I've been so so so  good lately and I'm very grateful for it. Prayer is real. Hmong is coming along. It's still tough but I feel like I'm beginning to understand the people a bit more. I love the people. So you know how I went to a Hmong party well we went to a even bigger party and pig was once again served, It really is good. Just still kind of strange to see a whole pig on the dinner table. I wonder if  I'm different than any  missionaries, because  it has taken time to get used to everything and I didn't think it would. I'm learning a lot and everyday is much fun and a blessing. When I lay my head on my pillow at night  I just want to  get back outta bed and do so much more because there is so much work to be done and I can't handle people not knowing or understanding about the Gospel. We are so lucky, some would cry very hard at some of the  thing I have seen. There's bad , evil, and poverty everywhere but some places are better then others and I've never experienced so much. We've been blessed with the opportunity to live in good places. The work is good. We're teaching a lot of people which is fun and kind of hard. You can see the Lords hand in the progress of our our investigators and other times you can see the temptations of the adversary pulling them back. It's a real war and I'm grateful to be apart of it on the Lords side. So there's a Hmong family we're teaching and in there house are cockroaches everywhere that just climb on the wall and on the ground and everyone knows they're there but they don't do much about it,  whenever  the mother sees one she moves like molasses and slams her hand down in a very slow and most of the time unsuccessful attempt to kill them. It cracks me up. We were given about 40 pounds of food this week but Hmong people. They love us. Staying with the Spanish Elders last week was fun. I slept on the couch then the floor ha but no worries it wasn't too bad. Chandis would be proud, I've been running about 2.5 miles consistently for the past 6 weeks or so and I do a little lifting afterward. Alls well :) It has been way hott here. It's crazy. Probably not as hott as you there but oh baby a good dip in the Colorado river would sure be refreshing. Haha  Thank you for taking the time to write me Mom. Please give my love to Dad and everyone. Last year for your anniversary we went to the Bar 10! Neat huh?! Time flies. Happy Anniversary!  Well I love you a whole lot. Read Mosiah 20ish through Alma beginning ish and notice the trend. I`m  there right now. I love the Book of Mormon and could read it all day. Bare testimony whenever you get the opportunity. To everyone! Children, spouses, friends. neighbors, even strangers , this news is too good not to share! Kuv hlub koj nrog kuv lub siab tag nrho. I love you with my heart complete or in other words with my whole heart.


Elder Paramore

Elder Carter and I are working hard. He goes home in 2 weeks and has done his very best to not talk about it. So many missionaries get so distracted with how long they've been out, and when every ones going home and it's kinda sad because it just makes you miss home a whole lot more. One thing Brooks mentioned to me before I left was concerning getting a companion that was going home. Ha my first one. Kinda neat though because he's been a great example. He really has. Hmong is still hard. Very hard. I translated in sacrament meeting yesterday for a bit. Though I don't translate very well the practice is good. Sometimes I have to just say what I want, as long as it`s along the same lines I`m good.  Elder Carter told me yesterday when I was struggling to just tell them a story. It's fun, and when we sing hymns to them I'm sure they just love that.haha  We're teaching a lot of people. Maybe 15. We try our best to get to all of them but they don't often keep appointments. The ones that are more serious always keep commitments and it's so much fun to teach them. I've learned that, for me, whenever I'm down and my heart hurts for some reason( I think I'm more homesick then I lead on) then I gotta bare my testimony. I love doing it. I have become addicted. Do you think they have a 12 step for that? I don't know. Sorry,  I really am  being serious... It really is so important to me to bare my testimony because I know I'm far from perfect and I know that whenever I do, Angels in Heaven record it and one day when I'm standing at the judgment bar of God I want my savior to have my back.


We were at a Hmong dinner party  the other day and Elder Carter was asked to share a spiritual thought in front of 50 or so Hmong people. It was really cool for a couple reasons 1. There was a man there who was Hmong who served a mission for our Church then decided for some reason after he got back that he'd be a minister for a Methodist church so he got to here us bare testimony 2. There were a lot of non members there oh and 3. Elder Carter turned to me and said in Hmong now my companion would like to share a few thoughts ha. So I said a word that kind of means like uh oh in Hmong and everyone laughed. I then continued by thanking everyone and telling them that they have a great family and I love my family and it turned out alright:)  Oh and when we finally lined up to eat (they always make us Elders get in the front of the line) we saw the table and there was a full dead cooked pig on the table, yep his head, his feet and all of him. It was a bit different. It tasted pretty good though. They really treat us very well. I feel blessed to be among these people.

Well, I gotta go. I love you a whole lot and thank you for your prayers. Thanks for the updates, stories, and letters, they mean so much.

Love,
Elder Paramore

Hi,

Littles! I'm sure they are growing like weeds. There's a family we go visit that has 3 little kids ages 5, 4 and 3. They don't have a car, they don't have any phones, much food, or money to buy food, nor do they have money for  clothes for the 5 yr old boy. You'd think they'd be depressed or ornery all the time or just feel like maybe our Father doesn't like them.  I look forward to going over there though because the moment you walk in there 500 sq ft house you feel the spirit. They have so much love for there their kids and for each other. Their kids are all close to Peightons age and I tell them about him all the time. They run outside when they see us come and it melts my heart. The church is now aware of their needs and they're helping them with clothes and food. They may even start walking to church because their ride isn't very consistent. It's neat to know them.

