TRANSFERS!!

WOWEEEEEEKAZOWEEEE! So transfers just happened this week and I found
out that I will be transferred back to good ole' HAMILTON!!! I'm
totally bummed to leave Billings but at the same time STOKED to go
back to Hamilton and serve with all the wonderful people there. (If
you forgot, Hamilton was my first area) I was also informed that I
will be training a new missionary so it will be kind of crazy to be
training in the SAME place that I was trained! I will be heading out
Wednesday morning in a truck with 4 new missionaries where I will
drop off 3 on the way and keep one. EXCITING!

This week has been consumed with planning and taking care of all the
logistics for this transfer because we had some pretty big moves and
President wants to do a lot of things differently. I found many people
don't like change and when change comes they go berserk! I'm
beginning to like change for some reason, which doesn't bother me too
much. It presents new challenges and obstacles that need to be met and
overcome and I just LOVE it :)

Well I think about y'all often and love y'all so much!

-Elder Parr

p.s. that package y'all sent with all the ping pong balls was AWESOME!!
It was so fun to open and y'all totally got me! Everyone was bustin' up
in the office! Y'all will see the video soon enough :) After y'all got
me we put them all in a box to get the other elders when they got
here and put it on top of their door, but JUST before they came in
the box fell and we pranked ourselves!! haha

Cool Experiences

What an awesome week it has been! I feel I say that every week but
it's so true :)

Really cool experience this week! Testimony to me of how important it
is to have the Spirit with you at all times. So Another Elder and
myself were out knockin' doors about 5 weeks ago. A lady we met was
going through some really rough times. She expressed how she lost her
son 4 years ago in a house fire who was 21 and how she was in so much
pain physically and emotionally. She didn't look happy at all and was
filled with sorrow and sadness. We didn't leave until she was smiling
and was content with her life and knew there was hope. Interesting,
because she shared a story how shortly after her sons passing she was
in the kitchen washing dishes and began to say out loud, "There is no
God!" Just a few seconds later, DING DONG! Her doorbell went off and
there stood the missionaries, who brought her comfort and talked with
her for 3 hours. Very memorable for her! Anyways, back to the story. I
felt to call her up to see how she was doing and it was actually her
50th birthday and she was all by herself and had nobody to be with :/
So we told her we would bring her some ice cream and celebrate and
have a lesson afterwards! It's a moment I don't think I'll EVER
forget. I know it wasn't a coincidence I felt to call her when I did.
Really cool!

The rest of the week has been crazy as we're getting ready for
transfers this next week and getting all the logistics down :)

I'm so excited with
everything everyone is up to and accomplishing :) Summer is flyin' by
so y'all better live it up with the rest you have!

Here are some fun pictures from this morning :)
as well as one from Saturday! It was Brother Popp's baptism and he
asked me to baptize him which has got to be one of the coolest
experiences EVER! I taught him when I was in the West Park Ward for a
long time!

SURE LOVE Y'ALL!!!

-Elder Parr

A Note From the New Mission President's Wife

Brother & Sister Parr:

 

We love Elder Parr.  He is a wonderful assistant to the President and leading and guiding us these first few weeks in the mission.  He always seems upbeat, happy, gracious, and willing to help.  We feel very blessed to have him in our lives.  What a fine missionary and fine young man.  He tells us there are wedding plans ahead.  Congratulations!  Attached is a photo of Elder Parr and President Mecham and myself taken on the mission tour just after we arrived.  Thank you for sharing him with the great people of Montana!

 

Sister Mecham

 

 

SMILE :)

Hello!!

First off...that's ridiculous that Mattie is engaged! If I were there
Mattie and you told me that I would tell you to "SHUT YOUR FACE!" Haha!
At first thought I don't like it one bit, but second thought, I think
it will be fun. Now I will have someone I can really wrestle and throw
around ;) jk

This week has been a super wild one! In the past 4 weeks, Elder
Steinicke and I have driven 3,400 miles! Talk about a major road trip!!
:) We've had a blast attending the various training meetings with all
the missionaries and driving all over the state. I must say that
Montana is one of the prettiest places I've been thus far in my life!

I have some pretty awesome news! As y'all know, I'm not much of a reader
at all, like literally...not at all. Well, this week I finished the
complete Book of Mormon which was totally awesome! :) I would encourage
each of you, if you haven't yet, to read the Book of Mormon each day
until you finish it! It will give you the desire to become more
Christlike and will strengthen your testimony in the restoration of
the gospel of Jesus Christ :) It will change your life, I know, because it
sure has changed mine!

Well, off for the day but hope y'all are all doing well and  remember
that I sure love y'all :)

-Elder Parr

Get up and GO!

