Blog Description

This is a blog for the family and friends of Collin Park. He will be serving a two year mission in the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, he left on January 24, 2013. While Collin is on his mission his Mom will be posting pictures and letters as she gets them, the content will be straight from Collin (unless otherwise noted) - spelling and punctuation will be corrected of course! Commentary and clarification may be added by his Mom as needed.
UPDATE: Collin's mission was split in half! The Sierra Leone Mission included the country of Liberia when Collin first left. As of July 1, 2013, the mission was split along the border and the new mission created: the Liberia, Monrovia Mission. Collin will never see the country of Sierra Leone. He has been in Monrovia Liberia since he left the MTC in Ghana.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Because of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Liberia and Sierra Leone Missions were evacuated on August 4, 2014 and missionaries were reassigned to different missions. Collin was reassigned to the Salt Lake City Central Mission.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

This is a letter we got through the regular mail today, so about 3 weeks old

February 25, 2013
Can you believe that I’ve been gone a month?  A month ago I reported to the MTC.  It honestly doesn’t seem like it’s been that long.  The time really does fly out here.
Life out here is getting better and easier.  I’m getting more used to living here, and you were right, my living standards will be completely different when I get home.   They are already different.  You’d be stunned at how we live, and it’s not even that bad when you look around.
Even though I love being here it’s pretty tough.  Only mentally though, mostly because of the things that I see every day.  I’m not going to tell you, but we are blessed. 
Like I said in my email, I got to baptize Joseph Garwolo Ndorbor.  When he wanted me to baptize him I was amazed.  I didn’t teach him that much, most of the teaching was done before I got here.  He had walked into church on a random day and said he wanted to get baptized, a couple weeks later  I baptized him.  That’s a lot of how we get investigators.  It’s not that hard to get people to come to church.  Like I said so many times, teaching people here is so easy.
We have two people we are teaching, Milton Kupla and Daniel Toe.  They are super old.  They are little cute old men.  I love going to their house.  They are always happy to see us and so eager to listen to us.  It brightens my day.
At Sunday dinner talk about D & C 4 with Derek.  Make sure he actually listens.  Have Dad study it.  You study it.  Have Derek read it.  Then have a family home evening lesson about it.  Have Derek memorize it.  As a missionary, everything you see and learn from it totally applies out here.  We’ve asked a lot of people to start doing family home evenings.  At your FHE’s will you go through Preach My Gospel with Derek?  Learn the lessons that are in there, it is such a great tool for us and for me.  Reading it before I came out here was such a great idea.  It’s helped me so much during lessons already.  Have Derek read it and when he is older have him study it.  You can do this as a family at dinner on Sunday’s.  I’m not going to lie, I miss Sunday dinners a lot.  It’s really bad on Sundays, but it’s ok.  I’m here, I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing and I love it.  I’m having such a great time.  No need to worry about me!  I know you are, but I’m doing really good.  Heavenly Father is taking care of me. 
I love you guys so much.   I love you so much.  Tell everyone “How da day?” for me  J   Give some hugs out on my behalf. 
Love you lots!  Miss you tons!
Elder Park   - the white African
T.I.A.!   This is Africa!

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