Monday, July 18, 2011

The First Week in the Field

Hola Familia!
Wow I don't think I have ever had such a long week in my entire life!  Missionary work is a lot different than I thought it would be.  That is probably a good people.  Here in California there is SO many interesting people to talk to.  They are usually really nice when objecting us, and others just want to get into big debates.  I really don't understand what people are saying to me so that might be a good thing.  I have been having a hard time staying motivated as I have been really struggling with having the courage to just go up to someone and tell them that we have a prophet today and the Book of Mormon! It is hard for me but we do TONS of declarations a day and so I am getting better at it little by little.  There are a lot of different religions here.  We found one guy that was pentacostal.  He proceeded to tell us that we looked very pretty because we were modest.  He was very nice and I was just like there are some interesting people here.  Well I am in a place called newberry park.  Part of our area is in LA county.  So that lets you know how close I am to LA.  It is a BEAUTIFUL AREA! The weather is really nice because we are about five miles from the coast.  That regulates the weather really well.  There are lots of palm trees and lots of bushes that have the prettiest flowers.  We are surrounded by some pretty big hills so that is good because it reminds me of home and all the mountains.  My companion is wonderful!  She is a very good example and she helps me with my spanish.  We try to only speak Spanish outside of the house.  That is helping me.  She is so good, she always knows what to say to people and how to catch there interest.  The work here is kind of slow because it is one of the areas in our mission that has money.  We just try all day to find neighborhoods that have spanish people.  There are quite a few.  We just try to find the poeple that speak spanish because we don't give any lessons in English.  We just give lessons in Spanish.  We are teaching an investigator, mom dad and two cute little kids.  they have a baptisimal date in about a week and a half.  They have ahd others so we are hoping it all works out.  Erica is the moms name.  She is so sweet and wonderful!  She surprises me with her comments and her knowledge in the gospel already.  Her husband has been struggling keeping the word of Wisdom, but he is doing good now so hopefully there is no slip ups.  The thing is here there is a high rate of baptism but people are just not coming back to church.  We do alot of trying to contact less actives, but they are just never home, or they are conveniently ignoring our knocking.  I have already had many of those experiences where people are home and you can like hear them talking but they don't answer the door, also people give us addresses that never exist.  HAHA it is just so funny to me, just tell us you are not interested.  We are just trying to give everyone the chance of hearing the gospel.  Also I have noticed usually when we are knocking streets because we have a less active or potential investigator on that street, usually the scariest house is the one that lets us in, or the one that has the person that we are looking for.  
Well family I am doing great and I am so grateful for the package of memories that i received the day I got here, and the letter full of WONDERFUL pictures.  It was the perfect welcome to California package.  I LOVE that you sent me a yellowstone shirt and I have been eating the swedish fish, it makes me feel like I had a part of the fun:)
I love you all, keep praying for me to learn this language.  I think it's going to have to take a miracle!  
Hermana Clark

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