As always, the work is moving forward here in Union City New
Jersey. I am so blessed to be apart of it. I had a lot of fun with the
people we teach and especially with my companion Hermana Galvan. It is
such a huge blessing that she was sent here to be my companion right
now. We have a lot of fun together, which is really good. I am happy to
be ending my mission on a good note! We are working hard and seeing
miracles!
On
Tuesday we had our zone meeting. It was my last zone meeting so that
was kind of emotional but it was very good. I really loved it. Elder
Beus and Elder Packer trained us on our monthly focus which is
consecration. I am so thankful for this monthly focus because I really
want to be focused and consecrated for these last 3 weeks of my mission
because I know that we can see some big miracles here in Union City this
transfer, we just have to be very focused on the work. They read this
really cool poem called "the dash" that talks about how we all have our
time here on earth that will eventually be marked on our tomb stones as a
dash between our years and how we need to make the best of our dash
because only the people who know us will know what the dash represented.
They related it to our missions. Soon my mission will be over and it
will just be July 2013-Dec1014 and I want to be able to say that during
my dash I showed the pure love of Christ and that I was obedient to his
will. It was very interesting to think about and it gave me a new
perspective on these last 3 weeks of "my dash".
After zone meeting we
all went to Wendys for lunch. On the way down there I was sitting in the
back seat of the van with Hna Galvan and Hna Stone and we were taking
double chin pictures. It was SO FUNNY! The elders were like, what the?
Then, we all had coupons for free frostys. I feel bad for the people
that worked there who had to give all 20 something of us free frostys.
ha ha. It was fun. After zone meeting Hermana Galvan and I hit the
streets and we had it in our plans to go down into North Bergen to try
some former investigators and try to work that area down there. We got
so lost a couple of times, but we had good contacts from asking people
for directions. We actually had a really cool miracle. We asked this
random lady for directions and she actually turned out to be an inactive
member and she gave us her phone number and address so we can go visit
her. That was cool. Then we knocked a formers door and she opened and
let us in and we taught her and she was willing to let us come back to
teach her again.
After that we went to go visit the Hernandez family
(the crazy Colombians) I will never get tired of visiting them... They're
just so weird. In a good way though :). It was Hna Galvan's first time
visiting them and it was so much fun because she is Hispanic as well, so
everyone just jokes with us more now and I feel like i am learning so
much more Spanish with her. I am learning little sayings and how to joke
around with people. Hno Hernandez just kept on making fun of her accent
and some of the Argentinean cultures. It was so funny. We were just
laughing the whole time. We played a game with them where they had to
draw themselves but the paper was on top of their heads so they couldn't
see. It was so fun. They also have this cute family living with them.
They are members and his name is Alan and he is like 23 or something and
is seriously the cutest kid ever. WE were all laughing so hard. Our
stomachs hurt from laughing so hard when we got out of the appointment.
After visiting them we went to see Marisol at the same creepy park in
North Bergen that we had to walk through the night before. We are
helping her prepare for her mission... she leaves in 2 weeks! It is so
crazy. I am going to miss her like crazy, but she is serving in
California so maybe ill be able to make a surprise visit down there. haa.
Wednesday
was a crazy day. We had interviews with President Taggart at 1:00 at the
Union City church. We did our normal studies then we had to head down to
the church since it takes like 30 minutes to walk there and we wanted
to give ourselves time to contact. We ended up contacting this really
cool lady named Mariam from Israel. She asked us for a Bible in English
we gave her a Book of Mormon. She was so happy. She spoke very little
English because she has only been here for a little over a year. Her
kids and husband are still in Israel and she is providing for them and
going to college. She said she has been praying for the word of god
since she got to this country. She took our planners and wrote her
information in it and made sure that we had a set appointment with her
and she wouldn't let us leave with out promising her that we would call
her. So cute!
