WEEKLY 1-25-10
Hey Family!
Well today the big news is we are moving to the sisters old apartment and my companion is going assistant to President Traveller!! Cool news!
So in two weeks (one week earlier than transfers) he will go in and I will work out with some other area to get elders here! Yeah so he is kind of nervous and doesn't know what to think but I never let him forget the fact that he is going AP!! haha, its way fun being with him. So yesterday we had an awesome lesson I have to share.We got a referral from some other elders and quickly made an appointment with this new guy named K.C. He is a philipino and lives with this wife (Shiki) and 3 year old son (Renzo).
When he was back in the Philippines years ago he dated a Mormon girl and went to chuch a lot and knew about the Book of Mormon. He grew up Christian but told us yesterday that lately he has been losing his faith, sadly. Well we watched the Restoration video with him and he actually said he was touched when he watched it. We then discussed the Book of Mormon and prayer as ways for him to always feel the love of God and strengthen his dying faith. When I was testifying to him I felt a special feeling towards him of Heavenly love from our Heavenly Father. I told him that. I told K.C. that i knew God loved him and desired his happiness as well as for him to know that through the Book of Mormon and prayer he could feel that. It was such a neat experience to once again witness to me the reality of our Father in Heaven. He really does love us. He guides His servants to His other children who are in need of help.
This is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I know this. We have a great opportunity to feel this everyday in our lives and I hope each of you is able to do so! I am extremely happy when I read of each of your lives and the blessings you posses.
I love you tons and can't wait to see you in only 5 months!!!
Love elder parks
2-2-10
I am glad dad was able to give dean a blessing! I always loved dad's blessings too. I am way happy for Dean, right now am praying hard it all goes like he wants!
yesterday we went to Ise Jingu...one of the most famous and original Shinto locations in Japan...so we had to leave early and were gone all day...
WEEKLY
Hey Family!!
Well I am on now a day late but there is a great reason why! Yesterday we got to go to Ise Jingu, one of the most famous, original, and high up Shinto locations in japan, with an investigator whose father has connections. So we got to enter places that not most do. Way good time!
Well this past week has been so crazy!! My companion and I finally got to do weekly planning session yesterday evening for what should have been done last week Thursday!! haha oops....
With him going into the mission home next week there was some stuff to do with getting him a drivers liscence and what not that took time as well as just lots of things filling our schedule!However, in the middle of all the madness, we were still able to teach with the Spirit and see the hand of God...So we had that experience last week with KC and the restoration that I wrote about in the last THE WEEKLY, and this time my experience is of a priesthood blessing.
Long story short we went to an American man's house on Sunday evening to talk with him about some scary evil experiences he has had lately. He called us in hopes of Spiritual help and some way out. So we talked of prayer, priesthood blessings, reading the Book of Mormon, and using the power of hymns. Well, we decided to give him a blesssing. As I was saying the words I felt a special power of God guiding me as if it wasn't even me giving the blessing. I truly felt that it was God telling Curtis what He would have him hear and what needed to be said for him to progress in the gospel and towards Christ.
It was another humbling experience for me to realize that God is our Father and loves each one of us specially. He is waiting to hear our prayers and through our worthiness and faithfulness will perform miracles.
I know these things to be true. I know God is our loving Heavenly Father. I know the Book of Mormon is a specially powerful, true witness of Christ and through it's guiding words we may all find the answer we desire.
I love each of you tons and hope you also have felt of this recently. If not, that is the great things about the Atonement: We can fix it and move on!
Love elder parks
2-9-10
I sure do know how much you love me!
who is your new companion... don't have one yet...transfers are next weekwhat are you doing fun today... went to Nagoya castle! that is why we are on late today
who did you hear from this week... got a letter from Grandpa and Grandma Searle
any fun packages lately... not yet....
do you need anything... nope doing great!
any new people you are teaching... not really...the Philippino, KC, though has gotten really hard to meet up with and we really want to teach him! sad day...
how are the others that you are teaching doing... ok...they are just not quite there at baptism yet
how do you like the new apartment... LOVE IT
are you riding your bike alot or walking a lot or public transport... biking
what new things are you eating... So the famous nagoya food is...miso ramen, miso nikomi (udon), tebasaki (chicken wings), hitsumabushi (special eel dish), and kishimen (fetuchine type noodles), and my personal favorite miso katsu (miso sauce over pork cutlet)...out of that we have eaten all except tebasaki and kishimen...nagoya is great for the food!
any fun that you ate this week...we ate sushi and ton katsu...
oh yeah and today before the castle we ate at a brazillian buffet, WAY GOOD!
WEEKLY
Hey Family!!
Well today was a little slower because Elder Alkonis and I finally went to Nagoya Castle to tour the place!! Pretty neat one...it was burned during World War II so had to be refurbished a bit so isn't all original but still cool!
Right before that we ate lunch at a brazillian buffet that was way good!! So fun Pday...
This past week has been good and pretty busy with lots of little things getting Elder Alkonis ready to be the new assisstant on Sunday. So we didn't have tons of time to teach like usual but were still able to do OK!
