Viviviveveve Chile!

July 17, 2013, 11:28:58 AM EDT

Buenos Tardes!

 

So we had another Night of Music and Inspiration at the visitor center this week and Sister Carcamo was really nervous because she didn't like our song. We sang have I Done Any Good in the World Today, but it was this weird version that Sister Engman found online...the kind that has the dramatic key change in the middle and the audience worries if you are going to make it. :)  haha. But it actually was pretty good. And Sister Carcamo didn't look up the whole song. But we have had a lot of good times and we have found some amazing people. And I'm teaching someone right now that reminds me a lot of Trevor Bowler. It's lessons full of random jokes and awkward pauses...It is really fun. :) We also have this house that we have been teaching, literally the house, because every time we pass by there are people visiting Carmen and they come in, so we definitely get a lot of referrals from her. ha.

 

Transfers are coming this next week and I'm probably leaving, but a big part of me wants to stay in this area. We have been having a lot of slow time at the visitor center, because the Temple is being cleaned, soooo Sister Carcamo walks around and then randomly strikes a dramatic dance pose (in her Chilean cute way). I just stare at her. Then she gets mad at me and 5 min later does it again. We definitely never have a dull moment between our weird personalities. "Some" mornings routine: Alarm goes off at 6:20 am. Sister Carcamo doesn't move. I practically fall out of the bunk bed to turn it off. I tell her to wake up. I tells me she doesn't like me and rolls over. I put on my shoes to go exercise and then fall asleep on the floor....we wake up at 7 to Christian music blasting from our roommates. She jumps out of bed and runs to the shower. :) I tell you this to show you that when you have 2 non-morning people together, some days it is just so hard to wake up! But we do good the rest of the mornings. :)

 

Love you all! We are doing good and sharing at every moment we get. Hope you all are having an awesome HOT summer! :)

 

Love

Hermana Corrinne Clement

 

P.S. Heidi Loar came to the Visitor Center yesterday as a missionary and I gave her investigator a lesson! Super cool! I was her visiting teacher in my single's ward back home. I didn't know that she was going to go! :)

July 10, 2013,

zoomed in photo de sopa del mar

us just before... SOFTBALL!!

Another Email! :)

July 10, 2013, 12:05:20 PM MST

Hey! Thank you so much for the love package Mom! We appreciated it and the little cactus plant is sitting on my desk :):).

 

So! We just got done playing softball with our zone. Softball and Humidity...not so fun combination. But it was actually really fun/funny because half of our zone is international and most of them had no concept of how to play softball. So every other hit a missionary would run the wrong way, or not move, or do something really random. haha. So as we played I tried to explain it to my comp in Spanish, and then translate to Sister Tembo from Africa, and Elder Nng from China. For this act of kindness I got the trophy for Sportsmanship!!! Woo hoo! It was a good time and even though they said they weren't keeping score, our team won!

 

We have some really awesome new people that we are going to start teaching this next 2 weeks (2 part member families)....transfers is almost here again. :( I really am hoping I get to stay here because there are so many things and people that we have been working with that I have grown to love. There are 2 recently baptized families that I know we'll be friends for always. The coolest thing about being here these last 3 transfers is to look back and to see the change that has taken place as they have continued to learn and progress after baptism. The saddest thing has been to see certain people who were strong and had a lot of faith, lose it all and push away from us and the ward.

 

I would say the my greatest joy comes from being in a moment with someone who is struggling and suddenly remembers or realizes that they are a child of God, and that there truly is a plan. Their individual life matters so much more than they even know. That makes this mission, and every sacrifice of you guys (my family and friends), worth being here. I miss a lot about being with the family and doing theatre and dancing with MacGyver, but I know that I will never forget the people who have touched life as I am here. I'm working on a workshop that I'm giving tomorrow in our meeting and it is all about our purpose as missionaries. It is not about numbers, or how many lessons you have, it is about lives changing for the better. I am so happy to be making a difference.

 

Love you all!

 

Hermana Corrinne Clement

July 6th 2013 PICS

Mustaches

The metro!

 

Beauty after Gardening

I'm still ALIVE!

July 6, 2013, 9:23:10 AM MST

 Hey! So happy 4TH of July!!! I hear it is smoking hot over there! 123 degrees??Crazy!

 

We had a lot of good un this week with the holiday. We got to go to the city and see the historical re-enactment of the reading of the Declaration of Independence.... :) I had flashbacks of Eagle's Aerie and Heritage...good times. We also got to see the parade and Natural History Museum. I found out pretty fast that Sister Carcamo doesn't like museums. But she still followed me around.

 

Just like MacGyver, we lost and gained a mission President. We now have the Cookes and I cannot not tell you how excited I am. I absolutely love and respect President and Sister Matsumori, I just got really excited when the Cookes talked to the mission about missionary work. They have so much compassion and are loving people and they have their 3 kids with them. He was a Major General in the army and she was a Lawyer, but you would not guess by the way they interact with people.

