6 Days till Christmas!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012 1:45 PM

Can you believe it? 6 DAYS till Christmas! What a special time this is. The lights, the music, the cold weather (in some places). This is truly the best time of year. We are so lucky at the visitor center to have lots of things going on. My favorite room in the Visitor Center is the Nativity Room with all of the nativities from around the world. The feeling there is so peaceful and you see it have an affect on people as they come in. I find it amazing how there are so many different backgrounds and religions that walk through the center and regardless of whether they want to learn more or not, they go away with a smile on their face and a calmer walk. That to me is a miracle in and of itself.

 

So how goes it family? How is the new puppy?? : ) Lova. I think that's just perfect mom. I also hope Kendra finds an Ecuadorian guy while she's there volunteering....heehee. Hope finals went well and that you are all surviving the stresses of work. And that Camie is feeling better. And the Ryan, is still Ryan.

 

This will be very short as today was a very different Preparation Day. My trainer is leaving back to Cali Jan. 2. So today I was with two other sisters who really like to shop... We had a good time together though so it wasn't as tedious as shopping can be at times. ha. Everything here is well, I'm meeting so many amazing people from south and central America, even quite a few from Nicaragua so that is fun to talk to them about MacGyver and they get really excited.

 

So, I will be calling home @ 3pm Christmas Day, the 25th, (for 40min.)...but there is a time difference so I believe it is about 3 hrs. So ya! I hope that you all can be there so I can hear your voices again. I love you all and I hope that you are all in good health and are happy. I will write more next week, but know that I love you and that there are blessings all around if we will just look for them.

 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Clement

Hello!

Thursday, December 13, 2012 12:30 PM

Hello Everyone!

 

So...the end of the world did not come yesterday (12/12/12). I'm glad that it didn't. ha. But it was fun to watch a couple get married in the Temple that morning. How's Arizona? How are you all? I am sorry that I will not be as prompt as I was before with my letter writing because we have limited time with the Festival of Lights every night at the Temple. It is so amazing to be a part of the festival and to see miracles every night and I just hope that you all know how much I love and appreciate your support and words of encouragement. I will write you back in time, I promise!! :) I saw Marissa's Dad, Step-mom, and their Twins this week! That was so fun and there was definitely an awkward "we cant hug" hug thing that was exchanged there with him. hahaha. I was hoping for one of those experiences this month. And ya, in all, the Missionaries here are getting in the holiday spirit and we keep getting lots of goodies...I realize that this is why people gain weight on the mission. But I do my best to limit it. (Moderation...right Cam?)

 

Things here are picking up and there are a lot of things that the new missionaries have to learn fast, because there will be a lot of new Sister Missionaries coming out here this upcoming year, and I will be training right after I myself am trained. So...that has been a trial, and sometimes I get a little discouraged because it is overwhelming. And sometimes I think that too much is expected of me here. But I do know that there is nothing in this life that we can't do if we let the Lord help us, and more than that, we put all of our trust in him. I think we say that a lot, but do we really understand that? I thought I did. But that is what is amazing, we can learn the same lesson over and over again but take a different meaning out each time.

 

Well, I hope you all aren't buying too many presents...and I look forward to calling you on CHRISTMAS! I love you all!

 

Merry Christmas!

Hermana Clement

 Festival of Lights Photo

 Making comida

We tried cooking popusas but it failed!! haha 

 

Eating out with a member photo

Christian (miembro), Hermana Avelar (my companion), me, Hermana Blasco (from Spain) y Hermana Shoemaker (from Canada) eating fancy Peruvian food.

Festival of Lights!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012 10:59 AM

Hello Everyone!

 

It's December! Christmas is everywhere and it's even cold here. How cool. :) I hope you all are not getting the annual flu/cold thing, that can be a killer. I've been stocking up on oranges and vitamins to avoid getting it. So....good luck! haha.

 

Well the Diplomat Night was really cool, we weren't allowed to say much as it is offensive in some countries to address them first, but I got to smile and nod a lot. haha. The best has been all of the nights after with floods of people coming from all over the world to celebrate Christmas. I was able to talk to a guy from Nigeria and I asked if he knew anyone that would want to learn more about the Gospel and he referred his sister in Nigieria....so I get to call Nigeria and talk to her and then send missionaries to her home. It is so amazing to be apart of the technology side of missionary work. I also met two ladies from Russia who spoke English but didn't understand very well and so they kept running away from me in the center. :) So I would come up to them again and again just trying to talk to them and I was able to share the Christ Exhibit (in Russian) and also a short silent movie on Christ. I tell you, the Holy Spirit can touch even the hardest of hearts, they walked out giving me not only their phone number to call them but also loving hugs and a promise that they were coming back to the Lights later. Many people have a perception that the Visitor Center is a place to get tours but there's a difference because the spirit is so strong and our goal is to help people receive revelations about the Gospel and their lives. 

