Hello from Dickinson

Hello from Dickinson!

 

It was really hard to leave Bemidji because I truly loved the people there more than I ever thought was possible. I was able to get a priesthood blessing and I know that this is where Heavenly Father wants me to be at this time. But I will always have a special place in my heart for Bemidji. 

 

M, my investigator from Bemidji is getting baptized this Saturday and I so wish I could be there.  His wife, S, is getting close as well and will most likely be baptized very soon.  R is still working some things out but I know that he will get there as well. 

 

I left Bemidji on Tuesday but we stayed over night in Bismarck so we arrived in Dickinson on Wednesday. We were told that we would be taking over first ward and that the sisters in first ward would be pink washing the elders out of 2nd ward.  So we talked to the district leader and got the low down on first ward and took like 12 pages of notes and were all ready to go.  But then the zone leaders called on Thursday and told us we were actually pink washing the elders of out of second ward and that they would be moving to first ward with the other set of sisters.  Soooo.... then we had to get the low down on second ward and take 12 more pages of notes and begin planning all over again. We did go tracting and were able to teach a lesson to a man named "W".  He is from Utah and came from a polygamist colony of the FLDS church. He told us that he knew it wasn't right so he left and came up to North Dakota for work. He never married or anything yet so he wasn't leaving a family behind.  Since he was raised FLDS, he grew up reading the Book of Mormon and has a testimony of it and of the prophet Joseph Smith.  But he wasn't too sure about Thomas S. Monson being a prophet.  When we had our lesson with him we taught him about prophets since general conference was coming up. He listened to a few talks from President Monson and other apostles, read from the Book of Mormon, and prayed to get ready for conference.  He watched conference with us on Sunday and he loved it.  Afterward he told us he knows now that Thomas S. Monson is truly a prophet of God! He is going to be baptized on April 25th.

 

I am excited to get to know the people here.  There are several people who moved here from Africa to work the oil boom.  Most of them came from Rwanda and the Congo.  I am looking forward to working with them!  We don't know too many people yet since this weekend was general conference.  And I really don't have a lot to tell you yet but hopefully by next week I will.

My favorite conference talk was by Brent H. Nielsen in the Sunday morning session.  He spoke about having less active family members and what we can do to help them.  It's easy to get frustrated with people we love when they don't go to church and do the things they should do.  But Jesus Christ set the perfect example for how we should treat those people who are struggling.  In Luke chapter 15 there is a group of people who are upset with Christ for sitting and eating with sinners.  So Christ looks at them and says:

4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

 

 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

 

Jesus Christ loves each and every person so much that He would leave the ninety and nine to find the one lost soul.  He never gives up on any of us.  If you missed that talk you should read it or watch it on LDS.org.

 

I love you all!

 

Sister Park