The Return....

Nov 3, 2014

This week was absolutely nuts! But, that is my life on the mission, haha when I really get in my groove and I am comfortable, EVERYTHING changes.

The beginning of the week was great! The rain started and almost every day we have had rain! It’s been wonderful, and not nearly as hot. The last few weeks we have been searching really hard for people who are ready for the gospel and we finally found a few of them and things were looking great for our area. We had been praying and praying for ideas to help our area and we came up with great plans and we set up meetings with different leaders and everything was going so well! We marked a couple baptisms for the weeks to come, the first baptisms in this area in over a year!

Everything was perfect, and that is why the Lord changed everything on me! Friday we were making lunch in our house when the assistants called, I answered it and they told me that me and Elder Magana will go to Recanto Das Emas... and I said ``cool, what are we gonna do there´´ and they told me that we would be working there from now on, and that we will leave tomorrow.... what...? So we spent Friday packing our bags and cleaning our apartment. Saturday we arrived here in Recanto... yes, I returned to my only other area. We also split up. He is working in the south part of Recanto while I am in the north part. I am now companions with Elder Bento from Sao Paulo. Sunday was real funny, no one believed that I come back to stay. So I will be here in Recanto for at least the next 4 weeks. As for our people in Taguatinga, we passed them all on to Elder Beale and his companion so now they are missionaries of almost 3 cities. I hope they can continue to help the area there grow!

Elder Magana and I are still Zone Leaders, but we are separated now and spend a lot of time talking on the phone. We don’t live in the same house so that makes things a lot more difficult but we will figure out how to work with it. The Lord is full of surprises but life is good, and it keeps me on my toes. I love this work and it doesn’t matter where I serve.

I love you all and until next week!!

Elder Clark

One Small Step for the Missionaries, One Giant Leap for the Ft. Apache Banch!

February 3, 2014

Wow wow wow... I have learned so much this week about myself, about human nature and about this gospel. I love the ability to learn each and every day even though my primary job is teaching! It’s crazy how that works!

This week was crazy full of amazing experiences and miracles. Mostly little miracles, that were such tender mercies. I could probably write a small book on all that happened but aint nobody got time for that. One small miracle was one day we went out to find a house that someone had referred us too, we ended up going to the wrong house, but this man was a less active member and we were able to help him with some yard work. He told us maybe it was a sign that we found him.... heck ya, it was a sign (and a small miracle from our Heavenly Father)!

Another one was that on Saturday we had lessons planned for each hour of the morning but NONE for the afternoon. This was frustrating to me because we usually are full all day. We were able to go to our lessons, but during one of them my companion became really ill. He started throwing up and all the works.... so we spent the rest of the day at home so he could recover. What a tender mercy the lord gave to us so we didn’t have to cancel on anyone. The Lord really does provide for us all the time. We just need to stop and look for the miracles.

Sunday of course was the best day of the week again. We had 190 people at church! THIS WORK WILL NOT STOP! I was so excited, and we had ALL young men passing and blessing the Sacrament which hasn’t happened since I’ve been here, usually one or 2 or 3 of us missionaries are helping out. Great things are happening. I had also been praying ALL WEEK for certain people we were working with to finally make it out to church. We have been working with a couple families that do everything but just don’t attend church. Well they did this week and how great it was to see them there! The first time coming back is always the hardest. I cannot wait to see all of them progress in the gospel and make it to the holy temple!

Gilbert Arizona Temple

For information about temples go to: http://www.lds.org/church/temples

We have met this man named Andrew. He is such a stud, he isn’t a member but he wants to be! He has a testimony of this gospel and reads the Book of Mormon every day since we met him! It is amazing to see him progress and I am excited for him to be baptized and become a mighty priesthood holder.

This work is real, the Savior is real, the happiness through his gospel is real and I want every single person I meet to know that.

Love you all

Elder Clark

Take me back to the days.... of Seminary!?

Beautiful  Arizona Moon

HELLO! What a great week! We had so much success and this branch is really growing strong! All they needed was a little push! Having 6 missionaries here is truly a blessing. Each day all 6 of us are jammed packed with lessons! My companion and I really try to focus on the less actives because we really think in order for this branch to reach its full potential, We need to start with the members and then reach out. It has been really successful so far. I am now the Aaronic Priesthood 3rd hour teacher. I love it.

Baloo, the protector of our house.
He was a gift. He was made with a chainsaw in about 20 minutes

Probably the most exciting news is that we prepared all last week and started this morning, Seminary!! And we are teaching it! We had 6 students show up this morning and they really enjoyed it and have been texting us all day about people they have invited to join! I think it will be a great thing for this community! We have to get up around 5:00 – 5:15 now because seminary starts at 6:00!! Just like home! We are so excited about it! We do a rotation that a different companionship teaches it each day!

The First Day of Seminary

 That is really all I have to update you on! This branch is continuing to grow in numbers and strength each week, it amazing the changes that are happening so quickly! I love you all and always keep the gospel close to your heart!

