Week 73 In Ft. Lauderdale....

HE IS FIGURING IT OUT!! THE LAST PARAGRAPH WAS AWESOME TO READ!! HEHE!


Well this week was a boring week! There was no extraordinary trips to take not mishaps with the car. (other than I think someone tried to break in). We were able to have a regular (for the most part) week!!! It was so nice! This week we were able to find 3 new families to teach and they are all incredible. And most of them are English so I can teach!.

I am starting to get the gist of the conversations in Creole but I am still hopelessly lost. But there is improvement in sight! 

Miracles of this week! E**** (that's a first name) came to church. He is a Haitian man new to the are a and he was on FaceBook and mentioned that he needed to find a church to go to and one of his friends saw it and it reminded her that she hasn't been to church in a long time so she told him that she was going to church and that he could go with her. So he came we were like "who you is" and he didn't understand so we said "komunman ou rele" (how you called) and he said E****, we set up an appointment for that night. on our way to the appointment we were delayed so we got there 30 mins late. We apologized but he said it didn't matter because we represent Jesus and if we say we are coming we are coming. we taught him and a friend a great lesson (or my companion did...haha) and all went well. Then after after they told us how excited they had been, when E**** told his friend I******* that we were coming they realized they didn't have chairs for us to sit in, so they ran around town looking for chairs and found some for us and cleaned them and covered them with a sheet for us. They are great guys.

Another thing that I wanted to tell you is that Haitians have weird jokes, one that they love is translated to "its supposed to be black but it is really white..." ... ... ... ... MICHEAL JACKSON!!! ohahahAHAHAHA they get so cracked up over that.

Some things are getting more stressful with the new assignment, the same sort of things that were happening last time. These kind of problems always seem to be near me... there are very few of them in the mission but they are always near me. I think God is telling me that I should have caused my parents less problems... Parents are leaders assigned by God so their advice is good and should be followed and it will be better for you. I think I will write a talk on that and send it to Bishop Richins and have him give it to the youth. 

I WISH I WAS A BETTER CHILD... especially now that I am kinda an adult...

Welp. People seem excited that I am turning 20 so yay! It's great! 

Love yall babye!

Stay Strong Push ON!!

ELDER PARQUE

Week 72 In Ft. Lauderdale....

Well, Elder Park neglected to mention in today's email that his bike vanished. From what we understand, they strapped it to the bike rack on the car and drove to "who knows where", when they arrived his bike was gone. We only have 5 months left!! I didn't want to purchase a new bike for such a short period of time. So... THANK GOODNESS for CTR BIKES!! I am so glad that we bought his bike through them! They will be replacing the bike with a brand new, same model bike! It was worth the extra $79 that we paid 18 months ago!!

Belle Glade...Stinks... literally. At night they "burn the corn" and it smells like death, dog crap, and corn. Because that's how they farm out here and produce corn products. With FIRE!!! I still am not exactly sure how it works but they light whole fields on fire an acre at a time! They grow a field then light it on fire, just to do it again because cane grows quick, I haven't been able to see how they harvest the cane after it is burnt. It just appears to me like they create a wasteland.

About everybody speaks Creole but I did find some Spanish hovels to hang in and teach a little, its funny because, I will sit and twiddle my thumbs for one lesson and then my companion will do the same the next, then we will see some English ghetto lady and we will speak some English and then do it again. (That is why I would really like a Haitian Creole work book) But I am already beginning to understand A LOT and it is sounding more like a language and less like a food processor.

Most of the people here work in something related to corn or sugar cane production, and its "the season" and the men tend to work well into the night. So that  makes it difficult but it just has to be dealt with.

The people around here also do not move fast. they mosie (?) across the streets making traffic stop. If they don't have anything to do they play a gruesome game of dominoes that involves clothes pins on their face or they just sit in the middle of no where... doing nothing. This place is the definition of Ghetto. It's not the Hood this is just a terrible contradiction, full of  tough hard-workers, and Lazy bums. People trying to make dreams come true, and people content bumming for cigarettes. Its inspiring and excruciating.

But people love us Jesus boys.

That is why we are able to find a ton of people and teach a lot, the Haitians really love that my companion speaks creole, but they love even more that I don't but am trying. I have already been offered 2 daughters and 3 grand daughters. (So I know that getting married after the mission will be easy if I can't find anyone at home I can come here!) Unfortunately Creole is an extremely vague language, it is french spoken in a caveman like grammar, and so some of the more intricate parts of the gospel have to be VERY blunt or they are misunderstood. (we have had to correct a few Chastity issues with members)

But otherwise everything is going well save mike bike falling of the back of the car and either being beamed up by aliens or snatched by a Haitian before we could turn around...

