Hello Family!
I bet you are wondering if I am getting transferred... I AM LEAVING THE BRANCH! As far as I know I am getting legitimately transferred for the first time since April. Ya me VOY! I am excited for the new leg of the journey and reminiscent of a great 9 months with the great people of Surprise.
Now for the week.. Have you seen the "Hastening of the Work of Salvation" article that is #1 on the LDS.org newsfeed right now? APM pride! President sent us the article a few weeks ago--the whole world should be reading it now! have you been to the website yet? http://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening The time is now for everyone to catch the vision! It is not just a new Church "catch-phrase" or another way to try to motivate people. The Lord is literally hastening the work of saving all of His children. There is no time to hide in our Utah bubbles! Even in Arizona there is a lot of work to do.
You saw that I went to the Temple. I have more pictures I need to get to you. It was such a blast! More than anything, it was really cool. Monday after we emailed (seems like a month ago kind of) we went to our usual Monday lesson with the Covos. They said that the kids get out of school early, Silvio doesn't have to work, and Celia didnt have her telenovela or something so they would come! We had just about lost all hope. Side note- They had told us three weeks ago when we wanted to plan it that they didnt think they would be able to, but if things changed they would tell us the night before probably. It was really frustrating, but that is how these people, and now me, plan things! I have really noticed a change in my arriving on time and planning things in the mission I have really adopted the culture haha (not good). Anyway, then Ignacio and Luz called us that night and said they successfully borrowed their brother's car and they called their friend Rosa and she said she would come! It was so cool. And it was a roadtrip! Thew Covos absolutely loved it. They told their friends (other investigators) about it and now they are going with the branch next weekend!! Silvio said it was very celestial (heavenly) and that he knows he needs to get married there. We jabbed him and told him he needs to get baptized first. Hopefully soon! The Temple was absolutely beautiful. Very white and grand. I felt at home there. It got me excited for the Phoenix Temple, for being able to de sessions soon, and for HEaven too! Ignacio and Luz are counting down the days until September 7th (a year after Luz got baptized) so they can be sealed. They kept saying, "are you coming Parry?" So I want to. Mario and Glenda should be sealed in April too! It was a wonderful experience.
The Branch is starting to sustain itself very well. The members are finding and talking with friends and we are seeing the fruits of it! I am excited for where this place is going and I can really see this place for what it will become in 10 years. I will be back sometime soon. The members are excited. One of my favorite little things that happened this week happened on exchanges in the bike-south area. I was with Elder Jones. It was good to be back in my old area for the last time. I loved roaring around on bike haha. The experience-- In Humberto's (Beto's basically. It was good I felt at home haha. And Elder Jones is a lot like DAllin or Richard so it was good) a worker, very sweet lady, told us that her best friend was serving in Australia, so I asked if we could tell about the mission with her and return. She said yeah. We went yesterday and taught her and her parents too! They are interested and Elder Fife is going back Friday. It was really fun and I see a lot of potencial in her. I will come back and she will be a member! The other elders in the branch are REALLY goofy. It was fun. They are both just like my Bountiful friends so we have had a blast together. They were joking with me this week about getting transferred so they set up many dinners just in case. We hate more Panvasos on Sunday with the Sorianos, Carne Asada with the Martinez family, we have dinner with the President Aguirre tonight, and we had a hamburger lunch with the Jenkins! They were all fun. We studied together, us 4, in the Jenkins home after lunch. It was a memorable time and I love the Jenkins so they will be missed. We poke fun at each other a lot (us 4 elders) so we have had good chemistry and unity here in the branch. I am the only one leaving so they should all go forth, teaching and working together in unity. At church this week sadly no one from our area could make it, but 6 came from the South! Jose, Clemente, Melina, Victor Valadez, and a few others. Sound familiar? It was a great day. Crazy thing- So Jose was going to get baptized the 8th and I was going to come back for it, but he talked to PResident and said that he needs to get divorced with someone who lives in Mexico and married to his "wife" who he lives with here. I didn't know about that! For 7 months of teaching him!! It was kind of frustrating, but mostly "oh-well" haha. He will be baptized. And the wedding will be EXCELLENT for getting Maria to church and meeting people. I still want to come back for his ordinance.
Well I don't want to try to sum up the things I have learned from Elders Cardoso, Miller, Dodd, and Fife, the investigators, members, leaders, other missionaries, and the SPirit here in the Branch. I am starting to understand the Doctrine of Christ, church leadership, the work of salvation, how to love, how to plan, and how to give it my all, and even myself a lot more in my time spent here. I know that where I am going and who I will be with will all be inspired by God and I am excited and grateful.
SURPRISE FOR LIFE!
Elder Parry
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