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

Miracle is a 7 letter word

La Colorada Zone


1. We are 98% sure that we found an apartment. It`s in a beautiful safe condo. The owner gave us the price and we asked the zone leaders. They said that if we could lower it $60 dollars, it`s ours. We prayed and called the owner, exaplining that we`re Christians, we wont use the pool or the garage and he lowered it to the exact price the zone leaders had asked. That never happens. 

2. We prayed to know where to go and decided on visiting a recent convert. While walking to her house, we found Soledad, a woman who has brothers in Argentina who are members. She is really excited to learn about the gospel and find out why her brothers are so happy, and we are really excited to teach her and her family!

3. We were looking through future investigators we had contacted and Hna Cayambe wanted to visit someone named Magdalena. I said, ¨Are you sure? When we contacted her a couple months ago and made an appointment, she hid from us.¨ haha but Hna Cayambe is pure and innocent, and wanted to go! We ended up finding her neighbor Hortencia, who has been off the radar lately. We had a great lesson with her, her son Bryan, and her niece Claudia. They accepted the challenge to be baptized, but want to pray about it first. Great!

4. Hna Cayambe lost her agenda and as we were looking for it, the Secretary to President called and said that someone had called Presidente and had it. Who else but our good friend Mario we always see in the street. He accepted the Book of Mormon and promised to read it. Heavenly Father`s plan is so perfect. There`s a reason behind everything that happens.

5. (Not for the faint of heart) We spent a day walking visiting and contacting many people and at the end of the day I said, hey my foot hurts. I got a blister, but that doesnt stop me. The next day it turned black! haha I called my good friend Hermana Huber and she told me to stab it with a needle and drain the liquid out. What. I prayed and my good old Trompillo companion who I live with Hna Alvarez came in. She had Hna Sanchez and Hna Cabrera hold my arms down as if I was in State Hospital South and they drained out blood. I prayed because I didnt want to have to stay inside but I literally couldnt walk, and trusted in Hna Huber, who after I told her it was a blood blister she said, ¨ooh sorry. Just forget about it and it will go away!¨ and then it didnt hurt anymore. I am really grateful for my health because I do not like being locked inside the house! :) Dont worry because I`m fine!

6. We found Chachi, who is in one of the pictures with us in purple dresses, and she told us how grateful she is that we visit her. She`s alone. Is having legal problems with her ex husband. But said that she feels her faith growing. She compared it to her banana tree outside.

7. Conference was the best and I loved every minute of it! Miracle that I learned and understood every single word in the beautiful Spanish language. 

There are always miracles. Every day there are miracles. We couldn`t do this work alone. 7 is also a sad number because that is the number of weeks I have left to serve the Lord. This week I enter into my last transfer as a missionary and there is nothing that can keep me from working. Not even a blood blister. Im grateful to be Hermana Park :) and even more grateful for my Salvador Jesus Christ.

with 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! 

many miracles in the mission of miracles.

Santa Cruz is great because you never have to pack away your cold weather clothes. In other words, it`s cold.

We had stake conference yesterday which was great, because Trompillo is in my stake! I got to see many of my favorite people from Trompillo to Sandra, the Bishop, to the newlyweds the Davalos Family, to my favorite Cesari`s and Valeria. I think the biggest miracle of all was Hortencia. We passed by her house to pick her up for the conference and she was cleaning because a visit was coming, but she`d do her best to come. Then something struck inside (hint: the Holy Ghost) and she came! Alone! She said she loved it! Her favorite part was she walked in during the part in the Stake President`s talk ¨And the punctuality is a big issue...¨

We have been working hard visiting just the cutest less active named Yoshelin. We love her so much. (She`s in the pic with a lot of people from the family home evening we had with her and another family and a returned missionary everyone`s trying to set her up with) She got baptized when she was 10. Her dad abandoned the family. Her mom went to Spain. And she got left with the Catholic grandma. Then a month ago, she just got tired of fighting and went to church. She has a 2 year old who`s also really cute. It`s one of those times where I`m pretty sure I knew her in the pre-existence.

