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Thursday, August 27, 2015

MAURI MAURI MAURI!‏

August 21, 2015

WHAT'S UPPPPPPP?!? Just yo boy Elder Parrish givin' you a what's from the Provo MTC 3 and a half weeks in <3 I wanna give a S/O to everyone starting school this week. YOU GUYS ARE GONNA LOVE IT. Don't forget about me when you're makin' all those cool new college friends <3 I better not be seeing any engagements! Although it's been a good week, not much has happened. I feel like it's groundhog day basically every single day of the week. Groundhog day is a good day though :') The best days in the MTC are by far Sunday. Teachers (and security hehehe) don't work on Sunday so we have a lot of time to study the gospel and work on the language. I love the Sacrament Meetings here and I love Priesthood meetings. Devotionals that are held on Tuesdays and Sundays are GREAT and P-Day is obviously BOMB so it breaks up the week really well. 

We heard from our mission president this week... He emailed our teacher and said that "most" of the people in my district will be sent to outer islands right off the bat. How many "most" means I don't know. HOW CRAZY THOUGH! I've never lived without A/C, electricity, running water, beds, doors... OH. Did I mention that I can't speak the language?! In 2 and a half weeks things are going to get CRAZY but I'm SO excited. It doesn't matter where I end up... I'm excited to be serving the people in Kiribati that I already love <3

The language is slowwwww. My vocab is okay and I'm decent at understanding but I'm not very good at forming sentences, conjugating, and overall speaking. I CAN'T WAIT until I can speak the beautiful language that is called Kiribati. 

BEST STORY: The highlight of this week was part of the Tongan Vs. Kiribati rivalry. We have been known to cause a little bit of a ruckus in the dorms at night. This week we were sent ammunition in the form of water guns. A follow up package  contained 300 self-sealing water balloons. The war began... At a set time, the war raged on the entire 3rd floor of 6M. The Tongans came out dressed in interesting attire and had a mattress as a shield. We had the guns and water balloons. I am proud to say we won <3 It only lasted for a few minutes though :/ The other newbies to the MTC got really upset and one called a branch president. Some people have A LOT to learn. LIFE WAS MEANT TO BE ENJOYED, NOT JUST ENDURED. Still super fun. Not sure if anyone has ever gone this hard in the MTC but it's been good experience. Gonna miss those Tongans as they depart this week. 

Probably should close with a small spiritual thought after that last paragraph... I PROMISE I'm learning so much about this gospel. I LOVE the Book of Mormon and I know that prayer is SO powerful. Faith is so important. If there's one thing I learned this week it's that miracles, big or small, can be performed if you have faith! I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to learn more and more every week. 

I ataia bwa e kuoua te ekaretia aio. I ataia bwa e kuoua Ana Boki Moomon. E mwananga n te buokonikai ao e tataro n te onimaki Iotebwa Timitti. I kakououan bwa e maiu Iesu Kristo. N aran Iesu Kristo amen. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK :')

<3 Elder Parrish <3

P.S. I got a haicut... I would send a picture but I don't want everyone at home to disown me. 




Friday, August 21, 2015

MAURI MAURI :')

HELLO EVERYONE!!!

How has everyone's week been? Probz not as good as mine HAHA sorry not sorry. I love Kaniamabong's (Fridays) because I get to hear from my amazing family and friends :') I love hearing from everyone and I if I didn't get an email from you this week I'm expecting one next week <3

Life is good here at the MTC :') It's crazy that 16 hour days, with 11 hours spend in a tiny classroom can go by so quickly. We usually have 1 language teacher for a 3 hour block every day. We then have another 3 hour block spent with personal, language. and companion study. Then somewhere we have a 5 hour block usually with some dead time and then a teacher who teaches us in English. Mingled in around 10:30ish you can usually find me out on the field wrecking a couple kids in Spikeball or Sand Volleyball <33 The days seem long at times, but then when I get back to the residency I wonder where the day went.

