Pictures Change Brings forth Growth!

Lunch with Garrett's Cousin Wendy 

First Transfer coming! :( Bye Sister Meili!

Best Zucchini Brownies Ever!

Lara, Maddy, Sister Meili and me!~

Sister Kappleman is such a wonderful homemaker and host to the missionaries!

The Big city!

So beautiful!

Change Brings forth Growth!

Dear Family and friends!! 

Hello!! Hope you all had a wonderful week! Getting back into school and into the swing of things! It's fall! I miss the beautiful mountains of Utah! Time is flying by! The end of my first transfer is drawing near! On Saturday night, we received transfer calls! My companion will be shipped down to Griffith Indiana.... And I will be TRAINING in Buffalo Grove! Sooo... I haven't even finished my training yet?! How does that work? I am feeling a little overwhelmed... Partly because I still feel pretty unfamiliar with the directions and my area.. Since its HUGE! I will be heading straight to Walmart and purchasing a GPS (; Needless to say, I will be relying ALOT on my Heavenly Father over the next transfer! Annnd my new companion and I will be learning together! I am truly humbled to know that the Lord has entrusted me with the responsibility of training a new missionary. I hope I will be able to help her and teach her what I have learned thus far! I pray for her, and I cannot wait to meet her tomorrow! Please keep the new missionaries in your prayers! The first few weeks are hard for every missionary! I am SO EXCITED to stay in Buffalo Grove wards 1&2! I have fallen in love with the ward and most definitely my investigators!! 

Quick update on my little part of the garden... 

It is very prevalent that satan is working extra hard on Maddy. This past week has been difficult because her parents and against her getting baptized, and she is struggling with the lack of support from her parents. Maddys mom and dad will not Let her be baptized until December. We fasted and prayed for her on Thursday for her parents hearts to be softened and that they would be accepting to Maddys decision to be baptized. Her testimony remains firm however it's hard when she feels her parents disagree with her decision.. And does not want to ruin her relationship with them. I had the opportunity to meet maddys parents on Wednesday and introduce myself to them.  In order to gain a greater understanding her parents have agreed to come to church and learning more about what Maddy is committing too. They seem to be facing some challenges... I am praying as they learn more about the church they will be open and receptive to the gospel.  Maddy is a wonderful an example to her family and because of her, her parents are willing to learn more about this gospel! ... Annnnnnd hopefully one day also be baptized. I am at peace with the situation and I know it is for a reason. God has a plan.. And also has a timetable for each of his children. I love Maddy with all of my heart... I know she is one of the people I was meant to find and teach on my mission. Helping Maddy grow closer to the Savior has brought so much joy and happiness! If you want to make someone happy, help them to grow closer to Jesus Christ. 

Last Monday we had the opportunity to contact a woman named Mary. We were at dinner at a country club with one of our members, and she was the woman who waited on us. It had been a long day and all of our appointments fell through and sitting there at dinner I really didn't want to talk to anyone else...  But the spirit kept telling me I needed to reach out and talk to this woman. After dinner was through and she came to get our dessert order... I started to ask her about her life, she opened right up to me and started telling me everything! I got her contact information and scheduled a follow up appointment for this Monday (23rd). We were so excited because we could see that the Lord had prepared her heart and she was willing to learn! We went over to her house and met her cute daughter Nicole and her mom. We got to know them and discussed a lot of their beliefs... They are inactive Catholics because they do not agree with everything that the Catholics believe or do. They strongly believe in Jesus and center their lives around him. As we were testifying to them about what we believe we read some scriptures from the Book of Mormon. She stopped me mid sentence and said pointing to the Book of Mormon, "can I have that book?"... Well yes! Of course! Mary has had such a hard life, but she relies on the Lord to help her through all things. She told us when she first met sister Meili and I that "I could just tell you were different... You Brought a feeling of peace, I knew you were good company." Little does she know... That was the Holy Ghost... (;  I left her house that night knowing without a doubt that the answers she had been searching for would all be answered. What a miraculous feeling that is when you open someone's eyes to the truth. There is one downside however... Mary is out of our area... Which means we can no longer teach her... :( when I first found out I was distraught.! But I know I met Mary for a reason.., and the missionaries that we turn her over to will do a wonderful job teaching her more about. The gospel. I am just grateful I had the opportunity to be an instrument in the lords hand in helping her become aware of the knowledge.  

