Ups and Downs!

Hey Everyone!!

I must admit, I have felt like I have been on a super crazy roller coaster ride lately, with lots of ups and downs.  I mean, sure you know me, I would LOVE to be at Six Flags or Disney Land or something right now riding a roller coaster, so maybe I should just enjoy my mission that much more since it is basically a roller coaster.  But yes, like always, I have had my ups and downs, we have had our good runs and quarters, and our defensive breakdowns, and everyone always told me the mission gets easier with time, but I have found that it doesn´t really magically change or get easier, I still have problems, and stresses, and new surprises and tender mercies every day. I guess I just never know what to expect and maybe it is different for everyone, but yes I still have my hard times.  I guess "the trick", just like President Gordon B. Hinkley said, "is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride".  That is what I am going to really try and focus on from here on out because no, it isn´t always easy, we walk alot, eat gross food, sometimes go without food, knock lots of doors, get rejected over and over again, but really I have NOTHING to complain about.  I sure am greatful for my Heavenly Father letting me have this roller coaster ride, and yes, his tender mercies are ALWAYS there.  I guess the other trick is to recognize those tender mercies because even in the hardest times, He never ceases to be a merciful God or a God of miracles.  One thing that is definitely certain is that the velocity of this roller coaster ride just keeps speeding and speeding up.  I am almost positive that somehow, we skipped some days this week, because this P-Day got here WAY too fast.  (Not complaining though, I always love my P-Day!).  So yes, from now on I will do my best to "enjoy the ride".  And I am so so very greatful for such wonderful and supportive family and friends to love and cheer me on and keep me going every week.  I love you guys.  

This week was pretty good though.  Last monday night we had a little family home evening with this grandma and her 4 little grandkids.  We played a game called "cat and mouse" at the end, and even though I didn´t lose, all of the kids thought it would be sooo funny if I took some bites from a really hot pepper, because last time I lost and had to eat some raw onions and they enjoyed it a lot.  I guess it will always be this way but little kids just like watching me suffer I guess... Haha so to please them, I ate a really spicy pepper and suffered for about 10 minutes.  Maybe my mom can attach the video in my blog.  But it was funny and I guess it was worth it to make some little kids happy :)  I always love the little kids.  We started off the week on a really high UP though in the district meeting on Tuesday, which I was sooo excited for.  Thanks to my awesome mom, I had an AWESOME idea for the district meeting, and yes I was really really excited for.  And if I was that excited for it, you probably know it has something to do with basketball.  Yep, we had the famous Mexican Missionary 3 POINT CONTEST!!! With the mini basketball hoop I got for a Christmas present and lots and LOTS of masking tape, I got the hoop taped up on the wall, just like the good ol´ days.  This 3 Point Contest consisted of 2 rounds, the first round with everyone taking 3 shots from the 5 spots outside the arc, and then anothing round with 5 inside spots.  It was really fun and the zone leaders showed up to our meeting too for a little extra competition.  Elder Matsen gave me some good competition, but in the end, I found my groove and won with a score of 24.  Apart from it being fun and exciting though, we had a really good discussion afterwards.  We pointed out that all of the numbers were higher the second round, for one reason, we were closer.  We related to baksetball hoop to Jesus Christ, our perfect example and Savior, and when we are closer to Jesus Christ, we always have more success and blessings.  Sure we have all seen disobedient or rebellious missionaries have success too, but when we are as close as possible to the Savior we have a way higher "shooting percentage" and never fail.  We have to Spirit and revelation for our areas.  So we had a really good discussion about how we can get closer to Jesus Christ, things we can do and change, and everyone said they left feeling more inspired.  It also showed this week and everyone had more success including us!! At the end, Elder Johnson told me, "Elder Clark, if you aren´t an apostle one day, the church isn´t true".  Even though it was a joke, and I really hope he isn´t basing his testimony on that because his chances are pretty slim, our zone leaders, Elder Johnson and Elder Matsen, always make me feel good, motivated, and excited for the missionary work.  They are awesome and yeah it was a pretty sweet district meeting on Tuesday. 

