Patience

I love Santa Cruz.

Wednesday we all got in a little bus to go to the zoo, I was chosen to sit at the front facing everyone because there werent enough seats (seat belts dont really exist here) Our drivers, 2 members from Jardìn del Sur ward, started playing reggueton (worldly pop south american music) and we asked if anyone had a usb with music. The Elders told the hna with her usb to hide it so they could keep listening to worldly music. We have been studying Alma 41:10 and Hna Cayambe and I made a plan to put in the music, because I was closest. And it came to pass that the Elders had to put up with EFY and motab all the way to the North Mission. Until we got a flat tire, luckily right as we got there at 1. It was raining pretty hard and they were going to close at 2. Elder Lozano who had already been to the zoo was our guide as we ran through every site trying to coax the animals to come out in the rain. We saw a tiger.

Out of nowhere Hna Cayambe got a migraine Thursday during the district meeting. Hna Monar was sick too, so the 2 of them went off to the hospital together. So I was able to go on a few companion exchanges with my Trompillo companion I live with Hna Alvarez. One of the great miracles we saw was with Monica! She has found so much peace in reading the Book of Mormon and wants to get baptized! She accepted a baptismal date! (in the pics she is with her aunt who`s in a wheelchair) Later in the week, we were in the house because Hna Cayambe`s medicine makes her really tired and a little dillusional, and Hortencia called at 8:15 pm. She said, ¨Hermanas! Where are you? Im waiting for you!¨ I told her we wouldnt be able to go, it was late, we were far, etc and she said, ¨No! Please come right now!¨ Hna Aspiazu (another hna I live with) was there with me because her companion went out to visit with Hna Alvarez. We looked at eachother and said, ¨WE`RE ON OUR WAY!¨ We took a bus and made it there to find that she had made us a big dinner! She was so excited because it was the first time she could invite us something to eat. We talked to her about the blessings she received from going to church last week, and she said that she`ll keep coming. She came yesterday and stayed the whoe 3 hours even though she has visitors waiting for her. The Lord is so happy with her!

I learned a great lesson on patience this week. Hna Cayambe couldnt leave her light-blocked-out room because the light makes her migraines worse. Last night about 8 pm she kept coming out and eating things that do not mix well with her medicine so I tag-teamed with Hna Alvarez to coax her back into her room to sleep and drink more water! All of the sudden she came running out laughing and said that she found her broken glasses in her bed. Shout out to every mom who has ever been in this position where you want to be upset but has had to breathe and say that everything will be okay. Christ strengthens us.

I love you all!

Hna Park

Hey, let`s go down a different road this time.

I`m going to tell you about the Familia "A".

We were walking one day and the Spirit led us down another route. As we walked, Hna Cayambe with her big sombrero and me in my sunglasses, a man and his daughter approached us. The dad was really happy to embarrass his 18 year old daughter Marìa. He said, ¨She wants to be your friend!¨ He gave us his address and we went the next day. He saw us from the window and came running out to let us in. His daughter Marìa and her sister Marina (17) were holding the door closed! The dad was shoving it open and yelling and well, Hermana Cayambe and I were a bit worried. He got it, told his daughters that we are the kind of friends he wants them to have, and shut the door. We started talking to them, and found out that they have a big family, 3 boys and 3 girls :) and that their oldest brother passed away 4 months ago. We instantly understood why we were there and who changed our route. We taught them about the Plan of Salvation, then returned Saturday and taught the entire family the message. They started to fight about their brother`s death and whose fault it was, so I hummed  ¨Love at Home¨ trying to keep the Spirit there. We then taught them about the Book of Mormon and they quieted down. They were so curious and we left them with the Book to read and they invited us to have lunch with them this week.

If we hadn`t followed the prompting to take a certain road, we wouldn`t have found them. I am completely sure that their brother has accepted the gospel in the Spirit World, they told us that he was very active in his Christian church, and he is just waiting for his family to accept so they can go to the temple. We found the 20 year old brother Alvaro last night, a wreck, because his mom had told him that it`s his fault that his brother died. We gave him his own copy of the Book of Mormon and again, we were led to him by the Spirit, or by his brother. 

I am so grateful to have the gift of the Holy Ghost - and to know how to use it!

Follow a prompting this week. This is just one of the many miracles we`ve seen this week by following the Spirit.

I love you all!!

Love, Hermana Park

But Hermana Park, where`s your faith?

This week we visited the Ortiz Family again and we had a great lesson on the Book of Mormon. At the end, after feeling the Spirit, when trying to schedule another appointment they said that they would call us on Saturday to schedule it. I explained to them a bit that well, it`s better to make it now incase they forget, and they said, ¨no, we`ll call you Saturday to verify if we`re going to church Sunday.¨ So I said, ¨great! So what day can we visit you again?¨ And they said, ¨like we said, we´ll call you, yeah?¨ We were with the pensionista Derly and she said, ¨haha sorry! She doesnt understand. She`s still learning Spanish.¨ Humble pie shoved in my face! Yum! After in Derly`s car she said that they would call and I realized that my faith had completely dissolved as I raised my voice just a little and said, ¨They wont call! Everyone who has told me they`ll call, never has!¨ She stopped the car and said ¨But Hermana Park. Where`s your faith?¨ I had to do some serious soul searching and I learned that really, my faith was gone! I spent all week studying about it and praying for my faith to be increased. Yesterday I decided to put it all in practice! I realized, that faith lets you have the Spirit, and the Spirit makes the work fun! I am absolutely loving being a missionary and spreading the gospel to these Lamanites here in Santa Cruz. Hortencia and Bryan are reading the Book of Mormon. Chachi is loving her Book of Mormon in Portuguese. Hortencia cried in Gospel Principles yesterday from feeling the Spirit so strongly. Artemio committed to take the first step of saying NO when offered to drink beer. These are just a few of the many many miracles we are seeing. The Gospel is unbelievably true.

You`re all invited to do something this week that makes you stretch and show your faith. Try not doubting God`s power just one time and I promise you will be amazed.

Also, Hermana Cayambe is doing really well with her English. I tried to not laugh too hard hearing, ¨You`re crazy but I amn`t.¨ She got the concept right! 

with a lot of love and some dirt in your face from all the wind in our area,

Hermana Park

Okay. I put all the photos in first so that the nice man that works here can try to find all my photos that got erased...again :) But life goes on! We`ve got pics from the activity with the Elders where we played extreme volleyball and then they bought us huge hamburgers and ice cream. Muuucchha comida. So that`s what the Elders do. While waiting, we took hermana pictures in Hot Burger. I am in front mostly because they designated me for having the longest arms! Woohoo!