We barely made it to our interviews on time. The
interviews went well... sort of. For the last couple of months I have
been having very strong promptings that I need to return home from my
mission a transfer early, and it has been causing me a lot of stress. I
had been talking to President and Sister Taggart about it but I had
decided the week earlier that I wanted to finish my full mission, but
all throughout the week I felt really uneasy about it. I couldn't stop
thinking about it and it just didn't feel right at all. It was making me
nervous and I was planning on talking to President about it during the
interview but I just got too nervous, so I didn't. Then I had my
interview with Sister Taggart and the same thing. Side note: Their
daughter was going in to labor during our interviews so between
interviews they would be on the phone with her. While president Taggart
was in an interview with an elder she pulled us aside and let us listen
on speaker phone. It was so cool! It was really cute seeing how excited
they were and everything. :) Anyways, after the interview while we were
walking home Hna Galvan and I were talking about what P.T. told us and
she told me that President Taggart told her that he was expecting me to
come and tell him that I needed to go home early and he was very
surprised when I didn't. Then he told her to tell me that He and Sister
Taggart would support me in my decision and that they felt very strongly
like my work here in New Jersey was finished. Then Hna Galvan told me
that Sister Taggart told me the very same thing, that she and President
Taggart felt like my work here was done, but that it was up to me and
they would support me. As soon as I heard that my heart stopped. We
crossed the street and sat down at some benches at the park and we
talked about it. I knew exactly what I needed to do. I felt the spirit
saying to me very directly that I needed to turn around and go tell
President Taggart that I needed to go home... SO that is exactly what I
did. I turned around and we went back to the church. When I got there it
was like the Taggarts where there waiting for me, like they knew all
along that I was going to come back. I told President Taggart and he was
very loving and he said that he would take care of everything and he
told me that I have served a very honorable mission... Then just like
that, my release date changed. It is so weird for me to think about.
When I left the church after that I felt an overwhelming feeling of
peace and I knew that I had done exactly what the Lord wants me to do. I
have felt good all week ever since the decision has been made. For the
first time in the last couple of months since I have been feeling these
promptings I feel stress free. It feels great and I am so excited to
come home. It was hard for me to understand why I need to go home early
and I still don't know why but I do know that I have done my best here in
New Jersey and that I served a full time mission because I did what my
Heavenly Father sent me here to do.
Thursday
was a great day. We had our weekly planning, which was really good. Hna
Galvan are turning this area around. It was kind of struggling for a
while but we have seen some huge miracles the last couple of weeks. It
has been exciting to plan for the future and getting a glimpse of what
God wants for this area and how he wants us to do His work. Missionary
work is very exciting. I am going to miss all of the excitement. During
planning we got a ring at the door bell and got a special visit from
Marisol and Sister Schwendiman. I don't know if y'all remember sister Schwendiman, but she was almost my trainer but she ended up training
Sister Schaefer instead and she served in Union City for 5 transfers and
she just recently went home in August. She was here visiting for the
weekend so she could go to a wedding in Brunswick and so that she could
go to the temple with Marisol. It was so fun talking to her and it was
just what I needed because she went home a transfer early from her
mission to so she was able to talk to me about it a little bit and she
just made me feel so much better because I was feeling like leaving
early meant that I didn't endure and things like that, but she told me
that she felt the same way but that it is not true at all and that I
need to listen to what God is saying and just do it and that everything
has gone well for her since she went home. It was really good to hear
that from her and it made me feel so much better.
After planning we went
to go visit Hna Betancourt a less active member. It was raining outside
so she invited us into her house, which is kind of unusual we usually
teach her outside. It was really neat because her mom wandered in and
listened. Her mom isn't a member and has never showed interest before,
but we were teaching the plan of salvation and she asked us to start the
lesson over and she was very interested. She loved it! She said she
might even come to church next week. IT was pretty cool. Then we went to
go visit the Cayetano family. We watched a movie with them and talked
to them about preparing to be sealed in the temple when they complete a
year. They are the cutest family ever!! I seriously love them so much.
Friday
was an awesome day. We kind of had a slow morning for what ever reason
and we actually ended up leaving the house a little bit late... it was
kind of weird but it all turned out good. We needed to go to Wells Fargo
for Sister Galvan so she could set up her account so her family could
send her money from Argentina. So we went to this Wells Fargo on 35 and Park Ave right outside of our area. This really funny guy named Lenny
helped us. It took like an hour and a half because we got along so well
with this guy. He was so funny and he was Dominican, so of course we
started talking about accents. He was teaching us how to have a perfect
Dominican accent because hna Galvan and I told him that we were
practicing our Dominican accents. It was so much fun and we were
laughing so hard. He was a really cool guy and we gave him a card and
talked to him a bit about the gospel. We are going back to see him next
week because Hna Galvan has to have him scan her passport. WE are so
excited. We made a fun new friend. After that we met Marisol on
Bergenline and went to Dunkin Donuts with her. She was snapchatting hna Jorgensen, so that was funny. I miss her like crazy! Then we went to go
visit Veronica. Her husband ended up leaving so we were alone with her
which was a huge miracle because he distracts from the spirit so much.