But on Friday we did have a neat experience...We have this investigator from before named Yumi that is searching for truth. Well when we taught her the last time it seemed better to not strongly pursue her because she would progress towards baptism, that ended that.
Then on friday as we walked up to La Ohana, the Hawaiin place we sing at, there she was walking up to the door as well! She came in hopes that we would be there so she could give us a simple gift and say thank you for taking time to talk to her before. From then we entered the restaurant and ordered our food. Well, naturally, the missionary in me scooted my chair over by her and began talking. We talked of how she had really enjoyed talking with us about how we came to know and feel truth and how she had done the same. The only thing for her was that she didn't have the desire to continue coming to church, or furthermore be baptized. So we talked much about how as missionaries yes our purpose is to help people come unto Christ through baptism, but as regular children of God we like just talking and discussing spiritual things as well. We concluded on continuing meeting to keep discussing how we have realized truth in our lives. The fact that we met her witnessed to me once again that God know what His children need. His daughter, Yumi, has a desire to learn and grow. Because of the greatness and love of God her desire will be fulfilled and hopefully somehow she'll come to know of the truth of the restoration of all truth!!
I know that God loves us! He guides our paths in righteousness and works at our side. I love teaching with the Spirit and know anything is possible with Him there besides us.
I love you all tons!!
Elder Parks
WEEKLY 2-15-10
Hey Family!
Well I am here in the area of Ichinomiya for three days until transfers tomorrow when I get my new companion of Elder Cooley!!We were actually in the MTC together in next door classrooms. So it will be really fun and he has a great voice so we will have some good times using that!!
The work has been fun but I am excited for a change to be able to restretch myself in the work and recommit myself to 100% obedience.
Today on the zone leader conference call President and Sister Traveller talked about searching our personal lives and finding those things that need to be fixed and improved. I am looking forward to doing this with Elder Cooley and seeing miracles!
I only have three transfers left but intend on making them great!
The work of the Lord is the place to be and I have learned so many things I never could have before.
I love you all so much and hope you too can feel the joy and blessings of the gospel in your life often. God loves you!
Elder Parks
WEEKLY 2-22-10
Hey Family!!
Well tons to say this week....So first off, like last year, our mission is doing March Madness again and it has been going amazing!! Basically Pres set a baptism goal, 22, and then each companionship had to decide what they will sacrifice and who they will do it for and specifically what they needed and what the Lord will do. Well, Elder Cooley and I decided to take away heated showers (so yes, cold showers), sitting down while riding, and decided to wake up at 5 30 each morning, jog to the park, study the book of mormon and jog back. It has been amazing so far and has only been going for less than a week!! As we have sacrificied these things the Lord has put people in our path, helped us know what to do and say, and blessed our bodies with the needed strength.
Along with these sacrifices for March Madness we set a goal of exact obedience with our zone. So each companionship sat down together and decided the things they needed to stop doing in order to be exactly obedient. Elder Cooley and I also did likewise and have seen so many blessings from all of these things!!
I can't believe how literally each day the Lord puts more people in our path for us to talk to and introduce the gospel. It truly is a work of God.
Elder Cooley and I intend on seeing many miracles this transfer and many converted souls unto Christ.God is our Father and loves us deeply! Furthermore, as we show to Him our willingness to serve and then sacrifice those things unecessary in order to humble ourselves, true miracles happen.I know these things are true and hope you can feel of it as well!!
I love you!
Elder Parks
WEEKLY 2-28-10
Hey Family!
So as you notice I now have a new email...the church created a new myldsmail program with google now so my new address is david.parks@myldsmail.net please spread that around...even though I only have 4 months to use it!!
Well this week has been great and we had a baptism yesterday!! You are probably thinking, "What!? He didn't even tell us!" Well that is true...haha sorry.
But the story with this sister is she was an investigator in the area that closed next door so we recieved her and finished teaching her up to baptism. Her boyfriend is a member and so she met the church through that connection. Her name is Paula and is Peruvian, and my spanish skills were really put to the test for that one!! haha, but she had such an amazing baptism yesterday. She is pregnant and due in may so is pretty big, which made the fact that the font's water level wasn't very high even worse! The water from the faucet also lost all heat and got to a cold luke warm by the time she got in...so I was praying my little heart out!!
Well this sister is amazing. She has a solid testimony and the Spirit was so strong at her baptism. And to make it even more special, her boyfriend, Eduardo, got to baptize her! It was a very special day that she will never forget. It was a neat experience for me as well to rebost my baptism spirits and feel that joy once again.
As Elder Cooley and I have been doing these crazy sacrifices lately we have really continued to feel God's love and guidance, as well as a neat side effect of less temptation. It seems as we through away our natural man and all things comfortable to make us lazy in a sense, our spiritual man strengthens and we are better off in front of sin. It has been a huge blessing that i have no desire to stop at all!
This season is one of miracles that I wish to share with you all. I hope this strong love of the Lord is in your lives each day. I love you too and wish you the best!
Love elder parks
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