Letter #30

Well it really isn't looking very much like christmas for reals, but it is getting slightly cold.  But I am not complaining:)  This week went by really, really fast and I was able to have a couple of sweet experiences.  I honestly can't believe it is already December.  I was thinking that this time last year I was getting my papers to be sent in and wondering where I would be going.  I don't even know what happened this year. I sure hope I have been doing the things the Lord wants me to do!  So for the stories of the week!!

First, we started teaching this older couple.  I have decided it is one of my dreams to baptize an older couple because they are so set in there ways, so if I could help them change then that would just be awesome.  Anyway, we talked to them about the Book of Mormon and how it can bring us peace in this life.  As we were finishing, the man, started talking and said that we looked peaceful and happy and he wanted to have that in his life.  That really brought joy to me because a lot of times we wonder as we declare to people if they can see that we are representatives of Christ, if they can see something in us that is different.  It was cool to see that one person saw something different in us that day.  We gave them a Book of Mormon and invited them to read it.  I sure hope that do!!  So we had kind of a sad experience this week to.  So we had this investigator.  He is the live in boyfriend of one of the members in  the unit.  We love going over there because they love the missionaries.  Well he just hasn't been progressing at all, not reading, not really praying about Joseph Smith.  So we decided that even though it was going to be hard we were going to have to drop him as an investigator and tell him that we can make an appointment when he comes to church.  Well the lesson turned out to be good.  We talked about agency and how it was his choice to follow the promptings of the Spirit and that we couldn't come over and make appointments any more.  So as a back up story, all the people that told me I wouldn't cry because of Spanish lied to me.  I of course shed a little tear as a bore my testimony to him.  And he started crying to! It was kind of like breaking up with someone.  I couldn't believe he was actually crying, i didn't think he was going to take it that hard.  So that was saturday and on Sunday we talked to Ingrid his girlfriend, she said that when we left he said that we broke his heart.  So we have been wondering if we did the right thing.  I know we did.  we tried to explain that we were hurting more then helping us because we were teaching him the truth and he was having many experiences but was rejecting it.  I know one day he will understand why we had to do that, he will understand when he gets baptized which I know that one day he will.  

Well those are somethings that happened this week.  This week we have a Christmas Devotional and I am playing a piano solo.  I am pretty nervous, but will be praying that I will do ok:)  I hope that everyone has a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS!! Take a few minutes and remember why we celebrate Christmas and bring a little Christmas cheer to the people around you.  I love you all so much!!

LES QUIERO!!

Hermana Clark

Letter #29

Well first off I am SO EXCITED for you all to be in the stake presidency of the 7th stake.  That was my Stake!! President Mendenhall was my stake presidency and I was in the 35th ward.  I just know you are going to love that so much.  That is so crazy for me to think of you two sitting there and getting to know all of the college kids.  Mom you are going to be a great relief society advisor and I am sure dad you will have such a great time getting to know those college students.  I always loved seeing the Heiners in my ward.  You are going to have to tell me what ward you are in and what apartment complexes you cover.  Maybe now that they changed the stakes and everything it will be different but that is just so exciting!!  I can utterly not believe that Christmas is so close!  It is raining today so that's not the funnest.  Today my companion got a package and it had a Christmas present in for her so now we have a present under our little christmas tree.

So this week was pretty crazy and wonderful!  We had our unit Christmas party.  We ate dinner which was so good.  There was Turkey, rice and beans (of course), salad, the most delicious punch ever, and chocolate flan (a traditional mexican dessert) everything was so good, and then we had a piñata.  They made me and my companion sing a little song before we left.  It was wonderful and so fun to get pictures of everyone.  I kind of have a feeling that my time here is getting short so I am trying to take lots of pictures.  It is so funny, the members all know that once the camera comes out, someone is going to be leaving.  I don't know if you all got the feeling that you would be leaving.  IT makes me sad because the work here is definitely progressing.  One of the couples is planning a wedding in a couple of weeks so she will be able to be baptized with her daughter in January.  It has been so fun to see that family progress.  This next week we are going to be having a little Christmas program and a little gift exchange.  I am excited for that, it should be fun to get together with a few of the zones.  