 

Another cool surprise, I saw Elder Fast (Taylor Fast) at the Festival last night! That was so fun to say hi and crazy to think that he doesn't have very much time left on the mission. So he says. "Hi!". 

 

We have had some amazing performances at the Visitor Center, the one that I have love the most is Jenny Oaks Baker (Marissa!!!) and they did all of the old world carols, WITH A BAGPIPE, and guess who her guest singer.......one of the Celtic Women!! (Marissa I thought about you and someday we will go to their concert together). They are also having swing bands coming! (MacGyver!!) I can't dance though because i'm an usher but....I definitely had found flashbacks of dancing with you.

 

I hope you all are getting into the spirit of Christmas, because the spirit of Christmas really is the spirit of Christ. And all he asks is that we keep his commandments, the greatest of the all being, Love thy God and Love one Another. I love you all so much! I appreciate your prayers, and you are all in mine. 

 

Con mucho amor,

 

Hermana Clement 

 

Just wanted to send a picture of your cute missionary. I got to meet her Thanksgiving morning at the visitors center. Her trainer Sister Avelar is a wonderful missionary and a great trainer.  I am on my first mission. I am serving as a Woman's Auxilairy Specialist. this is a new pilot program for the church and I am one of 10 sisters in the world launching this new mission. We are under the Relief Society and work with the sisters in the wards, kind of like full time visiting teachers on steroids.. I am serving with Sister Wege from Louisana and I am from Arizona.. We get to work at the visitors center for the month of December, during the Festival of Lights, so I will get to see your sweet missionary often.. I just love working with the young sisters..

Sister Harper

Second week in D.C.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 1:06 PM

Buenos Tardes!

 

What is happening family? I hear the plays went well and now the regular slow process of cleaning up is going on...I don't miss that part. : )  But I do miss seeing your faces. It's almost December!! Can you believe it? That weather out here in Maryland is pretty cold but I'm loving it. Every morning we leave out apt. and yell how cold it is as we run to the car to get warm...it's not that cold, it's just cold compared to AZ. haha. But ya, my new companion, Sister Avelar (my trainer) is really funny. She's super short and is always in a hurry so she is always either running or speed walking. She is very focused, so it is a good thing, although sometimes she forgets about my training so I'm a little behind, but to be honest I'd rather be outside talking to people than in our apt. filling out worksheets. So, that has been the week, we have already taught a lot of lessons and sometimes I feel like we have too many people we are teaching because it is difficult to keep up with all of them, but it has been a good growing time. 

 

Mom, you asked about the Spanish...well, I felt pretty confident leaving the MTC but when I heard the spanish here it was way different. Most of the Latinos here are from Honduras, El Salvador, and some from Columbia and Peru and they all use different words. I was talking to this lady Carmen and I was asking her what she likes to read and she said something and I just nodded my head and smiled, then she asked if I understood her and I said mas o menos, and she explained it again in simpler words that she was reading about husbands who cheat on their wife....I didn't know how to respond to that because her husband was sitting at the table with us and my companion was playing a game with the kids. That was a little awkward. BUT, all is well, the Festival of Lights starts tonight with the arrival of the Ukrainian Ambassador as the guest of honor. Way cool. I'm on shift tomorrow for diplomat night. Pretty cool as well. They say that this next month will fly like no other because we will be at the Temple Visitor Center every night because of the waves of people to come see the Christmas lights and listen to the concerts.

 

So yes, life is good. I hope it is good back home as well. And I hope that with all of the craziness that Christmas can sometimes bring, we remember Christ and how he was the prince of peace. May we feel peace this time of year and even though we have many things we need to do, may we remember why we are here and who we should put first. I love you family and Friends! So much. Take care and reach out to others.

 

Love, Hermana Clement

Estoy en Washington D.C.!!!

Thursday, November 22, 2012 11:05 AM

Hola familia y amigos,

 

