Howdy Fam Bam!

Thanks mom for the amazing Easter package! I loved it!

This week has been really great. We have been visiting more of the recent converts and less active members, and it has been a huge blessing! I love being able to see the changes in people. We need to work on working with the members more, so that is our goal this week. Also, my intercambio with Hna Crandall was really great. I love being able to learn from the other sisters.

This week, or these past few weeks, I've been studying more about Christ, and His attributes. I really want to just become this spiritual giant. I always think about a quote by Elder Holland when he said that we can become anything we want to be in the gospel. Like we can get to any point we want to get to. I love thinking about that, and who I can become.

So the other night I was sleeping and dreaming peacefully when I heard a cricket start chirping, and I thought no... sleep time is so precious to me, and this cricket was chirping so loud I was convinced it was under my pillow. So at 5 in the morning I started searching for this cricket, and I was trying to use a flashlight to not wake my companion by turning on the light. So I'm like searching, and it's nowhere to be found, and then BOOM! I found it... under my jacket! And this cricket was not like other crickets. I'm not sure why but all the bugs here are twice as big... and black! Haha I hated it. So I went to find my shoe to kill it... and when I came back, it was gone! And I flipped the light on... and yeah nothing.. And then the next night it happened again, and I thought okay I'll just sleep, it's only one hour more with this cricket chirping, and then I looked at the clock and it was only 2 in the morning. Haha so I got out of bed and went on a cricket hunt again. I ended up finding it under my suitcase. I'll just say that that cricket won't be bothering us anymore. But then when we were in a lesson last night, I was like bearing my testimony of the book of mormon... all spiritual and stuff and then I felt a bug, a big bug, in my hair. So I hit it out and what is it?! A big, black cricket. Haha And then we got home and one of the sisters started shouting. And what was on her pillow?! A big, black cricket. YEAH. Crickets are attacking. I just keep thinking about Moses and the plagues! And how the gathering of Israel will be more spectacular than when Moses and the children of Israel left Egypt! I was studying that today in my personal study. I love studying about the lost tribes!

We got a letter from the first presidency the other week saying that all the members in Bolivia were being asked to start the Book of Mormon and read for 15 minutes every day. And the goal is to finish by the end of the year. Did you guys get that too? Transfers are coming up on May 7th... the day after your birthday mom! I'm hoping not to get transferred from Bermejo even though I know it'll happen sometime.. I'll just miss these people so much. I think with all this studying of the second coming I just keep thinking how happy I'll be when I'll get to see them all again! What a glorious event that will be!

I love you all so much! And I pray for you everyday!

Love from Bermejo,
Hermana Clark

Happy Birthday Amy!

Feliz Pascua! Happy Easter my wonderful family!

They don't celebrate Easter here like in the states! The night before they had this parade thing at 4 in the morning with their crosses and they were singing and clapping.. haha I'm not sure what church it was but they had big crosses, and such. But I loved teaching about Christ to the people these past few days! It was really beautiful.

This week has been a bit of a roller coaster, but it ended well. All of the recent converts here have been passing through a lot of trials, and Satan has really been working hard to bring them down. But we've been working hard too. On Saturday we went searching for less active members, and we found some really great new families to teach. We have really seen some miracles this week, and we have had prayers answered. I loved the conference this past week that we had with President and Hermana Willard. As always it came just at the right time, right when I really needed it.

I am doing so well! And I'm loving the mission more than ever!

Ahh I have to go now! I love you all so much!

Love,
Hermana Clark

My birthday was really awesome!

Hola mi familia!

My birthday was really awesome! And I took tons of pictures to send to you and I unfortunately can't send a single one! Really bummed. But my birthday was good. I woke up to a sad message from the Flores Mancilla family that they need to wait a bit for their marriage and baptism. In the morning we celebrated with all the things you sent in the package! And I wore the cute skirt you made! It was awesome and I love it! Then the sister we eat lunch with made a cake for me, so that was fun too! The day was normal, we went and visited and taught. :)

This week was really great! I went on splits with Hna. Crandall and that was a really fun day. I learned a lot with her! She helped remind me again that we should just be visiting people, and not be worried about the numbers. She's always really animated when she talks too, and I really loved that!

I'm sorry I'm out of time! Love you!

Hermana Clark

Hola mi bonita familia!

Wow! I have been very blessed this past week! I got two packages from you! Thank you so much! I could just feel the jealousy of all the missionaries.. Not the Sisters of course because I shared with them.. But really, thank you! The families here in Bermejo are doing really great! The Flores Family is progressing really well, and are preparing for their wedding on the 25th of April and their baptism the next day! They are a familia de oro! And it's still super hot here even though we are moving into winter! The rest of Santa Cruz is really cold I hear! But Bermejo just likes to be different. And hot.

I loved conference this past weekend! It was a little different because it was all in Spanish... But I could really feel the Spirit, and I was able to understand almost everything! I loved the talk by Elder Uchtdorf about being more grateful for everything. What an awesome message. It was kinda funny to watch it in Spanish because my entire life I've heard the voices of these people so it just wasn't the same not being able to listen to Elder L. Tom Perry. I started laughing when I thought about that and how listening to him say Disney DVD in Spanish just wouldn't be the same... It was a little bit like watching the olympics or something with the voice over. I also liked the talk when the man kept talking about the olympics... haha I missed the olymipcs this year! But that's alright, I'll catch up in a few months!

