So I have an awesome new comp! Her name is Sister Sofia Larson, or now "SisLar" for short. She is 5'11" (taller than me!) with strawberry blonde hair. She's from Oregon and she's 21. She plays 14 different instruments (soon to be 15 cause I'm gonna teach her harp!) and she's super nice and bold! The very first lessons we had she just spoke right up, it was incredible. She's definitely here to do the Lord's work. She's excited to be in OK because she's a little terrified of Brazil. She speaks Portugese like a proski. AND FREAK, SHE'S A WHOVIAN/SHERLOCKIAN/SHE UNDERSTANDS MY SOUL.
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| Sister Leavitt, Sister Larson, & Sister Clark |
This week has been crazy! On Wednesday, for transfers, we were running around like little ants trying to get stuff done and get SisLar everything she needs, talking with everyone and saying goodbye to all the missionaries. We went to Braums (transfer tradition!) and went shopping! We found a little market called Sprouts and it's totally hipster and I love it! THEY HAD EGYPTIAN LICORICE HERBAL TEA and I almost cried. I got two boxes. :)
So SisLeav and I are participating in self-induced torture... AKA a diet. Sorta. Elder Winterton swears by it, and I've been feeling super gross because I haven't been eating too well lately, so yeah. The rule is Breakfast and Lunch is only fruit and veggies. Dinner is whatever members feed us, and no eating after dinner. IT'S EXCITING. I feel better already!
Welllllll sorta. SisLeav and I finally caught the cold-ish-coughy thing that's been going around. So that's been hindering the work a little... unfortunately. :( But conference weekend was a great opportunity to sit back and just listen to the prophets speak and rest a little. Kinda. Physically, not spiritually.
SPEAKING OF WHICH... CONFERENCE. GUYS! That was the most incredible and inspiring conference I've ever had the privilege of hearing. I HAVE THIRTY SIX JOURNAL PAGES OF NOTES. Isn't that ridiculously fantastic? I can't even pick and choose... and even though there WASN'T a huge announcement (silly me listening to rumors) IT WAS WAY BETTER because they gave a smackdown on member missionary work! I especially loved Elder Ballard's talk and challenge you the same - share the gospel with at LEAST one person between now and Christmas. "There is no greater joy in life than being anxiously engaged in this work!" "President Monson, we have listened. We will all find the one." OH so powerful, I couldn't even take it. I could seriously talk about this for like 4 hours. I would love to hear all of your favorite parts of conference! (p.s. SisLeav and I basically WEPT. It was embarrassing. At least I wasn't alone!)
One family invited us over for breakfast before the Sunday session and it was fantastic. They had homemade waffles and vanilla syrup, and even though I wasn't in my jammies I felt at home there. :) It was awesome.
WHAT ELSE, WHAT ELSE...
Oh, Danny! Danny is this crazy guy who is way awesome and I have a lot of respect for him. We OYM'd him in those apartments we're always at, and he was very willing to speak to us. I think I told you about him before, that he'd been in prison and then changed his whole life around and studied for a year to become a minister and he looks way sketchy because of all his tats and stuff but he's awesome? YEAH that Danny. So we were inspired to stop by and he happened to be home with his darling little boys! I think they're 4 and 6, Justin and Dartanion. He's trying so hard to be a good dad - those boys are his whole life. And he aspires to help struggling youth because he says that when he was young, if someone would have been there for him he might not have taken the path he did. He loves the Bible. We tried hard to teach him, but have a few roadblocks. He's worried about prophets. But HE TALKS SO MUCH IT'S HARD TO TEACH. I think we just have to be more straight up with him. IT WILL HAPPEN.
I also found out I volunteered to play and speak in a missionary fireside! I'm so glad I volunteered... heehee... really though I'm excited, it will be grand. I'm practicing Christmas music and have been playing some Irish songs in celebration of everyone going to Ireland without me. :D I loved getting a program, Grandpa! And I was looking for Uncle Bruce all of Saturday in conference and FINALLY I realized that of course he wouldn't be there because he was in Ireland. :)
We met with Maverick again and had a great talk about conference and the organization of the church. Mav is going to be a great missionary one of these days. He prayed about being baptized and received the answer to talk to his parents about it, something he was worried about. He did, and got a better answer than he thought he would! He was worried that his dad would be unaccepting of the idea, but he wasn't! Both his parents just told him that they wanted him to be sure it was the right thing to do, and his mom told him to keep praying about it. :)
Did I tell you about Nana yet? I think I might have, he's the one who wrote about about proving God and the Bible through logic and math and science, etc. We didn't meet with him before because he was drunk, but we came back and talked with him and had a very interesting experience. He was disagreeing with us about different things, and so so SO stubborn about the Book of Mormon not being true. He contradicted himself a couple times. I was getting frustrated. He was just talking and talking. Some of it was truth, but some of it wasn't. I finally said a prayer to help me not be frustrated and just testify. So I opened my mouth and did just that. I was so bold, it was incredible, and the words were not my own! We testified the heck out of him, seriously. I know that the Spirit was there and was testifying along with us, but his heart was so hardened. I know that if he had opened his heart, he would have known and understood, but he would not. We tried reading some more from the Book of Mormon, but he stood up from our spot in the stairwell of the apartments, shook his head, and said "No more." The spirit was testifying to him so strongly I think he didn't have the strength to withstand it anymore. We shook his hand, prayed for him once more, and testified again of the power and truth of the Book of Mormon. Then we said goodbye.
As we walked away, I couldn't help but crying a little. The spirit was testifying to ME of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, and I knew that if he had just opened up a little he would have received it. I feel so sad for him. I pray that one day he will soften his heart. I know that all we can do is our best, and all we can do is carry the message UNTO his heart, not INTO his heart.
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| Sister Leavitt and the Poor, Poor Table |
On a much lighter note, guess who broke the coffee table? NOT ME! Hahaha Sister Leavitt was sitting on it, and made mistake of leaning back into the center of the table.... it was almost a clean break! Stupid cheap table! But it was way freaking funny.
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| Me and Elder Fee |
ALSO I finally got a picture with Elder Fee! I apologize that I look like a horse. But Elder/Sister pictures are always way awkward so it's fine...... :)
NO WE DID NOT HAVE A TORNADO ON FRIDAY. I woke up in the middle of the night to the thunder and lightning storm - it was incredible! So close! But we have lots of trees. Like I said, we basically live in a forest. :) But no tornadoes! (Dang! I really REALLY wanted to sit in the bathtub with my bike helmet on my head and a mattress on top of me. So unfortunate.)
I love you all! If you didn't watch conference then YOU FREAKING NEED TO. It's incredible. Go out with the missionaries! Share your testimony!
Love, Sister Clark
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