hermana Undurraga saved the day with her big stick to hit my pen back out!

Los Olivos is the best. I LOVE it here! So what I forgot to add is that Hermana Undurraga is my adorable companion from Ecuador and she has been here for almost 4 months and is wonderful! I am learning a lot fom her and am really grateful to be her companion. 

Ana Maria came to church yesterday and all of the members were so excited to see her! We have been having a daily contact with her every day, whether it be an actual lesson, reading the Book of Mormon for 10 minutes with her, or just an encouraging note, but we have seen that she is gaining a testimony of the church. She is still preparing for her baptism on August 6th, or the 4th of July here, and all the sisters in the ward want to have a big baptismal service for her! The ward is really great, but we are praying that her kids don`t influence her decision and make her doubt what she has felt.

We are visiting the Rivera Family and last night the mom sat in on the lesson, for the first time in a couple months! Her husband, Nelson, was so excited to tell us that he prayed, because it`s really hard for him to not only remember, but also to really understand the importance of praying. Also, we found a new family, David and Veronica, and they were so excited to hear our message...and then Veronica had to go inside and leave the lesson on their patio and we explained to them that since we didn`t have a member to accompany us, we couldn`t be left alone with David. We didnt make the guidelines. Aaaaand David got super offended, so we`re praying that everything blows over so they can find the truth they are looking for. The ways I have been able to see Satan interfere with the work are incredible. He REALLY doesn`t want these people to know the truth and receive these blessings. But the gospel has more power than Satan and the light always overpowers darkness.

I hope everyone can look for the blessings they receive every day! For example, waiting for Isabel to come out of her house for a lesson, we were looking at the stars and all of the sudden all the lights in the neighborhood went out! We heard everyone within the block scream, because losing power is bad, but we were happy to be able to see the more stars, even if it only lasted for 1 minute. There are tender mercies every day when one can literally hear ¨Now you can see even more stars because I love you.¨ Our Heavenly Father, our God, loves each and every one of us. Even when we don`t feel worthy of that love, it`s still there. Look for it and enjoy it. Like the brand Tommy Bajamas says, make life one long weekend.

The church is true.

Hermana Park

PS They passed out flyers in church yesterday and everyone is really excited that there`s a Spanish quad now.

https://www.lds.org/church/news/printed-version-of-spanish-scriptures-now-available?lang=eng&_r=1&cid=HP_FR_15-7-2016_dCN_fCNWS_xLIDyC-3_

LOS OLIVOS!

I dont like packing

 Last night with the hnas in Trompillo with giant hamburgers that I could only eat 1/4 of! (featuring my overflowing suitcase)

Jesus' baptism (with Hermana Alvarez and her new companion, Hna. Quackenbush)

Hermana Undurraga!

The call came Tuesday and I packed up my 4 transfers of Trompillo, with a few tears, and came to Los Olivos! My companion is Hermana Undurraga from Ecuador. She is extremely adorable and never stops smiling. I already love her! We have been able to find a lot of new families to teach! We live here in a big condo, 6 of us hermanas! The Elders lived here before and so all the door handles are broken and I got locked in the bathroom twice.

Jesus got baptized in Trompillo!

A sweet older lady who is a hair dresser named Ana Maria is preparing to be baptized on August 6th! And a family where only the father from Korea isn't a member was very surprised to know my last name. So we`re hoping that "Park,"  a common name in Korea apparently, can get us in the door with him!

My companion helps me know Christ more just by knowing her.

We are working harder than ever before.

I really love these dirt roads of Los Olivos.

Hna Park

The Book of Mormon

Maria L. and her daughter Laura (14) and her 2 sons Pablo (9) and Matías (5) after church yesterday. They LOVE the Book of Mormon and we´re planning for their baptism at the end of this month!

Ice cream marshmallows with Luana and Franchesco!

President and Sister Rodriguez and their son! 

We went bowling with the hermanas! SO FUN! I got 2 strikes with a new move I call not trying and being spazzy. (there´s a video..)

 bowling with Hna Alvarez!

Betty D. and her 3 kids and 1 grand-daughter. As soon as the wedding bells ring, Betty, Leonel, and Diana will be baptized. It all just depends on when Eduardo can get work off so they can go to the court house!

Sandra, who we visit often to cheer her spirit!

¨¡HOLA!¨ was the first word yelled, quite loudly, as President and Sister Rodriguez burst into our conference! The conference was AMAZING. I am a witness of the power of callings. He wasn´t called to take President Willard´s place. He is a continuation of the work that was already being done. He is bursting with ideas, and it´s amazing that they are working. Both he and his wife were converted young by receiving a Book of Mormon. I made the comment of how we should start giving out the Book and he yelled. ¨YES! LET´S FILL SANTA CRUZ WITH THE BOOK OF MORMON!¨ 

On the way home, we chatted up the taxi driver and he said he wanted to read. So we made him wait outside the gate and we bolted up the 3 flights of stairs to give him the opportunity to read his very own Book of Mormon. That same day we gave one to a man on the bus and a night guard. The next day, the bus driver and his daughter. Another day, a man in the park. Then with 3 more investigators we found to teach in their homes. They all have the sincere desire to read the Book and know if it´s true. We gave them to other missionaries as a referral. Like President said, we know how many seeds 1 apple has, but we dont know how many apples 1 seed can produce.

