987543983489 Ice Cream Cones Later

WHAT UP FAMMMMMMMM TUDO BEM GENTE WHAT IS GOOD IN THE HOOD. Also a happy freakin mothers day to any and all mothers and especially mine who happens to be the very best of the best!!!!

IT WAS A ROCKIN WEEK. AS ALWAYS. Let's see hereeeeeee
    - SKYPE SKYPE SKYPE. Y'all I have the best family in the world. Thanks for putting up with my terrible jokes and always talking about McDonalds, the works. We got to go to Antonio and Rosalina's house and they were pretty darn adorable and tried real real hard to converse with my parents, somewhat successfully and fed us delicious food and it was just all-around the best. We are super ridiculously lucky here in Viana my friends!!
   - Divisions. Hahahahahahahahahaha. You guys. I think I've written enough about Sister Cahill here that y'all know she is one of my very very best mission friends and we're kinda the same person and when we get together it's a little ridiculous. Well, guess who's also my sister training leader?? And took me downtown to Matosinhos for a solid 2 days so that we could PARTY IT UP and eat ice cream on ice cream and talk and laugh and have the best time ever. Again, not sure how this was allowed to happen slash who's idea this was but I have 0 regrets. I also learned some good things and we set important goals so no worries, fam, it was productive too. Lolz.
   - Since I was supposed to work with Cahill in her area, that left the two babies, Sister Foote and Sister Cahill's EVEN NEWER comp up here in Viana by themselves. They're also 2 of the most beautiful people in Portugal or possibly just the world so there were a lot of intense prayers being sent their way from our end. But they survived it just fine, fought off a lot of creepy college boys with the classic "no hablo Portugese" (I taught that one. So proud :') and also ate a lot of ice cream.
   - Then we got back together and talked about our division over a couple of bars of ice cream. For breakfast. You see where I'm going with this one??
   - Thus the subject line is as such. I don't know if there's a limit to how much ice cream is safe to eat in the week but I am at least 98% sure I've already crossed the limit by like 15 ice cream bars. We also got stuff for Sunday Sundaes bc we knew we'd be sad post-skype and basically, if anyone ever questions why I'll be coming home 45 ish pounds heavier, y'all already KNOW. Two words. Ice cream.
   - We also had some super cool experiences this week!! I think the best was Saturday, when Sister Foote and I both felt like it was time to visit Christina and Vanessa again. Vanessa still feels the same, but talking to Christina was literally incredible. She went on and on about how sad she's been feeling since we left, how she's been thinking a lot and praying about it and she knows that the church is what she needs to be doing. She said she just has this feeling in her heart that tells her not to leave this, to keep going and keep learning. And she said it doesn't matter what her family says, she knows this will make her happy and she wants to "andar na igreja". MILAGRES YOU GUYS. ACONTECEM. It was a super powerful moment and I'm really really excited to keep working with her because she is adorable and the best and really feels and recognizes the Spirit.
   - On top of that, this next transfer is looking like it's gonna be literally killer. We have a ton of member references coming through that look like they're going to be super successful, the ramo is AMAZING and we've set some high goals to be better and do better. So shoutout to next transfer and the next few months, I'm super super excited to see what comes next!!

Also, I LOVE Y'ALL. And I love love love the gospel. There is literally nothing better than getting to testify about all the stuff I know to be true and watching people feel the Spirit. As crazy and challenging and sometimes heartbreaking as the mission is, it's been the absolute BEST experience in the world. I'm so grateful I'm out here fam. CHURCH IS TRUE, BOOK IS BLUE

much love fammmmmmm fiquem bem

xoxoxoxoxox bjnhs Sis P

2 weeks in a row THINGS ARE GETTING CRAZY HERE IN VIANA FOLKS

1. Look at how perfect the beach is awwwwwww

2. I was trying to be artsy idk fam

3. Sister Foote is a str8 model so she tries to get me to be a model and it just doesn't quite work the same way

4. Ok I know my eye is closed bc sun but LOOK WE'RE ON A BOAT AND SIS FOOTE IS ADORABLE

GOT MY BANGS AND MY GRILLZ

What up friends and fammmmmmmm TUDO BEM TODOS. WHAT IS GOOD IN THE HOOD EVERYBODY HOW GOES IT WHATS UP

