Week 5 In Ft Lauderdale...

Hola!

 

Ok! This was the  most amazing week of my life! We baptized Dioscorides and I did it IN Spanish! I can't remember if I told you how everything happend with him.

We met him on Tuesday 2 weeks ago and he flagged us down while we were riding our bikes and asked us if we could visit his friend that lived in a home. He said she was a Mormon and it would mean the most to her if Mormons came and visited her. He talked about how amazing she was and what a good example she was. We said we would love to meet with him and schedule an appoinmet to meet her, he said he would love to find out more about the Mormons but we couldn't visit his house because he lived with JWs and that they wouldn't appreciate us coming over. So he said, why don't you teach me at your chapel? So thats what we did! And he just continually absorbed everything that we taught him and told him. He gave up coffee and smoking in one day and he just really wanted to be baptized. This man is amazing all he focuses on is helping others. Right after his baptism he told us that we need to get more people to come and do it! He already wants to start bringing more people to the gospel! I am just continually amazed at how the SPIRIT teaches because it was DEFINATELY not me. I could barely bare simple testimony to him. But he is now a Recent Convert! How Cool!

This week started and we only had 1 investigator and no potential, nothing. I was worried if we were going to actually have any success this week and I was really doubting if we had done anything effective by refusing to work with the un-elect. It seemed that there really wasn't anyone that was as elect as we were looking for. But we had Dioscorides and he was solid, he was going to be baptized, and we decided to focus on him and let the Lord take care of the rest. It was grim, we were harvesting extra and there seem to be nobody that would even let us bless them, and definately nobody that wanted a return visit. Then on Thursday we decided after our lesson with our only investagator to go visit an old dropped file and harvest around that area. Our lesson was so powerful and so spiritual that we left with highhopes for the Area-book person. When we got there we knocked her door with big smiles and she answered and was nice to us, but said she didn't need us, she was happy just reading the Book of Mormon to her Daughter and she didn't really want us to visit again and boom, there went all the hope I had. We went over to the next apartment and the going was just as tough, but then at the last moment we decided we had time for one more harvest. We turned around and there was a door wide open and it felt like a sign, so we went up and what did we find? A family! and they welcomed us with open arms accepted baptism and set a return appointment before we could even suggest it. He said he felt so good after it and he wanted us to come back and we did! We shared with him the Restoration and he immediately connected to Joseph Smith and with out us even explaining, understood the implications of the First Visit. It restored my faith that there really are elect people in my little B*** L***** Area.

This has all started a chain reaction, we now have so many people that are preparing to be baptised this week and next. This is HUGE!

But every thing is great here and I am loving it!  I hope to write you more in my Letters but I love you!!

ELDER PARK

Oh, and I have a want that I would like your help getting,  I want a voice recorder. Elder L*** and Elder W***** use them to journal and to record testimonies of their recent converts and I really want to start doing that. I have fallen behind in writing because I just don't have enough time to write everything I want to write and I feel that way I could send them back to you as well and it would be a little more! So I would like you to find one that allows for a memory card and then use my money and grab it! and have you found a good binder?

I love you all SO MUCH stay strong push on!

ELDER PARK

Snail Mail Letter October 21, 2013...

Hello~

Well, this week has been interesting! We had Elder Dallin H. Oaks come to our mission conference! That was SO cool! He talked on the importance of exercise both physical and spiritual. He talked on the importance of marriage and the Temple. Committed us all to wait no more than a year and a half to get married (Are you FREAKIN' kidding me?!?!? I already made him promise to wait until age 25!) and to continue to write letters to our recent converts to encourage them to go to the Temple!

But I think I am becoming a girl, too, Mom!(I told him that I have become such a girl since he left, I am crying all the time!) We sang at the closing of the conference "The Armies Of Helaman" and the spirit was SO strong! I got super emotional and it made me just really think about what I was doing! I have definitely been taught in my youth and by 2 loving parents and a whole gaggle of others! And I want to thank you! Dad, I now know why Bishop Workman thinks so highly of you! The more I think back, the more I recognize how guided you are. I keep thinking of that time we were at a Reams and this old guy asked you for directions and you gave them to him, then we left, but when we got to the car you said "I should have drawn him a map" and then you did! You acted on  it and went back. I want to thank you for that! And Mom, you have always got a way to make whoever you are talking to feel like the most important person in the world! That amazes me! I want to be like that! And that was probably the most spiritual moment/epiphany I have ever had!

After the song Elder L*** leaned over and told me we had to go out in the hall as soon as the prayer was over, but Pres Anderson told us to stay in our seats so they could have a speedy exit with Elder Oaks. I figured he must have a good reason, so I followed him out. He told me once we were outside that while we were in line to shake Elder Oaks hand, he had the impression to hug him, but decided  it was inappropriate in front of all the missionaries. Se he decided now was the best time to do it! So we waited and gave Elder Oaks a HUG! Only later did Elder L*** tell me about how much he had struggled to make that decision. He had prayed about it while we were in the meeting and decided it was the best thing to do. So I got to hug Elder Oaks is really the moral of the story! Which was great! Definitely a highlight of the "mish" so far! There is something really amazing about his eyes. They seem to both tell you how much he loves you and admonish you to do better. Really though, there's a depth and a spirit that is truly amazing there, that is quite the opposite of the Santeros/Santaria Practicing people that we meet from Cuba that get frightened when we show them a picture of Christ! Their eyes are all grey and sunken, Elder Oaks eyes shine with a brightness and a knowledge. When you look in to them, you can feel that he knows Heavenly Father and knows Christ is our Savior. His testimony is evident in them. That was truly AMAZING!

On Sunday we had A LOT of visitors, about 22 people from Utah. A big family reunion, they had planned a Disney Cruise that got cancelled and decided they ought to come to church. And I knew one of the kids! He went to Herriman with me! What a funny small world, right!?!? That my first thought, but them it got stranger! In walked this man that looked SUPER familiar with 2 young daughters that also looked way familiar. We said "hi" and asked if he was with the big group and he said no. So we asked where he was from, he said "Riverton, Utah". So, I then knew where I knew him from, he is M**** B****** DAD from NorthStar!! How strange is that!?!? And he had her 2 younger sisters with him. I couldn't believe it. His wife is the lady that drove me from Seminary to School all of 9th grade. In my little chapel in B*** L******, W*** M****, 2 people from Utah that I knew and with a connection to NorthStar! That was really cool!

Also, this week I had a companion study with Elder R*** one of my Zone Leaders. He is going home at the end of this transfer and wanted to give us all the knowledge he could and I am so excited to grow and become as connected and guided as him. He simplified the teaching pattern and our purpose and how to really work with the elect! He reminded us that because we are all children of God, we all have a little electness in us and that was the problem I had. I could see electness in all of my investigators, but he told us, actually showed us, that it is our teaching skill that chooses what kind of person we should teach. A bad teacher can only teach a good and SUPER elect person. A GREAT Teacher can teach anyone. Right now I'm in the lower middle section, I need to work with more elect people than we were.

But I am definitely enjoying life here! Especially when we are given food with cheese in it because Elder L*** won't eat it so I can get double! He doesn't even like cheesecake (Can you believe that?!?! I didn't know people like this existed.) But the people are just amazing here as long as they are Latin, Black (politically correct?) or from Utah, most of the white people are kinda jerks. I've realized I'm beginning to not like them. hahaha. The other funny thing is that people really think I'm Latin for some reason. I've been asked if I am from Cuba, Argentina or Mexico. Then I try to speak Spanish to them and they realize I am not any of those! hahaha. I think it's just my dark hair.