So a cool thing that happened last week...we had been teaching this girl that lived with one of our members.  She has a really sad story, she was being abused by her boyfriend who was actually in jail for abusing her.  She was pregnant with his baby, but she lost the baby.  We visited her in the hospital, and she was really progressing.  Saying prayers and reading in the Book of Mormon.  One day we went over and she had moved.  IT was really sad.  We tried to call her but her phone was disconnected.  So we would ask about her but no one really knew where she was.  Well the other night we were walking around Las Casitas and we heard this man yelling at us through his car window.  We just kept walking because sometimes creepy spanish men say things to us but we just ignore it.  But he just kept doing it and so we turned around and this girl starts running towards us.  Well it was Ashley!! The girl we had been teaching.  She got accepted to a 6 month program to help her get over the abuse and everything.  She seemed to be doing really well.  The person she was with came over to tell us thank you for helping Ashley through some of those trying times. It was such a sweet experience.  Even though she wasn't baptized it was good to know that we helped her through some hard times which helped her get into this program.  We got her address so now you know I will be writing her!

Well I hope that everyone is doing wonderful!!! Stay warm:)

Les AMO!

Hermana Clark

Letter #28

Well this week has been pretty crazy!  We had some interesting experiences and some sad experiences to.  We had to drop one of our investigators.  It was sad but she just wasn't ready to accept the gospel yet.  This last week we had some fun activities.  Here they put on a play type thing of the birth of Jesus Christ. All the youth participate and they do it out side on the lawn of the church.  It brings some nonmembers into the church and so it makes some good opportunities for the missionaries.  On saturday we had the ward party.  The party was for both the Spanish unit and the English ward.  Two men in the ward did a skit of the 12 days of Christmas using raw chickens.  It was pretty hilarious but the whole time I was thinking to myself that all of the Spanish people here are thinking Americans are so ridiculous.  It was fun though and is always fun to be with the ward.  We are having a party just for the spanish unit this Saturday which I am very excited for.  Hopefully we can get some investigators there.  We had one of our investigators at church yesterday and he seemed to have enjoyed it.      We just worked a lot this week trying to find knew people and trying to help the people we are teaching progress.  Oh and we also had Zone conference this week, which of course was AWESOME!  We got new phones and they installed these little things in our car that are supposed to monitor our speed and how fast we stop and stuff.  It was kind of funny because me and my companion had been talking about how president probably has tracking devices and on his iPad he sees a little dot for all the cars and they beep when we brake the speed limit or if we leave our area or something. Then at Zone Conference he told us about this little box that is connected to some type of satellite and is supposedly going to talk to us when we go to fast and stuff.  My comp and I just looked at each other as he was telling us this.  We must have gotten revelation or something:)  We learned a lot about how our purpose as missionaries is to help people to come to christ, but we can help them higher than we are.  Therefore we have to come unto him our selves. President Castro talked about how our goal is to be like Jesus Christ and we have to have faith, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End, and grace is what helps us through all of these steps to refine us and help us become like Christ.  One thing he said that really hit me was that he said as missionaries we are the closest thing to Christ as our the people will see in this life.  That blew me away, and really made me think.  I really am a representative of Jesus Christ, and when the people see me, do they see Christ, can they feel his love.  There is that scripture in Alma 5 that asks us if we have received his image in our countenance.  Really to become like Christ is everyones goal, and as we take the proper steps we become like Christ.  We fall and we have weaknesses but the grace of God is what makes it possible for us to really reach this goal.  I have so many things that I have to change about myself to reach that, but it is comforting that God doesn't expect us to be perfect in an instant, it is a process, day by day, minute by minute.  It is especially applicable at this time of the year when we can think about what we can change about ourselves to help us receive Christ in our countenance for the upcoming year.  

Well I hope you all have a good week and take some time to think about Christ and what he did for us.  

So the place where we do most of our tracking is awesome! There are SO many lights!  Some of them even have music playing outside.  It is so interesting how they don't like have any money but yet they have all of these elaborate house decorations.  The other night my comp and I saw this group of people.  one person was carrying a statue of the Virgen Maria in a glass box, there was like 20 people following her with candles and chanting.  Oh the traditions of the world.  I couldn't even believe my eyes.  People always say that they don't worship the Virgen Maria, I am pretty sure walking around with her with candles and chanting is worshipping!  Hispanic people just love her and actually think she is the mother of all of us.  Oh the lies of Satan!  We are doing our best to spread the gospel and let people know that worshipping her is definitely not ok!

Well I hope all the Christmas parties go well.  I love you all!!

Les quiero MUSHISISIMO!

Hermana Clark