YOOOo
Transfer week! I want to begin this letter with a cool story from the week:
Right by our apartment there is a pretty small park. In the park there is this cool looking snake that kids (and missionaries) can climb on. We walk by this park every single day and Elder Årsnes and I thought it would be really cool if we could teach someone on this snake. We jokingly made it a transfer goal when we first got together a while back. Well, Monday night we were planning and realized that Tuesday would be our last time to teach someone on the snake. We wrote "Snake Tuesday" on the top of our planners and were determined to make it happen! The next morning it was raining and Elders Årsnes and Gunther both threw up...which left me on splits with Elder Hurst. The adversary stepped in and things were looking bleak. We were pretty busy with appointments most of the day (since we had two areas) and it wasn't looking like the snake teach was going to happen. On the way home that night from the center we said a prayer that God would prepare someone in the park that we could teach. As we walked by the park I stopped a lady and told her we had a message that could change her life! I asked if she had some time to talk and she said yes! "Can we go up into the park where it's a little more calm?" YES again. Needless to say, we went up in the park, sat on the snake, and taught her for 15 minutes about the Book of Mormon! We taught her again the next day and she was super positive! As goofy of a way it was to find a person, it showed me that God answers the prayer of faith! It's bold, goofy things like this that make the mission fun!
Elder Reber is a good guy from CALIfornia. He is a math major and reminds me a lot of Erik actually. We got two new missionaries to the district that re-opened the area I opened with Elder Holden!
I need to tell you a little about C.! He is the the guy from Congo I met a while back! We have been teaching him like crazy and he has been to church the last three weeks! He is the funniest, coolest guy I've ever met! I made the mistake of telling him my first name and now he won't call me Elder Parkinson haha! He soaks in everything we teach him it amazes me! We were riding the Trikk with him to church and this lady from Cameroon started talking to us. She said that she had heard of the mormon church and thought we believed in dead people instead of Jesus Christ! C. jumped in and bore his testimony of how he had heard weird things before he met with us, but now that he has read from the Book of Mormon and started meeting he know it's true! It was powerful!! This guy is going to be a bishop one day.
We have been seeing some miracles this week from our #Conquerthelist initiative. We were able to meet up with a few in active members that were very positive and committed to come to the activities we are starting up on Saturday nights! They were both people with awesome conversion stories that disappeared from church without the ward really knowing about it. It's made me realize how true President Hinckley's quote is about what members need to remain active: "1. spiritual nourishment 2. A call 3. a friend." As a way to help with #3 we are starting up movie and game nights at the center for investigators, less actives, and members every Saturday! This Saturday we are going to watch the Saratov approach, one of the only movies I've ever seen that has made me cry!
One last spiritual thought. I was studying a lot this week about the importance of using the scriptures in prostelyting. I've really learned how teaching from the scriptures can help our investigators become self-sufficient. Mom, I think the one thing that you always seemed to tell me growing up was that I could find answers to my questions in the Book of Mormon. I remember, to be honest :), how often I would brush those words of wisdom off. Over the last year I have seen daily scripture study as the key to personal revelation in my life and in the life of my investigators. Going back to Cedrick. One reason he is progressing so well is because he feasts on the Book of Mormon! He had questions about the Plan of Salvation and he looked up Alma 40 all by himself and found answers! Those that bank on the door will get answers. That is my testimony.
Have good week Parkinson FAM!
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| Oslo P-day |
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| Watch out Grandpa… I'm getting pretty good at pool. |
Love,
Eldste Parkinson
