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