Well, after a red eye flight, a 2 hour lay-over and a short  connection flight to D.C. WE ARE HERE! That first day we all arrived at the mission home (where my mission president and his wife lives) and I thought that they were going to match us up with our new companions and send us on our way. I had little to no sleep the night before because sleeping on planes is close to impossible for me. But I was hoping and praying that teh strengh would be there. Well, President and Sister Matsumori were very kind and fed us, then let us take a 2 hour nap, then they fed us again, and then we got to spend the night in the house. Definitely a lot nicer than I had anticipated!! : ) We were paired up with our new companions and I am with Sister Avelar. She is awesome and her parents are from Mexico. We were able to work at the D.C. Convention Center yesterday as volunteers for the Feast of Charity for Thanksgiving. They event was huge and there were so many homeless and less fortunate people that came to be fed and receive free clothes. It was a little funny because I'm pretty sure some of the Asian people that came through the line were not homeless but maybe thought it was a tourist attraction. haha. No joke. (I thought of Kristen)But we fed them and gave them clothes none-the-less. We even rode the metro to downtown D.C., that was a neat experience and I met a lot of people. I also met a man who's first name is Clement. I was like "woah man, we have the same name!" We clicked. He was from Maryland and was heading home to his family. We also were debriefed about our role in the upcoming Festival of Lights (the main event at the D.C. Temple). It is a time full of musical performances and christmas lights, all centered around Christ. The debrief was very brief and the main advice was to "remain calm", apparently so many people come every year that there is no space to even walk around the main floor. Crazy! The weather is beautiful and I the people have been very friendly. Most of the people we have taught so far have been from Honduras and El Salvador. It was a neat experience because we cannot teach a lesson without a woman present (for safety) and this man Vincinte was home alone, so we sad on his front porch and he sat just inside his door and we talked about Christ and the Book of Mormon. It was such a sweet moment. Then as we got up to say goodbye, I didn't realize that my foot had fallen asleep and I fell over. That was embarrassing....But yes, the sister missionaries are very outgoing and very open about everything personal...I'm not going to lie, sometimes I just stare at them in shock, BUT, i'm sure I'll get over that soon. ha. They are awesome.

 

How's homelife? HAPPY THANKSGIVING! And happy birthday Mom! I love you all and I wish you all of the happiness this holiday! I can't write letters home this week but know that I will write the grandkids next week, and Cameron....thank you for the unicorn hat!

 

Con Amor,

Hermana Clement

November 16, 2012
From your missionary!

Familia y Amigos!

So much change has happened here at the MTC. I am the last one here from my district because I have an extra week of Temple Visitor Center Training. Can I just say that I thought this training was going to be really relaxed and all about giving tours. OH WAS I WRONG. It is amazing! I am in a group of 19 sisters from all over the world (Italy, GErmany, France, Argentina, Taiwan, Spain, and various states). My companion, Sister Redmond, left this Tuesday to Virginia so I am the only sister without a companion. They decided to pair me up with two sisters who are fluent in Spanish and English and so it's funny when they talk and then look at me and I say something really simple and short in spanish. It is a good humbling experience. WE were able to go to Temple Square in Salt Lake City and receive tours from the Sisters there. THe TEmple is so beautiful, and the feeling there is so peaceful. IT truly is a house of the LOrd. One thing that most people dont realize is how much teaching actually happens online! I have been one of those missionaries on Mormon.org chat for the last two days. IT was a leap of faith because you never know who will be chatting with you, you can't see their face, and you are supposed to teach gospel truths to their needs. My first experience was with a 19 year old boy who felt like GOd wasn't their and that he didn't feel loved. My chat companion and I were able to testify to him about prayer and how GOd does love us and does want to hear from us if we will humble ourselves enough to get on our knees and ask him. He expressed so much gratitude as he prayed for his problems and his little sister. THis is such a blessing for those who either don't like personal contact or are too scared to have their real identity. I never thought that using technology to teach could be so powerful. I feel the power of GOd pushing this work along. I have already seen so many miracles in my life and the lives of those I have been able to teach, no matter where they are in life and no matter what they believe. We all are children of God, and though we may not always remember or know that, our heavenly parents will always know and remember us.

I have less than a week left at the MTC before I head out to the Washington D.C. Temple Visitor Center. These past few days has given me a whole new view on it. These centers are not just for people to come and "feel good", these are places where people come and have a conversion experience with Jesus CHrist, no matter how big or small. That is amazing to me, and I am so excited to be a small part of it.

I love you all! I hope you are all well and taking care of yourselves! I hope to hear about the plays and if you are all still somewhat sane. haha. Also, Hi to my nieces and nephew!! I love you so much! Keep reaching out to those around you and realize that this life is really not as long as we think. DOn't take any moment for granted!

Con amor,
Hermana Corrinne Clement 

 us crammed in the elevator

Here's a fun picture.

: )

November 7, 2012
HOLA

BUENOS!

Entonces....How is everyone doing? I hope well. This week has been a bit more eventful at the MTC. First of all Thank you for the Noche de Brujas (Halloween) cards and notes and love and etc. : ) I heard that Once on This Island is in production this week. Break Legs, everyone! And to everyone working on the show, good luck with no sleep this week! I wish you the best, and I'm sure it will turn out amazing.

