Hermana Parks in Peru: Week 72: Leaving it all on the field

During our personal prayers one night this week, Hermana Kelley stayed on her knees for like 20 minutes after I had already finished my prayer and gotten into bed. I was thinking ¨wow, I should be a better trainer and have more sincere prayers at night. my daughter is the example for me!¨The next morning she told me that she had fallen asleep while praying... hahaha. That just about explains this week -- exhaustion. We´re leaving it all on the field.

I don´t really know where to start... we didn´t even have time to write in our journals this week. Let´s see... oh yeah. We organized a musical number for the sisters training meeting! People like to ask me to organize these things with only like 2 days notice but luckily Hna Kelley is a PRO on the flute, who knew? And I already had a great arrangement of I´ll Go Where you Want me to Go so WA-LA! It was beautiful. I kept thinking of how excited I am to play on our piano when I get home... music fills me up. At the training, President shared Moses 6:63 I think it is, about how everything is a type of Christ and testifies of Him. Well, I think music definitely accomplishes that. It directs the thoughts and intentions of my heart to Him. I think it´s my favorite part of worship.

OH and on the way to the training, we almost got into a car accident. It´s ironic actually... we never ride in cars or taxis here, it´s all moto-taxis or buses. But on Thursday we were in a rush to get to the training early to practice the number, so we took a taxi. (you´d think it would be safer anyways) But some crazy, possibly drunk, guy in a sports-like car came swerving into the road right at us all of a sudden. Our taxista had to swerve off the road and we barely missed getting into a crash. It was kind of scary. Luckily there was no damage done to the car, or us. We told our taxista that God definitely protected us! He´s Catholic and lives with his small family in Tacalá. We shared a bit of the Restoration, gave him a pamphlet, and he agreed to have the Elders visit him. Given that morning´s near-death event and clear divine intervention, I texted the Elders right away so that they could visit him that day. Apparently when they went, Angel and his wife were waiting for them! They are now receiving the lessons.

Speaking of the Elders investigators.... remember Lucia y Carlos? Familia Escudero? They are attending church and preparing to be baptized NEXT FRIDAY!!!! The more I reflect on it, the more miraculous the whole thing becomes. I think it was about a year ago that Hna Glunt and I decided to stop visiting them because they were so busy moving houses with their family and newborn, and weren´t coming to church. At the time it made my heart sick to think that they would never be able to progress in the gospel... but now I get to see it all come full-circle. So cool.

Oh and Keller is going to be baptized this Saturday! He was deathly sick with a cold this week but when we called Saturday night to remind him about church he seemed offended that we even asked if he would be there. He was like ¨hermanas, CLARO I´ll be at church. See you at 8:45.¨ It´s kind of incredible the changes he´s been able to make in his life, given that his family have this habit of drinking 87 bottles of beer on Sundays (this is our whole area, actually).

A friend gave me some counsel this week that I needed:

¨As great and amazing as all your companions have been, none of them deserve more credit than the Holy Ghost, your real companion.¨ The time is approaching when I have to say goodbye to Hna Kelley and all the wonderful people here... but my most important companion will be with me forever. I´m striving every day to live worthy of its companionship and guidance.. because I can´t live without it.

Mandando saludos a todos,

Hermana Parks

Pics from the sisters´ training meeting! I hadn´t seen Hna Glunt! Such a happy reunion.

The originals -- who left Lima on June 30, 2015 to start off a wonderful adventure in Piura. Love these sisters! Hna Tanuvasa goes home in a couple weeks.

Noche de Hogar with Keller (investigator) and Hna Luzby and her husband.

Selfie after a member family gave us lunch to-go.... and Hna Kelley trying to remember 5th position from her ballet career 15 years ago :)

We are dang proud of this reference box. We made it, along with a board dedicated to la obra misional for the chapel! We´re expecting to make head-way on references en el barrio Tacalá.

Hna Kelley trying not to get bitten by these aggressive parrots.

These things are HUGE. Also Peruvian zoos have absolutely no supervision or security .. so the elders almost successfully ran into their pen and stole an ostrich egg, hahaha