Color Me WILD

Just about lost my mind this week. Between running around between appointments, service projects, wardrobe changes, teaches, and meals.....it's been SICK! Crrrrrrrrraaaaazy....but sick:)


Felt like we had a MILLION things to do e.v.e.r.y. day........#missionaryheaven!

We got the member service party rolling this week.....and no joke, they're rolling in! We've been instructed by the mission to start dedicating at least  5 hours of service a week towards helping members of our ward and I'M ADDICTED! Past the denial stage now......

Almost every single day we were over at a member's house, doing some kind of service!

BOOYAH.

Bread baking. Floor waxing. Cookie making. House cleaning. Dish washing. Closet organizing. Frame painting. Furniture moving.

(Sounds like a dating application, right? haha! Serve missions girls.....ya won't regret it:)

#skillz

Been there, done that.....and the opportunities keep coming in! Service brings zest to the work and keeps us happy and engaged......it's the work that gives back!

On Saturday, we served at the Willmette Family History Fair (all day!) which yeilded a really good turnout of both members, but mostly non-members! Time to find........

#hometerritoryhunting

We got to meet a lot of people from the community who we welcomed into the church building! We also gave away 5 Book of Mormons, about 10 pass-along cards with our number, and found out at the end, that there were over 150 attendees! It was a great event that exposed many members of the community to the Mormon culture and morals......love those events:)

P-day. Gotta share. Perdy WILD. It was Sis Teare's birthday (the little leprechaun:)!!! Soooooooo.....of course.......we had to celebrate!

We moseyed down to the lake (yea....i know....first time i've been down since I've been here!! #fail).....aaaaaaaaannnndddddd......yea.....it was REALLY cold. Sooooo....snapped a few photos....tried to look put together despite our hair looking like we just got out of the dryer (the wind was SO crazy that day!).....and then haaaaauuullled it back to the car to de-thaw:)

Next up. Cheesecake Factory? I'm down. Walked in and started the long and wracking process of trying to CHOOSE BETWEEN ALL THE OPTIONS.....when the cashier says, "Oh hey, look! That guy's from Chicago Fire!"

COULDN'T. SPIN. AROUND. FAST. ENOUGH.

Sure 'nuff! Chistian Stolte is chillin at the front desk waiting to be seated! I just MIGHT have done the Sheldon shake. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

#celebritysighting

(Yea, girlies....I WAS disappointed that it wasn't Jesse Spencer or Taylor Kinney......maybe next time....fingers crossed!:)

Buuuuut, still..............I call it a good day when any actor from one of my favorite TV shows walks through the door. haha! I was told no photography was allowed, but I totally left with plans to chill at Cheesecake Factory for P-day in the future;)

(Apparently, Serena Williams, Tiina Turner, and a lot of the Bulls players have come in to eat there as well........#livininfametown!) Can't ask for a better P-day;)

Later on in the week, we were able to visit Margaret and met her cousin who is off to Africa to be married. We got to talk about the Book of Mormon and shared with her our testimonies. It was a powerful lesson! She's totally going to become Mormon (I can feel it!)!! She said when she returns from Africa, she wants us to keep teaching her! 

#cando

At the end of the lesson, we got to chatting and Margaret, turns out, has decided she wants to set me up with her African cousin who keeps telling her he's "looking for a white woman....WHITE WOMAN.....to marry!"

Ah ha ha.....yeeeeeeeaaaa....'bout that. hahaha! Welp, if anything, that's one post-mish date:) lol

AWKWARD MOMENT OF THE WEEK: Two days earlier, we were parked on a street, taking lunch, and I awkwardly started crunching on carrots just as two guys crossed the street towards us. Luckily, our windows were up and the doors were locked, but they start pointing and whistling and eventually, one of them came up to the window, waved, TOOK OF HIS HAT (what is this?? the 1800's??), and asked me to roll down the window.

Yeeeeeeeaaaaaa........I don't think so. It wasn't until I'd shaken my head repeatedly that they gave up and walked away. Aaaaaaaaannnnndddddd....it wasn't until they'd walked away that I'd realized that in my flustered-ness, I'd woofed my whole carrot (yea, not the baby size....like the real straight-outta-the-ground deal of a carrot) all the while they'd been standing there attempting a pick-up! hahahaha!!!

