December 28, 2015 - Feliz navidad y prospero año nuevo!!

Happy christmas and happy new year to all! We had a very good christmas in house once again, doing exercise to work off all the food we ate that day! We were also able to have some quality study time. I know that Jesus Christ came to earth to save us all, and to give us peace and joy.

For christmas here, they normally eat turkey. And rice. always rice. So that is what we ate! twice. and a lot. so full. It was a blessing and a curse. But the members here are really generous and we really feel their love, even if it hurts and makes us sick. 

As we approach a new year I know that many of us will be making plans and have a lot of goals for this next year. Just remember, those goals only come to pass if we work at them always. If we apply, we can go far. All too often those goals get left in the journal, or in our tablets nowadays (I assume...) and don`t get looked at during the year. That is the secret to success. The application. I know that the constant steady effort is what allows us the possibility to improve and grow. 

Thank you all for all that you do! Happy new year! 

Elder Parker

December 21, 2015 - Christmas Party!

We had our branch Christmas party this weekend, and it was a doozy! haha We spent all saturday setting up and getting ready for it, but it turned out well. There were about 95-100 people there and a lot of investigators, and a lot of people that had not gone to church in a long time! It was a little tricky at times because there was a lot of people and a LOT of children, but it all turned out well. I had no idea how much it took to plan a big party or activity.. haha

We also had changes last week, I think I forgot to mention that. My companion left and went to Esmeraldas. I am now with Elder Veliz, a Peruano. He is really happy and likes to work, so things are going well so far. We are trying to take as much advantage of the time that we have in our sector. 

The Lord loves us. That is why He sent His Only Begotten Son to the world to save us. This week, I invite you all to think about Him. He who was perfect, and He who loves perfectly. Think of all the opportunities that we have because of Him. 

Merry Christmas!!!🎍🎁

Love, Elder Parker

December 14, 2015 - Cena Navideña

This week we had our Christmas Dinner with President and Sister Richardson. She made homeade rolls, mashed potatoes, turkey (they eat turkey here for Christmas) salad, sweet potatoes, and rice! Can´t forget the rice. haha And to finish it off, we ate mint brownie with ice cream. Que rico!

We had a cool experience yesterday as well with a new investigator that we have. She was a reference from a colombian refugee that was baptized a few weeks ago here. We had been trying to find her for a week and a half, and yesterday we found her. When we talked to her, she said she had been waiting for 28 years to be able to talk to missionaries. It was an amazing blessing that we recieved to be the missionaries chosen to share the gospel with her after 28 years of her waiting for the opportunity. I know that the Lord prepares the way for us to find the people that are ready to accept this message. 

Thank you for all your support! 

Love, Elder Parker

December 7, 2015 - Week of Blessings

In reality, "week of blessings" could be the title every week, but I have to change it up sometimes.

First, President Richardson took us for the mission council to "The Crater." It is an old volcano called pululahua. People live in the volcano. There are only 5 (I think) volcanos in the world that are "inhabited" by people, and this is one of them. That was a way cool experience, and it was also the last time I will see my first companion here in the mission. :( He leaves next week and is in the coast, about 13 hours away. haha 

Then this week, in the branch, for the first time since the branch began, there were 100 people exactly assisting! It was such a blessing. I have been thinking for a long time how to help more people come to advance and progress, because before there were 80-90 always going, but in the past few weeks, there have only been 60-70. I have been praying a lot to know what more to do, and the Lord responded this weekend in many different ways. I know that if we seek His guidance, He will provide. In His own time, and in His own way, but He will always provide. 

Thank you all for your prayers and support, and as we enter this Christmas season, may we all reflect on the light that we have recieved because of a Babe who was born in a manger. I know He lives, and I know He loves us. 

Love, Elder Parker

1. With the other zone leader in our zone, the one from Coca. 

2. With my first companion in the mission.

3 With President and his wife. 

4. The volcano Pululahua

November 30, 2015 - Gospel in the Home

Another week has flown by in the jungle! It seems that every week goes by faster and faster.

They [members] do different things. But almost everything is based on the oil. Most of the members don´t actually work in the companies, but when the oil is doing well, lots of people come from all over the place, which generates other excellent and stable job opportunities in restaurants, teachers, taxis, and other things.

