Sliced Ham and Spaghetti

November 29, 2015

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone had a good week of Thanksgiving! Black Friday was nutz this year!!! This Thanksgiving was definitely a little bit of a different Thanksgiving than what I'm used... In a good way :') No, I didn't get to eat Turkey, but I'm used to waking up every morning to roosters going crazy so that's something :') My Thanksgiving dinner this year consisted of a canned spaghetti and a canned ham heated up... Pretty good actually. Yes, the one day we didn't have a dinner appointment this week happened to be Thanksgiving. I guess it made me realize the REAL things I'm grateful for-- an eternal family, the gospel, and the opportunity to be on a mission. Not too bad ehhh? :')

It was a good week. Elder Musser and I were able to hit 25 lessons-- our highest lesson total since I've been here. This Saturday we should have a baptism. Iebeta is going to be baptized and we are really excited about it. He's 20ish and seriously was so prepared before we met with him. We also should have around 3 more baptisms this month if all goes as planned. All is well in Tab North.

This week we had a couple of interesting experiences. The first came when we went to do our first recent convert lesson with Atarake (baptized 2 weeks ago). During our lesson, (we were teaching the restoration), he FLIPPED. He started yelling and told us to not come back and that he wasn't from our church and that he "knows the truth" and that he doesn't have a testimony of Joseph Smith and just all these things. I haven't done many lessons but I don't think that's what you want from someone JUST baptized lolzzz. Someone could've literally shot me with a gun and I think the pain in my heart would've been the same. I think that's the first time I've really felt the pains of working with, teaching, and loving these people. It definitely rattles you a little bit when you hear those things. Slowly, he calmed down and came back from Mars or wherever his brain was holyyyyy. He went from saying he wasn't from the church, to never meeting us, to not going to church (it's held at his house), to not meeting with us for a year, to meeting with us this week <3 Hahah we are going to visit him again this Tuesday... Stay tuned :')

The other interesting experience is when we started lessons with a couple. Their mom is VERY Catholic and was really friendly until we started lessons with her kid and his wife. She left... When the lesson was over I went to shake her hand. I thought she said  "If you guys come back I'm deaf to everything you say" and just stuff like that. People are SO hardened sometimes... Everyone wants to talk to the white guys UNTIL they share the ONE THING they traveled to this countryto do. Goshhhhh. Someone play "Where Is the Love" By the Peas pleaseeee.

All in all, it was a good week. I guess if I had anything to say it would be look for SIMPLE opportunities to serve others. This week was Elder Musser's 20th birthday and I found the SIMPLEST ways to serve him on his b-day. I got his bucket of water for the shower and toilet, cooked breakfast and lunch, and gave him a simple Kiribati hat (see picture). As you guys probs know, we've struggled in the past hahah but it made such a BIG difference. Things are great right now-- all because I really LOOKED for SIMPLE opportunities to serve. Are we not all beggars (Mosiah 4:19). Yes, I'm a shining example of service <3 All in the spirit of Christmas :')

I hope everyone has a great week <3

Elder Parrish

Elder Parrish, Elder Musser, and the two Elder's from Tab South

Church Mwanaba (used for Christmas party etc.)

Elder Musser's birthday hat