THE LORD WON'T LET ME FAIL

(This post was sent on September 14, 2015)

I forgot to tell you: I titled last week's post The Heart Surgeon and the Attorney... Elder Renlund is a heart surgeon, and Sister Renlund is an attorney. 

This week, Sister Stone and I were able to help David paint Lisa's house some more, and he even talked about inviting us over for dinner with him and his wife! He owns the only gluten-free-friendly store in Valentine, which is great for Sister Stone, so we're going there today to get stuff. 

Our branch had an activity at the park on Saturday, and we were able to visit with and become closer to our members. There was also a new family that moved in to Ainsworth (which is part of our area), so we got to know them, too! It was all-around good.

I've had a lot of gentle reminders from Heavenly Father this week, telling me that He needs me to be myself. He needs me to accept my weaknesses, strive to improve them but not be overwhelmed by them, and recognize the unique strengths that I have to contribute to His work. Sometimes it's hard, because being myself means that I'll take it harder when I come up short. But the Lord won't let me fail, so I just have to have faith that He'll use me the way He needs me.

Have a marvelous week!

Love,

Sister Clark

THE HEART SURGEON AND THE ATTORNEY

(This post was sent on September 8, 2015)

Great things that happened this week:

Sister Stone and I have laughed A LOT, mostly at each other because we're hilarious.

We were able to have dinner at a member family's house that we've never been
to before, gain a better relationship with them, and talk about the importance of families.

Sister Stone and I have the Plan of Salvation lesson down because of all the excellent opportunities we've had to share it this week.

We volunteered at the Good Samaritan Nursing home, painting nails and playing bingo. I always love doing that!

I finished the Book of Mormon and started it again.

We are now able to use the high school's track, so I can run in the morning! Good exercise makes for a happy missionary.

A sister in our branch gave us an idea for service: her neighbor needed a bit of cheering, so we made her a cute little craft to brighten her day.

Weekly planning didn't take a million years on Thursday! We got it done in a timely manner, and came out of it with effective plans.

We had a fantastic lesson with a less active member, Lisa, and her family. We asked if we could go through all the lessons with her again (for practice purposes, but also to help strengthen her), and so we taught the Restoration lesson and the importance of church attendance. And they came to church on Sunday :)

We had a lesson with George and Brenda on Friday, and as we talked about eternal marriage and families, we committed Brenda to do family history work so that she could do temple work for her family the next time she was there. AND, we committed George to pray about baptism so that he can be with his family forever.

Also, probably my favorite thing that happened was that on Monday (the 7th), we had a zone conference in Rapid City where Dale G. Renlund of the Seventy spoke to us, along with his wife. The spirit that was there while they spoke was so strong! I wish I could have bottled it and sent it to everyone. It's amazing how much the Lord loves us. I could feel it as Elder Renlund spoke. 

During a lunch appointment with a member a while ago, we were asked what helped us to know that the gospel and the church is true. For me, it's most definitely the message of continual hope that we have through the Savior's atonement. This week was a pretty good reminder. I would get overwhelmed by how inadequate I am compared to Jesus Christ, and that's especially intimidating to me because I'm representing Him while being on a mission (and when I'm off my mission, too, I suppose). There are also moments when I've felt like my attitude and effort haven't been as good as they should be, and then I'm disappointed in myself. BUT, the beautiful thing about the atonement is that we don't have to be perfect. We just have to be willing to change. Sometimes it's crazy to think that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us so perfectly and infinitely, especially since we're definitely imperfect. But that's what makes us want to change, right? Christ's love. Charity! Paul has a pretty awesome spiel about that in 1 corinthians 13. 

That's probably going to be my goal this week: have Christ-like charity for people. Help them change and want to follow Him.

Love,

Sister Clark

                            We got to stop at Mt. Rushmore on the way to zone conference!

GETTING TO KNOW THE MEMBERS

(This post was sent on August 31,2015)

GETTING TO KNOW THE MEMBERS

I want to tell you a couple of cool experiences that happened this week. First:  we're given a mileage allowance for the month, and with all the trips to Rapid City (four hours away) and Pierre (two hours) that we've done this month, our remaining miles were shrinking rather rapidly. All of a sudden, last week like three families in our branch, who live in outer towns in our area, invited us over for dinner. We weren't sure how we were going to make it out there and still keep within our mile limit, but we really wanted to go because it's super important to take those opportunities to visit with the members. So, during our weekly planning day, we came up with a rough plan: We would ask the families who invited us to come pick us up. They lived in Ainsworth and Springview, both about an hour away. A member here in Valentine owns a dental clinic in Ainsworth that has an apartment below it, and has offered its use to the missionaries. So, we took up the offer. We called the families and told them our idea, and you know what? It all worked out. Plus, the long drives were an excellent time to get to know them better.