I CANNOT WAIT to get to Kiribati. Every time I hear a story from a teacher I get SO excited. It's going to be something else... I can't wait to get there and to serve with my whole heart, might, mind and strength. The people sound AMAZING. A good missionary can have 100 baptisms. Obviously baptisms don't determine how good a missionary is, but I have a feeling that I will be able to touch a lot of lives <3 At the same time... I'm content with my life for at least another week in the MTC. I still feel like I have so much to learn. Before I can become a real instrument in the Lord's hands I need to personally grow. I can't teach people things that I don't know myself. I have a lot of work to do. Before I came to the MTC I was a pretty self-centered person. Changing who I've been is a slowwwww process but I'm trying to be a better person and missionary everyday. I'm trying to serve at times when the old me would have taken in. It's a slow process hahah but I'm improving. 

FUNNY STORY: As you all know... I broke 100 pounds not that long ago... Just kidding but when I left home 2 and 1/2 weeks ago I weighed 150 pounds. We eat 3 square meals a day here--all buffet style. If you know me, you know that I can put it down. Anyways.. Yesterday I weighed myself in the weight room (I didn't lift weights don't worry hahaa) and i weighed... DRUM ROLL PLEASE... 163 pounds. I've gained like 13 pounds in the matter of 2 weeks ARE YOU KIDDING?!? If anyone needs a gym buddy I will volunteer <3 On the bright side, I think after a week or 2 of a steady fish and rice diet in Kiribati I will be right back where I started :') 

IF I COULD HUG EVERYONE RIGHT NOW I WOULD <33 Thanks for all of the love and support. I miss you guys everyday.. But I KNOW that this is where I'm supposed to be. Praying for you guys day and night <3

:') Elder Parrish :')

P.S. I probably have the longest hair of any male missionary at the MTC if anyone was wondering hahaha. 



Two of my favorite departing elders from the Fijian district this last week. Elder Moky (19) from Papua New Guinea and Elder Traill (25) from New Zealand. Both converts to the church and the only members in their family, these 2 have been great examples to me of the real reason why people should be serving missions. Godspeed Elders!




Sunday, August 9, 2015

2 weeks down, 102 to go

August 7, 2015


MAURI <3333

Kam uara (How is everyone)?! I'm doing good down here in the Provo MTC. I've loved receiving so many emails from your guys' beautiful faces this past week <3 I'm expecting even more next week <333

WHERE DO I START?!

First of all, the language is somethin' else. Grammatically it's easy, and there only 15 letters in the alphabet. But can anyone tell me how you get the word "bed" from "Sleeping on a stick"?  Hahaha the translations are super literal. The words also all look the EXACT SAME ughhhh :/ It's coming along though <3 If anyone needs to pray in Kiribati or has to carry on a convo In Kiribati just let me know I'm kind of a pro :') But it really is coming along... I know the gift of tongues is a real thing and I'm so grateful to be learning a language. I can feel myself getting humbled in the moments where I just want to 'give up'.

Waking up at 6:30 SUCKS but I'm getting used to it. My hair never looks good in the mornings :// It's hard to stay awake the whole day but I try my best. An average day involves 9 hours in the classroom... 3 or 6 of which are spent studying the language.Once a week we have a service project and 1 hour for gym time every day. We also eat at 5:15... THAT'S WHEN I EAT LUNCH! The schedule is pretty monotonous. If you ever think about me during the day, I'm probably sitting in a classroom or a cafeteria. PRISON (the MTC) is the best though. I still like my companions a lot though. My District (the 9 of us going to Kiribati) are already really close. Not my fam or friends but they're fillin' it quite well :) I'm super happy <333 

I love reading the scriptures and feeling the spirit. I almost crave it. On Sunday, we had a devotional and the speaker was President Russel M. Nelson. The spirit was really strong. The opportunity that I have been given to serve a mission is incredible... I'm trying to savor the time that I've been given, even in the MTC. I still feel like I have a lot to learn, not just language wise. This past week has flown by. I'm trying my best to become a better person every day... I know  I have a lot of work to do :')

I'm doing great though. I'm so so SO blessed. I have the most incredible friends and family in the world. I have been looking forward to hearing from everyone this week... It didn't disappoint. I'm hoping that next week will be just as sweet <3

KAM TANGIRIKA (I LOVE YOU ALL)

Miss you guys every day <3

drop me an E-Mail or a cute 'lil package this week.

