Adventures of Mormonator

Final Laps...

2011-10-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

17 Oct, 2011
Mom and Dad,
Weather here has been very nice too. The nights are fantastic. I'm glad I don't have to spend another Las Vegas summer on bike again though. Well, who knows what the Lord has in store for us?

H. and M. were not baptized. They didn't come to church yesterday, so we moved it to next Saturday. I'm not sure about M. He's trying a little harder, but he's still in need of some help with one of his habits. H. on the other hand, is quite a trooper. He's been getting a lot of dirt from his workmates, but he just defends the church, and goes on working. He's been a little discouraged, but he's really trying his hardest. He's amazing. I'm excited to be baptising him.

Re: Luis and Arlene. I called Luis and he said that all was going good. He sounded happy to hear me. He said that he's still going to church but not ready for the temple just yet. Kinda bummed me out, but hopefully he'll still be here when I come back to visit. Arlene is also doing good too.

My Sunday was enjoyable. We had a good sacrament meeting. A sister who just got back from her mission in Provo spoke today, and so did her inactive family. I'm really excited for them. I think they'll being coming back for good. Also, this'll really be good for getting the ward excited to do missionary work. After that, we went with the Acevedo family to visit their neighbors whom they referred to us. They seem very in tune with the Spirit, and didn't have any objections to what we taught. I think that there is a lot of potential.

Yes, Kira DID tell me that I'd be Wesley's birthday present. I'm excited to see them all. It's been a LONG time since I've held a kid. You know, thinking about that, I think that that's the thing that I miss the most. It isn't games or movies, or swimming, or holding hands or cuddling, or anything else. I really miss holding and playing with little children...they've always been a part of my life.

I'd be more than happy to speak in other wards. I love speaking now that I don't have as much anxiety as I used to. Ely really helped me out. I gave talks several times while there. Also, speaking in Spanish really helped me out was well. As for your speaking assignment, Dad, of course you need to speak on what the Lord wants you to speak, but if I could choose, I'd definitely talk to the youth about serving missions. They don't understand that it is our priesthood duty. They don't even understand the power of the priesthood that they have! Now I understand better, and I wish that I had understood sooner so that I could've prepared better and sooner. Jotty really doesn't know how lucky he is to have me go through everything first. I think he understands a little better than I did. He's also definitely more prepared.

Things out here in the mission field couldn't be better. The district is working hard, and we're all happy. We had a baptism last Saturday for Elder Shearer and Elder Quezada.
I've got to get going now, but know that I love you dearly for your unconditional love and support. Before I go, I just want to ask you one favor. Please pray that I can finish my mission strong. I'm not slacking off, but I want to be a missionary till the end, so please include that in your prayers. I love you!

24 Oct, 2011
Mom and Dad,

We just had a Zone Conference last Thursday, and Elder Jensen of the Sevety came. Oh, how I wish that that man could go to every mission and every stake conference and teach them what he taught us. The Lord expects us to confess and repent on our own free will, and not be compelled to do so. It's good to be compelled at times (as Alma the Younger) but even better to humble yourself (as Alma the Elder).

I talked to the post office and they said that it'll probably cost around $30 to ship my bike to AL. I'll find out exactly when I get the bike there, but that'll be on the last Monday, the 7th.

Troy branch has Chinese converts?! That's awesome. I really think that the church is going to boom once they open the gates. I was wondering, why can't we baptize 3,000 people in one day like Peter did? The answer is that we can, but probably not here. Here in the US, people already have a predetermined opinion about the church. We Americans can be stubborn like that. The Asian culture on the other hand, love to learn, and because the church is almost unknown over there, there will be many people interested in learning. So we may see 3,000 baptisms daily. I would not be suprised to see that after the gates open. How to open the gates, however, is a completely different question. I think it'll be close, and I'm not trying to be a pessimist or a warmonger, but I honestly think that the gates won't open until those leaders are out of position. As Pahoran said to Moroni "Whatever evil we cannot resist with our words, we will resist with our swords." Evil kings/dictators cannot be removed without the shedding of much blood.

I love you both so much. Take care and be happy!

Time in the field getting short..

2011-10-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

1 Sept
Dear Mom and Dad,
Yes, I did get the stuff. Thanks very much. I really liked super big marshmallows Jotty sent. We're going take some pictures of us playing chubby bunny. It'll be grand.
I'm a little rushed right now, but I'll try to write you as much as I can.
Re: Faults... we all have faults and we sometimes we forget that even prophets had faults. Noah got drunk. Jonah didn't want to cooperate. Joseph Smith didn't take no for an answer when God told him no. Moses disobeyed God's command to shout at the rock and instead smote the rock. The Brother of Jared forgot to pray to God. Despite our flaws, God can use us as tools in His hands. He did it with the prophets, so why not with others? Each of us needs to read the scriptures, pray, attend church, and spend time doing wholesome recreational activities (service, play, study, projects, activities, etc.). If we are busy doing those things, we won’t have time to worry about the little things that bother us. It's easier said than done, but it IS possible to just decide not to let some stuff bother us.
I was really looking forward to the Cowboys and Aliens movie. I even bought the cup with the gauntlet laser gun thingy from the 7/11 store. Oh well, there are still a bunch of movies that I'd like to see when I get home. I really want to see Prince of Persia. That's been on my list since it came out over a year ago.
Things in the mission are going great. The new trainee program is amazing. It really helps us focus on our companionship studies and the doctrine of teaching. It helps us understand why it is important to teach with the Spirit, and how to do it effectively. I already knew about this stuff, but it took me a while to figure it all out. If I had had this program in the beginning of my mission, I would have progressed a LOT faster than I did. Oh well, you win some, you lose some, I guess. The good thing is that I'm serving to the best of my abilities right now. That's all that matters.
Speaking of hot sauce, I inherited a bottle of Ghost Pepper sauce. I'm bringing it home. It's definitely hotter than a habanera. In fact, it makes habanera taste like a piece of candy. It was the hottest pepper in the world until Elder Shearer came in. He's a new missionary from Boston that is serving in the Ensign ward in my district. He told me about the newest and hottest pepper in the world that was just recently created. It's called the Trinidad Scorpion. It takes about 1.2 million parts water to dilute the 1 part pepper. Basically, if you eat one whole pepper, you need 20 gallons of water to dilute it. Pretty crazy huh?
I can't write too much more, but the good thing is that P-days are now moving to Mondays, so in 4 days, you'll get another e-mail from yours truly! How exciting is that?!
Take care, and be happy, ok?

5 Sept
Dear Mom and Dad,
No, we didn't play “chubby bunny“ with the marshmallows but I did share them. The first thing everyone said when I opened the packages was Holy Cr@p! Those are HUGE marshmallows!
_______ bore his testimony? Wow. I'm really happy for that guy. Is he active now? It'd be nice to him active in the church again. President Hinckley said that ALL people are our brothers and sisters, and that as we love them; we should want to help them. I'm so happy to know that he has changed so much. I'm way happy for him.
So, let me share with you a kind of spiritual experience I had this week.
Since I'm the new district leader, I have a responsibility over my district that is equal to the responsibility of the mission president. I am responsible for my district's work AND wellbeing. Since moving to the position, I have dealt with some of the missionaries’ emotional problems and I know from helping them, that the Lord qualifies those whom he calls. I have been guided by the Spirit many times as I work and talked with them. My point is; The Lord has a work for us, and if we are worthy of His guidance, then He will not allow our weaknesses to get in the way of HIS work.
(on-going joke between Jim and Miles) Well, I gotta get headed out now. Somebody pulled the alarm, and so a new wave of zombies will be coming in a couple minutes. Don't worry about me though. I've got plenty of ammo and I know how to use it. We're pretty well barricaded in here too. And if anything else, remember I have the priesthood. All I have to do is say "Let fire come down from the heavens and consume thee and thy legion." It'll work. I've already done it twice. :)
Sorry this is so short…hopefully more things will happen by next week so that you'll have a longer email from me. I love you and hope you take care!

12 Sept
Mom and Dad,
Thanks for the Happy Birthday. I feel old now. I'm now 21. I'm supposed to feel like an adult, but I still feel like a child. Is that normal?
When you mentioned your friend and how she stop eating sweets, that reminded me about my no soda diet. I've quit drinking soda completely for about 2 months now, and I've lost a little bit of weight, but it's still not enough. I'm trying other things as well. It's really hard.
You’re gonna love dinner when I get back. I'm gonna do a week of Mexican food for you guys. Now, I’m not a pro but I think that you'd like some of the other foods that aren't tacos or burritos (by the way, tacos and burritos from Mexico are WAY different from the tacos and burritos that we make).
I'm looking forward to seeing those who have been strengthened and improved while I‘ve been gone. I sure hope I come back better than when I left. If there's one thing that I've learned on my mission, it's that we are all on a downward escalator. If we want to progress to God, then we need to work to get there. Though we may not be running down, if we stand still; we are still heading down. As long as we move forward, we can make it to Him, we can't afford to stop.
I really like your idea of an email journal. I really appreciate you going through so much hassle and trouble to do that. That means a LOT to me. I love looking back in my journal and reliving the moment. I also write things inspired by the Spirit that may help me out later on in life.
Man. I really want to work with you at the hospital Dad. It sounds very interesting. Plus, I really don't want to lose my Spanish. Not that I'd have a lot of chances to use it, but at least I'd be able to go with you every now and then to translate partake of the “fun“. Is there anything that I could do besides translate?
If President Salmon wants me to speak in his branch, I'd be more than happy too. I'm really anxious to help out the stake in their missionary efforts. I don't think we're focused enough on it. Oh, what I'd do just to be a ward missionary back home. Not many people realize how important it is. As one of the General Authorities said, mission work is the lifeblood of the church. I'm ready to see the South "blossom as a rose."
We have to take a survey before Elder Jensen comes to visit the mission, so that's going to take up a little bit of my email time. Oh, and yes, I got lots of birthday wishes, twelve people emailed and many of them said "can't wait ‘til you get back!" That makes me “trunky“. I don’t think that they realize that I still have 5 more years to serve. (lol)
I love you!

19 Sept
Dear Mom and Dad,
Re: what you asked: One of the things that I've learned on my mission is to accept the Lord's will on ALL things. We have to have faith that no matter what we want for ourselves, what he wants for us is better for us. We need to constantly look for ways to progress. As I said before, life is like going up the down escalator. In order to get to Heavenly Father (the top), we have to keep moving. If we run down, we go straight to hell. If we stand still, we still go down. Even though it may be a slow pace, it's still a descent. We have to keep moving in life. The moment we decide to be content with who we are and stop trying to improve, we slip farther and farther down into the abyss.
The temperature has been letting up over here too. The highs are in the high 80's, and it feels great at night. We've finally got past the deadly summer. I kinda regret not frying an egg on the side walk though. I should've tried it before it ended.
The work has been going great. The district is kicking right now. Even though we haven't had any baptisms this past transfer, we have a lot in store for the month of October. We have several people set for that month, and they all look really promising. We're also getting the ward more involved. It's funny how the zone leaders and president are like "You're such a great district leader. Keep up the great work. You've made a lot of progress lately in that ward. Keep it up." But I'm like, "I just have a great district. All I'm doing is writing down the numbers they get each week and report them to the zone leaders."

26 Sept
Mom and Dad,
Thanks for the update on things back home. I'm so happy for Tim and his wife. I wish them the best of luck.
My teaching pool is doing pretty good. Hilario and Modesto have come to church several times now. Hilario also defended the church from his Pentecostal aunt. He already considers himself Mormon. Also, Modesto isn't getting deported just yet so he'll be able to be baptized here before he goes. One thing I've learned out here is acceptance. Many of the illegals here, aren't here for what the majority of other people think. I'll never forget my first area's Elder's Quorum President when he told us that the only reason he came here to the U.S. was to escape the persecution. He told us how in his village, mobs came and asked who there was Mormon. Those who were Mormon were shot and killed! I had always thought that they just came over here to work or get welfare but there are so many people here that would've been murdered if they had stayed in their country. I'm not saying that all illegals are good or that we should just turn a blind eye to the problem. There are quite a few that do nothing but cause trouble. But I've learned that we can't judge people, and that we need to do what we can to help them.
Anyways, we've got a couple more investigators that are also progressing well. I've been able to contact some of my recent converts, and they seem to be doing good. Arlene is still very active, and she just got her patriarchal blessing. I'm so excited. I'm really hoping that Luis is still active so that I can go to the temple with him when he goes. That'd be even better than a baptism!
No, I didn't hear anything about the whole Hell's Angels thing, so that's news to me. We are alright though. Nothing happened near us.
I think it's funny how people go hunting for certain things, like grizzly bears. I don't know if they're the tasty sort, but I guess it'd make a sick trophy in your house. It'd scare the sheep dip out of anyone who tries to rob his house. Imagine walking in a dark house, turning the corner, and seeing a giant stuffed grizzly. It'd scare me, that's for sure.
It's interesting how you mention the garden thing. I HAVE noticed that many important Spiritual things have happened in Gardens. Also, think about the first vision. Wasn't that a garden of trees? Or how about the appearance of John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John? Also, Mountains, are often a choice place that God uses to reveal and bring His work to pass, i.e.: Mount of Transfiguration, Mount Sinai, and the Mountain in the Lord's appearance to the Brother of Jared. Interesting huh?
Things are going well in the mission field. All the other missionaries don't hesitate to remind me that I only have one month left. It kinda bugs me at times, but I need to accept the fact that the mission comes to a close, and that I need to move on. Not that I'm not looking forward to career, marriage and family, but I am going to REALLY miss the work. I love it!
Take care!

3 Oct
I guess that other people will have to wait when I arrive at the airport… I get to hug you first Mom.
I absolutely loved this conference broadcast. I love Pres. Monson's personality. He's such a vibrant yet spiritual speaker. I really liked Elder Anderson's talk too. I always wanted to have kids, but I hated it when even members of the church would tell me that that's dumb and that I needed to wait. His words rang true when he said that the prophets of the scriptures NEVER ignored nor forgot the Lord's commandment to multiply and replenish the Earth, even during times of tribulation. I also liked Elder Arden's talk on organizing our time.
As for mailing, I'll be sending one or two large flat rate boxes. I've got to pick them up first though. There's this old guy here named Bro. Hatch. He is amazing. He's a retired conservative school teacher and you'd love to hear his political jokes. Anyway, I think he'll be able to pick up the boxes for me and send them once I get them packed.
Let me know if there's anything that I can do for you while out here. Also, if you need to, make a list of jobs for me to do when I get back home.
RE: senior missionaries. There are a slew of senior missionaries here in this mission. Some work in the office, such as secretaries, vehicle coordinators, housing coordinators, medical advisers,and baptismal record coordinators, but there are also senior missionaries in the field. While district leader in Ely, I had Elder and Sister Winder in my district. They worked on the Church's cattle ranch located in Spring Valley. To put it shortly, senior missionaries are doing almost everything. I would look into it if I were you. I can testify to you that you will experience a joy never before experienced in your life and that the love of the Savior will abound in your lives.
I can see there are a lot of things I might want to do when I get home...are we still going to go see Grandpa Parker?
(Jim/Miles joke) I'd take care of the Novistadors if I knew what they were, but since I don't, I guess I'll have to keep an eye out for anything unusual.
Take care, and be happy!

10 Oct
Hello Mom and Dad,
Similar to the mission experience of that woman in your ward, President Christensen had us take fresh copies of the Book of Mormon and make highlights too but he wanted us to highlight the words of Christ, His name (or any pronouns or other names), His qualities, and His doctrine. It was an amazing experience to read it through like that. I can now testify to other people that the Book of Mormon truly is another testimony that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that only through HIM can we be saved of our sins. If people refute that, I can boldly say, with power and authority, that they have not read the book, and that if they have read it, then they do not understand it.
Yeah, I’ve heard of the group Vocal Point. I even have one of their songs on my MP3. I saw that church news thing too in-between sessions but I had no idea that Sanita had married one of them. Well, I didn't even know that she’d gotten married!
So, I haven't gotten an email from Jotty yet. Can you get me his address? The talk that we had on Wednesday, before he entered the MTC, was good. I hope that he understands the importance of his calling. Hopefully he'll really understand while in the MTC. Even though I wasn't a perfect missionary (far from it), my understanding of my calling has kept me out here and kept me from being lazy. Yeah, there were times when I got distracted, but I did my best afterwards to repent and to bring others unto Christ. I know he'll do good.
So... missionary work isn't going that well huh? Why is that? Are the people in the south just stubborn, or are the members not trying hard enough? Are they trying at all? I hope that I do a good job at getting referrals for the missionaries. I think people need to start reading Preach My Gospel. It'd really help them understand that MISSIONARIES CANNOT DO THE WORK BY THEMSELVES. Members need to be involved.
So, I gotta go know, but before I do, Just know that I love you and miss you both. I'm excited to be coming home, but if I look a little sad or upset, don't take it the wrong way. As I've told you before, I love being a missionary. It hasn't quite hit me yet that I'm going home in a few weeks and then I'm taking off the name tag for good. I may appear sad, but don't take it the wrong way. I'm just really going to miss this.
Take care and be happy. I love you!!!

July and August 2011 It's HOT here...and other stories

2011-08-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

June 30th
Re: the last discussion we were having: My opinion is that if it helps if someone isolates themselves from temptation then that‘s what they should do. The point of repentance is not to build up strength so that one can combat sin. It's to overcome it. If someone has to isolate themselves, then so be it. I know a man here who had a problem with gambling. The Bishop is so proud of this man’s progress. You want to know how this brother did it? Isolation. He moved to another city, which is 45 minutes away from the casinos and stuff. He doesn't go into the city with casinos without his wife or anyone there to stay with him. That's how he does it, and he will never go back into that city alone until he has completely conquered his problem. I remember a lesson that taught if you have a problem fighting off temptation, to change the physical environment. It's part of repentance. If someone has a drinking problem and is trying to repent, then it's perfectly fine if he doesn't go into a bar. The Lord doesn't want him to go into a bar and prove his strength by sitting at the bar and staying there for an hour without a drink. There's my rant. Sorry about that.
Re: Our 5 scheduled baptisms: Four of them fell through, but they still want to get baptized. Moroni, on the other hand is still scheduled to be baptized next Saturday. This kid is gung ho for church. Just last week, when we came over for the lesson, he showed us his brand new church clothes and tie. The next day (Sunday) he called his uncle and asked him what time church started. He said 1:00. Moroni said that he'd show up at 12:00. Sure enough, he walks to his uncle’s house all dressed and ready exactly at 12:00. He told his uncle that he needs to start getting ready. At 1:15 Moroni says that they need to go because they are late. His uncle says that he still needs to dress his daughters. Moroni says that's too bad and that they'll have to leave them home. Too funny. This kid is awesome.
So, Dad discovered Facebook is pretty fun… I had to be careful though not to spend too much time on it. You could easily pass away a day and not even know it.
I'm sorry to hear about Sis. Sitz. Like you said, she is in a MUCH better place. She doesn't have to worry about mutant possums or meth lab beakers anymore. I think she'll be enjoying a life of health and no misery. Funerals are a great way to teach the Gospel to non-members.
I'm really excited to help out with the Rescue program back home. You can count on me to keep up with the things that I need to do. I don't know how people just sit back and do nothing about their ward family members that are rotting away in inactivity. If they want to be clean from the blood and sins of others, they need to be involved. That's one thing I've learned about missionary work. While we're out here, we are cleaning the blood from our hands. As members, we all have blood on our hands automatically, and the only way we can clean it off is through working in the ministry. Ezekiel 33 1-9 explains that CLEARLY. It doesn't just apply to missionary work.... it applies to teachers, bishops, stake presidencies, Elder's Quorum presidencies, Prophets, area authorities, and so on. Reading that passage really opened up my eyes. Of course the Lord doesn't expect us to be perfect, but He DOES expect us to give it a shot and keep at it.
Well, Thanks for the email. I'm really happy that things are going well for you. Hope that Obamanomics don't affect you TOO much and that you'll be able to manage.

July 8th
Our 4th of July was actually a little anti-climactic. We didn't do any fireworks at a member's house, but I did turn 20 (missionary) months old. I'm scared to come home now. Not like terrified, but more like "What the heck am I gonna do?" I can't go to school just yet, cause I don't know where to go. I don't know who to date (well, that's if you- know-who ends up getting married). I don't know where to work. I just don't want to have to worry about it, but I know that I'm gonna have to. Don't get me wrong. I miss you all a lot. I just don't know how to handle the situation at home.
That must've been scary with Brice (he had an incident where he was in the pool and after swimming to the bottom of the deep end suddenly became pale, incoherent and slow to respond). I love that we have the priesthood and faith on our side. Priesthood blessings have saved my behind so many times (well, you already know THAT, but whatever- I can still say it). Keep me updated on how he is.
Oh, I DID do something yesterday. We didn't get any fireworks, but we DID get those little pop thingies that you throw on the ground. An investigator’s kid was playing with them and she gave me three little boxes. She had like 20 boxes. So I was throwing them around when I got a bright Idea. I took 20-30 of them, took out the rocks and but it all into a paper towel and made a BIGGER pop-thingy. It was loud. I didn't think that it would actually work, but it did.
Don't ask me why, but I just thought of a pair of scissor that I saw a month or two ago. They are made by Fiskars, and lemme tell ya, they are SICK. They have a twine cutter, tape cutter, bottle opener, blade sharpener, they come apart to make a knife, and something else I think. Anyways, I saw it and a demo video right next to it, and thought, "Wow, I could use something like that. That'd be really handy." Then I thought, "Wow, I sound just like Mom." I thought it was funny. It's interesting to see how children pick things up from their parents.
Yeah, we’ve seen some crime out here in some areas…even murders. Not like at the moment they happen, but I've seen the police bust out the yellow tape several times. It's pretty sketchy. I'm not worried by any means, but at the same time, I AM cautious. While I'm not afraid of death, I don't think that I'd find it convenient at this time of my life. I've still got a couple of things to do on my bucket list before I kick it.
I've got to get going. Thank you for everything that you do. I love you, and hope the best for you. I hope that your Missionary experience goes well. Once you start the fire of missionary work, the only thing that can put it out is inactivity, and we both know that that won't happen to you, because you are awesome!

