Week 47

Feliz Navidad! Wow, well here it is, Christmas Eve! I cannot even believe that it is already here! This last 11 months has flown by and I am shocked that I am already celebrating Christmas as a missionary. It has been a very weird season, but a good one. I don't think I have ever had such a selfless Christmas before, which is cool. Today in our district meeting we were talking about the first Christmas and how the shepherds celebrated it. The things that we came up with were...1. They were told not to fear, that it was a happy time. 2. They were told to go and find the baby Jesus. 3. They spread the message of the Savior. That was really cool for me to think about because I feel like for the first time in my life I am celebrating the birth of the Savior the same way the Shepherds did. I am out here, trying to lose my fear, coming to know my Savior more and sharing the message! That was a really special bit of personal revelation that I was able to attain today and it is making Christmas so much more special and exciting! There have also been some other Christmas-y items this week, starting with Tuesday. Tuesday was our mission Christmas party! That was a lot of fun because we all got to get together. We also watched a picture slide show of some of the recent converts all dressed in white on their baptism day and after it was over there was a list that scrolled through all of the names of everyone who has been baptized this year in the mission. That was such a sweet experience to see all of those photos of people about to make their first covenant with the Lord, they were all so happy! And then added to the joy was the excitement of seeing the names of the people I had taught and had the pleasure to know. That was a really special moment. We then sang songs and had a few speakers and lunch. Lunch was fun because on our table were our gifts...nothing big or fancy; a bag of cookies, knitted slippers(for the sisters), and a little book of missionary testimonies, but they were SO thoughtful...just a way for us to know that people were thinking about us and that is really what matters the most. Then after the lunch and all, to finish our party we all went to the temple together. It was so neat! The whole session was missionaries and it was so cool. It was one of the sweetest experiences to be in the Celestial room together and to hug Pres and Sis Howes and just realize that that is how heaven is going to feel. Then later that night we went to visit one of my favorite people, the Fredrick's. Sister Freddy had gotten us some Christmas light necklaces, but we ended up leaving her house with beanie babies...mine is a baboon named Cheeks! Ha ha, it makes me think of my brother Jess. He knows why! And she also gave us some YUMMY banana bread! But again, it meant so much to us that she thought of us. We have received a few other gifts from members...not many, but some and really the fact that people are thinking of us is such a blessing! One tender mercy came to me on Saturday. Many of you may know that my favorite part of Christmas is reading Christmas stories by fire/tree light with my family and that is the thing that I have missed the most this Christmas, but on Friday after dinner, Sis Rosenlof said "My visiting teacher gave a us a book of Christmas stories that we have been reading every night, would you like to join us tonight?" Oh man, my heart did a dance! I was so happy and it was so special I just wanted to cry! Then on Sunday gave me a copy of all of the stories from the book so that I could read them on my own for Christmas. I am grateful for people that help the Lord to answer my prayers. It is something so silly and insignificant, but to me it means the world. Then to finish of the week before Christmas, last night we went on a tractor hayride where we drank cocoa and sang Christmas carols! It was so fun and actually kind of chilly so it felt like we should be singing carols...but "Let it Snow" still seemed a little out of place. Jajaja. I have seen more than one "let it snow" decoration....it is a little absurd here in Arizona. Well all in all this has been a good week and I am looking forward to the next two days. I am so grateful for the chance that I have to serve the Lord at this time and for the chance to be able to give him the gift of my time and energy this Christmas season. We are so blessed to know of his birth, but more than that, to know of the atoning sacrifice that makes his birth so important. I am grateful for that, and I know with all my heart that that little boy born to Mary is truly our Lord and Savior and that in Him and by Him and through Him we can live forever in the presence of our Father in Heaven. I love you all and I hope that this letter finds you all full of the spirit of Christ this CHRISTmas! Love Hermana Parry The Quality isnt to good, but this is all of the Sisters in the mission in their slippers!

