Dear Family,
Hey, this was a good week because it included Thanksgiving. I had a lot of things to be grateful for including all y’all. I hope your Thanksgiving was fun.
Thanksgiving morning, we had a tiny turkey bowl. We were expecting a lot of people to show up but no one did. So we play a short game with who game but that is about it.
We had Thankgiving dinner at a less-actives house, The Russells. They are an older couple and they can cook good. It was yummy. Only one meal this year, thank goodness because I sure didn’t need any more food in my tummy.
I threw up once this week at the beginning of the week but I am all better now. Thank goodness for the power of prayer!
The investigators are doing fine. We taught a black lady by the name of Brianna. She is pretty solid, we just have to work on getting her to church. We are teaching others but I can’t really think of anyone at this moment.
So this Sunday I forgot that I was speaking. The branch president called my name and I totally forgot that I was speaking so I pulled out my farewell talk that I gave at home and read it. It turned out being really well! I got a lot of compliments.
I hope that all y’all have a good and safe week. I love you and miss you.
Love,
Elder Kyle Parker
Monday, November 30, 2009
November 23, 2009
Dear Family,
I hope all is well with you. As you know, I am in my new area. West Memphis, Arkansas. I think I will enjoy myself here. A little side note, today is my 16 month birthday. 16 months ago, I went into the MTC. Crazy how fast time goes by.
As I mentioned before, there are a lot of black people. We are teaching a ton of people. My companion, Elder Johnson, knows all of them and I am having a hard time with remembering them all and the names. There names out here are nuts! Laquadius, Lashawnda, Shyanne, etc. They spell there names really crazy and it is hard for me to remember. It will take me a while.
Lets see…There was a Thanksgiving dinner provided by the branch on Saturday. It was neat. I got to meet most of the members there. Most of the members are white. There is one active black family, the Irvins. Unfortunately, Sister Irvin worked her self to the bone on cooking for this Thanksgiving dinner that she ended up having a seizure at the end of the night. Me and Elder Johnson gave her a blessing and we hope and pray that she is improving. Last we heard she is doing better, which is great!
We have been teaching some people. It seems like all of the investigators are at the beginning stages of teaching. The problem we run into is getting people to church. Most of the people we are teaching don’t have cars. The members don’t really want to give them rides because if they end up getting baptized, then they have to give that person a ride every week. I feel so bad for the members because I don’t want them to stain themselves by doing a good deed for people. Sorry, I just get frustrated at people sometimes. But, there is nothing I really can do about that. So we try to get the people that we are teaching to invite there friends who have cars so they have a way of getting to church.
One guy we are teaching is a guy named Steve. He is a black guy that is really into his church. He loves to meet with us, but he is very intellectual in his Bible and faith. He tells us that he is never going to convert, but hey, it’s not my job to convert him, the spirit will do it. Haha. Only if he knew that.
We are teaching a Black lady named Erica Parker. She is also black. She seems pretty interested. And she has a car! The lesson went well and she seemed promising. We see her later this week.
Other than that, I just still need to get my bearings here. I still have a hard time with sense of direction because there are no mountains here. But I will eventually figure it out. Thank goodness for GPS.
I know this gospel is true. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that he can help us in our time of need. I know that the spirit has the converting power to convince these people here in West Memphis. I am grateful that I can be a tool in the Lord’s hands to bring these people unto Him. Thank you for all the love, support and prayers on my behalf. I love y’all and miss y’all. Hope you have a great week!
Love,
Elder Parker
I hope all is well with you. As you know, I am in my new area. West Memphis, Arkansas. I think I will enjoy myself here. A little side note, today is my 16 month birthday. 16 months ago, I went into the MTC. Crazy how fast time goes by.
As I mentioned before, there are a lot of black people. We are teaching a ton of people. My companion, Elder Johnson, knows all of them and I am having a hard time with remembering them all and the names. There names out here are nuts! Laquadius, Lashawnda, Shyanne, etc. They spell there names really crazy and it is hard for me to remember. It will take me a while.