So about Halloween. It turned out to be a very exciting night. Firstly, it was Preparation Day, so we had time to write letters, do laundry, go to the Temple, and have a little down time. After class that night we did as we planned and wore moustaches and went backwards trick-or-treating to all of the sisters on our floor. Although the sisters were all really tired, I had this random surge of energy and was all pumped up running from door-to-door exclaiming, "Feliz Noche de Brujas!" After we had gone a few doors down we realized that we had all left our keys in the room and it was 5 minutes until lights out. SOOO we went to the next door and asked for flip flops to got to the front desk in pjs and moustaches to get a spare key. It was an adventure to say the least, and we had a good long laugh. (picture in other email). The next day we got notice that we were moving buildings, even though we only have about 2 weeks left here. There was a problem with the fire alarm system so they needed to evacuate our floor to fix it. Apparently a dust mite attacked the system. haha. So we spent our gym time packing up our stuff to move to a new building the next morning. I realized that I have way too many clothes...but mostly because I packed both for summer and winter while most people only packed for winter. It was an ordeal to fit everything back into to air bags and then jump on the suitcases to close...Kendra and Marissa, I have no idea how you did it before I came! We ended up moving at 7 in the morning to a building with no elevator so we took the laundry cart and piled up our luggage to go. (picture also in other email). It was really fun, especially since we all kept getting stuck in doors and had problems with the cart. The sad thing is that no one warned our new roommates that we were coming so they came back from class that day to two sisters in their room and they looked really confused, especially since one of the sisters didn't speak English.

Everyone in my District has received their plans for travel and I should receive mine this week. I leave on the 19th or 20th so be sure not to write me at the MTC after that. IT is crazy to think that it has already been 2 months. I feel like the MTC is kinda like a time warp because you lose track of what day it is. I honestly love it though. I have met some of the most amazing people from around the world, and I have already seen so many miracles. Also, this week I have been thinking a lot about "why we do what do". Many times we just go through the actions of life because that is what we know, I see it here at the MTC and I saw it before I came. The more you step back and look at the intention and purpose behind certain activities, why you do them, you will begin to realize more about yourself and ultimately you'll become realistic with what you want in this life. Do you want to put good things in your life? Or are you okay with things that aren't as uplifting? I have come to realize, for me, that when I do things that help other people and I strive to look at life positively, my day-to-day activities have more meaning to me. I love people more, I reach out more, and I feel more at peace. I challange you to look for the positive and good in life, because we all can see the bad, but the good things are what bring you happiness. It is a process that I am still working on, but I promise you that the fruits are worth the labor. I love you all! I hope you are well. Know that God is real and Jesus Christ lives!

Con AMor,

Hermana Clement 

 I decorated our door....heehee

October 31, 2012
Hey There Family and Friends!

Happy Halloween!! (Noche de Brujas!)

Greetings for the Missionary Training Center! I heard about the exciting announcement for the new AYT space! Yea! Congrats to the whole AYT family. It'll be fun to come home in a year and a half to a new theatre building. : ) I also heard about the HUrricane on the East Coast. We get delayed and sometimes inaccurate information but I heard it has been really bad. My heart goes out to those that have family over there. If the damage is really bad, I heard that as Missionaries, we will be helping with Humanitarian Aid. I hope that we will be able to help those families in this time of need.

Thank you for your continued love and prayers. ANd thank you for the letters and DEar Elders, I cannot express how much joy I receive when I hear from all of you. Also Marissa! How's the mission process going? And how did your costume turn out? That question goes for everyone, I hope that your costumes look wonderful today. My costume is a black and white pencil skirt and jacket with a yellow tee to have a Fall color, and a black bow, and a moustache....yes...a fancy moustache...so if I dressed up a missionary, I hope you all did too. We decided that since we cannot go trick-or-treating, we are going to go door-to-door in our dorm and reverse trick-or-treat by giving them candy and a hug. IT should be fun.

This week has flown by very fast, and not necessarily because I was hoping it would. I have been trying to live in every moment and not let anytime just pass by, because it is the little moments, that in the end, mean the most. One lesson that has been sticking out to me all week is the concept of "helping". I heard this from one of my leaders the other night and it really stuck, "When we understand the word 'help' we will always have productive things to do". When we have time to spare, why not look for those that need help. Similar to stories I have talked about in past emails, there are people all around that we can help with sincere intent. The the joy that comes into the life of the person and your life as well, is unmatched by any other emotion. When you are serving those around you, you in turn are serving and loving God.

Also, another thing that I learned is to not be ashamed of who and where you are. WE are all in different walks of life, we all have different backgrounds and ultimately we are all trying to figure out our purpose...I cannot deny the overwhelming feeling that just came to my heart when writing this. MY heart is burning, so to speak. I hope that you all know that this life has purpose. That we are of worth. And that there is a God that loves us. Please take my advice and pray. Pray to God that loves and blesses you in this world of turmoil. I have found peace, and I know you will too, if you have real intent. I love you all. Please take care and reach out to those around you like the Savior Jesus Christ does.

Until next week!
Hemana Clement

Hermana Redmond and I at the doctors, the first time.

 Mi y mis amigos mejores! 

 Las Hermanas!!

Alo!

