Monday, July 11th 2011

Oí Família!!!

Just one quick question... can someone go into my closet and look at my mission call letter? I am pretty sure that it said BRAZIL, right? All right then, please explain to me why I am so darn cold down here?!!! It is like a constant 50 degrees here everyday and in the morning it´s like 45! I know that it wasn´t this cold this time last year. I wake up and it gets really hard to get out of bed because I know that our house doesn´t have a heater nor do I have very many warm clothes to wear! You pack for the sunny tropical weather and you end up getting three months of cold fog! Oh well, it´s my last time going through the Brazilian winter haha. I actually should be counting my blessings because I know that come September, the unbearable heat will be back and I will be praying for the cold to come back. Human beings are never satisfied with where they are. When it´s hot they want cold, when it´s cold they want hot. I think Jill is the only one who would be okay with 90 degree weather all day everyday haha.

Actually, my letter will have this very theme; being grateful for where you are at any given time. I met a member down here from another ward. His name is Gregson Querino and he served in New Jersey and just got home a year ago. He asked me where I was from and I told him proudly, "Payson, Utah!" His jaw dropped and he told me that he served with two guys who I knew pretty well from high school, Cody Burton and Shane Halverson. I couldn´t believe it and he even told me that Cody had given him a Payson High basketball jersey that he used to wear to all the Payson basketball games. I couldn´t believe at how small this world is. He started to tell me how amazing his mission was and how grateful he was to have served in the U.S.. Here in Brazil, it is every member´s dream to go to Utah or the U.S.. When he was in the MTC in Provo, he said that he stopped one day on the soccer field to just look at the mountains, at the blue sky, and at all the green grass. He started to cry when he realized that he was living the dream of just about every member here. He said that his time there was a great adventure and he misses it a bunch. Later in the week, I saw that a member was watching the Women´s World Cup and guess who was playing? USA and Brazil. The U.S. ended up winning and I just sat there thinking for a bit... I cannot believe that I am in another country. I saw the Red, White, and Blue and actually began to tear up as well. I am in a different country and I am seeing how much different the world really is from life in the USA. We are so very blessed to live in a country like the United States. It is everyone´s dream to go there. I know that this time on the mission has been the BEST thing for me. I am learning so many things spiritually and socially as well. I am really living in an adventure! I love my time here and I wouldn´t ever rather be in any other place. When I get home, I will miss it a bunch, but I will remember that we are so very lucky to live there. The Lord blesses us in so many ways that you can´t even begin to list the things. I am so grateful for the supportive family that I have, and for the blessing that I had to be born into the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Have a wonderful week everyone! And be careful in New York Dad and Jill! Happy birthday to Everyone! I know that this month is full of birthdays!

Love,
Elder Clark