We Wash Our Clothes in a Bucket

Entonces Family . . . 

 

Merry Late Christmas!!! It was weird not waking up to our beautiful home on Christmas day.  Instead we woke up to each other and our weekly planning session.  It went well though.  We had an activity with an investigator with lots of treats and a Christmas Christ movie.  It was in spanish though so i was grateful when there was no talking actually.  hahaa.  After we worked as usual. We got home early and made ourselves a fruit dinner.  We were too full from food from other people and our Christmas Eve dinner wasn´t settling well.  I will get to that.  Then we opened our presents!! Thank you so much for the blanket!! it made me cry a little and i had fun explaining all the pictures.  Evan is lacking in a few of them though ahaha.  We also exchanged presents with each other and she gave me a shirt with cats in it.  Hermana Routsong said I was the only companion worthy enough to recieve that.  I also got a few Bolivian things.  Both of our home packages had presents for our companions so we actually got a lot.  Our Penchenista also gave us presents!!

 

Well Christmas Eve.  We had lunch with Alenjandra, Blanca and Enrique, two investigators and one less active.  Enrique lived in Florida so he knows a bit of English.  He made us Chicken Alfredo!!!!!!!!!! Ph my goodness it was like home.  IOt was so good.  We were there for about three hours.  We invited another investigator who was lonely over to finish our leftovers so we had two lessons there.  That night we had with the Pench and her family.  It was a classic Bolivian dinner, Chicken, Potatoes, Corn and this really gross other potato stuff that i almost barfed.  You have to eat everything! and since the family was there we couldn´t pull our bags out.  I think the pench noticed I was struggling and she said if I can´t finish it is ok.  Honestly biggest tender mercy I have ever recieved.  I couldn´t do it! Bad thing was I ate all the gross stuff first.  haha.  We don´t eat with members that often so it is ok.

 

So Sunday Alejandra and her family came to church! They stayed the entire time too! It was a blessing.  It is hard for people to come to church because a lot of the time they have to work.  It is also hard to get them to read becasue they can´t read.  So that´s a struggle for us.  Also people are flaky and forget so we knock on doors a ton.  We do a lot of contacting.  mom you wouldn´t like it here, we waited an hour and a half for our Christmas Eve dinner.  Anyways, we teach Ester and her daughter Carolina in their tienda, or store.  It is always way hot and humid in there.  Before we could even get the baptismal invitation out she just kept saying yes yes yes when!! So that was cool.  They couldn´t come to church though becasue they had a wedding in Potosi they had to attend.  That´s a bummer, they want it so bad i love it! Carolina is 9 and she is so smart.  WE were looking through my picture book and she was telling me all the stories, she reads everyday, her mom can´t really read though so it´s sad.

 

Pedro, remember i invited him to baptism my first day!? yea well we habven´t had a lesson with him since and he won´t come to church nor will he read.  We can´t get him to do antything.  It´s so sad.  I rememberd one time when we were with him i saw a Jehovah´s Witness pamphlet on his desk.  They got to him.  Freaking Pedro.  I don´t even think i have ever seen a Jehovah´s Witness!!

 

Yesterday we had a lesson with Daniella, she is a really cute investigator.  The spirit was so strong during it and she acreed to be baptized at the end of Janruary, although she thought it was a little soon.  I hope all goes well.  During the first lesson she was crying and seemed so grateful.  We might be making Cheese bread with her tonight if Victor Hugo can´t.  It wouldn´t surprise me if he coultn´t actually.  

 

So as i was looking at the blanket i thought of some fun memories.  Dad remember when we went to Florida together and i made you go on splash mountain 8 times!!  Mom remember new York when I threw up after the play and that concert was going on! Evan remember when you were sleep talking and you said you were going to kill me.  yea fun haha.  Sam remember when you were following me and my friends around town all night long! that was creepy.  Isaac remember when you would sleep over in my bed haha or remember before i left and we had our lord of the rings marathon! My comp loves that movie too and we talk about it alllllll the time.  When i get back we are doing it again!!

 

All is well.  We eat a lot of fresh fruit and it tastes so much better here.  We are going to start to have dinner in our house because it´s cheaper and we aren´t getting enough fruits and vegtables with the pench.  We will now get in at 8 and not have to leave after!! It´s kind of hot here and it´s raining a ton.

