Hermana Clark in El Salvador

Hellooooo!
How good was it to talk yesterday!? A little surreal SEEING everyone... but so sweet. Thanks Megan for getting out of bed to talk to me! :) It made me think of when Andrew called for Christmas and Jared was just a little baby... but was so excited to garble to him on the phone.... such a magical connection that even though he had hardly seen him in his life... he KNEW that he was his brother.... haha... I can still hear his little voice and lack of formal words (like me in spanish sometimes, haha) trying to tell Andrew about how he had thrown up in the kitchen... haha... magical.

Speaking of throwing up... Yesterday we were talking to some investigators in the street when the creepy neighborhood taco man pulled up in his motocycle... and just... stayed there behind us... reving his engine. When we tried to ignore him... getting really nervous... he started yelling, ¨Senoritas!! MAMASITAS!!!!¨... the investigadors got nervous and weirded out... I said to them, ¨help us!¨... and when they didn`t do anything.... we started running and darking through neighborhoods.. and he followed us until we cut through different allies and finally lost him. But all day, every time we heard a motocycle engine, we were diving behind cars. It was funny/creepy. I tried to warn Hermana Coleman (we did exchanges because they have an investigator that doesn`t like americans. haha.. ) that if she was with me... that she had to be ready. She didn`t believe my luck until we got held up by an angry drunk in the street like 2 hours later. I love my pepperspray, huh? hahaha... and my life. I love love love my life.
... like the time on friday when we were handwashing Rosa`s clothes... but pile kept getting bigger and bigger... and an 1.5hr into it.. we were realizing that we were not going to make our appointments going like this... Hermana Coleman had the sudden brilliant realization... we have a washing machine!!! So when Rosa went to the store to get us food... we took the bucket and started hobbling down the highway giggling to ourselves. We washed them really quick and hobbled back to her house... but as we were hanging them up on the line over a pool of really old oily/rotting food tub(they share the house with 2 restaurants, and that`s where they put their oil after they cook)... that Hermana Clark just had to break the line, and sink her skirt into the pool.... with half of the recently washed clothes. We spent the next 3.5 minutes nearly wetting ourselves with laughter... and then realized how really gross/awkward/inconvient the situation was. My poor companions.


On a higher note....
We received a reference from a family (HEY! GIVE MISSIONARIES REFERENCES!) in the ward... and this new family is GOLD. It`s a grandma, Yolanda, that lives with her 2 grandchildren Barsali and David. Barsali just had a BEAUTIFUL baby 3 months ago... and it was so magical to step in to that house with such a fresh and new spirit- having such a new baby makes a house sacred ground. Barsali is 16 and the father of the baby is still in the picture. I can`t really express how humble and kind this family is. When Barsali prayed the first time... she thanked God that He had sent us this time to them. They all have so much faith and with the recent events... have become even more sensitive to the Spirit. We have been having such beautiful lessons with them and are working on arranging everything to help them be ready for baptism. Yolanda is such a mighty and valient woman at 4 ft 10¨.. and has so much love for the Lord.... I am so amazed and humbled to be in the presense of such greatness.


I feel so blessed to be in El Salvador at this sacred time of preparation for the dedication of the temple. Even though area of temple is being taken out of our mission and given to the East... I feel so apart of it. When we pass by the temple on the bus, we stand up and announce to everyone on the temple that that- right there- to the left- is the most sacred place in the world. That families can be eternal... and that God wants us all there... and that everyone can come to the open house this July!! :) This stake conference, multizonas, ward conferences...everything is so centered and focused on the temple.... and getting families there- just like it should be. As a mission we are seeing miracles as the Lord prepares His people to enter His house.
We have been visiting inactive families... people that have known the truth, and for some reason or another have allowed the things of the world to get in the way of their eternal quest.... and every time we invite them to prepare to enter the temple together... there is such a strong presence of the Spìrit... and no matter how many years it had been since they had come to church... not a single person has said that they don`t want to enter the temple. It is so much more than a pretty building... and the undeniable attraction that the public has to it... is far more than a visual interest. It`s a spiritual yearning. I yearn for the temple too. I cannot wait to go back in. I have met families that back in the day traveled 2 weeks from there to go through the temple in Arizona when that was the closest one to them... the sacrifices that they made to do it..... and now years and years later.... the incredible blessings even in this life... are tangible.


I LOVE this gospel and this work. Thanks for your prayers and support. Please... go find families there!
Hermana Clark