ZONE CONFERENCE WEEK

This week has been pretty cool! Sister Pierce and I volunteer at a nursing home here in Valentine on Tuesdays to do nails for the ladies there, and Saturdays for bingo. It's really fun :) Sister Pierce wasn't feeling well on Saturday morning, so bingo was foregone this week (I think that makes sense).

I don't know if I already told you, but last P-Day we went shopping for food and a brother from our branch gave us extra money. We bought so many gloriously healthy and delicious things! I've never been so excited about food in my life. I'm still super happy every time I open the fridge. We eat well.

We walked a bit this week because we're short on miles (actually we don't have to drive all the way to Rapid, so technically we're not..), and it was gorgeous! I took a couple of pictures. I really, REALLY love Valentine. I've been very spoiled here. We had District Meeting on Thursday, and ALL THE FOOD WAS GREEN! They made me a greenie meal! I was very touched.

We went to the Fuller family's house for dinner, and they had a birthday celebration for Sister Pierce, since it was the next day. They made enchiladas, which were divine, and there was cake! They even got Sister Pierce a journal as a present :) The Fullers were also celebrating the birthday of their daughter, Faith, who has the same birthday as Sister Pierce. Brother and Sister Fuller got me a journal, too, because they didn't want me to feel left out. I was so excited! I really love them. They're all so sweet, and they have a wonderful spirit in their home.

On Friday morning, we were invited to go to a branding, which is when calves are vaccinated, branded, and castrated when applicable. It was kind of cool, but pretty intense. There were a whole lot of people there on horses to help corral and lasso the calves. Everything was super efficient. Everyone was excited about it, and Sister Pierce was eager to try wrestling a calf down so that necessary operations could be performed. I was perfectly happy leaving it to the experts ;)  After the branding was done, we all went to eat lunch... it was a glorious feast with lots of meat and potatoes, and home-made pies, and brownies, and home-made cheesecake.

Also, it's constantly windy here! Quite an adjustment, but it'll be super nice in the summer. We had another tornado warning Sunday night, but we just stayed in the apartment because we had to pack for Monday. We had a plan to go to the basement of the building if the tornado alarm sounded, but it never did.

I've been role-playing a lot with Sister Pierce, focusing mostly on the Restoration, and I can see my improvements. It's really cool. Sister Pierce is an awesome trainer! I've also been learning a lot about patience this week, mostly with myself. Elder Bednar's Mormon messages called 'Patterns of Light' are SUPER good.

We had Zone Conference on Tuesday! It was SO GOOD. I got to see my MTC companion, Sister Cavey, and also another person from our MTC district, Elder Fillmore. I enjoyed the mini reunion :) I love being with so many people who share the same purpose! I was able to get different ideas and approaches to teaching, which was much needed. The spirit was so strong there! I left the conference feeling extremely motivated and excited to do missionary work. I LOVE being a missionary! It was Sister Pierce's last Zone Conference, so she bore her testimony, and it was wonderful. She and I were asked to sing, and we sang Be Still My Soul. It was really cool how the song went perfectly with what was being taught at conference. The spirit definitely helped us a whole lot.

I think my favorite thing so far about being a missionary is when I have out-of-the-blue moments where I realize, "Man. The Lord really loves these people." It's so wonderful that when we mess up, he patiently and lovingly waits for us to ask Him for help to be better. Heavenly Father wants to bless us so much! But He can only do that if we let Him.

Love,

Sister Clark

p.s. Sister Clark was not able to post her pictures this week. Her computer was giving her trouble. She will post them next week.

YOU'RE MINE, VALENTINE!

PEYTON ARRIVES AT HER MISSION HOME IN BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA AND
MEETS PRESIDENT AND SISTER ANDERSON!

So, I left the MTC last Wednesday to head for Bismarck with half of my district-- my companion and myself, as well as a companionship of elders. Sister Cavey and I sat next to a man named Adam, who was from Wisconsin. I thought of Jon Lifferth :) Adam wasn't a member, I don't think... well, he referred to his family as Jack Mormons, so maybe he was. I don't know. But he asked us where we were serving and we just had a nice chat. 

We had a layover at the Minneapolis airport, which was HUGE (there was a mall in the middle of it!), and we met some missionaries who were on their way home. That was so cool! We got to Bismarck, and the airport was super small, where President and Sister Anderson and the APs were there to greet us.

We spent the night at the mission home, and the bed was so luxuriously comfortable compared to the MTC. It was marvelous! The next day was transfers, and it literally took all day. We waited for the "transfer train," or a 15-passenger van full of missionaries with a trailer attached for luggage, from about 1pm until around 4..it was running late.

