Mexico Pachuca Mission - Week 96 - September 13, 2015

LAST ONE OUT IN THE FIELD!!!

(Excerpts from his email)

hey well its pretty much done. a couple more hours and then i will be i changes and president’s house and on the airplane. It’s been crazy and i don’t know how to feel right now. It’s been a weird week. i think it hasn’t totally hit me yet that it's done but i think it will soon. I’m excited to be home and to see you and be with everyone. the temple dedication was super cool. Elder Holland’s talk was amazing like always and the spirit was so strong. we went with the Talavera family this morning, the three sisters that got baptized a couple weeks ago. at the end of the re-dedication we sang the spirit of god and when everyone started singing the spirit was so strong pretty much everyone started crying. it was one of the moments where i could most feel the spirit in my life. one of the sisters shared that in that moment she knew God was with us and i knew it too. I thought of the Kirtland temple when the Lord came and accepted His house. I imagine something very similar happened in that moment because it was amazing. Saturday night we also got to see the cultural event. It was super cool you should watch it if you can. I’m on early today cause we are gonna go to see some families before i have to go so i will be on right now but later no 

M: That must have been an incredible feeling. I think you are right and at that moment the Lord accepted His house and the work that will be done there.  I am sure that many many people have waited these last how many years for the temple to reopen and now that it has and it has been accepted the temple will be filled.  How incredible, maybe one day we will go there. I am very happy for you that you got to experience that and have a confirmation again that the Lord does visit His temples, and that He expects us to do the work there.

So what did Elder Holland speak about?

 

EP: he spoke about the scripture about turning the hearts of the children to the fathers and vice versa. he said that is one of the only scriptures in all 4 standard works of the church so it is a pretty important scripture that we shouldn’t forget but he focused on doctrine and covenants section 2 because its a little different from the version in the bible. it talks about the promises made to the fathers. he explained that we all made promises in the preexistence to our ancestors and to our Heavenly Father that we would accept the gospel when we heard it and also do the work for our ancestors.

M: It always amazes me how the Lord times His messages to us.  Just as you are finishing your work there in Mexico, He has reminded you that you still have other work to do. You can for a little while, concentrate on family history work, especially on dad's side. We have not been good at that at all and there is a lot of work to do.  How incredible that the message was delivered in the way that it was.

EP: end of the mission shirt burning haha. burnt a bunch of stuff at 630 this morning. 

M: So is this a tradition in Mexico to burn things?  You guys do some weird things, I saw the guy in the coffin.

EP: nah it’s a mission thing. at 6 months you burn a tie, a year a shirt, 18 months pants, and two  years a suit. but i just burnt a whole bunch of stuff I’m not bringing home. i gotta go i love you guys so much. see you on Wednesday. crazy how fast time went by but I’m excited to be with the family again. have a great day. love you

Love,
Elder Park

 

Elder Park will be returning home on Wednesday, September 16, 2015.  He arrives at 9:00 pm Delta Airlines.  His homecoming sacrament meeting will be on Sunday, September 20, 2016 at 9:00 am at the Auwaiolimu chapel. We are so excited to welcome him home!

Mexico Pachuca - Week 95 - September 7, 2015

(Excerpts from his email)

hey sounds like a good week. here it has been good also. we had our 2 baptisms and they were great. last two of the mission. this week is the temple re-dedication so that should be a cool way to finish up the mission. last week at the pyramids it was crazy. a member gave us a tour and related everything to the church and the book of Mormon it was mind blowing. he explained how everything there is a  temple and they did the exact same things we do now. the name Teotihuacan actually means “where men become gods” and the temple is where we learn and train to become gods. it was super cool. one day we should go as a family haha.

M: Is that the same pyramids you went to i n the beginning of your mission? I remember you telling us one of the members telling you stories, you were not quite as excited about them as you are now, funny how the mission changes you.  You really should write those stories down so that you will always have them.  I like how the they said the temples were meant to train gods, cause you are right, that is what the temple here prepares us for. I would like to see them one day. I think they are fascinating.

I'm glad your baptisms went well, you have had much success on your mission, leading many to the waters of baptism.

