Week 77: Food Poisoning! Yuck!

Dear Mom and Dad,

This week's been pretty boring just been moving most of the week. Not too energetic today I managed to get food poisoning last night. Made a fool of myself at a members house at dinner last night. As soon as we got there I sat down for about 5 minutes and immediately had to run to the bathroom and puke my guts out. Not too fun. But it's ok we met a messainic jew this week with a very hard heart whose daughter is going on a mission. So she wants us to tell her basically what her daughter is getting into. She has problems with women and the priesthood and knows the bible like the back of her hand... So all of my... absolute... favorite... things... to deal with. Oh well transfers is here and Van Sickle is out and I'm staying. We haven't been able to meet with sergio as his phone is shut off and we don't want to blow 30 miles to go and see him and have him not be there. So we need to find a member to go with us. Um that's pretty much it for me... Sorry today is not a good day still recovering from the food poisoning. Love you guys have a great week!

Elder Braken Park

Week 76: "Found a Sweet New Investigator!"

Dear Mom and Dad,

This week has been all right, we have gotten a place but transfers calls are this week on saturday, so I don't know if I'll be around to see it. Most of the time I can vibe transfers and have some idea of what's going on, but I have nothing this time. So anything could happen! Anyway found a sweet new Investigator this week! His name is Sergio, and he's read the Book of Mormon quite a few times! He struggles with his reading comprehension though so we aren't sure he has understood much of what he's read. So I've been using a lot of what I've read in Increase in Learning to try and figure out how to help him! It's an amazing book thanks so much for sending it I've learned a lot from it. I'm sorry that this whole thing has blown up so bad. It seems a silly thing but what's silly to one person can be earth shattering for another person. That's something we run into a lot out here. People who have really silly concerns like the fact Joseph Smith was once a freemason or something, which really doesn't mean anything in the long run, but to them it's just a complete wall that they just can't get over. People will be people I guess. Garret I would have to say the Desert Eagle is probably my favorite gun. Dad I am grateful for your support every day. My mission has been amazing and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's made me the person I am today and I am very excited by that. I know the Lord is going to bless you for allowing me this opportunity. Don't worry mom I have plenty of regrets from pre-mission so I won't be adding any on during my mission. Well that's all I've got this week you guys take care, I'll talk to you next week!

Love, Elder Braken Park

Week 75: Apartment Shopping

Dear Mom and Dad,

Sorry if my last email didn't sound good I was just trying to relate. I do probably make it sound worse than it really is. I am doing better we went apartment shopping this week, as we've needed to move for a long time. We've found an apartment in Niles, so once we move the work will pick up immensely. Just a lot of trials right now. But it's ok we are working through. It was actually really interesting I went on an Exchange with Elder Dodd this week and we actually had a really good time and he actually apologised for a lot of the crap that went on when we were companions. So I was given the opportunity to forgive and I definitely took it. It actually brought a lot of peace to me knowing that it was all taken care of. Dad I would love to go do baptisms together when I get home! I would really enjoy that it'll be a good spiritual uplift after the mantle is gone.... That's what scares me about going home. Once that mantle's gone the lack of the spirit is gonna feel terrible. But I'll have to get over it so we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Yes on money I am sorry I have gotten a little bit careless. Elder Van Sickle comes from a pretty poor family so I have been buying most of the food and groceries and things. Also with all the stress sometimes I'll just buy stuff because it looks good... we end up with more candy that way. So I will try and do better I do apologise for that. I'm glad my package got there I didn't think it'd get there till tuesday haha. Well I love you guys! Have a great week we will talk next week!

Love, Elder Braken Park

Week 74: "Bear with Patience Your Afflictions"

Dear Mom and Dad,

This week has been kinda back to a struggle. We are running into a problem where we live 5 miles outside of town and on the weeks when we don't have the car we are having to find member rides everywhere and we can't always do it. So that's been the real frustration of this week. But life goes on we have the car now after we just got a huge snowstorm that's why I wasn't on yesterday. Dad I would have something more to say to you. I can understand what you mean. When people screw with you just to do it, it sucks. I have recently been going through some emotional struggles with the leadership of the mission. Basically the mission has turned into a sweatshop. In that I mean that the people asked to be in leadership have stopped focusing on us as missionaries, and started just caring about the numbers, and have completely forgotten that the purpose of numbers is the people behind them. And when me and Van Sickle get stuck 5 miles outside our area, they want to harp on us because we don't teach a whole lot of lessons in a week. And to top it off Elder Dodd is now my zone leader, which if you remember anything about my companionship with him, it didn't go well at all. I was made fun of on a daily basis by him and the rest of our district. But that is one thing I've learned on my mission that got me through that specific transfer especially and am now relying on, is that it doesn't matter what anyone else says. I know that's super cheesy, but for a long time I just had to learn to sit down and not say anything, and ignore what was being said. Because I know that as long as I will just ignore it and do my job, Heavenly Father is going to be the most happy with me. And because of that transfer I have been in basically only hard areas, but I know I'm where the Lord knows he can put me. Because he knows I'm not going to care how much my zone leaders whine about how I don't teach enough lessons and how I'm not a good enough missionary. I'm just going to go out every day and do my job. And if I please my zone leaders great, if not I don't care. because I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to. So the moral of that story is to bear with patience your afflictions. Patience is the worst christlike attribute to gain, in the fact that it's the hardest and most tiring, but it is by far the most worthwhile. Sorry I didn't want to get on a soap-box, but that's honestly what it's been like out here. A lot of patience learning. I'm not really a high-baptising missionary, but I go to places with not a lot going on, and I pick them up and get them ready for others to come and reap fruit. So dad, I know it's hard but learning to cope with others mocking you is a real blessing. I know it's gonna definitely help me when I get home. Sorry that was a long speal but I hope it helped some way. I don't mean to worry you guys it really is great out here, but there is a lot of the human aspect of missionaries you have to deal with. Anyway I love you guys and appreciate your support through all this time. I'll talk to you next week!

Love, Elder Braken Park