High June

Hey :)
Me and my companion have had an ongoing joke/discussion about whether there are 5 or 7 continents.  Thoughts?

Last testimony meeting was wonderful, in which a recent convert named Hugo a large man giving a powerful testimony. He got baptized in November and quit drinking and smoking 50 cigarettes a day to do so.  He is now our "leader missional", a wonderful man who is truly converted. We also had one of the young women converts from a family of 5 women/girls that got baptized in February. The 20-year-old got up and bore a powerful testimony of the need to stand up for what you believe and thanked the branch and the misisonaries for their support and help.  A funny end was when the "partner" of a member sister (they've been together 12 years but he can't be baptized until he gets divorced) started clapping at the end of the testimony!  A couple of others joined in.  He`s attended before, but it's just his personality. And me and Elder Garza have had quite a few laughs over it :) 

This last week I finished listening to a set of recordings of my Bestamor and Bestafar done by a family friend and an aunt.  They were great in two ways.  My my Grandma died almost exactly 2 years ago and I found a lot of inspiration in reflecting back on their legacy. I also recently read through quite few stories of my ancestors from Norway, which were very touching. It made me commit to doing the same with my mother and father and surviving grandparents when I get home.

Thought:  We finally found out where Carlos and Jaqueline moved to so we`ve begun teaching them but there`s very little hope of them getting baptized soon (even though they really want to) because of the need to get married first (problems with the "chanta" system of marriages here.  The soonest would be September.

Spiritual story: Two sister missionaries were on their way home after a day of work.  They had to go down a dark and dangerous street.  It was unavoidable so they said a prayer and continued praying throughout the way.  It happens that someone was murdered at that exact location that night.  In an interview with the killer on why he didn`t attack the sisters he said that he saw 4 men dressed in white walking behind the sisters. The Lord`s protection is real.  And this Gospel and power is very real and almost tangible. 

Revelations: We`re just reminding people of what revelations are. Purification and santification of through the baptizm of fire is distinct from the Gift of the Spirit, though related.

From Hugh B. Brown: "Men do not believe in God because they have proved Him, rather they try endlessly to prove Him because they can`t help believing in Him. The importance of the restoration of the church is not that the organization is the same (because it really isn`t exactly).  It is that God is speaking to Men in the earth again."

From Harold B. Lee:  "If a father[or mother]`s love for [their] son is strong, and from their infancy he has taken them into his arms and let them feel the warmth of his affection, I believe that such comradeship will ripen with maturity and keep them near when a crisis in a boy`s life requires the steadying hand of a father who understands."

Mucho Cariño
Elder Parry Harrison

May News from Chile

From May 21:

Hola,
I`m sorry but this week is going to be brief.  I`d love to talk about the misison a ton but I`m going to mention a little no mas.

This week was a success as we were finally able to work full throttle.  We had a total of 29 lessons with 11 new people found and 4 with bapt. date.  One success story was a particularly powerful manifestation to me of the direction of the Lord in this work was with a couple named Carlos and Jaquiline.  We were going through our list of supposed members visting their houses to see if they still lived there.  We go to their house and ask if their sister still lived there.  They tell us no, but then relate how they listened to the missionaries 4 months ago, but didn`t get baptized because they weren`t married and were not in a finacial position to do so.  They welcomed us into their home and told us how they had been praying for a way to come back to the church.  And they were going to ask their neighbor (the relief society president)  when the church times were.  After teaching them about the restoration they accepted dates for the 17th (following their successful marriage).  They expressed that we were an answer to what they`d been missing.

I love the Savior.  This work is very hard.  And its easy at times to feel helpless, but I have faith that the Lord with carry me through this.

Con Amor
Elder Parry Harrison

From May 28:

Hey :)

Two things noteworthy.  I`m not sure if I mentioned but I gave a talk in church about consecration 4 weeks ago and last Sunday gave it again in this branch.  I thought it went quite well.  Also, yesterday I gave the Sacrament Prayer for the first time in Spanish.  As to what I do on P-day:  Now we`re too tired and too far to do much other than go to the internet cafe to do email, buy are weekly food, make lunch and sleep :)  This week we had to paint the whole house inside which took awhile to do, and drained our energy too.

I`m terribly sorry but my companion's ready to leave so I`m going to have to leave it short this week.  But know that while there are dissapointments in this work (like Patricia not being there when Elder Sanchez goes to visit her now) or those of weak testimony who fall into paths of things like "energy" that the Lord still directs this work.  And He is happy if the one soul I save is my own.

