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, July 21, 2014

July 21, 2014

Well the week was dry until about 3AM this morning and it hasn’t stopped raining since..

Last Monday we went to Matadi to have to football (soccer?) game with all the dying missionaries (missionaries that are at the end of their missions and going home).  It’s somewhat of a tradition now, on the last P-day, you go have a big football game against one of the branches.  It was a lot fun seeing those guys, I will miss them.   I saw two of my former companions, Marondera and Myaka.   I also saw some missionaries that were the first ones that I ever met in LIB.  I will miss them so much.

We got a free ride from a Member who lives in Ghana but was here for work.  After talking with him for a while, we came to learn that he was the first missionary so start proselyting in West Africa.  Issac Dadzie is want sweet guy.  He had so many cool stories, along with some very crazy stories!  He said there have been articles in the Liahona and Ensigns about him since the early 80’s.  I want to say 1983, but I hope that you will go and check it out!!  (I couldn’t find anything about him, maybe his name is spelled differently?  If anyone can find out about him, please let me know).

Okay, what happened this week… oh yeah…  SO MANY LESSONS!!!

Elder Jemba and I are on a role!  Wednesday and Friday were our best days with about 6 lessons a day.  We were just constantly moving and working.  I am exhausted!!! Thank goodness for P-Day.

We had a group of guy’s call us over one day and wanted to ask many questions.  So we sat under a plum tree (did he mean palm tree?) close to the ocean, in a circle, teaching them of the Restoration and answering many questions.  It was so much fun and I am so thankful that Spirit was there to help us answer and resolve the concerns that were brought up.

We have a woman that we are teaching that schooled in Guinea and can speak both English and French, but can only read French.  So we were scrambling to find the French pamphlets so we could help her.  We also got a French Book of Mormon for her and when we brought it her, her face lit up and she was so happy.  As we went over the book, we had her read some passages.  She totally understood everything that we were saying because she now could read it.  I am so thankful for power that the Book of Mormon has, and the effect on people it has.  It truly is the best book in the world.

This Saturday is LIB’s Independence Day, so not a whole lot of teaching will happen that day, so, we have to work very hard during the week.  But it will be fun!  I hope that all of you had a great week.

Elder Park
The White African
T.I.A.

In an extra email:
My whole area is along the beach.   We oftentimes go down and just realize how powerful and merciful our Father is.

I wrote:  David asked how you were doing.   Actually a lot of people asked how you were doing since I saw friends from all over the stake.   What do you want me to tell them?  His answer:   “You  tell them that I am sweaty!!   But I’m doing great.”

I wrote:  I asked David what the weirdest or hardest thing about being home was, and he said being around so many white people, it’s kind of scary.   Didn't you say the same thing when we talked at Mother’s Day?  He said:    “Every time I see a white person, it’s like I forget how to speak.  It’s so awkward seeing them.”

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