Week 56: Tough Week

Dear Mom and Dad,

Ok first off I am sooo jealous of the Master Chief Pics!! I wish I was there! About the week I've definitely had better. Everyone missed church this week and we weren't even able to meet with Bill. Kevin is doing well but his son is due any day now. Chastity we haven't heard anything from since we met with her she isn't answering her phone. Missionary work is frustrating sometimes. Ok well a lot of the time. Elder Williams is from Fruit Heights, Utah. He was a class officer in High School and he is a super solid greenie. He has no trouble with the work or teaching. The basic maintenance at first was overwhelming but I've been doing it for a year now so it's just part of the grind now. This apartment has a washer and dryer so no trips to the laundromat (which I absolutely love). Yes it's still the same apartment as when I was with Elder Sneddon. Me and him stay in contact of course. I told you about me and him rooming together at USU right? We were the best of friends. That was a companionship that has evolved into a friendship. I really do miss that guy haha. Anyway I don't think I have my perscription but I'll look for it. Thanks for looking out for me! I appreciate everything you guys do! Love ya have a great week!

Love, Elder Braken Park

Week 55: Email Home: New Investigator

Dear Mom and Dad,

This week has been alright. Kevin made it to church this week but Chastity had to work. I'm loving my greenie though he is super sweet. He is super prepared and rearing to go. Katy is close to having the baby so we are close to having the answer to his baptism. He said he wants to wait until after she has the baby so we are waiting on that. It sounds like you guys had a pretty insane week though with the shinanegans at wendys haha. It's good that you found her those people were probably a tender mercy the Lord threw at you guys. That's super scary when stuff like that happens. I think the Lord recognises we are human though and wouldn't have let anything happen there. As far as everything else goes it's been good we picked up a new Investigator this week named Bill. He is an older guy who wanted to turn his life around and so he started meeting with us! He is super solid so we have high hopes for him. He wasn't able to make it to church though. Oh well we are meeting with him tomorrow. We'll see if he's still good then! Well that's pretty much everything it's been an uneventful week. Love you guys have a great week!

Love, Elder Braken Park

P.S. the pics are of Elder Bullock when we were making what we call Beatus Balls: crushed oreos and Cream cheese smothered in melted chocolate. Definitely gonna get the beatus

Week 54 Email Home: The new "daddy" hehe

Dear Mom and Dad,

So my first week as a daddy.... (in the mission we refer to having a trainee as having a son). It's actually been really good as far as the companionship goes. He has really surprised me with his preparedness, as he is so much more ready than I was coming out. He will be a good companion he shares the load very well. He just has a few things to learn and he could be my senior companion! JK haha but anyway on to the week! So the pictures are mostly from the back to the 50's festival we went to in Lebanon. It was super sick there were tons of nice cars there! As far as the work goes though... this week kind of blows. We weren't able to meet with kevin or chastity and neither of them came to church because they had to work.... So that kinda sucks. But we are meeting with Chastity tonight so hopefully we can get back on a regular schedule with her! Kevin has been working nights so it's been hard for him to come to church anyway and Walmart has been having him from 11 to 7 and he's really not used to the schedule. So keep the manager of Walmart in your prayers that he'll give Kevin Saturday nights off. He's so close to have him quit now would be so bad.... So please keep him in your prayers! As far as everything else goes it's going really well! My CTR belt died though.... The buckle broke off so I'm super bummed about that.. When you are able to send a package I would absolutely love another one that thing was soooo nice. The weather here has been slowly cooling off summer is finally going away. I love fall in Indiana it's pretty it's nice and most importantly it's NOT summer. I despise Indiana summer. But that's pretty much it for this week. Junior is doing well he is super excited to be here! Love you guys and have a great week!

Love, Elder Braken Park

Letter and Picture from President Steve Cleveland

12 September 2014

Dear Brother & Sister Park,

Your son, Elder Braken Jex Park, has been assigned to train a new missionary. The position of trainer only comes to missionaries who have demonstrated the highest level of trust, obedience and diligence.  A new missionary's trainer sets the standard and establishes the framework for the entirety of the new missionary's mission experience. We have every confidence in Elder Park and know that he will be a great blessing to his new companion.

