Feliz navidad :)

Bueno, this week was wonderful. Ya know why? Cuz I talked with all of you guys!!!

 

I loved talking with you guys Christmas Eve. All of you make me so happy. Everyone in our family is just so cool. Man. Grandpa, Grandma, Krissy, and Kory too. It was so good to talk to everyone. I`m glad you liked your presents too. Mom, I`m gonna try to find another nativity when I go back to the city.

 

Well my Christmas was wonderful. I loved my package so much - I opened it at midnight, according to panamanian tradition :) The tie and ´Stand a little taller´ were among my favorites. Thank you so much!! Christmas Day, we passed the whole day with members - no one wants to hear the missionaries on Christmas Day. We also wore santa hats all day :) My Christmas Eve was sweet too - besides talking to you guys, we had district meeting, and spent the evening with the Quiros family - they give us lunch. They called Pte. Ward to see if we could stay at their house with them till midnight to celebrate Christmas panamanian style, and Pte. gave us permission!! So cool. So me, y elderes Aguirre, Kniff, y Carrillo had a memorable Christmas Eve.

I just wanted to mention that this Christmas season what we`ve been doing a lot lately in lessons is sharing Luke 2 - I got the idea from Grandpa - that`s what we always do as a family Christmas eve! It`s been really successful, and I never realized how many lessons can be applied in Luke 2. Almost every lesson we`ve ended up talking about something different.

Ok, because I didn`t write last week, I should probly introduce my new companion. Elder Aguirre from Equador! I am training for the second time. He is the bomb. Probly one of the best prepared missionaries I`ve seen out here. I`ve been so blessed to train great missionaries filled with The Spirit and animo. I have much to learn from him and we have got some big goals to accomplish in our time together.

Some happenings this week. We had interviews with Pte. on Saturday - they were great. He is doing somethin really cool - asking all the missionaries for their favorite scripture and writing it in his triple. When he asked me for mine, I gave him D&C 130:20-21. Also during interviews, Hermana Ward broke some breaking news: because of all the new missionaries worldwide, and also the huge increase of missionaries in our mission, the departure dates have all been changed - set back or set forward. Lucky for me, my date got set back! I`ll have the blessing of serving almost 25 months! I`ll come home in early December. December 7 or something like that. Lastly, Mom, I must tell you. Hermana ward made................ peanut butter chocolate rice krispies. WHA?! It sent me into a whole other world. They tasted exactly like yours!!!! It reallllly made me miss home for a few moments.

Ok, great news with investigators! We`ve got an entire family of 5 investigating. La familia Sotto. Dang. We had the most spiritual restoration lesson with them. The dad at the end of the lesson wanted to read the Book of Mormon, and he said he has lots of questions for next time. The kids are sweeet and all wanna get baptized. Eric, age 20, Anajansi, age 17, and Daira, age 14. The mom is blind. Can you say cool? If we get dad on board, this family will soon be eternal (Give it a couple years with temple sealing.) This is probly my best full-family I`ve ever taught in the mission.

Well, I`m gonna wrap up but I wanna say a couple scriptures I loved this week: 2 Nefi 9, and 3 Nefi 18:32. I hope you all have a happy new year - tonight we are staying the night in Kniff`s and Carrillo`s house. 2013!!!!! Wow! I was born in 1992! Time is flying!

Love you all,

Elder Clarke

P.S.....Dave, I`m gonna tell you the same thing I told you last year: Kiss someone at midnight!