Anyway, I love it here and am working my hardest! I pray for you all always and miss you a little. I'm busy and I love it!

Stay Strong, Push On!
Love you all,
Elder Park

P.S. Mesh Garments DO NOT work in Florida!!!! I would appreciate some DriLux, please.

LOVE YOU!

Snail Mail Letter October 7, 2013...

OK, I am sorry for the short emails this last week. I only have an hour to send emails to you, the President and one other person. So I rotate the last spot, if I am really quick I can squeeze a couple other short ones in.
Man, do I love you guys! I can't tell you how happy those packages made me! I needed those little treats and stuff. It's so busy here that you forget about those things and how they make you smile!
Transfers are every 6 weeks, but since this is my 12 week training period, I will be here with Elder **** for the whole 12 weeks. They give us about $130 a month on our MSF debit cards.
Elder **** does not have a blog and I really haven't met many of the Senior Couples, but those I have met are so sweet and kind. I cannot believe that you called (yes, I called the mission home....) You are CRAZY! But I still love you!
We have met all kinds of people, one of the elect that I am working with at the moment is a lady named ******, she was raised in the church. When she was like 12, she decided she didn't want anything to do with it, but she was never baptised. So, she decided to start coming to church and reading the Book Of Mormon. Yesterday, at Conference she said "I just know this is true! I just want my husband to kjnow it also!" WE DIDN'T KNOW SHE HAD A HUSBAND! We never got to teach her at her home, just at the chapel and I had never noticed the ring. (boys) She just talked and acted like a single lady and had never mentioned it before. So, this week we are hoping to teach both of them and get them both baptised on Sunday.
We are super lucky to have a Rec Room downstairs in our apartment. It has 2 computers and a gym, so that's where we to in the mornings for workout timeand to email on P-days.
So our schedule goes like this:
6:30 Wake up, run downstairs and workout a little
7:00 Back in the apt and rush rush rush to eat a little breakfast, shower and get ready... Shave, shower, iron, come hair, brush teeth, whiten and so on (Ask Kim for good gel.I have to have a good part and my hair isn't cooperating well. It needs to be a part that I can see skin).
8:00 Personal Study hour - Read the BOM for 30 min Preach My Gospel for 30 min
9:00 MIGHTY PRAYER. Which is a mission wide thing where we pray together and for each other, our investigators, their needs and more.
9:15 - 10:15 1st hour of Comp Study. we make lesson plans and practice how we will teach them.
10:15 - 11:15 Language Study
11:15 - 12:30 2nd hour of Comp Study specifically for trainers & trainees. We study from a special 12 week manual called.....dun dun dun "The First 12 Weeks". The church is SUPER creative when it come to naming manuals.
12:30 - 1:00 Eat something light and get out the door!
1:00 - 1:30 Biking, biking, biking and biking and biking and BIKING.
1:30 - 2:30 Hopefully someones feeding us and we teach them a special lesson
2:30 - 3:00 Teach a Lesson
3:00 - 4:00 Our hour dedicated to the Harvest. Which is our special way of finding people where we go and invite others to let us bless their families and selves. We don't dedicate the home, but we bless them with a special blessing of Christs peace and love. People Love Christ here. All we say most of the time is "We are representatives of Jesus Christ" and they invite us in!
4:00 - 8:20 Meet with referrals and Investigators and Less Actives and so on...
8:20 - 9:00 RACE HOME!
9:00 - 9:30 Plan for tomorrow
9:30 - 10:30 Prepare for bed, eat something, write letters and journal.
10:30 BED!!!
Yes, I have seen the new Temple. We were able to see it on our way to the Zone/District apartment. It is gorgeous!
Our area is the largest one and it's about 2 miles from the apartment. So thats exciting! LOTS of Biking, but the bike is great! Maybe a little too great. It looks better than all the other bikes. I'm going to slap some stickers and tape on it, so if anyone has some sweet stickers send them to me!
The weather is just great! Its not too crazy hot. But I keep forgetting when I see rain outside that it is not going to be cold. I like, brace for it and get blasted with hot mugginess. So there's almost no way to stay dry, you sweat so much you'll be soaked anyway. But they have told me that now is the coolest its been in a long time, so I expect it to get ridiculous in the summers. Because I'm on a bike I haven't really been able to use any umbrella's not even the cheap one I bought in Mexico. I'm trying to find a good rain poncho, but haven't found one yet. My biggest dilema is really trying to keep the stuff inside my bag dry. Luckily I kept the plastic case that my sheets came in and it is working as a decent liner.At the moment I am try to figure out if I need to find a bigger shoulder bag or if I really need a smaller one.... I never seem to be able to bring all that I want to bring, but if I pack my bag full it seems to be too heavy. I just want to make room for my umbrella, a poncho, 4 BOM's and some pamphlets. It's also nice to stash a few granola bars and sandwiches in there as well. I think what I have it perfect, I just need to figure out how to use it the most wise.
The time that I have spent in Florida so far has been amazing. I have learned so much about myself, other and the Gospel. My testimony has grown so much. I know that there are small miracles everywhere tha remind us of him. I wish I could tell you all of them. And they testify of His love for us and how incredibly merciful he is. I know that this Church is true and have seen how just a little contact has blessed all kinds of peoples lives. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet of God and every word he tells us is direct guidance from above. I know that his Council and the Quorum of the 12 have Priesthood keys that allow them to receive revelation for us. And most of all I KNOW that my Redeemer lives. I KNOW that Christ atoned for our sins and that is the only way the Plan is possible. And through the Atonement all of the other blessings can be fulfilled. And I know that Heavenly Father loves me and listens to my prayers.
I love you and miss you, but I am busy and keeping that way. Theres not a lot of time to even think about home, but I do notice the absense of your smiles and faces, all of you. I love you all so very, very much.
Stay Strong, Push On
Elder Park

Garret's 16th Birthday Letter...

Boomer!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

FELIZ CUMPLEANOS!!!

It feels good to be 16 doesn't it?

You feel that power arise? hahaha You don't feel much different, do ya?

It's ok, once you get behind the wheel and start driving alone or when Mom and Dad start needing you to help them out and run to the store for them, THAT's when you feel the Power!

Have you already got a date lined up? Ya ought to get one fast. Only the cute little Mormon girls though! And remember what I told you, It's Cheaper To Take The Government Girls! (SBO)

Let me give you a couple pointers on the JellyBean/Fesitva.

1. Make some Shop friends, FAST! I should have made some friends with the Juniors and Sophs last year that could have helped you, but I didn't. So make some fast, maybe find a girl named ***** ***** and ask her to help you find someone. Tell her you're my brother and she will do anything you want. If she ever wants to go get Slurpees, go with her!

2. I never got the engine mounts fixed but it should still be in the back. The kid told me that I needed the back ones too. They were like $15 a pop and I think ya need 2. Hopefully you can get #1 done soon so you can get some one to help you do this.

3. The front dust guard falls and gets loose sometimes. You just need to take the wheel off and wedge it on again.

4. She is fun. Talk to Brock and make friends with *****, they can show you some way. I'll write Brock and tell him he needs to take you for a ride.