 

Things have been good and we have been finding some amazing people that are not quite ready to make changes in their life but they definitely have that desire. I've been learning a lot about their lives and there is a lot of soap opera/sad stories that they all have, but I find comfort in knowing that we all have different paths that we are walking and that the Lord is there every step of the way. And even when we don't want him there, he is that loving parent that always looks out for us. I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful that I'm no in control of anything but myself. I hope that you all take each day at a time and breath when it gets tough. I love you all!

 

I heard the workshops went well! Great job Kendra and Trevor! Also, Aida. :) I look forward to seeing the recording someday! Love you all!!!

 

Hermana Corrinne Nicole Clement

Crazy dream teaching

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 10:39 AM

Family!

 

So I don't know if I mentioned this much in previous letters but...I sleep teach in Spanish....and apparently very loudly. And at first it was cute and all of my companions and roommates thought I was funny, but now they have problems sleeping because I am testifying to random things in the room. I wake up super tired. SO  I'm going to start drinking "happy juice" (as my family calls it) or camymille tea at night to help my mind stop while I'm sleeping. Pretty sad problem to have. haha. It reminds me of the time when Kendra was working at that school and would sing lullabys to me in her sleep. So tender. :) But ya, I hope you are doing alright on those workshops Kendra! I always just was weird and the kids responded well. So that's my advice!

 

This week was a good one. We had some lows because Sister Carcamo and I are going to have to stop teaching some of our favortie families for a while becuase they just aren't progressing and aren't ready to make changes at this point, BUT we have been working really hard to find more and we have quite a few people that are interested. YAY! Hermana Carcamo is really random and spastic. I know! Perfect companion for me. :) She really likes to make up songs and she will make up a song that lasts a whole carride home from the visitor center....such talent. ha. But we have a blast everyday, and even when we get bad news or our plans fall through she is always right there with me looking for the positive. One thing I did want to ask of all of you is to send her either a letter a postcard or something special. She is from Chile and hasn't received one letter since she got her a month ago. You can address it to the same address but with her name: Fernanda Carcamo. I would really appreciate your support on this this. She never says anything about not receiving mail, she just shrugs it off, but I know how nice it is to get a letter so I hope you could send something little! :)

 

Oh something cool! So this Sunday is a worldwide broadcast fireside about missionary work and part of it will be recorded in my mission! So if you watch it, you will see a lot of our missionaries. I won't be there, but my past companion and my roommate will be a part of it. So just a little fun side note!

 

I am really grateful to be here. Everyday I learn things that help me see more of God's plan for us. I am floored that although I have gone through many ups and downs, he has always been there, because I have felt it. I know he loves us and just as a true father does, he will never give up on us no matter how far we have gone. Love you all!!! I hope that you are well and know that I miss you!

 

love

Hermana Corrinne Clement

Night of Music Miracle!

June 5, 2013

 Family! So, I am over halfway through the mission. Crazy right? I thought that I would be going home in March of next year but this mission is on a different transfer cycle than others so I go home early in February. So WOW! It's bittersweet. But I still got a lot of time so I'm not worried about it. :)

 

I hope all is going well! This last Sunday was Night of Music and Inspiration (which I was producing/in charge of). So one rule is that Sisters and Elders cant sing together in the performances and also we cant practice all together until the day of. SOO thank you to the many years of theatre tech rehearsals, it was all under control and the practice ran smoothly. There were 6 songs total, 2 mormon messages and a photo slide show. Everything was going fine, then the storm outside started to pick up and the rain was loud with thunder. Suddenly the power went out then back on. We lost connection to the sound system and control of the lights 20 min before the performance was about to start. The senior couple missionaries were running around frantic as I sat in the audience having the slightest idea of what we should do. They called me over and asked me what I thought. One of the sisters suggested we could have the performance in the smaller theatre or in the upstairs lobby.....I got a really strong feeling and said lobby! So we rounded up the missionaries and explained the situation then we had them all grab as many chairs as we could find to put in the lobby facing the Temple. (Luckily it was pouring outside so the people were all still in traffic so we could get all of the seats out before they came). We moved the piano out and a podium and did it all with 5 min to spare. Then came the people. We had one of the biggest turn outs for night of music in a long time. About 200 people and they all fit! So as the program started we didn't have the videos so it was a good thing there were so many songs. One of which I played the Uke to the Lord is My Shepherd (Regina Spektor style) super cute. haha. The night was beautiful and intimate and the spirit was strong. The rain and temple were in the background while the missionaries were singing songs about life and how God loves us. Then as we were about to come to a close, we still had about 10 min and we had the idea to play the narration or Jesus Christ that we play near the statue of Christ. The words filled the room and after it was over complete silence. I looked around and so many of the peopel were crying. Then 3 sisters sang a song called Take it Home (with a cello = for you mom) and it was soooo good!!!

 

I am so grateful that even when everything fell apart, it came together again, even better than I ever thought it could be. It reminded me a lot of our experiences at AYT and how so many times seemingly bad things would happen but most times they turned out making the performance even better. Sunday was a miracle! And I had many comments that it was the best they had been to. I believe less and less in coincidences every day. I know that night touched many hearts, especially mine.

 

Love you all so much!!

 

Hermana Corrinne Clement