I have been called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in the Lima, Peru North Mission.
Monday, August 22, 2016
August 20, 2016
Dear Family,
I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be able to write to you today. We have been doing our best to help that everything is set up for the conferences that we have had. Everything worked out well and we have finally have finished this week with seeing all the missionaries in the mission. I have heard 4 times President Godfreys training and each time I heard it I learned something new...he is truly a great President who loves his missionaries. Today, I and my companion received a call from President letting us know that my companion Elder Chinga has a change. He going to some other area and that I’m going to train a new assistant. I was shocked to hear that and was not expecting that at ALL. I will train a new assistant for 3 weeks and have to be able to let him know the many things he has to do. At first I was a little worried and scared but with Presidents comments on the things he’s felt from the Lord he has been able to receive inspiration from the Lord. He said "that I’m a very capable and trusted missionary from the Lord and that it wasn’t possible to do this change if wasn’t for being such a spiritual missionary and adapt so quickly to this new calling." These words have given peace in my heart to able to know that that Lord trusts that I will be able to this. I will be looking more closely for the Lord's guidance and I ask if you can all pray for me. My companion is called Elder Villagran and he is from Uruguay. I’ve never had a companion from Uruguay. He will be the companion that I will be finishing with.
Today, we have the Privilege of seeing one of our Investigators being baptized in the waters of repentance. The Brother that will be baptized is Brother Ronald. He is a young adult that all his family is members except him. He is a brother that has had problems with his heart and has had 3 surgeries that has almost led him to death. He is really looking for the Lord and wanting to obey what he says. One day we asked him why he wanted to be baptized and he said that he was grateful that the Lord permitted him to be alive still. While he said this tears came to his eyes and we felt with the spirit so strongly to know that he wanted to thank the Lord. I know that this is his sacred work and that he truly love us. I know that he has protected me all these years for this great work. I will always put God in first place and be patient with God's Promises. In 3 Nephi 11:14 "Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world." The Lord has truly been slained and I have felt a little, just a little of that pain he has felt. There has been hard times and frustrating times but I’m happy to say that during those times I have stood side by side with him defending the Truths of the Lord. I love him with all my heart and my only desire is to live with him once more. Just how Ether said "13 and when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you." We are redeemed from the fall when we return to the presence of the God and see him face to face. This is the desire I have in my heart and I truly want to live with him. I’m eternally grateful to have an eternal family.
Thanks for all your support and will keep in touch. Love you guys. Wish me luck
Elder Parra
I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be able to write to you today. We have been doing our best to help that everything is set up for the conferences that we have had. Everything worked out well and we have finally have finished this week with seeing all the missionaries in the mission. I have heard 4 times President Godfreys training and each time I heard it I learned something new...he is truly a great President who loves his missionaries. Today, I and my companion received a call from President letting us know that my companion Elder Chinga has a change. He going to some other area and that I’m going to train a new assistant. I was shocked to hear that and was not expecting that at ALL. I will train a new assistant for 3 weeks and have to be able to let him know the many things he has to do. At first I was a little worried and scared but with Presidents comments on the things he’s felt from the Lord he has been able to receive inspiration from the Lord. He said "that I’m a very capable and trusted missionary from the Lord and that it wasn’t possible to do this change if wasn’t for being such a spiritual missionary and adapt so quickly to this new calling." These words have given peace in my heart to able to know that that Lord trusts that I will be able to this. I will be looking more closely for the Lord's guidance and I ask if you can all pray for me. My companion is called Elder Villagran and he is from Uruguay. I’ve never had a companion from Uruguay. He will be the companion that I will be finishing with.
Today, we have the Privilege of seeing one of our Investigators being baptized in the waters of repentance. The Brother that will be baptized is Brother Ronald. He is a young adult that all his family is members except him. He is a brother that has had problems with his heart and has had 3 surgeries that has almost led him to death. He is really looking for the Lord and wanting to obey what he says. One day we asked him why he wanted to be baptized and he said that he was grateful that the Lord permitted him to be alive still. While he said this tears came to his eyes and we felt with the spirit so strongly to know that he wanted to thank the Lord. I know that this is his sacred work and that he truly love us. I know that he has protected me all these years for this great work. I will always put God in first place and be patient with God's Promises. In 3 Nephi 11:14 "Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world." The Lord has truly been slained and I have felt a little, just a little of that pain he has felt. There has been hard times and frustrating times but I’m happy to say that during those times I have stood side by side with him defending the Truths of the Lord. I love him with all my heart and my only desire is to live with him once more. Just how Ether said "13 and when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you." We are redeemed from the fall when we return to the presence of the God and see him face to face. This is the desire I have in my heart and I truly want to live with him. I’m eternally grateful to have an eternal family.