July 14th
You are so funny Mom. hahaha. Seriously though. I like how you listed calling her as 4 of my 11 promised blessings from God. I just told Jotty actually, that I'm not getting my hopes up, but I'm also not dashing it to pieces. I'm just gonna go for it if I get the chance.
Wow, what a story (about Jotty and another brother being in Wal-Mart when another member collapsed there). They seriously need to write that and send it into the Ensign. That would be a great article to show that God really IS in control. You're definitely right. That was no coincidence. I can't tell you how many times me and my companions have been in the right place at the right time. It's been the result of several baptisms. BOY am I glad for the guidance of the Spirit.
I kinda know how Dad feels. There have been a lot of times that I have been told, "Don't worry about it." It bugged me at first, but I'm over it. I think that you are right. Dad is very focused when it comes to his calling. He's a very obedient man. I think that that's why the Lord put him in the stake presidency. He loves to teach, and like you said, always teaches with the Spirit. He's good at it. I think in the end he's really gonna miss his calling (and the teaching) when they are released. I'm gonna miss mine as a missionary.
I DID get the box. Thank you for the goodies. Thanks for sending me healthy ones too. I've actually been eating a lot of sunflower seeds recently. They help curb my appetite, and you can't get fat on them. I've also got some chili/lime powder to put on fruit so that I can snack on that. I'm losing a little bit of weight. Also, I'd like to work with Dad at the hospital or somewhere... basically, I'd like to translate.... and work. I like working. Thanks Mom, for teaching me to appreciate it.
Before I go, I want to let you know that I miss the rain a LOT. We've been having some rain here recently, and I loved it! It never lasted long though. It would rain a TON for a couple of minutes, then stop and the sun would come out, resulting in Alabama humidity. I miss thunderstorms and all that jazz. Oh the things you never knew you had until you didn't have them anymore.
Something I'm glad I learned before I came out on my mission is to not let things get to me. I think I started working on that when I was 16 or 17..... anyway, that has helped me out a lot. I'm pretty sure now that when I get back home, I'll have even more patience. I'm glad I learned that out here in the mission.
We had a baptism last Saturday!!!!!!!! Moroni finally got baptized. He didn't get confirmed though. To put a long story short, he was locked inside the house, so his uncle couldn't pick him up to bring him to church. It was kind of a bummer, but he should get confirmed this coming up Sunday. Man, the adversary really doesn't rest at all, does he?

July 21st
Yeah, it's pretty hot out here, but I don’t miss the Alabama mugginess. yuck. That's the ONLY thing I don't like about Alabama, but I still love it.
Dad told me about the floods in the rooms downstairs. I'm glad to know that Mark and Sarah offered to help. Hope that takes care of it.
It's gonna be so weird when I get back. I really will have a need to tell people at church, I'm Elder Parker....... MILES Parker." Many families have moved already huh? I still miss the Tukuafu's. I think it's so cool that her son was born on the day I went into the MTC. He'll be two when I get back.
The seeds and the popcorn where really good. I like that popcorn. I'd have to try other flavors when I get back.
Our new mission President, President Neider, is awesome. He's a LOT different from Pres. Christensen, but just as good. He's got a great sense of humor too. I'm still companions with Elder Carrasco, and our teaching pool is doing good. We're still looking for investigators though, which gets increasingly harder as it gets increasingly hotter. The work still must be done. Who else will do it?
Dad, speaking of Captain America, have you heard about the movie Cowboys and Aliens? I've only seen the cups, and a glimpse of a preview while eating dinner, and it looks pretty cool. 7/11 is selling a slurpee called "Alienade".
So, it's getting hotter out here. I'm fine with it (Alabama heat is MUCH worse), but people out here are irritable. They don't even want a card. pretty sad if you ask me. Yesterday this one woman asked us what we were doing. I told her we were missionaries and we came to visit someone. She said we were trespassing. I told her no, we came to visit someone specific, and we don't sell anything either, neither are we knocking on random doors. She told me that I was lying and that I don't need to come back. I told her "Go knock on that door. She'll tell you that we just finished visiting her." "Look. Don't argue with an 80 year old lady. I'm right, you're wrong. Get out please." The nerve of some people. She's lucky I wasn't some hoodlum with a short temper. Some people these days....
Things are going good though, despite the setbacks. We're working hard, and making progress.
Well, that wraps it up for now. I'm glad that you’re all still working and that things are still going good for you. Life is meant to be full of surprises. Take it as it comes with a smile and a PMA. Y’all are awesome. I love you!

July 28th
The new auditorium at the high school sounds like quite a jaw-dropper. I'm kinda anxious to see it now. Maybe it would be possible to do Phantom of the Opera there with all that stuff. Speaking of stages and theater, I'd really like to take you out here to see some shows. While there is some very questionable stuff, there's also a few family approved shows and entertainment. I'd have to do some more research though. I wanted to take you to see Phantom out here, but I here that they've added some inappropriateness to it. What a bummer. Why do people do that?
So.... when are Stefanie and Brady getting married? Will I be back in time? I'd kinda like to go, but at the same time, I don't. I don't want to see or experience a sealing until my own, but at the same time, I'd like to see Stefanie get married. She's been a great friend and example to me as a focused member and temple worthy one too. She wrote me a note in the MTC about how I had set an example for her, when I really did nothing of the sort. SHE inspired ME to take my calling seriously, and to do what I could, even though I was only in the MTC. I'm really happy for her. oh, quick question. Does she still speak Spanish?
I don't remember the model number for my typewriter. I’ll let you know what model it is next week. Thanks for trying to get the ink cartridges.
I'm glad to hear about her friend learning the TRUTH about Mormon's and not believing what some other preacher says. I hate bigotry and hypocrisy. Preachers who do that aren’t thinking. How in the world can we believe in a different Christ than they do when the Christ that we believe in was born of a Virgin, performed miracles, suffered for our sins, died on a cross by the traitorous hands of a "friend", paid for our sins, and was resurrected 3 days later. How is our Christ different from "theirs" when ours is also our Savior and Redeemer, the Son of God in the flesh, and the ONLY MEANS whereby salvation can be achieved. It's not that hard to find out what others believe, so people should do some research before they make an assumption, ya know what I mean? Good golly. I don't mind if people don't believe our message, but to judge us unrighteously based on rumors and false statements is unacceptable. Man. Sorry for my rant. It's a pet peeve of mine.
This week did kinda go by fast. It seems like it was yesterday I was here at the computer writing you an e-mail. The weeks seems to blend together and the time slips right on by. I used to want time to go by fast. Now I want it to slow down. I don't have much time left, I still have a lot of work to do. Do you feel that way about your calling? I love helping the Lord in His work. I love making things go the way they should, but after I'm released, I can't. I guess that's what the Lord intends to happen though. I think that He enjoys seeing us change our perspective of His work, changing it from a burden to a pleasurable privilege.
Even though we are out almost all day in the blistering heat, I'm surviving. Everyone here is very generous with their water (and their beer, but of course we don't drink that). If we ask for water, they give it to us. I'm so happy for the goodness that still lives in the hearts of even the worst of sinners.
So, we finally confirmed Moroni. He came in just in the nick of time (right before we closed the doors for Sacrament). Now he's a full-fledged member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!
I wanted to know what you think: We have a problem here in that when we ask for people to give transportation to someone, they decline, reasoning that we need to help our investigators be more self reliant. I understand what they mean, and it’s true- but don't you think that that's a lack of charity? In our ward at home, nobody has a problem driving 20 extra miles to pick someone up, but here, they grumble and complain that they have to go 6 extra miles. There’s a temple right here- but they still don't go every week, whereas back home, we look forward to our next temple trip in 3 or 4 months. I'm not saying that the Saints here are terrible, but I don't understand that mentality. Why would someone NOT want to help someone out. Saying that they should walk to church in the heat while they ride in car is like saying, "Hey. YOU make sacrifices, cause I don't want to." Whatever happened to the Savior's teaching of "If he bid you go with him for a mile, go with him twain."? Do you have any suggestions or scriptures I can use to teach this to others? in the ward?
Thanks for all that you do. I hope that work goes good for you Dad, and that you can find a better job. I WILL keep you in my prayers. I love you and hope the best for you. Take care and be happy! I hope that all goes well with the play Mom.

4 August
New Babies! I'm really happy for Tim and Nicole! He must be doing awesome right now. And I DO remember the Mitchell's. He was my EQP before I left. I didn't know him very well, but I do remember that I felt a strong spirit of sincerity and kindness around him. Tell them both I said Congrats on their new additions.
I just got a call from the mission office. Here‘s the conversation:
"Hello, this is Sister Royal from the Nevada, Las Vegas Mission Office. How are you Elder Parker?"
"I'm fine."
"That's good. Well, I'm calling because I need to purchase your flight tickets now. What major airport to live close to?"
It trunked me out. I can't believe that I'll be done in three months. I kinda don't want to go back home. I love you all, don't get me wrong, but..... I love serving the Lord. If I could, I'd just bring you guys out here and keep on working, but as you well know, I can't. Life goes on. There are many things to look forward to: Marriage, school, marriage, career, marriage, games, marriage, family home evenings, marriage, work, marriage, Enterprise ward, marriage........ oh I almost forgot -- marriage. I think that all these things will keep me from being DISTRAUGHT when I'm released. I think marriage would help me out too. :)
Yeah, I think I'll do that Dad. If someone refuses to help, I'll ask them, "What would Jesus do?" or better yet like you said, "If Jesus asked you for a ride, would you give it to Him?" Maybe they will see it better that way.
Man, we've never been robbed before I left on the mission. Then all of sudden, our cars get broken into twice and JaNae and Jeremy’s house..... I want to find this guy and show him the power of the Mighty One. Seriously though, as far as suggestions go it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep Moroni around on the middle floor. Although, he is getting old and less protective. Just FYI, Pit Bulls are VERY loyal and VERY protective dogs. They aren't like what a lot of people think they are. I've met quite a few of them here on the mission, and they are quite an intimidating sight for those that break in. So are German Shepherds. Interesting trivia. Do you know why German Shepherds are so named? In Germany, the farmers sent their boys to town with one of these dogs. They are big, loyal, friendly, and protective. They have the nastiest bite of all dogs. They would "shepherd" the boy to town and back safely. Cool fact eh? If worse comes to worse, you can set up booby traps to catch the thieves red-handed.
Well, I gotta get going now. Take care and be happy! I love you very much! Lemme know if I can do anything while over here in the Desert.

11 August
Don't worry Mom. I wouldn't ever NOT email you. The computer I was on warned me about turning off to have a scheduled update. So we had to go back to our apartment for awhile. Now I'm here. Don't worry. I got it all under control. Take notes. LOL
The 17 points of the true church lesson that Jeremy did for FHE sounds great. I heard the talk when the man first published them. The story is AMAZING. He figured those points out with the Bible alone, and then found the Mormon church and was baptized AFTER he made up the list. Quite an inspiring story. We don't use it much out here. Sometimes we go into certain points, but we don't do them all.
Jotty told me that he's been working on his Spanish, and that he didn't think that he'd have many problems when he gets to the field. Since he asked me, I responded to him, completely in Spanish. Then I reminded him that he's going to Mexico City. Down there, they have this type of people called chilangos (much like rednecks). They have an awful sense of dress, and poor grammar. He's GOING to have a hard time, unless of course the Lord blesses him with the gift of the interpretation of tongues. Speaking of which, I'm still having a hard time understanding people. It's so weird. I still speak and write much better than I can understand. I can even translate good when reading, but listening and comprehending is a different story. I think that it's kept me humble though. I enjoy being humble. Less problems in my life when I am.
That pirate ship trip sounds really cool. I remember Jacob telling us about it. One day I hope to bring you out here to see some shows. While there are a lot of "sketchy" ones, there are also a lot of family ones too. There's one that I think Dad would really like. It's called Kind Arthur’s arena. While you sit and eat, men down in the pit, donning a full suit of armor, are jousting, fencing, and what ever else knights do. It's a little noisy, and I heard that the food isn't that good, but whatever…sounds like an awesome show. There's also the Blue Man Group, Penn and Teller, and MacKing. Terry Fator the ventriloquist is there, and he's very clean as well.
Thanks for the stories about JaNae’s boys. Cian's such a funny kid. Brice is too. I'm looking forward to playing with my nephews and nieces again.
As far as spiritual experiences go, I don't have one on the top of my head. But I DO have an awesome story that goes to prove that scripture doesn't lie. ahem:
A couple days ago, we were just biking, looking for people to talk to. We came across a couple pushing their baby in a baby stroller. We talked with them very briefly about how the Gospel as taught through a modern day prophet can help us come closer to Christ, and closer as a family. They accepted a return appointment, and gave us permission to refer them over to English missionaries (they didn't speak Spanish). A couple days after that, the missionaries who we referred them to told us how they had already taught the couple the first lesson. They went by yesterday and Kyle (the husband) said, "Ya know, I've been thinking about what you guys said yesterday. Me and my wife prayed about it, and it's something that we want to pursue. We'd like to continue with you guys." In Doctrine and Covenants, section 4, the Lord says to Joseph Smith, "Behold, the field is white, already to harvest. And lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same perisheth not, but bringeth salvation unto his soul." We as missionaries are reapers. We were given sickles, not seeds. It is not our job to plant seeds. That belongs to the members. Some wheat stalks take a couple more hacks to cut down (meaning, several missionaries might need to work with him before he is baptized), but nonetheless, we are reapers. These two people were "white, already to harvest". Scripture does not lie. Anyone who says that their mission was just to plant seeds, is wrong. Members plant seeds, not missionaries.
Well, I've got to get headed out now. I love you very much. Take care, work hard, and be happy.

18 August
Re: bike. No cost. The Todds bought a warranty, so it gets fixed for free. I like this bike a lot. I'm not being hard on it, but I AM a big guy.
I'm about at that point where I need to send stuff home so I’ll be starting to send boxes.
I'm planning on sending books. Also, when you send my SD card back, would you be able to send a book of stamps please? That would help me out greatly.
I have planned to write Brice a letter. I just need a little bit of time to write it up and to send it. Also, has Bro. Jones gotten back yet? I was going to write him, but he told me that he was coming back soon, so I didn't want to send a letter to Iraq, and have him return after he comes home.
Wow...... Jotty's already going to the temple. Time goes by so fast. I can't believe that he'll be leaving in less than a month.
So this week has been a little slow. We've been on foot for a while, but I'm trying not to let it get to me. I don't mind the heat and stuff, but what I do mind is that I'm not able to talk to many people. Not many want to stop and talk to us. They all say that it's too hot to talk and I'm like, "Yes, but if you would just listen to what we have to say." Of course I don't really say that, but sometimes I really want to. Oh the things I'd say if I didn't have this tag on my chest. Oh well. I can't have it all now can I? teaches me more patience.
I'm training a new missionary again. I'm also district leader. My new trainee is Elder Martinez. He's from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon Mexico. He's a way cool elder. He already speaks English too. He learned a lot from his uncle, who served with a bunch of Americans on his mission. I'm a little nervous, but I know that this work will only bring me blessings. When I was district leader in Ely, it was really like I was a senior companion of two companionships. I only had to call the senior couple once a week on Sunday, and prepare trainings for a hour-long district meeting that we had every other week. Now I'm responsible for 3 companionships, exchanges, daily stewardship calls to my district and to the zone leaders, baptismal interviews, and weekly district meetings. I'm excited for it though.
I've got to get going, I love you very much!

25 August
I heard about Jotty and his delay into the MTC. It‘s cool that he‘ll be part of a pilot program though. I haven't heard about any pilot program until just now. Is it something new that they are trying, or is it because he's a little more advanced in his Spanish? Whatever it may be, I know that he's ready to do it. I love 1st Nephi 3:7. It's really helped me out while here on the mission.
Oh man! Did the Temple President really say that? That'd be awesome!(re: helping Miles get into Auburn’s Vet program) I'm fairly excited to see what happens with that. I hear Jacob's planning on going to Auburn too. I think that'd be cool to be there when he is. Eric will probably be gone by then.
Things in the field are great. Elder Martinez is the bomb! He's a little unsure about himself, but he's really doing great. As for me, I'm doing good as well. It's really hot out here. The whole week has been over 100. Yesterday was a murderer. 110 degrees. Not the most ideal temperature, but we worked anyway. The Lord protected us. As for investigators, we've got several who are progressing towards baptism. The Rivera Family have been coming to church for the past 3 weeks, but we haven't been able to visit and teach them, because the Dad is always working. It seems like Satan doesn't just work through discouragement. I think God allows him to do things that physically block us from our goals, but He also knows that if we have faith, he can remove them for us, or he will at least give us strength to cope with it. I hope that we, AND our investigators have that faith that we need.
Re: spiritual experiences. I'm not quite sure why I don't tell you as many. They definitely still happen, but I think that they are a lot smaller and more frequent. For example, yesterday, my companion got a flat. Because he got a flat, we had to get a ride and as a result, ended up arriving late to our appointment. When we got inside, they mentioned how they had just gotten home and were hoping that they hadn't missed us. We thought that the flat tire was a hindrance, but it was indeed a blessing. Our investigators (Miguel and Lucrecia), really want to come to church and to change their lives. If we didn't show up late, we wouldn't have been able to teach them. We see them again on Saturday, and plan on setting them for baptism. I know that they will accept.

Re: the many questions that you asked. 1) I've been using other missionaries white pants to baptize since mine were lost. 2) I’m not sure when I will be sending the bike home…probably “as I leave” so to speak. Right now I am waiting for a new rim to come in. In the mean time, Elder Ellis is lending me his bike. 3) Yes, the suit is holding up nicely too. 4) I'm planning on sending 3 to 4 boxes home using the flat rate boxes because there's no weight charge up to 75 pounds. If you can fit it, they'll ship it. It'll mostly be extra clothes and books. They make up a lot of the weight that I have. And 5) In the district, there are 3 companionships. My role as a district leader is to make sure that my missionaries are happy and are working hard. They report to me for the week, and I report to the zone leaders. I am also in charge of making sure that the ward is progressing. Not like I'm in charge of the ward (that's the bishop), but since all the district companionships are all in the ward, and I'm the leader, I head the work. I plan out district meetings and trainings, and I also do baptismal interviews for the missionaries in my district. It's a lot different than when I was in Ely. I guess in Ely I was more like a senior companion of two companionships. This is a lot different.
Well, I've got to get headed out now. Take care and be happy. I love you very much.

con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

May and June 2011 (and the last week of April)

2011-06-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

April 28th
I went to the temple today, and learned a little something about faith, or rather, my faith was strengthened. I normally don't go to the temple with a question because I'm afraid that I won't receive an answer while I'm there. Before I went to bed last night, I thought about it, and decided I should go with a question. My companion asked me a question and I thought about it. I couldn't answer it, so I took it to the temple. Lo and behold, I exercised faith and received my answer. It took me a little bit of studying, but I finally got it. Faith is such a deep yet simple subject. You can't have fear if your going to have faith. Don't worry about whether or not promised blessings and answers come soon. Just trust that they DO come.... always. There might be times that I don't receive my answers in the day that I go to the temple, but I know that as I continue going, and that as I read the scriptures, I WILL receive my answer.
Speaking of Jotty waiting for his mission call…I think our stake needs a mission prep class. I hear of a lot of wards and stakes in the USA have them.
Things are going well. We have a couple new solid investigators. One of them is a guy named Edgar, who used to meet with the missionaries, but was never sober. He finally sobered up, quit drinking, and wants to get baptized. Two others are Jose and Rosalva, a couple who are kinda going through some rough times. He's just been diagnosed with some mental disorders. He's really nice when we're around and I'm excited to be working with them.
Well, that's all for now.
P.S. I should be able to capture some live footage of zombies here in Las Vegas soon.

May 5th
So we set two people for baptism a couple days ago. Their names are Gaby and Brittany. Gaby is a mother that we contacted on the street. She said that she wasn't too interested, but that she wanted us to teach some stuff to her children, Brittany and Ashley (9 and 7 years old respectively). We taught them several lessons, and she
would "listen" as she did other things. Then she noticed that we used the Book of Mormon. She wanted to learn more, and she came to church as well. At our last appointment, she talked about how she really liked the things that she heard. She was quick to accept a date, and her older daughter is also wanting to be baptized. We are really excited,We had a Zone Conference on Monday, and let me tell you it was an amazing experience. President Christensen talked a lot about light,and about how we all have it, some more than others. We took a small hike up part of a mountain, and he invited us to take a couple of minutes, go to a secluded spot, and evaluate how much light we've gained since being on a mission, and how we can improve it. As I pondered, I felt the Spirit tell me (and I wrote this down too) "The attitude that I carry now is the same attitude that I had developed in the pre-existence. I promised my friends up there that I would find and teach them. Did I make a hasty promise, or was I a man of my word?" I have always considered myself a man of my word. I think you guys have too. I always knew that I made promises to friends, but when the Spirit had me ask myself whether or not I was a man of my word, I was struck to the heart. I want to work hard and fulfill my promise that I made. They were apparently very important to me back then, so why not be that important to me now? I love how the Spirit communicates with me. I love revelation.
So, to plan ahead. I'm planning on calling on Mother’s Day at 1:30 my time, which will be 3:30 your time. If it's a little later, it's because I'm still biking home from church. I'm looking forward to it.
We just got a missionary who came straight out of Russia. He is awesome! He knows English pretty well too, because he spent some time in Nebraska as a foreign exchange student.
I've been reading the New Testament again lately, and it's really depressing on how the Pharisees just didn't want to get it. Jesus one time talks about shooting beyond the mark. Think about it: If you want to hit the target with a firearm, do you shoot at it, or pick a target beyond the bull's eye? So many times the Pharisees went too far in explaining and interpreting scriptures, when in all reality, the answer was right there in front of them. Sometimes we do that too. We search and stretch our answers out in order to accommodate us, but the answer is right there. One example is caffeine. So many LDS say the caffeine is against the word of wisdom. Do they say it to it to make themselves seem more righteous? While it isn't a bad idea to avoid caffeine, it is nonetheless, a personal choice. The Lord only says, “hot drinks“, which specifically means tea and coffee. Shooting beyond the mark. It will destroy us if we don't watch out.

May 12th
The costumes look really good Mom. If you lived in Hollywood, you'd totally get hired. Then again, if we were in Hollywood, we'd also be surrounded by idiotic liberals. Wait sorry....... I'm supposed to refrain from political discussions right now.
We had a lesson with Gaby and Brittany. While we where teaching her about blessings, I asked her a very simple question that I usually ask all our investigators, "What are some of the blessings that God has given you." She then started to get teary and told us of her violent and tragic childhood, and how she's felt that God has been ignoring her, or that He doesn't love her. She said, "I want you both to tell me that I'm wrong, that I've misunderstood. I've been thirsty for a long time, and I want to know God." When we first met her, she didn't seem that interested. She just wanted us to teach her children. Like her, there are people out there that are, like Gaby said, thirsty for the truth. They look normal, and act normal, but deep down inside, they are dying. They long to know that God loves them, and that he has a plan for them. They search for answers that have long been unanswered. We never know how someone really feels until we introduce them to the Gospel. When they realize that we have the water that they've been looking for, that is when they open up. It was a big testimony
builder for me. These people ARE out there. We just have to find them.
Yes, I'm still with Elder Cunha. He's a great guy, even though our personalities clash at times. He's taught me a lot about accepting positive criticisms and being humble. I've really enjoyed serving with him so far.
We just dedicated the new mission office today. Just like the temple dedications, we had a mission culture celebration afterwards. All the in-valley zones came and did some skits and songs. It was really fun. Some of the missionaries in our mission have a lot of talent.
We got a referral from another missionary for a family that wants to learn. When the other missionaries met them, they asked questions like "How can I get the priesthood?" and "How can we be married for eternity?" We have our first lesson with them at 6:30. I'm excited to teach them.

