You Don't Say....

Note to self: Don't believe anyone who says anything is "free" in Chicago. Especially when it comes to parking.....and museums.

We decided on another adventure for P-day this past week, and carpooled down with the Hermanas to visit the "free" science and industry museum together. It took us over an hour to get down there (I swear....rush hour is like a 24/7 thing in Chicago) and when we finally found the place, come to find, parking is $22 an HOUR.

Dad, forget residential real estate.....we need to buy a parking garage in Chicago.

We'll make it RAIN.
Instead, being the broke missionaries that we are, we spent the next half hour trying to find "free" parking and eventually landed ourselves a spot after awkwardly stalking people walking down the street who even looked like they might be going to their car to leave.

<<welcome to my life>>

By the time we got into the museum, it was closing in an hour and a half, and as soon as we get to the front desk, our conversation with the receptionist goes like so:

"Hey, can we get 4 free passes?"
"Sorry, what?"
"Y'know, like the free February passes?....a friend told us all museums in Chicago were free this month....."
"Yea, no. Not this one...."


[if only it was appropriate for adults to throw tantrums.....]

Instead: "Oh ok...well....sorry to bother.....thanks anyways..." (and then awkwardly walk out)

So yep. THAT was our P-day. Lesson learned: Freedom isn't free...and neither is sightseeing in Chicago.



Other than that memorable start to our week, we've been SO busy this week! It's been AMAZING!! Seriously, I'm never happier than when I'm so busy that dinner hour seems like a nuisance:)

#livinthedream

We had a miraculous moment this week, when Sis Green and I were planning and she started trying to clean up our phone (we have SO many contacts in our phone that neither of us know and there's no record from past missionaries on who they are). She started calling everyone and ended up calling a former investigator, Armando, who said he'd met with missionaries a year back and had never really heard back from them, but was still interested. We set up an appointment and met with him on Saturday.

Gosh, is he prepared!!! We were both SO impressed by his thoughts, desires, and his active search for truth! We were about thirty minutes into the lesson, and he was going off about how the universe reflects God's hand and power, when he said, "Here's what I think....we need to ask ourselves three or four simple but important questions:

“Where did we come from?

Why are we here?

Where are we going after this life?

And who created us?"

………….

You don't say.

Yea, that's a moment when I was inwardly having a Buddy the Elf "Santa's coming!!" reaction, but outwardly we're both like, "Mmmhmmm....yea....we totally agree.....uhhuh...."

hahaha! Gosh....mission life:) We extended a baptismal invitation to him at the end of the lesson and he accepted!! He is so receptive to the truth we have to share with him, and it's incredible to see the
light of Christ within him resonate with the message that we have to share! I am just SOOOOO excited to see him start down this path to so much more light, truth, and knowledge!



Last-minute highlights of the week:

-Sister's conference!! I got to see all my comps again!! Sis Bishop, Sis Teare, and Sis Carroll...gosh we could hardly stop cracking our inside jokes again just like old times!! Gosh, have i missed them! Oh
and the messages and workshops were also FANTASTIC!! The elders should be jealous:)

- Taught mutual this week on using Preach My Gospel as member missionaries!!! I get as excited and passionate talking about that as I do about the Red Sox vs the Yankees....no shame. #mytwoaddictions #PMG #sports

- Got "cold quarantined" again this week. Gosh, Chicago. Can't a girl just preach the word for her last three weeks in the mission...?? hahaha

We're sacrificing. We're serving. And we're saving! And I wouldn't have it any other way! I'm becoming keenly aware just how short of a time I have left, and while I'm excited to see family and friends again and forge on with life, I can't help but feel like my heart is being broken.


This is the experience of a LIFETIME. It's exhausting and it's challenging, but it is priceless! I am FILLED with gratitude every night as I kneel to talk with Him--SO grateful for the chance He's given me to take His hand in this work, to walk alongside Him for 18 months of my life, to bear that burden and to feel that joy--the joy of being HIS servant!!



