an Attitude of Gratitude

WOW!! This week has been an absolutely wonderful one! It was crazy because of transfers of course. Elder White left me last Monday evening and I was on team ups with Elder Smith who is serving in Eureka, Mt right now. We are both training this transfer and it was fun to spend a few days with him as we talked about our upcoming opportunity and what we could do to make it the best! Some things happened this week that led my mind to what I learned yesterday at church!

Yesterday at church I learned that we must not dwell on all the things we don't have or wish we had in our lives but to be grateful for what we DO have! Then, to give thanks to Heavenly Father. It's far too easy to forget what we have when all we do is think about what we don't have. So I learned I need to have an attitude of gratitude :)

This first experience happened while I was with Elder Smith and Bishop down in Pablo. It's the rougher part of the reservation here. We were helping clean out some trailers to get a couple into one and the one we were getting some stuff out was just TRASHED. There was stuff all over the place and just not somewhere I would like to stay. Then it hit me that someone actually had lived there. This was all their stuff before they had to leave. They lived here. I know we have some control of our circumstances but these people, whatever there circumstance was, I'm sure struggled to even keep this place. It made realize how thankful I am for the places I grew up and even in the home I live in now! I'm grateful that I don't have the biggest room or biggest kitchen because I have what I need to survive and be protected.



Elder Parr and Elder Smith Polson Turkey Trot 2011



Of course Elder Smith was a cross country runner back in high school so we showed up early Thanksgiving morning at about 8 am to run in Polson's Turkey Trot. This experience helped me be grateful that I have a healthy body in which I can run and breathe and help others! I will say I haven't run that far since the freedom run when I was like 10 probably Haha. WOW! Regardless, I was determined to finish the race no matter how long it took me. Well, I finished in 25:15 which was insane! The best part of it all was that we did it in our white shirts and ties :) Good times!



Elder Scott - New Companion



After the turkey run we picked up our new elders from the bus stop! Elder Scott is my new elder I'm training! He is from Robinson, Illinois and the middle child of 5 children! I love him so much and I can tell he has definitely prepared to be an instrument in the Lord's hand! He has taught me sooo many things and I'm going to LOVE this transfer! After we picked him up we spent awhile playing basketball with one of the kids in the ward which was fun. Followed with 3 dinner appointments for thanksgiving! OOOOWEEEEE! Last place we asked if we could just eat dessert because we had soooo much food already and were stuffed!

Haha! It was great to spend Thanksgiving with people who I've come to love! I'm grateful there are so many people here that will allow us into their homes and families!

We had another baptism this weekend which was wonderful! 

All in all last week has been GREAT and I can't wait to see what this week has in store for us! I received the Kringle which was a surprise! Opened our fridge one morning and BAM! There was Kringle! I was SOOO excited :) Thank you so much! I've definitely been sharing it :) hehe I love and miss y'all! Hope y'all have a GREAT week! Hope you enjoy the pictures I've attatched!

Love,

 Elder Parr

So as you've probably already heard, we received transfer calls this week! I'm blessed to have the opportunity to stay here in Polson for another 6 weeks, at least! Sadly, Elder White is leaving me to go to Miles City! Complete opposite side of the mission and a lot different terrain! I've been blessed to stay on the west side of the state with all the water and mountains and pretty green stuff :) haha East side of Montana, we've joked, should be a different state because it's flat, dry and nothing there! I know he will do many great things though and I hope I've trained him well enough to take on any responsibility or challenge! With Elder White leaving that means I get a new companion. This one is another special one because I will be training AGAIN! This will be the third time I will be training. Elder White said it's because President Gardner is giving me one last chance to do it right ;) hahaha! I'm excited for another opportunity to work with a new Elder and to learn together :) Yipeee! Of course I don't know who he will be until Thursday sometime!

 

This week of course was another GREAT one! We did SOOO much and accomplished a ton!

