Week 50:

Happy Monday everyone!

We had another whirlwind weeks so hold on tight while I tell you about it! 

First things first: we were able to meet Elder Schwitzer of the 70! He is so down-to Earth, and took the time to shake hands and talk to each one of us. We had a meeting with him that lasted for 5-6 hours but I swear, it only felt like 1 hour! When all was said and done, I walked away feeling like the Spirit was telling me to truly LOVE the Gospel, the Book of Mormon, investigators, my companion and the Savior ALWAYS. 

So my dear Lira Family is now MARRIED!!!!!!! It's actually a pretty funny story how that happened. We were an hour and a half away from Dodge City in the meeting with Elder Schwitzer and we booked it home so we could make it to the wedding on time. We ran up to the courthouse to find that they locked the doors 7 minutes before we got there!!! Sad. It was even more sad to find out that they tried to wait for us.

Precious moments with them:

 We went over the baptism interview questions with Jasmine, and the very last question asks if you feel ready to make the commitment? Jasmine then fist pumps the air and yells, "YES I AM!!" I love the enthusiasm. 

We sit down for a lesson and Erik who is 4 walks up to us and gives us his school pictures :') it is now decorating my scriptures. 

Their Christmas tree is decorated with the pass-along cards that we first gave them.

So, I just realized that I only have like 2 more minutes to email so everything else is going to be short but here we go!

So, maybe my companion got all 4 Dodge Sisters sick this week! haha we had to make an extra run to the store just to buy all of the sick people stuff. Oh man, being sick on a mission STINKS!!! 

IT SNOWED!!! It is a whooping 7 degrees right now. Love it. 

Favorite quote of the week:

To his kids: "Will you all just please run away?" 

Love you all!! Remember that God answers prayers!! 

I love the winter!

Then it snowed again

Week 49: Hello!

Hello!

I can't decide if this week feels like a year long or just a few hours? Is anyone else having a time-warp issue?

This morning I was trying to make a handy-dandy list of things to talk to you all about and Sister Bringhurst and I hardly came up with anything! Sorry about that. I know that we had a great week, I just barely remember much that happened...it's my life and It all seems so normal to me but not to anyone else! :) 

The wonderful Lira's are doing splendid! We taught them about keeping the Sabbath day holy and they already decided that week that they are not going to use their cell phones all day on Sundays and proceeded to give us their house phone number?! We were starting to get worried when they were not reading in the Book of Mormon every day, and when we talked about it again with them, they took it so seriously! Now, they are 9 chapters in, and when Jasmine went to Wichita for the weekend, her parents had her write down the chapters that she needs to read to keep up because they want to finish the Book of Mormon before Gonzolo is baptized. 

I wish that I could describe to you in writing how awesome they are! I feel so incredibly blessed to have met some of my best friends! I have learned so much about myself, the Gospel, and missionary work from this family. I don't think that they will ever truly know that they literally changed my whole mission. This is what the Gospel does, it brings families together! I get to watch a family change their lives around, come closer to God, to each other, and prepare to become an eternal family, how did I get so lucky?!?! Every night, I thank my Heavenly Father for letting me get to know them, and how much they have done for me. 

This week, we were able to receive so much revelation!! First, it was at Zone Conference. They had us all get down on our knees and choose one thing that is holding us back from giving our "all' to the Lord and give it up. It was so powerful. 

We listened to a talk again, and the Spirit hit me so strong. It is "Feed My Sheep" from Elder Holland. At the end, he talks about when the Lord found the apostles fishing again after the Savior had left. I realized then, that a mission is truly meant to change you. This is a calling for life, not just 18 months. When the Lord asked Peter, "Do you love me?" he really was asking him if he really was going to follow him and do everything that he asked him to with all diligence. 

I just have to say, that the dinner appointments that we have here in Dodge are stellar! Just this week, we were in a house with at least 18 cats and music from "Cats" the musical was in the background just to make the effect perfect. Sister Bringhurst loathes cats with a passion so it is even better. The next day, we ate at the bishop's house when him and his wife pulled out their accordions, played them for us, and told us how they fell in love through the accordion. All I know is that I am definitely in Kansas!! 

I love and miss you all! Keep going strong! Remember that God answers prayers!

Sister Parry

My comp is so talented

So, maybe I have a special place in my heart for sunsets

Kansas sunsets

:)

Our sunset spot

Have I mentioned that I love Kansas??

Week 48: Do you believe in miracles?

Whoa. I can't believe that another week has already flown by! 

It probably went by so fast because we were having a party every day! Sharing the Gospel is the funnest thing that I've ever done. 

I was definitely spoiled rotten on my birthday! Mom will be so disappointed when I don't get humbled on my mission! haha We were having dinner at a member's house and they pulled out a cake! I was like "What?! Why did you do that??" then they pulled out the candles and even a present! Sister Bringhurst surprised me by making me a sign for the apartment and everywhere we went, someone gave us cake. So spoiled.