Mucho Amor
Parry

Changes in May

Hey :)

Well it's official, I`ve been changed.  Saturday at 12:40 in the night the District Leader called and told us our cambios.  Although the 4 of us in the house were already ready to leave because of the difficulty of the sector, I WON! :)  But really, I`m quite sad to leave both the ward and the other elders.  Also, we were finally able to encounter Patricia and I think she has real potential to get baptized.  It's sad but I`m optimistic about this sector.  I`m with a Mexican named Elder Garza who came with Elder Sanchez and has a year in the mission.  He seems very good but you can never tell in the beginning. ;)  I`m in slightly more campo, and it's the first time in my mission when I`m only with my companion instead of with others in the house.  I`m sorry but I`m going to write much more next week...

This talk made me cry:  It`s about mothers and their divine work.  Very fitting for this week.  I would like to publicly thank my Mother for the wonderful job she`s done to teach me, guide me, and encourage me.  I would also like to include Madre, in my thanks for putting up with me and my bullheaded-ness.  

Remember that while God gave his power as the priesthood to Man, He gave His divine power to create life to Mothers, and has enough trust in them to let them raise his children while in this mortal exhistence.

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1997/04/because-she-is-a-mother?lang=eng&query=*+(name%3a%22Jeffrey+R.+Holland%22)

Con Amor

Elder Parry Harrison

Massive Update

We haven't updated this blog for a whole month. The last post was Elder Harrison in the hospital for his minor surgery. He has since fully recovered and is back to work with a vengeance. We are posting his last four e-mails, beginning with the most recent, sent this morning:

April 23, 2012

 

Hello,

This week has been good.  We haven´t seen the success of weeks past but we´ve been able to teach several people.  We´re working now on cleaning the Ward lists . . . and in the process we´re trying to help reactive the lost sheep.  We´ve already found 3 new people in a family to teach in this manner.  We´ve also taken what we learned in our Zone Conference this last Wednesday and tried to apply it in the sector.  The President and the Assistants talked about a new mission-wide focus on members, “menos actives,” and reactivation. It consists of helping members to think of people that could be valuable references, reactivation, and teaching the part member families.  I´m very glad to have this focus as it has been an issue that has impacted me since I first started the mission. 

I´ve been reflecting on what I´ve learned from my companion, Elder Sanchez - a strong testimony and willingness to teach, but with an ability to wholeheartedly laugh.  As the mission is one of the more difficult things that one can do in life, it is extremely important to be able to laugh to diffuse the stress and anxiety. 

A revelation from this week: The primary reason that there are inactive, unfaithful, or empathetic people in Chile, or in any part of the world, is because they do not listen to the Prophets.  Just as in times of old when those who didn´t listen strayed, it is the same in modern times.  If you´re not listening, treasuring, and applying the word of the Lord´s oracles on earth, you are not listening to the Lord.  And you will stray.  A challenge that I´ve given myself now and to continue into after the mission is to listen to or read the modern word of the Servants of the Lord every day.  And I extend the same challenge to you.

With love, and testimony

Elder Parry Harrison

April 16, 2012

I think my letter to the president sums up this week well:

President,

This week has been wonderful.  With the ability and energy to work with full dedication and faith we´ve finally seen our efforts turn to fruit.  We´ve encountered people to teach and have followed through. It has required a huge change in outlook and great faith in the Lord, but now we are reaping blessings.

One thought that came to me as we worked with Assistant Nielsen this week: I´ve heard that in the past the Mission President at times went out and worked with the missionaries to gain perspective on the work and to animate them about the work.  I think that would be a wonderful teaching opportunity if you feel so impressed to do it.

Those are my thoughts for this week.  Thanks for the work and direction you give us.

Elder Harrison

Other thoughts to my family:

We´re teaching the family Zuñiga off and on [an inactive family], and they go through the challenges and temptations of an investigator.  We´re working on helping them have the faith to plan a marriage date.  Also we have a 30-year-old recently married “investigadora” named Elizabeth with a date to be baptized on May 6.  It´ll be challenging because she´s been smoking since she was 14, but we´ll be working with her a lot. 

Wednesday we had a day of pure success with one unplanned lesson after another.  And in the end we had 1 with a member present, 4 others, 3 new people found, and 20 people contacted.  It was also my first rain in Chile!  :)

Friday we got to teach a new woman named Patricía.  She has epilepsy and because of this has lost custody of her 12-year-old son.  It was really hard to see her suffering but I could bear my testimony to her of the help that the gospel and the Savior could give her helped her.

