Hello everyone!!!

Nate is going to Scotland and Ireland??? That is Awesome!!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! So far everything here has been pretty good. We are starting to get more and more people to teach. It is hard here in my new area because there are a lot of really rich people and they all tell us the same thing and that is that they are not interested. I am hoping that will change soon. I wonder how Scotland and Ireland will be like. Im sure it will be Awesome!! I have a friend that left a couple of weeks after me that went to that mission! His name is Shane Park. He is an Awesome Guy!!!! I hope Nate will be companions with him! That would be Awesome!!  Jeff Johnston also went to that mission!!! You all will have to ask him about it!!!! Unfortunately I cant watch the video because the computer here doesn't support it. I will have to see it when i get home. So that is exciting that Nate's girlfriend got her call too!!! That is so Awesome!!!

So Nate, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE MISSION CALL!!!!!! That will be so exciting to go to Scotland!!! My trainer is from Scotland! He leaves for home this February! I will have to let him know to look out for you!!! I also have my friend that is serving there as well! His name is Shane Park. He is an Awesome guy! I hope you will be his companion! That would be Awesome!! So one piece of advice I can give you is start reading your book of mormon now! You will use that a lot! I look forward hear how you prepare for your mission!  You will be a great missionary!! Always remember to never let yourself get discouraged no matter how hard times seem to be!! You will do great and I am here to give you support if needed! I obviously cant come to England or Scotland to give you the support but I can help you with your experiences! Work hard to learn more and more from the scriptures and you will do fine! Take care and have a great week!!

Mom, That is Awesome that Nate got his mission call!!! I am so excited for him!! I am looking forward to how he does!! That is so great that he is preparing now for his mission!! I remember how fast everything seemed to go after I got the call!! Time will fly right on by if we works hard to preparing for his mission! Hopefully the passport will not take too long! My passport didnt take too long. It only took 4 weeks if i remember right. So I got my new camera today! It is a really good camera! I definitely think it will last me a long time!! So I hope all is going well at home with everyone getting their new toys for Christmas! That is so Awesome that your friend Kelly and her husband moved into the ward that Morgan lives in! I have some friends that live in that ward and they always talk good about that ward so it will be a good place for them. So i found out the last name of those people that I was talking about when I said they were from Orem. Their last name is Bonet. (bownay). The family that I used their phone is the Omdahl family. I will send the address to them next week so that I can get it for you. I dont have it on me right now but I will get it soon. Well I hope you have a great week and take care!!

Dad, Im sorry that you have the flu!!!! I hope you get better soon!! So I got my new camera!! It will be a good one for me to have for a long time!!! I will have to work on getting my other one home in one piece! I hope all is going well at home and I hope you have a good week!! Get well soon!!!

Jake, That is Awesome that you got a PS3!!!!!!!!!!! I look forward to seeing it when I get home!!! I hope you share with everyone else!!! Dont cause problems!! So for my Christmas it was really good!! I got to call home to you all and then I also got to relax for the most part! It was really good! I hope you enjoyed your Christmas!! Tell the Golders I said Hi and have a great week!

Josh, That is Awesome that you got an Xbox!!! That is so exciting!!! So what happened to my Xbox??? It sounds like it doesn't get used anymore!! I hope you are enjoying your week!! I hope you are sharing your Xbox with everyone!!! Dont cause problems and have a great week!!!

Alex, Maybe you will  go to Australia!! that would be Awesome!! That is Awesome that Nate is going to Scotland and Ireland!!! That will be a really good experience for him!! Have a great week and take care!!

I love you all very much and have a great week!!!
- Elder Parks

Hello everyone!!!!!

This week has been a very crazy week!!!! I was transferred on Wednesday and now I am in an area called Randburg. It also covers a city called Santon. It is the Richest part of Johannesburg!!! The entire area is full of Mansions and huge gates!!! There is a huge mall as well called Santon City Mall!! The ward is Awesome!!! It is a normal ward that you would find at home!! Everything here in this area is exactly like Salt Lake! The only difference is the size of houses! Its like me going to mikes neighborhood and going and knocking on doors there!! This area is the Richest area of our mission and in Johannesburg! So far everything has been so crazy!!! We spent an entire day pushing buttons on call boxes to the giant houses!! so far no success has come out of it but I am confident something may come out of it. I will have to keep you informed how the new area is going. So my new companion is actually someone that came out the exact same time as me!!! We met at Chicago Airport so it has been really good so far!! His name is Elder Hansen! He is from Oregon. He is an Awesome Guy!!

Mom, I received your package!!! I was able to open every present starting with number one! Thank you so much!!! That was a great idea to do that!! Thank you for all the candy and the books and the stockings!! That was a great package!! So you all went to see the lights?? Thats Awesome!!!! I look forward to doing that when I get home!! That is so Awesome that Nate is getting his call on Wednesday!!! I will have to talk to my mission president if I can call you all and see where he is going. I will let you know tomorrow when I call home. So is there any chance you can put $200 in my account? If not that is ok with me. I am working on getting me a camera but the ones here are a little more than the ones in my last area. They are really good cameras still so i may get one or not we will see. I will talk to you tomorrow!!!

Dad, I look forward to calling home tomorrow!! I cant wait to see how everyone is doing!!! I hope you all are doing really well at home right now!! I will have to talk to my mission president to see if I can call home on wednesday to see if nate got his call or not. I will let you know what he says tomorrow when I call home. So my new area is where all the billionares and Millionares live!!! In our ward we have some families that are actually from the US!!! They have been treating us very well since I have been here. They have also been feeding us some American food that you and mom always made. We had Tacos a couple of days ago with a family that is from Utah. I think they said they were from Orem. It is so cool to be in this area. So I was able to get the package from all of you! Thank you so much for the package!! That is Awesome that you all went to see the lights at temple square!! I look forward to doing that when I get home!! I will talk to you tomorrow!!

Nate, that is so Awesome that your mission call is coming in this week!!! I am so excited to hear where you are going!!! I look forward to hearing about that! So you feel you are going to asia? I am looking forward to hearing where you are going! I hope you have had a great week and I will talk to you tomorrow!!

Jake, That is Awesome that the Golders are going to Cali for Christmas!! I hope the Dodgers do really good!! That should be a great game to go and see!! I will talk to you tomorrow!!

Josh, that is Awesome that Christmas is tomorrow!! I will talk to you tomorrow!!

Alex, That is so great that you went and saw the lights! I look forward to being able to go and see them when I get home! Talk to you tomorrow!!

I love you all very much and I will talk to you tomorrow!!!
- Elder Parks

Hello Everyone!!!

 

I cant believe that Christmas is already here!!! It is so crazy that time went by so fast!! So this week has been alright. It just got really heckic because I am being transferred!! I am leaving to my new area on Wednesday. Im not sure where I am going yet but I will let you all know as soon as I can. So it sounds like things are going pretty good for the most part. I am really excited to call you all in 8 days! So I was planning on calling from here at 8 PM which will make it 11 AM your time. I hope that will work for all of you. I am going to be calling from a landline or our cell phone. I will let you know next monday the 23rd which phone I will be using. So which ever phone you want me to call I will call. Let me know if you want me to call you when you all will be in Roy or just before you all go. I will call at 12 your time if that works better. Let me know the time next week when you would like me to call and I will call by then.  I have not received a package yet but I am hoping that it is at our office. I will check if it is in the office today and I will let you know as soon as I can. I am happy that you all got your package and I am happy that Grandma and Grandpa Wright got thiers as well. Did by chance Grandma and Grandpa Parks get theirs yet? I sent some cards to everyone for christmas so I hope they all got there.

