That's Tuff

 Ladies and Gentlemen.... I have discovered something great. You know how I said the members here don't really talk to us because the missionaries before us where L's. Yeah well I have a new strategy and I call it operation "Feed the Ego". Everyone has an ego whether you admit or not. So what do you do? You wait for the one inactive guy that is a better missionary than any of the active members to come to church. Then when he is there you just talk them up like crazy. "Oh man thank you so much for all the work you do, you're the best. You are definitely going to the celestial kingdom!" (Even though they haven't been to the temple yet) Now, you may be asking yourselves, well what happens?!? All the members see this and go WOW, Oh my Goodness! He's so cool I want to be like him. Yuhhh you see where this is going? Then the member that is doing work for you is now like ohhh snap I gotta do even better because this is what is expected of me now. And then another member is like oh man I better do something for the missionaries so they do and then you talk them up a bunch so everyone kinda starts competing to who can be the best member missionary! It works for meals too. Elders quorum...... "does anyone have any more announcements?" Yup, yes, over here! "We went over to brother Johnsons house and oh boy his cooking was amazing". boom the dads get there game face on, "ohhh yeah, If you think his grilling is good you gotta try mine!". Next person, "yeah I caught a 50 pound fish come over and eat it right now" so we go and he has no clue its a trash carp but we don't carrr 🚗 we talk up that 50 pound carp! .......Brilliant right? 💪 

Anyways today is a pretty uneventful Pday. You see this mission didn't really care about keeping miles low on the cars until we all were going thousands a month and gas costs like 50 bucks a gallon or something crazy these days. And we have been losing so many missionaries, no one left in town wants to do anything. Luckily you can just fiddle with the odometer reading and put it back down pshhh no problem. 🙂wowowoow I'm kiddddding calm down everyone. Anyways hoping to get a volleyball game up and running pretty soon. Our investigators are much more loyal then other missionaries so they should come.

Alright in order for me to inspire and enlighten you about my week I need you to grab a snack. For example, lettuce, and sit down and try not to fall asleep! To start off the week we had Zone conference on Tuesday. Not the most enlightening Zone conference but it was alright. Then I was able to do some baptismal interviews for 2 girls that got baptized this last Saturday! During each of there interviews when I asked them if they believe that Russell M Nelson is a true prophet. Each of them had no clue who that was so I was like Nice! Luckily they were able to watch a talk and pray about it before the baptisms. Then on Wednesday I went to Wahpeton again with Elder Hardman and had a good time. We decided to just leave the car behind and walk to the lessons for the day and wow did we see so many miracles from that. So many people we would have never talked to were able to and a lot of them where at least semi interested. Then that night we played basketball with some natives that where like totally insane for no reason and we got destroyed but then 5 like probably 13 year olds pulled up and wanted to do a 5 on 5. I'm not joking by the way. And so the natives were like no we're to old you don't want it and started trash talking these kids and we ended up playing them no mercy. They where punks so they deserved it but man I felt like I was good at basketball ball for a second just took people 2 and a half feet shorter then me to play against! Then the rest of the week we got thrown around but had lots of good lessons in between. 

On Friday night I saw the coolest thunder storm I have ever seen in my life. Crazy clouds that glowed blue in every direction for as far as you could see it was so sweet but I lost all the footage I got from it🥲. Also I have never wanted a 100 degree day with just straight sun more in my life. I swear I am sick of the 70's and 80's give me a dang summer uhh it is depresso expresso. And then give it like 3 more months and its already getting cold again. Whatever guess I'll take the desirable temperature while I can get it. We did have 2 warm days last week but that was it. 

Well, keep the faith!.... Trump once said, "don't you ever give up, never ever give up"

Knock knock, who's there? Banana in a dishwasher.... just kidding its me Elder Parker