 

Today is a beatiful rainy (freezing cold) day here at the MTC (Missionary Training Center). But it is absolutely gorgeous. We are surrounded by mountains in the Provo Valley and this morning the fog had concealed them completely. Also, with this weather has come another round of illness. : ) But everything is okay. It's just not fun when you are in a room with 4 sisters and you each keep rotating which sickness you get....But I loaded up on drugas (drugs) at the store yesterday, so we will prevail!! haha.

 

How goes life back in Arizona? Thank you for your letters and packages! I really appreciate them and I love being able to share with the other sisters in my District.

 

So my companion and I have been able to leave the MTC to go on field-trips to the doctors. ha. Very fun. Nothing serious, but we were playing volleyball and both successfully hurt ourselves. I jammed my finger and she strained her wrist. So we walk around all bandaged up and people ask, "what happened?" we say in unison, "volleyball". So now we are banned from the sport...but I've convinced her to try soccer. So i'm excited for that. Well, on our doctor visits, we had really neat experiences. Don't get my wrong I really love being in the MTC with so many awesome people, but I cannot describe the excitement I had to talk to other people. It was kind of ridiculous. I was talking to everyone that I could! And I even talked to two ladies from Chile and Argetina IN SPANISH. I felt so much love and apprecitaion to be able to ask about their lives and encourage them with their situation, as it was a doctor's office and they were all hurting in some way. One lady I especially felt for who was older and in a wheelchair. She arrived the same time we did and she was smiling so much as we opened the door for her, but I saw her later as she came out, knowing that she would now have to get surgery her face had changed to saddness. Seeing her demeanour at the first, I would have never have guessed that inside she was hurting and needed comfort. But I feel that everyone, no matter how happy they appear needs to feel loved and be uplifted. I hope that we can all rtake time to reach out to those around us. The more we care about others, the more we will be cared for as well. It's a chain effect.

 

I love you all!

Love,

Hermana Clement

 

P.S. So I heard the news about the numbers increase in the amount of missionaries that coming to serve for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints... It jumped from 700 a week beginning their papers to 4,000 a week. When I went to the doctor, he showed me the article and I was amazed. Over half of the missioaries that are in those numbers are sisters. I'm just wondering where they are going to put everyone. I also am hoping that these young missionaries come out because they feel that they have a testimony and want to serve others, and not because they feel pressured. Because many get here and then realize that it is harder than they thought (with so much to do and so much to learn) and I can honestly say that I would not still be here if I did not believe this restored gospel to be true. I have a strong hope that everything will work out. And I am excited to see the good that these missionaries will do.

Hola Familia y Amigos!

How are you all? HOW's the weather in AZ? Because it is pretty awesome here. IT is getting colder and the wind has been picking up, so the leaves fall like rain. It is beautiful. So ya, don't be too jealous. I do miss the sun. : )

First off, I heard about Jere's passing away. I hope that Martha and Zach and their families are doing well. That is hard to even imagine because seeing Jere and Martha outside watering their flowers was a daily event that I definitely looked forward to seeing. I love them very much and I know that Jere is safe in God's hands.

Also, I heard about the new puppies this week. Congratulations. I hope the plays are going well and the casts and crews are staying sane...like that is even possible. Shout out to my nieces and Nephew!! I sent you letters today so be looking for those!

I read through my journal while think about what to write and I came across this Sci-Fi dream that I had the other night. Briefly, it was a combination of Hunger Games, an advanced Alien race, and the mission rule of not being able to hug boys. So in case you were curious, I still have my crazy dreams. And in this one I saw a sister get tazed  when she hugged a boy. Just now, they are mixing with missionary life..so that is fun. This last week my Sisters (Remond, Stockton, Stroud) and I were able to sing a musical number in the large meeting for RElief Society (the meeting for the Sisters). It was really cool because they have actual auditions and we auditioned THursday and sang Sunday. Faster than we had anticipated but the number was beautiful. Also, we got to hear from Sister LInda Burton (Relief SOcitey PResidentfor the church) and she was very down to earth and insightful. Many of her words answered questions that I had in my heart. I think it is amazing how many, if not most times, we receive answers through other people without them even knowing it. Coincidence? The more and more I see it, the more I am unsure that chance would be in my favor that many times. I think that there is a lot more to it. A lot more to do with God. Thank you for your letters and prayers, I hope you all know that I love you and I am willing to do anything for you. PLease let me know! I also heard that Marissa is getting her mission papers in. I'm so happy for her. THis truly is an amazing experience and more than anything I am learning how to turn outside of myself and serving others. Till next time!

HErmana CLement

Buenos Dias!!