 

Mom, I am really hoping that the package you sent will be at the office today when I go! The office couple at the office said that there were a lot of packages at the post office that they were waiting to be released to them. I am hoping that they will be there. So Nate turned in his papers?? That is AWESOME!!!  I am Excited to hear where he is going!! I hope his call letter gets there before next week!!! So I will send my camera home this week or next month. This month is a little busy for the post office so hopefully I will be able to send it home soon. Im not sure what happened to it but the battery doesnt charge. So it snowed again?? That is Awesome!!! So Dakota has Arthritis? Thats not good!!! I will keep him in my prayers. That will be so cool when Nate goes to the temple!! That will be a good experience for him!! So for Christmas they are having a Christmas party at the mission home so if I am close to the office I will be able to go. We will have to see. Well I hope you have a great week! Take Care!

 

Dad, So things here are ok for the most part. The appointments got really good this past week! We had a lot of full days of appointments. It was really good for the most part. We had the opportunity of teaching some really good families and help them come closer to Christ. We found a really Awesome family this past week!! I am really excited to teach them! They are so humble and willing to listen. I am being transferred on Wednesday so I will have to see how it goes with my companion and his new companion. So you got the snow blower out?? That is Awesome! That is good that Utah is finally getting snow. Hopefully it will get more soon. So I am planning on calling one of your phones. You will have to let me know which one to call next monday when I email you all. I hope all is going well at home and I hope you all have a great Christmas! Have a great week and Take Care!

 

Nate, THAT IS AWESOME THAT YOUR PAPERS ARE IN!!!!! I AM SO EXCITED TO HEAR WHERE YOU ARE GOING!!!!! That is Awesome that Maddy sent her papers in as well!! I am excited for both of you!! Please keep me informed how it goes for both of you!! Im sorry about the grades!! A C is still good though! I hope you have a very Merry Chrismas and have a great week!!!

 

Madalyn, It is so great to meet you! So far South Africa has been good so far!!! Thank you so much for sending me an email!! That is exciting that you are turning in your papers!!! I am so excited to hear where you will be going!!! I am so excited to hear where both of you are going!! I hope you have a great week and Merry Christmas!!

 

Jake, You saw The Hobbit?????? LUCKY!!! I am so excited to go and see that!!! I was told there is 3 parts to it so I will be able to see the 3rd part in the theatres. This week has been pretty good for the most part. I am being transferred to another area wednesday so I will have to keep you all informed. I hope you have a great week and Tell the Golders HI for me!!

 

Josh, Things here are ok. It is a little crazy because everyone has left or are leaving for the Christmas. We will see how it goes. That is Awesome that you guys got lots of snow!! That is so great!! Here it is definately in the middle of summer! It is so hot during the day. It also has rained a lot as well. I hope things are going well and I hope you have a great week!!!

 

Alex, That is Awesome that you made an Igloo!! Unfortunately there is no snow here so I cant do that. I hope all is going well for you!! Have a great week!!

 

I love you all very much and have a great week!!

- Elder Parks

Hello Everyone!!!

 

So this week has been an interesting week! Because of the Holidays everyone is cancelling on us because they are all going to visit family members. It has been an interesting week. So I got the package from Jody and Grandma and Grandpa Wright but I havent recieved your package yet. I need the tracking number so I can figure out what post office it ended up arriving at. So my camera is not working unfortunately. I think it is the battery because the camera itself works but the battery will not charge. I was thinking of sending it home so you can send it back for the warranty on it. Im not too sure what to do in this situation. The cameras they sell here are very cheep so I may buy a new one and just send mine home and continue from there. So no matter what for my Christmas call I will definately be able to call home regardless if I am transfered or not. So I sent home a package for Christmas!! please dont open till Christmas!! Put it under the Christmas tree!!

 

So mom, that is so great that you all had the Richards Christmas party this last week!  That is Awesome that everyone is getting so big! I cant believe that time is going so fast!! I have been out for almost 10 months!! In a little less than a couple of months I will only have a year left!! That is so great that Nate is getting his papers in so quickly!!! I am excited to hear where he will be going. So do you think he will be going to a foreign mission or a states mission?? I think he will be going somewhere in the pacific Islands, maybe tonga or samoa. I am excited to hear where he is going. So I recieved a letter from Uncle Lloyd and Aunt Eva yesterday. They said that one of their grandsons got his mission call!! He is going to Oregon! I think his name is Arlington? Im not sure I think it is something like that. That is so crazy that it is starting to snow now!! I hope the mountains are getting snow!! I cant imagine how different things will be when I get home!! its crazy!! So I am going to need the tracking number to your package so I can track it and go and pick it up. Thank you so much for giving Rebekah my email adress!! We actually can email friends. Our mission president has told us that we can as long as we limit how much time we use to email them. I hope all is going well at home! have a great week!!

 

Dad, That is so crazy that two people have hit your car!!!! I hope everyone is ok!! So that is so Awesome that Nate is so close to getting his mission call and his temple experience!!! I am very happy for him and very excited for the choices he is making! So that is Awesome that you all are getting snow finally!!! So the weather here has been very HOT!!!! The temperatures here have been in the 30's (celcius) (90's Farenheit). It has been so hot lately!! I cant believe that Christmas is coming up so fast!!!! So the work here has been a little interesting. People are listening to us but are refusing to leave their church or come to the one we attend because of the distance. It is very tough right now but it has been rewarding. I have learned how to be more patient. It has taught me a lot of things and I am interested to see how my next area will be for me. So my camera battery is finished. It wont charge but the camera works just fine. I am thinking about sending it home so that you can get another one because of the warranty. The papers for the warranty are in my dresser in my room if they have not been thrown away yet. I am probably going to buy a new one because there are some really good ones here for cheap!! Sony has really good prices in this country so their electronics are dirt cheap and they are very high quality!! I think it is because EVERYONE buys sony here for their TV and entertainment system. Well I hope all is going well at home right now and have a great week!!!

 

Nate, That is so great that you are going to get your mission call soon!!!!! I cant wait to hear where you are going!!! I am guessing that you will go to the pacific Islands!!! Maybe Tonga or Samoa! I am excited to hear where you will be going!! I am also excited to hear that you will be going to the temple soon!! I love the temple so much!! I enjoyed my experience so much!! I still to this day enjoy my experience!! I hope all is going well at home!! I am excited to hear the progress of how the papers are going. Take care and have a great week!!

 

Jake, DONT DO DOUGHNUTS IN THE XTERRA PLEASE!!! haha I really loved that car so please dont wreck it by hot dogging in it! So how are the golders doing?? Are they good? So here in South Africa it is summer! All the schools are on Summer break! They are the exact opposite of the schools in Utah!! Crazy huh!! The temperature here is VERY HOT!!! That is Awesome that you guys are getting snow right now!! Take care and have a great week!! Tell the Golders I said Hi!!!

 

Josh, That is great that your are getting your grades up!!! That is AWESOME!!! Great job!! So I hope all is going well for you right now!! That is not good that happened to dad's cop car!! I hope you have a great week!!

 

Alex, I hope all goes well for the play at your school!! Study your part and make sure you memorize your part. Take car and have a great week!!

 

I Love you all and have a great week!!!!

- Elder Parks

Hello Everyone!!!

Wow.. I cant believe Mr. Treglown died this last week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was my gym teacher and he was a great teacher as well!!! I cant believe that happened! I will definately keep them in my prayers as I go through the week!! Man he was such a great teacher! That is too bad that happened! So this week has been a pretty good week for the most part. We were able to teach some really good lessons about The Book of Mormon!! So far everything has been pretty good for the most part! I cant believe that its Christmas this month!!!! So it sounds like the weather is not that cool right now!! It has been the same temperature here in South Africa the last couple of days because of all the rain that we have received here. It has been raining here like crazy!! I hope it will get sunny soon!! So I am going to the office today so my package should be there. I will look out for it!!

