Whatta Tragedy

July 14, 2014

I solved it!
(Could it a coincidence with staying home all day?)

I think this week was one of the saddest weeks in Brazilian history... Of course the biggest news here is the terrible loss to Germany in the World Cup... The people here are taking it pretty well I guess, pretty much everyone laughs in disbelief. We were watching the first half and after Brazil allowed 5 Goals, which was one of the most unbelievable moments in my life... but we received a call that we needed to return home immediately... and good thing too because as we were walking home, a ton of people yelled and cussed at us… because I look German... but they yelled at me in English.. Calling me German... I don’t quite get that part but oh well. The good part is we arrived home without any trouble! The next day we had to stay in our house for the whole day... probably one of the longest days of my life.. haha But now the World Cup is over and work will start to be normal again. It’s a hard thing to do missionary work during the World Cup.

We lost a lot of days of work here this week BUT none the less we had some success this week. As of right now we have 7 people preparing themselves for baptism! We met Thiaze and Cima this week. They are a mother and a daughter. They are awesome and they really like the idea of eternal families. They are great and I can’t wait to see where they go!

Acai -  A Favorite Dessert

Still the hardest thing is getting people to come to church. I don’t know why that is the hardest thing for people but it is.. And it’s one of the most frustrating things too because you work all week to try and see them and church, and then your heart is broken when the meetings all end and they didn’t show.

As for me, I am doing great. What an incredible month July has been and it’s only gonna get better! I am excited for my birthday! (His Birthday is July 18^th) HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!! Ask Dad for your present from me tomorrow ;)

I love you all.

Until Next week!!

Elder Clark

A Change Is Comin!

June 23, 2014

New Companion - Elder  Xavier

Man, what a week. What a roller coaster of emotions the mission is.... this week was really good but full of different things. We had a meeting with the whole mission with our president because he will leave in just a few weeks. Then we will receive a new president. I have a feeling a lot of things will change in our mission with the new president. You would think I would be used to change by now but, it still freaks me out a little.

       As for the change of companions, Elder Xavier is crazy good. Honestly, like a dream companion! I can’t wait for what will happen this transfer. This week was a lot of taking him around and meeting the

Elder Xavier and Elder Clark

members and our investigators, We are going to start up a lot of things here, the first thing is next Saturday we will be starting an English class, which everyone seems real excited for. Great things are about to come forth in Recanto Das Emas! We found the most incredible family this week, they are ´´prepared´´ if I have ever met prepared people. They already are giving us names of people we can go visit! Our first lesson with them was one of the most spiritual lessons of my mission. I was really fumbling over my words, so I just started to bear my testimony and the words just came. It was incredible. He learned about the church through a friend at work, read some things on the internet and he had a lot of questions. We explained the Book of Mormon to him and he was so happy. He held the book and said ´´All I will do is study from this, learn from this, I don’t need the internet´´ It is the greatest feeling when people truly understand this gospel!

                Claudio is going strong! He was confirmed this Sunday as a member of the church... and guess who did it.. yup.. the only one at church that DOESNT speak Portuguese. 5 minutes before Sacrament Meeting, the Bishop came to me and told me Claudio would like me to do the confirmation. Boy,  was I nervous... I confirmed him, gave him a blessing and besides my shaking, it was good! The members told me I spoke clearly and directly and that it seemed like I had a lot more time here in Brazil than 2 and a half months. I don’t remember a lot of what I said but I am so grateful for that tender opportunity had to perform that ordinance. After church we had choir practice and Claudio showed up! He doesn’t know the hymns but, he was engaged and learning. He will be a great member. Everyone already loves him and knows him in the ward.

                Today is the third game of Brazil! P-day will literally be all day today! In my heart I am cheering for my home USA because I heard they are playing really well, but of course I am repping my Brazil style and cheering for them with everyone else!

Love you all, keep the faith!

Until next week!