There is so much more to share! But little time!! We are meeting with Jenkins this week! I am looking forward to seeing him again! We met with Victoria on Friday... We committed her to come to church, however she didn't come.... :( but we will keep working with her... She is really struggling with faith in God at this time in her life! The most frustrating thing about being a missionary is having people not keep commitments. On the bright side, Diane is becoming more involved and active in Church! She is now the one inviting us over to teach her and staying ALL three hours of church!! We are meeting with her tonight! Diane KNOWS this is the true gospel... she has a great faith in Christ, she always tells us she will be baptized... She is just figuring out when the time is right. Aside from working with investigators, The bishop has asked us to visit at least 3 active member families per day... (Which is really difficult because of work and school) however, I know this is very important because it helps us establish trust with the members and boost their confidence in their ability to participate in missionary work. It is difficult because It keeps us incredibly busy! Especially since I'm covering TWO wards. 

My favorite part about serving a full-time mission is waking up every morning with the knowledge that I am exactly where the Lord wants me to be and doing exactly the work He wants me to do.  This doesn't always mean that everyday is a magical experience and everyone is ready to hear about the gospel. I am constantly being rejected... And it is HARD. It is hard to remember why I am here... And what my purpose is. I ask my Heavenly Father... Why is missionary work so difficult? The answer is... Missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Just as Jesus asked Heavenly Father in the garden of Gethsemane, "isn't there some other way?".. The atonement carries me in times of struggle, frustration, and rejection. It is the knowledge that as a missionary I am Standing shoulder to shoulder with Christ, and with him I have Every reason to stand tall. He knows about the sorrows and hardships... And as I reflect back on the rejection and hard times I have faced on my mission It is that moment I Slightly catch a glimpse of what the Savior sacrificed for me, and my heart is full of sincere gratitude and humility to my Lord Jesus Christ.  As I embark on my new journey of training... I remind myself that.... The gospel is not something to feel overwhelmed about, it is about strengthening, encouraging, and lifting people up. I have a testimony that as we serve in anyway we can, our Heavenly Father is grateful and is proud of us. We may feel we are insignificant... But our Heavenly Father is grateful for our small simple acts and we have the opportunity to participate in the marvelous work of God. 

I pray for each one of you, I hope you have a wonderful week!! Please keep sending pictures and emails and letters! Missionaries love mail!! (: --especially me--- thank you for all of your support and love. I love you!! Talk to you next week!!!

Love, 

Sister Parke 

Pictures CHICAGO!

An organic feast!!

A veggie lover's dream! I love visiting the Kappelman family!

P-day in Chicago with Sister Watts

Hello Chicago!

A little shopping!

Sharing the love!

CHICAGO!!

Hello there everyone! 

I apologize, the letter this week is going to be rather brief! I am limited on time today because I am spending the day touring the Windy City of Chicago!! I am very excited! I hope everyone is doing well and that all is going well back at home!! This week was wonderful and is filled with many stories that I am afraid I will not have time to share, however I will write as much as time allows!! 

This week we had sisters conference, which was absolutely amazing!  We talked a lot about how as missionaries it can many times feel overwhelming with all that we have to do and all of the expectations.. And how pretty much we feel as if we have to be PERFECT... Which is.... Kinda a lot of pressure, since it's not possible! However, I have come to recognize that God does not expect me to be a perfect missionary... He expects me to put forth a perfect effort so that he may perfect the work. So the mentality of "do your best and God will do the rest!" Ohhkay, so that's great... Now how am I supposed to do my best?! Well... I suppose that Is to try a little harder to be a little better each day. Because by small and simple things, great things come to pass (alma 37). And that is exactly what missionary work is... A lot of small and 