Gotta love a girl with an appetite for rabbit food! lol! If that doesn't deter 'em, IDK what will:) hahaha!

Our weekend, as usual, was crazy busy! We got to meet with Dawon again and the spirit was SO strong as we shared the Restoration video. He's at a turning point right now, and has big decisions to make.....decisions like baptism that will bring incredible blessings!!! He came to church this week, too, which was great! We luuuuuuuvvvvvv having investigators at church:)


Sooooooo........the work is working:) We're pushing hard, enjoying the random warm snaps in the weather, and staying alive (more or less.....btw, saying goodbye on the doorstep of a member's home before turning around and forgetting the last cement stair is always an awkward demonstration in the law of gravity.....just sayin;) hahaha


BTW, playing with investigators' pit bulls is also.........fun:) (we actually got to meet the 8-puppy liter too! ahhhhhh!!!! cuteness!)



Finally, AWKWARD CONVO OF THE WEEK  (feels like I have a lot of "awkwards" every week....go figure:) haha!):

Investigator: "I used to have so many crazy parties at my house! Oh.......but I probably shouldn't talk about parties around you church folk."

Me (first thing outta my mouth....IDK why): "Oh, no, you're fine! We like parties! I mean....... sorta...... like...... certain kinds of parties....... like the non-alcoholic drinking kinda parties..... yea.... but that's a different topic...... (agh!! shut up, Sister Parker, just shut up!).......soooooo anyways......."

#partyfoul........in both senses of the word:) LOL

Gotta love moments like that........trying to prove you're not a weirdoo, just a Mormon:) haha! 



I've been thinking a lot this week about my journey to becoming a missionary, and why I chose to go. 

Before leaving, I was not one of those missionaries that was like "Woo hoo!! Mission life, come at me!" I wanted nothing more clear up until packing those bags, getting on that airplane, and walking into that MTC to high tail it back home.....back to the life I'd chosen for myself.   BUT, it gets easier!!! 

Trust me!!!

I'm learning how much happiness comes while doing something that is not wholly your will, but that you are doing because The Lord asked it of you.  

Being on a mission is weird.

 It's like you step into another dimension.  A dimension where every law of happiness-obtaining is all of the sudden turned upside down and for some reason, you find yourself bursting with happiness over something as simple as one hour of reading a book written thousands of years ago.

It's just weird. But it's incredible!

Before a mission, and even during a mission, it doesn't make sense. It doesn't make any sense that giving up friends, family, music, movies, school, time, money, effort, comfort, and even things as small as gum and high heels can make you SO satisfied. 

The ONLY thing that does make sense though, is the fact that God would not ask you to do something, unless it would bring greater happiness and joy later on. You HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT. 

Yes, it doesn't make sense. It didn't make sense for Nephi to go back to Jerusalem to get the plates. It didn't make sense for Alma to give up the judgement seat to go preach the gospel. It didn't make sense for Enos to spend the whole night agonizing in prayer. It didn't make sense for two thousand inexperienced boys to go off to war. It didn't make sense for Ammon to work as a menial servant for a king. 

And it didn't make sense for our Savior, Jesus Christ, to suffer excruciating pain and unimaginable agony that wasn't His own JUST so He could save others. BUT HE DID IT. He did it so that you and I could be freed from the dark misery of sin and pain. 

Our cause is NOT about us. It's not about what we need, what we want, or what we think. It's about HIM and all of those people who are searching for the truth! They need us!!!!! 

They may never find this gospel unless we go! It's only 18 months of your life.....ONLY 18! Yes, it seems like an e.t.e.r.n.i.t.y., but the longer I'm out, the longer I realize how truly short that window of time is. 

"Shall we not go on in so GREAT a cause! Go forward and not backward! And on, on to the VICTORY!" 

Onward and upward!!!

Sister Anna Parker

#nofilter

Man Caves, Miracles, and Marathons

Convo while handing out family history fliers:

        Me: "Would you guys be interested in learning more about your family history, where your ancestors are from, etc.?"
        Woman: "Heh, from what I know about my family, I don't think I'd like to know where the rest of them came from."

Mmmmmmmmmmkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.   


Welp, that's the hood of Chicago for ya......... #realdeal



Aaaaaaaannnnnnddddd....our adventure pick of the week was........MAN CAVE TRACTING. We showed up to a street we felt good about, started knocking doors, and as the pavement dragged on, the houses started getting more and more sketch. Padlocks on doors, pit bulls on guard, and boarded up windows.