 

Ph today for pday we went into the city.  i love it.  i feel like i am in america until someone starts speaking to me haha.  I found more places i have to go shop at during my last month or day here.  For lunch i had thin crust pizza and italian gelato and a coke.  i drink a lot of coke haha.  it´s good.  Oh we also wash our clothes in a bucket.

 

I don´t need any of that now though so don´t worry! thank you so much.  

 

Hermana Parry

This Girl!

Guess who is in Bolivia and eating gross food and being chased my dogs? THIS GIRL!!!!

where do i start? I Just don´t even know.  

My trainer is a Gringa and she is from Colorado.  I really like her! We speak in spanish as much as I can and when i have an important question we just go off into English.  

I got your package mom, and the envelope from the ward.  Nothing else.

So we have been teaching a lot of people! I invited two people to baptism and one didn´t come to church yesterday so we have to push his date back a little more, which is a bummer, his name his Pedro and we just don´t know how much he really wants it. 

We also teach Victor Hugo, he has so many questions about our religion but he is so open to everything! I gave him my book the other day and he seemed hesitante but excited.  He is also really patient with my lack of spanish and it is great.  He is way nice.

So the Elders were taken out of Las Cuadras so out area is double in size.  It was because it was too dangerous! Chiste, it is because the Cancha takes up half that area! It´s this giant marketplace.  We actually went today and i bought crap.  Anyways the Cancha area is up this GIANT and SUPER steep hill, then we have to climb stairs that are too Mordor i swear! We teach a family that is well, classic Bolivian.  It is hard for me to understand them becuase of their accent, but i try and contribute as much as i can.  Which my trainer said is a perfect amount.  

We also teach Ester and Carolina in the cancaha, they own a tiendra there.  Carolina is 9 and so smart.  I was looking through a church picture book and she was telling me all the stories.  Her mom can hardly read though, she is learning.  They have a baptism date for February! it is hard for them to come to church becasue she has to work every other sunday.

We went to the super market today and i bought rootbeer.  Contrary to popular belief i am not in the middle of nowhere, thats potosi.  I am in Cochabamba!! i related my area to bountiful, small suburbuan area next to a big city.  It is great.  We have a shower, toilet, stove, and lights! Can´t get much better than that.  We also eat at a Penchinistas house.  WE aren´t allowed to eat with members.  too many people got sick.  

For christmas we don´t know exactly we are doing, we have some stuff planned but who knows.  We are going to eat API though, it is like a scone.  

To get places we mainly walk.  Which isn´t that bad, i like walking.  Sometimes we have to take TRUFFIS.  It is like a bus, but more taxi sized.  I don´t know, they have taxis, buses, micros and truffis here.  We have lots of stuff.  We mainly just walk but occasionally take a truffi.

Totally forgot! First day we got here President took us all up to the Christ Statue.  The view though is unbelieveable!! This city is gorgeous.  We are also going to the temple on Viernes.  ll

The people here are really humble and so amazing.  It is teaching me a lot.  WE are in an expensive part of town, but you can´t really tell that.  It makes it harder for some people to accept the gospel and we do get shut down a lot.  One guy, Junior, made fun of my spanish and then basically threw us out.  WE aren´t going back.  That was the second day and my spanish has improved somewhat since then!! haha.  The other day we had a devo with all the missionaries in Cochabamba.  WE watched the share the gift video and other little things.  Hermana Hansen made four cookies for each missionary, we are saving our for christmas.  We can open our packages!! i am excited.  Hopefully tonight at our zone activity i will get the other ones!!

love you and i hope your christmas is merry and bright and white!! mine is blue cause it rains so dang much.  

The Clouds are Fluffy

Well, I just feel like I was there at the engagement, not really but thanks for all the pics, they are beautiful.  We made it to Cochabamba and it is beautiful.  The city is way nice and clean and it feels like an American City.  We just had interviews with Presidente Hansen and I love him, he is amazing.  I have heard that all the sisters are staying here, but also that only one of us is, I guess we will find out tomorrow.  After getting two hours of sleep in a tiny room last night we are all exhausted.  Let me tell you, the church takes care of their missionaries!! We are royalty here.  I am so excited to see where I will be and what I will be doing.  Can't believe this is happening!!! Oh the clouds here are so fluffy, like cotton candy!! Also Cochabamba is in a valley like SLC and it is beautiful.  I am already obsessed.  Pday will be every Monday now, unlike the weird CCM. 