Me and Cheeks...He was driving. Jajaja

Kerr and Scott

This picture is especially for my mom. Do you remember that GIANT tumbleweed that got stuck on our car on our drive to idaho for the lacrosse tournament?

My Christmas so far...thank you everyone!

Me and Kerr on the hayride.

Week 46

Eleven Months! What? Well it is one week until Christmas Eve, and that means that I have been a missionary for a long time and it doesnt feel like it has been that long. But really, tomorrow is my 11 month mark! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! I dont know how that happened to me, but it did. It is pretty scary and I dont feel like I have been a missionary that long. Weird. We had a big choir program this week in our spanish ward and the "hispanic choir" came. Now if you have served in a spanish ward you will understant that Kerr and I were awaiting something magical, but they actually did a really great job and the spirit was really strong. The best part was that the hispanic choir is made up of a bunch of different wards and there were some people there from Gilbert! Oh my goodness it made me ever so happy to see them! It made me remember how happy I am to be a missionary because I have truly had the chance to fall in love with some really incredible people on my mission and I am pretty sure that they love me too, and that is such a coool blessing. The week has been good, we have had a lot of really fun Chirstmas parties and have had a lot of fun lessons too. We are teaching a lot of youth right now and I am really loving that. There is something really cool about teaching kids that could possilby go on missions and raise families in the Gospel. And one of our former investigators, Denise, came back this week after having run away for almost 2 months! We got to teach her this week and it was SO good to see her home! That was a true Christmas miracle and I am way grateful! Well that is about all that I have this week. Next week will be Christmas eve, it is weird, it doesnt really feel like Christmas here, just kinda like normal life without the anticipation for Christmas morning...but it is ok, because I totally have the best gift...talking to everyone about the Savior. Cheesy, I know. But so true! I love you all, have a happy and safe week! Love Hermana Parry These pictures are not the best....but these are two of my favorite people from Gilbert that were in our sacrament meeting!

Week 45

I Heard You Like Mustaches This has been quite the week full of just absolutely amazing days, blessings, and miracles! I am feeling pretty happy. It is Christmas time here in Arizona and despite the lack of snow I am feeling the spirit of Christmas. Oh man, I love Christmas. I miss temple square. They put lights up at the mesa temple to, but we have to have investigators to go with us and we have been struggling lately with getting quality gators who actually want to progress so who knows if I will get to see them or not. But that is ok, it still feels christmasy. A member gave us a christmas tree and Hna Kerr's mom sent her a box of Christmas decorations so we have decked the halls! Things here are going really great. Last week was a little stressful just because I had to be the one in charge because Hna Kerr is new to the area, but this week has been good. She still cant help to much with planning sometimes, but we are having a lot of fun together and we laugh alot and that helps to ease my stress. Plus just a lot of good stuff has happened this week! Here are the highlights! First of all, I got letters and packages this week. I got packages from the activity days girls and young women in the ward, which was so sweet and it might sound sorta selfish, but it is nice to know that you are not forgotten by your ward. Thanks girls! And I also got a package from the Sara, the oldest sister of my dear sweet friend molly, it was a blanket. When I opened it I saw plaid and thought cute...then I read the card and it said "I heard you like mustaches" and when I pulled out the blanket, the other side is covered in mustaches! Oh man! It is so great! Everytime I use it it makes me laugh. Oh it is so great! Then Friday was the bomb.com because we had a mission tour...and guess why....because Elder Quentin L. Cook came! That was so snazzy! Also Bishop Gary Stevenson, presiding Bishop and Elder Walter Gonzalez from the presidency of the 70! Oh boy, it was so cool and we learned so much and had so much fun. It was such a blessing! And then on Saturday, John got baptized! Oh I love baptisms and I have been so SO blessed to have gotten to complete so many families! John and his wife Nykol already have "get sealed" on their calendar next December! Oh golly I am just feeling blessed! Being a missionary is the all time greatest. I know it sounds cliche, but it is true. Hna Kerr and I were reading Alma 26 and Ammon goes off about how no one in the history of the world has ever been so blessed or so happy as him because he got to teach the lamanites. Well I feel like that! Me and Ammon might need to fight it out for who gets to say that. Well things here are so good. I am happy and so grateful for all of you and for all I have been given! Love you all! Hermana Parry My Bigote Blanket

Stockings hung with care

Our Tree

Us and the Kirkbys

Week 44 Pictures

Adrial wearing the hat and mittens we made him.