MAN CAVES.

Oooooooo hooo hooo. Get some! We got all the reactions as we knocked on those doors. The usual: introduce who we are, detect the unbroken stare and slick smile as the wrong type of interest, aaaaaaand.....walk away. Fast. We also got the one random white guy who did everything in his power to brush of the involuntary doorknob grab-and-slam reaction after we said who we were. And then he brushed us off. And last, but not least, we got the sweet Africa American women who were touched by the glimpse we gave them of the gospel message, and who agree to let us come back.

[insert fist pump]

Ahhhhhh! Tracting............It's a joy.

We also were graced by the public safety department of Glencoe this week: 2 PARKING TICKETS. Oh and get this, we got them the s.a.m.e.  d.a.y.! What is this? Soooooo.....we come out to our car in the morning to find one tucked nicely behind the other......color coordinated yellow and red too. Presh.


GIVE ME A BREAK.


Luckily, we're getting reimbursed by the mission for them, since we don't have parking access yet, but......still. I'm single-handedly keeping the state of IL outta bankruptcy with my parking tickets. #ideserveaplaque


Mana does come from heaven, though. Work hard and blessings come in all shapes and sizes........like the size of old snow-soaked dollar bills lying in the middle of the road on the way to an appointment the same day you get two parking tickets. Oh ho....yea, those blessings.

#truestory


After a lengthy debate over what to do with the found $20, we finally decided to place a call to the top jock, Elder (aka grandpa) Taggart to beg some advice. Result:

TAKE AND THANK. Take the miracle, thank for the blessing.

God works in mysterious ways. Sometimes, He decides to lessen the sting of consequences brought on by stupid mistakes. Love it when He does that:) #feelinblessed


We've been at work, trying to find more people to teach too. With a non-progressing teaching pool, we're doing all we can to find the "elect." One night, while handing out fliers for an upcoming event, we found a woman who'd already decided she wanted to attend when she saw the invitation elsewhere a week or so ago. Right before we were about to leave her door, I asked, "Do you know of anyone else who would like an invitation as well?"

5 minutes later: 5 REFERRALS!!!!!

That's a record for us!! Geez laweez! Blessings also come when you follow the spirit and ASK FOR REFERRALS FROM EVERYONE! I read that somewhere:)



Satan's also been out to stop us, though. One day, after Sis Teare had been faithfully calling former investigators to request visits again, we got a phone call back from a misdialed number. The woman on the other end......lezzzzzzz just say.......lashed out irrationally (where's Neil when I need him?:). She basically threatened to report us, harassed us with phone calls and voicemail messages, and told us that if we were truly who we said we were (young 20 year old girls hundreds of miles away from home just trying to share a message about Jesus Christ) that we should go back home before our lives were made miserable by her.


 YIKES.


It left us feeling kinda beat down and uneasy. It's tough listening to someone tell you that you're a liar, and that you should give up serving a cause you know to be right.  I do believe that Satan was trying to discourage us from working hard and searching out it those who DO need and want us. 

Ain't gonna happen:) Back out to work we go!!




Our weekly highlights included seeing Abass get the priesthood, serving ward members, and handing out rice crispy treats to two homeless guys on the side of the road. 

Unplanned acts of kindness, anyone?? Hahaha!

Our laughs for the week included spotting a POLICE MINI VAN (lamest. idea. ever. Like which officer wants to drive that?? It's probably a punishment the police department invested in....."Mike, ya didn't bring in enough traffic citations this week......you're on mini van duty." Hahaha!), getting asked by an employee of Sports Authority, "Sister Parker? What store is that?" (Awwwwwkwwwwward), and playing the part of greased pig around male investigators who want a hug.

#lifeofasismish

Gotta love it.



Aaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnddddddd nowwwwww......the weekly bit of booster:



Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace it!


Sometimes life is a breeze, a downhill jog and the going is good. Sometimes it's tough, a steep pitch under the blistering sun. But, life's not just about the finish line, it's about the journey along the way. Pace yourself!

Don't burn yourself out or tear yourself down when you can't seem to match up to your past (or even your future) PR! Every experienced athlete knows that pacing is one of the most crucial skills to learn in any long-distance event. 


