Week 12

Next week I will have been on my mission for.......3 months!!

Crazy how the time flies by! I have realized that this time that I have to be on a mission is extremely limited and that I need to take advantage and make the most out of the time that I have. 

This week has been so good! We started out by having a "specialized training" I love to see all of the missionaries in our zone! We also had exchanges which was sort of funny. They put me with a brand new sister for 24 hours...yeah, in an area that I have never been to! Luckily, I have embraced the idea of "fake it till' you make it!" We kept busy and worked on training together! I also got a lot of new ideas from her! 

While I was gone, Sister Prince found a GOLDMINE of less-actives that are also related to a member in the ward! Yeah, a girl came up to her and told her that she wants to be baptized! That just doesn't happen without the Spirit! She also walked into church by herself even though her mom was sick. Did I mention that she was 10 years old?! 

We finished teaching Shelley this week! She had some pretty deep questions again this week but I think that we managed to find her answers with her. She had a rough week earlier and Satan was really having a ball with her. The elders came and gave her a blessing, she was instantly calmer and has been ever since. I love the priesthood. 

We taught her about tithing this week and on Sunday, she walked up to me with her tithing all set to go and said, "where does this go?" She is SO SOLID!! 

The work is really starting to pick up now that Sister Prince and I are getting the hang of things. Sister Prince has some really great ideas, and we are trying our best to get involved the best we can. It works! The members a re giving us more referrals now! 

So, we drove around and got soooooo lost this week! There is a solar-system neighborhood. All the streets around here are named something like: Sun, Moon, Star, Venus, Mercury, Mars, etc. So we were looking for Venus and thought that it would be next Mercury because, you know that would only make sense to me! But no! Venus was next to Mars! I was so confused! 

I hope that all is going as awesome with everyone as it is here! 

Remember that God answers prayers! 

Loves and a hug from Kansas, 

Sister Parry

Week 11

Happy Valentines Day!!! I hope that everyone feels God's love for them! 

Sister Prince and I celebrated by making Valentines for everyone and handing them out with candy attached to it. I think that they turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself :) 

The best thing that happened on Valentines day was a conversation that I had with a non-member;

We were starting to share a message when Andy started to turn to leave:

Me: "Andy!! I promise you will want to hear this scripture!"

Andy: (looks at me like im crazy)

Me: Andy, I PROMISE!  I'm not trying to shove you into a baptismal font, but I promise that you want to hear this scripture!"

Andy: (turns back around)

Song of Soloman Chapter 4:1 "Your hair is like a flock of goats" yep. that chapter is a love song I would highly suggest reading it! Anyways, Andy even stayed for the prayer! Thank you Soloman! 

Sister Prince and I are really getting to know the city. And by that I mean that we are getting lost left and right! Let me tell you, that I never knew that I would learn how to use a map before! Somehow, the Spirit has blessed me with a gift of knowing North from South so that has kept us alive for a while at least! Here is another funny conversation that happened while trying to navigate:

Sister Prince: South Phillips Avenue just does not exist! UGH! 

Me:(looks up at the street sign in front of us) Yes it does. 

Sister Prince: NO IT DOESN'T! 

Me: Yes. 

Sister Prince: NO IT DOESN'T!! 

Me: SISTER. LOOK UP! 

Yes. South Phillips Avenue was there the ENTIRE TIME! Wow. CLASSIC. 

One of the greatest things that happened this week was that I received a blessing. For some reason, I have a hard time asking for them but they are always worth it! I have come to a deep appreciation and testimony of the priesthood! I am so thankful that I have access to it! One of the things that I learned this week was that I need to take advantage of every moment that I have here! I am trying to bring up the gospel in every conversation that I have with people. It's hard even for missionaries, but so important! You never know how far a brief message about the gospel can go! 

I was also tempted this week. We went into Walmart and one of my favorite songs was on....and I can't sing OR dance to it! Ahhh!! That was just a trial run because we also went to a wedding reception where they played ALL OF MY FAVORITE SONGS. Man, I am learning self-restraint! 

Anyways, the mission life is going great! My testimony grows every day! Remember that God answers prayers! 

Loves and a hug from Kansas, 

Sister Parry

Week 10

Hi all! 

This week was super crazy! Pday ended last week with a broken wrist...NOT MINE! Sister Runia's. We spent the next few hours in the ER. The next 2 days, she was drugged up, plus we were hit with another snow storm so we were not going anywhere! Who knew that I would be able to use my random CNA skills?! Let's just say that when you are washing your companion's hair, your companion unity gets stronger haha! 