 

Goodness. This has been a sad/awesome week! I have felt so blessed. First off, I got to read Elder Mann's email from Nicaragua...I can't even imagine living in those conditions. I'm glad he's loving it though. And he really did study and pray hard in the MTC because his Spanish was awesome when he left, the gift of language is so real. I am amazed at how much Spanish I can comprehend and speak now. It is really an experience to just start going off in Spanish and it actually makes sense. haha. I also had a dream in Spanish the other night about teaching a family the Gospel. That was really cool and I woke up ready to go and super pumped for the day. How is everyone doing back home?? I hope awesome! And I really hope that everyone got the chance to watch General Conference this weekend on the BYU channel. If not, I would encourage you to listen to the talks online at LDS.org because regardless of your beliefs, the messages spoken are there to draw us closer to God through Christ, and also help us if we are going through rough times in our life. I know for me personally, I appreciated the words of President Thomas S. Monson who talked about recognizing answers to prayers. I was able to reflect on my life a lot this weekend and I realized that a lot of things that seemed to be trials at the time ended up being the very thing I needed to bring me closer to God. I think that most everyone would agree that in times of our greatest sorrows and our greatest joys, our instict is to reach out to our creator beyond this earth either to ask "why" or to express thanks. The other talk that struck me was Elder Uchtdorf's discourse about how we sometimes wear our "busy-ness" as a badge of honor. Well I definately think that we all do that at times. I know I do. The message was centered around spending time with the meaningful things rather than being busy for busy's sake. This life is not a race, it is meant to be a journey and though we are all at different places and at different understandings, we can all ultimately slow down and take the time to enjoy the blessings the God  has givien us.

 

In other news, this week has been good. It's a little weird without Elder Mann around, but it is a lot easier to focus on teaching and learning Spanish now. Haha. But ya, so this last Thursday I had a really bad luck day and I kept doing really clumbsy things. I left my name tag in my room and had to go back up the 4 flights of stairs to get it...my companion was very patient this day (thank goodness), I tripped twice on the stairs up to our classroom, I then biffed it on a plastic tub in the hallway...I still don't know why it was sticking out that far..., and the best one was when we were cleaning bathrooms for our service that day and I was on the counter cleaning mirrors and my back hit the paper towel dispenser and it went flying to the floor. I BROKE THE PAPER TOWEL DISPENSER WITH MY BACK. Ya, the workers were really confused when they walked in and I was just laughing my head off. Other than that, things are better with my companion. We were bein a little unrealistic with our goals of following the schedule to the T. We realized that we didn't even give ourselves time to use the bathroom or talk to anyone, it was just go, go, go. Thus was our problem with wearing our busy-ness as a badge. But the sad thing was that we were failing at it. haha. We had a really good talk about how there is no way we can reach our expectations and since then we have readjusted to make reasonable goals and we are enjoying the experience a lot more. So life is going amazing! I absolutely love teaching, and having the opportunity to teach about our Heavenly Father and his desire for our happiness, to those who have never felt it before, just makes it so much better! I am so grateful to be here. It's difficult at times because I fight my lazyness a lot, but it has been worth it.

 

Shout out to everyone at home! Love you all! Thank you for the letters and mom I got you package today with the unicorn shirt...heeheee. Everyone loves my mystical magical clothes. : ) I feel very loved from you all!!

 

Love

Hermana Clement

 

P.S. Did you hear that they changed the missionary eligablity age to 18-Elders and 19-Sisters. : ) I was in the room with all of the missionaries when they announces it and it was a huge reaction that I will never forget. I'm super excited to see floods of sisters coming out here. The missionfield is expanding. Crazy. Oh also, Elder Bednar came to speak to us this Tuesday and his comment on the change was, "The Lord can do his work and hasten it in his time". Marissa, I can't wait! I hope you come to D.C. so we can sing our amazing songs door to door. And thank you Melvin Keller....I wish I could understand your writing...

HOLA FAMILIA Y AMIGOS!!

 

I hope everyone is well and having good times back home! Things are great here in Provo. I heard that Camie, Joel, and the kids announced the arrival of the new baby!! Yay!!!! I´´m so excited to have another niece or nephew in the family. Joel and Camie...it better be a cute one. But really, I´´m super happy to hear that, and I am grateful for the letters this week. If you ever fell ANY inclination to write me, please do. It´´s really nice to hear from everyone and I am doing my best to write back. Just know that I care about all of you and miss you a lot. Not in a homesick way, thank goodness, but in a, ¨I really love and miss my people in Arizona, and Idaho, Colorado, and England (Constable Jones)¨. Also, I heard that Emma had an awesome ice cream party for her Birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

 

