...was that a fart?

I am really loving Union City. It is hard for the first couple of weeks in a new area, but I feel like I am getting the hang of things and I've really started to love the people here. On missions, it is really hard to not compare yourself to other missionaries, especially as a sister, because, let's be honest, everyone LOVES the sisters. But everyone goes to their areas and does their own work there and has completely different experiences, so if you know a sister that has served in one area, then you get transferred there, you are going to do the work differently or have different relationships with the members and investigators there. Does that make sense? I feel like that is something that I struggle with sometimes, especially since I have been moved around so much on my mission. The longest I have ever stayed in one place is 3 transfers or about 4 months. That is pretty regular, but it has been more regular for me to be in an area for less than 3 transfers, which is unusual, so that means that it is harder for me to develop really strong relationships with people. I don't know, it's kind of hard sometimes, but I'm just glad that I have been where I have been and met all of the wonderful people I have had the opportunity to meet. I'm excited to finish my mission in Union City.... I'm going to be so mad if I get transferred again. 6 areas is just too much! ha ha. No, I will do whatever the Lord wants me to do.

We had a really normal week, which is good, because our first 3 weeks were un poco loco. On Tuesday we went back to the Alonso's house to get some more acupuncture. Like always, that was an experience. They are so interesting... They are very beautiful people, but they are a little bit prideful, which is really funny for Jorgensen and I. They just say the strangest things sometimes. We actually saw them twice this week and the second time he hooked Jorgensen and I up to the acupuncture machine at the same time, so we were both twitching out and it was so funny. Then he turns YouTube onto his big screen TV and is showing us his YouTube page of him singing Christmas songs. It was so weird. Jorgensen and I didn't know how to react because it was kind of annoying and we couldn't escape because we were hooked up to that dumb machine. It was the weirdest thing I have ever seen. ha ha. I loved it though. We got out of there and laughed so hard.

On Thursday we got to go down to Morristown to watch Meet the Mormons with the northern half of the mission. It was super fun! We don't have a car, so we caught a ride with the Korean Elders. That was interesting. They are super funny and really cool to be around. Meet the Mormons was so good. I really loved it, if you get a chance you should definitely go see it. It is a feel good movie and I thought it was a perfect introduction to the world of who we really are as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. After watching Meet the Mormons, we had an exchange with the Bayonne sisters. I stayed in Union City with Sister Duke and Jorgensen went to Bayonne with Sister Weinstock. I had a lot of fun. It was a good exchange because Duke is super real and is easy to talk too. Sometimes exchanges are kind of awkward because you have never really met the sister that you are exchanging with. It wasn't like that with Duke because we have these weird connections and we do stuff with them all of the time. Sis Duke was trained by Sis Haycock, so I heard a lot about her and she was also companions with Sister Jorgensen down in Eatontown. We went and saw this recent convert in our area named Veronica. She has a little son named Gabriel who is about 4 and he is such a stinker. He is the cutest kid I have ever seen though. He is learning how to play the guitar too, so I was dying when he was showing me how he plays. Overall it was a great exchange, I had fun.

On Wednesdays we always have our correlation meeting with the ward mission leader at 1. Sister Jorgensen and I were the only missionaries that were able to go because all of the other missionaries in our unit were at a specialized training in Morristown for new missionaries. Our ward mission leader took us out to lunch at this really yummy Mexican food place called Tio Tacos. We ordered enchiladas and tortas and Sister Jorgensen and I shared. We each ate half of a torta and 2 enchiladas. It was so much food. Then right after that we went to visit this family who gave us a ton of food, too. I had to go throw up after that appointment because it was just way too much food for me. I can't wait for the day when I can serve myself and pick my own portions.

