Mexico Pachuca - Week 85 - June 29, 2015

(Excerpts from his email)

hey mom sounds like a crazy week. this week was a rough week. we have been working hard but haven’t seen a whole lot of progress but we keep on going haha. pretty much the only thing we can do. this weekend was stake conference and so that was cool but guess what the theme was? marriage and family haha. i will try to think of a story but like i said kinda a slow week here. 

M: So a story does not have to be about people you are teaching but can be about your learning or anything really.

EP: um well i am reading the book of Mormon again but this time in English. i have read it more in Spanish than in English so i am trying to read it in English. i am just starting 2 Nephi and i really like the first couple chapters when Lehi is talking to his family. he really focuses on a few things. the atonement and our free agency which is pretty much the whole plan of salvation. I really love 2 Nephi 2 where it talks about the creations of God. there are two types of things in the world. things that act and things that are acted upon. we as children of God have the greatest power of all things, our agency, so that we are always agents. so that we always act and are not just acted upon. I really like this because we have everything within our grasp. we can achieve and do everything. we can be happy. we can be peaceful. we can be successful. we can have eternal life and an eternal family if we choose to do so. but everything depends on our choices and how we choose to use our agency. i think like you said the overall thought is give your heart, give your soul, give it all that you got though it seems like a lot, give like the Savior gave and you will be blessed. when we use our agency to follow the plan we are blessed and things go well. when we give ourselves to the Lord that is when all the blessings come. like another scripture, i think in doctrine and covenants and the book of Mormon and probably in a bunch of places haha what you sow is what you reap. when we do all we can the Lord will bless us even in ways we don’t expect. like in the mission. if we talk to everyone in the street knock doors and do everything even if they don’t accept, things will happen and we will find people to teach, through members or other contacts or something and it always happens. maybe not how we expect or in the time we want but when we do what we have to do, trust in the atonement and use our agency, the Lord always blesses us. 

M: That is some very good learning.  Something  Aunty Summer shared may be of some help in your situation, it was about patience. I think we talked about it before, but she said, (excerpts from Pres Uchtdorf May 10th address): "Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something...even when desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring it is enduring well. Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace and faith. It means being willing to submit to all the things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon us, even as a child doth submit to his father (Mosiah 3:19) Ultimately, patience means being firm and steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord (1 Nephi 2:10) every hour of every day even when it is hard to do so."

We do what we can, all we can, have patience, enduring with faith and we will be blessed. 

EP: haha ya i just read a talk by elder Wirthlin from like the 90s that’s called patience is the key to happiness. like we talked a lot about before, patience and faith. keep doing everything with patience and faith even when its hard or when we don’t see the results. 

M: You know son, you have the tools that you need to be successful, not just in the mission, but in life. The key in the end is keeping our selves close to the Lord to be able to remember the things that we learned and use them daily.  He will inspire and guide us when we need help if we continue in faith, obedience and endure well, not just endure, but endure well.   Seems simple and yet we get caught up in life and all that we want to do and try to do and it is not so simple.  But, for you, keep your head up, give all you got and you will be blessed.

EP: haha i hope so. nah i know,  its so easy i don’t know why its so hard. like when you think about everything its easy. everything is easy you just need to do it. you just need to decide to do it and not let anything stop you from doing it but i have learned a lot in the mission. a lot about me. my weaknesses and what i need to do to be better. i feel like i can do anything, like you said i have the tools. and its not to be proud or like talk big about myself but i can do a lot of things but i let myself get distracted easily i think more so with others. sometimes i am so weak in that aspect instead of doing everything like i want to or know i should, to avoid problems i take the easy way out and follow and sometimes its good and sometimes no. i mean i need to be able to learn from others, to recognize when they are right and improve, but i also need to recognize when its not right or its not the best thing we can do and maybe sacrifice the peace for a little bit to do things the best way possible. its something i need to work on and am trying to improve on. Like it says in Ether, when you come to the Lord he will show you your weaknesses. i think that may be one of my biggest weaknesses but now that i can recognize it better i need to fix it. its hard but possible.

M: When we know our weaknesses, we can work on them. The hardest part is accepting that we have weaknesses, but when we do, we can make them strengthsI think for me it is a lack of patience for sure. I also know that I am not so tolerant of others. Really the list can go on and on, so know that you are not alone in your weaknesses.  The Lord can help us to become better. Good for you, you are heading in the right direction. As long as you are moving forward, you are moving in the right direction. I believe our efforts also count! The Lord knows when we are really trying and he will bless you for that. I'm so proud of you.

So you good son?

EP: ya I’m good. its hard to believe, pretty crazy that i got less than two cycles left. less than 3 months. it went by so fast but that’s life. I’m good. got a lot to do and i want to and just need to make the decision to do it better and the best i possibly can. serve with everything for these last 3 months. 

M: Yes, the time has flown and you have grown so much. I know that you will do all you can in these last three months, I believe you have done this your entire mission.  You should be very proud of yourself and it's not boasting, it's knowing you did your part.  Some days better than others I am sure, but overall, you have done well.  Serve with all your might, mind, strength and heart and you will come home knowing you were a good and faithful servant.

EP: ya i kinda wana just get back to how i was in Huicholes. i think that’s where i really found who i was and did things really well, my way, not like any one else wanted me to but how i know i could and should and i think it really paid off for me there. i just gotta get back to that. thank you for all that you do for me. all the love and support i couldn’t have done it, couldn’t have gotten here with out you guys. love you guys so much. i gotta go but have a great week love you

M: Be strong, be confident in yourself and your abilities and you will be blessed. Love you son! Have a great week.

Love,
Elder Park