Sister Dantzel Park

Let Me Ask The Priest...

I am surprised this week went by so fast. Or slow… Honestly I don't know how time works anymore. But, it has been an adventure! Let's see how much I remember… Vamos!

Bulletpoints

◇ Someone sang to me about my eyes… I literally still don't know what to do or say when people do things like that.

◇ We got bible bashed… A lot this week, to be honest it is one thing to be rejected… I will never get used to being bible bashed :(

◇ Zone conference!! We had our zone conference here in Ilo :) So everyone came and visited us and I learned so much. Best zone conference I have had on the mish!!

◇ Guess who I got to see at zone conference?!? HERMANA BENNETT!!! I was literally so excited to see her and can I just say I miss her <3 just being together for a few hours I felt like I was her comp again!!

◇ We invited our friend Kristel to be baptized (and talked to her parents because she is 16). She is now on date to be baptized on the 11th of Oct. I am so excited to help her make her first covenant with God!

◇ Hermana Encalada and I have learned it is faster to get places by walking on the train tracks! It saves us so much time but the price is more stairs…

◇ However, we have discussed this and the stairs have felt a lot easier this week! Thanks for all your prayers, they really do make a difference.

◇ I have officially been a missionary for over a year now? This is why I don't understand the concept of time…

◇ We invited someone to be baptized and she said she had to ask the priest of the catholic church if that was ok before she can be baptized…

◇ We taught English to a friend named Ricardo, I have so much hope for him even though he has asked us not to talk about the gospel.

◇ Stake conference was also this weekend. We had a few friends come to the meeting and the room was so full I gave up my full size chair for a baby primary chair haha!

◇ We went to a baptism for another ward with a friend. I realized in that moment the reality of how happy it makes me to see people make a covenant with their heavenly father. The fact that I can be here and be a part of that with them helps me see and remember my joyful baptismal covenant <3

Spiritual thought

I want to share an analogy from president Nelson that I have been thinking about this week. Most of you have heard of it. It's called the cafeteria approach. Let's read a quote from president Nelson, who is talking to parents on how to teach their children. But I think this applies to missionaries as well. He says

“Teach faith to keep all the commandments of God, knowing that they are given to bless His children and bring them joy. Warn that [we] will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. I call this the cafeteria approach to obedience. This practice of picking and choosing will not work. It will lead to misery. To prepare to meet God, one keeps all of His commandments. It takes faith to obey them, and keeping His commandments will strengthen that faith.”

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not just a buffet where we only pick what we want. In order to receive the full blessings that God has waiting for us we must first have a solid foundation in our faith, repent, be baptized (partake of the sacrament), and keep working in this process by enduring to the end. By picking that we only want to try the apple pie, are we ever going to be fully nourished? No, and neither are our spirits if we chose to only live part of the doctrine of Christ.

Sorry this was so long today <3 I truly love you all and hope that you are finding ways to strengthen your relationship with your heavenly father. He has his arms reaching out waiting for you. I hope you all have a great week!

<3 Hermana Park