Onward and upward,



Sister Parker

Heading downtown.....we're suh cute....

found this epic mural on the way home..... good ol' chicago  

Aaaaaaaand.....then we passed this:) If drugs weren't illegal before...they are now;)

valentine's day flowers from my daddy!!!  #sweetheart

Staying Alive

Bishop got up in sacrament meeting yesterday, and announced, "Brothers and sisters, just as a reminder, starting at the beginning of January, our meeting time will change from 1pm to 9am with leadership meetings being held before church."

*you've got to be kidding me*

I knew it. I knew this was going to happen....I'd get transferred from a ward that met at 9am to a ward that met in the afternoon, just to have it changed at the beginning of the year back to 9am. Called it:) I guess I'll never get my wish of being able to "sleep in" till 6:30 on Sundays, so in the mean time, I'll just appreciate the fact that I'm an early bird:)

This week has left me brain fried and bone tired, but I made it:) Leaving Buffalo Grove was one of the hardest things I've ever done on my mission. I cried myself to sleep that last night, feeling like my heart was breaking and wishing more than anything that I could just stop time and never leave. But, the Lord has a plan and with that plan He gives us the strength to overcome and achieve. I've felt Him so near--SO near--as I've taken every day since leaving BG, one step at a time.

I still miss it. I can't see an Oregon ducks bumper sticker without thinking of the O'Briens. I can't drive past Harding st. without thinking of the Kumars. I can't hear a Georgian accent (or visit the hospital:) without thinking of the Robisons. I can't pass Bass Pro Shops without thinking of the Kuffers. I can't notice Taco Bell without hoping for a reunion with the Eyres. And when we were at the mission home this week, and President Woodbury offered me an "amazing Austrian cookie from the Lex's," I just about cried.

Those members, those investigators, those people.....they have my heart! And it hurts to be so far from them. I wondered as I sat in church yesterday, surrounded by people I didn't know and who didn't know me and feeling sorry for myself, how I'd ever be able to let go of my old area, those relationships, those memories and to move on. Almost immediately, the spirit reminded me of a letter Pres Woodbury had written to the missionaries a short while ago. He wrote about receiving a new heart from the Lord (Ezekiel 36:26) as we turn over our hearts to Him: "He will give it back to you new and refreshed, full of hope for good things to come and full of love for Him and all mankind."

I realized in that moment that I didn't need to forget.....I didn't need to forget those people I loved, those memories I cherished, or those relationships I'd formed. Those will always be close to my heart. All He asks of me now is to continue to love even more. That loves never runs out, and I DO have more to give, because He'll fill my heart with love for these new people as I strive to be His hands here in Westchester.

*Keep Calm. Love On*

That's what I'll do:)

This area is a 180 from Buffalo Grove. I'm back to buzzing buzzer boards, smelling weed in almost every apartment complex we visit, ignoring the cat calls and whistles while walking the streets as the only two white girls around, and....of course....life isn't complete in Chicago without getting honked at every time we change lanes or the light turns green.

>>TBT to the Evanston days<<

We're having fun though...and every day is an adventure......like when the elders texted us Saturday evening asking us if we could go to the church building THAT night and find a baptismal dress for their investigator who was getting baptized the NEXT day. Nothing quite like cramming at the last minute, elders:) So we naturally head over there, and Sis Green goes to open the baptismal closet only to find that it's locked. Well....only one thing to do. While Sis Green starts scrolling through the phone to locate someone to open the closet for us...

.....I pulled a credit card out of my wallet.......

Hey, ya gotta do whatchya gotta do sometimes:) I explained to Sis Green later that at college, it was easier for me to pull my student ID out of my pocket when I got back to my apartment than to go digging for my keys in my dark abyss of a backpack. Sooooooo....i got pretty good at the push-and-slide technique. You never know when stuff like that is going to come in handy.....just saying:)

AND...the elders' investigator had her outfit pressed and ready for her by the next morning.

Mission accomplished. hahaha!

On Wednesday, we were invited to gather as a zone downtown at the Kris Kringle market to carol and give out hot chocolate. After an hour of driving and another half hour of trying to find a parking spot, we finally started off on foot to walk about a quarter mile to where our zone was caroling. Before we'd gone very far though, we stopped in at a CVS to use the restroom, but before we'd even made it to the back of the store, a man bumped into us, saw our name tags and said, "Mormons!" We were a bit surprised, but told him that's who we were to which he responded, "I need to talk to you."

