Weekly Update

Family and Friends,

Here are more answers to questions:

In response to the claim that "Restoration Churches" have authority without talking about the priesthood, I give my answer.  The authority to direct the church is tied to the priesthood and should be received as Aaron received it - with anointing.  Also, these churches don´t have 500+ pages of scripture to prove that they´ve received authority from God. In truth, it all comes back to the Book of Mormon.

Where I am:  I´m now serving in a barrio called "Conchalí 14."  It's to the northeast of where I was before.  My companion is great. While he´s been a member his whole life, you can tell that he´s been strengthened with the stories of the conversion of his own parents.  This week we´ve found 11 new investigators and are going to be working getting them to accept a date for baptism.

I´ve realized in my interaction with various missionaries up to this point in my mission that the key to a good companionship (and, really, any relationship in life) is communication.  And those that are poor communicators struggle because they or the companion don´t understand the feelings and problems that exist.

We´ve been working on a house to live in (that I´ve mentioned before) but unfortunately because of a disagreement between the Dad (owner) and the member and sister in the ward we can´t live there now.  It's a shame, but really sad for the sister because of the lies and selfishness that permeates her familys´ hearts.  But, we´re going to just have to deal with the 6 of us in the tiny apartment for now. :)

Remember to always base your testimony on the pillars of truth: the Book of Mormon, the Restoration of the Power and Authority of God, and the ability to receive Personal Revelation from a loving Father in Heaven. 

To close, I´d like to express my preoccupation with those in my family and my friends' families who have lost the truth and the light of understanding.  I pray that my efforts here have an effect on their testimonies, and that when I return I can help them see what they are missing without the Gospel in their lives.  There is a great talk on this theme by President Hinckley called "Reach with a Rescuing Hand."

'Til next week

Con Amor

Elder Parry Harrison

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

Weekly Update from Sunny Santiago

First answers to questions:

I´ve been able to use my priesthood. We´ve given 5 blessings for health and 1 for comfort.

The ward is good, but the church in general is kind of weak in many areas because it's really like it's new here. We just had 3 missionaries come home to the ward, and the potential for 4 in the next 2 years. The ward mission leader is a returned missionary but has to work a ton, so can´t do alot. And honestly, many people in the missionary work callings in the ward don´t understand their callings so that's difficult.

We get to attend the temple 3 times in the mission. Once a year, and at the end of the mission.

I´m not just eating cold cereal, and if you know me, you know that that is rediculous to say :) No, I´ve made curry twice, pancakes or crepes every other morning, sometimes french toast, and various other things for meals including hamburgers, tortellini, and spaghetti.

Church meetings are like at home, with Sacrament first. Testimony meetings are amazing, and things run pretty smoothly, though we don´t have a first counselor in the Bishopric.

The house is good, small and it gets cluttered quickly because there´s four of us, but I´m surviving :)

My Spanish is good. I´m able to express almost all my feelings, and can understand almost everyone. In truth, I´ve been given the gift of tongues.

Mission Facts:

In the last 10 weeks me and my companion have contacted (in the street or in the doorways) over 1,500 people.

I´m already past a sixth of my mission - it's going way too quick :/

Scripture I liked a lot this week:

Alma 43:45 "What are we fighting for in our lives?"

Experiences:

One fun thing we did last week was going to the "Feria" or a street vending place and trying to talk to people with a table and everything. We got a lot of contacts for other areas and it was fun to do something other than "tocando puertas".

We´re teaching many people and there are at least 3 that have a lot of potential. Next week I´ll talk more about them, and the other good things that have happened recently.

Teaser for next week, a recent convert chastising a rude evangelical....

Thanks for the love and support. I´m thinking of you, but extremely focused in the work.

Mucho Amor

Su Missionero

Elder Harrison

Latest from Chile

Elder Harrison's latest:

This week will be mostly responses to questions:
-I didn´t change in this last transfer, but either me but more likely my companion will leave in 3 weeks. If he leaves I´ll have to show the new ZL the area which will be interesting :)
-From my current companion I´ve learned to have faith in the Lord´s power over this work, and not get down in difficult moments.
-I´m talking to many many people in the street and at their doors. In fact we´ve done 231 contacts this past week, which is by far the lead in the Zone. I enjoy the challenge. :) And of course the opportunity to find new people...
-A lot of my spiritual revelation is really only applicable to our investigators and what we´re going to teach them, and what they need right now. But I´ll be sure to advise you when I know what the book of Revelation means. ;)
-The food is fatty, European, and usually quite good. But the portions are outrageous. And while I feel terrible asking for smaller portions, as you know, I explode if I try to eat too much.

-The house is small, but sufficient.

-And the weather right now is very comfortable with wind and sun.
-The portion of people that continue with the lessons after first contact is very small because it's very difficult to encounter them in the house after. And even if we do, they´re really not ready. The two young boys aren´t progressing to their baptisms, but we´ve got to others - Marta and Jorge that are both going to church every Sunday.

Sorry I ran out of time today, but I´ll respond to more questions next week, and give more stories.

Con Amor
Elder Harrison

January Updates

Here are the last two weekly e-mails we have received from Elder Parry Harrison:

January 9, 2012

This week went really quickly. Apparently you all want to hear more about my investigators and such. :) I haven´t written much because we don´t have anyone that is really full-on investigating the church. Some are passively listening to the lessons, but at this point no one is really full-on involved in changing their life.

Yesterday, we taught a young couple from Peru named Angela and Alexander and their two kids Angie, 9, and Kevin, 3. I have a lot of hope that they´ll be good. It’s hard though because during this time of year practically everyone leaves for vacations for a month or more and it´s hard to get back in contact with them. This couple is going to visit their family at the end of this month to March, so there is a good chance they´ll have to be baptized in Peru. It’s going to be interesting. :)

We´re also teaching Kevin (the “joven” that’s 16). It’s hard because his dad is opposed to his baptism, and even though he lives with his mom, he respects his dad´s opinion and really hasn´t gained too strong of a testimony of the Gospel yet. But we´re working with him and hope the Spirit will touch his father.

We are working a lot and are the examples for the rest of the Zone with the # of lessons we teach and how many people we´re contacting (247 people this week). It´s hard to see the “desanimo” of the other companionships but we´re trying to help them there.

A drunk came into the Church this week and pulled out a knife on the Young Men´s President. But nothing horrible happened and the situation was taken care of. I love you a lot. And hope you’re doing well.

Su Missionero

Parry

January 16, 2012

First, here is a list of great scriptures I´ve recently found in personal study: Alma 5:6 with a statement of the previous mission president: "our faith is proportional to our remembrance". I also really like Alma 3:23, and Mosiah 10:12-17, thinking about if we choose to feel wronged and how we affect others with our bad example.

We´ve been having difficulties with Kevin reading, praying, and going to Church. And were about to say good bye, but then he said he´d received an answer that the Church was true! We recommitted him to read and pray every day and go to Church this Sunday and gave him a new baptism date for the 29th. Also, we´re teaching a golden investigator named Marta whose father is an inactive member. We can only teach her on Sunday because she works late all the other days. But she´s already gone to Church twice and is already loving everything.

I´ve gained a real testimony of the power of going to Church and paying attention while out here. I know that we can always learn something new, and “edificar” our testimony by sharing it. Also, I challenge you to read at least 15 minutes in the Book of Mormon every day. I´ve seen it change my life and view of the Gospel and the lives of so many investigators. And I know your faith and testimony will grow.

This week we heard a sound in our roof, and couldn´t make it stop. When we finally opened up the ceiling we found a tiny newly born kitten. We put it outside and the mom came and got it. It was really cute.

Much Love

Parry