Lets see…There was a Thanksgiving dinner provided by the branch on Saturday. It was neat. I got to meet most of the members there. Most of the members are white. There is one active black family, the Irvins. Unfortunately, Sister Irvin worked her self to the bone on cooking for this Thanksgiving dinner that she ended up having a seizure at the end of the night. Me and Elder Johnson gave her a blessing and we hope and pray that she is improving. Last we heard she is doing better, which is great!
We have been teaching some people. It seems like all of the investigators are at the beginning stages of teaching. The problem we run into is getting people to church. Most of the people we are teaching don’t have cars. The members don’t really want to give them rides because if they end up getting baptized, then they have to give that person a ride every week. I feel so bad for the members because I don’t want them to stain themselves by doing a good deed for people. Sorry, I just get frustrated at people sometimes. But, there is nothing I really can do about that. So we try to get the people that we are teaching to invite there friends who have cars so they have a way of getting to church.
One guy we are teaching is a guy named Steve. He is a black guy that is really into his church. He loves to meet with us, but he is very intellectual in his Bible and faith. He tells us that he is never going to convert, but hey, it’s not my job to convert him, the spirit will do it. Haha. Only if he knew that.
We are teaching a Black lady named Erica Parker. She is also black. She seems pretty interested. And she has a car! The lesson went well and she seemed promising. We see her later this week.
Other than that, I just still need to get my bearings here. I still have a hard time with sense of direction because there are no mountains here. But I will eventually figure it out. Thank goodness for GPS.
I know this gospel is true. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that he can help us in our time of need. I know that the spirit has the converting power to convince these people here in West Memphis. I am grateful that I can be a tool in the Lord’s hands to bring these people unto Him. Thank you for all the love, support and prayers on my behalf. I love y’all and miss y’all. Hope you have a great week!
Love,
Elder Parker
November 19, 2009 (Transfer!!)
Dear Family,
Hey, I am just shooting off to y'all a quick e-mail to let you know where I am. I am currently in West Memphis, Arkansas. So it is about an hour west of Jackson, TN. We are right next to the Mississippi River. We can see Memphis from across the river. It is kind of cool! There is a branch here. There are a lot of Black people here and it is going to be cool to serve around them. I am really anxious to get started here. I am kind of nervious as well. I was telling some of the members that I got close to that is was like I was going on a mission all over again because I got so close to them. This transition will be hard but I think I can do it. My companion is Elder Robbie Johnson. He is from Kaysville, UT. Mom, send me a companion questionaire if you want to know more about him. Anyway, thank you for your love, support and prayers that you give me everyday. They are very much needed and appreciated! I love y'all! Everyone, here is my new address:
Elder Kyle Parker
320 N. Rhodes St.
West Memphis, AR 72301
Love,
Elder Parker
PS: Mom, if you could send me stuff about West Memphis, that would be great! Thanks! Love, Kyle
Hey, I am just shooting off to y'all a quick e-mail to let you know where I am. I am currently in West Memphis, Arkansas. So it is about an hour west of Jackson, TN. We are right next to the Mississippi River. We can see Memphis from across the river. It is kind of cool! There is a branch here. There are a lot of Black people here and it is going to be cool to serve around them. I am really anxious to get started here. I am kind of nervious as well. I was telling some of the members that I got close to that is was like I was going on a mission all over again because I got so close to them. This transition will be hard but I think I can do it. My companion is Elder Robbie Johnson. He is from Kaysville, UT. Mom, send me a companion questionaire if you want to know more about him. Anyway, thank you for your love, support and prayers that you give me everyday. They are very much needed and appreciated! I love y'all! Everyone, here is my new address:
Elder Kyle Parker
320 N. Rhodes St.
West Memphis, AR 72301
Love,
Elder Parker
PS: Mom, if you could send me stuff about West Memphis, that would be great! Thanks! Love, Kyle
November 16, 2009
Dear Family,
Well, today is a very sad day. I am getting transferred! I really enjoyed my time here in Jackson, Tennessee. This really is my home away from home. I have been here since June, so that is pretty much 6 months, 1/4 of my mission! It feels really weird because it is like I am going on a mission again because I am leaving loved ones. I have gotten really close to mem
bers, recent converts and investigators. It is going to be hard to leave but I know the Lord needs me elsewhere. I understand that. You just have to look at your situation and ask the Lord what he needs you to do. That goes with everything in life, not just a mission.