Quotes from conference that touched me:

“We can be active in the church but inactive in the gospel . . . The point of the church is to help us live the gospel.” – Elder Hallstrom

 “A religion that doesn´t require complete sacrifice doesn´t have the power to sufficiently change us and save us.” – Elder Oaks

 

“Make personal sacrifices is, as in times of old, when we go to the temple . . . Present action will prepare them, or prevent them from future service opportunities . . . Of all sad words of tongue and pen the saddest of these are, ‘it might have been.’ “ – Elder Hales

“No you can´t come to me now, but I can come to you.” – Elder Baxter

 “When you are in the devil´s territory you lose the ability to reason because you have lost the light of the Spirit of God.” – Elder Soares

Lots of love

Elder Parry Harrison

April 10, 2012

Hello,

I´m sorry, but they changed our P-day to today because we got to go to the temple. It is beautiful inside and the session was a very spiritual experience for me.  I really appreciated the opportunity to go after 6 months away.  The other elders also found a puppy shivering in the street.  They were luckily able to find a home for it with one of the members of the ward.  We also had a pizza party at a place called “Pizza Pizza.” While it’s not amazing, it’s not half bad pizza. 

This week I want to bear testimony of the power of a revelation journal.  Elder Scott talked about it in a Conference and in the MTC. And ever since I´ve started writing down my spiritual and thought illuminating moments, I have begun to receive more and then been able to reflect back on them.  I challenge you to use your phone or a little booklet to write them down, because the key is always having it with you so that when the Spirit strikes you´re ready.

My letter to the Mission President this week:

President,

It’s been a much better week.  Elder Sanchez and I have finally been able to work.  We haven`t had a lot of success with the people but with our willingness and dedication to work we`ve improved a lot.  Our hope is to turn our efforts into people and progression in the ward this week.

Couple of thoughts:  Whitewashing a sector kills investigators.  When I left San Pablo we had at least 12 people with real potential or dates.  Not one has gotten baptized, not because we didn`t prepare them or fill out their paper work. It is because when both missionaries change the progression halts.  And it is very difficult to recover. 

Also, I want to put in my strong support for Latino/Gringo companionships.  I think it improves language skills exponentially and helps with teaching, communication, and culture appreciation. 

Well those are my thoughts for this week.  Thanks for all you do.

With love, and prayers on your behalf every night

Elder Parry Harrison

April 2, 2012

Hello,

Couple of thoughts: A couple of weeks ago I finished the entire missionary library and the Book of Mormon.  Now I`m rereading “Our Search for Happiness” and starting the Bible.  I love reading again, and learning so much about the Gospel.  Last Tuesday was a little crazy.  There was a huge fire at a plastic factory in a nearby neighborhood and for some reason it cut out the electricity.  The smoke was like when you throw a piece of plastic in a fire but on a bomb looking-like scale.  But all was well.  And the light came on in the night. 

We got to watch most of the sessions of General Conference in English because one of the stake secretaries brought his laptop and we watched online.  The Internet was a little slow so it was jittery at times but it was wonderful to hear the actual voices of the servants of the Lord.  My breakdown of Conference: families, priesthood authority, and reactivation.

While I had the intentions to begin this week working diligently and with full dedication, because of my surgery and the doctor`s orders we`ve had to take it easy.  But, the doctor said that I can begin normal work today and they`ll take out the stitches tomorrow, so I look forward to the work and results that me and Elder Sanchez will be able to do in the sector.  I loved Conference and received great strength and spiritual rejuvenation from the messages.  I love my mission and try to let that love I feel towards the mission and by nature the Savior, reflect in my interactions with my companion and those I`m here to teach.

In conclusion, it’s been a bad week with regards with my ability to work. (Not to mention that no one listened to the talk in Conference about writing real letters to your missionary!)  :)  But I`ve gained even more dedication and appreciation to this work and the comfort in my knowledge of the Truth of this gospel.

Con Amor

Elder Parry Harrison

March 27, 2012

Hello,

I hope you are all doing well, and are feeling the love of the Lord every day.  Also, that you are looking forward to General Conference.