Mom, That is Awesome that you put up the Christmas tree!! That is so great!!! So I will be going to the mission office today so Im sure it will be there. I will keep you informed! Please dont loose the tracking number just in case it is not the office. If it is not there i can track it using the South Africa Post Office system and find out where it is. So everyone is already making fudge??? AWESOME!!! Can you please send me the recipe?? I want to try to make it soon!! So that is so great that you are helping the children that are in need!! Im sure they will love the things that you get for them!! So we will be watching the Christmas devotional on the 9th of December (this sunday). So far everything has been going pretty good for the most part. SO I will have to start planning how I am going to call home soon!! That is so great that nate may have his papers by Christmas!! I cant wait to here where he will go!!

Dad, That is so crazy that the temperature is so high right now!!! I thought it would be a lot lower this time of year!! Im sure it will drop as time goes on!! That is Awesome that you have been going hunting lately!! That is so funny that the F-16 did that!!! That would have made me jump so bad!!! So you will have to keep me updated how the hunting is going. I look forward to doing that when I get home. So far everything has been going well for the most part. I am really enjoying it here in South Africa. SO that is too bad that Mr. Treglown passed away!!! I hope his family is doing ok!!! So I may be transferred this month!! It will be on the 18th of December so We will see if it really happens or not. I will keep you all informed. I hope you have a great week!

Nate, So you made fudge??? That is so AWESOME!!!! Im sure it turned out really good!! That is Awesome that you made your own!!!! So I havent seen the Christmas devotional but I will soon!! They are having the broadcast this sunday!! I will be able to see it then!! So I hope school is going pretty good so far!!! It sounds like you have been busy with all the finals and reports!! I hope all goes well!! keep me informend how the papers are going!! Have a great week!!

Jake, That is too bad that Coach Treglown passed away!! I hope the family is doing ok!!!! I cant believe that happened!!! So I will be watching the Christmas devotional soon (this sunday). That is Awesome that you are going shooting with the Golders!! Have fun and be safe!! I hope you have a great week!!!

Josh, I CANT BELIEVE THAT COACH TREGLOWN PASSED AWAY!!!!! I hope his family is doing ok!! That is so Awesome that South Jordan Middle School did that for him!! I hope you and all of your friends are doing ok!! I hope all is going well for the school!! Im sorry that happened!!

Alex, That is Awesome that you helped mom put up the Christmas tree!! I hope all is going well right now for you!!! Have a great week!!

I love you all and have a great week!!!

- Elder Parks

Hello Everyone!!!

So this week was a pretty good week for the most part. We were able to teach some really good lessons and we were able to help some people know more about the book of mormon. So far everything is going well for the most part. We celebrated my birthday on Friday with Yellow Cake and Chocolate Frosting!!!! Thank you all so much for the Birthday packages!!!! They were Great!!!! I received my packages on Thursday in the afternoon. I got 2 from you all and 1 from Grandma and Grandpa Parks. Thank you all so much for the packages!!! So today the bishop of the ward that I am serving in wants us to come with him to a church building in our area to look at it so we can start a group! We may become a group and me and my companion will be in charge of running the group!! We will see what actually will happen. I will keep you all informed! So every monday I am with Elder Scanlin from the 5th ward!!I see him all the time!! Its so great!! So I hope all is going well at home so far!

Mom, Thank you so much for the packages!!! I will keep my eye out for them all when they arrive!! There is an office couple that works in the mission office that keeps an eye out for my packages so they will watch for them as well. So luckily I was able to receive my packages last thursday but they actually came in on Monday so that is good. I will have to check if any came in today or not. I will watch for all the packages that come in. So you had a gang situation at the hospital??? That is crazy!! I hope non of the staff were harmed in the conflict. Luckily here I dont have to worry about gang activity. Here there is something called "Mob Justice". It is really really bad because they inflict a lot of harm! What happens is if someone catches another person stealing or robbing someone they will scream "He is stealing" or something of that sort and all the sudden all the men in the houses or shacks will surround the one who just stole something and they will close in and start beating the guy up, usually until he cant move any more or unfortunately until they die. It is very very bad!!!! I think that is the reason there is no gang activity and why no one gives us any problems. People always look out for us and if someone attempts to give us trouble or grief someone will come up and ask if we are ok and if the person is bothering us or not. I always have to tell them that everything is ok. Everyone looks out for us here where I am at. No one dares harm us because of that "Mob Justice" thing. It has been something that I have had to get used to. So you all invitedthe missionaries over for dinner??? They are so lucky!!!!! I miss Both yours and Dad's cooking!!! The food just is not the same here in South Africa but it is still good! Well I hope you have a great week!!

Dad, That is really good that you all enjoyed Thanksgiving!! Here we all had lunch for thanksgiving but it was no where close to how it is at home. I was able to get some Yellow cake with Chocolate frosting luckily for my birthday. It was so great!! I enjoyed every bit of it!! So that is funny that none of the decorations are up yet! It is still November so that is understandable. None of the appartments have any decorations so we will have to see how everything goes this christms. I cant believe Christmas is already here!! Time goes by way too fast sometimes!!! I look forward to the phone call home in less than a month!! That will be exciting!!!! So you all fed the missionaries?? That is so great!! I guarantee that they all LOVED that!!! It is so nice when a member feeds us that way we dont have to spend as much money and go to get lunch. So the bishop of the ward here in my area wants to look at a church building in our area and he wants us to go with him! If everything goes well, we will become a group and Both my and my companion will be in charge of running the church services every sunday!! I will have to keep you informed how that will go!! I hope all will go well for that because the people here need a closer place because the other building is really far from the area. We will have to see what happens. So i hope you have had a really good week and I hope you have a great week!!!

Nate, That is crazy that your wisdom teeth are impacted and laying sideways!!! That is so crazy that you are so close to getting your mission papers almost finished!!! That will be cool when everything will be done!!! So you got a traffic ticket???? That is not good!! So far I have been pulled over to the side of the road once and they immediately let us go because everything was in order. I hope all is going well for you so far!!! Tell all the young men (at least the ones who were there when I was there) Hi for me!!! Please also tell the Bishpric and Brother Johnston hi for me!! I hope you have a great week!!!!

Jake, So far everything has been going pretty good for the most part!! My birthday was pretty good as well!! I was able to make my favorite yellow cake and chocolate frosting!!! It was pretty good!!! So here in South Africa there is no such thing as Thanksgiving so for Thanksgiving we had lunch with the other missionaries and it was alright but it was nothing compared to the Thanksgiving feast at home!!! So you went shooting with Dwayne??? That is Awesome!!! Im sure that was fun!! Well I hope all is going well for you at home and have a great week!! Tell the Golders Hi for me!!!

Josh, So that is not good that you have all F's!!!! At least you have the entire quarter to get them all up!! Just do the assignments and turn them in on time and everything will go very well!!! So one piece of advice that I have learned from school and my mission so far is to never give up!! Always put your homework in front of everything else and you cant go wrong!! Keep trying and working hard and you can get really good grades!! I hope this helps and I hope things get better for you and have a great week!!

Alex, That is so great that you all fed the missionaries!! Im sure they all LOVED that!!! So on sundays we start by going to church and then after that we go to one of the members houses and they serve us lunch! We then go and teach people for the rest of the day. I hope you have a great week!

I love you all very much and have a great week!!

- Elder Parks

Hello Everyone!!!!

 

This week has been a really good week for the most part. It was really weird as well. There were a lot of people that kept their appointments but there was a good amount of people that cancelled as well. Yesterday was Stake Conference and it was so different for me because I am used to having it at our stake center but here it was at one of the nearby chapels. It was a little different. So the packages have not arrived yet unfortunately. Is there any chance you have the tracking number for the packages you sent? The numbers will be on the receipt from the post office. So it sounds like all of you have had a good week! So if Goldenwest gives me the money back please feel free to transfer it back into savings or one of your accounts. So yesterday we had a Baptism!! President Renlin of the 70 baptized one of our investigators!! It was so Awesome!!! The seventy are around a lot!! It is so great to be around general authorities of the church!

