Truly Guided by the Spirit!

Another great week of miracles here in Kwatta! I had one that was a huge testimony builder. We were biking to our appointment and we were going to be right on schedule, when I saw a man and his daughter on the other side of the street. I greeted them and they were nice and greeted back. As I continued to bike I got a prompting to talk to them, but we were almost to our appointment and we would be late if I did. I was trying to talk myself out of it, basically fighting with the spirit. Something I read from my previous companions email on how president Egbert told her to "Never delay a prompting from the spirit". Those words kept going in my head and then the spirit won. By this time we already were further down passed the intersection when I told zr. Baker let's turn around, I had a prompting from the spirit to talk to someone and i didn't follow it but now I have to! So we turned around and went back to where I saw him last, but he was nowhere to be seen! I just felt horrible but was determined to find him. We were in a neighborhood with many houses and he could be in any one of these houses! There were so many! No one was really outside, so we decided to pray. We asked Heavenly Father to guide us to his house. After the prayer I got the feeling to kloop at a house that was a little further down. So we go there and a couple kids came out, and I thought "this is not it", but then, after talking to the kids for a bit, the guy came outside! The one I was looking for and we contacted him! Afterwards I was just amazed at how Heavenly Father guided us to his house! All we needed to do was ask and listen! I will forever ask and listen when I need guidance and direction I know he will answer my prayers and guide me! It was a beautiful experience! 

In one of my personal studies this week I read one of the conference talks about the Book of Mormon. it is called "There is Power in the Book". I invite you all to read it. I can promise you that the Book of Mormon will provide you those blessings and help in you life! 

I love you all, and am excited for another week of miracles! 

Lobi

Zuster Parker

Donovan is our investigator who got baptized last Saturday!!

Am I Really 21???She

Well I never thought I would ever get to an age and feel old...but this is the one. I feel older saying I am 21. I feel like I have to be really responsible and mature now. Well, I have been, but it just feels weird! Thank you you all for the birthday wishes! This year my birthday fell on a Sunday.  One of the best presents I got was seeing three of our investigators at church, and they were participating, it was a spiritual service on Sunday.  The branch presidency asked me to give a talk....being on a mission has not helped me with my stage fright, sadly. I still get super nervous and scared, even now that I know the language and what I am talking about. Thankfully it turned out great! I gave my talk on Joseph Smith's life and I focused on how he went through so much, and how he was only able to go through his trials because he had a testimony of the church, the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ and God. We can go through hard things like him if we also have a testimony. We must do as James directs, which is ask of God. I am so grateful for Joseph Smith and his example on asking and enduring. 

Well this week was a little health struggle but also a very spiritual week. Zuster Baker has been getting crazy headaches and they have been pretty bad we went to the doctor for them because it was constant for 5 days and she got to go to a physical therapist and get a massage today.....I was a little envious seeing her get a massage, but it is ok in a couple months I will have Jessie give me one ;) (my little sister for those who may not know who that is). We were stuck inside a couple of days because of the health issues, but the days we did get to go outside..wow!

One of the days we set up a 2 hour contacting block. Here in this mission president Egbert has told us to have a specific area within our areas that we will pray about and contact in, and that we should contact everyday for at least 2 to 3 hours. So we have set up prime time hours and we will contact on those hours. One of the days during our personal study me and zr. Baker were inspired to study the Book of Mormon and both realized we need to use the Book of Mormon more in our missionary work. I got a prompting that we should not only use it in lessons, but when we are contacting. That day we tried it, and wow!! Some of the most spiritual contacts I have had and it was a lot more successful. One of the most spiritual experiences was with Tishan. 

Tishan was just working outside his house and we just came up to him and we started talking to him about religion. He said he was hindu, and pointed at his flags that were hung up (indicating that he is hindu), but we focused on God. I shared  a verse in the Book of Mormon about God and His love for us, and the conversations just grew from there. We got on the subject of our purpose here on earth and he said he has no clue why and how, and he said he wish he knew. Zuster Baker pulled up a verse in the Book of Mormon to answer him and he had a smile on his face, he was feeling the spirit! Then, once we gave him the Book of Mormon the HUGEST smile on his face. He was so happy! He said he wants to come to church because that is where he can learn more and he said he definitely wants to learn more! The spirit was so strong and we have an appointment with him this Tuesday! 

