I Am An Arizona Girl

Something that I have learned this week: I am an Arizona girl. This humid cold is NO BUENO. It chills to the bone. So I learned my lesson, I'm ready to be transferred to a driving area :) haha, nahhhh, I love West New York.

 

I do not have very much time, my Pday has been cut a little bit short again :( I don't think we have had a regular pday this whole transfer, which is kind of tiring, but oh well. It's Christmas time and life still goes on, so I can't complain. It was a great week, I've got to quickly share some of the highlights.

 

My favorite event of the week - I have to give you the setting: We are in a bedroom with a round table. We sit on opposite sides all bundled in up in our blankets with a little space heater evenly between us and the door closed to keep in the warmth. We always start with a Christmas song, then we read 3 pages out of the missionary handbook. Then we share what we learned in personal study and we pick things to share with the appointments we have for the day. So, we sing a song, then we start to read out of the handbook. I'm reading and sister Orton is just listening, were both very tired and not very awake yet, then all of a sudden in the middle of my reading we hear this "SNAP - eep eep eep eep".... I look up from the handbook, then sister Orton looks at me and we are just like "oh no, that was not what I just think it was!" We knew exactly what it was... The sound of a mouse trap and a dying mouse's last breaths. We keep looking at each other terrified and so grossed out. Then we look at the door.... We have to decide who is going to take care of it... It is my turn because she disposed of the last mouse. We go out and it was the mousetrap under the stove... sure enough, there is a little mouse in there... SQUIRMING AROUND. Nope not dead yet. ew ew ew. So we pick it up, and toss it in a garbage bag, then run outside to toss it in the garbage can... then returned to our studies. Life is NEVER boring around here.

 

One of our investigators is getting VERY ready for baptism, FINALLY! He attended a baptism of one of the ninas de la iglesia last Saturday and he felt the spirit really strong. He has a baptism date for 5 de enero. In order to be baptized you have to come to church 3 times. He has come 2, but he needs to get work off on Sunday and it has been very hard for him to talk to his boss to ask him for this day off, but he has been asking us to pray for him. It is very close, I can feel it. I'm so happy.

 

Saturday it SNOWED LIKE CRAZY!!! President ordered a no driving day, but of course that didnt effect us, so we got dressed in our big coats and boots and gloves and hats and we headed out in the blizzard. We were definitely guided that day. The Lord blesses you when you make sacrifices to do his work, we were blessed with 4 lessons that day, then a BIRTHDAY PARTY! It was sister suarez birthday that day and she said she wanted to spend it with the missionaries so she brought her family and her cake to the church and a couple of her friends from the ward came and all of the missionaries and we had cake..... and not just cake... Are you ready for this Julie? cake from CARLOS BAKERY!! It was very yummy :)

 

On Sunday we got a call early in the morning from the bishop letting us know that church was cancelled because of the storm... SO we started our normal studies then the elders called and said that they would be holding the sacrament at the chapel for those who did not get the message... So we got ready really fast and headed down there... There were about 10 members and us 6 missionaries, so it was very small.... and then we realized that no one brought bread for the sacrament, so an hermano ran home and brought back these huge bagels... Then we begin and the elders only ripped the bagels into fourths or something, because it took about 3 bites to get my little piece down... hahahah such a funny day. I loved it. It was nice.

 

Later that night was the Spanish fireside for the members put on by the mission. It was really neat. All of the Spanish missionaries in the mission came and all of the Spanish members were invited, so it was quite the event. We spent the Pday last week practicing all the Christmas songs we were going to sing. Some of the elders and sisters had parts telling the Christmas story, then we would all sing. All the Elders and Sisters were on the stand. The church was full and the spirit was strong. Missionaries bring the BEST spirit. I loved every second of it. It ended at about 8 and everyone stayed chatting until 8:45. It was neat to see all of the elders and sisters running to go see members and investigators in their old areas that they hadn't seen in a long time. In every area there is always those families that you love so much, it was so cool to see how that never leaves, even when you leave your area. We had a couple of families in my area come too, it was fun to see the other missionaries that have taught them talk to them also. Then since we have to be in at 9 and some missionaries had a 2 hour drive home, we had some sisters sleep over in our apartment, which is only about 15 minutes away from the Union City chapel. We had Sisters Jorgenson and Daniels, it was fun to get to know some other sisters.

 

Well, that's all I have time for this week. I love you and thank you for everything. Have a great week!!

 

-Sister Clark