As I look back at the memories of Jackson, a couple of things stand out. Ada Green (aka Big Mama) was one of the first investigators that I had met. She loves to talk and she was just the sweetest lady you could ever meet. It was such an honor to baptize her and she will always be remembered.
Deb Dunham was a great one as well. She had a lot of problems financially and since she has joined the church, her life has been blessed immensely. The Lord blesses his children when they keep His commandments and Deb is an excellent example. It has been neat to see her progress in the gospel. I will miss her laughs and the good times we had.
Last of all, I will miss the Yarbrough family. They were probably the most special to me. They treated me like one of there own and for that I am really grateful. Brother and Sister Yarbrough were perfect for each other and there wasn’t a day that went by where I didn’t laugh when we were around them. They helped me through the hard times and they are really like my second family. That is why I said before, it’s like I am going on a mission again. I am leaving them and they will definitely be missed by me. Thank you Yarbrough Family!
I will miss Jackson. We had our good times and bad but I think that this will forever be my home away from home. Good bye Jackson, Tennessee.
Thank you for your love and support. I love y’all and I will tell you where I go on Wednesday. Thank you.
Love,
Elder Kyle Parker
Pictures included: (Me with Carl Perkins) , (We went to the Yarbrough’s last night and help them set up there Christmas Tree)
Monday, November 9, 2009
November 9, 2009
Dear Family,
Hey y’all! I hope all is well with you. Another good week this has been!
We found some new investigators. There names are William and Chastity. Funny side note, they are boyfriend/girlfriend and they
live together and have kids. Her name is Chastity and she is breaking the law of chastity. Ha ha. Anyway, they were once taught before and I think the lesson went really well. They asked a lot of good questions and want to know more about our church. Hopefully they will go somewhere with it.
Wednesday, we went out to the Snipes (A member family) and did some service for Sis. Snipes (who is less-active). We set up the Christmas lights and a Christmas tree. It made me miss doing that at home surprisingly enough. Sorry I am not there to help this year mom. Maybe next year!
We met with Gary Begin recently and we set a baptismal date for the 28th of November. I am excited about that. All we know is that he is a coffee drinker when it comes to the word of wisdom. Other than that, I really don’t see anything else stopping him. We are definitely praying for his success in hitting that goal. I know he can do it and I know the Lord knows he can do it. All prayers would help because he still hasn’t gotten an answer to his prayers. Thanks!
Other than that, this coming week is the last week of the transfer. I really hope that I stay here for Christmas because I have gotten close to a lot of the investigators and members
here. I will go where the Lord wants me to go as always but what a blessing it would be if I could stay here one more transfer! But you can wish only so far! Haha.
I hope all is well with you. I miss you and my thoughts and prayers are with you. Thanks again for the love, support and prayers you give on my behalf. I know this work is true. Pray and seek for missionary opportunities everyday! The Lord will tell you what to do and say.
Love,
Elder Parker
Pictures included: (Two deer that we found, sorry it’s blurry), (Beautiful Tennessee Sunrise.)
Hey y’all! I hope all is well with you. Another good week this has been!
We found some new investigators. There names are William and Chastity. Funny side note, they are boyfriend/girlfriend and they
live together and have kids. Her name is Chastity and she is breaking the law of chastity. Ha ha. Anyway, they were once taught before and I think the lesson went really well. They asked a lot of good questions and want to know more about our church. Hopefully they will go somewhere with it.Wednesday, we went out to the Snipes (A member family) and did some service for Sis. Snipes (who is less-active). We set up the Christmas lights and a Christmas tree. It made me miss doing that at home surprisingly enough. Sorry I am not there to help this year mom. Maybe next year!
