The cambios of cambios!

Hi fam bam!

So we've got transfers this week! We'll be finding out on Tuesday or Wednesday what the new changes are.. I'll tell you a little secret.. So when I was in Santa Cruz a couple weeks ago President Willard asked me how long I had been in Bermejo, and he said, "like 6 or 7 months now huh?" And I was like.... OH NO! Haha "Something like that....." And he said, "I think it's time we move you a little more towards Santa Cruz then!" So I'm pretty sure I'm getting transferred.... I will be pretty bummed to leave Hermana Crandall and Bermejo. She's become one of my best friends, and I have seriously really enjoyed and appreciated this last transfer. Together we have grown so much spiritually. I am so much more in love with the gospel than I ever have been. I love how the mission allows us to grow and change, and yeah it's hard, but it's the best thing I've ever been a part of. Aaaand I also started packing just a hair... I dislike packing! It's sad. But I am ready for wherever Heavenly Father is about to send me. I have been trying so hard to just have the eye of faith lately. I loved your letter mom! I got one this week. And what you said about faith, and just picturing the things you are praying for. Picturing them happening and having faith that it will. I have been doing that this week, and we have seen some miracles! Let me tell you a few!

So there is this lady in the ward. She is awesome. She is less active, and for a long time she didn't want to meet with missionaries because she said they were always really pushy and she always just felt like they were reprimanding her or trying to baptize her husband. The miracle is that she has WANTED to start meeting with us. We went to her house, taught her, felt the spirit so strongly, and then she said, "So when are you guys coming back?" We have been visiting her this whole transfer now, and she knows she can really trust us. Now, her boyfriend was feeling the same. He loves the church, but he felt so much pressure and reprimanding from the missionaries before that he told them to buzz off. But then the other day she told us that right after we left, her boyfriend came to her house and said, "Hey are the Sisters coming today?" And she told him we had just left. Then when we came again the next week, she said, "My boyfriend really wants to meet with you two! He knows you're different. I don't know, I just feel so uplifted after talking with you, and he wants to talk with you too." You cannot imagine our excitement. Heavenly Father has been preparing this family, and I just want them to find this happiness and get lost in the gospel.

We were also walking in the street the other day, and we stopped at a shop and started chatting with this cute little family that owns the shop. They said they weren't attending any church right now, but have heard a bit about ours and would love to talk more with us! We have an appointment with them today!

Also, remember the young investigator we were visiting before? The one who received a really strong answer to her prayer that the church is true. Well she has improved a ton as well! She loves reading the BOM and D and C! Also, she had this cool dream the other night that Thomas S. Monson was talking to her, and he told her she was going to be a great leader in the church someday. And then he took her to this piano and he played a beautiful song, and said these notes are like the melody of life. When we play the notes right, life is really beautiful. Isn't that a beautiful dream?

Today some members asked us to come over for lunch! They said we're going to make pizza!! The mom is so sweet. I just love her. The other day we were out visiting and looking for her daughter, and she said she wasn't home. But then she said that she was so glad we came over because she's been feeling kinda lonely and then wanted to take us to lunch! We had two lunches that day. Haha and then we tried to pay and she said, "No, if you pay I'm not going to church!" Haha so we let her pay. And then we saw her at church on Sunday. She told us about a dream she had and said that my comp and I both stayed in Bermejo! I told her I was probably leaving, and she told me I couldn't go. She just loves having us around too much. I love these people here in Bermejo. I am so grateful for this time that I have had to get to know so many amazing, amazing people.

I can't believe little Jamie girl is a 6th grader now! I love you Jamie! I'm so proud of you! And that's so fun you got to see Jer and Kels! Hey Kels, I want some baby bump pics please! Also, I want to hear what names you guys are thinking of! I can keep a secret... I'm so far away! And good luck Jenae and Mike in Texas! I can't wait to come visit you when I get home! Don't let Audge get a hick accent. :) Well, that would be pretty cute though... I hope you have an awesome summer vacation mom and Jamie! Those are THE BESSSST! Go to the beach for me! It's also been getting pretty cold here, but nothing too bad! Nothing too intense really. But everyone says it gets way way worse... so I'm just patiently waiting! But I am loving the mission! I love everything about it. I love how much closer I am growing to our Heavenly Father. He loves us, He knows us, and He helps us.

Until next week! Love you all! Let's see where I am! :)

Love,
Hermana Clark

Cran and i dressed up like each other one day!

Feliz Día del Padre!