I got her all packed up, because she was transferred! :( My new companion is Sister Price! She is really funny, likes to sing a lot, and indeed knows how to yodel. :D This will be a good transfer I can tell! 

Sister Prince and I are having fun figuring out Salina! I am the driver now and I have no idea where anything is! So, I am learning how to use a map! We visited a lot of less actives this week which was fun and definitely interesting! We have a new investigator and the 2nd time we met with her, we taught her about the restoration and she accepted to be baptized! I am so happy for her. I know that if she works hard, she can be baptized soon. 

We had dinner last night at a member's house and it really impacted me. They have 5 young kids, one of them has a disorder that makes communicating and walking very hard. He is so cute. Anyways, I taught the family about the gospel of Jesus Christ by placing "steps" around the room. After the oldest son finished the steps, the one with the disorder crawled over to the beginning and started to take the path as well. His older brothers saw him having difficulty, so they went over to him, picked him up, and helped him walk through all the steps with the whole family cheering him on! He also got to sit next to the elders, oh man! Let me tell you that he felt like the luckiest kid in the world!! I gave him a name tag sticker and he just gleamed! 

Another thing that impacted me was when I was offering all the kids stickers. I had a few fun and colorful ones, and they choose a little black rectangle with white words on it. It says "future missionary" that was really humbling. I never realized before my mission just how much people watch us-not only as a missionary but as a member of the church. Just this morning, we were stopped in the store and a man told us about every single Mormon that he has ever met! People are watching us everyone! You do not need a name tag to represent the savior! 

Although this week was a really crazy one, the Lord humbles me every day. I am so excited to be involved in the work of the Lord! A mission really is the best thing in the world! Not because it is easy, but because it is hard. Hard things are worth it! I love you all and I hope that you take this Valentines week to spread the love that God has for his children! 

Loves and a hug from Kansas, 

Sister Parry

Week 9 Photo Dump

Week 9

Hi hi! 

So, this week was LOADS better than last week! Sister Runia and I drove an hour away to Elleworth on Tuesday and stopped along the way to visit some less-actives that no one seemed to know. I knew that something was going to come from these visits and something did! That something was cats. I'll start from the top: We pull into a town so small, the roads are not even paved. We stop in front of a house and I immediately see 4 cats. When we asked the older lady how many cats she owns she shrugs and says, "I don't know!!" I counted 9...in one room. Lucky for me, they all seemed to like Sister Runia more anyways. 

The cats were worth it because this lady has been praying for someone from the church to come by because she has had it so hard lately. We got the Book of Mormon downloaded for her and she wants to come to church more often if she can get rides. I love this work. Seriously, there is nothing quite like sitting in a room with 9 cats in it, one of them is missing and ear and trying to cuddle with you, and the Spirit is so strong as tears are in Anita's eyes and she is bearing her testimony to us. 

I was also able to pass off 2 of my lessons this week! Oh man, these things have been stressing me out! Elder Allen was so patient with me as I was trying to pass them off, he told me that in his 2 years of serving, mine was the most entertaining lessons that he has ever passed off. Honestly, I really didn't care how, I just wanted to learn my lessons! hahaha glad I could provide a laugh. After this, Sister Runia and I forgot to tell him something when he left, so we booked it out the door and ran down the stairs yelling his name. He screamed SO LOUD, and jumped no less than a foot in the air. Come to find out, being chased up stairs is this elder's worst fear....whoops. 

Can I just say that I love the priesthood?! One of the elders gave Alexia a very inspired blessing and without knowing her situation at all, she had several answers given to her very directly! I also felt impressed to receive a blessing on Friday as well. It was when I was studying for my dreaded lesson and the Spirit told me to get a blessing. After District Meeting, Elder Allen offered to give a blessing to anyone. The Spirit does not kid around with me! If I was going to be too proud to ask for one, he was going to offer it to me! I am humbled every day in the mission field! 

Transfers are this week and I have discovered my fate: I am staying in Salina! Sister Runia is leaving to go to Wichita to be a Sister Training Leader, so I will finish training with Sister Prince. I cannot wait to meet her because I have been reassured by several sources that we have a lot in common and that she also knows how to yodel. I'm pumped. I am so sad to leave Sister Runia though! So, bitter-sweet emotions! 

I love you all, and remember that God answers prayers! 

Loves and a hug from Kansas, 

Sister Parry