Did any of you dress up for Halloween? Because we totally did. All week long, I themed my outfits after Disney characters and at the ward trunk or treat, we came dressed up as The Book of Mormon and The Bible. We also decorated our trunk and handed out pass-along cards with candy taped to them, the ward loved it! Shout out to Sisters Savage, Runia, and Hymas for the ideas! 

On Halloween, President and Sister Bell came through Dodge and we had a photo shoot with them at the Dodge City sign for their Christmas card. They adore Dodge as much as I do. Later on we needed to be off the streets and everyone was trick-or-treating so we spent the evening decorating for Christmas! The apartment is so magical, and it is the best thing to wake up to. Every day feels like Christmas. 

Earlier in the day, we were decorating the Lira's door with post-it notes when Sister Bringhurst says, "Their driving up.....RUN!!!!" So, we booked it around the corner. Then we hear Gonzolo yell "Happy Halloween sisters!!" Yep, they totally saw us. Oh well. 

The ward is LOVING the Lira family! Every time that we bring someone new to meet them they always compliment about how sincere they are. Jasmine told us this week how excited she is to be baptized and that she wants to go to seminary!! They also fed us dinner last night! How did I get so lucky?? I am serving the Lord in the best place on Earth:Dodge City Kansas, and teaching one of the best families that I have ever met. Every day, I thank Heavenly Father for this wonderful opportunity to learn, grow, stretch, go out of my comfort zone, appreciate the Gospel, make lasting friendships, and learn to truly rely and trust him. 

A small miracle happened yesterday. We went to the park to go talk to people. As we were leaving we smiled and waved to a lady but didn't talk to her. When we were almost to the car, Sister Bringhurst turns to me, and says, "I think that we need to go back and talk to that lady." I say back, "I know, I feel the same way" We go back and Sister Bringhurst says to her, "haha Hi again, we really feel like we need to come talk to you!" We explain who we were and we have an appointment with her on Wednesday! I love the promptings of the Holy Ghost and a companion who is braver than me to follow those promptings!

One of my favorite moments happened yesterday morning. I was just about to shower when Sister Bringhurst noticed that it was only 5:30!! SCORE!! Another hour of sleep. Totally a miracle because I'm a little sick and haven't gotten much sleep at all this week. The only sad part about Daylight Savings is that it gets dark at 6:00, and no one wants to answer their door after it's dark! 

Oh well, The Lord will provide. 

I hope that you all have a fantastic week! I miss you and I love you all! Remember that God answers prayers! 

Sister Parry

Halloween week day 1: Cinderella

Halloween week day 3: The Bible!! 

Happy trunk-or-treat!

The beloved Lira family!

Halloween week day 2: Snow White

#dodgecity

It's the party life in Dodge City. 

Precious moments! 

Happy Halloween Dodge City! 

Week 47: The tale of 2 missionaries

Hello! 

Today is another one of those days when so much happened, but I have NO IDEA how to write it all out! I should get my companions to write my emails for me! :) 

I prayed that Heavenly father would give us tons of people to talk to this week and we were so busy-those weeks are the best. By the end of the day, I feel so exhausted that I want to collapse but it is such a satisfying feeling to be worn out in the work of the Lord. 

Speaking of being worn out, I was brushing my teeth when I realized that it WASN'T MY TOOTHBRUSH. Nasty. Great, then I had to tell Sister Bringhurst that we need to run to Walmart to get her a new one! So embarrassing. 

The beloved Lira family! Is doing so great! We had to figure out all sorts of details this week but they are all on date to get baptized!!!!!!!!!! The mom and daughter are getting baptized on November 22 and the Dad needs to wait but he will be getting baptized in March. :)))) Oh, and they finally made it to church and they loved it! The Spirit is getting stronger and stronger with them. Just walking into their home the other night, was so great. We walked in and the Spirit was already in the home waiting for us! Usually in teaching almost anyone, we try to bring the Spirit with us and leave it with them.

Last week when we were teaching the 13-year old class, they all laughed when I said, "Church is only 3 hours long!" 

But seriously. We spend all week long, pumping people up to come to church, getting them a ride, clearing their schedule, ect ect. When Sunday morning rolls around, It's game time. All the missionaries stand by the front door waiting for everyone to come. Once when they do, church instantly turns into a juggling act! 

Oh, I'm giving a talk? Where's the teacher? No, I'm not the librarian, lets all go to 3 different classes? How many times can someone bring up doctrine that the investigators have never heard before?? I wouldn't trade it for anything! I love every second of it. Going to church makes me feel like I have been on a roller coaster! 