 

Mom, That is Awesome that you are feeding the missionaries for their zone conference!! I guarantee that they will LOVE IT!! So you all went to Training Table!!!! That is Awesome!!! I will be definately be going to that place when I get home!! So Nate and Maddy will be turning their mission papers in at the same time??? That is Awesome!! I hope they get their calls at the same time!! So Maddy's parents are hooking Nate up for missionary deals?!? Thats Awesome!! Thank you so much for the Birthday Wish!!!! I cant believe that I will be 20 years old this friday!! It feels so weird that I will be going into my 20's!!! Hopefully I will be able to go out for my birthday this week! Unfortunately no one is doing anything for thanksgiving this week so my companion and I will have to come up with something to do for it. Thank you so much for everything!! Thank you so much for the packages by the way!

 

Dad, Thank you so much for the Birthday song and The Birthday Wish!! So I am still in my area for 5 more weeks so I will let you all know when they tell me that I am leaving. It will probably be on the 19th of December. We will have to see what happens. So far my companion and I are doing really well and Things are going good so far!! So we had a baptism yesterday! Her name is Caroline. She was baptized by President Renlin of the area 70! It was a really spiritual experience!! I loved it so much! I hope all is going well for everyone! Thank you so much for the packages by the way!

Nate, That is so AWESOME that you are so close to getting your mission call!! I really look forward to hearing where you are going to go!! I wonder if it will by a different language that you wil be speaking. I wonder if it will be Foreign or in the states. Wherever you go that is where the Lord needs you and you will be a Fantastic missionary!! I hope all goes well and keep me updated on how the papers go!!!

 

Jake, That is Awesome that the dance went well!! It will be weird not being here for my birthday as well!! I hope your week is going well and tell the golders I said Hi!! Sorry I am really short on time!! Have a great week!!

 

Josh, That is really cool that Brother Cooper is in the Bishopric!! That is  also cool that Brother Johnston is back in young mens!! I am really sorry but I am short on time, I hope you have a great week!!!

 

Alex, That is not good that I am missing your play!! If you can video tape it that would be great and I will have to see it when I get home! I hope your week goes really well!!

 

I love you all and Thank you all for the Birthday wishes!! I hope you all have a great week and will you please tell Grandma and Grandpa Parks and Grandpa and Grandma Wright and JoDee and Everyone that wishes my Happy Birthday thank you for me??? Thank you so much and have a great week!!

 

- Elder Parks

Hello Everyone!!!

 

This past week has been HECKTIC!!! The birthday money that you gave me, I had to use it to fuel up our car because the credit card wasnt working. Luckily I will be reimbursed for that but the other time I tried to pull money out the ATM charged my account but never dispensed the money. I went to the bank trying to get that money but they told me that I have to call Golden West. The money I tried to get out was 1000 Rand or $114.85. Hopefully I will be able to call Goldenwest so that I can get that money. So the mission is starting to change a little bit. The MTC stay for the future missionaries will be shortened by a week so they will be in the MTC for only 2 weeks instead of 3. That effects the mission big time because now we have accomidate for the change by changing our transfer cyles back 2 weeks. Because of this I actually will be coming home 2 weeks earlier than normal now. I will go home the beginning of February 2014 instead of the end. Things have been crazy here lately!! We have had a lot of good lessons and have had some really spiritual experiences. I am loving it here and things have been going really well!! So we went to the temple last thursday and it was a great experience!! I loved every minute of it! So we went to the distribution center next to the temple and I bought a book that teaches me how to play the piano and how to read music! I am excited because so far it has been going really good so far! Hopefully I will be able to play my mission song on grandma's piano when I get home! That would be Awesome!!!!

 

Mom, That is Awesome that Dillon came home from his mission already!!! That is Wonderful!! So I found out that I am not being transferred after all!! I will be here till Christmas at least! So feel free to send anything right now because I will be here for another 6 weeks. That is crazy that Dillon had a hard time speaking English!! That is really cool that he knows Portguese!! Hopefully I will be able to learn how to speak another language here from Africa!! There are so many languages here so I will take some time! So for the Holidays I was told by the other missionaries that the mission usually does something for all the missionaries that are near the mission home. Luckily I will be one of those missionaries. I will probably be transferred right before Christmas. We will have to see what happens. So I should be ok on shirts. I have a ton left still that are sitting in my suitcase. So far all my cloths are doing really well. I only have had to sow a coulple of pockets and thats about it. so far it has been good. Thank you so much for the packages! I will keep my eye out for them!! they might come today, we will see. I am going to the office today to get reimbursed for the fuel problem with the car.

 

Dad, That is crazy that it is snowing right now!!! I am not used to not seeing snow in November! So far here it has been really HOT!! It is crazy how diverse the temperatures are on the two sides of the world! So Brother Cooper was put in the bishopric?!?! Thats Awesome!! He is perfect for the job!! He will do great! Its crazy how quickly the second coming may really be coming!! Things here have been really crazy for this country! There are some bad issues that they are dealing with but it is slowly trying to get better! This last week has been a crazy week! The credit card for the car not working to the huge spiritual experiences that have happened! We were able to teach some really cool lessons to some of the families that we were teaching! I hope they will start getting more interested soon!

 

Nate, That is great that you are loving being an elder!! It is so great that you are experiencing some great things right now with the Melchezidec Priesthood!! That is crazy that you guys got so much snow!!! Thats Awesome!!! SO that is Awesome that you, mom and Dad are getting an SKS!!!! Thats Exciting!! You will have to let me know how that goes! I hope all is going well at work for you and I hope school is going well for you as well!!! Take care and have a great week!

 

Jake, That is not good that you guys didnt do so great in the semi finals! Hopefully next week will be a better week! Thank you by the way for the Happy birthday wish! I hope that I will get the package from you guys soon!! That is Awesome that you and Erica will still go to one of the dances!! That will be fun! I hope you have a great week and take care!

 

Josh, That is Awesome that Halo 4 came out!! I hope that you guys are not fighting over the Xbox! I look forward to playing that when I get home! That is crazy that you guys got so much snow!! I hope you have a great week!

 

Alex, I hope everything is going well for you at school!! I hope you have a great week and take care!!

 

I love you all and I hope you all have a great week!!!

- Elder Parks

Hello Everyone!!

 

This week has been a really good week! We were able to teach some really good and spiritual lessons to our families! I hope that they will want to come unto Christ and be baptized soon! So we have been getting some crazy weather lately! It has been crazy how the weather has been lately! That is crazy that the Hurricane effected NY so bad!! The members here have been going crazy because they all think that the storm affected you guys! I usually have to assure them that you all are safe because you all are in Utah. A lot of the people here dont realize how big the US really is. They all think that it is smaller than it really is. So I may be leaving my area soon! I cant believe how fast things have gone by! I may be leaving on the 13th of November! I will let you know next Monday if I am staying or if I am going. So far everything is going good!

 

Mom, That is good that Halloween was nice!! Im sure that was a great night! Here in South Africa there is no such thing as Halloween or Thanksgiving so no one did anything. I made Sugar cookies with orange frosting for halloween and thats about it. So how is Barb going with her teachings from the missionaries?? Is it going well or has she stopped seeing the missionaries? So that is Awesome that you all went out for Josh's Birthday! That is funny that the new chapter in life has come (the one about all of us having Girlfriends over). I cant believe that I am turning 20 soon! Crazy! I cant believe how fast time has flown by! So I am happy that the jerseys that Josh and Alex got fit them! I wasnt sure about the size but I am happy that they are enjoying them! The team on those jerseys is a HUGE team here in the area that I am serving in! The Pirates are a HIT! So that is funny that Jeremy has his memorized oatmeal cookie recipe!! We are definately keeping the tradition! So you can still send a christmas package to the same address that you have sent the last packages to! My address will stay the same the entire mission unless I am sent to Botswana. If I am sent there I will give you the address to that part of the mission. So thank you so much for the money and the package!!! I hope you have a great week and take care!!!

