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.

Sunday, March 17, 2013


This is from a letter we received last week dated: 
February 18, 2013

Mom
I’m not going to lie, living here is tough.  Even though I have one of the nicest apartments in Liberia, it’s all tough.  Nothing eve compares to something back home.  Physically it’s fine, I can deal with it.  But it’s mentally hard.  Everything here is mentally tough. It’s mentally draining for me, I just have to look at the positives.  I have to have a good attitude about everything.  It’s all about the attitude out here.

One of the best things out here is teaching.  Teaching is awesome.  I’m teaching people and I’m learning as I go.  The Spirit is so strong out here.  It’s what is keeping me going.  I get home sick sometimes since we have to be in by 7pm.  We have a lot of free time at night.  That is when I get home sick.  I miss the family, I miss my bed, I miss the good food, and I miss the rain.  Surprising I know.  It’s not that I miss the luxuries we have, I just miss home.  I miss feeling clean, I haven’t felt clean since I got here.  I miss the small little things.  I have to have a good attitude out here or I won’t make it.  I have to trust Heavenly Father that He’ll take care of me.  I know that if I do that I’ll be just fine. 
The work here is great.  Being a missionary here is awesome.  It’s really easy to talk to people here.  It’s really easy to talk to people here.  It’s hard to understand, so easy to start talking.  Everything about being a missionary is easy.  It’s when you stop and aren’t proselyting anymore, that’ when it’s hard.
Something that I’ve noticed since I got here is everyone is super nice.  Everyone greets everyone with a “hello.”  In the states no one does that.  That’s one thing I’ll bring back with me.  I’m going to greet everyone with a “hello.”
Whenever we are out walking, the little kids always run up to us and say “white man white man hello.”  It’s so cute.  Every day I have a smile on my face because of it.  Sometimes they ask me to take them to America.  It breaks my heart to say no, or I can’t.  Even though they don’t understand me, it breaks my heart.  I love the kids so much!!!  The kids make everything better.
Like I said in my email for my favorite scripture, Alma 37:36-37 is the best scripture for me right now.  It teaches me to pray always, pray all the time.  Pray in my heart throughout the day, and trust me, that’s what I am doing.  Also, I’m trying to obey every commandment or counsel or assignment.  I believe with exactness like it says in Alma 57:21, you taught me to do my best in everything I did, and to try to do the assignment perfectly.  That scripture helps me also.
Thank you for everything you’ve taught me.  Thank you for everything you ever did for me.  Thank you for being a strong member of the church.  Thank you for making me do all the church activities. 
I love you so much.  I miss you so much.  I couldn’t have asked for a better mother, teacher or a best friend. 

From the white African.  This is Africa!

Elder Park

These are the scriptures he referenced in the letter: 

 “Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support;  yea let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord;  yea, let all they thoughts be directed unto the Lord;   yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
Counsel with the Lord in all they doings, and he will direct the for good;   yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep;   and when thou risest in the morning let they heart be full of thanks unto God;  and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.”    Alma 37: 36-37


“Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness;  yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them;  and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them.”  Alma 57: 21

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