We Made It This Far

¨High school (or the mission) wasn`t meant to last forever.¨

Flash back to the St. George marathon 2014. I have been running for more than 4 hours. My Walter Mitty soundtrack is getting old. I have no idea where the finish line is. I hear someone yell, ¨keep going! It`s at the end of this road!¨ I break off from my pace group and start to sprint. I feel dizzy like death living off sacrament cup sized gatorade and bananas, and through squinted eyes see Thomas and Caley! Yay! But where are the balloons, people, ice cream? Did they pack it up and go home? I yelled, ¨Where is the finish line!¨ And they told me that it was around the corner. I wanted to cry but couldn't for the shortage of water in my body. I had nothing left to give, but kept running. Because I knew that there were wonderful things awaiting me at the end of the road. I remember the satisfaction I felt as I crossed the finish line and heard my name announced, got my medal, someone handed me ice cream, and I collapsed under a tree in the racers only area and cried. I could not believe that I had run 26.2 miles and I also couldn`t believe that I still had a body because I was pretty sure I had died and left my body back at the volcano on mile 9. It was the most beautiful experience and so is the mission. I am completely and utterly amazed that this is my last email as Hermana Park in a strange Bolivian internet. These (almost) 18 months have been extremely hard yet wonderful as I have come to the knowledge of my Savior Jesus Christ and that He has always been beside me guiding me. Everything was worth it because I have seen the conversion of my best friends here in Bolivia.

One of my best friends, Hortencia, came to church yesterday and we`re taking her to a relief society party tomorrow to make panetones (half bread, half cake). And I am so excited because she`s going to get baptized. I wont be there to see it, but all that matters is that I was there to help her along her way. And many other beautiful people here are progressing along their way toward true happiness in Christ that I will tell you all about next week...

Also, I have no idea how I learned to speak and understand the beautiful Spanish language.

My life won`t be the same without peanut soup, chasing people down to secure them their salvation, walking miles, and being too close for comfort in buses, but I have absolutely loved representing Jesus Christ in this time.

For the last time,

Hermana Park

PRAY

HERMANA HOLDEN, my trainer, came to visit!! 

district

Our group hna activity for all the May birthdays

bad elevator pic after

Foto de la Conferencia con Élder Montoya

We had a Mother´s Day ward activity and it was beautiful! We had 2 of our families of investigators come! We are working with the Familia Dávalos and Familia Suárez so that Betty, Eduardo, Leo, and Diana .... and Maria Lenny, Laura, and Pablo can get baptized in June! I'll write more next week, pray for these people!! 

salteñas from the zone for my birthday! 

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

Welcome, Welcome transfer morning, now we rest from every care!

 Yesterday after church with Hermanas Paz and Morales who are in our ward and apartment

The camera went off too fast but this picture is funny. haha 

The district with a moving Hermana Morales who was running back from pushing the timer on the cameras!  

The actual district! 

Hermana Higham and me at the airport this morning as she left for Santa Cruz! 

Our zone activity last week where we played soccer and my favorite member Estela made us bbq! 

The Zone Leaders called last night and let´s just say that transfers are not my favorite and I was very nervous to hear the news! 

My new companion is flying in in an hour from Santa Cruz! She was supposed to come in this morning, but I don't know what happened. But at least we were there are the airport to see everyone leaving! Hermana Higham went to Santa Cruz and Hermana Quackenbush came here! Those Hermanas from the CCM will be my lifelong friends. (update! She´s coming at 1 pm now! So that means we´ll have taken about 6 taxis today! woohoo! haha)

My new companion is Hermana Padilla. Word on the street is she´s from Texas, but has Mexican parents. In other words, Claudia. haha So that should be really fun! Hermana Holden doesn't leave until Wednesday as well as Hermana Morales in my apartment who is also finishing her mission! So There are going to be 6 girls in our apartment until Wednesday. Pray for us. hahaha 

Welcome to spring in Tarija! And it´s extremely hot, so I am really excited for summer in December. But on the bright side, they have so many fruits in season now! Including the ever famous Park classic, watermelon! YAY! 

So my Spanish is still coming. I have now been out for 4 months. So it´s still coming. But this week while we were at immigrations for over 4 hours just waiting, I learned that my district leader was a cheerleader in Ecuador. hahaha He knew the words backflip, scorpion, flyer, etc. haha! But back to Spanish, our lawyer there with us from the church was asking about USA and how expensive everything is, especially college. And I said that oh actually my college isn't expensive because it´s in the church. And she said but oh your parents paid for it right? And I proudly said no because I had scholarships! BUT here´s where my Spanish abilities come in. I said I had vacas. I meant becas. Vaca is cow. I told the woman I didn't pay for college because I had cows. My Spanish gets better every day really. haha

I cracked the code of Bolivians. I thought "EW" Mayo AND ketchup on fries! Who does that! Ew! Then it hit me. Mayo plus ketchup equals fry sauce. They have fry sauce here. Can we please take a moment of silence for how amazing Bolivia, especially Tarija, especially my mountain area with a view of every Tabladita, is. 

I am really gad to still be here in Tabladita! Hermana Paz from Honduras will still be here too and she is hilarious! We were in a packed micro that stopped suddenly, so I fell into her and she said ¨Hey. what´s your problem?¨ hahaha hey! Who taught you how to say that! haha 

Yesterday the bishop got up at the end of Sacrament meeting and talked about the 2nd Coming and asked what are we doing today to prepare? If this was Emily one year ago (I feel weird because I haven't heard or said or seen my name in so long!) she would not be preparing for anything really! She´d be watching Pretty Little Liars. haha So really. Take a little step back and examine things. Is what you are doing now for the benefit of others or preparing yourself to stand before God again one day? Interesting. So everyone reading this, share this light with others! One of my favorite hymns is Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd. My favorite verse is the 3rd and chorus! 

Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
Dear are the "ninety and nine";
Dear are the sheep that have wandered
Out in the desert to pine.
Hark! he is earnestly calling,
Tenderly pleading today:
"Will you not seek for my lost ones,
Off from my shelter astray?
(Chorus)
Out in the desert they wander,
Hungry and helpless and cold;
Off to the rescue he hastens,
Bringing them back to the fold. 

Who will you help Christ bring back to the fold this week?

Love you all! 
Hermana Park