Simple things that add up to be great things and wonderful miracles! Until a couple weeks ago, I don't feel as if I truly recognized the need for me to be on a mission...not just to help other people, but also for myself. Now that sounds really selfish.. "I am on the mission for myself" but I can honestly and truly say I have learned and changed so much and I can tell that it is by the small little details of things that I am changing in my life.. . And I am able to gain a greater insight about who I am, and what my purpose is. I am a daughter of God! How powerful is that statement? Now how do I live up to that truth? Striving each and every day to become more worthy to live with him again someday!  And SERVING HIM DILIGENTLY AS A MISSIONARY!! Now I desire to become not the missionary that I think I should become...but rather the missionary he NEEDS me to become. Annnd. We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day. It's not just an overnight change... It requires constant effort each day... And in reality you become your thoughts! Our potential is great if we focus our thoughts and actions on following the Savior Jesus Christ.  

So quick update for Buffalo Grove! Maddy is now getting baptized on September 4th! Yay!! Very excited and looking forward to that! She is such a sweetheart and I love her so much!! I am so happy for her and her decision to be baptized!! (: We were unable to meet with Jenkins this week because he was out of town for business, however we are scheduled to meet next week! Hmmmm... What else? We met with a woman named Diane this week... She has been investigating the church for quite some time now, she knows the Book of Mormon is true, and she knows she wants to get baptized, the hard part is she isn't ready to pick a date yet. Frustrating.... But you can't drag people to baptism... All you can do is invite. We have an AWESOME contact we made last Monday that we are going to meet with tonight at 7! I am so excited! Her name is Mary Conley, she has definitely been prepared by the hand of the Lord. We have been working ALOT with recent converts and less actives and getting to know the ward! I am growing to LOVE the ward and feel as if they are family! 

So transfers are next week. Super nervous... But I know wherever the lord needs me to be. That's where I will be be. I truly have a testimony that the lords hand is very involved in missionary work! For this is his work and his glory!!! I hope you all have a wonderful week!! Wish my luck in my city adventure today!! CHICAGO HERE I COME!!!!! (: (: 

Thank you for all of your support!! 

Love, 

Sister Parke 

Pictures Hastening the Work!

Beautiful Gardens in Vernon Hills

Sister McKenna Watts

Splits with mini-missions

Lunch at the Obriens

Birthday celebration for Sister Meili

The Hammond Family

Ariel view of Vernon Hills

Celebrating Sister Meili's Birthday twice!

No make that 3x's! All the king crab we could eat! 

So spoiled! Yum!

Hastening the Work!!

Hello there family and friends!! 

Things are going great here in Buffalo Grove! The missionary life is finally starting to "set in" I can't believe I am almost done with my first transfer! Where has the time gone?? Well it's been a good week so I will just jump right in! We met with Maddy on Thursday...oh how I love her! It was such cool experience! Lately Maddy has been struggling with her parents lack of support in her decision to get baptized. Her parents think she is rushing things and want her to wait at least a year. She felt a lot of pressure and stress because of school and work and felt she needed to wait to be baptized. We addressed these concerns with her and taught a lesson about the importance of baptism, the spirit was so strong. Maddy is still going strong for the date of September 5!! She left for Utah Thursday afternoon!! Mom and dad I gave her our address! She is going to try stop by and say hello! (: crazy huh? Lara also is in Utah visiting her boyfriend down at BYU. Sooo the desire to be in Utah is REAL right now. We have been working with Lara and the importance of family history work. Speaking of family history work, I have learned so much! The members here are very involved. There is so many tools to help the work hasten! I encourage all of you to get involved in family history work! It is such an importance aspect in hastening the work! So many people are waiting on the other side to have their work done! It is our responsibility to help them receive the sacred ordinances! 

Jenkins!! Oh my goodness, can I just say that the Lord is preparing the hearts of many to receive the gospel? Jenkins is one of those people, and it is the most amazing experience teaching him about the gospel. It's like all the dots start to connect! We taught him about the restoration tonight...it is like it all "clicked" for him. He has been hopping from church to church ever since he was young, he knew God was there but didn't know what church was right. He then found the church through family history work... And has been investigator ever since. He is a BRILLIANT man and has so many questions. At first they intimidated me... But now I just rely on the spirit and I know exactly what to say. Tonight We committed him to read the Book of Mormon and asked him to pray to know these things are true... He said yes. I then asked him, if you pray and KNOW these things are true... Will you be BAPTIZED? He said absolutely YES. (: he works every Sunday but said he is going to try and move around his schedule to come to church. What great faith he has. I am so excited for him and I am very happy to know the Lord has prepared him to receive this wonderful message and answers he has been searching for. 

