IT'S A GIRL!

Phone call from Saturday night...

AP Henderson: "Hey, Sister Clark, we actually just got a report back from medical, and the diagnosis is.... You're pregnant.

Me: "Who'da guessed?!"

AP: You're due on Feb 5, you'll be having a little girl. You actually can't have any little boys."

Me: "That's good, that'd be pretty awkward."

 

OKAY OKAY I'M NOT REALLY FOR REALS PREGGO. This is mission lingo for.... "YOU'RE TRAINING!" Those cute little new missionaries that just went into the MTC on the 22nd? One of those is going to be my companion (aka daughter)! What the heck?! I feel like I just got trained. Like last week. Good heavens! I'm really excited, though, even though I know it'll be a challenge. It will be very humbling too, I'm sure.

 

Can you believe I'm 1/3 of the way finished with my mission?! What? No. I'm serious when I say I sometimes feel like I just got out here. The days are long, yes, but it's just going by so fast! I was talking to Sister Johnson about it the other day, and she told me it just goes faster.... she feels like she just came out too, and she goes home in 9 days! (Hahaha I told her yesterday that she has less days than I have months) I guess it goes by a lot faster, too, when you fall in love with your mission, as I definitely have. Don't worry, I'm never coming home, I'll just stay out here and be a missionary forever.

 

Just kidding. That would be super creepy. Maybe I can just serve a 14 year mission like Alma the Younger! Perfect. It's a plan.

ONWARD!

Alyssa at Henfer Lake, Oklahoma

So some cool experiences this week: We had dinner with a family and their non-member friend, and Sister Johnson was totally in her zone - the friend was this older guy, totally white, but his whole life is devoted to singing and dancing for pow-wows- like Sis J! So that was awesome. We taught him the restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon, and Sis J testified about how it's the history of her people and stuff. He doesn't want to take the lessons, but it was interesting and the family will definitely work with him. He seemed pretty interested in the Book of Mormon, too. :) I'm totally jealous I'm only 1/32 Native, but I'll get over it one day. OH and he gave her some Golden Eagle Feathers, and she was almost in tears! I guess it's a super big deal to have Eagle Feathers. She was beside herself with excitement. :D

OH AND on our way out the door, I definitely ran smack dab into their glass door. Like cartoon status (hahaha Paige - just like at the Keisers cabin? yeah, just like that). It was pretty hilarious and embarrassing.

 

WHAT ELSE WHAT ELSE.

Here's another thing I realized: the covenants we make at baptism are directly related to attributes of Christ. It's a simple truth, but I never made that connection before. It just points right back to the fact that we are meant to become like Christ, and everything God asks us to do sets us toward Him.

 

SORRY THIS UPDATE IS SO SCATTERED, but here's something else I found:

Mosiah 8:16 says that no man can have the power of God, "yet a man may have great power given him from God." Talking about what the priesthood is. I am so grateful that the priesthood power has been restored again to the Earth, truly. God isn't done with His people. He's not done blessing us, He's not done putting us to work, and He's not done refining us. That is why we need the Priesthood. I also loved verse 18, which says: "Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings." The Priesthood is not meant for dominion or power. It's a gift meant to bless others. That's something we're trying hard to help people understand.

 

Moral of the story: the Church is true!

 

GASH what else happened this week?

Some silly things.... what do you do with your companion when you're not tired and you have 45 minutes till bedtime anyways?

Disney's Pocahontas and Anatasia

DUH. Dress up like Pocahontas and Anastasia, of course. :)

Disney's Pocahontas and Anatasia

We definitely went like that to District meeting, and nobody noticed. We thought we were pretty dang funny, though. :)

We went to Lake Hefner - they have a lovely little lake, and it was poppin! That's the place to be, apparently. It smelled like the Great Salt Lake almost, but it couldn't be that bad because people were fishing. That's definitely one thing I'm looking forward to doing in 2015. :)

 

Sis. Johnson & Sis. Clark at Hefner Lake

So we had to drop one of our 3 investigators. It's sad for everyone. She's still going to be taken care of by the wardies, we're making sure of that. But no one can progress unless they're keeping commitments, and she just wasn't. Hopefully we can pick her back up in a couple months.

 

Sis. Johnson & Sis. Clark at Hefner Lake

ON A HAPPIER NOTE, the work here with Less Active members is going INCREDIBLY well, compared to anything else I've seen. We had a huge miracle with one brother - Sister Johnson had been feeling strongly that we needed to visit him, and FINALLY we did. He expressed to us that he'd never strayed away from the beliefs of the church, but had just had some WofW problems for several years. And then he told us his goal for this year is to be ordained an Elder! Heavenly Father is softening hearts and we get to be instruments in that, it's so wonderful. There was another who we felt impressed to visit, and all she really needed was that nudge to go to church - and she was there yesterday! When people start taking steps closer to Christ, even little steps, I just want to weep with joy.

 

Speaking of church yesterday, we had Stake Conference! Guess what it was all about... again? Yes, missionary work. :) The work is being done on both sides of the veil, people. Take part in it - as you do so you will see blessings in your life, and recognize even more God's plan for you. Doing the Lord's work gives me such an eternal perspective - one that I hope to keep throughout my life.

 

I love you to pieces. God loves you way more. Don't ever forget it!

Love,

Sister Clark

 

p.s. Remember just a minute ago when I said I'd be staying forever? Guys, I love Oklahoma. And in case you were wondering, OU definitely has a harp program.....

When Sister Leavitt used to always say she would be moving here, I was like, "hahaha. you're funny."

But now that's me.

And yesterday at church? I met a sister who served here, and left right after Sis J came out. She lives here now.

 

p.p.s. Remember that one time I tried to eat healthy? hahahahaha that was so funny hahahhahahaha!!!