P.S. Pres. Christensen says that I have to do something about my suit soon. My pants are so worn out. I’ve mended them as much as I can but they are about to fall apart.

May 19th
I DID get the suit and it DOES fit. I was so happy Mom. I think I was happier than when we got the Xbox 360 from Uncle Ross and Aunt Hannah. It fits very well and it feels very comfortable.
Everything else is fine. I'm very content right now, especially because I don't have to worry about a HUGE GAPING hole in my pants. Thanks a TON!
I have gained an even bigger testimony of the scriptures since I've been on my mission. I've received so much strength just from reading them, and they have answered several of my questions. Reading the scriptures is a commandment. The Lord expects us to "treasure up the word." Those who wrote the scriptures sacrificed time, talents, strength, and sometimes even their lives to give us what we have. How would they feel that we weren't using what they gave us. You know how it is Mom. You've seen several of your own children under-appreciate things that they have. Sorry to be preachy. I didn't mean to sound that way.
Something else happened in the past week that struck me. Do you remember Luisa? The cranky old lady? Well, she's been really sick and we've had a hard time getting the members to help her. We've done a lot for her, and when she needed to go to the hospital she wanted us to go with her. We called the Zone Leaders to get permission to leave the zone, and they asked the assistants, which ask President. Instead of going back down the chain of command, President called me directly. He told me that because we are missionaries, our sole purpose is to be master teachers of the Doctrine of Christ. We can't spend our time helping out people with their personal problems. While it hurt me to hear that, I realized that it's true. Our purpose is to teach the Doctrine of Salvation, and not to solve every little problem a person has. President said that Elder Cunha and I have a big heart (it's true, we both do), and that it'll be hard to leave it alone, but that we needed to have members or others solve the physical needs for us. Attitude really does depend on us. Ultimately, it IS Christ who makes the actual change, but WE have to ALLOW Him to change us.
Also, just a question for you. I've been thinking this for a while, and I want to know. Why is it that people feel safe around me? Luisa said that she wanted me to go to the hospital with her, because she sees me as the son she never had. She feels confident in me, and she feels safe around me. She's not the first one to say that either. _____ told me the same thing. She said she doesn't normally trust men, but that she trusted me a lot and felts safe and secure around me. What do you think?.... I don't really understand.
I don‘t know a lot that‘s going on right now but I hear enough to know politics are getting even more corrupt now. It's completely changed the mind of the people from being productive to being lazy. I was talking to someone and he said that the time when politics started to get corrupt is when the leaders started getting paid for their work. When this nation started, we had a semi-lay presidency. Like the church, the leaders back in the day didn't get paid. They had their own jobs. They did receive a little stipend in order to pay for travel expenses. I understand that there is more to do these days, but they honestly have too much money coming to them. That's the big motive: money, power, and the glory of man. Well, anyways, enough of my rant. Dad, I‘m sorry you have to put up with stuff like that.
I'm good here. Nothing big happening to us, but there has been some stuff happening. Someone just got murdered here near where we live. Don't worry though, because we are safe. This area is pretty sketchy though. There are a lot of people that only want welfare help too. Have to sift through a lot.

May 26th
I'm now in the East stake in the Ensign ward. I'm still in Spanish and am serving with Elder Carrasco. He came into the mission with me, so I've known him for a while. He's a way cool Elder, and is very kind too. I'm happy to be with him so far. He speaks more Spanish than English, so this'll be great.
WOO! Go Brice! Glad he likes Cub Scouts. I hope he stays in Scouts. That'll be so good for him AND his parents. I learned a lot in scouts, but it still pales in comparison to the things that I've learned on my mission.
So get this. In my area, we actually cover a part of the Strip. Yeah,the STRIP. I thought it interesting to note that the closer you get to the casinos and to the strip, the poorer the housing is. The closer you get to the temple, the better the housing is, and the calmer it gets. Also, the streets on the strip are four lane highways. There are expressways, and the freeway also has several exits and entrances the Strip. But at the temple, the four lane turns into a turn lane. It reminded me about the scripture that says the way to salvation is NARROW, and few remain on the path, but the gate to sin is WIDE, and the road down to damnation is WIDE as well. Many that live near the Strip live in poverty and poor housing, and it's really noisy and sketchy and dirty over there. Over by the temple, the people live in peace and serenity. Housing is big, comfortable, and clean. I'm NOT saying that money is happiness, but it did get me to think about sin and obedience. Those that indulge in and live near sin, live in spiritual poverty, while those who live in the ways of God, have a mansion in His courts on high. They are Spiritually secure and are at peace. Interesting correlation eh?
I DID get the package. Thank you so much! Even though I'm over a thousand miles away, you still manage to do things for me. Man, I've already past my 18 month mark. I'm only 5-6 pounds heavier than when I started, but I'm working on coming back lighter than when I left. Something that I've been doing to help me eat less is sunflower seeds. Sometimes I eat, not because I'm hungry, but because I simply want to eat something. It helps curb my appetite.
Jotty must be dying like I was when I was waiting for my call. Wouldn't it be cool if he came here with me? I've heard of that happening before. I could only be so lucky.
I appreciate you sharing your testimony Dad. We taught this one person who is 69 (Luisa), and on the brink of death. She has several serious medical problems. She's scared to death of death (I know, very punny). Whenever we tried to talk about the Spirit World and what happens after death, she'd start to cry and to get frantic. Several people have asked me before whether or not I was afraid of death. I've responded, and I honestly believe with all my heart, that while I would be afraid of the pain, I do not fear death in the least bit. I like you, KNOW where I'm going after I "go the way of all the earth." It doesn't scare me. I look forward to the resurrection and receiving a perfect, muscular, handsome, all-powerful and all- knowing body. Doesn't that sound like fun? I'm not saying I want to go right now, because I'd still like to finish my mission, get married, have a family, do other things... but if the Lord called me right now, I'd have no fear.
Sorry I went and rambled. I think I get that from you dad. Haha. Speaking of "Mexican" grill out, if that's what you really want to do, I'll have to do some cooking. Latinos don't out-grill us Southerners, but they DO have some interesting flavoring techniques. I'll have to show you some day.

June 2nd
Wow.... Mom, a 16mm kidney stone? That‘s impressive! I'm so glad I drink lots of water. Some of the missionaries have had them too. One of them, said it was a living hell. The way he said it made me laugh, but I thought "YIKES!" It must be super painful.
I think it’s great that Jotty is going to Mexico for his mission! I WISH I had as much time to prepare as he does. Keep nudging him. I wished I had learned when I was younger that you know what you’re doing.
So, I'll tell you a quick story before I move onto answering Jotty’s email.
On our way here to email, we just experienced a small miracle. Yesterday, while waiting for the other missionaries to arrive so we could start a service project, we went around and talked to people. I was in front, and felt inspired to turn on an alleyway. It wasn't a strong impression, just a very small one. I talked with two men who, despite being rough-looking, were very kind and listened to what we had to say. We talked a little bit about the plan, and asked them if we could come back. They declined but accepted a card. When we gave them the Mormon.org card, one of them said he wanted to give it to his brother, who really liked studying about Jesus. The other one, Mark, continued to carry on the conversation. We talked about the supposed "end of
the world" and talked about how since we don't know when he's coming,we need to prepare ourselves. After a couple minutes, we invited them to check out the website themselves and then left. We just saw Mark today. He stopped us and thanked us for talking to him. He said that he's only seen missionaries on the streets, and was surprised that we went down an alleyway. He said it was God who sent us to talk to him.
Since yesterday, he's started reading the scriptures again, he's confessed to his employer that he was stealing drinks and promised that he would stop, and is looking for a rehab center to help him get off of meth. I was really happy. He's homeless, so we won't be able to teach him right now, but I know without a doubt that if he were to die today, he would accept the Gospel in the Spirit World. I love how the True Gospel causes a reaction within the people who are earnestly seeking it. This was definitely a testimony builder.
Yep, regarding the guidelines on feeding the missionaries…we've "raised the bar," on mission diligence. For me, the whole dinner thing is to make us utilize the best proselyting hours effectively. Spanish people seem to ALWAYS be late. Since they are
late, we start dinner late and end up proselyting late. Hence, all dinner appointments must be no more than an hour. No dinner appointments must continue past 6:00 pm
either. If the members are late, eat dinner quickly. If you don't get to eat, go out and work--you'll be blessed for your sacrifice. I'm actually happy though. It's a challenge to be more diligent and to sacrifice more. I'm excited to see what blessings come to the mission.
As for baptisms, we don't have any set right now, but that might change tonight. We're teaching to young adults named Hilario and Modesto. They both have good questions, and try to understand what we teach them. Elder Carrasco and I think they have a lot of potential.
Yes, I did see Elder David Jones at the temple. It was good to see him. He’s a bike Elder and has lost some weight and he has a great spirit about him even though he is still a little shy. We get to attend the temple every transfer, but only if we're in the valley.
I'm really enjoying the mission right now, and am trying to do my best. It's hard, but
it's always worth it.

June 9th
Mom, I like your comments about the "rescue" program. I think that that's what too many people think as well. A big problem that we have in Spanish work is that home teaching is always low. People just kinda expect things to happen, and aren't really proactive and anxiously engaged. Of course, not all Hispanics are like that. One thing that Jotty will learn is that the Mexican culture will make him work hard. He'll have a LOT of baptisms, but he'll have to work extra hard to keep them active. He's gonna have to be patient too, because they will rely on him and his companion to do things that aren't really in his stewardship.People will call him instead of their home teachers for blessings. They will rely on him for other things as well. He'll have to do a lot, so he'll need a LOT of patience.
In fact, Jotty will be in Dale Galinski’s mission. That makes things even better. I'm hoping that Dale will get to train Jotty. As for Mexico City, I hear that most of the
problems are at the border, in places like Tijuana, Juarez,Chihuahua, Mexicali, etc. Mexico City will be rough, but I don't think that Jotty will be in danger. You have to have faith that the Lord will protect him as long as he doesn't put himself in danger.
It's pretty sketchy out here too, but I don't worry. We've narrowly avoided several catastrophes simply because the Lord watches over his servants. Not that things can’t happen to missionaries, but remember that the Lord protects his servants.
Well, the work is going slowly but surely. We have two people set for baptism. One of them, Hilario, is really trying to find the truth. After we gave him a baptismal date, he tried to help his roommate to accept one too. We still need to work with Modesto (his roommate). He's a little more timid than Hilario. The next one is Grigorio. He just showed up to church one day. We talked to him and set him in the hallway. He'd talked with missionaries before, but couldn't get baptized because he had "too much work." Now he doesn't have any. A blessing in disguise. Hehehehehe

June 16th
Pictures will come, but I have to get an envelope first. I'm kinda at
a standstill for a moment. I'll try to email some pictures next week,
and then I'll send you the rest via snail mail.
Yeah, when I get home, a restaurant and a movie sounds great. I'd like to eat at an “In 'n' Out“, but since we don't have any down there how about Olive Garden?
Dad, that revelation experience you had was simple, yet sweet, wasn't it? I've had
the joy of experiencing revelation many times as a missionary. I
understand it a lot better. I'm really excited to apply the things
that I've learned out here when I get back home. We'll see what the Lord has for
me when I return.
I’m sorry that Sister Sitz is doing so badly. She sure has been through a lot. Tell her Hi for me. Would you also tell Francis and Sis Rankin Hi for me? I miss our home teaching families. We are actually assigned families to home teach out here. It's cool but it‘s hard to work it into our schedule sometimes.

June 23rd
Mom, thanks for the “extra words“. I knew narcissistic, but I didn't know copasetic nor dialectical. I think dialectical is the word for me. I do tend to look at things from a logical point of view. With God's logic of course. The devil has his own logic as well.
So, the area just experienced a miracle. We went from 0 set to 5 set in one week. Two of them are from Cuba. They know nothing about Christ, which makes me more convinced that communism is of the Devil. As we talked they paid a lot of attention,and at the end of the first lesson, we set them for baptism. They are awesome. They came to church and participated in discussions. I'm really excited for them. Cubans are very talkative and friendly people. They don't deserve the kind of lifestyle that is in Cuba. They are rationed food every week, and have no freedom of religion. Do people really want that to happen to this country? I don't want to get too political at the moment, but I fear that this country is headed in that direction.
I've been doing pretty good so far but there IS something that I could use though. If you happen to get the chance, would you be able to order two more ribbon cartridges for my typewriter? I'm on the last one now. Also, Mom, I wanted to thank you for teaching me how to clean. My companion and I have been doing the cleaning for us and the other two missionaries in our apartment. It's helped us maintain a more Spirit-filled atmosphere.

Te quiero mucho!
Elder Miles Parker

March and April 2011

2011-04-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

March 3, 2011
So, we had a miracle on Monday before transfers (that means that Elder
Vega is no longer with me- cryin’ shame…he was a really awesome missionary. My new companion, Elder Cunha, is awesome too).
Anyway, Elder Vega missed a turn while we were looking for a woman we hadn't seen in a while. I didn't say anything, so we continued on. We ran into a man who couldn't be happier to see us. He told us that he was homeless right now, but that he was working on getting a job so that he could settle down and take the lessons again. He bore his testimony on how he knew that the church and the Book of Mormon are true, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. We helped him out,gave him some information and went on our way. Then a woman pulled us over and asked us to come over later. We had our appointment with her last night, and let me tell you, I have never seen anyone so prepared to do whatever they need to, in order to get in the temple to be sealed to her deceased husband. She misses him a lot, and is happy to know that there is a way for them to be together forever. Right after we finished talking to her, another woman asked us to help her out with something that is out of our jurisdiction so we set up an appointment with the Bishop to help her out. How cool is that? We ran into three people who really needed our help, and only because we missed a turn. I know that God had his hand in that.

Did you know that even the way we vote affects our exaltation? Bruce R McConkie said that being valiant in our testimony includes many of the small things that we SHOULD do, including the way we vote.
The mission is going well. Love you all very much!

March 10, 2011
So, here's a funny story. The woman who stopped us last week and wanted to take the lessons explained to us how her deceased husband was a member of our church, and she wants to learn about the church now. She was really touched by the concept of sealing and eternal marriage and said that she was willing to do whatever it takes to get sealed to him.She accepted baptism, but didn't accept a date just yet. So, last week she came to church. We thought it was gonna be awesome, but we were mistaken. It all started after the closing prayer of sacrament
meeting. One of the young ladies who bore her testimony was wearing a
pink skirt. She went up to her, grabbed her skirt, and said "that was
a nice little testimony, but if you want God to hear you, you'd better
dress yourself more modestly." I thought that was bad, but then in the hallway,she started to yell at me, because she didn't understand why the Hispanics and Americans were separated. I told her that it was because they don't understand each other’s language. She said that it didn't matter, they need to learn English. She's right, but that's not the way to talk about it. I seriously thought it was over, but then, she started to argue with the Gospel Principles teacher. She left after that, and told us to see her at three. When we came, she asked for a blessing. She did accept a baptismal date. She's really a good woman. She just has problems with judging others.

March 17, 2011
Yes,I did hear a lot about the tsunami, but I have not seen any pictures.
It is interesting that even though the destruction was overwhelming, there were still small miracles. I also heard that not one missionary was lost over there- that‘s remarkable. I think that the people will be humbled, and that missionary work will increase over there. Only time can tell.

I thought leaving the comfort zone was hard on stage, but I realized
that it is MUCH harder in missionary work. Explaining the law of
Chastity is the most uncomfortable. But if you do it with a positive
mind, focused on helping them understand, it's really not that bad.

Re: school. I haven't thought that much about it. Once you hit about
21 months out, president will start to have you sign up for classes.
Many missionaries here have gone to or are going to one of the BYU campuses. I think it’s a great school, but the South still needs help. I'm going to blossom where I was planted. Besides, if I go out West, I won't be able to take care of you and Dad as well as I could if I were in Auburn. I'm planning on going to EOCC first and get some basics out of the way.I'm still thinking about Vet medicine, but I might want to go over to something that uses the Spanish language too.

Story time: Someone punched me last week. We met at a member’s house
to get picked up by missionaries to go to dinner, and all of a sudden,
these two teenagers, drunk beyond recognition, came up to us and
started cussing at us. One of them pushed my companion and told us we were on "their turf". So we left. As we were walking, the member's daughter, Gaby,shouted for us to be careful. We all turned around, and saw the two kids running at us. They stopped at Elder Aguilar, and punched him in the nose. I went up to them both. One of them backed up cuz he was scared. I told the other one to never touch Elder Aguilar again. He got angry and swung and I moved a little so that he only got my neck. Before I could do anything, Gaby ran up and threw one of them to the ground and started kicking him. When the other one came up to her,she punched him in the face and kept on kicking. She told us to go on and get out, but we didn't want to leave her. But sure enough, she really did have the situation under control. She's a big girl, and she's gotten in several fights in the past. She flung them around like rag dolls…quite a funny sight. We're not sure if we'll run into them again, but I'm not worried. I've never gotten so close to hitting someone Mom. I've always been afraid of getting into a fight, but when he struck one of my fellow missionaries, I felt empowered. I had no fear to fight. I know that, if it was required, God would have given me the strength to take them on. But thankfully, Gaby came and saved the day. She did get hit in the lip, but everything was ok. A little blood, and no swelling. We gave her a big thanks afterwards.

Things are going good, and we are working hard. Elder Cunha is not a native Spanish speaker. He's from Brazil, so he speaks Portuguese. He sometimes has a hard time, because he sometimes mixes up words and rules. He still does very well. He does a lot better than he thinks he does actually. My companion and I decided to rededicate ourselves and work harder. We talked with a TON of other people. We just got new phones and texting now, so we should have a little more success in contacting people.

March 24, 2011
All is well with me. No crazy stories for you, no more attacks-Haha. But we did have a special occasion with the mission President. After he heard about the attack, he asked that our district meet him at 8:30 pm last Sunday. We had a small companionship study about persecution. One thing that I learned is that there is a difference between getting persecuted for RIGHTEOUSNESS sake (as it says in the Bible) and getting persecuted for CHRIST'S NAME'S SAKE(as it says in the Book of Mormon). Many people were persecuted for righteousness sake: Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln...... but only certain circumstances allow us to be persecuted for Christ's name sake. Men like Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the Apostles, any missionary.... I can see why Paul rejoiced in his persecution. NO ONE has the privilege of being persecuted in His name's sake unless he is called by God to represent Him. It was a good study. We had ice cream afterwards to "celebrate" the occasion. Oh, President…what a funny guy.

We had another person set for baptism. His name is Lino. When we came by the first time, he was EXTREMELY drunk, but the next time he was sober. The Spirit was strong, and we invited him to be baptized and he accepted.We just found out that he will be moving to California soon so not sure where he will be baptized.

Oh Mother... always willing to help out with theater productions. I'm so impressed at how long you've been doing things like that. Even more impressive is how you keep doing it even with your carpal tunnel. Thanks for the extra money too. I've learned while I'm out here (and I should have learned it earlier) that I'm an impulse buyer. I had to work SO HARD not to spend all the money you gave me today. I think the problem is that when I shop and I'm hungry, I buy junk food that I can eat right then and there. I've lost some weight. I went from 280 in Ely, to 263 here.

I love you all so much, and miss you even more than you miss me. Be happy and take care!

March 31, 2011
Thanks for the pictures. I showed the picture of Amry at the beach to my companion and asked him to guess how old she was. He said 16. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. uh no.... she's 12. WHAT!!!! He didn't believe me.
I wouldn't worry too much. I know it's in the “Mother” job description, but I think it's also the right thing to do. I thank you for worrying about me, even when I told you not too. Thank you very much for never stopping to be a Mom either. You and Dad are the perfect example that a Parent is never released from that Sacred Calling.

It's hard to believe how much everyone at home has grown so far, ESPECIALLY Brice and Cian. I can't get over how muscular Brice is either. I am so proud of him being baptized and wish I could’ve been there.

I'm starting to snack more on fruit. I'm pretty sure that I've told you this already, but Mexicans like the chile with lime flavor. They have a powder to put on fruits and veggies that tastes like chile and lime. It's awesome. I really like it on oranges and watermelon (two things I didn't eat back home. Also,lime juice is a REALLY good salad dressing, fyi. I'm also trying hard to eat a meal, and then not snack afterwards. It's hard, but I'm doing it. Sometimes, I’d snack when I stay up doing other things, like cleaning a bike (which I actually enjoy doing. Hey, if you think it's weird, remember that I'm YOUR son).
We recently had a Spanish conference and I learned a lot. One of the things I've decided to do as a result from one of the trainings is tell people specifically in the street that we are going to ask them to MAKE CHANGES and to DO THINGS. We are not just going to "talk about the Gospel." We were promised that as we do this, we will find those who are interested faster. Anyway, it was an awesome experience, and I'm excited to see what else I can do to improve the work here.

As for new news, we set two more people for the 30th of April. Their names are Reina and Alicia. We found Reina talking to one of her friends on the street. We politely interrupted them, taught a small lesson, and set up a return appointment. When we had the first appointment, we found out that she lives with her aunt Alicia. Both are very sweet,little ol' ladies who love to listen to what we have to say. We've been able to be bold with them,and they feel and hear the truthfulness about it. They are both coming to conference this Saturday (which, by the way, I can't wait for). I'm excited to see how they react to the talks.

Not much else to report on. The heat is already beginning, so it won't be too long before it gets worse. In all honesty though, this heat is nothing to the Southeast heat. At least it's dry here. I don't think people here would be able to stand the humid heat in Alabama.

April 7, 2011
Things are going well. I really enjoyed the talk by Pres.Uchtdorf too. I wrote in my notes, “Am I living up to my privileges as a missionary?” I know that once I get back home, the mantle will be taken from me, and that I will no longer enjoy the ability to serve in the capacity of a missionary any longer. I need to enjoy it while I can, and work even harder.
Tell Grandpa that I'm excited that we are going to go see him after my mission. I'd love to go to Texas and use my Spanish. I'm glad that I have several brothers and ward members that speak it so that I can use it throughout my life. I definitely don't want to lose it.
I've saved some money to send the pants, but I don't have time to do it. I'm going to try to do it today or tomorrow, but no guarantees. I've been able to patch up my other pants. You'd be so proud of your son, doing such a great job on sewing his clothes up until they can't be used anymore. hahaha. It doesn't look terrible, but it's also not professional.

Well, I can't write too much more. We didn't get much time this week, but know that I love you all very much. Take care and be happy!

April 14, 2011
I had an experience this week about optimism. I've been working really hard my whole mission to be optimistic, and I've actually been doing really good. Being optimistic has helped me work on my patience and understanding as well. Anyway, every Sunday we have a sacrament meeting at night for those that couldn't make it in the morning for
whatever reason. It has it's pluses and minuses. So, we were with Hermano Jurado, (our ward mission leader) and we went by to see this man who said he wanted to go to church at night. We came by, and he wasn't there. We went by several other people too, and they either weren't there, or were "too busy." Instead of being negative and
giving up, I decided to be optimistic and continue to think of several people. I immediately thought of Jonathan Martinez, an investigator that we haven't seen in a while and who is a little timid. Instead of being negative and thinking "Oh, he won't come, even if he IS there", I asked Herman Jurado to go by his house. We knocked on the door, and he was watching the America vs Chivas soccer game. Mom, he stopped watching the game and came with us to church. I don't know if you know, but Soccer to Hispanics is as football is to Southerners. He came, and enjoyed it at church. As we took him, we talked with him, and got to know him a little better. I'm so glad you taught me to have a PMA.(positive mental attitude) Thanks for the advice Mom. It just helped us bring someone a little closer to Christ.

