My Birthday Was Great

 

Hello family!

This week was great! In response to some of your inquiries: next week we will not have normal church in Arizona because of the Dedication. We will watch the broadcast in the Stake Center. Since you have to have a temple recommend to go to church we can't invite any investigators. Que raro! I am really excited though to hear from a general authority, see all the white clothes, and celebrate the work of salvation moving in the valley. People here are SUPER excited. It really makes one (one from Utah) think of the conveniences we have. I remember hearing sometime at home that the real challenge for us is making sacrifices in our time schedules. It sounds like you are all doing that already. Bien hecho! I have the goal to go once a week FOREVER, unless on vacation. It was stake conference yesterday and the stake president talked about the Top 5 things the General authorities are focusing on right now: retention and activation, temple work, family history, missionary work, and teaching in the church. It made me try to think about what the Church has focused on through its history. I wonder what it would've been? Now the focuses are obvious and we can see all the why. The Church is REALLY hitting these things hard. I feel like I just started noticing it when I came out here. The church just makes so much sense and there is a lot of work to do! So it is fun to learn a little about how to do this stuff while I am out here. 

My Birthday was great. In fact, It was like 9:40 that night and I was thinking to myself: ...There's no way it ends like this. I know my parents have something up their sleeves. I bet it is Jim or something.... It was funny because moments later there was a knock and I just knew. Jim was so great! I love seeing him. I showed him the bike he gave me (which I taped up), the apartment, the roommates, and his phone number that he wrote down for me 12 months ago. I also had the chance to give him a picture of Christ to take home! He seemed to enjoy it. Elder Ramos and I bought ourselves more Frozen Custards to celebrate. Other than that, it was pretty normal. Some friends from the zone called to wish happy birthday, sister taylor texted us on behalf of Elder Pollmeier which was nice! Not much else. Surprisingly normal. And even more surprising; I didn't mind at all. I know this sounds cliche but it really was a well-spent birthday being out and serving The Lord. I like to forget about myself as much as possible so I can know my time out here is well spent on other people. That was my only full-year so far in complete service to The Lord and, in retrospect, I don't have any regrets, I had a really fun time, and I think I have grown a lot. Seeing growth is hard for me to see in myself but I am looking at the mission to be an enabling event in my life for the rest of my life. I cannot expect to Become out here in the field. It will start me to what I can become in the rest of my life.

This week was kind of tough because there wasn't a whole lot of action with investigators. We visited a lot of members, those who are currently participating and those who are not. I found myself getting frustrated and impatient (not necessarily with not visiting investigators, but with things in general). I have been blessed with a very patient and loving companion and I learned some things this week that are a great help. The #1 way in which my mission is helping me is it is helping me to understand the Atonement better; how to apply it, experiencing a sliver of what Christ must've felt/feels, and what the Atonement can do if we allow it to help. I read a talk from Elder Bednar about the strengthening and enabling power. This goes so much farther than repenting. There are things that we can ONLY do with the power of the Atonement. And for the most part, we can only get the Atonement to help if we ask for it. I am having a hard time loving people down here. I honestly thought I would have this done in 3 or 4 months out in Arizona but I am still fighting for it here at month 12. I love a lot of people down here, but it is kind of selective love. I am trying so hard but I know that only the power of the Atonement can bring this real, sincere love and desire to serve these people. That is what I decided to do this week. I have even tried to put Christ in my shoes and see what he would do to serve this people. I think if we all imagined the SAvior teaching a lesson to someone then we would probably realize how different the lesson would be. This is helping me draw closer to the Savior for sure. As far as developing more love for this people; every person I come in contact with, I will exercise patience in figuring out how I get to that point. I am working hard for a love for this people.

Zone Conferences were a blast! I love missionary meetings. We were out in hickland (Buckeye). I spent a lot of time with Elder Dodd which was fun! He is doing great and it is hard to believe that he is at the point where I was when we became companions. Time is flying. Aren't there 2 weeks until transfers!? Crazy; however nothing will happen to us two. We will have a solid 12 weeks together. The meeting was awesome. They sang to me and some other missionaries at lunch. I got to see Elder Linkogle after his accident. He is fine! We learned great stuff. I liked President's thoughts on being a consecrated missionary. I thought about sacrifice and the role that needs to play in our life. Sacrifice needs to be everything. We need to put it all on the altar. Our fears even. What are we willing to give up or do for this to happen, or for that to happen. Then when we pray at nights we should remember that our prayers aren't to change the will of God (even if we have sacrificed everything for something honorable and righteous and may feel the right to push God into helping us with something that we deserve) but to put our will in line with His. 

I am working hard and still fighting out here! Elder Ramos told me in the middle of Personal study yesterday morning that he had repeatedly felt inspired to tell me he loves me. May sound kind of cheesy, but it was nice! He is good for me. I told President at Conferences that I am learning more than he (Elder Ramos) is, and he said, "that's what he said, that's what Elder Pollmeier said, that's what they all say!"

Love, Elder Parry