Hna Escobar and our favorite trailer park kids

District 2

Chandler Zone

Missionaries of the Ray 5th ward

Last lunch together

Activity Days

1,2,3: People get CRAZY with their decorations in Az!

Guess what we asked for? If you guessed investigators you are right.

Our "Big Jimmy"

The competitors

VICTORY The Prize, plus they are gonna put our picture on the wall. Jajaja

Week 44

Dont Shoot The Missionaries! Well everyone, it has been another exciting week here in Arizona. I am sure you are all just dying to know who my new companion is now that Hna Escobar is gone. She got transfered to Yuma, and I am not companions with Hermana Kerr. She is great and we are having lots of fun together already. It is an adjustment having to be in charge of the area and learn a new companion, but we are getting into a flow and having fun doing it. But lets start with before Hna Escobar left...Monday and Tuesday were really rather fun days. On Monday we went to Adriana and Manuels house to help Adriana make mittens for the baby. I dont know why I am always volunteering for stuff like that, fortunately Hna Escobar is a pro and she whipped some out. I can sew, but a lot times I just get frustrated and quit for awhile, but you cant do that when you are helping someone else. Jajaja. Then on Tuesday the Cooper 1st ward asked us to come and talk to the activity days girls. That was really fun. They were so cute and had so many fun questions. We had a little mini transfer meeting and gave them companions, we called them all Sister so and so, and just talked about life as a missionary. They had some really silly questions about why spanish was different and if we liked dogs, but they also asked us some really cool things like what is the most spiritual experience you have had as a missionary. Oh it was fun! Wednesday was transfer meeting and that was really fun because every single Hermana was there! That almost never happens and it made it so that we did not know who was going to go where. It was a lot of fun, and as you know, I got Kerr. She has been out nearly 16 months and has just this transfer and the next one before she goes home...so we are thinking she will die here in Chandler, but with President you never know. I am been a little more stressed than average trying to make sure that I know what is going on and doing a lot of the planning on my own while Hna Kerr learns the area, but that is ok, it is making me grow a whole lot and that is always good. Thursday was a fun day. We had a lot of lessons and Hna Kerr got to meet a lot of our investigators. We went over to visit Sister Kirkby so that we could help her plan her husband Johns baptism (which is this Saturday and we are SO excited. He is such a cool guy who just wants to better himself for the sake of his family. His wife is a member and they have a 4 year old son and one on the way. I dont know why I have been so blessed to get to complete so many families, but it is one of the greatest blessings in my mission to get to say "In one year from today, you get to take your whole family to the temple to be sealed!" Oh it is so sweet!) While we were there Kingston got out all of his toys to show us, well he started to "shoot us" and his mom yelled at him "Kingtson! Dont shoot the missionaries!" It was maybe just the silliest thing I have heard, but so true. :) Friday was a pretty sweet day, we were really able to see the Lord guiding us. We had a bunch of plans but ended up scrapping them as we decided to visit the less actives in the 2nd ward to invite them to the Christmas party the following morning. Well we picked the house of Sis Paula, quite randomly we thought, but when we got there and talked with her we realized it wasnt really random at all. She has been praying that day and just telling Heavenly Father that she was sad and feeling lost and alone. It is such a miracle to make those visits and be the one that gets to answers someones prayer like that. I am grateful to be that tool in the Lords hands. Ok, there are just a few more things that I want to share.... On Friday Hna Kerr talked me into a pizza eating challenge against Elder German. Hna Escobar and I had been denying the invitation for the past transfer, but Kerr then told me it was on her bucket list to eat as much pizza as she could/wanted to....how could I crush a bucket list dream? So Saturday after our ward breakfast, in which we did not get to eat a thing, we found ourselves sitting outside Jimmy and Joes with a 24" pizza and one hour to eat it. Oh man, I did not think i was going to be able to eat it, but at that point I wanted to will the t shirt. I ended up powering through my half in 18 minutes, beating everyone and Kerr and I got the W after 29 minutes. It was so stupid and we felt super sick (especially later that night when we had to eat dinner....worst dinner of my life), but we beat the boys and won the shirt. So it was sorta worth it. Other than that, I havent really got much else to say....but I will leave you with a quote from testimony meeting...this is from my favorite member of the 2nd ward, Sister Anderson. She is from DC and she is black and said we can call her our chocolate grandma, which I fully intend to do....so here it is... "Good morning citizens of Zion! We are in the world, but not of the world. We are citizens of Zion. .......In the name if the Rose of Sharon, the Conquering Majestic Lion of Judah, Amen" She is amazing and I love her! Being a missionary is the best! Thanks for all of your love and support! Love Hna Parry

