I thought it didn't snow in Oklahoma..... but guess what! It does! And there's something weird that I never heard of called "freezing rain" and "ice storm" and I was like.... uh what is that? Everyone here had been talking about this great ice storm that happened 4 years ago when the power went out for over a week! AND
THEN WE HAD ONE! But it was just a bitty one. Our car was legitimately an icicle. It was crazy. We had a dinner that night and Brother Lang went out and scraped our whole car, it was so nice. :) But we had a couple days that we had to spend inside, because of the ice and also because of our little sickling, Sister Durfee! So we decided to make our apartment cute and festive with snowflakes. It was exciting... especially since we didn't have a ladder. So dear Sister Stewart said, "USE MY BACK!" And I said, "NO!" But then she is just really convincing so that's what I did. It was well worth the effort! It ended up so cute. :)
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| Our car door window after the ice storm |
And on Sunday, for the first time ever in my experience, church was cancelled! So weird. So we went out and tried to see a couple people, but Sister Durfee sounded like she was going to keel over so we went back and watched the Testaments and made cornbread muffins. It was happy. :) I'm pretty bummed that we didn't get to go to church though. I feel like there are so many members we just don't know yet! We had stake conference last week. But one day we'll go to real church. I'm excited to take the sacrament again.
The nice thing about having a couple days stuck inside was that my companions and I were able to bond a lot. Did I mention that I just love my companions? I truly do. We're all pretty different from each other, but they're both mature and sincere and I just love it.
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| It does snow in Oklahoma! |
We were out visiting a less active member this week, and I had the most surreal moment of my life. We stepped outside of the car, and started walking over to the door, and I froze in place. This apartment complex was the same as one I'd dreamt about a month or so earlier. The odd thing is that I don't normally have missionary-esque dreams; I just have bizarre ones.
But in this little dream I had, I dreamt we were doing missionary work in this complex. The complex in my dream had a little underpass, atop of which there were some more apartments. We went through to the other side, and on the right, there was an older couple, probably in their sixties. The woman had longer, sliver-white hair, tied back in a pony tail. Her husband was tall and bigger. They were interested in the gospel, but trying to get packed for a camping trip or something.
So then when we walked up to the complex, it was the SAME ONE I had dreamt of before. But there was no one outside or anything, and no apartment where I saw the one in my dream. So I don't really know what to take it for. But it was so surreal.
Also that day we met Faye Duggins. We went up to her trailer with her dogs barking at us like psychos and then she was talking to us like she was drunk, and glanced over at her dog, and shouted, "Bo! BO! What you got?" And we look over and this dog is swinging something around like a rag doll except it's all stiff and OH MY GOSH THAT'S HALF A CAT... WHATTTT?! It was so gross! It's face was all scrunched up and scary looking and it only had its front half - and from the back, the inside of it looked all hollow. It looked PETRIFIED LIKE MRS. NORRIS... but super dead. PLUS THERE WAS LEGIT A NOOSE HANGING IN HER WINDOW. Oh man. It was crazy.
We also had mission tour this week. It was an absolutely inspiring experience. Elder Cardon from the 70 came out and did training with us. The Spirit was so strong. It was wonderful to hear the words of a general authority. It was awesome to recognize that he had the ability to receive revelation for our mission at this time too. I loved what we learned about the Abrahamic Covenant, and the commandment to "Love One Another." I'd never really recognized the power in the words to that song before.
I had the opportunity to play the piano for the meeting. I was able to do some prelude - and before the second half of the meeting, there was an experience that Elder Cardon later pointed out. I was playing, and everyone was talking and chatting, and then President Walkenhorst asked everyone to quiet down and prepare for the next part of the meeting. So everyone sat and was very still. Elder Henderson was about to stand (he was conducting) but Elder Cardon motioned for him to wait. So I played a few more songs, just some simple primary songs, while everyone was silent. He said, "It is important to take note of those times where you can just listen and take in the Spirit. Recognize that there is a need for this time, this communion." I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father blessed me with musical abilities.
Overall I was overwhelmed with the understanding that this Is the Lord's work, and the last dispensation. All the little things that I concern myself with so much just don't matter. All that matters is to love and to love, so much that we want our brothers and sisters to have the same joy, so much that we want to SAVE them. In 1 Nephi 14:7 it talks about how people are either going to choose wickedness or righteousness, but ALL will choose. I have a responsibility to try and save others from choosing wickedness, thus choosing misery, because I KNOW with all my heart and mind and soul that GOD LIVES. CHRIST LIVES. I have tasted of that incomprehensible joy (Alma 28:8) that is the gift of the Atonement. I must hold firm to the truths I now understand because doubts will come. They will. And we all have to be ready for the time that they do.
Sister Pfister came to me afterward and embraced me. She told me that she loved me, and told me that she thought back to our first exchange in my first transfer, of her overwhelming joy that I had chosen to come on a mission instead of anything else I could be doing. She told me that both she and Sister Main felt that I would be a powerful leader. She looked me in the eyes and expressed that I'd changed SO MUCH since I'd come out. And it's the Spirit that has softened my heart and the Atonement and the love of God that have changed me. That was so powerful, especially coming from the person I look up to very most out here. It meant so much to me.
I am so overwhelmed by the love that Christ has for me, and Heavenly Father too. 3 Nephi 5:13: "BEHOLD, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life." I know this is true. I know who I am, and I know who God is. This is my call.
I love you all! As this is my calling; it's yours as well. As members of His church, we have an obligation to share the truth that we know.
Sincerely, Sister Clark
p.s. Definitely was craving brownies tons this week... and now everyone's trying to give us brownies. Heavenly Father loves me. :)
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| This is What I Look Like when I am Craving Brownies! |
