Update!

November 6, 2016

Hey everyone,

This will be a quick update because we have a combined P-Day today and we are going to have a picnic and chill and play sports on the beach. This was a wayyy solid last week last week. Let's just say Buota is on the rise!  We had to do tons of administration stuff on Tuesday and Wednesday so it took a little bit of time out of our work, but overall we had a way awesome week. 

I know that everyone is wondering what happened in our visit with the minister. Let's just say that the minister was maybe a little bit intimidated when President Larkin came. I think that it was a little bit easier for him to bash the church when he was sitting behind a telephone. Anyway,  the theme of our visit was "kill him with kindness."  He was actually nice and to be honest, I think that he was a little bit scared. To make a long story short, he made up an excuse and said that he was happy if his daughter joined the church if she can go to BYU Hawaii, but that he doesn't want her to join the church if she doesn't go to BYU Hawaii. We told him that our purpose for giving her lessons wasn't for schooling and that she had not told us she wanted to go to BYU.  We also told him that she won't necessarily get into BYU Hawaii if she is baptized. When we met with his daughter the next day and asked her why she was interested in the church,  she started crying.  She bore her testimony and told us that she is interested because she has a testimony, not because she is interested in BYU. She's so solid and she came to church again yesterday. 

Church was amazing yesterday. So many people came and it was so great to see. I think that the work Elder Peeti and I have been doing was accountable for about 30 people at church yesterday--10 investigators and so many less active members. We have literally been bringing family by family back to church. It's crazy how just little things (having tons of dinners with less active families, doing service with less active families and just being friendly by a simple invitation) can make all the difference. We also went and rescued some young men who haven't come forever and almost every single one of them came yesterday. 

We  have another great investigator named Taakoa who is the man. He fasted yesterday and hasn't smoked since. He has a 12-year-old daughter who is a member and he should be on track for next week. I seriously have the strongest testimony of fasting. It makes an immediate difference.

We will work hard this week and then we should have three or four baptisms next week which will be a great payoff. I hope that all is well at home.

Elder Parrish