We met with Gary Begin recently and we set a baptismal date for the 28th of November. I am excited about that. All we know is that he is a coffee drinker when it comes to the word of wisdom. Other than that, I really don’t see anything else stopping him. We are definitely praying for his success in hitting that goal. I know he can do it and I know the Lord knows he can do it. All prayers would help because he still hasn’t gotten an answer to his prayers. Thanks!
Other than that, this coming week is the last week of the transfer. I really hope that I stay here for Christmas because I have gotten close to a lot of the investigators and members
here. I will go where the Lord wants me to go as always but what a blessing it would be if I could stay here one more transfer! But you can wish only so far! Haha.I hope all is well with you. I miss you and my thoughts and prayers are with you. Thanks again for the love, support and prayers you give on my behalf. I know this work is true. Pray and seek for missionary opportunities everyday! The Lord will tell you what to do and say.
Love,
Elder Parker
Pictures included: (Two deer that we found, sorry it’s blurry), (Beautiful Tennessee Sunrise.)
November 2, 2009
Dear Family,
I hope all is well as it is now November! It is crazy to think that in 2 months it is Christmas and I will be talking to most of you soon as well! I hope you had a fun and safe Halloween.
As a missionary, just because of holidays, the work still continues. We are working
with Gary Begin still. He is doing good, he is just worried about how churches are so hypocritical. He has a good point because churches are that way including ours. The church is perfect, the people aren’t. So, he might be a little bit of a challenge. Hopefully the spirit will touch his heart and he will know it is true.
We are also working with Antonia, a lady that lives in Brownsville. She has a little 5 year old girl. She used to be taught by the other missionaries here before they left. She is skeptical and she keeps saying “Beware of False Prophets…” I can understand that but she just needs to pray about it.
Those are the top 2 investigators that we are currently working with. The ward had a Halloween party. It included food and desserts, a cake walk, Animals (Snakes, exotic animals, e
tc.), trunk or treat, etc. It was a lot of fun. As you can see in the pictures included, we wore our proselyting clothes on backwards. We had fun and everyone commented on how it was a good idea.
I love the gospel and I know it can help anyone in any situation. I am grateful for loving family and friends like you. I couldn’t stay out here with out your support so thank you very much! I love y’all! It’s fall, y’all!
Love,
Elder Kyle Parker
Pictures include: (The snake at the halloween party), (Our halloween costumes)
I hope all is well as it is now November! It is crazy to think that in 2 months it is Christmas and I will be talking to most of you soon as well! I hope you had a fun and safe Halloween.
As a missionary, just because of holidays, the work still continues. We are working
with Gary Begin still. He is doing good, he is just worried about how churches are so hypocritical. He has a good point because churches are that way including ours. The church is perfect, the people aren’t. So, he might be a little bit of a challenge. Hopefully the spirit will touch his heart and he will know it is true.We are also working with Antonia, a lady that lives in Brownsville. She has a little 5 year old girl. She used to be taught by the other missionaries here before they left. She is skeptical and she keeps saying “Beware of False Prophets…” I can understand that but she just needs to pray about it.
Those are the top 2 investigators that we are currently working with. The ward had a Halloween party. It included food and desserts, a cake walk, Animals (Snakes, exotic animals, e
tc.), trunk or treat, etc. It was a lot of fun. As you can see in the pictures included, we wore our proselyting clothes on backwards. We had fun and everyone commented on how it was a good idea.I love the gospel and I know it can help anyone in any situation. I am grateful for loving family and friends like you. I couldn’t stay out here with out your support so thank you very much! I love y’all! It’s fall, y’all!
Love,
Elder Kyle Parker
Pictures include: (The snake at the halloween party), (Our halloween costumes)
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