  

We made our way to Plains, Montana which is about an hour from Polson for a baptism we were asked to help in. It was for the gentleman who I interviewed last week to be baptized! It was one of the most humbling experiences ever. Many friends and family gathered together to join and support him. The baptism was wonderful but what humbled me even more was he asked me to confirm him. Out of all the people he knew, he asked me to do it. Why? I have no idea but it was an honor to do so for him :) He has touched my life and opened my eyes to the Savior's mercy and love he has for each of his children :)

 

We've been working with a family as well down in Pablo which is on the reservation. There have been 15 people living in this trailer. Yesterday evening we had a wedding for 2 of them! They were married yesterday in the church and have plans to move into another trailer with their 2 children. It was great to see people begin to live the gospel and except it into their lives and live according to God's commandments!

 

I think the biggest thing I've learned or saw this week was with a 12 year old, actually! We went to a members home who had a friend over. She is 12 years old and is probably the most mature 12 year old I've ever met! (sorry Preston ;) haha) Well, she began to open up and tell us how her life has been such a difficult and tough one. As I listened I wish she had NEVER gone through all of the things she told us about but at the same time I realized that EACH of us learn and grow differently. No person has the EXACT same life and do the EXACT same things. That's the beauty of life. What hit the heart most was when she talked about her younger sister who is 9 at the moment. She described how her sister is the only one that has kept her going and she would do ANYTHING to protect or help her. She expressed how her sister was the glue to her life. I was able to relate perfectly being the oldest child, as well. I hope that Mattie, Ethan, Allie, Preston and Carson know how much they matter to me. I, too, would do ANYTHING for y'all! Y'all are the BEST and bring me so much happiness and joy :) I LOVE Y'ALL! I'm so thankful for my family and all the support and encouragement y'all give me! It's truly awesome!

 

This time of season of course is filled with food, family, friends, gratitude and much much more, but I want y'all to remember this one quote that I love! :)

 

"It's good to count your blessings, but it's better to make your blessings count!"

 

We've been blessed with so very much in our lives! As we count our blessings this holiday season, let's make sure we find ways to appreciate what we have and find ways to share them with others! I'm grateful for the love God has for each of us and for His Son Jesus Christ who came and provided a means by which we can repent and improve our lives! Thank y'all for all the support y'all give :)

 

Love,

Elder Parr

 

 

This picture is me with some ice cream. I had sugar last night for the first time to celebrate with Elder White and his new experience ahead of him! mmmmm That ice cream was good! haha Please don't send sugar though, I'm still away from all candy and desserts except for thanksgiving!

THUNDER CLAP!

This week has been one of the finest for sure! I can say everything a missionary could ever dream of while being in Montana happened with Elder White and I!!!!!

 

First off, on Tuesday we had our mission tour which was absolutely AMAZING! Elder Zwich from the quroum of the seventy and his wife came to join us! When they spoke they spoke with such love and in tune with the spirit! He had each of us come up one by one before the meeting began to meet us. I watched carefully how he interacted with each person and smiled the entire time! He connected in some way with each of us which made him so real and personable from the very beginning. For me he actually had the same tie that I was wearing that day. Too bad he didn't decide to wear it though Haha! It was a blessing to be in the presence of one of God's servants and to be instructed by him. He spoke totally for over 4 hours and didn't have a thing written down! It was amazing and was exactly what we needed to hear! His wife gave one of the most profound talks for me! It was right in line with what mom emailed me about last week! She talked about exercising our faith in Christ ALL the time, not just for one act or time only. She related MANY stories (She was a good story teller!) of how she has continued to rely on the Lord and experiences from their mission. All I can say was my well was overflowing as I left the meeting! He said something that hit home to me. He said that we have to dwell on the BEST moments of our mission and forget about all the other times before and starting that day make a determination to make each day forward the BEST! So number one was we got to meet and be taught by a general authority!





This picture is with Elder Fio! He is SOOOO funny! He came on his mission from California but is Samoan! They were taking so long to take the picture Elder Fio was like, "HURRY UP! ELDER PARR IS STARTING TO SHAKE!" hahahahaha!