So the 4 of us sister missionaries are at a dinner appointment with some great members. They pull out this home-made cheesecake and we all die. I am sooooooo excited because it has been months since I have had it! Then I taste it. Gross. It tasted so bad, but we all smiled and told her how much we LOVED it! I look over at Sister Judy and she was struggling to even get it down! The members were standing in the kitchen so I took a HUGE bite of hers and swallowed it down. Just taking one for the team. 

It's never too early to get ready for Christmas! Sister Bringhurst has some mixed emotions about her 1st Christmas away from home, so I am making it my personal mission to make it the best Christmas ever for her. I know that odds are, we probably won't be companions during Christmas, but that's okay, I have a plan! I'm not going to give it all away now, but this week we are going to decorate the whole apartment! And maybe we have listened to just Christmas music ALL WEEK LONG? Love it. 

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

Sister Parry

Liberal Kansas is the home of Dorothy so we just HAD to have a mini photo-shoot! 

So Kansas. 

Jesus is the way. 

Teach when you find, find when you teach.

Cupcakes!

So many jumping pictures this week!

Loving fall

 

Week 46: I can't come up with a catchy title this week :)‏

Hola! Como Estas?

As you can see, my Spanish is coming along quite nicely ;) 

This week....Felt like a year long and only one day at the same time! Transfer week always does this to me and neither one of us was even transferred!! Just said goodbye to Sister Runia...may have had a cry fest over ice cream! No big deal. 

Okay, the Lira family, I love them more and more every day! I'm pretty positive that we were all Pre-Earth life buddies. They definitely want to be baptized and are now planning on getting married! When we were talking to them about the law of chastidy, they told us that they have been waiting years to get married but they were trying to find the right church to get married in. Precious. 

When they didn't come to church yesterday, we got a bit worried. We wen't over to check on them and every single one of them was sick.......again! That must be Satan's plan for them, just get them sick every Sunday for the rest of their lives! I may have to invest in some Vitamin C for them.

Speaking of illness, Sister Bringhurst got sick....again! Poor sister! I feel so bad when people get sick. Whenever you get sick on your mission, it feel 1000 times worse because you are already physically/emotionally/spiritually exhausted to begin with! Not to mention, she has only been out for 8 weeks! 

So......I may or may not have gotten pulled over for the very 1st(and only) time.........possibly. Naturally, the elders just HAD to drive by right as it happened! So dumb. Fortunately, the cop was super nice and only gave me a warning! I put it in my scriptures to remember to ALWAYS obey and honor the law...

I am the only missionary that has gone 10 1/2 months without being asked to speak in sacrament meeting...until this week! I had like zero time to prepare so I pulled out my scriptures, found an investigator in the congregation to look at, and pretended like it was just a normal lesson. Then, we were asked to teach the 12 year olds! Luckily, the lesson was about inviting others to become more like the Savior. Perfect. It's already mission-related. Practiced with some role-plays and committed all of them to invite a friend to the next ward party. :) 

I have learned more about and love the priesthood in the last few months than ever before. I always hate asking for a blessing, but I am always so glad that I do! It blows my mind how specific answers to my prayers are always answered! I have a new-found respect for worthy priesthood holders as well. It is such a blessing to know that we always can ask for one. 

I just got news this week that Cody Hadden was baptized!!! Back in Emporia!!!!! WHATTTTTTTTTT

Ate Russian food this week....yum? No wonder why I serve in the states! 

Why are there random cats in local businesses? I don't understand. 

Favorite quote of the week: (from a father of 10) "It's so much easier to make Mormons than it is to baptize them!" True?

I love and miss you all! Kansas is the best place on Earth! Remember that God answers prayers! 

Sister Parry

THE BROWN RECLUSE SPIDERS HAVE RETURNED!! 

Team up's are fun

Always in the country

District brunch to say goodbye! :'(

Goodbyes to Sister Runia....may have cried.

Week 45: "Are you an RM?"

Woah, another week went by again?! Being on a mission is like one big time warp! 

So, both Sister Bringhurst and I survived transfers, so we get another 6 weeks together YAYYYYY I've only had one other companion that I got to spend 2 transfers with so I am pretty pumped! This transfer is going to be full of adventures, I can just tell. :) We are going to pick up the pace on EVERYTHING! 

So many adventures this week! So, something cool that happened this week:

We were planning on meeting with a less-active that has just made the temple her new goal so on Tuesday morning, I studied up about the temple for her. When we actually met with her, we didn't even talk about temples, she was questioning her testimony. I listened to her with no idea what to say to encourage her, I felt prompted to ask her some of the baptismal questions and she answered them with flying colors! It was cool to see her realize that she truly does know that this is true. :)

Right after that, a recent convert texted us and wanted to meet up. I really don't know her too well, so she told us her amazing conversion story, and pretty quickly brought up some concerns. It got a little intense at times and then I really had no idea what to say at all, but then I realized that everything that she brought up was exactly what I had studied that morning for (seemingly) someone else! The Holy Ghost is so cool! 