Elder Clark

Soccer Overdose

June 16, 2014

 

This week was pretty crazy. Everything is about the world cup. The day before the cup started, everyone was running around, preparing for it, all wearing their yellow soccer jerseys. The day of the cup, everything was closed, except the bars, and parties were everywhere! We went to the area of the zone leaders and watched the game with some members there, in one of the biggest houses I have ever seen, I wish that I had taken a picture of the house. It was amazing! We watched the game on a projector and every time Brazil scored, people would light off fireworks... every time.

It sounded a little like a war zone. It was so much fun, and the crazy thing is that all the people here say that Brasilia is very weak with spirit for soccer, that the celebrations and everything in other parts of Brazil are a lot better. I can only imagine what that is like. After the games of Brazil we have to go straight back home. But all the rest of the days we can work like normal, this is practically impossible... EVERYBODY is watching the games. The games usually start about 1 or 2 in the afternoon and every one will watch.. It is impossible to not watch the games.. haha I have seen more soccer in the last 5 days then I have in my entire life.. It is impossible to get away from it!

BUT better news then the Cup is that Claudio was baptized yesterday! It was a very sweet thing to witness. Half the ward was there to watch, and Claudio was so excited. He is old but he has the spirit of a child (That is what his wife says).  His son baptized him and their hug afterword was one of the moments that make all the hardships of the mission worth it. I am so grateful for that experience. Elder Queiroz and I sang a hymn as a duet for the baptismal service. That was nerve racking but it turned out ok! Two things that I never thought I would do on my mission 1. Play the piano for church and 2. Sing in front of a lot of people. What have I become! Missions truly throw you out of your comfort zone until there is no such thing as ´´nervous´´

Baptism!

I have a new companion! His name is Elder Xavier (Sha-vee-ear) He is great! He is from the very southernmost part of Brazil. He looks white, well he is white. He has blue eyes, and everyone thinks he is American. He has about 7 months on his mission and I am really excited to work with him! Even if half this transfer will be trying to pull people away from the TV screens.

I have passed 8 transfers on my mission and I have 8 more to go. I can’t believe how fast it has gone by and how much I still have to learn. I am so grateful for the time I had in Arizona to serve my mission. I will always hold that time close to my heart. The people I met there and the things I learned there I don’t think I will ever forget. As for Brazil, it is pushing me and making me give everything I have.  I am grateful to be here in Brazil, to be a part of this wonderful country. I have half of my mission left and I cannot wait for what will come!

I love you all! Thanks for all the love and support!

Elder Samuel Clark

A World Of Yellow And Green!

June 9, 2014

Things are getting pretty exciting here for the World Cup. All over the cities people have been painting their houses, the streets, the curbs the colors of Brazil and Hanging flags and things around too! It’s been really cool to see and everyone is pumped! As missionaries, we have been given permission to watch all of the Brazil games, but just that. And we have to watch at a member’s house, and after we have to go straight back home and stay there for the day. It’s going to be one giant party! The first game will be this week and I will report how it goes!

As for missionary work! It’s going well. The highlight is Claudio. I wrote about him last time, but we had family night with him and his family Tuesday. My companion and I planned really hard for the message and everything so that it would be just right for him. We ended our message with singing a hymn to the family. Afterwards we invited him to be baptized. The spirit was so strong, Claudio said, ´´Let’s do it!´´ Ahhh, it was so great! After, he said the closing prayer, first time for him in public ever. It was so great and sincere and I am so pumped for him. He will be baptized this Sunday by his son! We stopped by his house the next day, and the first thing he asked was ´´When will we start preparing for my baptism´´.... Umm, today Claudio! He is awesome and I am so excited for him and his family.

Wet Elder

I sure do miss cars...  one day a huge rain storm from nowhere hit us as we were walking and we got real wet... We had to work in wet clothes for the rest of the day.  Next week is transfers and I will probably get a new companion because Elder Queiroz has been here forever.

I love you all and thank you for your prayers!

