Yeah.. so much to say but no idea how to say it haha. Today we went to the center and I bought a few things, and ate McDonalds for lunch haha. This past week was tough, but we got a new mission president (Pres. Cordon) and I really liked him. We had our zone conference yesterday and got to know him and his family. I am really excited to talk with him before I leave because he is a REALLY big business man and thats what I want to be. I talked with him after the conference and he asked me what I am gunna do after the mish and I told him I am going to BYU to study business and that I wanted to talk with him about it and he was really excited. MAN do I miss President Araujo though… I cant wait for the mission reunions!!
FAbio is doing a lot better, the only reason he didnt go to church is cuz he slept through the alarm haha (he has a 8 month old daughter that wakes them up at like 4am) so thats alright. We have been finding tons of families recently which is cool, but most need to get married.. unfortunately the brazillian government doesn´t help out much with that.
BRASIL LOST!!! Haha it was amazing… everyone was so mad. I had been waiting for them to lose to buy cool brasil soccer shirts cheap but the next day i couldnt find ANYTHING. They had put everything away already.. lol. Next world cup will be here in Brazil, that will absolutely be insane.. imagine if they win!
As weird as it is… it still really hasnt hit me that I am going home. Its a super weird feeling and I think it will only hit me when I sit on the plane. These past two years have gone by so fast but so slow. I have met SO many wonderful people here and I am grateful for the opportunity I had to be able to help so many. Thankfully I maintained a journal, although I should have written MUCH more often. Sometimes i read past entries and remember things I had totally forgot. This was by far the best thing I have done for myself. My mission saved my life. I wasnt the best missionary and there were definitely times when I could have done more, but the Lord uses the weak to make big things happen. There is a story in the bible, I think the dudes name is Gideon. Anyways he had a huge army and after some tests the Lord selects only 300 people to go against their enemys. The Lord uses 19 year old boys and girls to battle the biggest of all battles. I have been so immensly blessed in these 2 years, i sometimes wonder why. I have an AMAZING family… amazing parents, leaders, education, friends.. etc. And I see people here who have nothing… at all. I have gained much more patience and many other qualities here, most of which I got from my companions. Something I didnt really think about when I left was how hard the mission would be. In these past two years, my mom got sick, my dad lost his job, I got yelled at, made fun of, sick, and so many other crappy things have happened. I walk miles every day talking to strangers making no money at all. I have a habit of telling people “Or I am crazy or I have something really important”. I know that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church on this earth. I know this not because of my parents or because someone told me, but beacause I asked and God told me through the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ lives, and he paid for all our sins. He only asks that we have faith in him, that we repent of our sins, be baptized, receive the gift of the holy ghost, and endure to the end. And thats exactly what I will do and hope everyone else will do. There is NO other way we can return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that the Book of Mormon really is a book of sacred scriptures. I know families can be together forever and I look forward to starting my own. Before my mission… I had no vision of things… its hard to explain but basically now I have a REASON to work… I have a reason to study. I always had a reason, but I never really understood it until now. This truly is the work of God and I am happy I was able to be a part of it. I look forward to the chance to talk to my friends and family about these wonderful things. I invite EVERY 19 year old boy and 21 year old girl to talk to your bishop and send in your mission papers. It is hands down the best descision you can make as a young adult. Forget your friends and the worldy things. They will wait for you as you dedicate yourselves to serving the Lord for 2 (or 1.5) years. I love you all so much, and I am so excited to be able to see you all again. Once again, I thank everyone for the emails, letters, and packages. I tried to always respond right away but sometimes I couldnt get around to it and for that I apologize. Have a wonderful week and see you soon!!
Love ,
Elder Parker Boyack
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 at 11:23 am and is filed under mission. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