But this trippin' place nothin' to throw round here. Just gotta tighten up and all will be 'ight.

Stay Strong, Push on.

Elder Parque

P.S. we were also called some hoodrats n-word- translation: we are their brothers. That was a proud moment.

P.P.S. "neg" in creole translates directly to ''Black Man" but its connotation is dude so a common salute is Saka Fet Neg or whats up black man to everybody white or black

We had a baptism lined up for Saturday but Satan of his boss cheats and called him to Miami to work over the weekend.

Week 71 In Ft. Lauderdale....

Elder K*** T***** F******

6 foot 1

Blue eyes

Music Major in College 

SINGS very well

Roosevelt Is his home town

Union High School they were the Cougars

yeah that's enough...

Welp, I got transferred... to a little place called Belle Glade, its sole and only purpose for existing is to supply the Cane Fields with workers... there isn't much out here. And better yet I have not met very many Spanish speaking people... or English people for that matter. The Large majority is Haitian.

 President told me... "your Spanish is good, keep studying it but learn Creole..."

Also I received a new assignment as a leader I no longer am District leader, I do less training and even more "administration" meaning so far I have spent A LOT of time in the car this week. In fact we made 4 trips to Ft. Lauderdale since Wednesday. One of them I will tell you about it was awesome! BUT all this traveling left us with NO proselyting time. So not much happened in our area specifically this week. But everyone that I have met so far has been Haitian, I feel like a greenie again. I sit in lessons not understanding a word that is being said. But I am going to learn some more so that I can at least participate. My companion is FLUENT in creole and is a great missionary.

A great benefit of getting here at the right time was that Saturday there was a temple trip lined up for 5 members of our branch (oh year this is a branch) to reciebir their endowments. 3 of them are the first Haitians from the branch to receive them and they needed Creole speaking escorts... My companion was one of them and so I got to go to the TEMPLE again! it was amazing and a great experience. The Spirit was so strong! and then yesterday in sacrament meeting the Branch President had them bear their Testimonies and they were SO POWERFUL I loved it!

This week we also received a training from President Richardson this week about aligning our visions and working together towards a common goal. I am excited to see how this new path and take on things will go and I am excited to be a part of it.

I promise that there will be more funny stories in letters to come especially because I am serving in SUPER GHETTO!

singing off Elder Parque

Stay Strong Push On!

Week 70 In Ft. Lauderdale....

I am transferring I don't know where, but it is happening, and I must accept it. It is true that I have not had the same type of "success" here. But I have really come to love my companion and this area. I will really miss J*** S******. This area has taught me a lot and helped me learn a variety of new skills and methods of finding and teaching people.

There are also some incredible members here that I have made friends with. And have taught me alot. This week one of those families (the A****** Family) gave us an incredible referral. They are a "Haitian Fam" which is the 1 classic south Florida family type I have not been able to teach and baptize... (gotta catch them all... sarcasm that's not how missionary work goes). But I will be leaving!

This week in my studies I was preparing myself to train (because I thought that I was going to but am not!) and I was studying "Missionary Purpose" and it talks a lot about how Christ was purpose driven and that NOTHING he ever did was contrary to that purpose. And I thought how awesome it is to be a missionary. That I know exactly what my purpose is, it is to "find, teach, Baptize & Confirm, Retain, and Reactivate" and I CAN focus completely on those things and I will! It was a re dedication type of thing! 

I am not sure what else to talk about... we hit up plantation 2 time this week because of Physical therapy for Elder Hunt but now he is doing better.

Stay strong and push on!

ELDER PARK

Week 69 In Ft. Lauderdale...

This was an interesting week because we didn't have a lot of time here. And this coming week will be a little more difficult because Elder Hunt is having a few knee problems so we have to borrow a car from somebody in the district (30-45min drive to get it and drop them where they need to be) then drive down to Plantation (2 hour drive) then return the car (30-45 more) and still in all that he has his appointments and we gotta eat!

But good things are happening! We have been working with the Quinonez family, a part member family and progress has been made! He came to church and accepted a date! It was good to see our efforts pay off and to see the change in their family. Hermana Quinonez has an incredible testimony. And soon her husband will too!

Also we had interviews with President Richardson this week and they went really well and I really learned to love that man even more, he is an inspired leader and a great Mission President I couldn't ask for anyone better to serve under. He and President Anderson have changed my life!

