Attack and Analogy

Dear Family,
Yes, I got the package. I introduced two Elders to the boiled peanuts and they both like them.

Thanks for supporting Jotty. He really IS changing. He's got a fantastic spirit and I don't think he's ever been this happy in his life. I'm glad he likes teaching with the Elders.

Enterprise ward had 4 convert baptisms in a month?...wow. I don't think that's ever
happened since I've been there. The missionaries there must be fearsome. Jotty says that he's becoming good friends with them.

Give Bro. Flowers my condolences if it's not too late. I didn't know his son Darell that well, but I definitely loved the Spirit he brought into the room.

Jotty told me about the Rifle Competition in Ohio. It seems like he had fun. I still wish we had gone to Daytona my senior year, but I think it's good that we didn't because I would've been so busy prepping that I would've ignored other things I needed to do. Maybe it was a blessing after all.

No, I don't print up the e-mails here. There's no time limit, so I can take time to read and think about what I want to say. I still try to stay on for only an hour-- maybe a little more. The rules say it's a guideline, not a limit.

Mom, I'm really glad that you're working on family history. I wondering though ... when you've gone so far back on both sides...will there be anything left for me to do? Maybe I'll marry a convert, then I'll work on hers. heh heh.

We're not supposed to get into politics as missionaries, but if you want to send some jokes, it'll be OK. I like the inspirational quotes you sent me.

Quick experience: Just yesterday, we were talking with a lady on the sidewalk. Out of nowhere, this other woman parks her car right next to us, gets out, and starts to "warn" the lady that we were talking to about the "evil, cultist Mormons." She went on for 15 minutes, yelling, cussing, insulting; she told me to shut up when I
asked if we could talk for just one minute,and she reared back to hit my companion when he tried to give the other woman(to whom we were initially talking)a card with our number on it. She claimed that we had a veil put over our eyes, and that we were anti-Christs. When she finished, she got in her car and drove off, still threatening to bring us down, continuing to yell at us while she drove off. Christ wasn't lying when he said that the "Spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil." She wasn't there to warn this lady, she was there to bring us down. But my companion and I rose above the attack, as we heeded to the spirit and decided to let her talk. We didn't argue, and we smiled at her and waved as she drove off. Because we did that, the Spirit of the Lord did not leave us, and in fact, gave us more strength for the rest of the day. We were filled with new resolve, because we knew that Satan noticed us, and he decided to pay special attention to us to discourage us. But if we
rely on the kind, peaceful, yet bold and powerful, Spirit of the Lord,all things are made possible.

Dad, I love the Archie Moore boxing analogy. I know that if we (missionaries) stay down and don't get back up, it's over. Period. No "extra lives" or "save and quit"; can't go back to our body and pick up our old loot like a video game. It's over. If I may, I'd like to add to the analogy...something I learned in the MTC: One of Satan's greatest tools (besides fear, pride, and pornography) is discouragement. Have you ever noticed what happens when a boxer finds an open wound on his opponent? He concentrates on that area, trying to make the wound bigger, until it gets to the point that the opponent can't focus because the pain is too great. Satan too, is looking for the cuts and scratches on our soul, and if he finds them, he's going to dig in and make it bigger. We cannot doubt ourselves. The Lord has called us to do "a great and marvelous work," and we can't do it if we don't have faith in ourselves. So we need to protect these scratches and let them heal.
Also, some people may think, "Oh...it's OK that I like to listen to this music with suggestive lyrics. I don't look at porn, I have high standards in dating, I don't talk dirty, I'm not gonna have sex until I'm married. I'm pretty good. This music is just a small thing. Maybe I'll change later." He's right. It is a small thing. But a small cut that Satan will find, and will attack until it's a gaping hole. No matter how small the cut is, Satan will find it and will bring us down if
we're not careful.

Oh yeah, thanks for the hot sauce you sent. I finished it up this morning, so now I'm using tapatio sauce. It's pretty popular out here...so is a type called Valentina's -- pretty good stuff if I do say so myself.

Thanks again for your love, support and prayers. I love you all very much and yes, I miss you, but it is wicked awesome out here!!!

Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker