HAPPY PIONEER DAY

 

Since I don't really live in Utah or roundabout, I forgot about Pioneer Day as a real thing. Our branch president asked Sister Pierce and I to sing Faith in Every Footstep during sacrament meeting in celebration. That song was also new to me. I've never heard of it before two weeks ago.

 

We also got a new investigator this week! It was so exciting! His name is Aaron. He rides a motorcycle, which is totally awesome, and he's Baptist. Sister Pierce and I were out tracting, and on our way back to our car to go home, he came up to us and told us how much he appreciated what we do. It was quite unexpected. He asked if we could have a bible study the next day, and obviously we said "OF COURSE!"

 

We ended up having to reschedule for Saturday, though, but it all worked out! We went to see him with a member, and he had a whole bunch of questions about the Bible. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he said we could come back next Saturday.

 

ALSO, since I'm sending Sister Pierce home next week (*sniffle*), we've been going to see members and investigators and such so that she can get pictures with everybody. One of the things she wanted to do before she left was to see a bison. AND GUESS WHAT. She did :) We had dinner at a member family's home who had bison, and they took us out to see them. It was really neat!

 

Have a beautiful week, everyone :)

 

Lots of love,

 Sister Clark

                                 SISTER CLARK REUNITED WITH SISTER CAVEY AND
                                 ELDER FILLMORE FROM THE MTC

THE BADLANDS OF SOUTH DAKOTA

(THIS POST WAS SENT ON JULY 20, 2015)

I've decided that mint Oreos are one of the greatest creations. Sister Pierce is a mint addict, and I'm afraid she's sucked me in.

Last Monday, we were able to go to family home evening with Sister Hansen and her daughter, Amanda. I always love when Sister Hansen teaches anything. Her testimony of the gospel is so strong! Plus, they fed us cake afterward, so that's always good.

On Tuesday, Sister Pierce and I went back to a home we had contacted last week, and we were able to meet a girl named Sarah, her mom, and her sister-in-law Kate (or Katie. My memory has become progressively worse). We found out that the sister missionaries before us had visited them a lot, that they aren't interested, but that they're super friendly.

Apparently there's a member that lives in Columbus, Nebraska who occasionally comes to Valentine to deliver frozen foods to the stores here. Every time he's in town, he takes the sister missionaries out to lunch and gives them frozen pizza. He called us on Tuesday night to ask if we were free on Wednesday, and so we ate lunch at a place called The Bunkhouse, which has really good pie, by the way. As we were talking to him, I was just amazed at how much of a missionary he his! Everything we talked about related to missionary work and the gospel. He constantly talks to the people he works with about the gospel. And the best part is, he doesn't sound like he has an angle. He just genuinely loves Christ and wants others to have a better relationship with him. I want to be just like him someday.

We had a lesson with the Honeycutt family on Thursday, and it went SO WELL! We discussed obedience and following the prophet, and they completely understood that Heavenly Father gives us commandments because he loves us and knows what's best for us. It was amazing. AND THEN, George talked to us at the end about how he's noticed a change in his wife, Brenda, ever since she joined the church, and he's noticed a change in himself as well. He knows that God has a plan for him, but he doesn't know what it is yet. I WAS SO HAPPY! He's going to do great things, I think.

On Friday, our district (of a companionship of elders and a companionship of sisters) got permission to drive down to Rapid City together to go to our zone conference. We passed through the Badlands, which I've never seen before. It was so beautiful! I should've taken pictures, probably, but I'll see them again. I just wanted to soak it all in.

  

                                       SISTER CLARK MEETS SISTER LEWIS (LEWIS & CLARK)

We finally got to meet our new mission president and his wife: President and Sister Hess. They are absolutely wonderful! The love between them is evident. They're an equal companionship for sure.

I LOVE being a missionary. It's one of the best things. The church is true!

Love,

Sister Clark

HAPPY MONDAY - AFTER INDEPENDENCE DAY

(THIS POST WAS SENT ON JULY, 6, 2015)

First of all, I thought everyone should be aware of a very important milestone that I just hit:  Sister Pierce and I made hamburgers. FROM SCRATCH. I think, at this point, I've pretty much made it in life. Except, we found out we only had hot dog buns, so we tried to shape the patties to fit. It sort of worked. But, they tasted dang good.

Sister Pierce and I went over to walk with Lisa on Wednesday evening, and there was a guy there who was prepping her house to be painted. We talked to him for a bit and found out that he served a 6-year service mission for his church in Mexico. It was so cool! And he met his wife there, which is adorable. AND, he's from Ohio! Which means that he's also a Buckeyes fan, but that's okay :) it was really cool to talk about things that were familiar. Like Amish doughnuts.

Also, we had exchanges again this past week! I led the area. Basically, Sister Pierce was in a different area and a sister came down to Valentine and I was in charge.... it made me a bit nervous because I've only been out for two months, and I've never led an area before. It turned out okay, though! And also, another milestone: I invited someone to be baptized! She didn't exactly say yes. She knows that she wants to be baptized eventually, but she has a few concerns to resolve before that happens. The point is: I was nervous, but I did it.

At the end of exchanges, Sister Pierce and I had a training meeting with our zone leaders and our sister training leader and her companion. Since I'm still in training, they talk to us each week to see how I'm progressing. Usually we would have a phone call, but since we were all meeting up to exchange back anyway, we just had a full-blown meeting. Sister Pierce and I did a role play of teaching about the Book of Mormon and extending an invitation to read it. IT WAS SO GOOD. One day I'll teach like that in real life.

Our mission president approved firework-watching on Saturday night, so long as we woke up on time the next morning. We got to go to a member's home and watch fireworks with them. I felt like I was back home again, watching fireworks with all of my cousins and plugging my ears because it was so loud.

I hope everyone had a great Independence Day. Love you all!

Sister Clark

ANOTHER WEEK IN PARADISE

Our Tuesday appointment with Lori fell through, which was lame! Since we had a member with us at the time, we decided to take her with us to stop by and see a less-active sister, Sister Shandrew, in our branch to see how she was doing. We caught her just as she was leaving. She talked with us for a while, and showed us her beautiful garden! A lot of members here grow such beautiful gardens, vegetable and flower, and it makes me want to grow one, too.. except I don't have a lot of success with plants. When I grow up I want to be able to grow a garden. But anyway, it turned out that it was the 20th anniversary of Sister Shandrew's brother's passing. I'm so glad that we got to talk to her, though! I hope we helped her feel a little better, at least.

On our way to a dinner appointment, we decided to tract in another town in our area outside of Valentine, and we got a couple of referrals from the lady who we were going to for dinner. As we were looking for those people (who we didn't find, by the way. She relied on me knowing my way around town. HA. She has too much faith in me) we ran into a Jehovah Witness named Myrtle and talked to her for a while. It was pretty cool! We left her a pass-along card with the link to the Because He Lives video (which is AMAZING, by the way). When we got home, there was a HUGE moth on our steps! There was a toad, too, but he ran away.

We were able to see Lori on Thursday! IT WAS SO AWESOME. I absolutely love her to death. The member who came with us bore her testimony, and it was pretty amazing. She doesn't think that she knows a whole lot, but her conviction about the gospel is quite inspiring. I want to be like her one day.

We have this one investigator named George who will usually only come to church if there's a missionary leaving, or if there's some sort of special occasion. He came for Father's day because his daughter, Kelsey, gave a talk (which was a great talk), and he tells us every time that he'll only stay for sacrament (which he does). One day, he'll stay :) BUT, he came this past Sunday! And there was no special occasion! He just came! I was so happy to see him. It's the little things.

  

Sister Pierce made me crepes this morning for breakfast. I swear, she's trying to make me fluffy. But I'm definitely not complaining.

Life is to be enjoyed, I think. Men are that they might have joy, after all. Sometimes I forget that, but I have reminders in little things throughout the week. Life is good.

Sister Clark

BRANDING: PART 2

I've decided to join all of the cute little grandmas of the world and take up crocheting. I really wanted to make an afghan, so I bought yarn and a crochet hook and I work on it before bed. It's very relaxing; I highly recommend it.

Last P-day, we were with the sisters in Pierre, and we all went frisbee golfing. The elders joined us. I was apprehensive at first, because I've never really enjoyed "frolfing," as they liked to call it. However, I found it to be extremely fun! It was probably very hilarious to watch Sister Pierce and I try to launch the disk and then watch it hit a tree. Every. Time. I got it down by the end though :) The whole time we were outside, apparently there are cotton fields nearby because there were little cotton fluffs that flew everywhere. It looked like it was snowing! IN JUNE! Also, the mosquitoes are huge. And everywhere.

Most of our appointments this week fell through. We went to see Lori on Tuesday, but she wasn't feeling well so we ended up talking to her sister-in-law, Michelle. We were excited because we thought she might want to sit in on Lori's lesson on Thursday, but when we got there we found out that Michelle was in the hospital. It was heartbreaking! She seems to be feeling better now, though. Fingers crossed.

Sister Pierce introduced me to the miracle of cake pops this week. I grow to love her more and more each day. We also found out that I met her cousin at EFY one year, which was crazy. It was one of those small-world moments.

We had a lesson with Rochelle and her family this week, and it was AMAZING! We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we shared the Mormon message about Stephanie Nielson (I can't remember what it's called). They were so attentive and engaged, which was really awesome. Usually they're very quiet and so I can't really gauge what they're feeling. The spirit was so strong! 

On Saturday, we were able to help a family move, which I always enjoy. They were moving out, which was sad, but I love giving service! It makes everyone happy. There were cookies, also, and that helped. President Orton and his family took Sister Pierce and I out to lunch afterward at Pizza Hut. I absolutely LOVE spending time with that family. I feel right at home. They bought Sister Pierce and I each a pizza to take home, so we have lots of pizza to eat this week. But it's good pizza, so it's okay.

Sundays are special days. I really love them. This Sunday's service was super great! One of our recently-not-recent converts gave her first talk! AND, she had just gone to the temple for the first time! IT WAS SO COOL. I always love hearing her testimony. She isn't very eloquent, but she has a way of quietly and powerfully bringing the spirit. The son of one of our members just returned from his mission, so he spoke as well. And, since it was Father's Day, I couldn't help but miss Papa Bear. 

Today, we had another branding. I can't believe they invited us back! But they did. AND, I'm almost ashamed to say it, I had fun. ACTUAL FUN. I participated in the activities. My initial apprehensions about harming baby calves were dashed. Plus, there was good food afterward :) this particular branding was a lot less stressful, though, because they only had about 40 calves to worry about instead of a few hundred. I would like to think that I was gentle, though... it would ease my conscience, anyway.

I read in Matthew 5 and 6 during the week, and I think it's the first time I've really studied the Sermon on the Mount on my own. I love learning about the Savior, and I love that I'm able to receive a better understanding of Him and His love through the scriptures. Personal revelation is a real-life thing.

Sister Clark

DUCKLINGS, POTLUCKS, AND ALL GOOD THINGS (FROM WEEK OF JUNE 15, 2015)

This week has been wonderful!

But it was hard.

First of all, you should know that Sister Pierce and I made cookies together for the first time last Monday. It was a bonding experience. And the cookies were divine. I'm sad to say that none made it past Tuesday. Although, I wouldn't recommend eating only cookies throughout the day... it makes for a very lethargic missionary.

We were able to teach Lori again this week, which was awesome! We taught a lesson on Tuesday, and then again on Thursday. Despite the super strong cigarette and cat smell, Lori has a very sweet, peaceful feeling in her home. I would have thought the two wouldn't coincide, but looks like I was proven wrong. She is a very loving lady! Sister Pierce and I want to invite her to be baptized this week.

The Johnsons had us over for dinner on Tuesday night, and they invited their friend, Kristy. It went pretty well, I think. We taught the Restoration and had a game for the kids. Sister Johnson gave Kristy a copy of the Book of Mormon and a couple of pamphlets, which was really cool! The Johnsons are out of town right now, but we'll follow up on them to see how they thought it went.

We went on exchanges on Thursday! One of the sister missionaries from Pierre, Sister Mower, came down and stayed in Valentine with Sister Pierce for 24 hours, and I went to Pierre with her companion, Sister Anderson. It was cool to be able to see what a day in the life of another missionary is like and how she teaches. I stayed the night in Pierre, and in the morning, Sister Anderson and I went jogging around the Capitol building and the cute little pond in front. There was a mama duck with all her little babies crossing the sidewalk to get into the water. There had to be at least ten of them. Adorable!

The Elders were on exchanges as well, so we carpooled down with them to meet the other two missionary sets at the church building in Rosebud, where we had a glorious lunch that doubled as a belated birthday party for Sister Pierce and Sister Mower. Afterward, we had our district meeting. I definitely love spending time with missionaries. The meeting was very productive, and we were all able to bounce ideas off of one another to help each other with the problems we each have in our respective areas. We have a great zone! Top notch missionaries, in my opinion.

Later that night, we went walking with a lady who's trying to stop smoking (we walk with her when she's most tempted), and she sent us home with two cases of McDonald's-style hash browns! I don't even know what we're going to do with all of them.

We went to bingo on Saturday morning. There were a ton of people there! Every time I go, I always think of the stereotype of old people playing bingo, because that's exactly what was happening at the nursing home. I love it!

My mission president and his wife, President and Sister Anderson, came down for our branch conference in Valentine. It was SO COOL. Since we're in a district, President Anderson acts as a Stake President, so he can give temple recommend interviews and other such things. This was probably the last time I'll see them because we're getting a new mission president in July. 

After church, we had a potluck, and let me just tell you, everything there was good. I ate entirely too much food, but it was most definitely worth it. Someone made lasagna. If that's not happiness, then I don't know what is.

We weren't able to do our normal weekly planning on the designated planning day because of exchanges, so we planned on Sunday night instead. But it was probably the most productive planning I have ever done. This week is going to be marvelous! It's already off to a great start. We get to spend our P-day in Pierre with the other sisters in our zone. I am so beyond excited.

This is Sister Pierce's last transfer. EVER. She's going home in August. I'm so excited for her to experience the real world with the different perspective she has gained from her mission! I seriously hope I am as awesome as she is by the end of mine.

Love,

Sister Clark

FAST SUNDAYS ARE THE BEST

We went tracting on Tuesday and knocked on a former investigator's door. She was very welcoming and agreed to meet with us regularly! We'll see her every Tuesday and Thursday. She already has a wonderful understanding of how much God loves her and how much he needs her to help uplift others. It's really cool! I love her a whole bunch!

 

We got to help a new family move in, which was exciting! Our branch is growing! We hardly have room in our little chapel to put everyone. There's supposed to be another family moving in sometime next month as well.

 

We were invited over for dinner at the Graves family's house, and we shared a message on being divine daughters of God. They had 3 little girls, so we made princess tiaras and let the girls decorate them because they were daughters of a king! It was really fun. They showed us their garden, which was magical! Their back yard felt like a fairyland. It was marvelous.

Sister Pierce and I heart-attacked the door of an investigator named Rochelle who just got home from the hospital. Thankfully, she didn't have a heart attack, because that would have been poor taste, indeed. Except, they pulled into their driveway just as we were about to put the hearts on their door. We were caught! 

We were able to visit the Williams' twice this week, which was awesome. They had us over for dinner on Saturday, and Sister Williams makes SUPER good enchiladas. She sent some home with us, and I'm so grateful that she did. It's a little bit funny, I've grown to love mexican food while in the middle of Nebraska (well, upper middle, technically). I never really hated it, but I've realized that I really, really like it!

 

We had Zone Training Meeting this past Friday, and it was really awesome to see other missionaries. All the sisters went out to lunch afterward at Guadalajara, and I ate the best nachos that I have ever had. Seriously. The best. I'm telling you, man. Mexican food is great.

Yesterday at church, we had fast and testimony meeting, and it was nice to hear everyone's testimony and be uplifted! I really love Sundays. I feel like I appreciate them more and more while on my mission. So many questions answered!

 

I love being a missionary!

 

Sister Clark