WEEK 15! Jumpsuits, Joy, And Dumpster Diving?

     HELLO FRIENDS AND FAMILY! How the heck is everyone? I hope yall are doing amazing! If you're not, message me and I'll give you a laugh;). This week tops off every other week! I think it really was the best week I've had on my mission! Don't get me wrong there are many of ups and downs...somedays are complete rollercoasters! My mission has been one of the hardest things I've ever done but I have never felt this much true and constant joy in my life. I know it's because the gospel is true and I get to share this knowledge with all of Gods children! I have been on CLOUD 9 almost 24/7 and its been absolutely incredible. This week I felt God's love in a different way. I have never felt such an outpouring of love in my life.


     This week was wild so I will start off with a wild story...maybe it will keep you interested enough to read my long email.  It all started with a cute older couple bringing us dinner. It was really yummy until we got to the dessert...it was strawberry rhubarb pie! I took one bite and it tasted like the smell of formaldehyde. Kid you not! Anyways we decided to go throw it away in our dumpster and to take out all the trash in the apartment while we were at it. As we were walking to the trash Sister Ward dropped the pie on the pavement. I quickly walked to the dumpster to throw away my trash so I could help her clean it up. Right when I was about to swing my trash in I saw a homeless person in the dumpster! I backed up, dropped the trash on the ground and started running back to our apartment as fast as I could. Sister Ward panicked and ran after me. A few minutes later after we caught our breath we realized we left our trash buckets outside. We slowly walked back and peeked to see if anyone was in the trash still. Thankfully no one was. We started throw the trash away and cleaning up the pie and then the homeless person who was in the dumpster started waking toward us. Me, being literally terrified threw the trash in as fast as I could so I could get the crap of there. Right as I threw it in I heard a jangle...you guys I threw our house and car keys in the dumpster with the trash! Not my brightest moment I know, I know. It gets even worse (sorry mom). I was nervous about the homeless person but I was not about to get in the dumpster so I bargained with the homeless person. Again not my brightest moment. I kindly asked them if they'd find my keys and I'd give them soda cans. I still can't belive I did that...but hey it worked! After about 10 minutes of digging they found my keys! I ended up bleaching the keys so much that my hands smelt like bleach for almost an entire day! Yikes! You live and you learn I guess:) 
MIGHTY MIRACLE


     Most of you know my mission is a social media mission! We don't tract instead we do a lot of social media work. On Thursday we had a busy busy day planned. Last minute things kept canceling. I was a bit bummed out.  As we were driving home after a friend rescheduled I felt like we needed to stop in Walmart as we were passing bye. As we started walking in a car pulled right up to us and rolled the window down. I realized it was some ward members! They told us there was a lady working in the fitting rooms right now who they just talked to who is interested in the church! We got so excited! I asked what her name was and they said "Pamela". I then asked for her last name. As they told me I realized I have been messaging Pamela on Facebook for two months now! We have become good friends over messenger and I have been teaching gospel principles to her. She's really busy and is battling cancer so she hasn't been able to meet in person but she has shown a lot of interest! God was giving me the chance to meet her in this very moment! I was so excited I pretty much ran into the store, giddy as can be, to the fitting rooms. Don't worry we played it cool tho;) my comp "tried" on a jumpsuit. While she was in the dressing room I got talking to Pamela. She asked if I was from the church. I told her yes and she said she's been messaging a girl named Grace on Facebook for a few months! In that moment I said "Pamela! I'm Grace!". She was so overcome by emotion and filled with joy! She said she knew my voice was familiar and she knew God put me in her path. I teased that a jumpsuit brought us together even though we both knew it was God's plan for us to meet in Walmart that day. My testimony has been strengthened. I know God loves each and everyone of his children. Our lessons canceled and lead me to Walmart to meet Pamela and there is no coincidence in that. “I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often the Lord’s timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them. - David A Bednar


     Obviously my email is pretty long already and a lot of other amazing miracles happened this week but I'll just give the highlights!
- We prayed about who's houses we could visit to invite them to our ward potluck. We visited a lady who had fallen away many years ago. She came to the ward potluck and to church on Sunday and we introduced her to a lot of ward members and she wants to keep coming!
-We got Phyllis to come to the ward potluck on her birthday (wahoo for 72)! She received one of the most powerful preisthood blessings I have ever been apart of. The spirit was present and I know she felt it too. 
-A few weeks ago we were Facebook fining at McDonald's and I met a teenager named Antonio. He was working and we ended up talking about our jobs! I told him I was a missionary! He seemed interested so I gave him our number! Antonio and I have been messaging for the last week and have become great friends! We went and got icecream with him and we're able to teach him. He's 17 and told us he was looking for direction. He has never heard of our church and has never been religious. He kept asking us how we were so positive and happy. He loved our visit so much that he asked us if he could come with us to teach more lessons! 
-On Saturday we helped a lady named Sally move into her dads house. He is 95 and still kicking! They are both not members but Sally asked us to come back and do a Bible study with her dad! Blessings come from service!
-We just found out this week that our mission rules have changed and we are aloud to go on the sand!!! (Its the little things that make me happy:))


     Missionary work is amazing! I'm loving my area, ward, comp and friends! I feel so blessed to be in this area. As I looked around sacrament on Sunday I realized I new each and every ward member. I feel blessed to call the Coos Bay ward my home. I'm grateful for the tender mercies and miracles I see each and everyday. My testimony has grown more than I could have ever imagined. I know that Heavenly Father loves each and everyone of us. He is a God of miracles and shows us these miracles after we act in faith and obey his commandments. God will never fail us. He has a perfect plan for all of his children. I know that the gosple of Jesus Chirst brings the joy that we need to overcome our trials and return to our Father in heaven. 


     Remember...when you can't see His hand look for His fingerprints. 

 
♡Sister Parry


- New comp SISTER WARD
- Zoom lessons
-My three favorite old ladies
-Mcdonalds finding!
-Some sweet Door Dashed me a smoothie for breakfast;)
-Pie and trash
-Dumpster diving
-Our new friend Antonio!







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