So another week down here in Vianaaaaaaa and it is as beautiful and fabulous and beachy and food-filled as ever!! I literally adore it here. Plus my comp is the best best BEST so that helps about 400%. LIFE IS PEACHY

Let's seeeeeeeee:
  - First off THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH for the love and prayers and everything that y'all do. Yes the last 2 weeks were slightly horrible haha and yes we're not totally into smooth sailing yet but I have felt more love and peace this week than basically ever before and I KNOW it's from all the prayers that y'all have been sending. Seriously, you have no idea how much it helps. Y'all are the greatest. I am so so lucky to have the best friends and fam around!!! :')
   - Second I'm realizing that I have hardly anything to say about this week so I am gonna whip up the best stories I can fam sorry if I failed on the delivery keep the prayers coming on behalf of this email
   - So that email title though. It was all I could come up with to describe a good chunk of this week, which was taking hour-long bus rides to visit less-active members who weren't even home. And what can you do on an hour-long bus ride when you have a tray of lemon bars covered in tin foil?? Use the tin foil to make grills and sing Beyonce songs in the back of the bus, you say?? Yes, folks, Sister Foote and I are officially back in middle school. But hey, at least we were entertained.
   - Also after we hit up 2 different parties last week we have discovered the sad realization that I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PARTY. Like at all. The mission experience has sucked all the fun out of me. Luckily I have a pretty fresh comp so she has made it her personal duty to re-teach me how to be a normal person and party and dance before I hit up the Y again. It's a long process, y'all. But we gonna perserverar até I no longer feel the need to panic fist-bump in any and all party situations
    - Every week I surprise myself more and more at my ability to eat every pastry in sight. And every week I think to myself "I have eaten more ice cream and McDonalds and chocolate crossaints than is humanly possible" and then I go an out-do myself YET AGAIN. I'm not sure how it's still happening but I tell you what, that's real. Also shoutout to McDs bc that new burger they have is fantastic. 10/10 would recommend
   - We have been focusing so hard on our marcadas that then fell that we've had to make the sad realization this week that we basically have no investigators. Yep. Roughin it. SO the re-finding has begun and has led to both weird, sketchy situations (i.e. teaching a guy in a one-room apartment that DEFINITELY had mice running around the floor) and miracles!!! (i.e. one of the best first lessons I have had in a long long time). Church is true and I will never get tired of teaching the first lessons and remembering that.
   - Plus one of our cool new investigators texted us yesterday and said, in english I might add, "hey sister could you do me a favor do you have a dollar bill" and we said nope sorry we dont and he said "ok thanks" so again, a lot of potential there. Look our for that baptism here em breve y'all.

Sorry my stories are as lame as they get hahahaha I was doing whatever I could here. But know that I still love love LOVE my mission and my comp and Viana and I am happy as can be. Thanks for EVERYTHING Y'ALL

MUCH LOVE AND ABRAÇOS PARA TODOS

xoxoxoxox bjnhs Sis P


I know I haven't sent picz in forever MY B so hey here's to a new week

1. That one time we went to the border of Spain and Portugal whoot whoot

2. Us being adorbz at Bom Jesus!!!

(pictures from her companions blog)

THE AMISH LIFESTYLE #pfop2k16vdc

WHAT UP FRIENDS AND FAM TUDO COOL?!?!?!

This week..... Hahahhaa.... This week.

Not gonna lie, this wasn't my most favorite week ever but Sista Foote and I still did our best to keep kickin' it here with class and sass here in the VdC!! More sass than class. Also not sure how I came up with that phrase.

But basically
   - Due to a little thoughtlessness on my part (y'all already know), we got our phone taken away for a week!!!! HAhahahaha we felt like a) middle schoolers and b) amish people since we have been using pay phones, yes folks, PAY PHONES all week. I honestly thought pay phones were more for decoration but whaddya know, they apparently make phone calls too.
  - This has led to our classic hashtag, #prayforourphone2016vianadocastelo. We have referenced it all week and nobody understands but ya know what fam, #pfop2k16vdc lives on
  - The good news is, before giving said phone away we got down some clutch numbers and, since we didn't have a phone anyway, went ahead and did the resposible missionary thing and prank called a bunch of other missionaries. "Hey is your refrigerator running?? .... You better go catch it!!". They didn't laugh but I did. I really really did.
  - P.S. We did actually get our phone back!! Wohoooooooooo we had our regularly scheduled interviews with Prez this week so we are back and better than ever. Also in case anyone is wondering, Presidente and I are just as good of friends as ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   - Now for the other sad news. Our investigators, Christina and Vanessa, that were progressing towards baptism this weekend, broke up with us last night. They were offended by a member and they don't want to quit smoking or go to church or change. I have really really grown to love them and we feel the Spirit so much in their lessons that is was super heartbreaking. I asked to say a closing prayer before we left, which ended up being a bad idea because I couldn't stop sobbing for like 20 minutes. I know they'll accept it someday, and it must just not be their time, but it's still so hard to let people go that we love so much!!
  - So basically the moral of the story is Sister Foote and I spent the majority of this week just eating tons and tons of ice cream and french fries and re-watching Legacy and crying. Six months to sexy, folks. And the mission life.