Well ok....

He escorted us out into the metra food court and sat us down at a table. Then, for over an hour he talked and talked and talked.....all about his life, serving in the Vietnam war, his struggle with PTSD, giving us life advice (including how NOT to "run off after our missions and marry the first guy we meet":), his relationship with God, and a million other topics (not the least of which was his view on physical fitness, how "beautiful and angelic" our faces were, the ingratitude of younger generation "yuppies," and the corrupt politicians of America). In any other circumstance, I'd have been totally creeped out, eyeing the closest exit, and possibly speed dialing the elders. However, as we sat there with him, the spirit prompted, "Just listen."

Our zone was waiting for us, we were already half an hour late, and it was getting dark, but the spirit spoke, so we sat there. Honestly, I couldn't take my eyes off him; I was totally intrigued by this perfect stranger sitting in front of me, telling me all about his life and struggles. He fascinated me, and though we didn't say hardly two words during the whole hour we "visited" with him, I knew that's where we were supposed to be. He began wrapping up, talking about how he was haunted every night by the memories of his time in Vietnam. His eyes clouded as he told us he'd wake up in cold sweats, see the faces of those he had been forced to kill, and hear Vietnamese phrases screaming in his dreams. "But, he said, there's nothing you or I can do about it. I've asked God to take it from me and He hasn't......so that's the way it is."

Immediately, the spirit spoke directly to my mind, "PROMISE him, right now, that his PTSD will be taken from him if he reads the Book of Mormon and pursues this course." I was taken off guard. I've always wanted to have an experience on my mission where the spirit directed me to promise a specific and....let's be honest....impressive…blessing to an individual. However, when the prompting came, I instinctively questioned it. "I don't know the ins and outs of PTSD. If doctors and psychologists can't help him, how am I supposed to make this promise to him?? I don't want to get his hopes up. Maybe this prompting isn't from the spirit, it's just wishful thinking."

But that prompting kept coming and coming, until I KNEW that it was undeniably given by the spirit. I finally spoke up, "Dave, you said just a moment ago that we couldn't do anything for you....and to a point that's true. But I KNOW that your Savior, Jesus Christ can and will." I testified to him of the divine mission of Christ to administer to those in need, and to save us from our pain and suffering. Then, I extended a Book of Mormon to him and said, "As messengers of Him, I can I promise you that if you read this book....and follow its teachings and continue to progress towards Him...your PTSD will be alleviated."

I'm sure my companion was a bit shocked, but once the words left my mouth, I knew they were meant to be said. He just looked at me for a second, his eyes bloodshot and teary....and then said, "I'll give you my word, I'll read it tonight." Before he walked away from us that night, he told us, "I can't tell you enough what this has meant to me." We hadn't solved all his problems, given him every answer to all his questions, or even taught him earth-shattering doctrine.....but we had LISTENED. We'd loved. And through the spirit, we'd promised him a blessing that only God could give.

I walked away from that conversation, so deeply grateful to the Lord for giving me the opportunity to be His servant.....His messenger....to a man who needed two young girls to just listen. It took an hour long drive into the city, a half hour of driving in circles to find parking, and a quarter mile walk on foot, for the spirit to bring us to him.....but he did. And there's no better feeling than knowing you were in the right place at the right time, for the one person that needed you. How grateful I am that I was the one given that incredible opportunity!

   

The rest of our week consisted of an amazing (and much-needed) trip to the temple, a Christmas lunch and uplifting devotional at the mission home, a beautiful blessing and interview with President Woodbury, and a lot of introductions to investigators, members, and ward leadership.