We taught her a really good lesson and the spirit was super strong. She
is preparing to go to the temple this month and she is so excited. She
said she feels like everything in her life is leading her to the temple
right now. It was so neat to see the change in her within the last month
since she has been preparing to go to the temple. I can't even explain
it. After Veronica we went to go see Byron. He walked us home. We taught
him a quick lesson and discussed a lot of different things with him. I
love Byron so much. He is such a good guy. I really wish he could get
baptized, but we just have to trust in the lord that he will be baptized
in His time.
Saturday
was the weirdest day.... We went and taught Bryan, the Dominican kid.
He is growing on me, which is weird because I kind of hated him at
first. He is really great though and has sincere interest in the gospel.
He just takes a lot of patience sometimes. Then we had mormon.org
time then we went to the church to clean. It was Veronica's turn to
clean, but she cant because she isn't feeling very well because of her
pregnancy so we told her that we would be happy to do it. We cleaned the
bathrooms really deep. It took us a good 2 hours. I don't think anyone
has cleaned the bathroom in forever. Then we cleaned the baptismal
font... It was so disgusting. I don't think it has ever been cleaned,
which is sad because its like the most important part of the church! We
cleaned it though and it is sparkling and ready for the next baptism....
which is hopefully Bryan :) Then we went and taught this potential
named Jimmy... He was a really cool guy but he just talks so much. We
taught him a bit and he was really interested and he just kept on going
off about his life and about different things. We tried ending the
lesson like 6 times because we had to leave to get to another
appointment but he just kept on talking. It was the worst. I was so
anxious that I totally shredded the Styrofoam cup he gave me with water
in it and I couldn't stop moving and tapping my feet. IT was the worst.
We were trapped! We didn't make it to our last appointment and we ended
up getting out of his house at 8:50.
AS soon as he shut the door I took of running down the street shouting
"were finally free!!" and hna Galvan was laughing so hard. We were going
so crazy because we got so antsy in there because he just wouldn't stop
talking! We decided to go get some pan de bono then head home. Then when
we got home we were so hyper and we could hardly focus on planning. We
finished really quick then went into the living room and started making
weird videos... I really wish I could send you all videos, but you are
in for a real treat when I get home.... Lets just say that Hna Galvan
and I are secretly Dominican. Then she taught me how to dance bachata.
Literally, having a Hispanic companion is the greatest thing in the
world because she is teaching me cool things like how to dance bachata
and this other weird dance that they do in Argentina, she makes really
yummy food and she is going to teach me how to make empenadas,
milanesas, tacos durados and papa la huancaina. I'm so stoked. She also
got me into drinking mate. I <3 Argentina. Literally I'm obsessed. I
seriously have the greatest companion ever and I am so thankful and
blessed.
This Sunday
was literally insane because we had so many investigators at church.
All of them came, which was awesome, but it was some of their first days
which is hard because we have to be with them and show them around and
introduce them to members but we also have to stay together and we cant
be two places at once and then we have to try to track everyone down and
it is just pure craziness. I can definitely say that Sunday
is the most stressful day of the week for a missionary. I am looking
forward to a normal low key day of rest. But until then, let the
craziness continue. It turned out to be really good. We taught Bryan
during the last hour and it was a crazy lesson because these kids wanted
to team up with us but they were so obnoxious and wouldn't be quiet and
it was so distracting. Hna Galvan and I were trying so hard not to just
throw them out of the church. IT was a real test of our patience. It is
so hard to have Christlike love sometimes, especially with obnoxious
young preteen boys who are in love with you and wont leave your side for
two seconds and ruin your lessons. Oh well. It turned out OK.
So
that is basically it for this week. It was so great. I am really trying
to enjoy the last couple of weeks I have out here and I am so excited
to see what happens here. The future is so bright in Union City. A lot
of things are changing for the better and we are seeing miracles every
day. It has been so humbling to look back on the last 16 months and see
how God was in every single detail, from where I was, to what I was
doing, who my companions were and everything. It is such a humbling
experience to be doing the work of the Lord, especially here in New
Jersey, what I used to think was the armpit of America. I love it so
much and I know that God does too. I know that God loves every single
one of His children and His work will go forth until they have all been
given the opportunity to learn about His son Jesus Christ and His
gospel. The gospel is so truly beautiful and I am so humbled to be
representing my savior and redeemer, Jesus Christ. I wouldn't give these
16 months for anything in the whole world. They are so very precious to
me.
I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!
con mucho amor,
Hermana Clark xoxo
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