2 miracles!

I have nothing to title these anymore. But anyways, how are you all doing? I'm great out here in good old Hualpen but the work here is super difficult. Everyone has their church and is so unwilling to even listen to our message that its tough. Constant rejection will really make you frustrated but that's alright. We have made a game out of what excuse we think they are going to give us when they tell us that they aren´t interested. Its fun and keeps things light.

But other than getting rejected a whole bunch this week we did have an awesome lesson with a guy named Santos. He is an eternal investigator because he has been taught for over 6 months now and refuses to get baptized for a whole bunch of reasons. He is always a little bit closed about the doctrines and likes to argue about them with us. Anyways we went in to have the lesson and things started out normally with him kind of just questioning why baptism was important for us to do and whatever but then we read in the Book of Moses about how Adam got baptized and the entire atmosphere changed. All of the sudden he was open and receptive and the spirit was super strong. He was willing and all of the sudden he wanted to be baptized. I just hope it stays that way because he has backed out twice before. I am confident though that it was a prompting to share that scripture because that morning I  found it while in personal study for him. Awesome experience so 'Ill let you know if it goes through because he is scheduled for the 21st of November.

Besides that, I lost my wallet and found it and it was a crazy story. We were riding on a bus and I put my wallet next to me on a seat and forgot it there. About an hour later I realized that I didn't have it. It had everything in it so I had to call to get my cards cancelled and everything. We passed a member of the church named Marcos Molina and told him what happened and he offered to drive us to the end of the bus line to look for it to see if someone had turned it in our not. The terminal is in Lirquen, about 35 minutes away from Hualpen. We drove up there and found it there. And the only thing that was missing was 2000 pesos in cash that I had. (That's like $4) Oh the blessings that day. So I had to call again before they cancelled my cards and temple recommend and it was quite the experience. 

On the way back from Lirquen we stopped at the beach to look for a quick second and took a few pictures to remember that day. It was a crazy huge blessing and Marcos saved my life that day. This is a picture of us at the beach with Marcos and my wallet.

                                                              The wallet miracle!

                                                                 Happy missionaries!

                                                                        Penco beach

                                                    A service activity for Hermana Elvira

picando lena...   or chopping wood

Hermana Elvira

Hola amigos

Hola amigos, things are great out here in Concepcion. I have had a busy two weeks though. Last week we went out with elders in the Santiago North Mission but now that seems not very exciting because I have that every day. So Ill just start out with the transfer that took place tuesday.

So we had to wake up at 5 in the morning to be on a plane at 6:45 on our way to Concepcion. The Andes Mountains are incredible by the way. But we got here and its sweet, super green here and always a little cloudy which I like until it decides to rain. But I met my companion, his name is Elder Hartvigsen and he´s from Alpine Utah. He has 14 months in the mission and is fluent so there´s hope for me. He´s a really cool guy too which is always good.

We arrived to my area which is called Hualpen. Its at the base of the Talcuhuano Peninsula. Its kinda ghetto ish. Some parts of it are a little nicer than others. My companion said he has never been robbed which is kind of boring but oh well. Our area is difficult though and the work in Chile is tough. Everyone is super devoted to their beliefs so in one week we have had one lesson with an investigator. Its still fun though but definitely hard. My first full day here we probably walked a nice 10 or so miles if I had to guess so that was fun. The other days it has been around 5 or 6. 

Our one lesson was with a guy named Eric who has Schizophrenia. We were talking to a guy on the street one day and Eric walked out of his house and asked us to come teach him. We thought he was really interested but yesterday he stood us up on his commitment to come to church with us.

Two days ago I experienced the famous Concepcion rain. It rained so hard for about twenty minutes that it actually went through my so called "waterproof" coat and I was wet the rest of the night. That was a bummer.

Besides that, things have been good. Hard but good. I miss American food and music the most but thats alright. Things are great out here. In these pictures its my companion and I. The other is the view from our 12th floor apartment.

Love,

Elder Parker

Mission office Day 1

Stopping at a farmers market to get some fruits and veggies

Cool fog from our 12th story apartment

Welcome to Concepcion

Today we received this email with pictures from Jake's mission president:

Dear Brother and Sister Parker,

Sister Arrington and I had the great pleasure of welcoming Elder Jacob Terry Parker to the Chile Concepción Mission.  After we met him at the airport when he arrived, we enjoyed lunch together with the other missionaries.  We held an orientation and testimony meeting and Parker met his new companion, Elder Chase Kelly Hartvigsen, who will train him to be a missionary. They will be laboring in the District of Talcahuano Sur 1 and located in the Zone of Talcuhuano Sur.

A mission is a wonderful experience filled with challenge and success that strengthens the testimony and spirituality of each missionary. The greatest support you as a family can give your missionary during his service as a missionary is that of uplifting letters.  Missionaries look forward with great anticipation to each letter from home.  In addition to using email, you can send packages and letters to our address.  The U.S. Postal Service and the Correos de Chile do a good job of delivering packages.

Elder Jacob Terry Parker
Misión Chile Concepción
Castellon 1063 Oficina Norte
Casilla 2210
Concepción, Chile

You may also send letters (and only letters taped shut, no envelopes via the ¨Pouch¨):

Elder Jacob Terry Parker
Misión Chile Concepción
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150

We encourage each of our missionaries to write to their parents each week.  Please let me know if a reminder to him is needed. You may contact us using e-mail at 2015528@ldschurch.org.

