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

The cold never bothered me anyway

This picture with the hermanas I live with was taken Tuesday morning, the coldest day of the week, when we were all wrapped up in blankets during our morning studies, my lips turned blue, and Hermana Huber took my oxygen levels just to make sure I wasn't going into hypothermia. 

What are the ODDS that I`d get to spend another day with Hermana Petroff in our companion exchange this week! Trompillo was her first area before she came to Tarija and was my companion! I love her!

Our hermana activity last week of eating ice cream! 

Thanks to the cold front sent from Argentina, I drank my first hot chocolate in a while (thanks mom for sending me some in December!!) It got a little chilly, and no one was out and about, but it`s okay! The sun came out yesterday!

A family we are teaching came to church yesterday! We picked up Nicolas, Maria del Carmen, and Carla and hopped in a taxi! For the first time in forever, WE MISSED taking the Sacrament! haha But at least they were there, in church, to hear the testimonies of good people like them just trying to follow Christ. Then I played an awful rendition of We are All Enlisted for the closing song with icicle hands.

Thanks to the cold weather though, we have been getting back into the mate groove. You put a bunch of herbs in a cup, pour some hot water in, and drink it through a filtered straw! I like it better this winter than the last. But things are looking up! And by looking up I mean that my bed is right next to a giant window and I could finally see stars last night! 

I hope all the mothers and mother`s mothers have a happy day and all of those who aren`t mothers but who have helped me grow! And happy birthday dad! I love you all have a great week!! See ya Sunday!!! 

Love, Hermana Park

PS. 

Our apartment is set up so that I am next to a window behind me, and the door is about 10 feet in front of me, but we must have been cleaning with windex because a bird flew in the door this morning, 6 inches away from my head and smacked into the window. Then it flapped its wings on me as I screamed and then it flew back out the door. Thankfully, that is the most scared I have been in the mission. 

One more day!!

Baptism of Yolanda and Antonio!

What a blessing it is to have an extra day here in beautiful, sunny Santa Cruz! We had an exciting week. It gets even better than seeing a giant rat jump out of the kitchen window of a third story apartment onto the neighbor's roof or when we showed up at the house of a family that got baptized in November after receiving a referral of his brother and the family invited us in and fed us, even though they have hardly anything. They dont give because they have not, but when they have, they give.

The exciting part was the baptism of Yolanda and Antonio! They are SO cute and SO happy to be members. Their baptism was a little delayed because our ward mission leader was going to baptize them, but couldn´t find his white pants! So an hour later we finally got things going! Our pensionista Magui made them a cake, (it looked really good...Stake Conference this week, so fast Sunday yesterday.) Everyone was happy. Yolanda swallowed some water and called me "Hermana Choca," which is said to be a little more offensive than Gringa. But I dont take offense! haha

Yolanda let her granddaughter dye her hair and doesn´t have a mirror, so this was the first time she saw her hair is red. And her son Antonio was very excited to make new friends in priesthood! BUT they almost didn´t get the Holy Ghost yesterday because it was raining. HARD. Which is a sign for everyone to not come to church. So we went to their house at 7:30. Soaking. And helped them get everything ready to come. They were ready at 8:30, church starts at 8, so we were trying to flag down a taxi, but they wanted to overcharge us, so we waited some more. Then a member drove past with her daughter and only had room for 2! So we sent off Yolanda and Antonio, and they are confirmed members of La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los santos de los últimos días. YAY! The church is true!

We have an extra day of life today and my hope is that everyone takes this day to serve someone, share the gospel, smile at someone. Go the extra mile to make this the best February 29th to remember for the next 4 years! You are all wonderful.

With love,

Hermana Park