Hahaha no but on the realz, I love the mission. I really do. I have learned so so much and made the best friends and have had the most incredible experiences. I love being able to testify everyday to people about my Savior and getting to spread his love. And there's a lot of work to do here so I'm excited to get out and be better and love and serve even more.

Thanks for all the love and support from everyone!! Y'all are the b-e-s-t.

MUCH LOVE

xoxoxoxoxo bjnhs Sis P

WHAT UP FAM

Hey heads up we don't have time today so we'll be emailing tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ATÉ AMANHA FOLKS

Viana Viana Viana

First off SORRY SORRY SORRY to all those that emailed me and I wont be able to email back ily all todos todos but we are in Braga and about to get on a train so SORRY

Second HECKAH YES WE'RE BACK IN BRAGA YOU ALREADY KNOW I CAN'T STAY AWAY FROM MY OLD AREAS. Braga for lyfeeeeeee. Sister Footé had to see Bom Jesus and we had to eat district pancakes and district McDonalds and district ice cream. You know the drill, fam.

Third OMG IT WAS A GREAT WEEK, FOLKS. It always always always is and it especially is when a) you are serving with possibly the greatest missionary that exists HEARTS FOR SISTER FOOTE BC I LOVE HER TO DEATH and b) when you're in the greatest little Ramo in the world.But on the realz yesterday in church I was sitting there and not even being social and within like 7 minutes WE GOT INVITED TO 3 DIFFERENT PARTIES. FOR THIS WEEK. Not sure how slash why but I WILL FREAKIN TAKE IT am I right or am I right. I am seriously loving it here and life is so darn peachy I am happy as can beeeeeeeeeee

So this week
   - ZONE CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Prez was bringing out all the stocks and I was as inspired as a person can BE. Seriously though, we are here with a purpose and we are building the church here in Portugal and ITS SO GREAT TO BE DOING THAT. Also it was as fabulous as ever to see all the mission franz and to party it up at, you guessed it, McDonalds. Life is good.
   - We have an investigator, Lurdes, who is basically just our grandma together with our other Portuguese grandma, Filomena, a recent convert. So this week Lurdes was like "hey y'all want to get giant burgers" and we were like "uh obviously do you know us at all Lurdes plz" and she was like "OK FRIDAY IT IS" so we go to get our giant burgers and it turns out the place she wanted to go was like 2 hours away, right on the border of Spain (still our area. Hashtag perks of Viana) and we took a bazillian pictures and partied it up and listened to classic Portuguese song after classic Portuguese song.
   - Sister Foote has been dealing with me all week, bless her. And since we have both been slightly stressed and going crazy we decided to dedicated Wednesday night to eating 8 ice cream cones, listening to Enya and meditating. I have 0 regrets. This is why Sister Foote is my soul sister. Also a billion other reasons that include and are not limited to: equal love of ice cream, hilariousness, and being the best. Not sure how else to describe this bromance but it is REALER THAN REAL
   - Y'all know I'm not really one for talking about invesitigators but we have some really chill ones and IT IS SO WONDERUFL TO SEE THEM PROGRESS AND STUFF. Cristina and Vanessa agreed to be baptized IN THE OCEAN 2 weeks from now so get those prayers up and runnin and I know we will see miracles here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so so so sorry this is literally the most lame an email could possibly be but know that I am safe and sound and partying it up with life here in Viana. LOVE Y'ALL TONS AND TONZZZ THANKS FOR EVERYTHING GENTE

MUCH LOVE

xoxoxoxo bjnhs Sis P


MORE BRAGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA


Everyone is being really cute in this picture.

And then there's Cahill and I.