Well, gotta get going. As one of the elders that I know said, "Let's make like a guillotine and head off" Take care and be happy. I love you!

Finally...blog update: December 2010 through February 2011

2011-02-20T18:33:00.000-08:00

DECEMBER 2010 ELY, NEVADA
I found EGG NOG! I was able to buy a couple of jugs so I'm a happy camper.
Things were a little slow earlier. The Christmas rush was keeping people busy shopping on the weekends, cold weather keeping them inside, and basketball season is taking up almost all the time of our younger investigators. But, life goes on. If we work diligently, we'll be fine.
Spanish work out here in the Ely area is very scarce. I do get to use my Spanish still though, because my companion, Elder Reyes, speaks Spanish as well Elder Aguilar went back to Vegas. Elder Reyes and I were in the same district working in my first area in the Paraiso ward. It's awesome that we're now companions. We enjoy reminiscing about memories in the Paradise stake and have had quite a few laughs.

It's getting a little colder too. We wanted to build a snowman and take a picture with it so that we could make a Christmas card out of it, but there's no snow right now. We COULD bike here, except for the fact that it's so cold. Well, in all reality, I'm more worried about the ice instead. I'm pretty sure bike riding on ice is a little frictionless.

I am so sorry to hear about Mia William’s death. Please give her family my condolences, and tell them that I will pray for them. I'm so happy that we have a perfect plan from our Heavenly Father. While losing a loved one causes us to grieve so, aren't you glad that we know what really happens? Aren't you glad to know that our family is eternal? I love sharing that message with others. That's why I'm out here. I wish I had understood things as well before the mission as I do now. I know I will not fear death as I get older because of the understanding that I have now of Heavenly father‘s plan for us. I'm not saying that the thought of death wouldn't bother me; there are things that I'd like to do (having a family is on the top o' the list), but I do not fear life after death. I don't say that to boast. I say that to assure you and others as well that I KNOW death isn't the end, that Jesus Christ has made a way for us to live after death, and that through His power, our families can be sealed for time and all eternity. Death is not the end, it is the beginning. Please tell her family that I KNOW with every fiber of my being that they can see her again.

Anyways, things have been picking up the pace now that the Holidays are over. I think that if I had planned better, it would have been more effective. Just FYI, I got in an accident. We are fine and the other car received no damage. We were driving UNDER the speed limit when we hit a patch of black ice. I started breaking at 100 feet going 20 to 25 mph and we still rear-ended an SUV. They had a solid steel bumper and trailer hitch that caused $4,094.35 worth of damage to us. When I called the mission office no one was mad. The accident was pretty much unpreventable even though I was driving cautiously. I was driving slow and started breaking at the right distance. I still feel badly about it.

Christmas on your end sounds like it was great. After my phone call home, Elder Reyes and I went to the convention center to help out with a community Christmas Dinner. We served and helped clean up. Then we went to make a couple of calls, and went to our dinner appointment and afterwards went to deliver some DVDs to a member. That was Christmas for us. I enjoyed the gifts you sent me. I've already used some of the “ Hot Hands”, it's pretty cold right now.

Tell everyone that I said Merry Christmas and that I love them lots.
con mucho amor
Elder Parker

JANUARY 2011 1st through 20th

It's hard to believe that I've been out 14 months already, but it's even harder to believe Dad, that you've been in the stake presidency for 8 years already. I'm glad to know that you enjoy your calling. It disappoints me to hear someone say "Oh I can't wait ‘til I get released". Are they really miserable in their calling? Even though missionary work is hard, and I'll be excited when it is time to come home, I will TERRIBLY miss the service and opportunities that I have as a missionary. This is the only time in my life that I get to enjoy the power of this calling and it will be a very bittersweet moment when I'm released. So, I’m happy to know that you enjoy your calling, despite how hard it is. Thanks for being a great example.

Shelby's getting married in February, Kim in May and Amber and Russell are expecting. Tell them congrats. It's so weird how people I grew up with in youth are starting to get married. I’m starting to feel a little old. Growing up is scary.

Regarding my driver’s license renewal: Apparently, I'm not considered a resident of Nevada, so I can't get a NV license. We're doing some more research because other missionaries have gotten a NV license. We'll get this sorted out but I wish Alabama would‘ve considered a mission like they do the military and college and let me renew. I don't know why it's such a big deal.

Dad, I’m sorry that your brother David passed away. I'm glad that you were able to go to Texas for the funeral and see Grandpa, Aunt Donna and the rest of the family. I sure appreciate Grandpa giving me one of David’s knives. Keep it safe will ya? I really miss having a knife on me. It's against mission rules to have one, but I can see why because some missionaries do NOT get along. Why tempt them by letting them have a knife?
I loved the pictures of family you took out there. You’re right, Dad and Mary do not look 80. A return trip to Texas when I am back sounds awesome. I'd love to see Grandpa Parker and Mary again. I can't believe that it's been that long since we made that trip for Paulette’s wedding. That means that I had just been made a deacon and had just ended my first year of baseball.

Yep, we still have plenty of snow. It barely gets above freezing even in broad daylight. Yesterday was pretty warm though..... 40 degrees. Honestly, I wasn't expecting this when I learned I was going to the Las Vegas mission.

It seems to me that your stake conference was awesome. I've really come to enjoy meetings and conferences more.... especially General Conference. Remember how I would always fall asleep? Not anymore. Not to say I don't get tired, but I try my hardest to stay awake so that I can get more out of it.

Love you all!
con mucho amor
Elder Parker

JANUARY 2011 (3rd & 4th week )LAS VEGAS
I'm back in Vegas now, so there's no more walking. I'm on bike, which is great. As comfortable as a car is, I enjoy biking and the exercise that comes with it. My new companion is Elder Vega. He's only been out two months, but he's seems to have gotten the hang of things already. He's very easy to get along with, and we have quite a few things in common. He's very diligent and obedient too. I'm very blessed to have had nothing but awesome and kind companions throughout my mission. I'm hoping it's stays that way. Things are picking up. We have a baptism planned this Saturday, and another one for the 13th of February. We are also teaching several other investigators that are on their way.

I want to say thank you for being diligent in emailing me. You have no idea how much it means to me to have the unconditional support you guys give me. Thanks of keeping me updated with the things back home too. I'm proud of your work ethic too. You still give it your all when you work. That's always stuck with me. I hope I can be HALF the worker that you are.

Take care and be happy! I love you very much and hope all goes well with you.
con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

FEBRUARY 2011
Regarding our investigator I told you about: Elder Vega and I were discussing it, and we think she HAS felt the Spirit but hasn't recognized it, or won't admit it. We have an appointment with her today. We left her with the assignment to read from the beginning of the Book of Mormon. She lives with a member family, so she has some help with that. We'll keep trying.

So, I finally had menudo. You know, the soup with cow stomach? yeah........... the flavor was actually good..... I just couldn't handle the texture or the heinous smell.

We ran into a man yesterday who turned out to be a pastor. To put make a long story short, he went on quite a rant about how we were preaching a false doctrine, and how the water in John 3:5 refers to actual birth and not water baptism. He then claimed that baptism isn't a requisite for salvation. I asked him why Jesus was baptized then. He said to fulfill all righteousness. Then I asked, "Doesn't that mean that it's a commandment?" He then said yes. I don't think he caught that he just contradicted himself because he kept on ranting and showing me different scriptures. I just stayed quiet. He looked at me and said "I just blew your mind didn't I?"
I replied, "eh..... Not so much, no."
Then he kept going on and said that he could prove it to me and yadda, yadda, yadda.
I finally told him "Sir, you are just a man. You can NOT convince me what you say is true. Only the Holy Ghost can."
He kept going and I just stayed quiet. I did what I was supposed to do..... I testified and avoided contention. As we rode away, I thought to myself "Well, that's someone I am not
responsible for."

To respond to your question on what your friend ought to read, I would suggest Alma 36. In this chapter, Alma is telling his son Helaman about his conversion experience. He describes his anguish for his sins, and then describes his joy at his forgiveness. Even though they have sinned, they can't have been as bad as Alma the Younger. He lead people astray, and deliberately tried to destroy the church. I think that's the best thing for them to read. Don't give up on them, just keep up the support. I've seen those with addictions out here, and the best thing to do is to just support them and tell them that they CAN BE FORGIVEN!!!! It's true. I KNOW that it does heal the broken and wounded soul. Don’t let anyone feel that they are beyond the reach of the Atoning power of Christ.
Also, I’ve heard that if they can attend the addiction classes they will get extra help since the classes focus on the Atonement of Christ and teaches them how they can apply it.

Sister Mozzo’s death was a shock…give them my condolences will you?

Love you lots and am inspired by your hard work and example. I mean it. I really do.
Take care and be happy!

Timely update (surprise!)

2010-11-12T19:36:00.000-08:00

Mission date: 10 November
We aren't riding bikes much because we cover an entire stake. Two of the units are about an hour away. I am exercising in the morning though and have lost a little weight too. I think it's because I'm eating bigger breakfasts and smaller lunches. That, and I'm not snacking as much either.

My companion, Elder Aguilar is from Mesa Arizona. He's hilarious and a great missionary. I enjoy serving with him. There aren't too many Hispanics up here so we are working in English too, but my companion and I talk to each other in Spanish.
There is no WalMart or KMart for hours. We go to a local market called Ridley's. It’s WAY expensive, but I don't worry. The members here feed us well and they give us a lot of food to take home and cook too. Most of it is hunted animals: elk, antelope, mule deer, etc. Good stuff. Right now we don't have any set-in-stone plans for Thanksgiving, but we have NUMEROUS invitations to dine with other people that day.

Missionary business is going good as usual. I think it's getting better because I'm deciding to be more positive. Things are slow, but we still work hard. We've got a couple of people set for baptism, and one of my old investigators in my last area got baptized. I called her the night of to see how she was doing. She's way happy! Also, she and another baptism that I had about 4 weeks ago are both going out to help the missionaries and to bear their own testimonies. It's interesting how a missionary’s joy increases as a convert takes steps. He's happy when they’re baptized, but it gets better when they get the priesthood. It gets even better when you hear them bear their testimony to others. It gets even BETTER when they go to the temple to be sealed and/or receive their endowments. As they go throughout life, the joy continues to grow. I love it, and hope that I will be able to see some of my converts go to the temple. That'd be amazing.

I don't have too much time left, but I want to share a spiritual thought with you that I've shared several times at dinner appointments. In Mosiah 2, the last verse teaches us that those who keep the commandments are blessed both temporally and spiritually. They are happy. Before the mission, I used to obey in order to avoid the consequences. Is that bad? No. But there could be a better reason for obedience. As I have served, I learned about the law of blessings, and started to obey because I wanted the blessings. That's a much better reason than just trying to avoid punishment, but there is still a better reason. The best reason to obey is because we love the Lord. We want him to bless us so that we can use those blessing to bless the lives of his other children. We want to assist him in His work. When we have this mindset, THEN we can be happy. THEN we can be able to return to live with him. I kind of wished that I had learned this before, but thankfully I know it now.

I love you very much, and hope that all goes well with you. I know that if you all are doing what you need to be doing, the Lord WILL bless you. Its a promise, and you know that he can't break his promises. Take care and be happy!

Newsflash: "Mormonator" has been sighted in Ely, Nevada

2010-11-07T05:30:00.000-08:00

My apologies to those who actually keep up with this blog...lots of things on my plate in addition to procrastination.-Jan

Mission date: 9 September
Mission business is busy. My companion and I have had two baptisms (one was Yolanda) in the last three weeks. We've got 3 more planned this Saturday. And another companionship has one. I'm way psyched!
We are teaching a man who wants to get rid of his alcoholism. He has other addictions too, but that's the only one he mentioned.
Anyway, the poor guy was tied up by his brothers and father and they beat him up something awful. They took a glass beer bottle and banged it over his head. I didn't see him because he called me, and told me what happened. His friend told me that his face was pretty cut up. I felt so bad for him. Even though he probably brought it on himself, no one deserves to be treated like that, especially from family.
I've been working on bikes for a while and I figured out how to work some things out. There's still a lot for me to learn, but I think I could actually get into biking when I get back home. It's great exercise, and a TON of fun.
I've been reading Jesus the Christ recently by James E. Talmadge. If you haven't read that yet, you should. I've gained a lot of insight on how Christ handled different situations and how the nature of God is. Because missionaries are literally representatives of Him, I've been thinking about how I can change and be more like Him. It’s an excellent book.
There most definitely is a Gospel principle in your story about the pool losing so much water from that very small hole. This is what I see:
Let's say we have a problem that has started small yet caused HUGE losses. Because it seems like a small problem, we think that we are able to handle it ourselves. After one or two tries we realize we can't do it, so we have two choices: go seek help from professionals, or continue in our own efforts, thereby letting the problem get bigger and allowing more losses to happen. Here's the application. Let's take a problem like pornography. The problem seems small… “It’s only photos”. Then after a while we see how much of a loss of the Spirit one has suffered. After trying one or two times to fix the problem by oneself, there is the realization that it has not been successful. There are now two choices: seek priesthood leadership help, or continue in one’s own efforts to stop, even though there is a realization that there probably still won’t be success which means there would be even more of a loss of the Spirit. Either way, one continues to lose the Spirit, or suffers more loss of the Spirit compared to if we initially went to priesthood leadership. This is what I see, but I'm 100% sure (another way of saying "I know") that there are other gospel principles that can be learned from this.
We took Luis Lopez to the temple grounds for a lesson (he's one of the 4 getting baptized this Saturday). Quite a spiritual experience. He said that he could immediately feel the difference of peace of the temple and the discord of the world. He opened up a lot to us, and asked us some profound questions. "How can I feel the love of God, and how can I share that with others?" Wow.... what a question. It made me think of what made me feel the love of God. I immediately told him about the Family Reunion Testimony Meeting we had last summer. I remember that even though the week was full of fun activities and cool things to do, when we sat down and listened to each member of the family talk of the blessing they've received from the Gospel, I really felt the love of God at that time. The family that was in that room was a happy family, founded on the Eternal Gospel of Jesus Christ, nurtured by the hope that we will be a family forever. As I related the experience, we also told him that once he feels that love, he can share it with others by being a kind person, setting an example, teaching those who need council, etc. After words, he told us how it's been hard to not have smoked for a while (he's giving up smoking). He's been succeeding, to which he says, "It's hard man. Like, I don't want to do it." Then he started talking about something else. Most people want to give up one bad habit at a time. "Oh, I think I want to give up smoking right now. That will be good." Luis specifically said that he want's to stop sinning. Period. I've never heard anyone express that desire before. He says he hates how he feel when he sins, and then he wonders why he does it again. My companion shared the scripture in Nephi when Nephi exclaims "Oh wretched man that I am!" Luis is a great man, and he'll make an even greater member of the church. We've been working with him for a long time, but now the fruits of our labors have come forth.

Mission date:16 September
Thanks for the happy birthday. I feel old now - but I know that I've still got plenty of time left. I wish I could respond to all those who have written me. I honestly just don't have time to write back all the time. By the time I finish all the letters, others letters arrive and I don't get to respond to them. I want to, trust me, I just can't fit it all in. I will keep trying though.
The temperature is going down though... low 90s now. It feels even better in the morning too.
Elder Meiners and I are staying in the area again for 6 more weeks. We've got some more baptisms lined up and I'm way excited. The Los Feliz ward is blowing up now. I am getting a little worn out though in the area. Everyone is too busy now that school is in session and we don’t get many street contacts.
We didn’t have 4 baptisms last Saturday but we did have two. One of our investigators FINALLY got her warrant situated. She received no punishment at all. She told her public defense attorney that she did NOT want to take the easy way out. She told him that she simply wanted to make up for what she did. The judge told her she could go-with no punishment, but he made it absolutely clear that if she did anything else, she’d be spending time in jail before she knew it. Quite a miracle if I say so myself. She's now set for the 9th of October. We're really excited for her. She's been being taught ever since I arrived.
I am close to “The Strip” and have driven right by it (the I15 goes right past). It's hard to imagine how much wickedness goes on there though. That's why we're here - there are PLENTY of good people here waiting to be taught the Gospel.
*(on-going "Zombie" dialogue w/ Jim) Keep being awesome and don't worry about any tanks. I stashed a box of pipe bombs in the attic. All you have to do is press the button on top and the tank will go for it. Make sure you clear the neighborhood though... it's radius is pretty big. I tested it out here and I took out half of the Strip.

Mission date: 23 September
Being 20 is crazy. I'm technically an adult now, no longer a teenager. I can't go back. I've past the point of no return now.
We've been focusing on the Doctrine of Christ recently. Read 2 Nephi 31and pay attention to the last verse. It says that there is "no other way." This is His doctrine. He is the only way. If we can remember this, we won't have fear when inviting our friends to listen to the missionaries.
Yes, the Carlitos in the picture is the one and the same. Our area was split and we were given the area that he was not in but he did ask me to baptize him and I was honored to do so.
I learned something very important just today before arriving at the email place.
I was in bathroom for a couple minutes when my companion left the apartment. When I came out, I noticed the whole apartment was dark. I shouted his name, but no answer. I got really worried. I went outside and tried to look for him. I called the other elders that live in our apartment complex to see if they had seen him. They found him going past a trailer park. They called me and we met up. I've been very patient on my mission, and have really improved on my temper, but when I saw him, I just lost it. I yelled at him and made him feel a little bad. I didn't call him names or anything, but I let him know that I was very angry. When we got back to the apartment, I apologized to him and told him that I loved him, and that that was why I was looking for him. He was very good about it, and he apologized for leaving. He thought that I had left him to go with the other elders to go shopping. I told him I would never leave him alone like that. I then instructed him on what to do should any of his companions ever go missing. The contention didn't even last 6 minutes, but I still felt that I could've handled the situation better. As I was pondering, I remembered something that my patriarchal blessing said to the effect, that when I am a father that I should be careful not to lash out at my children when upset but ask them about the situation, listen to them, and quietly help them see what other decision they could have made
This really sunk into me. While I'm only a Dad in a missionary sense, I still could've handled the situation just like that, like a real Dad. I hit me hard. I realized that the way I should correct and counsel my future children is how I should correct and counsel my companions, my fellow workers, my spouse, whoever it will be. It was quite an experience.

Mission date: 30 September
Things are going well in the mission. My companion and I are getting along perfectly fine. He's doing better in his Spanish and so am I. I'd go ahead and say that I'm fluent now, but I still can improve...my accent is a little shaky. I'm working on saying the words like an actual native- I speak with a Mexican accent.
The doctrine of Christ has excited missionaries so much that we have doubled the amount of investigators with a baptismal date. It's awesome, and if members can understand how important it is, they will be more willing to help. One thing more that I've learned is that if we let them know there is promised blessings for obedience to a commandment, they will be more willing to follow through and be obedient. I know that missionary work has given me a purpose in my life. For people who haven't served a mission, all they have to do is try it out and they can know the joy it brings to be a part of someone else’s salvation. If you have time, go with the missionaries. Mom and Dad, you both have such a strong testimony - put it to use. I know that you'll find happiness.
We have been teaching Luis and Arlene and they are still doing awesome. We also had a street contact with someone that had been trying to get in contact with the missionaries for some time. We found him because we happened to be in the right place at the right time. Little miracles are filling the mission. I've also started to find joy in the success and accomplishments of others. This is a great time to be in the mission right. We're all working hard to accomplish our vision of 1200 baptisms. W have over 800 so far. it's awesome to see how the Lord has been blessing us and the people we teach.
No worries mom; I ALWAYS wear my helmet (mi casco). It HAS saved my noggin more than once. Thanks for letting me know what happened with Grace. I'm super happy that she is fine now.
I'm sorry that emails are getting shorter. I'm trying to keep my computer time under an hour (which is what we should be doing). I'm out here working and I know that if I'm obedient, you all receive blessings. In fact, there have been some parents jokingly say, "President, can you keep my missionary for a couple more months?"
"Why?"
"Because we need more blessings."
Love you all very much!

Mission date: 7 October
Conference was awesome. I decided to prepare a question this time and sure enough, it was answered. I really enjoyed Pres. Monson's talk on the 3 R's of agency and Pres. Uchtdorf's talk on pride. Pres. Ballard's talk on addiction was awesome as well… I like how he likened it to fly fishing.
The field is still great. I’m still focusing on the work. It was hard at first to miss “certain” people. I don’t want anyone thinking I don’t care but I cannot allow myself to be distracted and then waste my time AND the Lord’s.
So here's an experience for ya. We went over to Zayra Beas's house (she's a convert whose husband left her because she joined) to give her a blessing. I think she said that she had a busted vein in her hip and that it hurt her a LOT. We gave her a blessing and she said that the pain immediately subsided. To think that she had THAT much faith that she was relieved as soon as we finished the blessing. She's still relieved of the pain as of today, so I'm quite touched.
Thanks for continuing to take care of me even though I'm far from home.

Mission date: 14 October
Things have been looking up in our district. We come to the close of another transfer. We'll be having two baptisms next Saturday. The other two companionships are planning two baptisms as well. If everything goes the way it should (and I have faith that it will), we'll have six baptisms next Saturday. That'd be WAY sweet. We only serve in one ward and there are six of us assigned to the ward. There are some car missionaries in the zone, the sisters and the zone leaders. We're still on bike. I'm starting to gain a little weight. I've got to maintain my good eating habits. I'm not eating unhealthily, I just need to not eat so much. It doesn't help that we have a Tongan in our apartment though.... He LOVES to eat. lol
Thank you for your prayers and faith Mom. I love you dearly, and hope that you have the physical and spiritual strength that you need to carry on. I love you very much. Take care and be happy!!!!!

Mission date: 21 October
We've been focusing a lot on receiving revelation during these past few months. Of all of the many things that I learned, one of the most important ones to me is how revelation isn't always a concourse of angels singing a glorious message from God. I think that too many times we tend to think of revelations as great and glorious, when in reality, that's hardly the case. One example: my companion and I both have prayed a few times to know if a certain investigator (with some serious problems) would be ready for baptism on this weekend, or the next. After a short prayer, we both sat and pondered. We both came up with the same answer, both times. It wasn't an earthquake or anything, just a still small voice. I explained to someone that revelation is when the Lord "reveals" heavenly knowledge, and there are many ways he can do that.
Hearing from you guys each week empowers me with new resolve to work harder for you. Jotty told me a little bit about all that you have had to do to the house. I'm so glad you taught me how to work. One of the members was really impressed with me when we helped him move gravel into his yard for landscaping (something I'm all too familiar with). He said that by the time he had smoothed out the rocks I dumped, I was already back with a new barrow-full of rocks. It's kinda funny to hear him talk about it.
We've got two baptisms this Saturday and transfers are also next week. I've been here in this particular area for 6 months so far, and president said I might be here for another transfer. We shall see what time has in store for me.
I'm already starting to lose a little bit of the weight that I recently gained. The tough part is doing low carbs - Mexicans eat a lot of carbs.
Be happy. Remember that even though times can get rough, Jesus Christ "has descended below them all." (D&C Section 122- my favorite section). Take care!!!!
(more “zombie” remarks to Jim)Don't worry about the Boomers Dad. They ended up being easy targets in the rain. It flooded a little bit out here, so they just floated like buoys. Easy kills.

