Hermana Parry in Houston: HELLLOOOO!!!!

Life is just fantastic! We had interviews with President Mortensen this week and there is just a great energy in the mission right now. It is really fun to be here while there is a change like this. It is a huge testimony to me that this really is God's work and we are just His instruments.

One of our mission goals right now is that we INVITE at least 25 people everyday to learn about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. In the training we had during interviews, they explained that this just isn't some random number but it really was inspired from God. If each of the 130 companion-ships in our mission commit to and strive to meet this goal, in the course of just 2 years, potentially all 2.3 million people in our mission boundaries will have the opportunity to accept the TRUTH! Is that not the coolest thing ever!? Hermana Saenz and I are all really determined to do out part so that ALL of our brothers and sisters can enjoy this beautiful gospel. It has been a fun week! I love working and this goal is really stretching us.

Church was fantastic yesterday! We had one of the most effective ward counsels I have had on my entire mission and a ton of our less actives came to church. We also received news that Anita is all set to get sealed to her husband! Looks like we are going to the temple again this week! She is so excited. AND SO ARE WE! It has been so cool to help prepare people to go to the temple. I have really loved that about my experience here in Westgreen. I feel like my personal love and testimony of the temple has grown exponentially here!

This week I was in an exchange with Hermana Pedersen- our last exchange before we go home! AHH! Well, Satan had it out for us that day. The whole 24 hours we were together, I have never felt him so close. It wasn't scary, it was rather just annoying! Within the first hour together we got in a car accident and then the next day we almost got in another just as we were concluding the exchange. Everything is ok as you already know buuuttt man I was so distraught. God is better though and really protected us because things really could have been a lot worse. Satan will never win! Nor will He ever stop us from doing the Lord's work!

Araceli is doing really well too! She is going to probably get baptized in August. She is so fun to teach! She really considers herself an investigator and will change her religion if she so feels prompted. She has the most sincere intent I have seen on my mission. Today she told us that she is doing all this because of the light and happiness she sees in us. She says that the conviction we carry is something interesting to her because not a lot of people have it. She wants to know why we have it and so she has committed herself to read the Book of Mormon everyday to find out!

I just want to conclude with an update on la Hna Arias! We had another powerful lesson with her this week (This was the lady I talked about last week). We talked more about the atonement and the holy spirit. It was really neat because she was given the perfect opportunity to share her testimony about the Savior and the atonement of Jesus Christ. It was just what she needed. She needed to hear herself say those things out loud! It is like the scripture in Jacob that asks "why not talk about the atonement of Jesus Christ and attain a perfect knowledge of Him?" We must talk about the atonement if we are wanting to understand the atonement in our own lives. That is why my mission has been so perfect for me and my own conversion. God has given me countless opportunities to testify and express my feelings for the atonement so that I could really understand the relation it has for me and my life. Hna Arias continued to say how God really puts certain missionaries in certain areas. She feels like we have helped her over the past few months and now even more so. She is now ready to take the action that she wouldnt take a few months ago which means she is ready to progress. I am grateful I am still here to be apart of this process. She has the goal to get to the temple. I know that with the atonement, she can!

Keep Smiling,

Hermana Parry

PS. the green soup was even better than I had before remembered! And now I have the recipe. I am so happy.