5. She gets hot fast so go easy on her, but she isn't fragil either. Ask Brock again.

6. Don't over do it. There's some things she does well and others she doesn't.

7. WATCH OUT in the school parking lots, they get SUPER ICEY and that little bit of a hill coming in and out is way hard to stop on. Take it slow I don't want you to get hurt, but I really don't want you to be known as the kid that hit C***** L******** or the kid that can't drive! You should be the kid that can.

Tips on dates:

1. Cheaper the better, often the dates that were the cheapest were the most fun!

2. If you don't know how to dance, make it obvious! Just go crazy, jumping, bouncing, spinning. Just make a fool of yourself and make it fun for your date!

3. Pick a good date!

4. Go out WAY more than I did. Do some more dance dates.

Anyway, Dude, I love you, I love the car, but I love you more. I am so excited for you to start driving! And dating! And to become a real highschooler. Keep me updated on basball.

Love you!

Stay Strong, Push On

Elder Park

Week 4 In Fort Lauderdale...

This has been an interesting week... The lady that we thought we were going to baptise turned out to be a former member that had her records removed, so she was going to have a reinition baptism that wouldn't count, but she decided that she is going to wait until her husband decides to be baptized as well. So there was nothing this week! But we did meet the coolest guy named D***********, the literal translation of his name is like God's Corridors... weird but he is amazing and progressing BEAUTIFULLY and has commited to being baptized next week! Thats what what I find so crazy here! The mission is dedicated to working with the elect and about 84 percent of the baptisms happen withing 2 weeks! Thats FAST! But I love it!

I wasn't super sick so I never went to the doctor, but I did go this week to get my hand checked by the mission nurse. I crashed on my bike trying to shoot some of the narrow spots on the sidewalk! It's intense here, the sidewalks are all 4 feet wide, but they don't get wider when there's a telephone pole that is 2 1/2 feet of side walk in between that and the edge, but then in most places there's a wall on that side, my handle bars are about 2 feet, then on garbage day theres cans in the side walk, and theres always a fire hydrant or bustop sign right near the pole on the other side. None the less just driving on the side walk is more like a video game with the consequences being actually messing up! Most of the time I have been able to ride out of it or not really fall, but this time it was unusually difficult and I was going a little faster than normal and BAM! My handle bars caught and I flipped over the top and landed on my right hand, the same way I broke it a few months ago... so I went to walgreens and bought a brace like the doc told me to wear last time and I hope it will heal, it doesn't hurt nearly as bad as last time, so it might not be broken. (hopefully)

Elder L*** has been out here for 10 months, Elder W****** 22 months and Elder U******** 9 and I don't know much about their families other than Elder W******* family is more trunky than he is, Elder L*** as 2 sisters and a brother and Elder U********* sister is on a mission too.

Ask grandpa if he knows a fireman name J**** U*********.

Anyway I love you and think you're all great. Tell EVERYBODY I love them.

PUSH ON STAY STRONG

ELDER PARK

Letter From The President October 21, 2013

Dear Missionaries,

What a tremendous opportunity to hear and experience the testimony of an Apostle of God. Elder Oaks was very impressed with all of you and the amazing things we have accomplished in this Mission. I bragged about what wonderful, diligent, obedient, and hard working missionaries you all are. Some of the things he taught us:

·         Hardest thing to do is to meet the expectation of the members

·         Man is nothing unless we have the Lord to guide us

·         We can answer questions others cannot

·         No better remedy to emotional issues and depression than consistent physical exercise

·         The Temple and Eternity with our families is the ultimate goal

·         The Temple is where we are taught, we make covenants, and are promised blessings

·         Challenge and commit, if not, we are not keeping our covenants

·         The importance of our testimony

Elder Oaks also taught us that the Book of Mormon is the converting agent in bringing people to Christ. The best way to get others to read it is when we read it and increase our testimony of it. We can then testify and explain its precious teachings in a better and more prepared way.

I love the Book of Mormon!!! From the first time I read it as a young man, to recently it continues to change my life. I have increased my love, testimony, faith, knowledge, and relationship with God and our Savior from this wonderful volume of scripture. It gives me peace, comfort, inspiration, and direction as I consume the words of these amazing inspired prophets of God. It is so true what Joseph Smith said in the introduction to the Book of Mormon:

“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

Then the invitation to the World is given:

“We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3–5.) Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah.” (Book of Mormon: Introduction)

The Book of Mormon references Jesus Christ 3,925 times. On average it mentions Jesus Christ every 1.7 verses. This focus on Jesus Christ is substantial in helping others to get close to Him and to come unto Him: 

“The Book of Mormon is powerful evidence of the divinity of Christ. It is also proof of the Restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith. An essential part of conversion is receiving a witness from the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true. As a missionary, you must first have a personal testimony that the Book of Mormon is true. This testimony can lead to a deep and abiding faith in the power of the Book of Mormon during the conversion process. Have confidence that the Holy Ghost will testify to anyone who reads and ponders the Book of Mormon and asks God if it is true with a sincere heart, real intent, and faith in Christ. This witness of the Holy Ghost should be a central focus of your teaching... The Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, is your most powerful resource in conversion. It is the most correct of any book on the earth. It teaches the doctrine of Christ plainly, especially in the lessons you teach investigators. Use it as your main source for teaching the restored gospel... A central purpose of the Book of Mormon is to convince all people that Jesus is the Christ. It testifies of Christ by affirming the reality of His life, mission, and power. It teaches true doctrine concerning the Atonement—the foundation for the plan of salvation... Those who know little or nothing about the Savior will come to know Him by reading, pondering, and praying about the Book of Mormon.” (PMG p. 103-105)

The Book of Mormon will solidify our investigators stronger in the Gospel as they prepare for baptism:

“One great experience happened with our investigator...  He had been really nervous about his baptism that was supposed to be this past Sunday. He kept asking questions about sinning after his baptism, and things like that. We have answered that question in many different ways before, but mainly from our own words. We took out a member that day who started teaching him the plan of salvation...  So our investigator kept asking questions about where we go after we die. We told him we'd answer all his questions next time because we had to go. We decided to give him Alma 40 to read. We came back later and asked him how his reading went. We were happy that he read. He taught back to us everything about the resurrection and spirit world. We asked him if he had any questions and he said they were all answered, and that he was ready to be baptized! I learned from that experience the importance of teaching doctrine especially from the Book of Mormon.”

The Book of Mormon is the very next “spiritual experience” after your blessing that will help them come to Christ:

“There was a car running on the side of the road, as ... we got closer the driver jumps out and says, ‘You came by the other day and I said I was too busy, but now I'm not too busy for the prayer.’ I remembered this man and he wasn't exactly the nicest when we stopped by before, so I was a little skeptical.  I see some more people get out of the car... it was his son and wife... he asks if we are just going to say it there in the parking lot... ‘No, we want to go to your house.’ So he runs and turns the car off and we go inside his home.  We leave the blessing and the spirit was so strong. They mention that their son was baptized last Sunday in their church, so we, naturally, invite them to do it again.  They accept and want us to come back.  The father of the family was even trying to persuade his wife to let them go to church the next day! Just as we are leaving the Dad surprises us again by asking if we have any special books... ‘Why yes we do!’ They loved the Book of Mormon. It was fantastic!”