Week 43

G THANKS First off, we got transfer calls last night. I will be staying in Chandler but Hna Escobar will be leaving. I am pretty sad about it because I have REALLY loved serving with her a second time, even better than the first time. But I am also really excited because all of the Hermanas are really awesome and it will be fun to get to serve with another one. We will see on Wednesday who my new companion will be, I just hope she is like Hna Escobar and likes to cook because it has been nice not having to worry about that! Now that Thanksgiving has passed, it is indeed the holiday season! We dont have a Christmas tree yet, but I am going to make one out of paper and hang it up I think. It is kind of weird not being at home with all of the decorations and lights and tree and stuff. And the fact that it does not feel like winter makes it hard to believe that it is Christmas time. It was 80 on thanksgiving....we ate outside! It was nuts. We listen to Christmas music all the time and it is just sun and palm trees outside. It is strange. But the thing that makes it feel like Christmas here are the decorations. People in Arizona do not mess around when it comes to decorating their yards! There are crazy light and music and more blow up decorations than I have ever seen in my life. It is really great and I love driving around at night. I had a really good week this week. It started with a half p day on Monday seeing as Thursday was Thanksgiving. We got to visit a lot of people and it was fun, but weird to be out on Monday. The rest of the week was pretty normal up to Thursday, just a lot of people canceling our lessons, talking to people and living the missionary dream! Thursday was really fun! It was interesting because, in my family we are not really thanksgiving people, and I had dinner with Thanksgiving people. We actually got invited to 3 dinners! Oh boy howdy, it was nuts! The first one was at Obispo Ferres house. That one was so fun because we got to go over and help cook. I am not much of a cook but Hna Escobar loved it and I had fun too! We didnt really eat traditional thanksgiving food, we had chicken cordon blue and stuffed zuchinni, but it was SUPER yummy! And we had the most delicious rolls ever. Then directly after that we had another dinner. This time it was very traditional! We had two kinds of turkey, super yummy yams with bacon instead of marshmallows(YUM!), and for the first time in my remembering, green bean cassarole. It was quite delicious, but man, I was so full that I just didnt know what to do. After the second dinner on our way to the third, I just layed my seat back in the car and tried not to throw up! It was insane. Fortunately our third dinner was a spanish thanksgiving, so it wasnt quite as big of a deal, and I told Araceli I couldnt eat another thing so we just visited while they ate. She gave us some ham to take home, and I have really been enjoying it. Then the rest of the weekend was just delightful. I really am loving Chandler and all of the wonderful people I am meeting here. We are truly blessed as missionaries here in Arizona and I am so grateful for all the support we get. We got to speak in church on Sunday and it makes me really nervous to speak, but everyone was so nice and talked about what a good job we both did and such. It is nice. Things here are good. I am happy. I am serving the Lord. This might be just as good as it gets! What A Blessing! I sure do love you all and I am so grateful for all of your support and love! Before I go, I must share one story... On Friday night we were walking through one of the trailer parks, where we had just talked to a group of drunk men, when all of the sudden some pinches my bum! Now as I turn around I am thinking "Who on earth am I going to have to beat up?!?!" Well when I turn around what do I see....a 3 year old boy running away!!!! Oh man, me and Hna Escobar just died laughing. We had to leave the trailer park because we were laughing to hard to talk to anyone! Being a missionary is the best! Love Hna Parry Erie Trailer Park...my favorite place