There is this other couple that we're just starting to teach. I can't tell you there names because most of the time I can't understand them. They're probably close to 45 yrs old and they have 8 kids who were taken from them because  they can't take care of them. They are very sad but working hard to get them back. They both have slight handicaps (mentally). The wife more so than the husband. My companion and I first saw them on the side of the road. He has a bike with three wheels and on the back is a basket made of wood and everyday his wife gets in the back and he peddles the bike around town while she enjoys the weather. We saw them a few times and didn't stop because we were always on our way to an appointment but finally last week we saw them and both knew we couldn't do it again so we went and talked to them. It was even a bit tough for my Companion to understand their Hmong. Their great though.

We have a lot of things still going on. We're still trying to get people married and help motivate people to get ordained to the higher priesthood or take out endowments if possible. We're also teaching a lot of investigators. We were knocking on doors last Thursday I think and knocked on one that just happened to have an entire Hmong family looking for a church to go to. That includes cousins, aunts and uncles and all. They hold their own church in their backyard. I don't know for sure but I think there are close to 30 of them. We haven't been able to talk to the man in charge yet but we're hopeful that we'll know the right things to say when we finally get the opportunity. Sorry it's hard for me to tell you the stories in detail and events that led up to everything happening because I don't seem to have the time, but just know that everything that happens is truly a miracle and we are led by the Spirit. I'm very grateful that the Spirit can guide us because I'd be lost most all the time without it. So please know that.

We're busy. We're working hard. We're having fun. Family I love you. I better wrap this up but here are some pictures... Tell dad I love him very much and  can't imagine the love he must have for our family. I hope everyone in our family shows him that love in return. We're lucky. The luckiest.

That's all for this week. Love ya a lot.

Tub Txib Pob Tsuas




                                     .

Elder Carter at the BBQ.

Cooking with the bishops wife Sister Takahashi.

Dinner?

They have to do dishes in the bathroom.

Elder Paramore`s study chair.

An older couple that help him with the language.

Well Thing here are great. We're teaching a lot of people. We're making a push to get some people married civilly, to get people ordained to the higher priesthood, to get those who haven't been through the temple through. We're overall just trying to get everyone back and motivated. The ones that are active, we work with them a lot. It's nice. They are so willing. We're teaching  7 people right now. That's a lot. We have a lot going on here. My companion made me speak yesterday and he acted as if he didn't know Hmong so I taught an old lady about the importance of church. Then I invited her to church, she said she couldn't because of very ill health, so I asked her if she wanted us to give her a blessing. It was a very neat experience.  Everyday exciting things happen. I am soo tired every night, a good tired. You all are in my heart and in my prayers.


Tub Txib Pob Tsuas

Mothers Day phone call..

Hello everyone, I heard from Elder Paramore today. He began our phone call by singing me a Mothers Day song that he has sang to me nearly every single year since he was in the 2nd grade. It is such a special tradition for me. He reports that he is doing well. He is living in a fairly small, rural town. He said it`s only about 90 feet above sea level and there are no mountains to be seen anywhere. There are a lot of investigators and out of them all only one is not Hmong. One of the first challenges they have is committing them to marriage.  Much of the time the Hmong are only culturally married, so civil marriage is the first order of business. They are keeping very busy teaching discussions, helping members get ready to go to the temple and meeting with those who are recently baptised. He and his companion run and exercise every morning before he enjoys a breakfast of Grape Nuts and Raisin Bran. A member in the stake owns a bowling Alley and lets the missionaries bowl for free so after prayer, study, washing the car they drive, laundry,shopping for supplies at Walmart  and whatever else is necessary to take care of on preparation  day, they spend some time bowling. He bowled a 187 last Monday, not bad Elder ;)
He admits the language is tough but he is doing his very best. He expressed his gratitude for your love, support, and prayers.  He said to say hello to everyone, he loves and  misses you all.

Homesick..

This post is a little choppy because I had to edit it so much because it was quite personal.
My feeling as a mom is that Elder Paramore is a little homesick, I`m told that this is very common in the beginning and in a few months I may not hear much from him sometimes :)

I`ve said it before and I'll say it again. I think the only real hard part about the mission and I don't think it'll ever stop is the fact that I miss you all. I got to translate most of fast and testimony meeting yesterday. All I can do is my best. My abilities aren't up to par but i'm ok with that right now because i'm trying.


I don't live with Hmong people, we live with a white couple in the late 50's. Brother and Sister Chilson. They're remodeling their house right now so there's no carpet, not really an operating kitchen, we wash the dishes in the bathroom. It's humbling but it`s ok. The work is going well. We have a lot of people to teach and to help progress toward sacred covenants. It's exciting!

We're pretty lucky. Our ward we go to is good but our ward in St. George is just undescribable. I feel so much love the`re so much hard work and interest, selflessness and charity. Our ward here is growing and I hope I get to know some people a lot better.

Hug and kiss the littles for me and make sure to tell the ward hello for me. I love and miss them all. Especially Brothers Stucki, Turman, Duckworth, just everyone. Tell my friends the same, I love and miss them as well.  I'll let you go now. I love you a lot. Sorry if I didn't answer all your questions. So i'll call around 4 your time this Sunday. Can't wait!

With a full heart,
Elder Paramore

Mail..

Elder Paramore can receive mail at:

8583 Watt Avenue
Antelope, CA 95843-9117

We recomend that you send all packages through the US Postal Service using first class or priority mail. This mail can be easily and promptly forwarded.
Packages delivered by UPS, FedEx, or similiar carriers cannot be forwarded.

Thank you so much, President and Sister Pendleton