Our investigators are looking for the truths that the Book of Mormon teaches. It is the one thing that no other religion can explain where it comes from. They are praying for it and even dreaming about it:

“We taught a family the restoration on our next visit and they ate it up as if they were starving for the truth. The husband was asking us during the lesson the same question that Joseph Smith had. We excitedly taught them and introduced the Book of Mormon to them, and the wife, who had been pretty quiet yet receptive, opened up to us and told us about a dream she had a few nights ago. It was about her neighbor, the one who referred the family, and she had offered her a bible but this one was different. She said she didn't recognize the book until we pulled it out and gave it to her. She quickly said ‘that’s the book!!’”

President Benson taught the importance of this great Book:

“Perhaps there is nothing that testifies more clearly of the importance of this modern book of scripture than what the Lord Himself has said about it. By His own mouth He has borne witness (1) that it is true (D&C 17:6), (2) that it contains the truth and His words (D&C 19:26), (3) that it was translated by power from on high (D&C 20:8), (4) that it contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ (D&C 20:9, D&C 42:12), (5) that it was given by inspiration and confirmed by the ministering of angels (D&C 20:10), (6) that it gives evidence that the holy scriptures are true (D&C 20:11), and (7) that those who receive it in faith shall receive eternal life (D&C 20:14). A second powerful testimony to the importance of the Book of Mormon is to note where the Lord placed its coming forth in the timetable of the unfolding Restoration. The only thing that preceded it was the First Vision. In that marvelous manifestation, the Prophet Joseph Smith learned the true nature of God and that God had a work for him to do. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon was the next thing to follow. Think of that in terms of what it implies. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon preceded the restoration of the priesthood. It was published just a few days before the Church was organized. The Saints were given the Book of Mormon to read before they were given the revelations outlining such great doctrines as the three degrees of glory, celestial marriage, or work for the dead. It came before priesthood quorums and Church organization. Doesn’t this tell us something about how the Lord views this sacred work?” (President Ezra Taft Benson, October, 1986, General Conference)

Teaching and committing others to read and pray about the Book of Mormon will enhance our teaching and commitments to all those we invite to “Come unto Christ”. Let us strengthen our testimonies of this amazing Book. Let us help others to love and live it like we do.

Let us get 1500+, 8 by Wednesday, 5 dates, 5 to Church,  500 N.I., 400 MPL, 250 to Church. 200 Dates & 175 Baptisms !!!

You are Amazing!!! You are Incredible!!! You are Wonderful!!! And you are in the “Exciting Mission”!!! Remember our promise and that our names will be sealed in the Temple!!!

We Love you, We Pray For You, We can do this, We have work to do!!! Let us help more “come to Christ” with the Book of Mormon.

President Don E. Anderson

Week 3 in Fort Lauderdale...

This has been an incredible week! Elder **** and I decided to take the idea 'If you want to teach more people, talk to more people' to heart! We decided to talk to everybody we met in our path, we made a plan of our route and who we wanted to see and set out. We brought with us STACKS of different cards and on our way to our first appointment kept our eyes peeled, we came across a man walking his dog first and he was familiar with The Church though Family History so we gave him a card. Because he was too busy at the time but wanted us to bless his family and set up a return visit, the whole day went just like that! We figured we had talked to at least 55 people when we did our tally at the end of the day! And that translated to 11 blessings, 5 return appointments, 5 families committed to sacrament, and 3 actually coming! That was so exciting! And I have to say exhausting! I was incredibly tired by the end of the day!

In The Book of Mormon, I have been searching for the steps to conversion, so that I could create a formula for my notes on what an investigator needs to feel and do in order to gain true conversion. This has become quite the little adventure! I have noticed just in the first few dozen chapters how many examples there are! Then as you continue there is increasing steps and details! I had never really understood the Isaiah Chapters of 2nd Nephi but now I realized that they are simply warnings and signs of the Second Coming. They tell us what will happen, but also what we need to do and explain to others so they too can be saved! I have just realized how important those chapters are and plan to use them in that formula, all of this I am realizing as I am writing this letter. I am now VERY excited to add this to my study binder!

We have been struggling with getting information from Elder Park, so being who we are, we took the "Tough Love" approach. It seemed to work!

(I admit, I did feel a little bad about it, for a minute)

Below is the full email conversation...

OK I sent you a packet of letters yesterday and I am sending you a small package soon. I have a lot of time to write letters but not a lot of chances to mail them. I also am sorry that I only have an hour to READ AND WRITE back to you all! I am trying my best! It's REALLY difficult! I'm typing as fast as I can.

On Mon, Oct 14, 2013 at 12:28 AM, Janette Park <janettepark@msn.com> wrote:

Hey Son!

I love you so much, but you’re tickin me off. You are not getting a normal letter from Dad or I until we get further information. Again, we love you very much, but you are killin’ us. So, here is how we are handling things. Garret, Leah, Dad and I have put together this list of questions. Answer EVERY question and you will receive a gift from us.

1.       Have you mailed any letters to US at all? We have received a packet of letters from Mexico and 1 letter to the Young Men. Anything else? I just answered that.

a.       You have said that you have sent letters and we haven’t seen them. So, we are worried that you may have not put enough postage on them. You do know that postage goes by weight, not size, right?

2.       What are your living circumstances? We have an apartment on the third floor and it's how I expected an apartment to be, a kitchen, 2 bedrooms and a dinning room which is the 'study room'. 

3.       Do you have cockroaches? No, everything is good the worst I've seen is some weavles in a bag of flour thats been here for at least 2 transfers.

4.       What is your address? I don't actually know I will find out and put it in the package I am sending you.

5.       What is your daily schedule? i.e. Wake up at 5, eat breakfast at 5:30, read scriptures at 6, shower at 6:30….

I wrote all about this in my letter that I sent on Wednesday. We wake up at 630 work out, get ready, eat, then Pstudy, Cstudy, Lstudy. Then lunch, then proslyte, its all in the letter that you will probably get tomorrow or the next day, there's a letter for Garret, too.

6.       What is your companion like?
a.       Cool
b.      Alright
c.       Weird
d.      Institutional
e.      Chews with his mouth open
f.        Snores
                He's cool, he has a great knowledge of the docterine and is super helpful. He really knows
                this area, too. There's a grid system like home just its off a little and we're in a weird
                quadrant that makes it difficult for me to know where we are and theres no big land marks
                and that throws off my NSEW.

7.       What is your area like?
a.       Ritzi
b.      Rural
c.       Poor

I am in West Miami and it has a little of each. We like the lower income Spanish area because they are more receptive of us.

8.       What kind of food are you eating? A little bit of everything, Honduran, CUBAN and everything else. A LOT of rice, not to much beans though and all kinds of chicken! 

9.       What are you eating for breakfast? Mostly toast, cereal or PopTarts. We go shopping on P-days on our bikes and buy what ever we feel that we can carry back and thats what we eat for the week.

10.   Do the Members feed you a decent lunch? Oh yes! Often it is too big and they make fun of you if you don't eat 2nds they are great. Some of it's weird and I try to eat what I'm given, but like the other day for the salad they just put a whole tomato and some lettuce on the plate, no dressing, I had to slip the tomato into my bag. The other wierd thing that happens often is the hosts don't eat with us. They make the food and will stand near or even go into the next room and talk to us from there, I find it really weird. Oh, and my companion will NOT eat cheese, he hates it, dosen't even like pizza that much but will eat it. Weird haha!

