Thank you so much for all your emails, and kind words. I sure love you guys and I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful family. :) Mom, thank you so much for the fun pictures! I have to tell you thank you again for the wonderful family album you sent me with, whenever I'm having a hard day I look at it and I can't help but smile as I think of all our wonderful memories! Also, I want to thank you for sending me those bottles of Doterra Oil, especially the On Guard. Poor Sister Strong had bronchitis all last week, and right when she got sick I started taking the oil, and it was incredible, I stayed healthy! It was sure a tender mercy, so thank you so much! I sure appreciate all you do! Also, thank you so much for putting that money on my card, that was so sweet of you! I sure appreciate that. :) I have the best Mom in the whole world!
Thanks for all the updates, I love hearing about what's going on! Also, I'm so glad you liked the pictures, and had a good birthday! :) Aren't those pictures just beautiful? I love how they show that the savior just has so much love, and that is such a happy person. I love your new relief society theme: "As we reach out to the one, we will become one." that's so neat! It's incredible how service really does bring people so close. As a missionary, It's neat to see that I've been able to gain such great friendship with my companions, and I really think it's because we do service together. It brings people so close together. It's so fun to hear about all you guys have been doing. :) I especially loved the story about Andrew seeing snow and thinking it was Christmas ahah.
Wasn't conference incredible this weekend? Sister Strong and I were able to watch it at one of our members home, and several less active sisters came to watch it with us, it was such a neat experience. :) So many of my prayers and questions in my heart were answered during conference. One of my greatest struggles has been having faith in the future, and I loved Edward Dube's talk about "Faith" I felt that I need to remember the promises Heavenly Father has made to me in my call letter, and my patriarchal blessing, they are my daily motivation. Along with scripture study of course.
Well, this week has been incredible! Today, especially has been a day of miracles already! Looking back at the past few weeks, we hadn't been teaching many who were genuinely interested in the gospel. I was starting to get discouraged. Many people from other churches we'd been talking to were questioning our motives. It hurt, I thought... If this church is true, why are so many people so closed off to it? It was so hard... I felt prompted to mount my Mission Call onto my wall by my desk, and I read it every morning to help me remember my purpose. It reads, "As you devote your time and attention to the Lord, you will gain increased knowledge and you will be led to those who have been prepared for Baptism." (that's not the exact wording, but something very similar.) As I read that daily, it gave me hope. I felt this strong hope and faith, and I love Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21.
It reads
20 There is a alaw, irrevocably decreed in bheaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all cblessings are predicated—
21 And when we obtain any ablessing from God, it is bybobedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
I felt hope knowing that my call has come from a prophet of God, and that God keeps his promises. I knew that if I just kept pressing forward, doing what God asked, I was doing his will, even if at that time we hadn't met anyone ready to receive the fullness of the gospel.
After lots of faith, and praying every day that we would be guided to find those searching for the truth. A miracle happened!
This morning we received a phone call. It was a woman from the Belle Terre ward. She began speaking about her friend who was interested in learning more about the gospel. She told us that her friend had read the whole Book of Mormon, she is reading the Doctrine and Covenants and is already to section 129, and she wanted to read the Pearl of Great Price before she met with us so she could be prepared. Yet after conference she said President Utchdorf's talk had touched her and she felt she needed to meet with missionaries. We were so touched, I felt emotion well up in me as we got this phone call. About an hour ago we went to meet Sue, she is an incredible woman! She grew up Catholic, her whole family is Catholic. She went to Utah State to study Forestry, and she is in her 40's. She's such a sweet lady, she reminds me a lot of Sister Wilkes. We shared the message of the Restoration with her, and she said, "Oh, this all just makes sense." we then extended a baptismal invitation, and she said that when she knows it's true she wants to be baptized! We are so excited for her! :) She has an incredible story, her pursuit of learning more about the church started as she visited temple square, and she has had Mormon friends all her life, and she told her friend Paula, I feel like this is the direction God is guiding me in. As we prayed with her before we left, she prayed, "God, please help me to be open to your will." She is an incredible woman. :)
I love the scripture, Doctrine and Covenants 18:10;15
15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one asoul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
I am so excited for Sue to have the gospel in her life! I know that the Lord is preparing so many people, so many people are just waiting for the invitation. I think this has probably been the most incredible experience of my mission so far. :)
This morning we also had another miracle. A woman in our ward, a recent convert of a few years ago has been struggling and just had a priesthood blessing from the bishop, and said she'd like to take the lessons again. Her name is Jamie, and she is a young mom. It would be incredible to get to see her go to the temple with her family!
I would just like to encourage each of you to remember the wonderful blessings Heavenly Father has promised you. The blessings in your patriarchal blessings, the blessings God promises us in the scriptures. I have a testimony that if we do those things God asks of us, that the blessings will follow. I know that Heavenly Father loves us incredibly, and that all that he does is for our good to help us grow. I know as we read our scriptures, pray daily, and serve others, miracles will come. Heavenly Father knows each of you individually and personally, and he wants to bless you! :)
Thank you so much for all your prayers, I can feel them everyday. I sure love you all so much! You guys are so wonderful, and help strengthen me so much! Thanks for all your love and support. I think about you all often, and you are in my prayers as well.
Love Always,
Sister Sarah Clark
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