What's new am I right.



pictures from her companions blog
Ocean


Good donuts


Cold


This is Filomena and Lurdes (our portugues grandmas)

WHAT UP FAMMMMMM TUDO BEM TODOS?!?!?

WHAT IS UP TUDO MUNDO HOPE EVERYTHING IS CORRERING BEM YALL

This semana was fanfreakintastic as usual!! I love love LOVE Viana with all my heart, já. And I love food and this week was fun of both so WHAT MORE COULD ANY SISTER MISSIONARY ASK FOR
   - So speaking of food, as it turns out "Viana do Castelo" is Portuguese for "has a wonderful, loving branch that hasn't had sisters in 9 or so years so gets really excited and loving towards us" which QUER DIZER approximately 6987354987 member meals a week. Duuuuuuuude. It is excellent and simultaneously ruining my life slash digestive system. I forgot what it was like to get lunch then a lanche then a dinner all in the same day but I was literally crawling home on Friday. 4 months to sexy????? Uhhhhhhhhh
   - The good news (for Mama P) is this means my McDonalds intake has dramatically decreased. We're talking only 2 BigMacs this week, people. The bad news (for me) is that this means my McDonalds intake has dramatically decreased. I'm sentiring the falta, people.
   - Also, THE PEOPLE HERE ARE SO COOL. Not sure how many times I can say that but on the realz I love love love love love this branch!! It doesn't even feel like serving in a brach bc everyone is so loving and supportive and there is SO MUCH FOOD. I also was talking to a branch member yesterday, and as it turns out this branch was only formed 12 or so years ago and had like 4 members. And now there's already 45ish strong, active ones with a bunch more to come and its really inspiring and awesome and basically, I just love it here.
   - Also our investigators are not too shabby either!! We have a family that we marked this week in a SUPER CRAZY powerful lesson. We were talking about baptism and how we get the blessing of being clean and pure, and the daughter, Vanessa, who is 19 and cute as a button, was like "ah I would love to be able to be baptized again and have that" and it literally took everything I had to not jump up and down and just coolly and calmly (let's be real, those are my trademark qualities right there) be like "you can, you can be baptized by authority and have these blessings!!" and she immediately was like "EU ACEITO, EU ACEITO". So cool. We're currently planning her baptism IN THE OCEAN for next next week and I will either cry or jump in the ocean with her. Or both.
   - Zone meeting happened this week and you know what that means, PARTY PARTY SEE OLD FRIENDS AND PARTY. Actually shed some real tears when I saw my old district in Braga, no lies. And it ended up being basically a personally Sister Parkinson tailored zone meeting bc a) we sang a Christmas hymn and b) Elder Sutton gave some crazy inspiring message about the 1980 olympic hockey team which we all know is my FAVORITE FREAKIN STORY and our new zone theme is "você acredita em milagres??" WHICH ANSWERS ITSELF BECAUSE IT IS ALREADY A MILAGRE TO TALK ABOUT THE OLYMPICS AS A ZONE FAM. And c) zone McDonalds afterwords
   - The weather is being a bih this week and last night we got caught in a legitamate hail storm out in the streets. Hashtag pray for the sisters of Viana. Luckily my dear friend Sherrif Ward called right in that moment so we at least got to take advantage of the opportunity and say things like "Aw HAIL NO" and "WHAT THE HAIL IS GOING ON HERE". Concencrated missionaries, folks
   - Speaking of phone calls, we've been cleaning out our phone and calling old investigator's numbers, and then I noticed there was a TON of missionary numbers as well so I was like "uhhhhhh might as well clean these out while we're at it am I right fam" so on Friday I found myself talking to some duplas from the Açores, the Algarve, and MY VERY OWN MTC COMP SISTER SELK in Lisbon. I have never had more fun in my life. God is good people
   - Also in case anyone is wondering SISTER FOOTE IS A GEM. The literal greatest. We spend basically every moment crying our eyes out because we're laughing so hard, usually at really stupid things. #blessed
SPEAKING OF WHICH SORRY THIS IS TAKING SO SO LONG I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS, OKAY?!?!?! But on the way to district meeting in Povoa I wasnt paying attention and I WALKED STRAIGHT INTO A POLE, face-first and then fell over because a) I hit the pole really hard and b) I was laughing so hard I couldnt even breathe. In other words, I am just as cool as ever fam!!!!!!

