I think my subject line basically describes my week enough.. need I say more. Wow! what an incredible family I have. Thank you all for your letters and prayers. I feel them and your letters bring me more strength than you could ever know. It sounds like all is well in the Clark household/ Texas gang. I'm excited for this baby to come and to see pictures. I'm also excited for Breya and her future pumpkin coming (or whatever she planted). I guess I'll describe my week. It went by so fast. I cannot believe I've been on a mission for more then a month now. Thats right, I'm a month old.
I feel like everyday in Jersey is day one. When you think you've got it down, the whole routine changes and everyday is so different filled with so many different people and challenges. But my strength has come from my prayers and the rain this week. It's weird how rain speaks to me ( not literally...now i'm sounding like some of my investigators) but I mean just how much peace and comfort it gives me. There was one point this week that we were doing service and weeding. As I had my hands in the dirt and it was raining softly I just felt like I was in heaven. It reminds me of the conference talk with the bush. I think i'm going to slaughter this story but basically the gardener cuts down the tree and it starts to cry and asks, "why are you doing this to me? I was gaining so much growth and was getting so tall." The gardener tells him that he didn't want him to be a shade tree, and he's shaping him to what he's supose to be. He says, "I'm the gardener." I feel like that tree this week. It's been a lot of growth, but I know that it's the Lord's will and I'm becoming the missionary that will help these people. Goodness I just love the Jersey people so much. There are times when I want to turn back but I just remember how much I love them and how I already feel like I could never leave them. They need the gospel. They need the savior. OK so that was my pre- weekly report schpeal I guess.
So Tuesday Sister Richardson went on exchange with Sister Waddoups (small world) and Sister Waddoup's trainer came and took care of Sister Kimball and I. It was Sister Taylor. She's Baylie Day's friend. She's from Kaysville. So we got to talk about Kaysville and it was so fun. It was amazing learning from her teaching style, everyone teaches in such different ways but the spirit is always the same it's so amazing how durring a lesson all the missionaries get the same thought to share. It's just a testimony builder that we aren't the one's teaching the lessons. So exchanges went great! We met with some families and talked to Wanda. She's great. She has grown a special closeness to me, she can never remember my companions names but it's the best. I secretly love it hahah. But she's great.
Then on Wednesday we had specialized training which is when the new missionaries and the trainers all meet up and have a meeting with President Jepson and they 'take our spiritual temperature' so they seperate the new missionaries and the trainers and the new missionaries just share how they are doing and what has been hard. It was such a relief to see how strong all these missionaries are and to learn from them. As they shared their trials we all had similar trials. it makes me so much stronger to know I'm not alone. I know i'm never alone because the Savior is always with me, but it was just nice to know I wasn't the only one. Sister Kimball gets up and starts talking about how much she loves her companions so of course I'm just crying and then it's my turn. As I got up I shared things and the spirit testified to me that I'm supposed to be here. It does that to me at random points when I'm here, but that was a sweet moment that I will cherish. Then we played a game with all the missionaries and ate lunch then we ended. As we drove home we were late so we had to cancel on a lot of people and it was just so stressful. It was ok because people are awesome and completely understood. Friday we did service of a lady named Joan. She's not a member but she was a ref. We sat down and talked with her and she just told us her life story. We cleaned her house. She has a hard time moving around so she told us she hasn't vacumed or dusted since her husband died 15 years ago.... and she has lots of cats. That's the thing about New Jersey, well at least Toms River, it's a retirement area and so people LOVE there cats. They have a lot of them... I think you can put two and two together, but yes, cleaning her house was amazing to meet Joan and her goodness. I feel like Toms River is full of Babets (Gilmore Girls) but it's great they all have such strong spirits and I can just see their light and feel the Savior's love for them. So after Joan we meet with Wayne. He touched my heart. He's an older gentlemen with such a sweet heart and even though he has all these trials he was telling us all these people we could go help. I learned a lot from him. Unfortunately we could only meet with him for like 2 minutes, but his spirit was so strong. he's not baptised but we're excited to start teaching him. Then we taught Kelle Anwander. shes the 9 year old who hasn't been baptised she's so shy and quite, but i'll have you know at the end of the lesson I got her to talk to me (I'm raising a fist in the air). I consider that a success. Then we went to the Husteads, a family in the ward, they are so nice. They have a little 3 year old girl who reminds me of Breya. She's so sweet and cute. Then we went to Amie's and she made us cupcakes. Now comes in the cupcake story:
So I made my cupcakes this week. Sister Kimball tried them and almost died. she loves them so much. So she has been eating so many of them this week and she gets on sugar rushes where she starts twitching a little and so when we went to Amies and she made us cupcakes. Sister Kimball almost started to cry she was so excited. So we leave the house and she starts dancing and singing "we got some cupcakes" but the windows were open so Amie yells out the window, "We can still see you!" Sister Kimball was so embarrassed, but it was so funny. Ah, I had so many fun pictures this week that help me remember all the funny moments but my camera isn't working:( so I'm going to try and figure it out and hopfully by next week I'll catch up with my lack of pictures. I gave the elders some cupcakes to and they loved them. It makes me happy when others like things I make. Especially my cupcakes.
