Today I'm excited to share a conversation with Parker Halbison, a recently returned missionary who just completed two years serving in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission.

Parker's mission experience was truly unique - he served across some of the most diverse communities in Utah, spending time in three separate transfers in the Tongan stake, ministering in a Mongolian branch, and starting his mission in a YSA ward in Draper. What makes Parker's story particularly compelling is how he witnessed the gospel's power to transform not just individuals, but entire families and communities.

During our conversation, Parker shares some remarkable stories of conversion and reactivation - from a Hawaiian family who found belonging in Utah's Tongan community, to a family on the verge of divorce who was reunited through the gospel, to his own personal transformation from struggling with negativity to discovering the joy that comes through Jesus Christ.

Parker's insights about bold leadership, the importance of cultural community in missionary work, and his practical approach to staying spiritually grounded post-mission offer valuable lessons for returned missionaries, future missionaries, and anyone seeking to deepen their discipleship.

Just two weeks home from his mission, Parker is already preparing for the next phase of his covenant path - heading to BYU to study finance while planning a future in entrepreneurship, and he'll actually be speaking at our upcoming stake conference about following the Spirit.