July 7, 2013

Mama and family!:)

So I don't really know where to start. Life is good but man the mission is very difficult. Mainly because of the language and that I don't really understand much at all that is being said but I know that through the Lord and through hard study that the language will come. They just talk very fast and their accent is hard to understand. The good thing is that their second language is English so they can understand that pretty well but not really speak it. So my companion and I both use a lot of taglish. Elder M is my companion and we are in Bangui and he is a Fillipeno from Canada! He didn't know any Tagalog before coming into the mission so he still has a struggle with the language but he is very talented. He has been out for 6 months and he is really a great teacher and he knows his stuff. There is this lady that we call sister grandma and she is just the sweetest old lady and she comes with us some of the days to work because she just takes us to all of her family and just whoever and she is my translator haha. But I really am trying to speak as much Tagalog as possible. So in Bangui, the area I am in is just so beautiful, and Laoag is just so amazing I cant even describe how beautiful it is. So here in Bangui is actually a new area. Missionaries haven't been here teaching for a long while now and Elder M and I are the first to serve here in a long time so we are opening it back up and we have a bunch of work to do. We have a pretty nice apartment you could say, we actually have a shower, its super cold but its a shower and that is nice. And we have an alright toilet you could say haha anyways there isn't really any nice stuff around here but I sure do love it. So we are in the central part of Bangui and there is a little market for food and a couple little shops and what not for basic needs. Everybody just lives super close by here and central which is really nice because we don't walk that much a day because everyone just lives right by everybody. It is like a little town of shacks and cement houses. Some houses are nicer than others but its pretty poor here. The people are so nice and really loving. They love the tall white boy. Everywhere I go there are kids or adults looking at me and smiling, or just flat out staring because I'm white or maybe its because I am so darn good looking. Probably the first one haha. We live with two other missionaries as well who are opening up the other side of Bangui so we split the Bangui area in half and we got the "city" part and they got the "country" part. We had church in a building. They don't have a chapel because there is only 4 melchezidek priesthood holders and we need 15 to have a chapel! So that is our goal. We need men! There are about 13 women in the ward and right now since we have gotten here and had 3 days of real work in the field, we have 14 investigators and 2 baptismal dates!! It has been really awesome and the people love hearing the gospel. The hardest part is that investigators have to go to church four times before they can get baptized because it shows commitment. And 2 of our investigators showed up to church which was really good. I don't have much time to write at all because I had to email my mission pres as well. MAMA life is good here and I am sorry that this email really is not a good one, I just dont have much time but I love receiving your emails and hearing about what is going on at home.I am so glad to here about Rendens mission call and Tyler emailed me to and he said some really great words. I sure do love you all and it is pouring rain like crazy out here and I am super excited to go to work!! Please pray for me specifically for this language. It is very hard and it gets to me. I know I will be okay. Elder M and the other elders are great trainers for me even though at times I think they could be a little more obedient but we will see how things go, Its only been about 4 days in the field. My mission presidents are funny as funny can get haha. anyways mama I got to go and I love you and I hope you have a great week.!!!

So it looks like I have a little more spare time to write. I just wanted to send one quick little note saying how much I love this gospel and how I can already see the the blessings pour down into my life. This work is powerful and the language is not a barrier for the spirit. Tanner--- I am working the very hardest I can. I washed my clothes by hand haha and I know you would be proud of me if you were my companion for the day. Thanks for your example because it helps me push myself to work as hard as I can. Mama, There are so many trees, like jungle trees and it is just green everywhere. I will send pictures next week. I love everything about this gospel and the Philippines. Everybody just lives in like tin shacks on dirt with dirt floors or they have cement houses. It is so amazing and I am happy and I love this work even though it is so dang hard. Anyways I have to go but I love you all with all my heart and I want you all to know that I am a missionary serving my God to bring people unto Christ and to his one true church. This is Gods one true church and I love being a missionary and someday everybody will here this message.

Elder Clark