The Power of Prayer

We are excited to share Elder Braxton Goode's mission with our family, friends and loved ones through this blog. I will try to post excerpts from Elder Goode's letters here frequently. We hope that you will choose to read and share them with your families.

Braxton is our last child and third son to serve a mission. We are so very proud of him. Though we will miss him greatly, we know that the blessings of missionary work will be great for our family again and those blessings can also bless your family. Please post Elder Goode's picture in your home near the place where your family has family prayer each day so that it will be a constant reminder to pray for him by name each day and an important reason for you to have your daily family prayers. I love the book of Enos in the Book of Mormon. He is one of my favorite prophets. There is only one chapter in the book of Enos, but it teaches great lessons about the power of prayer. Enos went to the forest to hunt beasts, or he went about his daily work. While working, he pondered the things of the spirit and desired to know his status before the Lord, so he knelt and prayed for his own welfare. The Lord blessed him with amazing blessings because of his great faith. Then with an unselfish heart, he prayed for the Nephites, who were his family and loved ones, (Elder Goode) and the Lord blessed him with more amazing blessings. Then with even greater faith and unselfishness, he prayed for his enemies, the Lamanites, (the people of Chile) and the Lord poured out even greater blessings upon Enos. Enos had faith in the Lord that his prayers would be answered and through the power of prayer, they were.

Verse 15 says, "Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it."

As a family, if we all have faith and believe that our missionaries can go out and be successful, we and they should receive this blessing. We hope you will teach your family this lesson by studying the book of Enos as a family.  We hope you will consistently and continually pray for Elder Goode to be successful, to be obedient and to be safe from harm, accident and illness that he may help the people of Chile to come unto Christ and receive the blessings of the gospel in their lives. We believe that the Chileans are a remnant of the Nephites and Lamanites from the Book of Mormon.  We hope that this daily influence of praying for Elder Goode will have a positive impact on your lives and help each of your family members to have an increase in faith, to strengthen their testimonies and to pray for and have their own missionary experiences.  We hope that it will help each of you to prepare to serve a mission of your own, to be closer to our Savior Jesus Christ and to be worthy of the promptings of the Holy Ghost each day in your lives. We also ask that when you attend the temple you will put Elder Goode's name on the prayer roll that he will have the increased help of the prayers and faith of the many Saints who daily attend our temples and your faith and prayers.

We are excited for Elder Braiden Parkinson who will be serving in the Texas Houston Mission and hope you will include him in your daily prayers as well as the many other missionaries you know in your lives. This is an important time in the Parkinson family. We are nearing the end of one generation, the grandchildren of DeVon and Dora Parkinson serving missions and approaching the beginning of the next generation, the great grandchildren of DeVon and Dora Parkinson serving missions. This month, May 2014, four grandchildren will graduate from high school and two great grandchildren will also graduate. We hope they will all have a desire to learn and grow in the gospel and serve the Lord in the mission field or in whatever way is appropriate for them. Pray for our family to have many more missionaries willing to go forth and share the gospel. Pray for our family that each of our children and grandchildren will stay close to the Lord and receive the blessings of the gospel in their lives.

We look forward to sharing Elder Goode's mission with each of you! We love you and we are grateful to be part of such an amazing family.  We are grateful for the many wonderful friends who bless our lives. May God bless us all with His loving spirit.