Tuesday, September 24, 2013

HELLOOOOOO!!!

So yes. I have been transfered. I miss Bay Shore, NY already. But I am now in Queens, NY in a part called Rego Park. That is where the mission office is. Infact, I have the responsibility of learning how to run the backstages of missionary work. My mission president told me that I am going to take over the office in 6 weeks. I will also be the new District Leader incharge of the Mission Office in Rego Park in 6 weeks. I just have to prepare myself by learning all the ways from my District Leader companion Elder A. He is a BEAST!!! I went on a full day exchange with him during the Hurricane Service in November and I have loved him and wanted to serve with him ever since. He is a STUD! I am so sad that i only get 6 weeks with him.

This week for us has been really really crazy. We have done everything. We have moved and prepared a lot of missionaries and apartments for service by moving people, getting orders together, buying needed items, supplying the necessities, and on top of that we have been trying our best to get out and do some good missionary work. We got to go to lunch with President the other day. (best steak dinner ever at London Linnies) He told us of how he puts some of the most able and best workers in the Rego Park district to do missionary work and then have the added responsibility of running everything else. So as you could imagine I am a little nervous to be incharge of that next transfer. But it will be really really fun. I get a lot of interaction with a lot of people and this will be such a fun position to have. I'm so pumped to GET WORK DONE! I have a large checklist to do and you better believe I'm taking notes because my memory alone wont get the job done. I need organization now. Haha I'm really thankful that I have been working on that for awhile. I'm not sure how much time I will have each week to email or such though because we are the most busy missionaries in the mission probably. I'm already tired. I was up until 12 last night which is crazy for missionary life.

However I did get to go back to Bay Shore on saturday and perform in the Musical Celebration of Families! I loved it! There were a lot of people that I was working with that showed up and felt the spirit really strongly. I am so excited about a few of them. President Calderwood gave the most powerful testimony of families in the closing remarks it was really amazing.

So I am busy, tired, but still lovin it! It's really fun to hear the wise words of the senior office couples in the mission. Elder B always has some awesome story and lesson for us to learn. hahahaha it is so fun to be here.

Elder A is from Hawaii. He is a stud who plays the ukalele really well and is just a giant chill teddy bear. I enjoy pushing him around to make him laugh even though he could eat me. haha we are working hard though and it has been a blast.

I love you all and you are the GREATEST! Keep doing the best at whatever you are doing! Keep your working hard and motives high!

Love,
Elder Clark

Monday, September 16, 2013

















o Heelllloooo over there!

Suprisingly enough, despite all of my little thoughts of staying here in Bay Shore another transfer with Elder M, I am leaving tomorrow. After almost 6 beautiful months here. I am very very very sad about it but I am excited for my new experience that I will get to have! New companion! New Area! New Ward! New opportunites! Yay! So I will tell you all about it next week!

Im sad that I might have to miss the Celebration of Families that I was preparing for. I will miss a lot of really great members and really great nonmembers. Shoot I just love Bay Shore! But thats alright! Because whenever we have the opportunity to serve we are able to love, and when we love we have joy! Yes I know I got started on love and joy again but they are like my favorite words.

We went to Montauk this morning, leaving at 4:00. It was super fun and really really peaceful. I love the way nature just gives you the perspective you need. There's some crazy connection between God and all his creations. WE just need to be more connected.

This week we taught Gospel Doctrine on Family History and we learned a ton about the necessity of it! It says in D&C 2 that without that priesthood authority being restored to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and vice versa "the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming." This is intense. It totally makes sense though. The class spent a lot of time talking about the unifying feeling you get(spirit of Elijah!). But then in Luke 1:17 it says something SUPER COOL!

17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of aElias, to turn the hearts of the bfathers to the children, and the cdisobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people dprepared for the Lord.

We NEED family history work and that priesthood authority to perform saving ordinances for ourselves and others in the temple. It prepares us for the Lord! It is necessary for us and for them. So that was really exciting to hear especially because the direction missionary work is going is focusing on family history work. I finally figured out why! So get to it! Do Work!

So that was a fun lesson to teach and learn about as you could imagine.