On Friday night after we exchanged back, we had an appointment set with this 19 year old Dominican kid.... Sister Jorgensen and I are actually really kind of bugged by this kid. He is super annoying and really rude. He comes to church a lot but he is always disrespectful and says dumb things in class and is really rude to our other investigator, Byron. Anyways, we had this appointment set up and we couldn't find a woman team up, we asked him to meet us at the church because there was going to be a lot of people there playing soccer. It was the most awkward lesson of my life. This kid is literally obsessed with my companion. (well, who could blame him, have y'all seen my compa? She's cute. But he was being so rude and disrespectful and I felt like a jealous boyfriend.. I mean Jorgensen and I are basically dating, were together 24/7. I was mad. Then, he walked home with us and we couldn't escape, because we live on 47 and he lives on 49, so we walked all the way from the church on 25th to 47th with him. I was literally so bugged by the time we finally got home. I had to repent... but listen to this. So we were walking down Bergenline and he walks past his friend and his friend calls out to him "Hey chiko what are you up too?" Then he was like, "andando con mis mujeres!" (out with my women). Jorgensen almost died. She stopped him and was like, "BRIAN, WE ARE NOT YOUR MUJERES, WE ARE MISSIONERAS SO IF YOU ARE GOING TO SAY THAT YOU CAN WALK HOME ALONE!" ahahahah it was so annoying. I love my compa. she is fuerte. Then he was like, ok chill out jorgie. I said "con mis hermanas." and we were like, uh yeah no you didn't. We understand Spanish ya dummy. Anyways, so we keep walking then he was like, "Hey Jorgie, do you cook?" and she was like, "uh, why?" then he was like, "The next time we hang out, you can cook me some rice or something" I was so annoyed. So so annoyed.

We are not teaching that kid anymore.

On Saturday I had a really hard day for some reason. I was feeling super bummed and I was just struggling. I was really depressed. Maybe because it rained for the 2 days earlier. I don't know, but we had to take a little bit of a break. I was way stressed out. My companion is seriously the best though. I really don't even know how to describe to you. She saves my life everyday. To be honest, being a missionary is super hard sometimes. I have had some of the hardest times of my life on my mission. Everyday is hard, but it has been so worth it. The end is coming and I am feeling it. It's really dumb because I still have 3 months, that is a lot of time! I just feel weird though. I'm excited to go home, but life won't be the same as when I left. It is kind of hard killing people, too. I just killed Sister Haycock and now I'm killing Sister Jorgensen, so it's kind of hard to have your companions go home and you have to stay out here. I have been losing motivation to work as hard as I have before. Hopefully I get a companion who is young and full of fire to help move me along to my deathbed. Ugh, mission life is so dramatic.

Sunday night we had a sleepover with the Bayonne sisters. So funny. Jorgensen and Duke are so crazy when they are together. They're super entertaining, because they think they're funny. Anyways, it was just really entertaining. We had this sleep over because we had to be in Morristown to prepare the Sister activity that was going to start at 11 on Monday morning. Sister Jorgense and Sister Duke planned this thing with Sister Taggart. We got there and we set up the tables and chairs and plates and we made all the food. It was a really fun activity. Sister Oaks, one of the members in the Morristown ward who is a yoga expert came and did a yoga class with us. It was so relaxing. Probably the best thing that could have ever happened to me that day. It was super nice. Then we had lunch and after lunch we went to three 15 minute classes. There was 5 to chose from. Jorgensen and Duke were doing a training on how to dress cute and modestly. They're so funny. Then I went and did some crafts. Then we all met in the chapel and had some trainings by the mission nurse and the missions social services worker. It was really great. We all got to try out President Taggart's face things too. President Taggart is an Entrepreneur and he has these face exfoliating things that he invented. It takes off the first layer of your skin. My face feels nice and soft now. His daughter Emily did mine for me. We didn't get home until 6, then we had to go out onto the streets right then.

Ok, funny story. Last night we were walking to our first appointment and there was this guy walking in front of us. All of a sudden we hear a fart sound and we both just stop. Jorgensen looks at me with the most confused look on her face, then I was just like, "...was that a fart?" T hen she looks at me and we stepped off the side walk behind this car and we both just started dying laughing. We laughed for a long time though. The guy that was walking in front of us definitely just let a big juicy fart out. It was so funny. Were going to be laughing about that one for a while.

Union City, its the place to be. Gotta love it!

Love you all and hope you have a good week!

-Sister Clark