Hi, Mom. So, again, we don't got a ton of time to write and
be here in the Cyber, because my companion Elder Reilly likes to be punctual
for our appointments. It's AWESOME! Don't worry, I didn't get my camera stolen
or lost. I just keep forgetting to take it with me, and leave it on my desk as
we go out the door. I promise that I'm taking plenty of pictures and some
videos for everyone to see on the blog. I'm not gonna lie to you, it's a blast
being here with Elder Reilly in Balzar, but I can't help but feel...
Discouraged. In addition to that, we had to participate in a Funeral Service
this morning. It was sad to see all of the family of this nice old lady so full
of despair for her parting from this world. I was giving LDS.org a look, and I
gave this talk by President Uchtdorf a glance. It's a talk that he gave in 2012
about Regrets and Resolutions. The sub-points were what extremely caught my
eye: "I wish I had spent more time with the people I love." "I
wish I had lived up to my potential." However, my personal favorite was
the last one: "I wish I had let myself be happier." Since I could remember
(or at least, since I was 16 years old), I found myself to be
pessimistic, and always looked at my life as "half-empty". I
couldn't help but ask myself questions, like "Why me?", and
"What did I do to deserve this?" Looking back, I now find myself with
the amount of humility that almost brings me to tears to be here. To believe
that Jesus Christ had called me to be His respresentative, and preach His
gospel makes me feel almost unworthy to do so. Yet, as I kneel down to say my
prayers each night, I can't help but give my thanks for giving me such an
opportunity to be here as His servant. I pray that I may continue to have the
strength that I need to press onward, and hasten His great and marvelous work
to the best of my abilities. I may not know which day shall be my last, but I'm
going to make the absolute most of this life that He has given me. I can only
hope that when the last day of my mission comes, that I won't be asking myself
those questions of regret. Instead, I'll be grateful to have spent all the time
I could with the people here that I love. I'll be glad that I lived and worked
to my fullest potential. Lastly, I'll never feel more happier than I've been to
be bidding such a unique country and experience goodbye. Without a doubt, these
are two of the best years of my life. I await with anticipation what the future
has in store, both during my mission as well as afterwards. I miss you guys,
but I know in my heart that the sacrifices that we are both making at this time
will be more than worth it. I love you guys so much, and thank you for all of
the prayers and support. They're a world of help, and they let me know that
even though I'm far, you guys are still close. Until next week, take care!!!
Con Sinceridad y Amor,
Elder Conner Duane "Poderoso" Parke
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