In the lists that I have there are 188 [people in branch]. But we only have about 90 going to church every week. I am in the mission of finding out who all those other people are, because I have heard that many are no longer here. There are about 10 active youth. And there are a lot of primary kids, but they don´t all come every week. Normally there are also about 10-15.

The problem is that people here are not consistent, and it is hard to rely on them. There is not much personal responsibility, so many times you get failed on. It is actually pretty normal. But we are working to change that and to make them feel more responsable. Even the leaders. It sometimes takes a good hard talking to to make them react and to fulfill.

Yesterday in the branch, I gave a training from some video excerpts that the area sent to share with the members about the Sabbath Day. They were segments from a training that the apostles gave for General Conference and it was powerful. Something interesting that was stressed a lot was the importance of preparing in the home. They testified a lot of the importance of teaching the gospel in the home. If we can always live the gospel in our home, we will be much safer from temptations, and we will always be progressing.

I know that we have families for a reason and that they are meant to help us and strengthen us. 

Love, Elder Parker

1. Our little branch activity to put up the tree :) (we did take the lights off after the pic)

2. A delicious fried fish with yuca that a member gave us this week. It was a lot of food. What you don´t see very well there is the altitude of the mountain of rice.. 

November 23, 2015 - The Week

Well, it was a pretty normal week. There was not too much excitement. It was really hot at the beginning of the week, but now it has been raining for the past few days and it feels really nice.

The work is interesting here. There are many many receptive people but something that is a problem is that many people work in companies of oil deeper in the jungle. They work 20 days, then have usually 8 or 10 days off. So it makes it really hard to find and be consitently working with them. 

We had an interesting lesson this week that taught me an important principle. An investigator had asked us why Joseph Smith does not show up in the Bible. And it was a very good question, at first we did not know what to say. But then the thought came to mind. "The Lord wants us to walk by faith, not by knowledge." The Lord asks us to have the faith to be able to find out for ourselves if Joseph Smith was truly a prophet of God. For that reason he is not talked about explicitly in the Bible. I know that he was a prophet of God and that he was the instrument in God`s hand to restore this church. 

Thank you all for your support and prayers. I love you!

Elder Parker

We were playing soccer this week and I got kicked and my leg swelled up.. But it is all good now. 

November 16, 2015 - cockroach + fridge = ¿?

Well, this week I went to Quito for the mission council, and it was an amazing experience. I know that our leaders are called of God. They are inspired and this month was no different. The trainings were excellent and just what the we as leaders needed to better guide our zones.

In the orient, things are a little bit different because there are 2 cities in our mission out here that are about 2 hours apart. So there are 6 missionaries in Coca (the other city) and 6 here in Lago Agrio. To be able to manage everything better the president split the zone leaders up as well. Normally there are 2 together, but here, I am in Lago and the other zone leader is in Coca. We also travel every other week to the other city to have zone/district meeting. This week we did it in Coca. So instead of going from Quito to Lago, then Coca super early the next morning, I just went to Coca with the other zone leader. And they have air conditioning in their house :) 

But today we had an interesting experience cleaning our house, and it has to do with cockroaches. In our fridge... Now before you start to judge us or start to think that we are just messy and dirty kids, let me explain. We were cleaning it all out, and I took the cover off of the water dispenser on the outside of the fridge to clean it out. I pull off the cover and there it is. A big fat cockroach. Unfortunately I don´t have a pic because, well, just because I forgot to take a pic.. I took the foto after of where it was. But it was there with all its baby cockroaches. But now: Problem solved. 👍

In this time that I have been in the orient, I have had the privilege to work very closely with many of God´s children, and it has strengthened the testimony of the divine potential that we all have as children of God to learn and grow and progress. I have also had the privilege to see the Lord´s hand work and move things in His church to hasten the work. I know that the Lord works through His servants that He has called. He moves the pieces. 

Thank you for all your support.      

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-00-008-you-never-know?lang=eng  

I saw this video and it touched me a lot. The Lord has something for all of us to do. I know this church is true. 

Love,

Elder Parker

Those black specks on the floor are the eggs.. 😊 haha