ONE MORE DOOR!

So I am pretty sure I have mentioned this before but Hna Saenz is a convert and her family was found by sister missionaries when she was 11 years old. One of the sister missionaries fell and hurt herself pretty bad but the companion said, "ONE MORE DOOR." Sure enough, that was the door of the Saenz family. Little did they know that they would be baptized a few short weeks later. Anyways, with all that being said, WE HAD A ONE MORE DOOR EXPERIENCE YESTERDAY!

We had a dinner with the Turner’s yesterday but we noticed that we had about 15 minutes until we had to be there. Instead of just going early, we went to contact a referral that we received a few weeks ago but have not had any luck with. Well it was sure a blessing that we did because the referral was home! After about 7 times, we finally meet her! She is going through a divorce right now and just a mess so a hermana in the ward has really wanted us to go over there and talk with her. Well her son opened the door and we explained who we were and then asked for Renee. Renee was just yelling from upstairs because she had pena since it was late Sunday afternoon and she was still in her pajamas. But then we must have said something that caught her interest because she came downstairs and outside to talk to us. Luckily, I was carrying a Book of Mormon because she asked if it was for her. We explained it to her and testified how it will really help heal her in this time and give her the answers that she so desperately needs to push forward with her son. She just started crying. She was like, “do you really believe that?” And of course we just reassured her. It was really sweet. And then she reached in her hugs and we just held her as she cried. She promised she would start reading that same day and then said how she really thinks that this is her answer. She then posted on Facebook that picture that I sent you all- that today Jesus knocked on her door and that He has been so persistent and that she would be a fool not to listen. We left her doorstep with the biggest smiles on our faces. So all of you out there, just remember, ONE MORE DOOR! 

Yesterday was also my last Sunday. Hna Saenz and I sang the EFY medley in Spanglish. It was so fun! I loved looking out and seeing everyone. It’s a really long song so we had plenty of time to just smile at everyone- my favorite thing to do. Anyways, Hna Licona finally returned back from California after leaving me for 10 weeks. Thank goodness. Now I can return home in peace because I saw her again. When we saw each other we just hugged a million times. I adore that lady. Araceli was also at church and loved it. She even brought a friend that we will hopefully be able to start teaching! There were actually a lot of random people at church that we are going to go start teaching this week. IT IS SUCH A BLESSING!!! We have been searching and searching for people and I know that God saw our sacrifices and has now entrusted us with these prepared individuals. We will be talking a lot about baptism this week with these people! Life is good. We are going to work so hard. 

I have lately just found a lot of comfort in where I am headed in life. You all know that one of my flaws has always been to have super high expectations for myself-- sometimes way too high, well lets be honest, most of the time. But my mission has taught be that it is literally impossible to be the best in everything as well that it is impossible to be a completely perfect missionary. But I know I gave MY best and did what I could to try. Christ continually made up for my failures and weaknesses and took them to greater heights. It is the coolest thing to have seen. I am grateful for the growth that has occurred in me over the past few months. I am just happy because I know where I need to go and I understand how to get there and I am not frustrated with the imperfections and mistakes because I understand the purpose for why they are there in the first place. Thankfully, I have a few more days to keep working! But I know that I have been successful in the mission to which I was called to do. I can feel it and it fills me! But I know that these 18 months do not cut it. 

There is a scripture in Alma 43:1 that really motivates me. The scripture is found right after Alma the younger has given counsel to each of his sons to serve and love God as well as right after the Alma has dedicated much of his time and talents as a missionary. It says that after Alma had delivered his message, HE COULD NOT REST! I too feel that way. This is just the beginning. Just as Alma went back out to serve, I too am going to go back out and serve. Man, I am grateful for the Book of Mormon. It really does teach us what we must do in our lives. 

I love the Lord. I know that He lives. I am so infinitely grateful for His atonement that not only redeems us from the fall of Adam and Eve but also of ourselves. I have seen how the atonement literally does mend hearts. It is beautiful. I love the gospel that allows us to access the fullness of the blessings that are available because of the atonement. This is the Lord's church. There is no doubt in my heart. I love you all and thank you so much for the support over the past quick months! 

See you in a quick few days.... 

Keep smiling, 

Hermana Parry 

this is a chile relleno. yes it is just one and yes i ate it all.
we were with Hno Alatorre. Best cook ever!

this is alexa alatorre. you might recognize her from the text message picture she sent
you when the fire happened at our church building. i love this little girl. 

TEMPLE WITH ANITA!!!

anita is the short one with the bangs. beautiful beautiful experience.
we were in the temple for 6 hours with her! 

Brother and Sister Sapp

this picture is really awkward because we thought that we would have to squat to all be in it.
buuttt let me introduce you to the sapps. i love them.
Brother Sapp has been the one who has taught me all about family history.
I met him when I was in Gulfbank with Hna Burnham. I look up to him to much.
He is the most tender and sweetest man ever. He is like a grandpa to me!

remember that story i told you about the little girl who wrapped herself in a blanket and told me to eat her because she was a taco?
 this is her... CAMILA. 

and this is a miracle text explained in my email letter.