A mission is a mini life crammed into 18 months. Same thing, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Sometimes you can give it everything you've got. Other times, The Lord says, "Hold up, regroup and refuel." 


Focus on where you're at right now. What is the best you CAN and SHOULD give NOW? If it's your all-time best, go for it! Take it on! And don't let the opportunity pass you by! If NOT, rein in. Let the unimportant go. Face the pace and breath deep. Conserve energy and trust that the view at the top will be worth the wait. 

Ok, ok, so I'll cut the preaching......and let Paul do the rest:) "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:1-2) 

KEEP CALM and PACE ON.

Onward and upward!

Sister Anna Parker

See, I'm not the only one who says it:)

If ya follow me on FB, you know what this is:) Embrace who you are!!!

I DIG IT

So, I'm convinced that GOD KNOWS MY SENSE OF HUMOR.

Every now and then, He'll give me a week that's meant to keep me smiling and lightening up my mood. I dig it. #dizweek

It's like every day He arranged for something to happen that left me loving life a little more and stressing a little less. Yea, I needed it too. Supes up:


TOP BREAKING NEWS: Yolanda had her baby!!!!!!!!!! One more kiddo for me to adopt:)  #brothahfromanothermothah! Josiah James King. We got to visit him not 24 hours after he was born and it was PRECIOUS! Aaaaaah! I love 'dem babies!! The whole crew was there when we went to visit him so........lots o' boys in the house:) Yolanda looked AMAZING too! (Note to self: look that good after giving birth to my fifth son;). Both Mom and baby are doing well! Keep praying for them, though!


Leaving the hospital after visiting Yolanda, we got parking passes for free clergy parking (tricks of the trade, future missys:), but we didn't realize it was the wrong pass till we got to the gate and the parking agent told us we'd accidentally been given the DISCOUNT instead of the FREE parking pass.


Well this is AWKWARD.


After trying to plead our case, the agent still wasn't convinced so I finally pulled off my name tag, "Here." He looked it over for a second, and then asked, "Is your first name, Sister?"

REALLY?.....REALLY?

"Eh heh.....no. I'm a missionary, that's our title." [More muttering and grunting]..... and then he says, "So you're a sister, huh?" Yessir.  "Well........I guess a name tag's good enough, then."

#TAGSWAG      #inthebag

Those shiny black badges come in handy in a number of ways:) If ya got it, flaunt it. Totally drove outta that parking garage lovin' my tag just a tad bit more. #badgeswithbenefits     #stillgot$20inmypocket


Next day news: Convo with the Po-Po. So we're walking to a dinner appointment with Marie and Abass, and we're strolling down the side of the street, about to cross, when a police sedan pulls up along side us. The officer rolls down his window and says, "You two girls are gonna get hit by a car."

.......THANKS?

So my comp explains that we're going to visit a friend and were about to cross the road. He replies, "Ok, well go ahead and cross. Oh, and you guys should be wearing hats, it's freezing out here."

UM......OK.

He flips on his lights, while we rather confusedly cross the road RIGHT in front of him (talk about AWKWARD). What's worse, we had to clumsily hike over mounds of icy snow in pencil skirts to get to the sidewalk, all while these two officers are staring at us point blank. Shoot me! (haha....get it? oh such a nerd sometimes!:) 

We finally start to regain our composure after our arctic excursion, when the officer on the other side of the car rolls down his window and says, "What are you guys doing out here anyways? Like who are you?"


Now THERE'S a topic we like to talk about.


So we tell him we're missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to which he responds, "Oh yea....the guys in white shirts and ties, right?" Yeeeeeesssss. 'Cept we're the girl version.

(and lezzzzzz get real....the "better" version:) jk

He asked where we were originally from and we told him and offered to share with him our number and more about what we believe. He decline with, "Sorry, but I can't accept numbers or offers like that when I'm on the job."

I'M GONNA TRACK DOWN WHOEVER MADE THAT RULE.

So instead, we told him to track US down when he WASN'T on the job:) Not weird at all. Just before walking away, he called out to us one more time, and we turned, expecting some miracle heart-changed "I'll -look-into-your-church" "How-can-I-learn-more?" "There's-something-different-about-you-guys" exclamation, and then he says......

"Oh yea, and GET HATS ON!!!!!!"