The Chandler TumbleWeed Tree!

Escobar making thanksgiving appetizers

Me and the Chubby Penguin.

Me and Jake with Santa and his flamingo reindeer

Escobar and Jake with tall santa

Week 42

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Well this is a big week....THANKSGIVING! Plus on Sunday Hna Escobar and I celebrated 10 months in the mission! That is just absolutely insane to me. I am not sure how that happened....but it has. There is still SO much that I need to learn and I only have 8 months to do it...but I have been looking back at where I was even just 5 months ago and it is incredible what I have been able to achieve with the Lord. I have been truly blessed as a missionary. My week has been good. It started out sad because Denise, our sweet 16 year old investigator ran away from home last Saturday and she still isnt home. Oh my heck, it is so sad. She is such a good girl, she just doesnt have the direction that she needs in her life. We are praying that she will come home soon! On Friday we had dinner at a members house. They invited us because a returned missionary, Hna Saxon, was coming to visit. Well it gets better than that, because along with Saxon in walks....HNA HANSEN!!!! Oh man, I was SO happy! I have missed her like crazy and I just wanted to cry I was so glad! Ok, well I am kind of out of time...but I want to share a cool experience I had..... Yesterday we were walking down the street talking to people, like we do, and we started talking to this lady. She was really trying to get away from us, but then told us that her dad was sick and we asked if we could pray with her right there in the road for her dad. She said yes and as we prayed she just started to cry. She thanked us afterwards and we told her she could have missionaries go to her house to give her dad a blessing if she wanted. She is actually going down to mexico to be with him, but we gave her a card and told her that if she called the number she could get missionaries in mexico too. It was really special....I think that is my favorite part of being a missionary...helping people feel loved by us and really by their Heavenly Father! So great! Thats about all, things are great and I am truly blessed! I love you all! Love Hna Parry Me and Anneli and Edgar

Anneli, Tamera, and Us

Fabi and Kasee

Me and Escobar drinking our boba smoothies

Just like LOLLICUP!!! Sorry Chase, I still owe you one!

Molly, Andrea, and Steph...I boba-ed our car. Escobar pretended to think it wasnt funny, but she loved it!

