Week #71

This week was the coldest week I have ever experienced in my life, and let me tell you why. It has literally been -39 everyday here with the wind chill. Tuesday Destiny had all 4 of us over for a pizza party and we watched Prophet of The Restoration it was really good. When we went in to her house the snow on our shoes had melted and became wet, and when we left her house to go home, we put our shoes back on and right when we stepped outside our shoes immediately froze to the ground.......haha I had to lift my foot up pretty hard off the ground and then I could walk again. isn't that crazy? And then on Wednesday it was -40 so we weren't aloud to proselyte because it is really dangerous, so we went to the other elders apartment to do some planning and to have lunch, and when I walked to there door, my eyes were watery and when I blinked my eye lids froze shut...ha but I was able to lift them so it wasn't that bad but it was really cold.

Elder Wilson and I officially became companions Wednesday night! and on on Wednesday night we just did work! we met with a Filipino family and set up an appointment with them on Tuesday, they are very prepared. We were very diligent. On Thursday we walked all day in -39 which is about -36 or -37 F and I had my parka all zipped up and I was layered and everything, well.......while we were walking I thought it would be funny to stick my tongue to the back of my zipper to see what would happen, and haha....uhhh it stuck like in the movie A Christmas Story.....it was really scary I had to pull my tongue off of it and it ripped a chuck of skin off my tongue and it was bleeding it hurt really bad and the skin from my tongue was still stuck to my zipper after I had pulled it off. It is so cold that when we breath we literally cough up a lung and so cold that our named tags had frost all over them. It was a brutal week......But luckily today it is only -20 so it is not that bad today.

On Saturday Elder Wilson and I we didn't have a whole lot to do, so we asked god to help us with what we had and to make it enough, we ended up contacting a potential investigator who is Filipino and she invited us to her nephew's birthday party on Sunday. We were able to talk to a lot of people on Saturday and we were busy. I know that if we do all we can and we take to the lord what we have and ask him to make it enough, he will and he will bless us with more, as we act for our selves and be sincere he will make what we have enough. 

So on Sunday we went to that Filipino birthday party, and we were able to set up an appointment with our potential investigator, and during that party we split up, Elder Wilson was talking to our Filipino friend and I went into the kitchen and started talking with the other Filipinos, with the Tagalog that I know. And our Filipino friend that invited us over she lives with her sister and her sisters son was the one having the birthday party and so I was talking to her sisters husband Henny, and turns out he is a less active member of the church! He grew up Mormon all of his life and in order to marry his wife he had to convert to Roman Catholic. I asked him if he still believes in the church and he says he still kinda does, and because he still kinda does he doesn't do the cross symbol at Catholic mass. He said that his book of Mormon was still in the Philippines. I asked him if we could just come and share a Christmas message with him and his family, he said he would talk to his wife. At the end of the party all of the Filipinos just loved us even all the little kids, and Henny's wife said that were are welcome any time and that their door is always open for us.  In 1 Nephi 10:19 it says "For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round". I know that that is true.

 This week is going to be really good we have an appointment with some one of our members and they are having their friends over for family home evening, and we were able to meet them at the Christmas devotional they are from Mexico, we are excited to teach them. The work is true even in -40 

Love you and all of you so much! :))

-Elder Clark

Week #70

Hello Mother,

Elder Wilson and I are serving together!!! Oh my goodness we are going to kill it down here. This is his last transfer. He trained me and now I get to kill him ( which means be with him his last transfer) We are both so excited ha.

 Speaking of cold weather....the last few days have been -40 which is -40 in F. it has been really cold. 

Well this week was good. I went on exchanges with Elder Wilson, and we just did work. The Valdez family have been praying for someone that we could teach and one of their Filipino friends contacted them and saw that there was pictures of us on face book with the Valdez Family, and so she approached them and said my parents are members in the Philippines. Brother Valdez asked her how come she was not a member and she laughed. She said that she would like us to come over. We were able to contact her at her house this week and she said we were welcome over any time so we are going to meet with her this Thursday I hope i didn't already tell you this. Mom guess what?? I learned how to make Pan Set!!! it is a Filipino dish. I learned how to make it from Sister Valdez and I can make it taste just like she makes it. I made it spicy too. I have actually learned how to cook some good stuff on my mission. And all the stuff I need for pan set I can easily get in Washington, just need to go to an Asian store and it will all be there. I am going to make it for all of you when I get home. you will just love it!

We are still teaching Destiny.  Our lessons with her have been really really good. She told us that she had the most amazing experience at church. She said that she had so many questions and concerns and when she came to church it all went away. She said the feeling that she felt she could not explain, that is was more amazing then holding her son in her arms for the first time!!!! holy the spirit must have smacked her eh? and then every lesson that we have had since then has been golden. She said that she knows that this is the right path for her.

Here is a funny story haha.....so we tried to show the Christmas devotional here in Steinbach....and we handed out invitations like crazy and we couldn't get the WIFI to work......at all..... we had 7 non members there and just could not get anything to work.....so Brother Larson and I got up and entertained the audience for a while and we still couldn't get it to work...so we just all visited and had refreshments and we set up a dinner appointment with 2 non members and then a family of 3 said we were welcome at there home any time. hahaha it still worked out though.

Well I think that is about it. I am really excited to start serving with Elder Wilson we both are so ready, I am still the district leader. It is time to get work done! 

Love you all so much! :) :)

-Elder Clark 

Week #69

Hello mother,

Well this week was really interesting.

 This week was really slow. So all of our service has been shot because we have basically been asked to leave very nicely because we are Mormon. However we prayed for snow, so we just shoveled driveways like crazy and we did find some potentials from it. But yeah with our service being no more, we are struggling keeping busy. But we got that media referral like I was telling you about and we have been teaching this lady Destiny. Her husband is a less active member in Jamaica, and she is solid we taught her twice last week and she came to church on Sunday. We will be meeting with her this week too.

We will also be meeting with pastor Stan, we will see how that goes. Transfer calls are this Friday. If Elder Wilson and I get put together we would kill this area, we would get it going.

Mom....do you ever feel that you have too much charity sometimes?? ha maybe that is a good thing.

We went to the Filipino basketball game this Saturday at the school and we were handing out fliers and there was a pastor there just staring us down. Man my mission has been such an adventure.

This Saturday I am going to Fort Frances!!! Nancy is getting baptized and president is letting me go down. One of the members here in Steinbach is Nancy's nephew, so we are going down and the other 3 elders are staying here. I cannot wait to go down! :)

Well I don't really know what else to say. Oh the Valdez family received an answer to their prayers. They were praying for a family to teach and their neighbors who are Filipino approached the Valdez family and said that their parents are Mormon in the Philippines and that they want us to come over. We met the neighbors at the game and she said you are welcome any time elders. Also my Tagalog is getting better. I am learning new things to say and it helps me gain their trust! ha

Well the gospel is true! Love you and all of you so much! :)

-Elder Clark