Alright, alright, alright! Crush my hopes......Geez. Hahahaha! Oh well. We planted seeds. AND, he did seem genuinely impressed by our role as missionaries, so.......guess we'll see:)


And the fun never ends: the VERY next day, we were visiting a potential new investigator in the evening in a "sorta sketchy" part of town, and I got out of the car just as two black guys were walking past. Both of them started rolling out the "heyya's" and hit-ons, until it got to the point where an argument started breaking out over who I "belonged" to......

"Hey! I started talking to her first! She's mine!"
"Hey man, that's not how it works. She be fine and I called her first!"
"She wouldn't want you, man! Look at you!"
"Hey! Leave it alone! 'Course she'd want me! Excuse his manners, ma'am." 

"Girls, Girls! You're both pretty, can I go home now?"  (haha! Sorry....the movie quoting just has to come out sometimes;)

After a few awkward minutes of that, they rolled on down the street (probably drunk) and left us alone. 

Mmmmmmmmkkkkkkkkk.

(Gotta insert here, real quick: even in situations like that, it's become apparent to me that the Lord instills us with power and peace as His set-apart representatives. He's watching out for us, and is keeping us safe! No need to worry, Mom (and moms reading:)! President has assured us, that as we are obedient, the Lord promises us safety!)

We eventually located our PNI and asked if we could share a message. He declined, saying he was busy, but that we could come back later. Last thing he said to us,

"AND YOU GUYS NEED TO GET HATS ON."

Ok, ok, ok!!!! Got it. Get a hat on. All of Evanston can say it to my face, now. Apparently, it's a thing. I should wear a hat..........NOTED. Anyone else? hahahaha!


We're staying warm, while staying frosty (Flashpoint peeps....ya feel me?:)!

We had an amazing SUNDAY. Ok, so every Sunday is amazing, but this one was uber amazing:) MARGARET AND ABASS GOT CONFIRMED!!!! It was SO BEAUTIFUL! Margaret came dressed in one of her traditional African dresses and looked stunning and Abass came in a white shirt and tie, with black suit pants and polished shoes to boot! They looked AMAZING! And their blessings were powerful! They're offish MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH NOW!! 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

#2happy


Their journey's just started:).............many more blessings to come!!!!!!!!!

We also got to meet with Dawon this week and CHALLENGED HIM TO BAPTISM!!! At first he declined, saying he'd already been baptized. However, by the end of the lesson, after emphasizing the importance of proper priesthood authority, he committed to pray about it.  #progress

Keep praying for him! It's a big step, we know, but it'll bring him SO much happiness!!!


Oh, yea, and other minor detail for the week: I'M NOT GETTING TRANSFERRED!!!!!! I have another 6 glorious weeks to live up in North Shore 1st! #couldntbehappier! I love love love it here and can't wait to tear it up some more:) Aaaaannnnnddddd......Sis Teare's still my comp! Partners in crime....#4lyfe! We're excited to have another transfer together and are already making plans to make it our best!!!



#hearusroar



To finish up, here's the weekly soapbox schpeel: It' ll all be alright in the end. If it's not alright, it's not the end. (Yep, not my quote, but I like it:) 

Keep believing.                  Keep hoping.                    Keep having faith.                     Keep pressing on.

Missionaries have the unique opportunity as well as challenge to address the deep struggles and challenges which investigators, less-actives, recent-converts, and also members are facing. People often open up to us about their problems, and it can sometimes be overwhelming to take in as a young 20 year old with not a whole lot of experience.

However, even though bad things happen to good people, God is ALWAYS behind it all, with a divine plan for each of His children. Thus, it'll all be alright in the end, 

IF IT's NOT ALRIGHT, IT's NOT THE END!!!

If you think He's not there, think again. He's there. Not lightyears away or dimensions apart......but RIGHT THERE with you, when you cry, when you're lonely, when you lose hope, when everything seems to be going wrong. He's beside you, all-knowing and all-kind. Trust that He'll make everything work out for your good.


Good things come to those who wait!!!!!



Onward and upward!


Sister Anna Parker

baby love <3

Hipstahs

(Departing District Meeting for one of the AP's: Hipster style!)          #SWAG

The all-famous exchanges reunion selfie..........#hatersgonnahate

#selfiesunday         #besties

Aye Yai Yai

Aye yai yai.