Answers to questions: 1. Dogs are very commonplace, but the attacks aren´t that common.  2. Laundry is usually done by the members for no charge, although frequently we give them detergent to cover their cost. 3. For P-day we have to get permission to leave the Zone (which is relatively small). Within the zone we do things like go to the mall to buy our food for the week at Lider (Walmart), go to a cyber to use Internet, and then stay at the house.  At times we´ve left the zone to go downtown to the Plaza de Armas, to the museum of the Communist regime of Pinochet, to a large shopping district called “Patronata”, to the AMM (Distribution Center), or like the trip we´re planning to take this week to a large driving range (golf).

About this crazy week:

I woke up Sunday with pain and swelling behind my belly button. I called the Mission President’s wife, who is the mission nurse, and she told me to go to the mission doctor. I went Monday morning and he told me to get it checked out at Indisa, a large family hospital/clinic.  I got an appointment that day at 3:30 and went directly there. They checked it out with an ultrasound then a different doc checked me. I freaked out when he told me I needed surgery that night! It turned out that I had a hernia atascada.  Cutting through Church red tape, I was admitted to their hospital wing, and received the butchery at 10:30 that night.  After 2 days of terribly boring recovery I was sent home.  I shared my hospital room with a fellow “cripple” missionary whose name was Elder Gonzales from Argentina. While I was in the hospital my companion and the others moved Thursday to our new house. After I checked out of the hospital on Saturday night I got Elder Sanchez back as my companion for the next transfer! :) Sunday night at 7 we had a 5.0 tremor, which was not my first earthquake but the biggest and therefore the most exciting.  :) That same night I started oozing fluids from my incision, but it turned out they had just leaked into the space created by removing my hernia, so all is well. I go back Wednesday to get my incisions taken out.  All in all, crazy week! :)

To the President:

This week has been one of the hardest I´ve had in the mission up to this point.  When you come to the mission with the desire to serve and then get stuck under house arrest with a companion who has chosen to complain, whine, and justify with lies his failure as a missionary and as a convert to this gospel (Elder Gonzales), it all begins to wear on you.  But, at least I´m improving in health, and me and Elder Sanchez are dedicated to making a serious change in our direction of attitude and willingness to take personal responsibility for our sector. I´m excited, through the ability to repent, to change my view and work back to where it was when I started my mission.

Well these are my thoughts this week, with the hope to be able to accomplish my purpose as a missionary this next week by loving my fellow men, and the greater command, the Lord.

I love you, and am grateful for your support and testimony while I´m out here so far away, serving. 

Tu Misionero

Elder Parry Harrison

Elder Harrison Temporarily Laid Up

Friends and Family:

Elder Parry just underwent surgery to repair a hernia-like condition. He is fine and will be back to work very soon. Trish talked with him yesterday (March 20) on the phone and he was in great spirits. He is expected to make a full and rapid recovery.

Sister Essig, his mission president's wife, sent us this brief note:

"Dear Brother and Sister Harrison and Brother and Sister Riggs,
I wanted to send you the picture of your son in the hospital.  He seems to be just great and anxious to get out and back to work.  They will be moving to a new apartment on Thursday, but I have instructed him that he can only lift the weight of a paperback Book of Mormon for the next 10 days until he is healed.  He looks great!  Thanks for sending your son to us!
Love,
Sister Mary Ann Essig"











We will resume normal updates next week.
Robin and Trish

More News from Chile

Hello :)

This week was great.  We´re seeing some real results from our efforts.  We found 5 nuevos this week.  And, we´re still working on putting those we´re already taught to get baptism dates. 

Right now we´re working with a family that's proven to be an eye opener for me.  We´re able to explain the whole plan of the eternal families from temple to baptism and it makes so much more sense.  There name is Zuñiga and the two children got baptized 1.5 years ago.  They´ve been inactive for awhile but now we´re teaching their parents, and they really want to better their family.

I love this work.  The mission is passing way too fast.  It feels like just yesterday I was in the MTC and now I´m nearing 6 months!

In answer to a question, there are about 50/50 latinos, and gringos. 

I really have enjoying this cambio with Elder Sanchez.  We haven´t worked our tails off as much, but we´ve definitely felt optimism, happiness, and the Spirit.  We´ve just started with out plans to help the ward, and the results should be coming in the next weeks.

Oh, and about the house.  Its been resolved and now we´re going to be moving to one just out of our ward with the other companionship in the ward.  Oh, fun fact - I recently made chicken parmesan, and today oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (this is my kind of mission :)  I´m really struggling knowing what I should write, so please send me questions to give me direction for the next week´s response.

Con Amor
Del abajo del mundo
Elder Parry Harrison

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