Follow the Prophet!!

Hello Everyone!

This week has been great! Sister Mattinson and I have been working

super hard! I love sister Mattinson!! She is from Salt Lake City, and

has been out on her mission ten months. She is such an answer to

prayer and is teaching me so much. We have been setting a lot of

goals, and I know with the help of the lord as we work hard we will be

able to reach them!

This week has been full of finding!! Due to some unsafe areas in our

boundaries... We have changed areas with the elders in our ward..

Which makes things quite interesting. But it's been fun to relearn the

area! Yay! We have contacted a lot of people and received a whole ton

of referrals so this next week should be a busy one. Sister Mattinson

and I are working a lot on reactivation! Elder grow said when he came

to our mission, "if you want to baptize more, reactivate more!" So we

are focusing in a lot on that And have found quite a bit of success.

Cool experience. We both felt prompted to go visit a woman in our ward

who has been less active for a while. We stopped by and she was home

and invited us in. Turns out her family had been going through a

really hard time, and she knew that God would reach out to her through

the missionaries. She was super friendly and invited us back next

week. We have witnessed so many miracles like that... Where God is

literally opening the hearts of his children to receive this gospel. I

can't deny the hand of God in this work!

Deborah is progressing very well! She received a priesthood blessing

on Sunday and that was a special experience. Unfortunately due to some

family circumstances she wants to move her baptismal date to October

22 so that her family can be there. Which will be awesome to have them

their to support! I love Deborah so much... Her faith amazes me each

day! She is very excited for general conference! I know it will be a

powerful experience for her.

Speaking of general conference.. I have been studying about prophets

lately! I recently just finished helaman and I am now studying the

beginning of 3 nephi. It is so interesting to me to study the history

of the people and be able to relate it to our day. At this time in the

book or Mormon the people who believe in Jesus Christ and his coming

are mocked and ridiculed for their faith and their belief in the

prophecies of the prophets. The fulfillment of prophecy.. 3 nephi 1:

20 "And it came to pass, yea all things, every whit, according to the

words of the prophets." The people who where righteous and obeyed were

aware and prepared for what would happen.

The protest and dislike against the prophet (church) is nothing new.

As a matter of fact, it is further confirmation that this is gods

restored church on earth today. What is so comforting to me is that

the lord never allows his faithful children to wander or stray in

darkness... He loves them so much. As long as we are faithful to him

and turn to him for guidance he will always provide a way. The lord

has blessed us with a living prophet on earth today. The prophet

receives guidance and direction from Jesus Christ to help us stay

safe. In our day today it is not so much a safety from "physical"

destruction like In times of the Book of Mormon... But moreover the

guidance and protection we receive is from "SPIRITUAL" destruction.

STUDYING AND OBEYING THE WORDS OF THE PROPHETS AND APOSTLES IS

CRITICAL TO OUR SPIRITUAL SALVATION. We face spiritual battles

EVERYDAY... The daily choices we make have a huge impact on our lives

and who we are becoming. In our day the lord has not left us without

guidance and protection. Just imagine.. If you were living in ancient

times and fighting a battle... Would you stray from the teachings of

your faithful leader who was to lead and guide you to safety? NO. of

course not. We are so blessed to have the opportunity to listen and

heed to the counsel of the Prophet and his apostles. It is not

something to be taken for granted!! Prepare spiritually to know the

things that you need to do to help increase your spiritual commitment

to God so that you may be protected from the influence of the

adversary. I encourage each of you to prepare for the opportunity we

have to listen to the words of the prophet and apostles this weekend!!

I love you all, and appreciate you prayers and support! Have a great week!!

Love,

Sister Parke

Goodbye Sister Quezada!

Hello Sister Mattinson!

Yes i still love veggies. A lot of them!

Goodbye party for Sister Quezada!

We love Deborah!