How is everyone doing????!!! happy fathers day to you all. Especially My dear father. I got to think about him a lot and how much I love and appreciate him. We also got to focus on our heavenly father a lot, it was incredible. There is a quote that says "out of all the titles of nobility and he asks us to call him father." The term father is such a term of respect and just pure love. He is a heavenly being but He is our father as well. He loves us! I know he does:) I do love my earthly father so much, but I love my Heavenly father as well, and that is why I'm out here. There is my mini spiel on fathers:) Dad I love you!
This week was another busy crazy week. I feel like It went by way to fast! Lots of miracles. Thank you all for your wonderful letters last week they were so great and made me so happy. So this monday. After I e-mailed home we went to the Bardens a family in our ward. they are a part member family and they had like 14 people there. Sister Bardon, her husband( not a member) lots of their adopted kids and then some cousins. We ate Chinese food yum!
I loved it. It was pure craziness. The picture I sent of me holding the Bird was at the Bardens. We ended up only teaching our family home evening lesson to the visiting cousins and we did a visual with building a tower out of food we compared it to alma 50 and how we can build our foundation and our walls stronger. They are going to do it for their family and they took a Book of Mormon home. So that was neat. Sorry not a great explanation.
Monday was not super eventful haha but the rest of the week. Buckle your seat belts cause here we go. I have to go fast because I used all my time sending pictures. But Tuesday, we had a team up with Sister Brown. She's young!!! She's one of the only young families in our ward. She is so so so cool we love her. She went with us to our investigator Wayne and we talked about how through Christ we can be healed. Sister Brown was super bold with him and just told him he can't procrastinate repenting. It was what he needed to hear. He's done so well this week and it has been a huge blessing and sister brown played a huge role in it. We then went to see the Anwanders. (less active family) we are working with Kellie the daughter who wants to be baptized. Quick story about them. OK so how we got in contact with them is that we were just randomly in that neighborhood knocking one of the first days we got to New Jersey and everyone was slamming doors. Then we saw that the anwanders were close by, but we didn't know they were less active so we went and knocked on the door, and they invited us and and were super nice and told us kelle wanted to be baptized. They said how they had been waiting for sisters to come. Super cool experience. Well this Sunday we found out more background. We met this girl who is one of the anwander daughters best friends and she was so excited to meet us. she told us that missionaries had been going to there house for years trying to get in and talk to them but they never let them in, untill they let us in.. and she told us when her Amanda anwander told her friend that the missionaries were coming over she started to cry she was so happy. It just reminded me of how it's all in the Lords hands and how little we actually do. We work as hard as we can but just to be literal tools in his hands. He does all the work we are just there and if we are worthy of it he uses us to bless lives. SO NEAT. We had no idea that they hadn't let missionaries in for years when we knocked on the door. They are the nicest people you never would have suspected it. Anyways we went and taught about how the gospel blesses families. the spirit was so strong. It was a great lesson. Then we went and ate home made fried chicken at sister Armstrong's. We love her. Her voice mail is her singing a gospel song. She is great.
After their house we went over to Kevin and Edna. OK I'm going to take time and tell you about this cause if I run out of time for writing about the rest of the week this experience will be worth it. So Kevin and Edna, they took in Teddy, and elderly recent convert. who has no money or no house because it was taken from him. So they took him in and the missionaries have been going by and teaching Teddy and talking to Kevin and Edna. So when we got here we started talking to Kevin and Edna, the more we went over the more we realized they had no idea that we were there for them. So on Tuesday we sat down with them and we asked them why they thought we came over. They told us it was for Teddy. We told them we were there to help them improve there lives and come closer to Christ. They were so touched. We started talking about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and Forgiveness. The spirit was so strong. Kevin opened up to us about his past, that is very personal but he had a really rough life, he at one point worshiped Satan. Just the agony we could see that he felt thinking that weight he had to carry for the rest of his life. He was almost in tears telling us how much it hurt. We testified of Christ and forgiveness and Prayer, then he asked in a quite voice (he usually is really loud.. cause.. well lets face it everyone in Jersey is loud and likes to talk a lot) but he quietly asked why we were helping him? We testified of Gods love for him and our love for him. Then I was prompted to talk about baptism and to be able to start over, to be forgiven and washed from sins. Spiritually reborn. we talked about it and he was worried the water was going to turn black when he's baptized we told him the water may be black but you'll be white. He loved this, the hope in his eyes and the spirit that was there when he asked us "Do you really think I can get my soul back?' It was A spiritual experience I'll never forget. As we left we were all so happy and hugging. If I had to go home or be done with my mission, that experience would have made it all worth it! but I'm not going home any time soon. Oh ya today is my 2 month mark! haha anyways so neat.
I loved it. It was pure craziness. The picture I sent of me holding the Bird was at the Bardens. We ended up only teaching our family home evening lesson to the visiting cousins and we did a visual with building a tower out of food we compared it to alma 50 and how we can build our foundation and our walls stronger. They are going to do it for their family and they took a Book of Mormon home. So that was neat. Sorry not a great explanation.
