Monday, September 26th, 2011

Oi Família!

Wow... this whole new working schedule is sure tiring. This whole week I spent traveling around the mission doing companion exchanges with the zone leaders. When it was all said and done, I finally got to stay in my area and rest a bit. And when I say "rest" I mean go back to work with my own investigators in my own area. I really do love doing these exchanges because I get to work with some of the best missionaries on the mission. I learn a lot and I have a bunch of spiritual experiences with their investigators. Just this Wednesday I went back to the zone where I first started the mission. I went and visited their investigators and we invited them to be baptized, but at first they said that they weren´t ready, but then we worked with the Spirit and they ended up accepting the invitation and were baptized on Sunday! Then I got to go back to my first area in the mission to do a baptismal interview for the Elders that are working there now. I got off the bus and I looked around and remembered all the things from my first months on the mission. It was like I was homesick or something. I felt like I had just gotten home from a really long journey. It had been almost a year since I´d left there and I got to see a few of the members that helped me learn Portuguese when I first arrived in the area. When I knocked on their door, one of the brothers came out and looked at me for a while and said, "Whoa! Young man are you a little lost around here?!" He came out and gave me a big ol´ hug and I got to talk with him about all the things that had changed and stuff like that. I got a tiny glimpse of what it will be like when I come back home to my REAL home.

I really don´t have a WHOLE lot to tell about the week other than that I am really grateful for this new calling because I am learning how to be more firm and forthright with my standards in the Gospel and my work. I know how important it is to be obedient and to be a good leader, because if we aren´t good leaders and if we don´t show the example to the other missionaries, the work will never move along. I see how I always need to be motivating these mission leaders to do their best because it is through them that the other missionaries are going to do better in their own areas. I see how important it is to always do my best because the reward for hard work is really gratifying, but the consequence for a lack of work is sadness and disappointment. The beautiful thing is that is all up to us whether we have good or bad results. I love the examples of hard work that I´ve had in my family. Thanks for all the help you´ve all given me! Keep up the amazing work at home! I love hearing about all the good stuff you´re all doing! I love you all!

Elder Clark