11.   Have you run in to a crocodile yet? Haven't even seen one yet! haha

12.   Have you been able to share your message with any people that turned in to an investigator? Yes, we have 3 investigators right now or 3 families really, and it has been SUPER exciting teaching them. I wrote about one in my letter that you'll be getting soon.

13.   How much time do you get to be on email each P-Day? 1 hour to read and write you and the Pres. I don't even write any one else!

14.   Where do you go to use the computer? Downstairs in the recroom of the apartments. I describe it better in my letter.

15.   Did you get the pictures Dad emailed last week? Yes! And DAD they look GREAT! I hate to say I was shocked that you did them, but I was, and they look awesome!

16.   Did you get the 4^th package? It was a letter with all the Blog and emails from the missionaries in our ward. I have gotten all 4. I got that one before I got the one with the hanger and the teeth stuff.

17.   What size leather binder did you want. I don’t know what half size is. 5x7? I think so, but it is for the kind of paper that I wrote my letters on, so when you get that you will know. As far as I can see yes, that's the size of the paper. Like half sheet sized.

18.   Did you like the jam that we sent? Yes! and I was skeptical of pear jam but I LOVE that stuff! 

19.   Do you like your companion? Yes he is great! It's just like anyone, there's always thing that bug you and whatnot, but he is a great guy and i am learning a lot! I love him! He's very positive and helpful and just all around a good guy, he kind of reminds me of Scott Rindlisbacher.

20.   How are you coming with your Spanish? Castillano? Do you get to speak it often? I speak about 50-50 Spanish and English and its coming along. I feel it is slow but everyone else says is pretty fast! My area and Hialeah are the 2 most heavy Spanish areas and they keep telling me that the Lord is blessing me with all of these English speaking people because normally they don't have this many in our area.

21.   What are your P-Day’s like?

a.       You say you are in a hurry every time you write to us so you don’t have time to write a lengthy letter. What are you doing that makes you in such a hurry? I am in a hurry because we only get 1 hour for this and tha'ts why. Most of the day is cleaning, shopping and laundry until about 2, then we go play basketball or frisby. Sometimes I hear they get to go fishing but I haven't been able to yet.

b.      Do you have time to chill at all? What do you do for “free” time? Not really, lunch hour and dinner and the hour we are supposed to have before bed are called personal time and thats kinda relax and enjoy time. P-day it's a bit slower and we do have some more time, the last two we haven't because there was some first week of the transfer stuff to do but today we have a lot of time.

22.   Garret wants to know if you get to watch the Post Season and the World Series at all?;)  He think's that is just as important as General Conference. Nope, I haven't heard anything. I was going to tell him I needed a weekly update, but never got around to it. It's weird though like I have no connection to any of the news or anything, I don't know what's going on at all!

23.   Who takes care of you? An Elder Couple? Who are they? No one. When we need help we call the mission office and they instruct us as best they can. Like yesterday I was super sick and they said drink water, if you're not better by tomorrow I guess it's p-day, so go to the doctor.

24.   Have you made friendships with some of the members in your ward? Kind of, there's some REALLY great members in the ward that make an effort to help us!

25.   Do you remember what October 14^th is? Yes, Garret's Birthday.

a.       Leah’s Birthday Nov 21st (actually Leah's is the 20th)

b.      Mom’s Birthday Aug 15

c.       Dad’s Birthday Jan 21 (and Ryan's is also the 20th)

d.      Tyler’s Birthday Feb 26

e.      GARRET’S BIRTHDAY!!! Oct 14  I wrote him a great 16 year old letter I hoped he had got it. I'm sorry I didn't send it soon enough!

 I have done exactly that in the letters I love you SOOOOO MUCH

 

 

 

Letter From The President October 14, 2013...

Dear Missionaries.

I know that as a Mission, we recognize the importance of “doing” as a principle of action. The principle of faith and action starts with us finding someone to teach, just as Preach My Gospel tells us “Nothing happens in missionary work until you find someone to teach" (p.156). The next principle of faith and action is getting them to make commitments. One of those important commitments is to get them to Church. We know that when we get them to Church, most of them get baptized. Setting goals to get our investigators to Church “Round-Up” (PMG p.148) will bring them closer to the Spirit and inspire them to make commitments and covenants that will bring them to Christ. When they experience the sacred ordinance of the Sacrament, they will feel the desire to make additional covenants... especially baptism.

After Alma baptized the converts at the “Waters of Mormon” he taught immediately the importance of keeping this commandment:

 “And after this manner he did baptize every one that went forth to the place of Mormon; and they were in number about two hundred and four souls; yea, and they were baptized in the waters of Mormon, and were filled with the grace of God. And they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward. And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church. And he commanded them that they should observe the sabbath day, and keep it holy, and also every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God.” (Alma 18:16-17, 23)

When Alma taught this important commandment, amongst other commandments, to “observe the Sabbath day”, he saw a tremendous growth in the Church. They went from 204 members (Mosiah 18:16) to more than doubling their success in a short time to 450 members (Mosiah 18:35).

Coming to Church not only increases their desires and leads them to baptism, it helps keep them on the path to eternal life, as Moroni teaches, “to keep them in the right way”:

“And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith. And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls. And they did meet together oft to partake of bread and [water], in remembrance of the Lord Jesus.” (Moroni 6:4-6)

At Church our investigators will feel the love and familiarity of the members as a place of worship:

“Several weeks ago we were on our way to the place that we had picked out to go harvesting when we pulled over the car to pray with this man. As we were talking to him his sister in law came out and we prayed with them together. We invited them both to be baptized and she said yes! She came to church and discovered that she already knew people in the congregation. She said that she wanted to be a member of this church, and she said ‘aint nothin gonna stop me from getting my baptism on!’ and she was true to her word because she came and got baptized...”

They will come to Church and increase their desires to “want to be baptized”:

“It was about 8:40, and we had 10 spare minutes before we needed to get home.  My companion and I decided that we needed to use the time wisely, so we would just knock a door with the porch light on.  We walked down the street to the only house with the porch light on, and met and blessed a woman.  When we followed up with her, she told us, ‘I don't know what possessed me to turn that light on that night!  I have been making sure to keep it off to save on electricity, but that night, I remember consciously thinking that I needed to go turn the porch light on!’  I thought it was incredible how God used physical light to bring her the spiritual light that she needs!  She came to conference [Church], and basically begged us to let her be baptized the following week... of course you can!”

 They will come to Church and it will increase their desires to change:

“While harvesting, we came across a guy! He was standing outside his house smoking a cigarette and we OYMed him! He was open to the prayer and accepted baptism right off! We had stopped by the following day and he was not home! We decided to leave a note on his door and he called us back! He was wanting us back! Well, we applied the tools of the how to begin teaching and asking inspired questions! He was so open and told us everything he wanted for baptism! He later revealed that he was outside that day thinking of calling his friends to get some drugs after being clean for 5.5 months! It was a real struggle and that's when we showed up! We were able to invite him to General Conference and he came! He is now getting baptized this Sunday! What a huge miracle and power behind opening our mouths!”