Speaking of the Holy Ghost, we went to go settle an investigator's concerns, and when she opened the door, she looked mad and yelled at us, I just kept the straightest face that I could, tried to smile and said to her:

"We just wanted to come say that we love you and see how you are doing." 

You could practically see the Spirit fill her up. Her face immediately softened, and she told us to come in.

So, I did something new this week! We taught the Plan of Salvation and got a haircut at the same time :) We sat down with Mary and she said that the only time that she could cut my hair was then so we did it right then! Once when she started, she said:

 "Well, aren't we going to talk?!" 

She loves the Plan of Salvation by the way! 

So, sad moment, we had just set up an appointment with someone and while we were walking down the stairs, Sister Bringhurst did something to her ankle....long live my curse! No ER this time folks, but at my rate, it won't be too long....

So, the Lira Family is doing great! We saw them with a member and afterwards she said,

"Well, they are just as great as you said they were"

 "I know right?!" 

I just love them so much. I haven't met very many people that are as sincere as they are. They love church, they just want to know what is true! I can't wait to see this family grow even closer through the Gospel. :) 

Sorry that this email is a little over the place, you just kind of get my thoughts as they explode out! I love and miss you all, Kansas is the best place on Earth and sacred ground to me. Remember that God answers prayers! 

Sister Parry

Favorite conversations of the week: 

(Elder from out of country): "Sister Parry, are you an RM?"

Me: "WHAT?! NO!!"

Elder: "You're not a registered nurse?"

Me: "I'm not that either!" 

Mission President's wife: "Sister Parry, how is your Spanish coming along?"

Me: "Uhhhhhhhhh.............Mi Espanol es MOI POQUITO!"

Just thought that I was called to an English speaking mission but PSYCH!

Tears may or may not have been shed when I finally bowled a strike....

P day bowling! I stink at bowling...

Not sure how I feel about being out for 10 months...

Haircut! (I hate taking selfies)

Fall isn't all too pretty here...

Week 44: Never have anyone tell you how meat is processed

Hello!!

So, Conference?! Did anyone else receive crazy revelation? If you missed it, I would definitely go back and watch it! 

I learned so much about having pure charity from Elder Holland and President Uchtdorf just hit it home for me. I have been waiting to hear those things for a while now! 

This week was so full of awesome things. Monday evening, we headed over to see an investigator, and we met some of their neighbors playing football. (I may have tried to jump in a few times) :) As we talked to them, they told us that they are "searching for the truth" They have been so prepared! They just want to know what God wants them to do! They even all came to Conference! and I got to play Operation: entertain the kids so the parents can listen! So, I didn't hear all of conference. 

Have any of you heard of the new movie "Meet the Mormons" President Bell had all of the missionaries watch it and..woah. I may or may not have teared up..Go watch it, go have all of your friends watch it as well. It's not an "in-your-face" kind of thing, it just super good! 

So, I don't know what is up, but I keep loosing everything!! First, Sister Bringhurst lost her glasses, then I lost my planner, and then I lost my laundry money! What is going on! I discovered how lost I am without my planner. Seriously, It's almost as bad as when I lost my scriptures! I keep telling Heavenly Father than I know that things are just things, and I can live without it, but I would REALLY LOVE to have it back! :)     

So, good news and bad news. Good news: Cindy!! She has realized that she needs the Gospel in her life again, and knows that she can't leave it behind! Oh my goodness, I was on cloud 9 when she was telling us this! I am so happy for her. The bad news is that she is moving to California in 2 days. I'm going to miss that family! I gave her granddaughter a mini Book of Mormon and a picture of Jesus. She wants to be baptized when she turns 8 so bad! She is so in tune with the Spirit it blows my mind! This week, she told us that "God misses us" Look at her, she already has a grasp of the Pre-Earth life!! 

Favorite quotes of the week:

(while playing football, I had just thrown the ball, Junior looks so proud and says:) "I taught her everything that she knows!" 

Sylvia: Sister Parry, your hair usually looks so cute, today, it's just thrown up!
Sister Bringhurst: "I thought you looked okay...."

(when we saw the prettiest sunset)
Sister Bringhurst: JUST DRIVE!! WE HAVE TO GET CLOSER TO IT!!! 

I love you all, I miss you, remember that God answers prayers! 
Sister Parry

Sister Bringhurst: "Do you want your face in the picture, well I'm going to get your face in the picture!"

Dodge City 

Me, Andrea(with her new Book of Mormon) Cindy, and Sylvia

So pretty. 

I have never met anyone like her. She is so in tune with the Spirit and cannot wait to be baptized when she turns 8!

I am never leaving Kansas