March 24, 2014 (Original Date)

(Note from the Editor - Alyssa's Editor and Publisher has fallen behind on getting her posts out on time. Today I will get a total of four posts published, and will then almost be up to date once again.)

This week has been awesome. It started out on Monday, when we went to Devon Tower to a super over-priced restaurant called "The Vast" on the 49th floor. It was totally worth it though, just for the experience of it! 
Devon Tower



Our whole district went - Elders Harnish, Roundy, Beus and Powley, Sisters Leavitt, Bishop, Cardon, and Clark (that's me). We get there and ride the elevator to the top, and they were like, "do you have a reservation?" and Elder Beus, our fearless leader, looks back at us... "UH... I didn't know we needed one?" "How many?" Awkward pause... "Uh, eight." Hahahaha I'm so glad we were dressed nice, cause we felt so out of place! And we had this happy little buffet, and they put us in an enclosed-ish room, prolly so we wouldn't be disruptive. AWK. But it was good, because it was all fancy and whatever, and we got to our little room, and everyone just looks at each other and busts up laughing.

So the buffet totally had green desserts and corned beef and cabbage because of St. Patrick's day! It was soooo good. So when I was getting the corned beef, there was a cute plump black man serving it, and he smiled a HUGE smile at me, so I smiled a big old toothy smile back, and he said to me, "You a beautiful woman! You have the most beautiful smile!" I just wanted to die, it made me so happy.
Fine Dining at "The Vast"

Our waiter's name was Yui, and he was super sweet; he told us to pretend he wasn't there, but then halfway through it all, Sister Leavitt confessed that we were all just overcome and didn't know how to handle the fanciness so we were just awkward every time he came in. Ha! So we asked him a little about himself and he told us he was engaged to a Mormon! It was so happy. Everyone in the world should just get married. And every time we went back for seconds, he'd fold our napkin and take our plate before we even came back.

What else this week? We visited Pam, one of the Recent converts, and she told us how she really wants to post something on Facebook about joining the LSD Church, so we told her that would be awesome, but she should probably say LDS instead.

OKAY, awesome revelation moment this week. I was looking through the Joseph Fielding Smith handbook the other day, and came across chapter 23, individual responsibility. Something President Smith said to his kids really hit me, and reminded me of something Dad would say: "People die in bed. So do ambitions." It was an "UH, DUH" moment for me. Moping about, whining about unfavorable circumstances, and not working as hard as I should because I'm not motivated? THOSE THINGS ARE NOT GOING TO MOTIVATE ME. Getting to work is going to motivate me to want to work harder, I've experienced that. The Atonement is real, and it's really for me. I can CHOOSE to have faith, and I can CHOOSE to be obedient.

Gash, I'm so dramatic. But I love personal revelation.

A lot of time this week was spent helping members. EVERYBODY'S MOVING. Way lame, but I guess I'll move in a transfer or two, too. :) But we helped one sister partially clean out her storage unit (though most of the time was spent standing around as she cooed over all the things she forgot she had and old pictures and things), and she gave us rose rocks (apparently the state rock, and native to OK) and some sweet glasses (I'm totally dressing up like a 90s sister missionary one of these days). Then we helped Sister Bently clean out her garage and tornado shelter, and that was fun, spiders and all! Her fam is too legit to quit. I just love them.
We wore jeans all day that day, and by the end of it I totally wanted out! They're so constraining! Never thought I'd see the day...

We had an awesome district meeting this week, about the doctrine of Christ, and near the end of it, a woman came in and just listened in. Nobody knew who she was, and then at the end, we talked to her a bit, and she was there to check out the family history center! She wasn't a member, but Sis Leav got her info and everything, and by the end of their conversation she asked her, "Why aren't you a Mormon yet?" and she said, "You know, I'm starting to wonder that myself!" The Lord is truly preparing people. What are the chances she would just walk into our district meeting!

We went to Crescent this week, the tiny town at the top of our area. It's like another Elgin! It was so cute and small. We went tracting a little bit with a member there, harp and all, but no one was interested. Small town people are funny. 

But we walked down main street for a little bit, just to check the place out, and we discovered the cutest antique shop ever! It was like an antique - antique shop, it was so old! It used to be a bank, too, we found the super duper old safe in there. I found some legit old OK license plates, a couple of weird records, and we found lots of other things, too. It was so cool, I love old things.

That night, we went to the Boggs for a matched gathering (a get together designed to help less active members, non members, and recent converts get to know the ward members) and it was so fun. Sarah, Brad, Kyle and his daughter, and Sarah's friend Matt (who's a non member, he's been in on a couple lessons with Megan) all came, and it was so fun. (Also, found out Sarah's cousins is one of Chelsea's best friends, Kat! Weird coincidence)

ANNNDDD yesterday in church, E's Beus and Powley, and S's Leavitt and Cardon sang "Come Unto Christ" (I played the piano) and it was incredible. The Spirit was so strong and it was wonderful. Listen to the original, it's incredible: https://www.lds.org/youth/video/come-unto-christ-2014-theme-song?lang=eng

 GAH I THINK THAT'S EVERYTHING. Well not really. But holy cow, it's hard to fit everything in.

I LOVE YOU ALL. 
Choose to choose the right every day.

Love, Sister Clark

p.s. If you ever come to Oklahoma, you WILL get allergies even if you've never had them in your life. JTLYK.