Coming to Church will be an answer to both your prayers and their prayers. Church can give them the desire to be baptized immediately:

“We were driving past these apartments one day... when I felt that we should harvest there. So... as we were passing it again to go to the apartments that we have been working in, I felt like we should turn in so I did and we parked and said a prayer before starting. We walked right up to this apartment door without thinking too much about it and met this man who was open and inviting so he let us pray with him and really enjoyed the prayer. After, when we asked how he felt, he told us something that touched my heart. Three hours earlier, that afternoon, he had been praying to God that He would send someone to minister to him and then we knocked on his door that night. He couldn't believe it! He was so excited that he started giving us his information before we could even get our planners out and asking when we were coming back! We quickly told him about conference this weekend and he's been dying to go to church and was really excited to come, all he needed was a ride! Saturday comes around and he came all ready with his scriptures to the priesthood session and we gave him a tour of the church when he asked if he could get baptized that day! The members were so welcoming and he was fascinated with our church! Miracles truly happen... someone prayed and God led us to them. God answered my prayer that day too.” 

Elder Oaks teaches us the “why” in keeping this commandment:

“This is a commandment with a promise. By participating weekly and appropriately in the ordinance of the sacrament we qualify for the promise that we will ‘always have his Spirit to be with [us]’ (D&C 20:77). That Spirit is the foundation of our testimony. It testifies of the Father and the Son, brings all things to our remembrance, and leads us into truth. It is the compass to guide us on our path... The ordinance of the sacrament makes the sacrament meeting the most sacred and important meeting in the Church. It is the only Sabbath meeting the entire family can attend together.... In his writings on the doctrines of salvation, President Joseph Fielding Smith teaches that we partake of the sacrament as our part of commemorating the Savior’s death and sufferings for the redemption of the world. This ordinance was introduced so that we can renew our covenants to serve Him, to obey Him, and to always remember Him. President Smith adds: ‘We cannot retain the Spirit of the Lord if we do not consistently comply with this commandment’ (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 2:341).... How can we have the Spirit of the Lord to guide our choices so that we will remain ‘unspotted from the world’ (D&C 59:9) and on the safe path through mortality? We need to qualify for the cleansing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We do this by keeping His commandment to come to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and in that wonderful weekly meeting partake of the emblems of the sacrament and make the covenants that qualify us for the precious promise that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. (Elder Dallin H. Oaks, General Conference, October 2008)

Missionaries, we will be at the feet of this very Apostle this week. Let us prepare well and get a record number of souls to Church!!!

Let us get 1500+, 8 by Wednesday, 5 dates, 5 to Church,  500 N.I., 400 MPL, 250 to Church. 200 Dates & 175 Baptisms !!!

You are Amazing!!! You are Incredible!!! You are Wonderful!!! And you are in the “Exciting Mission”!!! Remember our promise and that our names will be sealed in the Temple!!!

We Love you, We Pray For You, We can do this, We have work to do!!! Let us “Prepare for the Prophets with Elder Oaks”!!! Let us have a record week in getting souls to Church!!!

 

President Don E. Anderson

Letter From The President October 6, 2013...

Dear Missionaries,

What an amazing General Conference!!! I loved everything from the beginning with President Monson sharing with us the growth of missionaries to 80,000 and the Church membership at 15 million; to the end when President Monson said a temporary farewell until the next Conference. I pray that all of you received the revelatory guidance that you worked so hard and prepared for towards this sacred event. As I have told you before, General Conference will never be the same, and you will never be the same because of General Conference. That is exactly how the Lord intended this great blessing in our lives. Much was talked about concerning our partnership with members in the “Hastening the Work of Salvation” including Elder Ballard’s challenge that everyone have someone prepared to be taught by the missionaries before Christmas. That truly can be a “White Christmas” throughout the world, especially our mission. Please remember to review and study these prophetic words and teachings that we all had the blessings to experience. They will give you additional faith, Spirit, and power in your pursuit to represent our Savior Jesus Christ.

As with the words we heard at General Conference, we will need to trust in the prophetic counsel that we were given. On occasion I will look at the back of a coin or a dollar bill and see the words “In God We Trust” on the back. It reminds me that putting our trust in God will give us protection and security of the blessings He has promised us.  When we trust in God’s counsel through his servants, we will be blessed and “preserved by his marvelous power” as were the stripling warriors:

“And it came to pass that there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, who had fainted because of the loss of blood; nevertheless, according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the foes of our whole army, there was not one soul of them who did perish. … And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God... Because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power. Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.” (Alma 57:19, 21, 25-27)

As I have said before, when we “go and do” we show our trust in Him. President Eyring teaches us the importance of  trusting the great power of “doing” and in turn, we gain His trust:

“You show your trust in Him when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer ... you will find it. And if you then go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you.” (President Henry B. Eyring. General Conference, October 2010)

We put our trust in God by being obedient and having the faith He will bless us:

“So on Wednesday I entered the area and there wasn't much work that had been done so far in the week, so there was a lot to do.  We got home and knew that we had to leave eight blessings by the end of the night in order to be obedient.    While looking around the neighborhood... I truly felt that this was the place we needed to be to find people to baptize.  I talked about it with my companion and he said he felt the same, so we locked up the bikes, said a prayer, and got to working.  Well as soon as we started we saw the miracles start to come.  We met a man...  who felt like he was at the end of his rope.  We testified that Christ had sent us there to pray for him at that time and as we prayed the Spirit was so strong.  He accepted the invitation to be baptized and when we went back later in the week to follow up with him he shared with us the fruits he had seen from the blessing.  He had been out of work for almost 5 months but he told us that the day after we left the prayer with him he had gotten a call from a friend about a job offer.  He was able to get that job and he truly does know that we were sent by God.  He said that he had seen the other missionaries pass by his house all the time and that he had always wanted to talk to them ...  I know that Heavenly Father guided us to him and his family so that they could get that blessing and begin to progress towards making a covenant with Him.”

We put our trust in God that His Spirit will direct us:

“On Thursday, we felt that we should go harvest this [place] we hadn't knocked before. The third door in, we knock and the door opens immediately. The lady gives us a somewhat suspicious look and we returned it with smiles and introduced ourselves as representatives of Christ. She said that she had just been debating whether or not to go to church, and then she prayed for the energy to go. Right as she was about to walk out we knocked on the door. We began to pray with her, and as we prayed, she began to cry. After the prayer ... We testified to her that that peaceful feeling was the spirit, and when we invited her to be baptized, her jaw dropped and she said ‘Are you serious!?’ She couldn't believe it, she told us that she had been thinking and pondering a lot about if she was ready for baptism and she had prayed and said to God ‘If you think I'm ready, send me something’. ...  When we [returned] on Saturday, her friend just happened to be there. As we got the lesson going, we began to direct our teaching at both of them, and because of the inspired lesson we created, they both committed to baptism and church! He is as elect as she is and the Lord just dropped him right in our path. Miracle! They both came to church yesterday and loved it... and are getting baptized this weekend! Conference and two baptisms, how's that for a transfer week miracle!?”