The next crazy awesome thing was with Dion. We had an appointment with an investigator Annastasha, and we brought a member with us. Anna canceled when we got here so zr. Jetti (the member who came with us) drove us back and on that same street she saw a guy outside his house and she rolled down her window, stopped the car and said while pointing at him, "Hello we are from the church can we talk to you?" Go zr. Jetti! We had a lesson with him but that is not even the craziest thing! The craziest thing is that he was an investigator of zr. Baker and Jorgenson,  they taught him like 2 times and then found out he was in jail and dropped him. they put him on date though for the 21 of Jan....the day we met up with him again! Turns out he was there because of false charges. so he got out of jail! He came to church the next day!!!! He is golden and it is crazy how God works! 

There were so many more miracles but I do not have the time! I love being here and the work! I love you all and hope you have an amazing week!! 

Lobie 

zuster Parker

My comp decorated my desk

She made me a cake in a mug

Frogs are huge out here!!

Not Just Spiritual Punches Overhere, But ...

I feel like I always have something funny happen to me! Here's another story! So yesterday we had district conference and all the members in Suriname were there. Wow, the building was packed! It felt soo good such great people A LOT of people and it felt like a normal church! So many people (well, about average amount of people for wards in the US, but a lot of people for here). I got to see all the members I knew! Oh so many whom I love so much and have missed so much! I could feel the love! Well....I was eating a little sandwich that one of the members gave to me, and I was walking through the hall of the church and I was talking to my companion who was behind me and as I turned around and turned the corner this girl came out of nowhere and I ran into her!...Well, I didn't but my sandwich did! I basically punched her in the face near her eye with my sandwich.... she looked so confused and had the bread dust on her face from my sandwhich! Oh my gosh this poor little girl! I felt so bad! Haha and I said sorry but then I had to leave because I was about to laugh! The other sisters saw and we all just laughed once we were out of sight! So funny! She was alright not hurt and still happy. But oh man... so funny! 

One of our investigators is on date for the 28th of January and he was a past investigator and was dropped because he was not taking it seriously (he is 14 yrs old). Then a few months later he just showed up to church with a nice white shirt, and his Book of Mormon and he told us he came back because he knows that it is good and right and wants to be baptized. We had just fasted for a baptism and now he was our answer! We had a spiritual confirmation that he is ready! We are so excited for him! 

We had a district meeting this Tuesday about missionary work basically and it was so motivating! I am so motivated to give these last 2 months my all! Really push and give everything to the Lord! One of the elders was telling about an experience he had where he asked himself "Am I doing what Christ would do if He was here?". I loved that because it really makes you think about how hard you are working and where your mind is at. Another one was on how we can find joy in working hard. "Only when we have 100% dedication do we have 100% joy". As a missionary this is how we can get rid of depression, homesickness, loneliness, tiredness. Giving 100% will give us the joy, and a joy that is remarkable and indescribable. I am so incredibly grateful to be here on a mission and that I have a little extra time here to give it all to the Lord, to give back to Him. I know I could never be able to repay him, but I can do something and I am so grateful that I can!

I love you all and hope you have an amazing week! 

Song Gone Wrong...