In news here, everything is a bit different with Elder Mann gone. But the story of the last few days is so much like a chick'flick that I have to share it, so please bear with me. Also bear in mind that this is my side of the story and Elder Mann´´s might be a little different. So Elder Mann and I are in a relationship and decided not to break it off before we left because we are both serving missions and as a result, wont be dating people. Plus we really like each other... So we survived 3 weeks here in the Missionary Traning Center without coming close to breaking any rules (regarding hugging, flirting, being alone). So that was amazing and actually quite fun, because we could shake hands and say stuff in Spanish. Probably don´t want to go through that again, but I enjoyed it. haha. Well back to the story. So when it came down to the last few days that Elder Mann was here, he had a lot of orientaions and extra classes to go to and so our moments together were even shorter. W e shook hands on Saturday at dinner which then turned out to be the last time we saw each other face to face. I´´m not going to lie, that dinner was a bit sad and I probably looked really zoned out the whole time. But the Next day we had a Mission Conference and Elder Mann said the opening prayer. This is it, I thought. He leaves in the morning and I won´´t see him for quite some time.. So I slowly waved to him as I leaft the large auditorium with my companion. On my way out, the hope came into my head that I wished to see him, just one more time before he left. Well, I realized that it would be impossible as his flight was scheduled for the next morning really early. So I said, okay. And I spent the rest of the night listening to my companion talk about her home, which was fun. Tknelt down and prayed really hard to have the will to become focused on the work again and not let myself get depressed in missing Elder Mann. Well, I´´m not going to lie, I didn´´t sleep to well that night and I had dreams of clowns and car repair shops...don´´t ask. In the morning I got up at 6 am and got ready and started my day really sad and lacking the motivation that I had had before. Then as I my companion and I went into the computer lab for language study, I heard my name form the doorway and I looked up to see Elder Mann in the doorway with a huge grin on his face. I immediately stood up and just stared at him in amazement.. I had no idea what to do. I shouted, ¨I have my camera!¨ and I rushed over to get another picture with him. Apparently their flight to Dallas was cancelled and they didn´´t know why. I felt this huge surge of love form God at that moment as I knew that God knew how I felt and how much this sacrifice has been for me. I asked to see him once, and God let me. Ya, it may have been coincidence, but I cannot deny the feeling that filled me when I was pondering the event. Elder Mann is gone now, off to Nicaragua, but I am perfectly fine now. Seeing him again, when the chances where litteraly 1 in a million, really confirmed that everything is going to be okay. I felt that about this in my life and I hope that everyone feels a similar way about their lives. Try to trust in the Lord, try to consistantly better yourself and reach out to those around you. I know that we are here to grow and learn, and sometimes our challenges become our biggest blessings. I love you all!! I hope to hear from you and how your life is going!!

 

Love,

Hermana Clement

Family and Friends!!

 

      I hope everyone is well and loving life right now. I am, that´s for sure. It has definately been a lot more consistant this week.This computer freezes about every 30 seconds and so this may be a rough email...and that worst part is that the timer on the screen doesn´t always freeze with the computer (weird) and so you hear a grunt in unison as all of the computers freeze and the Elders and Sisters lose their precious time. I really don´´t like the pressure of that timer, but I´ll get over it soon. haha

      THANK YOU for all of the letters, Dear Elders, Postcards and Packages. I really feel loved, and my District (group of Elders and Sisters) rolls their eyes when I get a little slip for a package. So thank you. haha. I heard that the white car got fixed, YAY!! It´s finally safe to drive. I had faith in that little thing. It´s so beautiful up here in the Provo valley. Every monrning I see enormous mountains covered in all colors of trees and then when we climb the hill of the temple, we see the beautiful Lake. It´´s truly amazing. EMMA!!! Your birthday is coming up!!! Happy Birthday!! I love you so much! I also love all of my nieces and nephews (Jacob, Camylle, and Claire) I hope you are doing well!! And say Hi to your bears for my bear!!! So I heard about the blog that Kristen and Ryan set up ¨¨lilrinrin.blogspot.com¨¨ very clever you two....haha. Thank you for doing that. Oh and GRANDMA, I have already used our family history stories a ton, so thank you so much for your hardwork in getting that for me. It really means a lot.

      So as for Elder Mann (my boyfriend), he leaves the MTC this upcoming Monday, so that´s exciting but sad. If you already read his email, he talked about the awkwardness of us almost sitting together at a whole mission Devotional. If not, just know that it was really awkward as I was ushered to a seat next to him, and then to have his District Leader give him the ¨¨that´´s not a good idea¨¨ look, then to stand up and look for my companion and end up asking the Elders to shifT down a few seats so we wouldn´t get in trouble. I understand why they were worried, and in the end I was grateful because it would have been more difficult to focus with him right next to me. But I see him everywhere else, so it´s okay. Our conversations are short, but it´´s enough to just smile at him and say ¨¨hola, como esta¨¨. I hope he has a safe trip to Nicaragua.