Hermana Cayambe is really cute like a kitten learning to walk. She`s way better than I was when I started the mission. She is inviting EVERYONE to be baptized and knows her purpose. We had a lesson with the Familia Rivera. The dad, Nelson, said that he just didnt see the reason of being baptized if he`s a good person, serves others, votes. But what he didnt understand is that baptism is for the remission of sins. But now he understands :) By the power of the Holy Ghost you can know the truth of all things, because it`s not us who is converting him. We also found just the cutest family! The familia Ortiz. Gabriela, Alfredo, their 14 year old son Junior, and their 2 year old Jose. The have the realest of real intents to learn and do God`s will. Please pray for them!! and for Ximena who knows the Book of Mormon is true and wants to get baptized! All we need to do is find her husband to teach the whole family!

I love you all! The Book of Mormon changes lives! and Matthew 25:40 is truer than true. Have fun at the Eastern Idaho State Fair and for the sake of all that is good and holy someone eat a tiger ear for me!

Love, Hermana Park

Pics! Everything that happened this week with lots from the stake conference in the wind! Also included pics of Hna Cayambe to share with her family too.

well maybe the pics wont work because there are many kiddies playing video games right now so im not sure if the photos made it in! but I LOVE YOU!

9

FINALLY got reunited with Hermana Newbold in our intercambio! :)

We walked outside for 10 seconds to grab our lunch through the gate from our pensionista and got blasted with water balloons from a car! haha 

Happy Valentine´s Day. We got dumped on just walking home from church! haha

One thing I am coming to understand is the concept of time. These 2 weeks since I have emailed, 3 days locked up inside, and more importantly 9 months of my mission have flown by ridiculously fast. It makes me think of interstellar and how we can change the concept of time. On some planets, 1 hour is 7 years  to us. That would mean that my 9 months have been like 10 seconds. 

As I have put on my Hermana Park nametag, I have seen so many miracles. Here is 1 example from church yesterday. I only have about 5 minutes to practice before playing for Sacrament Meeting in my ward. And yesterday I didn´t have time to practice all 4 of the songs, and so when the 3rd song came,and everyone stood up for interlude, I said a little prayer and relaxed my hands. I thought okay. I don´t know the tune of this song, but I will just count it out like I did in band. 4/4. And I started playing, AND IT CAME. I played the song almost perfectly and realized that I had heard it one time. There are 1 million better piano players in the world, and without more practice I would never make it as an organ player in Sacrament meeting in the USA. But Heavenly Father KNOWS us all perfectly and individually. He knows our talents, our weaknesses, our fears, and He helps us. Because He loves us. 

Life is beautiful and thinking about reaching the halfway mark makes me really grateful for the 5 companions, 3 areas, a couple tears, a few laughs, and 9 months I have grown and changed to become a better disciple of Christ. 

I love you all and hope Valentine´s Day was full of LOVE. Because I love love :) 

Love, Hermana Park

PS.  Shout out to my cousin David, who was on the Today Show!

misiòn de los milagros

A bittersweet day to hear that Hermana H. who was my companion in the mtc and one of my best friends, is being transfered to California for her health. But I´m really happy that she will still be able to serve! 

This week we went to Santa Cruz for a leadership council. While we were on the plane, there was a tour group from France and I couldn´t even talk to the 2 cute girls next to me. In the conference we talked about how the new goal for the mission is that every companionship has to baptize 1 family every month! We are working hard to reach the goal here in Tabladita and are seeing miracles! Roxanna and Jonny have decided to get married this month, fingers crossed, that it´s before transfers. Haha but that´s selfish of me and I´m just happy that they can get married so that they can enter the waters of baptism, as a family, with their 8 year old daughter Mariam. 

It´s beautiful here and we are getting more heat! I love having a hot South American winter/summer! I fall more in love with Bolivia, the people, and culture here every day. The best decision I have ever made happened almost 1 year ago when I went to the Bishop to start my mission papers! 

Thanks for all the love and support! It is a wonderful feeling to be here serving the Lord and knowing my loved ones are protected! I LOVE YOU ALL! Stay safe and enjoy the blessing that Heavenly Father has given us to be on the earth, in January, or 2016, where ever you are! :)

Love, 

Hermana Park