Well this week we had zone conference! So president Eckbert came to Suriname and we got to see him and have a great spiritual meeting. Well it was all going great and we ate lunch in the middle of it then went back to it. But to start us of we had a musical number. They asked North Zone (us) to do it. Well an hour before this whole meeting we practiced the song. It was one I and the other sisters, most of the missionaries did not know. I had never heard it before and us sisters were struggling getting the right tune down. Well the elders decided to have the sisters only sing on the second verse. Big mistake! We thought we had it kind of down but when it came to performance time we did not.... the 1st verse was good, all of us sang. Next came our part, and now take into mind there are only 4 sisters and like 8 elders up here singing; well we started and I squeaked, and then me and zr. Vernes lost it and started laughing so hard!!! You know that kind of laugh attack you get and you can not stop and it just keeps coming! No matter how hard I prayed it did not stop, and me laughing made zr Vernes start laughing and zr. Vernes started laughing made me laughing more! So we could not sing and zr. Baker was laughing but could still sort of sing but poor zr. Bokai! She held it together and sang it all! One of the elders joined in and sang with her. but i couldn't, and it was in front of the president! I was soooooo embarrassed! Why did the elders had to choose that song that no one knew! Anyways I felt so bad for ruining it! But it is all good. Let it go and move on.
We moved to a new apartment! and wow....the nicest one I have ever lived in on my mission. I feel like I am living in a vacation home. We live on the top floor and so we have this nice beautiful balcony; we eat breakfast there and we do our morning exercise there to. Sometimes even lunch. It is a great apartment! While moving the things into the new apartment the senior couple came and helped us out with their truck. They had us pile everything in there and there was still some room so we did not have to carry anything on our bikes going over there. It is super close to where we used to live so me and zr Baker just biked. I took advantage of that and put everything in the truck. not having any burdens on me and I felt so light while biking! Zr. baker decided to just keep it all on her bike. While we were biking I was pondering on this and realized that this is kind of like the atonement. Sometimes we choose to carry all this unnecessary burden on us because we think the savior has enough burdens to carry, we do not want to add any more to his "truck", when in fact he has the room and the strength to carry it. No problem. Christ will always carry all our burdens, not just some of them. Not just till the truck is full, but ALL our burdens. This is because of the atonement. He already carried everything so we do not have to. We can have that light free bike ride. I am so grateful for all that the Savior has done for me and everyone else. 

I love you all and hope you have an amazing week! Lobi

Zuster Parker

Our new house!!

Our beautiful balcony!!

Sister Baker, eating breakfast outside.

Too much food!!

Me and sister Baker

How the elders like to avoid the rains nowadays.

Out With the Old, In With the New

This week seemed a little long. To start it off, my companion decided to take a chance and bike across these two wooden planks over a little poop water trench. I did not follow, I was not to sure it was a good idea! The next thing I knew her front tire slipped off and then into the water and she went all the way forward and then her back tier followed and then she was all in the water. Kind of like when a camel stands up they go all the way forward and then all the way back. I looked at her and her face! Priceless! She was still in bike position just hanging on the the handles, so funny! I immediately started laughing and thought I should get a photo of this, but then I thought I should probably help her, so I did. All the pamphlets we had were just soaked, her dutch bijbel, soaked! We decided she should probably take a shower so we went back home. So funny!!! I was dying that whole day just thinking back to that moment of her in the water!

This week was New Years, and here they go all crazy for new years. If you remember last year the whole week it is fireworks! We went to bed at 10:30 and the fireworks were already well under way. A while later I wake up to just huge loud fireworks! It literally sounded like a war and it felt as if they were setting them off on our roof!!! I was so confused because I forgot it was new years and it scared me for a second, but then I looked at the time and it was 12:03....Happy New Year! I  tried to go back to sleep but it took some time though. 

Speaking of the new year, we are focusing on a new year's resolution; we are inviting the members to pick their gift to Christ this year. I read about this in a book my mom sent me.it tells about a Christmas tradition where they would pick a gift to Christ for that year and look back on the old one from the previous year to see how you did. I like this idea and thought it would be perfect for the new year season! Some members said their resolution would be to go to church every Sunday and some said they will be more kind to others. I chose one myself; to be valiant in my testimony in Christ, to stand up for it. I want to keep my beliefs and standards no matter what people may think or say. I want to be brave and be valiant in my testimony even if I might be the only one standing. I will never really be the only one, I have my brother Jesus Christ by my side and my Father in Heaven on the other side. 

I have also started something new. It is something an elder said in our leadership meeting that the sister training leaders and the zone leaders and district leaders meet up and plan for our goals that transfer, and one of the zone leaders said he started writing the moment he felt the spirit after each lesson. So I have started to write down what made me feel the spirit in the lesson. and it has helped me have a good attitude and always be happy and positive! I love it! 

I love being here on a mission and serving the Lord. I hope you all have an amazing new year ahead of you! 

Lobi!

Zuster Parker

Celebrating the New Year

Found a pretty butterfly on our window after church

Our district presidents baby, she is the cutest!

This frog was chilling on my skirt during the lesson.

Little kids love my comp!

When your comp falls in a poop trench....and all our stuff was soaked...