      

EP: Graciela and her family is one. Emiliano and his family is the other one. So on baptism day, we went to the fill the font and the door where the faucets? (i don’t even know what they are called where you turn and the water comes out, haha) well the room was closed. i was like freaking out and didn’t know what to do but then after like half an hour i pulled it one more time and it just opened and it was like o hallelujah haha. then the boiler didn’t work so we had to baptize in cold water. it was freezing but both Graciela and Emiliano said that when they were in the water they didn’t feel cold at all. they got baptized and said they didn’t feel cold water they just felt good and super happy. it was super awesome.

M: Thank you, that is something wonderful to share.  When we are doing what is right, sometimes it seems that our surroundings are different than what they are and in this case, i am sure that they could only feel the spirit.  They knew what they were doing was right and nothing was going to stop them from feeling happy.  That's what the gospel does. So you good son?

EP: ya I’m good. tired but good. should be an interesting week haha.

M: Why will this week be interesting?

EP: It’s gonna be different. There’s no services this Sunday for the re-dedication and so no investigators can go to church. so its gonna be a little funky but its gonna be cool. but i gotta go have a great week love you guys see you all soon.

Love,
Elder Park

    

Mexico Pachuca - Week 94 - August 31, 2015

(Excerpts from his email)

hey I’m on a little early today cause we are going to the pyramids so i don’t know if i will be on later but it was a good week. just trying to keep working and working. Sonia was able to get confirmed this week so that was awesome and then this coming Saturday we are gonna have 2 baptisms and then the next week is the re-dedication of the temple in Mexico city so that should be super cool, an interesting way to end the mission. we don’t have normal Sunday services that week just the re-dedication. Can’t believe how fast time has gone by and that there are only 2 more weeks and then i will be home hopefully to help out a little.

M: So there was a picture on the mission blog, was that Sonia and her family?

Wow, a re-dedication, that really is super cool.  Do you guys get to go to the temple or do you just watch it from the stake centers?

 

EP: ya that was Sonia and her family. her mom and older sister. no we are gonna watch it in the stake center. but its the same stake as huicholes so i am excited for that too. hopefully i will see a bunch of members from there. 

M: Is Xico part of Huicholes? That will be pretty cool to be able to see some of those members before you come home. How exciting and then the dedication of the temple is a really neat experience. A very nice way to end the mission.

EP: no xico is super far from everything haha. huicholes is where i was before pachua. like in January to April.

M: Tell me about the two that you are baptizing this week.

EP: ok one is Graciela. her daughter just got baptized like a month or 2 ago and she’s super cool. she didn’t want anything to do with the church but she went to the baptism and the confirmation of her daughter and granddaughter and since then has loved it. she has gotten her answers that the church is true and to be baptized. she said one night she couldn’t sleep and so she went to her living room and turned on the tv and there was a program on about the church and she was like wow and that was her answer. then she said her husband was telling her a bunch of stuff about the church and why we don’t talk about the virgin Mary and blah blah blah and she said here take this. she opened the book of Mormon and told him to read and it was open to the page where Nephi has a vision and sees the virgin Mary. when she told us that story i was like wo that’s insane haha. but she’s cool and super ready. the other one is Emeliano. He’s 9 and his parents are members. He’s super cool and a little shy but a good kid. He’s gonna get baptized so he can go to the temple rededication with his family. pretty excited for this week and those baptisms. but i gotta go i will be on later hopefully. love you guys 

Love,
Elder Park

From the mission blog

Hermana Egbert posts:

In the last few weeks we as a mission experienced a few challenges... but through the Lords help, and the faith and courage of the missionaries, all will be well!

- Elder De Leon lost his dad to liver failure (Didn't return home- relied on his faith)
- Elder Ellibee lost his dad this last Thursday (Knows his family needs the blessings of his continued service in the mission)
- Elder Park's family home in Hawaii burned to the ground and his little brother could not get his elderly grandparents out of the home in time and they perished. (He finishes his mission in three weeks and is giving all his efforts in this work to bless his family at home through this difficult challenge and tragedy)
- Elder Harolds returned home for surgery on a wound that would not heal 
- Three Elders sent home for transgression/disobedience

Two things I continue to learn while here-  #1 is that Heavenly Father is in charge and though difficult things happen we are never alone, and #2 that Satan never rests! These missionaries can never think they are safe, that they have arrived; because Satan is cunning, deceitful and persuasive!

 

Tecamac I Zone Fitness/Health Activity Day: Looking a little Tired!!!