August 8, 2011

Hey-

Well another week has come and gone....We got a lot done I feel like. We worked at the sites only like 3 times so it was weird, and we actually had to plan for a day, not my favorite thing.


We enjoyed a day in our area on Tuesday. We blogged I think, and then we went and tried to contact our referrals, then we ended up going to a members house to help them move. I painted their stair railing on the outside of her house. I still have paint on my hands. It was really fun though, because she was a foster parent and that's how they got their little black girl, and I am totally interested in it now.... She also served a mission in Korea and so we got to hear
all of her mission stories. It was really fun.


After that we went to the Larsens who are from Logan and ate dinner. We were praying that it would not be hamburgers, they last like 14 appts have been. Thank heavens it was not and it was even what we were craving- LITTLE CAESERS PIZZA :) We enjoyed their company and then went out to tract some more....


Wednesday we worked at the BOMPS and it was fun; I got to take an EFY group, which was the highlight of my week. I really loved it! I felt like a counselor again, and was a little sad that I was not. They had some good youth, and crazy because they get to go to the cradle of the restoration......

Then we went to site meeting; it was really good. We are having what is called "Invitation to a Miracle" Did I come up with the name? Maybe...at the BOMPS


We are going to hand a a BOM to every family who comes in so they can give it away before they get home....We are pretty excited. They will send back postcards to us with their experiences, a good way to see the fruit of our labor I guess...

After that we decided to stay in Shortsville for the night to save the 60 miles it takes to get home. So we slept on some nasty mattress with one blanket. We got up and then went and worked at the JSF.

We ended up working there the AM shift and then no sisters showed up for the afternoon shift, which was when we were going to go check up on my Albanians. We ended up staying and working, because of the sister with Chicken Pox..... I was kind of sad, and I was feeling uber sick too. However the Shepards senior couple are so nice they gave us some money and we went to dinner and had Subway!!!! It made up for it, other then that we had some good tours.


Friday we got out of working at the Hill, and went and worked at the CARNIVAL at CAMERONS. It was so fun! We got see a lot of kids who have nothing and work with them. Naturally I was at the putt putt with Elder Larsen and we had a good time. After that we went to Brother Kies for a GOOD dinner. We had ribs. He is so funny, and the assistants are great. I love Sister Carver because she is very VERY witty..... And so we get into to some good conversations those nights.


Saturday we had a lot of teaching appointments. We taught a man named Hector. Usually he is high, and so this time was our last. He told us that he was the creator and that he thinks he made the world. We loved it. However, probably not the most effective person to teach. It was pretty funny though.


Then we taught district meeting on asking questions, and then we went and worked at the Hill. I gave a great tour to two nonmembers who were really nice. Then someone donated a pizza to us so we loved that....The site trainers like the female AP's came to re-leave us so we could go home at a decent time, so we decided to try and see the Albanian. I was SO NERVOUS. But don't worry they were not home....Soon though we are trying again this week.



We have been teaching Daniel a lot this week. He is getting closer and closer. He made it to church! Because no one has cars we were freaking out. His ride brought him only to Sunday school, but hey, that's a start. We had the elders come and give him a blessing to quit smoking, and drinking coffee and beer. Since then he says it tastes gross and so he can't...How cool? Blessings work!!!! He has made this week fly;its so funny when you start to love the people, when he doesn't doing anything we are really devastated....



I have been able to study PMG a lot this week and its helping. I have been abnormally tired. To the point that I may or may not not have been falling asleep in lessons....I have a doctors apt on Friday so we will see. My stomach has been awful as well, I have been throwing up almost every day this week...good diet I guess. We have zone conference tomorrow and then sites the rest of the week.

I am sorry to hear about Gretal, and am uber jealous and I want to come play rockets with my mom. I hope the bee sting goes away, at least it's not bed bugs. We have a few missionaries with them...that's New York for you. I hope that the hike goes well, don't get eaten by a bear, and I can't tell if your serious about bear bells??? ha ha and I am stoked about my package...I've gotten maybe a letter or two in the past three weeks.....hint hint to my siblings.....even Max writes me..... We'll from the cradle of the restoration all I can say its true....
and I won the blog bet against elder Wilcox. I am up to 2253...can you believe it?


I love online work its my favorite!
love CLARE

August 1, 2011

-- well hey girl....

Here is a great commercial for you.....

15 weeks of Albanian
2 Different Mission Calls
$10 on my MasterCard
1 face book referral...
= two Albanian families who live in Palmyra!

So I will get to it.....

The week started off okay. We had a fun preparation day and then we ended up working at the sites pretty much the entire time. I had found out that I was going to be going on exchanges on Wednesday to Thursday. I don't know if you know me, but obviously that stressed me out TOO MUCH! It was awful, I dreaded it so bad. So we work and seriously I was having like anxiety attacks because it was not something I was used to.