BIRTHDAY PARTY WITH XIMENA!!!! 

hermana saenz and i just kept eating all the dulces.
tamarindo is my new favorite. 

" get that corn outta my face "

breakfast this morning with my favorite hermanita.
homemade tortillas, platanes, beans, and juevos. 

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. 

The Green Soup

our legit planning sesh. we love westgreen and i love hna saenz!

President Mortensen is FANTASTIC!!

Monday, July 7, 2014

I met President Mortensen and his family this week! Oh my gosh, they are FANTASTIC!!! They are just going to pick up right where the Pingrees left off and take the mission to even greater heights. I can already tell that the mission is going to change dramatically. President Mortensen is very different from President Pingree but its awesome to realize that they both really do have the same end goal- eternal life for everyone. I just feel so pumped to work with President Mortensen. I am a little sad that I will only have a few short weeks with him.

Missionary work is incredible. I love it so much. Please I never want to leave. I was talking to President the other day and I just broke down telling him to never send me home. This is my little piece of heaven. Why? Because this work is divine. I couldn't be involved in something that is so close to Godliness except for this. I have the grand privilege of helping find people and then teach them how to qualify to life with God forever. It is so beautiful! There was an hermano who was visiting our ward from El Salvador that bore his testimony yesterday. I was a mess the whole time because he talked about how grateful he was for all missionaries over the world, because without them, he would be dead and most likely dead in his sins. Boom! That hit me hard. There is nothing more rewarding than to hear that. It really made me grateful for the mission. That I have been able to be a mouth piece for my God and warn people of the effects of sin and then take them by the hand and guide them to the light.

This week I learned a lot about repentance and allowing yourself to have a change of perspective. There is that famous phrase that says how you never know what you have until it is gone. Well I feel like that is so true with the atonement and repentance. We never really understand it and appreciate it until we have to use it. I am grateful for the mistakes that I have made because they have turned me to God and made me better. They have helped me come to appreciate and know my Savior in a way that is a lot deeper than it could ever be otherwise. It was precisely yesterday when we were sitting with Kimberly's mom when she told us that she is so mad at herself for letting her family get so far away from God. She felt so guilty because she was born in a home with the gospel and they were a blessed family. She recognizes now that without a Christ centered home, you lose blessings that are rightfully yours. She is in the process of making changes so that her children can be blessed. It was so powerful to be able to testify to her that this moment in her life is a spiritual awakening for her. She understands more the truthfulness of the gospel because she has been without it. God has humbled her in her circumstances so that she can now push forward and be even stronger. I am so excited for la Hermana because she is determined to make things right. Her future looks so bright:)

God has really given me a bigger capacity to love while being out here. But not just to love but to express it. I am so blessed. I cannot tell you how absolutely fantastic it is. I got up to bear my testimony yesterday and I just was without words. God's love for us is indescribable and when we can get even a little sense of the love He truly has for us, wow, we are changed.

The fourth of July was spent contacting! Everything fell through. But it’s ok because while we were driving we saw a HUGE fair going on and we decided to crash it. I literally felt like I had walked into the great and spacious building of Lehi's dream with Hermana Saenz. We were so out of place but hey; we are just trying to save the world. We want to save as many people as we can in the short time he has given us so obviously we go to places where it is most densely populated. We didn't have any immediate success but I hope someday someone who we gave a card to will be able to benefit from the blessings of the gospel-- because the blessings are oh so sweet!

3 Nephi 5:13. That is me and I love it. I couldn't be more honored to be able to serve my God and my friends. It’s the best.

Read the Book of Mormon. That is the best tool we have against Satan-- well that and our own righteousness.

I played basketball this week and it was one of the happiest moments of my life. Ashley better get ready because I am so ready to play in 3 weeks!

LOVE YOU ALL!

Keep Smiling,

Hermana Parry

KATY, TEXAS MY LAST AREA!

YOU'LL LOVE KATY

I HURT MY TOE SO BAD!

YOU HAVE GOT TO LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON

DRY

THE CRAZY RAINS OF TEXAS HAVE BEGUN

FAIR

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

Plan of Salvation

This was the best week of my whole entire mission. I already know I am not even going to be able to begin to describe even the smallest amount of joy, peace, and love I feel. But I will sure try.

This week was just jam-packed! I am so happy with my Heavenly Father because He really is just so sweet to me. He knows me and He loves me. I know that His timing is so perfect and so specific to my needs and me. Its incomprehensible how absolutely perfect He is.

Ok with that little introduction; let me get going on to the good stuff. WHICH IS SO MUCH! I'm just going to start out by giving little random details.

Our little reactivated friend, Anita, decided she is finally going to take her husbands name to the temple and they are going to get sealed! She also is getting her patriarchal blessing! She is on fire.

