I wish I could describe how awesome this last week was! Partially because it was full of so many miracles and also because it's hard to remember back a week.
Well this week the Lord blessed us to learn how to use our iPad planners more effectively, and we were able to help teach the zone leaders. I can honestly say this was the first week of my mission since we have had the iPad’s that I really enjoyed planning on them compared to the old paper we used to have. That was a miracle we saw with the missionaries this week, and it really helped out a lot of the zone leaders plans as well.
Also our area is just going crazy! We have the most solid people I have ever taught before and we have so many of them! We will be having two baptisms this week and one of which we weren't even entirely sure if the guy was going to be baptized. He is 18, but worried about offending his mom with his decision to join the church. We had a lesson and addressed his concern and after my companion read a scripture he said "Well I guess I need to be baptized then". We also had a recent convert with us who was able to share her experience and how her dad wasn't particularly happy with her decisions to join the church either.
Then one night at the church, we had a lesson with some sister missionaries who had an investigator they were going to pass off to us His name was Wu. Wu is from China and only speaks a small amount of English. We got to the lesson a little earlier and were waiting at the church for this lesson to happen. While we were waiting, a random guy came to the door and was trying to come in, and so we opened the door for him and stared talking to him. He was a 23 year old from Russia named Dean. We began speaking to him and he said that he had driven by this church many times and that for some reason today he was prompted to come and see what it was about. He spoke of a hard past and a desire to have hope in his life. He came from a traditionally Muslim family but never really practiced, nor did his parents. He never really got involved in any religion and didn't have a strong back ground in Christ. We ended up having a lesson with him, as well as Wu. Dean wanted to meet again the very next day and now he is preparing for baptism. As I was pondering this miracle, I was thinking of my patriarchal blessing which talks about my mission and how the Lord will prepare people for me and my companion to teach with the spirit, but it also mentions that I would gain a love for mankind. Before my mission, I took that phrase to mean I would most likely serve in a foreign place, but when I was called to Vegas I still wasn't sure what that meant. But as I served in Spanish areas, I grew to love the people, as well as the people of Las Vegas, in general. But in one night the Lord put two people in our path from different parts of the world. It was so cool to see that prophecy unfold before my eyes and continue to develop.
My hope and my prayer is that we can continue to stay humble and give thanks to Him.
It reminds me of Ammon in Chapter 26 of Alma:
14 Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell.
15 Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.
16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.
My goal is to baptize weekly until I return from my mission and I know that as I glory in God and not of myself and always depending on the agency of others, the Lord will hear my cries. As it stands right now, we should have baptisms weekly until June 18th! God is truly wonderful
Elder Clark
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