 

Secondly, we got to brand cows!! We helped out a ranch of one of the members to brand his calves :) It was SOOO much fun and good hard work! Now I can say I can wrestle a calf, rope it, hold it tight, brand it and give it its' immunizations! So now when anyone asks me what I was doing on 11/11/11 at 11:11 I will tell them I was branding cows! Of course afterwards they had some GOOD country cookin' food which you only needed one plate full :) It was quite the experience and SO much fun! The owner of all the cows decided to use the"O" brand because last year I guess he had a problem getting his brand right side up and with the "O" he didn't have to worry about that! haha

 

Third, we went to a pow wow!!! Pretty sure I've mentioned that I'm on the reservation right now. Polson is not the typical reservation because it's a tourist spot but everything else we cover is. Well, they had a pow wow on Saturday and it was the best! I loved talking to so many of the natives and watching them dance and sing and play their drums! Had some fry bread and an indian taco which is sooooo good! I enjoyed taking in their culture and learning so much about what they do and why! Got a sweet war hammer too which you'll have to see when I get home :) THUNDER CLAP is my new native name! haha (**side note from mom...If you have ever heard Justin's 'normal' clap you will laugh at this. He claps too loud!! ;)

 

Lastly, we had another baptism!! One of the young men we've been teaching decided to be baptized which was awesome! His grandpa baptized him and sooo many of his relatives came out to support him as well!! He is one of my favorites out here in Polson :)

 

This week was just tremendous! The Lord's hand is definitely here in our work and I'm forever grateful for the strength and help he gives me! I have a deep love for all those I serve and hope I can continue to be an instrument for the Lord! :) Thank you for ALL your prayers! They are greatly appreciated :)

 

LOVE Y'ALL!

-Elder Parr

SNOW, FOOTBALL and PRAYER

So I don't know if I'm excited to tell y'all this or not, but it snowed for the first time this week! It's a blast to see snow again, but only means winter is here and it's about to get COLD! haha Of course we're out rain, snow, shine or whatever so I'm just glad it will be snowing and not raining and getting us soaked ;) haha always got to look on the bright side!

Timberview Varsity O-Line 2008-09

 Well I've pondered about what I might tell y'all this week and today  has a lot of meaning for me. I don't know if anyone else remembers,  but 3 years ago I blew my knee out playing football. Of course I'm fine now, but over these past 3 years I've thought about what this event has done for me. At first glance I thought it was devastating and horrible, but now when I look back I'm grateful and can't help but smile :) You may wonder why. There are many reasons, but I wanted to share just 2 with you today.

First off it changed my whole perspective on life. I had taken life for granted and never cherished each day I had before me. I can honestly say I didn't do very much to strengthen my relationship with God. I began to drift away. Thinking I was fine, but really caught in the current of the sea and carried further and further away. I had stopped saying my personal prayers. I had stopped reading my scriptures. I was just going through the motions of life and didn't pay attention to my surroundings. I'm not saying that I was doing anything bad, just forgetting the important things. I didn't rely on God anymore and definitely didn't thank him for the many things I had in life. This injury if anything, definitely woke me up to my senses! I began to look at life in a whole new perspective. Life now became a gift I cherished and thankful for each day. I realized how dependent I was on my Father in heaven. I realized that life was not all about me. That there were many others around who needed my help! That God had a plan for me to accomplish. This week was a hard one, because I saw so many people who were in my situation prior to my injury. Oblivious to what they are missing out on and what God has in store for them :/



Surgery Day
(on medication ;)

  The second thing that this injury taught me was that the power of prayer is real! I'm grateful for all the prayers that were on my behalf during the time while I was injured. I know without them I would not be where I am at today. There was one prayer that changed my life forever though. It was one of my own. I had blamed God for all that had happened and hardened my heart. I hadn't prayed in a long time, but for some reason one night had the prompting to pray as I layed in pain. I will NEVER forget that feeling as I offered a simple prayer for peace and comfort. A prayer I felt I didn't deserve to be answered. Well it was and I'm forever thankful for it. I felt God's presence as if he was by my side giving me a hug :) I never lie down for bed now without thanking my Heavenly Father for another day to live and serve his children! Prayer has become a way of life for me now. Without it I would not be the person I am today. I know that prayer is a two-way communication. That God not only hears our prayers, but answers them as well!  How grateful I am for the injury now and the MANY things I learned from it. I'm also grateful for the many prayers that are on my behalf today and everyday I'm out here! They truly lift me up and keep me going :) Thank you so much!

This past week I've felt so blessed :) Although it definitely wasn't perfect, I could see the Lord's hand in all that we did!

Sounds like all is well back home, so keep it up!!

LOVE Y'ALL!!

-Elder Parr

Knock, Knock!

Knock, Knock

Who's there?