The work was really great this week also, lots of ups and blessings and tons of new success and opportunities.  We found out Jesus (the grandpa of the Cortes family) loves reading the Book of Mormon.  I was seriously so happy to see their family at church on Sunday and so excited for the baptisms of the grandparents!  They will be such awesome, strong converts.  It turly makes me so happy to see that we literally helped an entire family, starting with Yael, and moving all the way up to the grandparents, come unto Christ.  I love them so much.   Last night we had a family home evening with them and watched the video called The Testaments when Jesus Christ came to the Americas.  Sister Tobón made us all popcorn and I felt so happy and it just reminded me of those movie nights back with my family, only this one was in Mexico.  Just like President Mann said last week, "you can really see the light of the Gospel in their eyes".  Ramiro and his daughter, Abigail, are also doing great! Ramiro is loving the Book of Mormon and sometimes they read together.  I am SO excited to go to the sealing of Ramiro and his family even though it is still about 10 months away.  I have seriously been blessed with such awesome converts and success here in Atlicpac.  But the work continues on!  We have found a few new investigators, Olivia Bravo and her daughter Ariadna Bravo who are really interested.  I was a little frustrated and dissapointed this week because they were waiting and excited to go to church this sunday, and a member was going to pass by for them... Well, the member showed up at Sacrament meeting without them and we were worried.  We gave them a call and they were ready to go but didn´t know how to get there!! Ugh it was a little frustrating, and even though they live pretty far, we told them we would go pass by for them ourselves next Sunday.  They are pretty awesome investigators though.  We also had lots of success finding new investigators and putting baptism dates this week with more of Heavenly Father´s children like a 9 year old girl, Ariadna Avilez, a 9 year old boy Josue Salinas, and a mom with a baby on the way, Araseli Jimenez.  I love them all a tons and hope to have success with them! 

So yes, this week it has definitely been raining SO HARD.  Not only raining blessings and success, been pouring rain almost every day! I guess this is just how Mexico is in the summer, and I have definitely been greatful for my rain coat these days.  It has also been pretty cold at night and in the mornings.  It is also hard to find time to hang up my clothes to dry these days (since dryers don´t really exist down here) and one day I literally got my clothes down 5 minutes before it started pouring! Talk about timing!  Also I have some pretty creepy news this week.  I ate something called Moronga.  If you would like to stop reading right now, that is okay, because maybe you don´t want to know what it is, your discretion advised.  But Moronga is literally pig blood mixed with some eyeballs, veins, and guts.  Yeah.  I probably have said enough already but it is by far the most horrible thing I have eaten here.  The hardest thing to get down.  I really had to gag it down with lots and lots of soda because man was that hard.  It also didn´t help as Elder Cruz laughed and made fun of me and pointed out all of the eyeballs I had to eat.  As I told the story to a few other people they agreed with me, it is NOT food, and especially NOT food for a white American missionary.  Ugh I hope I never have to eat Moronga again in my life.  Maybe it was worth that one time just so I can tell my kids about it... maybe...  Nonetheless, I was also blessed with some really good food this week too.  One week a lady cancelled on us and gave us money (always a tender mercy) so we ordered Domino´s Pizza!!! Now you don´t get that very often down here!  Also we have enjoyed some good tacos this week, to which my taco count has gotten up to 248!  Not too bad, but still I have been slacking, not where I would like it to be.  Especially if I want to reach my goal of 1000 before the end of my mission.  I have also been learning and enjoying to cook for myself more!  I have been some peanut butter, nutella banana pancakes one morning and some breakfast tacos with flour tortillas, I think I am going to save up and buy some bacon this week.  But yes, I always enjoy it more when I cook for myself and especially enjoy some of my favorite breakfasts from home as a missionary!  I also had a little scare this week (I think the tacos got the best of me one day) where we were literally running (or waddling as fast as I could) back to the house because I was having a Mexican emergency.  I´m not going to spell it out too much for you guys, but one brother from the ward saw us and said, "Elders! Who scared you guys?"  I turned to him with a very urgent face and said, "Brother, it is just that I REALLY have to go to the bathroom".  So yeah, I am proud to say that this brave soldier is still standing, and did not fall that day, but I really don´t know if I could´ve survived even 30 seconds more.  Never underestimate the power of Mexican food.  One of the greatest lessons I have learned on my mission.  Finally, I had a really tender mercy which helped lift my spirits one night when I got a text message.  The message read (translated) "Elder Clark, I am Esteban, your Mexican Uncle.  This is my phone number, I have missed you and hope you haven´t forgotten about me.  "Love U Buddy" (in English)".  So yes, Esteban, the chef from the MTC and my "Mexican Uncle" texted me because we lost contact with each other a few weeks ago when we lost all of our contacts in our phone.  I called him the next morning and he always helps me feel happy.  We had a good talk, in which he told me he has never eaten Moronga and never will, and we planned a day where we could go visit him soon!! He is just awesome, and to me, he has been an angel in my mission comforting me and being my friend.  I have been so blessed. 

So yep, I am doing great, just hope this week no one gives me Moronga!! I hope you guys are having a super fun and safe summer and staying out of that Bullhead City heat!!! I love and miss you guys lots, and you are all in my prayers.  I don´t know what I would do without all of your support and I love your emails!! Have a great week and I will hear from you all again next week!!

Your favorite missionary,

Elder Clark