The drive was pretty long. It still blows my mind how few people live in my mission. The towns and cities are so spaced out. However, the open land is absolutely beautiful! It's relatively flat, but there are still hills and buttes and plateaus. with an occasional creek slashed across the landscape. And lots of cows :) It was a lovely drive. I didn't get to Rapid City until like nine-ish, and we were still three hours away from the area I'm serving in.

I spent the night at the Sister Training Leaders' apartment with my trainer, Sister Pierce, who is fantastic. She's so patient and kind! And a super big goofball :) I love her to pieces. Then, the next morning we drove out to my first area, which is Valentine, Nebraska! It's such an adorable little town... emphasis on little. It's WAY small. It takes two minutes to drive to opposite sides of town. But they have hearts on all of their street signs, and it's fantastic! I'll have to take a picture. Also, their library is so pretty! A weird thing to point out, but it felt more like finely furnished library in a grand home than a public library.

There was a tornado warning that night (Friday), so that was interesting. But I've had the opportunity to meet some of the investigators and a lot of the members. The members are so awesome! They're all very welcoming, and super supportive to the missionaries. Sister Pierce and I are the only missionaries in the branch, and it was a bit strange to get used to only having a set of sisters without elders. I'm in a tiny little branch. It reminds me of home :)

It was so cool, there was a family baptism this Sunday that I got to see. The Bernal family... they're so great. I love that they're such a loving and outgoing family. AH. I love, love, LOVE being on a mission! I literally have moments where I think, "Man. I'm a real-life missionary. THIS IS SO AWESOME." I love putting on my name tag every morning. I'm so excited to serve the Lord!! Sometimes I get frustrated with myself because I want to be the best missionary now! But then I have to remind myself to be patient. I'm still working on opening my mouth. I get all excited thinking about serving people and bringing them the gospel, but then when it comes time to actually talk to someone, I forget how to use words. But, the Lord has blessed me so much!

He has increased my desire to serve and given me a greater ability to feel the promptings of the Spirit. It's so awesome to understand more and more each day how much Heavenly Father loves us SO MUCH!! I'm so happy to have the knowledge of the gospel. I'm grateful to know that no matter how many times I mess up, the Atonement never runs out! As I've asked Heavenly Father to help me change, and to have the desire to change, crazy wonderful things have happened! Things might get a million times harder, but I know I'll have help. Life is good.

Love, 

Sister Clark

                                    This is our tiny building :) Me gusta! (I like it!)

     

Also, Sister Cavey and I right before we got on our "transfer train," a.k.a a 15-passenger van full of missionaries with a trailer attached.

WEEK ONE AT MISSION TRAINING CENTER

Peyton with her mom, Laura Belden, outside the MTC (Mission Training Center).

I was super nervous about the MTC, not gonna lie. I was worried that I'd feel lost or underprepared. But as soon as I stepped out of the car last Wednesday, I felt completely calm and peaceful and excited! I felt right at home!

My teachers are so awesome, and I have THE best district. We do everything together! We play pretty intense games of four-square and volleyball for gym. It's so cool. Today we all went to the temple and did an endowment session, and it was marvelous. My companion here is Sister Cavey, and she's just as crazy as I am! It's wonderful! I'm so grateful for her. Sister Cavey and I room with two other sisters, Sister Steinfeldt and Sister Gowans. They're so silly! We're always laughing together. Sister Gowans does the best impressions of pretty much everything! I didn't know I could love people so quickly and fully, but I do! I love my district!

The Elders are so funny! And so supportive and awesome! This week has been challenging, though. We're teaching "investigators"... which are actually (usually) members or our teachers, but it has been interesting to see how Sister Cavey and I have been able to study and pray for their needs and then to see the spirit guide us in what to teach. We had two devotionals, one by Matthew Holland, who's the president of Utah Valley University and I'm pretty sure he's related to Elder Holland somehow, and the other devotional was given by Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy. The one by Brother Holland had a special performance by the UVU choir, and it was so powerful! It was all about Joseph Smith, and the music was just beautiful. President Rasband talked about being bold and opening your mouth! It was also a powerful devotional, and it helped me be motivated to be a fearless missionary! I wish I had time to tell you about all the wonderful experiences I've had!

Also, my mission was changed while I've been here at the MTC! I was called to the South Dakota Rapid City Mission, but it's now the North Dakota Bismarck Mission. It still covers both Dakotas, but I believe that most of the surrounding states that used to be part of it aren't anymore. I met Brother and Sister Halliday, who work at the Mission Office, and who know my Grammy, so that was super awesome! They're such lovely people.

I'll write again on my next Preparation Day, which is probably not until I'm already in my mission area. I leave the MTC next Wednesday at 2:30 in the morning! Yikes! Love you all!