Hermana Pena has been praying this week! We are going shopping this week to find her a white dress for her baptism because she does not wear anything that has been used... Such a diva! She is doing really well. It all changed when we shared Alma 33:21 with her. We flat out told her she wasn't looking towards God because she wasn't doing the small things. It was a powerful lesson because we were so bold and simple with her.

Hermana Manuelita said one of the funniest things ever; "la gente espera que lleguen las bendiciones envolvidas en tortillas de arina." (People hope that blessings will come wrapped in flour tortillas). The point was that we have to work to receive blessings! Amen to that.

So this is a funny story that an Hermano shared with us. He was saying how last week he was mowing the lawn but was wearing shorts that kept falling down. Every minute or so he was having to pull up his shorts and try to get situated to start going again. He went on like that for an 1 1/2 until he finished the yard. The smart thing would have been for him to grab a belt from inside so that he could have gone forward more effectively and without such a burden. Well he related it to repentance. He said how in that moment he realized how if we will just buckle down and repent completely and sincerely all at once, we could move forward happily and free from burden. I have the biggest testimony that when we really do turn to God in humility and repent, our hearts and perspectives can be changed immediately and we can press forward with freedom. It is beautiful. I loved that little story because man, that would be so annoying! Especially when a belt was within his reach. Do we realize that a belt is within our reach too? It is the atonement. Take the time necessary and repent so that you can go forward in a way that is more enjoyable and effective.

Ok so now that all that is out of the way this is where I have to start to attempt to explain everything. I mean I could just write one sentence- I AM A CHILD OF GOD. And that really explains it but I want you to know how I really came to know and feel that in a different light this week.

On Friday, we had the once in a lifetime opportunity to go to the temple with President and Sister Pingree to say goodbye to them. We did a session with them and the Temple President and the Matron. Before the session, President Crane asked us to ponder the question- who are you? Afterwards we talked about it as well as having an open Q&A session with him. Wow. The whole session was incredible. I love the temple. I know that it is the Lord's ours. Which means, it is our house too! I know that there we are instructed on high. We learn and feel who we really are. I know that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I have been since the beginning! It was amazing to be able to feel and recognize that this past week in a way completely different than before. I also learned what that really means for me and the things that I have to do in my life to fulfill that. There is so much I want to say but I don't even know if you can understand my thoughts via email. Ill tell you in a couple weeks.

The tender mercy was that after everything the Temple President stopped me to grab my hand and talk to me for a little bit. We talked and it was so special. He gave me the admonition to just go and do now. President Pingree also said something when we said goodbye that just made me know how conscientious our Heavenly Father is of each of us. I am so ready to work for the rest of my life and for all of the eternities. Man, the gospel is amazing. You will never stop learning and you will never stop progressing. It is alive! It is so exciting!  

I know that God is the same today, yesterday, and forever. I know that because of that, we can have complete trust in Him. I know that He loves us and all that He does is to bring to pass our eternal life and our immortality. He wants us to feel loved and know of our divinity! I am so grateful for the opportunities that He gave me this week to feel it. It not only has changed me but it is also helping change others. Let me explain.

After the temple, that night we had another lesson with our miracle friend- Alicia/ Araceli. We taught the plan of salvation. I think its safe to say that was the most natural and beautiful lesson I have ever been apart of. The spirit was so strong. It was all so natural because Hermana Saenz and I had just come from the temple and we really understood who we are and the plan God really does have! In the lesson our little amiga could even understand who divinity because she could feel it from the spirit. At the end of the lesson she told us how it was interesting that we focused so much on baptism. The really cool thing is that we probably only said one sentence about baptism but because the spirit was so strong and really was the spirit in that lesson, she was being taught by the spirit that baptism is her next step. How absolutely amazing is that? That is how teaching should go. We just set up the environment for our friends to be taught by the spirit. She doesn't have a date yet but she definitely is progressing towards one! I love her.

As you can tell from the pictures, I went to my very first sealing! That was probably one of the coolest moments of my life. I was so happy for this couple! I am still happy for this couple.

The Hermana who was sealed is from Colombia and during her reception the Colombia vs Uruguay game was going on. They made the restaurant turn on the TVs so that everyone could watch the game. They even had the flags. It was the craziest wedding I have ever been too. I love the picture of the Hermana cheering when they scored one of their goals. It was out of control. These people and their soccer.

I’m really happy to be part of the work of salvation. That's really what it is. SALVATION! That is a really big deal. I pray that we all develop Christ-like love so that we truly desire salvation for our brothers and sisters. We would do best to really love our neighbors as we love our siblings. That love really can change the world.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

I AM SO HAPPY!

THE CHURCH IS TRUE!

Keep Smiling,

Hermanita Parry

Celebrating 20!

Last Temple Visit with my Mission President and his wife.

Gooo America!!! turns out they lost...awkward 

this is my favorite picture. she is so happy and excited

Wow what a great moment!!

FIFA IS TAKING OVER EVERYWHERE!!!! VIVA COLOMBIA