I can´t believe that it's Father's Day this next Sunday! Man time is flying by. But I'm doing really great today, and this week was really awesome! We got some sweet Bermejo Santa Cruz Mission jerseys so of course we're playing soccer today! I am pretty sure we're playing against the Bermejo soccer team... So I'll let ya know how that goes! But we didn't end up going looking for skirts last week. Maybe we'll have a chance to look today! But the new shoes are working out great! They sure look sister missionary so I'm loving it. Also, I'm loving tights season! They are my best friends! It's not too cold here, they say it gets super cold though so I'm just waiting! But it's only for a couple months so it won't be bad at all. And then the heat will come again and we'll wish it was cold!

I'm so glad you got the letters and pens! I had given up on them completely! Yay!! Yes, I helped make the pens with my old comp! There pretty cool huh? I use mine everyday! I have to buy new ink though because it ran out! That's fun Jamie played in San Juan Capistrano! And great they won the second game! And sounds yummy to go to lunch together! Speaking of lunch, we had lunch with a member this week, and they gave us our plate and it was meat with rice, and potatoes. Normal lunch. Anyway so I'm looking at the meat and it looks like it's just fat. So I start jabbing at it, and it turns out you can just cut it like jello. So I'm cutting it and eating it and it tastes alright, but the textur is weird stuff. So Hna Crandall says, "What kind of meat is this?" I didn't want to know.. But the member says, "cachete." Well we dont know what that is so we continue eating. Later we go to a different member and she asks what we had for lunch and we say oh it was this! and she just laughs a bit and we're like.... what is it!? and she points to her cheeks and says, "This part of a cow!" Haha so we ate cow cheeks. WE ATE COW FACE. And survived to tell the story. Also, I had some cow hoof the other day in my soup. Not my fav.

Out of time! But you know I love you all! It was a really really really amazingly spiritual week! We are progressing, and our investigators are as well! I think this next transfer I'll sadly be leaving Bermejo, BUT! Not yet! I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week. Remember our Heavenly Father loves us more than we know. So pray to Him! He hears and answers us!

Love you!
Hermana Clark

Hola mi familia!

What a week it has been! Today we are in Santa Cruz for a conference! And last week we went to Tarija for a conference with President and Hermana Willard. The conference was so beautiful, I loved it! We learned a lot at that conference, and I felt my testimony strengthened. We talked about how having faith is being obedient. We also talked about the atonement, and I was asked to share what I had learned in my studying that morning. I talked about a scripture in Alma and how it talks about how He can save from our sins, but not in our sins. We can only be saved and forgiven if we turn ourselves over to Him. He has already performed the saving act, but it won't help us at all if we don't turn ourselves over to Him. We limit ourselves when we don't put our trust in God. Our Heavenly Father has this huge imagination, and here we are trying to create a life without His help! HE can change us, He can turn us into a beautiful person, but only when we turn ourselves over to the Lord.

I forgot to tell you, but at the baptism we had a few weeks ago Hna. Crandall and I did a duet! Haha so that was fun! We sounded pretty good... I think! I also had a beautiful experience with prayer this week. I know that our Heavenly Father hears us, answers us, and blesses us. He never flees, fails, or falters. He is our Eternal Father who loves us, who confides in us. He knows our potential, our fears, our concerns. We are never alone, even when we feel that we are. He lives, He loves us, and He is watching over us.

Sorry this is so short, and more about my feelings than what I did this week! But I love you! Thank you for your love and support. Have another wonderful week!

"The realization of your amazing, astounding and true potential happens only in the hands of the Lord. But you, and only you, can place yourself in those masterful hands." ..I don't know who wrote it, but I love it!

Love your favorite missionary,
Hermana Clark

We're grateful for the torta that nobody aaaate!

Hi fambam! It is sadly not a holiday here, but I think you said it right mom! Google was correct..like always! But tomorrow is dia de los madres! A bit strange that they're just having it tomorrow, but that's okay!

Well I loved this past week working along side the Lord with Hermana Crandall. The end of the week we really worked on contacting people in the street because we always ask for references and no one ever has any. Or they will give the elders and us the same references. So along with asking we have been trying to talk with everyone. Last night we really saw some wonderful miracles. We got to talk to this amazing family in the street and they were so excited for us to come visit them and teach them about this gospel. We are also teaching this other woman who was so excited when we gave her her Book of Mormon. She said, "I'm going to go read this right now!"

