Week #55

 

 

This week was incredible! We just still worked worked worked as usual. There are days where I am just so tired, but once I am up it is just another day. It really seems like its just regular life down here, but it is just routine of doing it everyday.

 

Well this week was just so hot there were 3 days were it got up to 40 or 45 degrees oh man it was hot, and humid. There is no in between here in Canada it is either you are supper cold or just supper hot.

 

Well this week we talked with a lot of people and found 5 potential people to teach which is good. I am thinking about going out to the reserve and do some work out there and just see what happens, but I don't know. There is this lady that tells us the same story everyday and it gets pretty funny she tries to tell us that she is the best neighbor in town but I think she is just a little crazy.

 

On Thursday we were finally able to visit with sister Maki we haven't seen her all summer and she needs to come to church and well her summer activities are almost over and so I think she will start coming, we will see. AlsoI can't believe that it is almost September. We were on exchanges with the assistants on Thursday and so it was good to get double the amount of work done. I think that's the reason why I  like exchanges because you get more work done. Friday we were able to see the Osters and teach them and we made fried ice cream and it was really good. After that we went to go visit Doug Olson. We shot some bows with him because he is getting ready for moose season. It was pretty fun. I hope he comes back to church.

 

Well on Saturday we had a big BBQ at the park for the branch and we had a good turn out. Peter who is now an investigator and his less active wife came to the BBQ they had fun and so did their kids. I think she is trying to find you on Facebook her name is Christine Nielsen. We had a good day on Saturday. we were able to teach one of our investigators this week so that was good she said we weren't going to convert her.....hmmm lol.

 

On Sunday we had 19 people that attended. The Osters came again and Peter and his family came Christine had to work, but it was just so good to see them there. We set up an appointment with Peter on Tuesday and so I am excited to teach him he is so prepared and ready. I can't believe that we had 19 people there we are so close to getting 20 and probably even 22 and then we can sit in the chapel! I am so grateful for the principle of Consistency. I have seen the Lords timing work and I trust in the lords timing more than ever now. I personally believe that everything I have learned out here are principles that I will apply when I am home and get older. I do know by the power of the holy ghost that this church is true and that the work is real!

 

When the assistants were up we went to the chip truck and got some poutine!! oh it was I think the best poutine I have had. and if you don't know what poutine is...ask Sister Dyches. She will know.

 

Sunday I played the Drums with the bag pipers in front of the whole town of Fort Frances, oh and not to mention TSN!! (The Sports Network) I will send you pictures.

 

love you so much mom and I am so grateful for you and for my family. I love all of you too much.

 

All is well:)

-Elder Clark

Week #54

 

 

 

 We had miracles......I don't even know where to start.

 

This week we  talked to 60 or more people that where either put in our paths or where on the streets. That is pretty good for a small town like this. Everywhere I went I just shared the gospel and tried to get people that we could teach, and eventually my companion started talking to people which is good I think it helped him out a lot. The key and secret to missionary work...is work. We found a new investigator this week who was actually a referral from our branch president. We taught her and we will be teaching her next week.

 

 So on Thursday we had F.H.E ( family home evening) with a less active part member family at the church and it was super good. We played basketball and ping pong and I taught her son how to skateboard. We shard a lesson and the kids loved it. The next day her husband who is a non-member calls us up and says can he meet us somewhere. We told him to  come meet us at the church. He comes and brings us a bunch of food and vegetables from their garden. So casually I shared the gospel with him and invited him to church he said he worked this Sunday but that he would come next Sunday! and the best thing is that his wife Christine who is less active said that her husband told her brother that if they were in Winnipeg, that he would join the church, but we are going to get him to join the church here!

 

This Sunday Christine and her family came to church. Christine used to hate the missionaries and the church, but she felt the spirit Sunday morning and decided to come. I taught primary..haha. and the Oster family came to church! every single one of them came and they were in their Sunday best. When I started out here there were only 5 people coming. There were days when only 3 came. This Sunday we had 17 people there. If we can keep it up we can get 25 and that is a normal size for a branch.

 

I know that faith means to trust, but we also have to trust in his timing. There is a quote that I live by and I think it is a country song too. It is..."pray like it is all up to god, and work like it is all up to you." This work is true I see it time and time again. We had a fantastic week.

 

Here is something humbling and neat. We are in a district and it is just us and two other elders, and one of the elders is  our district leader and we are his zone leaders, it is confusing I know haha. but anyway President Thomas was down here for the week, and our district leader said that when President was talking to him he said that the Fort Frances elders are just the greatest. He said that with those two elders in your district, you probably have the best district in the whole mission. It was humbling to hear that because this is the hardest area in the mission. There is no other area like it.

 

 All is well:)

-Elder Clark

Week #53

 

 

 

The Osters, the family that we have been working with for 5 months are coming back!! they will be coming back this Sunday for good. She was telling me that when everything had happened, and when she was  offended, that she was just done with all churches in general and that she didn't even care about eternity, but then we showed up and brought them again unto Christ. She is such a wonderful lady and I have come to like her and her family very much.

 

We helped a former less active branch president cut down trees and boy I was using the chainsaw and everything. I am so glad dad and you taught me how to work because it doesn't do any good to show up to a former less active branch president not knowing what you are doing,  but after the whole service he told us at the end that he is still not coming back to church. Oh well.

 

Yesterday we were out on the river walk and we met a couple from Germany. I really  hope they will call us. They had a lot of questions and were interested in what we were saying. I want to teach them.

 

We went to mow a members lawn and her gas tank was leaking...I am glad we found that before we started mowing. Oh and here is something you will like...