In other news, Jesús S. is going to get baptized this Saturday! He´s 9 and wants to keep coming to church and reading his Book of Mormon like his older sisters, Mariela and Valeria, do. He is SO EXCITED! There are transfers Wednesday! Yikes. We´ll see what happens. 

Oh also, today I finished reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish. It is amazing. It´s true in English and it´s true in Spanish. I started reading it in November just by reading a chapter a day. How easy is that! So everyone reading this email wherever you are, member of the church or not. I invite you to read the Book of Mormon again. If you are already reading it, GREAT! KEEP GOING! If not, today is a great day to start :) The Book of Mormon is the word of God. I love the Book of Mormon and I love Jesus Christ of whom the Book testifies. 

Love, Hermana Park

¨And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.¨

Hermana Huber and I this morning! 

Foooouuuurrrrth of July!

Soup, hot sauce, and lemonade. The great start to every Bolivian lunch.

The sun came out, we listened to the 4th of July cd from the MoTab (thanks mom!) during exercises this morning, and I´m still a missionary, so that makes this 4th of July a whoooole lot better than the previous one on my first Saturday in freezing Tarija. 

We have found a lot of new people to teach based on our obedience this week. Yay! Sometimes I feel like we are just dragging the same people like a bag of rocks, teaching, insisting, and not seeing results. So this was a week of finding :) We have seen a lot of miracles this week. We have been able to teach friends of members, part member families, and just whoever Heavenly Father wanted to put in our path! It also helped that it started getting warmer Tuesday. That´s why Santa Cruz is great. It gets extremely cold, but only lasts a few days :)

We were visiting with the member Sandra yesterday, the one I talked a bit about last week, and she is just completely hopeless. Yesterday we gave her He Will Put You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home from Gen Conf to read and as I testified to her that she is not too far away to be rescued I felt as if I were saying it to myself. I pondered back on my short 20 years of life and thought, why didn´t I realize how simple it is sooner? He is inviting us to come to Him, to partake of the happiness of the gospel and the relief of repentance. Why are we so stubborn to get comfortable where we are, sitting there, pouting like the younger Hna Park when she wanted a Baconator? GET UP and find Christ! Because only through the knowledge of His gospel and Atonement, can we be set free. Free from our pains. Free from our worries. Free from our past. Free to start over. 

I am very proud to be an American, a missionary, and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints :)

I hope everyone has a fun, safe 4th of July! Light a sparkler for me! 

Love, Hermana Park

Weird week

Magui wanted us to help her make the lunch for the kermesse, and she offered me a rib and it took all I had to say no. Obedience brings blessings, but it looked really good.

Hermana Huber´s birthday yesterday :) Magui made her a cake and politely smashed her face in it :) 

Valeria´s 14th birthday!

What a crazy week. This will be a bit jumbled because it got to the point of weirdness of a drunken man from Argentina rapping for us in the street. 

Tuesday was New Year in a little pueblo called Aimara, and since the President of Bolivia speaks that language, he made it a national holiday! The ward had a kermesse, or a fundraiser bbq to help out a sister in the ward (Pray for Sandra) and Magui made the picante de pollo and ribs. She asked us to help! It was fun and I got to use an apron for the first time since my 2 episodes of my cooking show I made. haha Then at 7 pm, Manuel gave us all fried chicken and we went over the ward mission plan with all the leaders. 

Then Wednesday we had our final conference with President and Sister Willard. Since it was their last one, it was less serious and President was making jokes right and left. I think they just didnt want anyone to cry! He said things like, "Dont cry because it´s over, smile because it happened." At the end, we sang Teach Me to Walk in the Light, and everyone stood up for the 3rd verse and faced President Willard and sang, because in Spanish it just says Father, not Heavenly Father, and there was not a dry eye there. I'm really humbled to have had him as my mission president for almost 1 year here in Bolivia. He and his wife have changed my life. The little things. 

Yesterday, Maria Lenny and her family, and Betty and her family fell through and didn't come to church because it got cold. :( So we were a little bummed in church. But we really saw the Lord´s hand! We visited Maria Lenny at 6 pm and we said, ¨Hermana. Our mission president is having his farewell in 30 minutes. Let´s go.¨ and she thought for a minute and said ¨can I bring my kids?¨ YES. It was great because they had asked 3 couples of recent converts to speak as well, including Henry and Mariela! (by the way, Presidente came to our ward yesterday. Never have I prayed more to be able to play the piano well. And he conferred Henry with the Melchizedek Priesthood! Henry was so excited and humbled that he actually came. I cried too.) It was great! Magui brought the cake we asked her to make for Hermana Willard and everyone sang the Santa Cruz birthday song, and it was beautiful. :) 

Leonardo went a bit MIA but we´re still in the game. We realized that we are teaching 4 little boys from different families, so that´s fun but actually really hard to teach simply! But it makes it easier to follow the Spirit. Isn´t that why we´re here? And we visited Paola, a less active with 5 kids under the age of 8. Returned missionary. We went with the Bishop and it was powerful! All she needs is support. So a brother passed for her and she and all 5 of her kiddies came to church. 

We´re happy. We´re cold. And we are ready to find new people to teach in this normal week! President Rodriguez gets here tomorrow morning! We will miss President and Hermana Willard, but how exciting to be here to get a new President! :)

The church is true and don´t forget to read your Book of Mormon and compare it with your Bible! I would write more, but you´ll just have to read my journal someday!

Love, Hermana Park

(These are some surprise photos that the ward mission leader sent Emily's family via facebook throughout the week. "Actividad del barrio")