Davíd!

Whoo! It`s a great day to be alive. I had a great week this week! Really! A very good one. I want ya`ll to know that I wore my tie on the 8th this week, and I started running stairs in the morning! Whoo! Gotta start gettin` into shape haha :)

Anyway...... there were many great things that happened this week - most importantly, Davíd Alexander Barahona Gómez got baptized yesterday! Whoo! He asked me to perform the ordinance and we all had a really awesome/spiritual time. Actually a really cool story behind it - Davíd has a grandma that lives in Arraijan (about an hour away from the city) that is a long-time, faithful member of the church. Well, she came to the baptism yesterday! Her name is Marìa, and she was so awesome! She told us how she had been praying so hard for so long that her grandchildren would receive and accept the gospel - and she was OVERJOYED to hear that Davíd was getting baptized! Whoo! It was great to see her during the service as she sat in the front row and cried for joy :) That means we were instruments in the hands of The Lord in answering someone`s prayer! Yes :) Also in the service, Davíd's sister, Adriana, who has been investigating the church for a while now too, came to church with a dress on! What! She is so getting baptized this month! Then Marìa will have TWO grandchildren in the gospel! Anyway, it was just really cool. Not to mention María`s daughter, Jenni, is not ACTIVE in the church! Whoo! We totally helped reactivate her - she`s involved in the activity planning and everything! Man. If this computer would let me send some photos, I could let you see a picture of this beautiful family. The Gómez family :)

I`d like to share a personal insight I had this week that is somewhat related. Elder Follette and I went to teach a lesson to a couple of converts that he had before I arrived - they are also grandchildren of a member. Anyway, they haven`t been coming the last few weeks so we went over to see what was goin` on. Well, I guess their grandpa is a huge evangelical dude and is now prohibiting them from coming to church. So sad. Anyway, we shared with them that they have a secret weapon they can use when their grandpa and nobody is looking - they can read the Book of Mormon! Hah! Anyway, during the lesson, and it happened throughout the week a few times I think, I just kept getting these impressions about how this country of Panamá is gonna EXPLODE with the gospel in the next generation..... and a large chunk of it will be solely due to the strength of the YOUTH. Man. Here I have just seen SO many challenges with the youth..... for real. If you think American Fork has temptations, just come spend a day down here in San Miguelito. Man. But even with all that, I just feel so at peace when it comes to these guys. It`s like my eyes have been opened to really just how much our Heavenly Father loves and has prepared His chosen children for these last days. I just see these youth in the future all growing up, beating the world, going on missions, returning home and starting families, and strengthening the church here in Panamá like never before. Just so cool. I look up these guys so much.

Well I should probly try to wrap this up pretty soon but I`ll summarize a few happenings from the week: we had consejos for all the mission leaders, and a new program was introduced for Pte. Ward`s last month here in the mission! I`m way stoked to present it tomorrow to the zone. We`re gonna have SUCH a good month in June for baptisms! Oh! Which reminds me, we made a zone t-shirt (maybe you remember a similar one I sent home last year from when Elder Rich and I were together? I really hope it`s there cuz I don`t have it anymore.... anyway). It is gotta be the coolest shirt I've ever seen. Once they get printed, I don`t think I`ll ever take it off - I might even wear it under my white shirt and tie. Ha. Oh! OK last thing - I forgot to tell you guys last week but I finished the New Testament! I finished Revelations in less than a week - MAN I loved that book. The whole New Testament in general helped me strengthen my testimony so much and really get a better grasp on who Jesus Christ was during His personal ministry.

Well, I am loggin' out! I wanna end thanking all the family, as well as grandma, for the hand-written (typed) letters in the mail! I loved them! I hope you guys all have a wonderful week! I know I will.

Love,

Elder Clarke

P.S.... DyC 19:38, 33:17, and 128:20-21. All AWESOME!