Elder Clark

Chopping Wood and Serving the Lord!

November 12, 2013

Tell people I am sorry I could not respond this week, but I only had 30 minutes on email today. I will get to them next week, promise!

Sorry I am a day late! Because of Veterans Day, the library where we email was closed! It’s the only place on the res with computers... but this last week was such a great week! My companion and I really focused on being effective with our time and it really paid off! Each day was chalk full of appointments and we had a TON of our less active "investigators” come to church. We had just over 120 people there! It was great!

The Fort Apache Crew

 We had a ton of really great and spiritual experiences. I want to share one. So, Saturday we went to a former member of the Stake Presidency's house to see if we could get a couple referrals of some people who might want to listen to us. This man knows everyone on the reservation and everyone knows him. We knocked on his door and a 20 year old man opened the door. He turned out to be a less active member who wanted nothing to do with us. We still asked him if he knew anyone that would be interested, because that's what we came for!! He couldn't think of anyone, so I finally just asked him "who is the first person that pops into mind?" He said a man named John who lived down the street but that he wouldn't be interested at all. Did that discourage us?! nooooo, we went to Johns house. When we got there, he was an angry looking man, with a chain saw.... nope, still not discouraged. We went up to talk to him. His name was Jeff, he is Johns father. We talked with him for a bit and soon enough His wife and John were all outside on their porch talking with us. All three of them have already been baptized but haven't gone to church for many, many YEARS. Each told us real personal and spiritual stories they each had experienced within the last 2 weeks that made them want to be closer to God. Jeff had been praying every day for the last week straight because he has been struggling and has been asking God for help. His wife saw us at the grocery store last Monday and had been praying for us to stop by, and John has been going through a lot of health struggles and wants God in his life. The spirit was so strong and everyone was tearing up. They had to go out of town this weekend, but they said nothing is stopping them from going back to church. I am so excited to work with them and get them to go to the temple too! What miracles happen on the mission! People are truly out there, being prepared to receive or come back to the Gospel! You never know how you will find them either, but the Holy Ghost does, and if you are searching, he WILL lead you too them!

Elder Vete and Elder Clark

Elder Vete and I teach about 40 lessons a week! We teach mostly to less actives (members who no longer attend). That is what we have decided to focus on! I absolutely love it! We do a whole lot of service in the mornings.  Everyone here heats their houses with wood burning stoves, so we spend a lot of time chopping wood. I thought I would get out of that coming to Arizona...

So drinking is a huge problem here, since there is really nothing to do out here, everyone resorts to drinking. Every day there are drunks walking around, just walking. Not really going anywhere, just slowly walking, or sitting, or sleeping on the side of the road. It really looks and feels like zombies everywhere, walking aimlessly around. We call them walkers. Not a day goes by when we don't encounter them, and they get crazy. But hey, it makes it interesting! I love it! I love the mission, and I love this Gospel!!

Preaching to all the Apache People

Is September Over Already?

September 30, 2013

 

Fun Shadow Shot.

Holy Cow. I cannot believe September is over already. Where does the time go! The weather here is even cooling down! Some mornings I need to wear long sleeves because it is kinda chilly, but then the sun comes out and it ends up being in the 90's which is actually nice... which is terrible to say.

I live in a Desert!

 No word on my VISA, still just waiting in the happy valley of Phoenix. I am not gonna lie, language study is a killer, it’s really hard to focus and learn new things on my own, but I do try! Eu acho esta fazendo bien. (I think I am doing well)

So this week was pretty good. We meet ALOT of interesting people. The person that stuck out the most was a man named Harmony, he was so strange. He said he was a Pagan witch medicine man of the modern day. Don't ask me what that means because after wasting half of an hour talking to him, I still don't understand his ways. But, it was a funny experience. We met with a ton of people this week and have lots of new investigators. It is amazing the differences in people we teach. We cover every type of person you can think of. We have a very successful, gospel scholarly woman interested and on the other side we have a woman who cannot read. It is so fun experiencing all of this. I love being able to talk with EVERYONE. It’s amazing how much I am learning about this Gospel and myself through focusing on others. It is amazing the love I have for these people, and the desire a lot of them have to change. We have talked to or are talking with a lot of people that have criminal records and what not. Most I cannot even imagine them in prison because they are so kind and receptive. It is amazing what people have to go through for the Lord to prepare them. I am so excited to see where all the new investigators end up! There is a lot of potential we found this week.

Elder Anderson and Me

 So Wednesday I received an amazing package, from some mystery person, filled with Omaha Steak products baby!!! Whoever sent it, thank you!! I looked everywhere for a name but there was not one. (This was sent from his sister Abby and her husband Gregg)We are planning on cooking em all today in celebration of the retirement of Elder Black's pants. You wonder what there is to celebrate about pants?? Well, Today marks the end of 6 months of Elder Black wearing those pants everyday... for 6 months… that is 182 days straight. They are disgusting but it is an incredible feat worth celebrating with bacon wrapped sirloins!!