My area here is really great, and the branch is awesome. We are working to make Bermejo a Stake! We can do it! I think they will be adding another companionship to my area! So that will be interesting. I had other things I wanted to tell you... but now I forget!

I love you! Thank you for your love and support! Keep sharing the gospel, and being an example to everyone! This is the greatest work we can be a part of. It is such an honor to serve the Lord and to be on this mission. This is the best choice I've made in my life thus far, and I know I will be grateful for this mission for the rest of my life and into the eternities. Gracias por todo! Los extraño mucho! Sean una luz para sus amigos!

Con amor,
Hermana Clark

Happy birthday Kelsey!

Hi my wonderful family who I love so much!

This email is going to be super short because I don't have a lot of time because the internet was down.

This past week we had transfers.... aaaaaadd dun dun nuuuh! I'm still in Bermejo! I have a new comp though. Hermana Guaman. She is from Ecuador, and is really awesome! She has three months in the mission, and I'm learning a lot from her! Also, the Familia Flores Mancilla has a date for their marriage and their baptism! The 26 of April for their baptism! They're an awesome family, and are really prepared for the gospel.

I loved hearing about San Diego, and Dland! How fun you were all able to go!! Ahhh I'm out of time... but I still love you all the same, more and more everyday!

Love from the best part of Bolivia,
Hermana Clark

¡Hola mi familia!

This week has been a really good one! We are on week 6 out of 6 weeks of our transfer, so that means transfers this Tuesday night! I'm feeling really nervous because I really really don't want to leave Bermejo. I want to spend my whole mission here! Haha. We went to Tarija on Saturday for a conference with Elder Grow! He is one of the area 70! And wow what a meeting that was! It was with the missionaries in Tarija, and with us from Bermejo. Last pday we went and played soccer, and today we're going to that bridge again that is half Bolivia and half Argentina. And I'm pretty much counting down the days until General Conference. I just can hardly wait.

But this past week has been really good. My relationship with Heavenly Father has grown a lot this week. I feel like I have more trust in Him. I also really loved the conference with Elder Grow. That was one of the highlights of the week. I received a lot of revelation in that meeting, and I have been trying to apply it to my week here in Bermejo. We have been working more and more with the members to find the less active members and to visit the new converts in our area. It’s been really interesting because these past two weeks Satan has been attacking our new members so hard. They are all having different problems, but I know that through those mensajes de oro, we can help these sons and daughters of God remember why they chose to follow Christ in the first place.

The more I teach, the more grateful I am for the temple and the covenants we can make with our Heavenly Father there. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be here in Bolivia. I always think about the pre-existence and the people that I knew there. I think about those promises I made to them to find them when we came to earth to share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I didn’t just make these promises to people here in Bolivia. I made these promises to others and that’s why I will be a missionary for the rest of my life. I will forever share this message with people because this is the salvation of souls we're talking about. There is no greater work. I also really really loved the quote you sent me about how this is the Lord's time. I have thought of that quote everyday, and when I feel like giving up I think of that quote, and it helps me to keep going. So thank you! That was definitely inspired!

I loved hearing about your week! That's so fun Johnny and Amy and the kids are down! And super awesome about the invention of Jamie! I want to see pictures of that when you're all done!!! Love you so much! Have a beautiful week! Keep recognizing those miracles!

Love from Bermejo de los Milagros,

Hermana Clark

Happy Birthday to Audrey!

Hola mi familia! And Happy St. Patrick's Day from Bolivia!

And thank you for the package!!!! I was trying to explain what is St. Patrick's Day to my companion this morning.. Haha the word leprechaun isn't in the dictionary. But she knew about those little green men with red hair.. But when she asked why we celebrate this holiday I realized I have no idea... Haha we just wear green and pinch people. But this week has been really great! We had a time when we didn't have any investigators, and now we have so many we're constantly running around visiting them! It's been perfect! We have been writing down the miracles we see everyday, and that's been really awesome as well. I can't remember if I told you about that. Working with the members this week was the same as last week. Canceling last minute, and when we had members with us we never could meet with an investigator. They just never were in their houses. But this week will be different! I can feel it! The Familia Mancilla has a baptismal date for the 5th of April! So that's awesome! But they also need to get married..But they're progressing really well. They are already in the 5th chapter of the Book of Mormon and we just gave it to them the other day! He goes on trips a lot though, so it was just the wife that could come to church yesterday so that was too bad.. But they're progressing really well! They're a really really amazing family! I definitely feel like I've known them longer than I have.

Jamie's play sounds awesome! And that's so great about the jacket for Jamie! How perfect you found that for the play! Sounds like everything went really well! I was thinking about her on Saturday! All the missionaries here also did a play on Saturday! Well we did a talent show! That was really fun! And really really funny! I'm going to try to send some videos next week! You won't think it's funny since it's in Spanish..... but we sang Book of Mormon stories so you can enjoy that! :) I love you so much! Sorry this is short, but I love you all the same! How is the missionary work going in the ward? I want to hear more about it!!

Love from Bolivia,
Hermana Clark