THE TENNESSEE DUO

We have had one eventful week. It started with transfers, which takes all day to travel back and forth to Salt Lake, and then ended with a very, very busy Sunday. My new companion is Elder Bass from CLARKSVILLE, TN!!!!!!! Haha, I don't know how it happened, but it's pretty cool to have a companion from back home. He just graduated high school a month ago so that's pretty cool. He's a really hard worker and knows the scriptures and Gospel really well. He's still got a lot to learn, as do I, but his potential is really high. We've been exactly obedient this week and as diligent in the work as possible. We've had some great experiences and some cool miracles. We went by a less-active's house to find out that he no longer lives there, but his ex-wife does. She's remarried now and we came up to her new husband working in the yard. We asked if we could help him, but he declined. We then asked if we could do anything to help the family, and he told us to come back around 6 that night because his wife and daughter could use God in their lives. So we went by around 6 and no one was home.... :/ Later that night, we were about to go home and something told us to go back and try again, so we did. As we pulled up to the house, so did the father of the family, and he proceeded to invite us into his home. The family is going through a really hard time. The father is a recovering addict. The mother has a terrible back that will never heal and she is always in pain. The daughter, who is 17, just has a brain surgery to correct a birth defect. It left the right side of her body paralyzed for awhile. Now, she has all her movement back. The only thing she hasn't gotten back is her ability to write, which is really hard because she is going into her senior year and had plans for college. The father was telling us how when we walked up, he was just gonna brush us off and be on his way, but something told him not to. He just recently found God again, and was really open to our message. We're going back tomorrow for a lesson. We also went by a part- member family's house earlier this week, and when the wife answered the door she almost started to break out in tears. Her daughter had an accident at work earlier that morning, and was terribly burned. She said she was about to call someone to come give her a blessing when we knocked on the door. It's really cool to recognize when we're being guided by the Spirit. We put one of our investigators on date this last week. Her name is Heather. Her mom is a recent convert, and has been really interested in the church ever since her mom got baptized. This week has been a big testimony builder for how the Lord prepares people to hear the Gospel. I know that if we're faithful and diligent in His work, then those opportunities will be put right in front of us. I love this Gospel and testify of its perfection and power. I love and miss you all. As always, I love and miss Taylor and our puppy John Ralfio the most.

Love, Elder Clark

STAYING PUT THIS TRANSFER, BUT NEW CHANGES AND CHALLENGES

Another transfer has just flown by.... It feels like yesterday was my first day, and now I'm going into my 4th transfer... This week has been great. With Elder Kaya leaving and going home (the other missionary in our apartment), we've had Elder Hoffman(Elder Kaya's companion) with us the past 3 days. Being in a trio is a lot of fun. A lot of jokes and a lot of work going on when you have that extra Elder around all the time. We've been focusing on a few things this week. First, we wanted to focus on the Christ-like attribute of Charity. So we've been studying it in the scriptures and how we can apply it as missionaries and as a companionship. We've been focusing on service, and how serving others can help them feel the love of Christ. We've learned that Charity is not just loving the people we're serving but also showing them our love of the Savior. Second, we've been focusing on quality over quantity. We've been teaching a lot of lessons this transfer, but the majority of them aren't turning into anything. So we wanted to eliminate all the fluff lessons and focus on our progressing investigators and their needs. So far it's been pretty good and we hope to see even more improvement next week. We had a baptism this week in a really small town called Farson, Wyoming. It's about 40 miles North from Rock Springs, and we cover it. We hardly ever go out there though because it takes up a lot of miles and a senior-missionary couple go out there for us. Two girls got baptized out there this weekend, their names are Andy and Brandy. Andy is about 13 and Brandy is 10. Their grandfather baptized them in a river by their house. It was a really cool experience. The attached picture is of my crossing the river where they were baptized. After their baptism they were confirmed right there on the river bank and we got to participate in that ordinance. So last night I got a call from President and he wants me to train a new missionary coming in tomorrow. That means Elder Peters will be leaving here and the new trainee will be coming here with me. We're gonna drive down to Salt Lake tomorrow. I'm extremely nervous but also excited. They don't usually have missionaries train that have been out for as short of time that I have, but I feel honored to have the responsibility. Next week I'll let you all know how it's going.... haha. I just want everyone to know that I love and miss you all very much. Taylor Lindsey and Ralphie are still always on my mind and heart the most.