I'm exhausted. But I'm alive:)

Quick health update: all the tests are in, and still no answers. After a lot of prayer, I've felt that the Lord's will for me is that I endure these challenges for these last few months I have left. It's frustrating to not feel at my best all the time, especially when all I want is to go fast and hard till the end, but the Lord has a plan, and for now, I'm putting it in His hands. I've decided to put further tests and doctors appointments on hold until I'm back home, and to instead just take it a day at a time, trusting in His strength to pull me through:)

Thank you for your love and prayers! They work miracles out here!! This work is hard and demanding, but it is oh, so rewarding!

Onward and upward,

Sister Anna Parker

i saw santa in his.....honda..... #theregoesmychildhoodfantasy

our missionary christmas tree:)

TEMPLE!!!!

Stylin

Just a fair warning to any prospective missionaries: a mission will get you WAY outside your comfort zone, making you do stuff you'd NEVER dream of doing otherwise.

 It's great. Really.

Life's always an adventure.....

Example: Sis Bishop and I felt prompted to stop by the part-member family that we'd met in the park last week while doing tye dye shirts. We knocked, and the mom answered and readily let us in. We walked through the door and weren't two feet inside, when a large rat-looking creature scurried across the floor.

We just about hit. the. ceiling.

 Like heart-leap, friend-grab, scream-supress, jump-on-chair status.           FREAKS.

The mom then says, "Oh, there's Owen! We've been missing him....." and goes over and picks up this long scrawny FERRET, "wanna hold him??"

aghbaghlahgalgbalgha.........

"Uh.....bettah not........"

Instead........I had to reach out my hand and pet the thing with, "aw! how cute!".....which wasn't really a lie.....he had cute eyes......but that was about it;) She then goes to the back and brings out TWO more. By this point Sis Bishop and I are D.Y.I.N.G. And then.....she tells us that two more are wandering around the house somewhere......oh.....and that they love burrowing in the couch we're sitting on.

I just about came unscrewed. Throughout the remainder of the lesson, Sis Bishop kept eyeing the back of the couch and under her feet, expecting at any moment a "large rat" to start gnawing at us. Luckily, we didn't see any more of them during the lesson, and the lesson ended up being very open and powerful. Turns out, the mom told us that she'd unexpectedly decided to work from home that day, which she rarely does, so despite our ferret introduction, we'd landed a miracle. She said it herself;) By the end, she accepted the invitation to read the Book of Mormon and we're planning to stop by again soon!

Wednesday, we met up with the blood drive coordinator so she could tour the church building and approve it for the blood drive coming up. She came in, gave us our marketing flyers and posters, and then we showed her around the building. We ended up having an hour long conversation in the gym about our purpose and experiences as missionaries, religion, and her life story. She opened up to us, and told us about her background and experiences with different religions, and we invited her to attend our church meetings with us. She accepted!

It's truly amazing to watch the Lord put different people in our path, who are willing to "try it out" and accept this beautiful message we have to share. It's a total testimony to me that the gospel is true, because it innately attracts those with faith enough to give it a chance. It draws people closer to God and they can feel it! Ah! It's amazing!

Our zone also had it's monthly activity this week.......EXTREME TRAMPOLINE STYLE. 

Holy fun.

 It legit.....basically a hallway of trampolines, a foam pit, and a dodge ball room....gah! 

coolest. zone. activity. EVER.  And I can now to a front flip, back flip, round off, and wall flip......#stylin:)

On FB this week......yea the adventure never ends....I got messaged by an investigator who told me he's looking for a "good Christian wife" who can clean his dishes, do his laundry, and manage his household.......and I was the perfect candidate.......mmmmmkkkkkkk.

MAID.             

That's called a maid................Not a wife.....................And not me. lols

#singlestatus       #noshame

Finally.....the H.I.G.H.L.I.G.H.T. of our week was GOING TO THE TEMPLE WITH BETHANY!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! It was absolutely amazing! It was the first time that I've been able to go the temple with an investigator for the first time, and I was ecstatic!!!! It was probably one of the happiest days of my life! Being there with her, dressed in white, and seeing her experience the joy and peace that is found in the House of The Lord.......AH! There is NO feeling more rewarding!!!! 

