Staying in Estrella

 

Hello Family,

 

Glad to hear Japan went well! Isaac didn't get poisoned and Evan is home for good. Good stuff. Anaheim this week!?! My goodness. Was the family always running around the globe like this when I was there, or have things changed? Go D-Backs!

 

This week, like all the weeks previous haha, was crazy! I'll start with transfers: Half of our zone was on the transfer list; including me, Elder Cardoso, and Elder Hughes which means that, as of now, the Estrella Branch will be getting three new missionaries. BUT I could be staying. No one really knows--it is kind of annoying. I'll find out tomorrow morning at the meeting. I was not happy to see the text though. I wanted to stay here so bad. Elder Cardoso and I reassured each other numerous times that nothing would change. The Branch is on fire right now. It really is. And the chances are that I will remain here, but I am really going to miss Elder Cardoso. We had a very memorable, exciting, busy, and even miraculous 12 weeks together. I am sad. The Lord has a purpose in everything though and we will see where I end up tomorrow morning. My guess is I will stay in the branch, change apartments, and serve in the Estrella North car area. We will see. Regardless, I will definitely reflect on these last two transfers with great apprecation and gratitude.

 

I understand the temperatures were very high this past week! President said Pheonix was 119, a top-5 record. A member told us that it will be cloudy for a couple weeks, somewhere in the 90s, and that it is monsoon season. That's fun! In all honesty though, it has not been bad. We were biking around all over the place Friday and Saturday and it was extremely hot but it is amazing how much the Lord sustains us out here. There have been no problems. I don't even have sweat lines on my shirt--such is the result if your entire shirt is soaked in sweat! Really though, do not worry because we are getting so much water and we have enough lessons and contacting to keep us inside. It's fun when we come back home at 9:30 and it is chilly in our 85 degree apartment haha.

 

The names are the same for our planners: Omar, Clemente, Maria, Valerie, Rene, the C. family and Jose? (not in that order because Omar is still 150% Christian but for some reason is still reading the BOM!) The only people I would add from this week are the G. family (yet another sister of Glenda and Melina; we keep finding more from this family and they all are receiving us well!). I feel like all these investigators are moving along, slowly but surely. I really don't understand fully how some missionaries are able to set dates with investigators so quick and get them baptized on that day. It obviously depends on a lot of things, and primarily on their preparedness I would think. All these people are moving along, but not very fast. It's all in the Lord's time though. Jose has been off coffee and beer for a week. He is golden. He wouldn't accept a baptismal date but he said he knows he will be baptized. He would like to talk to his wife first. I guess that is a good thing haha. Melina has a date for the 27th! That shouldn't fall through. She is accepting everything and reading the BOM. Rene has been difficult because of his work, but he reads everything we give him and he loves church. Maria doesn't have the "ganas" to be baptized. This just means that she needs a little more motivation. We think prayer will do that for her. Clemente.. Man.. out of all our investigators I think I want the Gospel most for him and his family. He is still letting us come over Tuesday and Thursday mornings but that's about it. He is off track for the 27th too. It is tough to get them to come to church or read the scriptures. But there have been a lot of miracles in his process so far! Last Tuesday was exchanges. I went up to Estrella North and Elder Cardoso handled things down here. They TORE IT UP. I wished I was there haha. But anyway, Elder Cardoso and Elder Hughes went over to Clemente's and he wasn't there so they talked to his wife and her sister. They said that Clemente usually drinks a beer a day and that the last one he had was four days ago and he took a few sips and said it tasted bad and then threw it away! Ay Carai! That was awesome. I felt the Spirit right when Elder Cardoso told me that, so I know there are unseen forces in Clemente's life. Keep praying for him.

 

Estrella Sur really is on fire. It has been a blessing to be here when the Lord needs missionaries here. We taught five lessons to investigators yesterday. There is a lot going on. Also yesterday--we street contacted into a part-member family, and a couple that hadn't been to church since they moved four years ago and they said they want to start coming back. This was in the same complex as the 10-minute knocking experience last week. I am really going to miss this place if I have to leave, or really feel way in over my head if I am leading the area. It has been good to me though.

 

Well I am probably missing something, but that is what is going on here. Don't worry about me. I have never felt so healthy and full of energy out here serving! The heat isn't that bad; it's kind of fun! Oh and enjoy the Red Sox, I will be doing "weekly planning" between 6 and 9 on Thursday night (July 4) haha.

 

Love, Elder Parry

 

PS  You can send stuff to me at Sun Valley. President just called us. Elder Cardoso is going back to the ward he served in for nine months to be a ZL. He is really stoked. And I am staying at my apartment, Elder Miller is moving in with me to be my companion for six weeks and There will just be one Estrella Area again. Same investigators and members for both of us. This is because the mission lost more than half of the Spanish Elders to Tempe, six from the APM left, and only one is coming from the MTC. I am really stoked too because I will be staying in the Branch, and Elder Miller and I are companions. We now don't have to coordinate members with another set of Elders! Elder Miller and I entered the MTC the same day and came to the field together. We have learned on exchanges that we have a lot in common and that we teach really well together. It will be a blessing for us both also that we don't know Spanish that well. More opportunity to learn. President said it will more than likely change in six weeks again when more Spanish speakers comes out. We will probably be in car for this area. There will be the added challenge that both sets of companionships have been very busy. Now the work is combined. But there is not a more fun and rewarding challenge!

 

You may not have cared about all the specifics but I told them anyway so I would remember them. I am happy with everything that has happened. So far I am 4/4 on good missionary companions and I continue to work where I am!!!