We put our trust in God as we endure and keep going:

“As we stood introspecting the Spirit was able to guide us, and my companion said, ‘We need to keep going with just this next floor.’ We continued and something amazing happened. The first door we knocked a nice younger lady opened the door. Immediately and without introduction this lady cried out, ‘I need a blessing from you guys! Thank you so much for coming!’ ... we said the prayer and an amazing Spirit filled the air around us. She smiled the biggest smile. Then as soon as the prayer ended she exclaimed, ‘I feel so good right now! I'm feeling Gods spirit and you guys have no idea how much this means to me.’ A little taken back we invited her to be baptized to which she said, ‘Of course I will! I need to follow the Spirit!’ We were both amazed. Nellie came to church yesterday! She loved everything about it. When we followed up with her afterward as we taught her she would randomly exclaim things like, ‘You guys were sent from God!’ and ‘Why couldn't God have sent you a week ago? I've needed this my entire life!’ and even, ‘I prayed that God would send me something and you angels showed up.’”

Our trust in God through His servants will increase our faith, and that increase in faith will show God that we are willing to follow His Son’s example, and to represent Him. We increase our faith in Him because we are relying that He knows what is best for us.  As Elder Oaks teaches: 

“Faith must include trust... When we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we must have trust in him. We must trust him enough that we are content to accept his will, knowing that he knows what is best for us... The Savior gave us the model for that kind of faith and trust. Remember how he prayed to the Father in the agony of Gethsemane? This was the culminating event of his life, the climactic fulfillment of his mission as our Savior... “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done” (JST, Luke 22:42). Here we see the Savior’s absolute faith and trust in the Father. “Nevertheless,” he said, “not my will, but thine be done.”... But though the Son’s request was denied, his prayer was answered. The scripture records: “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him” (JST, Luke 22:43). Strengthened from heaven to do the will of the Father, the Savior fulfilled his mission. (Elder Dallin H. Oaks, General Conference,  April 1994)

God will trust us and “deliver” us as we have more faith in Him and trust His will:

"But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him and serve him with all diligence of mind if ye do this he will according to his will and pleasure deliver you." (Mosiah 7:33)

Let us get 1500+, 8 by Wednesday, 5 dates, 5 to Church,  500 N.I., 400 MPL, 250 to Church. 200 Dates & 175 Baptisms !!!

You are Amazing!!! You are Incredible!!! You are Wonderful!!! And you are in the “Exciting Mission”!!! Remember our promise and that our names will be sealed in the Temple!!!

We Love you, We Pray For You, We can do this, We have work to do!!! Let us “Prepare for the Prophets with Elder Oaks”!!! Trust in God and He will trust in us!!!

 

President Don E. Anderson

Letter From The President September 29, 2013...

Dear Missionaries,

We had a tremendous transfer meeting this past week emphasizing the blessings of “preparing for the prophets” this General Conference, and announcing the coming of Elder Dallin H. Oaks to our mission on October 19^th. We will have a Mission Conference with him that morning, so now we have an extension of “preparing for the prophets” for another couple of weeks. Prepare well for the revelatory experience we will have this weekend. The harder we work, the greater the experience we will have.

I recall as a young boy of 10 years old, being glued to the TV set along with the entire world when the first man, Neil Armstrong, stepped on the moon. Everyone knows the words he spoke, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. Even though it was one normal step off the ladder of his space craft, the whole world understood the huge significance this act would be as it influenced the science and technology of man in a historic time. What seemed a small thing physically, created a domino effect in man’s exploration and understanding of space. Direction of lives changed, advanced and improved in an incredible way.

When Elijah was fleeing for his life from the wicked Phoenician princess Jezebel, the Lord directed him to a high mountain, where he had a most unusual experience. As Elijah stood upon the mount before the Lord, he felt:

“a great and strong wind … ; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice” (1 Kgs. 19:11–12).

Elijah realized that great things can start from small things including “a still small voice”. Some of the greatest miracles in this mission have come from the small things. I know that the smallest of miracles, which could be even after blessing someone, can be seen through the evidences of repentance as their countenance changes right before our eyes and they embrace Who we represent. They recognize the Spirit is from God and can feel the influence of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The small miracles we experience are the beginnings of great things, even great miracles. From the still small voice that we feel at the harvest blessing to the enormous change and conversion that takes place with those we teach and baptize.

Elder Ballard teaches how Alma taught his sons the importance of how small miracles, such as the Liahona, can direct our lives and the lives of others:

“Great and marvelous events seem to motivate us, but small things often do not hold our attention. Noting that the Liahona worked by faith, Alma stated, ‘Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means … [the people of Lehi] were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey.’ (Alma 37:41) Is our journey sometimes impeded when we forget the importance of small things? Do we realize that small events and choices determine the direction of our lives just as small helms determine the direction of great ships?” (M Russell Ballard, General Conference April, 1990)

Small miracles such as the Spirit will change the direction of lives:

“As we were heading back to our car after harvesting...we heard a huge whistle about 3 times. At first my companion and I didn’t think anything of it until we heard a little yell. As I turned around I see this man limping as fast as he could towards us to get a hold of our attention. Now, he was a man that told us straight up ‘no’ to our invite in leaving a blessing upon his home and even shut the door on us! He told us, running out of breath, ‘I felt the Holy Ghost push me and told me to get off the couch and go after you two to receive the blessing, so, I want it! I want it now please.’ We were amazed and so happy that this man came out running after us! He accepted baptism and accepted to come to church even! He knew we were sent to him at that time because he truly is going through some things! I know that as we continue to press forward no matter what, we can touch people in ways we didn’t think they could be touched!”

Small miracles such as prayer and testimony will change the direction of lives:

“Week in and week out she would have an excuse that held her back from baptism, but she really wanted it. There was always just something that held her back. I have been praying and praying that she would make the right choice day and night sincerely before God. This week my prayer was answered. Last week she had disappeared and we had no idea what to do to help her. She wasn’t answering the phone or her door. Finally on Wednesday I had a prompting to go back to her house. We got there and the door was wide open. Not only that but her daughter who moved to New Jersey was there (we had taught her too before she moved and she is being taught by the missionaries up there). We had a member with us also that really helped the situation. I spoke to her boldly about baptism and told her she is ready and she needs to make this step. Then the excuses came. I was feeling a little crushed for a moment but then her daughter who is not baptized yet stepped in and told her mother.... ‘I don't get it. Why don't you get baptized? I want you to be baptized this Sunday. You always look so gloomy and so sad. This baptism is only going to help you. You need it. You need to be baptized this Sunday." Right after that our member jumped in and bore his testimony and then asked her, ‘Which of us three do you want to perform the baptism?’ He didn't even give her time to reject. She then chose, and on Sunday she was BAPTIZED!! The best part is that yesterday we saw her and she bore her testimony of baptism to people she didn't even know. I am so thankful for God's miracles. I know this is his Work! I am so glad to be a part of it.”

Small miracles of working hard, being obedient, and following promptings will change direction of lives:

“[Our investigator preparing for baptism] told us about the day she met us and the miracle that it was, which we had NO idea about! It turns out there was a family that used to be in the ward who lived with her a couple years ago. Last Tuesday, she was on the phone with them and was telling them about how she was really struggling and just needed a lot of help. The member on the phone told her, ‘...  you need to find the missionaries. Find the missionaries and go to church with them.’  It was at THAT EXACT MOMENT that we walked up to her and contacted her, introducing ourselves as representatives of Christ and letting her know that He had sent us to leave His peace and blessing with her. It is so amazing to see how the Lord can use us as instruments in His hands! When I walked up to that woman on the phone, I had no idea who she was or how much (and how quickly) I would come to love her and her family. I am so grateful that the Lord trusts me enough to put his prepared children in my path!”