Nobody.          

Nobody who?

........

Average missionary knock knock joke cause it happens all the time ;) HAHA!

This week has been wonderful! Able to do SOOO much service which y'all know is my favorite :) We helped out at an assisted living center here in town where they had an event with all the Pre-school children! They had 5 different events and some of the ladies in the center ran the events and we just helped them out. I was paired up with this sweet little lady :) I love grandmas so much! Anyways, we were asked to do bowling! It was a BLAST! I got the kids SOO pumped and they had a blast at our station! It was so much fun to be around little kids and just to see them have fun and get along with each other!

We also helped out a memeber with his apples! Sad to say, but I picked my first apple (that I can remember) when I was 20 years old! WOW that's a long time! haha Not only just picked one but shook 3 trees worth and picked them up and then pressed and juiced them right then and there! Freshest apple juice I've ever had in my life! It was so much fun and made me want to plant apple trees when I get home so I can make apple juice :) Not only was it a blast but I had a pretty spiritual experience as well! You may wonder, "How do you have a spiritual experience pickin' apples and makin' apple juice?!" Well, while I was up in the trees shakin' them, I didn't realize until later, but my missionary tag had been knocked off by a branch I assume. I only knew that once I got to the ground and saw the name part and picked it up. Well it was my magnetic one so there is a little green magnetic piece that was still missing. I assumed it was in that general area but as I looked I couldn't find it anywhere. I gave up a few times but would continue to walk over and look for it here and there with no luck. It was the only tag I had on me and I just assumed I wouldn't find it. It was time to leave and I thought about what I should do about it. I decided to just say a quick prayer in my heart and ask Heavenly Father to help me find it. As soon as I walked back over to the trees, "BAM!" It was clear as day light layin' on the ground! It wasn't even close to where I thought it would be either! I was so surprised but immediately shouted, "PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED!!!" I was so excited and made sure I gave a prayer of thanks to my Father in heaven :) It helped me learn that sometimes we just can't give up. We need not rely on our own strength and wisdom but ask God for help! I know He answers prayers because he answered my weak and doubtful prayer! Also made me want to exercise my faith even more and watch the miracles that can be performed :)

Sunday was great because the primary had their program :) I always enjoy sitting and listening to them sing primary songs! Brings back many good memories from when I was a kid. Also able to teach the gospel principles class which was about what our life was like before we came here to earth. I LOVED teaching it and if anyone has any questions feel free to ask me on facebook or somethin'! Well, those 3 hours of church were great but 3 other hours of Sunday were not! Haha! Let's just say within 3 hours we had 3 meals. That averages out to be 1 meal every hour for those 3 hours! We had SOOO much food and we weren't planning on ANY of it! We didn't have lunch because we forgot to grab something from home on the way out but each person we visited before dinner had already prepared something for us to eat so we had grill cheese, chicken noodle soup, ham sandwiches and then for dinner beef and potatoes! SOOO much food! When I got in the car as we were headed to our next appointment I told Elder White, "I never want to have beef and potatoes for the rest of my life!" Haha SOO much food. I'll just say they feed us PLENTY here in Montana. No worries about me going hungry.

Just something funny too.

I cut my hair by myself this morning.......I look ridiculous! hahahaha  ----->

By the way, I said I was memorizing a scripture a week. I failed to tell you which one last week, but here it is, Mosiah 4:19:

      "For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?"

I love it because sometimes I think I have everything taken care of but really I depend solely on Heavenly Father for all that I have!

Well, the one for this week is Mosiah 4:40:

      "But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not."

  

We have to make sure everything we're doing is in line with what is right or we begin to stray!

"REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU STAND FOR!"  -Mamaaaaa Parr

                                  

I LOVE Y'ALL!