That's great you went and put flags on both of our Grandpa's graves! And that will be fun if you get to see Jer and Kels and Mike and Jenae! That sounds super fun! We went on splits this past week on Hermana Guaman's birthday and that was so fun because I got to go back to my old area and see lots of people! We had five pieces of cake that day.... We're grateful for the cake that we all ate! It was delicious. We also had a very interesting lesson with this girl... She told us about her witches experience and voodoo and such.. And my comp and I just said, well here is the gospel of Jesus Christ for you. Here it is, enjoy it, love it, live it, crave it. Haha The whole lesson was super..... interesting... Also, I found new shoes! So that's good! They're perfect because t
hey are really ugly. They look like typical sister missionary shoes so I really really love them a lot. That's great about Michelle getting her Bachelor's degree! Congrats Michelle!

SO I'm going into Tarija tomorrow! I am not looking forward to the drive, but I am looking forward to the conference! I will get to see Hermana Zapata and Hermana Ellison I'm pretty sure so I'm pretty stoked! I'm just praying that the drive wont make me too sick this time. Also, I want to buy vitamins while I'm there.. They have the brand of the ones we have in the kitchen. The B9 ones or something. I'm not sure which I should buy. Help! Haha.

But this week in Bermejo was really great! We have been seeing so many miracles, and we are seriously working so hard. I have never been more grateful to be serving a mission. I feel myself changing everyday. And I love teaching these children of God here in Bolivia. I will never regret serving this mission. Thank you for your love and support. It means more than you know. Trust in the Lord. Trust in our Heavenly Father. They will guide us through all things. Do your family scripture study and prayers! They bring miracles! I love you so very much. Thank you for being my eternal family.

Love from Bolivia,
Hermana Clark

my beautiful new blanket

Service projeeect. we are taking an ax to the dirt. 

Hola Familia!

Weeeeell hello! I am doing great today! It does seem like forever since we last talked, and I was feeling like we had missed a week too... not sure why! We had a baptism this past weekend for a girl named Yhazmin Choque. Her sister and brother are members, and her brother is getting ready to leave for his mission so he baptized her!
Also, I am so tired! Hermana Crandall and I have noticed that every morning we wake up more and more exhausted. I think it is because we are just working so hard, so we'll just continue doing that. I am really liking my new area! There is so much potential here in this branch! I have never been happier in my life though. Helping people all the time is the best thing I've ever done. I love the mission.

Dang it I forgot we are getting off early today!!!!!!! I'm so sorry this is so short! I'll write more next week! Love you all so much!

Love,
Hermana Clark

Happy Mothers Day!

It was so wonderful talking to you yesterday along with Dad and Jamie girl! I am so grateful we were able to chat. It was great talking to all of you! And it was a fun surprise to chat with Jer and Kels, and Jenae and Mike and the kids! We were just missing Johnny and Amy and the kids, and Jason! Maybe for Christmas they'll be home! It made my day to talk with all of you! I just love hearing your voices. :)

Well I have beeeeen transferred! Drum roll please..... I'm still in Bermejo! I just changed branches. So I slid my dresser with my clothes into the other room and I rolled my suitcases and put them under my new bed. It was a lot of work I know, but I'm loving my new area too. And I'm loving my new comp! I'm with Hermana Crandall, who I was companions with in the MTC in Provo! We rock together so that's pretty rockin'! I really just have a lot of respect and love for her. I can feel that we are going to do some really great things this transfer. I am loving the new area, and members. And the investigators are great! We had an amazing lesson yesterday with one of our investigators, and we prayed with her and she finally felt her answer that the Book of Mormon is true. It was such a beautiful, spiritual, and humbling experience. I am grateful to be a part of this work. For this chance to change lives, including mine. For this opportunity to work in the Lord's place in His vineyard. We are a part of the greatest work there is, building the Kingdom of God. I am so happy to be here in the mission. I am so grateful for this experience, and I am so grateful for the people that I am getting to know here.

So to answer some of your questions, church was good! We meet at 3 now so that'll be a bit different. In my old ward sometimes I would teach the class with my comp. Like the principles of the gospel class with our investigators. Also yesterday in Relief Society they asked us to teach for a bit about the apostasy. Not sure how that's spelled. And in my other ward I would give talks sometimes too, but yesterday I was just asked to bear my testimony. And we have english classes every Friday night if you would like to come! We also have the noche misional every Thursday, and the teacher of the missionary prep class asked us to come in on Saturday to help one of the girls in the class. She leaves for her mission in August! I'm so excited for her! She's going to Ecuador! So I have the same pensionista in this ward because the four hermanas here in Bermejo eat lunch together, so that's fun!

