Elder Parker Banks

        We had a really good week this week. We got to do a lot of different things and it was a lot of fun. Last Monday we played basketball for like 5 hours and it was so much fun! I am always really tired after but it is so worth it to just get to unwind for that time. We are going to a driving range today to hit a bunch of golf balls so that should be fun too.

 Tuesday and Wednesday we had interviews. We had south zone interviews and Springfield interviews. I got to go back to Jacksonville again and that was really fun to get to back there again. There is a really good missionary who just got up to Jacksonville and he is there reactivating some of the people
 

Thursday we had our exchange with the Springfield elders and I got to go with Elder Christensen for the last time. I have been on exchanges with him like 15 times because he was an assistant before and now he is a zone leader. He is part of a huge group going home that is going to be really, really hard to say goodbye to. I appreciate all the things that he taught me. One of the missionaries we were on exchanges with got dear johned so we also made some super good horchata milkshakes to make him feel better haha. It was way fun. Then we went and caught frogs the next morning at their private lake. It was a really fun day. 

 

             Friday was MLC and it was a really interesting meeting. It was one of the most powerful MLCs I have ever been to because President Morgan took it so seriously. He had fun and laughed with us but he understood the importance of that meeting and it was great. During stewardships we have everyone report on any missionaries that are having problems and holy cow we got a huge load dumped on us. All the smooth sailing that came in with President Morgan is finally dying away and we are getting back to the craziness that we have gotten so used to over the last few months. 

 

             A few really cool things happened this weekend. We went up to Champaign for some exchanges and we went to church in the Mahomet ward. There is a kid there who was baptized in Wyoming a few months ago at college and then he came back home and is introducing his family to the church. They have been taking the lessons and they are getting baptized on Friday the 9th. We are going to have the chance to get to go to that baptism and see this 19 year old kid baptize his mom and dad and sister. It’s one of the best stories that I have seen on my mission and I am so excited to get to see the end result.

 

I am so thankful for hard working missionaries who create miracles wherever they go. Our mission had 16 baptisms this week which was a huge number. We were falling way behind on our goal and we are hoping to use this huge week to get the mission excited and back to work. I am so thankful for all of the hard working missionaries that I get to see and work with every day. This gospel changes lives and changes people every day and I am blessed enough to get to see it in action all the time. I love all of you and will talk to you again soon! Thanks for your prayers and support.

 

-Elder Banks