Speed Tracting...

Dear Family,

 

  This week has been pretty good. Its been a pretty tough week numbers wise but there were some really cool things that happened.  It's definitely back to Seattle weather though.  The past three or four days have been really gray.  This past week we have done a lot of tracting.  We got 80 contacts three times this week, which is pretty hard considering that we dont have any apartments.  We have been getting pretty good exercise running house to house.  It seems that we were able to talk to a lot of people and a lot of people wanted to hear a message but none of them were will to change and repent.  But we will hopefully have a baptism this week.  Tomorrow we will have a better idea on whether not he will be baptised this Saturday. We scheduled his interview this morning.  He knows God wants him to be baptised and he has been coming to church for about a year, but is a little scaried of making that step in his life right now. 

  Last week I gave a lot of blessings.  I gave one to a tongan boy named Joseph who was having surgery.  I also gave one to Judy one of our investigators, who actually dropped us at the same lesson.  And then I gave one to Sister Hirano, who is in my district. It was a pretty cool experience.  Normally someone just acts you to give them a blessing and tells you a little about what is going on.  But with giving the blessing to Sister Hirano, I already knew a lot of what was going on.  But it was funny because they texted us and asked if we had time that night to give a blessing.  We were like yes, where does the person live.  We thought it was one of their investigators, we didnt realize that it was one of them asking for a blessing.  So we met at the church for the blessing. It was also my first recorded blessing.  As I was getting ready to give the blessing I glanced at Sister Mahaffey her companion and saw that she had a note pad and pen.  So that was pretty cool.

  This week we have interviews with President Larkin. He will probably ask why we are not baptising.  Hopefully we can get Keldon solidified by then.  But I am excited about interviews, my first two were pretty inspiring and revelatory experiences.

  Well not much is going.  I have district meeting after this.  The emphasis of this district meeting is the Area Book, and keep record of everything. I am going to use the experience that Dad emailed about Grandpa Clarks mission. 

  Wes looks good in glasses.  I hope Reagan has a great tryouts just try your best and give it your all. But goodluck! Have a great week!

 

Love, Elder Clark

Circular Questions

Dear Family,

 Another good week.  Nothing to big happened, it was pretty busy with transfers and zone meetings and getting ready for this upcoming week.  We have a senior couple in our ward now, so that is great. 

  Our bishop and stake president are asking why we are not baptising. Its kind of one of those questions that are if I knew the answer, you wouldn't be asking the question.  The only answer I have which really isn't an answer, is that we haven't found the prepared people yet.  Some good things are happening though.  We are tracting a lot.  This is probably the first week I have missed Federal Way.  It really is a different kind of work here.  In Federal Way you could visit recent converts, and less actives and there would be a ton of non-members living in the same house so you could family net work really good.  Not so much here. My district is going to be pretty fun this transfer.  We still have the zone leaders and the cougar mtn sisters, but the senior couple will be in the district as well.  

   Elder Park was called to be an assistant this week.  So that is awesome. I got to see him last week at one of the leadership meetings as well as Elder Brown.  It was really fun to catch up with them.  Elder Brown is in the Marshalese ward called the Olympic Branch.  Their ward goal for this year is 60 baptisms.  I would love to serve there with Elder Brown and teach marshalese people again.  

  Thats about it, have a good week!

 

Love, Elder Clark 

Spring arrives in Seattle

Dear Family,

  This week was pretty good.  We had some really good lessons with some of our investigators.  We are now starting to use our ward more fully and getting them involved.  As of yesterday we now have a senior couple named the Popes who are from the stake but they have been called specifically to our ward to cover re activation.  So that will take that part of the work off us, and should lead to a lot of missionary opportunites.  I think they will be doing something like Grandma and Grandpa.  They are going to be in my district which will be a little different. 

  Transfers are today, so that is why preparation day is on tuesday.  We have had the most beautiful weather! It reminds me of when I got here in late August.  Its a little scary.  The last 4 days have been 60's with really blue skies.  If it was like this in the spring and fall I could definitely live here. 

  I don't think I have ever been more tired in my life.  We have had a lot of meetings and discussions with the zone leaders on how we can achieve our goals and be accountable for them.  So  every night we have a district conf call. We have a spiritaul thought, a miracle of the day, and we talk about our day and the goals we have for tomorrow and how we are going to achieve them.  It was funny, the member we had dinner with yesterday asked if we got home at night and wondered what to do with ourselves (they were asking questions because sister dunn's brother is preparing for a mission). I wish we got home and wondered what to do at night.  We plan then I prepare for the call, then we have the conf call. It usually ends around 10 20 and then I rush and brush my teeth and in bed by 10 30. So we are pretty busy once we get home, and thats my excuse why I havent been very good at writing in my journal...

 I cant believe it's February.  I now have been out 6 months. We had a district blitz on saturday in cougar mtn. Cougar mtn area has sister missionaries there right now,  They are great. except they never answer the phone! But I was with Elder Aiken who is one of the zone leaders and he served in Federal way ward with Elder Bunton for a transfer. So whenever we are on exchanges we also talk about that ward and the people. But he said that you dont really keep track of your time but of everyone else's and that is how you realize how fast time goes. Its true.

  I heard the giants won this morning. Thats too bad. I wanted Tom Brady to win.  But it was funny cause Sis Robins told us that the Pats won sunday night, but I guess she got mixed up. 

  Have a great day! I love you!

Elder Clark