So Sunday I was called up by the Bishop, in the combined 3rd hour of church in front of everyone but the primary children to bear my testimony on the Book of Mormon. I guess I could only hide from doing

stuff like that for so long,  but it was a good experience and I am just grateful it didn't have to be Portuguese.

I hope everything is well at home. Miss you all and love hearing about all of your adventures! This Gospel is so amazing, I am so grateful for the opportunity to devote 24 hours a day to it and sharing it with all those I meet. I have seen people’s life change because of it already, not materially but, emotionally and spiritually. The happiness this gospel brings is undeniable.  I want everyone I see to have and know what I have and know.

Amo voces! Ate tempo proxima! (Love you guys! Until next time!)

Elder Clark

HIGH ON A MOUNTAIN TOP

Elder Clark Preaching to All!

What a great week. There is nothing like the life of a missionary. So many things occur in one week that just shift your whole perspective of everything... and I am still in the US! Like I said in my last email, my area is a super poor area, very few houses but a lot of very run-down apartment buildings. The people here are so humble and have some of the most incredible stories. We have met so many new people waiting for the gospel! The work had exploded here!

The first one is about Christina, we met her through a referral from the sister missionaries. She is the most humble woman. We showed up at her doorstep on Saturday and she was just sitting outside her apartment. We started talking and she was telling us about her past and how she was homeless and addicted to all sorts of things. She has a couple kids and they were all really young when she was homeless. She said she knew she needed to take care of these children but did not know how. She said she decided to turn to Jesus (Smart Move). She said what a blessing that has been for her. She said that after she was able to get the apartment she has, she somehow has been able to keep it for these last couple of years, and that food somehow gets to the table. The best part of it though is her testimony of faith. She said that none of this would've happened if she had just asked and waited for God to deliver her out of it all. She said faith is nothing if you are not willing to work for the blessings you want. Even though her circumstances are not ideal yet, she is so thankful for the blessings The Lord has given her for the ability to overcome ALL her addictions, keep her children, and provide for them. She said she wants to help other people all the time and she isn't even to that point. Her three children are so beautiful too. They are awesome. We have a lesson set up for this week! She is so solid and wanted the Book of Mormon real bad because she loves the Bible! It’s amazing how the Lord prepares people! What a miracle!

Celsa and Lance... They are my favorite. Celsa grew up in the church and Lance is not Member. They just moved here from the sticks in North Carolina about a month ago. She said she was driving in Mesa and passed the temple. Which obviously reminded her of the happiness the gospel brought her, and she had the overwhelming feeling that they needed to be married in the temple! So, here we are, teaching the lessons to Lance, helping him gain a testimony and preparing him to be baptized, which we committed him to baptism on Nov. 3! He has a strong testimony of God and that He has a plan for hi but Lance says he doesn't know what that quite is yet. We know what His plan is for you Lance... We know. We think we are going to have a wedding ceremony before the baptism too for them! How awesome is that!?

The last person I will tell you about is 19 year old Courtney, who we met yesterday at church. She was sitting at the bus stop and asked this member if she knew where the library was, turns out that member was going to the library after church! The sister told her that and Courtney asked "Can I come to church?" OF COURSE YOU CAN COURTNEY! We talked to her after Sunday School and she was just in tears. She told us what was talked about in church is exactly what she struggles with and exactly what she has been looking for. She is a senior in high school but lives on her own. She told us about all these different struggles she has gone through. She is so excited to learn more! God has a plan for each of us, the way He works things out is just amazing! This area is full of people like Cristina, Lance and Courtney and it seems like we meet them every day!

I never thought I could be this happy serving other people and thinking about them all the time. It is amazing how much I have learned about myself through all the people that I meet. I love it here, so much work to do! Some days it can be so frustrating though because of how unreliable some people are but we are constantly teaching people either on the street or in their home. Where ever we can!

We were able to go to the temple on Wednesday! That was a lot of fun! The Mesa temple is amazing! 

This morning my companions and I climbed to the top of this giant rock that's in the middle of the valley. We could see the entire valley when we got to the top! What a view that was! 

Elder Clark and his companions overlooking their area

Next week we are moving apartments to live with the Spanish elders! There is going to be 5 of us in one apartment! It is going to be so much fun! The Spanish elders are so goofy, there are going to be some great times in apartment 2003! 

So our mission president and his wife went to Texas for some training this weekend and there is a rumor

that it was training for the use of IPADS and Facebook for missionaries! Everyone is so pumped! Oh and Iphones too!! The church is so hip! 

So that's really all I got for the first week in the mission field! Life is good, God is great! I love and miss all of you! 

Don’t forget to write me!

Quote of the week: Try Jesus, if you are not satisfied, Satan will always take you back. - Bumper Sticker

Eu amo todos voces!

Elder Clark

Scottsdale Arizona Mission Map