GOODBYE ROCK SPRINGS

Another transfer is over, and it's gone by so fast. I can't believe that I am about to start my 6th transfer. I still feel like a “greeny”. Sadly, I am getting transferred.... :( I have loved every bit of Rock Springs, WY. I'm sad to go, but I'm also excited to be in a new area and meet new people. Saying goodbye to the people I've grown to love in this area is the hardest thing to do. I will miss so many different people, and I know that I'll have to come back through here to visit. We've had a really good week. One of our investigators, Mariana, is now on date to be baptized for October 11th. I'm happy to see her make this step. She has such a bright spirit; I know she'll make a really strong member. It sucks that I won't be here for it, but I'm just happy she's made the decision. Elder Bass and I have come a long way together. We've grown and learned a lot from each other. I'm really happy that I was able to train him and have this experience together. I know he'll do a great job running this area. I said goodbye to Elder Page today. He flies home tomorrow morning, but he's driving down to Salt Lake tonight. We had a great time down in Manila. He was saying goodbye to a lot of the people down there that he's gotten close to, so we visited everyone in the town basically. The pictures are of the Gorge and some two-week old puppies that belong to one of the members. So cute! On Saturday, we did a wood cut with the ward in Manila. It was an all day service project that kicked our butts. We went up into the mountains and cut down trees for firewood. They think it's going to be a long winter, so we cut about 25 cords of wood. It was a ton. The whole purpose was to give the wood to the elderly and people that got hurt and couldn't do it themselves. It was a great service project that made us feel like we did something really helpful afterwards. Tonight, we're eating dinner with our investigators, the Youngbloods. They're preparing to get baptized as well. We've had some really good lessons with them. I feel like they have come such a far way since I first got here. A lot of our investigators are still struggling with smoking. It's probably the number one issue in Rock Springs. Everyone smokes or drinks. We would have about ten people get baptized tomorrow if they didn't have a problem with those two things. It's hard to see people so restricted by their addictions. I said goodbye to Vicki and Evan last night. :( They are my favorite people in the whole world. It was so hard to say goodbye. They gave me a going-away present that had one of Vicki's homemade loaves of bread, a cornbread mix (because she knows I love cornbread), and a book to replace a book that I had given her a few months ago. Inside the book was a touching note that said, "Thank you for knocking on our door. You changed our lives." It just about brought me to tears. I told them I would come back and visit them along with my parents, I also said I might have a wife or fiancé at that point too. They seemed really excited about that. We're going to try to meet up at General Conference next month as well. Hopefully that all works out. Anyways, a chapter in my mission is coming to a close, but a new one is opening up and I can't wait. I love and miss you all, as always. I especially love and miss with all my heart, Taylor Lindsey and John Ralphio Sebastian the 3^rd (Ralphie). ;)

Love, Elder Clark