4-16-12 Changes are coming!!

Hello family!!!!!! I love you so much!

So this week has been a lot more normal than last week.... just goin' out workin in the hot sun (rather than being rained into the house/being taken over by flying ants) haha. Contacting doors and continuing to work with the good investigators we have.

First, I mentioned I went to the temple last week (and seriously - what an experience it was.) A couple days after, I read an article titled ¨Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple¨ by Elder Russell M. Nelson. WOW!!!!! (and yes Mom, I´m shouting.... haha jk). Ok but really, guys! I´m SO grateful for the blessings of the temple that our family has received. Just the fact that our parents were married in the Temple, is amazing! Please - Dave, Katie, Scott, and Adam - thank Mom and Dad for doing that. More than ever now, I am so grateful that this true church has temples on the earth where we can ultimately recieve all the earthly blessings possible with the ones we love most. Just another bonus for being part of the one and only True Church :)  Being married in the temple will be amazing. But thanks parents - really. I kinda owe my eternal gratitude to you for that :)

Speaking of marriages....... THE LOU PARENTS ARE GETTING MARRIED!!!!!! Wha?! Yes yes yes. Elder Rich and I have been working SO hard for this. Elder Rich especially, even before I arrived here, had been so loving to them and bringing them along slowly. Finally now, with Elder Rich leaving (so sad :(), Mama and Chino Lou are scheduled to get married in the Panama court in the next two weeks. How amazing, eh? We have to remember this is just the first step though. Once they´re married, they can qualify for baptism - but we´ve still gotta teach them all the lessons and make sure they´ve both got their own personal testimonies. Pray for them, will you?

Our other real serious investigator right now is Aldaír. Man oh man is that guy cool. Problem is...... he didn´t show up to church yesterday :( mannnn. The biggest letdown!!! Once Elder Rich leaves for changes on Wednesday, we´re gonna go visit that guy and see what me and my new comp. can do to help him out. We´ve got Carlos to help us out with this guy too :) The members. BEST tools in missionary work.

So I´ve mentioned a few times now that changes are coming, and that Elder Rich is leaving. So sad. Seriously - he is a good good missionary and I´ll miss the friendship we have gained. No worries though cuz I´m pretty sure our friendship will last forever - we´ve already planned to watch the 2014 NBA playoffs together. He´ll be at my mission homecoming too, so watch out for that kid. He´s awesome :) We celebrated his 20th birthday together this past Saturday too! So ya, Happy big 20, my friend. Not a teenager anymore.

Now, at the same time, I can´t wait to see who my new companion will be!!!!! I REALLY hope it is a latino - he´ll help me get the language down pat. My language has made some improvements this week, but I now feel like I´m at the point where I can and should speak it full-time. So.... cross your fingers my new comp. is a latino!!

That´s about all I have for this week! I hope you all have a fantastic week and I love you all!!!!

-Elder Clarke

P.S...... I almost forgot!! On Saturday, I contacted a whole bus for the first time!! I stood up at the front of the bus and invited the whole darn bus to church, and bore my testimony. Such a cool experience!! I felt like a true servant of Christ in that moment. Elder Rich and I passed out folletos to the whole bus :)

P.P.S..... Dave, sing your heart out on choir tour and make sure to shave your legs into a candy-cane pattern.