 

Ciau Pesco

 

Hermana Parry

A Little Homesick

 

Happy Birthday Sammy!!! One more year until you are officially mission age! I Can't wait until you are out there!!! I hope your birthday was amazing!!

 

I got a letter from the Tuellers, that was so nice of them! Make sure to tell them thank you for me!!!

 

So we eat way too much rice, I have resorted to putting BBQ sauce on it and may almost follow the natives example and put ketchup on it.  I don't know, it just seems wrong. 

 

My 35-year-old companion doesn't like the way I pray.  I was folding my hands and she said that's not how you teach investigators how to pray.  I said President Eyring prays with his eyes open and hands to his face, now she like only prays with her hands folded.  It is actually a little funny.  During tracting the other day she talked over me a ton, I can't think that quickly in Spanish so she would inturrupt me when I was thinking about what to say.  It got really frustrating.  My heart just wasn't in it the other day, I guess we will have days like that.  It was fun, but we had no luck, only five contacts, the previous time we got 15.  Maybe thats because the first time I was with two other North Americans!!

 

So Evan, my friend here has a brother that went to Japan the exact same time you did!! His name is Elder T., he had to come home because he was diagnosed with a problem.  Do you know him?  Also did Elder Bednar come and speak at the MTC about PMG? We watched a devo that was done when I think you should have been there. 

 

We had the opportunity to watch the Christmas Devotional last Sunday.  It was so good, but it made everyone homesick.  I think I was the worst, literally that is home.  I also saw my old sems teacher and a wardie in the choir.  I love Christmas time and I am sad I can't see the lights.  Its ok though! Also when President Eyring spoke it just hit me, my wardie!! I love him so much! I want him to perform my wedding sealing, hahaha, Dad set that up for me.  He is an amazing apostle and I love him!

 

Mom can you still get me the conference Ensigns and the Christmas devo one if they have it? Just put them in my closet haha.  Well anything you take out or move in my room just put it in my closet, I still want my stuff.  And if you can get another Ensign from this last conference that would be great, mine is getting ruined.  

 

Sophie! I love how you talk to Emperor Charles III, everything you say to him I hear haha.  Thanks for taking care of my fishy.  I want to talk to you in Spanish so learn it!!

 

Dad is there anyway you can change my mission plaque to Alma 17:11, i like it soooooooo much more than my other one!!! I will even pay for it.  

 

So I can read really well in panish now!! I don't have to use my English Preach My Gospel anymore.  Scriptures are a struggle and I am trying so hard, but other stuff I can decipher.  My comp writes stuff for me if I can't get it.  

 

Do you want me to wait to Skype when Jake is home on that Sunday? If not, it's cool but I will ask my president when I see him on TUESDAY!!! I don't like the CCM anymore and can't wait to leave. I liked it at first but this is way too much time here!! I don't know how people survived three months.  

 

I love you all so much!! Everything is going well!! If I have time and the time is ok I will call on Tuesday but I am not sure. 

 

Hermana Parry

Two More Weeks

Family!!!

How has life been.  I am glad everything went well with Thanksgiving for everyone.  I wish I could have gone to dinner at that Philly place! Come visit me in Bolivia and I will take you out!! I am glad to know that at home I was a little useful, Christmas was my best thing!!
So my favorite church song is Come Come Ye Saints.  Listen to it and whenever you are worried for me or what not, think All is Well.  I love that song so much.  Maybe it's because I have so much more gratitude for the Pioneers.  Last night we watched 17 Miracles!! Those people had so much faith!! Oh I do get people to scratch my back during meetings and stuff, so all is super well!! We actullly take turns, like we did during sacrament meeting.

We went tracting the other day!! Holy Cow!!! It just made me want to ditch out and never come back to the CCM.  We got 15 references.  This family of three we talked to were so interested.  I wish we could finish talking to them.  I am about 100 percent sure they will be baptized.  A few others were really interested and a couple not so much.  One said when we gave her a pass along card said that she really needs peace and she will go.  It was such a neat experience.

Thanks for the presents!!! I put my new pillowcase on and the other girls are jealous.  So even though I didn't pass the AP Lit test, it was a big blessing to be in that class, I am able to understand the scriptures a lot more.  We went through Jacob 5 as a district and holy cow, I actually understand it.  All because of AP Lit.