OK I AM DONE I SWEAR. Sorry fam apparently I had a lot of stories no ragrats?!?!?!?!?

MUCH LOVE GENTE

xoxoxoxoxoxo bjnhs Sis P

ITS A GIRLLLLLLL

Before I start on my crazy weekly rants, I have to take a minute to give some tribute to Grandpa Parkinson. Last Monday Presidente called and asked us to go down to Porto. I just assumed it was another surprise interview because I have those a lot, but it was so that he could tell me Grandpa Parkinson had passed away on Easter Sunday. It was totally and completely unexpected and I could help but cry and cry and cry in his office. I got to talk to mom for a while on the phone which was really great, and Presidente reminded me how blessed we are to know the Plan of Salvation and know that Grandpa is still with us, in a better place, doing the same missionary work that I'm doing here.

So, I love you Grandpa!! It was so great to hear about the funeral and how much of a legacy he left. He will always, always be remembered for being so loving, and caring to all of us. And FUN! I'll never forget the motorcycle rides or the fun-shaped pancakes or the trips out to the canyons to go fourwheeling. And I am so, so grateful to know about God's plan and know that we will all see Grandpa again and that we can all be together forever as a family. The church is true everybody!!

BUT ALSO, it was a crazy wild rollercoaster ride week so BUCKLE UP KIDS cause I have 908520930982 things to say!!!!!!!
   - First, that subject line. That's right, folks. As impossible as it seems, your very own Sis P is now a proud mom!! Alright, step mom. YEP, I'M 2ND TRANSFER TRAINING. Prez pulled me in after my Monday interview and was like "by the way você vai ser treinadora" and I handled it real cool and classy and was like "WOAH A SERIO" and started kinda hyperventalating and he was like "calm down or you I'll change my mind". Not really, but that's how I felt. Ya girl Parks has a step baby!!
   - Second, plot twist of all plot twists, after only 2 transfers in Braga I GOT MYSELF TRANSFERIDA and I'm hitting up VIANA DO CASTELO!!! It's basically Spain and about as far away from Porto as you can get (I see you, Prez) and it's also PERFECT. FOR REALZ Y'ALL. It's by the ocean which I have missed with all my heart (not sure what I'm gonna do when I'm home and land-locked again tbh) and it's the cutest little town and it has THE COOLEST BRANCH EVER. My first branch!! I was a little skeptical about it but honestly, this branch is cooler than most wards out there. And we have a branch goal to turn ourselves into a ward by 2017 so LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOO and everybody start them prayers for the Ramo out here!!!!
   - So Tuesday I took the trek out here and then Wednesday we went down to Porto for a training meeting with Prez!!!! Which basically made me want to pee my pants the entire time but it was also really inspiring and here's to hoping I don't fail at parenting!!!!!
   - Also, speaking of the baby herself, IT'S SISTER FOOTE AND SHES FROM UTAH AND SHE IS THE COOLEST OF THE COOL. THE BEST OF THE BEST. I already luh her tons and tons and tons. And honestly she is basically already trained so I'm not sure what my job is other than to press "play" on the DVD player for the district videos she has to watch. Do one thing, do it well am I right
   - As I'm sure you all were wondering, Viana has 3 MCDONALDS. It was the first thing I asked about when I got here. Also Sis Foote's old trainer was talking me up before she left (shoutout) and she was like "oh Sister Parkinson will challenge you in tons of different ways" and Sis Foote was telling me this and I was like "YEAH DUDE 4 BIG MACS A WEEK CAN YOU DO ITTTTTTT". Its proabably one of these weeks of training, yeah? Mom of the year award!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   - CONFERENCE CONFERENCE CONFERENCE. It was the absolute greatest thing in the whole world!!!! I seriously cried and laughed and felt the Spirit for all 100 hours of it. Also, we watched basically the whole thing in english SHOUTOUT AMERICAN NEWBIE but we did watch one in Portuguese cause we had some pesquisadores (and by some I mean 5. FIVE. Told y'all Viana is the promised land) and I surprised all, especially myself by understanding the whole thing and somehow having turned into a snobby Portuguese person that gets annoyed when the Portuguese is Brazilian. Whaddya know

I'm sure I will have 25098058023 billion more crazy stories next week but that's all I got for now!!! Have a good week fam MUCH LOVE ONE AND ALL

xoxoxoxo bjnhs Sis P