It opened my eyes to the eternal nature of this work! Success in missionary work doesn't end at baptism....it doesn't even end at the temple.....The Lord just continues to bless us with more and more and we continue to have an impact on others because of our actions. What started with Bethany's own baptism, will now become the baptism and temple work of those who have passed on. She's changing lives both here and in the eternities! It's beyond rewarding to know that I got to play a part in her conversion and being there with her in the temple......that feeling is indescribable!!! I wouldn't trade that for all the world!!

This work is true. It's powerful. It's fun. It's rewarding. And it's contagious:)

So share, invite, serve, REPEAT.

Onward and upward,

Sister Anna Parker

Sis bishop didn't believe me when I said to use a lid on the blender.......#fail;)  #lovemycomp

besties

I FOUND HER!!!!

On Tuesday we met up with Lev, Stan, and now a new friend from India to teach English. We started into traveling and vacation terms, now that summer’s in full swing. I begin listing vocab on the board….."ticket,” “itinerary,” “portal,” “TSA,” and then “flight attendant.”

They looked a bit puzzled when I put that last one up, so I began explaining…..”a person who works on an airplane, helps passengers, brings you snacks, etc…..also called a stewardess…..”

Lev then leans back with a smile, “Ooooooohhhhh……YES. I understand.”

Perfect. So I run the drill: “How would you put that word in a sentence?”

Without hesitating, he starts, “A flight attendant…is also called a stewardess, and is VERY beautiful, and young, and attractive, and usually has long beautiful hair, and brings you everything you need.” He then goes on with a wink, “Maybe you work as our flight attendant after you’re a missionary??”

Ummmmmmmmmm……..NO.      Ain’t that type...

MOVING. ON.

“’Pilot’…..next word is ‘PILOT’……” hahaha! Gotta love it. There’s never a dull moment when teaching two 60-year olds English as a second language:) lol

Thursday, we went to Feed My Starving Children as a Zone and ……OH MY GOSH……funnest service project e.v.e.r.!!! We TORE up that place (between hearing Mumford and Sons sing “I will wait, I will wait for you!” over the boombox speakers with an accompanying elder of the group shouting,

“Oh, NO SHE WON’T!”

Couldn’t. Stop. Laughing!   lol!   Girls….he’s got a point:) Anyways……by the end, we’d packed over 40 boxes of meals at ONE station, and in total packaged enough meals to feed over 115 kids for a YEAR!!!   Woop woop!!!   


#TeamBuffaloGroveZone      #repthehood     #ldsswag

Wednesday, we showed up to district meeting, and after we were finished, headed to the baptism closet to find a jumpsuit for Bethany’s baptism (!!!!!). We opened the closed only to find that the O.N.L.Y. sizes available were XX-XXXX Large (yea, didn’t even know they made suits that big….things you learn as a missionary;) or a Youth Medium.

That’s not gonna cut it for a slim 5 foot 8 young woman wanting to get baptized.

So we keep scouring the closet, digging through pile after pile of white clothing and eventually recruiting the help of the elders. EHHHH….not the smartest move.

Convo that followed:

Elder P--, pulling out a white XXX jump suit: “WAY too big. It looks like something you’d wear to clean a porter potty.”

Elder G--, lifting up a white dress, trying to figure out the wide collar:  “Oh! It’s a scarf! Oh, she’ll love that!”

Elder P--, finding another dress with an oversized scoop drape collar, and mistaking it for a hood:

“Whoa….that’s like KKK status.”

Me, holding up a thin, lacey, and slightly yellowed dress: “That looks like something your grandma would die in.”

Sister Bishop, finding a Youth Large, and holding it up to herself: “It could just ride right below her knee. That’s not too weird, right?”

F.A.I.L.

After 30 minutes of no luck, we finally decided to take what we had (Shrek-sized jumpsuits, and century-old nightgowns) to give Bethany “options” (riiiiiiiight). Our wardrobe unveiling that night at her house was C.L.A.S.S.Y. ……like red carpet status.

Luckily, we have b.o.m.b. Zone Leaders who were champs and found us an adult small jumpsuit at their chapel in Gurnee, and it fit PERFECTLY.