This week we had the opportunity to see truth change the very countenance of an individual, we went to visit a potential investigator, Ronnel, and when we got there another man started acting like a fool, trying to interrupt us and cause problems, but then as a snide comment he asked, "how much they pay you for this anyway" and when we said nothing there was an obvious change. Then he asked what we wanted to do after this and we told him, go to school, get a job he realized that all this was sacrifice and he really changed his attitude and became interested in learning more. That was a really cool moment. It was just amazing to see the spirit and truth work on him.

I wish there was more I could tell you but I don't know what else to say.

Stay Strong, Push on!

LOVE YOU 

ELDER PARQUE

Week 68 In Ft. Lauderdale....

So I sent you a picture, and the man in the middle, his name is J*** S******, he is surrounded by his new family. That man was baptized Friday and confirmado this Sunday. His is an amazing man. He was born in Cuba, where in school he was basically taught that there was no such thing as God and that he had to fend for himself, when he got here to the states he continued believing that because that's how it all was. But then he met a man called as a ward missionary in Oct. the man invited and pulled him to church. Jose said "The very moment I walked in the building, I felt something different, I felt God" But then he could never make it back because he worked as a truck driver and he couldn't be in town on Sundays. But then his schedule changed a few weeks ago and he was able to come, He said that the entire time he was away he thought about the church and how he felt and began to pray. When he started coming to church He came to us and said, " I want to be baptized, will you help me?"... I had thought he was a member all along. So we started teaching him and helping him quit smoking. and badaboom-badabing 3 weeks later BAPTISM! He's a really good guy I love him. 

Other things that happened this week I went on 2 exchanges, and we ended up having to go down to plantation to get Elder Hunt's Knee looked at so... I was not in my area very much this week BUT great things happened. 

Things that I am learning. APPLICATION!!! We are given so much training and help in this life, and we know its all good, BUT IF IT IS NOT APPLIED IT DOES NO GOOD. You can be told EXACTLY what to do but if you don't do it, NOTHING will come from learning it. I have seen that WAY to much on my mission, a training is given 1 week used then we get a new training, and BOOM the old was is forgotten. WE MUST CONTINUE TO USE WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT. Anyway now that that has come off my chest, I have also learned a lot about patience this week, results don't come immediately, even if you have the given specific instructions, you cannot expect it to immediately take effect and change things. Basically I learned that I was a handful as a child and youth to my parents...

Elder & Sister Zwick

Also in the "NEWS" category here in the FFLM the Ft. Meyers stake on the west coast of Florida got added to our mission, a whole 30 new missionaries came over... They are not perfectly happy (their iPads got taken away until we get ours too) they are going to fit right in! 

But that's what happened!

LOVE YOU

STAY STRONG PUSH ON

ELDER Parque

Week 67 In Ft. Lauderdale....

Well as I think I have told you one of my new responsibilities is to conduct companionship exchanges, this week I went to Okeechobee or as it is nicknamed "smokee chobee" That place is full of old people.

This week we worked with Jose Santana our most solid investigator from CUBA so far I have not baptized anyone that does not speak Spanish... I really was called here to speak and baptize people of that language.

But there really wasn't too much going on this week due to a lot of district leader stuff I was all over the place and didn't get to do to much in my own area, so I don't have to much to talk about.

I did get to see a lot of this part of Florida and it is beautiful I will say that. I have really had a difficult time figuring out how to motivate, unmotivated people. But there has been a

lot of things going on I promise and I will tell you all about them some day! Just know that I am doing my best and I always have a fire to put out and I am trying to do that always!

Take care I love you!

Stay Strong, Push On

Elder Parque

Week 66 In Ft. Lauderdale....

Well I feel like there is not a lot to tell you because we have already spoken, but I will tell you I have met the craziest woman of my life... She goes by Doc Na because she used to go by Doctor Nancy but then she went bowling and that's what was on the board and she thought it was perfect. She says she is writing a book and because of the information in the Book she is in hiding from her family who are out to cut her hair off, and she immediately starts telling us about her terrible childhood and promises that she will gift a book to the Church. Then she stops suddenly and snidely asks E. Hunt " Why do you have your arms crossed like that? that's a closed posture, you are threatening me right now. I am scared can't you see? and what are you doing wearing that tie you look like a bad TV dad, you need to wear a purple paisley tie it would suit your complexion." then we ask if she would like to pray she says "Yes to Jesus, I am a Pagan, I only pray to Jesus though because the bible says so, but this guy standing behind us doesn't like prayer so we are going to go over there" so we walk 5 feet and she immediately says I will start. And she includes this, "help these boys know that the world is changing like country western music, I don't like that stuff but its changing, take Taylor Swift for example a whole lot less twang and a lot more soul." then she tells E. Hunt to go... he says a prayer, and she stops him and says that sounds memorized, can you please say something from the soul my friend make it real, add some humor God doesn't get Humor, so he says another line, then its my turn... So I say a prayer real slow with pauses to make it obvious that I am thinking of my next line and as soon as it is over she throws her hands up and says "Perfect... Duces!... And you (me) think about starting your own church... you could cause people to jump off a cliff if you wanted" turns around and walks away into the darkness, leaving us confused and worried.