Week 41

What A Week! Things here in sunny arizona are moving right along and are actually QUITE chilly, and we had a fine week indeed! I am loving Chandler but I am starting to get itchy to move...or at least switch companions. Not that I dont LOVE Hna Escobar, because I totally do, we just had a sisters training and I just want to be compaions with all of those sister too! So we will see what happens in the next couple of weeks. Like I said, this week was really fun because we had a sisters exchange! It was ever so fun! We met up at the mission home, all of the sisters, spanish and english, even the sisters from Yuma, and had a mini transfer meeting. I stayed in Chandler but got to spend the day as companions with.....HERMANA CRAWFORD! Oh boy, we had so much fun together! She is really sweet and just excited about everything. It really helped me to see that I really can the senior companion and the one who knows the most about spanish and it made me really step it up even thought it was only for one day. O, golly! It was just fun to change it up! Then on Thursday we had a sisters training. We all got back together and then spent the afternoon eating lunch and just talking and getting to know each other. Then we had a really powerful testimony meeting and Pres Howes taught us about the oath and covenant of the priesthood so that we could understand it better. Also he told us that as of right now 10% of arizona tempe missionaries are sisters, but with the people now assigned here after President Monsons announcemnet, that 30% of the mission will be sisters!!! There will be 75 of us instead of 30! Oh man, that will be so exciting! What a blessing it is to be a missionary right now. It is actually cold here in Arizona. Not freezing, but the evenings are down in the 50s and the days are like 70, so it is sweater weather. Man, it is so great! I am loving every chilly second! I am jealous of the snow though! Man, do I love snow. It is wierd that it is winter but everything here is still green palm trees. It doesnt feel super Christmas-y, but down town Chandler does have Christmas lights up so every night when we drive home I get a little holiday cheer and I am grateful for those tender mercies from the Lord! The real great news of this week!!!!! FABIANA GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!! Oh man, I love baptisms! This one was extra special because Hna Escobar hasnt ever had a baptism, so that was special. Like always a million things went wrong. Starting with 4 baptisms before ours...leading to no dry jumpsuits for her dad to wear to baptise her...leading to him having to run home and find his to small temple pants. Then one of the well meaning fathers from the youth baptism before us pulled the plug in the font....which we didnt know about until 15 minutes before Fabis baptism started....but the elders caught it and refilled it. Plus our WML had computer troubles and the program wasnt done...but thanks the the youth baptisms and their programs we were able to pull it together. All it all, it was just absolutly wonderful and really went off just as it should have! Oh it was so special and I am so thankful for Fabi and for her desire to just follow the Lord. Escobar was saying that it didnt feel real because it was too easy. We didnt have to fight Fabi on anything. She never doubted or questioned or worried...she jsut trusted in the Lord and wanted to follow her Savior. That was incredible special. It is days like Saturday that put my mission into perspective for me and I am so grateful for those moments. Well that is about it in a nutshell. Things here are good, and man am I happy. Things are crazy and hard and stressful, but I am the happiest I have ever been in my whole life and I am grateful for that! I love you all! Con Amor, Hermana Parry Me and Hna Crawford

Sister Training

Me and Sisters Farthing and Wiscombe

Fabianas Baptism

The Gate the Locked us in!