At first, I was apprehensive about asking them for rides, because I don't like imposing on people and I enjoy self-sufficiency. But, I realized that having the members help us actually helped them. They really want to help with missionary work, but they sometimes aren't sure how. This was one way to show them that we really do need them, and that we appreciate what they do for us. Sister Stone and I even made them little thank-you cards :)

Another cool thing:  we went to dinner with the Stoker family on Saturday night in Springview, and Sister Stoker asked us if she could come tracting with us. It was really cool! Not a lot of people think tracting sounds fun, but she does. So, after dinner, the three of us went out and knocked on some doors. The first person to answer wasn't very excited to see us and promptly said goodbye. Sister Stoker asked if she could try a different approach, and we gave an emphatic "Of course!" The next door we knocked on ended up being someone she knew, and the lady let us right in. They talked about the things they had in common, and Sister Stoker introduced us, and also offered her a Book of Mormon. It was wonderful! We gave her our number and got hers, and we plan on setting up an appointment to see her again. The whole thing was really cool.

Our mission president, President Hess, knows the members of the Nashville Tribute Band and said that he'd see if he could get them to come and play for us. He also approved their Redeemer album, and he's going through the other ones to see if they'll be mission appropriate. I'm so excited! I absolutely love them.

Love,

Sister Clark

WALL DRUG IS WHERE IT'S AT

(This post was sent on August 26, 2015)

My biggest lesson this week was on obedience, I think.

Throughout the week, there have been days where I have felt diligent, and days where I think I could have been better. The Lord has promised abundant blessings from obedience, and He has also promised that we can know for ourselves whether or not what He's asking us to do is inspired. I've made it a goal this week to be exactly obedient! I've also made it a goal to open my mouth and talk to EVERYONE.

There's no growth in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growth zone. I can personally testify of the latter part, especially.

I've also made the joyful discovery of Paul this week, and the New Testament. Who knew it was so wonderful! I really love Ephesians, Romans, and the Corinthians.... more discoveries to follow, but that's it for now. Paul was such an amazing missionary! His words were powerful, and he was super in-tune with the Spirit. I can't help but feel a peaceful affirmation that his words are true when I read them.

We had a specialized training meeting on Monday in Rapid City, and on the way home we stopped in a town named Wall, famous for its historical drug store:  Wall Drug. They've made it a pretty big tourist place. It was really cool, though!

 Life is good.

Love,

Sister Clark

                             Sister Clark and Sister Stone on the way to Rapid City

                                      Sister Clark meets Sister Cavey again!

THE PIONEER CHILDREN GOT NOTHIN' ON US

(This post was sent on August 17, 2015)

Title: The Pioneer Children Got Nothin’ On Us

This week turned out to be very, very slow. The few appointments that we had were cancelled, save one. And so, what did we do? Walk. And walk. And walk. And walk. Probably not as much as some missionaries have experienced, but more tracking happened this week than I have yet done combined. And, even though the success we had was minimal, I felt more successful as a missionary this week than I have in quite some time. It was a good feeling! Our old mission president said that tracking is good for the soul, and I'm inclined to believe him.

We had a zone training meeting on Friday, and we did a zone breakfast beforehand. The zone leaders were trying to only do gluten-free foods (which was surprisingly easy to do) because there were a few missionaries who can't have gluten. They assigned us to bring fruit, so we made a super cute fruit salad and used a watermelon as the bowl. It was great :) The training was super great! We talked about ways we can help the members realize their potential for and help them feel that they can be successful at being member missionaries. It definitely inspired me to be a better member missionary when I get home.

I was telling Sister Stone the other day that I'm so glad for the study time that we're given in the morning. It's helped me to get in the habit of immersing myself in the scriptures, and I learn so much every morning! It's one of the coolest things.

Hopefully this week will pick up a bit, but even if it doesn't, I've got some pretty good walking shoes. Love you all!

Sister Clark

TRANSFERS

This week was pretty slow as far as the work goes. Sister Pierce did a lot of packing, and we both did a whole bunch of cleaning and visiting people in preparation for her going home and me getting a new companion.  We drove down to Rapid City Wednesday night and stopped in the Badlands, so I can officially say that I've been there. It was so cool! It felt sci-fi-y.

                                 BADLANDS...SOUTH DAKOTA

                             SISTER CLARK LOOKS LOST IN THE BADLANDS

                                 NOT ALONE AFTER ALL!

We spent the night with the Mount Rushmore sisters in their apartment, and then I sent Sister Pierce on her way on the transfer train the next morning. It was a little sad, but mostly I'm happy that she gets to see her family again. AND, she got to go to the temple right before she left, which was the first time since leaving the MTC that she was able to do that. The cool thing about Thursday was that I got to hang out with Sister Cavey all day until the transfer train came back down from Bismarck.

               SISTER CLARK'S LAST GOODBYE TO SISTER PIERCE

When it got closer to the time for the train to come, a bunch of missionaries were waiting at the church, and we all decided to play ultimate frisbee... it's hard to get into it while wearing a skirt, though; but doable :)  AND THEN, finally, at around 9:30, my new companion arrived. Her name is Sister Stone, and she's the sweetest thing! I'm training her for the next 12 weeks. She and I get along pretty well so far :)

The mission reopened the Chaimberlain area again, which is in our district, so we have more missionaries at district meetings now. I'm excited for that, because now we can have district lunches! Food is always good.

That's pretty much all of the big stuff for this week. Love you bunches!

Sister Clark

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