Thanks for all your support and will keep in touch. Love you guys. Wish me luck
Elder Parra
August 13, 2016
Dear Family,
I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be able to write to you guys. I would like to write about how revelation is constant and how this church is alive.
In Doctrine and Covenants 76
10 For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will—yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man.
President Godfrey is an inspired man called from God. He is receiving a lot of revelation from the Lord and helping the mission progress. He is putting the mission in order with preach my gospel. There are many things he desires to do and many ways he is thinking of doing so. I’m really impressed with the love he has for the missionaries and the meditation he has towards making a decision. I have had the opportunity to meet with President for these couple of weeks and he has asked us a lot of times WHY or with WHAT purpose do we do some things in the mission. Then he asks if it is in line with Preach My Gospel. We have had to meditate and think for a while on what to respond. We have analyzed a lot of the formats on verifying with numbers, with work visits, and with baptisms.
This has made see the other side of things. President Godfrey always explains the why or what is the reason for doing this or that. (Take a step back, think then act). I have seen that by doing inspired questions the spirit of the Lord comes more strongly to the other person to reflect upon their lives. Instead of telling them what to do, we inspire or direct them into doing what the Lord asks of them.
I’m grateful for my savior Jesus Christ and to continue with his work here in Peru. The Peruvian people are amazing and they are a nation which God loves. I can see that the Lord's mercy surrounds a lot of people here and that God keeps demonstrating his power or his arm through his missionaries. Just like Isaiah saw in a vision Missionary Work, President Godfrey is getting revelation on what the mission can become.
I will talk to you next week. Love you guys
Elder Parra
I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be able to write to you guys. I would like to write about how revelation is constant and how this church is alive.
In Doctrine and Covenants 76
10 For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will—yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man.
President Godfrey is an inspired man called from God. He is receiving a lot of revelation from the Lord and helping the mission progress. He is putting the mission in order with preach my gospel. There are many things he desires to do and many ways he is thinking of doing so. I’m really impressed with the love he has for the missionaries and the meditation he has towards making a decision. I have had the opportunity to meet with President for these couple of weeks and he has asked us a lot of times WHY or with WHAT purpose do we do some things in the mission. Then he asks if it is in line with Preach My Gospel. We have had to meditate and think for a while on what to respond. We have analyzed a lot of the formats on verifying with numbers, with work visits, and with baptisms.
This has made see the other side of things. President Godfrey always explains the why or what is the reason for doing this or that. (Take a step back, think then act). I have seen that by doing inspired questions the spirit of the Lord comes more strongly to the other person to reflect upon their lives. Instead of telling them what to do, we inspire or direct them into doing what the Lord asks of them.
I’m grateful for my savior Jesus Christ and to continue with his work here in Peru. The Peruvian people are amazing and they are a nation which God loves. I can see that the Lord's mercy surrounds a lot of people here and that God keeps demonstrating his power or his arm through his missionaries. Just like Isaiah saw in a vision Missionary Work, President Godfrey is getting revelation on what the mission can become.
I will talk to you next week. Love you guys
Elder Parra
Saturday, August 6, 2016
August 6, 2016
Dear Family,
This week was my first week having the opportunity to work so close to President Godfrey. We had a lot of things to do and we were really busy. Some days we didn't sleep very much but its all part of Gods work. My companion in the offices is Elder Chinga and he's from Ecuador Manta. He is a really awesome missionary and I love being around him. Before we were companions with him were in the same ward when I had 6 months in the mission. We got along really well and he worked really hard. Now that we are companions we are really happy to be able to work together. President Godfrey is truly a man called from God. He is really in tune with the spirit and he guides himself by the inspiration that the Lord gives him. Both mission presidents have taught me a lot and I appreciate the opportunity to feel the spirit that they bring.
This week we had the new missionaries that were coming into the Peru Lima North Mission and we had to give some training for them. It was really amazing to be able to do so and also to know how to administrate the mission with more effectiveness. This week was a little weird because we went to the airport to drop off the missionaries that were heading home. There, I saw Elder Reschke, one of my best companions, with tears in his eyes that his time was up. This made me think about how can change us and the to the best of my ability. I'm grateful to be able to serve more people and to make Presidents work easier for him and his family. Sister Godfrey is truly one of the nicest persons I have ever met and she is truly an example of how a wife can influence a lot on a husband.