Week 40

Things here are going well. Monday was a really great night. We put Fabiana on date for baptism! She is so cute and we are so excited for her. She is 15 and her mom and step dad are members but are just starting to get active again. She is really excited about the gospel and we are excited for her. She wants to get baptised the 10th, which is WAY close so we are sort of scrambling to fit in all of the necessary lessons, but it is a good sort of rushed. :) Her step dad is always there for the lessons which is good and bad because he brings up really unnecissary stuff...like how we came up with the articles of faith or the story of emma smith not liking to clean up tobacco spit. All ok stuff, but not necessary for her to be prepared for baptism. It is just funny because it makes it a little difficult, but I am greatful that her family is supporting her. Also on Monday we made a bunch of carmel corn to give to our neighbors and our mailman, well we put the popcorn in the mailbox with a little note and I was so excited for him to get it. Well on Tuesday when we opened the mailbox it was still there! RUDE! I was so bummed and I thought that the least he could have done was taken it and thrown it away so we could at least think he was thankful...but no. So I ranted to Hna Escobar about it for the next couple days. Little did I know what would come to pass later in the week. Halloween was a really great day for me! We were not allowed to go outside because of the possible craziness so we got to spend the day reading the new testament! Oh man it was so wonderful. I havent spent enough time in the new testament and so it was really nice. I didnt make it past Matthew but it was ok because I was just soaking up all the I could learn about the Savior. It was a really spiritual uplifting experience, and I am grateful for it. After reading we went home and Hna Escobar and I made mummy hot dogs and butternut squash and watched Legacy and the John Tanner Story. It was the perfect holiday! Thursday was really quite the funny day! We are still trying to meet all of the investigators and member in the new wards we picked up, so on Thursday night we set up a meeting with the Bucks, the Bucks are a part member family, Dan the husband being the non memeber. Well we knock on the door and guess who answers....OUR MAILMAN!!!! The same mailman I had been ranting about all week!!! What are the odds of that! Oh boy, it is funny and some day when we have a closer relationship I am going to tell him about the popcorn incident. But really, we are teaching our mailman, what a riot! Friday was great, we had a zone conference and we learned a lot. It was one of my favorite zone conferences. Also we got to teach my favorite menos activo, Manuel! Manuel is from the DR (my favorite country, well tied with Mexico of course) and his wife just had a baby...so I extra love going over there. Adriel, is like 2 weeks old and so sweet and he loves me! Ha ha. But really I love teaching Manuel because he wants to be better and do better and he wants to get the mecezidec priesthood and bless his son. I love seeing peoples points of view change as they start to understand the gospel more and more. What a blessing we have! Sunday was great!!! We had dinner with our ward mission leader, Bro Perez, who we love anyways, but the story gets better. Dinner was actually at his parents house, outside our area(we got permiso of course), and guess who his mom is...Sis Benard...the RS president on the Silvercreek ward in Gilbert! Oh man alive it was so good to see her, and she called over Sis Hart to come and visit me. They told me they haven't ever missed a missionary as much as they miss me. Which I dont say to be prideful, but it just touched my heart so much to know that a place and people I love so much, felt and feel the same way about me. That was a real tender mercy from the Lord and it helps me to realize that what I am doing is really making an impact. Being a missionary is the greatest! I feel so blessed to be here and to be working with these people. Thanks for everything you all do for me. Love Hna Parry P.s. I know it isn't christmas yet, but if you are wondering what to get me....stamps are always a welcome gift...as is Christmas music. Love You

Mummy Hot Dogs Halloween Dinner!

Week 39

Trunk or Treat This was a really fun week full of holiday excitement! That just sort of jazzed up the whole week even though the parties were not until the weekend. But yeah, the week was good. On Monday night we went out with a member of our ward, she is silly. She is pretty sick and goes to dialysis a lot, but still is so willing to come out and help us. I am so grateful for that, especially because sometimes it is like pulling teeth to get people to come out with us. Remember that you are never to busy to help the missionaries! :) Wednesday we got an awesome new investigator! Her name is Fabiana and she is 15 and she is just the sweetest girl. Her parents are members but not super active and she is just now taking the lesson. She is wonderful. We committed her to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and she told us that she would and then she said "I always keep my promises". Later in the week when we asked her how she was doing she said "Great! And I am keeping my promises!". I love her, everyone pray that she keeps her excitement! On Thursday we had an awesome day with our investigator Araceli. She is awesome and so excited to learn. She has A LOT of questions, some are sort of off the wall, but they are all so sincere and she truly wants to know and that is cool. She and her adorable 7yr old Alondra, came to a ward activity at the temple and it was so cool. We watched the restoration and talked about families. It was really wonderful and she felt the spirit so strong. I just love that, watching people feel the Spirit for the first time! What a blessing! Friday was the start of the parties! Wooo! We had a trunk or treat for the spanish ward and Araceli came and so did our investigator Denise. Plus, as if that wasnt cool enough, Denises mom and siblings came too! Her mom, at the start, was really not that fond of us, so to have her come to the activity and was really cool! Everyone had a lot of fun and the kids looked so cute in their costumes. Saturday was SWEET....like when Lehi ate the fruit, like gospel sweet! Oh man, well we took Denise to a baptism, well we didnt actually, better than that, her fellowship took her to a baptism, we just came with! That is sweet point number one. Sweet point number two...Denise LOVED it. She thought it was so cool and she felt the spirit so strong! Baptisms are sweet. Third sweet thing...her fellowship then took her to an activity that night that the youth were having. Oh man, so great! Plus we had a second trunk or treat for our new english ward and it was so cool and we got to meet everyone. And then guess who was there family? Well it wsa Matt Egan of the Ron and Peggy Egan family! What a small world. We had a delightful time just chit chatting for a few minutes. Even though I dont remember Matt, it was fun to talk about our families together. Sunday....also SWEET!!! Denise came to church!!!! And she LOVED it! When we sat down in sacrament meeting(the last meeting) she said, "I am coming back next week!" Oh that made me so SO happy...then to sweeten it even more she said that her mom wanted to come! AH! Plus our investigator Miguel came! It was just so wonderful and happy and I cant even tell you how much I love being missionary because there just isnt enough time!!!!!! Well pray for Denise and Fabiana and Miguel ok? I love you all! Happy Halloween! Love Hna Parry Ray 5th Ward Halloween Fotos My halloween costume.