Elder Parrish


Zach and Braedon Alldredge (a friend from high school called to serve in Barbados)


Zach and Zach Slatter (a friend from high school called to serve in Taiwan)


Zach, James Gilbert, and Collin Cole (friends from high school called to serve in Taiwan)




Zach and Zak Harrison (another missionary called to serve in Kiribati)


Zach and his district outside the Provo Temple




Monday, August 3, 2015

I'M ALIVE

July 31, 2015

MAURI!!!!
How is everyone?! I know you guys have been lying awake in bed at night wondering what day my P-Day is... To answer your question, its FRIDAY! It seems like a lot has happened since Wednesday. 
Quick Update: I'm doing great. I haven't felt homesick or sad since I've been here. I can feel the prayers on my behalf helping me. My district has 9 people... All of which are American's. I have 2 companions... Elder Zamora from Holladay, Utah. He went to a private school called AMES (Academy for Math, Engineering, and Science). Hispanic descent. Super duper nice. Also, Elder Kitchens from Ogden, Utah. He played football and wrestled. They are both sickkk and super hard workers. I like everyone in my district a lot :)

The language is difficult. Kiribati is a lot like Samoan or Tongan in the way that it sounds. It has about 13 letters in the alphabet. There's about 10 vowels in every single word and it just rollllllls right off your tongue. We have only had 1 full day of language study but it was definitely an eye-opener. Hahaha the gift of tongues better be real, otherwise I'm not sure how the language is ever going to come.
My zone speaks 5 languages (Fijian, Kiribati, Marshallese, Samoan, Tongan). It is made up of the Pacific Islanders. The entire zone is wayyy sick. We have tons of Poly's (go ahead and include me in that.) We got a ton of new Samoan speaking elders the same day as me so we will be with them a lot of the time. 
I love feeling the spirit. I know I've been here 2 days. It's hard to not be of the world. But i'm going to keep trying my best to be the best missionary and person that I can be. I didn't give up 2 years of my life to do otherwise. 

In one of our lessons we learned that we need to be our own first Convert. More than the language, and more than teaching others, I'm trying to focus on teaching myself and becoming fully converted into the gospel... Converted by gaining a solid testimony and converted by changing and truly becoming a disciple of Christ. It's a slow, painstaking, process but I'm up for the task.

The MTC IS hard... It's taking a while to get used to. It's hard not to fall asleep. They preach a lot about EXACT obedience. Sometimes we don't even know what the rule is so it's hard to know if we are being disobedient hahaha. There's little or no supervision. It would be easy to not work. Even when we aren't doing something we feel like we HAVE to be doing something. Everything is gonna be OKAY though i'm like 99% sure. 

Thanks for all the prayers <3 Ughhh I've been blessed with the best friends and family. Now that everyone realizes that my P-Day is Friday I'm expecting at least 50+ emails next week :') Hopefully I'll be fluent by then. Stay sweet... and don't worry about me for 1 second <3

Tiabo (Sah-Po) (goodbye in Kiribati)

Elder Parrish

3 Nephi 5:13 (Zone Scripture) <3

P.S. 2 days in and already teaching our first full lesson in Kiribati tonight!!!!! I'll let you know how that one goes :'))))

P.S.S. We shouldn't have eaten dinner at 9:30 P.M. at home every night. We eat at like 4:00 and i get the worst 10:00 cravings lol. 
So much love <3 (forward this to everyone)

I'm also working on pics as we speak. They don't give us very much time for E mail so i'm super sorry. 


Me and my companions...Elder Zamora on the left as you can guess lol. Elder Kitchens on the right. 


CROC GANG REPPIN' DAY 2 YOU ALREADY KNOWWWWW.



Our district outside the temple after our session today. Couldn't be a whiter group of kids. Hopefully someone brought some sunblock LOLZZZ