Mission date: 28 October
Wow.....the pictures of the house looks great!!!
It's a lot colder up here in Ely, but I'm managing. It's dry, so I'm doing good. The people here are very nice…it reminds me of back home. Ely is 3 hours south of Elko, but 4 hours north of Vegas. It was snowing when we got here. We're about a mile above sea level here in Ely, so the elevation is a killer. I noticed that I get winded easier up here than I did in Vegas. My companion and I cover an entire stake here. We have certain days where we go to different towns…sometimes we're on the road for 45 minutes. One of these days we'll be traveling to a town that is 90 miles away to visit a less active member. There are no other elders here except for a senior couple who work on a ranch. All other missionaries live at least 3 hours away in all directions. We really should be grateful that in Enterprise we have two missionaries assigned to the ward. These people don't have that kind of blessing here. They love us though. The work is slower too.. The towns are small and not too many people but there are baptisms. We normally work off of member referrals. Actually, member referrals are one of the most effective ways to work, so that's why Elko zone is called the Promised Land of the Las Vegas Mission.
My companion, Elder Aguilar is a native speaker, but he speaks both. We're both excited to have a companion that speaks good Spanish. I'm still getting compliments on my Spanish. After studying Spanish for so long, and thinking about it, I might actually want to major in linguistics instead of vet medicine, but we'll see about that after I get back.
Luis got baptized last Saturday. He invited his family and his girlfriend and her family too.
Arlene has to wait until this Saturday. I won't be able to go down for the baptism, but I'm still very happy for her. She has an actual testimony, so I know that she's not converting for the missionaries.
There aren't too many Hispanics here, but we’re teaching a couple. We are hoping to organize a Spanish branch, but we'll see how that goes. Also, to let you know, we cover two Shoshone colonies and a Shoshone reservation. I thought you might find that interesting. Remind me again of my American Indian heritage? I know I've got blood from both you and Mom, but I'm not sure what and how much. People still can't figure out what ethnicity I am. I love it.
All in all, I like it a lot here. It's cold, it's quiet, it's friendly, and it's snowing. I just got called as district leader here. It was a surprise call too. Normally they call you a day or two in advance, before transfers, to tell you. I found out as soon as I got here. It's not a big district: me, my companion, and the senior couple. I still enjoy preparing trainings to help the couple out. They have questions on how to teach well, or how to handle certain situations. We'll be preparing training to help them from here on out.
(more Zombie talk)The zombies are a little more prominent here, but it's like back home here. Everyone hunts, so everyone has a gun and knows how to use it, so even though there are many infected here, no one worries. They even have Zombie Season out here. I've seen some pretty cool taxidermied ones. People aren't scared to bother them down here. They say that all the moping and crying they do scares away all the deer, so they take them out first. One guy even has a “tank” trophy in his garage-it's huge!

Mission date: 4 November
Things are good here mission-wise. We just had a mission wide conference call with the president. We talked about the mission goal of 1200 baptisms, and right now, we have 935. We are going to begin a fast on 6:00 this Saturday night, sacrifice something for the next 8 weeks, and go to work. It's going to be hard, but I know President Christensen is an inspired man, so this will work. I'm very excited right now.
Most of the missionary housing in this mission is with members, but not all. Right now we’re in a house that’s a spare house owned by a member.
Wow.... I've already been out a year. This time has gone by very fast. I'm kinda bummed … I don't have much more time left. Before you know it, I'll be home, 21 and a return missionary. I hope that I can do what I need to do in the time that I have left.
We have a bunch of people that are getting baptized. Most of the work we do involves members, and it's working. It goes to show that the people who are most likely to accept the Gospel are our friends.
Sorry about the knee Dad. I hope the new drugs will work. If not, just hold out until I get back and then you can retire. I'll go to work for you. I've learned how to effectively hunt zombies while out here in Ely, so maybe I can start a zombie extermination business down there. Of course, you can take part in it too if you'd like. I'd put you as lead producer of new anti-zombie weapons. In all seriousness though, I hope that when I get back and start working I can lift some burden off of you and mom.
Love you very much. Take care an be happy!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

2010-09-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

August 12th, 2010
Time's gone by pretty fast. I've been out here for about 9 1/2 months, and yet I remember clearly being in the MTC with the Dork Dot on my tag.
Things are going awesome with my new companion. We've got two baptisms coming up; Pablo and Yolanda. They both have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and they both believe that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the Restoration. They are rock solid. Yolanda was investigating some time ago, but stopped for some reason (this was before I got here to this area). We finally found her and had an appointment with her. We set her for baptism and we've got some ward coordination going on. We're still working with Arlene. She's not getting any support from her parents. She has been progressing though.
My Spanish has been improving a TON. I've been speaking a lot more and I can understand a lot better too, though I'm still not 100%. It bugs me at times, but I try not to let it get to me. My companion is asking me questions on how to say things, so that keeps me on my toes. We've been talking to a lot of people too. Quite funny experiences. There was this one time where we were getting back to our apartment for the night, and we said hey to this one woman who was pressing the button for the walk signal. I believe the conversation went along the lines of this:
Me: "Hey! How are you tonight?"
Her: “ ^%$# you!"
Yep..... I'm pretty sure that's how it went. I just laughed, said okie-dokie, and went off. I don't know why people do that, but I guess she was just having a bad day.
The weather is starting to get a tiny bit cooler... not too much though - It still gets over a 100 degrees; but we've been weathering the weather. hahaha. My bike got a couple flats. There are these little things called “goat head“… a little ball with 5 or 6 long spikes that go right through.
I hope that all is going well with you, sounds like you've been pretty busy. Just remember to have fun while you work. Take care and be happy! I love you lots!!!!!!! Thanks for your love and support.
Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

Aug 19th
Thanks for sharing that spiritual experience with me. I think it's interesting how the spirit will fill our minds with ideas while we are asleep. That happened with a mission president’s wife in Chile just before that big earthquake happened. She got the prompting that the missionaries needed to prepare for an earthquake, and so they did. When the earthquake hit, nothing happened to the missionaries.
I also had a spiritual experience: We have an investigator that talked with the bishop. The missionaries have been teaching him for quite a while. He never wanted to accept a baptismal date until recently. The bishop helped him resolve his doubts and helped him prepare for baptism. He wanted to get baptized this Saturday (Aug 21). We felt that Saturday was too soon, but we knew that he could be baptized with a little more preparation. So, my companion (the greenie that I'm training) and I knelt down and had a prayer. We prayed to know when Luis should be baptized...then we sat and listened for a while. Then the Spirit told me September 11th. I asked Elder Meiners if he was feeling any prompting from the Spirit. He said the same thing- Sept 11th. We talked with Luis about it and he agreed to prepare himself for this date. How cool huh?
So, Pablo is getting baptized this Saturday, and Yolanda and her husband are set for the 4th of September. Luis is for the 11th and we might get to baptize Arlene on the 11th. It depends on some stuff she needs to take care of.
I'm still trying to eat healthy. I'm trying to lose a little more weight and gain some more muscle mass. It's SOOOO hard to exercise in the mornings. It's not that I don't want to exercise, it's that I 'm so sleepy. The willpower isn't there.
I heard that someone broke into your van this time. Man...that really stinks. I kinda wish I could come back so I could set a trap. Wouldn't that be awesome? Catch them and then call the cops. bahahahahahahahh............... ok. I'll go ahead and close before my imagination runs too wild. I love you guys!
I love you lotz!!!!
con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

Aug 26
Don’t worry about the flats, I can take care of them. The bike is still so AWESOME. It rides really smooth. I named her “Diamante” (Spanish for Diamond - the bike is a Diamondback brand)
We baptized Pablo last Saturday. It was my companion's first baptism. I confirmed him the following day. He is quite a strong convert. When we first met him (he had already been taught two or three times by other missionaries), I asked him if he had a testimony of Joseph Smith as a prophet and if he believed the Book of Mormon was true. He said yes to both of them. As we taught him the rest of the Doctrine of the church and the commandments required for baptism, he accepted everything we taught as truth. Having a testimony of the restoration and the Book of Mormon really helps one understand and gain a testimony of everything else.
I've been reading “Jesus the Christ” during personal study lately, and I've begun to have a better understand of how Christ worked. He really took His calling seriously. It made me think of how I need to take MY calling seriously too, since I am His representative in this area. I also noticed how he had a perfect balance between boldness and softness in His teaching. I also learned something in the temple today: Service is an eternal principal. Heavenly Father did so much for us... He created the world, gave us a Savior, to create the plan, and STILL He works to serve us and to help us. No wonder He wants us to learn how to serve others. There's no way we can be like Him if we don’t know how to serve.
Thanks for teaching me how to work hard. It's really been helping me out here in the mission. I love you!
con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

Sept 2
Sorry that the emails are getting shorter. It is hard though like you said, I do have a lot of emails to write.
The mission is getting even better! The transfer is almost over, and we still have 3 more baptisms to do. Luis (our baptism for next week) has a problem with smoking, and is trying harder than ever to quit. If you wouldn't mind, could you remember him in your prayers? He'd greatly appreciate it. So, we have two people getting baptized on this Saturday and one more next Saturday. If there's one thing I’ve learned while serving here, it was patience. I can see how work is always worth the effort, even though you don't see the blessing come immediately. They do always come, but only in the Lord's time. I did feel like giving up on a couple of investigators, and I really did want to leave this particular area for a while. But now, I see the fruits of my labor. It's kinda like Abinadi; he actually had no idea that he had touched the heart of Alma, and he died not knowing of the "small" success that he had. But what did Alma do? He ended up raising a whole nation to the Gospel, and gave birth to some of the world's greatest missionaries, who in turn, converted nations of Godless people to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I talked with the Bike guy in the stake, and he said that my problem could have been was that my tires were under inflated. I've only been putting in 40 pounds in my tires, but my I'm actually supposed to put in 65 pounds. No wonder I've been having problems… duh. hahaha
I did thank Anna already for the camera she‘s sending. I have such cool sisters…but they get it from you Mom. BTW Mom, your way of teaching is actually how missionaries teach. We always ask questions because it gets people to teach themselves. Christ asked TONS of questions. You are following the Savior's example as a Master Teacher. You are amazing- don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.
I didn't read the email from Jotty yet, but I'll get to it after this. From the looks of it, if Jotty continues to prepare, he will be a better missionary than I am before he leaves on his mission. As for my mission, thanks for your prayers and love.
I'll write you first next week so that you'll get a bigger email, ok?
I can't think of anything for my birthday right now. Lemme get back to you on that one next week. Take care and be happy!! I love you all!
con mucho amor,
Elder Miles Parker

2010-08-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

Aug 5, 2010

Yes. I got both packages. Thank you and tell the Todd's I said thank you too. You guys sent a load of stuff. I didn't have to buy much today. Just some milk, tajin powder, T.P., and Mexican candy. Mexican candy is weird, but I like it. I think it's an acquired taste.

People in the ward treat us nicely, but that's about it. Spanish people are a little too nice to say no, so they say yes (to whatever it is they say they'll do) and then bail out at the last minute. I still like them though. Some of them are mega-awesome members.
Well, welfare problems are over, but thank you for the help. I understand it a lot better now.

It's funny how you mentioned that now that I've been out this long (8 months), I'd start getting leadership positions. Well.... now I'm training a new missionary that just got off the plane. His name is Elder Meiners. He is from Maryland, and from a family of 8. I'm a Dad - hahahaha. We got off to a really good start, and he and I get along very well. He has a really strong desire to serve, has a great heart and is a hard worker . His Spanish is pretty good too, cuz he had 2 years in high school. I'm glad I got a good “son“. I was really worried that I'd have to put up with a hard-headed, immature missionary. But this guy is nothing like that. He is the man.

To answer your question mom, my last companion was Elder Berkey. We got along really well. He’s from Gary, Indiana, but didn't like it when people would start singing the Music Man, so he said he was from Chicago, (which is technically right..he was only a short drive away from Chicago). He really helped me get over smaller things and how not to worry and stress out.

Yes, I am wearing sunscreen, but only on certain occasions. I don't wear it every day, but I don't get burned either. The bike helmet shades my face, and of course I'm wearing slacks. I thought it was pretty strange that the sun is extremely strong over here, very bright, yet I don't get burned. I think it's because I've been gradually getting used to it. My legs are REALLY white but my face and arms are tan. Just to let you know that although the weather is awfully hot, is not that bad. Humidity is the worst during the heat, and because we have negative humidity (not really, but it is REALLY dry here), I can take the heat despite sweating a lot. (yucky)

It's good to hear that all is going well, even though you are busy. I appreciate you guys continuing to email me every week. I love you very much and I hope that you are able to have the strength to do what you need to get done. I'm glad for the example that you've set for me. Take care!
con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

Last 2 weeks of July

2010-08-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

Jul 22, 2010

The bike is doing awesome, even though I got one flat already. I got it patched though.
(in response to some silly thing Jim wrote him about) Yes, Dad, I HAVE noticed a fewer number in the zombie population. I haven't had to carry as much ammo with me which is great because ammo prices are going up, and I don't have enough funds to keep it going. Maybe I'll purchase a melee weapon and use that as I bike past them. :)
I can't believe Jotty's going to be an Elder already. That seems so odd. Having the Melchizedek Priesthood really has been a blessing for me. I've been blessed with the opportunity to magnify my priesthood by giving blessings. I've felt the spirit speak through me, and what an amazing feeling it is. I really liked Elder Oaks talk last General Conference about priesthood blessings for the sick and afflicted. It's really helped me NOT worry about how the blessing will go.
Glad to know that Youth Conference was a blast. I have to say I wasn't very impressed with it last year (you know me. I'm tired of the same youth getting 100% of the attention).
No, I haven't met any famous people out here yet. But I have heard of some missionaries eating dinner with the Osmonds and Liberace's old house is out here too.
I'm glad to hear that the kids are getting better at swimming. From the looks of it, it seems that you’re getting a lot more company than usual…good to see the pool getting used.
I have faith that God has a great blessing in store for me after my mission. Because I have that faith, I've been able to work all day without thinking about the future too much. I'm still working on losing myself completely, but I'm getting there.

Well, the only spiritual experience I can think of is something that happened last night. We were trying to go through a hole in a brick wall to take a short cut when I heard something very faintly. You know me mom, sometimes I'm a little hard of hearing. The bugs in a tree next to me were EXTREMELY loud, but I still heard something. I turned around to see another guy across the street. He got our attention and we started talking. Mom, I'm telling you, this guy is one of the Lord's elect. He started reading the Bible a week ago, and said that he's just looking for "truth." The spirit opened my ears to hear his faint call. I love it when the spirit works through me.

I appreciate the love and support you have continued to give me (and the cover fire too. I didn't know you were handy with a sniper rifle Dad). Take care and be happy!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

PS: I wanted to let you know that there was a missionary who went home some time ago that served his WHOLE mission in the Vegas Valley (Henderson and Las Vegas). He never left the valley his whole mission.

Jul 29, 2010
This email isn't going to be too long. We've been on a real time crunch today.
Things are getting a little negative around here. It's pretty interesting working in Spanish wards, because they see us as the priesthood leadership. My companion likes to sometimes say, "Alright then, time to go into Bishop Berkey mode." We've had a lot of people do their ranting with us. It's gets annoying after a while, especially if it's about something the Bishop needs to handle. The Bishop is a great guy and very missionary-minded.
Thanks for helping me out with that welfare question Dad. I will say a prayer about the job too. That'd be great if you could get that. Sorry that this email is so short. As I said, we are a little limited on time this week. Plus, Kira had a question for me and I need to email Jotty still. I'm sorry. Take care and be safe.
Love you all,
Elder Parker

July 15th, 2010

2010-07-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the update on all that's been happening. I'm glad that you've all been enjoying the pool. Make sure you do a little splashing for Elder Parker who can't swim, and is in the desert. lol
The bike is awesome! It really does ride well. Steve Gines (Mormon bike guy for this area) came over to take a look at it. He said that the bike that they got me (a Diamondback Edgewood) is a really good bike. I'm psyched to have it! It's very comfortable and it rides smoothly. Thank you for letting the Todd's help me. I know the Lord will bless them for the service.
We finally set someone for baptism! We got a text referral for a younger couple. They were a little standoffish at first, but they are extremely friendly. We taught them a couple times and invited them to church. Mom, I'm telling you that they absolutely LOVED it. We told some of the members that they were coming. When they came, we introduced them to some of the members of the ward. It makes a world of difference when investigators are welcomed into the church on their first Sunday and other Sundays after that.
I'm glad you sent me that part from Stefanie's blog. I've actually been thinking about humility in the past week. In the last Zone Conference, the main point was about being master teachers (a different one from the King Benjamin one). President Christensen pulled me aside ( he could tell that I was a little down -I doubt my abilities as a teacher) and told me that I was an amazing missionary, and that he doesn't know what he needs to do to help me see it. He told me that I can't be too hard on myself. I wrote him that P-day with an experience that I had while studying humility. This is what he wrote in response:

"Elder Parker, I'm sending this clip from your email back to you because I want you to read it every Thursday for the rest of the transfer. It is inspired.

Love
President Christensen"

(what I wrote in the email):
"I get down on myself a lot, and sometimes I don't try to see what I'm doing well. I think I get that from my dad. He said that sometimes he is his own worst enemy. That's how I think about myself at times. I remember though, something that I learned while I was studying humility. I realized that TRUE humility is seeing yourself as God sees you. Bragging about yourself is trying to put yourself higher, and beating yourself up only brings you lower. Both are symptoms of PRIDE, because you are trying to change your true value. Not once did Christ speak low of Himself, nor did He try to make Himself higher than others. He taught humbly that He was the way."

This is something that I've learned about humility. We can't be humble and beat ourselves down at the same time. By doing so we put ourselves at the top of the "natural man" list. (Pres. C. told me that). We need to humbly accept that we are not a lost cause and that we CAN do it. The Lord CAN strengthen us. NOTHING is impossible for Him. Like Stefanie, I too had a problem with the language (I still do). I wondered if I was only hindering the work. But my district leader, Elder Pinto, talked to me about that. The Lord used people like Moses and Enoch (who were "slow of speech") to prove that he can take an imperfect and talentless boy, and turn him into a powerful, humble, and faithful man, worthy to work miracles and teach with power and authority from God. I don't know if I'll perform miracles on my mission, nor do I know that I'll receive visions from angels, but I DO know that God can take this imperfect, obsessive lad with Tourette's and turn him into a master teacher. It's really hard to keep confidence at times, but I know I can do it.

Take care and be happy. Don't let the small things get hold of you. Take things one step at a time. Diane sent me a letter and in it she said that "worrying is like rocking a rocking chair: you have a whole lot of motion, but you don't get anywhere."
I love you!

con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

Miles emailed, I didn't update...

2010-07-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

June 10, 2010
Awesome experiences this past week and I've been feeling very happy. I'm not sure if we're getting any baptisms this transfer, but definitely next. I've learned to accept the Lord's will since I arrived. I remember that Preach My Gospel says that our success is NOT based on our accomplishments or number of baptisms. Rather, it is measured by our diligence, faith, and obedience to the mission rules and the Spirit. I've been trying to be obedient, so I think that's why I feel so great.
Speaking of Preach My Gospel, do you know if it's being used by the members in the stake (or the leaders at the least). I know I've told you before, but Preach My Gospel is amazing, especially if you read the scriptures and answer the questions. Even start as a family. Of course this is just an idea, but I know that if you all read and study as a family (just like reading the scriptures) you'll find yourselves better tools in the hands of the Lord. There is NOTHING more satisfying (at least for me right now) than seeing someone change their life for the better. As you study it, you'll learn what you can do to help out with missionary work. As you help out, you'll find that the Lord will bless you more than you can think. You'll develop the Christ-like attributes a lot faster than if you were to do anything else.
I showed a member the picture that I have with the entire family during the reunion. They were impressed. President Christensen was impressed too (he saw the calendar that I have). I really miss you guys, but I'm glad I have the opportunity to help people feel the love that I feel when I'm with you guys. I'm glad I have the opportunity to help other people build celestial families.
Mom, I'm glad that you're enjoying your new calling. That activity sounded WAY fun. I've always been impressed with how creative you are. I've been trying to tap into your creative gene at times to help out with lessons and trainings that I give.
There's been a stomach virus going around here too. One of the sisters in our district got sick with it, as well as a couple of members. I'm good though. Remember, I was a Blue Knight, and we can CHOOSE when we want to be sick. (so says Jamal)
I've been having a great time. I'm so glad that you taught me how to work hard. It's really helped me out a lot out here.
My companion and I have been teaching a girl named Arlene. I think I told you about her, but to be brief, she's quite awesome. She has been reading and praying almost everyday. She's been keeping ALL of her commitments. She used to smoke and drink, but now she turns it down. If her friends or family are offering it to her, and she feels like she's gonna cave, she'll separate herself (run just like Joseph of Egypt) and call us for help. One of the most recent things she gave up was her tongue jewelry. As soon as we told her, she took them out, but then she put them on the table. We asked her if she could get the others, and she brought out a used mint container that contained her tongue piercings. Then she set them on the table and stared at them. She started to cry a little as she explained that they reminded her of "good times" and that she didn't want to give them up. It was so interesting to see how something so small, could take an hour of convincing to give up. We talked to her about her scheduled baptism and how she feels when she feels the Spirit. We mentioned to her that she is leaving behind her old life, so that she can start a new and happier life. It was a little hard; the TV was on, her parents were talking, it was hot. My companion asked if we could offer a prayer. So he prayed and then we waited. After a minute, she sighed, a tear rolled from her eye, and she handed us ALL of her extra piercings. Since then she's kinda missed them, but she's doing fine now. The love of God and the power of the Atonement of Christ are real. She's testified to us of how this Gospel has helped her change her life around. She's happy for the first time in her life. This is why missionary work is so enjoyable. To be a part of the conversion of others is an honor bestowed by God to us as missionaries. As we teach and help others, our own testimonies and spirits grow. I love mission work!
I'm going to be sending the SD card off to you this week. There are a few from a ward Family Home Evening… they have one every first Monday of each month. I'm sorry that there aren’t many pictures. The camera is breaking... you'll notice some pictures have lines cuz something is wrong. I'm not sure what though. I've been taking good care of it too.
Thought I'd let you know, it's summer now, and it's really hot but I have yet to get burned. Also, while it is hot, it's quite dry, so I'm able to withstand it better. I do miss the breezes we’d get at home though. Here, the winds are hot as well, so it's like turning on a blow dryer.

