Week #17

This week was a blast! We taught a ton of people have some new investigators and we got Luz to the visitor center! Plus we had the missionary Christmas devotional. Overall just a really great week. 

First off I got mail from my aunts and uncles my friends and my parents on Friday. I HAVE THE BEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD. It is so comforting to know that I have so much support back at home cheering me on everyday! Thank you to the Clark, Basso and Jeppson family for the Christmas packages! It means a lot to me! Plus sorry mom I already opened them. Oopsies merry Christmas to me!

Also on Friday we had the Christmas devotional where our mission president and his wife read the story of Christs birth then missionaries would go and play Christmas music it was so awesome and after that it feels like Christmas now! Then that night we had the ward Christmas party. Very different because there was tacos and rice... but it was still fun and it reminded me of home. Plus I got to be one of the kings in the play! 

Then to cap my week off we got Luz to the VC!! She is the cutest little old lady. We walked around the temple grounds and the VC then went to a hand bell orchestra that was super awesome! Right before the concert started Luz taps me on the shoulder and gives me two pieces of hard candy, I give one to my companion and we both pop them in our mouths.. turns out they were cough drops.... now I know I won't be getting a sore throat anytime soon!

The funny thing that happened this week was during the concert. The members that helped us get Luz up there wanted to record the handbells and immediately post them to Facebook. They recorded the first song and then when it got down it went quiet, then hermano Marin's phone starts playing the song they just got done playing... heads were turning and we got a nasty look from the conductor. My companion leans over to me and says "who brought those noobs, how embarrassing" I started laughing pretty hard which drew even more attention us. But overall it was a great experience and Luz enjoyed it all! 

This gospel is all about progression, I have been  very impatient with my self from day one. I thought a light switch would turn on and boom I would become this hard working spiritual giant with a powerful testimony that I could share in Spanish. At the Christmas devotional when experienced elder and sister were sharing their testimonies I realized that I have made improvements small but obvious changes. Like a sunrise, everyday it gets a little more bright gradually getting more bright until one day it will be at its peak. It doesn't matter if you have been a member your whole life or got baptized yesterday. Everyday we have the opportunity to progress and make ourselves better and grow closer to our Heavenly Father. Tus is why I love this gospel so much now, because I know if I stay true and faithful the light within me will continue to grow bigger and bigger!

Have a good week everyone! Enjoy the holidays! Remember why we celebrate all of this!

Elder Clark 

Week #16

Week#15

This week was pretty good, it had some ups and down. We had many lessons this week and have some new investigators! But one of our progressing investigators canceled a visitor center trio like 30 mins before we were suppose to go. I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with an elder in his area (the beach) I have a lot of respect for them because no one and I repeat no one wants to talk to them. Plus they are on bikes which this leads me into my funny story

Since we were on bikes and and this elder kept on saying he was super bad with directions I knew we we are going to get lost at some point during the day. So we were biking to dinner and the Elder said its not that far it's just around the corner. So we start biking and biking and biking until I yell at him to stop and see when we need to turn at that "corner" we pulls out his iPad and looks. Yeah we went about 2 miles past that "corner" we needed to take. He just handed the map to me and said here you get us there. I told him no no this is your area you need to learn it but I told him we need to turn on that Aviation so please keep your eyes peeled for that street. We made it to dinner about an hour and 15 minutes late. My companion for the day was super stressed about the whole thing I told him not to worry that everything is going to be ok. And it all was. 

I am so grateful for this gospel. I know without a doubt that this church is the church Jesus Christ established. The more people tell me otherwise the more I believe that this is the true church. I am so grateful for all the support and all the prayers. They are helping me get through every single day with a smile! 

Have a great week!

Elder Clark 

Week #14

This week was super good! We taught a ton of lessons and I went on
exchanges with one of our zone leaders! Plus it was thanksgiving. I
have a lot to be grateful for. And to finish it all off I had my first
investigator come to church!! It's about time. Elder Holyoak and I are
working really hard and well together. Oh and we have 3 baptismal
dates! One of them will probs fall through but it's still good we are
inviting people to change and grow closer to Christ.
We had thanksgiving dinner with a less active family who love us but
won't come to church hmmmmm any ideas? Anyways they are super cool
family and their youngest daughter isn't baptized and we have
Christmas Day set for her! #getmoneygetpaid other than that we are
knocking on a lot of doors and trying to find new investigators we
found 7 this week!! Things are looking up here in the Hermosa Liahona
ward. Then exchanges with elder Rawlings my zone leader was super fun,
it rained that day and we were out grindin in the streets we were
soaked! We get a long super well just wish he was called Spanish
speaking so I could work with him.. Oh well still grateful for him and
his example!

Funny conversations we had this week was with a teenager. We had a
potential at this kids address so we knocked and just started talking
to him. He had earbuds in so we asked him oh what kind of music do you
like? He said Rap so I asked him what was his favorite rapper and he
said some super new rapper (I'm already out of the loop) I had no Idea
so I asked him if he was from here of chiraq or Harlem. He said no he
isn't from any of those places. So I asked where and he said
inglewood.. (It's about a 5 minute drive to inglewood.) then to
conversation kinda paused and he looked at me and said want to know
something about me? Me being me said fire away. He looked me dead in
the eyes and said "I'm a gangster"  me also being me just about said
"is that why you still live with your mommy?" Jk jk we just said
alright we'll have a good rest of your night buddy and left. You meet
the coolest people here. Blessed.
We took a priest out with us this week and we went to go knock on a
less active house and when we turned to go up the driveway the priest
said no way am I going up to that house. We asked why? He said my ex
lives there and the parents hate me.. He told us he got caught
cheating on the daughter in the very house We told him it would be
fine but he refused so we went and knocked on the door while he sat
and waited on the corner for us. Sweet sweet Fabian
Third and final conversation. We went to this one guy who we stopped
by early in the week and he said we could come back at the end of the
week. He was super cool and wanted to learn more. So we came back on
Saturday. We knock on the door and when he opens it he was so so so
excited to see us! He was just in awe that we were at his house. We
tried telling him that he told us to come back. We got a little
suspicious because he was not like that before. Then he said man you
guys do this in the rain???? Elder Holyoak and I looked up and elder
Holyoak says what rain sarcastically. I wanted to ask if his weed was
expired? But We are missionaries so we just said bye buddy have a good
night!
This wee was very eventful as you can see!

Yes Luz came to church!! First time I have had an investigator to
church!! The ward members did an awesome job of making her feel at
home. It was so cool to watch her finally take the sacrament because
we talk to her a lot about it and how it's a promise to God and and
Jesus to always  remember them. Plus we praised her some hardcore
blessings if she came to church and participated in the sacrament. So
grateful for her and her desire to grow closer to him! She is awesome!

Thanks for all the support and prayers! They help a bunch have a good week!

Elder Clark

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)