All the Latinos hate the Bolivians.  We tell them where we are going and they just say, Sorry, its ugly there.  I think it is funny.  Bolivians also have the worst spanish so Jake and I will speak vastly different Spanish.

There is a teacher here who served with Devin.  His name is Hermano Polo.  I asked where he served and he made the connection and I mentioned Devin and Polo said, Oh yea the one with the butt problems.  hahahahahaha

I love my teacher and today we get new districts and latina companions.  My teacher is so funny and cute! She says funny english stuff.  My new companion is 35!!!! She was baptized a year ago.  So this will be interesting.

At tour we got confused and stuff didn't work out so we didn't get to go up to the pretty church on the hill. We will have to just come back here.  We did go get jerseys!! I got one jersey, a Chelsea jacket, pants and an extra Madrid jersey that says Parry.  Might as well.

All is well here.  Two more weeks!!! Time will surely fly now.

Hermana Parry

Only 17 More Months "and I don't like thinking about it"

Last pday while waiting for the greenies to come in we watched Ephraim's Rescue! And mom you said I wouldn't be watching movies! First time I had seen it and then I went and read all the stories that you have given me dad! I love family history and vow to get better at it when I come home.  I love their sacrifices and hope people will be reading about me in years to come.  So next Tuesday we go on tour and everyone buys soccer jerseys here. We can get our names on them.  Should I get some for the boys and send them or just buy stuff in Bolivia before I come home? We did a service activity and we had to clean the bathrooms, ok Latinas shed like crazy! Guess who had to pull the hair out of the drain. Yes it was gross but we had gloves that went to our elbows! 

 

We do TALL everyday and it stinks. One of the 6-weekers told us to listen to music on windows media.  It helps the time fly, but then we got caught. Apparently that is against the rules.

Here at the CCM we have fake investigators. Our lessons are going well and we have committed them to baptism and it is comforting to know that my Spanish can't get worse. So I can still teach, just not as well as I would like. Keep praying for me!! 

 

My hair is growing out and all the Latinas ask about my natural color. I guess you can tell!

We got a new teacher because Barrios is getting married.  This one jokes with me, he has some vendetta against me I guess, it's all fun and games though. 

 

We had a temple prep class and I loved it! We watched five different talks.  When I have kids, every night while putting them to bed, after story time, I vow to share my testimony of the temple and the Savior, along with hanging pictures of them in the house!! I learned that the garment is an outward evidence of an inward commitment.  I gave my too tight sweats to a Latina. She seemed so grateful. 

So when we hit the volleybvall over the fence we all stand on it shouting Äyuda me!  It is really funny and people come to help.  Probably thinking, what are these crazy gringas doing in a nice prison? Every night i fall asleep to car alarms and airplanes. Seriously though, if you touch a car the alarm goes off. We set quite a few off when the volleyball hits them.  At the temple two days ago I was looking at the picture of Jesus and the Lamanites.  I want it framed super big in my house. I made up stories about all the people in the picture.

 

So yesterday the cooks made us a wonderful Thanksgiving meal! What sweethearts.  They went out of their way to get turkeys because people don't eat that here.  Elder Bednar also gave a devo live from Provo. Maybe it is online! That night we walked outside and Christmas lights were up! It made me so happy, I just miss the snow.  Then we watched Meet the Mormons! Can you believe it!! 

Read Alma 26,27 it is wonderful! Also Mosiah 12,5 that one taught me to let things go, otherwise I will appear as a donkey.

 

I am back in a threesome until Wednesday when we get out new companions.  Its all good though. They each talk to me about the other. Haha I'm in the middle of a gossip circle.  Yesterday Elder Bednar said, If you do the simple things you must do your faith will be sufficient.  Even though the other girls don't go to bed or get up on time I do. We must be obedient in all things!!

 

Forgot to mention, we do that one hand snap thingy, and I can do it now, when there was flirting in the movies.  It was irreverent but funny.  So . . . when I talk to Elders the Hermanas would think I was flirting and they would start it!! hahaha.  This Elder, Elder Hicken was in my mission prep class at BYU!! So we have talked about that a ton.  When I get home I am watching my segment looking for him!! Also I really want to read a novel on Emma Smith.  She is amazing.  Mom find one for me and put it in my room, along with a picture of Christ and the Lamantines.  I only have like 17 months left, which is crazzy and I don't like thinking about it. 

