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What…..is….up…guys. You know why missionaries should have mullets? Because they are practical. They protect your neck from the sun and keep your hair out of your eyes. Sometimes I wonder if Jesus ever had a mullet. Anyways, this week is to be compared to eating Ramen but every noodle is a different consistency. Some hard, others soft but cold etc. Transfers are tomorrow and me and Elder Kroff will be staying here. One of us might be district leader but they still haven't decided for our district. Elder Wixom sadly went home yesterday. He told us last Sunday he needed to talk and I instantly knew. He had some stuff to work out back home and hopefully he will come back out in 6 - 12 weeks. It felt like firing someone at work you don't want to fire but you have to see them go. But, I am excited I don't have to pack again and my OG trainer is going to be in my zone now so that is gonna be sick. I do wish we had a different ward situation but it is what it is. This week we had 19 non member lessons but we don't even have 19 active members. We constantly are pushed for member work, rightfully as it more than doubles success. This week we had some more funny door knocking experiences. Serving In the U.S. has its perks but there are definitely downfalls ha. I swear sometimes I feel like all we do is get passive aggressively bashed. It's fun and hard, but makes you learn a lot. But there are souls to be saving like my boy Pog and his dog Alex. My guy is definitely from some Asian country and is Illegal. We knock his door and we can barely understand his accent but he claims to be from Idaho. Probably some spy that's communicating for China expecting to pull a, "Bravo six.. going dark". but in reality he is just communicating things like. " I think I met their government, they have this weapon called Jesus". Another girl was slithering like a snake definitely on some strong drug as she tells us she believes in Christ and, "Ohhh yeah I am Christian" as she falls over. Also taught this Spanish guy who I obviously could not understand. Also, we knocked on someone's door and they said they were a loner here, so I replied "Awesome, have you heard of anyone from our faith before?" Or something like that. And my comps were just roasting me and putting me through a bunch of scenarios and apparently I have 0 empathy. What was I supposed to say ohh I'm so sorry you're lonely…. Instinctively my brain thinks, go talk to people if you're worried about it. So obviously that's something I've been trying to work on but it's hard because naturally I think empathy Is for the weak. But that's why we are out here for two years. 😁 Lately the weather has been nice which is so refreshing but reminds me of the summer and makes me miss work. Going to work for 8 hours riding solo listening to music. Sometimes I wish I could go solo for a month on my mission. Don't get me wrong I love my comps…. just my personality. Anyways I was thinking the other night before my mission that if a coworker asked me to work on a Sunday I would say I can't because my parents wouldn't let me. Now I would be like nah man Sundays are to worship God. Missions set you up to be a missionary for the rest of your life. Probably why you serve at a young age. A scripture I found and love to share with others in the first lesson is 3 Nephi 3:7, "Or in other words, yield yourselves up unto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our secret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us—not our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance." Keep the Faith my  Chicken à la Kings!

Live Long and Prosper - Elder Parker

Why Can't I Have Two of Everything? It Could Make My Life So Much Easier...or More Complicated

 …. Inhale…. Exhale…. What's up gang. Those of you who are reading are of thee elect. The past 168 hours have been Ghosty to say the least but I'll start with dinner at Father Krums. We walk up to the door with sisters stalking behind, knock knock. "Oh hey guys come on in" proceeds to close the door…. "Where is your god *&%* coat Elder Kroff. "Uhhh", "Go back outside and get your &%,^* coat". Elder Kroff gave in like a wimp and he forced us to "I don't care stay with your companion" , a great start to dinner to say the least. Man simps over the sisters lets them in no problem. Boom Eating dinner starts talking about Christ centered goals. " How have you seen goals affect your life". Father Krum, "Ha I don't believe in goals, I just do". I was trying not to laugh so hard. What a role model of a first counselor to the bishop am I right. Ha, he's a funny guy. This week we got a smoking 6 news which was sweet. We have accumulated lots of people to manage, but that's the best part. This area is so ready for the gospel. It is awesome. We knocked an apartment complex (24 doors) and 3 people were down for a message and let us in. That's pretty good I would say. We also have a girl named Natalie which we have finally been able to meet with. She will be getting baptized later this month. 2 others will hopefully be on date soon with a lot moving forward. But man there is so much failure that goes into missionary work. Ha I swear sometimes I feel it would be better just to start hypnotizing people. Picked that skill up in the MTC… but I understand blah blah it's better that a man chooseth to be humble then forced to be. Anyways I have been yearning so much for the scriptures. I have found a love to learn about Christ's church. If you haven't already I would suggest you read Saints or listen to the podcast found on gospel library, it's pretty sweet. Also my Triple combination is looking beefy now I'm probably gonna pull up to the MTC after the mish and do some black market deal and sell it to some kid for a couple thousand…. Due to inflation😂 Ha he will have no clue. The scriptures are free man🤣. I don't know though, just a thought. But all is well here in the interesting and illiterate state of South Dakota. Also my DL tested positive for Covid the day after a Zone meeting which was kind of funny to hear because the virus doesn't really exist here. Kind of felt a little weird with random spurts of nausea for like 4 days. So just in case we had it we stopped by all the old folks' homes. Wowowoowow…. Kiddddding. Besides I think If anything we got low key possessed by Jermy. You see it seemed that our friend Jermy was a good Idea to get at the time but after 9 O'clock Jermy starts acting up. You will meet him in the video attached. Also there will be a video with everything from this week and the next in next week's email! Also found this sick scripture that really strengthens my testimony, "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel". (1 Peter 3:7). Bible am I right😂 All jokes aside, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Jesus Christ's only true and living church with the power of God in it. Restored by a prophet who was not perfect as we all aren't named Joseph Smith who brought forth the word of God and the record of Christ's dealing in America, The Book Of Mormon. I promise you will not make a mistake coming unto Christ where he needs you most in his Kingdom on earth. Every time you act in faith he rejoices and every time you screw up, it pains him that he has to withhold blessing from you. Remember in order to know it is true you have to ask. In order to receive guidance, forgiveness, strength you must seek your father in heaven for it. As God does put the earth as your footstool to your throne. You're better than what the world has to offer so stay strong everyone and keep absolutely killing it without ever looking back.

