Poison Ivy

Grateful to serve but oops...it was poison ivy

So you know how I sent you a foto this week from a random phone of Hermana Burnham and I working in the yard? Well we got poison ivy...

I guess pica in Spanish doesn't mean pokey. In a matter of fact it means itchy.  So when the family told us that it was up to us if we wanted to help them with the pica plants, that was their warning.

By some miracle we didn't break out into ugly rashes. We were just very, very itchy for the following couple of days. But it’s ok because we always pray for service opportunities and we finally had one! The cool part is their neighbor is a member and wants to give them a book of Mormon. The mom has 2 sons with severe Down syndrome so the member feels like this could be a really great opportunity for them.

Just a quick side note, that picture was also sent to all of their family in the DF. Go tell Elder Macdonald to find and baptize them. Thanks.

This week was slow and hard. We had more people give us fruit, which was a blessing. I don't even have to buy groceries this week because we have so much.

The cutest thing that happened this week was with Angie and her family. She was asking if it was hard to be away from my family and for some reason, this week was really hard to be away. Probably because this is usually the time that we have family reunions. But anyways I replied saying ya le entrano muchisimo!! But then listen to her response, she said, "but its ok, your doing a good thing." doesn't that just kill you? She is the cutest. She was just baptized a few days before and then to just have her say that meant the world to me. It was a little tender mercy to keep me going this week! We also had a super powerful lesson with her mom about the Plan of salvation and not procrastinating our day for repentance. She wants to be baptized. We just haven't set a date yet.

We had specialized training with President this week too. Ah what a great man. Seriously though. The theme was that the Lord's ways are higher than our ways: Isaiah 55:89. It was awesome. It was all about trying to set inspired goals for our areas during planning sessions. It was also how affliction is part of the Lord's way. God's wisdom is affliction and struggle because that is how we grow. We need to realize that the mission is hard. The Lord is capable of just putting prepared people in our path, but that it not how this whole mission thing works. We have to go to him to find out how many people are here ready to receive the gospel, then plan a way to accomplish his goals- ask yourself what you have to offer & what you can do but most importantly tell him how you need his help, and then you act. The whole time I was thinking about what I needed to change and work on in order to more fully follow the guiding spirit in this process. This is what I got: Remember your divine identity. Doubt is inconsistent with each of our divine destiny. It is lack of confidence. I need to more fully let the Lord be my confidence and let his power (virtue) garnish my thoughts unceasingly.

Need a FHE idea? Go watch Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by Elder Kevin W. Pearson.

This was a good, hard week. But hey, afflictions are part of the process. I am just so grateful for the little tender mercies.

Love you so much!

Hermana Parry

Happy Fourth of JULY

Jaqueline Santos