 

Last Monday we went to go teach President Tovey and his wife, but his whole family was there. His son and daughter and her boyfriend Moishe, and he is Jewish. We taught all of them the restoration! Moishe was asking us so many questions, and before we sat down for dinner he was talking to me and said..."do you believe that Adam an Eve partook of the fruit?" and I said yeah we believe that they were the first children to come to earth and that because of that they were kicked out of the garden.... and he says "oh absolutely they were the first children on earth, but actually the fruit is a metaphor that they were  kicked out for, the reason why they were kicked out was because Adam found the orgasm, yeah they found the orgasm so that's why they were kicked out." haha oh man...I was just like..uhhh false. I was laughing on the inside so hard. Sometimes you just have to let it all roll off your back. They were very fun people to converse with. That is my funny story for the week.

 

 All is well :)

-Elder Clark

Week #52

Well mom I didn't get transferred. President told me he would only keep me for one more transfer, so I think this is my last transfer here in Fort Frances.

 

I have lost myself out here and found myself. Everyday is a battle, but at the end it is rewarding. I want to make it clear....that I know that Christ lives. I know it with all of my heart.

I can't believe it is August!  soon it will be Christmas , and then just 6 months left, I can feel it. Everyone says your last year goes by super fast and I am afraid for it. 

I personally know that God gives us trials, not because he wants us to suffer but I believe he wants us to see how we will react to them. It becomes more and more clear to me each day how patient and loving God is. I have realized that when we react negatively to a big or small trial, that we loose faith and trust in our Savior and in our Father in Heaven.  I know things will turn around here in Fort Frances and even if they don't before I leave, it will be OK because this area just needs a lot of love.

This week however, we only had a total of 5 people at church. But we are still close, there are good things coming. The Osters will be coming back on august 25th for sure. We sat down with them both person to person and Sister Oster said that she doesn't care what happens, if she gets offended, or doesn't feel loved. She said that none of that matters because she just wants to go back to church and the whole family will be coming starting august 25. We had a great week though. We got 2 new investigators and they were a referral from a member and the member went with us to teach them. They are very prepared I am excited. Also we got a referral from Sister Oster, she wanted us to teach someone at her work,  and it was perfect because we do service at her work and he was there when we were doing service. Now we are teaching him and we are seeing him again this Tuesday.

This Thursday and Friday we were in Kenora and wow the drive there is one of the best drives ever it is just beautiful. But we went there to go on exchanges and then I got to interview someone for baptism which is always exciting.

I am grateful for the spirit in weekly planning. Elder Weeks and I have  the best plans for this week. We are taking a new approach at this less active work. What we are going to do is go and teach our members and we will teach them about missionary work or about the gospel and then we will have them watch this video

https://www.lds.org/service/leadership/participate-in-councils?lang=eng#working-together-in-the-ward-council

and after the video the commitment will be...." sister or brother...., this week will you reach out to (so and so) and see how she is doing?" "we will make sure to follow up with you.... or "sister or brother...., this week will you reach out to the Osters and see how they are doing?" great we will follow up with you. We are so excited about this because the members don't even know what in the world to do with the progress record and home teaching and visiting teaching never happens, so in order for the less actives to really have their hearts soften, they need to see that the members care about them.  Hopefully this may even change the attitude of the members. :))

I think that slowly President Tovey's wife will come around :) we are teaching her twice this week.

We are just going to go go go this transfer none stop.

 All is well :)

-Elder Clark

Week #51

I can't believe that the fair is only 2 weeks away. Summer is almost over it is really crazy. Transfer calls are this week and we have to go to Kenora to interview someone for baptism and then get on skype for MLC with president and the other leaders in the mission. I hope they give us the transfer calls then. I really don't know if I will be getting transferred or not.....But if not then I will just keep going at it down here. This Sunday we had a total of 9 people at church. We are so close I can just feel it. We have a potential of getting 20 people to church and I really think we can do it. We taught President Tovey's wife and she said that we could continue to share the lesson with her, so this week we will be teaching her the restoration. Then after we taught her we taught or investigators Paige and Chris. Well the first lesson that we taught them was....The Law of Chasity! it was so good too she loved it. It was a really good Law of Chasity lesson. She wants to work toward marriage and she also wants to work towards baptism!! what a blessing. She used to be atheist and practice witchcraft, but she now believes in God and wants to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized. So we will see how it goes :)

This Thursday we had zone conference and Elder Weeks and I gave training to 3 zones on asking inspired questions, it went really good. Then when we came home we were able to visit Doug Olson, we will keep loving and serving him.

This Saturday we had a movie night at the church and the members are now going to use this for their missionary work, so they are all going to invite one friend out to movie night. It was an OK turn out we had a less active family come out and the Branch President, but it was better than nothing. So we are going to keep doing it and see where it takes us.

This week has been good we are still just trying to get people to church believe it or not. I honestly think that this is the hardest area I have ever had.....4 months of the same thing getting people back to church. We have made huge progress. I have been discouraged and have felt like I just want to give up, teaching less actives is harder than teaching investigators.....I have felt defeated in so many ways, like nothing is working. But I know that this gospel is true and pure and I know that God is always there. Because when we feel like nothing is working, is when things start to work.

In Mormon chapter 9:20-21 it says

 20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust 

21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.

I still give it my all everyday and I still will give 100% even if things do or don't turn around, whatever Heavenly Father's will is.

I have seen miracles that I cannot deny. I have seen people change their lives, and I have seen my life change. I know that this is the only true church on the earth no matter how bold that sounds, it is true. and people need what we have.

I know that Jesus Christ lives. Joseph Smith did restore the gospel on the earth.

All is Well :)

-Elder Clark