We appreciate your love of and support for Elder Park.  Those acts have helped prepare him for this new assignment.

Sincerely,

Steven C. Cleveland
Mission President

Photo Attachment

 

Braken and his new "greenie" companion, Elder Williams

Week 53 Email Home: Elder Sneddon's Getting Transferred :( Braken Will Miss Him!

Dear Mom and Dad,

So first the big transfer news... I will be staying in Crawfordsville... and Training a new missionary. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this... It's going to be interesting teaching a greenie the ropes. Oh well whatever they want me to do. The other thing is that sisters are coming to Crawfordsville. That's something I'm NOT happy about. It was super nice just having the run of the town to ourselves. That and members go nuts when they first get sisters and tend to throw the elders by the wayside. (that's what happened a lot in Plainfield. Oh well hopefully we don't get really uppity prideful sisters. Anyway onto the weekly update! Kevin and Chastity are still doing awesome. They are making it to church, reading and praying all the time, and Kevin agreed to have an answer to baptism in October when Katy has their son. He really hasn't given us any reason to make us believe that he is going to say no. So he should be getting baptised next month. Chastity is just struggling with her smoking. She is doing everything else she just can't kick it. She is totally committed though. She will get baptised as soon as she can quit smoking. Other than that we've kind of had a fall cleaning of our investigator pool. Lots of people just weren't committed so we stopped meeting with them. So greenie and I will have some finding work to do! So on to the business aspect of things. Yes I picked up shoes at foot locker but they were pday/regular shoes because mine are trashed. But if money is tight don't worry about sending a package. I realise it's a lot of money to keep me out so really don't worry about it. Mine will last for plenty long enough. Just when you guys get things worked out there then you can send it :). I didn't get Garret's email, but I did see his birthday on the calender and I did want to wish him a happy birthday! Gosh is he 16?? I'm getting so old.... Oh well time sure flies doesn't it? Well I love you guys maybe if you're on this morning we can chat or something. Love you guys have a great week!

Love, Elder Braken Park

Week 52 Email Home: Slow Week Teaching, But Busy Week Serving

Dear Mom and Dad,

This week has been a little slow. Lots of dropped appointments and cancellations. No worries about kevin though he is hooking right along. His wife is now joining in the lessons and he is FINALLY getting her support. We however have pretty much helped someone move every day this week. We even moved somebody this morning before we came to the library. Needless to say we have spent a lot of time in our service clothes. It's been fun though the ward here knows they can call on us if they need it which is really nice because it really allows us to get to know the members on a more casual basis. And yes they do feed us for the most part, but these last couple of weeks our dinner calender has been pretty sparce and we've been on exchanges a lot down in Lebanon (another town where our District Leader is) so we have eaten out a lot. I try to make food as much as I can but sometimes when it's been a long day... Well I really just don't feel like making anything haha. Oh well I have lost a lot of weight since coming out though! I've lost almost 20 pounds which is super nice. I've made it a rule that I'll play Basketball with Elder Bullock on pday and it's really worked out well for my gut haha. And on top of that I'm actually not half bad anymore. I got some new shoes yesterday as my service shoes are kind of.... Destroyed... Speak of the which I'm an 11 but anyway This is why you don't buy cheap shoes as a missionary. I picked the old ones up in eagle creek at this super ghetto mall. $20 and that's about what they were worth haha. But anway I'm not too worried about the package don't worry I recognise that you are really busy it's totally ok. Just know transfers is next wednesday so if it's not going to get here before then just wait until I let you know my new address. (me and Elder Sneddon are pretty sure they're gonna double transfer us back out but I'll let you know what happens next week) I didn't know Megan had miscarried.  I'll have to keep her in my prayers. I do occasionally talk to Cooper and Emily and Nic probably not as much as I should I'll have to write them more often. YES! I very much approve of him watching Star Wars! Keep that up! I really haven't talked to President Cleveland much to be honest. He gives us a lot of counsel on the work, but as far as anything else, he is really chill. He basically says that we are all adults and that we know how to take care of ourselves. He is there to help with the work. That's pretty much President Cleveland. That's awesome he got Brother Whimpey! He will like him it'll be good for him. Anyway I love you all! Have a great week!

Love, Elder Braken Park