We invite you to look at our blog: chileconcepcionmission.blogspot.com

It will be our privilege to work closely with Elder Parker as he serves here in Chile.  We are blessed to have him join us in this mission and know that he will have many life changing experiences as he proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Thank you for your support and for sharing your son with us.

Photos and a map of the mission are attached to this email.

Sincerely,
​
President and Hermana Arrington

Jake In Chile!

We got a great surprise today.  A member of our ward works for the church auditing department.  His work last month just happened to take him to Chile!  He got to see Jake several times!  He said he seems positive and happy, and just like the same old Jake we know and love.  He took this short video and shared with us!  So fun to see him and hear his voice!

One more to go...

Hows it going everyone? Good I hope. I dont have a ton to talk about this week because really nothing has happened over the past week. Everything has been the same as it always is here in the good old MTC but there are some things that I want to talk about for the upcoming week because I dont think Ill be able to email next week because next Tuesday is the day that we fly down to Concepcion so I dont think I will get a chance to email.

But whats going to happen this week is going to be awesome. On Thursday we get to go out and contact in a park and its going to be very interesting because I kind of think I know Spanish until I talk to someone in the Streets and then I realize that I know nothing. They talk so ridiculously fast that its impossible to get everything they say. Also, on Friday we actually get to go on splits with missionaries and teach for real out in the North Mission which is still about two hours away from here. Thats gonna be awesome and super humbling when I realize even better that I know nothing. Still though it should be super fun and great practice. Besides that, I dont have a lot to say except the next time you hear from me I will be down in Concepcion teaching and lost.

Last week was pretty cool on P Day after I emailed you guys though. A guy stopped us on the street and we got trying to talk to him and eventually got his address and are going to send missionaries to his house to teach him. I have no clue if I will ever hear if anything comes of it. I doubt it but it was still cool to experience.

Besides that, nothing has happened. It has actually been a super boring week because there haven´t been any earthquakes or anything fun or exciting. But I look forward to talking to you guys in two weeks and Im sure I will have stuff to talk about.

Love you and miss you all!

Elder Parker

Veterans of the MTC

October 6, 2015

Whats up everyone? how are we all doing? This week was exciting and boring at the same time and with the group above us leaving the MTC this morning I am officially considered the veteran of the MTC. Some events of the week this week.

Obviously General conference this week is a big one. I have never participated in a conference like that before. We all had to take notes while wearing suits and staying awake which was a different experience for me but I got a ton out of it this week. More than I ever have before. It was a great conference and I was able to learn way more than I ever have before and I'm grateful because of that.

Another Big event of the week is that the main guy who runs all of the MTCs around the world came and visited here and he is fluent in 6 languages and knows 9. Anyways Elder Cauble and I were teaching one of our mock investigators and he decided he would just come sit in on the lesson which make me choke super bad because all of the sudden I realized every spanish mistake I was making but whatever he said we did a good job. My english has actually gotten really bad because I speak in Spanish half the day and that kind of makes it weird but the faster I learn Spanish the happier I will be

Besides that I cant remember a lot that happened this week in terms of anything exciting happening. The days here are just really going fast already which makes me happy but also really scared because I feel like I am nowhere near ready to go out into the field but I have exactly two weeks to change that. 

To be honest I have nothing else really to say except that its really fun. Elder Cauble is hilarious and so are my roomates so I am constantly laughing. I am already really grateful for the decision I made to serve a mission and know that I will benefit greatly because of it. I already have a ton. 

a day in the MTC...

September 29, 2015

This week was pretty fun! The days are starting to fly by here and before I can blink the week has already gone by. Its really fun here too now. This is how a normal day goes...

Wake up 645 and go to personal study until 8. Go to breakfast and play MTC soccer until 915. after we get ready and go to class from 10 to 130. Eat lunch until 215 and go to class again until 6. Eat until 645 and then go to class until 930. After that we companion plan and go to our rooms and at 11 its lights out. There is virtually zero variation between the days so its really surprising that the days go by fast. 

Here it is super spiritual though, every day you get to feel the spirit really strongly at least once a day which is really nice. We also get to go the temple today and its P-Day today so its gonna be a good one. Also during P-Day I am on a quest to find an American football because soccer is fun and all but there is nothing quite like football. That is a very hard thing to find though. Football isnt quite the sport here as it is in america. Playing soccer the other day I sprained my ankle as well which sucked but Ive had enough by now that it doesnt even phase me anymore. Also I have decided that tonight I am going to shave my head for fun. Most of my district decided to do it together which is gonna be really funny. If i can figure out how to get pictures to email I will send you some pictures next week.

My Spanish is actually getting decent. I can basically find a way to say anything I want by talking around the hard words and keeping it basic. Today we have to try to place a book of mormon and that could be interesting because Chileans talk crazy fast so basically I might just walk up to a stranger and hand him it and walk away. 

Things here are great though. I feel no where close to ready to be out in the field but Im only half way right now so hopefully it will get better because I would be lost right now if I were to go out. Also if you remember, I would appreciate a prayer or two for the gift of tongues!