Some of my ward

The Elders and Abraham and Daisy

Week 38

OOOOOOH WE'RE HALF WAY THERE..... This was a crazy week, I hit my 9 month mark!?!?!?! Can you believe that? I cant. I feel like I just got here and like I still dont know a darn thing. But, then I look back at the last 9 months and all I have done and how much I have grown and I realize it has indeed been that long. I still have SO SO SO much to do and learn and become in the next 9 months and the time feels SO short, but I know that I can do it and I just need to keep having faith, keep working hard, and everything will be ok. Things here have been a little crazy this week. While Hna Escobar and I didn't get transferred, we did pick up two new English wards! Which is insane because we were already swamped and so it has been stressful, but in a blessed way. With just our Spanish ward we had like 11 or 12 investigators, and now we have like 18 or 20 investigators. That makes like NUTS, but in a good way. And really it is not a complaint because the other companionship's in the zone average 3 or 4 investigators, so we really are being blessed, but as we try to get organized and such it is a little loco! I am excited to be in english work again. I love spanish work and I would never want to go solo spanish, but there are just so many things that I learn when I am in english work and working with a more established ward council that I feel make me so much more efficiant in my spanish work and things that I can bring to my spanish wards to help them grow, so I am excited. Plus we came into the stake just in time for the "Stake Fair". That was fun! We had a missionary booth where we had a bean bag toss and the guess what the prizes where? Ties and Pass-Along cards! It was so sweet! Remember the tie bag we got from the elders a couple weeks ago? Well we brought that and I have to say, our booth was the favorite! And we had a lot of fun! Well that is really all, we had a lot of lessons and I must say, I am at the point where I am in love with Chandler and the people that I am working with here! We have amazing investigators, and amazing less actives that are all trying so hard to know who there Savior is and do what is right. It makes me so grateful to be a missionary and even thought it is hard sometimes, I am loving it! I am sad that I dont get to see the leaves change or feel like it is fall. I miss that, the seasons. My ward was talking about going to the temple next week and drinking hot chocolate.....it is still 78 in the evening....who drinks hot chocolate in 78 degree weather! These Arizonians are crazy! :) But it is starting to get to be nice-ish weather here and I hear in the winter we will hit a low of....60 during the day! Jajaja. It will be nice for missionary work though. Well folks, that is about all! Thanks for all you guys do for me, for all the letters and prayers. I appreciate it! Love Hermana Parry Eating a Mexican Hot Chocolate Paleta at Paleta Bettys

The Pumpkin and Guava rolls we ate on Monday!

Hna Escobar and the GIANT caterpillar she almost stepped on.

Half Birthday Slushies

Fernando and Claudia and Briana

Our sweet tie booth

Elder Ash rocking the best tie we had (plus his makeshift fishing pole)

Me at our tie booth

Stake Fair Fotos

What Clowns