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.

Monday, April 21, 2014

April 21, 2014
HAPPY EASTER!!!!!

I hope that everyone had a great Easter.  I forgot how Easter was here in LIB,  but it was good.  I was very surprised at how many investigators came to church yesterday.  There were about 6 people and a couple of them, 4 of them that were first timers.   One man I know but have never sat with him, but I've sat with his wife, decided to show up.  I probably haven’t even seen him for about 2 weeks and yesterday he randomly shows up at the end of sacrament meeting.  Miracles happen each day here!!

The week was really frustrating to be honest.  There were a lot of people that bounced us so it made it really frustrating.  We did have interviews with President Kirkham on Friday.   He gave me a couple things to improve on,  mostly just making sure that I extend the invitation for baptism on the first lesson every time.  That had always been a weak spot for me.  I just like to see if the person is truly interested and is willing to actually listen and change, most people aren’t, they just want to learn what the Bible says.  That’s not our purpose as missionaries.  Our purpose is to help others use the Atonement of Jesus Christ and have a remission of their sins, not to be dispensers of knowledge.

I never really understood Easter, and I didn’t really understand it till this week, to be completely honest.  I knew that it was to honor the Resurrection of Christ, but anything more that, I couldn’t tell you.  Back at home I remember that on Easter Sunday, the talks would be given by the best people.  Here they ask us to talk.  I was asked to talk along with Elder Nabende who has faithfully served an honorable 24 months and will be returning home on Saturday.  I focused my talk on the Atonement of course.  I spent the whole week learning about it and studying it.  I have so much love for my Savior.  John 3:16 is where I started.  Because our Father in Heaven loves us, he gave us His Son,  and if we believe in Him we will have everlasting life.   If we have Faith in him, we will repent of the sins that we have committed,  then we make covenants with God like at Baptism, and then comes the remission of our sins when we receive the Holy Ghost.  The final step is then to show our love for the Savior and keep the commandments, John 14:15.   I know that my Redeemer lives.  I know that each of us will be able to become like him if we just repent and make and keep covenants.  By doing this, we can also receive that glorious reward of everlasting life. 

I know that the Book of Mormon is true.  I know that when we learn and apply the principals of the gospel, we can get nearer to God than to anything else.  I know this church is true.  I love you all

Elder Park
The White African
T.I.A. 

In an extra email he wrote:
Sorry i emailed way early for you (yep, I wasn’t checking my email at 4:30), we have a busy day today.  We are going into town and getting transport is super hard so we left early.  I haven’t meet the Dever’s, but I might today if they are at the office (The Dever’s recently arrived in Liberia, they are also from Washington state, their niece is a family friend).   Transfers come this weekend but I’m 90% sure my comp and I are staying based on my interview with President Kirkham.   The living situation is still the same.   We are looking for a new apartment though. 

I sent him a picture from when Derek and I got lunch at the Café Rio restaurant that just opened nearby.  He wrote:
I’m jealous.  Last night for Easter dinner me and my companion spoiled ourselves and bought chicken thighs and fried them with jojos and a terrible pasta salad.  It’s going to suck coming home because my stomach was not correct after that....

 

 

 

 

 

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