 

Dad, So this week has been a great week!! This last week there was some good rain storms! It has been cold but now today it is HOT!! So I hear you redid the storage room and finished the closet in the workout room! That is Awesome!! I wish I was able to help you with that but Im sure I will be able to help in some way when I get home! I cant believe how fast time has gone by!! If you blink, time just flies right past you! I am already coming up on my 4 1/2 month mark in my area meaning I may be transferred to a new area next week! I will have to let you know! So I want to thank you for all the things you have taught me about cars and maintaining them!! It has helped me a lot!! The Mechanic that is in charge of our cars is never available so I have to fix the small minor things that come up! Thank you so much Dad!!!! So how has work been lately? The police in America and The police here in South Africa are so different!! There is police that only does crime and cant give tickets to people and there is police that is only for patroling the roads. It is so crazy because police that can pull you over cant do it with their car! They have to stand in the middle of the road and flag you over to the side of the road! It is so crazy! They do police roadblocks all the time! They make the road go to one lane and they inspect ALL of the cars that pass by and flag you to the side of the road if something is questionable! IT is so crazy! So I hope all is going well for you at work and as well at home!!! Take care and have a great week!!!

 

Nate, That is so great that you got the Melchezidec Priesthood!!!! That is Awesome that you got to participate in giving Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Melissa a blessing!!! So Dad had you annoint? AWESOME!!!!! I love giving blessings! They are so full of Spiritual power!!! Just wait until you give the blessing! That will be really cool for you!! I hope all is going well for you at home!! I look forward to hear how the call letter goes!! Im sure you will receive that soon!! I hope you have a great week and take care!!!

 

Jake, That is not good that Erica got pinned by a car!!!!! I witnessed someone get pinned by two vans here in my area once!! The guy was not happy! I hope Erica is ok and I hope all gets better for her soon!! Tell her and her family I said Hi!! I hope all is going well for you at home and I hope school is going well! Tell Bekah Tobler and AlessA Loader I said hi will you? Thank you so much!! Take care and have a great week!!\

 

Josh, I hope you enjoyed your birthday!!! That is so Awesome that you received the office of a teacher!! Thats Awesome!!! I hope school is going well for you right now!! That is Awesome that you went hunting for Coyotes!! Im sure if you go again you will enjoy it!! I hope you have a great week and take care!!

 

Alex, That is Awesome that you enjoyed hanging out with the cousins!! I hope all is going well for you so far!! Take care and have a great week!!

 

I love you all very much and I hope you all have a great week!!

- Elder Parks

Hello Everyone!!!

 

This week has been a better week! I had the anual President Interviews so that was really good. This last week we were able to teach some really good familes! I can see bright futures for all of them. So far working in my area has been really good for the most part. I really enjoy it right now! So this last week it has rained like CRAZY!!!!!!! IT rained so hard that our car was spitting water clear up into the air when I was only going about 25 MPH. It was a lot of rain! The weather has been really crazy here because last week on Saturday there was hail reported the size of a Football. It was so bad that it broke all the windshields to the cars in the parking lot at a church. It also destroyed the roof as well. All of that took place while Jefferey R. Holland was speaking to the single adults. IT was funny because He said that God was agreeing with what he was saying when he heard the giant hail coming down. I love Jefferey R. Holland's Talks!!! They are so great! He has a Hilarious sense of humor! I get to see him on Thursday! I am so Excited!!!

 

Mom, That is crazy that Jacob Ames is back already from his mission!!! That is crazy that he is having a hard time speaking English again! I hope that I dont have that problem when I get home. So that is good that your foot is getting better!!! Im sure it will heal completely soon! So that is Awesome that Grandma Wright went to go see Aunt Louis! Im sure she will enjoy that! So Nate, Jake, Josh and Alex all went to Lagoon for Frightmares! That is Awesome!! Im sure they all enjoyed that a lot! So Nate has his appointment to get wisdom teeth evaluated? Awesome! I remember when I had to have that done. He will be happy when it is over though because then he doesnt have to worry about it again. So that is so great that Nate is getting so close being ready to receive the Melchezidec Priesthood! I look forward to hearing how that goes! Thank you so much for the addresses!!!! I appreciate them so much!!! I look forward to writing them a letter!!! So I need a favor from you and Dad, will you take my checking account to only $10? I am trying to budget my money that I am givin but I am having a hard time because it seems like something always comes up. The only time it can go over $10 is when I am going to send a package home. If you can do that, that would be wonderful! Thank you so much!  So for christmas can you send me some cookie mix that I can just add ingredients to make? That would be wonderful! So the package I sent home for Alex and Josh's Birthday is coming soon! If you want I will give you the tracking code and all you have to do is go to www.usps.com and go to Track and Confirm and then it will ask for the code and it will tell you the status of the package. The code for the package is: CN022353279ZA. Thank you Mom for all that you do! I appreciate it so much!!

 

Dad, This week has been an interesting week for the most part. We were super busy with all these meetings that the missionaries needed to be to. One of these meetings were an anual interview with the mission president. He is a great guy! He always knows how to help a missonary in need! So that is good that mom's foot is healing! Im sure it will reach 100% healed soon! So you went Coyote hunting this last week? That is Awesome!! I am jealous! Im sure that you will still have your call when I get home. I look forward to going hunting with you when I get home from my mission. So far the mission is going really well! I am really enjoying it right now! So that is Awesome that Sister Loader talked about 3 Nephi! We always share things from that book when teaching about The Book of Mormon! So far it has been a great experience to share about The Book of Mormon and how it can bless the lives of many! It has been a rewarding experience to see how The Book of Mormon has changed lives! So I sent a package home for Alex and Josh's Birthday. It is on its way there right now. I gave the instructions and the tracking code so that you all can track it when ever you want. I hope your week goes well and take care!

 

Nate, That is Awesome that all those friends of yours have already received mission calls! I look forward to hearing how they are doing! So you are going to be an Elder soon? That is so great! I am glad to hear that you are doing so well and preparing so hard to accomplish the task of preparing to be a missionary! That is so crazy that the number of missionaries will more than double soon! Im sure a lot of your friends are going to start receiving mission calls one by one soon! That is so great that everything is going well! Take care and have a great week!

 

Jake, That is good that everything is going well! That is Awesome that Erica asked you to Bingham Ball!! I remember when I went there! I loved it!! Im sure that you will enjoy it as well!! That is Awesome that you all went to Lagoon!! It sounds like you all enjoyed that a lot!! I will have to join you all in a couple of years when I am at home! I hope all is going well for Erica and her family! Take care and have a great week!!

 

Josh, That is Awesome that you beat herriman in overtime!!! It sounds like it was a good game! So you all went to Lagoon with Tayah and Bryce? That is Awesome!!! Im sure I will be able to join you all in a couple of years when I get home! I hope you have a wonderful week and take care!

 

Alex, That is Awesome that you went to Lagoon for your birhtday!!! That is Awesome that you rode the rocket!! I love that ride!!! You will have to try the samarai when you go again! I love that ride too! Have a wonderful week and take care!

 

I hope all goes well at home and I hope you all have a wonderful week!!!

- Elder Parks

This week was a Fantastic week!!!  I absolutely loved it! We were able to see general conference yesterday and saturday. I thought it was so great!! I loved Russell M. Nelsons talk when he said "If you dont know something, Ask the Missionaries, they can help." I loved all the talks in general conference. I really enjoyed Jefferey R. Hollands talk when he talked about peter and why The Savior asked him 3 times if he loved him. I loved that talk! Speaking of Jefferey R. Holland, He is coming next week to speak to all the missionaries!! I get to meet him in person!! I cant wait!! So some big changes are happening in our mission soon! The first major one is Botswana is going to become its own mission in about three or four months!! Too bad I wont be able to serve there and if I do serve there it will be permanent!! So we will see if I do or not. So this last week we were able to see some of our Awesome Families! One of the Families names is (ready for this?) Mduduzi and his wife Busi and His parents Moses and Adelidi. They are all doing really well and are very interested in what we are teaching! Moses and Adelidi are the same age as Grandma and Grandpa Wright and Mduduzi and Busi are about the same age as Marty and Kara. Both Families are doing really well and are progressing very nicely! I look forward to seeing what happens with them. So recieved a letter recently and I found out that my friend Austin got his official mission call to Morristown, New Jersey!! He is the one that got his papers denied because of OCD. He is finally on a mission and is doing well!! Things are going really well right now!