A word of advise for all potential missionaries: EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.

Coming out on a mission, I thought I knew what it was going to be like. Well, yea.......that fairytale ended real quick. Mission life is the definition of UNEXPECTED.

Satan has a stash of curve balls particularly reserved for missionaries.......actually, let's get real here, for YOU specifically. Don't take it too hard. It's a compliment actually:) However, the sooner you come to grips with that, the sooner you learn how to throw 'em right back. See below........


LIVE FROM CHICAGO: Two mormon missionaries get sabotaged by snow banks, emergency medical problems, and no parking spaces in attempts to preach the gospel to on-date investigators.

SOML.

Yea, and OF COURSE, it happens on P-day of all days. Cursed. It started off normal enough: up at 6:30 am......life is good. Until I took a stretch before hopping in the shower, and instead randomly passed out in the living room. Guess that iron I was taking wasn't the cure-all for the fainting spells.

Back to square one.

Throughout the rest of the day, I started experiencing chest pains that had started the night previous. They began to get worse as we went about our day and eventually I called Sis Woodbury and the medical advisor for help. After calling them and the cardiologists office (while freaking out over the idea that I was having a heart attack at age 20), I was given instructions:

HAUL IT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.

Ehhhhhhhhhh............not exactly what I wanted to hear. The other conflict besides the daunting reality of hours in the hospital, needles (gah!), doctors, nurses, monitors, tests, etc. was the fact that we had a member-present teach that night with Abass who was scheduled for baptism that Sunday. Can't miss that. Sorry.......NO. CAN. DO. Sooooooooooo....after talking my way out of going to the ER right that second, I buckled down on the pain and the thought of pending medical misery, and decided instead to

HAUL IT TO OUR TEACH.

Getting there required four snowbank push-outs and when we get there, come to find, there's not a freaking. single. parking. space. available in like a four block radius of his house. Blast. What's worse, we'd gotten record inches of snow that day so the roads and sidewalks were HORRIBLE. We tried pulling down a back alley to find parking, only to find unplowed powder. And lots of it. Stuck time #5: Aaaaaaannnnnnndddddd.....just our luck.....the car behind us watching us helplessly spinning our wheels (mentally and literally) is......yep, A DISGUISED COP CAR.

Well, heyya there, officer. Long time, no see.

Two police officers, one Mexican on-looker, a whole lotta coaching, and a ridiculous suggestion of calling a tow truck later, and we were free. 

We finally found ONE empty parking space three blocks away, but OF COURSE all it is is a hub-high sheet cake of snow. We were already so late to our teach, with two members waiting for us, that my mind went from TOO MUCH SNOW to I DON'T CARE I'M GOING FOR IT before I could reason.

Bad idea. Stuck time #6. 

And this time it was BAD. Basically it took three Iraqi guys, a truck driver, one of the members from our teach, a lotta pushing and shoveling, and 40 min later to get us out.

#shootme

I have reached the I HATE SNOW SO MUCH stage. Winter can officially be over now. The only good thing about that nightmare was explaining our role as sister missionaries and giving our number to the three guys who helped us out.....CALL US MAYBE???

After a somewhat rocky lesson with Abass (our minds.....and bodies.....were so shot from pushing, shoveling, and freezing, that we had no idea what we were saying), we called it a ni.........oh wait....................nope.

EMERGENCY ROOM VISIT: still on the to-do list for the night.

Kill joy. So off we headed. We got to the ER and then, off course, I'm swept away from my companion, hooked up to a million wires, the needles come out, doctors come in, tests get taken, and time drags on. MISERY. After x-rays, IV's, EKG's, blood work, chest exams, and GP consults they found........NOTHING.

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

What. the. heck. Well that was helpful....so here's $136 bucks, four hours of lost sleep, and a whole lot of sticking me with needles for your time. OUCH. I wasn't too happy about that. I was kinda too tired and in pain to care, though. My journal entry that night: "Well, that's not the way I thought P-day would go."

WORD.