 If you don't get that I'm sorry^

Hovey Benjamin Made This Beat

 Yoooo, everyone freeze. Alright sweet, so the days have been going by so fast that I don't remember one thing that happened this week😂.... luckily area books got me covered! We shall start on Tuesday. After an insanely inspiring and spirit filled District Council I went to Wahpeton, ND for an exchange. I love exchanges so much haha we always have a good time! We were walking to go visit this guy when we started talking to another guy. He was super cool and I was like hey let me share a quick scripture with you. He was down but goes "read me something from Songs of Salomon or Job" well I don't know these books too well but I took the safe bet of going to Job and clicking on a random scripture and reading it. Next thing you know me and this Elder are arm wrestling on his hood for a promise from the guy and his brother to come to church. I'd say it turned out pretty good! Later that evening we met this lady that was like ohh I am a catholic(thee anti Christ) and there is no converting me(yeah I've heard that before haha), but come inside and talk to my son about God. Haha the whole family ended up being super sweet and wanting to come to church besides the catholic mother! The next day we pretty much did service for a bunch of ungrateful people and passed out in the car. Thursday roles around and we have a bunch of lessons with no time between them but I gotta tell you about this girl named Trinity. She is 19 and a complete car junky that also loves Japan. You can imagine we easily got in the house to talk to her dad and her and we had a hard discussion with her dad about babies being born in sin but hey they said we can come back! Then on Friday we discovered that there is vball every Friday night with NDSU students..... let me tell you I may not be a crazy fan of basketball but I can get down for some mean Volleyball so that was very refreshing! Then on Saturday we taught this one guy named Jojo haha. That was a hard 45min of hearing him rant about why he is Nazareth and doesn't cut his hair and finally I said we gotta go and he goes okay and runs out of the coffee shop haha. Anyways I am half asleep but things are going very well here and I am growing much! The book is blue and it is also true! If you are unsure about that then you have some praying to your father in heaven to do.

Your 19 year old - Elder Parker 

Also went fishing today in Minnesota with my district and it was a blast!

It's been a while but I promise a video next week!

You and God are Like a Rusted Rod and a Penny....Yes That is it!

Hello my handsome men of men's and women of women. I completely forgot about an email today and have 15 minutes. Fear not for although my brain may be so huge that it doesn't function half of the time my fingers are correctly sized for precision typing. I hope you all are aging well back home and seeing lots of blesses in your lives and thank you for reading! This week went by in proportion as fast as the 2000 year strike lasted!

 To start I had exchanges this last Tuesday in Detroit Lakes Minnesota. Love that place. It's awesome! This was by far the funnest exchange I am yet to have. Most importantly we saw lots of success but on the other side have some stories that are not email worthy but better preserved for RM usage! On Wednesday we went to a car show on a sand beach on a lake and it was super sweet. If you know me well, cars are often utter most important to my train of thoughts so I loved it! Anyways, so my ward missionary leader is a Nigerian dude covered in tattoos.... he is super cool and like never comes to church cause he is a busy sheriff. He comes to us and invites us to some party and of course we were game. The next day we show up.... pffff there was a good 100 - 200 people there and we where the only white dudes. To set the seen music was blasting so loud we could barely hear each other talk. Haha it was a good time and at one point we thought someone asked us for our number but turns out he just needed a pen. The best part is my comp just like most grew up in the Utah bubble (sorry if that offends anyone but this is no place for the faint of heart when it comes to my correct or not opinions here) and is always so awkward around them it is so funny. 

Alright I need to share really fast something super cool! Me and my comp prayed over 5 streets and on 3 said what street we need to go to. We said the same street and the first door we knock that evening is a girl from Ghana and we came back and taught her the day after and she is so elect and ready for the gospel. I see her baptized in 3 weeks if things go well! Anyways excuse the spelling errors its my time to sleep.

Keep faith

Sent from your officially passing 170 pound Elder Parker

These Words These Words.......

Flies, lots and lots of flies are dropping. My district has already shrunk 2 people since last time... crazy right. But missions definitely are not easy so what do you do right. 

I hope you all are doing well and packing your bags for Fargo cause this place is Gas! I am absolutely loving it here and this week we worked so hard and have been exhausted which has been great. We where able to teach 20 lessons this week and find alot of people who are very very prepared for the gospel. Its always so sick to find the people that you think of expectations of a mission versus reality. For example this one guy we found and met at a coffee shop named Shawn saying things like "oh yeah I have been to church before but something was missing.... I think I want to get baptized in your church and I want to come this Sunday" or when people answer the door like "yes this is exactly what I have been needing" majority of the time its someone going "you know God hates religion... remember the pharisees" ha wait what.... but Its the before moments that make it all worth it haha. 

Still working on the ward. We are currently ghosts to all the members but that's just how it is in a lot of places so sad but its okay.

Today was great though, always a good time with so many missionaries here in Fargo. You can imagine the nonsense a bunch of 18 - 21 year olds do to entertain themselves on Pday haha.

Sorry for an un event full email I'm super tired but next week I'll do better!

Also if your wondering about Japan, although missionaries are going left and right around me, no, I don't know anything... what I do know is that I have to believe that I am here for a divine purpose and not just cause its the way it is. Or at least I hope so. Love it here though! Not sure if I'd want to leave...

Elder Parker