 

Mom, That is Awesome that you have a scooter to roll around on!!! Somedays I wish I had a scooter to go around on! So that is Awesome that Alex's Birthday is coming up!! So i sent a package last thursday and It is at the South Africa International Post Office right now. It should arrive on time. In the package is a birthday present for Alex and a birthday present for Josh. Both are wrapped so they can open them for thier birthdays.There is also some candy for everyone to enjoy. I havent sent some in a while so I hope you all enjoy them! So that is crazy that Jacob Ames already is home!!! Time went by really fast!! That is crazy that Dillon is coming home soon as well!! I cant believe that I have been out for 8 months on my mission!! That is Crazy! I hope your foot will get better soon!! Have a wonderful week!!

 

Dad, That is Awesome that the fall colors are already coming out!! I always loved all the fall colors. I got to experience the fall colors here in South Africa clear back in April and March. It wasnt however as good as it is at home. So the house is smelling good because of the fresheners? I wish we had those here because our flat just stinks like crazy sometimes because of the outside air. It always stinks out side. Im not sure why but it is not good. So I sent a package home on Thursday last week so It should arrive soon. In the package is a birthday package for Alex and a birthday package for Josh. Both are wrapped seperately so you can all open the box for the candy I put in it for all of you. So when I sent the last package how did everything arrive there. As in did they all get there in good condition? I sent that wooden Africa thing and a painting. I hope they all arrived safely without being ruined. So the families that we are teaching are doing pretty good. They are starting to progress and I can definately tell that they are feeling the Spirit when we teach them. So far everything is good.I hope you have a great week!

 

Nate, That is Awesome that your papers are coming along so well!! That is crazy that you will be out even sooner than I thought! You could receive your mission call next month or December!!! CRAZY! SO you will have to keep me informed how the papers are coming! I look forward to hearing how they are going! So how is Cameron Wagner doing? Im sure he is doing his papers as well! I look forward to hearing how his papers are coming! Well I hope you enjoy school and OH... have you got Stacie Lyman's address yet for me?? Let me know when you get it and please tell her I said HI!!! Have a wonderful week!

 

Jake, I hope all is going well and I hope The Golders are doing well!! Tell them I say HI!! Have a great week and work hard in school!!

 

Josh, That is not good that you guys lost playing Alta. At least you gave it your all!! That is all that matters. So I hope everything is going well at home! Have a great week!!

 

Alex, That is Awesome that your birthday is coming up! I sent a package that has yours and Josh's Birthday present in it! I hope you enjoy!! Have fun at Airborne and have a wonderful week!!

 

I love you all very much and Have a wonderful week!!

- Elder Parks

Hello everyone!! This week has been really good! We started the week with a transfer meeting and I have a new companion! His name is Elder Epstein. He is from Mesa, Arizona and loves to play the guitar. He is a really cool and relaxed guy. He treats me really good and he is AWESOME! So this last week we went and taught one of the families that we have been teaching for a while. When we were teaching them I could tell that they knew that we were teaching the truth to them. They told us in the lesson that they know that this church is true. They told us that the church that they attend isnt true because it was started by a man and not by Jesus Christ. They are doing really well and I will have to keep you informed how they are doing. They are actually the same age as Grandpa and Grandma Wright. We are also teaching thier son and their daughter in law. So far it has been really good. So i hear that the missionary age went down!!!!!! That is crazy! I am so happy because I can now help everyone here get their papers going! How exciting it will be for them to serve a mission soon!

 

Mom, That is so crazy that Dillon Boiteux and Jacob Ames are already coming home from serving thier missions!! That is Awesome! Iook forward to hearing how they are doing and how they enjoyed their experiences. So that is Awesome that so many people will be able to serve a misson earlier now than they expected! That is so great! I look forward to hearing how many people get ready to serve their mission! Please keep my informed how everyone does with getting ready to serve their mission. So the Maddi you were talking about is it Maddi Aulia or Maddi nates girlfriend? Or is it Maddi Mondragon? So that is Awesome that me and Nate will be out the same time even sooner now! At least the time gap wont be as bad. So that is Awesome that Jacob chose to go to Priesthood session and then to Homecoming! Good for him! So the username to my facebook is: ColbyParks@msn.com and the password is: parksmonster18. Please have nate do it if possible because some of the people I was friends with have really gone south and I never had the chance to delete them from my facebook. It was becoming a real problem so I had to delete a TON of people until it was safe again. Im not sure if it is good or not right now so be careful. Go straight to my messages and see if you can get the addresses to Stacie Lyman and Shaley Argyle. Thank you so much!

 

Dad, That is crazy that the age to go on mission has gone down! I look forward to hearing how all the young men in the ward are doing and if they go on a mission or not! That is CRAZY that Nate could be gone in December!!! I havent even hit my one year mark and he will be out! That is Awesome! That is really good that he is so anxious to serve a mission! I look forward to hearing how his papers are going! So it sounds like Conference was good! I will be viewing it this weekend so I will be able to see it soon! I hope mom's foot gets better! thats not good that she tripped and fell and that happened to her foot! I hope all gets better! So have you heard from Missy and Kirk how Dakota is doing? I havent heard from them in a long time! I hope they all are doing well! I hope your week has been good and I hope you have a wonderful week!

 

Nate, YOU CAN OFFICIALLY GET YOUR PAPERS NOW!!!!!! THAT IS SO CRAZY!!! FUTURE ELDER PARKS WILL BE LEAVING SOON!!! That is so Awesome that they changed that age so you can now serve a mission! That is crazy that you can be leaving possibly in December! That is before my 1 year mark! That is so crazy! You will have to keep me informed how everything is going and how the papers are going. Also please keep me informed how the others from the Priest's Quorum are doing on thier papers. Hey i gave you all my facebook password and username will you please see if Stacie Lyman has sent any messages and if so will you respond to them and get her address for me? That would be great! Thank you so much!

 

Jake, So you went to The Priesthood session and the Homecoming dance huh? That is Awesome! Its good to hear that you enjoyed it so much! That is Awesome that you went to Kneaders for breakfast!!! That place is so good!!! I hope all is going well and have a wonderful week!

 

Josh, Thats not good that your team didnt do so good! That is not good at all that your couches are not treating you all very well at all! I hope that gets better soon! So your birthday is coming up in about 3 weeks! I am sending you and Alex a Birthday Present soon! I hope that you will enjoy what I am about to send soon. I hope you have a wonderful week and take care!

 

Alex, Your Birthday is coming up!!! I am sending you and Josh a Birthday Present soon! I hope you both will enjoy what is inside! I hope you have a wonderful week!

 

I love you all very much and have a wonderful week!

- Elder Parks

Hello Everyone!!

 

So this week has been pretty good! We have been able to see a lot of families and we are getting along really well! My companion has been really nice to me and everything is going well. So yesterday we had 8 investigtors attend church! A lot of people are getting more and more interested. Of those 8 investigators we had 2 families that attended. They both loved their exeperience and had a great time! They told us that they will be coming back! I hope that they keep thier promise! Other than that things have been pretty good so far.

 

Mom, Things have been better than they were before. My companion has been really nice to me for the most part. That is cool that Alex is off track now! Im sure that he is loving that! I cant believe that I have been out so long! Time goes by way too fast! I have already been in my new area for 3 months now! Crazy. I also cant believe that my birthday is next month! Time is going by way fast! That is Awesome that you all went to the dedication to the Brigham City Temple! That must have been a really cool experience. That is good that Josh is getting good grades! So I recieved a letter from Uncle Lloyd and Aunt Eva the other day! It was so great to hear from them. I cut my hair again the other day! I am starting to get the hang of it now. I hope all is going well at home and have a wonderful week!

