Tripanionship

DEAREST MOMMA AND PAPA, and the family and friends,
Thank you for the letter! What a fun musical fireside! I want to be in a musical fireside! Someday, I will find a harp here, and be in one. I have been letting people borrow my harp recital DVD (like the bishop and his family, and some others in the ward) and they love it. I don't think they believed me when I said I play the harp. Even though I feel like when I get home I won't be able to play it anymore. Sad.

Fun to see Norman Ortiz! I hope you said hi to him for me. He was such an inspirational teacher. I was so sad to have to stop piano when I did, but I guess it was best. But I still wish I could take from Mr. Ortiz. He’s fantastic! Was Simple Gifts a duet and did you play it at the fireside with him too? Fun fun! And WAY TO GO bringing non-members to the fireside! What a good missionary you are mom! Love it! Keep it up!

So about the organ. I am not playing anymore, because I was just substituting while H was out of town. But I did love it. And I will try those tips out next time I play. But I am relieved when I don't have to play because then I can talk to the ward before the meeting and after, and sit with people. It’s more about the missionary work. But it is fun to get a chance to play the organ. I even tried to play the pedals. Just tonic and dominant, of course. But it's still a challenge!

So SOOOOOO much happened this last week. It feels like it's been forever since last week, and at the same time it went by so fast. First big thing is that at transfers, we knew Sister N and I were staying in Banbury, and that's all we thought. But much to our surprise, we ended up with a TRI-panionship. Yes. We have three of us now! It’s me, sister N and Sister P. Sister P came out at the same time as me, and she is from Logan Utah. I love her so much, and since we first came to England, we became friends right away. So it's so fun having her here! It does make it difficult though. Having three in a companionship can be rough. Communication really does have to be KEY. But it's very fun to teach people. And we are going to be able to do a lot of splits with the ward and stuff. It’s pretty exciting! AND, sister P and I are going to be exercising together, and she is a runner, and I am so excited about that! We did a work out together in the morning, and we are going to eat really well together. I really can't wait! We have such goals for ourselves! I am pretty excited about it all.

So last week, we had the sisters training. It was three day training with Sister and President Ogden, and it was absolutely AMAZING. Seriously. I have never learned so much! I learned how to be a much more effective teacher, who relies on the spirit. Basically, the main points of the training were to teach us how to ask effective questions or "heaven sent questions" that have the investigators teach themselves. It’s all about feelings. Like "how did you feel when you prayed? Or how did you feel when you read the Book of Mormon." such good questions. And it's also all about silence. Because when we take a slower pace in teaching, and let there be some silence, then the spirit can talk to us, as well as our investigators. It’s amazing. We did SO many role plays in that time that we were in training, and just from those, I learned how to follow the spirit better. It’s so amazing how the spirit works. The training is seriously inspirational, and I can't wait to become more effective in that teaching.

So when we got home, we decided to really try right away to focus on the new training, so that we can change our old less effective ways. Well, yesterday, at about 6:00 in the evening, we felt like we should go finding in a place in Banbury called Grimsbury. I went here only once, and that was when I was on exchanges with sister Nadsady a couple weeks ago. And that's when we found a couple new investigators. One of which was D from Hungary. Now if you're asking yourself, wait, I thought we had a recent convert named D from Hungary, you are right! This is another one! And he is 23, and he met the elders in Hungary, and wanted to learn more now that he was here in England. Well, yesterday, when we were there, walking around talking to people, D came up to us. And we started talking. He said that he read what we asked him to, which was 3 Nephi 11, and he read it on Skype with the elder that was in Hungary before. We then went to a park, and promptly gave into the spirit. We asked questions and then just listened. To him and the spirit. We found so much about him, and we read with him, and the spirit was so strong. By the end of the lesson, he told us that in Hungary he had prayed to know that the Book of Mormon was true, and he got an answer, and that he knew without a doubt that it was true. It was an incredible lesson! I couldn't believe it! By the end he was asking us how many times a week he could see us! Wow, it really does work. I am so amazed! I love how the spirit works so well. Why did we ever try to rely on ourselves, when obviously God knows best!

So with B, he is still doing wonderful! He is coming to church every week, and soon should receive the priesthood! We are so excited about him! He’s awesome!

C. Wow, C is on fire. He came to church on Sunday (like he always does) but this time, he asked the Bishop where he could get a tithing slip, and he paid his tithing! He’s not even a member yet!!! Wow. And after we were talking, and he said he is SO excited for his baptism on the 9th of October! I can't wait for him. He’s an amazing man. We are so lucky to be entrusted with someone like him!

And M, he is also doing wonderfully! We love him! He is now reading a chapter a day. He reads and then comes to us, talking about Nephi and Laman and Lemuel and Ishmael. He remembers all the names. He is excited about reading it! And he said that the one day that he didn't read, his day went really badly. So we know that he has a beginning of a testimony of the book! We are so excited for him! I can't believe how much he has changed since I first met him, in my first weeks in Banbury, finding with Elder H. Wow!

There are amazing things happening in Banbury. Everyone in the ward feels it. Everyone we meet feels it. It’s amazing. It was lovely. When we called all the people in our ward when we found out we were staying in Banbury, the bishop was one of the most excited. He told us that he had called the mission president, and had told him how much sister N and I have changed the ward and the feeling of love and unity. I love it! I love this work. Sometimes it's so rough. And sometimes I cry, but it's because I so want to be a good missionary! I want to be obedient. And hard working. And diligent. And faithful. I want the lord to be able to entrust his children in my care. Wow, that's a lot of responsibility! I feel it on my shoulders. But it's also such an amazing feeling, because I know that I have been called to do this, and that the lord will bless me with what I need to succeed. I love this work! I love this gospel. I know without any doubt that this is the only true church on the earth. I love it! And I am grateful mom and papa, to have been so well raised to have the gospel be such a crucial part of my life!
I love you so much!
Love,
Sister Clark


All my love, heaped up, pressed down, and running over!