June 17, 2010
I don't know if you know what a 7-11 is, but we have them ALL OVER Las Vegas. They have Slurpee cups from the biggest movies that are coming out. I have to say that “A-Team” looks pretty cool. Who plays B.A Barracus? Whoever it is, I pity the fool if he doesn’t do a Mr. T. - rated job.
Several people told me about Diane's baptism. YAHOO!! *jump-in-the-air* The only other baptisms I think might have had that many people is Stefanie Barker's or Amber Fessler's (now Amber Salmon). As much as I would've LOVED to be there, I know that this is where I need and want to be. I don't think there is any place I'd rather be right now than right here. I'm glad that you and the other Enterprise families were able to go. I cannot express how grateful I am to all those who are a support to Diane. I look back on how things have been going on at home since I left and I know that my service is blessing you all back home. I don't mean to sound proud, but knowing that my family and friends receive blessings keeps me motivated even when work is slow. I absolutely love being on a mission, especially here in Las Vegas.
My companion and I are doing great. We get along amazingly, but transfers are coming, and he's been in this area for a while, so he might be leaving. We're not getting any baptisms this transfer either. It's been hard to go for so long without any baptisms. In half a year, I've baptized two people. Now, I know that success isn't determined by the number of baptisms, but sometimes it's hard to think that you are a successful missionary when nothing shows for the efforts that you put in. I just gotta have more patience is all.
I don't have much time for extra letters today because we climbed the mountain next to the temple. I'm also out of ink on my typewriter, so I'll have to handwrite my letters until I can get some ink cartridges.
We had an awesome day yesterday, a Spanish conference. President took all of the Spanish-speaking missionaries and we had a conference on how Spanish missionaries specifically can work harder and better. Spanish and English cultures are EXTREMELY different...... just in case you didn't notice. It was a spiritual experience, and many goals were set. I'm trying a little harder, I just hope I can have the energy to do all that I want.
I'm sorry this is a little short. Just know that I truly am excited and that I'm not homesick. I'm happy to see how my service is blessing my family AND friends. I love you very much and thank you for your words of encouragement. You needn't worry Mom. I'm not homesick at all.

June 24, 2010
I'm kinda frustrated right now, to tell you the truth. My P-days are ALWAYS crammed with stuff I have to do and I have SO many letters to write. It seems like one little thing just piles up on another. The pile of stuff I have to do is so high it seems like I'll never get it done. Plus, I have to call for a whole bunch of rides, and the members here are not very helpful so we end up calling the same ones over and over again. We also have nothing here in our area. No Walmart, no post office, no bike shop, nothing. Well, we do have a mini Walmart with food and cleaning stuff. I guess I'm just really upset about my SD card disappearing in the mail. I had a lot of pictures on that thing. I can't get any duplicate pictures - no one else has them. My first companion did, but he's back home in Mexico.
I hate to think that P-days are more of a hassle than a blessing, but that's the way it seems right now. I just wish I wasn't so rushed.
I’m sorry…I realize how selfish I am being. I'm sorry for ranting on like that.
Nevada is DEFINITELY sunny. It's about 105 degrees or something like that, but it's a dry heat, so it's not that terrible. As for wildlife, there's not much that lives out here. I have seen a rabbit - well I guess it's actually a hare since it's the desert. I've also seen a road runner running across the church parking lot one time. I wasn't quick enough to get the picture though. The one thing that IS plentiful here is pigeons. ugh.......... I HATE pigeons, they are ALWAYS in the way.
My Spanish is still coming along, the biggest difficulty is understanding what people are saying. As for zone conferences, they are great. President Christensen really knows how to run one. Each one has been a spiritual feast for me. They've helped me set goals to make myself a better missionary.
I'll try to share one spiritual experience that happened yesterday. As we were biking, we came across this one man. We asked if we could share a message with him, and he was kind of stand-offish as he told us he was from a Baptist church. I explained to him that the message that we share was unique because we teach that we have a prophet and another book of scripture. We continued to talk to him and he mentioned that he could feel the Holy Spirit as we talked with him. He said he could see an illumination in our eyes. He liked how we were happy as we talked with him. We got his number and we're gonna try to send the English missionaries over. After all was said and done, I thought about what Mom told me some time ago; that the spirit changes our countenance. I guess that's what happened yesterday. Whatever the case may be, I'm glad that I was worthy to serve as a vessel for the Spirit. So that's my spiritual thought. It was pretty cool in my opinion. It made me feel really good.
Take care, sorry for the negativity.
I love you!

July 1, 2010
Thanks for understanding my attitude last week. I got better later on. It's really hard to forgive yourself though....I really am my own worst enemy sometimes. I'm so glad that the Atonement is real.
Our leadership here in the ward is awesome. I was thinking about it, but maybe I was also sent here to Las Vegas to learn more about leadership, besides just serving a mission. I know I have a long way to go, but I am anxious to use the stuff that I've learned out here, when I get back home. I wish that we could always remember that sacrifice is what moves this work. Sometimes we start thinking about now and what we want. Being on a mission has really helped me learn how to put me LAST.
Right now I am serving in Sunrise, which is a Stake of Las Vegas. I'm not in Paradise anymore, which is also a stake and not a city, but you did hit the nail on the head. There's really not much I can do to fix my bike while I am here. I'm riding a borrowed bike right now because mine it out of commission....... again. Elder Berkey (my new companion) said that Satan and Bikes are missionaries' worst enemies; LOL. Then the ink ribbon for sure needs to be special ordered. I can do it at Office Depot, but we don't have one. I'll send you the box with the ink ribbon in it so you can see what type it is. Just to let you know about the bike, the things that I need for it are: new brake pads, new brake cables, new tire, a new rim for the back tire (very expensive) new shocks, and a new chain. The only thing worth keeping on the bike is the frame and the seat. Let Jacob know, maybe he can tell me how to fix at least one of these things… as I said, my bike's rim is out and I noticed yesterday that my back wheel was wobbling and scraping against the brakes, so I stopped and inspected it. The tire was bulged and had ripped the metal lip on the rim. When I saw it I got off and as soon as I did..... pssssssssssssss. There went the tube too. lol. I was actually a good sport about it.

So I'm on the “Elder Cox diet“, which is nothing that has above 3 grams of sugar. It's really hard. I've been doing it for about a week. All I'm drinking is water ( I normally do anyway), no soda, no juice, nada. I'm also not eating cereal. I've been able to maintain my weight out here on the mission…actually lost 4 lbs.
Here's a spiritual experience for the week: Two days ago, we tried to contact a referral that we had received a couple days prior. We found the building, but the referral didn't give the letter of the apartment in which they lived. So we decided to knock on all the doors in the apartment complex. When we knocked on the first door, a child opened it up. It wasn't the person we were looking for, but we did see the father in the kitchen and he told us to come in. We talked for a while, and the couple told us how they didn't really feel right in other churches. The mother and father had both been through a lot, but were both extremely friendly, and there was a very warm and friendly spirit that presided in that house. We taught them the first lesson yesterday with a member, and it went pretty well. The member even invited them to church. What made this spiritual to me is this: If the text we got for this referral had the apartment number on it, we wouldn't have knocked on that door. We would've missed a great opportunity to teach a wonderful family. This has Divine intervention written all over it.
Well, there are others waiting to use the computer. I love you lots!

Jul 8, 2010
Wow. Too bad your email got spammed and you had to change emails addresses Dad. I even got an email from your old account that sent me a link to a site for Canadian viagra. Luckily, that was the worst that was sent.
Yes, Sunrise Manor is the same as Sunrise. If you happen to take another look at the map, my area is from Linn in the East to Sandhill in the West, and Lake Mead in the north to Washington in the south. The temple is in our zone too. Unfortunately, we won't be able to go this transfer because they'll be cleaning the temple on our assigned date. Bummer.
So, I like the name for the new kitty. I laughed a lot.
Mission work is going a little slow, but we are working. We've got a couple of people that have potential to be baptized. Arlene has not been baptized. She still has some thing that she needs to clear up. She's also getting worked on really hard by Satan. She's starting to let fear set in, so we're trying to help her out.
Thank you so much for asking the postmaster about the SD card. I was really upset. It's interesting though, how it was recovered AFTER I decided I wouldn't let it bother me. I'm learning to just let small things go. My companion is helping me out with that. In fact, my companion (Elder Berkey) was introduced to the mother of an elder who was going home (one of his previous companions). He told her, "Mom, this was one of my companions, Elder Berkey. The sky could be falling, and he'd be cool with that." He really has helped me to not worry and to just do what you can.
Okay, for my bike measurements: My height is 6'3", my weight is 252 and my stance height is 36 to 38 inches. Just front suspension will be good enough. I’m embarrassed to be asking for so much, but I guess I should just accept it. Who am I to withhold blessings from others? Just make sure you tell the Todds, that I love them a LLOOOOOOOTTTT!! I will pray for them. I am extremely grateful for what they are doing.
I hope I'm not being too much of a burden. Also, Mom, I wanted to say sorry for not recognizing you enough. I'm thankful for all the little things you send me and the emails and bits of news you send me too. I'm sorry I've been a little whiny the past few weeks too. I promise I'll do better. Thanks for all the updates and stuff. Make sure you take care of yourselves. I love you!!!!!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

Not "green" anymore!

2010-06-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

April 29, 2010
The Desert is getting hotter and hotter. It hit 95 a couple of days ago, but at night it is really nice.
Speaking of elders and being "green"; next week, I will officially not be green. Can you believe it? I'll have been gone for 6 months next week. The time is flying by so quickly. They say that once you hit your 1 year mark, the time goes by even faster.
Also, are you guys giving referrals to the missionaries? Gordon B. Hinckley said that mission work is most successful when the members are involved. When members accompany us to lessons, when they invite investigators to their houses, or when they refer their friends to the missionaries, baptisms rise. If you guys will pray during family prayer every night to know which of the friends are ready for the Gospel, God will let you know. As you become involved in missionary work, you'll find that things at home and in your personal lives will go a lot better. I promise you.

Teaching lessons is going better. I still have a lot of work to do on my Spanish. As for retention, I think its up to 50%. This is another reason why having members at lessons is so important. Preach My Gospel says that there are two types of concerns: doctrinal and social. We as missionaries are responsible for taking care of the doctrinal concerns, but members are responsible for taking care of the social concerns. Why is that? Oh, thanks for asking. I'll tell you why. It's because missionaries have no life. We are not normal. IE: We don't have to worry about school, work, money, politics, gas, cars, girls, etc. But members are the ones that can befriend, help, and work with our investigators. In all reality, if a convert of member goes inactive, it isn't the missionaries' fault. It's the ward's fault. That's why every member is a missionary.
We've also found some awesome investigators. One of them is set for baptism too. Her name is Linda. She's and older woman of 65 years. Her husband left her 20 years ago for another woman. She's diabetic, and her legs aren't doing well either. She's been humbled by the Lord. The first day that we met her, she told us that her goal is to join the church. She came to church last Sunday and boy did she enjoy it. The sisters in the ward were extremely supportive of her.

As for relations, we're doing really good with the obispo (bishop). It's really hard though to get the other auxiliaries active though, especially the relief society president. I think she gets mad at us ‘cuz we expect her to do her job.

Diane is taking the discussions? That's awesome!!!! I'm so flippin' happy for her! Shelby wrote me a letter not too long ago and told me that she's been bringing Diane to church too. I'm eager to know whether or not she's being baptized. She's got a good head on her shoulders. That's why I went out with her. :)
Amber and Russell????? WOW!!!! I totally didn't see THAT one coming. Russell and Amber are going to be great together. They’re both strong in the Gospel and they both are just great, all-around people. I'm uber excited for them. Randall Winters too. What’s his fiancé’s name?

Writing emails is getting a little harder now because we are using computers in a timed library.
I'll let you guys know the details on the Mother’s Day call later. Although I'd like to call when everyone is there, just know that it may not be that way. If the mission pres has rules as to when we can call, I'm going to follow them. Just remember, the more obedient I am, the more blessings YOU ALL receive.

Thank you (as always) for your love and support. I love you so please take care. Be safe, and be happy. I'm looking forward to the call home in a week.
Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

May 6th, 2010
I think it's nice that Royal and Elizabeth kind of named the new baby after you. You deserve it mom. Remember that I love you too.

Yes I did get the box. Thank you very much. I especially liked the wasabi peanuts. I love wasabi. I actually have a funny story about wasabi. As you may know, wasabi is green. Recently we went to a Chinese buffet. My companion found some "guacamole" and put a lot of it on his plate and then put some of the chicken in the "guac", took a bite, and the rest, as they say, is history. YIKES! what a surprise!

I am able to get most of the things that I need. I DO need some stamps though. And I think I might need my camelback canteen. It's already in the 90s, and it'll only get hotter.
I'm really excited that you got a new calling. I know that you'll do your best to fulfill your calling-- I'm glad you taught me to work hard. It's definitely paying off as a missionary.

Just to let you know what's going on. This Saturday is a baptism. Do you remember Carlitos (I don't remember if I told you about him) We were teaching him until they
re-zoned us. The elders who took that part of our area continued to teach him. Now he's getting baptized this Saturday and he asked me to baptize him. I feel honored.
Also, last night, a woman came up while we were at the church and asked us for a blessing. We went into a classroom and it was decided that I was to give the blessing (THANKFULLY it was in English). As I started to give the blessing, the words flowed from my mouth. I started to remember some of the words that I heard Dad say whenever he gave me blessings. I told her that Heavenly Father loves her and that he knows what she's going through (I didn't know squat about what was going on). I talked to her about the Atonement and how she can pray to receive help. I also told her to seek the scriptures and to talk to her family (her father was a bishop). I don't know what her problem was, but she started to cry as I began the blessing, and when I mentioned that her Father in Heaven loved her, she cried harder. The Spirit filled the room, and I could tell that what I was saying was what the Lord wanted me to say, and that it touched her heart. I'm grateful for the Priesthood, and also for the Holy Ghost, who told me what to say. Being an instrument in the Lord's hand is truly an amazing experience. Both the receiver and the giver of the service are edified, and testimonies are strengthened.

I try to respond to everyone. Is there someone that I didn't respond to? You need to tell me if you hear of someone I need to reply to. P-Day isn't as relaxing as some make it out to be. It can be, but because we have to take two other elders with us (they are on bike), I don't get as much time to write letters. We have shopping, cleaning, emails, laundry, and other things to do. It's EXTREMELY difficult to find the time to respond on time to the letters that I get. I try to keep up but things keep piling up, and I can't get them done. I'm not allowed to write letters on any other day than on P-Day, so I can't write at the end of the day when I have a little bit of spare time, before I go to bed

Oh! As for the plan on the phone call, I plan on calling at about 6:00 pm our time. The guidelines say that you should have what you want to talk about planned out. I don't know if I've ever planned out a phone conversation before but I've only got 40 minutes. It can be a little longer if needed, but nothing like 2 hours. I'm really excited to talk too.
I love you very much.
Con mucho Amor,
Elder Parker
p.s. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

May 13, 2010
It was really good to hear from you all on Sunday. Dad, I hope that the advice I gave you about member referrals and retention will help you out. Maybe a couple of trainings during stake meetings might help. Also, leave them with a commitment (the people at the meetings). Preach My Gospel says that "rarely, if ever, should you talk to someone without leaving them with a commitment." If you leave the people with a commitment, and follow up with the leaders on how well they are keeping it (or "if"), your results will be much better.

I loved your stories about the “Knights of Marlboro“ too. I think you should also tell Brice and Cian the stories about your childhood that you used to tell us (of course, change the names to "protect the innocent").

Oh! I got transferred yesterday. I'm in the Sunrise Zone now. I'm actually in a bike area too, so I'm pretty excited. The zone that I'm serving with in is pretty cool. I’m sorry to say that I need money to repair my bike. My bike chain is going, and my brakes are worn...... Let me know by next week if you can help.

I'm sorry this isn't too long. We have a member picking us up in a little bit, so I gotta hurry. This P-day didn't go as planned.
Love you all!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker
PS: Mom, thanks for talking with Diane. :)

May 20th 2010
Before I begin, let me tell you that I'm sorry that the emails will be short. I was transferred to a bike area, so we have members to come and pick us up each P-day to do email and shopping. So if there are certain things that you'd like to know, make sure you ask questions.
I think it's interesting that you told Jotty that he should give a talk on how seminary preps for a mission, ‘cuz that's EXACTLY what I told him. I think it'd be good for some students to see a youth who is focused on serving and preparing for a mission. I don't think serving a mission is stressed enough in the stake.

Before I close, I'll share something that I've learned from the Book of Mormon. In my personal study, I've just finished up the book of Helaman. I noticed how bold Samuel the Lamanite was as he preached upon the wall. Just yesterday, we shared a scripture with a family whose son had just finished arguing with his girlfriend. We shared 3rd Nephi 11:27 with them and explained to them what contention was. We also explained to them the difference between contention and boldness. We explained that sometimes boldness may come across as being contentious, but when we are bold, we are loving, and we are trying to help people repent. If we are not bold, they will not recognize their mistakes, and if they don't recognize their mistakes, they won't repent and come unto Christ. Samuel the Lamanite was the perfect example of boldness. He didn't fear what man would do. He taught his message so that the people couldn't misunderstand what he was saying. Because he was bold, many people were reconverted to the Lord, and many people found the source of Salvation and everlasting happiness.

Once again, I'm sorry that this isn't too long. Know that I love you more than you think. Until next time, take care!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

May 27, 2010
Yeah Dad, I like the idea of the vertical thinking. I'm glad that we get that drilled in our heads as missionaries.
Something I forgot to tell you about. About a month ago, I ran into a "Sergeant" Richard. He was a homeless guy who fought in Vietnam. I told him about you and about Daniel and the whole experience. He started to get a little teary, then he said "Come here you little $%^%$! Gimme some!" He gave me a high five and pounded my fist. I thought is was funny. "Your dad is a great man." he said. He also said that he wanted me to give you a hug and a kiss from him. I think I'll skip the kiss, but when I get back, remember that my first hug is from me and the second one is from him OK?

Work is going better. We've got an interesting area. One of our investigators just got off probation, and two others are recently in trouble with the law. Interesting eh? What's even more interesting is that these three people are the most prepared to join the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be baptized.

As for my bike: I'm pretty sure that I can fix the bike myself. I'll see what I can do. Thank you for understanding.

Speaking of cameras, mine is actually going; however, one of the members in our ward is giving me her old one. They do a LOT for us. I want to bring you out here after my mission so you can meet some of these people. The members here are awesome! President Christensen is as well. I know I haven't mentioned much about him. I all can say is that he DEFINITELY has the spirit with him.
Well, I gotta go. I'll start thinking about spiritual experiences the day before. I'm sorry I'm not doing too good on reporting things. I'll do better. I love you very much. Take care and be happy!
Elder Parker

June 3rd, 2010
WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm super excited for Diane and Kim. Kim's been writing me about the guy that she's dating. I made the prediction she’d be engaged soon. As for Diane, I'm way excited for her being able to be baptized. She kept her promise.

Wow..... were you at work or at the house when the car was broken into? Did you file a police report? That kind of makes me angry too. All they took was your Sirius radio? Stealing is pretty big here in Vegas too.

Oh, by the way: In the Sunrise area where I am, I'm actually a bike ride away from the temple. Well.... a long bike ride, but still a bike ride. I think I could get into biking, even when I get back home. I really enjoy it and it’s a great way to exercise. In fact, I learned a couple of tricks too. I tried riding a wheelie just yesterday. I got it really good, but then I fell backwards. Pretty funny actually. I just need a little more practice.

Things are going really good right now. It's a little hard getting LTMs, but we're still making progress. My Spanish is improving steadily. Also, we've been making progress with a girl named Arlene. She's a 17 year old mother who my companion and his previous companion contacted last transfer. To put a long story short, they knocked on her door, she answered, and now she's ready for baptism. It's been amazing to see her progress.
She's been reading and praying. She's also been coming to church. She's extremely diligent in keeping the commandments too. Just a couple days ago, she gave us her "sin box." for us to throw away. In it was a razor and the last of her cigarettes. She told us that she is serious about this, and that if she's going to do this, she's going to do this right. I kept thinking about what mom would say, "do it right, or don't do it at all" (at least I think I heard her say that). Arlene has also called us to keep from falling into temptation. She's ready for baptism now, but she's got one more problem that she needs to solve before we can give her a date. It's amazing to see the happiness that comes from changing from a "natural man" to a saint of Christ.

Well, that's all I have right now. I'm really enjoying serving in this area. I've met a lot of great people. Take care. Remember to keep a positive attitude and remember to take things one step at a time (that's one thing I'm learning out here on my mission). I love you lots!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

March and April letters (lots of update)

2010-04-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

March 4th, 2010
Yes... I am journaling a lot. I’ve probably missed 7 days since I've left in November. It really does help me find a sense of identity. I can also track my progress too. If you ever hear someone (mainly teenagers) say that they are "trying to find myself" tell them to keep a journal… it helps.

I am in the same area, same apartment. My new companion, Elder Gonzalez, is awesome. I especially like how he tries to raise the bar every now and then. The other two baptisms, Carlos and Carlos Jr.,had to be postponed until March 27th. Do you remember Daniel (the husband of Gloria)? We set him for baptism on the 20th. I don't know what was different this time, but after a year of not listening, he decided to take the lessons. We're also planning on setting three others. Salamon (whom we found on the street) and Ramon and Rhonda. Ramon had been contacted in Boulder City 5years ago. Rhonda (who doesn't speak Spanish) studies religion. They have a baby boy (HUGE baby boy, not even two years old and he's bigger than Cian) named Elisha. She was barren, but through God, they were able to have Elisha. All three of those we’re teaching ask very good questions, and have a real interest to learn more. I just hope we can get them to make the changes.

Don't worry Dad, I'm getting fed quite well. The Hispanic culture has mastered the culinary arts!

I've heard about the earthquakes too. Revelations talks about terrible earthquakes in diverse places. It's starting to seem like more and more of the signs of the times are coming true.

Regarding that changed traffic sign you missed Dad…just another reminder that we ALWAYS have to pay attention: Kind of like in the gospel. We can't afford to miss a ‘raising of the bar’ in the standards, or let up just a little bit because we’ll allow Satan to pull the wool over our eyes.

I love you all and Mom, I miss our looooong midnight chats. You'd be happy to know though, that Pres. and Sis Christensen treat us like their own children, so I'm not parentless right now. Our zone conference on Tuesday was AMAZING!!! The topic was on revelation. You'd love Pres Christensen…he's extremely spiritual.

March 11th
It finally dawned on me that I've been gone for 4 months. I can still remember the day I entered the MTC as if it was yesterday. It's really bizarre how some days kind of drag, but the weeks seem to zoom by. It’s like time is going at two different speeds at the same time.

