Transferred to New Area

This is my Letter to the President:

"This week was good.  We haven´t had a lot of success in the numbers, because we´re working a lot with 'permaneced' trying to find the lost sheep, and meet the active members, too. But, we´re doing great as a companionship.  And, we´ve had the opportunity to serve by helping to prepare our living quarters.  I love the challenge of trying to help the ward lift itself out of complaining and complacency to actually have bonding, the spirit, and drive to better themselves.  I´ve been reading several talks recently and realized that a lot of my testimony is built on the fact that we have modern day prophets who give us guidance.  I love the apostles and the prophet."

Sorry for doubling up on letters by including my letter I send to the President, but it means I have to type less. :)

This week was good. Yes, I have changed areas and companions. :)  Elder Sanchez is from Honduras.  He´s the oldest of 3 boys.  His dad and mom are both converts and his dad went on a mission.  He´s great, and really likes to enjoy his mission. Our house is even worse this time because 6 of us are living together. But we´re working on our new one in the ward.

One thing I think I took for granted a lot before the misison was how powerful and important it is to say that we follow a living prophet.  I have two challenges this week. 
First: Listen to or read this speach by Hugh B. Brown:

http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=114
http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=8853

Second, read one of the talks from this last General Conference

I bear testimony that you´ll feel the Spirit testifying both of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and of those that lead the Church today. I know it is true, and I love to be able to testify to investigators that I am called of a prophet of God to be a reprensentative of Him.

Mucho Amor
Elder Parry Harrison

Presidents Day Update

Hello,

Answers to questions:

Now that I have a grasp of the language, figuring out what I need to say and then teaching the best possible way are my challenges.  The best thing has been the fortifying of my testimony, and the change in culture and lifestyle.

This week has been at the same time great and difficult.  I like having Elder Sanchez as a companion.  He´s spiritual, real, and has a real love for the people.  It's been difficult because there were no investigators when we opened the sector.  And, we took a while to get our bearings and to meet the members.  But now we´re ready and focused on making things happen.  We´re going to be working a lot with "permaneced" because there are a lot of less actives. And working on getting all the recent converts back to Church.
It's been a little difficult to live 20 minutes out of our area, but it´ll be nice when we move into our new house.

I love being a missionary!

We did some service in a giant old house that they´re renovating a part of, to be our new home since we live in apartments outside our area with 4 other missionaries right now.

I´ve got a headache right now, so I´m going to have to cut this short.

Scripture of the week:  3 Nephi 19:29 "We glorify Christ just as he glorifies the Father."

Song of the Week:  "He Gives Flowers to Everyone" by Cherie Call

Lots of love

And the personal witness of the truthfulness of the gospel!

Elder Parry Harrison

February Updates

February 6, 2012

Hello, I hope all is going well

Answers to questions:

“Contacts”: It means talking to someone on the street or in their doorways, and asking to talk to them right then, or later. We don´t return to talk to them too much after the first visit because of two reasons:  First, they´re never home after that, or, second, they just don´t want to listen.  I´d say after the first lesson we continue teaching around 50%.  We haven´t been kicked out of someone´s house because they just wouldn´t let us in in the first place.  But a couple of people have said they´d like us to stop visiting them.

Our house: We do not have cockroaches! And the house is relatively clean.

The Ward: Church is pretty much the same, but with fewer people in the ward attending (about 100).  Testimony meeting is great because there are never awkward pauses and the testimonies are really simple and powerful.

The language:  I feel great about Spanish now.  I can communicate with almost anyone and while I don´t know all the words they use, I get along. I never really had culture shock, so I guess I´m past it :)

Spiritual Experiences: A piece of personal revelation came yesterday during Sacrament meeting - 11 people bore witnesses of the Gold Plates and the Book of Mormon, 1,000´s gave their lives in testimony to the truthfulness of the Book, and 1,000,000´s bear witness that the Book is the word of God every month.  What other singular thing has had so clear a testimony of its “verasidad”? It Must Be True! 

I´m finding immense joy in sharing the Gospel. Me and my companion are laughing a lot during the day.  And have many inside jokes.  Also, we were teaching a Seventh Day Adventist family for a little while. Testifying of the Book of Mormon to those who already think they´ve got a prophet (and are a little crazy) grew my testimony immensely.

I loved Elder Callister´s talk from Conference and challenge you to read it. I love those talks, and just finished reading the Ensign for the 2.5 time. Now, I´m reading past Conference issues left in the house.

Lots of love

From the other side of the world

Su missionero

Elder Parry Harrison

February 13, 2012

I´m so sorry but I´ve just spent 15 minutes getting great talks from lds.org to give to investigators and members. So I don´t have a lot of time to write.  But it’s sufficient to say that I´m changing companions, and I´ve learned a lot from Elder Dearden.  One day for service we carried around brooms offering to serve people. Just one example of service we´ve done here... I´ll tell more stories next week.

This is my letter to the President this week:

I´ve learned a lot from Elder Dearden.  Patience, Endurance, Faith, and Diligence.  I´m a little scared for this transfer. But, I have faith that the elders replacing us in our sector will be able to take care of those that are preparing for baptism.  I´ve never felt the Spirit more strongly in my life. I´ve never bore more pure of a testimony.  I´ve never felt more pure charity towards people that are almost strangers.  I am now a missionary. Trained for 19 years for this mission.  Special training from one of the best for the last 3 months.  And I´m ready to change the lives of those I serve, and mine in the process.

Lots of love and testimony

Elder Parry Harrison