-Elder Parr

Preacher Parr #2

So this week I hit my year mark, sadly :/ That means I only have a year left to do the Lord's work full-time! It has helped me realize the urgency in helping others and doing ALL I can do to help as many people as I can! Once it's done it's done and I'm not going home with any regrets! Going to DO WORK :)

 

Yesterday at church Elder White and I were asked to speak in sacrament. I had the wonderful privilege of speaking on the importance of families :) It was fun as I prepared my talk and looked back on many of the events and memories we have had together! Well, I focused on how to make successful and happy families! Although I don't have a family of my own, it was great to look back and see all the things that we have done to make our family the way it is today! I'd say our family is, "BEAST" as Carson or the boys would say! Haha. I used, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" (http://lds.org/family/proclamation?lang=eng)  which is so great! Well, after the talk and after church a member came up to me joking and said, "You know Elder Parr, if you ever leave the church you would make an awesome Baptist preacher!" I had to laugh and said, "I must get it from my dad and his Baptist childhood!" It was hilarious and I thought about how all of the young men called you "Preacher Parr", dad! Haha It was hilarious!

 

I also got to travel to Helena, Montana again for some leadership training which was AWESOME! I love being with President Gardner and all the other missionaries and this time we had 2 visitors! Brother Hemmingway and Brother Jackman. Brother Hemmingway is over all the online proslyting for the church as well as Brother Jackman who was influencial with creating mormon.org. It was a GREAT meeting and I was greatly uplifted and filled with new knowledge, which is always awesome!

 

We had the opportunity to help drywall again which was lots of fun! I think if I had to I could drywall my own home. 'If I had to' is the key phrase ;) haha I always love serving side by side with others and working together to accomplish something worthwhile and benificial :)

 

We met with a new girl this week which was AWESOME! She said she feels like there is something missing in her life and that she has gone and done so many things to fill it and even when she is the happiest she still feels like there is a hole. We taught her about how God calls prophets and how God has called a prophet today and what the Book of Mormon can do for her. She soaked it all in and kept asking awesome questions! It was so much fun because she is a college student and it made me feel like I was back in Bozeman teaching all those college kids! Haha! Every time I teach about the restoration it increases my testimony of the reality of how true it is. That God really does love us and has called a prophet to lead and guide us in these troubled times. That a prophet IS necessary and that God speaks to us today! I'm grateful he does because following the prophets counsel has always brought me happiness and direction!

 

The members here are AMAZING and Polson is beautiful. Pretty chilly morning in the low 40's and they are expecting snow to come pretty soon. Going to be another winter wonderland this year! Haha

 

I LOVE y'all and think of y'all often!

 

-Elder Parr

Ohhh yeahhh!

This week has been...WONDERFUL :)  I love every second of every day! There is no better way to live your life than serving the Lord. We were asked to attend priest quorum as they talked about missionaries and watched a video about them as well. No one helps me out when they ask me how long I've been out and I say almost a year and they say, "OH! You're wrapping it up! What are your plans when you get home?!" I don't want it to be over! After watching that video I've come to realize even more that being a full-time missionary is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don't get to do this again. This is it! I've already finished just about half of it. What will I do with my last year? I'm going to work my tail off! I love each person I meet so much, I just want to give them a glimpse of what the gospel can do for their lives. How the Savior's atonement can make ALL things right! That they can find peace and happiness through Jesus Christ and His gospel! The gospel is for EVERYONE :)  I love the gospel SO much and I love sharing it with everyone I meet :)

After watching conference I've decided to take some of the words of counsel from Richard G. Scott and to memorize scriptures. I've memorized many but I'm making a goal to memorize one per week :) The scripture I've chosen for this week is Omni 1:26,

"And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of His salvation, and the power of His redemption. Yea, come unto Him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto Him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."

I LOVE this scripture because it's what I have to do and the opportunity I have to help others do as well. If I'm not doing it myself, how am I supposed to help others do it? I can testify that the Savior's love is real and eternal :) I'm grateful for it in my lfie!

This week was GREAT as I got to mow a yard again! Mowed the Senior Citizen Center's lawn as well fixed up a flower bed! It was awesome because we weren't expecting to do it and ended up doing it all in our suits! It was so funny as people stared at us as they drove by and what not! I loved getting my hands dirty again! I've definitely missed mowing for sure! Helped someone do an oil change, moved someone out, and lots of other stuff! This week was filled with ways to serve and love others! I would encourage each of you to find ways to help others around you :) It's what Christ asked us to do, you know?! I can promise you that you will find answers to your prayers and peace in your life as you do so :)

I have so much I could talk about, but have to get going. I love each of y'all SO much and hope that God will continue to bless each of you! You're in my prayers always :)

Love,

-Elder Parr