Anywho. I am excited and a little bit nervous. Some big changes are coming very very soon though so that will be exciting!

I love you guys always and forever! See you soon!
Love,
Elder Clark

Monday, September 9, 2013

Good Day! I hope things are well at wherever you may be! :) Things are well for me!

I have been realizing a lot about my purpose here in the last few weeks. I have realized how important love really is. If you get the chance I would recommend reading all of John chapter 15 but I especially love this excerpt. It is one of my new favorite scriptures.
 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
this is what I am here to do. Men are that they might have joy. By helping others to have joy we receive the BLESSING(because that is what it is) to have joy. How do we help others and ourselves to have joy? By increasing our love in following the commandments of the Father.
I don't care what you are going through or where you are in life, this is the answer! How often do we look in other round about places for answers when we forget about where we come from! How can we forget about our creator! Who loves us so much that he enables us to grow, progress, have life experience, and ultimately return to live in his presence and receive a fulness of joy. Who better do we have to thank, to love, to follow, and to remember than our Eternal Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ. When all that they do is for us. Christ gave up all that we can partake of that joy! We cannot make a mockery of it. We should be HAPPY!!!
(may or may not have told this story but this is the coordinating picture) Something that helped bring about this great change in me and my reasons for doing what I do has been when Elder H and I were on an exchange and we had plans to visit certain people, but Elder H had a prompting to visit somebody else. We visited him. His name is R. We soon found out it was his birthday and he had basically mowed his lawn and gone to work and thats it. A little lonely... So in the course of our conversation he mentioned ordering a chocolate malt from a carvel with a chinese worker who didn't understand what that was. So he went with a milkshake instead. I had the prompting to go buy him a malt. so we did and he could not contain his joy. at all. 3 hugs and 4 handshakes later he was still high pitched 'aaaaahhh'ing and all he could say was "You guys got me a malt" It was the greatest and most awesome thing ever! He was just soooo dang happy it was really cool to see. You better believe I walked away from that a happier person. a changed person. with more desire to love and to show my love for people with service. Motives improved :)
Elder M and I have been doing really well. We have been preparing hardcore for the celebration of families we are having. R has been doing alright but we are still trying to figure out how to help him... A and N both got jobs and are working a lot. We also were able to meet with this less active and give him and his buddy a blessing. His buddy has a crazy background. He is a crypt member who just got out of jail. He has tattoos all over and chains and everything. But he is a child of God and it humbled me to talk to him and feel of who he can become. Hes got a hard life that is for sure. He wants to change and come to church so we will see what happens.
I just want you to all know that I love you and that Heavenly Father loves you as well!!!
You are the greatest you there is! So keep it up!
LOVE,
Elder Clark

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Good Afternoon Brothers and Sisters in our big huge eternal family,

I'd like to start off my talk by saying... THE US OPEN IS THE BOMB! So yes i got to go and yes i got to watch sloane stevens and bernard tomic and na li and the people they played :) It was sooooo much fun! I was basically in control of the whole stadium at sloane stevens match. if i didn't yell anything, they didnt but if i did they did it was awesome haha!

But this past week has been crazy! R has been kicked out of his house so that has been hard for him but hey Satan will try his best to break people down when they are doing good things! Thats where his trust in the Lord is so important! He has incredible trust! He recognizes eternal things better than most. it is really incredible.

These past two weeks have been amazing. a lot of changes... we found out we are getting ipads and facebook in a month... so beware world! haha its going to be so weird. but the work will be able to progress so much faster. The Lord is Hastening his work. I know its true.

By the way i talked to president about J and he said that if he shows strong commitment for a period of 3 months, him and the bishop would get together and write a letter to the aunt and uncle in utah about it. So that will be great if he will be able to be baptized.

As Jesus Christ hastens his work of Salvation, Satan hastens his work of destruction and vice versa. I love it, we just have to choose the right way to hasten!

Love yall again!
BYE! :* kiss kiss love love


I just want to tell you i love you!

I dont have any time I do love you and you can feel heavenly fathers love and comfort. Just ask him :)
Love,
Elder Clark