Elder Joshua Parr Belgium/Netherlands Mission: Week 20 Delft

Hello Hello,

What an adventure this week has been. New companion, crazy weather and some very spiritual moments! The first couple days of this week were just nuts and yet so funny. So we all thought 100% that I was getting transferred because you never stay in your greeny city for 4....very rare here. So I had already said goodbye to so many people and then wow Elder Lee is leaving.. We ended running all over the place and biking like mad men to get to say bye to people for him. What an adventure. I sure love that kid and really gonna miss him. Had some amazing experinces with eachother. Some that I will never forget. It's cool how good of a relationship you can build with a comp. in such a short time. Love it!

My new companion Elder Lundberg is great. He is a funny dude and we get along great. I am excited to get to know him and continue to go to work here in Delft. I am gonna leave here with no regrets! I love this city so much. It has my heart that is for sure. Though it can not make up its mind on weather it wants to have nice weather or terrible weather. We wake up and its beautiful and sunny walk out side its POURING rain then sunny again then crazy winds! (which is sometimes nice becuase you dont even have to pedal it just pushs you....but mostly you have to pedal twice as hard) Ah I love it!!!

I have three stories I want to share with you all this week. The first is with our investigator Miguel a 17 year old kid who I found the last week with Elder Hulet. We had a lesson with him this Saturday unlike any that we have had before. It was very simple we read Alma 7:9-16 and did a whole lesson from those texts. And I know 100% that is exactly what he needed to hear at that time. The spirit took total control of that lesson and because of that he felt our Saviors love for him. He accepted a baptisimal Invitation for January 18th 2015. How cool is that. This kid opened up and tolded us some things that have gone on in his life and how much it means to him to have a loving Savior and now know all that he has done for him. I have not once seen him so emotional since I have met him. Definitely a lesson I won't forget and will forever be grateful for. These are the moments you live for on a mission.

The second is heart breaking for me but an answer to prayers. I have been praying for as long as I have been in Delft that I could develope a love for these people and I believe that this week I was filled with that love. And it was hard, it hurt. But It was sweet at the same time. We went to go visit Vilma and Daphne and were just talking about why they have stopped coming to church and how much they NEED the blessing. Excuse after excuse, I felt that I finally had a true love for these people when it literally just crushed me seeing them not except something I know they need. It just makes me think of our Savior and how he feels when his children reject him over and over. And yet He still loves them, He is still there for them. And is never going to turn his back on them. A powerful expereince for me.

The third was just an ervaring that I had at stake conference this week. Which was so so good. President Oddens was released as stake president after 10 years of serving and guess who was called. Our mission presidents counselor President Scheltinga, boy is he going to be one heck of a stake president. I sure love that man so much. Such a power house. But during the conference Elder Dyches shared a scripture in D&C 88:84 that talks about angels being round about us as we are on our missions. And memories just flashed back thought my mind and I can not tell you how much I have a testimony of that promise. Our Heavenly Father Loves his missionaries so much and is NOT far away. He is here with us and His angels truly are round about us. What a blessing that is. Oh How I love this Gospel and Love my mission. Yes it is hard....you are tired, its cold, more rejections than I can even count, get cursed, get laughed at, have your faith tested and so much more. But it is something that I will never trade, I have grown more in the short 6 months that I have been out here then any other time in my life. I know its worth it!

Well thank you all so so much for the Christmas letters and packages. They make my day. I love you all so much and pray for you in all you do. Thanks for all you prayers in return. I hope you have an amazing week. And never forget The Church Is True!

Love, Elder Parr

#ReturnWithHonor