So then we get to site meeting and its super super long. I think because I am so exhausted by emotions are like UP and DOWN....So by the end of site meeting at 9:30 President was like I would like to talk to you after these sisters. So then I was okay..... We waited while he solved a lot of drama between 3 other sets of drama and then it was 10:30 and he talked to me...No big deal... So finally the sisters were like, "We don't have time for exchanges tonight. We'll have to do it another time." I was like PHEW! Then they called the next morning and said we are doing it.

I was going to have to go to Palmyra and stay in the white house or now known as the Barbie Dream House. I DON'T really ever want to live there. Six girls? Really? So then it comes down to Sister Sultanian from Iman Jordan actually has the chicken pox and another virus, I told them I did not want to stay there because I catch weird things like worms in the MTC.

So then Sis. Maughn came to Henrietta on Thursday. It was not as bad as I thought it would be of course, but I will stick with my companion. We had gone to Cameron, and it was pouring water by the gallons. I couldn't see a foot in front of me while driving, totally guessed...ha ha... We worked there for awhile and then we went to the JSF and did a shift there. It was different; she had me give a tour with her, and the whole time I felt like she was coming up with all of the criticism. but at the end, she was like, "You are the most unique sister here!" It was pretty funny, and I know Mitch is already thinking I think the worst first.....

So after that Sister Carver and I were reunited, and we decided to go check up on my face book referral.

SIDE NOTE: I had met this girl in the pageant from Palmyra and she said she had known about all these Albanians that lived there, but she had to run and so I gave her my card and then she ran......

FINALLY last week, she emailed me and said that they all worked at the same restaurant that we drive by ALL the time. So Sis. C. and I decided to go eat there. Sorry- I had to put it on my visa..ha ha. But we sat down there were two different races there. I couldn't tell which one was which, so finally I was like, "Do any Albanians work here?" And then like six or seven ran over and started to talk to me.

Two of them speak no ENGLISH at all. The dad, Janny, said he gone to church in Albania but not here, and he told me to come and meet his wife. So this Wednesday I will....seriously how cool though!

The other half were Greeks, who happened to be anti. The Greek owner said to the two boys my age, looks like your wife just walked in...AWKWARD....but funny...then the Greek who had gotten our number from them texted us, "You two are the cutest Mormon duet I've ever seen." So now I have some Albanians, they want me to come translate for them at church.....I foresee a transfer to Palmyra soon, which blows because white house and no carver...but I guess for Albanians I will...

Pray for me to have the gift of tongues for sure!!!! I am so happy, I know that it is only through Heavenly Father that I have remembered the language well enough, and can use it....I say I guess its a pretty cool mission miracle...

Next day we went and had district meeting, seriously the funniest thing ever. We have the ASL missionaries in our branch... One elder got up and gave seriously a 35 min talk about teaching records.

Here are some of the highlights:

I was crying because I was laughing so hard, and at the end he asked what did I see that was so funny....

1. Please do not write cuss words on the teaching records (while a sister is gasping and saying NO)

2. Please do not abbreviate things like P.O.S, or W.O.W for all I know it is world of war craft...

3. If we are not supposed to go back over please write that give us a warning like, YOU'RE GOING TO GET SHOT, or GET CUT - the sister said in back or just don't back

5. Last line, that I almost lost it completely... " THERE IS A SERIOUS EPIDEMIC IN THIS MISSION when it comes to teaching records and it disgusts me"-while banging his fists on the table..
It was like Dwight's speech skills for Michael on The Office...too good...

Then we went and taught the Wingates again. Second lesson to a LA family the brother said he would get baptized on Aug 20 his birthday and right before transfers... YES...we were so excited!!!!

We were able to pick up a few new people and it has been good. The best was last night, Sis. Carver and I had no dinner appointment and that's when the Suppernaughts had called because they heard we were going to celebrate Harry Potters birthday, they said they were too. They had us come over and have ribs and play with their son's Hogwarts Express....So fun.....

Then we went to go check on some formers. It was like 8:30 and we knock on this lady's door, we know she is a widow, she opens the door she is in all white, just her underwear, kind of awkward. She's like, "No. I have a barmitzfa coming up." And then we said, "Well, take our card. If you need any help, even cleaning." And as she was about to slam the door she said "Really?" She then let us in and we talked to her. She has thrown her back out and she is like 65 and husbandless...She said, "Is this for real?" So we are going to go back to clean on Saturday.

We have been praying for miracles, and that's what we have been getting.....It has been really good and so we are loving it!

I set a goal to pass 2,000 hits by the end of August, and today I have 2,105 on my blog....I am soo glad I reached it. If I do 1,200 a month I will be happy...keep giving to people out there :)

Well, other than that the work is good, I am trying to mail things, but I have been out of MSF so sorry.....

I am glad to here that girls camp was fun. Seriously that sounds ten times more epic then when I went....I am going to best honest....The hike alone was sweet, if you send me a good write up and some pictures, I will post it! Anyways, we are going to play in a park all day, and I also met another boy going to Max's mission in two weeks. And a Krystal was looking for me? Which one? any idea? From our stake...

Tell LVD and Joe that they are doing great missionary work, but tell them to get the missionaries there too!

I hope you are all clean now and that you get a nice week of rest, I'm excited for a package.

love y'all
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