We use both car and bike. Surprisingly, my knee hasn't bothered me one bit while I've been bike riding. Either the surgery worked after all or it is one more way I have been blessed.

We had interviews with President Christensen yesterday, and he asked that I e-mail you something that we talked about: Yesterday, he asked me "What are three things you've learned on your mission so far?" I thought for about a minute. The first one I said was Sacrifice. I love in the hymn, "Praise to the Man" where it says that "sacrifice brings forth the blessing of heaven." I've found this to be true. Ever since I left, things seem to have been going good for all of the family and even for some of my friends. Mom, you were able to afford to fix your hearing aids. Amry took a stand for the standards of the Church. JaNae lost her job but that allowed her to take time to spend with the kids, and more time to study for her classes. Jotty’s friend has listened to gospel discussions and things have even been looking up for Diane--she's started family home evening in her house, her Dad let her apply to BYU, and he's let her start going to church. The more I sacrifice, the more blessings my loved ones have received.
The second thing I said was “obedience with exactness“. I've learned that in order for us to successfully serve the Lord, we need to be worthy to receive inspiration and revelation from the Spirit. In order to receive help from the Spirit, we need to be obedient. Every morning, we follow the schedule of exercise, personal study,breakfast, and companionship study “to the T“. We get up on time, and we leave on time. We plan every night, and we have weekly planning every Friday. We don't start anything late.We don't stay in bed until 6:31;we are up and out of bed by 6:30. We make sure that we study for at least one hour, nothing less. As we obey the morning schedule, and adhere to the other rules, we are open to the revelation and inspiration that the Lord has promised to give us,
thereby allowing us to fulfill the purposes of God in bringing his children, our brothers and sisters, to Him.
The third thing that I learned (and you'll like this one, mom) is the
importance of having a “positive mental attitude“. As I have tried my hardest to look on the bright side of things, I have been able to avoid anger and contention. Some of the drivers here are crazy, but I simply smile and say, "Maybe they're having a bad day." As I try to think about how I can improve myself and do better, I am able to have faith and confidence in myself so that the Lord can use me. It helps me to enjoy the time that I am out here. I wish that I could have learned this before I got out here. I wish I had listened to you Mom when you kept telling me to be happy. I'm sorry for not listening.

March 18th
Wow.. Brice is 7 and Cian is 5....... I'm getting old. Oh man! I'm gonna miss Daniel's baptism this year, and Brice's baptism next year. Darn.
Thanks for sending Dale's address. He is going to Mexico City, I'm pretty excited for him. Dale is a quiet example of kindness and obedience. Luckily, missionaries are allowed to e-mail each other. Can you get Stefanie's address too?

I’m glad you are taking the summer off Mom. Speaking of having summer off, did I tell you how hot it gets here in the summer? 110 degrees on a normal day. I'm hoping Pres. C. ships me off to Elko (the northern most part) for the summer. Of course, knowing how things sometime work, he might send me further south. Well, what's life without a little fun eh? Gotta keep a PMA (positive mental attitude). Pres Christensen told me that if I decide at the beginning of each day to be happy, that will help me out a lot, and it has.)

This last is an email from one of my MTC teachers that I thought you’d like:
“SABAHH IL-HEER Elderes y Hermanas (good morning in Arabic)
One thing that has pressed my mind the most this week (DC 128.1) is the question, what are we saving people from?
We are saving them from Babylon (or the world).
Here are some facts about the world:
Of the 6 billion people who live in the world right now, 4.5 billion live below the poverty line
25 million people are displaced by wars
50% of the world's countries are ruled by dictators
There are 300,000 child soldiers in the world
27 million people in the world are enslaved
854 million people are going hungry
1 million child will be sold into the sex trade this year.
Pornography is the largest hit on the internet
These are some things that we are saving people from. The fight is real. Our obedience to the covenants in the temple is what will set us apart as disciples of Jesus Christ and endow us with His power to represent Him in cleansing each other of sin and evil. As I have said before, moral men cannot not save this world; only a God can, and that God is Jesus Christ.
I sat in a class last Thursday while a visiting professor to the college said one offensive thing after another. One could see on their faces that the students were uncomfortable and offended. Yet, no one, not even the teacher said a thing. I finally raised my hand, countered his comments and he stopped. We spoke very fondly of each other after class. My point is, we must stand. Too many disciples stand by and merely squint at evil without taking a stand and combating it. STAND.
We are to represent Christ in fighting evil and sin. Roll up your sleeves and get in the trenches and co-servants in the faith. Have a good week.
Abrazo,
Hno Coles”

March 25th
First of all, Mom, I know you’re really busy from the costuming for Music Man so it’s okay that you didn’t get the email to me in time. I'll give you a quick update on what's been going on.

We aren't having any baptisms this transfer, and three people dropped getting baptized. I told dad about one named Luis. It's been pretty rough this transfer. Sometimes I wonder if I'm really helping out in the effort here…sometimes it seems like I'm more of a watcher than a doer.

I’ve lost a little weight, and hope to continue losing some more. I've been eating much healthier; I've been snacking on grapes and carrots and bananas. I've also eaten everything that the members feed us for dinner. The only thing I have declined was papaya, but I DID try it.

I'm still in the Paradise area in Las Vegas. I haven't transferred out since I arrived. Things went bad and good this past week. Good because we got a lot of work done. We got 16 lessons with member present (LTM) and 38 other lessons. We got one of our investigators to start coming to church and we finished teaching him all the lessons. His name is Salamon. He has a baptismal date for the 27th of April.
Now for the bad news. We got a new companionship in our district so now we have six instead of 4. That’s not a problem, but because they moved in, they had to rezone our area and we lost ALL of the investigators we had, including Salamon. We got to keep a couple but 98% now belong to the other Elders. Something our zone leader said gave me hope. He said that the "Lord has people prepared to hear the gospel in this area" and that made me think: our area isn't new, it's just smaller. We never focused much in this area because it was farther away than the other parts. Maybe this is the Lord's way of saying, "You've done enough in this part. Let the other elders take care of the rest. I want YOU to work in this area that you've been ignoring. I've got some people prepared. So go and find them my son."

My Spanish is coming along better. My companion, Elder Gonzalez, speaks Spanish much clearer than my first companion, so I'm understanding a little better. When I return, I will gladly start accompanying you to work to help you out Dad. Maybe I could get a part time job as a translator. I know my old boss would want me back too because he has several Hispanics working for him.

I love you very much and miss you too. Luckily, Pres Christensen has been a great help to me in helping me overcome my trials. He and his wife remind me a lot of you, because they’ve told me some things that you've both told me before. BUT, they don't replace either of you.

April 8th
I'm pretty jealous that the family there gets to see “The Music Man“. I also think its great that they have started community theater in Enterprise. I’m sure Jotty's doing great in it, and that mom is doing a good job too. She’s always done a marvelous job with sewing and costuming. 9,000 yards of thread? Wow....... have you done more costuming before or is this your record? Hope someone did a video of it. I have been EXTREMELY jealous that you guys get to do this, but I'm happy that you’re having fun.

I got to see all the sessions of General Conference. It was amazing, but taking notes made it even better. Elder Holland's, and Elder Oaks's talks and Elder Bednar's talk on helping your children recognize spiritual warnings were the ones that stuck out to me. I like how Pres. Monson talked about the hope we have for the resurrection. All in all, it was a great conference. I enjoy conference and understand more since I came out on my mission.
I noticed also that a lot of it was focused on family and the duties of the parents. While I thought that that was nice, I noticed that the conference also focused on missionary work. In a different way, we missionaries are the "parents" of our investigators. It is our responsibility to nurture them in the Good Word of God. It is our responsibility to tell them that we KNOW that the Gospel is true. It is our responsibility to give them blessings when they need it. They are infants in the Gospel, and without our help (and the help of members--they play a key role) our investigators will be swallowed up in the evils of contemporary society and spiritually die. Indeed, this conference was a conference for the parents; parents of children and investigators.

Regarding your comment about the New Testament; the New Testament is hard to understand because the culture is extremely different. Many comparisons were made with the culture and customs of ancient Jerusalem. Institute and seminary manuals are a God-send for understanding it better. The apostle Paul’s teachings are some of the best.

It’s interesting how children tend to say things that are either really funny, or really profound. Not too long ago, my companion and I were at a family home evening with a new member. She held up a picture of Christ and the little children and asked "Why are the little children looking at Jesus?" Her 6 year old son said "‘Cuz they want Him to make them better." I immediately thought, wow.......why do we look at Jesus? Are we even looking at Him? Are we anxiously studying his words and looking towards His example? We look to Jesus so that He can make us better, so that He can comfort us, and so that He can teach us how to be happy in this life, how to be like Him.

April 15th
I’m kind of bummed this week. I think I told you that they split our area. The area we have is middle class, and there aren't too many Hispanics here. We went knocking doors yesterday for two hours, and not one new investigator. I'm not enjoying it too much. The joy I feel is when we actually get results, and we aren't getting any. When I get back at our apartment, I feel tired and stressed. I'm not sure what we are doing wrong…we're working our butts off, but to no avail. Not that I am going to stop working, but I'm not sure of what else we need to do. I'm sorry for being a little depressed. I'm trying to be positive, but when we review at the end of the day, sometimes it 's really hard to stay positive. Thanks for reminding me about P.M.A. Sorry for complaining. Thanks for continuing to love and support me. Despite the hardships, I'm glad that I'm here serving the Lord.
My health is going good. I'm sleeping better now, and I'm eating a LOT healthier (wish I had done that back home). I’ve come up with some rules I'm going to follow to keep my eating habits in check. We are riding bikes, so I'm getting my exercise in as well.

Speaking of the kids that go wayward, I'm glad that you were a mother who taught us to obey the gospel, and that you did what you could, even if it DID tick us off, to keep us in the right path. I wouldn't have come on a mission if you hadn't taught me like you did. Thank you again for being a wicked awesome mother!

April 22nd
I don't have much time on this timed computer; but know that things are going much better! In the past week, we've been able to renew our resolve and we've found more investigators to teach. We had interviews with Pres. C, and I told him that I think I had started to focus on numbers instead of people. I think that is why we weren't able to do so well. But no matter, that's in the past. We have found some people to teach, and we are going to work.
In response to your question about teaching investigators: if they want to gain a testimony about the restoration and about Joseph Smith, they need to PRAY. They need to be taught what the fruits of the spirit are. There's a scripture in John that says that if we REALLY want to know if the doctrine and laws are of God, we need to DO them. I.E.: If I want to gain a testimony about the word of wisdom, I have to pray AND follow it. My testimony comes from my actions. I know that all these things are true because I have read and done them and seen the blessings that come from it. As you and Mom have strived to live the Gospel, I have seen how it has blessed you and the family. Prayer is just one of the actions we can do to know if this Gospel is true.
Oh yes, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOTTY!

While I do miss you all, I know that this is where I need to be. This IS the best thing I can do for myself, my family, and the people here. Please pray that I will be able to teach and touch the heart, and that I won't be a burden to my companion and district. I love you!

Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

Attack and Analogy

2010-02-27T18:46:00.000-08:00

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

Second transfer, new companion

2010-02-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom and Dad,

Notice that my new e-mail account is miles.parker@myldsmail.net .The Church had to update the myldsmail site so my address changed.
Can you send my other journal? I finished my first one a week or two ago.

Dinners here are amazing. Everyone in the ward can
cook. I never knew that Mexican cuisine could be THIS good!

Weather here is pretty hot--the coldest its' gotten is in the 40s. I am in the desert though. They say in the summer, it easily hits 115 degrees. The cool thing is that the shade actually works. You CAN feel a difference as you walk into the shadows of walls, buildings, and the occasional tree. We had transfers this past Tuesday and Elder Couoh has gone back home to Mexico. My new companion is Elder Gonzalez. He is AMAZING! He's a convert of only two years, and his teaching and testimony are fantastic!

Well, I'm now starting my second transfer. I don't know if you heard, but we had our first baptism last Friday. We're working on two more. The problem isn't that they don't want to be baptized, the problem is that they want to be baptized this transfer. Let me fill you in on this mission. The Nevada Las Vegas mission is the highest baptizing mission in the US (next to Salt Lake) and is also in the top 90% in the world. You wanna know how we do it? LTMs (Lessons Taught with a Member present). This has been the key to our success. Last year, the NLV mission had 1100 baptisms. This is made possible through an increased focus on members present when teaching investigators. It is a good help to the investigators. Also, Preach My Gospel is a very good source. I would exhort you to use it. Start reading it as a family if you haven't yet. It's a fantastic guide to helping us understand the importance of doing missionary work, and also how to do it. Pres. Christensen is an inspired man and I can feel his Spirit strongly.

So here's my spiritual thought. Do you remember Cristina Mendoza--the one who lived with all sorts of people of bad influence? Well, we baptized her last week and she's doing fantastic. She's really happy in her new home, away from the bad influences. She's got a wonderful spirit, which actually brings me to my thought:
We went back to her old place to teach her friend who still lived there. I have to say, I did NOT feel good. When I entered the apartment, I got this awful feeling of bitterness, coldness, and anger. This goes to prove that people, when worthy, can become vessels for the Spirit. Even though the TV was always on,kids running around, and the grouchy old Cuban lady kept yelling every now and then;...when Cristina was in the house, there was a Spirit of hope, love, and peace that presided amidst the chaos.
That's why it's important to live right and be worthy. Not just for ourselves,but for the sake of our homes and families as well.

The reason why emails have been short(despite the whole hour that I have) is because I only have one hour to email all of you, and Pres. Christensen. The computer isn't timed, but I'm trying to be obedient...that's the key to having the spirit with you. I also know that you guys will be blessed if I am obedient as well.

I love you all very much. You are in my prayers.
Thank you for your love and support. Cuidate!

Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

2010-02-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

Don't have much time right now so I'll make this quick.

You got it on the first try Mom...Elder Foote and I both have Tourette's Syndrome.
I don't know if Elder Foote takes meds for his Tourette's--I never asked him. Yes, he was in the MTC with me.

I'm really sorry to hear about Bro. McClean. I think he did miss his wife--he changed a lot after her death. Hopefully he is happy right now.

A quick spiritual experience: We finished visiting a less active family and had a little extra time, so we needed something to do. I suggested that we go to the house of one of our investigators (who is set for baptism) to see how she is doing. When we got there, she told us how her friend has been very evil to her lately and had been calling her a "bruja" (witch). Then a man came in to talk to someone else that lives there (she doesn't own the house), and started talking very obscenely and grossly. She started to get upset and frustrated, which led later to tears. Elder Couoh started to comfort her and shared a scripture with her. After a little more talk and support, we left. Elder Couoh said that we were there at the right moment. She needed that support. If we weren't there, we wouldn't have known how bad her condition was at home. The people that live around her are bad influences, and she's trying to be faithful. Through combined efforts with the Bishop and Relief Society, we found her somewhere else to live. She has been an amazing example to me, and has showed an incredible amount of strength and faith. The gospel has the power to change people. I can't wait to have her accompany us as we teach lessons. She will touch the lives of others, just as she has touched mine.

There is much joy to be felt when you teach people about the gospel on your mission. When you teach a single mother who is abused by her ex-spouses about how Jesus Christ has forgiven her sins, and that He knows how to help her; when you teach a young man about how he will be able to see his dead father again; when you teach two little children about how their mother is ok, and that they will be able to live with her for eternity...these experiences have been most rewarding to me.

Dad, that is so cool that you get to meet with Elder Ballard! I love hearing from the general authorities.

I love you all very much. Take care.

Elder Parker

Feb 4, 2010 and...Any guesses?

2010-02-07T18:11:00.001-08:00

Aw...I'm surprised no one wants to guess what Miles and Elder Foote have in common-that makes them so unique. Go ahead...guess! (in the comment section at end of this post)

So, from Miles this last week...

Dear Mom (mother, mommy, mammy, matriarch, boss, queen, person, etc.)

This week has been quite eventful. Recently, we've been able to work with the members a lot more. We've also set two other people for baptism. This should make three baptisms for me and Elder Couoh by the end of this transfer.

I'm currently in Paradise Stake, Paradis Ward (Spanish)

I haven't sent anything home yet. I'm gonna go through some of my stuff and find out what I don't need. I'll probably be sending some shirts and a pair of jeans too (not the ones you sent for Christmas-those are nice). As for music, the EFY cd's are alright so I won't send those home.

I'm glad Jotty and you are involved in Music Man. I hope when I return that I can be involved in the community productions. I love to entertain and make people laugh.

I don't have a spiritual experience to share this week. I can't think of any right now, and I'm running out of time. However, our lesson with one of our investigators was fantastic. We felt the spirit very strongly. The gospel is changing her life; I can see it. She's more happy and she looks forward to our visits. One time, she took the bus to come to church, 'cuz she didn't have a ride...she wanted to come that badly. I love seeing this change in her life, and I hope she'll keep it.

Yeah, sometimes we have to eat on the run but not too often. I haven't been eating much either...I don't get that hungry (or bored) like I used to - no time to.

Yes, I got JaNae's e-mail. Tell her I'm sorry I didn't respond to her. Sometimes our time is so short we can only respond to parents. Can you give me her e-mail address so I can try to send her one every once in a while? Sometimes I forget how great of a relationship we have with each other. She's an awesome sister.

I love you too Mom. Take care and be safe please.

Con mucho amor
Elder Parker

January 28th 2010

2010-01-31T11:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Family,

We went to the Las Vegas temple today. You would love it. There are a lot of gardens surrounding it, with many different kinds of flowers. I kept thinking, "Man, Mom and Diane would love this." I took some pictures of them too. The Las Vegas Celestial Room is BEAUTIFUL!!! They have these really tall windows on each side. We went in the morning, so when we went in, the sun was shining through on one side. It was so bright, I felt I was actually entering into the presence of the Lord. I love the Spirit of peace the presides in the temple. I don't have any worries when I'm there. Not one. I was able to think about those we are teaching for a little bit. Next time I go, I think I'll go with some specific questions in mind on how to help them. I'm sure the Lord will give me direction concerning those for whom I am responsible.

Anyway, I know the happy birthday was a little early, but we can only email on p-day, so I thought it'd be better early than late.

We had a ward conference last Sunday You know what surprised me? No food. Nope. It's just a southern tradition...I was kinda bummed out. It was a good conference nonetheless.

Yes, I finally got the packages, both of them. Thank you for all of it. Also, I did share my treat and the calendar is fantastic. It's good to see pictures of everyone...especially the page with my friends.

Jotty did not tell me that there were more people from the ward in the play. I think that's awesome...I'm so jealous of him. The "Music Man" sounds so much fun. Especially the part that Jotty has; I would love to be in a Barbershop Quartet.

Had a neat spiritual experience...earlier in the week we had exchanges. I was with Elder Bennet, another fantastic missionary (I'm hoping I get to serve with him before he leaves). We stopped by his apartment to get his planner, and on the way out, he grabbed three copies of the Book of Mormon. I didn't ask why, because we needed a couple of extras. Later on in the day, we went to go contact a referral that we received a day or two ago. When we went there, we had a fantastic lesson. It was two daughters, and one son (all teenagers). The son, Manuel, has a different father, who died some time ago. He doesn't have any friends, and is a really quiet guy. All three listened very closely and participated very well. We decided to give them all a Book of Mormon, and they committed to read the introduction and to pray specifically if the Book of Mormon and our message were true. They accepted. I only had one copy, but where did we get the other copies of the Book of Mormon? Lo and behold, there they were, the extra copies that Elder Bennet had grabbed at the last minute. He didn't know why he grabbed them. We didn't plan on visiting this family. They ended up being a "Plan E". Yet for some reason, he grabbed a couple extra copies. That's why listening and being in tune with the Spirit is important. I think that that was inspiration from the Holy Ghost kind of saying "You are gonna visit a family who needs this message, but you aren't gonna have enough copies of the Book of Mormon. You should grab some right now."

Everything is well with me. We have two people set for baptism and we're planning one more. We taught two families yeseterday and the Spirit was strong while we were teaching. I love this work!

Thank you for the love and support. I love reading every one's letters and e-mails. Take care Mom, and have fun with the play too.

Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

January 21st

2010-01-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

(A compilation of his letters to Jim, Jotty and I):

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!

Yes...That's my companion and he really is that short. But he's a monster of a missionary!

I'm gonna send some stuff home later today. There are a couple of pictures on the SD card from the last week or two in the MTC including the passing of my Death Charge transformer to Elder Claudio. Pass-me-downs are items that stay in the MTC, and are passed down from Elder to Elder. Elder Claudio is the third generation, I'm second, and Elder Mitchell was the first. Also a couple of pictures of my travel group. Then it goes to some pictures of the mission. There's a picture of me with a missionary named Elder Foote. He and I have somthing in common, that no other missionary in the field does. I'll let you guess. bahahaha

I haven't gotten the package yet. I only get mail on Thursdays. Also, you ARE sending the stuff to the mission office, right?

I have a blanket and pillow that I bought out here so, no worries. And yes, I'll put on sunscreen. I know that I don't burn badly, but I still burn. Don't worry about that.

Congratulations on Jotty getting his license. As far as Jotty driving, I think the feeling I have about that is similar to the one you got when I started driving. I'm sure he'll do good. Jotty does have ADHD, but for some reason, he can focus pretty darn hard on certain things. That's why he's so good at Guitar Hero. Take a minute and watch him, notice how his eyes don't move or blink? Maybe he'll be the same way with driving.

I'm glad to be serving here. We have two baptisms set for this Saturday, two more set for February 13th, and we had one just last week. In fact, Jose, the one who was baptized last week, is only 9. He said to me afterwards "I think the Holy Ghost is already with me. When I went to the bathroom, I forgot to flush the toilet, and when I went back it flushed by itself." I just smiled and said, "See? He really is there." I didn't have the heart to tell him it was an automatic toilet. Anyway, the two set for Feb 13 are investigators of ours. They were a referral from a member. When we showed up at the house, a woman opened the door, wide-eyed, and said "Hold on". She went in, grabbed her daughter and a jacket, and said "Follow me." and we followed her to a friend's house. Along the way, she explained how she had met with missionaries before, a long time ago, and how she felt she was ready. When we arrived, inside were 3 other people with an expressed interest to be baptized. I kept thinking, "JACKPOT!!". No, really though, I'm so happy for these people. They are going through a life-changing experience, and they will learn how to be truly happy in this life.

Thanks for the update Dad. I think all the young men in the stake should attend a meeting on how important it is to serve a mission, and the importance of the priesthood. Of course, it's only a couple of units that need work; but I do think a stake-wide Young Men's training wouldn't be a bad idea. Half of them don't even know what meetings they are to attend, or how to run them. Enterprise youth does because we have Bro.Jones who makes sure we know. Maybe you could talk to him about ideas on training.

Anyways, the mission is going good.
I love you guys a lot. You hang in there as well. Let me know if there is anything I can help with at home- as in, if you need ideas on mission work. I've got plenty of ideas. Take care.

Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

Taken from emails to Mom & Dad - January 14

2010-01-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Dad!