Monday was not super eventful haha but the rest of the week. Buckle your seat belts cause here we go. I have to go fast because I used all my time sending pictures. But Tuesday, we had a team up with Sister Brown. She's young!!! She's one of the only young families in our ward. She is so so so cool we love her. She went with us to our investigator Wayne and we talked about how through Christ we can be healed. Sister Brown was super bold with him and just told him he can't procrastinate repenting. It was what he needed to hear. He's done so well this week and it has been a huge blessing and sister brown played a huge role in it. We then went to see the Anwanders. (less active family) we are working with Kellie the daughter who wants to be baptized. Quick story about them. OK so how we got in contact with them is that we were just randomly in that neighborhood knocking one of the first days we got to New Jersey and everyone was slamming doors. Then we saw that the anwanders were close by, but we didn't know they were less active so we went and knocked on the door, and they invited us and and were super nice and told us kelle wanted to be baptized. They said how they had been waiting for sisters to come. Super cool experience. Well this Sunday we found out more background. We met this girl who is one of the anwander daughters best friends and she was so excited to meet us. she told us that missionaries had been going to there house for years trying to get in and talk to them but they never let them in, untill they let us in.. and she told us when her Amanda anwander told her friend that the missionaries were coming over she started to cry she was so happy. It just reminded me of how it's all in the Lords hands and how little we actually do. We work as hard as we can but just to be literal tools in his hands. He does all the work we are just there and if we are worthy of it he uses us to bless lives. SO NEAT. We had no idea that they hadn't let missionaries in for years when we knocked on the door. They are the nicest people you never would have suspected it. Anyways we went and taught about how the gospel blesses families. the spirit was so strong. It was a great lesson. Then we went and ate home made fried chicken at sister Armstrong's. We love her. Her voice mail is her singing a gospel song. She is great.
After their house we went over to Kevin and Edna. OK I'm going to take time and tell you about this cause if I run out of time for writing about the rest of the week this experience will be worth it. So Kevin and Edna, they took in Teddy, and elderly recent convert. who has no money or no house because it was taken from him. So they took him in and the missionaries have been going by and teaching Teddy and talking to Kevin and Edna. So when we got here we started talking to Kevin and Edna, the more we went over the more we realized they had no idea that we were there for them. So on Tuesday we sat down with them and we asked them why they thought we came over. They told us it was for Teddy. We told them we were there to help them improve there lives and come closer to Christ. They were so touched. We started talking about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and Forgiveness. The spirit was so strong. Kevin opened up to us about his past, that is very personal but he had a really rough life, he at one point worshiped Satan. Just the agony we could see that he felt thinking that weight he had to carry for the rest of his life. He was almost in tears telling us how much it hurt. We testified of Christ and forgiveness and Prayer, then he asked in a quite voice (he usually is really loud.. cause.. well lets face it everyone in Jersey is loud and likes to talk a lot) but he quietly asked why we were helping him? We testified of Gods love for him and our love for him. Then I was prompted to talk about baptism and to be able to start over, to be forgiven and washed from sins. Spiritually reborn. we talked about it and he was worried the water was going to turn black when he's baptized we told him the water may be black but you'll be white. He loved this, the hope in his eyes and the spirit that was there when he asked us "Do you really think I can get my soul back?' It was A spiritual experience I'll never forget. As we left we were all so happy and hugging. If I had to go home or be done with my mission, that experience would have made it all worth it! but I'm not going home any time soon. Oh ya today is my 2 month mark! haha anyways so neat.
I'm running out of time but Also on Wednesday we went on a 3 way split. I went out with Sister Thorn and Elderly lady who has some sassyness. She was driving around on the free way to appointments, we were talking then all the sudden.... she would fall asleep... driving... on the freeway... the lord protects his missionaries. She did this about 5 times. I think she has narcolepsy or something but I would just keep waking her up, I didn't know what to do. Sometimes I'd just start singing loud out loud so she would wake up. It was a funny experience but terrifying. We met a less active and taught a man the restoration, it was cool. Then we went to the leducs for food. He reminds me of Grandpa Clark. He carves and is just an outdoors guy. It made me love and appreciate Grandpa Clark so much. Thursday we taught an less active. He let us in and we were prompted to talk about baptisms for the dead. He got so excited and shared insights on other principles of the gospel that connected. He drew conclusions that I didn't even think of! He was so excited as he told us he had never learned of this before. He told us that having the missionaries over usually is a social thing but he's doing it for himself this time. He wants to come back, and he wants to be able to do baptisms for the dead! So so cool. Then we went to the Relief society auction. It was an auction of things you made or wanted to get rid of, and you would buy it with points you earned from reading, praying, missionary work, etc. So I bought me a nice knitted scarf. I love it:) it was a fun night and a good laugh for sure.!
Friday I was feeling a little home sick but I was praying for strength then sister Richardson and I randomly started to read our old journal entries to each other. I read mine when I got my call. I was overwhelmed with peace and comfort remembering the confirmation I had when I got my call. It was a testimony builder to me on Journal Keeping. That's what the book of Mormon is, a record of People and there dealings with Christ and Heavenly father. My journal brought me so much peace and comfort. I challenge everyone to strive to write in journals more. and read old entries. it will bless you live! then we went out and did some missionary work
Saturday we watched Mr. Krugers Christmas! it made me laugh to remember watching this with my family back home. It made me think of Amanda! hahah good times. (It's so fun to hear you at home are watching the old family videos). So we went out that day and had a walking day. Our first real walking day. The lord blessed my knee with strength to do it. We meet some nice people! always the people from different countries were more open to us. There was a lady when she opened the door just was like I know you from somewhere. It was a testimony builder to me that there are people out here that I'm specifically sent for! So we walked all day, was super tired then Sunday was a fantastic Sunday.
I love You all I have to get going but I know the CHURCH IS TRUE. the book of Mormon is the word of God. And Joseph smith was called as a prophet by Heavenly father and Jesus Christ. I know Christ Lives. I will never deny the testimony I have! I'm so happy out here! I love you all and miss you and pray for you often. Keep praying and reading and living righteously! it's important.
I love You all I have to get going but I know the CHURCH IS TRUE. the book of Mormon is the word of God. And Joseph smith was called as a prophet by Heavenly father and Jesus Christ. I know Christ Lives. I will never deny the testimony I have! I'm so happy out here! I love you all and miss you and pray for you often. Keep praying and reading and living righteously! it's important.
Love
Sister Clark
Clear eyes full heart can't lose
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