We have been also working hard in our area and we are planning to have a baptism at the end of this month. This brother that will be baptised has had a lot of problems with his health but the Lord has prepared him for this time. His name is Ronald and he is a great young adult with a lot of his future ahead of him. I would ask as a favor if you can pray for him and can ask the Lord for his spirit to descend upon him to tell him the truth of his restored gospel. The time flies by really fast and I'm excited about the opportunities I will have in the future. I feel strong in the spirit and my faith has been tested several times. I ask the Lord for strength and courage to know what the Lord wants from me. For this week I have asked myself why has the Lord called me, little by little I'm noticing why He has.
I give thanks every night for the opportunities he has given me throughout my whole mission to serve others and as the end approaches, I feel more at peace that I have done everything I can to repay my Savior Jesus Christ and his atonement. It's just a small part for all the blessings he has given me and for the blessings he will give me in the future, I know that Jesus is the Christ and that his tomb is empty. I know he lives and that he calls us to follow him. Just as he said when he was here on earth:
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and mine knows me.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father:and I lay down my life for the sheep.
We must know who Jesus Christ is and what he did for us so we can live with our heavenly Father again. Once a prophet said that we must be exactly like Christ to be able to live with the Father again. I know that if we work our whole lives in doing God's will he will truly make us perfect like unto his Son, his Beloved Son Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for the privilege to represent him at this time and to stand shoulder to shoulder when there are hard times. These have been the happiest moments in my life and I give thanks to the Lord. I'm eternally in debt with him and his great plan.
I love you guys and will talk to you soon.
Elder Parra
This week was my first week having the opportunity to work so close to President Godfrey. We had a lot of things to do and we were really busy. Some days we didn't sleep very much but its all part of Gods work. My companion in the offices is Elder Chinga and he's from Ecuador Manta. He is a really awesome missionary and I love being around him. Before we were companions with him were in the same ward when I had 6 months in the mission. We got along really well and he worked really hard. Now that we are companions we are really happy to be able to work together. President Godfrey is truly a man called from God. He is really in tune with the spirit and he guides himself by the inspiration that the Lord gives him. Both mission presidents have taught me a lot and I appreciate the opportunity to feel the spirit that they bring.
This week we had the new missionaries that were coming into the Peru Lima North Mission and we had to give some training for them. It was really amazing to be able to do so and also to know how to administrate the mission with more effectiveness. This week was a little weird because we went to the airport to drop off the missionaries that were heading home. There, I saw Elder Reschke, one of my best companions, with tears in his eyes that his time was up. This made me think about how can change us and the to the best of my ability. I'm grateful to be able to serve more people and to make Presidents work easier for him and his family. Sister Godfrey is truly one of the nicest persons I have ever met and she is truly an example of how a wife can influence a lot on a husband.
We have been also working hard in our area and we are planning to have a baptism at the end of this month. This brother that will be baptised has had a lot of problems with his health but the Lord has prepared him for this time. His name is Ronald and he is a great young adult with a lot of his future ahead of him. I would ask as a favor if you can pray for him and can ask the Lord for his spirit to descend upon him to tell him the truth of his restored gospel. The time flies by really fast and I'm excited about the opportunities I will have in the future. I feel strong in the spirit and my faith has been tested several times. I ask the Lord for strength and courage to know what the Lord wants from me. For this week I have asked myself why has the Lord called me, little by little I'm noticing why He has.
I give thanks every night for the opportunities he has given me throughout my whole mission to serve others and as the end approaches, I feel more at peace that I have done everything I can to repay my Savior Jesus Christ and his atonement. It's just a small part for all the blessings he has given me and for the blessings he will give me in the future, I know that Jesus is the Christ and that his tomb is empty. I know he lives and that he calls us to follow him. Just as he said when he was here on earth:
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and mine knows me.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father:and I lay down my life for the sheep.
We must know who Jesus Christ is and what he did for us so we can live with our heavenly Father again. Once a prophet said that we must be exactly like Christ to be able to live with the Father again. I know that if we work our whole lives in doing God's will he will truly make us perfect like unto his Son, his Beloved Son Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for the privilege to represent him at this time and to stand shoulder to shoulder when there are hard times. These have been the happiest moments in my life and I give thanks to the Lord. I'm eternally in debt with him and his great plan.
I love you guys and will talk to you soon.
Elder Parra
Friday, August 5, 2016
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