So on Saturday we went to see a family, Kevin and Teddy and Alexis. Teddy is an old veteran who is a recent convert. Kevin is his grandson or something but we love this fmaily. It has been so hard to teach them because so many crazy things have been happening in their life but they had a real tragedy this week and my heart still aches for them. I can see it in their eyes and it's the Lord's way of humbling them and softening there hearts. With tear filled eyes, Kevin expressed to us how grateful he was for what we do. When we told him we pray for him every night he was so touched. This is a big tough guy, not a sensitive guy. He loves the lord and it's amazing how much comfort it brings to people when you tell them that you pray for them. I'm so blessed with such an incredible family. Thank you for you all and all your strength and your williness to keep comandments and love for the lord. It makes the world of difference. The Lord has blessed our family so much. If anything I've learned that on my mission and how much it can truly bless the lives of others.
On Sunday we met with Brother Bovota. He's like an actor, cheff, lion enthusist, italian, cat loving, sea food genius. He has such a strong testimony of this gospel and missionary work. Oh my goodness. He cooked us seafood and I can not express how amazing it was. He made crab cakes and some sort of scaloppini with cod with ritz and, oh man. I was loving it. I'm not even a huge fan of sea food if that tells you anything. but we shared a message with him about missionary work and I just felt like instead of us uplifting him he was uplifting us. He had such an incredible spirit. The people in the ward just love to talk to us about there whole life stories. They have all been through so much. I just can't even comprehend. It made me think of a quote, "Satan trembles when he see's the weakest saint upon his knees" the other day I reading and it talked about bowing to the lord. and I looked up bow and it means conversion... so when I picture bowing I think of humbly kneeling and praying to the Lord and thats when true conversion happens. It has been a great week. I love writing home because I get to see all the blessing that happened. I'm bummed that my camera isn't working but I promise more pictures next week if I can get it fixed. but just picture lots of pictures of us with cupcakes, us in
service clothes covered in dust and cat hair.
Oh the weather is so cool here! It's so humid! We came up with the song (sung to the tune of in humility) "In humidity, New Jersey, we go tracting day by day..." we came up wtih some more verses but it brings the point that it's supper humid here. it hasn't been to hot yet. but I know it's going to happen soon. I love the rain. I love the tree's goodness Jersey is just so beautiful and the Lord loves the people Here! I love them to. Life is good. My knee is feeling better today so thanks for your prayers, I won't be running a 10K anytime soon... that might have to do more with my cupcake consumption this week rather then my knee but ya. I'm happy. It's hard but my companions and I always find something to laugh at and be happy about everyday. I love you all so much! I know this gospel is true. I know heavenly father loves each one of his children. I know he TRUSTS us. he showed us the life we would life and the trials we would face and we accepted and he told us we could do it. He has confidence in us! because he KNOWS US! These people are genuinely good people, even tho they don't have the gospel but how much more so will they be when they have the gospel. OH I FORGOT one of the best
parts of my week... I MET DONNY OSMANDS BIGGEST FAN! I kid you not! we went to her house for dinner and everything she had was donny osmand. Her clothes her pictures her cups her fridge. she had a wall plastered of pictures ofhim. she use to work for his fan club and so she got to be around him all the time and I was dying it was so cool. I took a picture with all the stuff but alas.. my camera... I'm determined to figure it out
tho. It was so cool this lady she found the church through donny and then she wanted to make sure she was joining for the right reasons she decided even if the Osmands left she knew it was the place where she needed to be. Goodness she is a power house. Her testimony and humility I just love her.
Life is good. it's a great day to be a missionary I love you all so much. 1 month down 17 to go. right? hahha i don't even know how long i'm serving. funny.. ok well I have more time,, i'm just out of things to say. so....
How's everything? Sounds like the kids are as cute as can be as always. The zoo sounded fun. I miss the zoo. brother bovota is a big fan of big cats like lions and tigers. and he was tlaking about zoos and the things that happen. and of course i was loving it becasue I have a passion about that kind of stuff but it was really neat. ya i'm going to stop writing now. but I can't wait until next wekk! i'm going to try to work on my camera. thanks for your prayers! LOVE YOU
Clear eyes full heart cant lose
Love sister Clark
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