From the Strip to the Sticks

Hello everyone,

Well the biggest news this week is that I am not going to be in Las Vegas anymore. For at least the next six weeks I will be in the tiny town of Quatrzsite, AZ. It’s about as far as you can go in our mission so tomorrow that will be a fun four hour drive!! Nap time! The bad news is that I will be speaking English. So I hopefully won’t forget all my Spanish but it is going to be super hard.

All I know about my new area so far is that a bunch of old people live there for the winter, our chapel doesn’t even have a primary room or a gym and that I will be living in a trailer park!!! So that is going to be awesome. Everyone says that it is a very different experience so hopefully I will have lots of good stories next week.

This week flew by so fast. We had talked about asking people to be baptized in our district meeting and my comp and I really tried asking everyone to be baptized. And the Lord truly blessed us for showing faith in Him. We now have six people that have a date for baptism. So that is awesome!!!!!! Three of them were referrals from English missionaries. It was awesome! They were referrals that came with a date; it was a huge miracle. It will be sad to leave the area now that we have so many people progressing but I know the other missionaries will do great.

The hardest part about being transferred is saying goodbye to all those that you have come to love. There are so many families here that we had to say goodbye to. It’s so sad. We truly met some of the most amazing people ever. I am grateful to have been here. Our members are all very loving and supportive and we had some great investigators. I can’t wait to come back one day and visit them. They all have houses for me to visit in other countries so it looks like I will be going to Mexico and Peru for sure after my mission!

 I know my new area will have its challenges and I am sad to leave the Spanish world behind but it is truly amazing how the Lord puts you in the area that you need to be and it’s hard when you have to leave it. We have one investigator that hasn’t attended church in forever and has lots of problems but he said because of us he is coming to church and he is trying to change and do what he needs to. He said he has never opened up before. And then with a new family we just met, they have a 17 year old son in which we get along so well and I am really sad to be leaving him. He even has a friend on a mission. It is just truly amazing all the people we get to meet and talk to each and every day.

There is nothing quite like the Spanish culture and I will truly miss their smiling faces, and all the jokes we shared. They are just a happy people and grateful for all they have and the gospel. Hopefully, soon enough, I will be back in Spanish. I pray all is well in WI and that the Packers are doing well otherwise there could be riots. Stay warm! Good bye Las Vegas and the strip, and hello cactus.

Elder Clark

With the Murray's

Saying good-bye to Sister Murray-my mama here in Vegas!