This week was great! It went by so fast and it was kind of crazy. On Tuesday we had the departing temple trip. It was so crazy that I actually went on the departing trip. Killing my last two companions I sent them on their departing trips and just stayed in my area but this time it was my turn. It was so much fun, I had a blast. Our zone leaders dropped me off at the secaucus library at 745 and we headed down to Manhattan to the temple. There were 16 of us and about half of us were in one van with President Taggart and the other half in another van with Sister Taggart. We were in President Taggarts van. I pretty much hung out with Sister Duke all day since we are good friends. It was such a trunky van ride... Everyone was just talking about what thier plans are at home. It was pretty exciting. We got to the temple like an hour early, the traffic was surprisingly really good for it being a few days before thanksgiving. We got to hang out in front of the temple for a while and take pictures. The weather was perfect! We didnt really even need coats. Then we all got in our whites and waited for a while for our session. There is a really cool upstairs part in the Manhattan temple. We went up there and looked at all of the beautiful paintings. It was just so nice to be inside the temple for a while away from the world. Then we did our session. It was a beautiful session and it was fun to be in there with all the departing missionaries and with the Taggarts. Marisol and her mom came down. They barely missed our session but they did some other ordinances while they waited for us and they met us in the celestial room. It was so neat to see Marisol in there right when we went in. Sister Duke cried. We are all so proud of her. After that we all stayed in our whites and went into the chapel where we had a question and answer session with the temple president. That was really neat and I learned a lot about the temple. Then we changed and had lunch in the church above the temple. We had sandwhiches and cupcakes. IT was nice to just hang out with everyone. After that we went to take a walk through central park. While we were on the way to central park we got a call from the Dunns (the senior couple in Bayonne) and they said that they had a really important appointment for Sister Duke to be on the news announcing the Christmas program and they needed her in Jersey City at 5 ready to go. That was a huge change of plans since it was only like 3 and we werent even planning on being home until 6. Everyone was excited to walk through central park and didnt want to leave early so President Taggart looked up the subway systems on his phone, slipped us a $20 and told us to go run and catch the subways. Before we left we walked through central park with the group. IT was really neat. I had never been to central park before. There was these 3 guys that were dancing hip hop and performing and there was a pretty big group that had formed to watch them. They started pulling people in to dance with them and they ended up pulling one of the elders in and they were dancing to "baby got back" by sir mix alot. IT was seriously so funny. Sister Taggart wasnt watching when they pulled him in but she walked over and when she saw him she was just like "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" hahaha. I have a really funny video of it. IT was so hilarious. Then we went and took pictures with the Taggarts then Sister Duke and I had to take off. Everyone else stayed in central park for a while before they drove home. It was so crazy being let loose in Manhattan with Duke. WE literally had no idea what we were doing or where we were going but somehow we found our way to the subway. We had to ask a lot of people inside the station how to use the subway. It was super funny, but somehow we made it back to jersey city right at 5 and our companions picked us up. Then the next hour was the craziest most stressful hour of my mission... I dont even know how to explain what happened,... but to make a long story short. It wasnt a news station we were going to it was the city court and we went to the city council meeting to invite the coucil members to the christmas program. Elder dunn was having a cow and he only wanted one companionships of elders and one companionship of sisters to go and somehow I got dragged into going with Sister Duke and Sister Galvan and Monsen went back to bayonne. It was sooooo crazy to sit in on the city council meeting in Jersey City. There are some CRAZY people that live in Jersey City... But the elders that serve there some how have a really good relationship with the secretary of the council so she pulled us aside about 2 hours into the meeting and appologized for how long it was taking and she told us a little bit about everything that was going on, then she took us into the office and she gave us some dinner. Then we went back into the meeting and it lasted about another hour and a half. Sister Duke was the last one to speak and it went so well. It totally brightened the whole mood of the court room. It was way cool and she offered service to the city. It was well worth all of the stress and the time. WE didnt get out until like 10 at night. THe dunns gave us a ride to the Bayonne apartment. SIster Galvan and I just ended up staying the night at Bayonne since it was way to late to drive all the way back to U.C. I slept on the floor with Duke. WHen we woke up in the morning it was snowing and there was a text sent out to the mission that all the cars needed to be parked. WE called the assistants really quick and explained the situation to them and they gave the bayonne sisters to drive us home really fast. We made it home at about 730. The real storm started later on so we were lucky we got home.
Wednesday we were so tired as you can imagine and we really just didnt feel good. IT was kind of a slow day.
Thursday was so much fun. WE started out with the TUrkey bowl from 8am-12pm. WE went down to passaic and played with zones 1 and 2. It snowed so hard the whole time but it was a lot of fun. After that we went home got ready then headed to the church. We spent the whole day at the church helping the Sorianos decorate the cultural hall for Marisol's farewell party. SHe had it all decorated so cute. It was fun to be there and just hang out with Marisol and her cousin Sedney. THen we had our first thanksgiving dinner with the Hernandez. That was so crazy. THey would not stop talking and we tried to leave their house for like 45 minutes straight but they wouldnt let us leave so we ended up being an hour late for thanksgiving with the sorianos becaus we stayed at the hernandez for 2 hours. IT was so fun to go to the sorianos though. WE just had fun hangin out and chatting with them. THeyre like another family out here. I absolutely adore sedney our investigator. I think she has the strongest faith out of anyone I have ever met before. We were literally just savoring every single second we could get with Marisol before she left. Union CIty isnt the same without her.