Saved by grace, after all we could do;) lol

Annnnnnddddd…..speaking of BAPTISMS……BETHANY  IS OFFICALLY  A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!     AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

It was one of the most beautiful and happy days of my mission!!! I’ve loved every minute I’ve had to spend teaching Bethany (though we really didn’t teach her much…she kinda knew it all already since she’s been studying up on it for over a year)!!! I’ve grown SO close to that girl, I love her! I’ve made a new bestie, and it’s i.n.c.r.e.d.i.b.l.e. knowing that I got to play a small part in her conversion!!!

[OK…if you just skipped over that last paragraph…..start reading HERE:]

REWIND……

Story time:

So 2 days before I opened my mission call (yea, as it was sitting on the kitchen counter…..longest. two. days. of. MY. L.I.F.E.), I was praying late one night……stressing over the mission, wondering what my companions would be like, how many people I'd be able to teach, what my mission president would be like, if I'd love my areas, see people get baptized, have fun, be free of hardships.....ya know, the uge that pre-mi’s worry about....and then....

I had to STOP.

I paused and realized how selfish I was being. My prayers were all about ME......MY wants, MY desires, MY life, MY fears, ME...ME...ME. In that moment when I stopped, took a step back, and re-evaluated what I was saying, the spirit spoke clearly to my mind,

"Anna......someone TONIGHT  is praying that YOU will bring them the gospel!"

I bawled. Straight up, knelt there and cried for over a half hour. I was completely struck by the power of those words, and their accompanying meaning. 

This mission isn't about ME. None of it. I realized in that moment that I wasn't going out here for ME. I wasn't sacrificing for ME, leaving home for ME, or giving up all I loved for ME. It was for that person...that ONE that needed ME. 

Well guess what???

I FOUND HER!!!!!!!!!!!!

One year ago, Bethany was praying for sister missionaries to come. She knew that she wanted the gospel in her life, and even wanted to meet with the missionaries, but she wanted--needed--SISTERS. 

One year ago, I was praying for me.......but was told......ANOTHER was praying for me....to come. 

All along our way, teaching Bethany, I wondered if she was the one that had been praying for me to come. I wasn't sure, though it seemed possible. In fact, I didn't know for sure until, standing at the top of those font steps, I watched as Bethany came up out of that water, smiling and literally glowing! It hit me so hard,

"SISTER PARKER, YOU FOUND HER!!! YOU FOUND HER!!!"

 There is NOTHING like that feeling in the ENTIRE world!!!!! To know that you—through God’s help—did it! You found the one who needed you, who prayed for you to come!!! I couldn’t contain my happiness!!!! I’ve never felt happier in MY LIFE!!!!  

That night, we went over to Bethany’s to visit her and to practice for a choir number we and the young women were invited to sing in Sacrament Meeting the following day. The three of us sat there together, basking in the joy and happiness of the day as we began singing “Come Unto Christ.”

[BTW, if you don’t know this song…..go listen to it HERE….it’s b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.]

We sat around that table, as rain came down softly outside and sang, “Come unto Christ, come unto Him. And by His grace be made, holy again. He’s calling your name. He’s waiting for you, with arms open wide. Come unto Christ!”

I wouldn’t have traded that moment--singing those words and looking into Bethany’s eyes--for the WORLD!!! I’ve never felt the spirit stronger! I broke down when we were finished with the song and told Bethany about my experience praying before the mission. All I could say to her at the end was,

“YOU make it ALL WORTH IT!!!!”

The heartache, the homesickness, the fatigue, the failure, the rejection, the sacrifice, the bitterness, the pain, the loneliness, the hardship……it is ALL WORTH IT!!!

Missions are worth it. They’re hard, but they. are. worth. it!!!! There are “one’s” that are out there waiting for you to reach out to them, to find them, to help them, and to bless their lives eternally. Whether you’re a full-time missionary or a member missionary…..they are out there! They’re waiting for YOU!!!

And you’re perhaps the ONLY one who can find and help them! Don’t wait! They need you NOW!!!!

IT IS ALL WORTH IT!!!!

Onward and Upward,

Sister Anna Parker

towel #6!!!

#besties:)

couldn't be happier!!!