Glad to hear that you're all doing well. I'm doing pretty well too. This first week in the battlefield has been fantastic. But it's flown by pretty quickly though. It seems like yesterday that I arrived.

I actually got some eggnog on Christmas. One of the Elders in my district in the MTC got hold of some, somehow. Oh man, lemme tell you, it was great!

Yeah Dad, a bottle of hot sauce doesn't sound too bad. I think I would like you to send one of those. I had a certain kind of BBQ sauce yesterday on my sandwich. It's called Devil's Spit. I'm going to get some and send it to you. It's pretty darn good.

I love you very much Dad. And I miss you guys too. Don't worry about it though. I'll be back before you know it. I hope this doesn't go by too quickly...this is great!

Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

Hi Mom!

My companion, Elder Couoh is quite a guy, he's really a great companion. He's only got one more month left so I'm glad I got him. His native dialect isn't that much different. It's the accents that kill me. Spanish is pretty hard... I can speak it pretty well, but you're right about the dialects. There are so many different dialects and accents. I can speak it pretty well (for a gringo). The hard part is understanding it. Some people pronounce the "ll" and the "y" as a J, and some people don't pronounce the "S". On top of that, Spanish speakers are known for their rapid- fire speaking. But I know that the Lord prepares whom he calls, and I have been called to serve in this mission and I have been called to speak this language.

No snow here. Yes, my first area is in Las Vegas proper. In fact, that's where most of the mission work takes place. Elder Couoh has been in the city for 18 months. We get to go to the temple once a transfer. I think we are going next week.

I'm exercising everyday, and I have no time to snack. Breakfast and lunch are small, so I don't think I'll be gaining weight. I'll do what I can to avoid it. Oh, you can send me my meds via mail too -- they said that that was fine.

I agree, emails are definitely a blessing. I'm so happy I can email to you each week.

Oh, before I go, could you email my blog address to my Branch presidency from the MTC? These guys and their wives are amazing. They all reminded me so much of you guys. That's why I loved them. They helped me feel at home at the MTC. Oh, just to let you know though--Pres. Lindsey's wife died two weeks ago, while I was in the MTC. She was a spectacular woman. I'm grateful I got to meet her. She was the one most like you Mom.

I love you Mom. Take care, and please stay safe.
Elder Parker

Vivaaaaaaa Las Vegas

2010-01-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you, The MTC was great, but the field is so much better. The Latinos are SOOOOO nice! My companion and I left the MTC at about 5:00 a.m. ( which means that we got up at four). We traveled to SLC airport and got there about 6:30a.m. That's when I called you. Yes,that lady that let us use her cell phone was a member. She was a convert, which is why she let us use her phone. I did thank her, and then she said "Thank you so much for what you do. I'm a convert, so I know what you do. Thank you again." After a one hour flight (I was with a group of 6 people, all going to Las Vegas). We arrived at 8:00a.m. when we got off the plane, it was like the Wizard of Oz, we were DEFINITELY not in the MTC anymore. For anyone that hasn't been to Las Vegas, there's a reason that they call it "Sin City." But that's just the "Strip". Everywhere else is just fine.

When we arrived, we met the mission president and his wife (Pres. Christiansen). What great people. We had a short spiritual thought, and then traveled to their house. We had a group picture with all the new missionaries (some arrived the day before). Then we went over some paperwork, had breakfast and had interviews while we talked about driving safely. The VC (vehicle coordinator) is Elder Mannnion, an awesome senior Elder. Really funny too.
Then we went to one of the stake centers (there are somewhere between 15 to 20 stakes in the East half of Las Vegas alone) and we met our new companions. My trainer is Elder Couoh. He's a Mayan from Yucatan, Mexico. All the other Elders in the Area were saying how lucky I was. I can see why...He's a very simple guy, but a very great teacher.

The first night we had a couple of appointments. My favorite was with the Familia de Valle. There's the parents Alvin and Florecita, and the kids; Jesse, Chelsea, Bryan, and Alvie. Alvie was soo cute. Too bad I couldn't hold him though. We also met the Elder's quorum president, Hermano Reyes. A pretty cool guy, very animated. When we went in, he was watching soccer on the tv. Typical lol.

The next day it was full on mission work. Our total key indicator was: 1 lesson taught with member, 8 other lessons, one contact, one referral, 2 new investigators, and 1 lesson with a recent convert. The two new investigator were contacted right off the street. They seemed genuinely interested and allowed us to make an appointment. They are Alfonso and Guillermo.
We also had dinner with a member family--Hermana Deanda. She made us a Cuban sandwich with homemade french fries. I was hoping to lose weight while I was out here, but I don't know if that'll happen. She almost shoved another sandwich down my throat. It was a delicious sandwich, and I wasn't full, but I knew I shouldn't. After I told her no, she made one for my companion and then split it in half. She offered again. I couldn't refuse this time. It was right there and it was sooooo good. Then she laughed when I took it. The Latinos are so hospitable. Several times I was offered something to drink at different appointments. In fact, the first night, Jesse Valle got my companion and I a drink without us even asking. So did the Hermana Reyes ( the wife of the Elder's quorum pres.).
Later that day we went to Mutual to find some older young men to come with us later that week. I met the Bishop and some of the youth. Mom.... it's a Spanish WARD, not a branch, a WARD. Bigger than ours too. There were so many youth and of course, all were friendly.
After that, we went to another appointment. It was with Daniel and Gloria. Gloria is a recent convert, and her husband Daniel is very interested. WE talked for an hour about scriptures and how to make ourselves better disciples of Christ. Their kids, Chelsea and Daniel, were also quite fun. I talked to Daniel Jr. for a little bit. He just talked and talked about his cinnamon roll that he was eating, or the movie cars, or about his kindergarten class.
Oh, just to let you know, a lot of the Latinos here can speak English, which is good at times. My Espanol is doing pretty good actually, my real problem is listening. Some of them speak very clear Spanish, while others kind of slur their words together. It's not too bad though. I know the Lord will bless me.

I would love a family calendar. I showed my companion the family pic you sent me earlier -he was like "wow".
Yes we are in a bike riding area, but we get 900 car miles a month. And even then, if we bike, the area is very flat. I'm not too worried about my knee.

Te amo mucho Mama.

Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

Babylon...look out!

2010-01-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

Miles is now in Nevada. He left this morning and called me from the airport. It was so good to hear his voice-even though he's only been gone 2 months. A woman at the airport lent her cell phone to Miles and his companion. I hope the Lord blesses the woman for her compassion and generosity.
Miles' email address will remain the same throughout his mission and his mission address --listed on the right-- will remain the same the whole mission as well. As per a letter from his mission president; please make SURE you use his full name when addressing his mail. Generally, First class packages and/or mail is forwarded daily but Parcel Post, FedX and UPS packages are sent out on a monthly basis. Miles will check his email on Thursdays.
He loves mail and so enjoys hearing from each of you. Please let him know you love & support him.
Miles told me he was excited and nervous and soooo ready to get out and teach! Watch out Nevada, here he comes...let the adventures of "The Mormonator" begin!

Christmas-week 8

2010-01-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

Christmas was spectacular! I loved all the gifts you guys gave me. I also got a package from Grandma Meservy and Aunt Carla. Elder L. Tom Perry spoke to us in the morning, and Greg Olsen (the painter) spoke to us in the evening.

Christmas was quite an interesting experience. Homesickness finally hit me before I went to bed on Christmas Eve. So I prayed for comfort and love. Sure enough, I recieved it. I felt a stronger connection with the Savior also. This was a time when I desperately needed it. I have never been away from home for so long. I have never been away from home on such a holiday as Christmas, which is meant to be spent with families, but the Savior filled that void in my life. It was something small when compared to the grand scheme of things, but somthing so strong at the same time. All I could hear was the Lord whispering, in my head, "Miles, it's ok. Your family is fine, and so are you. Lean on me, and I will support you. I will be with you today and always. I am your friend, and I love you. Don't forget that."

I've never been this close to the Savior before in my life. I've never before felt His love so personally before. I want you ALL to know that I know that the Savior lives, and that He will comfort us when we are sad. He will attend to us when we are alone. He will love us when we are unloved. He will support us when we are abandoned. This is my testimony. I'm so anxious to get out in the field, so that I can teach people how to feel as I have. I want you to know to that you can feel this way too. Just rely on the Lord. Don't forget to include Him in your daily plans. Pray and read scriptures every day, and I promise you will get to know Him personally.

Once again, the computers here are slow, so I lost a lot of time waiting for my e-mails to load up. I'm sorry that it's not that long. And I hope what I said can help you guys out whenever you feel stressed.

I love you,
Elder Parker

2009-12-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

Week 6

Yes, I did get the shoe stuff. Thank you for the candy too. Those bonbons were GOOD! and yes, I have enough meds to get me through to the mission.

Sorry to hear about Harvey. I'm glad you guys took care of him though before he died. I'm sure he died happily. I'd still like a picture of him. Also, tell the Sis. Tukuafu that I can't receive pics by e-mail so they have to send them by mail. By the way, I could also use some more stamps. I used up all the ones you gave me, and I bought ten more.

I read all the info the mission pres sent the first day I got it. I signed all the stuff and I'm going to mail the rest of it today. I wonder why they didn’t send it before now? As for the parting my hair, I have no problem doing that…the problem is getting my hair to STAY that way. I tried it out here, and it just reverted back to normal-you know my hair as well as I do. :)

This week was pretty good but I've been sick. I think it's bronchitis. Whatever it is, I now know how you feel with the dry coughs Mom. Also, my nose has been stuffed, so it's been hard for me to sleep. Other than that, every thing's been going well. Snow is still here & we can't throw snowballs.

Spanish is going great too. I can teach and have conversation in Spanish. It’s quite amazing how much I’ve learned.

I love you. Take care of yourselves please.
Elder Parker

P.S. I'm going to call from the airport. I'll let you know the details when I get them.

Week 7

Mi querida familia,

Sounds like you had one heck of a week. Mine flew by pretty fast. I don't think my brothers were lying when they said that the mission would fly by. It seems like yesterday that you saw me off at the airport, and now here I am, getting ready to fly off to Vegas in two weeks.

Jury duty sounded like fun, Mom. I don't think I would've thought differently than you did if I heard the evidence. I'm still working on inheriting your thinking skills. :)

So my companion's mom sent us both stockings with goodies. I'll take a picture of it and send it home. I don't know if you'll get the SD card anytime soon. There hasn't been much to take pictures of recently. I'm doing my best though.

The temple closed today, so we won't be going anymore. We did get to clean inside today though. Lemme tell ya, they take cleaning seriously. Of course they should, since it is the Lord's house. I think you would've enjoyed working there. In fact, you might want to think about working in the Temple if you guys get the chance. I think that would be fantastic.

Christmas isn't going to be the same, but I know that I will cherish this one nonetheless. In fact, I'm actually kind of looking forward to it. I know that I'll be far from home, but at the same time, we'll be very close. Thank you so much for the package. I didn't think you'd send that much stuff. I'm really sorry I didn't think about getting you anything though...... that's me for ya; not thinking about the Mother and Father who raised and loved me, regardless of what I did. I love you dearly. Take care, and Merry Christmas.

Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Parker

P.S. The e-mails should get longer once I get out in the field.

Gonna Have a White Christmas??

2009-12-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

IT'S SNOWING!!! I took some pics of the snow, and also my VERY FIRST SNOWBALL!! The snow is pretty slippery too. I woke up yesterday morning, got ready, and BAM! the ground was COVERED in snow. There's about 1/2 a foot right now.

I like the Tongans. I have a really cool Tongan friend here named Sister Tuifua. They are fun to play volleyball with (even though they hog the ball at times). I just have to count my fingers every time I block their spikes to make sure I have all ten. lol

Yes I do walk to the Temple. It's not that far, maybe a 7 to 10 minute walk. I enjoyed it today especially since there was a lot of snow. People can tell I'm from Alabama...I'm all excited, and they're all like "ugh.....snow"

Re:Christmas, if you guys want to send candy, that'll be fine. If I don't eat it all I'll just put it in the "Free Box" before I leave (that's were the missionaries in our floor put all their extra stuff they can't pack, like candy or toys)

I saw the Christmas Devotional too. Pres. Monson's talk was great, but the story was even better. It touched me when he told it. I wonder what happened to the Soldier. I hope that that wasn't his Last Christmas.

That's about all for now. Take care.

Elder Parker.

P.S. I won't be able to call on Christmas. I'll let you know when I can though.

Que pasa!

2009-11-30T18:01:00.000-08:00

Hello,how's it all going? Glad to hear you all had a great Thanksgiving.

You guys are gonna be jealous of me, (especially Dad). Elder Dallin H. Oaks came and spoke to us last Tuesday. Two things he said stuck out to me: the first is that we carry a mantel, just like Elijah. Through study in class and in the scriptures, that statement summed it all up for me. I never realized how much responsibility I had as a missionary until then. The second thing he said was "You are all sons and daughters of God; everything else you are is subordinate to that."
Then, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke to us on Thanksgiving! I have to admit that I enjoyed his talk more that Elder Oaks, mostly because it applied to me more. Once again, two things stuck out: as he spoke, he briefly mentioned homesickness. He told us that if we feel that way, that it was good. He even said he wanted us to feel that way. I was shocked! But then he explained…he told us, through a quivering voice "How do you think God feels about being away from His children?" I had never thought about that before; Because He loves us, He is homesick for us. It makes perfect sense. The other thing that especially struck me was when Elder Holland said that when we don't forgive ourselves, we are denying the Atonement.
So with that in mind, in order to clear my mind from guilt, I want to say that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for every time I groaned when you asked me to do a chore. I'm sorry for every time I forgot to do something you told me. I'm sorry for every time I raised my voice at you when I was upset. I'm sorry for not listening to you when we would talk. Most of all, I'm sorry for every single tear I ever made you cry. I can't believe I had to leave on a mission to realize how important you all are. Especially you, Mom. Please forgive me.

I love you all so much. Keep sending the mail. I'm doing my best to reply to them. I'm sorry it's not such a long e-mail. Take care. Se amo mucho.

Con mucho Amor,
Elder Parker

Latest email

2009-11-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

Hello all! Glad to know my letters and e-mails have been reaching you. Thanks for the info from home. And yes, I'm wearing my CPAP mask everyday, and I've written in my Journal everyday since my second day here (didn't have time the first day).
Went to the temple again and I learned something new today too. The cool thing was that I didn't have a question to begin with. It was like the Lord said, "Miles, you're going to learn something whether you have a question or not." :) That brought me comfort. I don't have to worry anymore if I have a question or not now. I know I can pick something up on the fly. haha
Yeah, it was cool to see Stefanie(from Enterprise-going on a mission to AZ). Just to let you know we aren't allowed to shake hands. Yeah.... they're afraid of the swine flu. But I have to say that their reason make sense. They don't want us to be a cause of spreading swine flu throughout the world, since missionaries are going everywhere. Elizabeth Smart came in last Wednesday. I remembered what she looked like, so I recognized her when I saw her. I won’t say anything unless she's right there. I'm not going to seek her out. I bet she gets plenty of that.
None of the other siblings have written me yet. Camaris(his cousin)did though! She even bought me a CTR ring and sent it to me. What a sweet woman!
I pray for you three everyday, so I have faith that the Lord will keep you healthy.
I love you guys so much. I have a feeling that I'm forgetting something. If I remember, I'll let you know in a letter.

Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Parker

Putting it into perspective

2009-11-19T19:54:00.000-08:00

(Miles with companion, Elder Mostert)

Well guys, in emails I've told you about my physical well-being, so let me tell you how I am doing spiritually.
It's hard being here alone, away from you. I miss my bed, Freya (his lizard), Guitar Hero with Jotty, long talks with Mom, MST3K with Dad...but I do like it here, and I know this is where I need to be.
We watched a film yesterday (we get to watch one every Sunday)about Joseph Smith and I couldn't figure out why this is so hard for me. I mean, along with teaching, he organized the church and recorded revelation. On top of that, he was lied to, betrayed, slandered, beaten; he lost children and was eventually murdered...all in the name of the same Gospel that I am called to teach. But I don't have to worry about persecution, family problems, or anything else and I am only out for two years. I couldn't understand why it was hard to me. So I decided to re-dedicate myself to the work right then and there.
So, even though we work a lot, we get an hour of gym a day. I've been playing volleyball a lot. Let me tell you...the Tongan missionaries know how to play! And they don't care about points either; they just want to hit the ball.
It snows here too---I haven't made a snowman yet, or hit anyone with a snowball but the time will come (bahaha). Everyone can tell that I never see snow because I'm like, "Hey! It's snowing!" and they're like, "Yeah, whatever."
That's all I have to say right now. As selfish as it sounds, please keep praying for me. Let me know how Freya is doing.
Oh, yeah-Dad, we DO get to hear General Authorities speak. One of the Twelve is supposed to come next week...for a Q and A session. We heard from Elder Walker of the First Quorum of the Seventy and we heard from Sister Sherry Dew last night.
One more thing: I've seen Joey Bateman, Aaron Ellis and Stefanie Barker. Aaron lives one floor above and Stefanie is in my branch. And Jotty, I saw Danny Clark too---you know, "Master Boot-to-the-Head" from EFY.
Okay, Goodbye- Thanks for everything you do for me. I love you all so much!
Elder Parker

Roger that...communication is clear

2009-11-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

16 Nov 2009

I'm just about to finish my second week here at the MTC. It's gotten a lot better. The past few days have been rough, but I finally got the hang of it all. I'm getting the hang of teaching the lessons, still working on the teaching by the Spirit though. Espanol is getting better too.
We get to go to the temple every Monday, and the past few times I've learned something new. When I went with Jason to Salt Lake (which was by the way amazing--so much is symbolic), I learned why God divided the land from the sea BEFORE he divided the light from the darkness. Hermano Coles asked us to ponder one while we were there. He asked us "How did Moses know what to do to free the Israelites, when all God showed him was the creation?" After I thought about it, his question made sense. What did the creation teach him? The coolest thing is that my companion and I got the same answer. By viewing the creation, Moses witnessed the infinite power and wisdom of God. Therefore Moses relied on His strength to free the Israelites. The reason was to show forth His power. And the water before the light and darkness thing, Jason pointed out that in order to have day and night, you need an atmosphere. And how do you get an atmosphere? you need water. That's why God divided the water and land before he divided day and night.

MTC facilities are great. These building are old, but they are well maintained. Food is quite plentiful, and it's pretty good. I do miss your cooking though, and dad's grilling. My companion is still awesome. Once again he's patient with me all the time. Typical days include almost four hours of study time and six or seven hours of class.
Oh, I forgot! The Japanese restaurant was amazing. We all had a blast, and it was really great to see Kim and Ariel again. The coolest thing is that they were both in the same Book of Mormon class, and they had never met until we went to dinner. Jason sure was nice to pay for it. I told him that I had it covered, but then he told me he would. I argued, and then he made a point (won't tell you what it was…it's between me and him) so we all had a great time, especially since we got a hibachi and a cook.
I’m running low on time. I wasn't able to type much cuz the keyboard is sticky. Oh, and make sure you e-mail, or send me a letter through dear.elder.com , so I know that you guys are getting my e-mail. I'm pretty sure I got your address right.

Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker

Roger, MTC. You have control.

2009-11-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

Miles Daniel Parker
MTC Mailbox #184
NV-LV 0105
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

I want to remind everyone that the ONLY way that they want you to contact Miles is through the mail. Get busy! ;)
Soooooooooo,
Miles obviously made it to SLC safely (albeit delayed arrival). Jason and Michelle picked him up from the airport. Among other things they took him to do a session at the SLC temple, visited Temple Square and surrounding area (the mall?). They also visited an LDS bookstore where he had a delightful surprise to discover that one of the cute, young ladies working there was none other than cousin Camaris Meservy!! She apparently recognized Jason and Miles right off. What a small world and how nice that we even get little blessings like that. My thanks to Camaris for being so observant. He was tickled that she recognized him.
I talked to Miles that night and he said, "Mom, Camaris isn't married? What's wrong with these guys? I mean...cute return missionary, knows 3 languages, strong testimony, college graduate...what's not to like?" He has a point.
Oh yeah, when we were saying our last goodbyes to Miles at the airport gate, this pilot kind of bumps into our group, then looks up at Miles and says, "What's going on here?" I'm thinking, "Duh...we're saying goodbye" but Miles chuckles and responds, "Hey! It's the boss-man". I really never looked at the guy's face but then I look closer at the pilot's nametag and discover it's Jason Hammond, a brother from our ward who had hired Miles for his lawn business. Miles later worked for brother Hammond's relative doing landscaping work. Yep, small world.
Let's see, Miles also got to spend a little time with two of his best friends, Ariel Reiley and Kim Smidt who are attending BYU. The girls didn't know each other before...having been in our ward at different times. Miles says both are now in the same Book of Mormon class. Too cool! Anyway, Jason, Michelle, Mila, Miles, Ariel and Kim all went to a Japanese restaurant and had a nice time. Miles was glad he got to see them again before he left. It had been a year or longer since he'd seen either of them.
Wednesday before entering the MTC they took him to Edinburgh Castle...I assume it's a store...where he bought a tie with the Parker tartan plaid. Then it was to the MTC!!!
I talked to him earlier Wednesday and he said he was excited. I can't imagine the "buzz" in the air at the MTC with that many excited missionaries in the same place. Bet it was awesome!
I will post some pictures as soon as Michelle has an opportunity to email them to me.
One last thing...
While Miles was packing and putting scriptures and books in his backpack, he showed me a blue Book of Mormon and said, "I'm taking this and I'm going to place it before I go into the MTC."
Well, he did just that! He talked with his seatmate from Atlanta to SLC. The guy was retired Navy and worked in SLC. They talked a little bit about a lot of stuff. Families, church, military, scouting etc. and the man showed Miles pictures of his family on his laptop. Miles told the guy about how important the Book of Mormon was to him and that he thought that if the guy would read it it he would probably like what he read. The man accepted the book. I was pleased for Miles...especially to discover that that the man was also a Baptist preacher! Miles told me that at some point while they were talking, he decided this was who he would give the B of M to and that he KNEW this guy would accept it and not be rude or anything. Don't you just love it???

Elder Miles Parker embarks on his travels

2009-11-01T18:27:00.000-08:00

Today was an emotional one as Miles had to say goodbye to all his friends before leaving for Utah tomorrow afternoon (Monday). We had an "open house" for him tonight at the church and we had a great turn-out. Then afterwards, we (Miles, Jim, Jotty and I) went to Dothan so the Stake President could set him apart as a missionary. Kira and Ben came too.
Monday he will say goodbye to the seminary kids and then he flys out of the Dothan airport at 2:00.
Jason and Michelle will meet him at the SLC airport and take him to the Salt Lake Temple on Tuesday and to see two of his friends, Ariel and Kim, who attend BYU right now. I guess Jason will be his companion until he enters the MTC on Wednesday.
As I hear from Miles,um...Elder Parker...I will post to this blog. I will also post his address as soon as I get it.
Keep Elder Parker in your prayers!
Later, Jan