Sent from Stacy's Dad - Elder Parker

Ohhhh scaryyyy- 

Messages

 My new butterfly knife.

No...NO! I'm Not Ready for Hell! I've Got Nothing to Wear!

 There really is nothing like serving a mission. I mean nothing. Careless of what others think. Not knowing of one thing happening in the world. Divulging yourself in and getting condemned daily by the scriptures. Serving with the idea it is on behalf of God. No one watching over you. Talking to people you would never do before hand. There will never be another time in my life where I won't have to worry about tax evasion.  The scary thing is how fast it is going. In a blink of an eye I'll be burning a tie… then dead. Not discrediting the hardships you inquire on a mission but all good learning experiences, depending on how you look at it. The faint of heart don't last. But we have been pretty blessed here in Belle Fourche with another 5 new this week and making progress with the ones we are teaching as well as getting close to baptism with. I am really hoping some of these will go through but it is never easy. This week has been a cold one. It has snowed a bunch and been so cold nothing ever melts. There has been snow on the roads every day but you know our mommy missile is a beast in it, unless you go to 2WD and turn off traction. My nose hairs feel like they freeze within 5 seconds it's pretty epic. It has been negatives all week with the lowest I saw while out being -18. But I feel our bodies are adapting pretty fast. I would probably have frostbite before I realized my ears were cold. Anyways, we help this guy named Mike every week and he gives us people that we can work with. He is the one with wolfs, had a tiger, llama… ect. At one moment we rolled a hay sushi role out on this metal sled, attached it to the hitch and drifted it around. Also got to move some animals which was not organized or elegant ha. This last… I have no clue what day… Elder Wixom was driving and we were probably 3 minutes out and he gets a check your speed (7 over) and then we 🥚 him on being the Christlike figures we are and reach over and unbuckled him so he gets the check your seat belt as well. Ha he gave up at that point. For the remainder of the 3 minute drive home he got 6 check your speeds while it was spamming check your seat belt. We were dying laughing but you would probably have to be there to laugh. And last night… can't wait for the vehicle coordinator to go, Why was he going 65 in a 25 at 8:58. We were just trying to be obedient. And yes we made it in time. Ha also this week we have had quite a few interesting door knocking experiences. One night we somehow ended up in this super rich area on the hillside in Spearfish. Elder Kroff was kinda being a baby, like "rich people are just gonna get mad at us" but everyone's eternal salvation matters so we walk up this man's long curved driveway. Knock on the door, nothing. Start talking to the doorbell with a camera and his garage silently opens and out of nowhere he is backing out with his whole family. Backs up right next to us standing on the porch but no one looks and all of us are standing still and they just drive down. It was pretty funny. If we were robbers, we would be rich.. possibly in jail but rich so 100% worth. Another guy, we knocked on his apartment and this overweight shirtless white guy with a beard opens the door and says yes while looking down.. We Introduce ourselves and he says he is shinto so we come back a couple days later and he lets us in. He had One Punch Man playing and eating a taco bell burrito when he says let me show you my shrine. We walk back into this room with just bookshelves on bookshelves of anime. We are talking for a while and he starts talking about the God he prays to... pfff straight out of Naruto. My companion says " isn't that from Naruto" and he is like…. Well… yes but there is a lot of stuff in that. He has gone to Japan a lot and served on base there so we told him we pray to 天のお父様and he goes ahh I know of him and puts his fist to his hand in front of his chest and bows. And he says he has a girlfriend in Japan which she is coming down to get married…   which Either I feel bad for the girl or the guy getting used for a green card. It was a pretty funny interaction. Anime is cool and all but when you go Shinto on em and start worshiping a God from Naruto I think that's a bit much😂. I SAW THE FIRST BALCK PERSON IN A WHILE. We knock on his door and he opens up shirtless in a durag. You already know he's a G. (G= homie= friend) Gotcha grandma! He asks if we are church people and points to Elder Wixom and goes ha you have a midget with you.😂. After he confirms we are not the KKK 5 times he invites us in and explains how he has been getting hunted lately. Proceeds to get his girlfriend and kid out as we talk. He says he only prays when he does something bad. Example, " you know bruh If I go rob the convenience and happen to kill someone you know then I pray" he was pretty hype and said he would come to church. Which we were pretty scared cause he definitely would have pulled up to the podium on fast Sunday popping off with the F word. But he said we are welcome all the time so we will definitely go see him again. Last night we went to a town called Lead. It was so creepy. This little like half abandoned ancient ski tow where all the roads were weirdly hilly with abandoned buildings.  Everyone there was creepy, ha. It was kind of epic. I got some pictures but they don't do any justice. It felt like another country. Anyways I put together a video for this week so let me know if you like it. The editing kind of wipes but I'm using this buns app to do it. Don't forget to stay frosty everyone even when you feel torched and remember a wise man once said "Hit me like one of your French girls and if you want to be happy, read the book of Mormon". Gotchu!

Until our fingertips touch - Elder Parker