The next day we were both exhausted, so per president's suggestion, we laid low and tried to recharge. The rest of our week picked up faster than we could, though, and over the next 6 days e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. started going at 90 mph! It was CRAZY! We had at least two member present lessons every day and investigators started coming out of the woodwork, committing to meet with us! It was a complete miracle! Our numbers started shooting up and we did our best to keep up:)


For instance, this week we got to visit Dawon. We talked about prophets and showed him a video of President Monson testifying of Christ. Afterwards we asked him, "So do you believe that God calls prophets just as He did in old times?" He thought for a second and then said, "Yea....yea I do.......because I'm a prophet actually. I can see into the future."

Well THAT escalated quickly.

Not exactly the answer we were looking for. Guess we'll need to cover this topic again:) Ah, we love our investigators! ;) He did come to the baptism though!! That was awesome!!


Speaking of baptisms.....

MARGARET AND ABASS GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!   AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! Their eyes just glowed!!! And about a third of the whole ward showed up for it!!! Ah!!!!! Yes!!! Days like that we missionaries LIVE FOR!!! It was again, one of the best days of my life! The spirit was SO strong, I cried tears of joy! They both beamed through the whole thing! After the baptism (we were privileged to stand at the top of the font stairs during the baptism), we walked into the bathroom with Margaret and she clasped her hands together, trembling as water and tears streamed down her face, and said over and over with her head bowed, "Thank you Jesus! Thank you Jesus!" In my heart, I was praising Him too!!!

There is NO GREATER JOY than seeing a sweet soul come unto Christ!!!!

It is PRICELESS!  And we as young missionaries, get to work hand in hand with the Almighty Creator to bring those souls back to Him!!! I am so blessed! SO blessed!!!!! Margaret and Abass have such a place in my heart! And I KNOW I've been so privileged to play even a small role in their conversion!

Finally, we also got to teach a new investigator this week, Donna. Basically......we love her:) We found her one night, last transfer, when we were trying to drop by a former's house, and just as we were about to get back in the car after no success and with rain down pouring all around, the spirit said, "Go knock on THAT door."

TIME TO OBEY!

We did, and sure enough, as Donna later described, "I knew there was something about you guys. Our spirits connected and that's why I knew I needed to meet with you." It was an amazing lesson. We taught her the restoration and answered her questions. Towards the end of the lesson, I pulled out a copy of the Book of Mormon and testified to her of it's truthfulness. As soon as she saw the book, she realized that she'd met with missionaries from our church before......15 YEARS AGO. 

How I wished I could have thanked those elders for the seeds they planted in her heart fifteen years ago!!!! They'll never know the difference they've made!!!!! She wants us to meet her family and come again for dinner too!! Please pray that her faith will continue to grow and that she will receive a personal witness of the truthfulness
of this gospel!


Speaking of making a difference.......YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!! I've gained such a testimony of that on my mission. I honestly believe we have no idea how much we can make a difference in someone's life by JUST INVITING.

I've thought since of those elders who taught Donna FIFTEEN years ago! They probably thought at the time that they'd failed with teaching her. BUT THEY DIDNT!


Success is in the invitation!


Don't put off today what can reap rewards YEARS down the road! "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now." Whether it's inviting a friend to church or to hear the missionaries, visiting and befriending a less-active member, offering serving to a stranger, or doing a random act of kindness.....YOUR IMPACT MATTERS!

Don't get discouraged with rejection. Don't let others define your worth. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Everybody does, except God. So if you trust Him, FALL! He'll catch you! You have a chance to do so much good.....more good than you know! Don't let those chances pass you buy! Whether you see the results of your effort now or never....they'll still come! And MANY down the road, will be grateful that you didn't hold back!

"You don't need an invitation before you start moving in the direction of your righteous goals. You don't need to wait for permission to become the person you were designed to be. You don't need to wait to be invited to serve in the Church. We can sometimes waste years of our lives waiting to be chosen (see D&C 121:34-36). But that is a false premise. You are already chosen!" (Elder Utchdorf)


Just do it! NOW!




Onward and upward!




Sister Anna Parker

baptism records!!!!!

Baptismal Records!!!!! 2 OF THEM!!!

Yup....monogrammed em. Gotta keep up with traditions:)

Yup.....dats right. We didn't start the font filling soon enough. You do the math......

Abass and his mom, Marie

Converts lead to converts!!!

The after-party:)

(Left to Right:) Marie (the recent convert who introduced us to Margaret), Alice (the one who introduced Marie into the church), Sister Teare (my gem of a companion:), Me, and Margaret!!!!!