Already Saying Good-byes

Next p-day is Friday.  Finally you are having surgery, I was just waiting for that. Why put yourself through pain cause you don't want to be on crutches? Doesn't make sense to me haha. So we had a challenge to find the six one-by-one phrases in the scriptures and I found them all. I got nine chocolate bars with stickers that are the currency here. I now have up to 15! We also have to read the Book of Mormon in six weeks and I hope I can do that! The cookies and cream ice cream tastes like coffee so thats awful. We had a great relief society lesson, all the latinos bore their testimonies and I cried during my friend, Violoria's. She came up to me and thanked me for being her best friend and said that she loves me. I may never see her again, she's from Venezuela.  All the 6-weekers left at 3 AM and it was harder than I thought! The CCM is so small here that we really all became great friends! One in particular I was sad to say goodbye to but I have his email so maybe I will write him in a couple weeks! I do love it here and I am learning a lot! We only have four weeks left! We go prostyling next Thursday and I can't wait! Hopefully it won't rain, it rains a lot but the tempertature is fine.  We just got back from the temple and a lady asked me and my comp for American money so she can get to America, I didn't have any with me and what I have I want to give to someone I feel impressed to give it to.  The food here is bland and I am sick of it so yea for me! I just can't wait to get to Bolivia!! Only four more weeks and they are starting to fly by!!  Honestly the days here are just, class, food, gym (I still cant play volleyball) and more classes.  Tonight we are watching Ephraim's Rescue though because we are getting 20 Norte Americano Elders here.

More next Friday!

Hermana Parry

She Hasn't Changed...

I've survived my first week in the MTC and the keyboards are bad.  We went to the temple and it was so pretty.  I am surprised I didn't die driving there.  We listened to the session in English with headphones but parts were in Spanish and I did fine.  At gym everyday I play volleyball and it is so much fun.  The elders love me and the other three girls here because we are the first North Americans they have seen.  My companion Hermana Hermansen came and I love her so much!   The CCM is smaller than my high schoool choir! My district is so much fun and there are eight of us in it! We get along so well and I will have an 8-pack from laughing so hard.  We get stickers here that are the currency and I have mooched 15 off of elders.  In your scripture study compare DC 4 and DC 31 in your next study.  Look at when they are written.  We heard a devo from Elder Holland, it was an MTC devo from May 2014 and it was sooooo amazing! Go listen to it.  I won't ever want to come home after listening to it.  Elder Evans from the 70 came and gave us a lesson.  The Latinos were all starstruck.  I can pray and bare testimony and do a lot in Spanish.  It is going well, could be going better but it could also be worse.  I am so happy and I love it so much.  Nothing has gone wrong so don't worry.  The food is just rice and meat, and I ate at Panda Express in Atlanta.  I also met my mission presidents because they came for a seminar.  Now I can't wait to get out! Four and a half weeks left!

Hermana Parry

 

PS  Dude there is no caffeine here  It stinks.  We have apple soda though that is pink.  I also can't ever finish my meal--they give us way to much.  Go feed starving children.  And everyone does this one hand snap thing here, pray I can do it.  I sort of have it, practice makes perfect

She Made It!

AHHHH sounds like a pretty solid day.  So where to begin.  The flight was fine, I sat by some elders and talked to them, drew pictures, listened to my music.  It really wasn´t bad at all.  There were 16 of us.  13 elders and three sisters, including myself.  I am in a trio with Hermana King and Hermana Lowmax.  Both wonderful girls and I really like them! We are in a tiny room, I hit my head on my bed this morning when I woke up, I also lost two buttons on my skirt already.  Yes, I am talking to all the boys, they are just a little bit more exciting then the girls sometimes, some are pretty cute but that is not important right now I guess.  I am so happy to be here.  Everything is going super well.  I can´t complain about anything.  Me and the other two sisters, are the only North American sisters here.  There are a few Latinos, which is great because I have been using my Spanish.  Don´t be sad, just be happy.  There is nothing to fear or worry about.  I am fine and in the Lord´s hands. 

I can´t send pics today because cameras aren´t allowed.  I was maybe going to.  We also had a short lesson today on D&C  4 and I loved it so much.  So far I have all I need and well, I'm fine.