11/08/10

I am always so happy to read all your letters.  Thanks for writing it means so much.. All is well here. Thank you for your prayers. We are doing great but need all the help we can get. Ha I don't know if i'm as cool as Elder Menke and Elder Vernoy but I try to have fun with the kids. The kids here are so so so cute! I think every single kid is cute. I can't believe how big the Little's are getting. They won't be Little's pretty soon. Ha tell Peight that before he becomes a cop, cowboy, martial artist or anything else he's got to be a missionary:) I think he's already planning on that and so is Haizlee apparently. Thanks for not letting them forget me ha. I know that sounds a bit silly but I love them so much.  Everyone just looks so happy and that makes me happy. We're very blessed. The Chicken was good. Every part. Next week he wants to kill a pig with us so that'll be good. Oh I forgot to bring my journal! I had a couple experiences this past week that testified to me of the happiness the gospel brings to us if we're willing to live it. I'll do my best to remember... So we were at the church and my companion started talking to some member sisters and there was a very homely looking man who was also outside. He wasn't sober, at all. I'm not sure what was causing his intoxication  but it made me sad to even talk to him. He was very sporadic and spoke of a lot of visions. So the first thing he said to me was I want a Book of Mormon! So I smiled at that statement and told him to follow me. As we were walking to the car he turned around out of no where and started yelling at Elder Clawson about the Fall of Babylon. It was scary. So I motioned to Elder Clawson to just ignore and I got his attention back and we went to the car to get him a Book. He told me to write his name in it ha while I was writing his name he told me my pen was nice then asked to keep it. I said sure you can have it when I'm done. Wait.... Let me describe his physical attributes. He was about my height, long black-gray greasy hair, he had pizza sauce in his mustache (because he crashed a scout activity in the building), he had no teeth, wore pink water socks for shoes and his fingers where dark dark orange almost to appear black on the ends and had long fingernails. K so when I finished writing his name he told me to date it too. I said OK. Then he began talking... He spoke of his being kicked out of other churches because they say he's a sinner ( aren't we all) and he said the real reason was because the pastors wife loved him. He sincerely believed at one point that I was Alexander the Great and he told me I was perfect with conviction. Then he prophesied that I'd get married one day. Throughout all this I testified to him that he too can repent and become very very happy. I told him that I'm a sinner too but through Jesus Christ I'm able to be forgiven of my sins and be happy. He kept going back to the other churches and people that had no hope in him. It broke my heart. He also wasn't very receptive due to being intoxicated. Then he told me of s few visions... On was of a person named Jesse who came to him and asked him for a sandwich and a cup of milk and in the vision he told him yeah you can have a sandwich and a cup of milk and you can keep the cup. That was it. He didn't say anymore about that vision. He told of another one that he feels really guilty for. He was just sad. He didn't know who he was. But I knew who he was, A son of God.  He was talking to me at the end and in mid sentence he stopped talking, turned around and walked away... then after about 20 steps he turned around and told me he loved me. So I told him that I loved him too, and I really do.. I Couldn't believe how lost and sad he was. It helped me to realize even more that we really are preparing to meet and live with our Heavenly Father one day. It will happen. The Atonement is too great.

Sorry I just went on for some time... We are teaching a few people right now but mostly just looking. Tracting is so much fun... We get to talk to so many people. One man told us he knew the Book of Mormon wasn't true so we asked him hmmm... Have you read it? Of course he said no. It's sad to see how pride will hold people back from eternal blessings. They'll except it one day, I hope. Read 2 Nephi 28 and 29. They're really good. Transfers were today and Elder Clawson and I only spent one transfer together. He's going to Chico to be with his MTC companion and my MTC Companion is coming here with me. It's pretty exciting to be able to serve with Elder Reid again.  I just became a District Leader in this area which is going to be pretty neat. I don't know what my responsibilities are but I'm sure I'll learn a lot.
That's it. I'm very grateful for you all and your examples to me. Love ya.

Love Elder Paramore