This week was a little bit rough due to Christmas, I thought that it would soften hearts but we ran into quite a few hard ones, most of our success this week came through working on the Less-Active/ Part-member Families that the Bishop wanted us to contact and wish a Merry Christmas. As we did that we were able to meet a lot of people that we would otherwise never found home because they were not working for the Holidays. Currently our most promising investigator, Jose, has made a decent amount of progress, he actually took this week off form work and told us that he wants us to come by everyday to help him get baptized. He told us to come by twice in one day if that was necessary. He has a date for the 10th because we aren't sure if he has a Word of Wisdom problem, but we do know that he has been taught about it by multiple members and that he has said he is willing to do it, we just need to find out went he actually stopped, if it was yesterday then we will wait until the 10th, but if it was last Thursday like our member thinks then we are going to push his date up to the 3rd. He was worked with by missionaries in the past, but then due to his work he had to move, now that he is back he contacted a few of the members that he remembered and started coming back, the difficult thing that we had with him was that he was only available on Sundays, but know that he has taken time off we can meet with him way more frequently.

Other than that not much has really happened this week due to Christmas, there was alack of people in town they were all on the awful land of "Orlando" But we still kept busy and were having fun meeting people who were here, we got a job offer with a lady that is selling some big product that she designed for the "government" that she couldn't really explain to us. 

Any way I wish you all a "Happy New Year" 

Stay Strong Push On

ELDER PARQUE

Week 65 In Ft. Lauderdale....

Well a lot of things happened this week​. Let us start with Tuesday after I emailed you. We went and grabbed a bite to eat and then we had to run home because the member that was going to take us to Ft. Laud. wanted to leave at 2 in case there was some traffic. The Plan was that he would take us down there and then he would drop us off and we would get ready for the 730 session at 6pm. Then after we would go home with Elder Lamb and Elder Butterfield to Doral in Hialeah, and spend the night with them, and because Elder Lamb was going home he would take us to transfer meeting where we would wait and go home with the Zone Leaders. So it was going to be quite the adventure we ended up all over the mission it 2 days! it was fun. The  thing that changed about it was that while we were at transfers Elder HouseKeeper (whose our car director) said that we need a car now. So we drove a car home. 

There was something really special about being there with a man that I met a year or so ago who knew NOTHING about the Church or what a Mormon even was. And now he is a full fledged Mormon. While in the temple I remembered thinking about how amazing he was while we taught him and how accepting he was. And now look how far he has come and what he has learned, it blows my mind. Those moments we spent in the temple are moments that I will NEVER forget. They were the most spiritual, most powerful, and sacred moments of my life that impressed upon me the desire to always stand worthy of his and my other converts trust.

Then as we got home we set out to find! and we found 2 miracle families! And 1 we even met through some pross-ball... Proselyting Basketball... lets just say we can hustle for a lesson... but anyway these families are awesome, the First on the McQueen's we taught and invited to sacrament and they accepted and then when we passed by like we planned on Sat. they weren't home and we were like there went that... but we passed by Sunday morning to see them and remind them of church and when we knocked the door BOOM they were already getting ready! That was awesome and to sit by the 4 of them at sacrament was awesome and to see that they came in "nice clothes" helped our bishop see that we are finding so solid people, our bishop REALLY wants us to teach gators to come to church in White shirts/skirts.

Then the other family were some Latins that after we blessed their home were so excited to have us back over for dinner, and they fed us some good old authentic Mexican food, as we taught them the restoration, while we taught them they mentioned how necessary the Book of Mormon was and how excited they were to read it, and when we committed them to church they said without hesitation, "we will be there" it was rather refreshing to see someone that understood the need for the Book of Mormon.

Killing off Elder Lamb (sending him home)

Elder Butterfield, Elder Lamb & Elder Park

Elder Park & Elder Hunt

Very well used! Lot's of praying!

So I know this is a shorter email... but I will talk to you on Christmas through Skype around 3ish my time.

Stay strong push on

ELDER PARK