Love, Elder Clark

BUSY WEEK

This week has been a little different than our normal week. We started off the week with exchanges to Green River and ended the week with Zone Conference in Salt Lake over the weekend. Anyways, with being gone so much of this week, it's made the work a little harder and slower. Some of our investigators are progressing really nicely, but some just don't seem like they want to keep any commitments or take any steps forward. We've been focusing on how to help investigators keep commitments and how to help them understand the importance of what we're asking them to do. So that's what we've been focusing our studies on this last week. We've learned a lot about patience and teaching by the Spirit. It's been fantastic!!! Sam has been super busy with it being summer break. His family has been out of town the past 2 weeks, so we haven't been able to meet with them. We've picked up a few new investigators the past 2 weeks that seem really promising. One of them is a daughter of a recent convert that we have. Her name is Heather. She just moved up here from Provo to take care of her mom (who is the recent convert).  Another one is dating a daughter of a family in one of our wards. His name is Reggie. He just graduated from high school and literally knew nothing about the church. It's been so much fun teaching someone who has no idea of what the church is like. I went to Green River this week for exchanges and I was there for a day. We did a service project for a family that's been struggling. All we did was clean up their yard, mow, and edge it. The family was really grateful and the missionaries there are gonna start teaching their kids now. I had a really good time there with Elder Paige. He was one of the missionaries that came from the Ukraine mission. He's been out quite awhile and we get along pretty well. We had a great Zone Conference down in Salt Lake. My companion and I and the other set of Elders in my apartment stayed with the mission President and his wife in their beautiful home in Sandy. We stayed two nights and got to go to the Draper temple on Friday night. At the conference we learned a lot about patience, obedience, and spiritual crocodiles. It was a lot of fun, and we learned a lot. I can't believe transfers are already a week away. It feels like I just got to Rock Springs a week ago. Hopefully I don't get transferred again, but history shows I will.... Haha. I don't think I will, but that's what I said the last two times.... Anyways, sorry I didn't update last week. My email malfunctioned and I ran out of time. I want everyone to know that I have a testimony of this Gospel. I know that Christ is our Savior and He lives. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and His ministry. I know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and restored this Gospel to the Earth. I love this Gospel. I hope all is well back home. I hope you all are doing your part in hastening this work of salvation for those around us. Happy Father's Day to all of you dad's out there and especially to my own Dad. I'm so grateful to have been raised by a man who know this Gospel and loves it so dearly. I am truly blessed for all that I have in my life and those around me. I love and miss you all dearly. Taylor Lindsey and Ralphie, I love and miss the most. :)

Love, Elder Clark

SHORT AND SWEET

I feel like this week disappeared so fast... This transfer seems to be going by way too fast as well, but it's been great so far. We've picked up a couple of promising investigators this week from referrals that one of our bishops gave us, and he said he's got some more that he'll give us this upcoming week as well. It's been really cool to see a less-active family's heart be softened the past couple weeks. They went from not going to church and not even talking to the bishop, to coming on a weekly basis and being friendly to everyone. We've been teaching their 10 year old son, Sam, who wants to get baptized and they just had another son turn 8, so I know it's on their mind. Last lesson we invited Sam to be baptized and the family just said that there are still some things that they want to talk about, so I think they're close. Anyway, I love Wyoming as does everyone else who serves here. I would've made this week's email longer, but the other set of Elders in our apartment got in a pretty bad car accident today. They're both okay and so are the people in the other car. Both vehicles were trucks, and they both got totaled. Other than the airbags hurting them a bit and one of the Elders getting his knee banged up on the glove box they just had scratches and bruises. Anyway I've been studying faith a lot this week and I just want everyone to know that if you don't have faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, the things you're praying for aren't gonna happen. I've also been trying to have more faith that miracles can happen, and that more people will accept the Gospel. If we don't think these things are possible, we're gonna have a hard time seeing miracles. I love all of you and miss you so much. Taylor and Ralphie I love and miss the absolute most!!!