My Father is a convert to the Church. It was a small miracle when he was baptized; he knew that he would never be the same again. He knew that he wanted to be with his family for eternity. Later he and my mother knelt at the altars of the Temple, to realize their dream to be sealed for time and eternity as a family. Their five sons, including myself, dressed in white were ushered into that same sealing room to kneel at the altar by their sides, to have that sealing power and miracle made complete. Direction of lives changed, advanced and improved in an incredible, eternal way. All five of their sons and ten of their grandchildren have served full time missions throughout the world where hundreds of souls have come to the Gospel and ordinances of the Temple. To those souls, direction of lives also were changed, advanced and improved in an incredible, eternal way. It started with the small miracle of my Father feeling the Spirit and progressing to baptism. It has progressed currently as huge miracles to all of those that have embraced the Truth and have been blessed because of the Gospel. This great miracle is eternal; it will not end, but become greater as we gain Eternal Life with our families in the presence of God. You will encounter many “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” miracles in your mission.

Let us get 1500+, 8 by Wednesday, 5 dates, 5 to Church,  500 N.I., 400 MPL, 250 to Church. 200 Dates & 175 Baptisms !!!

You are Amazing!!! You are Incredible!!! You are Wonderful!!! And you are in the “Exciting Mission”!!! Remember our promise and that our names will be sealed in the Temple!!!

We Love you, We Pray For You, We can do this, We have work to do!!! Let us “Prepare for the Prophets”!!! Direction of lives will be changed even through small miracles!!!

President Don E. Anderson

Week 2 in Fort Lauderdale...

What a week this has been! I feel so much excitement to be here in the Florida, Fort Lauderdale Mission with each day! This week I gained my first new investigator and was able to give her a Book of Mormon (actually a Libro de Mormon) and it was the first one I had ever given, I had tried at home, but my friends never accepted, and I learned here that its because I wasn't bold enough, I gave them an out and they took it. The most spiritual experience I have had this week has got to be watching the 183rd Annual General Conference with an investigator there! She was so receptive of the spirit and knew without a doubt that it was true and she feels the strongest desire to be baptized, and an even stronger desire to be sealed with her husband in the temple, her only struggle now is getting her devout Catholic husband on board. We are making every effort to get him to be involved but to no success yet. In The Book of Mormon I have been reading and learning about the need for faith even when you have seen miracles, because Laman and Lemul both saw MANY miracles and angels and  more, but still fell away repeatedly, and it just amazes me that they did, and so I have been trying to keep my faith high so that I never forget the miracles and testimony I have seen. In Conference one of the quotes that struck me that where along those lines was, 'doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith' and that is the type of missionary and person that I want to become.

ok first off I have gotten 3 packages 2 large square ones and the long odd shaped one with the hanger! Thank you SO much, at first I thought all the green stuff was because it's your favorite color and you were trying to remind me of you. It didn't even dawn on me that it was because I was green! But thank you so much!! Awwwhahaha, he knows me so well. That is totally something I would do! I didn't, but I so wish I had thought of it! And I have been sharing a ton. I can't remember all your questions, I can only send letters and packages on P-Days though and I'm sending you a whole lot of letters again because I realized I only have 2 American stamps left and I didn't have an opportunity to get more. Transfers are every 6 weeks, I will be with Elder Lamb for 2 transfers because he is my trainer. We get roughly $130 dollars a month on our MSF debit cards and that's great! We shop at a Windixie because it is the closest place and the cheapest. There is not a single Walmart in my entire area!! Conference was great we watched all the sessions at the chapel and we did get to watch in English so that I could understand everything. I really think you ought to try the thumb drive thing, I just don't know if I will ever have time to email all of the pictures I have taken! We asked about sending a thumb drive to copy his pictures on and send home so we don't have to worry about his memory card getting lost in the mail and losing all his pictures. We have kinda figured out the meal stuff we still eat VERY sparingly in the evenings and I value the granola bars immensely! I pack a couple of those and a jerky stick and spread that out over the evening. I have lost a ton of weight! the biking mixed with barely eating enough to have the energy to pedal has made this exciting. I bike roughly 10 miles a day which if you even have to ask, it is crazy! We have a LARGE area and our apartment isn't even in it. We have to bike about 2 miles to get to our area. If this was Utah our area would be 4 stakes, I swear, its like if I lived in Herriman but my area was all of Riverton! Its brutal! But I love it SO much! The bright side is that there are NO hills, mountains, raises or any thing, which I find really odd, there's something that feels safe about mountains... I don't know paranoia.

This was been so great the people here LOVE Christ and are so receptive to the spirit and want to be baptised! 

 

 

Letter From President Anderson....

I thought I would share this letter that came from President Anderson, the Ft Lauderdale Mission President. I can see why Elder Park is so excited to serve, it looks like he has an amazing leader to learn from.

First Week In Ft. Lauderdale Mission....

Hey Guys!

This is so exciting, so immediately as we got off the plane we got Huge hugs from the assistants and met President Anderson and his wife. They have an air about them that immediately lets you know that they have been called of God! I am so thrilled to be working under his direction! They took us straight to the mission home where we had a good ole, home cooked, American meal of roast beef, carrots, potatoes and gravy, wonderful homemade rolls and a great salad and more roast beef. Oh man was that good! And that was the last real meal I have eaten! haha!

After the meal, we had a brief lesson with the APs and interviews with the President. He is such an inspired man, he knows how to make you excited and calm at the same moment. Then they sent us to the hotel close by and that's where we spent our first night. The next morning we went straight to transfer meeting and that's were I met my companion Elder Lamb! He is AMAZING he has taught me so much and has made me feel so at home! After we met, we had some training. Here we do this thing called Harvesting, its where we go knocking doors and leave blessings on peoples homes. It is a practice that is very localized to our mission and is why we are such a high baptizing mission. Our goal in a month is 175 and this month we got 148. So we were close, but not quite the highest they have ever been! The first day though we got 8 blessings and that was amazing! I am so excited to see where the people that we blessed go, I hope that they can continue to progress and be baptized in the next 2 or 3 weeks. That's how fast this mission goes, most of the baptisms are within 3 weeks of meeting the person! How cool!

If you send snail mail and packages, make sure to send them USPS Flat Rate, don't use FedEx or UPS. The Flat Rate mail can be forwarded from the Mission Home free of charge, so they can get them to us quicker than waiting for us to go and get it on Transfer Day or Conf, etc.

It's been kinda rough because we haven't had time to shop yet and so there hasn't been much food at the end of the day or for breakfast. The members feed us for lunch about everyday so that's great! We can only have dinner with members if an investigator is present because the hours form 4-9 are the prime proselyting times!

I got the Bike and its great! The other Elders are super jealous of it, but I have to Ugly it up quick, it looks really new and nice and there is a high chance of theft. I think I might get some tape or clay and rub some thing on it, I just don't want it to get stolen.

Elder Lamb is the Coolest Guy Ever! He's from ALASKA! Like this is the most opposite state from Alaska!  He used to cross country sky and all kinds of cool stuff!

Its SO great to hear form you guys and I wish I typed faster so I could tell you more but I'm sending all kinds of letters!!

Love ELDER PARK