The next day was Marisols farwell party. THAt was so much fun. Hispanics seriously know how to throw amazing parties. THe missionaries and I put together a special song for her. We sang her the song that the Jeppsons always used to sing us at the end of every meeting. SHe cried. Then we gave her the book of mormon that Hna Galvan and I made for her. We gave her the commitment to always have a book of mormon in her hands for her whole mission. THen we had so much food. Hno Cayetano catered the party and the food was incredible. THere was a few different kinds of meat and salad and of course rice and some pasta. Hno Jimenez was the d.j. so of course there was good music and dancing. I dont know what it is about hispanics, but they all know how to dance. I think it is in their blood. I got to show off my bachata moves that Hna galvan is teaching me. :)
Saturday was a really good day. IT was Byron's birthday. WE made him a cake and wrote his name on it with m&ms. He was so excited when he saw it. Then Marcial came down from passaic to see me. HE took us out to eat at noches de colombia. IT was so awesome to see him. He is doing so well and is a good strong member of the branch. He just got a calling as the sunday school president and he blesses the sacrament every week. WE talked for a long time. IT was hard to say goodbye to him but I promised that Id be back when he gets his endowment next year. HE is going to the temple to do baptisms for the first time in a couple of weeks. Im so excited for him! wooo hooo!! Then we had a really really good lesson with our investigator Jimmy. We taught him the whole restoration and he accepted baptism. THen we went out to dinner with our ward mission leader hermano ronco. It was so much fun. We got to know him really well and he is really fun to joke around with. WE had a really cool time teaching him as well. We talked to him about the importance of praying specifically and we shared our experience about our street lesson last week. The spirti was super strong and he cried. WE made some really great goals for the ward with him. He is a GREAT ward mission leader.
Sunday was long. We were at the church at 8 to see Marisol get set apart. THat was a really neat experience and I feel so honored that she invited us. She is one incredible missionary. The spirit was amazing and experiencing that gave me a renued excitement for missionary work and reminded me of the day that I got set apart. Then she gave her farewell talk in church. It was very good. My companion translated to english for her for some of her friends that went. After church we went and saw her and studied preach my gospel with her for the last time. We took mate for her to drink too. It was so funny. SHe hated it!
Also, I got my own stuff for MATE!! Im so excited. Im making yall drink mate with me when I get home :)
Yesterday was amazing! We had our departing liberty island trip. Sister Duke picked us up and we headed down to Marisols to see her for the last time before she left for the airport that afternoon. IT was so sad and hard to say goodbye to her but so exciting at the same time just because we are so proud of her and excited for her mission.... SHe really is going to be an amazing missionary. Then we met with the other departing missionaries in newark and headed to ellis island. WE got like an hour to go through the museum which was cool because I had never been upstairs. Then we went on the ferry over to liberty island to see the statue. WE got to go up to the top of the pedistal. That was fun. My legs hurt from the stairs though. On the ferry ride back sister taggart got up and made the whole ferry do the wave. IT was so funny. We were laughing so hard. SHe is crazy. Then we went to the 9/11 memorial. IT was absolutely beautiful. We looked at the skyline for a bit and hung out there. THen we went and had lunch in Bayonne. THen we went to see the rusian tear drop. THat thing is huge and really neat! then we went to newark to this really really cool catholic cathederal. I think that was my favorite part. It is really old and amazingly beautiful. We walked all around the inside and learned about some of the catholic traditions and then we sung hymns. It was beautiful and the spirit was strong the whole time. A very beautiful spirit of faithfulness that we felt in the cathederal. President Taggart talked to us a little bit about what is going on in the world right now and what we need to do and our responsibilities as christians to stand with our values and to stand with other christians reguardless of their religions. IT was very powerful.THen we headed back to the newark chapel to get picked up. I had my departing interview with President Taggart. WE talked for about 45 minutes and he gave me some very good cousel about my life and we talked about my mission and about all the things that I have learned and how I can apply them when I go home. AFter that we got picked up by SIster MOnsen and Galvan. THere was terrible traffic on the way home but SIster DUke and I had some fun in the backseat taking really weird pictures on her camera. We were just feeling kind of crazy. WE laughed really hard though. IT is so weird... AFter my departing interview I really feel like it is all over. I dont feel like a missionary anymore... I mean i do, Iknow im not released, but I just feel like it is the end. ITs a cool feeling. I think everything is starting to hit me and I am starting to transition just a teeny bit.
Today we had my last district meeting. I Did my hot seat... that was fun. hahaha I told a lot of fun stories and it was fun to think about my mission and share mission stories with my zone. ITs weird to think that is what they are to me now. Just my mission stories. I loved it though. And we all drank mate while I was telling stories out of my mate cup :) hahaha It was a good day. IT is going to be a good week. ITs going to be busy and kind of stressful but Im gong to try to just live it upand have fun. Next week will be my last email! It is weird to thinkt aht in a week from now I will be home! AHHH! Im excited to see you all.
I love you and miss you! Talk to you next week!! (on email then later in person!! :)
con amor,
Sister Clark
