El Regreso

Family,

As you all know I have finally returned from my mission to Guatemala City Central. I am grateful for the experiences I have had and I am grateful to be back. I would never trade my mission experiences for anything because it was one of the best things I have been able to do in my lifetime. I have learned much and know that the mission experiences have prepared me for life even more. Well, this past week on Wednesday we had a testimony meeting as the leaving group. The next day we had to arise really early so that we could be at the airport at 6 although our flight did not leave until 8:55 AM. We had started out as 5 sisters and 5 elders leaving, but 3 of the elders were from Guatemala and didn't have to travel by plane; one elder flew to Honduras and another flew to Panama. Hermana Benavides, one of the sisters stayed with her family who had come to pick her up, one sister left by bus to El Salvador, and one flew to Ecuador. Hermana Moeai and I flew to Dallas, Texas, but we were accompanied by six elders from the south mission. At Dallas, Hermana Moeai left to another plane and I continued on alone. I felt strange without a companion and without knowing really where to go. I tried waiting to see if the five elders who were continuing on to Utah would come, but I couldn't see them anywhere, so I prayed for guidance and was led to where I needed to go to wait for the plane. While I was waiting the elders came up and left their bags with me, I telling them that I was willing to watch the bags but if they were stolen it wasn't my fault. I was a little confused because my watch still had the time of Guatemala and I had forgotten that the states have Daylight savings time. However, I was fine and I finally arrived to the Salt Lake Valley, where the climate was much colder than what I am use to. I am thankful for the amazing journey I had these 18 and a half months. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the church of Christ that He had established on the earth while He walked in His ministry. We have a prophet to guide us today and we are guided by our Heavenly Father. I love you all. I definitely recommend serving a mission. It will change your life!

Love Hermana Destinee L Park (now a released missionary) 

 

 

Destinee's last email was all in Spanish because she said that is what she knows best. I loaded it into google translate, and read the translation. She said I could use someone else to translate and to "please not use google translate, because it lies". Oh well. :)

She talked about how this past Sunday people gathered all over Guatemala in Stake Centers to witness the dedication of the Temple in Quetzaltenango Guatemala by President Ucthdorf. She said, "To be there in a secluded part of the temple on Sunday was something I will never forget." She also said that 36 years or so ago, the people of Guatemala didn't think there would ever be a Temple in Guatemala.

She also said, "We can not have a complete testimony if you have not read the Book of Mormon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church is complete and true, guided by a prophet of God"

My Last 30 days

Dear Family,

So now I am into my last 30 days of the mission. For these last 30 days I have some high goals that I want to achieve because I will not have the chance to do it again. First, I want to reach 210 contacts. I want to find 40 new investigators in a week. I want to put a baptismal date with a family because I will not be seeing the baptism of one. I plan to cast fire to the area and then to my old clothes, finishing it all with a huge fire (no worries because it isn`t literal. Others always say that I am casting fire). I love my mission with all I have because it is a time when I can serve my Heavenly Father, when I can be free from the worries of the world, and where I can change. 

 

As for this, I will tell you about my week because it was interesting. One of the days in the morning my companion was washing something outside. I was cooking breakfast, part of it included rice. I went outside to wash the rice and as I was by the pila (note that my companion was still outside) the door shut on us. I panicked a little because I left the stove on and we did not have the keys with us. The only thing we thought to do was to break the glass so that we could reach in and open the door, but as I reached for the broom by a larger window, I realized that we could lift up one of the slips of glass (the window was put together with several horizontal panes of glass) and stick our hand through it. So I began to do this instead. I was able to get my hand through and open the door, but in the process I broke a bit of the glass and cut myself on it. It wasn`t too bad but I was bleeding. It was a crazy experience. 

 

Thursday we had a super Christmas activity with President Brough and family, and the zones of Esquintla and our zone Villa Hermosa. It was fun because we played basketball, a soccer game that was like crocket, and a human bowling game with soccer balls. Later at night we watched a movie called ´´17 miracles´´ which I would highly suggest seeing. Part of what touched me most was that at the end of the movie the narrator stated how he felt many times like giving up while pulling his handcart, but each time he reached the ´´giving up´´ point he felt the cart pushing him. He said that he knew then that the angels of God were there helping him. My first few weeks in the mission field I received a letter from mom that had that quote on it. That is what has helped me to keep pressing forward each day of my mission. I have laminated that letter with tape and have posted it by my desk so that I can read it each day and remember again that the angels of God are with me and that I can do hard things. 

 

The next morning we had to wake up at 3, be at the stake center at 4, and we left at 4:30 AM for the temple. It was a fantastic experience because other missionaries always finish their mission going to the temple, but they always go alone. I had the blessing of going with all of my zone and with President and Sister Brough. We had a couple of experiences this week of contacting and after an hour or so of contacting we finally contact a door, even at the very end of the night, that opens to us. I have had a difficult week, but a week that was full of many blessings. I know that Heavenly Father watches over us and guides us, and that the angels of God surround us to help us keep going.

 

Finally, this morning as we left the house there was hardly anyone in the street but I said if I see someone in the street I am going to contact them. Well, out of who-knows-where a woman began walking toward us. Therefore, I contacted her and we placed an appointment with her. Sometimes we have to make promises before we receive, and God will not give us what we aren`t willing to keep. 

 

Well, that is probably it for this week. I know the gospel is what we need in our lives to be truly happy. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only completely true church although other churches have a little bit of truth. But this church is the true church of Christ. Our Heavenly Father answers our prayers even if it is not at the moment that we want because often we must prove ourselves first to show that we really want the answer. 

 

I love you all. Have a fantastic week. Don`t be baggy, and be happy. Take the ugly things and make them beautiful. And for ever and always, be True and have Faith. 

Love Hermana Destinee Leuana Park