       This experience, as short as it has been thus far, has been hard but really amazing to say the least. I think that being called as missionary makes some people believe that they have to be perfect in order to serve. That is definately not the case. The thing that I have learned is that ¨¨to lose yourself in the work¨¨ doesn´´t mean to forget who you are, it means to be who you are but focus. I can honestly say that has been a huge relief to me, as I am a bit weird sometimes. But the love here is really awesome. I love working with people and learning about their lives and strivning to be sensitve to the spirit (the feelings and promptings form God) so they can find peace with their lives. When you follow those good promptings it is amazing what can happen. My District has been so blessed with Spanish. It is amazing how much you can feel God help you remember and speak the language. Words I learned once many years ago have come flooding back when I needed to communicate to someone. I can honestly say that I am dumbfounded at how much I have been helped. Also, it is amazing how many people from such diverse backgrounds are here. I met some sisters from Spain, Japan, India, and other awesome places. That´´s the beauty of the GOspel of Jesus Christ. It is for the individual, and it is for the world as a whole. The best words of advice that I have heard thus far about Spanish is, ¨¨If all else fails, and they can´t understand you, you can always smile in Spanish¨¨.   

         Some funny things happened this week, first of all we have been practicing teachin in Spanish and as we have about a week´s worth of experience, it is inevitable that not everything said will make sense. One Elder, Elder Lords, had a tramatic experience in his lesson when he said ¨¨Jesus atoned for our pescados¨¨ he meant to say pecados (which is sin) but he said fish. He came out the room horrified at what had happened. We tried to cheer him up. Also, the sisters in my room are AWESOME! Hermana Stockton is really sarcastic and she tells us really random stories, this week´s was on ¨¨farting on a date¨¨ (really sad true story). So as some of your know I made a clothing catalog for myself so that I don´t get stuck wearing the same outfits over again, well the Hermanas think it´s awesome, but the Elders wont let me live it down and they are requesting to see it daily. So that´s fun. Also, I´´m getting good at volleyball, so you better watch out family when I get back. hahahahahha. I love you all! I widh I had more time to write. Thank you for your love and prayers, I feel them all. If you wrote me, I am working on writing you back so don´t worry!

 

Love

Hermana Clement

Hermana Clement MTC Week 1

Hello Family!!

 

      

 

THANK YOU Jodi for dropping me off!! It was a blast to be with you and your kids! And thank you LESLIE for seeing me at the Temple 5 min before I repoted...haha. Also thank you for all of you, including Marissa my stepsister (but in a good way) for the love that you sent me off with. I was able to ride it the whole week!! I was so excited to get your emails today! And although I do not have time to respond to them all, know that I love you and that I did get them! Iºll write back hand'written letters.

 

        It has already been a week. I definately agree with everyone when they say, days feel like weeks, and weeks feel like days. The first few days were pretty hard and I felt my instincts take over to adapt to the situation...so to speak. Yes Cameron, it is a highly concentrated center of young people who think they know more than they do. But we were humbled the first day when we had workshops and just the transition into the MTC itself. But luckily I got an awesome companion! Sheºs really quirky and so I spent one day just focussing on her and her weirdness. Needless to say, I grew to love her as a sister that day. (Sheªs kinda awkward around boys, so Iºve helped her with that a bit). My District (small group) has 6 Elders and 4 Hermanas, including me. MacGyverºs zone (multiple Districts) is right next to mine and our classes are in the same building and on the same floor...haha. ya. Itºs pretty awesome to say the least! I see him at least 3 times a day and the Elders and Hermanas in his District come up to me all of the time like Iºm a celebrity. Thatºs weird, but it makes me laugh. Oh cool fact! Brother Monson (President Monsonºs Nephew) is in my Branch Presidency (one of my leaders). Him and his wife are really awesome and are not conventional in many ways. His mannerisms are a lot like Thomas S. Monson...at least the way he speaks. Well it was really neat because I was able to talk to him about the Restoration and Prophets and Church History and he was so open and kind to me. He said that he grew up in the house of Thomas S. Monson and that he knows first'hand that he is not perfect. Does that mean heºs not a Prophet, no neccessarily. Does it make it harder to have a testimony, maybe. It all comes done to the fact that our leaders are awesome but still human. It is unfair to hold them to an unreasonable standard that we ourselves cannot attain. So that was neat to hear it from someone who has first hand experience. ALSO, Sheri Dew (CEO of Deseret Book and Author) was our speaker in Relief Society. She was so down to earth and talked about the Priesthood and Women Ordination. She even referenced the blogs that Cameron had told me to read. If you wanna hear more abou that, write me a letter so I can spend more time on it (email time is only 30 on P Day). She brought up a point that I really liked. 

 

       Well Family! I only have 2 minutes left! ahhhh.....All I can say is that I love and pray for you all. I am pushing through the hard times and loving the good times. I have been so blessed and watched over, I know that is true. And if you can send hand written letters or on DEARELDER.COM that would be cool so I have your addresses!!! Love YOU!

 

Hermana Clement

Rumor Has It...

Hello all! Welcome to a community Corrinne blog! If you would like access to post any pictures or letters that you would like to share- hit me up!

As for gossip- word on the street (from my mom, who is super street) is that we will be receiving pics from MacGyver via his mom of Rin's first day in the MTC. Anyway. End lame post attempting to get the ball rolling.... now.