JustServe

Helloo Family!!!

So, Gerardo, Anah, Mariana, Sebastian, and Alexa have most definitely rebounded from their setback. Everyone in the ward has been inviting them for Family Home Evenings (Noches de Hogar) and everyone wants to visit them! This may not be that uncommon for a lot of people to experience, but it has been so cool for Elder McCuch and me to see such great growth so we are having a lot of fun :) We went to the temple with them and the Morales family Saturday night. It was a blast. We saw a lot of good all-star resources-for-producing-the-spirit haha. They came to church late. The two girls were actually crying because they really wanted to participate in the Primary program. It was kind of sad. But they came to an Estrella Baptism that night and Alexa said she really wants to get baptized. It was fun to see a bunch of Estrella friends, members and missionaries, again. I kind of paused for a moment at the baptism to look around and see all the wonderful people I have met and worked with. I was also talking with Hermano Morales, who is a spiritual GIANT, on the way home from Mesa. It was cool to hear how enormous and how rapid the Hispanic church has grown here in Phoenix. He was the counselor (along with Bishop Cid of Estrella) to Bishop Zayas (former counselor in the APM) less than 20 years ago when there were only two Spanish wards in the city. Now there are over a dozen. It is so cool to learn about!!! It has been really fun for me (as you might have gathered from introducing who the Bishopric was 20 years ago) to get to know great families and leaders in the church all over the valley. I have truly been blessed to serve in 4 outstanding units out here and to get to know and work with such a sacrificing people. Hermano Morales said this is partly due to the way the Hispanic races have baby explosions in their families haha. He said that the only commandment they really stay fully committed to is the one to multiply and replenish the earth. Haha. I have been blessed to have been sent down here and I don't take it for granted! There is a lot to learn from the members down here and even more work to be done alongside with them.

I mentioned last week and several times in my emails that the work is hastening. More arrows to the quivers! This week, in a meeting with President Frost of the 70 and a bunch of other dudes in pinstripe suits, JustServe was kicked off in the Phoenix valley!! It is the 4th city (Denver, San Diego, and one other place) in the church to get it going. They said that because of the high number of Mormons here it is testing grounds here in Phoenix for what they will need to do with the resource in Utah when it gets started there soon. It is SO COOL!!!!! The church has put a lot of money into it somehow, and from some of the things we have been told, it is flawless. Basically, members in their stakes look locally within their boundaries for service opportunities. Them, along with any other people interested in service, post the opportunities on the website, then members and missionaries just hop on the website and go do service! We wear helpinghands shirts and we cannot proselyte. It is a very powerful way for great people, members, nonmembers, prepared nonmembers, to get together and strive to be Christlike. It can be up to 2.5 hours a day of service. It has increased missionary morale and decreased anxiety dramatically too. It will be so cool. Elder Frost bore testimony to close the meeting on how it will be pivotal for us to be in partnership with interfaith groups and other church organizations through JustServe as we near the final days and religious freedom because one of the most precious things we could fight for. I got the chills all through the meeting hearing stuff like this. The work is hastening!

I hope it hastens quick too because it sounds like it will get going for the missionary force in the valley by December 7th haha. But all 140 missionaries in the valley are already signed up to paint 6 houses on October 25th in one of my old areas! It all may not sound that cool, but it is, and it is a sign of the times! Tomorrow we have a meeting with President Griffin. I wasn't excited for the last 2 but I really am for this one because I anticipate PG will be pulling all his "cats out of the hat" and we can see what he and the brethren are up to. #DC8873 It will be cool.

I DOUBT that anything will change in 8 days when I write you again. I am 80% it will stay the same. Who knows though... PG is a #loosecannon. We will see. Elder McCuch is one of the most Christlike people I know and has helped me more than he knows so I am hoping the Spirit lets me squeeze some more time out of Elder Nomad (McCuch). Then again, the "boss" companionships I have been a part of have always been pretty fleeting because they're just too rough on Satan haha.

The studying is going great too! I continue to learn a lot. Today I read Section 84 and learned about how the Lord wants to be our friend and about how if we stay faithful to the power and authority He has given us we can inherit all that He has. And why be any other way? He is a perfectly loving, fair, giving being so He would want to let us enjoy all that He enjoys. Only His justice will keep Him from giving all of His children all of that stuff--so we have to prove we are worthy. It is important that we create a stronger relationship with Him as we have conversations in prayer. We need to learn to trust Him and trust ourselves. Get excited for conference! Bring an inspired question or two. I will be thinking of you all when I see all those white, Utah Mormons on TV. Love you! Happy Birthday Caroline! I have been thinking about you all day and how much fun and growth you are going to have on your mission.

Love, Elder Parry