-Elder Clark

Elder Neil L. Anderson's Visit
(Elder Clark is standing on the left front)

Here is a link to an article about Elder Anderson's visit to Brazil: 

Happy Cinco de Mayo

May 5, 2014

Just kidding, Brazil doesn't celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but that’s ok! Happy Cinco de Mayo anyway! We had transfers this morning and I am staying in Recanto das Emas for another 6 weeks with Elder Quieros! I am excited and relieved!  

Baptism!

This weekend we had my first baptism! It was really sweet! It was a 21 year old named Paloma. She was the girlfriend of a member. Key word is was. This week was really hard for them, we don’t know the details but they aren’t together anymore. BUT she still went through with the baptism, which was a testament to me. She wrote down the sweetest testimony about how she believed this church was true. After she came out of the water, she was crying and said that she knew. She knew that she had just changed her life forever and that so many amazing doors had just opened up for her! I am so excited for her and grateful to help her! It has been amazing to see her transition from being a little timid about church and everything to knowing and being very open and bubbly! I love this work!

Our District

That’s pretty much all the news for now. Everyone here is preparing for the World Cup and all the missionaries are preparing for 1. Elder Andersen, of the Quorum of the Twelve, is going to visit our mission. Yes, the same Apostle I met at the airport in Arizona. 2. For a new Mission President!

The language is coming; I can have conversations with my companion now which is good! I can pretty much understand everything I read in Portuguese, but understanding what I hear... I am still working on that one!

The sun is very bright here but the weather is nice, and it gets a little chilly at night! During the day, we go out of our way to walk in as much shade as possible... haha

Our Zone

A missionary came up to me today that started his mission the same time I did but came straight here, and told me that after this transfer, we are nearly half way done with the mission. WHAT?! Where the heck did the time go? It’s crazy, cause I have just over a year left, but I really am just starting all over again.

Well, I hope the states are great; I miss all of you dearly and can’t wait to speak English with you all! (EXCEPT CHRIS! My brother I will speak Portuguese with you)

Com Amor,

Elder Clark

Beleza

April 28, 2014

 This week flew by. The work is moving and it’s actually really cooled off! It rained EVERY single day, literally every day. But know the weather is perfect!

I spent the first couple days of the week on a trade in a city called Santo Antonio, it is very different than Recanto das Emas. It was a neat experience! The people there were really cool and talked with a lot of slang, so it was kind of hard to understand...

A Local Vendor

We walk a lot and talk to a lot of people here but like any other city, the people are a little cold and really busy so it is hard to find new people to teach, but we are trying!

As for the language, it is getting better, little by little. I am actually able to tell words apart when people talk! It used to be just a big slur. But now, even though I don’t understand, I can tell when a word starts and ends.

This is the last week of the transfer and I do have to say it’s been the strangest transfer ever. I started in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Then Sao Paulo and now and I am in Brasilia. Dang. What is my life? Mormons are crazy, sending their children to foreign countries. We sure do have a lot of trust in the Lord.

About Brazil! The people here only eat lunch, and then kind of have a snack for dinner. They love soccer. It is pretty much only sport here, which makes me very excited for the World Cup because it is gonna be nuts here! They drink an herbal tea “capim santo” (lemon grass) It is so good! The traffic here is nuts, and the cars are all tiny. Our area is in the middle of the city. The people are like any other people that live in cities around the world. They are all in a hurry and are a little more cold and rough. But that’s ok! I am enjoying myself, even when it’s pretty frustrating! I don’t know why but it still hasn’t hit me that I am in a completely different hemisphere. It is crazy to think. Earlier I was playing soccer, IN BRASIL!

Elder Clark and the World Cup (Chocolate!)

So this is my life, walking all day, in a shirt and tie, in the heat, talking about Christ to people I cannot really understand! Life is good. God is great. I am so grateful for this adventure!

I have been really thinking about how to complete my mission the best I can, and I am just going to follow the apostle Peters example, when the Lord called to him to COME and walk on water, Peter just did it! There wasn’t any room for doubt or fear. When he did he fall into the water, who was right there to grab him? Our Savior.  I know that the Lord has called me to come here to Brazil and he will help me do the impossible, like Peter.

Love you all much!

Elder Clark