Mongos and Monkeys!

This week we have had so many mangos given to us! I swear; like 50! So great! This week was a good one! We are focusing on purifying ourselves, it helps that we are on the 40 day fast. Second we are focusing on having spiritual contacting hours. It makes the 2 hours go a lot faster and more enjoyable. We are trying our best to find people. We are talking to everyone we see. We have not found a whole lot of people who are interested, but we will continue to invite everyone to hear our message, because then God will send us some one who is prepared. 

Anna has such a strong desire to grow. she asked us the other day, "So how do you repent?"  Perfect opportunity to fulfill our role of baptizing converts and teaching repentance. She is doing great! She cried in sacrament meeting because one of the speakers, she felt the spirit so strong. It was even more great to see her go up to the sister after and talk to her and thank her for her talk, and then, bam, she has a new fellowshipper and they were just clicking! It was a great week! 

Have an amazing week everyone!! 

Lobi

Zuster Parker

Monkey Caesar

Ceasar

Taking a dinner break

Anastacia's kds

Likes to play with my hair!

This is going to be a short email. but everything is good. We have seen so many miracles this week and I am so tired because we are working so hard! I am grateful to still be here and I feel like I still have forever on my mission. I am sorry this email is so short but next week's email will be better hopefully! 

Love you all! 

Sorry no pictures because the this is not working to send pictures.

Zuster Parker

18 months!!!!! and i found a grey hair.......

This was a good week! We had zone conference with president Egbert. The next time I see them will be in Trinidad having my departing interview; crazy! The other day I was coming my hair and I was looking in the mirror and I saw....A GREY HAIR!!! I could not believe it! my first grey hair!? I didn't think I was that old?! 

We did not have water for a day and it was a bit of a struggle because it was in the morning and we couldn't shower, or go to the bathroom. and it happened the night before and I really needed to go to the bathroom but I just had to hold it. The next morning I couldn't hold it in any more and before we could do out studies, looking like a mess because we couldn't shower, we went to this roti shop on the end of the street and I used their bathroom to go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. I  felt like a hobo! We may have also bought a roti roll for breakfast... but it was a bit of a struggle. Luckily by the end of the day we got our water back! So everything is all good now! 

Annastacia again is just amazing! She said something amazing in our lesson with her. She read the pamphlet about the restoration the night before our visit and she said, "You know that God and Jesus Christ said that all the churches are good, but he has one true church and that is this church! and I read in the Book of Mormon that God does not lie! This is the true church! Do you know how much I wish I was already in this church years ago???" It was so amazing! She now talks about spreading the gospel! That is a huge testimony to me about true conversion. She finally got her strong foundation, her answer. She knows that this is the true church, not because we told her, but because of the spirit and God who told her. Right after she knew this, she wanted others to know, to feel the same joy. That is when you are converted. You look to others to bring them closer to God. I know that is what I want to have my whole life; to share the gospel, to have a desire to share the gospel!  It is easy to do that as a missionary, but the trick is to still do it as a member. I invite you all to try missionary work out in your lives. It will not only bless the lives of others but yourself. 

I love you all and wish you all the best! 

Lobi!

Zuster Parker

Anastasia

I do not have a lot to write about this week. I am sorry...also no photos...sorry! I will be better at taking photos this week! 

I want to talk about an investigator of ours. her name is Anastasia.  She is ready to be baptized, but she is not married and lives with her boyfriend. We had an appointment fall through so we got the feeling to go see Anastasia. We got to her house and she came out and just laid everything out on us. She said how she almost killed herself today because she is dealing with a lot at home and how she is going through a really hard time. While we were trying to comfort her with testifying of Christ and the Book of Mormon her mom drove up. We had never met her mom before and we had a good talk with her and her mom. Wow..her mom is so spiritual! She has such a strong faith in Jesus Christ! We offered to give her a Book of Mormon and she was so excited! Her mom is so prepared too! That was a super spiritual lesson! I almost cried when Anna started crying. It broke my heart this poor girl! She is 27 yrs old, I should say lady. We had a couple lessons with her after that and her desire to get baptized is so strong! She wants to get baptized so bad, but she is just kind of stuck. I know her desire is going to continue to increase. I have never met someone with such a strong desire to get baptized, she has grown so much in the past couple months! I love her so much and I know God will help her find a way to get out of the situation she is in so she and her kids can be baptized! 

I  testify that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that it changes people because it draws them closer to Christ. They will begin to be enlightened by His love and knowledge. I know that God loves us more than we can even imagine and I am grateful to have this knowledge and be apart of this church! 

Have an amazing week! 

Lobi!

Zuster Parker! 

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!