Where do I start?! This week feels like it's been one of the fastest,
but one of the longest, because what I did last Monday feels like so
long ago! haha

We had dinner with a family this week who are awesome! They have 3 little
boys and I have to say they are 3 of my favorite kids! They just run
around the house with their shirts off and are just the coolest boys!
Haha I mean they all have 8 packs and they are all under 9 years old!
While eating dinner their mother shared a story with us about them
earlier that day! She said the boys thought the little prairie dogs
were going to eat them so after they chased it into the hole they
filled it with dirt and wet on it! Haha I was laughing so hard I
almost spit all my water out!

We had the opportunity to help out at our 4th of July pancake
breakfast here in Billings which was super fun! Lots of good food but
no sweet game of ultimate frisbee after :/ We spent the rest of the
day visiting people who didn't have family or who were just all alone.
Such a good feeling to bring company and sunshine to people who are
just down and discouraged and put a smile on their face :) I LOVE what
I do! The evening was spent out in Laurel, Montana where they have a
HUGE firework show! That event in itself, helped me realize that I'm

not missing out on too much in the world ;) haha Awesome firework show

though!

We began our travels around the south and east part of our mission the

following day, which is beginning to grow on me :) It's definitely

some beautiful country.
Wyoming was our first stop! Great group of
missionaries down there! I hope to be able to see some of the pioneer
sites there next time! The building we met in is the 2nd largest
stake center...supposedly! It was HUGE! Met a fellow Texan in their
small little grocery store too, which was great! Also made our way out
to Glendive, Montana! Drove 406 miles that day including a 6 hour
meeting! Fun stuff if you ask me :)

 

I would say the greatest moment this week by far was the experience we
had with this man named G! G is in his early 50's and is just in
a super rough spot in his life. He has been in and out of the hospital
for the past 15 months with various medical issues and most recently,
his wife left him and a week ago, came through the house and trashed
the whole place with paper work and such EVERYWHERE! He was at the end
of his rope for sure and was so overwhelmed :/ We offered to help and
he graciously accepted! We spent 2 and a half hours sticking paper into
boxes and stacking them up for him. It was so hot since there was
little AC and it was a hot day, but SOOO much fun! I can't tell you
how many people are out there that need us! Remember the words of
Christ, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." I'm a firm
believer that we should seek out opportunities to serve and help
others and not merely just wait for someone to come to us! I pray each
of you will find someone in need and share the strength and support
you have to offer with them :) Sure love y'all!

-elder parr

Never underestimate...

Yeahhhhhh buddy! It's been one of the greatest weeks of my mission yet :) When I look back on each day this past week I can't help but smile and be happy!

I had the opportunity to go on team-ups with the Elders from Cody, Wyoming here in Billings which is a blast! I got to be with Elder Sharp who has become one of my favorite missionaries. He is a real cowboy and we just had a blast meeting and talking to people. Met one lady who really helped me understand the importance of being where you need to be at the right time. She shared an experience of how 5 years ago her son was burned in a house fire that she had to watch burn down. It was devastating to her. She said that one day right after she was in her kitchen and said out loud, "There is no God!" Just as the words left her mouth, "DING DONG!" The doorbell went off and there stood 2 missionaries. She said they sat and talked with her for 3 hours and when they left she knew there was a God. I tell this story because just last week one of her neighbors home burned down and a 21 year old boy in the home was killed and many of her memories and feelings were beginning to come back and we were there just at the right moment.

Never under estimate being somewhere you feel you need to be!

Well, majority of the first of the week was spent packin' up President Gardner and getting ready for the whole transition and what not. Weird feeling for sure. Knowing your leader, and pretty much grandpa, is leaving and never comin' back and someone else will be takin' his place just isn't an every day occurrence; that's for sure! haha I will be forever grateful for the many things he taught me and the great example he was to me! So now we have a new mission president, President Mecham! He is just as amazing as President Gardner was! The first thing he wanted to do was to go out and teach with us which was quite the best experience ever! 

These past few days we have been with the entire mission which has been so much fun! We had the east half and Wyoming together here in Billings on Friday and we were in Helena with the rest of the mission on Saturday! President Mecham really wanted to meet all of the missionaries right off the bat and I'm sure glad because we've already started out on a great note! Each meeting had a time for testimonies, instruction from President and his wife, a question and answer section to get to know them and then a time we got to tell them what our mission is known for, followed by an amazing meal :) We all thoroughly loved it! They are such great people! :) 

Elder Steinicke and I got to go on our first road trip together which was a blast! He is the best! Sent you a funny picture of both of us ;)





 Sure hope all is well at home! Love y'all so much!

-Elder Parr