 

Dad, Thats not good that those guys caused so much problems! I have ran into a lot of people like that here in South Africa. We dont really have any problems because they rather think we are pastors or goverment agents or the police. It is funny because everyone always asks us if we are police men. So far things have been getting better for the most part. We have been working hard and have been helping more and more people come unto Christ. I hope all is going well  at home and I hope Grandpa Parks is doing better. Have a wonderful week!

 

Nate, That is not good that Courtnee girl didnt show up to her shift! I hope all is going well for you at home! So have you heard from Stacie or Shaley (My Friends) yet? I am hoping they will send you their address soon so that I can send a letter to them! I hope all is going well for you and Maddi! So that is cool that Payton Manning is on the Broncos team now!! That will be really good for them! I sure the colts are not to happy about that. So I hope all is going well for you at home and have a wonderful week!

 

Jake, That is not good that Kim Golder isnt doing well! I will keep her in my prayers! That is awesome that you are going to be able to see the priesthood session of general conference! I wont be able to see it until a week after it happens. So I hope everything is going well at home and have  a wonderful week!

 

Josh, That is good that Football is going well! Thats not good that those teams are being poor sports! I hope that you will be able to enjoy playing the next teams. I hope all is going well with school! I hear that you are getting good grades! That is excellent! Keep up the good work! You are doing a great job! Have a wonderful week!

 

Alex, That is crazy that you lost a tooth! That is Awesome that your birthday is in 3 weeks! Time goes by way fast! I hope you have a wonderful week!

 

I love you all and have a wonderful week!

- Elder Parks

Hello Everyone!!

 

So this last week was a little slow for us. My companion has been pretty nice to me this week so I hope it is a start to him treating me better. So far we have been trying to find more and more people that will be interested in hearing the gospel. So we have two families that we contacted and they are very interested. One of them the Father's name is Norman. The other is Thomas. Both say that they are going to come to church next sunday. I hope we see them there! So it sounds like things at home are going pretty good. I hope everything is going well!!

 

Mom, This week has been better. I was able to get along with my companion better so luckily things have been better since last week. I am definately learning a life lesson though that is for sure. I am learning how to get along with companions no matter how hard or rude they are. So far things have been ok and are starting to get better.
So that is funny that that nurse from Pioneer was in Soweto! That would have been really funny if he would have stopped me in the street! We have so many people that stop us in the street so he would have caught me by suprise. So on my P-days I can definately wear a U of U shirt! We are allowed to wear what ever we want on P-days but on Proselyting days we have to be in a white shirt and tie. So that shirt that I gave you and Dad is the Orlando Pirates. I work in the area that the Pirates are from! The stadium is in my area. We go by it all the time. I hope that I got the sizes right for you and Dad because the way they do the sizes here is different than the way they do it in America. So that is AWESOME that Nate is starting to get his missionary stuff!! Thats exicting! That is also Awesome that Dad got the Lord of the Rings Trilogy for his birthday!! I look forward to watching that with him when I get home. You will have to let me know when you send the package so I can watch for it after you send it. Thank You Mom!

 

Dad, I hope that you had a great birthday!! I am glad that you like the Pirates T- Shirt!! So I am learning a big life lesson from my companion treating me to to great! I am learning how to get along with hard people and I am starting to learn how to cope with hard companions. I am starting to also learn how to get along with them even though they dont treat me very good. So that is Awesome that Nate is starting to get his missionary stuff!! Time is going to go by really fast for him!! I cant believe that I have been out for 7 months! Time goes by way to fast! Before you know it Nate is going to be out on his mission and I will be receiving emails from him! That is crazy to think about! So I will have to let you know how things go next monday. I hope to have a better week with my companion. So that is Awesome that you all went to go see that Brigham City Temple Dedication!! That would have been a cool experience to go and see!! I look forward to seing that temple when I get home! So I hope Grandpa Parks does better soon!!! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

 

Nate, That is Awesome that you got all those games on your computer!! I look forward to seeing those games again!! I hope that things are going well for you at home! That is crazy that you are already getting your missionary stuff!! Before you know it you are going to be telling me where you are going for your mission. That will be an exciting day! Just remember to stay worthy and active and you will be a wonderful missionary! I hope you have a wonderful week!

 

Jake, Tell Erica that I said Hi back! Tell here family I say Hi as well! That is Awesome that Bingham is doing so well in their games! Keep up the hard work! I hope that you all enjoyed what was in the package that I sent home! That is crazy that it is already mid- term! Work hard and you will do great in School!

 

Josh, That is not good that you got sick playing football!! So it sounds like you are playing hard in football! Keep it up and your team will look up to you and the whole team will do great! Keep working hard and have a great week!

 

Alex, That is not good that Josh almost got sick playing football! I want to hear how your play went and how the practices are going!

 

I love you all! Have a wonderful week!

 

- Elder Parks

Hello Everyone!!!

So this week has been ok. People are starting to take interest in what we are teaching and Investigators are starting to come to church. Things are getting better! The only thing that doesnt seem to be getting better is my companion's attitude towards me. He is really not very nice and likes to get after me a lot! It has been tough to adapt to that but so far I have been able to work things out a little bit. I think he acts the way he does because he is ready to leave the area and he knows that he is leaving in a couple of weeks. We will have to see how it goes. So this week we had a day called Park and Walk day. We had to park our car in the middle of our area and walk the entire day! It was an interesting day for the most part. So the familes that we are teaching are starting to receive a witness from the Holy Ghost that our message is true. They are starting to receive answers to their prayers. Speaking of prayers thank you all so much for your prayers! They are helping me a lot! I will keep you informed how everything goes!

Mom, That is Awesome that Utah won again!!!! That is great! That is funny that the fans did that and BYU had to replay the last play. So Dakota went in for surgery??? I hope all went well! You will have to keep me informed how everything goes! So how is everything going so far? Things here are a little hard right now but I am hanging in there. Like I said just barely, My companion has been giving me a lot of grief and trouble. I personally believe that is why our area was struggling a little bit for a while and that is because there was no true unity between us. Things are starting to get a little better for the most part though. So if you guys end up going to the Brigham city temple dedication you will have to let me know how it goes! The temple just opened back up here after being closed for maintainence. I look forward to going again now that it is opened back up. So for my birthday some yellow cake mix and some chocolate frosting would be great! Thank you so much mom!

Dad, I am glad to hear that you are doing well!! Are you excited for your birthday tomorrow???? Happy Birthday DAD!!!!!! I know that you all will enjoy what is in that package!! I hope that everything got there safe and sound. There are a couple of things in there that you all will enjoy and there is something in there that is for mom as well. But most importantly there is something in there for your and for your birthday. I hope you enjoy what is inside. So I hope that you can feel better and that you wont get that loss of breath that you were having a little while ago. So the temperature is getting hotter and hotter as the weeks go on. This is flood season so it has rained like CRAZY twice now in the last weeks time. It rained so hard that the storm drains here couldnt keep up so the streets flooded BIG TIME! It is in the 80's here in the day and the 50's at night. So far it hasnt been to bad. So everything here in the area that I am in now has been intersting. My companion hasnt been treating me very well but the work has been great. So its a half and half experience so far.

Nate, That is Hilarious that you said that to that kid!!! HAHAHA I dont think he will do that again. So how has school been so far? You are going to have to teach me some of the things you learn when you get back from your mission so that I can be on the same track as you! So how is maddie? I hear that you are hanging out with her a lot now. How is the car treating you so far? Im sure everything is going well for you so far. Things here have been interesting. I have been having an interesting experience so far here in my new area. Hey can you do me a favor? Can you log onto your face book and ask Stacie Lyman and Shaley Argyle for thier addresses? I would like to send a letter to them. Thank you so much!