Mmm Mikes grilled chicken.... I seriously think about it sometimes... That sounds awesome you all had dinner together after! How fun! And that's so cool Jason sent you pizza for your birthday!!! Especially gluten and soy free! That must have been such a fun fun surprise! And I'm glad Jamie is feeling better, and that she scored two goals at her game! She's seriously on fire! I would love to see some soccer videos...hint hint... :)

Thank you for all of your love and support. I am so grateful that we are an eternal family. I know I chose to come to you before I came to this earth. I am also so grateful for the plan that our Heavenly Father has for each one of us. If we turn our lives over to Him, He will build us into the person we should be, the person He wants us and needs us to be. Now is the time to prove we are on the Lord's side. We already know who wins this battle, now we just have to choose the right team! I love you my dear family! Keep being awesome and doing awesome things!

Love from Bermejo still..... :)
Hermana Clark

The Mother's Day Call!

This is Hna Delia. she told me that she was so grateful for this time to know me. She said that her life is better, and different now with the gospel. She hasn't been baptized yet, but this family is like my family here in Bermejo. They've made it easier to be so far from home. And that's her son Papito! :)

Me with the familia Flores! One of my favorite families to teach.

I'm on a bike! Haha this is Hna Anita Siles. She is one of my best friends here in Bermejo! She is in the other ward though.

Here is a better pic of me and Anita.

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

Hi my beautiful, wonderful family who I love so very much!

First off, I HOPE YOU HAVE THE BEST DAY TOMORROW!! And I hope that you know that you are the best mom anyone could ask for. The best friend really. Thanks for everything you do for me! I wish my letter was going to get to you in time for your birthday but you'll probably be getting it in about a month.. But I love you all the same!

So I'm pretty sure this is my last few days in Bermejo... I've been here since November.. Almost 6 months! I love Bermejo so stinking much I want to spend my entire mission here. We found this awesome girl that we're teaching, also this other family that we're teaching and I really want to stay and teach them. I also don't want to leave my comp yet. But I think I'm leaving because a few weeks ago I was supposed to go to Santa Cruz to do my papers for my visa and stuff and then there was the protests in Bermejo so we couldn't leave... and then they never called me to go again! So my thinking is that I'll be headed to Santa Cruz or Tarija soon and after the transfer I'll do my visa stuff. Everyone in my group has already done it! Haha

And I'm really excited to Skype you guys this next Sunday! We don't know any information on that yet! But it will be on Sunday May 11.. And I'm pretty sure it will be in the afternoon here... You should maybe just go to a ward in the morning and then wait with baited breath by the computer until I can call. Haha sorry it's a bit unorganized!

But wow this week. My goal has been to get to know our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ better. I have been studying with more purpose and diligence. And I can feel this mission shaping me into the person Heavenly Father needs me to be. I've been thinking so much of the Second Coming and how much we need to be ready for this day so we can stand worthy, and as a witness of our Lord and Savior. We also need to be worthy to help move this work along. The more I learn about this gospel the more it amazes me. It's never ending. I used to wonder what we would do for all of eternity, but we could spend the entire time learning about the gospel and the mysteries of God and we still wouldn't know them all! How beautiful is the gospel. Seriously. Sometimes when I'm teaching I'll just get so excited about the gospel I think I'll scare our investigators away... but I think they like it. We had this awesome lesson with the Ventura family yesterday and they were just so excited to learn more about the gospel, and I was too. I can feel my testimony growing through the testimonies of others, and I'm just so grateful for this experience to get to know so many different people. So many children of our Heavenly Father. Our brothers and sisters. And the gathering of Israel! Wow. I have been studying like crazy Jacob 5 for the past week, and I still haven't finished it. I never realized how much we can learn from this chapter. It is so full of goodness. I just love it. I just always read through it and thought yeah yeah trees, branches, fruit... haha And I just didn't get it. And even now there is so much more to learn! I wish I had just a week where I could just study all day.

We went to a conference of the Sisters in Tarija on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then on Thursday the stake had an activity in a place called Santa Rosa. We had food and played games and it was a lot of fun! They ended with a big soccer game and that was exciting to watch too. And then it started to rain! All in all it was a pretty good day! Today for pday we're going as a zone to lunch and then to play soccer.

Anywayssss. I love you so very very much! I hope you have a beautiful week until I talk to you on Sunday! :)

Love from Bermejo,
Hermana Clark