After contacting or teaching people, I reflect on what I could have done better or improve upon. During this time of self evaluation it is common for me to feel as if I didn't do well enough and I get down on myself thinking, "if only I would have said this, or if I would have only taught about this principle.." My mind becomes consumed with my weaknesses and I tend to forget whose work this truly is. I found comfort in the scripture... 2 nephi 33:3-4  "3 But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry.

4 And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people. And the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them; for it persuadeth them to do good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal."  

Just like nephi, I KNOW the things in the Book of Mormon are of GREAT WORTH especially to those I am contacting and teaching.. I PRAY for them in faith that God with soften their hearts. I am grateful for the Lord and his patience and mercy towards me. How frustrating it must be to work with imperfect people to help bring forth a perfect work. I know that despite my weakness he makes them strong. So long as I speak and teach with the spirit, the Holy Ghost will carry the message into the hearts of the people. 

I am an imperfect missionary, and despite all of my efforts and righteous desires I will always be an imperfect missionary. It is through the atonement of Jesus Christ that I am able to be perfected, and my works are able to be made whole. The Lord perfects his missionaries and qualifies them for the work.  My many weaknesses have been and continue to be clearly made known unto me as a missionary. Being molded into who the Lord needs me to be is definitely difficult. I like to think of it as a refiners fire... Each day I learn more about my relationship with the Savior. It truly is a blessing. I love the scripture Moroni 10:32-33 "32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot."  Amazing things happen when we acknowledge our faults and our need for Christ in our lives. WE CANT DO THIS ALONE. Ask God for help and he will strengthen you... In ALL things....... 

Even eating chicken..... (; so funny story... 

Dinner with the Hammonds (family who moved from Ghana) was on Saturday night! I absolutely LOVE THEM! Sister Hammond is having a baby at the end of September! So exciting! They are so very humble and I am so grateful for the opportunity to get to know them and more about Ghana! Aside from the great conversation, Dinner was quite the experience.... Alright just a little insight to anyone reading this letter who does not know me very well.... I am a PICKY eater... And I do not like meat. But on the mission... You don't really have a choice. So Saturday night at dinner bro Hammond plopped the BIGGEST piece of chicken I have ever seen on my plate... Bones sticking out and all. I choked down the whole thing annnnd then he said "you're hungry and skinny! You must eat more!" So he plopped a whole other piece of chicken on my plate... With more mashed potatoes and gravy, my companion gave me the look of... "Youd better eat that.." Mom, don't worry I ate every last bite. These people are so humble and give everything they have to serve the Lord. Sister Hammonds brother died on a mission in Nigeria and so they feel a strong connection with the missionaries! I love them so much and I know the lord has put them in my path for a reason. I hope to travel to Africa with them one day and visit all their family! How cool would that be?

The people here are wonderful.... The better I get to know them... The more I love I feel for them! There isn't anything better than being a missionary, and there isn't anything harder than being a missionary. The most fulfilling work A person can ever do is to help others come unto Christ. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a laborer in the lords vineyard! There is a Savior who loves each and every one of his children. He has a plan... And it is our responsibility to share it! Remember missionary work is not only for the missionaries!! 

Thank you for the love and the support! Your prayers are definitely felt each and every day! I ask that you do not pray for me.... But you pray for the people of Chicago to open their hearts and minds to the gospel of Jesus Christ and that I will be able to find those who are seeking to know the truth. 

Have a wonderful week! I love each of you! 

Love, 

Sister Parke 

P.s. I should be on Facebook within the next week... So watch for the posts! 

Pictures Hope of Israel!

Victoria

Fishing P-day

Sophie Hammond