Jake, That is Awesome that Utah did so well when playing BYU!! That is Awesome that BYU missed thier field goal!!! That is Awesome that you did so well playing Cottonwood!! Keep up the good work! Work hard in school and tell the Golders HI for me! Thank You and Take care!

Josh, I hope this week is good for you! That is crazy that you went into double overtime in your football game!! That means that you played hard! At least you all did your best! I hope this week is better for you!

Alex, Your birthday is coming up! I am getting ready to send you and Josh something home for your birhtdays. It wont be sent off till the first week of October. I hope that you have a great week!!

I love you all and have a wonderful week!!
- Elder Parks

Hello Everyone!!!

This last week was pretty good for us! We had a ton of lessons that we were able to teach all our investigators! People are starting to progress and are starting to be more and more interested! Thank you all for your prayers! They are helping me and my companion a ton!! So last Thursday was really crazy!! The power went out during the night so we had no electricity when we got up. We looked outside and saw that the roads were floaded because of how much rain came down!! We drove through a lake when we were driving to out area! The water was almost up to our door!! There was a lot of cars that stalled because the engine block was in the water. Luckily that didnt happen to our car! It was really crazy! We received Heavy rain all day long!! It was crazy!! So we have been working with the families that we are teaching and they are getting more and more interested as time goes on! They are all starting to receive answers to their prayers!! It is so great to see that they all are starting to progress!! They all are slowly starting to find the truth. So that is crazy that Dillon comes home a month!! Time goes by way fast!!

Dad, Sounds like things are going well at home! It also sounds like Jake and Josh are playing hard and their best at football. That is not good that Josh bruised his ribs!! That must have hurt! At least he didnt break them! That would have been even worse! So how is the new I-book so far?? That is probably really cool to have!! How is the Imac doing so far?? That is so cool that you gave a talk on the Why to the Priesthood!! I remember a really cool talk from President Ughdorf ( I have no idea how to spell his name). He talked about the Why of Prieshood service. He said that what informs and the Why transforms. He gave a wonderful talk about something similar to what you talked about. That is great that you were able to give a talk on that subject! Im sure it went really well!! I hope that you feel better soon and I hope that you have a wonderful week!

Mom, That is really good that you all received my pictures!! I have another package that will more than likely arrive today or tomorrow. In it is some cool things that you all will enjoy. There is a paper inside that gives the instructions of who and where everything goes. I guarantee that you all will love what is in there! So the Mulderigs hit their boat on the side at the gas station?? Thats not good!!! I hope that the insurance will cover that! Thats not good that everyone is having boat problems this year!! I hope that all goes well as the year comes to a close. That is really cool that you got an Ipad!! That will be fun to have!! So Grandpa has to have surgery next month? I hope all goes well so that his knee will feel better. I cant believe how fast the months are going by! It is so crazy! Time flies when you are working hard! I hope that you have a wonderful week!

Nate, That is Awesome that you are going to be an elder soon!! That has definately been a blessing for me so far! Being able to give blessings is a rewarding experience! So it sounds like College is going well!! If you work hard and study hard you will be able to get far in school! I hope everything is going well and I hope you have a wonderful week!!

Jake, That is great that football is going well!! So you are taking Chemistry?? Who do you have for your teacher?? I had Mrs. Brown. She was Awesome!! Work hard and study hard and you will enjoy that class! Things here in South Africa have been pretty good so far. The people here are really great people. So far everything is going well. I hope that you have a wonderful week!

Josh, That is good that School is starting to get better and better!! Thats not good that you bruised your ribs!!! I hope all goes well for football!! It is good to hear that you are ok. Breaking ribs would have hurt really bad! I hope that your week goes well and I hope you have a good week!

Alex, That is cool that your birthday is coming up next month!! I will have to send something home for you and Josh. I hope all goes well and have a great week!

I love you all and I hope you all have a great week!!

- Elder Parks

Hello everyone!!

This week has been ok. We are still having a hard time getting people to progress and we are having a hard time getting people to come to church. We went out and went knocking on doors. We were able to find 10 new investigators because of it. Out of those 10 we found 5 new families to teach! We are going to help them progress as best as we can. They are all interested so I hope that they will all listen to the spirit as it testifies of the truth to them. I have learned that going on a mission builds you up spiritually big time!! I am loving it out here. Sure times get rough occasionally but it is so rewarding! The amount of time I have been out here has been Great!! I am enjoying every minute of this!! I cant believe that I am coming up on my 7 month mark!! Time goes by way fast!! I have been in my new area for a month and a half already! Things here are great! So here is a cool little thing that happens to us when we go tracting or knocking on doors. When we are walking around the streets people always come up to us and ask us if we are lost! Ha ha it catches me off guard sometimes but it gives us a chance to share with them what we do. Another thing that people do is they yell "Molungu!" which means "white guys" in Zhulu. It is funny because everyone stares at us and they all yell it too and they usually ask us if we are lost. This is one of the ways that we meet people and share with them the gospel. So far it has been really good here!

So Mom, That is not good that Alta played so ruff!!! That is not good that Bingham didnt play so well either. At least they got to play on the University of Utah's Field! That must have been really cool for them to do that! That is crazy that school is already starting! Time goes by way too fast!! It is crazy because I am coming up on my 7 month mark! Things are getting better and better as the weeks go by. So sorry I have been using my goldenwest account a lot lately! I am preparing to send a package home to you guys because Dad's birthday is coming up! I am going to send some really cool stuff home so I hope they will reach you guys! That is cool that Jake gave a talk about how my mission is going so far!! Im sorry I havent been sending any cool stories home to you all lately! I will do my best to share more experiences so if any of you have to give a report on me you will have more information. That is Awesome that the Wright Family Reunion was last week!! It sounds like everyone is doing well!! Im sorry we werent able to get the word out to everyone about me leaving! We will have to invite everyone to my homecoming! Right now I am ok with everything so please tell your friend thank you so much for the help!

Dad, That is Awesome that President Monson said that about the new missionaries in the Salt Lake area!! I look forward to hearing about how that goes for the kingdom of God!! Im sure there will be Many blessed because of that! The work is moving forward and the Kingdom of God is getting bigger and bigger! I look forward to the day when almost all the countries have missionaries in them!! That will be really cool!! So your birthday is coming up! Sorry I have been pulling so much money out of my account!! I have been preparing to send a package home for your birthday! I am send something really cool in it!! I hope it will get there next week or so. I will individually wrap or package your gift so if you want you can open it on your birthday or you can open it right when you receive it. I hope all is going well with Grandpa Parks!! I have a name tag for him but I need their home address!! I am going to send it to our house instead so will you give it to Grandpa for me?? If you could do that for me that would be great!! That quote from Sister Ames is a really good quote!! I may post that on my wall in my apartment! I hope all is going well at home!!

Nate, That is not good that the people in Nate's apartment are crack heads!! I cant tell you how many people I have run into here that are doing the same thing! I know how you feel! That is Awesome that you have started college already!! I hope all will go well and I know that if you work hard and you study hard you will succeed and get far in your schooling!! Just remember that you are a future missionary so do your best!! I hope all goes well and I hope you have a wonderful week!!

Jake, That is Awesome that you got to play on The University of Utah's Field!!! I wish I was able to walk onto that field!! That is Awesome that you gave a talk on my mission so far!! Im sorry I havent revealed or have given you any cool experiences for that!! I will do my best to share more experiences!!! I hope all goes well and have a wonderful week!!

Josh, That is not good that you guys lost your game!!! That is really Awesome that you scored a 70 yard touchdown!!!! Congratulations on that! That is crazy that school is already starting!! I hope all goes well and work hard!

Alex, That is cool that you all went up to the reunion!! I hope that went well!! That is way cool that you are in the D.A.R.E program!! I remember when I did that! That was so fun! In fact I still have my dare shirt. I will have to show it to you when I get home in a year and a half. I hope you have a wonderful week!!

I hope all goes well at home and you all have a wonderful week!! I love you all!!!
- Elder Parks